A gentle guide from Passing Paws
When Your Pet
Passes at Home
There is no emergency tonight — just a few gentle steps, and a team that comes to you.
no emergency tonight
Area
Serving all of Los Angeles County
Arrival
Typically at your door within 2 hours
Hours
Phones answered 8am–8pm, every day
First, before anything
First, take a breath — nothing has to happen this minute
There is no emergency, and there is no decision you have to make right now. Your pet can rest safely at home for many hours — overnight if needed, kept in a cool room — and nothing about what comes next changes if you take time to sit with them first.
Stay beside them, call someone you love, or simply be still for a while.
Whenever you are ready, the steps below will walk you through everything else.
Knowing for certain
How do I know my pet has passed?
You will usually know: their chest is still, there is no heartbeat under your hand, and they do not respond to your voice or a gentle touch. Their eyes may stay open — that is normal. In the minutes after passing you may notice a small sigh, a muscle twitch, or a release of the bladder; these are the body relaxing, not signs of pain or distress.
In the first hours
How to care for their body in the first hours
Lay a towel or blanket beneath them and, if you can, move them to a cool, quiet room. A small release of fluids is normal, and the towel simply keeps things gentle. If you wish, you can softly close their eyes and tuck them into a natural, curled resting position — this is easiest within the first few hours. None of this is required; it is only for your comfort.
If it will be more than a few hours before pickup, a cool space matters more than anything else — the coolest room in the house, with air conditioning or a fan if you have one.
Nothing here is requiredIf it happens overnight
My pet passed at home at night — what do I do until morning?
Your pet will be safe at home overnight — here is exactly how to care for them until we answer the phone at 8am. We want to be honest with you: our phones are answered 8am to 8pm, not overnight. But nothing is lost by waiting until morning. Tonight:
- Place a towel or blanket beneath them
- Move them to the coolest room you have — a tiled floor, a garage, or any room with air conditioning
- Keep the room cool and away from direct sun or heaters
- If you have ice packs or frozen water bottles, wrap them in a towel and place them alongside your pet’s body — helpful, but not required
You can book a pickup online anytime at app.passingpaws.com/book — even at 3am — and we’ll see your booking the moment phones open at 8am. Or simply call (626) 340-0000 in the morning; either way, we are typically at your door within 2 hours.
It is okay to sleep. You have done everything that needs doing tonight.
When phones are open
Between 8am and 8pm? Call us — we can usually be at your door within 2 hours
Call (626) 340-0000 — we answer 8am to 8pm, every day of the week, and we are typically at your door within 2 hours of the call. On the phone we will ask a few simple questions and quote you an exact, flat price: communal cremation is $249, private cremation is $399, and aquamation is $449. There are no weekend fees, no weight-based pricing, and no mileage charges — the price we quote on that first call is the price you pay.
Cremated together; ashes are not returned
Cremated alone; ashes come home to you
A gentle, water-based alternative to flame
If you are not ready to decide between options, that is okay too. You can ask every question you have and call back when it feels right.
The arrival
What happens when we arrive
A member of our team comes to your door — calmly, without hurry — and takes care of everything from there. You can take a final moment to say goodbye; we will never rush you. When you are ready, we gently carry your pet to our vehicle, treating them the way you would.
If you have chosen private cremation or aquamation, a cremation identification tag stays with your pet through every step, and the ashes that come home are solely theirs — hand-delivered back to your door by our team, typically within 2 to 3 weeks. We never ship ashes or hand them to a courier. We care for pets of every size, from small birds and hamsters to dogs over 100 pounds.
We will never rush you
If it happened at the vet
If your pet passed at the vet
We pick up from veterinary offices too. Call us at (626) 340-0000, let the front desk know Passing Paws is handling your pet’s aftercare, and we will coordinate directly with the office. Everything else stays the same — the same flat prices, the same gentle handling, and ashes hand-delivered to your home.
A few honest answers
Questions Families Ask in the First Hours
My pet passed at home at night — what do I do?
How long can I wait before calling?
How much does it cost to have a pet picked up and cremated in Glendale?
How quickly can Passing Paws pick up my pet?
Will I get my pet’s ashes back?
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.