# Has anyone saved their dog's paws?



## puffswami

My boy is 8 years old and I don't think I can bear to lose him when that day comes. I think getting your pet taxidermied is a bit odd but have considered just getting his front paws stuffed.

Has anyone else done this? Am I being weird? I dunno, what can I say, I love my dogs.

I would appreciate any sincere replies.


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## gsdsar

No but I have a paw print and some hair 


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## llombardo

I have the paw print, I don't think I want the actual paw.


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## Jax08

No. I have to be honest, my first reaction was a lurch in my stomach. To me, that would be desecrating their body and I would no more do that than keep my child's foot.

How about you have his paw print put in a stone? Or keep some of this ashes in a locket?


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## JackandMattie

I have my Skada's ashes sealed in a nice wooden box with a nameplate on the front. It sits on a low shelf in the middle of the living room... At dog level, where the action is. 

I don't think I could do paws  Even though I do love them an awful lot!

Eek!


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## LoveEcho

Yeah... I think for me it'd be like having a person's hand or something *shiver* I do have my previous dog's ashes in an urn. A friend has a locket with her dog's ashes in it, which I like the idea of, at least just to have. I tell my husband that when I die, I want him to mix my ashes with Echo's. He thinks I'm kidding.


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## Shaolin

Yeah. I don't think I'd ever taxidermy a pet, but having ashes around would be great.


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## puffswami

I just don't think I can bear to lose another pet. They are really the only close relationships I have. I really come apart and feel like driving off of a cliff when I think about my pets dying. I figured maybe having something part of him is better than nothing. And ironically, I think ashes are sort of gross but a dog paw isn't.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

This is kind of creepy to me. What about saving the hair from when you brush him and have it spun and made into a pillow, teddy bear, or something else. There are several companies who do this.

I like the idea of the ashes in a locket and paw print in stone or other material. You could even have a necklace or tattoo made from the paw print pattern.


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## puffswami

I don't understand the "creepy" remarks. I think eating a lot of different kinds of meat is creepy like Chinese people do. And pigs are super intelligent and emotional and loving creatures so its creepy to me how bacon is so beloved by people. Pigs probably are better than dogs as pets if you have a good relationship with the pig. I have heard from several sources that pigs are really cognizant that something very bad is going to happen to them in slaughterhouses. 

I remember when I was a kid, rabbit's paws were considered lucky? I vaguely remember seeing keychains with paws attached. Maybe they were fake though.


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## JackandMattie

A paw print tattoo! Hehehe..


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## Jax08

I think with rabbit's paws, they were not personal. You wouldn't be the first person to stuff their pet. Like I said, to me that would be desecrating their bodies.


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## Smith3

I'd find that extremely strange. 

I think getting a paw print picture or tattoo would be much more appropriate to me, IMO. 

But, to each their own.


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## Sunflowers




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## LoveEcho

puffswami said:


> I don't understand the "creepy" remarks. I think eating a lot of different kinds of meat is creepy like Chinese people do. And pigs are super intelligent and emotional and loving creatures so its creepy to me how bacon is so beloved by people. Pigs probably are better than dogs as pets if you have a good relationship with the pig. I have heard from several sources that pigs are really cognizant that something very bad is going to happen to them in slaughterhouses.
> 
> I remember when I was a kid, rabbit's paws were considered lucky? I vaguely remember seeing keychains with paws attached. Maybe they were fake though.


Hey, you asked  I think at the end of the day, all that matters is what YOU think about it. If it brings comfort to you and is meaningful to you, then who cares what anyone else thinks.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

puffswami said:


> I remember when I was a kid, rabbit's paws were considered lucky? I vaguely remember seeing keychains with paws attached. Maybe they were fake though.


Well those rabbits weren't someone's pets, just like you don't eat your pets, or skin them to wear their fur as a coat, or skin as leather.

That's what's creepy to me...


