Gifts for someone with a new puppy

A new puppy means chewed shoes, broken sleep and more photos in a week than in the whole of last year. The best gifts either help with the first or keep the last.

Paint the puppy free

Free to see. No account, no card.

Real dogs, painted from their owners' photos

Dog · 35mm film
Dog · Studio photo
Dog · Black & white
Dog · Oil painting

Real portraits from customers who said we could show them.

The useful things

New owners are usually short of time, sleep and patience, so practical help goes a long way: a voucher towards puppy training classes, a spare lead and a huge roll of poo bags, a good enzyme cleaner for the inevitable accidents, or an offer to puppy-sit while they go out for an evening.

Check what they already have first. Breeders and rescues often send puppies home with a starter pack.

The keepsake: they'll never be this small again

Puppies change shape almost weekly. A portrait made now, from one of the hundreds of photos they've already taken, keeps the oversized paws and the ears they haven't grown into.

Puppies don't sit still, but it doesn't matter: one clear photo of the face is enough, and the portrait poses them. Studio photo keeps them true to life; a soft watercolour is lovely for a first portrait.

Ideas, from small to keepsake

A welcome-home card with the puppy on the front, from £5.
A mug with the puppy and its new name, from £19: they'll be up early anyway.
A T-shirt from £27, for the owner who has become a puppy bore and doesn't care.
A framed print from £39 of the puppy as it is now, to hang beside one of the grown dog later.

No photo? Give a gift card

If you can't get a good photo of their pet without giving the game away, a Fancy Pet gift card lets them choose for themselves. It's emailed, straight away or on the morning you pick, for any amount from £10 to £75. It's in pounds, used in one order and lasts 2 years.

Buy a gift card

What it can go on

Everything is made to order (2–5 working days) and then posted. The delivery time and cost are shown on each product page before you buy.

Questions

The puppy won't sit still for a photo. Will a blurry one do?

Look for a moment when it's asleep or just woken up: the face is still and the eyes are clear. A slightly soft photo often still works, and you see the result free before buying.

They haven't settled on a name yet. Can I leave it off?

Yes. The name is optional on every product; you can switch it off before you order.

Can I send it straight to them?

Yes. At checkout, put their address as the delivery address. There are no prices in the parcel.