Paw Print Keepsakes in Northern Ireland
Many vets and pet crematories will take a paw print before cremation, but often only if someone asks. This guide to Northern Ireland covers timing, home kits, costs and turning a print into jewelry or art.
- Prints of senior pets while they're well
- Local finishing or mail-order makers
- Honest costs from real price lists
Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom
Paw Print Keepsakes in Northern Ireland: what to know
If you're in Northern Ireland, the two things that most affect a paw print are timing and weather. Timing, because a print must be taken before cremation or burial, and collection can happen quickly. Weather, because heat cracks air-dry clay, humidity keeps it soft and frost can ruin plaster. Plan for both and you'll almost always get a clear print.
Across Northern Ireland, most pet crematories offer a clay or ink paw print, sometimes included in the package and sometimes as a small extra. But many owners don't know to ask until afterwards. The simplest habit is to mention the print on the very first call, whether that's to your vet, an in-home euthanasia service or the crematory.
We cover 1 community in Northern Ireland, from Belfast.
Our estimate
105,000
Estimated pet-owning households across the communities we cover in Northern Ireland
How we calculated this
The sum of our per-city estimates for the 1 communities in Northern Ireland 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 Northern Ireland community we cover
Choose your city or town for local prices, weather and timing, and rules. 1 communities in Northern Ireland, largest first below.
How Northern Ireland thinks about cremation, and why prints matter
In Northern Ireland, where only around 24.2%[1] of the dead are cremated, a pet's goodbye often ends with a blanket and a spade rather than a collection van. Before you wrap your pet, pause for three small things: a paw print, a snip of fur from somewhere hidden, like the chest or behind an ear, and the collar and tag. Once the grave is filled, none of those can be gathered again.
Source for the Northern Ireland figure: Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA) death & cremation statistics (2024). It describes human funerals and is here as context, not as a count of pets.
Budgeting for a print and what it becomes
If you're thinking beyond a clay print, UK makers publish prices for ash jewellery that you can pair with an engraved print. Handmade pet-ash pendants from one maker start at £180 to £299[2], and a glass pet-ashes pendant from a Bath studio costs £170[3]. The print itself is usually the cheapest part; the finishing is what to budget for in Northern Ireland.
Many UK vet practices send every pet to the same crematorium: 60%[4] of independent practices that answered the CMA had an exclusive contract with one. So the print you're offered in Northern Ireland is usually whatever that crematorium makes. If you'd like something different, such as a flat ink print for engraving or a resin cast (one studio charges from £120 for a small dog[5]), take it yourself or ask for your pet to go elsewhere.
| Keepsake | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resin cast of a small dog's paw pads | from £120[5] | Medium breeds about a fifth more, large about a third more |
| Glass pet-ashes pendant | £170[3] | Holds ashes; pair with an engraved print |
| Handmade pet-ash pendant | £180 to £299[2] | Price depends on design |
| Vet clay or ink print | Ask for the price list | Vets must set out add-on prices[6] |
We built the this numbers from Brighton Body Casting and Bath Aqua Glass, 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.
Burial, scattering and prints in Northern Ireland
There are no rules about taking a paw print; it's yours to do at home, at the clinic or at the crematory. Where Northern Ireland does have rules is what happens next: whether your pet can be buried at home and where ashes can be scattered. Those choices can affect your print too, for example if you want it set into a garden stone or a grave marker.
In the UK, most families arrange cremation through their vet, and the CMA's 2026 remedies require practices to set out prices for add-on options as well as communal and individual cremation. Ask for a paw print by name and get the price in writing. Independent pet crematoria often take clay or ink prints too, and UK winters are damp, so give air-dry clay extra time to dry indoors before you frame or post it.
- Burial at home: Confirm the rule for the actual parcel and proposed burial with the local authority and property owner.
- Scattering ashes: Ask the exact land manager about scattering before making arrangements; a general gathering permission is a separate matter.
