A paw print to keep, in Launceston
By our estimate, about 30,000 households in Launceston 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
Launceston, Tasmania
Paw print keepsakes in Launceston: where to start
Launceston's heritage streets and parks give the city a settled, lasting feel, and some families want a memorial to match: a slate or granite marker, a bronze plaque, a turned Tasmanian timber box. Others prefer something to keep close, such as a pendant or a clay paw print. Outdoors, damp and frost encourage moss, so hard stone with a sealed face lasts longest.
Seven in ten Australians choose cremation, and in Launceston an urn on the mantel or a plant in the garden is a familiar way to remember a pet. The cool, moist northern climate suits many trees and shrubs, so a rhododendron, a camellia or a small ornamental tree above a stone makes a living memorial. There is no hurry to decide.
Home burial on your own land is still common in and around Launceston, where local rules allow it. If that's your plan, you have more time and privacy than a city owner waiting for a collection van. Take the print at home before you wrap your pet: a calm half hour on the porch or the kitchen floor, with clay warmed in your hands.
Launceston's population is around 90,000, the 2nd-largest of the 2 Tasmania communities we cover.
For a second opinion on price, Hobart (101 miles, a larger centre) are close enough that their providers cover Launceston routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
30,000
Launceston: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
90,000 ÷ 2.5 = 36,000 households; × 49% (dog) + 34% (cat) = 30,000. A household with several pets counts once.
Our estimate
2,500
Estimated dog and cat losses in Launceston each year
How we calculated this
30,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 2,500 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.
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Animal Medicines Australia, Pets in Australia 2025 (media release) and Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science; we only apply it to this.
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
In Australia, about 71%[5] of people are cremated, one of the higher rates around. Where cremation is this familiar, pet crematories are well established and a paw print is often a standard line on the price list. The catch is that standard can mean automatic. Ask what kind of print they take, whether you can see it before cremation and whether you can have a second copy.
FuneralSmart (2023) is where the Australia figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Launceston tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Heat, humidity, cold and drying times
We don't have local weather data for Launceston, so here's the general rule: prints dislike extremes. Clay wants a room at ordinary indoor temperature, out of sun and drafts, for two or three days. Ink wants a dry paw and a dry card. Plaster and resin want warmth to set, but not heat. If a room is comfortable for you in a sweater or a T-shirt, it's fine for a print.
What owners in Launceston typically pay for a print
Individual cremation for pets up to 5 kg in Australia has a median listed price of about AUD 412 median[6], and a paw print is usually a small extra on top. If you want the print engraved, one Brisbane crematory charges A$245 for a laser-engraved metal urn, which takes about two weeks[7]. Ask providers serving Launceston for a written price that shows the print separately.
Prices for Launceston track the wider Tasmania market, so use the Tasmania 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 Tasmania that touch on keepsakes
Burial rules in many places, including Tasmania, exist partly because the drugs used in euthanasia stay in the body and can harm wildlife or other pets that dig. A print carries none of those concerns, which is why no one regulates it. If you're choosing between a home burial and cremation, the notes below cover what's allowed here; take the print before either.
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[9]. 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.
For Tasmania's rules on burying a pet at home or scattering ashes, see the Tasmania guide. Local rules in Launceston can be stricter than the state's, especially in homeowners' associations and rentals.
How to make sure a print is taken in time
- Choose one calm afternoon and do all the pets together, beginning with whichever one is least bothered by handling.
- Label everything before you start: a name on the back of each card, or a letter scratched into the underside of each clay disc.
- Use a separate ink pad or wipe for each animal and clean every paw straight away, so no one licks ink off anyone else.
- Keep each turn short, no more than a minute or two each, and reward every press with a treat.
- Make a combined piece if you like: all the paws on one big card or slab of clay becomes a whole-family portrait.
- Store the set together with the date written on the back, so no print goes missing over the years.
Turning a print into something lasting
Many Launceston families have relatives in Hobart, on the north-west coast or across Bass Strait, so a memorial sometimes has to be shared. Portions of ash can go into small sealed vessels or keepsake jewellery, while the main urn stays at home. If one is flying to the mainland, carry it in hand luggage with a note of its contents.
try the free planning tools, or compare your instinct with the poll results, The services page is the place to compare what is included, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles. If you live between Launceston and Hobart, either page applies. Every other community in Tasmania, and all of Australia, 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.
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
Is Launceston big enough to have several pet aftercare providers?
Probably, on the numbers. By our estimate about 30,000 Launceston households keep a dog or cat and around 2,500 lose one each year, which is enough steady demand to support more than one provider. We derive that from population (about 90,000), household size and national ownership and lifespan figures.
Why does the Launceston 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.
How much does a paw print keepsake cost in Launceston?
Local published prices for prints are scarce outside the US; most vets and crematories include them in a package or quote on request. As a benchmark, a US crematory network lists a clay paw print at $76[10] and a UK studio casts a small dog's paw in resin from about £120[11]. Ask for a written local price.
How many households in Launceston have a dog or cat?
By our estimate, about 30,000 households in Launceston have a dog or a cat, and around 2,500 dogs and cats are lost there each year. We calculate this from the city's population, average household size and national pet ownership and lifespan figures. The method is shown on this page.
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.
Can I take the print myself before the vet or crematory arrives?
Absolutely, and many people prefer to. Have the clay warmed or the card taped down before the appointment, choose a quiet room and take a few prints while your pet is calm. If collection is happening after a home euthanasia, the team will usually wait a few minutes while you take one afterwards too. Just let them know.
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] An Australian provider survey of listed prices puts the median individual cremation at AUD 412 for pets up to 5 kg (range AUD 295-612). Pet Farewell (Australia) - Pet Cremation Cost Australia (2026), 2026.
- [7] Patch & Purr's metal urns cost A$170 with an engraved disc, A$185–A$195 with an engraved stand, or A$245 laser-engraved, which takes about 2 weeks. Patch & Purr Pet Cremations – Urns & timber boxes, 2026.
- [8] 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.
- [9] 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.
- [10] 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.
- [11] Brighton Body Casting in the UK charges from about £120 to cast a small dog's paw pads in resin; medium and large breeds cost about 1/5 and 1/3 more. Brighton Body Casting – Pets, 2026.
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.