Getting your pet's paw print in Dubbo
Roughly 1,200 dogs and cats die in Dubbo 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.
- Take the print before cremation
- Clay, ink or cast, explained simply
- Published prices, no guesswork
Dubbo, New South Wales
Paw print keepsakes in Dubbo: where to start
Out-of-town family is common in the Orana region, with grown children in Sydney, Newcastle or the coast. Splitting the ashes lets everyone keep a share: a main urn stays at the home place, and small keepsakes such as a pendant, a tiny vial or a pressed print travel to other households. Label each piece so nobody is unsure what they hold years later.
A memorial in Dubbo has to survive a lot of sun. Dark resin and cheap plastic plaques fade and warp within a couple of summers, while granite, bronze and glazed ceramic cope much better. Many families set a stone under a pepper tree or beside the back verandah, where there is shade in the afternoon and somewhere to sit when you want to remember.
Dogs in and around a town like Dubbo often work for a living: herding, hunting, guarding stock or riding in a truck all day. Their pads are thicker and more callused than a house dog's, with nicks and old scars that are part of their story. Those details show beautifully in clay. Use a firmer clay, roll it a little thicker and hold steady pressure for a few seconds so the ridges come through.
With roughly 43,000 residents, Dubbo is the 6th-largest of the 9 New South Wales communities we cover.
Families in Dubbo often end up using a provider from Orange (77 miles) and Bathurst (99 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
14,500
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Dubbo
How we calculated this
43,000 ÷ 2.5 = 17,200 households; × 49% (dog) + 34% (cat) = 14,500. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
1,200
dog and cat deaths per year in Dubbo, our estimate
How we calculated this
14,500 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,200 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
49%[1]
49% of Australian households have at least one dog, up from 40% in 2019.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
34%[3]
34% of Australian households have at least one cat, up from 27% in 2019.
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 Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release) and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Australia
Cremation is the everyday choice in Australia: about 71%[5] of people who die there are cremated. Pet aftercare tends to follow the same habits, which means most pets here end up as a small box of ashes. Ashes don't show a paw, a nose or the shape of a toe. That's a big part of why prints matter so much in high-cremation places, and why local crematories are so used to being asked for one.
The Australia figure comes from FuneralSmart (2023). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Clay, ink and the local climate
Local weather in Dubbo affects a paw print more than you might think. In hot, dry spells, air-dry clay can crack if it dries too fast, so dry it slowly indoors and turn it often. In humid months it stays soft for longer, so be patient. In cold weather, warm the clay in your hands and never let plaster freeze before it has set.
Budgeting for a print and what it becomes
Most providers in Australia and New Zealand fold the print into a package price, so the useful question in Dubbo is what the package leaves out. Common extras are a second print, a nose print, a fur clipping and engraving. By our estimate, private cremation for a Labrador-sized dog costs about 27% more in Australia than the US midpoint[6], so a print that's already included is worth having in writing.
Prices for Dubbo track the wider New South Wales market, so use the New South Wales 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.
Burial, scattering and prints in New South Wales
Some towns and councils in New South Wales 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.
In Australia, paw prints are usually part of a cremation package or a small add-on, and RSPCA Queensland's memorial packages come back within 14 days[8]. Summer heat is the main practical issue: take prints indoors with the air conditioning on, keep your pet cool first and dry air-dry clay slowly out of direct sun. In the tropical north, humidity can keep clay soft for days.
The rules that apply across New South Wales (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our New South Wales page. Dubbo may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
A short checklist for a clean print
- If your pet is still with you, don't wait. Pick a quiet, settled moment, perhaps once they've eaten or come back from a walk, and make the print then. Prints taken while a pet is alive tend to come out sharpest.
- Choose your method. Clay for something to hold, ink or inkless paper for engraving and jewelry later. Our kit chooser helps you decide.
- Trim the tufts between the pads with blunt-tipped scissors so the pads, not the fur, make the shape.
- Hold the leg, not the paw, and press straight down with steady pressure, then lift straight up. Take several prints and keep the clearest.
- Dry clay slowly indoors for two or three days, turning it, then seal it with a matte acrylic sealer.
- Photograph or scan the print flat in daylight. Most makers only need the image, so the original never leaves home.
From paw print to pendant, frame or garden stone
The Macquarie River runs right through Dubbo, and its banks and the country beyond are places many families have history with. Some people scatter a little ash along the river or on a family property, and keep the rest at home in an urn. Scattering on someone else's land needs permission, and in a public reserve a small, discreet amount is the considerate approach.
read our guides and latest articles, or look at how readers voted in our polls, try the free planning tools, Compare every option on our services page. More local pages: Wollongong, Orange, Sydney and Albury, the New South Wales overview and every city in Australia.
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?
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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 Australia attitudes to cremation compare?
FuneralSmart (2023) puts the Australia human cremation rate at about 71%[5]. We show it on the Dubbo 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 Dubbo big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 14,500 Dubbo households keep a dog or cat and around 1,200 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 43,000), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Dubbo?
Usually yes. Orange is about 77 miles away and Bathurst is about 99 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Will the crematory send the paw print back with the ashes?
It depends on the provider. Some take the print at intake and return it with the ashes; others hand it to your vet or post it separately. Ask how the print is labeled and when it will come back, and ask for a photo of it before cremation so you know it's clear. If you'd rather not wait, take your own before collection.
How do I get a nose print from my cat?
Cats have small noses and dislike being fussed, so pick a sleepy moment. Use an inkless wipe or the lightest dab of pet-safe ink on a soft sponge, then touch a small folded card to the nose from the front and lift away. Expect a faint, partial print; that's normal. Take several attempts over a few days rather than persisting in one session, and wipe the nose clean afterwards so your cat doesn't lick the residue.
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.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 49% of Australian households have at least one dog, up from 40% in 2019. Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release), 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] 34% of Australian households have at least one cat, up from 27% in 2019. Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release), 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] Australian cremation rates hovered around 70-72% between 2020 and 2023, with Sydney and Melbourne often above 80%. FuneralSmart, 2023.
- [6] A private cremation for a Labrador-sized dog costs about 27% more in Australia (AUD 480 median, ~$317) than the US 51-70 lb midpoint ($250). Our estimate: 480 x 0.66 = 317; 317/250 - 1. How we calculate.
- [7] 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.
- [8] RSPCA Queensland's Pets at Rest memorial packages (individual cremation) start from AUD 250, with the memorial returned within 14 days. RSPCA Queensland - Pet cremation (RSPCA Pets at Rest), 2025.
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