- Who oversees it: the authority responsible for the specific activity and location; this guide does not identify a universal permit or licensing rule
- Worth knowing: Record the service method, release authority, identification and return instructions in writing.
A city's population does not establish which aftercare activities are allowed at an address. Check the actual site and activity before proceeding.
Getting a paw print in Northern Ireland, step by step
- Skip the table. Bring the clay or card to wherever your pet likes to lie, on the floor or on their own bed.
- Recruit a second person whose only job is calming your pet, stroking and talking, while you handle the paw.
- Use a lick mat or a few treats to keep your pet's attention forward and their head still.
- Don't straighten a stiff leg. Work with the position it's in: slip a board beneath the paw and raise the clay to it.
- Stop after a few tries if your pet gets stressed. Try again tomorrow, or ask your vet to help at the next visit.
- Try an inkless kit if your pet hates damp paws; there's nothing to wash off afterwards.
Keeping the print and the memory close
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.
The services page compares what each option includes, the planning tools turn your animal's details into figures, and the poll results show what other families chose. All locations lists every region we cover.
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.
Whose print are you thinking about?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Who would you rather take the 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
Can I get more than one copy of my pet's print in Northern Ireland?
Yes. Request two prints from your vet or crematory at the time of booking; it's a common request and usually costs little extra. Ink prints take seconds, so a home session can produce as many as you like. If you only have one original, scan it and have copies printed, engraved or cast, so every person in the family has their own without anyone giving up the original.
How much does a paw print cost in Northern Ireland?
Published prices for prints alone are scarce, because most are sold within a cremation package or quoted on request. As a benchmark, a US crematory network lists a clay paw print at $76[8], and a UK studio casts a small dog's paw in resin from about £120[5]. Ask local providers for a written price.
Where do most UK owners arrange a pet's cremation?
Through their vet. In the CMA's research, 78%[9] of UK cremation buyers purchased through their vet or on the vet's recommendation, and 89%[10] didn't compare providers at all. That's why it pays to ask your vet directly about a paw print, or to contact an independent crematorium yourself. The CMA's findings set out how the market works.
Do UK vets have to list the price of a paw print?
Under the CMA's remedies, UK vet practices must set out the prices of communal, individual and add-on cremation options[6], so you can ask for a written price for a print. You can also go directly to an independent pet crematorium.
Should I take a print of my senior pet now?
If you can, yes. A relaxed, living pet usually gives the crispest print, and there's no time pressure. Choose a calm, good day, after a meal or a walk, and take several so you can keep the clearest. Many owners in Northern Ireland say the afternoon itself becomes a memory.
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] In 2024, 24.2% of deaths in Northern Ireland ended in cremation. Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities (FBCA) death & cremation statistics, 2024.
- [2] Chris Parry's pet-ash pendants start at £180–£299 depending on design. Chris Parry Handmade – Pet ash jewellery, 2026.
- [3] Bath Aqua Glass in England charges £170 for a pet-ashes glass pendant and £195–£240 for a pet-ashes paperweight. Bath Aqua Glass – Pets ashes into glass, 2026.
- [4] 60% of independent UK vet practices responding to the CMA had an exclusive contract with one crematorium. UK Competition and Markets Authority - Veterinary services for household pets, Provisional decision report Part A (Oct 2025), 2025.
- [5] 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.
- [6] CMA remedy: all UK first-opinion vet practices must offer a communal cremation option and set out prices of communal, individual and add-on options. UK Competition and Markets Authority - Summary of final report, veterinary services market investigation (24 Mar 2026), 2026.
- [7] 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.
- [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] In total 78% of UK cremation buyers purchased through, or on the recommendation of, their vet or out-of-hours provider. UK Competition and Markets Authority - Veterinary services for household pets, Provisional decision report Part A (Oct 2025), 2025.
- [10] 89% of UK owners who bought a pet cremation did not compare different providers; 9% did. UK Competition and Markets Authority - Veterinary services for household pets, Provisional decision report Part A (Oct 2025), 2025.
Get paw print options in Northern Ireland
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