An insanely detailed oil painting by Rebecca Luncan. She also paints dogs and cats. Credit: COURTESY OF REBECCA LUNCAN

An insanely detailed oil painting by Rebecca Luncan. She also paints dogs and cats.

An insanely detailed oil painting by Rebecca Luncan. She also paints dogs and cats. COURTESY OF REBECCA LUNCAN

The pet portrait industry is thriving in Seattle—and for good reason. There are more dogs than children in this city: around 153,000 dogs to 107,178 kids, according to Seattle magazine (which got its numbers from the US Census and Seattle Animal Shelter). That’s not even counting cats. Or chickens. Or those goats at that one house in Wedgwood.

What better way to commemorate your pet than to commission a formal portrait? Seattle-based artist Kaitlin Robinson at Kait’s Calling (kaitscalling.com) has been working in the field for the past 15 years. She believes the rise of social media coupled with Seattle’s childless population boom fueled the craze for pet portraits. “People love their pets and want to spend money [on them],” she said in an interview.

Jas Keimig is a former staff writer at The Stranger, where they covered visual art, film, stickers, and culture.