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## onyx'girl

photo's, memories and a tuft of the fur are good for me...I have Clover's ashes with her photo and some of her fur tucked into her box. Clover was the first pet I've had cremated, and I'd rather bury them, but it was frozen ground when she passed.
I could never freeze dry or stuff any of my pets. I save the prettier feathers of my parrots as they molt them. That's as far as I go.


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## Jukebox

get the paw print tattoo with the dogs ashes in the ink. i think i may do this when my puppy dies in 25,000 years...


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## selzer

When we were little, my dad used to go hunting, and he would bring home rabbit and we would eat rabbit. Yes my dad cut the paws off, and he would let us have them. My mom would collect them and throw them away when we were not looking. Yuck!!!

But they were not pets. They were not something we named and lived with. 

I guess I have to go with the idea being a bit creepy. And, if you literally contemplate suicide when you think of losing your furry friend, then maybe you need to talk to a counsellor, and they can help you work toward making meaningful human relationships, and how not to set yourself up for the terrible pits. Because dogs only live 10 years or so, so we are going to lose them. Some of them we lose a lot sooner than that. And if all our eggs are in that basket, we will be a basket-case when they go. 

The answer is not to keep a bit of the their shell to remember them by. Take lots of pictures of your dog, and sometimes when I lose one, I will give myself some time to grieve, then I will go back and find a number of pictures that best captures their personality, and I will write a memorial and add the pictures. We have a section here for that. 

On my mantle, I have two little engraved curved pieces of glass that say something like, In loving memory of Arwen, and the other was for Dubya. My vet sent them to me when I lost them. I have them next to each other and a small figurine of a sleeping German Shepherd Dog. 

That, and pictures and memories of who they were is enough. But I had other dogs when they passed, and I will have other dogs when they pass. I expect I will probably have a dog or two when I pass. Somehow, I cannot picture life without a dog.


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## LoveOscar

Make sure to research keeping ashes. I couldnt keep my cat with me when my husband and I were on orders, and so I sent her to my mom and she passed away before I could get her back (she was old and sick). Well I asked for her ashes, and my mom tried, but the place that cremated her would not allow my mom to claim them. They changed the rules/laws on that in some places. So my mom is compiling a picture book for me, but I really wish I had something else from her.

With Oscar, I will probably try to have a pewter paw print or something made. I even saw a necklace of a NOSE print, which I think is so cute. I love my dogs nose, I might have both done.

LO


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## LoveOscar

Pet Nose Print Necklace

LO


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## NancyJ

I have and cherish the paw print in clay.

I did ashes for a few then realized that having their ashes really did not mean that much to me so I quit doing it but for others it gives them comfort and that is ok, too.

Personally I would have a hard time with any taxidermy or keeping any body parts.


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## puffswami

I definitely like people, but 99% of the personal relationships you have with people are purely transactional. What can you give me for what I can give you? Even parental love isn't as pure and loving as it is portrayed on TV. 

So, I love my pets more so and GSDs seem especially intuitive of people's feelings. 

The problem with ashes and cremation is how do you know that those ashes are those of your pet? Those folks don't get paid a lot and are prolly drinking a Coke and smoking a cigarette while loading up the crematorium. You really think they care enough to make sure you get the exact pile of ashes meant for you.

I know it seems like I have trust issues or something, but better safe than sorry.


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## NancyJ

I have taken my dog directly to the crematorium, watched as they loaded him in and pulled out the bones/ashes then ran them through the crusher; it was a small business the man ran on the side. At some point, it requires a certain level of trust...same with human ashes.

I do wish to differ with you concerning the purity of true unconditional love and it has nothing to do with TV. I am sorry your experiences are different in this regard.


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## LoveEcho

puffswami said:


> The problem with ashes and cremation is how do you know that those ashes are those of your pet? Those folks don't get paid a lot and are prolly drinking a Coke and smoking a cigarette while loading up the crematorium. You really think they care enough to make sure you get the exact pile of ashes meant for you.
> 
> I know it seems like I have trust issues or something, but better safe than sorry.


