Celebrate Your Favorite Furry Friend with a Personalized Painting

"When the Man waked up he said, 'What is Wild Dog doing here?' And the Woman said, 'His name is not Wild Dog any more, but the First Friend, because he will be our friend for always and always and always.'"

- Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

The oldest known art of "man's best friend" may date back more the 9,000 years. Even then, people and their canine friends were close partners in the primary work of the community—in the case of the engravings from Arabia, hunting together in the harsh desert—so it comes as no surprise that dogs feature prominently in these ancient rock paintings. From prehistory down to the present day, the bond between people and their pets has gone on inspiring treasured art and portraiture.

It's a bond that anyone who's been lucky enough to have a dog will understand all too well. There are, in fact, scientifically documented benefits to being a dog owner. People who own dogs get sick less frequently, enjoy better cardiovascular health—even just petting a dog lowers heart rate and blood pressure—get more exercise out of the daily need to walk and play with their pets and are less likely to suffer from depression. Dogs have even been known to save owners' lives by acting as early detectors of the onset of cancer.

Little wonder, then, that famous works like Warhol's Portrait of Maurice, Munch's Head of a Dog, and Norman Rockwell's Pride of Parenthood all testify to the unique relationship between pet owners and Rudyard Kipling's "First Friend." Painter Lucian Freud described his fondness for working with dogs by saying: "I am impressed by their lack of arrogance, their ready eagerness, their animal pragmatism."

Safe to say, then, that for all our dogs do for us, dog owners who'd like to see their own "best friend" celebrated with a beautiful personalized painting are far from alone. If you'd like to see your four-legged friend join the ranks of those dogs who've been celebrated on canvas, there's a truly unique way to make that wish into a reality. Nobilified specializes in refacing artistic classics with the portraits of clients, painting you right into the frame as everything from a famous figure of history to a whimsical moment in pop culture. It's artistic excellence-meets-comedy gold for everyone involved: but what if your pet could get into the action, too?

It turns out, they can. The process is simple: upload your favorite photo of your dog (or cat), and choose an artistic work from our galleries you'd like to see it combined with. (Want to see your dogs' cute faces featured in DeVolson Woods' classic Gothique américain painting? We've done it!) and put Nobilified's artists to work. They'll deliver a unique custom painting from that photo reference that you and your family can enjoy.

If you feel like the time is right to commemorate your favorite furry friend with a personalized painting you can cherish for years to come, then reach out to us at [email protected] and find out just how easy it is to make your dog the star of their own custom portrait.