Paw Print Keepsakes in Hong Kong
A paw print is the one keepsake you can't order later. Here's how owners in Hong Kong capture one at home or at the clinic, keep it from cracking or smudging, and have it made into something lasting.
- Prints of senior pets while they're well
- Local finishing or mail-order makers
- Honest costs from real price lists
Hong Kong
Paw Print Keepsakes in Hong Kong: what to know
Because a paw print must be taken before cremation or burial, it's the one keepsake in Hong Kong that depends on planning rather than shopping. Jewelry, engraving and art can all be ordered later from a scan. The print itself can't be remade, so it's the first thing to arrange.
Makers in Hong Kong and abroad can turn a paw print into silver, glass, ceramic, embroidery or a tattoo, and most work from a photo or scan. That means you can keep the original safely at home and shop around. The only part that can't wait is taking the print itself.
We cover 2 communities in Hong Kong, from Hong Kong and Kowloon.
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What local funeral habits mean for a print
Cremation is the everyday choice in Hong Kong: about 96.96%[1] of people who die there are cremated. Pet aftercare tends to follow the same habits, which means most pets here end up as a small box of ashes. Ashes don't show a paw, a nose or the shape of a toe. That's a big part of why prints matter so much in high-cremation places, and why local crematories are so used to being asked for one.
Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023 (2023) publishes the Hong Kong rate we quote. Read it as the local custom around cremation rather than as pet data.
What owners in Hong Kong typically pay for a print
In Japan, by our estimate about 85% of owners who state a preference want an individual pet funeral rather than a joint one[2], and packages there often include keepsake options. Even communal cremation of a small pet at one Tokyo memorial park costs JPY 14,300[3]. Wherever you are in Asia, check with providers in Hong Kong that a paw print is listed among the package contents, and ask to see an example.
In some Asian cities, the public route leaves nothing behind. Hong Kong's government, for instance, advises owners that a bagged animal can go to a refuse collection point, from where it goes to landfill[4]. Any keepsake, including a print, then depends on you or a private provider. If cost is the worry in Hong Kong, a home print costs very little and can be taken before you decide anything else.
| Place or item | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo, individual cremation, pet under 5 kg | JPY 22,000[3] | Tax included; ask about a print |
| Singapore, private cremation, cat under 5 kg | SGD 280[5] | Niches extra |
| Hong Kong, individual cremation, 1 to 5 kg pet | HKD 1,300[6] | Basic package |
| Paw print add-on (US median, for comparison) | about $32[7] | No published local price found |
If a number here surprises you, the primary material is Tokyo Animal Memorial Park (東京動物霊園) and PETMENTO (Hong Kong pet funeral provider); we only apply it to this.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What the law in Hong Kong does and doesn't cover
Burial rules in many places, including Hong Kong, 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 Hong Kong, pet cremation providers commonly sell packages, and prints are often available as an extra. Small flats make home prints easy on a kitchen table, but humid summers slow clay drying, so keep prints in an air-conditioned room. Ask your provider to take a print before cremation and to return it with the ashes.
What to do first, and what can wait
- Choose one calm afternoon to print every pet in the house, starting with the most relaxed animal.
- 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 and clean every paw straight away, so no one licks ink off anyone else.
- 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 with the date written on the back, so no print goes missing over the years.
Remembering your pet through their print
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?
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When did (or will) you take your pet's print?
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What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
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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
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 Hong Kong say the afternoon itself becomes a memory.
Where can I get a paw print keepsake in Hong Kong?
Across Hong Kong, 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.
Is it better to use a local maker in Hong Kong or order online?
Either works. A local jeweler, engraver or ceramic studio lets you see samples and hand the print over in person. Online makers usually work from a photo or scan, so the original stays at home. Ask for a proof before production and check the turnaround time.
Are there rules about paw prints in Hong Kong?
No. You can take, keep, post and display a paw print, cast or ashes pendant freely. The rules in Hong Kong 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.
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.
How much does a paw print cost in Hong Kong?
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[8], and a UK studio casts a small dog's paw in resin from about £120[9]. Ask local providers for a written price.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In 2023, 96.96% of deaths in Hong Kong were cremated (6 crematoria). Cremation Society of Great Britain, International Cremation Statistics 2023, 2023.
- [2] Among Japanese owners expressing a preference, roughly 85% prefer an individual pet funeral over a joint one. Our estimate: 60 / (60 + 10) = 0.857 (using the lower bounds '60%+' and '10%+'). How we calculate.
- [3] Tokyo Animal Memorial Park charges JPY 14,300 for communal and JPY 22,000 for individual cremation of a pet under 5 kg (tax incl.). Tokyo Animal Memorial Park (東京動物霊園) - Price list, 2026.
- [4] Hong Kong's government advises owners may bag a dead animal marked 'dead animal' and take it to an FEHD refuse collection point, from where it goes to landfill. Hong Kong Government 1823 - How to handle the body of dead animal?, 2025.
- [5] The same Singapore provider lists private cremation at SGD 280 for a cat under 5 kg and SGD 480 for a 10-20 kg dog; columbarium niches start at SGD 300 for the first year with SGD 180 yearly renewal. Singapore Pet Columbarium - Prices, 2026.
- [6] A Hong Kong provider lists basic individual cremation at HKD 1,300 for a 1-5 kg pet and HKD 3,000 for a 20-30 kg dog. PETMENTO (Hong Kong pet funeral provider) - Pet funeral price list, 2026.
- [7] 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.
- [8] 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.
- [9] 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.
Ask who takes paw prints in Hong Kong
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.