I understand that sentiment, for sure. I think a lot of the run-of-the-mill places are run this way.

We were lucky enough to have a very loving pet crematorium a few towns over that we found doing some research. The very small staff were extremely sensitive and caring, the place was spotless. I really trust that my dog's ashes were in fact hers. The funeral home in our very small town offered to cremate my husband's mother's dog when it passed a few weeks after she did, which was really nice.


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## readaboutdogs

Yes I agree with seltzer, I have Cody's ashes, i have some of his hair,I keep a picture of him by my bed. He went to the bridge this past sept. true, I long to wrap my arms around his neck, run my hands over him, I can almost "feel" how his hair, his little "crook" tail was(when we got him as a pup it had been broke, probably shut in a door), but it is his life spirit, his true self, that made him Cody I miss. His company, that great life force.


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## puffswami

Good idea!

Yeah, maybe I should drive to a small town on the outskirts of my city for a cremation if I choose that route. Where I live you either go to large funeral homes or there is a pick-up/drop-off service for cremains.


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## JackandMattie

I'm not sure you have to worry about tracking the ashes. It comforts me to believe the ashes I have are Skada's... But that's all I really need is to believe... Actually just accept... That they are his. 

I was at work. I couldn't be there when he passed. I couldn't be there for his cremation. He was never the type who would have held it against me. So, respectfully, neither do I. 

The facility said they are his ashes. I honor them as such. I cherish my memories with him far more!


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## arycrest

Personally it would creep me out to have an actual body part of one of the Hooligans laying around. I have my guys cremated and have always planned on having their ashes buried with me, but I have so many (Andy, Echo and Tasha's ashes are buried up in Maryland, I have the urns and boxes of the others here in the house) that I'm not sure it could be done. Now I'm thinking of burying their ashes here and planting a pretty flowering tree over their grave. But then if I do that and have to sell this place I'd feel bad leaving them.


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## Sarah~

I think he's your dog and when he passes if you want to do something like that to help comfort you that's up to you. Everybody goes through it differently I personally would not do that but that's just me.


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## Chicagocanine

I had a DNA pendant made of both Bianca my Shepherd, and also my previous Golden Retriever Ginger's DNA:
Perpetua Life Jewel Story | Pet DNA Jewelry | DNA Jewelry Dog | Pet Keepsake Jewelry

I also have their pawprints and locks of their fur. My vet does clay paw prints whenever someone loses a pet, and I also have paw prints in plaster/sand from when we went to dog camp. Those are really pretty.
I also saved her (clean) undercoat from brushing Ginger because she had soft undercoat and a nice fur color and I plan to have it made into a teddybear eventually. You can look up chiengora, spinning with dog hair.
Oh yeah also when we had our front sidewalk replaced, I waited until the concrete was nearly dry and then I took Ginger out and pressed her paw in to make a pawprint at the edge of the walk, so whenever I go outside I can see her print there.


It is easy to make a sand paw, you just need a bowl with damp sand and some plaster of Paris. They did it at the dog camp I went to with my dogs, they also had some little stones and seashells and things you could add to the sand. You just place your dog's paw into the sand and press down to make an impression. If you put their paw in the sand and don't like the result you can just keep smoothing out the sand and trying again until you like how it looks. Then when you have a nice paw print (and if you want you can also press some stones/shells in) you carefully pour in the plaster of Paris and let it dry. When you pull it out and flip it over, you have a positive image of the dog's paw, with a sandy layer over it.


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## Shaolin

arycrest said:


> Personally it would creep me out to have an actual body part of one of the Hooligans laying around. I have my guys cremated and have always planned on having their ashes buried with me, but I have so many (Andy, Echo and Tasha's ashes are buried up in Maryland, I have the urns and boxes of the others here in the house) that I'm not sure it could be done. Now I'm thinking of burying their ashes here and planting a pretty flowering tree over their grave. But then if I do that and have to sell this place I'd feel bad leaving them.


