Keeping your pet's paw print in Zollikon, Zurich
Nose prints, hoof prints, tiny bird feet and big dog paws each need a slightly different approach. This page for Zollikon walks through them all, with published prices and no pressure.
- Take the print before cremation
- Clay, ink or cast, explained simply
- Published prices, no guesswork
Zollikon, Zurich
How owners in Zollikon get a paw print
In Switzerland cremation is the default for people, and communal memorial gardens are widely used for human ashes, so the idea carries over easily to pets. In a Zollikon apartment, a lacquered box, a plaster cast of a paw or a small capsule pendant fits easily on a shelf. In a garden near the forest edge, a granite stone or a newly planted shrub gives a place to stand and remember.
Frost and heavy wet snow are tough on outdoor memorials around Zurich. Terracotta and soft sandstone crack, while granite, slate and bronze stay sound for decades. If you plant a tree or shrub with ashes, mix the ash thoroughly into compost first, as ash on its own is too alkaline for roots. A hornbeam or a flowering cherry suits local gardens.
Outdoor and barn cats are common around Zollikon, and they don't always die where you'd expect. If you find your cat in a shed, under a hedge or in a hay loft, bring them inside to a cool, quiet spot and lay them on a towel before you do anything else. A print is often still possible, even some hours later. Clean the pads gently with a damp cloth first, because dust and straw show up in clay and ink.
With roughly 13,000 residents, Zollikon is the 3rd-largest of the 3 Zurich communities we cover. Zurich, roughly 3 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Zollikon run from there.
Nearby, we also have local pages for Kusnacht (2 miles), Zurich (3 miles, a larger centre) and Lucerne (24 miles, a larger centre), which can help if your vet or the provider you prefer is based there.
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.
Burial, cremation and paw prints in Switzerland
Cremation is the everyday choice in Switzerland: about 90%[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.
That Switzerland rate is a human one, published by bestatter.ch (Swiss funeral services association) (2020). We quote it for Zollikon only as a pointer to how families here already think about cremation.
When the weather works against clay and ink
In warm weather, the first hours after a pet dies at home matter for comfort and for the print. Keep your pet in the coolest room, on a towel, and take the print early, before the body stiffens. In cold weather, a pet kept in a chilled room will have firm pads, so press the clay gently onto the paw instead.
Where the money goes: the print, then the finishing
We haven't found a published European price for a paw print on its own, so compare like with like. Ask two providers in Zollikon 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.
Prices for Zollikon track the wider Zurich market, so use the Zurich price table as your baseline and the services page to see what is included.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What Zurich allows after your pet dies
Rules in Zurich mostly cover the practical side of a pet's death: where a body can be buried, how deep, and where ashes may be scattered. None of it stops you taking a print. It's worth knowing, though, because a print set into a stone often goes where the burial or ashes go, and a landlord or homeowners' association can have its own say.
Getting a paw print in Zollikon, step by step
- Take a breath. If your pet has just died at home, there is usually time for a print in the first few hours. Lay them on a towel in a cool room.
- Gather what you need: a damp cloth, and either clay you've softened between your palms or a sheet of card fixed to a board alongside a pet-safe ink pad.
- If the leg has stiffened, bring the clay to the paw. Ease it onto the pads with light pressure; don't try to push the foot down.
- Take a nose print too if you'd like one, with a light touch of ink or an inkless wipe.
- Call your vet or crematory once you're done, and mention that you've already taken a print so they don't need to.
- Let the print dry indoors, out of direct sun and well clear of radiators, before framing it or mailing it.
Shelf, wall or garden: where the print ends up
The Zollikon shoreline, with its lakeside paths and public bathing spots, and the forest trails above Zollikerberg are places many families link with happy memories. Scattering ashes in public spaces or the lake is regulated, so check with the commune first. A garden, a private meadow with permission, or keeping the ashes at home are simpler alternatives. A spot overlooking the lake from the hillside may mean just as much.
the planning tools turn your pet's details into figures, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, The services page is the place to compare what is included, or see what other families chose in the poll results. More local pages: Kusnacht and Zurich, the Zurich overview and every city in Switzerland.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
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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
Which nearby towns can I compare with Zollikon?
The closest communities we cover are Kusnacht (about 2 miles), Zurich (about 3 miles) and Lucerne (about 24 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Zollikon too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Will I have to travel to Zurich to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Zurich (roughly 3 miles from Zollikon) 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.
Is cremation common in Switzerland?
For people, yes: about 90%[1] of Switzerland deaths end in cremation, according to bestatter.ch (Swiss funeral services association) (2020). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Zollikon follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
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.
Can I take a paw print or an ashes pendant through customs?
Paw prints in clay or on card are simply craft items and need no paperwork. Ashes are different: some countries and airlines ask for the cremation certificate and prefer ashes in hand luggage, in a container that can be screened. Carry the certificate from the crematorium, keep any jewelry holding ashes in your carry-on and check the airline's and the destination's rules before you travel from Zollikon.
Can I get my dog's nose print?
Yes. Dab a small amount of pet-safe ink onto the nose with a soft sponge, or use an inkless wipe, then press a folded card gently against the nose from the front. It usually takes a few tries. The ridges on a dog's nose make a striking engraving on a pendant or an urn, and many providers take a nose print alongside the paw.
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 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] 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.
Tell us about your pet's print
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.