Five Things to Do with a Pet Paw Print

Creative Memorial Keepsakes Can Help with Managing Grief

The bonds we make with those we love don’t go away when they die. This is just as true of our pets as any other loved one. Their spirit may be gone, but we feel just as strongly connected to them as when they were by our side.

This is one reason that memorial keepsake items can be helpful for managing grief. Healing from a loss takes time, and there will never be a substitute for your unique furry family member. But physical reminders of your pet can help to ease some of the pain of grief by keeping a link to their memory alive.

Best Friends Pet Passings & Cremations offers a variety of pet memorial options for this purpose, from customized urns to memorial jewelry. We also offer ink and sand pawprints with some of our cremation packages.

How Pawprints Can Be Made

An animal’s paw print is just as unique as a person’s fingerprint. It’s their literal mark on the world, and looking at it can be a reminder of the precious memories you’ve shared and the impact they had on your life. 

Your vet’s office may volunteer to make a print for you when your pet is euthanized or passes at the clinic. If not, Best Friends can make one for you before we perform the cremation. We offer your choice of an ink print, which is laminated for protection and ready to be framed if you wish, or a sand print, which comes in a decorative box frame.

We can also create a digital paw or nose print that can be engraved on the jewelry, wooden plaques, and bamboo urns that we offer.

If you’d like, you can incorporate the print into a design or craft of your own making as well.

Creative Ways to Use a Paw Print

1– Framed in a Shadow Box

Your pet’s paw print could be framed on its own or as part of a collage of memorial keepsakes. Their collar or tag, a swatch of fur, a favorite toy, and a photograph are all wonderful accompaniments for a print. You can choose colors for the frame that will match your home decor and hang it on the wall or place it on a shelf or mantel alongside your companion’s ashes.

2 – Tattooed on Your Body

Pet paw print tattoos can be a beautiful and permanent reminder of the bond you share. You could place an outline of the paw over your heart. Did your kitty always perch on your knee? Was your parakeet always climbing your shoulder? You can have their prints tattooed there in their honor. You can make the design as simple or complex as you prefer.

3 – Made Into Jewelry

There are many services and companies who will etch a copy of your pet’s paw print into metal so you can wear it as a ring, necklace, bracelet, or other item of memorial jewelry. Cast resin pendants made from a mold of your pet’s paw are another option. Some designs allow you to add your pet’s name, an etching of your own thumb print, or other customizations. We can engrave your pet’s paw or nose print into memorial jewelry that we sell.

4 – Sewn or Printed Onto a Fabric

You could have your pet’s paw print reproduced onto a pillow or blanket to snuggle up with, or even stitched into a plushie. The design can be actual size or enlarged as big as you wish. It can be printed onto fabric, embroidered, or stitched on as a patch. There are near limitless possibilities.

5 – Made Into a Memorial Marker

If your pet’s ashes are buried in the garden, you might wish to leave a memorial stone or other marker bearing their paw print as part of the epitaph. You can also use a personalized memorial marker as a permanent tribute after scattering their ashes. There are also companies that can turn the print into a pocket stone that you can carry with you wherever you go.

Finding Comfort in Memorialization

Many people find the process of making something creative helps with processing the emotions of grief after a loss. Even if you’re not crafty, the process of picking out a place to display the print and choosing a nice frame, or ordering something custom-made, can serve a similar purpose in giving an outlet for your grief.

At Best Friends Pet Passings & Cremations, we offer your choice of an ink or sand pawprint with all Tribute and Private cremations. The imprint is taken while your pet is being prepared for cremation so that you will always have a part of them to keep with you.

We can also help with other types of pet memorials, from customized urns to cremation jewelry for their ashes. For more information, or to arrange a pet’s cremation and memorial services, we are here for you at (505) 345-5615.