I know how weird this sounds, but we plan on buying a regular sized urn and splitting up the remains so we both get half of everyone between us, then putting our halves into a single urn to be buried in our own casket. Mixing everyone into one urn doesn't bother us as I'm sure, as they were inseperable in life, they are also inseperable at the Rainbow Bridge.

@ChicagoCanine: I am a spinner, and I spun a small spindle of Cheyenne after she passed. It's probably no more than 30 yds, but I have it.


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## Lilie

I do find saving a paw from when of my dogs creepy. I don't want to imagine having their paw sawed off, even if they are dead already. I also know that I won't live forever and I don't want to consider what would happen to their paw after I'm gone. 

I have an antique wooden box. It has dog fur, collars, pieces of horse manes, dog tags etc. and pictures of those animals inside. Just memories. We have the ability to bury the animal on our property. I haven't ever considered anything else. Mostly because I don't want to worry about what happens to their remains after I'm gone. I wouldn't want them ending up in some trash dump somewhere.


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## Stosh

To answer your question...yes, I think you're weird


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Also, how do you plan on getting the paw? Would you be cutting it off yourself? Could you do that to your dog's body?


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## bga

I personally wouldn't keep the paws, but if that will bring you comfort then do it.

One piece of advice I would offer though is to enjoy every moment you still have with him. Eight years might not be a pup anymore, but you might still have 3, 4, 5 years with him, perhaps even more if you're lucky.

We lost our precious Kiya a couple months ago at 12 years old, and although it is slightly easier now, I still feel devastated and will never get over it completely. We did have some warning, so we were able to truely appreciate each and every day of our last couple months with her. I would give anything to have years left...

Enjoy the time you have ... don't dwell too much on something that might be years away....


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## Midnight12

I too would not want a paw, but I do have plaster cast of my last gsd paw, and I planted a rose bush with her ashes.


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## ShatteringGlass

I had Sydney cremated, I have her ashes in a locked cedar box on shelf with her photos, collar, and her paw print that they cast for me. I have a long chain necklace that has a photo engraved with her picture on one side and on the other it says "Forever in my Heart" with her name and her dates. I wear it everyday. 

I also have her winter fleece coat, complete with all her little hairs stuck to it. I keep that on my bed next to my pillows


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## llombardo

My sister got a tattoo of her cats paw prints. I think that is a good idea if you like tattoos.


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## onyx'girl

This is a memory for me, though I don't know which dog it belongs to, other than I know it isn't Kacie, she has dinner plate sized paws/pads!


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## LoveOscar

arycrest said:


> Personally it would creep me out to have an actual body part of one of the Hooligans laying around. I have my guys cremated and have always planned on having their ashes buried with me, but I have so many (Andy, Echo and Tasha's ashes are buried up in Maryland, I have the urns and boxes of the others here in the house) that I'm not sure it could be done. Now I'm thinking of burying their ashes here and planting a pretty flowering tree over their grave. But then if I do that and have to sell this place I'd feel bad leaving them.


Get one of those big whiskey barrel planters, TSC sell them, as well as other gardening/farming places. That way you can still 'bury' them, it'll just be in a heavy arse (but still portable) planter and you can still grow a small flowering tree.

LO


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## Nikkavy

We actually talked about getting our 13 year old's ears preserved/mounted and made into some kind of bookend. So we could be reminded of how they are always peeking over the edge of the bed/couch/carseat. She's white with BIG ginger ears.

But then we had to consider how we'd manage to remove them for taxidermy, and the cost. So I'm trying to come up with a better option. She's my boyfriend's "heart dog" so I'd really like him to have a nice keepsake that is not too "girly". I'm thinking maybe a scarf or lap blanket, but I am not a spinner.

I don't think it's creepy at all, but then I'm sure there are some things I'd find creepy that seem perfectly normal to the next person!


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## redandgold

Yuck. I literally just shivered.

