A paw print to keep, in Lausanne
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 Lausanne, who can take it for you and what finishing it costs.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve Lausanne
Lausanne, Vaud
Getting a paw print in Lausanne: the local picture
Paw prints, nose prints and fur clippings can only be taken before cremation, so ask about them at the start. In a city with many international residents, families are often spread across several countries, and dividing ashes lets each person keep something: a mini urn, a pendant or a small glass keepsake. Engraving and memorial pieces can be ordered later without hurry.
Lake Geneva, the Lavaux vineyards and the forests above the city give many Lausanne families a place they associate with their pet. Some choose a biodegradable urn or a small scattering; others keep all the ashes at home and simply return to those places. Before scattering or burying anything on land you do not own, ask the owner or commune first. Keeping a small portion back leaves room for jewelry later.
Children often want to help, and a print can give them a job that feels useful. Let them roll the clay, press their own hand beside the paw or choose the ribbon for the frame. If the print is being taken after death, a vet or crematory can do it privately and hand it back, so children see only the finished keepsake.
About 139,000 people live in Lausanne. Some of the providers who serve Lausanne are based about 32 miles away in Geneva, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
If you want to compare providers, look at Geneva (32 miles), Bern (49 miles) and Basel (85 miles). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
90%[1]
About 90% of people who died in Switzerland in 2020 were cremated.
~$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.
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
When roughly 90%[1] of human funerals in Switzerland 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.
The Switzerland percentage above is from bestatter.ch (Swiss funeral services association) (2020) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Lausanne, not as a count of pets.
Clay, ink and the local climate
Local weather in Lausanne affects a paw print more than you might think. In hot, dry spells, air-dry clay can crack if it dries too fast, so dry it slowly indoors and turn it often. In humid months it stays soft for longer, so be patient. In cold weather, warm the clay in your hands and never let plaster freeze before it has set.
What owners in Lausanne typically pay for a print
We haven't found reliable published prices for paw prints in Europe; most pet crematoria include them in a package or quote on request. For context, individual cremation in Germany is listed at about €165 to €375[4]. In Lausanne, ask your vet or the crematorium for a written price that shows the print, the urn and any engraving separately.
The full price table by product is on our Vaud page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What Vaud allows after your pet dies
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 Vaud 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.
How to make sure a print is taken in time
- For a horse, book the farrier to trim and clean the hoof first. Pick out the sole and dry it well.
- Press the hoof into a thick slab of clay resting on a board, or coat the sole in non-toxic paint and set it down on stiff card. Ask a helper to keep the leg still while you do it.
- Keep the last shoe and a length of tail or mane hair, which many horse owners have braided or set into resin.
- For a bird or a very small pet, choose the softest clay or an inkless sheet, and barely press at all. Clay picks up tiny toes best.
- For a fluffy cat or rabbit, an inkless kit avoids ink on fur they'll groom later, and clay shows the long shape of a rabbit's foot.
- Dry and store every print indoors, and photograph it so a maker can work from the image.
Turning a print into something lasting
Most Lausanne homes are apartments, so memorials usually live indoors: a compact urn on a shelf, a framed paw print, or a small keepsake box. Families with a garden or balcony may add a planted urn or a small stone. If you rent or might move, a portable memorial is easier to take along. Decide where the memory will sit day to day, then choose a size and material that suits it.
See what each option includes on our services page, the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, or see what other families chose in the poll results. More local pages: the Vaud overview and every city in Switzerland.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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Whose print are you thinking about?
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Where would your pet's print live?
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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 Lausanne?
Usually yes. Geneva is about 32 miles away, Bern is about 49 miles away and Basel is about 85 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Will I have to travel to Geneva to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Geneva (roughly 32 miles from Lausanne) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
How do Switzerland attitudes to cremation compare?
bestatter.ch (Swiss funeral services association) (2020) puts the Switzerland human cremation rate at about 90%[1]. We show it on the Lausanne page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Can I get a hoof print from my horse?
Yes. Most owners take one after the farrier has trimmed and cleaned the hoof: pick out the sole, dry it and press it into a thick slab of clay on a board, or paint it with non-toxic paint and press it onto heavy card. Someone should hold the foot steady. Many owners also keep the last shoe and a length of tail hair.
What should I ask for if I don't know the local word for a paw print?
Say paw print, and show a photo if you can; most vets and crematoria in Switzerland will understand. It can help to know the local term: Pfotenabdruck in German, empreinte de patte in French, pootafdruk in Dutch, impronta della zampa in Italian. Ask whether they take a clay impression, an ink print or both, and whether it's included in the price.
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%[5] of bereaved owners said they grieved before their pet died. Choose a calm, good day and keep the session short.
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] 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] 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.
- [5] 75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Get paw print options in Lausanne
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