I was paging through a recent edition of BARK magazine and couldn’t help but notice a feature article about pet tattoos. Not tattoos FOR pets — people who get tattoos of their pets.
It seems that there are lots of people out there choosing to get a tattoo to memorialize a lost pet, or just express love for a current pet. The article had pictures of a variety of styles, from full color portrait to cartoonish puppies playing. There was even a cute one of a stick-figure human with a ponytail chasing after a stick-figure dog. I also liked one that showed a stylized dog head hidden within an abstract design.
Just a few days earlier, my younger brother sent me a picture of a tattoo he’s planning to get for his dogs. It looks like a ribbon wrapped around a bone-shaped dog biscuit. On the ribbon will be his dogs’ names: Kuma and Lily.
For a long time, I’ve been thinking about a tattoo to memorialize my dog Miko — he was by far the most wonderful dog in my life. (At least so far.) I’m pretty much decided on where it’ll go: on my right hip, so his memory will always be at my side. As for what I want the tattoo to be, I’m still undecided. A simple paw print would work. My brother suggested a “paw and Milkbones” — a variation on the pirate skull and crossbones. That would be cute, but I’m not sure it’s quite my style. Another thought would be the silhouette of a dog howling at the moon, kind of like this illustration I did years ago for a children’s book:
Other suggestions? I don’t want anything too big, but I do want a permanent reminder of Miko’s place in my heart. I also don’t want to put his name on it — I’m not personally a fan of tattoos with names or letters.