My dog is still a teenager in dog terms so I won't have to worry about that for at least a decade, but NO, no cutting through her poor skeleton >.<


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## hunterisgreat

I was going to make a trust fund when I die, with the caveat that the benefactor must display my creepily posed taxidermied carcass in their foyer... Also too far?


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## Tankin

A framed picture will be enough for me.


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## GSDLover2000

What I do is: Get a paw print in stone/cement, and get another print but with paint like on a piece of paper and then frame that. Then I turn the dog house, into, like a "shrine". Shrine sounds weird, but I have pictures, with the dog collar, and bed and toys and bowls, and in the middle are the ashes. All of that really preserves the dog without desecrating the corpse like chopping the feet off. That seems cruel, even if the dog is passed. Just keep some memories, don't keep the dog... Hope you figure this out


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## Konotashi

Our pets are all cremated. 

There's also a company I know of (I'm sure there's more like it) that can take some ashes (from pets and humans alike) and blow it into beautiful glass figures. 
I saw several in person, and they truly are beautiful works of art. Here's a website to give you an idea what some of them can look like. Many companies will blow the glass into jewelry for you, also.
Solstice Glass - Glass Cremation Memorials

There are also lockets/charms so your pet is always with you. Then there are the traditional urns. 

My first tattoo was a memorial for my very near and dear pets that I'd lost. I'll be getting another one before too long for two more before too long. 
This is my tattoo with paw prints for my hedgehog, three of my sugar gliders, and my ferret that have all passed on. I made sure that the composition of the tattoo would be easy to add onto. (This pic was taken as soon as it was done).


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## doggiedad

what part of your body are you going to leave for your dog if
you go first?


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## jafo220

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Not to sound cold or disrespectful, but wouldn't having thier paws stuffed be about the same thing as having the entire dog stuffed? To me it would. I wouldn't do that. I have ashes from two dogs. Thats enough for me.


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## GSDMUM

I am used to wierd things myself but I personally think that saving paws is not the thing to do. My GSD, Brandy passed and we have her ashes ( yes, they are hers), some hair, a photo, her collar, and a cast of her paw print. I think the hair being woven into something is a great idea. If not, just clip a long tuft of hair, seal one side in wax or hot glue and put a little ribbon on the end of it and attach it to her photo.


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## kiya

The night we lost Cheyenne I couldn't sleep. I pulled every picture I could find of him, I took the best along with his collar & tags. I've added my horse's hair I cut from his tail and pictures. When the time comes for this crew I will add the puppy stuff and such.
I don't think I need to cut their paws off.


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## VTGirlT

I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO said:


> paw print in stone or other material. You could even have a necklace or tattoo made from the paw print pattern.


I really really like this idea! 



doggiedad said:


> what part of your body are you going to leave for your dog if
> you go first?


Doggiedad said what i was thinking in my head..


I think perhaps it is a bit odd that you would want to save the paws, it is just like having your dog stuffed in my mind. To me its a bit barbaric- and that is my very honest opinion. I also do not save ashes, i understand having your animal cremated during the winter, etc. because it is hard to bury them.
At the animal shelter i work at, we have a cremation- i learned to do it, but did not continue. And if you do a semi-private, you do it with at least one other animal in the oven. If you do private.. horrible as it is and depending on the size of the animal, people tend to put at least one other animal in there too.. But for the most part it is just your own animals ashes, obviously its not perfect you may get small bits from other animals. 
Personally, I bury my animals. After all the carcass is no longer your precious loved one.. "You don't have a *soul*. You are a *soul*. You have a body." And is the same with animals in my opinion. 
I love the idea saving paw prints in clay or on paper. I saved some hair from one of my cats and my sister did a lovely painting of her and i framed it. That is how i honor and celebrate the life of my precious animals. I totally understand being a complete wreck after your animal passes, they mean the world to us, they were something that was completely constant in our lives and they were our world.. 
However, everyone mourns differently and so I hope you find some way that will help you mourn healthily and to help you move on. I also think about Zelda's death and how devastating it will be. But i try to enjoy the time i have with her- and that is all i can do.


