An impression is an affordable way to commemorate important milestones in a pet’s life – first check-ups, spaying/neutering procedures and end-of-life care.

Peartree kit providers purchase clay impression kits from Peartree and keep them on-hand in the clinic. Many providers build the wholesale cost of our kits into procedure fees, giving every client an impression of their pet to take away.  The client then has the option, when they are ready, to contact Peartree directly to personalize their impression.

STEPS 1 – 4: Receive, record, size and trim

Once received, the impression is carefully recorded in our data entry system so that we know where it is at all times. The impression information card remains with the impression at all steps of the process.

Next, it begins its journey through our artistic process. The clay is removed from the container and sized and trimmed appropriately.

STEPS 5 – 8: Clean, dry, define and resist

The impression is now cleaned and smoothed, with care being taken not to lose any definition inside the imprint. The impression you take is the actual impression Peartree personalizes and returns to you. We do not manipulate, embellish, take away or add features to the imprint unless requested to do so. At this step, a small number is scribed into the back of each impression to identify the print at all stages of personalization.

Once dry, the imprint in the clay is outlined and defined for the resist step.

STEPS 9 – 12: Paint, fire, touch-up and letter

The impression is now ready for painting using our unique application process to achieve saturated color, fur or pattern match. The first 24-hour kiln firing follows the paint application.

Each impression requires careful color touch-up after this first firing, before hand-lettering can be applied.

STEPS 13 – 16: Fire, glaze, package and ship

Before the clear “candy-coat” glaze is applied, another even hotter kiln firing is required. Each impression is then brush-coated with glaze, dried and glaze-fired to achieve our high gloss protective finish.

The final production step is a complete quality assessment. Next, the impression is passed to the packaging and shipping department. This one-of-a-kind Peartree impression is now on its way back to you.

No. Our kits are packaged so they can be purchased ahead of time. It is best to keep the container sealed until you are ready to use it, however, If a kit has been opened but is not used, just re-seal the plastic wrap and container lid. The clay disk will remain soft.

Yes. Simply open the container, peel back the plastic seal and add 2 tsp (10 ml) of water onto the clay. Replace the seal and lid and leave overnight. If the clay is too soft, let it stand uncovered and test after 30 minutes.

Place the pet’s paw on the clay for positioning. Use the heel of your hand to press gently but firmly, with most of the pressure on the largest area. Then press each digit into the clay, again using the heel of your hand for best results. Remember, the deeper the impression the better. The clay will “give” under pressure.

If the animal seems uncomfortable, it is only because they are uncertain what you are doing or asking of them.  The pressure you are applying to make the imprint is not hurting them.  If you’re not sure, apply the same pressure to one of your fingers in the same way and you will understand what it is they are experiencing.

Take off the lid and plastic seal from your kit and place it on the floor. Position your pet’s foot and press down gently but firmly with the heel of your hand to ensure all the digits are captured. If added pressure is needed, lift the opposite leg so weight is shifted to the imprint foot.

No. You can keep your clay imprint natural if you wish. Simply allow it to air dry by removing the lid and the plastic seal. Leave it in its container in a safe place until it’s dry. Dried clay is quite fragile so avoid handling the dried impression if possible.

Dried clay is very fragile, so in order to decorate the disk you will need to have it kiln fired at cone 04, either by a local ceramic studio with kilns or by returning it to us for our Simply Natural option. This will help to preserve it and give a stable surface for decorating.

Yes. If you are sending your impression for personalizing from the United States across the border into Canada, you may be asked to declare its value for customs purposes. Please indicate that your impression, in its original clay kit, is worth no more than $3.00 per kit returned. Should a customer choose to apply a different value to the impression, they will be liable for any customs duties charged to Peartree. As we use a courier service requiring a signature when delivering your impression, we are unable to deliver to P.O. Box addresses. Please contact us so we may discuss an alternative shipping location.