A paw print to keep, in Broomfield
Roughly 2,450 dogs and cats die in Broomfield each year, by our estimate, and many owners only think of a paw print afterwards. Here's how to make sure yours is taken in time.
- Prints of senior pets while they're well
- Local finishing or mail-order makers
- Honest costs from real price lists
Broomfield, Colorado
Home, clinic or crematory: paw prints in Broomfield
Many Broomfield residents work in aerospace, tech or at the university up US 36, and a good share arrived from other states. Memorials that travel well, like a portable urn, a keepsake box or jewelry with a trace of ashes inside, suit a family that may relocate. If a move is likely in the next few years, holding the main portion of ashes indoors rather than burying them keeps every option open.
Broomfield's west winds, dry air and freeze-thaw winters test anything placed outside. Heavy, low pieces such as a flat granite marker or a bronze plaque set in concrete stay put and weather well, while light garden statues can blow over in a gusty March. A memorial shrub or tree does best on the lee side of the house, out of the west wind, and planted after the last hard frost in spring.
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 79,174 people live in Broomfield, which makes it the 16th-largest of the 36 Colorado communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Denver, about 15 miles (24 km) away, which is where some providers serving Broomfield are based.
Families in Broomfield often end up using a provider from Lafayette (4 miles), Northglenn (5 miles) and Louisville (5 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
29,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Broomfield
How we calculated this
79,174 ÷ 2.5 = 31,670 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 29,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
2,450
Broomfield families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
29,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,450 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.
The published sources behind those figures are American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Cremation habits in Colorado and the print window
Cremation is the norm for people in Colorado (about 77.4%[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.
We take the Colorado 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 Broomfield, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
When the weather works against clay and ink
Clinics and crematories in and around Broomfield often keep pets in cold storage before cremation, especially in January, February, March, November and December when collection runs can be delayed by weather. That doesn't prevent a print, but it helps to ask before your pet goes into the cooler. A quick print while the paw is still soft is far easier than one taken later from a cold, stiff paw.
If you're planning a garden stone with your pet's print pressed into it, the Broomfield 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.
Paw print costs around Broomfield, line by line
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 Broomfield, it's worth asking every provider what comes with the package before adding extras.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Colorado: Colorado costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Local rules worth knowing in Colorado
There are no rules about taking a paw print; it's yours to do at home, at the clinic or at the crematory. Where Colorado does have rules is what happens next: whether your pet can be buried at home and where ashes can be scattered. Those choices can affect your print too, for example if you want it set into a garden stone or a grave marker.
The official Colorado local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Broomfield.
For Colorado's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Colorado guide. Local rules in Broomfield can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
Getting a paw print in Broomfield, step by step
- Decide who will take the print: you at home, your vet, or the crematory at intake. The earlier in the process, the more control you have.
- Tell the crematory in writing you'd like a print, and request a picture of it ahead of the cremation.
- Ask how your pet is identified between pickup and return, so there's no doubt the print and ashes are theirs.
- Ask about fur clippings at the same time; many providers offer one with the print.
- Plan the finishing later. There's no rush to turn a print into jewelry or art; do it when you're ready.
- If you'd like help, send us a few details and we'll reply by email with options.
Keeping the print and the memory close
Broomfield housing runs from compact townhomes near the old town center to large houses in newer communities on the north side. Space shapes the memorial. A small urn, a canvas photo or a pendant works anywhere; a flat stone, a bench or a young tree needs a yard. In HOA neighborhoods, anything visible from the street may need approval, so a backyard spot is usually simpler.
The services page is the place to compare what is included, or look at how readers voted in our polls, run the numbers with the free planning tools, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles. More local pages: Thornton, Aurora, Colorado Springs and Denver, the Colorado overview and every city in the United States.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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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
How do Colorado attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Colorado human cremation rate at about 77.4%[5]. We show it on the Broomfield 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 Broomfield?
Usually yes. Lafayette is about 4 miles away, Northglenn is about 5 miles away and Louisville is about 5 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Roughly how many pets die in Broomfield each year?
Our estimate is around 2,450. It comes from Broomfield's population (about 79,174), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 29,000 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 Broomfield actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Denver, about 15 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Broomfield and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
My pet has been in cold storage. Can I still get a print?
Usually, yes. A pet kept in a clinic cooler or a cold room will have firm pads and stiff legs, so the trick is to warm the clay well and press it gently onto the paw instead of pressing the paw into the clay. Ink works too, with a light touch. If you can, ask for the print before your pet goes into cold storage.
Can I get my dog's nose print?
Yes. Dab a small amount of pet-safe ink onto the nose with a soft sponge, or use an inkless wipe, then press a folded card gently against the nose from the front. It usually takes a few tries. The ridges on a dog's nose make a striking engraving on a pendant or an urn, and many providers take a nose print alongside the paw.
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] 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] Published ashes-return times across the network's markets range from same-day (paid express) to about 4 weeks; a conservative typical window is 3-14 days. Our estimate: min/max across sources: Lambeth 3 days; US 5-10 days; RSPCA QLD within 14 days; AniCura Sweden 2-4 weeks. How we calculate.
Get paw print keepsake ideas by email
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.