What Gets Drawn
All breeds, all sizes, all the glorious variations in between. Labradors being enthusiastic. German Shepherds being alert and magnificent. Terriers having strong opinions about everything. Greyhounds looking elegant and mildly baffled. Spaniels disappearing ears-first into undergrowth.
Mixed breeds especially. Those wonderful unpredictable combinations. Part this, part that, 100% character. The dogs that look like someone assembled them enthusiastically from spare parts and somehow it completely works.
Puppies being absolutely ridiculous. Old dogs with that wise, seen-it-all expression that suggests they know things. Working dogs doing their jobs with proper focus. Family dogs doing family dog things.
Specific moments too – that favourite walk, the beach run, the muddy aftermath requiring intervention, the suspicious relationship with the cat, the ongoing sofa ownership dispute. Whatever makes that particular dog memorable.
Why People Want Dog Cartoons
People love their dogs. Proper, unreasonable, completely understandable love. A cartoon capturing their specific dog – its particular daftness, its expressions, its habits – that means something.
It’s not just a picture of a dog. It’s a picture of their dog. That’s different.
They make brilliant gifts for the dog-obsessed people in your life. And most dog owners are dog-obsessed, which is completely reasonable. Birthday, Christmas, just because – a cartoon of someone’s actual dog beats generic dog-themed gifts every time.
Memorials matter too. Losing a dog is properly heartbreaking, full stop. A cartoon that captures their character – not just what they looked like but what they were like – that’s worth having. Something that shows the personality, the quirks, the essence of that particular dog.
Getting It Right
Breed characteristics matter obviously. A spaniel without those ears isn’t a spaniel. A bulldog needs that build, that face, that attitude. But physical accuracy’s just the starting point.
Getting the personality right matters more. Labs are enthusiastic about everything – absolutely everything, including things that really don’t warrant enthusiasm. Border Collies are intense. Terriers are convinced they’re enormous. Basset Hounds have that magnificent long-suffering dignity. Capture the personality and people immediately recognise their dog.
Mixed Breeds Have the Best Characters
Mongrels, crossbreeds, Heinz 57s – whatever you call them, they’re brilliant subjects. Those unique combinations of features. The surprising expressions. The complete individuality.
Each one unlike anything else. No breed standard, just pure personality. Often the most interesting dogs to draw for exactly that reason.
Your Dog’s Story
Maybe your dog’s your best mate and deserves celebrating. Perhaps you’ve got several with completely different personalities that somehow coexist. Could be you’re remembering a dog you’ve lost and want something that captures them properly.
Or you need a gift for someone whose phone contains approximately 4,000 dog photos and whose conversations eventually circle back to their dog regardless of starting topic.
Tell me about the dog. The quirks, the habits, the expressions, the daftness. That’s what makes a good dog cartoon – capturing what makes that particular dog absolutely themselves.
What’s Possible
Single portraits with proper personality. Multiple dogs together – showing relationships, dynamics, the chaos of several dogs sharing a life.
Dogs doing their favourite things. Beach runs, ball obsessions, dignified sitting, undignified rolling, the classic “I have no idea how that got eaten” expression.
Can include favourite toys, characteristic poses, that particular look they do. Realistic colouring or more stylised. Serious and dignified or gloriously silly. Depends entirely on the dog.
