Getting your pet's paw print in White Plains
Roughly 1,950 dogs and cats die in White Plains 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
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White Plains, New York
Getting a paw print in White Plains: the local picture
Condo and apartment owners in White Plains often face rules about what can sit on a balcony or in shared gardens. An indoor urn, a framed paw print or a piece of jewelry sidesteps those limits. If you own a house, a flat granite stone in the garden is durable through Westchester winters and easy to mow around. Stone set level with the turf also survives plows.
With courthouses and county offices downtown, White Plains has more than its share of engraved stone and bronze, and some families echo that with a formal pet marker or a heavy urn. Others prefer something light and personal: a pendant, a photo book or a small box on a desk. Think about where the memorial will live and how often you'll see it.
Home burial on your own land is still common in and around White Plains, where local rules allow it. If that's your plan, you have more time and privacy than a city owner waiting for a collection van. Take the print at home before you wrap your pet: a calm half hour on the porch or the kitchen floor, with clay warmed in your hands.
White Plains is home to about 62,871 people, the 11th-largest of the 49 New York communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Yonkers, about 8 miles (13 km) away, which is where some providers serving White Plains are based.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Harrison (2 miles), Scarsdale (2 miles) and Port Chester (5 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
23,000
White Plains: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
62,871 ÷ 2.5 = 25,148 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 23,000. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
1,950
White Plains families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
23,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,950 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.
Where these figures come from: American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
Around 55.7%[5] of people in New York 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.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the New York figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in White Plains tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Heat, humidity, cold and drying times
Clinics and crematories in and around White Plains often keep pets in cold storage before cremation, especially in January, February, March 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.
With 4 months of freezing average lows, White Plains 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.
What owners in White Plains typically pay for a print
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 White Plains vary by provider, so ask whether a print is already included before you pay extra.
The full price table by product is on our New York page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What the law in New York does and doesn't cover
Paw prints sit outside most regulation, but the aftercare around them doesn't. Your local council or city, and the wider rules for New York, may limit burying a pet at home and scattering ashes in public places. Check the notes below before you plan a garden memorial with your pet's print pressed into it.
The official New York local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in White Plains.
For New York's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the New York guide. Local rules in White Plains can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
How to make sure a print is taken in time
- 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: a clay disc, an ink print or both. If you might want jewelry later, ask for an ink or inkless print as well.
- Ask for two copies if more than one person in the family would like one.
- Ask to see or photograph the print before your pet leaves the clinic, so it can be retaken if it's smudged.
- 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.
Ways families in White Plains keep a print close
Many White Plains households are busy, with long commutes to Manhattan or Stamford, and memorial decisions can wait. Keeping ashes in a simple container for a few months gives you time to talk with family about an urn, jewelry or a planting. Providers don't need an answer on day one, and a thoughtful choice later is often better. Your feelings may shift over that time, too.
go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, Every option White Plains families choose between is on the services page, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or see what other families chose in the poll results. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Yonkers, Buffalo, Albany and New York City, 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.
Where would your pet's print live?
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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
Does the White Plains climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 83°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. In January, February, March 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.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from White Plains?
Usually yes. Harrison is about 2 miles away, Scarsdale is about 2 miles away and Port Chester 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.
Where are the providers that serve White Plains actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Yonkers, about 8 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for White Plains and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How many pet owners live in White Plains?
By our estimate, about 23,000 households in White Plains have at least one dog or cat, and around 1,950 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 62,871, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
My pet was cremated without a paw print. Is there anything I can do?
You can't take a new impression after cremation, but there are good alternatives. Look through your photos for a clear shot of a paw, or of paw prints in snow, sand or mud; engravers and artists can trace one. Check old vet records, the puppy or kitten pack from a breeder, and grooming photos. Some artists can also draw a lifelike paw from pictures of your pet's feet. It won't be the exact pad pattern, but many owners find it just as meaningful.
Why take a paw print in White Plains 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 White Plains has around 23,000 dog- or cat-owning homes and loses about 1,950 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.
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] 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] The typical sterling silver pet cremation pendant costs about $190, based on the middle of three sellers' price points. Our estimate: median of [Urns.com median $129, Memorials.com midpoint of $87.95–$297.95 = $193, Final Gift sterling paw pendant $240]. How we calculate.
Get paw print options in White Plains
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