The Christmas gift most dog and cat lovers do not already own is a small figure of their own pet, made from one photo. At MYTHUMI a custom pet figurine starts at US$79.99, a pet head keychain at US$79, and if their pet is a typical example of a common breed, a ready-made breed figurine costs US$99.99 and needs no photo at all.
Mugs printed with a golden retriever are easy to find in December. A figurine of their golden retriever, with the white patch on the chest and the ear that never stood up, is the one that gets kept. Below: the options, the sizes, how to get the photo without giving the game away, and when to order.
Four ways to give someone their own pet
1. A custom pet figurine
The custom pet figurine is made from one photo of a dog, a cat or another pet. You upload the photo, choose the pose separately (Sitting, Standing, Lying Down, Play Bow, Walking, Running or Curling Up), and check a free 2D likeness and 3D preview before you pay anything. The full-colour print comes in 6, 8, 10 and 15 cm. Every pet figurine starts with an artist refining the digital model.
Our pick for most gifts is the 8 cm full-colour print at US$129.99. It suits a desk or a bookshelf, it costs much less than the hand-finished sizes, and on its own it clears the US$99 threshold for free Standard shipping.
2. A pet head keychain
The Person or Pet Head Keychain has a Pet style that sculpts only the head: real breed proportions, sculpted fur and the patches and markings from your photo, fully three-dimensional rather than a flat relief. It comes in 6, 8 or 10 cm on the longest side of the charm, is hand-painted by our artists, and costs US$79, US$129 or US$199.99. It is for the owner who would rather carry their dog around than dust it. It is not a cheap keychain, and our guide to custom photo keychains explains what the price buys.
3. A ready-made breed figurine
If you cannot get a photo, look at the ready-made range. The ready-made dog figurines cover 20 breeds, from Australian Shepherd to Siberian Husky, each in five poses: Standing Alert, Sitting Happy, Lying Relaxed, Playful Run and Paw Up. The ready-made cat figurines are ten designs, each one breed in one pose, such as the Maine Coon Sitting Happy or the Siamese Lying Relaxed. Every one is 8 cm (3.1 in), full-colour printed on an oval base and US$99.99.
That is US$30 less than an 8 cm custom print, with nothing to photograph. The trade-off is plain: it shows the breed, not the dog. A rescue mix, a cat with unusual markings or a dog whose owner will spot the missing white sock straight away needs the custom figurine. Ready-made designs have no preview, and the product images are AI-generated illustrations, so the piece can differ slightly from them in colour, proportions and fine detail.
4. A larger, hand-painted piece
For a gift from the whole family, the custom pet figurine also comes Artist Hand-Finished: printed in white resin, then painted by our artists, with the fine detail on fur, eyes and markings done by hand. Hand-finished sizes run from 8 to 30 cm.
| Size (longest side) | Full-colour print | Artist Hand-Finished |
|---|---|---|
| 6 cm (2.36 in) | US$79.99 | not offered |
| 8 cm (3.15 in) | US$129.99 | US$199.99 |
| 10 cm (3.94 in) | US$199.99 | US$259.99 |
| 15 cm (5.91 in) | US$449.00 | US$299.99 |
| 18 cm (7.09 in) | not offered | US$359.99 |
| 20 cm (7.87 in) | not offered | US$399.99 |
| 25 cm (9.84 in) | not offered | US$499.99 |
| 30 cm (11.81 in) | not offered | US$599.99 |
Prices are in US dollars and correct at the time of writing; checkout can show Canadian dollars or euros. At 15 cm both finishes are offered and the hand-finished piece is the cheaper of the two, so compare them on the page before you choose. In our view hand-finishing earns its price on a pet whose markings are the whole look, such as a tabby, a brindle or a merle. On a plain, pale coat, a bigger full-colour print usually shows more for the money.
