Paw and nose prints in Monrovia: a calm guide
By our estimate, about 14,000 households in Monrovia 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.
- Take the print before cremation
- Clay, ink or cast, explained simply
- Published prices, no guesswork
Monrovia, California
Getting a paw print in Monrovia: the local picture
Monrovia's older homes, with porches and gardens, suit classic memorials: an engraved stone under a tree, a wooden urn on a mantel, or a framed paw print in the hallway. In a Craftsman house, handmade ceramic or wood pieces often feel at home. Your pet's body weight is a good guide to urn size, so have it handy when you shop.
Hot summers and occasional winter storms in the foothills are hard on outdoor memorials. Stone and cast metal survive the foothill mix of summer sun and winter downpours; painted resin fades within a few seasons. If you plant a bio urn with a tree, pick a species suited to dry summers and water it regularly the first few years. A shaded corner of the garden often works best for a marker. A marker set in the shade of an oak ages gracefully.
Farm and country homes around Monrovia 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.
With roughly 38,264 residents, Monrovia is the 186th-largest of the 307 California communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Los Angeles, about 17 miles (27 km) away, which is where some providers serving Monrovia are based.
The closest communities we cover are Duarte (2 miles), Arcadia (4 miles) and Azusa (4 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Monrovia too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
14,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households Monrovia has (estimate)
How we calculated this
38,264 ÷ 2.5 = 15,306 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 14,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
1,150
Estimated dog and cat losses in Monrovia each year
How we calculated this
14,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,150 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.
The numbers above come from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, if you'd like to read the original sources.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in California
Cremation is the norm for people in California (about 70.5%[5] of deaths), and pet crematories there tend to offer a long menu of extras: paw prints, nose prints, fur clippings, name plates, photo urns. It's easy to feel you ought to say yes to everything. You don't have to. Pick the one or two things you'll actually look at in five years' time. For many families, that's a clear print and a small lock of fur.
That California rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Monrovia only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Weather in Monrovia and your pet's print
Around August, when highs in Monrovia run near 91°F, a senior pet may be flat and uncomfortable in the afternoons. That's often a good time for a print, oddly enough: a hot, sleepy dog or cat lies still. Choose a cool room, keep sessions short, offer water and stop if your pet gets restless. You can always try again the next evening.
Summers in Monrovia are hot: August averages highs around 91°F. Heat is hard on air-dry clay. In dry heat the surface skins over and cracks before the inside has set, so dry your print slowly indoors, away from sunny windows and air vents, and turn it every few hours. In humid heat the opposite happens: the clay stays soft for days, so be patient and don't try to speed it up in the oven unless the kit says it's bakeable.
Paw print costs around Monrovia, line by line
The print itself is cheap; what you turn it into is where the budget goes. At one urn retailer, an engraved paw print added to an urn typically costs $20–$35[6] and paw and nose print pendants start from $99.95[7]; a custom sterling silver charm made from your pet's actual print costs about $143 before the chain[8]. Custom silver print charms from one crematory network run $290 to $420[9].
The full price table by product is on our California page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What the law in California does and doesn't cover
Rules in California 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.
Not sure which office covers Monrovia? The California local government directory is the official list.
The California page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Monrovia's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
How to make sure a print is taken in time
- Tell your child what's happening in plain words, and ask whether they'd like to help with the print. Our guide to print-making with children suggests roles for different ages.
- Give them a real job: rolling the clay, choosing the card color or writing the name.
- Let them press a hand or fingerprint next to the paw, if they'd like to.
- If the print is taken after death, leave the pressing to an adult or the vet, then let your child see the result.
- Make a copy for your child's room, and tuck the original away out of harm's way.
- Come back to it later. One child wants it framed the same week; another won't look at it for months.
Turning a print into something lasting
Monrovia Canyon Park, with its trail to a small waterfall, is a place many residents treasure. The city runs the canyon park and the forest above is federal land, so ask each about scattering. Holding back some ashes in a keepsake urn at home means you have somewhere to remember when the canyon is closed after a storm or during fire season.
Every option Monrovia families choose between is on the services page, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or look at how readers voted in our polls, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details. Close to Monrovia we also cover Fresno, San Jose, Sacramento and Los Angeles; 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.
Whose print are you thinking about?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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
Why does the Monrovia page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) reports about 70.5%[5] of California residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Where are the providers that serve Monrovia actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Los Angeles, about 17 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Monrovia and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Roughly how many pets die in Monrovia each year?
Our estimate is around 1,150. It comes from Monrovia's population (about 38,264), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 14,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
How does Monrovia's weather affect pet aftercare?
August is the hottest month in Monrovia, with average highs around 91°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Winters are mild, with average lows staying above freezing, so outdoor burial or scattering is usually possible year round.
How many households in Monrovia have a dog or cat?
By our estimate, about 14,000 households in Monrovia have a dog or a cat, and around 1,150 dogs and cats are lost there each year. We calculate this from the city's population, average household size and national pet ownership and lifespan figures. The method is shown on this page.
Is there free support if making the print brings up a lot of grief?
Yes. Veterinary schools run free pet loss lines: Cornell's Pet Loss Support Hotline is staffed by veterinary students trained by grief counselors[11], and Tufts runs a volunteer helpline on Monday to Thursday evenings, with 24-hour voicemail[12]. Strong feelings while you hold your pet's paw are normal, and some people find the print is the moment it all becomes real. Our guides also cover early grief.
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] Adding an engraved paw print or symbol to a pet urn typically costs $20–$35. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [7] Paw print and nose print pendants at Memorials.com start at $99.95. Memorials.com – Pet print jewelry, 2026.
- [8] A custom sterling silver actual-paw-print charm costs $143 before the chain (about $59–$79 for silver) and takes about 2 weeks to make. String of Jewels – Actual paw print necklace, 2026.
- [9] Final Gift's pet memorial jewelry runs from a $60 urn pendant to $290–$420 for custom sterling silver print charms, with glass ash beads at $245. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
- [10] 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.
- [11] Cornell's free Pet Loss Support Hotline (607-218-7457) is staffed by veterinary students trained by professional grief counselors. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, 2026.
- [12] Tufts University's Pet Loss Support Helpline (508-839-7966) is free and volunteer-staffed, 6–9 pm ET Monday to Thursday, with 24-hour voicemail. Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 2026.
Tell us about your pet's print
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.