Keeping your pet's paw print in Des Moines, Washington
Des Moines has an estimated 12,000 dog- or cat-owning households. If yours is one of them, a print taken now, or before cremation, is the keepsake you can't go back for.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve Des Moines
Des Moines, Washington
Paw print keepsakes in Des Moines: where to start
In Des Moines, where many homes look west over the water, families often want a memorial placed where the Sound is in view. A ceramic or wooden urn on the sill, a framed ink impression of paw pads, or a glass paperweight with a swirl of ashes inside can all catch the evening light. Condo dwellers may appreciate something slim that fits a narrow shelf.
With a community college in town and many residents who commute or relocate for work, households here are often small and scattered. A single urn might stay with one person while tiny keepsake vials or a pendant go to a sibling or former partner who shared the animal. Divided ashes need to be requested before cremation, and each container is worth labeling with a name and year.
There may be no ceramic studio or engraver in Des Moines, 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.
About 33,032 people live in Des Moines, which makes it the 40th-largest of the 67 Washington communities we cover. The nearest larger centre is Tacoma, about 11 miles (18 km) away, which is where some providers serving Des Moines are based.
Nearby, we also have local pages for SeaTac (4 miles), Kent (5 miles, a larger centre) and Federal Way (5 miles, a larger centre), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
Our estimate
12,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households Des Moines has (estimate)
How we calculated this
33,032 ÷ 2.5 = 13,213 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 12,000. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
1,000
dog and cat deaths per year in Des Moines, our estimate
How we calculated this
12,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,000 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.
We built the this numbers from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
What local funeral habits mean for a print
When roughly 79.1%[5] of human funerals in Washington end in cremation, the whole system is built for speed, and pet aftercare often runs the same way. Collection can be booked for the same afternoon, and some crematories cremate within a day or two. That efficiency is a kindness, but it also shrinks the time in which a print can be taken. Ask how soon cremation will happen, and if it's quick, take the print yourself before collection.
We take the Washington rate from Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Des Moines, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
When the weather works against clay and ink
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 Des Moines 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.
Budgeting for a print and what it becomes
If you'd like the print framed with a lock of fur, one Northeast crematory network charges $133 for that combination and $23 for a fur clipping on its own[6]. Some water cremation providers bundle a print in too: an Arizona aquamation service includes an ink paw print in individual packages from $75 to $349[7]. In Des Moines, it's worth asking every provider what comes with the package before adding extras.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Washington: Washington costs. What each service includes is on the services page.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Rules in Washington that touch on keepsakes
Paw prints sit outside most regulation, but the aftercare around them doesn't. Your local council or city, and the wider rules for Washington, 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.
To find your county or city office in Washington, start with the official Washington local government directory.
Start with the Washington rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Des Moines's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
Getting a paw print in Des Moines, step by step
- Skip the table. Bring the clay or card to wherever your pet likes to lie, on the floor or on their own bed.
- Recruit a second person whose only job is calming your pet, stroking and talking, while you handle the paw.
- Use a lick mat or a few treats to keep your pet's attention forward and their head still.
- Don't straighten a stiff leg. Work with the position it's in: slip a board beneath the paw and raise the clay to it.
- Stop after a few tries if your pet gets stressed. Try again tomorrow, or ask your vet to help at the next visit.
- Try an inkless kit for a pet who can't stand wet feet, since it leaves nothing behind to clean up.
Keeping the print and the memory close
Bluff-top gardens here take salt spray and wind as well as the usual Northwest rain, so outdoor markers need to be sturdy. Polished granite, basalt and cast bronze cope well; painted plaster and softwood plaques flake and rot. Anchor a marker firmly on gravel so winter storms and soggy ground don't shift it, and brush off moss every few months to keep lettering clear.
or see what other families chose in the poll results, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, browse in-depth guides or recent articles. You can also browse every city in the United States. Nearby, we also cover Bellevue, Vancouver, Spokane and Seattle, and every city in Washington.
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.
Who would you rather take the print?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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 does Des Moines's weather affect pet aftercare?
August is the hottest month in Des Moines, 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.
Why does the Des Moines page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. Direct Cremate (citing CANA) (2024) reports about 79.1%[5] of Washington residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Roughly how many pets die in Des Moines each year?
Our estimate is around 1,000. It comes from Des Moines's population (about 33,032), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 12,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Des Moines?
The closest communities we cover are SeaTac (about 4 miles), Kent (about 5 miles) and Federal Way (about 5 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Des Moines too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
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.
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] Washington had a 79.1% cremation rate in 2024, among the highest in the US. Direct Cremate (citing CANA), 2024.
- [6] Final Gift charges $49 for ink paw prints, $76 for a clay or silver-clay paw print, $111 framed, and $133 framed with a fur clipping; a fur clipping alone costs $23. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 2026.
- [7] A Greener Place in Mesa, Arizona, charges $75–$349 for individual pet aquamation by weight, including an urn, nameplate and ink paw print. A Greener Place Pet Aquamation – Pricing, 2026.
- [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.