A paw print to keep, in Sydney
By our estimate, about 1,765,000 households in Sydney share their home with a dog or cat. Every one of those paws can be pressed into clay or ink, ideally long before goodbye. Here's how.
- Home kit or vet-taken: your choice
- Tips for heat, humidity and cold
- Ideas for jewelry, engraving and art
Sydney, New South Wales
How owners in Sydney get a paw print
Sydney families with backyards often choose a memorial stone, garden plaque or a native plant as a living reminder, while apartment dwellers lean toward compact urns and photo frames. If you're choosing an outdoor stone, go for weather-resistant materials that stand up to strong summer sun and heavy storm rain. Engraving your pet's name, dates and a short line is simple and lasting.
Biodegradable and tree urns suit many Sydney gardens, where a native like a grevillea or bottlebrush can grow over your pet's ashes and bring birds to the yard. If you rent, a large pot lets the memorial move with you. Keep a small portion of ashes aside before planting if you'd like a keepsake pendant or a tiny urn for another family member.
Big-city apartments make home prints easier than people expect. You don't need a garden or a workshop, just a clear kitchen table, a towel, the clay or card taped flat and good light from a window. If your pet is a senior, pick a quiet evening after a meal or a walk, when they're drowsy and happy to lie still. A living pet who is relaxed gives a far crisper print than a rushed one taken in the last hours.
Sydney is home to about 5,312,000 people, the largest of the 9 New South Wales communities we cover.
Families in Sydney often end up using a provider from Mosman (3 miles), Wollongong (43 miles) and Newcastle (73 miles). That is normal: crematories serve a radius, not a single town, and the drive is priced into collection.
Our estimate
1,765,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households Sydney has (estimate)
How we calculated this
5,312,000 ÷ 2.5 = 2,124,800 households; × 49% (dog) + 34% (cat) = 1,765,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
145,000
dog and cat deaths per year in Sydney, our estimate
How we calculated this
1,765,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 145,000 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
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.
Sources for the statistics above: Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release) and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
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.
Source for the Australia number: FuneralSmart (2023). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Sydney, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Getting a clean print in Sydney in any season
Whatever the season in Sydney, take prints indoors in a comfortable room, not in direct sun or a cold garage. Dry the paw with a towel before using ink so it doesn't smudge, and tape the card down. Let clay dry on a rack at room temperature for two or three days, then seal it before framing or posting it anywhere.
Where the money goes: the print, then the finishing
Most providers in Australia and New Zealand fold the print into a package price, so the useful question in Sydney 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 Sydney 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.
Rules in New South Wales 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 New South Wales, 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.
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. Sydney may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
What to do first, and what can wait
- Decide who will take the print: you, your vet, or the crematory when your pet arrives. Whoever does it earliest gives you the most say over the result.
- Tell the crematory in writing that you want a print, and ask for a photo of it before cremation.
- Ask how your pet is identified from collection to return, so the print and the ashes definitely belong together.
- Ask about fur clippings at the same time; many providers offer one with the print.
- Plan the finishing later. Jewelry or artwork can wait as long as it needs to; make that choice once you feel ready.
- If you'd like help, send us a few details; we'll write back by email laying out the options.
Remembering your pet through their print
Jacarandas bloom across Sydney in late spring, and some families mark a pet's anniversary with purple blossoms or a quiet afternoon outdoors at that time of year. Keepsakes like paw prints in clay, fur locks in a small frame and memorial jewelry are easy to fit into busy lives. Ask your provider whether a paw print can be taken before cremation, as it's hard to arrange afterwards.
browse in-depth guides or recent articles, Our services overview lays out every option side by side, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or look at how readers voted in our polls. More local pages: Wollongong, Newcastle, Albury and Orange, 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.
When did (or will) you take your pet's print?
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Whose print are you thinking about?
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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 many pet owners live in Sydney?
By our estimate, about 1,765,000 households in Sydney have at least one dog or cat, and around 145,000 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 5,312,000, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Sydney?
The closest communities we cover are Mosman (about 3 miles), Wollongong (about 43 miles) and Newcastle (about 73 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Sydney too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Why does the Sydney page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. FuneralSmart (2023) reports about 71%[5] of Australia residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Should I take a paw print while my senior pet is still alive?
If you can, yes. A relaxed living pet usually gives the clearest print, and you can take as many as you like without pressure. It can also give anticipatory grief something useful to do; in an RSPCA survey, 75.4%[9] of bereaved owners said they grieved before their pet died. Choose a calm, good day and keep the session short.
Is it possible to print a guinea pig's or hamster's feet?
Yes, but it takes patience and a light touch. Tiny feet leave only faint marks in ink, so very soft modeling clay or an inkless kit usually works better. Warm the clay well, cradle your pet in a towel on your lap and press the clay gently up to the foot rather than lowering the foot. For a hamster, one clear hind foot is plenty. If your pet is frightened, stop; letting your vet take it after death is gentler.
Can I get a print of my bird's feet?
Yes, with care. Birds are light and their toes are delicate, so use very soft clay and the gentlest pressure, or an inkless kit with treated paper. Ink is best avoided because birds preen and may swallow it. An avian vet can help if your bird is nervous. The result is a lovely, delicate impression of the toes and scales.
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] 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.
- [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.
- [9] 75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Find help with a paw print keepsake
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