A paw print to keep, in Opelika
About 1,100 households in Opelika lose a dog or cat each year, by our estimate. A clear paw print, taken at home or by your vet, is often the keepsake people are most glad to have.
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Opelika, Alabama
Arranging a paw print around Opelika
Families in Opelika often have relatives spread between Alabama and Georgia, so memorials that can be shared are popular. You might divide ashes into a few small pieces, order matching keepsakes, or give each person a paw print or photo instead. Before ordering, ask how much ash your pet's weight will produce, what engraving costs and whether shipping to another state is included in the price.
Opelika's historic districts are full of deep porches, brick walkways and old shade trees, and many families want a memorial that feels at home in that setting. That could be a weathered stone by the steps, a planter on the porch, or ashes kept inside on a mantel. If you rent near campus or expect a job move, favor something you can lift and pack rather than a marker set in concrete.
Supplies are easy to find even in a small town. Air-dry modeling clay, a washable non-toxic ink pad, card stock and baby wipes are enough for a first print. A purpose-made kit is kinder for fluffy paws and cats, but it may take days to arrive, so buy one while your pet is still well rather than waiting until you need it urgently.
About 35,765 people live in Opelika, which makes it the 15th-largest of the 37 Alabama communities we cover. Columbus, roughly 27 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Opelika run from there.
Families in Opelika often end up using a provider from Auburn (7 miles, a larger centre), Phenix City (25 miles) and Columbus (27 miles, a larger centre). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
13,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households Opelika has (estimate)
How we calculated this
35,765 ÷ 2.5 = 14,306 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 13,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
1,100
Estimated dog and cat losses in Opelika each year
How we calculated this
13,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,100 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
53%[1]
53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
39%[3]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Alabama
Burial is still more common than cremation for people in Alabama, where about 42.3%[5] are cremated. Many pet owners here bury too, often on their own land where that's allowed. That gives you something city cremation doesn't: time. You can take a paw print at home, calmly, before the burial, with no one waiting at the door.
We take the Alabama rate from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Opelika, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Seasons in Opelika and a print that lasts
In warm weather, the first hours after a pet dies at home matter for comfort and for the print. Keep your pet in the coolest room, on a towel, and take the print early, before the body stiffens. In cold weather, a pet kept in a chilled room will have firm pads, so press the clay gently onto the paw instead.
Where the money goes: the print, then the finishing
If you'd like the print framed with a lock of fur, one Northeast crematory network charges $133 for that combination and $23 for a fur clipping on its own[6]. Some water cremation providers bundle a print in too: an Arizona aquamation service includes an ink paw print in individual packages from $75 to $349[7]. In Opelika, it's worth asking every provider what comes with the package before adding extras.
Prices for Opelika track the wider Alabama market, so use the Alabama price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Rules in Alabama that touch on keepsakes
Rules in Alabama mostly cover the practical side of a pet's death: where a body can be buried, how deep, and where ashes may be scattered. None of it stops you taking a print. It's worth knowing, though, because a print set into a stone often goes where the burial or ashes go, and a landlord or homeowners' association can have its own say.
To find your county or city office in Alabama, start with the official Alabama local government directory.
For Alabama's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Alabama guide. Local rules in Opelika can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
A short checklist for a clean print
- For a horse, book the farrier to trim and clean the hoof first. Pick out the sole and dry it well.
- Press the hoof into a thick slab of clay resting on a board, or coat the sole in non-toxic paint and set it down on stiff card. Ask a helper to keep the leg still while you do it.
- Keep the last shoe and a length of tail or mane hair, since plenty of owners later have the hair plaited or cast in resin.
- For a bird or a very small pet, use very soft clay or inkless paper and the lightest pressure. Tiny toes show best in clay.
- For a fluffy cat or rabbit, go inkless so nothing ends up on fur they'll wash later; for rabbits especially, clay captures the long, narrow foot well.
- Dry and store every print indoors, and photograph it so a maker can work from the image.
Keeping the print and the memory close
The growing season in Lee County is long, with early spring blooms and warm weather lasting well into October. If you'd like to plant something in your pet's memory, late fall or early spring gives roots time to settle before summer heat arrives. Choose a shrub or tree that tolerates heavy clay, and ask whether any bio-urn you're considering is designed for warm, wet soil.
Every option Opelika families choose between is on the services page, or look at how readers voted in our polls, try the free planning tools, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details. Close to Opelika we also cover Huntsville, Montgomery, Mobile and Birmingham; the full list for Alabama and for the United States is a click away.
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.
Who would you rather take the print?
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When did (or will) you take your pet's print?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Paw print keepsake chooser
Match a print method to your pet's size, fur and the keepsake you want to keep.
Jewelry ash capacity guide
How much ash fits in pendants, rings and glass, and how many pieces one pet can fill.
Questions people ask
Will I have to travel to Columbus to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Columbus (roughly 27 miles from Opelika) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
How many pet owners live in Opelika?
By our estimate, about 13,000 households in Opelika have at least one dog or cat, and around 1,100 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 35,765, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
How do Alabama attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Alabama human cremation rate at about 42.3%[5]. We show it on the Opelika page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Opelika?
Usually yes. Auburn is about 7 miles away, Phenix City is about 25 miles away and Columbus is about 27 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
How do I stop an ink paw print from smudging?
Dry the paw with a towel first, tape the card to a hard surface and press straight down with steady pressure, then lift straight up without sliding. Too much ink blurs the pads, so dab lightly. Take three or four prints and keep the clearest. Let the ink dry fully before touching it, especially in humid weather.
Will the crematory send the paw print back with the ashes?
It depends on the provider. Some take the print at intake and return it with the ashes; others hand it to your vet or post it separately. Ask how the print is labeled and when it will come back, and ask for a photo of it before cremation so you know it's clear. If you'd rather not wait, take your own before collection.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] The NFDA projected Alabama's cremation rate at 42.3% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Final Gift charges $49 for ink paw prints, $76 for a clay or silver-clay paw print, $111 framed, and $133 framed with a fur clipping; a fur clipping alone costs $23. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
- [7] A Greener Place in Mesa, Arizona, charges $75–$349 for individual pet aquamation by weight, including an urn, nameplate and ink paw print. A Greener Place Pet Aquamation – Pricing, 2026.
- [8] Paw-print add-ons at US crematories have a median price of about $32, from $10 to $76. Our estimate: median of [$10 clay (AGP), $15 laser engraving (AGP), $49 ink (Final Gift), $76 clay (Final Gift)]. How we calculate.
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