Paw print keepsakes in Clive: timing, methods and costs
Clive has an estimated 7,300 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.
- Ask for a print when you book
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Clive, Iowa
Home, clinic or crematory: paw prints in Clive
Newer houses in Clive tend to have open living areas, wide mantels and backyard patios, which gives you choices about where a keepsake lives. Some families keep an urn indoors near a favorite window; others prefer a flat stone by the patio or a potted shrub that can move with them if they relocate. The temporary container from the crematory is perfectly fine for months.
Anything placed outdoors in Clive has to survive humid summers, freeze-thaw cycles and snow cover from roughly November to March. Granite, cast bronze and fired ceramic hold up well; softwood and cheap resin crack or fade within a few seasons. Thinking about a tree urn? Plan to plant in April or May, after the soil has warmed and the risk of a hard frost has passed.
Dogs in and around a town like Clive often work for a living: herding, hunting, guarding stock or riding in a truck all day. Their pads are thicker and more callused than a house dog's, with nicks and old scars that are part of their story. Those details show beautifully in clay. Use a firmer clay, roll it a little thicker and hold steady pressure for a few seconds so the ridges come through.
About 19,861 people live in Clive, which makes it the 27th-largest of the 27 Iowa communities we cover. Des Moines, roughly 9 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Clive run from there.
Clive sits within easy reach of Urbandale (2 miles, a larger centre), West Des Moines (4 miles, a larger centre) and Waukee (5 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Clive; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
7,300
Clive: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
19,861 ÷ 2.5 = 7,944 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,300. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
610
dog and cat deaths per year in Clive, our estimate
How we calculated this
7,300 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 610 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
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.
None of the figures on this this page are ours alone: they rest on Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
Cremation has become steadily more common in Iowa, now chosen for about 63.6%[5] of those who die there, and newer pet aftercare providers have arrived with it. Some offer a 3D scan of the paw or a digital print file alongside the clay. If a provider mentions this, ask whether you'll receive the file itself, in a standard format, so you can take it to any maker later rather than only through them.
Source for the Iowa number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Clive, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Getting a clean print in Clive in any season
Indoor heating in January, February, March, November and December makes the air in Clive homes very dry, which is its own problem for clay. A print left near a radiator, wood stove or forced-air vent can shrink unevenly and split along the thin toe edges. Dry it in a cooler room, away from heat sources, and lay a slightly damp cloth loosely over it for the first day to slow things down.
Plaster and cold don't mix well. Plaster sets more slowly in a cold room, and if the water in it freezes before it cures, the cast turns chalky and crumbles. In January, February, March, November and December, mix plaster with lukewarm water, let it set somewhere warm indoors and never leave a curing cast in a car, porch or shed overnight. The same goes for air-dry clay.
Where the money goes: the print, then the finishing
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 Clive vary by provider, so ask whether a print is already included before you pay extra.
The full price table by product is on our Iowa 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.
Local rules worth knowing in Iowa
Paw prints sit outside most regulation, but the aftercare around them doesn't. Your local council or city, and the wider rules for Iowa, may limit burying a pet at home and scattering ashes in public places. Check the notes below before you plan a garden memorial with your pet's print pressed into it.
To find your county or city office in Iowa, start with the official Iowa local government directory.
The Iowa page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Clive's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
Getting a paw print in Clive, step by step
- Mention the print when you book the euthanasia appointment or cremation, not on the day. Ask for it to be written on the aftercare form.
- Ask what kind they take: a clay disc, an ink print or both. If you might want jewelry later, ask for an ink or inkless print as well.
- Ask for two copies if more than one person in the family would like one.
- Ask to see or photograph the print while your pet is still at the clinic; a smudged one can then be done again.
- Check how it comes back: with you that day, or with the ashes later, and how it's labeled.
- Keep the paperwork so you can match the print, the ashes and the invoice when they arrive.
Keeping the print and the memory close
Splitting ashes is common when grown children live around the metro and beyond. A set of small keepsake urns, a small locket of ash, or a pawprint pressed in plaster lets each person keep something. Plenty of families also frame a photo taken along the Greenbelt or in the backyard to sit beside the urn. Before paying any memorial maker, see a proof and confirm what the finished piece will cost.
Compare every option on our services page, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or see what other families chose in the poll results, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles. Close to Clive we also cover Davenport, Sioux City, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City; the full list for Iowa 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.
What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
When did (or will) you take your pet's print?
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
Which nearby towns can I compare with Clive?
The closest communities we cover are Urbandale (about 2 miles), West Des Moines (about 4 miles) and Waukee (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Clive too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Will I have to travel to Des Moines to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Des Moines (roughly 9 miles from Clive) 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.
Is Clive big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 7,300 Clive households keep a dog or cat and around 610 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 19,861), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Is cremation common in Iowa?
For people, yes: about 63.6%[5] of Iowa 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 Clive follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
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.
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.
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 Iowa's cremation rate at 63.6% 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.
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