What to Get a Dog Lover for Christmas

The best Christmas gift for a dog lover is one that is about their dog, not dogs in general. The most personal options are a portrait of their own dog from a photo, a vintage style travel poster starring that dog, or a day out together. Generic paw prints are fine. They already own several.

Every scene for dogs is made from your photo, and the holiday ones live in Christmas pet portraits.

What is the perfect gift for someone who loves dogs?

Something that proves you know which dog you mean.

Dog lovers do not love dogs in the abstract. They love one particular dog: the one who hears the car three streets away, the one who has claimed the left side of the couch since puppyhood, the one who sits by the cookie plate on Christmas Eve like a tiny security guard. A gift that names that dog, or shows that dog, lands differently from one that could have gone to anybody.

Seven ideas for a dog lover, from most personal to least

1. A portrait of their own dog

This is the one that gets hung, not stashed in a closet. A custom portrait from Retro Reverence is digitally illustrated from your photo, then retouched and approved by artist Amy Oliver, so the markings and the expression belong to their dog and nobody else’s.

For Christmas, a few holiday scenes:

• Night Watch: a dog seated beside the cookies and milk left out for Santa, guarding them with total devotion. Mostly.
• First in Line: a dog carrying its own stocking to the fireplace. Someone expects a refill.
• The Decorator: a dog wrapped nose to tail in the lights they were absolutely helping with. Decorating takes teamwork.

The everyday scenes often make the better gift, because they stay up all year. Neighborhood Watch shows a dog with its paws on the windowsill, supervising the whole street. The Incumbent is asleep on the good sofa. The Copilot rides shotgun, watching the road.

It is a funny gift on Christmas morning. Years from now, it is the one that makes them stop in the hallway. Someday, these will be the good old days, and the dog on the wall will be the proof.

2. A travel poster for their dog’s favorite destination

The Pet Atlas travel posters are vintage style travel posters for the only places a dog cares about, with their own dog as the star. Couch Kingdom, where the throne is always occupied. Zoomie National Park, with miles of uninterrupted sprinting. Belly Rub Resort, where the locals insist on extended stays. Good for an office, a den or a mudroom.

3. A day out, planned for both of them

A new trail, a lake with a dog-friendly beach, a patio lunch where dogs are welcome. Plan the route, pack the snacks and the towel, and put it in a card. A gift of time makes a memory, and somebody will take a great photo along the way.

4. A weekend of dog sitting

For the friend who never travels because nobody else understands the feeding schedule. Write it as a promise in a card: “One weekend, any weekend. I will follow the instructions exactly.” It is free, and it may be the most useful gift they get.

5. Something with the dog’s name on it

A tag, a collar or a leash engraved with the dog’s name. Practical, used every day, and more personal than anything that says “Dog Mom” in a font.

6. The good version of something they already use

The towel that actually dries muddy paws. The car seat cover that survives. The leash that does not fray. Dog lovers rarely buy the good one for themselves.

7. A donation in the dog’s name

Many shelters and rescues post holiday wish lists. Fill one in their dog’s name and tell them in the card. The dog gets the credit, which the dog will consider fair.

What to get someone who is obsessed with their dog?

Lean into it. The person whose camera roll is mostly one dog does not want a gift that pretends otherwise. A portrait, a travel poster or a framed print of their favorite photo all say “I see it too, and honestly, fair enough.”

If you want the gift to come from the dog itself, there are ideas and card lines in gifts from the dog or cat.

What are some unusual gifts for dog lovers?

A travel poster for a national park that only exists in their dog’s head is about as unusual as it gets. So is a portrait of the dog doing the one thing the family always tells stories about: the stick too big for the door, the shoe that was “found”, the dinner table vigil. Those are the scenes no one else could give them, because no one else has that dog.

For a dog dad specifically, there is a whole list in gift ideas for dog dads.

Shopping for a household with both a dog and a cat? Christmas gifts for cat and dog lovers covers the pair, and the cat side has its own guide: what to get a cat lover for Christmas.

Gifts for dog lovers who have everything

They have the mug, the sweatshirt and the doormat. What they almost never have is their own dog on the wall. Pair a portrait with something small and useful from the list above, like the engraved tag, and the gift covers both the heart and the walk.

Is a pet portrait a good gift?

For a dog lover, usually yes, as long as it looks like their dog. That is why each Retro Reverence portrait is checked against your photos for coloring and markings before it reaches you. Each portrait stars one dog.

If you are not sure which scene to pick, choose the one that matches a story they tell. That is the scene they will explain to every guest.

When should I order for Christmas?

A digital portrait costs $19 and arrives within 3 business days of receiving your photos. A fine art paper print starts at $59 and a gallery canvas at $95, with shipping included. Prints and canvases take about 1 to 2 weeks, because you approve a proof first.

If the date sneaks up on you, the digital file makes a good last-minute gift. Tuck a card under the tree that says a portrait of their dog is on its way, and let them choose their own frame.

Read next: Gifts From the Dog (or Cat): What to Give “From” Your Pet