Paw Print Keepsakes in Western Australia
Clay, ink, inkless paper or a 3D cast: this page explains what each one gives you, how the weather in Western Australia affects drying and setting, and what to ask your vet or crematory.
- Take the print before cremation
- Clay, ink or cast, explained simply
- Published prices, no guesswork
Western Australia, Australia
Paw Print Keepsakes in Western Australia: what to know
Not every goodbye in Western Australia is planned. Accidents, sudden illness and quiet deaths overnight happen, and many owners assume the chance for a print has passed. Usually it hasn't. As long as your pet hasn't yet been cremated or buried, a vet, a crematory or you yourself can still take a print, even a day or two later. Say so on the first phone call.
Rural parts of Western Australia often mean a pet travels some distance to be cremated. That makes the local vet, or your own kitchen table, the right place for a print. Crematories can take one at intake as a backup, but a print you took yourself is one you've already checked.
We cover 2 communities in Western Australia, from Perth and Bunbury.
Our estimate
720,000
Estimated pet-owning households across the communities we cover in Western Australia
How we calculated this
The sum of our per-city estimates for the 2 communities in Western Australia on this site: each city's population ÷ national average household size × the national share of households with a pet. Households with several pets count once.
Every Western Australia community we cover
Choose your city or town for local prices, weather and timing, and rules. 2 communities in Western Australia, largest first below.
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
When roughly 71%[1] of human funerals in Western Australia 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.
Source for the Western Australia figure: FuneralSmart (2023). It describes human funerals and is here as context, not as a count of pets.
What owners in Western Australia typically pay for a print
A home kit is the cheapest way to get a print in Western Australia, and it gives you as many copies as you like. Order one early, while your pet is well, because courier delivery to regional areas can take days. If you'd rather a crematorium did it, the median listed price for individually cremating a pet under 5 kg in Australia is around AUD 412[2], and a print is usually a small line on top of that.
Individual cremation for pets up to 5 kg in Australia has a median listed price of about AUD 412 median[2], 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[3]. Ask providers serving Western Australia for a written price that shows the print separately.
| Item | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual cremation, pets up to 5 kg (median) | AUD 412 median[2] | Ask whether a print is included |
| RSPCA Queensland memorial package | from AUD 250[4] | Memorial returned within 14 days |
| Laser-engraved metal urn, Brisbane | A$245[3] | About two weeks to engrave |
| Paw print on its own | No published local price found | US crematory median about $32[5] |
The numbers above come from Pet Farewell (Australia) and RSPCA Queensland, if you'd like to read the original sources.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What Western Australia allows after your pet dies
Paw prints sit outside most regulation, but the aftercare around them doesn't. Your local council or city, and the wider rules for Western Australia, 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[4]. 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.
- Burial at home: Confirm the rule for the actual parcel and proposed burial with the local authority and property owner.
- Scattering ashes: Ask the exact land manager about scattering before making arrangements; a general gathering permission is a separate matter.
- Who oversees it: the authority responsible for the specific activity and location; this guide does not identify a universal permit or licensing rule
- Worth knowing: Record the service method, release authority, identification and return instructions in writing.
A city's population does not establish which aftercare activities are allowed at an address. Check the actual site and activity before proceeding.
In order: the print, the aftercare, the keepsake
- 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 on paper from reception before you leave.
- 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. The print is the only decision that can't wait.
From paw print to pendant, frame or garden stone
Nose prints, whisker collections and fur clippings sit beautifully alongside a paw print. A shadow box can hold all of them together with a collar tag. If you'd rather wear the memory, many jewelers can combine a paw print on one side and a nose print on the other.
Next: see what each choice includes on services, run your own numbers in the tools, check the poll results, or pick another area from all locations.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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Whose print are you thinking about?
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When did (or will) you take your pet's print?
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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 much does a paw print cost in Western Australia?
Published prices for prints alone are scarce, because most are sold within a cremation package or quoted on request. As a benchmark, a US crematory network lists a clay paw print at $76[7], and a UK studio casts a small dog's paw in resin from about £120[8]. Ask local providers for a written price.
How many dog and cat households are there in Western Australia?
By our estimate, there are about 720,000 dog- or cat-owning households across the Western Australia communities we cover. Each of those pets has a paw that can be pressed into clay or ink, and far fewer owners take a print in time than would like one.
Where can I get a paw print keepsake in Western Australia?
Across Western Australia, most vets, in-home euthanasia vets and pet crematories can take a clay or ink paw print, usually before cremation. You can also take one yourself at home with a kit. For jewelry, engraving or art, local makers and online studios both work from a clear print or a scan. Ask for the print when you book aftercare, not afterwards.
What if my pet is cremated far from home?
In rural parts of Western Australia, pets are often cremated in a larger town some distance away. Take the print locally before collection, yourself or through your vet, so you can check it. Many crematories also take one at intake as a backup and return it with the ashes.
Can children help make a paw print?
Often, yes, and many find it helps. Let them roll the clay, pick the frame or add their own handprint next to the paw. When the print is made after death, a vet or another adult can take it privately and show them the result. There are age-by-age ideas in our children's print-making guide.
Should I take a print of my senior pet now?
If you can, yes. A relaxed, living pet usually gives the crispest print, and there's no time pressure. Choose a calm, good day, after a meal or a walk, and take several so you can keep the clearest. Many owners in Western Australia say the afternoon itself becomes a memory.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] Australian cremation rates hovered around 70-72% between 2020 and 2023, with Sydney and Melbourne often above 80%. FuneralSmart, 2023.
- [2] 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.
- [3] 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.
- [4] 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.
- [5] 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.
- [6] 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.
- [7] 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.
- [8] 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.