A paw print to keep, in Johnston
Roughly 770 dogs and cats die in Johnston 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.
- Ask for a print when you book
- Help for paws, noses and hooves
- We reply by email, no obligation
Johnston, Iowa
Getting a paw print in Johnston: the local picture
Shade, leaf litter and freeze-thaw cycles are all hard on outdoor memorials in Johnston's wooded yards. Moss and damp can stain porous stone, and resin cracks in winter. Polished granite or bronze stays clean and legible longer, and a quick scrub each spring keeps it that way. Place a marker where fallen leaves won't bury it every autumn, and rake it clear before the first snow.
Johnston's wooded lots invite natural memorials: a stone at the foot of an oak, a native dogwood planted above a compostable urn, a small bench in a shady corner. Families who'd rather keep things inside choose a walnut box for the den or a locket that holds a little ash. Waiting months to decide is perfectly normal, and nothing is lost by it.
Small-town clinics in Johnston 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.
With roughly 25,065 residents, Johnston is the 20th-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 Johnston run from there.
For a second opinion on price, Urbandale (5 miles), Clive (7 miles) and Ankeny (7 miles, a larger centre) are close enough that their providers cover Johnston routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
9,200
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Johnston
How we calculated this
25,065 ÷ 2.5 = 10,026 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 9,200. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
770
dog and cat deaths per year in Johnston, our estimate
How we calculated this
9,200 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 770 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.
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.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Iowa
Human funerals in Iowa split between cremation, at about 63.6%[5], and burial for most of the rest, so pet cemeteries and pet crematories both have a local following. If you're leaning toward a cemetery plot, ask what kind of marker they allow. Some accept an etched granite plaque, some a bronze plate cast from a clay print, and some only flat stones. The answer tells you whether you need a clay impression, a flat ink print or both.
That Iowa rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Johnston only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Weather in Johnston and your pet's print
If you're planning a garden stone with your pet's print pressed into it, the Johnston 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 Johnston 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
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 Johnston, it's worth asking every provider what comes with the package before adding extras.
The Iowa price table breaks costs down by product; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Rules in Iowa that touch on keepsakes
Rules in Iowa 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 Iowa, start with the official Iowa local government directory.
Start with the Iowa rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Johnston's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
What to do first, and what can wait
- Skip the table. Bring the clay or card to wherever your pet likes to lie, on the floor or on their own bed.
- Recruit a second person to stroke and reassure your pet while you work on the paw.
- Use a lick mat or a few treats so your pet stays focused ahead and doesn't keep turning around.
- Don't straighten a stiff leg. Slide a board under the paw and bring the clay up to meet it.
- Stop after a few tries when it's upsetting your pet. There's always tomorrow, or your vet can lend a hand at the next appointment.
- Try an inkless kit for a pet who can't stand wet feet, since it leaves nothing behind to clean up.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Families in Johnston sometimes divide ashes between a household urn and keepsakes for grown children or grandparents. Glass art and cremation jewelry can each hold a small amount. A clay paw print is simple to arrange as long as you ask early. Some families hold back a portion for a planting once the ground thaws, often on the pet's birthday.
there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, run the numbers with the free planning tools, Our services overview lays out every option side by side, or look at how readers voted in our polls. More local pages: Sioux City, Ankeny, Cedar Rapids and Davenport, the Iowa overview and every city in the United States.
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.
Who would you rather take the print?
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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 Johnston?
The closest communities we cover are Urbandale (about 5 miles), Clive (about 7 miles) and Ankeny (about 7 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Johnston too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Why does the Johnston 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 63.6%[5] of Iowa 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 Johnston actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Des Moines, about 9 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Johnston and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How many pet owners live in Johnston?
By our estimate, about 9,200 households in Johnston have at least one dog or cat, and around 770 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 25,065, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Will my vet or crematory take a paw print before cremation?
Most will if asked, and many include a clay or ink print in the package. But requests can be missed on a busy day, especially at emergency clinics. Mention it when you book, ask for it to be written on the aftercare form and ask whether it comes back to you that day or with the ashes. Once your pet has been cremated, the chance is gone.
Can I get a print if my pet is being cremated near Des Moines?
Yes. Many crematories take a print at intake and return it with the ashes. But if the crematory is some distance from Johnston, it's easier to take the print locally, either yourself at home or through your vet before collection. That way you can check it's clear and redo it if needed.
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] 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] 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.
Ask who takes paw prints in Johnston
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.