Pet Tattoos: A permanent tribute to your furry best friend

Ink on skin, carved in memory—our passion for our animals tends to have no limits. For some, it is demonstrated by long walks, high-end snacks, or matching outfits. For others, it's by something more lasting: tattoos. Globally, more and more pet owners are opting to make their pets' lives everlasting by getting tattoos of their pet's face, paw prints, or even their pet's name tattooed onto their skin. It's art, it's homage, and to many, it's personal.


Tattoos have long been an emotional stamp—birth dates, religious iconography, names of loved ones. As pets become more like family members, they've become part of this symbolic vocabulary. The inking of pet faces, particularly after the loss of a pet, has become more popular on social media sites, with hashtags such as #pettattoo and #dogtattoo. Often, hyper-realistic images of dogs, cats, birds, and even reptiles are permanently inked onto human skin. These tattoos are usually a memorial, a reminder of all the unconditional love and happiness. For some, they assist in coping with loss. For others, they're a means of bringing a part of their pet with them everywhere they go.

Pet tattoos are of every shape and style:


Numerous dog lovers seek advice from portrait tattoo artists to make sure the tattoo reflects the personality of their pet.

Pet tattoos always work in the same way as any other tattoo—by having a needle that puts ink into the skin. The work starts with a reference picture of either the pet's face or a quirky pose. The tattoo artist uses this image to make a stencil, which they lay on the skin. Once this has been approved, the artist gets started on inking. Based on size, style, and intricacy, the process of getting a tattoo can range from 1 to 5 hours and may need to be touched up later. Pain tolerance varies based on location, but most find the emotional significance of the tattoo to be more important than any brief pain. Others go even further by using their pet's ashes in tattoo ink—a service now available from special companies for memorial tattoos.


This question can be interpreted in two ways: are humans legally allowed to tattoo their pets, or can they get tattoos of their pets? If we’re talking about tattooing on pets, it’s a highly controversial and, in most places, unethical and illegal practice. Some breeders and veterinarians used to tattoo animals for identification purposes, but this method has largely been replaced by microchipping. Decorative or aesthetic tattooing of a pet is commonly denounced and, in certain areas, viewed as animal cruelty. Nations such as the U.K., certain parts of the U.S., and several European countries have outlawed the cosmetic tattooing or piercing of animals except when carried out for medical or identification purposes. But if you are discussing tattooing your pet's image on you, that is absolutely legal and highly popular.

In the end, the greatest tattoo is the one that gives you peace, happiness, and the sense that your dog is still with you somehow.