Getting your pet's paw print in West St. Paul
About 670 households in West St. Paul 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.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve West St. Paul
West St. Paul, Minnesota
Arranging a paw print around West St. Paul
In West St. Paul's ramblers and townhouses, compact memorials usually fit best: a slender urn on a bookcase, a small locket, or a glazed tile pressed with a paw and propped on a windowsill. You can take your time. Cremated remains stay safe in that temporary box for months, and many families find the right choice only once the sharpest part of the grief has eased.
In West St. Paul, dividing the ashes is common: one urn stays in the living room while cousins in Eagan or Woodbury each receive a tiny keepsake. One portion might go beneath a flowering crabapple in spring, another to a lake cabin up north, and a pinch into a glass vial for a teenager's room. Request additional containers when booking, since dividing afterward is fiddly.
Supplies are easy to find even in a small town. Air-dry modeling clay, a washable non-toxic ink pad, card stock and baby wipes are enough for a first print. A purpose-made kit is kinder for fluffy paws and cats, but it may take days to arrive, so buy one while your pet is still well rather than waiting until you need it urgently.
With roughly 21,950 residents, West St. Paul is the 57th-largest of the 67 Minnesota communities we cover. Saint Paul, roughly 4 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover West St. Paul run from there.
West St. Paul sits within easy reach of South St. Paul (2 miles), Saint Paul (4 miles, a larger centre) and Inver Grove Heights (5 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from West St. Paul; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
8,100
West St. Paul: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
21,950 ÷ 2.5 = 8,780 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 8,100. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
670
Estimated dog and cat losses in West St. Paul each year
How we calculated this
8,100 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 670 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.
Sources for the statistics above: Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Minnesota
Around 68.5%[5] of people in Minnesota are cremated, a middle-of-the-road rate that means local traditions vary from family to family. Some households want a grave to visit, others want ashes at home. A paw print works with both. It can sit on a shelf, be set into a garden stone above a grave or be engraved onto an urn.
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 West St. Paul rather than as pet data.
Heat, humidity, cold and drying times
With 5 months of freezing average lows, West St. Paul 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.
Clinics and crematories in and around West St. Paul 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.
Budgeting for a print and what it becomes
Compared with the cremation itself, a print is a small line on the bill. Private dog cremation averages about $260[6] in the US, while paw-print add-ons at crematories range from about $10 to $76[7]. The bigger spend comes later, if you choose jewelry: a paw-print bangle bracelet from one crematory network costs $385[8]. Use the table to plan what fits your budget in West St. Paul.
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
Renters in Minnesota often can't bury a pet in the yard without the landlord's agreement, and even where they can, the grave stays behind when the lease ends. That's one reason portable memorials such as prints are so popular. The notes below set out what Minnesota allows for burial and scattering; whatever they say, a print moves with you to the next address.
The official Minnesota local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in West St. Paul.
Start with the Minnesota rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat West St. Paul's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
Getting a paw print in West St. Paul, step by step
- 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 if more than one person in the family would like one.
- Ask to see or photograph the print while your pet is still at the clinic; a smudged one can then be done again.
- 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.
Remembering your pet through their print
Minnesota frost will shift and crack bargain outdoor markers within a few winters. Homeowners hoping for a garden stone might consider granite or bronze set over a few inches of packed gravel, positioned away from the curb where plows throw salty slush. Indoor memorials avoid weather altogether and come along easily when a move takes you to a new neighborhood or a new state.
use the free tools before you ring anyone, or see how other readers answered in our polls, browse in-depth guides or recent articles, Compare every option on our services page. Close to West St. Paul we also cover Duluth, Rochester, Bloomington and Brooklyn Park; 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.
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 West St. Paul 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.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in West St. Paul?
January, February, March, November and December: average lows are below freezing then, and frozen ground makes a home grave slow or impossible until it thaws. The other pressure point is July, when highs around 83°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from West St. Paul?
Usually yes. South St. Paul is about 2 miles away, Saint Paul is about 4 miles away and Inver Grove Heights 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.
Will I have to travel to Saint Paul to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Saint Paul (roughly 4 miles from West St. Paul) 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 much does a paw print keepsake cost in West St. Paul?
The print itself is usually inexpensive. US crematories list paw-print add-ons from about $10 to $76, with a median of about $32[7], and some include one in the cremation package. Finishing costs more: engraved paw prints on urns typically add $20 to $35, and paw or nose print pendants start at about $100. Ask providers in West St. Paul what's already included.
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] CareCredit's 2025 cost study put the US national average for private dog cremation at $260 (range $206-$473). CareCredit (Synchrony) - How Much Does It Cost To Euthanize a Dog? (2025 ASQ360 procedural cost study), 2025.
- [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] A paw-print bangle bracelet costs $385 and a cremation cuff bracelet $125 at Final Gift. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
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