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## GSxOwner

LoveEcho said:


> Yeah... I think for me it'd be like having a person's hand or something *shiver* I do have my previous dog's ashes in an urn. A friend has a locket with her dog's ashes in it, which I like the idea of, at least just to have. I tell my husband that when I die, I want him to mix my ashes with Echo's. He thinks I'm kidding.


Oh that's funny- I have tried telling my husband the same thing and it just freaks him out too much and he doesn't want to hear it, finally gave up and told my best friend lol.


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## asja

I had this made:


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## stmcfred

Too creepy for me. I'm fine with a picture, their collar, and a clump of hair. 

And I totally thought the rabbit feet were fake!


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## COSprings_John

When my Ripley passed, I could barely stand, let alone as for her "paw"  . Perhaps a paw print, a lock of her hair to remember her by. I did keep her collar, tags, have them hung up in a place of honor for her...

John


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## blackshep

We had my parent's Lab's paw print set in a plaster plaque type of thing, it was cute. I wouldn't keep their actual paw though, that would creep me out. I also feel like they would not be whole, which would bug me. I wouldn't want to mutilate their body (sorry for lack of a better word), but lay their whole body to rest.


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## blackshep

asja said:


> I had this made:


I like that, where did you get it done?


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## asja

blackshep said:


> I like that, where did you get it done?


Patty Paws: Patty-Paws for your Precious Pet!

It's very nice bronze. I've had two done. I have one more dog I want to have done also.


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## alexg

looks like the OP is back in the asylum...


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## wolfy dog

Was the OP serious? WD is buried whole and intact on our property with everything he was born with. I cannot imagine butchering his beautiful body to steal some parts of him. They belong to him. 
What will that even be like when you just lost a great dog? To me that would be the ultimate betrayal of my good buddy.
My hands hold the memory of his paws. Holding his paws in my hands was the sweetest thing to do when he was relaxed; warm, soft, sturdy and the sandpaper feel of his pads. I can still feel and smell them (earthy). But I can not look at his pictures yet. Can barely look at his avatar.


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## SusiQ

Stuffed? -totally creepy IMHO - and the comment about a parent's love for a child - really? - the OP must not have any children. My Schatzie's collar and tags are still hanging in my garage with all the leashes. She was buried in a pet cemetery about 15 minutes from home.


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## puffswami

I was not necessarily wrong about my intent but definitely not in the right mind when I made this thread. So, I've made a 180 change of opinion about whether I would save one of my dog's paws should he die before me. I also considered that people save dead ones cremated remains. Always saw rabbits feet as child on keychains and as trinkets so I figured maybe people saved their dog's paws as well, seemed like a reasonable idea when I made this thread at least. 

This guy below changed my mind. Just saw him on abcnews talking about pentecostal preaching and snake handling. Anyway he has been bitten numerous times by poisonous rattlers and vipers (most likely because the snake is immature or did not inject enough venom & not because as he preaches that God protects him from being poisoned). Anyway, he apparently was bit on one of his fingers as he was handling his snake during a religious sermon and his entire finger became gangrene and rotted off his body. 

_He casually showed the blackened and dehydrated dead finger to abcnews. The journalist asked him "why did you keep the finger?" His matter-of-fact reply was "my wife said she wanted to keep it to remember me by!"
_
*I immediately came to the realization that saving a dog's paw (and worse holding it...ewww!) would not console me and that saving a piece of him (literally) didn't matter as long as I had memories and pictures of him. *

Pentecostal Pastors Argue 'Snake Handling' Is Their Religious Right - ABC News


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## blehmannwa

"I was born a snake handler and I will die a snake handler."
Moe


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## Baillif

The stuffed dog from Scrubs was pretty funny. 










Maybe not so funny in person though...nope still funny.


