A paw print to keep, in Troy
By our estimate, about 18,500 households in Troy 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.
- Ask for a print when you book
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Troy, New York
Home, clinic or crematory: paw prints in Troy
RPI and Russell Sage bring students and faculty who may leave Troy after a few years, and many choose a memorial that travels well: a slim pendant, a keepsake small enough to fit in a carry-on, or a digital photo album. Long-time residents, meanwhile, sometimes bury ashes in the family plot or a backyard garden. Both approaches honor an animal well.
Parts of Troy close to the Hudson have flooded in big storms, so if you live near the riverfront, an outdoor memorial may be safer on higher ground, perhaps at a relative's house on the hill or in a large pot you can move. Indoors, an urn or framed paw impression avoids flood worries entirely and keeps your pet close all year.
Small-town clinics in Troy may close at weekends, so if your pet dies on a Saturday evening, you may be looking after them at home until Monday. A print can still be taken during that time. Keep your pet cool, lay them on a towel, and press the paw gently into warmed clay, or press the clay onto the paw if the leg has stiffened.
Troy's population is around 50,912, the 13th-largest of the 49 New York communities we cover.
For a second opinion on price, Cohoes (3 miles), Albany (8 miles) and Schenectady (14 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Troy routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
18,500
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Troy
How we calculated this
50,912 ÷ 2.5 = 20,365 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 18,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
1,550
Troy families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
18,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,550 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.
What local funeral habits mean for a print
In New York, about 55.7%[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.
For the New York 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 Troy rather than as pet data.
Seasons in Troy and a print that lasts
Clinics and crematories in and around Troy 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.
Plaster and cold don't mix well. Plaster sets more slowly in a cold room, and if the water in it freezes before it cures, the cast turns chalky and crumbles. In January, February, March, November and December, mix plaster with lukewarm water, let it set somewhere warm indoors and never leave a curing cast in a car, porch or shed overnight. The same goes for air-dry clay.
What paw print keepsakes cost in Troy
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 Troy, check which approach each provider takes.
For a line-by-line price table, see the New York 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 New York
Rules in New York say a good deal about where a pet can be buried and very little about how a crematory keeps track of each animal. That's one more reason to take your own print: made before collection, it's a record you created yourself. Ask your provider how pets are tagged, and read the burial and scattering notes below for the rest.
New York keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Troy.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the New York level first; our New York rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Troy or your HOA adds anything.
How to make sure a print is taken in time
- 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 with blunt-tipped scissors so the pads, not the fur, make the shape.
- Hold the leg, not the paw, push down evenly in one motion, and raise it again without sliding. Make a few attempts and choose the sharpest one.
- Dry clay slowly indoors for two or three days, turning it, then seal it with a matte acrylic sealer.
- Photograph or scan the print flat in daylight. Most makers only need the image, so the original never leaves home.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Troy's downtown is full of ornate ironwork, stained glass and carved stone, and residents often have a soft spot for craftsmanship. A handmade ceramic urn, an engraved slate tile, or a glass piece with a little ash fused inside can suit that taste. If you rent one of the city's many apartments, pick something portable you can take with you when you move.
The services page is the place to compare what is included, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, browse in-depth guides or recent articles, or compare your instinct with the poll results. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Rochester, Albany, Syracuse and Yonkers, and every city in New York.
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.
What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Whose print are you thinking about?
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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
Is Troy big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 18,500 Troy households keep a dog or cat and around 1,550 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 50,912), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
How do New York attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the New York human cremation rate at about 55.7%[5]. We show it on the Troy 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.
Does the Troy climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 84°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.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Troy?
The closest communities we cover are Cohoes (about 3 miles), Albany (about 8 miles) and Schenectady (about 14 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Troy too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Why take a paw print in Troy if I already have plenty of photos?
Photos show what your pet looked like; a print records something you touched every day, at actual size. We estimate Troy has around 18,500 dog- or cat-owning homes and loses about 1,550 of those pets a year. Most of those owners have hundreds of photos. The difference is that photos can be found later, while a print only exists if someone makes it before the body is cremated or buried, which is why it's worth doing first.
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.
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 New York's cremation rate at 55.7% 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.
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