A paw print to keep, in Ann Arbor
Roughly 3,750 dogs and cats die in Ann Arbor 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.
- Prints of senior pets while they're well
- Local finishing or mail-order makers
- Honest costs from real price lists
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Getting a paw print in Ann Arbor: the local picture
With so many Ann Arbor residents renting or likely to move after a degree or a research post, portable memorials make sense. A small urn for a dorm or apartment shelf, a paw print in plaster or a locket with ash inside all fit a graduate's packed car. Ashes can be divided so family in other states or countries can keep a share.
Ann Arbor calls itself Tree Town, and a living memorial suits the city. If you own your home and plan to stay, a biodegradable urn planted in spring with a native tree or shrub gives a memorial that grows with the years. Michigan's freeze and thaw is hard on outdoor markers, so if you want a stone, choose engraved granite set flat into the ground.
Children often want to help, and a print can give them a job that feels useful. Let them roll the clay, press their own hand beside the paw or choose the ribbon for the frame. If the print is being taken after death, a vet or crematory can do it privately and hand it back, so children see only the finished keepsake.
With roughly 122,233 residents, Ann Arbor is the 5th-largest of the 63 Michigan communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Detroit, about 36 miles (58 km) away, which is where some providers serving Ann Arbor are based.
The closest communities we cover are Ypsilanti (7 miles), Westland (19 miles) and Novi (19 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Ann Arbor too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
45,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Ann Arbor
How we calculated this
122,233 ÷ 2.5 = 48,893 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 45,000. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
3,750
Estimated dog and cat losses in Ann Arbor each year
How we calculated this
45,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 3,750 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.
To check the figures yourself, see Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
How Michigan thinks about cremation, and why prints matter
About 69.5%[5] of people who die in Michigan are cremated. With both burial and cremation common, you'll find pet cemeteries that set a print into a headstone and crematories that return one with the ashes. The print itself is the same either way. What changes is who takes it, so decide that early.
That Michigan rate is a human one, published by NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). We quote it for Ann Arbor only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Clay, ink and the local climate
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.
Clinics and crematories in and around Ann Arbor often keep pets in cold storage before cremation, especially in January, February, March, November and December when collection runs can be delayed by weather. That doesn't prevent a print, but it helps to ask before your pet goes into the cooler. A quick print while the paw is still soft is far easier than one taken later from a cold, stiff paw.
What paw print keepsakes cost in Ann Arbor
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 Ann Arbor vary by provider, so ask whether a print is already included before you pay extra.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Michigan: Michigan 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.
What the law in Michigan does and doesn't cover
Burial rules in many places, including Michigan, exist partly because the drugs used in euthanasia stay in the body and can harm wildlife or other pets that dig. A print carries none of those concerns, which is why no one regulates it. If you're choosing between a home burial and cremation, the notes below cover what's allowed here; take the print before either.
The official Michigan local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Ann Arbor.
For Michigan's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Michigan guide. Local rules in Ann Arbor can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
Getting a paw print in Ann Arbor, step by step
- For a horse, have the farrier out beforehand to trim the hoof and tidy it up. Clean the sole thoroughly and let it dry.
- Press the hoof into a thick slab of clay resting on a board, or coat the sole in non-toxic paint and set it down on stiff card. Ask a helper to keep the leg still while you do it.
- Keep the last shoe and a length of tail or mane hair, which many horse owners have braided or set into resin.
- For a bird or a very small pet, choose the softest clay or an inkless sheet, and barely press at all. Clay picks up tiny toes best.
- For a fluffy cat or rabbit, an inkless kit avoids ink on fur they'll groom later, and clay shows the long shape of a rabbit's foot.
- Dry and store every print indoors, then take a photo so any maker can use the picture, not the original.
Keeping the print and the memory close
The Huron River runs through Ann Arbor, and Gallup Park, Bird Hills and the Nichols Arboretum along its banks are places many residents associate with quiet time outdoors. If you're thinking of scattering ashes in a park or near the river, check the rules for that particular place first, since agencies and the university set their own. Setting a little aside in a keepsake means the memorial goes where you go.
there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, or see what other families chose in the poll results, try the free planning tools, Our services overview lays out every option side by side. Close to Ann Arbor we also cover Lansing, Warren, Sterling Heights and Grand Rapids; the full list for Michigan and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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Where would your pet's print live?
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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
Is Ann Arbor big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 45,000 Ann Arbor households keep a dog or cat and around 3,750 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 122,233), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Does the Ann Arbor climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 84°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, March, November and December, when lows sit below freezing, a home burial may have to wait for a thaw, so cremation with ashes returned keeps your options open.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Ann Arbor?
The closest communities we cover are Ypsilanti (about 7 miles), Westland (about 19 miles) and Novi (about 19 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Ann Arbor too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Will I have to travel to Detroit to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Detroit (roughly 36 miles from Ann Arbor) 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.
Can I take the print myself before the vet or crematory arrives?
Absolutely, and many people prefer to. Have the clay warmed or the card taped down before the appointment, choose a quiet room and take a few prints while your pet is calm. If collection is happening after a home euthanasia, the team will usually wait a few minutes while you take one afterwards too. Just let them know.
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 Michigan's cremation rate at 69.5% 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.
- [8] Published ashes-return times across the network's markets range from same-day (paid express) to about 4 weeks; a conservative typical window is 3-14 days. Our estimate: min/max across sources: Lambeth 3 days; US 5-10 days; RSPCA QLD within 14 days; AniCura Sweden 2-4 weeks. How we calculate.
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