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## ozzymama

So the actions of a zealot completely change ones mind. Interesting. I keep nothing of my dog's and actually - I had to share a room when I had my daughter found the desire of the mother in the next bed to have her child's footprints and finger prints done immediately after birth so she could have a tattoo done of them - odd. However to each their own, what one person does to celebrate a life, is their own choice. The body is just a vessel to carry the spirit, if the spirit stays with me in a memory, that is all I need, if it doesn't - well all things are revealed in time and I am sure I will find out why not. I have pictures of my departed dog and memories, I declined a paw print and cremated her with her collar - which was $50 LOL. I see her in pictures and dreams, she's always with me and she sent our dog Dolly to remind me of her daily, the Diva-ness, the coloring, just a way bigger package!


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## puffswami

I seriously become very emotional about the thought of my GSD dying. I have two dogs but the GSD is like my "favorite child". He is always kind, thoughtful and obedient whereas my english bulldog seems to view me less affectionately (_I think it is because english bulldogs know they are the cutest dogs in the world so are aware they can get away with being arrogant!_). Whenever I notice my GSDs graying muzzle and it really breaks my heart. I love both my dogs but the GSD is really something special.

Thanks for the advice!


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## blehmannwa

Beautiful dogs. Bulldog butts are the best.


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## middleofnowhere

Many people wear leather shoes and/or jackets, eat meat. Hunters often taxidermy their kill or parts of it. Historically, it was common for Victorians to taxidermy their pets. One museum I worked at had a St. Bernard that had been taxidermied. 
I've considered that or tanning hides but didn't do it. Why do people find this creepy? Is it any more creepy than dumping their body in a grave or cremating them? It's not what we have come to do recently but why does that make it creepy? 
As for whose ashes you get back - to me the ashes or symbolic. I go for group cremation if they offer the remains back afterward because I regard the ashes as symbolic. Sometimes they will not do this unless you have private cremation. If I could bury the dogs myself, I would probably do that where I am now. Unfortunately, the ground was pretty darned hard and I didn't see excavation being successful in the time I had. At least ashes are easy to move about. If I had 9 taxidermied specimen of 50 to 90 lb dogs to move... or place around the house - that would be a real challenge!
There is a practical side to this, too. Where can you legally bury an animal? Usually it has to be X amount away from a stream or water source, x amount away from a property line, etc. Ashes are just easier to deal with.


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## sourdough44

I recently buried our beloved Lab, Katy. My wife mention a few options, I wasn't interested. The best way to remember them is memories and pictures, maybe ashes is burial isn't an option for you.

I do lay them on their best bed & put a few things in with them.


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## sarah1366

Couldn't save a paw would find that too hard with mine I've kept there collars leads and I have a memorial wall of my dogs that I've had and lost but the best taken pictures of them and alot of happy memories 

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## halo2013

I've always done clay paw prints. 

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## xtramile

selzer said:


> When we were little, my dad used to go hunting, and he would bring home rabbit and we would eat rabbit. Yes my dad cut the paws off, and he would let us have them. My mom would collect them and throw them away when we were not looking. Yuck!!!
> 
> But they were not pets. They were not something we named and lived with.
> 
> I guess I have to go with the idea being a bit creepy. And, if you literally contemplate suicide when you think of losing your furry friend, then maybe you need to talk to a counsellor, and they can help you work toward making meaningful human relationships, and how not to set yourself up for the terrible pits. Because dogs only live 10 years or so, so we are going to lose them. Some of them we lose a lot sooner than that. And if all our eggs are in that basket, we will be a basket-case when they go.
> 
> The answer is not to keep a bit of the their shell to remember them by. Take lots of pictures of your dog, and sometimes when I lose one, I will give myself some time to grieve, then I will go back and find a number of pictures that best captures their personality, and I will write a memorial and add the pictures. We have a section here for that.
> 
> On my mantle, I have two little engraved curved pieces of glass that say something like, In loving memory of Arwen, and the other was for Dubya. My vet sent them to me when I lost them. I have them next to each other and a small figurine of a sleeping German Shepherd Dog.
> 
> That, and pictures and memories of who they were is enough. But I had other dogs when they passed, and I will have other dogs when they pass. I expect I will probably have a dog or two when I pass. Somehow, I cannot picture life without a dog.


