Paw print keepsakes in Brookings
By our estimate, about 9,350 households in Brookings 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.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve Brookings
Brookings, South Dakota
How owners in Brookings get a paw print
The Big Sioux River runs along the west side of Brookings, and its parks and trails are part of many residents' routines. Some remember a pet by returning to a favorite riverside bench on an anniversary or taking a photo there each season. Before scattering ashes on public land or in the river, ask the city or county which areas are open for that.
Outdoor memorials in Brookings must stand up to extreme cold. Granite and cast bronze last through years of freeze and thaw, while inside the house, an urn, a framed nose or paw print, or a small pendant keeps your pet close. Students who expect to move after graduation often lean toward something light enough to pack in a suitcase or carry on a plane.
Dogs in and around a town like Brookings often work for a living: herding, hunting, guarding stock or riding in a truck all day. Their pads are thicker and more callused than a house dog's, with nicks and old scars that are part of their story. Those details show beautifully in clay. Use a firmer clay, roll it a little thicker and hold steady pressure for a few seconds so the ridges come through.
With roughly 25,355 residents, Brookings is the 4th-largest of the 10 South Dakota communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Sioux Falls, about 52 miles (84 km) away, which is where some providers serving Brookings are based.
Families in Brookings often end up using a provider from Watertown (46 miles), Sioux Falls (53 miles, a larger centre) and Huron (70 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
9,350
Brookings: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
25,355 ÷ 2.5 = 10,142 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 9,350. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
780
Estimated dog and cat losses in Brookings each year
How we calculated this
9,350 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 780 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.
We built the this numbers from American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
Around 53.2%[5] of people in South Dakota 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.
The South Dakota percentage above is from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Brookings, not as a count of pets.
Weather in Brookings and your pet's print
If you're planning a garden stone with your pet's print pressed into it, the Brookings 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.
With 5 months of freezing average lows, Brookings 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 Brookings typically pay for a print
Engraving is the add-on that surprises people. By our estimate, name-and-dates engraving adds about 36%[6] to the price of a mid-priced wooden urn, and a paw print costs extra again. Before you pay for either in Brookings, check your pet insurance: some wellness add-ons reimburse end-of-life costs, and one plan's add-on could pay up to $650 toward cremation, burial and keepsakes[7]. Read the policy wording, then ask for an itemized quote.
The full price table by product is on our South Dakota 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 South Dakota does and doesn't cover
There are no rules about taking a paw print; it's yours to do at home, at the clinic or at the crematory. Where South Dakota does have rules is what happens next: whether your pet can be buried at home and where ashes can be scattered. Those choices can affect your print too, for example if you want it set into a garden stone or a grave marker.
South Dakota keeps an official directory of local governments; use it to reach the county or city office that covers Brookings.
Start with the South Dakota rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Brookings's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
Your paw print plan for Brookings
- Mention the print when you book rather than waiting until the appointment itself, whether that's the euthanasia or the cremation. Ask the team to note it 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 when several people at home would each like their own.
- 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.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
McCrory Gardens, the public garden and arboretum at SDSU, is a peaceful place many Brookings families visit year-round. It can inspire a memorial at home: a hardy lilac, a bed of prairie perennials, or a tree chosen to survive a northern winter. Ask your provider whether the ashes can go straight into planting soil or should be blended with compost first.
Every option Brookings families choose between is on the services page, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones, try the free planning tools, or compare your instinct with the poll results. Close to Brookings we also cover Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Watertown and Rapid City; the full list for South Dakota and for the United States is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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When did (or will) you take your pet's print?
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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
Roughly how many pets die in Brookings each year?
Our estimate is around 780. It comes from Brookings's population (about 25,355), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 9,350 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Does the Brookings 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.
Will I have to travel to Sioux Falls to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Sioux Falls (roughly 52 miles from Brookings) 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.
Is cremation common in South Dakota?
For people, yes: about 53.2%[5] of South Dakota deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Brookings follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
How much does a paw print keepsake cost in Brookings?
The print itself is usually inexpensive. US crematories list paw-print add-ons from about $10 to $76, with a median of about $32[9], 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 Brookings what's already included.
Will my vet or crematory take a paw print before cremation?
Most will if asked, and many include a clay or ink print in the package. But requests can be missed on a busy day, especially at emergency clinics. Mention it when you book, ask for it to be written on the aftercare form and ask whether it comes back to you that day or with the ashes. Once your pet has been cremated, the chance is gone.
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 South Dakota's cremation rate at 53.2% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Name-and-dates engraving adds about 36% to the price of a mid-priced wooden pet urn. Our estimate: midpoint engraving $32.50 ($25–$40) / midpoint wood urn $90 ($30–$150). How we calculate.
- [7] Embrace's Wellness Rewards add-on could reimburse up to $650 toward cremation, burial and keepsakes. Pet Insurance Review - Does Pet Insurance Cover Euthanasia? (Dec 2023), 2023.
- [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.
- [9] 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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