Getting your pet's paw print in Montgomery
Roughly 670 dogs and cats die in Montgomery 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.
- Home kit or vet-taken: your choice
- Tips for heat, humidity and cold
- Ideas for jewelry, engraving and art
Montgomery, Illinois
How owners in Montgomery get a paw print
If you want something outdoors, remember that winters here freeze the ground deeply and thaw it again several times. Resin, plaster and thin concrete tend to crack; granite and bronze last. In a subdivision with an HOA, check whether there are rules about lawn ornaments or structures before placing a large marker in the front yard; the backyard is usually simpler.
Some families in Montgomery combine several small memorials rather than choosing one. They might keep a pinch of ashes in a pendant, plant a tree with another portion and keep the rest in an urn. If you want inked paws or clipped fur, it has to happen before cremation, so raise it with the provider on that first call. A photo of your pet by the river can sit beside whatever you choose.
Small-town clinics in Montgomery may close at weekends, so if your pet dies on a Saturday evening, you may be looking after them at home until Monday. A print can still be taken during that time. Keep your pet cool, lay them on a towel, and press the paw gently into warmed clay, or press the clay onto the paw if the leg has stiffened.
Montgomery's population is around 21,978, the 109th-largest of the 151 Illinois communities we cover. Chicago, roughly 39 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Montgomery run from there.
Our pages for Oswego (3 miles), Aurora (3 miles, a larger centre) and Yorkville (5 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Montgomery as well.
Our estimate
8,100
How many dog- or cat-owning households Montgomery has (estimate)
How we calculated this
21,978 ÷ 2.5 = 8,791 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 8,100. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
670
Montgomery families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
8,100 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 670 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 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 Illinois and the print window
About 60.2%[5] of people who die in Illinois are cremated. With both burial and cremation common, you'll find pet cemeteries that set a print into a headstone and crematories that return one with the ashes. The print itself is the same either way. What changes is who takes it, so decide that early.
That Illinois rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Montgomery only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
When the weather works against clay and ink
Clinics and crematories in and around Montgomery 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.
Snow and ice in January, February, March, November and December can hold up home-visit vets and collection vans around Montgomery, sometimes by a day. If your pet dies during a storm or a cold snap, you may be caring for them longer than you expected. Keep them in the chilliest room of the house, away from heating, on a towel or blanket. Take the print early in that time, while the paws are still soft enough to press cleanly.
What paw print keepsakes cost in Montgomery
A paw print is one of the least expensive keepsakes there is. Many US crematories sell it as a small add-on: one Arizona provider lists a clay paw impression at $10, a nose print at $10 and a laser-engraved paw print at $15[6], and across the US price lists we've checked, paw-print add-ons have a median of about $32[7]. Prices in Montgomery vary by provider, so ask whether a print is already included before you pay extra.
The full price table by product is on our Illinois 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.
Burial, scattering and prints in Illinois
Rules in Illinois say a good deal about where a pet can be buried and very little about how a crematory keeps track of each animal. That's one more reason to take your own print: made before collection, it's a record you created yourself. Ask your provider how pets are tagged, and read the burial and scattering notes below for the rest.
Illinois keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Montgomery.
We keep Illinois's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Illinois rules summary. Before a home burial in Montgomery, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
A short checklist for a clean print
- 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: they can roll the clay, pick the card, or write 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, let an adult or the vet do it, and show your child the finished keepsake.
- Make a copy for your child's room, and tuck the original away out of harm's way.
- Come back to it later. Some children want the print framed straight away; others return to it months on.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Montgomery has a lot of young families in newer homes, and memorial choices often reflect that: a small urn on a bookshelf out of reach of little hands, a garden stone the kids helped paint, or a framed photo with a paw print. Take your time; the ashes will be fine in the provider's container until you decide, even if that takes a whole season or longer.
or see how other readers answered in our polls, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, The services page is the place to compare what is included. If you live between Montgomery and Aurora, Elgin, Chicago and Joliet, either page applies. Every other community in Illinois, and all of the United States, is listed too.
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?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Whose print are you thinking about?
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
How do Illinois attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Illinois human cremation rate at about 60.2%[5]. We show it on the Montgomery 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 Montgomery?
Usually yes. Oswego is about 3 miles away, Aurora is about 3 miles away and Yorkville 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 Montgomery each year?
Our estimate is around 670. It comes from Montgomery's population (about 21,978), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 8,100 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Does the Montgomery climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 84°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, March, November and December, when lows sit below freezing, a home burial may have to wait for a thaw, so cremation with ashes returned keeps your options open.
Why do so many owners miss the chance to take a print?
Because a print has a window. By our estimate, around 670 dogs and cats die in Montgomery each year, many of them suddenly or at an emergency clinic, when a clay kit is the last thing on anyone's mind. Taking a print while your pet is well, or asking for one when you book aftercare, is the simplest way not to miss it.
What if my family can't agree who keeps the print?
Take several. Clay can be re-rolled and ink prints are quick, so there's no reason to stop at one. If the original is already made, photograph or scan it and have copies made: framed ink prints, small engraved tags or matching pendants. Our ashes sharing planner can help if you're dividing ashes between keepsakes too.
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 Illinois's cremation rate at 60.2% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] 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.
- [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] 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.
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