Pet Loss Grief Support Group

When your companion animal dies, it’s natural to feel grief and sadness, even depression. The Birchbark Foundation offers a pet grief and loss support group designed to offer support to anyone grieving the death, loss or terminal illness of a beloved companion animal. Click here for more information.

Humane End-of-Life Euthanasia Services

Choosing euthanasia for your pet is an incredibly difficult decision. If you have made that choice, Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter offers affordable, humane euthanasia services at our Santa Cruz shelter.

Because we are an operating animal shelter and our animal care staff are also responsible for managing the care of our shelter animals, we do not offer owner present euthanasia services.

We are routinely told that our employees are compassionate, caring and understanding… that we made an incredibly difficult situation a little bit easier.

Staff can receive your pet at any time during operating hours without an appointment.

We are currently unable to provide this service.

Our euthanasia service for dogs, cats or small animals is $100 plus a fee of $50 if disposal services are requested. We offer communal burial and can arrange  private cremation services.

We can arrange private cremation service for families who wish to keep the remains of their pet.

All pets privately cremated will be returned in a beautiful handmade Ceramic urn, River Rock shape or Wood Box urn with your pet’s name embossed on the surface along with your pet’s Paw Print in a stoneware tile.

*Cats prices range from $226- $343.

*Dog prices range from $302- $419.

*Prices depend on Urn and Photo options.