Paw print keepsakes in Covington
Roughly 660 dogs and cats die in Covington 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.
- Home kit or vet-taken: your choice
- Tips for heat, humidity and cold
- Ideas for jewelry, engraving and art
Covington, Washington
Arranging a paw print around Covington
Evergreen shade and steady rain mean moss creeps over almost everything left outdoors in Covington. Polished granite and bronze need only a quick wipe, while sandstone and wood want regular scrubbing. A marker set beneath the firs should rest on gravel for drainage, and it's worth checking every spring when you tidy the beds. Those small chores can become a quiet annual ritual of their own.
Covington's newer homes often have tidy front yards and compact back gardens, which suit smaller tributes: an engraved flat stone half-hidden by rhododendrons, a dwarf conifer in a glazed pot, or an urn indoors on a shelf. Clay paw impressions and framed photos work for households wanting a gentle reminder they pass every morning on the way out the door.
Small-town clinics in Covington may close at weekends, so if your pet dies on a Saturday evening, you may be looking after them at home until Monday. A print can still be taken during that time. Keep your pet cool, lay them on a towel, and press the paw gently into warmed clay, or press the clay onto the paw if the leg has stiffened.
Covington's population is around 21,496, the 54th-largest of the 67 Washington communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Tacoma, about 17 miles (28 km) away, which is where some providers serving Covington are based.
Families in Covington often end up using a provider from Maple Valley (3 miles), Kent (5 miles, a larger centre) and Auburn (6 miles, a larger centre). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
7,900
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Covington
How we calculated this
21,496 ÷ 2.5 = 8,598 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 7,900. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
660
Covington families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
7,900 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 660 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.
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
Cremation accounts for about 79.1%[5] of human deaths in Washington, so many households already have a shelf or cabinet where family ashes and photos sit. A pet's print tends to join that shelf. That's worth knowing before you choose a format: a clay disc needs a small stand, an ink print suits a frame the same size as your photos, and a print engraved straight onto the urn saves space altogether.
That Washington rate is a human one, published by Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024). We quote it for Covington only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Getting a clean print in Covington in any season
Mild weather gives you choices that colder or hotter places don't. You can make a concrete stepping stone with your pet's paw pressed in almost any month, plant around it, or set a cast print into the garden where they used to lie. If you're not ready to decide, take the print in clay or ink now and plan the outdoor piece later.
Damp winters in Covington are easy on people but can be hard on stored keepsakes. Clay prints kept in a garage or a cardboard box can pick up mildew, and ink on paper can develop brown foxing spots. Keep prints in a living space, not a basement or shed, and store any you're not displaying in an acid-free box with a sachet of silica gel, especially through November.
Where the money goes: the print, then the finishing
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 Covington vary by provider, so ask whether a print is already included before you pay extra.
We keep the detailed Washington price table on one page so it stays current: see Washington prices.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What Washington allows after your pet dies
There are no rules about taking a paw print; it's yours to do at home, at the clinic or at the crematory. Where Washington 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.
To find your county or city office in Washington, start with the official Washington local government directory.
The Washington page sets out who oversees pet cremation and what the state says about burial and scattering. Covington's own bylaws can sit on top of that, so ask before you dig.
Your paw print plan for Covington
- If your pet dies unexpectedly at the clinic, ask for a few minutes before you leave the room. Most teams will give you time and can bring a print kit to you.
- Say exactly what you want: clay, ink, a nose print or all three, and how many copies.
- If you can't face doing it yourself, a nurse or technician can make the print while you step out of the room; ask them to show you the result before you head home.
- Get the crematory's name and your pet's reference number from the front desk, written down.
- If no print was taken, phone the crematory as early as you can the next day and request one at check-in.
- Leave the urn and the other extras for later. Of everything on offer, only the print has to be settled now.
Keeping the print and the memory close
Some Covington families split ashes three or four ways so nobody is left empty-handed: a little urn for the den, a locket for a grown child studying across the state, a share buried under the new dogwood. If that sounds right for your family, request extra small containers when booking, rather than trying to divide things at the kitchen table later.
The services page is the place to compare what is included, or look at how readers voted in our polls, run the numbers with the free planning tools, read our guides and latest articles. If you live between Covington and Vancouver, Kent, Tacoma and Bellevue, either page applies. Every other community in Washington, and all of the United States, is listed too.
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.
Whose print are you thinking about?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
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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 does Covington's weather affect pet aftercare?
August is the hottest month in Covington, with average highs around 78°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.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Covington?
Usually yes. Maple Valley is about 3 miles away, Kent is about 5 miles away and Auburn is about 6 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Will I have to travel to Tacoma to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Tacoma (roughly 17 miles from Covington) 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 Washington?
For people, yes: about 79.1%[5] of Washington deaths end in cremation, according to Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Covington follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Can a paw print be taken after my pet has died?
Yes. A print can usually be taken in the first hours after death at home, and later by a vet or crematory before cremation. If the leg has stiffened, press the clay gently onto the paw rather than forcing the paw down. A print from a relaxed, living pet tends to be crisper, which is why many owners take one while their pet is still a healthy senior.
How do I get a clear print from very furry paws?
Trim the tufts between the pads with blunt-tipped scissors, leaving the fur around the edge, which gives the print its outline. For cats, long-haired dogs and rabbits, an inkless kit or soft clay often works better than ink. Rabbits have no pads at all, so clay shows the long shape of the hind foot beautifully.
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] Washington had a 79.1% cremation rate in 2024, among the highest in the US. Direct Cremate (citing CANA), 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.
Tell us about your pet's print
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.