Paw Print Keepsakes in Auckland
Many vets and pet crematories will take a paw print before cremation, but often only if someone asks. This guide to Auckland covers timing, home kits, costs and turning a print into jewelry or art.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand
Paw Print Keepsakes in Auckland: what to know
Not every goodbye in Auckland is planned. Accidents, sudden illness and quiet deaths overnight happen, and many owners assume the chance for a print has passed. Usually it hasn't. As long as your pet hasn't yet been cremated or buried, a vet, a crematory or you yourself can still take a print, even a day or two later. Say so on the first phone call.
Paw prints in Auckland aren't only for dogs and cats. Horse owners keep hoof prints pressed into clay slabs, bird owners capture tiny feet in soft clay, and rabbit owners find that clay shows the long, furry shape of the hind foot better than ink. Each needs a slightly different approach, and each city page covers the basics.
We cover 1 community in Auckland, from Auckland.
Our estimate
435,000
Estimated pet-owning households across the communities we cover in Auckland
How we calculated this
The sum of our per-city estimates for the 1 communities in Auckland on this site: each city's population ÷ national average household size × the national share of households with a pet. Households with several pets count once.
Every Auckland community we cover
Choose your city or town for local prices, weather and timing, and rules. 1 communities in Auckland, largest first below.
How Auckland thinks about cremation, and why prints matter
In Auckland, about 69%[1] of people are cremated, and that share has been rising for years. Pet crematories have multiplied along with it, and most now offer paw prints, nose prints and fur clippings. Families who grew up with burial don't always know to ask, so it's worth saying plainly that you want one.
That Auckland rate is a human statistic published by The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report (2023); there is no pet equivalent, so we use it as a signal of how families here already think.
Budgeting for a print and what it becomes
A home kit is the cheapest way to get a print in Auckland, and it gives you as many copies as you like. Order one early, while your pet is well, because courier delivery to regional areas can take days. If you'd rather a crematorium did it, the median listed price for individually cremating a pet under 5 kg in Australia is around AUD 412[2], and a print is usually a small line on top of that.
Individual cremation for pets up to 5 kg in Australia has a median listed price of about AUD 412 median[2], and a paw print is usually a small extra on top. If you want the print engraved, one Brisbane crematory charges A$245 for a laser-engraved metal urn, which takes about two weeks[3]. Ask providers serving Auckland for a written price that shows the print separately.
| Item | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual cremation, pets up to 5 kg (median) | AUD 412 median[2] | Ask whether a print is included |
| RSPCA Queensland memorial package | from AUD 250[4] | Memorial returned within 14 days |
| Laser-engraved metal urn, Brisbane | A$245[3] | About two weeks to engrave |
| Paw print on its own | No published local price found | US crematory median about $32[5] |
We built the this numbers from Patch & Purr Pet Cremations and RSPCA Queensland, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Local rules worth knowing in Auckland
You don't need anyone's permission to take your pet's paw print, and prints, casts and ashes jewelry can be kept, posted or carried anywhere. The rules that matter in Auckland are about burial and scattering. If you plan a home burial, take the print before you begin; if you plan to scatter, keep some ashes back for a print pendant first.
In New Zealand, most vets work with a regional pet crematorium that can take a clay or ink paw print before cremation, often if you simply ask. Damp winters and humid summers in much of the country slow air-dry clay, so be patient before sealing. If you're in a rural area, the vet visit is usually the best moment for a print.
What to do first, and what can wait
- If your pet dies while you're away from home, call the kennel, sitter or local vet and ask them to keep your pet cool and take a paw print before anything else happens.
- Ask them to photograph the print so you can check it's come out clearly; a text is fine.
- Decide whether to bring your pet home or arrange cremation where they are; the print can travel with either choice.
- Ask for ink rather than clay when the print has to be mailed. Card travels well in an envelope; wet clay often doesn't.
- If you're driving home with your pet, keep them cool and take your own print when you arrive, before burial or collection.
- Keep names, numbers and receipts for everyone involved, so everything can be matched up later.
From paw print to pendant, frame or garden stone
Some people find that making the print is itself a kind of goodbye. If that's you, it's fine to take several, keep the one that feels right and let children decorate the rest. There's no wrong way to do this, and no deadline for finishing the keepsake once the print is safely made.
If Auckland is not quite where you are, all locations has the rest. Otherwise the services page, the tools and the poll results are the useful next stops.
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.
Who would you rather take the print?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
When did (or will) you take your pet's 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 Auckland?
No. You can take, keep, post and display a paw print, cast or ashes pendant freely. The rules in Auckland 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.
Is it better to use a local maker in Auckland 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.
How many communities do you cover in Auckland?
We have local paw print keepsake guides for 1 communities in Auckland, including Auckland. Each page covers timing, weather, local prices and how to ask your vet or crematory for a print.
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.
Can my vet in Auckland 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.
Where can I get a paw print keepsake in Auckland?
Across Auckland, 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.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 69% of bodies in New Zealand were cremated in 2023, per the Funeral Directors Association of NZ. The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report, 2023.
- [2] An Australian provider survey of listed prices puts the median individual cremation at AUD 412 for pets up to 5 kg (range AUD 295-612). Pet Farewell (Australia) - Pet Cremation Cost Australia (2026), 2026.
- [3] Patch & Purr's metal urns cost A$170 with an engraved disc, A$185–A$195 with an engraved stand, or A$245 laser-engraved, which takes about 2 weeks. Patch & Purr Pet Cremations – Urns & timber boxes, 2026.
- [4] RSPCA Queensland's Pets at Rest memorial packages (individual cremation) start from AUD 250, with the memorial returned within 14 days. RSPCA Queensland - Pet cremation (RSPCA Pets at Rest), 2025.
- [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] 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.
Ask who takes paw prints in Auckland
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.