Paw Prints and Fur Clippings: How to Get Them Right

Ask anyone who's lost an animal what they wish they'd done differently and two things come up more than anything else: more photos and videos with sound, and a paw print.

Both cost almost nothing. Both have to be done at a specific time. And most vets won't offer unprompted, because raising it can upset people who hadn't thought about it.

So you have to ask. Here's how, and how to do it yourself.

Ask before, not after

If a euthanasia is planned, mention it when you book: *"I'd like a paw print and a fur clipping, please."* That way it's arranged, the materials are ready, and nobody has to have the conversation in the room.

If it's unplanned and you're already there, say it as soon as you can. Most practices keep clay kits on hand.

Almost every vet will do this gladly and many won't charge for it.

Fur clippings

The simplest keepsake and the easiest to overlook.

• A small lock is enough — pea-sized to thumb-sized.
• Take it from somewhere it matters: the ruff, the tail tip, behind the ears, or a spot with distinctive colouring. For a dog with a white blaze, take some of that.
• Take more than one, from different places. People frequently want to divide it between family members later.
• Tie it with thread before storing, or it disperses.
• Keep it in a small sealed bag, a locket, a tin, or an envelope. It lasts indefinitely.

If you have a long-haired animal, a small braid is worth doing.

Paw prints: the clinic version

Two types.

Ink prints. A pad of non-toxic ink, press the paw onto card. Fast, free, and most practices can do it in thirty seconds. Ask for several — they're prone to smudging and you want at least one good one.

Clay impressions. Air-dry clay or a purpose-made kit, pressed and left to set. More substantial, more like a keepsake object, usually a small charge.

Practical points:

• The paw needs to be clean and dry. Ask them to clean it first.
• Long fur between the toes ruins the impression. Ask them to trim it if needed.
• Press firmly and evenly — a shallow print looks like nothing.
• Do it after they've gone, not before. A conscious animal pulls their paw back and you get a smear. There is nothing disrespectful about this; it's simply when it works.

Doing it yourself at home

You can absolutely do this, and if you're having a home euthanasia it's often better because you're not rushing.

What you need:

• Air-dry clay (craft shops, roughly R60–R150) or salt dough made from flour, salt and water
• A rolling pin or a bottle
• A round cutter, a glass, or just your hands
• A straw or skewer if you want a hole for hanging

Method:

1. Roll the clay to about 1.5cm thick — thinner than this and it cracks as it dries.

2. Cut or shape a round about 10cm across, bigger for a large dog.

3. Clean and dry the paw. Trim the fur between the pads if it's long.

4. Press the paw down firmly and straight down, not at an angle. Support the leg with your other hand. Press harder than feels necessary — a good impression shows the pad shapes clearly.

5. Lift straight up.

6. Make the hanging hole now if you want one.

7. Leave to dry flat, out of direct sun, for at least 48 hours — longer for thick pieces. Direct heat causes cracking.

8. Optional: seal with a clear varnish, or paint the impression.

Salt dough recipe if you'd rather: two cups flour, one cup salt, roughly one cup water. Mix to a firm dough. Same method, then bake at 100°C for two to three hours until hard.

Make two. One will crack, or you'll want to give one to someone.

Ink prints at home

Even simpler. A child's non-toxic ink pad, or slightly-diluted acrylic paint on a sponge. Press the paw, then press onto good quality paper or card.

Do several. Frame the best one.

For a very small pet, a nose print sometimes works too.

Photographs and video — the bigger regret

More people regret this than the paw print.

Photograph the details, not just the face. Their paws. The white patch. The ears. Your hand on their head. Them asleep in their spot.

Take video with sound. This is the one. The bark, the purr, the sigh, the clatter of nails on a floor, the noise they make at the fridge. Almost nobody has this, and almost everybody wishes they did. Thirty seconds of them just existing in a room, with the sound on.

Get in the photo yourself. Most people have thousands of pictures of their pet and almost none of the two of them together.

Print some. Photos on a phone get lost, and phones get replaced. Print six and put them somewhere.

If you didn't get any of it

Some deaths are sudden and there's no opportunity. If that's you, there are still things:

• Go through old photos and pick the best ones to print
• Check for video in old phone backups and cloud accounts — people often find things they'd forgotten
• Hair on a blanket, in a car seat, or in a hairbrush is still theirs. It's still worth collecting.
• Their collar, their tag, their favourite toy

Afterwards

The best place for these is usually one small box — collar, tag, fur, paw print, a printed photo. Not on display necessarily. Just somewhere you know where it is.