Sizes are measured on the longest side
Every pet size is the pet's longest side, base not counted: the height for a sitting pet, the length for a lying one. An 8 cm dog lying down is 8 cm from nose to tail and sits low on the shelf; an 8 cm dog sitting up is 8 cm from paws to ears. For a keychain, the size is the longest side of the charm, without the cord or keyring.
To picture it, a US quarter is 0.955 in (24.26 mm) across, so 8 cm is about three and a third quarters edge to edge. Our size guide has a paper-strip test you can do at home. The display base is optional and free, and the square bases take a name of up to 15 characters.
How to get a photo of their pet without asking
The photo decides the likeness, and you cannot ask the owner for it without spoiling the surprise. What works:
- Ask someone in the household. A partner, a flatmate or a teenager who lives with the pet probably has better photos than you. Ask them to send originals as files or through a shared album, because messaging apps often compress photos and lose the detail of a coat.
- Take it yourself on your next visit. Nobody wonders why a guest is photographing the dog. Crouch to the pet's eye level, use daylight from a window rather than flash, and get a side or three-quarter view that shows the ears, paws and tail. Take a dozen; one will be sharp.
- Do not chase the pose. You choose the pose in the creator, so the photo only needs to show the pet clearly. For the pet head keychain, a sharp, well-lit photo facing the camera with both ears in view works best.
- Keep the collar or bandana in view if it should be on the figurine, and mention it in the note box.
- Avoid screenshots of their social media posts. Screenshots and forwarded pictures lose detail, and the creator asks you to confirm you have the right to use the photo you upload. A photo you took, or one sent by whoever took it, settles both points.
The creator takes JPG, PNG or WebP photos under 20 MB. Make a free preview from your two best candidates; if one loses the markings, use the other. Our photo guide goes into light and angles in more detail.
The Premium Gift Box
To hand it over in a box, turn on the Premium Gift Box above the quantity on the product page. It costs US$8, and one box is added for each figurine in the order, so three figurines mean three boxes and US$24. The option sits on the creator pages, including the custom pet figurine and the keychains; the ready-made breed pages do not show it.
Order-by dates for Christmas 2026
These are the dates from our Christmas ordering post, which shows the arithmetic:
- United States, Standard shipping: order by Monday 16 November.
- Canada, Standard shipping (the only option for Canada): order by Thursday 19 November.
- The EU: the Standard date was Monday 2 November and has passed, so choose Express and order by Tuesday 24 November.
- Express to the US or the EU: by Tuesday 24 November, for US$29.99 per order.
- Hand-finished pieces: a week earlier, by Monday 9 November for US Standard, Thursday 12 November for Canada or Tuesday 17 November with Express. Our custom keychains are hand-painted too, so we would use these dates for them.
The dates come from our own estimates: 7 to 10 business days of production counted from the order (after you approve the preview), then transit, with customs time not included. If we email you a question during production, reply quickly, because production waits for your answer. Shipping a gift straight to someone in the EU? The carrier asks them for import VAT; the Christmas post explains how to handle that.
If their pet has died
A figurine of a pet who has died is a different gift, and we would not make it a surprise. Offer it, and let the owner choose the photo, the pose and the words, in their own time. Our post on ordering a pet memorial figurine explains why and how; if Christmas is the date, it can still work, but only if they are ready.
When a pet figurine is the wrong gift
- For a child or a puppy to play with. Our figurines are display pieces, not toys. Thin parts such as ears and tails are delicate.
- When the only photo is blurry and the pet is a mixed breed. Try a preview anyway, because it is free. If none looks like them, choose something else: a ready-made breed figure will not look like a mix either.
- When it is already December. Nothing in our shop ships on the day you order. The Christmas post suggests a screenshot of the preview in a card instead, with the figurine to follow.
- As a stocking filler. From US$79, this is the main present, not the extra one.
What to do this week
Get the photo first, then make a free preview on the custom pet figurine page, or browse the ready-made dogs and cats if there is no photo to be had. US orders by 16 November with Standard shipping, Canadian orders by 19 November, and EU orders by 24 November with Express.