Guides
Remembering them

Should I keep their things? I want to keep a paw print or fur

People handle this in different ways, both what to keep and when to sort things out. Some vet clinics will take a paw print or a small lock of fur for you.

For: The first week, The first month, Months later　5 owners asked about this

A real example

An animal hospital in Florida first checks that the owner wants one. Staff press the pet's paw into clay, cut it with a heart-shaped mold, add the name, let it dry, paint it, and call the owner to pick it up.

News, dvm360, 21 Dec 2009Read the original

What others said

「My dog just passed. I want to make a keychain from the fur and take a paw print before cremation.」

Shared online (reworded)　Japan, Oct 2026

「My 18-year-old dog is gone, yet I still look for him. I decided to give his walker to a friend.」

Shared online (reworded)　Japan, Oct 2026

「Almost two years after my papillon passed, I found its bouncy ball and decided to keep it.」

Shared online (reworded)　Japan, Oct 2026

「One month after my dog passed, the memorial box with its name and photo arrived.」

Shared online (reworded)　Japan, Oct 2026

What people do in different places

Clay paw prints, or paw prints on a cardUS: some vet clinics make these for owners
Keep a lock of fur in a small vialUS: some clinics use an empty vaccine vial with a ribbon
Put a photo and fur together in a shadow boxUS: one keepsake vet clinics give owners
Keep the mat they lay on that last dayTaiwan: an owner's story collected in a news article
Keep the ashes at home, or in a necklaceJapan: some wait to be buried with them later
Place the ashes where they used to lieUK: what one Blue Cross counselor did
Put them in a keepsakee.g. a memory jar (our product)

Sources

dvm360: Pet memorial: clay paw printsNews, dvm360, 21 Dec 2009
AAHA: Memorializing deceased patientsOrganisation, American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), 25 Nov 2024
UDN Health: What owners miss most about their late petsNews, 聯合報 元氣網, 27 Mar 2024
Shukan Josei PRIME: How people in Japan memorialize pets todayNews, 週刊女性PRIME, 28 Jan 2018
PTS News: UK charity Blue Cross runs a pet bereavement lineNews, 公視新聞網, 7 Mar 2025
5 posts from owners online: reworded and anonymised, showing only the platform, region and month. We keep the original links privately.

Updated 25 Oct 2026. This page updates daily from owners’ posts.

Read next

How do I remember them? I want to write about their last daysWhat can I do with the ashes? Do I need to decide now?Is it okay to keep the ashes at home?
Create a memorial page for them