A Pet Portrait, As a Gift

Roughly a third of the people who order from us are buying it for someone else — usually their mum, or their husband. Here is what makes it a good gift, and how to give one well.

It cannot arrive late

Because nothing is posted, there is no delivery deadline to hit and nothing that can go missing, get delayed, or turn up battered in a cardboard tube two days after the birthday. The portrait arrives by email in about 24 hours. That makes it one of the few personalised gifts you can order the night before without any risk.

How to actually give a digital file as a gift

There is no physical box to wrap, so the giving is up to you. A few ways people do it:

  • Print it and frame it yourself. Order the portrait, print it at a size that suits the frame you have chosen, and wrap the framed print as normal. See printing your portrait for sizing.
  • Print it as a card. A single good print of the portrait, presented in a card or simple mount, works well for a smaller gift or alongside something else.
  • Forward the file itself. If the moment matters more than the wrapping — a birthday message, a video call — simply forward the email or the image file.

Whichever route you choose, order and print with enough time that the print itself is ready — the portrait is fast, but a print you have made through a third-party print service still takes their normal delivery time.

Getting the photo without spoiling the surprise

You need a clear photo of the pet to order — see what photo works best for what makes a good one. A few ways to get one without giving the game away:

  • Ask a family member or friend who has the pet's photos already, rather than the recipient
  • If you live with the recipient, take a fresh photo yourself while out on a normal walk or at home
  • Check a shared family photo album for a recent, clear shot

What this gift is not

There is no gift-note field, no scheduled delivery date, and no gift wrap included — it is a digital file emailed to whoever places the order. If you want it to feel like a wrapped gift, printing it yourself is how you do that.

More than one pet

If the person you are buying for has more than one pet, they can all go in a single portrait — see pricing on the FAQ page.