Paw print keepsakes in Ghent
Clay, ink, inkless paper or a 3D cast: this page explains what each one gives you, how the weather in Ghent affects drying and setting, and what to ask your vet or crematory.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve Ghent
Ghent, Flanders
How owners in Ghent get a paw print
The Leie and Scheldt, the quays of the Graslei and Korenlei, Citadelpark and the lakes at Blaarmeersen are places many Ghent owners shared with their animals. Scattering in public places is governed by local rules, so ask the city before you do it. Plenty of families keep the urn at home and keep only a tiny portion in a pendant to carry to that favorite spot.
Ghent's old town has little garden space, and many families choose a memorial that sits indoors: a compact urn on a bookshelf, a framed paw print by the window, or jewelry holding a pinch of ashes. Families in suburbs such as Sint-Martens-Latem or Merelbeke with more garden room sometimes add a stone or plant a tree. Decide where the memorial will live before choosing its size and material.
A clinic print is often a round clay disc with your pet's name stamped in, taken quickly while the team is with you. It's a lovely keepsake, but engravers and jewelers usually need a flat, high-contrast image. If you think you might want jewelry or an engraved urn later, ask for an ink or inkless print as well. It takes a minute more and saves regret.
About 262,000 people live in Ghent, which makes it the 2nd-largest of the 2 Flanders communities we cover. Antwerp, roughly 32 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Ghent run from there.
Ghent sits within easy reach of Brussels (31 miles, a larger centre) and Antwerp (32 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Ghent; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
67.98%[1]
In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria).
~$32[2]
Paw-print add-ons at US crematories have a median price of about $32, from $10 to $76.
3-5% of body weight[3]
Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight.
Cremation habits in Belgium and the print window
On cremation, Belgium sits in the middle, at about 67.98%[1] of human deaths, and for many families the choice is shaped by faith as much as by cost. If your beliefs lean toward burial, or you're simply unsure how you feel about cremating a pet, a paw print sits comfortably with either path. It involves nothing more than a gentle press into clay or onto card, and it leaves your pet exactly as they were.
Source for the Belgium number: Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Ghent, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Clay, ink and the local climate
In warm weather, the first hours after a pet dies at home matter for comfort and for the print. Keep your pet in the coolest room, on a towel, and take the print early, before the body stiffens. In cold weather, a pet kept in a chilled room will have firm pads, so press the clay gently onto the paw instead.
What paw print keepsakes cost in Ghent
European crematoria often price by package rather than by item. An Irish crematorium, for example, lists individual cremation from €250 for cats or dogs up to 10 kg[4]. A print is usually a modest extra within that, and jewelry or engraving from a print is priced separately by the maker. Ask providers in Ghent what's included before you choose.
Rather than repeat the price table on every city page, we keep one for Flanders: Flanders 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.
What the law in Flanders does and doesn't cover
If you might move away from Flanders one day, it helps to know that a print, a cast or a photograph needs no paperwork at a border, while ashes sometimes do, and a grave can't come with you at all. None of that should decide your plans, but it's worth weighing alongside what Flanders allows, set out below.
A short checklist for a clean print
- 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 then wipe each paw clean the moment you're done, so nobody licks ink off a housemate.
- 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 and date each one on the reverse, so that years from now none of them has gone astray.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
The Ghent area is famous for growing begonias and azaleas, and a flowering plant is a natural memorial here, whether a pot on the windowsill or a shrub in the garden with ashes worked into the soil. Handmade urns, engraved stones and glass pieces also suit this creative university city. Remember that paw prints and fur clippings have to be requested before the cremation takes place.
or look at how readers voted in our polls, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, Our services overview lays out every option side by side, use the free tools before you ring anyone. If you live between Ghent and Antwerp, either page applies. Every other community in Flanders, and all of Belgium, is listed too.
Reader polls
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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
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Ghent?
Usually yes. Brussels is about 31 miles away and Antwerp is about 32 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Where are the providers that serve Ghent actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Antwerp, about 32 miles away. That is normal for a city this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Ghent and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
How do Belgium attitudes to cremation compare?
Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023) puts the Belgium human cremation rate at about 67.98%[1]. We show it on the Ghent 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.
Can I get my dog's nose print?
Yes. Dab a small amount of pet-safe ink onto the nose with a soft sponge, or use an inkless wipe, then press a folded card gently against the nose from the front. It usually takes a few tries. The ridges on a dog's nose make a striking engraving on a pendant or an urn, and many providers take a nose print alongside the paw.
How much does a paw print keepsake cost in Ghent?
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[5] and a UK studio casts a small dog's paw in resin from about £120[6]. Ask for a written local price.
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%[7] of bereaved owners said they grieved before their pet died. Choose a calm, good day and keep the session short.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In 2023, 67.98% of deaths in Belgium were cremated (21 crematoria). Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023, 2023.
- [2] 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.
- [3] Embrace notes cremated remains typically weigh about 3-5% of the pet's original body weight. Embrace Pet Insurance - Bury or Cremate Your Dog? Costs, Pros & Cons, 2025.
- [4] An Irish pet crematorium lists individual cremation from EUR 150 for pets under 2 kg and EUR 250 for cats or dogs up to 10 kg. Donegal Pet Crematorium - How Much is Pet Cremation in Ireland?, 2026.
- [5] 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.
- [6] 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.
- [7] 75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
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