Shelter Pups Review

My grandma was totally and completely devastated when she lost her little chihuahua best friend, Dot. I didn't know how I could help her get over her loss but I had to try something. My grandma's birthday was also a couple of days later, so I needed a wonderful present. I went to searching for custom pet ideas, and came across a cool company called Shelter Pups.

I was immediately intrigued. They make custom stuffed dogs and cats made out of wool. The company is in the ol' USA and had great pricing compared to some of the other custom stuffies I had seen. Some of their proceeds go to shelters and rescues, and their turnaround time was also much faster than others at around two weeks. After browsing some of their examples, I knew I had to have one made of Dot.

Dot as a stuffie!

The process was really easy and cute. They are currently priced at $125 each and I thought that was a fair price. You start the process by submitting a few photos and explaining about your pet. Any unique markings? What is/was their personality like? After paying the $25 deposit fee, you are notified that they will get to making your pet as soon as possible, but it could be anywhere from 7-12 days. I was delighted to learn from an email that after 5 days, they had a finished product.

One of my favorite examples on their page.

When you go to view and "adopt" your new pet, it sends you to a page with their name and pictures displayed along side the new stuffie. They pose it and wrap it in blankets, just as Dot was when she was alive. If it is up to your standards, you make the rest of the payment and they ship it right away. It was awesome and I was so excited to see it in person and to see my grandma's reaction. I had it mailed to my grandma's house and was fortunate enough to be in Arizona with her when it arrived.

Look Emma, cats!

She gasped when she pulled Dot out of the box. It had her exact markings and look on her face. The nose was soft and lifelike and wool clean and well sculpted. All throughout my stay in Arizona, I would see my grandma holding her new little dog and looking at her. It brought me some relief to know that she had a little bit of joy come back into her life.

A happy grandma!

All in all, the process took 9 days. I couldn't have been happier with the final product and I loved the whole process. They made it easy and fun and I hope that some day, after I lose my pups, that I can have them created as well. They even have dogs and cats that people never paid for or wanted available for "adoption" at a cheaper price on their website. I encourage you to consider them if you are ever looking for this kind of item!

Straight out of the box and into grandma's heart.