Three Dogs, One Small Tattoo: A Pet Memorial Story

Fine line tattoo of three dogs side by side on an upper arm

This piece began with a client sending us photos of their three dogs, asking for all three together on the arm as one simple line drawing.

One thing made this job unlike any other: one of the three is no longer here. The dog passed away some time ago, and the owner wanted the three of them side by side again, somewhere that never goes away. 🐾

Why people tattoo their pets

For many of us a pet is not really a pet, it is family that shares every ordinary day. When the day comes to say goodbye, photos sink into a phone and get scrolled past. A line on skin travels with you instead, a memory you can actually touch.

A scruffy white dog with a red collar smiling outdoors, one of the dogs behind the design

The design was drawn from real photographs of the three dogs. We went through many pictures looking for the gesture that was most them: one loves tilting its head, one has its tongue out permanently, one is a fluffy little thing that stands very still and stares.

From photograph to line drawing

The hard part of turning a photo into line work is choosing what to leave out. A few lines cannot hold every detail, so we keep only the one thing that makes each dog that dog, the head tilt, the tongue, the fluff, and let the owner's memory fill in the rest.

Two dogs relaxing at home, the other two models for the design

In the finished piece the three sit in a row like a family photo, and the one who is gone sits right there with the others. No wings, no halo, no special symbol. The owner wanted to remember them the way they were on an ordinary running-around day.

How the process works

If you would like something like this, the process is simple. DM us photos of your pet, ideally several where the face and posture are clear. We sketch first, then adjust together until you look at the drawing and see your own dog looking back. On tattoo day we place a stencil and move it around until the position is exactly right.

The three-dog stencil on the arm, next to the finished drawing

Memorial pieces get extra rounds of checking on purpose. A drawing like this cannot be almost right. The owner has to recognise each dog instantly, and if something is off we redraw until it is not. There is no hurrying this kind of work.

Why we check this kind of piece extra carefully

The practical questions people ask: a piece like this does not take long, it hurts less than you expect, and simple black line work is one of the styles that ages best on skin. A good size is around palm sized or a little smaller, and the upper arm, like this piece, is the most popular spot.

If you want to keep someone close

If you have a four-legged friend you want to keep close, whether they are still zooming around the house or living in your photos now, send a DM any time to @naive.flora.tattoo, or browse our flash designs first. The studio is on Phahonyothin 32/1 in Sena Nikhom, Chatuchak, open daily 10:00 to 20:00, from ฿1,500. Thank you for letting us put this little family down in ink. 🤍