Christmas Gifts for Dog People and Cat People Who Already Have Everything

There is a particular kind of person who is impossible to buy for at Christmas, and it is the one who has a dog.

They already own four beds, a drawer of toys, three coats, a raincoat, and a brand of treats they are loyal to in a way they are not loyal to anything else. You cannot outbuy them. Cat people are the same, except they also know that the cat will ignore whatever you choose.

The way round it is to stop buying things for the animal.

The one thing nobody else can copy

Any shop can sell a dog owner a generic labrador mug. What nobody else can give them is their dog - the specific face, the specific expression, the one their phone is already full of photos of.

That is the whole idea behind the pet range. You upload one photo, the background comes off automatically, and their animal's face lands inside a full Christmas costume. Not a photo stuck on a mug - the face becomes part of an illustrated scene.

For the dog

• Dog Santa - the full red suit, in the workshop, with the elves. For the one who genuinely runs the house.
• Dog Reindeer - for the one who pulls on the lead like they have been training for this.
• Dog Gingerbread - for the one who appears the second the oven door opens.
• Dog Snowman - for the one who has to be carried back indoors.

For the cat

• Cat Santa - because your cat already decides who has been naughty and who has been nice.
• Cat Ugly Christmas Sweater - the safe way to put a cat in a jumper. Try the real thing and see how it goes.
• Cat Elf - for the one who has never helped with anything.
• Cat Christmas Tree - for the one who climbs it the day it goes up.

The dog designs and cat designs both run to nineteen characters, so there is usually one that fits the animal's actual personality rather than just its species.

The one to handle gently

A fair number of people order the angel design for a dog or cat who is no longer around. It is a robe, wings and a halo, and it is meant kindly rather than as a joke.

If that is the situation, it is worth a quiet word with whoever you are giving it to first. For some people it is exactly the right thing and they keep it on the windowsill for years. For others it is too soon. You will know which.

A note on timing

Everything is printed to order, which is what makes the personalisation possible - there is no warehouse full of pre-made mugs. It also means it is not a gift you can order on the 22nd. Late November and early December is the comfortable window.

If you are buying for several people, the hot chocolate mugs are the ones that carry on being used in January, long after the decorations come down, and everything in the range sits under $30. There is also a short guide to picking a photo worth two minutes before you order - with pets, getting them to look at the camera is most of the job.