Paw Print Keepsakes in Wales
Many vets and pet crematories will take a paw print before cremation, but often only if someone asks. This guide to Wales covers timing, home kits, costs and turning a print into jewelry or art.
- Nose prints and fur clippings too
- Keep a scan so the original stays home
- Options that serve Wales
Wales, the United Kingdom
Paw Print Keepsakes in Wales: what to know
Paw prints in Wales aren't only for dogs and cats. Horse owners keep hoof prints pressed into clay slabs, bird owners capture tiny feet in soft clay, and rabbit owners find that clay shows the long, furry shape of the hind foot better than ink. Each needs a slightly different approach, and each city page covers the basics.
Across Wales, 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 2 communities in Wales, from Cardiff and Swansea.
Our estimate
220,000
Estimated pet-owning households across the communities we cover in Wales
How we calculated this
The sum of our per-city estimates for the 2 communities in Wales 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 Wales community we cover
Choose your city or town for local prices, weather and timing, and rules. 2 communities in Wales, largest first below.
Local customs and the keepsake you keep
In Wales, about 80.46%[1] of people are cremated, one of the higher rates around. Where cremation is this familiar, pet crematories are well established and a paw print is often a standard line on the price list. The catch is that standard can mean automatic. Ask what kind of print they take, whether you can see it before cremation and whether you can have a second copy.
Source for the Wales figure: Cremation Society of Great Britain, Progress of Cremation 1885-2025 (2025). It describes human funerals and is here as context, not as a count of pets.
What paw print keepsakes cost in Wales
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 Wales.
The CMA found that only 2%[4] of UK vet practice websites showing prices listed cremation prices at all, so the cost of a paw print is rarely visible online. The CMA's final remedies change that: practices must now set out add-on prices[5]. In Wales, ask for the list, find the print line and compare it with an independent crematorium; the CMA counted 96 independent pet crematoria sites across the UK[6].
| Keepsake | Published price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Resin cast of a small dog's paw pads | from £120[7] | 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[5] |
Sources for the statistics above: UK Competition and Markets Authority and Bath Aqua Glass.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What the law in Wales does and doesn't cover
If you might move away from Wales one day, it helps to know that a print, a cast or a photograph needs no paperwork at a border, while ashes sometimes do, and a grave can't come with you at all. None of that should decide your plans, but it's worth weighing alongside what Wales allows, set out below.
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.
How to make sure a print is taken in time
- Choose one calm afternoon to print every pet in the house, starting with the most relaxed animal.
- Label everything before you start: a name on the back of each card, or a letter scratched into the underside of each clay disc.
- Use a separate ink pad or wipe for each animal then wipe each paw clean the moment you're done, so nobody licks ink off a housemate.
- 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: several paws on one large card or clay slab makes a family portrait.
- Store the set together with the date written on the back, so no print goes missing over the years.
Ways families in Wales keep a print 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?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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
Where can I get a paw print keepsake in Wales?
Across Wales, 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.
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[5], so you can ask for a written price for a print. You can also go directly to an independent pet crematorium.
How many dog and cat households are there in Wales?
By our estimate, there are about 220,000 dog- or cat-owning households across the Wales communities we cover. Each of those pets has a paw that can be pressed into clay or ink, and far fewer owners take a print in time than would like one.
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.
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.
Can my vet in Wales take a paw print before cremation?
Almost always, if you ask in time. Mention it when you book the appointment or the cremation, ask for it on the aftercare form and ask to see it before your pet leaves. If the vet can't, the crematory can usually take one at intake. After cremation, it's too late.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] In 2025, 80.46% of deaths in the British Islands were cremated, with 335 crematoria operating. Cremation Society of Great Britain, Progress of Cremation 1885-2025, 2025.
- [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] In a CMA targeted review of UK vet practice websites showing prices, only 2% listed cremation prices. UK Competition and Markets Authority - Veterinary services for household pets, Provisional decision report Part A (Oct 2025), 2025.
- [5] 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.
- [6] The CMA counted 96 independent pet crematoria sites in the UK; of 30 websites checked, 21 published prices and only 7 offered communal cremation. UK Competition and Markets Authority - Final report Appendix K: Cremations pricing, mark-ups and costs (24 Mar 2026), 2025.
- [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] 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.
- [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.
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