A paw print to keep, in Stillwater
Roughly 590 dogs and cats die in Stillwater 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.
- Ask for a print when you book
- Help for paws, noses and hooves
- We reply by email, no obligation
Stillwater, Minnesota
Who takes paw prints in Stillwater
Bluff lots in Stillwater face freeze-thaw cycles, runoff and slow erosion that can tip or bury a marker. Heavy granite or bronze, set on a compacted base and placed where rainwater won't wash beneath it, holds up best. Indoor memorials of glass, ceramic or wood skip the problem entirely and go wherever the family goes if the old house is ever sold.
Some Stillwater families divide ashes, keeping part in a keepsake and planting the rest with a young tree in the yard or on a relative's acreage in Grant or May Township. Others send a portion to a sibling across the river in Hudson. Ask for additional containers and any paw impression at the start, since impressions must be made before cremation.
Small towns rarely have a pet memorial shop, but they nearly always have someone who engraves: a monument company that letters headstones, a trophy and awards shop, or a sign maker with a laser. Many will engrave a paw print from a clean scan onto slate, wood, metal or a garden stone. Take them a photo of your pet's print and ask whether they can reproduce the real pad shapes, not a generic clip-art paw.
With roughly 19,354 residents, Stillwater is the 64th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Stillwater are based about 15 miles away in Saint Paul, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Oakdale (8 miles), White Bear Lake (9 miles) and Maplewood (10 miles, a larger centre), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
7,100
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Stillwater
How we calculated this
19,354 ÷ 2.5 = 7,742 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,100. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
590
Estimated dog and cat losses in Stillwater each year
How we calculated this
7,100 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 590 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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry; we only apply it to this.
How Minnesota thinks about cremation, and why prints matter
In Minnesota, about 68.5%[5] of people are cremated, and that share has been rising for years. Pet crematories have multiplied along with it, and most now offer paw prints, nose prints and fur clippings. Families who grew up with burial don't always know to ask, so it's worth saying plainly that you want one.
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 Stillwater tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Getting a clean print in Stillwater in any season
If you're planning a garden stone with your pet's print pressed into it, the Stillwater 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.
Indoor heating in January, February, March, November and December makes the air in Stillwater homes very dry, which is its own problem for clay. A print left near a radiator, wood stove or forced-air vent can shrink unevenly and split along the thin toe edges. Dry it in a cooler room, away from heat sources, and lay a slightly damp cloth loosely over it for the first day to slow things down.
What paw print keepsakes cost in Stillwater
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[6]. 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[7]. In Stillwater, it's worth asking every provider what comes with the package before adding extras.
We keep the detailed Minnesota price table on one page so it stays current: see Minnesota prices.
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
Burial rules in many places, including Minnesota, 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.
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 Stillwater's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
In order: the print, the aftercare, the keepsake
- If your pet is still with you, don't wait. Take a print on a calm, good day, after a meal or a walk, when your pet is relaxed. A print from a living pet is usually the clearest.
- Choose your method. Clay if you want something to hold; ink or an inkless sheet if jewelry or engraving might come later. The kit chooser can settle it.
- Trim the tufts between the pads using round-ended scissors, so the paw rather than the hair leaves the impression.
- Hold the leg, not the paw, and press straight down with steady pressure, then lift straight up. Take several prints and keep the clearest.
- Dry clay slowly indoors over two to three days, flipping it now and then, and finish with a coat of matte acrylic sealer.
- Photograph or scan the print flat in daylight. Makers can work from that image, so the original stays at home.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Stillwater calls itself the birthplace of Minnesota, and its old-town character leads many families toward memorials with a timeless feel: a turned wood urn, a bronze plaque mortared into a garden wall, or a locket carrying a few grains. There's no reason to hurry. Ashes can wait in the crematory's container until the family agrees on something, even if that takes a year.
go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, try the free planning tools, or see how other readers answered in our polls, The services page is the place to compare what is included. Close to Stillwater we also cover Minneapolis, Duluth, Bloomington and Brooklyn Park; the full list for Minnesota and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
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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
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 Stillwater 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.
Is Stillwater big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 7,100 Stillwater households keep a dog or cat and around 590 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 19,354), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Does the Stillwater climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 81°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.
Where are the providers that serve Stillwater actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Saint Paul, about 15 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Stillwater and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
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 Minnesota's cremation rate at 68.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] 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.
- [7] 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.
- [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.
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