Keeping your pet's paw print in Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort has an estimated 10,500 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
Frankfort, Kentucky
Paw print keepsakes in Frankfort: where to start
Some families here want a living memorial: a sugar maple for autumn color, or a bed of daffodils that comes back each spring above a biodegradable urn. Others want something small to keep close, such as a paw impression, a locket with a curl of fur, or a keepsake urn on a desk at work. Clippings and prints must be requested before cremation, while the rest can wait.
With the Kentucky River's limestone all around, a natural stone marker feels at home in a Frankfort garden. Thick stone survives the region's freeze-thaw winters far better than thin cast pieces. Set it slightly below grade on crushed rock so it doesn't frost-heave, and pick a spot that stays dry, since low ground near creeks here can flood after heavy spring storms.
If your pet will travel to a crematory near Lexington, the journey can take a day or two, depending on collection schedules. Many crematories offer a print at intake, which is a useful backup. But if you can, take your own before your pet leaves Frankfort. That way you have it in your hands and don't depend on anyone else remembering.
About 28,657 people live in Frankfort, which makes it the 14th-largest of the 26 Kentucky communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Frankfort are based about 22 miles away in Lexington, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Families in Frankfort often end up using a provider from Georgetown (19 miles), Shelbyville (20 miles) and Lexington (22 miles, a larger centre). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
10,500
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Frankfort
How we calculated this
28,657 ÷ 2.5 = 11,463 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 10,500. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
880
dog and cat deaths per year in Frankfort, our estimate
How we calculated this
10,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 880 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.
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.
How Kentucky thinks about cremation, and why prints matter
About 44.0%[5] of people in Kentucky are cremated, lower than in many places, and pet crematories can be fewer and further between. If your pet will be cremated some distance away, the print is best taken locally, by you or your vet, before the journey. Crematories often offer one at intake, but you can't check it if you're not there.
Source for the Kentucky number: NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Frankfort, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
When the weather works against clay and ink
Snow and ice in January, February and December can hold up home-visit vets and collection vans around Frankfort, 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.
Winter in Frankfort brings average lows at or below freezing in January, February and December. Cold makes modeling clay stiff, so warm it in your hands for a few minutes and roll it smooth before pressing. If your pet has been kept in a cold garage, a clinic cooler or a crematory's cold room, the paw pads will be firm, so press the clay onto the paw rather than the paw into the clay.
What owners in Frankfort typically pay for a print
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 Frankfort vary by provider, so ask whether a print is already included before you pay extra.
The full price table by product is on our Kentucky 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 Kentucky allows after your pet dies
If you might move away from Kentucky one day, it helps to know that a print, a cast or a photograph needs no paperwork at a border, while ashes sometimes do, and a grave can't come with you at all. None of that should decide your plans, but it's worth weighing alongside what Kentucky allows, set out below.
Kentucky keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Frankfort.
For Kentucky's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Kentucky guide. Local rules in Frankfort can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
What to do first, and what can wait
- If your pet is still with you, don't wait. Take a print on a calm, good day, after a meal or a walk, when your pet is relaxed. A print from a living pet is usually the clearest.
- Choose your method. Clay if you want something to hold; ink or an inkless sheet if jewelry or engraving might come later. The kit chooser can settle it.
- Trim the tufts between the pads using round-ended scissors, so the paw rather than the hair leaves the impression.
- Hold the leg, not the paw, push down evenly in one motion, and raise it again without sliding. Make a few attempts and choose the sharpest one.
- Dry clay slowly indoors for two or three days, turning it, then seal it with a matte acrylic sealer.
- Photograph or scan the print flat in daylight. Most makers only need the image, so the original never leaves home.
Keeping the print and the memory close
History is everywhere in Frankfort, from the capitol dome to the old downtown streets, and many residents gravitate toward memorials with a classic feel: an engraved wooden box, a brass or ceramic urn, a portrait hung with the dates beneath it. Newer homeowners may prefer something modern, like glass art or ash jewelry. Whatever you choose, the ashes can stay in their temporary container until you're ready.
Our services overview lays out every option side by side, or look at how readers voted in our polls, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, run the numbers with the free planning tools. More local pages: Louisville, Georgetown, Covington and Bowling Green, the Kentucky 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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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
Roughly how many pets die in Frankfort each year?
Our estimate is around 880. It comes from Frankfort's population (about 28,657), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 10,500 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
How do Kentucky attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Kentucky human cremation rate at about 44.0%[5]. We show it on the Frankfort 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.
Where are the providers that serve Frankfort actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Lexington, about 22 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Frankfort and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Frankfort?
The closest communities we cover are Georgetown (about 19 miles), Shelbyville (about 20 miles) and Lexington (about 22 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Frankfort too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How much does a paw print keepsake cost in Frankfort?
The print itself is usually inexpensive. US crematories list paw-print add-ons from about $10 to $76, with a median of about $32[7], 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 Frankfort what's already included.
Is it possible to print a guinea pig's or hamster's feet?
Yes, but it takes patience and a light touch. Tiny feet leave only faint marks in ink, so very soft modeling clay or an inkless kit usually works better. Warm the clay well, cradle your pet in a towel on your lap and press the clay gently up to the foot rather than lowering the foot. For a hamster, one clear hind foot is plenty. If your pet is frightened, stop; letting your vet take it after death is gentler.
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 Kentucky's cremation rate at 44.0% 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.
Tell us about your pet's print
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