Paw Print Keepsakes in Canada
Many vets and pet crematories will take a paw print before cremation, but often only if someone asks. This guide to Canada covers timing, home kits, costs and turning a print into jewelry or art.
- Prints of senior pets while they're well
- Local finishing or mail-order makers
- Honest costs from real price lists
Canada
Paw Print Keepsakes in Canada: what to know
Languages, customs and prices differ across Canada, but a clean paw print needs the same few things everywhere: a relaxed pet or a gentle hand, a firm surface, soft clay or a dry card, and a little patience. If local providers don't offer prints, a home kit ordered in advance does the job just as well.
Every country organizes pet aftercare its own way, and Canada is no exception. On any provider's list, look for three things: whether a print is included, what material it's made in, and whether it's taken before or after your pet leaves the clinic. Those answers matter more than the name on the van.
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Burial, cremation and paw prints in Canada
In Canada, about 81.1%[1] 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.
We take the Canada percentage from CANA Industry Statistical Information (2030). It refers to people; attitudes to cremating a pet tend to follow it.
Where the money goes: the print, then the finishing
Small keepsakes cost more than their size suggests. One BC crematory lists a 1 oz heart keepsake urn at CA$106[2], and by our estimate a keepsake urn can cost about a third more than a full-size wooden urn from the same provider[3]. If you want something for each family member in Canada, copies of a paw print on card or in clay are a far cheaper way to share, and a clinic or crematory print is usually a modest add-on.
A print is a small cost next to the cremation. On Vancouver Island, one crematorium lists private cremation from CAD 195 for pets up to 20 lb, before GST[4]. US crematory price lists put the median paw-print add-on at about $32[5], and Canadian prices tend to follow a similar pattern in Canadian dollars. Ask providers in Canada whether a print is already bundled in.
| Item | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Handmade ceramic paw-print keepsake | from CA$155[6] | Allow 3 to 4 weeks |
| Slate paw urn | CA$99 to CA$140[7] | BC crematory catalog |
| Nameplate on a photo urn | CA$15[8] | Same crematory |
| Private cremation, pets up to 20 lb | CAD 195[4] | Vancouver Island, before GST |
Where these figures come from: Vancouver Island Animal Crematorium and Spawts.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Landlords, parks and permits in Canada
Burial rules in many places, including Canada, 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 Canada, paw prints are usually arranged through your vet or the pet crematory at the same time as cremation, and some small studios make ceramic keepsakes from them. Cold winters are the main practical hurdle: warm clay in your hands, keep plaster work indoors and don't post a print that isn't fully dry. In Quebec, ask for an empreinte de patte.
Your paw print plan for Canada
- For a horse, have the farrier out beforehand to trim the hoof and tidy it up. Clean the sole thoroughly and let it dry.
- Press the hoof into a thick slab of clay resting on a board, or coat the sole in non-toxic paint and set it down on stiff card. Ask a helper to keep the leg still while you do it.
- Keep the last shoe and a length of tail or mane hair, since plenty of owners later have the hair plaited or cast in resin.
- For a bird or a very small pet, choose the softest clay or an inkless sheet, and barely press at all. Clay picks up tiny toes best.
- For a fluffy cat or rabbit, go inkless so nothing ends up on fur they'll wash later; for rabbits especially, clay captures the long, narrow foot well.
- Dry and store every print indoors, then take a photo so any maker can use the picture, not the original.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Many families keep the clay print on a shelf beside a photo and the collar, and have a copy made for each person who loved the pet. If the family is spread out, a scanned print can be engraved onto several small keepsakes, so nobody has to choose who keeps the original.
From here: services and prices, the free tools, what readers voted in the polls, or the map of every location.
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?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Who would you rather take the print?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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
Are there rules about paw prints in Canada?
No. You can take, keep, post and display a paw print, cast or ashes pendant freely. The rules in Canada cover burial and scattering, which matter if you plan a garden stone set with the print or want to scatter ashes after keeping a pinch for jewelry.
How much does a paw print cost in Canada?
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[9], and a UK studio casts a small dog's paw in resin from about £120[10]. Ask local providers for a written price.
Can I get more than one copy of my pet's print in Canada?
Yes. Request two prints from your vet or crematory at the time of booking; it's a common request and usually costs little extra. Ink prints take seconds, so a home session can produce as many as you like. If you only have one original, scan it and have copies printed, engraved or cast, so every person in the family has their own without anyone giving up the original.
Where can I get a paw print keepsake in Canada?
Across Canada, 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.
Can my vet in Canada take a paw print before cremation?
Almost always, if you ask in time. Mention it when you book the appointment or the cremation, ask for it on the aftercare form and ask to see it before your pet leaves. If the vet can't, the crematory can usually take one at intake. After cremation, it's too late.
What do other owners in Canada choose for a paw print keepsake?
We don't publish made-up figures on that. We do run short, anonymous polls on what readers chose, from clay discs to engraved jewelry, and you can see the live results. They count one vote per person and aren't a scientific survey, but they give a feel for how other owners decided.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] CANA projects the Canadian cremation rate will reach 81.1% by 2030. CANA Industry Statistical Information, 2030.
- [2] A 1 oz heart keepsake urn costs CA$106 at Okanagan Pet Cremation, more than its full-size solid wood urn at CA$79. Okanagan Pet Cremation – Urns, 2026.
- [3] A 1 oz keepsake urn can cost about a third more than a full-size wooden urn at the same crematory. Our estimate: CA$106 heart keepsake / CA$79 solid wood urn. How we calculate.
- [4] A Vancouver Island crematorium lists private cremation at CAD 195 (0-20 lb), CAD 255 (41-60 lb) and CAD 315 (81-100 lb), excluding GST. Vancouver Island Animal Crematorium - Pet Cremation Rates, 2026.
- [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] Spawts, a Canadian studio, charges from CA$155 for a handmade ceramic paw-print keepsake and asks buyers to allow 3–4 weeks. Spawts – Ceramic keepsakes, 2026.
- [7] Brass pet urns at Okanagan Pet Cremation cost CA$99 (up to 50 lb) or CA$128 (50–100 lb); slate paw urns cost CA$99–$140. Okanagan Pet Cremation – Urns, 2026.
- [8] A Canadian pet crematory (Okanagan Pet Cremation) sells wooden photo urns for CA$68–$88 by pet size, plus CA$15 for a nameplate. Okanagan Pet Cremation – Urns, 2026.
- [9] 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.
- [10] 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.
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