Getting your pet's paw print in Southlake
About 960 households in Southlake lose a dog or cat each year, by our estimate. A clear paw print, taken at home or by your vet, is often the keepsake people are most glad to have.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve Southlake
Southlake, Texas
Who takes paw prints in Southlake
Southlake homes often have formal gardens, patios and large backyards, which gives families room for an outdoor memorial: a carved stone bench, a granite marker under a live oak, or a small garden bed dedicated to a pet. Indoors, a quality urn on a mantel or a custom portrait fits well. Take time choosing; there's no rush to buy a memorial the same week.
Hail and spring storms regularly sweep through the Metroplex, and outdoor memorials take a beating. Solid stone and bronze hold up better than glass, resin or thin ceramic. If you're placing a marker under a tree, check that it won't be in the path of a mower or buried by leaves. Engraved text survives the weather better than painted lettering.
There may be no ceramic studio or engraver in Southlake, but that matters less than it used to. Most jewelry, engraving and print-art makers work from a photo or scan of the print, sent by email, and post the finished piece back. Photograph your print flat in daylight, keep the original safe at home and shop around online without sending anything irreplaceable.
Southlake is home to about 31,175 people, the 111th-largest of the 325 Texas communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Southlake are based about 14 miles away in Irving, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Grapevine (3 miles), Colleyville (4 miles) and Westlake (5 miles), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
11,500
Southlake: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
31,175 ÷ 2.5 = 12,470 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 11,500. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
960
Estimated dog and cat losses in Southlake each year
How we calculated this
11,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 960 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.
To check the figures yourself, see Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Texas
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.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the Texas figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Southlake tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Weather in Southlake and your pet's print
If you're planning a home goodbye in June, July, August and September, consider booking the vet for early morning. Your pet will be more comfortable before the heat builds, the house is cooler for taking a print, and collection can happen before the afternoon peak. Take the print first, while the morning is still quiet. If you'd hoped to say goodbye outside, a shaded corner of the yard at dawn is kinder than the afternoon sun.
Strong sun in Southlake, especially around August, fades ink faster than most people expect. A framed paw print in a bright hallway can lose its crispness within a few summers. Hang it on a wall that doesn't catch direct light, choose UV-filtering glass and keep a scan of the original. And never leave a clay print or a resin cast inside a parked car, a garage or an attic in summer, where temperatures climb far above 96°F.
What paw print keepsakes cost in Southlake
The print itself is cheap; what you turn it into is where the budget goes. At one urn retailer, an engraved paw print added to an urn typically costs $20–$35[6] and paw and nose print pendants start from $99.95[7]; a custom sterling silver charm made from your pet's actual print costs about $143 before the chain[8]. Custom silver print charms from one crematory network run $290 to $420[9].
Prices for Southlake track the wider Texas market, so use the Texas price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
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
You don't need anyone's permission to take your pet's paw print, and prints, casts and ashes jewelry can be kept, posted or carried anywhere. The rules that matter in Texas are about burial and scattering. If you plan a home burial, take the print before you begin; if you plan to scatter, keep some ashes back for a print pendant first.
Not sure which office covers Southlake? The Texas local government directory is the official list.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Texas level first; our Texas rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Southlake or your HOA adds anything.
Your paw print plan for Southlake
- 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, 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, then take a photo so any maker can use the picture, not the original.
From paw print to pendant, frame or garden stone
Many families here like to combine remembrance with something that grows. A tree urn set into a lawn, a rose bed fed with a little of the ashes, or wildflowers seeded along a back fence all offer a place to return to each season. Because homes here do change hands, some owners also reserve a spoonful of ashes in a tiny locket so the memory moves with them.
or see what other families chose in the poll results, read our guides and latest articles, use the free tools before you ring anyone, See what each option includes on our services page. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Austin, Dallas, Houston and El Paso, and every city in Texas.
Reader polls
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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 Southlake each year?
Our estimate is around 960. It comes from Southlake's population (about 31,175), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 11,500 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
How does Southlake's weather affect pet aftercare?
August is the hottest month in Southlake, with average highs around 96°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Winters are mild, with average lows staying above freezing, so outdoor burial or scattering is usually possible year round.
Will I have to travel to Irving to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Irving (roughly 14 miles from Southlake) 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.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Southlake?
The closest communities we cover are Grapevine (about 3 miles), Colleyville (about 4 miles) and Westlake (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Southlake too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Why do so many owners miss the chance to take a print?
Because a print has a window. By our estimate, around 960 dogs and cats die in Southlake each year, many of them suddenly or at an emergency clinic, when a clay kit is the last thing on anyone's mind. Taking a print while your pet is well, or asking for one when you book aftercare, is the simplest way not to miss it.
Can I get a print if my pet is being cremated near Irving?
Yes. Many crematories take a print at intake and return it with the ashes. But if the crematory is some distance from Southlake, it's easier to take the print locally, either yourself at home or through your vet before collection. That way you can check it's clear and redo it if needed.
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] Adding an engraved paw print or symbol to a pet urn typically costs $20–$35. Memorials.com – Pet Urn Cost Guide, 2025.
- [7] Paw print and nose print pendants at Memorials.com start at $99.95. Memorials.com – Pet print jewelry, 2026.
- [8] A custom sterling silver actual-paw-print charm costs $143 before the chain (about $59–$79 for silver) and takes about 2 weeks to make. String of Jewels – Actual paw print necklace, 2026.
- [9] Final Gift's pet memorial jewelry runs from a $60 urn pendant to $290–$420 for custom sterling silver print charms, with glass ash beads at $245. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
- [10] 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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