A paw print to keep, in Queenstown
Queenstown has an estimated 3,950 dog- or cat-owning households. If yours is one of them, a print taken now, or before cremation, is the keepsake you can't go back for.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve Queenstown
Queenstown, Otago
Paw print keepsakes in Queenstown: where to start
Queenstown's population moves around more than most New Zealand towns, with many people arriving for a few seasons before settling elsewhere. A memorial that fits in a suitcase suits that life: a pocket-sized urn, a greenstone-style pendant with a little ash, a paw print on a tile or a photo book. Your pet can come with you when you move on, instead of staying behind in a rented garden.
Many Māori regard lakes, rivers and certain peaks as places with deep cultural and spiritual significance, and scattering ashes in waterways can cause real offence. Around Wakatipu, it is more respectful to bury ashes in your own garden, mix them into the soil around a tree, or scatter them on private land with the owner's permission. Keeping some at home is also a good option.
Small towns rarely have a pet memorial shop, but they nearly always have someone who engraves: a monument company that letters headstones, a trophy and awards shop, or a sign maker with a laser. Many will engrave a paw print from a clean scan onto slate, wood, metal or a garden stone. Take them a photo of your pet's print and ask whether they can reproduce the real pad shapes, not a generic clip-art paw.
Queenstown's population is around 15,000.
Our estimate
3,950
How many dog- or cat-owning households Queenstown has (estimate)
How we calculated this
15,000 ÷ 2.7 = 5,556 households; × 31% (dog) + 40% (cat) = 3,950. Homes are counted once however many pets they keep.
Our estimate
330
dog and cat deaths per year in Queenstown, our estimate
How we calculated this
3,950 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 330 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
31%[1]
31% of New Zealand households have a dog, down from 34% in 2020.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
40%[3]
40% of New Zealand households have a cat - cats are NZ's most popular pet.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
The numbers above come from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and Companion Animals New Zealand, 2024 NZ Pet Data Report, if you'd like to read the original sources.
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
Cremation has become steadily more common in New Zealand, now chosen for about 69%[5] of those who die there, and newer pet aftercare providers have arrived with it. Some offer a 3D scan of the paw or a digital print file alongside the clay. If a provider mentions this, ask whether you'll receive the file itself, in a standard format, so you can take it to any maker later rather than only through them.
For the New Zealand figure we rely on The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report (2023). Read it as a picture of local custom around death and remembrance in Queenstown rather than as pet data.
Clay, ink and the local climate
If you're thinking of an outdoor memorial in Queenstown, such as a garden stone with your pet's print pressed in, the weather decides when to make it. Concrete doesn't cure well in frost or fierce heat. Take the print now in clay or ink and keep it indoors, then make the stone in a mild month when the ground is workable.
Paw print prices: kits, add-ons and finishing
Individual cremation for pets up to 5 kg in Australia has a median listed price of about AUD 412 median[6], 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[7]. Ask providers serving Queenstown for a written price that shows the print separately.
The Otago 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.
Landlords, parks and permits in Otago
Burial rules in many places, including Otago, 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 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.
In order: the print, the aftercare, the keepsake
- If your pet is still with you, don't wait. Pick a quiet, settled moment, perhaps once they've eaten or come back from a walk, and make the print then. Prints taken while a pet is alive tend to come out sharpest.
- Choose your method. Clay for something to hold, ink or inkless paper for engraving and jewelry later. Our kit chooser helps you decide.
- Trim the tufts between the pads with blunt-tipped scissors so the pads, not the fur, make the shape.
- Hold the leg, not the paw, push down evenly in one motion, and raise it again without sliding. Make a few attempts and choose the sharpest one.
- Dry clay slowly indoors for two or three days, turning it, then seal it with a matte acrylic sealer.
- Photograph or scan the print flat in daylight. Makers can work from that image, so the original stays at home.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
Around seven in ten New Zealanders are cremated, so keeping ashes at home or placing them somewhere meaningful is familiar to many Queenstown families. With mountains and lakes filling every view, a lot of people want a memorial linked to the landscape. A schist stone from the district, engraved with a name and placed in the garden, suits the local look and weathers well.
For a plain comparison of the choices, open services, read our guides and latest articles, try the free planning tools, or see what other families chose in the poll results. the full list for Otago and for New Zealand 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
Roughly how many pets die in Queenstown each year?
Our estimate is around 330. It comes from Queenstown's population (about 15,000), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 3,950 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Why does the Queenstown page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. The Spinoff, citing FDANZ 2023 Funeral Industry Trends Report (2023) reports about 69%[5] of New Zealand residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Should I take a paw print while my senior pet is still alive?
If you can, yes. A relaxed living pet usually gives the clearest print, and you can take as many as you like without pressure. It can also give anticipatory grief something useful to do; in an RSPCA survey, 75.4%[9] of bereaved owners said they grieved before their pet died. Choose a calm, good day and keep the session short.
Can I take the print myself before the vet or crematory arrives?
Absolutely, and many people prefer to. Have the clay warmed or the card taped down before the appointment, choose a quiet room and take a few prints while your pet is calm. If collection is happening after a home euthanasia, the team will usually wait a few minutes while you take one afterwards too. Just let them know.
My pet was cremated without a paw print. Is there anything I can do?
You can't take a new impression after cremation, but there are good alternatives. Look through your photos for a clear shot of a paw, or of paw prints in snow, sand or mud; engravers and artists can trace one. Check old vet records, the puppy or kitten pack from a breeder, and grooming photos. Some artists can also draw a lifelike paw from pictures of your pet's feet. It won't be the exact pad pattern, but many owners find it just as meaningful.
Can a paw print be taken after my pet has died?
Yes. A print can usually be taken in the first hours after death at home, and later by a vet or crematory before cremation. If the leg has stiffened, press the clay gently onto the paw rather than forcing the paw down. A print from a relaxed, living pet tends to be crisper, which is why many owners take one while their pet is still a healthy senior.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 31% of New Zealand households have a dog, down from 34% in 2020. Companion Animals New Zealand, 2024 NZ Pet Data Report, 2024.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 40% of New Zealand households have a cat - cats are NZ's most popular pet. Companion Animals New Zealand, 2024 NZ Pet Data Report, 2024.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] 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.
- [6] 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.
- [7] 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.
- [8] Around 765,000 U.S. families a year are likely open to a personalized pet keepsake. Our estimate: 1.5M pet cremations x 51% interest in personalized memorials. How we calculate.
- [9] 75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Ask who takes paw prints in Queenstown
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.