A paw print to keep, in Munich
A print has to be taken while your pet is still with you, or before cremation, so a little planning helps. Here's how to get a clear paw print in Munich, who can take it for you and what finishing it costs.
- Take the print before cremation
- Clay, ink or cast, explained simply
- Published prices, no guesswork
Munich, Bavaria
Getting a paw print in Munich: the local picture
The Alps are close enough that many Munich families want a memorial connected to the mountains: an engraved stone, a photo from a favourite valley, or a small portion of ashes kept in a keepsake. Before scattering ashes in the mountains or in the Isar, check the rules. Paw prints and fur clippings taken before cremation are simple, lasting keepsakes.
Munich's garden-burial rules are conditional, so some families prefer to keep ashes rather than bury a body at home. Ashes can later be placed in a pet cemetery, buried in a biodegradable urn in a garden where that is allowed, or kept at home in an urn or keepsake. Ask the provider what applies to ashes as opposed to a body, and what paperwork you receive to show where the ashes came from.
If your pet dies at an emergency or specialty hospital in Munich, aftercare is usually arranged through that hospital's own crematory contract, which may not be the one your regular vet uses. Staff there can often take a quick clay or ink print, but at 3 am it may not happen unless you ask. Say clearly that you want one, and if the answer is uncertain, ask the crematory to take it at intake instead.
About 1,472,000 people live in Munich, which makes it the largest of the 5 Bavaria communities we cover.
The closest communities we cover are Starnberg (14 miles), Augsburg (35 miles) and Regensburg (65 miles). Providers serving those towns often travel to Munich too, so it can be worth asking them for a quote.
76.0%[1]
In 2023, 76.0% of deaths in Germany were cremated (164 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.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Germany
When roughly 76.0%[1] of human funerals in Germany 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.
That Germany rate is a human one, published by Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). We quote it for Munich only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
Getting a clean print in Munich in any season
We don't have local weather data for Munich, 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.
Paw print prices: kits, add-ons and finishing
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 Munich what's included before you choose.
Prices for Munich track the wider Bavaria market, so use the Bavaria 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.
What Bavaria 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 Bavaria 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.
Munich's own guidance is published by City of Munich Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb München; it covers public collection, which is separate from arranging a private cremation.
In Germany, ask your vet or Tierkrematorium for a Pfotenabdruck, either in clay or ink, before cremation. Many pet crematoria also offer plaster casts, a Gipsabdruck, as a 3D keepsake. If you're planning a home burial where allowed, you'll have time to take the print yourself first. Keep plaster indoors in winter so it sets properly.
Getting a paw print in Munich, step by step
- Tell your child what's happening in plain words, then offer them a part in making the print if they want one. Our guide to print-making with children has age-by-age ideas for what they can do.
- Give them a real job: rolling the clay, choosing the card color or writing the name.
- Let them press a hand or fingerprint beside the paw if they want to.
- If the print is taken after death, leave the pressing to an adult or the vet, then let your child see the result.
- Make a copy for your child's room, and tuck the original away out of harm's way.
- Come back to it later. One child wants it framed the same week; another won't look at it for months.
Keeping the print and the memory close
Bavaria has deep Catholic traditions around remembering the dead, including visiting graves on All Saints' Day, and some Munich families extend that to pets with a candle at home or a visit to a pet cemetery. A plot, an urn on a shelf, a stone in the garden or a piece of jewellery with a little ash are all common choices. Ask about options before the cremation.
the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, or compare your instinct with the poll results, Every option Munich families choose between is on the services page, look through our guides and the blog. Close to Munich we also cover Nuremberg, Regensburg, Starnberg and Augsburg; the full list for Bavaria and for Germany is a click away.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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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
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Munich?
Usually yes. Starnberg is about 14 miles away, Augsburg is about 35 miles away and Regensburg is about 65 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Is cremation common in Germany?
For people, yes: about 76.0%[1] of Germany deaths end in cremation, according to Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Munich follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
What if my family can't agree who keeps the print?
Take several. Clay can be re-rolled and ink prints are quick, so there's no reason to stop at one. If the original is already made, photograph or scan it and have copies made: framed ink prints, small engraved tags or matching pendants. Our ashes sharing planner can help if you're dividing ashes between keepsakes too.
How much does a paw print keepsake cost in Munich?
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.
Will my vet or crematory take a paw print before cremation?
Most will if asked, and many include a clay or ink print in the package. But requests can be missed on a busy day, especially at emergency clinics. Mention it when you book, ask for it to be written on the aftercare form and ask whether it comes back to you that day or with the ashes. Once your pet has been cremated, the chance is gone.
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.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In 2023, 76.0% of deaths in Germany were cremated (164 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.
Get paw print options in Munich
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.