Paw and nose prints in Billings: a calm guide
By our estimate, about 44,500 households in Billings share their home with a dog or cat. Every one of those paws can be pressed into clay or ink, ideally long before goodbye. Here's how.
- Home kit or vet-taken: your choice
- Tips for heat, humidity and cold
- Ideas for jewelry, engraving and art
Billings, Montana
Who takes paw prints in Billings
Montana's wind, hail, sun and deep freeze are hard on outdoor memorials. An engraved granite or natural stone marker set flat into the ground lasts far better than wood or resin and is less likely to heave. If you'd like a living memorial, a biodegradable urn planted in spring with a hardy native tree or shrub suits the climate. Put it where snowplows and mowers won't catch it.
The Rimrocks, the Yellowstone River and the distant Beartooth Mountains to the southwest are landscapes many Billings residents hold dear. If you're thinking of scattering ashes on public land or near the river, check the rules for that area first, since agencies set their own. Keeping part of the ashes for an urn or keepsake gives you a memorial at home too, especially through the long winter.
In a city like Billings, most vets work with one or two pet crematories, and a clay or ink paw print is a routine add-on for both. Sometimes it's included in the cremation package; sometimes it's a small separate charge. Ask which, and ask who takes it: the clinic before collection, or the crematory at intake. Knowing that tells you when the window closes.
With roughly 121,239 residents, Billings is the largest of the 10 Montana communities we cover.
The closest communities we cover are Sheridan (101 miles), Bozeman (123 miles) and Belgrade (129 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Billings too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
Our estimate
44,500
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Billings
How we calculated this
121,239 ÷ 2.5 = 48,496 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 44,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
3,700
dog and cat deaths per year in Billings, our estimate
How we calculated this
44,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 3,700 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
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.
What local funeral habits mean for a print
Cremation is the everyday choice in Montana: about 73.4%[5] of people who die there are cremated. Pet aftercare tends to follow the same habits, which means most pets here end up as a small box of ashes. Ashes don't show a paw, a nose or the shape of a toe. That's a big part of why prints matter so much in high-cremation places, and why local crematories are so used to being asked for one.
The Montana figure comes from Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Getting a clean print in Billings in any season
Indoor heating in January, February, March, November and December makes the air in Billings 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.
Winter in Billings 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.
Budgeting for a print and what it becomes
A paw print is one of the least expensive keepsakes there is. Many US crematories sell it as a small add-on: one Arizona provider lists a clay paw impression at $10, a nose print at $10 and a laser-engraved paw print at $15[6], and across the US price lists we've checked, paw-print add-ons have a median of about $32[7]. Prices in Billings vary by provider, so ask whether a print is already included before you pay extra.
We keep the detailed Montana price table on one page so it stays current: see Montana prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Rules in Montana that touch on keepsakes
Renters in Montana 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 Montana allows for burial and scattering; whatever they say, a print moves with you to the next address.
The official Montana local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Billings.
We keep Montana's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Montana rules summary. Before a home burial in Billings, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
What to do first, and what can wait
- For a horse, have the farrier out beforehand to trim the hoof and tidy it up. Clean the sole thoroughly and let it dry.
- 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, since plenty of owners later have the hair plaited or cast in resin.
- For a bird or a very small pet, use very soft clay or inkless paper and the lightest pressure. Tiny toes show best in clay.
- 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, and photograph it so a maker can work from the image.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Many Billings families have a ranch, a family place or a favorite spot in the mountains where they'd like to remember a pet. Ashes can be divided so part goes to that place and part stays at home in a keepsake urn, a paw print frame or a piece of jewelry. Engraving a name and dates makes any of these personal.
or see how other readers answered in our polls, run the numbers with the free planning tools, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, See what each option includes on our services page. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Great Falls, Bozeman, Kalispell and Helena, and every city in Montana.
Reader polls
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When did (or will) you take your pet's 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
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Billings?
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 87°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
How many pet owners live in Billings?
By our estimate, about 44,500 households in Billings have at least one dog or cat, and around 3,700 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 121,239, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Billings?
Usually yes. Sheridan is about 101 miles away, Bozeman is about 123 miles away and Belgrade is about 129 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 Montana attitudes to cremation compare?
Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024) puts the Montana human cremation rate at about 73.4%[5]. We show it on the Billings 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 I get a hoof print from my horse?
Yes. Most owners take one after the farrier has trimmed and cleaned the hoof: pick out the sole, dry it and press it into a thick slab of clay on a board, or paint it with non-toxic paint and press it onto heavy card. Someone should hold the foot steady. Many owners also keep the last shoe and a length of tail hair.
How long before the print and ashes come back in Billings?
By our estimate, most pet crematories return ashes within about 3 to 14 days[9], and a print taken at intake usually travels with them. A print taken by your vet may come back sooner, handed to you on the day or posted separately. Ask providers in Billings which applies, and request a snapshot of the print if you'll be waiting a week or more; it's reassuring to know it came out clear.
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] Montana had a 73.4% cremation rate in 2024, among the highest in the US. Direct Cremate (citing CANA), 2024.
- [6] Memorial add-ons at A Greener Place: $15 laser-engraved paw print, $10 clay paw impression, $10 nose print, $5 fur clipping. A Greener Place Pet Aquamation – Pricing, 2026.
- [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] 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.
- [9] 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.
Ask who takes paw prints in Billings
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.