Paw Print Keepsakes in Bern
Many vets and pet crematories will take a paw print before cremation, but often only if someone asks. This guide to Bern covers timing, home kits, costs and turning a print into jewelry or art.
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Bern, Switzerland
Paw Print Keepsakes in Bern: what to know
Not every goodbye in Bern 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.
Two free tools help owners across Bern plan a print. The paw print kit chooser matches clay, ink, inkless and casting kits to your pet's size, coat and temperament, and the memorial budget planner shows what a print costs next to framing, engraving or jewelry. Use them before you call a provider, so you know what to ask for.
We cover 1 community in Bern, from Bern.
Every Bern community we cover
Choose your city or town for local prices, weather and timing, and rules. 1 communities in Bern, largest first below.
B
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
With about 90%[1] of people in Bern cremated, most local families already know the rhythm of a cremation: collection, a few days' wait, then the ashes come home. A print fits neatly into the start of that process, before collection. Once your pet is cremated, the chance is gone, so the first phone call is the right moment to mention it.
That Bern rate is a human statistic published by bestatter.ch (Swiss funeral services association) (2020); there is no pet equivalent, so we use it as a signal of how families here already think.
What owners in Bern typically pay for a print
Europe has more pet cats than dogs: about 108 million cats[2] against roughly 89.6 million dogs[3]. Cat paws are small and neat, so a print of all four often fits on one card or a single clay disc, and many crematoria include one for cats within the package. Before choosing a provider in Bern, ask whether VAT is included and whether the print is clay, ink or both.
We haven't found a published European price for a paw print on its own, so compare like with like. Ask two providers in Bern the same three questions: is a print included, what is it made of, and can I see it before cremation? For scale, a Norwegian pet crematorium lists separate cremation from NOK 3,790 for pets up to 20 kg[4], and a print is typically a small fraction of that.
| Item | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Individual cremation, Germany | €165 to €375[5] | Ask whether a Pfotenabdruck is included |
| Individual cremation, Ireland (up to 10 kg) | €250[6] | Ask about clay or ink prints |
| Resin paw cast, UK (small dog) | from £120[7] | For comparison |
| Clay paw print, US crematory network | $76[8] | For comparison |
| Paw print on its own in Europe | No published price found | Ask for a written quote |
We built the this numbers from Final Gift Pet Memorial Center and Donegal Pet Crematorium, 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.
What the law in Bern does and doesn't cover
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 Bern 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.
Your paw print plan for Bern
- Choose one calm afternoon and do all the pets together, beginning with whichever one is least bothered by handling.
- Label everything before you start: write each name on the reverse of its card, or scratch an initial into the base 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.
Ways families in Bern keep a print close
A scan of the print can become a small rubber stamp, the kind a stationery or print shop makes from any clean black-and-white image. Some families use it on birthday cards, the inside cover of a photo album or the corner of a letter to a friend who knew the pet. It's an everyday way to keep their paw in circulation, and it costs far less than jewelry.
Compare every option on our services page, try the free planning tools or see how other readers answered in our polls. You can also go back to all locations.
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.
What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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
What do other owners in Bern choose for a paw print keepsake?
We don't publish made-up figures on that. We do run short, anonymous polls on what readers chose, from clay discs to engraved jewelry, and you can see the live results. They count one vote per person and aren't a scientific survey, but they give a feel for how other owners decided.
Is it better to use a local maker in Bern 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 Bern?
No. You can take, keep, post and display a paw print, cast or ashes pendant freely. The rules in Bern 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.
Where can I get a paw print keepsake in Bern?
Across Bern, 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.
How many communities do you cover in Bern?
We have local paw print keepsake guides for 1 communities in Bern, including Bern. 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.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] About 90% of people who died in Switzerland in 2020 were cremated. bestatter.ch (Swiss funeral services association), 2020.
- [2] Europe has about 108 million pet cats, more than its 90 million pet dogs. FEDIAF European Pet Food, Facts & Figures 2025 (2023 data), 2023.
- [3] Europe has about 89.6 million pet dogs. FEDIAF European Pet Food, Facts & Figures 2025 (2023 data), 2023.
- [4] A Norwegian pet crematorium lists separate cremation at NOK 3,790 (1-20 kg) to NOK 4,990 (51-90 kg) and communal at NOK 1,190 to NOK 1,895, VAT included. Hjertedyr (Norway) - Prisliste, 2026.
- [5] A German consumer guide lists collective pet cremation at EUR 85-205 and individual cremation at EUR 165-375. deine-tierwelt.de - Tierbestattung: Diese Moeglichkeiten gibt es und das kosten sie (Nov 2023), 2023.
- [6] 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.
- [7] 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.
- [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] 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.
Tell us about your pet's print
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