Paw print keepsakes in Bloomington
Roughly 2,750 dogs and cats die in Bloomington 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.
- Home kit or vet-taken: your choice
- Tips for heat, humidity and cold
- Ideas for jewelry, engraving and art
Bloomington, Minnesota
Paw print keepsakes in Bloomington: where to start
Bloomington homes range from ramblers with fenced backyards to condos beside the freeway, so memorial choices vary a great deal. Some families place an urn on a shelf, some choose a ring or pendant with a tiny chamber for ashes, and some set a stone in a garden bed. Nobody sets a deadline here, and the ashes can sit in their original container for months or years.
Minnesota's deep cold and repeated freeze-thaw cycles crack inexpensive outdoor pieces quickly. Choose granite, bronze or natural stone for a garden marker, and bed it in compacted gravel so it's still straight in April. If you'd rather avoid the weather question entirely, an indoor memorial such as a photo urn or a shadow box keeps well in any season.
If your pet will travel to a crematory near Minneapolis, 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 Bloomington. That way you have it in your hands and don't depend on anyone else remembering.
Bloomington's population is around 89,034, the 4th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Minneapolis, roughly 11 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Bloomington run from there.
The closest communities we cover are Richfield (3 miles), Edina (4 miles) and Burnsville (5 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Bloomington too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
33,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households Bloomington has (estimate)
How we calculated this
89,034 ÷ 2.5 = 35,614 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 33,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
2,750
dog and cat deaths per year in Bloomington, our estimate
How we calculated this
33,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,750 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.
The numbers above come from American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, if you'd like to read the original sources.
What local funeral habits mean for a print
Human funerals in Minnesota split between cremation, at about 68.5%[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.
For the Minnesota figure we rely on NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Read it as a picture of local custom around death and remembrance in Bloomington rather than as pet data.
Clay, ink and the local climate
Snow and ice in January, February, March, November and December can hold up home-visit vets and collection vans around Bloomington, 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.
With 5 months of freezing average lows, Bloomington winters are hard on posted parcels too. If you're sending a clay print away to be cast in metal or scanned for jewelry, wrap it well, avoid shipping over a weekend and send a photo or scan first where the maker accepts one. Then the original never has to leave your warm house at all.
What paw print keepsakes cost in Bloomington
Some providers include the print in the package. A Virginia crematory, for example, includes a paw print and a fur clipping with every private cremation package, which run $189–$300[6]. Others charge separately: a Northeast crematory network lists $49 for ink paw prints, $76 for a clay or silver-clay print and $111 framed[7]. When you compare quotes in Bloomington, check which approach each provider takes.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Minnesota: Minnesota 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 Minnesota allows after your pet dies
Rules in Minnesota 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 Minnesota, start with the official Minnesota local government directory.
The rules that apply across Minnesota (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Minnesota page. Bloomington may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
A short checklist for a clean print
- Mention the print when you book the euthanasia appointment or cremation, not on the day. Ask for it to be written on the aftercare form.
- Ask what kind they take: some clinics do clay only, some ink, some both. If there's any chance you'll want jewelry made, request an ink or inkless version too.
- Ask for two copies when several people at home would each like their own.
- Ask to see or photograph the print before your pet leaves the clinic, so it can be retaken if it's smudged.
- Check how it comes back: in your hands the same day, or alongside the ashes later, and what name goes on it.
- Keep the paperwork so that, once everything is returned, the invoice, ashes and print can be tied together.
Ways families in Bloomington keep a print close
Some Bloomington families bury a plant-based urn under a young maple or lilac, while others treasure a clay cast of one paw or a braided tuft of fur. Ask for those at the start, since neither is possible afterward, and put them on the list when you first call. Where several relatives each hope to keep some ashes, ask about miniature urns at the same time.
run the numbers with the free planning tools, Compare every option on our services page, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, or look at how readers voted in our polls. Close to Bloomington we also cover Woodbury, Duluth, Brooklyn Park and Saint Paul; the full list for Minnesota and for the United States is a click away.
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.
Where would your pet's print live?
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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
Will I have to travel to Minneapolis to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Minneapolis (roughly 11 miles from Bloomington) 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.
Is Bloomington big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 33,000 Bloomington households keep a dog or cat and around 2,750 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 89,034), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Bloomington?
Usually yes. Richfield is about 3 miles away, Edina is about 4 miles away and Burnsville is about 5 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
How do Minnesota attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Minnesota human cremation rate at about 68.5%[5]. We show it on the Bloomington 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.
How do I get my pet's paw print in Bloomington?
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.
My pet has been in cold storage. Can I still get a print?
Usually, yes. A pet kept in a clinic cooler or a cold room will have firm pads and stiff legs, so the trick is to warm the clay well and press it gently onto the paw instead of pressing the paw into the clay. Ink works too, with a light touch. If you can, ask for the print before your pet goes into cold storage.
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 Minnesota's cremation rate at 68.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Heavenly Paws Cremations in Chantilly, Virginia, sells private cremation packages at $189 (temporary container), $225 (wooden urn) and $300 (wooden photo urn), each including a paw print and fur clipping. Heavenly Paws Cremations – Packages, 2026.
- [7] 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.
- [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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