Ever since my family grew from a one-dog household to a three-dog household this summer, we've all gotten very into our dogs.
And with Christmas only weeks away, I spent a big portion of this fall looking for the cutest pet gifts to give to my family. And while lots of companies are making some great products, I find the ones with custom items to be the most exciting, whether you're on the giving or the receiving end of them.
So when I stumbled upon Poke Pet Shop on Instagram, I couldn't be more thrilled. This incredible company makes custom art of your pet, and then puts them on Pokémon-style trading cards (with all of the fields hand-selected by the customer) to be printed on canvases and metal cards. I reached out to the company, who were kind enough to set me up with a code to Poke-fy two of my pups, and I was very pleased with the results.
Poke Pet Shop specializes in putting pets on their own 100% unique trading cards. Pet owners can select from cards emulating three of the world's most popular trading card games—Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic the Gathering—and send the brand everything they need to make phenomenal custom pieces featuring their pets—including original art of your pet on every card.
After selecting all of the different aspects of the card, buyers are sent a proof to approve the art of their pet. They're then printed on metal cards or canvases, depending on their preferences. Just the metal card costs $45, while a 12×9 canvas retails for $65, and a 16×12 canvas for $80—or you can bundle cards with canvases to save $20.
I decided to make Pokémon-style Poke Pet Cards for my two young pups, Hilda and Magnus, so I went to that option on the Poke Pet Shop website and followed along with the prompts. I decided to go for a metal card and 12×9 canvas to conduct a full review.
My next decision was picking between Simple Options, where the card is simplified and the description only takes a minute or two to fill out, and the Full Options, which are said to take three to four minutes to complete. I had to go with the Full Options, and from there, the website asked me to select the number of pets and trainers from the card, as well as everything from their Pokémon type to the background scenes, name, HP, species, length, weight and Poke Pet Power. I also had to fill in the attack name, attack description, attack type and attack strength, as well as the weakness, resistance and retreat cost, plus a bottom description.
If you're indecisive, like me, this can actually be a bit of a task, and took me way more than the noted three to four minutes, because I spent a bunch of time writing the descriptions to get them just right. I also had to leave to go measure and weigh my pups, as they're constantly growing, and I wanted the latest measurements! Once I had all of that ready, I selected my pet image (you can include more than one, as well as notes for specific poses, if needed) and added it to my cart. Then, it was time to do the same for the other puppy!
From there, it was a manner of waiting—and it took only two days for proofs of the art for both pups to arrive. Both were exactly what I wanted, with extremely cute cartoon depictions of my pups, so I approved them, and then it was time to wait for the products themselves.
Nine days later, both of my canvases arrived. They were bold and bright with nice clean lines and looked just like they had in the images I'd been sent. Plus, they're easily mounted to walls, so you can show off your pet pride in any room.
But I was most excited for the metal cards, and those take longer to make. It was another 18 days before those finally showed up in my mailbox, but when they did, I couldn't have been happier with them. The cards looked so cool printed on shiny golden metal, with everything I'd chosen gorgeously displayed on the card, and they even came with plastic magnetic protectors, which are great for displaying them. The protectors are a little bit opaque, which can make it hard to see the cards in some light, but when the light hits them right, they really shine and look incredible.
Overall, I was so pleased with how both the canvases and cards came out—and I seriously can't wait to share them with the rest of the family come the holidays.
If you're looking for a unique gift for the pet devotee in your life, Poke Pet Shop makes some phenomenal products that will immediately make them light up—especially if they're also fans of Pokémon cards. The degree of customization they give you is incredible, and I love that you can make them as precise or as simple as you feel, while showing off beautifully drawn versions of your pets. Both the cards and the canvases are made with quality and care, and once you see the results in real life, you'll probably want to snag some for yourself as well.
Products Available for your 100% Hand Drawn PokePet!
Perfect way to display your pet’s new card through a nostalgic card with a twist!
Price: $45
High Quality Metal Cards
Inks cured through state of the art UV Flatbeds
Dimensions: 2.48” X 3.56”
