For your dog, would you choose private or communal cremation?
Private, so I get only my dog's ashes back0%
Communal, I don't need the ashes back0%
Private and witnessed, I want to be there0%
I'm still deciding0%
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Live results: how our readers are answering
These totals change every time someone votes. Read them next to the research, such as the US finding that 83.0%[1] of recorded dog deaths were by euthanasia, and you'll get a fuller picture than either gives alone.
- Counts update as people vote
- One anonymous vote per person
- Shown beside published studies
The method
How the results are counted, and what they aren't
Each poll counts one vote per person, with no names or email addresses attached. The totals on the board below are live, so they shift as new answers arrive, and a question that's only a few days old may have very few votes. Percentages on a small count can swing a lot from one day to the next.
This is not a scientific survey. The people voting chose to visit a dog cremation guide, often during or just after a loss, and chose to answer. That's a very particular group. Use the numbers to see how others in a similar spot are thinking, not as a measure of what all dog owners do. If you haven't voted yet, the poll hub lists every question.
Live results
Where did (or would) you say goodbye to your dog?
At home, on their own bed0%
At the vet clinic0%
Outside, in the garden or yard0%
At an emergency hospital, it was sudden0%
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What would you most want to keep from your dog?
Their ashes in an urn0%
A paw print0%
Their collar and tags0%
A clipping of fur0%
A nose print0%
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Would you send a favourite toy or blanket with your dog?
Yes, they shouldn't go alone0%
No, I'd keep it to remember them0%
Both, one with them and one for me0%
I didn't know that was allowed0%
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If you have a large or giant breed, what worries you most about aftercare?
Physically moving them0%
The higher cost0%
Finding an urn big enough0%
How quickly it all has to happen0%
My dog is small or medium0%
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Is your dog a senior? Have you thought about aftercare yet?
Yes, and I've made a plan0%
Yes, I've started thinking about it0%
Yes, but I've been avoiding it0%
No, my dog is still young0%
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Were children part of your dog's goodbye?
Yes, they were there at the end0%
They said goodbye beforehand0%
We told them afterwards0%
No children in our home0%
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Which urn style would suit your dog best?
Wooden box with a photo frame0%
Ceramic or stone vase0%
A figurine that looks like my breed0%
A biodegradable urn to plant0%
No urn, I'd scatter the ashes0%
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When your dog died, who did you call first?
Our regular vet0%
An emergency or after-hours clinic0%
A pet crematory directly0%
Family or a friend, before anyone official0%
Nobody yet, I searched online first0%
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What will you do (or did you do) with your dog's ashes?
Keep them at home in an urn0%
Scatter them on a favourite walk0%
Bury them under a tree or plant0%
Share them between family members0%
Keep them until my own ashes can join them0%
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How are you paying (or planning to pay) for your dog's aftercare?
From savings or the monthly budget0%
Partly through pet insurance or an add-on0%
On a credit card or payment plan0%
Family are chipping in0%
I honestly don't know yet0%
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Which part of your dog's daily routine do you miss most?
The greeting at the door0%
Morning or evening walks0%
Mealtimes and the bowl clatter0%
Them sleeping nearby at night0%
Just having them in the room0%
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Where the goodbye happens
Home or clinic: how reader answers compare with research
Our question about where people said goodbye has a solid research benchmark. In the US Dog Aging Project, most euthanized dogs died at a clinic, but more than one in five died at home. By our estimate, combining that with the share of deaths by euthanasia, ~18.9%[2] of all US dog deaths are home euthanasias.
76.7% clinic; 22.8% home[3]
If our readers lean further toward home than this, it's likely because people researching aftercare in advance are also the ones able to book a home visit. Cost plays a part too: nationally, a home visit averages about $410[4] against $139[5] in a clinic. Our page on in-home goodbye and aftercare coordination explains how the two are arranged together.
Where did (or would) you say goodbye to your dog?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Cremation or burial
Cremation, burial and private vs communal: the wider picture
Two large surveys, the UK competition regulator's owner survey and a US study of more than 2,000 dog and cat owners, point to the same pattern: most bereaved owners choose cremation, and a sizeable minority choose burial. Our calculation below pulls the UK and US findings together.
