Paw print keepsakes in Quebec City: timing, methods and costs
Many vets and pet crematories will take a paw print before cremation, but often only if someone asks. This guide to Quebec City 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
Quebec City, Quebec
Who takes paw prints in Quebec City
Quebec's hard winters are worth thinking about before you choose an outdoor memorial. Freeze and thaw can crack cheaper stone and fade painted markers within a couple of seasons. Granite, slate or a tree planting tend to last better. A tree or bio urn planted in late spring gives it time to root before the next winter, and many families like watching it grow each year.
Canada has one of the higher cremation rates in the world for people, and in Quebec returning ashes to a family is very familiar. For pets, the options include keeping the ashes at home, burying them in a garden once the ground thaws, scattering part of them in a meaningful place, or dividing them among family members. If you plan a spring burial, choose a sturdy container for the winter.
One advantage of a large metro like Quebec City is the number of people who can turn a print into something else: ceramic studios, jewelers, engravers, embroiderers and tattoo artists. Working locally means you can see samples, hand over the print in person and collect the finished piece without shipping anything precious. Many online makers work from a photo or scan instead, so either way the original can stay safely at home.
With roughly 549,000 residents, Quebec City is the 2nd-largest of the 3 Quebec communities we cover.
Quebec City sits within easy reach of Montreal (145 miles, a larger centre) and Laval (146 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Quebec City; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
81.1%[1]
CANA projects the Canadian cremation rate will reach 81.1% by 2030.
~$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.
Ashes, graves and the print that comes first
Cremation accounts for about 81.1%[1] of human deaths in Canada, so many households already have a shelf or cabinet where family ashes and photos sit. A pet's print tends to join that shelf. That's worth knowing before you choose a format: a clay disc needs a small stand, an ink print suits a frame the same size as your photos, and a print engraved straight onto the urn saves space altogether.
Source for the Canada number: CANA Industry Statistical Information (2030). Nobody publishes a pet cremation rate for Quebec City, so the human figure is the best local signal available.
Clay, ink and the local climate
Whatever the weather outside, think about where the finished print will live. A sunny windowsill fades ink, a bathroom's steam softens clay, and an attic or garage swings between heat and cold. A bookshelf in a living room, away from direct light, is the safest home. If you'd like something outdoors in Quebec City, have a copy engraved in stone or metal and keep the original inside.
Paw print prices: kits, add-ons and finishing
Many paw print jewelers that owners in Quebec City find online are based in the US and price in US dollars. A custom sterling silver print charm from one US maker costs $143 plus a chain[4]. Once you convert the currency and add shipping, any duties and GST or HST, the total can be noticeably higher. Ask for a landed price in Canadian dollars, or look for a Canadian maker who works from a scan.
The Quebec price table breaks costs down by product; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What Quebec allows after your pet dies
There are no rules about taking a paw print; it's yours to do at home, at the clinic or at the crematory. Where Quebec does have rules is what happens next: whether your pet can be buried at home and where ashes can be scattered. Those choices can affect your print too, for example if you want it set into a garden stone or a grave marker.
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.
Start with the Quebec rules, which cover burial, scattering and oversight for the whole state, and treat Quebec City's local ordinances as a possible extra layer.
Your paw print plan for Quebec City
- Take a breath. When a pet dies at home, the first few hours usually leave enough time to make a print. Settle them on a towel somewhere cool.
- Gather what you need: a damp cloth, and either clay you've softened between your palms or a sheet of card fixed to a board alongside a pet-safe ink pad.
- If the leg has stiffened, bring the clay to the paw. Ease it onto the pads with light pressure; don't try to push the foot down.
- Take a nose print too if you'd like one, with a light touch of ink or an inkless wipe.
- Call your vet or crematory once you're done, and mention that you've already taken a print so they don't need to.
- Let the print dry indoors, out of direct sun and well clear of radiators, before framing it or mailing it.
Remembering your pet through their print
Quebec City is a place with deep attachment to history and remembrance, from the stone walls of Old Quebec to its old parish churches. Many families bring that same care to remembering a pet. A small urn by a window, a keepsake with a paw print, or a piece of jewellery with a little ash inside can become part of the household in the same way as an old photograph.
Compare every option on our services page, or look at how readers voted in our polls, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, the guides answer the longer questions and the blog the newer ones. If you live between Quebec City and Laval and Montreal, either page applies. Every other community in Quebec, and all of Canada, is listed too.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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Where would your pet's print live?
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Who would you rather take the 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
Which nearby towns can I compare with Quebec City?
The closest communities we cover are Montreal (about 145 miles) and Laval (about 146 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Quebec City too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Is cremation common in Canada?
For people, yes: about 81.1%[1] of Canada deaths end in cremation, according to CANA Industry Statistical Information (2030). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Quebec City follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Can my pet's paw print be turned into a tattoo?
Yes, and it's a popular choice. A tattoo artist will want a clear, high-contrast flat print, so an ink or inkless print works better than clay. Scan it at a high resolution and bring the file to your consultation. Many people have the print tattooed at actual size, sometimes with the pet's name or a nose print alongside.
How do I get a clear print from very furry paws?
Trim the tufts between the pads with blunt-tipped scissors, leaving the fur around the edge, which gives the print its outline. For cats, long-haired dogs and rabbits, an inkless kit or soft clay often works better than ink. Rabbits have no pads at all, so clay shows the long shape of the hind foot beautifully.
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.
Is a paw print included when a vet comes to our home in Quebec City?
Often, but not always. Many home-visit vets bring a clay kit and include one print in their fee; others charge for it or leave it to the crematory. Ask when you book, and check whether a flat ink copy is possible as well. Home goodbyes are no longer unusual: in the Dog Aging Project, 22.8% of dogs who were euthanized died at home[6]. You can also take your own print before the vet arrives.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] CANA projects the Canadian cremation rate will reach 81.1% by 2030. CANA Industry Statistical Information, 2030.
- [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] A custom sterling silver actual-paw-print charm costs $143 before the chain (about $59–$79 for silver) and takes about 2 weeks to make. String of Jewels – Actual paw print necklace, 2026.
- [5] 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.
- [6] Of euthanized dogs in the Dog Aging Project, 76.7% were euthanized at a veterinary clinic or hospital and 22.8% at the owner's home. Dog Aging Project End of Life Survey - Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (2026), via PubMed Central, 2026.
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