Keeping your pet's paw print in Aurora, Colorado
Aurora has an estimated 150,000 dog- or cat-owning households. If yours is one of them, a print taken now, or before cremation, is the keepsake you can't go back for.
- Take the print before cremation
- Clay, ink or cast, explained simply
- Published prices, no guesswork
Aurora, Colorado
Who takes paw prints in Aurora
Aurora's big skies and mountain views shape many memorials. Families often think of the Front Range on the western horizon, Cherry Creek State Park or the Aurora Reservoir when they remember a pet. If you plan to scatter ashes, pick a sheltered spot and a still day, because plains wind is strong. Check park rules, and keep a little back for home if you want a keepsake.
Aurora's semi-arid climate, strong sun and hail are tough on outdoor memorials. Paint fades, wood splits and thin materials can crack in a hailstorm, while granite, flagstone and sealed stone last. A tree memorial is possible with steady watering, and native, drought-tolerant plants suit the dry summers. If the ground is frozen, plant in spring. A flagstone set flush with the ground is also safer from the snowplow and the lawnmower than a raised marker.
In a city like Aurora, most vets work with one or two pet crematories, and a clay or ink paw print is a routine add-on for both. Sometimes it's included in the cremation package; sometimes it's a small separate charge. Ask which, and ask who takes it: the clinic before collection, or the crematory at intake. Knowing that tells you when the window closes.
About 410,053 people live in Aurora, which makes it the 3rd-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. Denver, roughly 9 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Aurora run from there.
If you want to compare providers, look at Denver (8 miles), Centennial (10 miles) and Englewood (10 miles). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
Our estimate
150,000
Aurora: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
410,053 ÷ 2.5 = 164,021 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 150,000. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
12,500
Estimated dog and cat losses in Aurora each year
How we calculated this
150,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 12,500 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 American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science; we only apply it to this.
Cremation habits in Colorado and the print window
With about 77.4%[5] of people in Colorado cremated, most local families already know the rhythm of a cremation: collection, a few days' wait, then the ashes come home. A print fits neatly into the start of that process, before collection. Once your pet is cremated, the chance is gone, so the first phone call is the right moment to mention it.
That Colorado rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Aurora only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
When the weather works against clay and ink
If you're planning a garden stone with your pet's print pressed into it, the Aurora winter will decide your timing. Concrete and mortar need temperatures above freezing to cure properly, so take the print now in clay or ink and keep it indoors. In spring, once the ground has thawed, you or a local stonemason can use it to make the outdoor memorial.
Winter in Aurora offers a keepsake many owners overlook: your pet's tracks in fresh snow. On a still morning in January, a line of paw prints across the yard can be photographed from directly above and later engraved or printed, much like an ink print. It's no replacement for a proper impression, but for an older dog who loves the snow, it's a lovely record of an ordinary day.
Where the money goes: the print, then the finishing
Engraving is the add-on that surprises people. By our estimate, name-and-dates engraving adds about 36%[6] to the price of a mid-priced wooden urn, and a paw print costs extra again. Before you pay for either in Aurora, check your pet insurance: some wellness add-ons reimburse end-of-life costs, and one plan's add-on could pay up to $650 toward cremation, burial and keepsakes[7]. Read the policy wording, then ask for an itemized quote.
The full price table by product is on our Colorado 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 Colorado allows after your pet dies
Rules in Colorado 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 Colorado, start with the official Colorado local government directory.
For Colorado's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Colorado guide. Local rules in Aurora can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
Getting a paw print in Aurora, step by step
- If your pet dies while you're away from home, phone whoever has them, the kennel, the sitter or a nearby vet, and ask for two things first: that your pet is kept cool, and that a paw print is taken.
- Ask them to photograph the print and send it to you, so you know it's clear.
- Decide whether to bring your pet home or arrange cremation where they are; the print can travel with either choice.
- Ask for ink rather than clay if the print will be posted to you. A flat card survives the mail far better than damp clay.
- If you're driving home with your pet, keep them cool and take your own print when you arrive, before burial or collection.
- Keep names, numbers and receipts for everyone involved, so everything can be matched up later.
Turning a print into something lasting
With more than three-quarters of Coloradans now cremated, keeping ashes at home is familiar to many Aurora families. A pet's ashes might go into a stoneware urn, a pine box with a name plate, a clay paw print or a pendant. Military families who move often tend to prefer something small, sturdy and easy to pack. Ask for a lid that seals firmly.
run the numbers with the free planning tools, or see how other readers answered in our polls, look through our guides and the blog, Our services overview lays out every option side by side. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins and Thornton, and every city in Colorado.
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.
What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
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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 Aurora?
The closest communities we cover are Denver (about 8 miles), Centennial (about 10 miles) and Englewood (about 10 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Aurora too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Roughly how many pets die in Aurora each year?
Our estimate is around 12,500. It comes from Aurora's population (about 410,053), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 150,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Where are the providers that serve Aurora actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Denver, about 9 miles away. That is normal for a city this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Aurora and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Is cremation common in Colorado?
For people, yes: about 77.4%[5] of Colorado 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 Aurora follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How much does a paw print keepsake cost in Aurora?
The print itself is usually inexpensive. US crematories list paw-print add-ons from about $10 to $76, with a median of about $32[8], and some include one in the cremation package. Finishing costs more: engraved paw prints on urns typically add $20 to $35, and paw or nose print pendants start at about $100. Ask providers in Aurora what's already included.
Should I take a paw print while my senior pet is still alive?
If you can, yes. A relaxed living pet usually gives the clearest print, and you can take as many as you like without pressure. It can also give anticipatory grief something useful to do; in an RSPCA survey, 75.4%[9] of bereaved owners said they grieved before their pet died. Choose a calm, good day and keep the session short.
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 Colorado's cremation rate at 77.4% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Name-and-dates engraving adds about 36% to the price of a mid-priced wooden pet urn. Our estimate: midpoint engraving $32.50 ($25–$40) / midpoint wood urn $90 ($30–$150). How we calculate.
- [7] Embrace's Wellness Rewards add-on could reimburse up to $650 toward cremation, burial and keepsakes. Pet Insurance Review - Does Pet Insurance Cover Euthanasia? (Dec 2023), 2023.
- [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.
- [9] 75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
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