A paw print to keep, in Highland
About 660 households in Highland 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.
- Prints of senior pets while they're well
- Local finishing or mail-order makers
- Honest costs from real price lists
Highland, Utah
Paw print keepsakes in Highland: where to start
Households in Highland tend to be large, and when a family animal dies, several children or grandparents may each want something to hold. Let the provider know before cremation that the ashes should come back in portions, or order a main urn with a set of small matching keepsakes. A teenager heading off to college can take a pendant along, while the rest stays at home.
Highland's generous lots give families room to create an outdoor memorial space: a ring of perennials circling a carved stone, a young maple near the patio, or a bench turned toward Timpanogos. Indoors, some households keep an urn near family photos. Many combine the two, with most of the ashes in the garden and a small portion kept in a keepsake inside.
Supplies are easy to find even in a small town. Air-dry modeling clay, a washable non-toxic ink pad, card stock and baby wipes are enough for a first print. A purpose-made kit is kinder for fluffy paws and cats, but it may take days to arrive, so buy one while your pet is still well rather than waiting until you need it urgently.
Highland is home to about 21,571 people, the 46th-largest of the 52 Utah communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Highland are based about 24 miles away in Salt Lake City, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
Highland sits within easy reach of American Fork (3 miles), Lehi (4 miles, a larger centre) and Pleasant Grove (5 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Highland; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
7,950
Highland: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
21,571 ÷ 2.5 = 8,628 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,950. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
660
Estimated dog and cat losses in Highland each year
How we calculated this
7,950 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 660 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.
To check the figures yourself, see 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
With cremation at only about 46.1%[5] for people in Utah, many pets here are laid to rest in a yard or a field. If you'd like the print to mark the spot, keep the original indoors and put a copy outside. Rain, frost and sun wear away clay and ink within a season, while an engraved stone, a metal plate or a resin cast made from a scan will stand up to years of weather.
For the Utah 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 Highland rather than as pet data.
Seasons in Highland and a print that lasts
Highland gets both extremes: highs around 95°F in July, and average lows at or below freezing in January, February, November and December. Each season has its own risk for a print. In summer, air-dry clay can crack from drying too fast; in winter, plaster and clay can be ruined if they freeze before they've set. Whatever the month, dry and cure prints indoors, at room temperature, on a rack.
If you've bought a print kit to keep for later, store it indoors, not in the garage. In Highland, a garage can top 95°F in July and drop below freezing in January, and both extremes spoil supplies: heat dries out ink pads and clay, frost splits plaster bags and stiffens molding putty. Check the kit every few months, and replace the clay if it has hardened in the packet.
What owners in Highland typically pay for a print
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 Highland track the wider Utah market, so use the Utah 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.
Rules in Utah that touch on keepsakes
Some towns and councils in Utah run a collection service for pets who die at home, usually without returning any ashes. If that's the route you take, a print will be the only keepsake you have, so take it before you call. The notes below cover the other options: home burial, pet cemeteries and scattering ashes.
Not sure which office covers Highland? The Utah local government directory is the official list.
The Utah page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Highland's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
Your paw print plan for Highland
- 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 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 you can match the print, the ashes and the invoice when they arrive.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Up near the canyon mouth, winter nights drop well below freezing and summer sun at close to 5,000 feet is fierce, a combination that splits cheap resin and bleaches painted finishes. Stone and cast bronze shrug it off. If a memorial tree appeals to you, pick a species that tolerates dry summers, such as a serviceberry or a Gambel oak, and keep it watered for its first couple of seasons while the roots settle.
browse in-depth guides or recent articles, or see what other families chose in the poll results, Compare every option on our services page, use the free tools before you ring anyone. More local pages: Salt Lake City, West Jordan, West Valley City and St. George, the Utah overview and every city in the United States.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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Who would you rather take the print?
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Where would your pet's print live?
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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
How do Utah attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Utah human cremation rate at about 46.1%[5]. We show it on the Highland 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.
Is Highland big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 7,950 Highland households keep a dog or cat and around 660 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 21,571), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
How does Highland's weather affect pet aftercare?
July is the hottest month in Highland, with average highs around 95°F, so prompt collection matters most then. Average lows drop below freezing in January, February, November and December, which can make digging a grave hard until spring.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Highland?
Usually yes. American Fork is about 3 miles away, Lehi is about 4 miles away and Pleasant Grove 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.
Can I get a print if my pet is being cremated near Salt Lake City?
Yes. Many crematories take a print at intake and return it with the ashes. But if the crematory is some distance from Highland, 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.
Can I make a plaster paw cast in cold weather?
Yes, but do it indoors. Plaster sets more slowly in a cold room, and if the water in it freezes before it has cured, the cast turns chalky and crumbles. Mix it with lukewarm water, let it set somewhere warm and never leave a curing cast in a car, garage or porch overnight during a Highland winter.
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 Utah's cremation rate at 46.1% 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] 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.
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