Getting your pet's paw print in Shoreview
About 820 households in Shoreview 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.
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Shoreview, Minnesota
Getting a paw print in Shoreview: the local picture
Some families here find comfort in splitting the ashes: a portion in a shoreline garden, a little in a keepsake for each grown child, the rest kept at home. Others commission a pencil portrait or a wood-burned plaque from a favorite photograph. If you want an ink nose print or a curl of fur, ask before cremation so it can be saved.
Wooded lots and lake views give Shoreview families plenty of options for an outdoor memorial: a mossy stone under the oaks, a small bench facing the water, or a hosta bed laid out above a biodegradable urn. In condos and townhomes, a compact urn next to a favorite photo works just as well. The decision can wait; ashes keep indefinitely in the temporary box.
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 Shoreview. That way you have it in your hands and don't depend on anyone else remembering.
With roughly 26,906 residents, Shoreview is the 39th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Minneapolis, about 9 miles (15 km) away, which is where some providers serving Shoreview are based.
Shoreview sits within easy reach of New Brighton (3 miles), Roseville (5 miles) and Lino Lakes (5 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Shoreview; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
9,900
How many dog- or cat-owning households Shoreview has (estimate)
How we calculated this
26,906 ÷ 2.5 = 10,762 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 9,900. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
820
Estimated dog and cat losses in Shoreview each year
How we calculated this
9,900 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 820 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
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.
We built the this numbers from American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Minnesota
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.
The Minnesota 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.
Heat, humidity, cold and drying times
If you're planning a garden stone with your pet's print pressed into it, the Shoreview winter will decide your timing. Concrete and mortar need temperatures above freezing to cure properly, so take the print now in clay or ink and keep it indoors. In spring, once the ground has thawed, you or a local stonemason can use it to make the outdoor memorial.
With 5 months of freezing average lows, Shoreview 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.
Paw print prices: kits, add-ons and finishing
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 Shoreview, check which approach each provider takes.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Minnesota overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Landlords, parks and permits in Minnesota
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.
Start with the Minnesota rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Shoreview's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
How to make sure a print is taken in time
- If your pet dies while you're away from home, phone whoever has them, the kennel, the sitter or a nearby vet, and ask for two things first: that your pet is kept cool, and that a paw print is taken.
- Ask them to photograph the print and send it to you, so you know it's clear.
- Decide whether to bring your pet home instead of arranging cremation locally; the print goes with you either way.
- Ask for ink rather than clay if the print will be posted to you. A flat card survives the mail far better than damp clay.
- If you're driving home with your pet, the car needs to stay cool; make your own print once you're back, ahead of any burial or pickup.
- Keep names, numbers and receipts for everyone involved, so everything can be matched up later.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Tree roots and shade can make it harder to keep a marker level in Shoreview yards, and frost heave adds to the problem each winter. Seat a granite or bronze piece on a gravel pad just clear of big roots, and avoid low spots where meltwater collects. Resin and concrete fade and crack faster under a leaf canopy that stays damp, and moss can creep into shallow lettering, so deeper engraving is worth the small extra cost.
or compare your instinct with the poll results, For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, run the numbers with the free planning tools, read our guides and latest articles. Close to Shoreview we also cover Brooklyn Park, Bloomington, Minneapolis and Duluth; the full list for Minnesota and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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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 Shoreview big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 9,900 Shoreview households keep a dog or cat and around 820 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 26,906), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
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 Shoreview 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.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Shoreview?
The closest communities we cover are New Brighton (about 3 miles), Roseville (about 5 miles) and Lino Lakes (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Shoreview too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
How does Shoreview's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Shoreview, with average highs around 81°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, March, November and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
Can my pet's paw print be turned into a tattoo?
Yes, and it's a popular choice. A tattoo artist will want a clear, high-contrast flat print, so an ink or inkless print works better than clay. Scan it at a high resolution and bring the file to your consultation. Many people have the print tattooed at actual size, sometimes with the pet's name or a nose print alongside.
Can I get a print of my bird's feet?
Yes, with care. Birds are light and their toes are delicate, so use very soft clay and the gentlest pressure, or an inkless kit with treated paper. Ink is best avoided because birds preen and may swallow it. An avian vet can help if your bird is nervous. The result is a lovely, delicate impression of the toes and scales.
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] 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.
Get paw print options in Shoreview
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.