~2/3 cremation; ~30% burial[6]
Private versus communal is harder to benchmark, because few studies ask it directly. One Japanese survey found a strong preference for individual pet funerals over joint ones:
60%+ individual; 10%+ joint[7]
Readers of a guide like ours may well lean the same way, since people who want ashes back are more likely to research the options. Our private vs communal guide explains what each really involves.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Grief
What grief poll answers suggest, next to the research
Our grief questions ask how losing a pet compared with losing a person, and what helped in the first weeks. Research has a clear message here: it's normal for the loss of a dog to hit very hard. In one global industry report, 40%[8] of owners said their grief after a pet's death equaled or exceeded grief for a person.
The RSPCA's large pet-loss survey adds that 99.3%[9] of owners saw their pet as family, a friend or a companion. So if our live answers show many readers found losing their dog as hard as, or harder than, a human loss, that fits well with the published picture. If you're in that group, our grief check-in and the page on grief after losing a dog may help.
Compared with losing a person, losing your pet felt...
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Using the results
What to take from the numbers for your own dog
- Popular isn't the same as right for you. A choice that most readers made can still be wrong for your family, your budget or your dog.
- Unusual isn't wrong either. If you're in a small group, like wanting a witnessed cremation or keeping ashes until your own can join them, you're far from alone in the world.
- Research beats polls on facts. Use studies for things like cost and lifespan, and polls for how people felt.
- Prices come from providers. No poll can tell you what cremation costs in your town.
One more thing worth noticing is where readers split almost evenly. A near fifty-fifty result usually means the question has no common default, and that the choice comes down to your own dog and circumstances. Those are the decisions most worth talking through with family before the day, rather than in a vet's consulting room. When you're ready for specifics, the cremation cost calculator sets a realistic range, and our services overview explains each option in plain terms.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
Where did (or would) you say goodbye to your dog?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Compared with losing a person, losing your pet felt...
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Questions people ask
Are these poll results representative of all dog owners?
No. They show how visitors to this guide answered, and those visitors are often in the middle of losing a dog or planning for it. That's useful for seeing what others in a similar place are thinking, but it's not a random sample. For population-level facts, we point to published studies instead.
How often do the results update?
They're live, so each new vote changes the totals immediately. That means a figure you saw last week might look different today, especially on newer questions with fewer votes. Always check the vote count shown beside each result before reading much into a percentage.
Why do some polls have very few votes?
Newer questions start at zero, and some topics, like children at the goodbye, only apply to some readers. We never pad the numbers or show sample results. As more people answer, the percentages settle and become more meaningful.
Can I use these poll results in an article or report?
You're welcome to mention them, but please describe them accurately: live, self-selected reader polls on a dog aftercare guide, not a scientific survey. Include the date you looked and the vote count. For firm figures, cite the original research listed in our research library.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In the Dog Aging Project, 83.0% of 646 US dog deaths (Dec 2019-Mar 2021) were by euthanasia. Dog Aging Project End of Life Survey - Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (2026), via PubMed Central, 2026.
- [2] About 19% of all US dog deaths are in-home euthanasias. Our estimate: 83.0% euthanised x 22.8% of euthanasias at home = 18.9%. How we calculate.
- [3] Of euthanized dogs in the Dog Aging Project, 76.7% were euthanized at a veterinary clinic or hospital and 22.8% at the owner's home. Dog Aging Project End of Life Survey - Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (2026), via PubMed Central, 2026.
- [4] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for at-home dog euthanasia at $410 (range $325-$747). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [5] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for in-clinic dog euthanasia at $139 (range $110-$253). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [6] UK and US survey evidence converges on roughly two-thirds of bereaved owners choosing cremation (UK 67%; US 68% ever) and about 29-32% choosing burial. Our estimate: mean(67, 68) = 67.5; burial range 29% (UK) to 32% (US). How we calculate.
- [7] In a Japanese internet survey cited by Lonite, over 60% of respondents preferred an individual pet funeral versus just over 10% wanting a joint (communal) funeral. Lonite - 2023 Pet Funeral Situation in Japan (citing Sharing Technology Corp. internet survey), 2023.
- [8] Mordor Intelligence reports that 40% of owners say their grief after a pet's death equals or exceeds grief after a human loss. Mordor Intelligence — Pet Funeral Services Market report page, 2025.
- [9] In the RSPCA's pet-loss survey (over 4,000 respondents), 99.3% saw their pet as family, a friend or a companion. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
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