Getting your pet's paw print in New Braunfels
By our estimate, about 45,000 households in New Braunfels 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.
- Take the print before cremation
- Clay, ink or cast, explained simply
- Published prices, no guesswork
New Braunfels, Texas
How owners in New Braunfels get a paw print
Summer tubing and swimming on the Comal and Guadalupe make water a natural place for remembrance, but crowded rivers are not always the right spot to scatter. Some families prefer a quiet stretch of their own land, a planted tree, or a container kept at home. Ashes scattered on private property need the owner's permission, and a peaceful morning outside the busy season is usually more fitting.
With growing families across Comal and Guadalupe counties, many New Braunfels households like to divide remains: most kept at home, a little set aside for a pendant, and a pinch for a relative in San Antonio or Austin. If that sounds like your family, tell the provider before cremation. They can return the ashes in a way that makes portioning simple and tidy.
Home goodbyes are increasingly common in New Braunfels. If you're booking an in-home vet, ask whether they bring a clay kit and whether they'll take two prints, one for each person in the family. Taking your own print the day before, when your pet is calm and comfortable on their own bed, is another option and often gives a cleaner result.
With roughly 122,492 residents, New Braunfels is the 32nd-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is San Antonio, about 29 miles (47 km) away, which is where some providers serving New Braunfels are based.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Cibolo (12 miles), Seguin (13 miles) and Schertz (14 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
45,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households New Braunfels has (estimate)
How we calculated this
122,492 ÷ 2.5 = 48,997 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 45,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
3,750
dog and cat deaths per year in New Braunfels, our estimate
How we calculated this
45,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 3,750 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.
Where these figures come from: American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
Ashes, graves and the print that comes first
Cremation has become steadily more common in Texas, now chosen for about 55.7%[5] of those who die there, and newer pet aftercare providers have arrived with it. Some offer a 3D scan of the paw or a digital print file alongside the clay. If a provider mentions this, ask whether you'll receive the file itself, in a standard format, so you can take it to any maker later rather than only through them.
For the Texas 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 New Braunfels rather than as pet data.
Weather in New Braunfels and your pet's print
Around August, when highs in New Braunfels run near 97°F, a senior pet may be flat and uncomfortable in the afternoons. That's often a good time for a print, oddly enough: a hot, sleepy dog or cat lies still. Choose a cool room, keep sessions short, offer water and stop if your pet gets restless. You can always try again the next evening.
If your pet dies at home during May, June, July, August and September, keeping them cool comes first and the print second. Move them to the coolest room, lay them on a towel over a hard floor and take the print within the first few hours, before the body stiffens. If collection is coming soon, ask the team to wait while you finish, or ask the crematory to take the print at intake.
What owners in New Braunfels typically pay for a print
By our estimate, around 765,000 US families a year[6] are open to a personalized pet keepsake, so providers in New Braunfels are used to the question. The cheapest route is a home print, which costs only clay and a card. The next step up is a crematory add-on: by our estimate the median is about $32[7], and a clay paw impression can cost as little as $10[8]. Framing, engraving and silver are where totals climb.
The Texas 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.
Local rules worth knowing in Texas
Paw prints sit outside most regulation, but the aftercare around them doesn't. Your local council or city, and the wider rules for Texas, 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 Texas local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in New Braunfels.
We keep Texas's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Texas rules summary. Before a home burial in New Braunfels, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
What to do first, and what can wait
- For a horse, book the farrier to trim and clean the hoof first. Pick out the sole and dry it well.
- 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, choose the softest clay or an inkless sheet, and barely press at all. Clay picks up tiny toes best.
- For a fluffy cat or rabbit, go inkless so nothing ends up on fur they'll wash later; for rabbits especially, clay captures the long, narrow foot well.
- Dry and store every print indoors, then take a photo so any maker can use the picture, not the original.
Turning a print into something lasting
New Braunfels still shows its German roots in stone buildings, old cemeteries and a love of craftsmanship. That tradition suits a durable memorial: a carved limestone marker in the garden, a small cast-metal plaque, or a piece of jewelry made to last. Whichever you choose, ask the maker how it holds up to hot summers and heavy rain, since both are common here.
try the free planning tools, or compare your instinct with the poll results, Our services overview lays out every option side by side, read our guides and latest articles. More local pages: Austin, El Paso, San Antonio and Houston, the Texas overview and every city in the United States.
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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
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from New Braunfels?
Usually yes. Cibolo is about 12 miles away, Seguin is about 13 miles away and Schertz is about 14 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Does the New Braunfels climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In August, with highs near 97°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. Winters here are mild enough that burial or scattering is possible in any month.
How do Texas attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Texas human cremation rate at about 55.7%[5]. We show it on the New Braunfels 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.
Roughly how many pets die in New Braunfels each year?
Our estimate is around 3,750. It comes from New Braunfels's population (about 122,492), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 45,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
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.
Can I get a print of my bird's feet?
Yes, with care. Birds are light and their toes are delicate, so use very soft clay and the gentlest pressure, or an inkless kit with treated paper. Ink is best avoided because birds preen and may swallow it. An avian vet can help if your bird is nervous. The result is a lovely, delicate impression of the toes and scales.
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 Texas's cremation rate at 55.7% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] 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.
- [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] 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.
- [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.
Tell us about your pet's print
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