Getting your pet's paw print in Arcadia
By our estimate, about 20,000 households in Arcadia share their home with a dog or cat. Every one of those paws can be pressed into clay or ink, ideally long before goodbye. Here's how.
- Home kit or vet-taken: your choice
- Tips for heat, humidity and cold
- Ideas for jewelry, engraving and art
Arcadia, California
Home, clinic or crematory: paw prints in Arcadia
Arcadia's gardens are known for their mature oaks, camellias and roses, and many families like the idea of an outdoor memorial for a pet. A granite marker, an engraved stone set among plants or a biodegradable urn planted beneath a young tree all suit the climate, which has no hard freeze. If you prefer something indoors, a paw print casting or small urn on a mantel works just as well.
Summer sun in Arcadia can be intense, so if you are placing a memorial outside, think about materials. Stone and bronze hold up well, while some resins and painted finishes fade within a few seasons. Many families split the ashes: a small portion in a keepsake to keep close, the rest in an urn or garden spot. Ask for matching small pieces if more than one person wants a memento.
Farm and country homes around Arcadia often have animals that city guides forget. A horse's hoof print is best taken after the farrier has trimmed and cleaned the foot, pressed into a thick clay slab or painted onto heavy card. Keep the last shoe as well. For chickens, ducks or a pet parrot, very soft clay shows the delicate toes far better than ink.
Arcadia's population is around 54,117, the 153rd-largest of the 307 California communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Arcadia are based about 13 miles away in Los Angeles, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
For a second opinion on price, Temple City (2 miles), Monrovia (4 miles) and El Monte (4 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Arcadia routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
20,000
Arcadia: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
54,117 ÷ 2.5 = 21,647 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 20,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
1,650
Arcadia families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
20,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,650 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry; we only apply it to this.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in California
Cremation is the everyday choice in California: about 70.5%[5] of people who die there are cremated. Pet aftercare tends to follow the same habits, which means most pets here end up as a small box of ashes. Ashes don't show a paw, a nose or the shape of a toe. That's a big part of why prints matter so much in high-cremation places, and why local crematories are so used to being asked for one.
That California rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Arcadia only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Clay, ink and the local climate
Strong sun in Arcadia, especially around August, fades ink faster than most people expect. A framed paw print in a bright hallway can lose its crispness within a few summers. Hang it on a wall that doesn't catch direct light, choose UV-filtering glass and keep a scan of the original. And never leave a clay print or a resin cast inside a parked car, a garage or an attic in summer, where temperatures climb far above 91°F.
If your pet dies at home during July, August and September, keeping them cool comes first and the print second. Move them to the coolest room, lay them on a towel over a hard floor and take the print within the first few hours, before the body stiffens. If collection is coming soon, ask the team to wait while you finish, or ask the crematory to take the print at intake.
Budgeting for a print and what it becomes
By our estimate, around 765,000 US families a year[6] are open to a personalized pet keepsake, so providers in Arcadia are used to the question. The cheapest route is a home print, which costs only clay and a card. The next step up is a crematory add-on: by our estimate the median is about $32[7], and a clay paw impression can cost as little as $10[8]. Framing, engraving and silver are where totals climb.
We keep the detailed California price table on one page so it stays current: see California prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Rules in California that touch on keepsakes
If you might move away from California one day, it helps to know that a print, a cast or a photograph needs no paperwork at a border, while ashes sometimes do, and a grave can't come with you at all. None of that should decide your plans, but it's worth weighing alongside what California allows, set out below.
California keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Arcadia.
Start with the California rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Arcadia's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
A short checklist for a clean print
- Take a breath. If your pet has just died at home, there is usually time for a print in the first few hours. Lay them on a towel in a cool room.
- Gather what you need: clay warmed in your hands, or card taped to a board with a pet-safe ink pad, plus a damp cloth.
- If the leg has stiffened, bring the clay to the paw. Press it gently onto the pads rather than forcing the paw down.
- Take a nose print too should you want one; barely touch the nose with the ink pad or an inkless wipe.
- Call your vet or crematory afterwards, and let them know a print has already been made so they can skip that step.
- Let the print dry indoors, away from heaters and sunny windows, before you frame or post it anywhere.
Ways families in Arcadia keep a print close
Arcadia is a diverse community, with many families of Chinese heritage alongside long-established residents, and memorial customs vary widely from home to home. Some keep a photo and small urn on a family altar; others prefer jewelry that holds a pinch of ashes, or a framed nose print. Each is as fitting as the others. Pick what suits your household's traditions and the space you have.
See what each option includes on our services page, read our guides and latest articles, or see what other families chose in the poll results, run the numbers with the free planning tools. Close to Arcadia we also cover San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento and Fresno; the full list for California 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.
When did (or will) you take your pet's print?
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Whose print are you thinking about?
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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
Which nearby towns can I compare with Arcadia?
The closest communities we cover are Temple City (about 2 miles), Monrovia (about 4 miles) and El Monte (about 4 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Arcadia too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is cremation common in California?
For people, yes: about 70.5%[5] of California deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Arcadia follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Will I have to travel to Los Angeles to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Los Angeles (roughly 13 miles from Arcadia) 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.
Roughly how many pets die in Arcadia each year?
Our estimate is around 1,650. It comes from Arcadia's population (about 54,117), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 20,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Is it possible to print a guinea pig's or hamster's feet?
Yes, but it takes patience and a light touch. Tiny feet leave only faint marks in ink, so very soft modeling clay or an inkless kit usually works better. Warm the clay well, cradle your pet in a towel on your lap and press the clay gently up to the foot rather than lowering the foot. For a hamster, one clear hind foot is plenty. If your pet is frightened, stop; letting your vet take it after death is gentler.
Why did my air-dry clay paw print crack?
Usually because it dried too fast. In hot, dry weather, or near a heater or sunny window, the outside shrinks before the inside has set, and the thin edges of the toes crack first. Next time, dry it slowly indoors at room temperature, loosely covered with a cloth for the first day. Small cracks can be filled with a little fresh clay and smoothed with a damp finger.
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 California's cremation rate at 70.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Around 765,000 U.S. families a year are likely open to a personalized pet keepsake. Our estimate: 1.5M pet cremations x 51% interest in personalized memorials. How we calculate.
- [7] 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.
- [8] Memorial add-ons at A Greener Place: $15 laser-engraved paw print, $10 clay paw impression, $10 nose print, $5 fur clipping. A Greener Place Pet Aquamation – Pricing, 2026.
Ask who takes paw prints in Arcadia
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