Custom Dog Shirts: How to Put Your Pet on a T-Shirt (Photo or Cartoon)

Pet shirts are the most-ordered custom t-shirt there is, and the most-regretted. The regret comes from one decision made too fast: printing a blurry photo as a small rectangle in the middle of a black shirt. This guide covers the two ways to put your dog (or cat, rabbit, horse, tortoise) on a shirt, which one to choose, what it costs, thirty ideas that work, and how to order one with no minimum.

Short answer: if you have a sharp, well-lit photo of your pet, print it on a white or light shirt with the background removed. If you do not, describe your pet in a sentence and have it drawn as a cartoon — it prints more reliably than a photo and looks designed rather than printed. Either way, one shirt is $35.85 with free worldwide shipping.

Photo or cartoon: which should you choose?

	Print the photo	Cartoon from a description
You need	A sharp photo, at least 1,500 px wide, taken in good light	One sentence: breed, colour, one distinctive thing, a pose
Looks like	A photograph on a shirt	A designed graphic tee
Best shirt colour	White or light only	Any colour
Fails when	Photo is dark, blurry or a screenshot	Description is vague ("a dog")
Best for	Memorial shirts, exact likeness	Gifts, funny shirts, matching sets
Price	$35.85	$35.85

The honest rule: a photo wins when the photo is excellent. A cartoon wins in every other case, because you control the outcome instead of hoping the photo cooperates.

Route 1: printing your pet's photo

Everything in our custom photo t-shirt guide applies, with three pet-specific additions:

1. Get down to their eye level. Photos taken from standing height make every dog look like a nose with ears. Kneel.
2. Shoot in daylight, near a window or outside in shade. Black and dark brown dogs especially — indoor light turns them into a silhouette with two eyes.
3. Remove the background. Press and hold the dog in the Photos app on an iPhone (Copy Subject), or use the cut-out tool in Google Photos or Samsung Gallery. A floating dog looks like a design; a dog in a rectangle of your kitchen floor looks like a mistake.

Route 2: describing your pet and having it drawn

This is where custom pet shirts have changed in the last two years. You type a sentence, the designer draws your pet as artwork, and you preview it on the shirt before paying. No photo needed — which matters when the best photo you have is from 2019 and blurry.

The description formula that works: breed or look + colour + one distinctive feature + what they are doing + style.

Weak	Strong
a golden retriever	A fluffy golden retriever with a white chin, wearing sunglasses and driving a red convertible, bold cartoon style, plain background
my cat	A grumpy grey tabby cat with green eyes sitting in a cardboard box like a throne, flat vector illustration, three colours
a pug	A fawn pug with a black mask face wearing a tiny crown, front-facing portrait, linocut style, single colour
black lab	A black labrador with a grey muzzle holding a tennis ball, sitting proudly, vintage screenprint style, plain background

Two things that quietly matter: say plain background so you get a clean graphic rather than a scene, and name a style (cartoon, flat vector, linocut, vintage screenprint) so the result looks like a shirt design rather than a stock image. Our prompt guide covers the full formula.

30 pet shirt ideas that actually get worn

For the owner

• Your dog's face with their name underneath, left chest, small — the understated classic
• "Dog Mom" / "Dog Dad" with a cartoon of your dog, not a generic one
• Your dog as a renaissance portrait in a gilt frame
• "Sorry I'm late, [Dog's name] needed a cuddle"
• Your pet's silhouette with their birthday or gotcha date
• "Powered by [Dog's name]" with a paw-print battery icon
• A tiny cartoon of your dog peeking out of the chest pocket area
• Your cat, unimpressed, with the caption "Judging you"
• "My [breed] is smarter than your honour student"
• Your dog as an astronaut, a pirate, a chef — any job they would be terrible at

Funny

• Your dog wearing sunglasses and driving, captioned "Zoomies activated"
• "Certified Good Boy" official-seal style with your dog's face in the middle
• Your cat knocking a glass off a table, captioned "Oops"
• "Emotional support human" with your dog looking exhausted by you
• Your dog as a wanted poster: "Wanted for stealing socks"
• A dog treat nutrition label with your dog's stats
• "Will trade husband for [Dog's name]"
• Your dog's face on a cereal box design: "Crunchy Pupps"
• "I work so my dog can have a better life"
• Your dog in a business suit, captioned "Chief Barketing Officer"

Gifts and occasions

• A memorial shirt: a favourite photo or drawing, the years, and one short line
• Matching "person and dog" set: the human shirt shows the dog, the bandana shows the human
• The new puppy announcement for grandparents: "Grandpaw" with the pup's face
• Christmas: your dog in a Santa hat for the family photo — see matching Christmas shirts
• Adoption day: "Rescued [date]" with a cartoon of the dog
• For a vet, groomer or dog-walker: their client's dog as a thank-you
• Birthday: the dog wearing a party hat, "[Name] is 5!"
• For a kid: their pet drawn as a superhero
• Multiple pets: all of them lined up as a band, a sports team or a police line-up
• Your pet and their best friend (another pet) as a two-portrait "BFF" design

The mistakes that make pet shirts look cheap

1. A photo rectangle on a dark shirt. The kitchen floor prints too. Remove the background or use a white shirt.
2. Too small. A four-inch photo of a dog on a large shirt reads as a smudge. Go to 10 inches or move it to the left chest deliberately.
3. Too much text. One line. "Best boy" beats a paragraph about how much you love him.
4. Six fonts. One bold, plain font. The dog is the design.
5. The photo where they are looking away. Eye contact is the whole point. Use the photo where they are looking at the camera even if it is slightly less sharp.

What it costs and how long it takes

Garment	Price	Timing
Custom pet t-shirt	$35.85	5–7 working days to print + 5–10 to deliver
Custom pet hoodie	$47.85	Same
Custom pet sweatshirt	$37.85	Same
Custom cap	$28.85	Same — good for a small face or paw print

Free worldwide shipping, no minimum, sizes XS–5XL. For a birthday or Christmas, order three weeks ahead.

How to order

1. Open the custom apparel designer.
2. Either upload the photo (background removed, PNG) or type the description using the formula above.
3. Preview it on the shirt. Use the tweak buttons — bigger, simpler, brighter — until it is right.
4. Choose colour and size. Check the size chart; custom shirts cannot be returned for a wrong size.
5. Add to cart. Done.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get my dog's actual face on a shirt?

Yes, two ways: print a sharp photo of them, or describe them and have them drawn as a cartoon portrait. The photo is an exact likeness; the cartoon is a recognisable one that prints more reliably.

Do I need a good photo?

Only if you want the photo printed. If you describe your pet instead, no photo is needed at all.

Can I put more than one pet on a shirt?

Yes. Describe them together ("a black lab and a ginger cat sitting side by side") or upload a photo of both. Two or three pets work well; more than that gets small.

Is there a minimum order?

No. One shirt is $35.85 with free worldwide shipping.

Can I make matching shirts for the whole family with the dog on them?

Yes, and it is one of the most popular orders. Same design, every size from kids to 5XL, no bulk minimum.

Put your pet on a shirt

Describe them or upload the photo — you will see it on the shirt in about a minute. If you want more gift ideas for the dog person in your life, our gifts for dog lovers guide has 25 that are not a mug.