A paw print to keep, in Lakeville
About 2,450 households in Lakeville 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.
- Home kit or vet-taken: your choice
- Tips for heat, humidity and cold
- Ideas for jewelry, engraving and art
Lakeville, Minnesota
Getting a paw print in Lakeville: the local picture
Plenty of Minnesotans have a lake cabin or a family place up north, and some Lakeville families save part of the ashes for a summer weekend there, when the whole family can be present. The rest might remain at home on a shelf. If the portion for the cabin will sit in a closet for months, label it clearly so nobody mistakes it.
If you want a stone in the garden, it may be easier to wait until spring. Frozen soil makes setting a marker level almost impossible between December and March, and a stone placed on frozen ground tends to shift after the thaw. Keep the ashes indoors over winter and plan the garden memorial for May, when the ground is workable.
Outdoor and barn cats are common around Lakeville, and they don't always die where you'd expect. If you find your cat in a shed, under a hedge or in a hay loft, bring them inside to a cool, quiet spot and lay them on a towel before you do anything else. A print is often still possible, even some hours later. Clean the pads gently with a damp cloth first, because dust and straw show up in clay and ink.
With roughly 79,270 residents, Lakeville is the 8th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Lakeville are based about 20 miles away in Saint Paul, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Our pages for Farmington (4 miles), Apple Valley (5 miles) and Burnsville (6 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Lakeville as well.
Our estimate
29,000
Lakeville: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
79,270 ÷ 2.5 = 31,708 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 29,000. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
2,450
Estimated dog and cat losses in Lakeville each year
How we calculated this
29,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,450 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 Minnesota
On cremation, Minnesota sits in the middle, at about 68.5%[5] 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.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the Minnesota figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Lakeville tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
When the weather works against clay and ink
Winter in Lakeville offers a keepsake many owners overlook: your pet's tracks in fresh snow. On a still morning in January, a line of paw prints across the yard can be photographed from directly above and later engraved or printed, much like an ink print. It's no replacement for a proper impression, but for an older dog who loves the snow, it's a lovely record of an ordinary day.
Clinics and crematories in and around Lakeville 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 owners in Lakeville typically pay for a print
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 Lakeville, check which approach each provider takes.
The Minnesota price table breaks costs down by product; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Burial, scattering and prints in Minnesota
There are no rules about taking a paw print; it's yours to do at home, at the clinic or at the crematory. Where Minnesota does have rules is what happens next: whether your pet can be buried at home and where ashes can be scattered. Those choices can affect your print too, for example if you want it set into a garden stone or a grave marker.
To find your county or city office in Minnesota, start with the official Minnesota local government directory.
The Minnesota page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Lakeville's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
A short checklist for a clean print
- For a horse, book the farrier to trim and clean the hoof first. Pick out the sole and dry it well.
- Press the hoof into a thick slab of clay laid on a board, or paint the sole with non-toxic paint and press it onto heavy card. Have someone hold the foot steady.
- 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.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Lakeville is full of young families, and memorials here often involve the kids: a stepping stone they paint and seal, a paw print framed in their bedroom, or a small tree they help plant. There is no deadline. The ashes will keep in their container while every member of the family, youngest included, gets a say in what comes next.
go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, or look at how readers voted in our polls, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, The services page is the place to compare what is included. More local pages: Rochester, Saint Paul, Brooklyn Park and Duluth, the Minnesota 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.
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 Saint Paul to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Saint Paul (roughly 20 miles from Lakeville) 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.
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 Lakeville 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.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Lakeville?
Usually yes. Farmington is about 4 miles away, Apple Valley is about 5 miles away and Burnsville is about 6 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Roughly how many pets die in Lakeville each year?
Our estimate is around 2,450. It comes from Lakeville's population (about 79,270), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 29,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
My pet was cremated without a paw print. Is there anything I can do?
You can't take a new impression after cremation, but there are good alternatives. Look through your photos for a clear shot of a paw, or of paw prints in snow, sand or mud; engravers and artists can trace one. Check old vet records, the puppy or kitten pack from a breeder, and grooming photos. Some artists can also draw a lifelike paw from pictures of your pet's feet. It won't be the exact pad pattern, but many owners find it just as meaningful.
How do I get a nose print from my cat?
Cats have small noses and dislike being fussed, so pick a sleepy moment. Use an inkless wipe or the lightest dab of pet-safe ink on a soft sponge, then touch a small folded card to the nose from the front and lift away. Expect a faint, partial print; that's normal. Take several attempts over a few days rather than persisting in one session, and wipe the nose clean afterwards so your cat doesn't lick the residue.
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] 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.
Ask who takes paw prints in Lakeville
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.