Prices checked August 2026.
Most "personalised dog bags" online are a stock silhouette or a printed photo that starts cracking the first time the bag gets shoved under a train seat. This guide covers the other kind: bags where your own pet's portrait is designed from your photo and embroidered into the fabric, and how to choose between a tote, a backpack, a cross body and a £25 patch for a bag you already own.
A personalised pet bag is any bag carrying your own pet rather than a generic breed design. The longest lasting version is embroidered, not printed: at Lucy & Lola we design the portrait from your photo, you approve it with unlimited revisions, then it is stitched onto a canvas tote, mini backpack or cross body bag in our Cambridge studio within 2 to 3 weeks. Already own a bag you love? An iron on portrait patch is £25.
Key takeaways
- Embroidery is thread stitched through the fabric, so it will not peel or crack like print.
- Canvas totes suit shopping and work; mini backpacks and cross body bags suit hands free days.
- A £25 iron on patch personalises a bag you already own.
- Every portrait is designed from your photo and approved by you before stitching.
- Unlimited revisions until the portrait feels like your pet, then 2 to 3 weeks to make.
- We stitch dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, hamsters, birds and reptiles, and multi pet designs.
- Need a bag in under a week? Made to order is not the right route, a gift card is.
What makes a personalised pet bag actually personal?
There are three tiers, and they get mixed up constantly. The first is breed merchandise: a printed dachshund that looks like every dachshund. The second is photo printing, where your picture is transferred onto the bag surface. It looks sharp on day one, but a bag lives a harder life than a t shirt. It gets scuffed on floors, wedged into overhead racks and rained on, and a surface print takes all of that on the chin. We regularly hear from customers who came to us after a printed bag started peeling.
The third tier is what we make: a portrait designed from your photo, converted into a thread pattern, and embroidered into the fabric. The thread is part of the bag, not a layer sitting on top of it, which is why embroidery is the right technology for something that gets thrown around daily. We have written more about the difference in embroidered vs printed pet portraits.
Which embroidered pet bag should I choose?
It comes down to how you carry things. Here is the honest comparison we give people who email us asking which to pick.
| Bag | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas tote, £45 | Shopping, work, the everyday everything bag | Our most popular bag. Big flat panel means the portrait sits proudly at full size. |
| Oversized recycled tote | Gym kit, weekends away, laptop plus lunch plus lead | Roomier than the canvas tote, made from recycled fabric. |
| Mini backpack | Dog walks, days out, hands free errands | Small but structured, and the portrait faces the world behind you. |
| Cross body bag | Travel, festivals, phone and keys days | Also comes in cord and quilted versions. |
| Iron on patch, £25 | A bag you already own and love | Your pet's portrait as a patch. The cheapest way into an embroidered portrait. |
Current prices for each bag are on the product pages, and our cost guide explains what you are paying for at each level.
The canvas tote. It swallows a laptop and lunch, the flat panel shows the portrait at full size, and embroidered canvas shrugs off the daily commute in a way printed bags do not. If your office bag needs to be hands free on a bike or a platform, the mini backpack is the better call.
How does my pet actually end up on the bag?
You send us your favourite photo. Our design team reviews it before any work starts, and we will say so honestly if it will not produce a good portrait (about 1 in 25 photos need a retake, usually because the pet is too far away or the light is too dim). Then we design the portrait from your photo and send you a digital proof. You get unlimited revisions until it feels like your pet. Around 7 in 10 designs are approved with no changes at all.
Once you approve, the design is digitised into a thread pattern, and thread colours are picked shade by shade to match the coat. Then it is stitched onto your bag in our Cambridge studio and shipped, usually within 2 to 3 weeks of ordering, with the current lead time always shown at checkout.
A real customer photo and the portrait designed from it.
What photo works best for a bag portrait?
The same rules as any of our portraits. Natural light, ideally near a window or outside. Get down to your pet's eye level rather than shooting from above. About 60cm away is the sweet spot: close enough that the face fills the frame, far enough that nothing distorts. And pick the photo where it really feels like them, the head tilt, the one ear that never sits right, the look they give you when the treat jar opens. That character is what our designers work from.
We have full walkthroughs in how to photograph your dog and how to take the perfect photo of your cat.
Yes. Multi pet designs are available on our bags, so both the dog and the cat (or up to four pets) can share the same tote. Each pet is designed from its own photo, so send us the best individual picture of each rather than one group shot where somebody is always looking the wrong way.
What do personalised pet bags cost?
The entry point is the £25 iron on patch, which puts a full embroidered portrait of your pet onto a bag, jacket or anything else you already own. The canvas tote is £45, and the backpack and cross body bags are each priced on their product pages. Every bag includes the portrait design, unlimited revisions and the stitching. There is no separate design fee.
Where we are honest about not being the right choice: if your budget is under £25, a nice printed card or a donation to a shelter in the pet's name is a better spend than a cheap printed bag that will not last. And if you need the bag in under a week, made to order cannot get there. A gift card arrives by email instantly and lets them design their own.
Before you order any personalised bag, check:
- Is the design stitched or printed? Print on a bag peels; embroidery does not.
- Will you see and approve the design before it is made?
- Is it your actual pet, designed from your photo, or a generic breed graphic?
- What is the revision policy if the first design is not quite them?
- Does the lead time fit your deadline? Ours is 2 to 3 weeks, shown at checkout.
Buying it as a gift? A bag with their own pet on it lands harder than almost anything at the same price, because nobody else can give it. More ideas in thoughtful gifts for pet lovers and gifts for a dog mum who has everything.
Their face, on the bag you carry everywhere
Send us your favourite photo, approve the portrait with unlimited revisions, and we will stitch it onto a tote, backpack or cross body bag in our Cambridge studio.
Shop embroidered pet bagsFrequently asked questions
Are the bags printed or embroidered?
Embroidered, always. The portrait is designed from your photo, digitised into a thread pattern, and stitched into the fabric in our Cambridge studio. We do not print, because print on a hard working item like a bag cracks and peels over time.
Can I put my cat, rabbit or horse on a bag, or only dogs?
We stitch dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, hamsters, birds and reptiles. If you can photograph them, we can design a portrait from it. The photo matters more than the species.
How long does a personalised pet bag take?
Usually 2 to 3 weeks from order to delivery, depending on studio capacity. The current lead time is always shown at checkout. The design proof arrives first, and your approval is what sends it to stitching.
Can I get more than one pet on the same bag?
Yes, multi pet designs are available with up to four pets on one design. Send the best individual photo of each pet rather than a group shot.
What if the first design does not look like my pet?
You get unlimited revisions before anything is stitched. Around 7 in 10 designs are approved with no changes, and most of the rest need one round. We keep going until it feels like them.
I already have a bag I love. Can I still personalise it?
Yes. Our £25 iron on patch is a full embroidered portrait of your pet that you apply to your own bag, jacket or anything else. It is the most affordable way into an embroidered portrait.
Do you ship personalised bags outside the UK?
Yes, everything is made to order in our Cambridge studio and shipped worldwide. International orders should allow for the 2 to 3 week make time plus shipping to your country.
What photo do I need to send?
One clear photo in natural light, at your pet's eye level, from about 60cm away. We review every photo before design work starts and will tell you honestly if it will not produce a good portrait; only about 1 in 25 photos need a retake.
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