Paw Print Keepsakes in Maryland
A paw print is the one keepsake you can't order later. Here's how owners in Maryland capture one at home or at the clinic, keep it from cracking or smudging, and have it made into something lasting.
- Prints of senior pets while they're well
- Local finishing or mail-order makers
- Honest costs from real price lists
Maryland, the United States
Paw Print Keepsakes in Maryland: what to know
Not every goodbye in Maryland is planned. Accidents, sudden illness and quiet deaths overnight happen, and many owners assume the chance for a print has passed. Usually it hasn't. As long as your pet hasn't yet been cremated or buried, a vet, a crematory or you yourself can still take a print, even a day or two later. Say so on the first phone call.
Once a print is safely made, Maryland offers plenty of ways to finish it: local engravers, jewelers, ceramic studios and tattoo artists, plus online makers who work from a scan. There's no rush. Keep the original at home, photograph it flat in daylight and decide what you'd like when you're ready.
We cover 19 communities in Maryland, from Baltimore, Columbia and Frederick to smaller towns. Conditions vary a lot across Maryland: summer highs reach about 89°F in Baltimore, while winter lows average 22°F in Aberdeen. In 100% of the Maryland communities we cover, average lows drop below freezing for three months or more, which matters for home burial.
Our estimate
530,000
Estimated pet-owning households across the communities we cover in Maryland
How we calculated this
The sum of our per-city estimates for the 19 communities in Maryland on this site: each city's population ÷ national average household size × the national share of households with a pet. Households with several pets count once.
Every Maryland community we cover
Choose your city or town for local prices, weather and timing, and rules. 19 communities in Maryland, largest first below.
What local funeral habits mean for a print
On cremation, Maryland sits in the middle, at about 55.2%[1] of human deaths, and for many families the choice is shaped by faith as much as by cost. If your beliefs lean toward burial, or you're simply unsure how you feel about cremating a pet, a paw print sits comfortably with either path. It involves nothing more than a gentle press into clay or onto card, and it leaves your pet exactly as they were.
We take the Maryland percentage from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It refers to people; attitudes to cremating a pet tend to follow it.
Where the money goes: the print, then the finishing
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[2], and entry-level solid gold pieces at the same retailer cost about 15 times the silver equivalent[3]. Ask any maker in Maryland 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.
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[4]. 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[5]. In Maryland, it's worth asking every provider what comes with the package before adding extras.
| Keepsake | Published price | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Clay paw impression (crematory add-on) | $10[6] | Arizona aquamation provider; nose print also $10 |
| Ink paw prints | $49[4] | Northeast crematory network |
| Clay or silver-clay paw print | $76 ($111 framed)[4] | Same network |
| Engraved paw print added to an urn | $20–$35[7] | Typical engraving add-on |
| Paw or nose print pendant | from $99.95[8] | Online memorial retailer |
| Sterling silver charm from your pet's print | $143 plus chain[9] | About two weeks to make |
| Median paw-print add-on | about $32[10] | Our estimate across US crematory price lists |
The published sources behind those figures are Memorials.com and String of Jewels.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Local rules worth knowing in Maryland
Paw prints sit outside most regulation, but the aftercare around them doesn't. Your local council or city, and the wider rules for Maryland, 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.
- Burial at home: Confirm the rule for the actual parcel and proposed burial with the local authority and property owner.
- Scattering ashes: Ask the exact land manager about scattering before making arrangements; a general gathering permission is a separate matter.
- Who oversees it: the authority responsible for the specific activity and location; this guide does not identify a universal permit or licensing rule
- Worth knowing: Record the service method, release authority, identification and return instructions in writing.
A city's population does not establish which aftercare activities are allowed at an address. Check the actual site and activity before proceeding.
County and city offices set many of the local rules. To find yours, start with the official Maryland local government directory.
In order: the print, the aftercare, the keepsake
- 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: rolling the clay, choosing the card color or writing 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, so the original can stay somewhere safe.
- Come back to it later. Some children want the print framed straight away; others return to it months on.
Turning a print into something lasting
Some families bring the print out once a year, on the anniversary or on the day their pet came home, and add something new: a photo, a pressed flower, a note from each person. Over time the box or frame becomes a record of how the family carried the memory. If an anniversary hits harder than expected, you're not alone; in RSPCA research on pet loss, 66.9%[12] of owners were surprised by how intense their grief was.
Compare every option on our services page, try the free planning tools or see how other readers answered in our polls. You can also go back to all locations.
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.
When did (or will) you take your pet's print?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Whose print are you thinking about?
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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
How many communities do you cover in Maryland?
We have local paw print keepsake guides for 19 communities in Maryland, including Baltimore, Columbia and Frederick. Each page covers timing, weather, local prices and how to ask your vet or crematory for a print.
How many dog and cat households are there in Maryland?
By our estimate, there are about 530,000 dog- or cat-owning households across the Maryland communities we cover. Each of those pets has a paw that can be pressed into clay or ink, and far fewer owners take a print in time than would like one.
What if my pet is cremated far from home?
In rural parts of Maryland, pets are often cremated in a larger town some distance away. Take the print locally before collection, yourself or through your vet, so you can check it. Many crematories also take one at intake as a backup and return it with the ashes.
Where can I get a paw print keepsake in Maryland?
Across Maryland, most vets, in-home euthanasia vets and pet crematories can take a clay or ink paw print, usually before cremation. You can also take one yourself at home with a kit. For jewelry, engraving or art, local makers and online studios both work from a clear print or a scan. Ask for the print when you book aftercare, not afterwards.
Does the weather in Maryland affect clay and ink prints?
Yes. Summer highs reach about 89°F in Baltimore, where air-dry clay can crack if it dries too fast and ink can smudge on a warm paw. Winter lows average 22°F in Aberdeen, cold enough to ruin plaster that freezes before it sets. Whatever the season, take and dry prints indoors at room temperature.
Is it better to use a local maker in Maryland or order online?
Either works. A local jeweler, engraver or ceramic studio lets you see samples and hand the print over in person. Online makers usually work from a photo or scan, so the original stays at home. Ask for a proof before production and check the turnaround time.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] The NFDA projected Maryland's cremation rate at 55.2% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [2] 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.
- [3] 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.
- [4] 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.
- [5] 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.
- [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] Adding an engraved paw print or symbol to a pet urn typically costs $20–$35. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [8] Paw print and nose print pendants at Memorials.com start at $99.95. Memorials.com – Pet print jewelry, 2026.
- [9] A custom sterling silver actual-paw-print charm costs $143 before the chain (about $59–$79 for silver) and takes about 2 weeks to make. String of Jewels – Actual paw print necklace, 2026.
- [10] 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.
- [11] 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.
- [12] 66.9% of respondents were surprised by how intense their grief was after losing a pet. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Ask who takes paw prints in Maryland
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.