Clay or ink? Paw or nose? Tell us what you'd keep
Eight short questions about paw, nose and hoof prints, from when to take one to where it ends up. They're anonymous, and in one RSPCA survey 75.4%[1] of owners felt grief before their pet died, so planning questions are nothing to be shy about.
- Anonymous, one vote per question
- Live results you can check any time
- Written from real print decisions
Why ask
Why we ask owners about paw prints
Print decisions tend to be made alone, often late at night, often with a senior pet asleep nearby. It helps to know other people have wondered the same things: whether a nose print is odd, whether it's fine to let the vet do it, whether anyone else worries about smudging their only chance.
These polls are a way of sharing those small decisions without anyone having to tell a story. Each one takes a few seconds. Browse them below, vote on any that fit, and skip the rest.
Browse every poll
How owners capture paw, nose and hoof prints, when they take them and what they turn them into.
If you could keep one kind of print from your pet, which would it be?
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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Who would you rather take the print?
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Paw print or nose print?
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What worries you most about taking a print yourself?
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Where would your pet's print live?
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Whose print are you thinking about?
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How many copies of the print would your family want?
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Reading the numbers
What the results can and can't tell you
Everyone who answers chose to answer, so the results reflect people who found this site, not all pet owners. That makes them useful for seeing the range of choices people make, and much less useful for claiming what "most owners" do.
Results update live, so a question with only a handful of votes can swing a lot. Check the vote count before reading too much into a percentage. The live results page shows every question side by side.
Thinking it through
What these questions help you decide
The method question is less about materials than about what you'll do with the print. A clay disc is for holding; a flat print is for framing, scanning and engraving. If you're torn, our kit chooser settles it for your pet's size and fur.
If you could keep one kind of print from your pet, which would it be?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
The timing question is the one we most hope makes people pause. The last day is the hardest time to get a clean print, and the easiest time to forget. Our print window guide explains the options at each stage.
All eight polls
The eight paw print questions, and why each one is here
- Which print you'd keep: clay, ink, cast or engraved jewelry.
- When you took it (or will): early, at the senior stage, on the last day or by a provider.
- Who takes it: you, your family, the vet, the crematory or a maker.
- Paw or nose: or both, plus a little fur.
- Your biggest worry: wriggling, smudging, fur, mess or the emotion of it.
- Where it lives: wall, urn shelf, jewelry, tattoo or memory box.
- Whose print: dog, cat, rabbit, bird or horse.
- How many copies: one original, one each, or an original plus jewelry and art.
Dogs and cats lead, with 53%[2] of US households owning a dog and 39%[3] a cat according to the American Pet Products Association, but about 6 million[4] US households keep rabbits, guinea pigs and other small animals. The species question exists because prints are so different across animals. A rabbit has furry soles with no pads, and a horse needs paint and a board, not clay. Our services overview covers each. By our estimate, ~5.6 million[5] pet dogs and ~4.7 million[6] pet cats die in the US each year, so every one of these questions is being faced in a great many homes.
What we don't ask
Questions we deliberately left out
We don't ask how your pet died, how much you spent, or whether you think you made the right call. Those are private, and a tally of strangers' answers wouldn't help anyone feel better about their own. We also don't ask for your location, so nothing here can be traced back to you.
We kept the questions practical on purpose. "Who takes the print?" has a useful answer: if lots of readers lean towards the vet, that's a reminder to ask your clinic early. "How many copies?" nudges families to talk before the day, so nobody finds out afterwards that a grandchild wanted one too. If there's a question you think we should add, tell us through the contact page.
Alongside research
How these questions line up with published research
Our polls aren't research, but real studies touch on the same themes. On keeping things close, a summary of NFDA's 2025 consumer research found 37%[7] of Americans would keep cremated remains at home in an urn, which is often where a print ends up too. On involving children, 93.4%[8] of parents in the RSPCA's pet-loss survey wanted better guidance on helping kids through pet loss.
That second figure is why we ask about family and copies. Children often want to press the paw themselves, and there are gentle ways to let them; our guide to print-making with children walks through roles for different ages.
37%[7]
In NFDA's 2025 consumer research, 37% said they would keep cremated remains at home in an urn, and 33.5% would scatter them.
93.4%[8]
93.4% of parents in the RSPCA survey wanted better guidance on helping children through pet loss.
75.4%[1]
75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died.
Next steps
Turning your votes into a plan
If your answers were "clay", "at the senior stage" and "me, at home", you can buy a kit this week and take a print on a quiet afternoon. If they were "the vet" and "on the last day", the next step is a phone call to the clinic to ask what they offer.
Whatever you chose, you don't have to arrange it alone. Send us a few details and we'll email back who offers prints near you, or read the full checklist first. Our local pages show what's offered in your area.
Where would your pet's print live?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
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.
If you could keep one kind of print from your pet, which would it be?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
When did (or will) you take your pet's print?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Which memorial feels most like your pet?
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Questions people ask
Are the paw print polls anonymous?
Yes. We don't ask for your name or email to vote, and results are only shown as totals. One vote is counted per person per question.
Can I change my vote?
Each poll counts one vote per person, so it's worth answering the way you genuinely feel. If your plans change, that's normal; the results are a snapshot of how readers are thinking, not a commitment.
Why do you ask about horses and birds on a paw print site?
Because owners of those animals want prints too, and the methods are quite different. Horses need a painted hoof on board or a clay tray, and small birds print more cleanly on soft clay or inkless paper. Knowing who's reading helps us write the right guides.
Are the results a scientific survey?
No. Only people who visit the site and choose to vote are counted, so results show the range of choices readers make rather than what all owners do. We compare them with published research on the results page for context.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 75.4% of RSPCA pet-loss survey respondents experienced anticipatory grief before their pet died. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
- [2] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [3] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [4] About 6 million US households keep small animals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 National Pet Owners Survey release, 2025.
- [5] At least about 5.6 million pet dogs likely die in the US each year (lower-bound style estimate using one dog per dog-owning household). Our estimate: US dog-owning households (71M) x 1 dog / US dog life expectancy (12.69 yrs). How we calculate.
- [6] Roughly 4.7 million pet cats likely die in the US each year. Our estimate: US cat-owning households (53M) x 1 cat / US cat life expectancy (11.18 yrs). How we calculate.
- [7] In NFDA's 2025 consumer research, 37% said they would keep cremated remains at home in an urn, and 33.5% would scatter them. Cremation.Green summary of NFDA 2025 Cremation & Burial Report, 2025.
- [8] 93.4% of parents in the RSPCA survey wanted better guidance on helping children through pet loss. RSPCA — Pet Loss Survey Results, 2026.
Ready to arrange a 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.