Planning ahead, gently
Planning Ahead for
Your Pet’s Passing
Make the hard decisions on a calm day — so the hardest day needs only one phone call.
decided on a calm day
Area
Serving all of Los Angeles County
Arrival
Typically at your door within 2 hours
Hours
Phones answered 8am–8pm, every day
Why plan ahead
Why plan ahead for your pet’s cremation?
Planning ahead lets you make every decision calmly, on an ordinary afternoon, instead of at two in the morning through tears. When a pet passes without a plan, families face a list of unfamiliar questions — cremation or aquamation, which keepsakes, who to even call — at the exact moment they are least able to think clearly.
Deciding now, while your pet is still curled up beside you, means the hardest day asks nothing of you except grieving. Planning ahead is not giving up on your pet, and it does not hurry anything. It is a quiet kindness to your future self, and to everyone else in the house who will be leaning on you that day.
Planning ahead is not giving up on your pet.
Three quiet choices
What can you decide now?
You can decide the service type, the keepsakes you would like, and exactly who to call — so nothing needs figuring out later. Those three choices cover almost everything.
Service type is the big one. Private cremation is a flat $399 and your pet’s ashes come home to you, along with an ID tag, an aromatic cedar urn, a clay paw print on a gold display stand, and a fur clipping. Aquamation, a gentle water-based alternative, is $449 and includes the same cedar urn and clay paw print. Communal cremation is $249, with no ashes returned. Every price is flat — no weight fees, no weekend fees, no mileage fees — and they are all laid out at pet cremation cost. If you are weighing flame against water, aquamation vs cremation explains the difference in plain terms.
Keepsakes can be decided ahead too: additional clay paw prints are $50, ink prints are $35, and you can browse urns, biodegradable urns, and memorial jewelry at products. And the simplest decision of all — save our number, (626) 340-0000, so it is already in your phone.
Cremated together; ashes are not returned
Cremated individually; ashes come home to you
A gentle, water-based alternative to flame
How it works
How does planning ahead work with Passing Paws?
Call us at (626) 340-0000, any day between 8am and 8pm, and we will talk through your options and answer every question — that is all planning ahead needs to be. There is nothing to sign and nothing to pay ahead of time; you are simply deciding, calmly and in your own time, what you would want for your pet.
Once you have chosen, write your wishes down somewhere your family can find them — the service you want, the keepsakes, our phone number. When the day comes, one call, or an online booking anytime at app.passingpaws.com/book, sets everything in motion at the same flat, published prices, payable by card, Zelle, check, or cash. And if you rethink any choice between now and then, that is entirely your right — nothing is booked or paid until you call.
A conversation worth having
Should I talk to my vet about timing?
Yes — your vet knows your pet’s condition and can help you understand what to expect in the weeks or months ahead. Many vets can walk you through gentle quality-of-life markers, like appetite, mobility, and whether your pet still finds joy in familiar things. Asking about these now, on a routine visit, is far easier than trying to judge them alone later.
If you are considering euthanasia at home, that can be part of your thinking too. In-home euthanasia is available through Saving Grace Veterinary Services, a separate licensed veterinary practice, at $450 plus a travel fee — you can read how a visit unfolds at in home pet euthanasia. Knowing the option exists, and deciding ahead of time whether you would want it, brings many families real peace.
One quiet sitting
A gentle planning checklist
Here is a short list you can work through in one quiet sitting — none of it is required, and any of it can change later.
Service type
Choose the service type — private cremation, communal cremation, or aquamation
Keepsakes
Decide which keepsakes you would like, such as extra paw prints or a piece of memorial jewelry
Our number
Save (626) 340-0000 in your phone where you will find it easily
Your vet
Ask your vet what to watch for, and what comfort care looks like for your pet
Who calls
Decide who in the family will make the call when the time comes
At home
If you would want euthanasia at home, read how it works at in home pet euthanasia so the option feels familiar
Write it down
Write your choices down and tell one other person the plan, so you are not carrying it alone
Then rest
Then set the list down, and spend the rest of your time simply being with your pet
When the day comes
When the day comes
You make one call, and everything you decided happens — there is nothing to research and nothing to negotiate. We answer from 8am to 8pm every day at (626) 340-0000, and you can also book online anytime at app.passingpaws.com/book. Home pickup typically arrives within 2 hours, anywhere in LA County, for pets of every size — from birds and hamsters to dogs over 100 pounds.
From there, your pet is held gently in our care and taken to the crematorium we work with, and we receive them back ourselves. When the ashes are ready, typically within 2 to 3 weeks, a member of our team hand-delivers them to your home — we never ship. If your pet passes at home before you have a chance to call, when your pet dies at home walks you calmly through those first hours.
A few honest answers
Planning-Ahead Questions
Can I arrange pet cremation before my pet passes?
Does pre-planning cost anything?
What if I change my mind about what I chose?
Can I plan ahead for in-home euthanasia too?
How quickly do you come when the day arrives?
Available Across Los Angeles
We Come to You
Home pickup in every community we serve — choose your city for local details.
One Call Handles Everything
We answer 8am to 8pm, every day. We’ll listen, explain your options, and come to you — typically within 2 hours.