Paw and nose prints in New Orleans: a calm guide
About 11,000 households in New Orleans lose a dog or cat each year, by our estimate. A clear paw print, taken at home or by your vet, is often the keepsake people are most glad to have.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
Getting a paw print in New Orleans: the local picture
New Orleans is famous for its above-ground tombs, the cities of the dead, built partly because of the high water table. That tradition of visible, lasting memorials carries over to pets, and many families want something to visit or display. An urn on a home altar with candles and photos, a cypress box, or a pendant can all carry that tradition on.
The Mississippi River, Lake Pontchartrain, City Park with its old live oaks, and Audubon Park are places many New Orleans families connect with their pets. Look up what City Park, the levee or the lakefront allow before scattering. For a garden memorial, humid heat, torrential rain and storms rot painted wood fast, while granite and glazed tile shrug off the weather.
Plenty of pets in New Orleans came from a rescue, a foster home or a breeder who still asks after them, and those people often treasure a copy of the print too. If your pet has a story like that, take one extra ink print, or have a scan made, and send it with a short note. Some rescue groups keep a memory wall of prints and photos, and it can be a comfort to know your pet's paw hangs there.
New Orleans is home to about 362,154 people, the largest of the 17 Louisiana communities we cover.
The closest communities we cover are Kenner (12 miles), Slidell (29 miles) and St. George (64 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to New Orleans too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
135,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households New Orleans has (estimate)
How we calculated this
362,154 ÷ 2.5 = 144,862 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 135,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
11,000
dog and cat deaths per year in New Orleans, our estimate
How we calculated this
135,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 11,000 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 American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Louisiana
In Louisiana, where only around 46.4%[5] of the dead are cremated, a pet's goodbye often ends with a blanket and a spade rather than a collection van. Before you wrap your pet, pause for three small things: a paw print, a snip of fur from somewhere hidden, like the chest or behind an ear, and the collar and tag. Once the grave is filled, none of those can be gathered again.
The Louisiana figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Getting a clean print in New Orleans in any season
Hot months in New Orleans are the best time for an outdoor project in the shade, but not for drying a print outdoors. Direct sun on an air-dry clay disc can warp it and crack the thin edges of the toes. Bring it inside, set it on a wire rack so air reaches both sides and give it two or three days before sealing it with a matte acrylic sealer.
Ink behaves differently in the New Orleans heat. Pet-safe ink pads dry out quickly in warm rooms, which gives a patchy print, and a warm, damp paw can slide and smudge. Take ink prints in the coolest room of the house, with the air conditioning on, and dry the paw with a towel first. Press straight down, lift straight up and take three or four prints so you can keep the clearest.
What paw print keepsakes cost in New Orleans
If the print is heading for jewelry, budget for the metal rather than the print. By our estimate, a typical sterling silver pet pendant costs about $190[6], and entry-level solid gold pieces at the same retailer cost about 15 times the silver equivalent[7]. Ask any maker in New Orleans whether the quote includes the chain, a proof image before production and engraving on the back, because those three extras are where quotes differ most.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Louisiana: Louisiana 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.
Burial, scattering and prints in Louisiana
Renters in Louisiana often can't bury a pet in the yard without the landlord's agreement, and even where they can, the grave stays behind when the lease ends. That's one reason portable memorials such as prints are so popular. The notes below set out what Louisiana allows for burial and scattering; whatever they say, a print moves with you to the next address.
Louisiana keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers New Orleans.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Louisiana level first; our Louisiana rules summary has the detail. Then check whether New Orleans or your HOA adds anything.
Getting a paw print in New Orleans, step by step
- If your pet dies unexpectedly at the clinic, ask for a few minutes before you leave the room. Most teams will give you time and can bring a print kit to you.
- Say exactly what you want: clay, ink, a nose print or all three, and how many copies.
- If you can't face doing it yourself, a nurse or technician can make the print while you step out of the room; ask them to show you the result before you head home.
- Get the crematory's name and your pet's reference number on paper from reception before you leave.
- If no print was taken, call the crematory first thing the next morning and ask for one at intake.
- Leave the urn and the other extras for later. The print is the only decision that can't wait.
Turning a print into something lasting
Louisiana has one of the lower cremation rates in the country, and burial runs deep in New Orleans culture. On All Saints' Day, 1 November, many families still visit and clean family tombs. Some families now include a pet in that day, with flowers, a candle or a visit to a favorite spot. A physical memorial gives those moments a focus.
the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, look through our guides and the blog, or look at how readers voted in our polls, The services page is the place to compare what is included. More local pages: Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lake Charles, the Louisiana 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.
Whose print are you thinking about?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
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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 New Orleans each year?
Our estimate is around 11,000. It comes from New Orleans's population (about 362,154), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 135,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Is cremation common in Louisiana?
For people, yes: about 46.4%[5] of Louisiana 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 New Orleans follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How does New Orleans's weather affect pet aftercare?
August is the hottest month in New Orleans, with average highs around 90°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Winters are mild, with average lows staying above freezing, so outdoor burial or scattering is usually possible year round.
Which nearby towns can I compare with New Orleans?
The closest communities we cover are Kenner (about 12 miles), Slidell (about 29 miles) and St. George (about 64 miles). Providers based in those places often serve New Orleans too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How do I get my pet's paw print in New Orleans?
You have three options. Take it yourself at home with clay or an ink kit, ideally while your pet is still well. Ask your vet or in-home euthanasia vet to take one at the appointment. Or ask the pet crematory to take one at intake, before cremation. Whichever you choose, ask for it in advance and check the print is clear before your pet leaves.
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 Louisiana's cremation rate at 46.4% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] The typical sterling silver pet cremation pendant costs about $190, based on the middle of three sellers' price points. Our estimate: median of [Urns.com median $129, Memorials.com midpoint of $87.95–$297.95 = $193, Final Gift sterling paw pendant $240]. How we calculate.
- [7] Entry-level solid 14k gold pet-ash pendants cost about 15 times entry-level sterling silver ones at the same retailer. Our estimate: $1,297.95 / $87.95 (Memorials.com starting prices). How we calculate.
- [8] The median price multiple of private (ashes returned) over communal cremation across 8 markets is about 2.0x, ranging from 1.25x (Tokyo) to 5.2x (Auckland). Our estimate: median(private_price / communal_price) same weight band: US CareCredit 51-70 lb midpoints (250/75) = 3.33x; Auckland 15-25 kg (445/85) = 5.24x; Norway 1-20 kg (3790/1190) = 3.18x; Singapore 10-20 kg (480/260) = 1.85x; Ontario 25-250 lb (549/279) = 1.97x; Tokyo 20-30 kg (38500/30800) = 1.25x; France 20 kg midpoints (200/95) = 2.11x; Germany range midpoints (270/145) = 1.86x. How we calculate.
Get paw print options in New Orleans
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