^ This


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## halo2013

Couldn't save a paw would find that too hard with mine I've kept there collars leads and I have a memorial wall of my dogs that I've had and lost but the best taken pictures of them and alot of happy memories 

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When my previous dog Koda was killed I kept her collar its hanging around my review mirror. So everyday I have apart of her with me


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## 4paws

I've had 2 boys cross over the Rainbow Bridge. I have Paw prints from both and have saved their collars/ tags. I've put them on my fireplace mantel along with their ashes. I also have some old pictures of my grandparents next to them on the mantel, because I know they are playing fetch and relaxing with them in Heaven. I have a few nice pictures of each dog that I've been meaning to frame and put on the mantel as well.


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## misslesleedavis1

I have never but its such a good idea i will


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## LoveDogs

I've thought about turning their ashes to diamonds. Life gems they call them. My husband thinks I'm crazy. :help:


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## SiegersMom

I would go with a paw print and maybe even weaving some hair into a necklace or putting a bit in a locket if you want it with you. You could even have a shadow box made showing a nice picture or him, a paw stamp, and include a hair section tied with ribbon like you would do with baby's fist hair. That would look nice hanging anywhere and be less odd than actual stuffed paws.


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## SiegersMom

If I really wanted a conversation piece I could just see my dogs rear end with his big floppy tail mounted...Now that would leave an impression He has the happiest tail you have ever met!!!! I dread the day we never see it again. In all seriousness...you will come up with the best way for YOU to remember your dog when the day comes.


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## msstone

If you want to get a paw print made into jewelry. I have a craftsmen who will do that for you. It could be made into a pendant or a pin. In gold or platinum with diamonds or with out. It is ok to say that here, if it is not I am sorry. Contact me if you want one done.


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## AnyaGSD

my brother did a paw print tattoo. Really like the idea now


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## McWeagle

I have a paw print tattoo; on my left side, near my heart. The paw print is from my current dog, and I have a list of names of all my other dogs going down my side underneath the paw print. I also like the clay paw print idea.


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## Declan

I know this is an old thread, but a taxidermist wouldn't cut the paws off to stuff/mount them. They would remove the skin and fur. It's exactly like leather, except the hair is still attached.

Personally, I don't find it odd to keep your dog's paws. However, I'm not sure what you would do with stuffed/mounted paws. Unmounted, they would look like this wolf paw: 

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs50/i/2009/278/6/9/Wolf_Paw_Size_Comparison_by_FossilFeather.png

Saving his loose or brushed-out fur in a plush toy may work better for you.


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## Sunflowers

NOOOOOooooooo... Not this thread again


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## Declan

Sunflowers said:


> NOOOOOooooooo... Not this thread again


I didn't realize the last post was a few weeks ago - had a brain fart. Sorry to traumatize you all over again.


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## KaiserandStella

Wow.. I just read this thread for the first time and I must say it was very creepy. Personally, I would go with the paw prints in clay and keeping the collar/tags.


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## astrovan2487

*Taxidermy for pets*

My husband is a taxidermist and has always steered clear of pets. Last year he agreed to freeze dry a pet, it was a lady's Jack Russell Terrier. The cost was over $1200. Even though the freeze drying turned out good, it still was not the same as seeing the dog alive. It was a pretty upsetting experience and it seemed to me like the woman may have had second thoughts, she was very upset about the whole thing (understandably so) I would personally not want to do it with any pet, constantly seeing them dead would be a little too much. Not to mention the fact they they will not look the same as you remembered them and the cost of mounting a larger animal would be very expensive.


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## alexg

Sunflowers said:


> NOOOOOooooooo... Not this thread again


+1.
Please someone close, remove this thread.


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## misslesleedavis1

First time reading this thread. Its an interesting notion. I would go for a paw print and some hair.

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