The $14.99 keepsake meant for babies but we used it on a puppy and we're not sorry.

If you met me eight months ago, you probably wouldn’t recognise me because I was firmly placed in the you’re-not-a-parent-to-your-dog camp.

I was the sort of person who liked posts on Facebook titled ‘Pets are not your children, stop calling them that’ and ‘Dear pet mums, you’re not a mum’. Put simply, I thought it was ridiculous.

But that was a time I now like to refer to as BM (otherwise known as ‘before Maple’). Please enjoy this picture of my 10-month-old miniature dachshund and try not to weep while you do:

Now... try and tell me how you could not consider that ball of adorableness as your fur baby. All of a sudden I was telling co-workers in the office how hard I was finding it to get sleep because I was up looking after my newborn.

I was meeting first time parents at the dog park who were also struggling to introduce their baby to solids. I was taking her to puppy school and trying to socialise her to make sure she grew up to be a well adjusted, well rounded, fully functioning adult.

Is there anything wrong with treating your dog like a child? The Mamamia Out Loud team discuss.

When I saw dog lovers were getting their fur baby's paw printed tattooed on them I Googled for hours and booked myself into a tattoo shop may have considered one myself. Who have I become? I don't even know.

That's why when our Executive Editor at Mamamia put a call out to road test the Pearhead Tiny Ideas Handprint Keepsake, $14.99, typically intended for actual human babies, I might have jumped out of my chair in excitement and asked if I could try it on my puppy...

Because what kind of a parent would I be if I didn't force my baby to do things I was sure they'd hate for my own personal pleasure?

Here is Maple having lots of fun:

Here's how it works:

1. Knead the impression material for about a minute.
2. Place it onto a piece of aluminium foil and roll it out.
3. Wet your baby's (or in this case, dog's) hand or foot (paw) before pressing it into the impression material.
4. Allow the finished print to air-dry in a cool dry place for a day or two.

And that's it. This is the finished product:

Aside from the personal bonding time (obviously) the best thing about the Pearhead Tiny Ideas Handprint Keepsake is 15 bucks. I'd say that's a relatively small price to pay in order to preserve your fur baby's cuteness forever.

Pearhead Tiny Ideas Handprint Keepsake is $14.99. 

Would you preserve your dog's paw print? Tell us in the comments section below.