Reviving Pets with Wool: The Growing Demand for Custom Pet Wool Felt Art

Chongqing - The passing of pets is an unavoidable topic for pet owners. How do you keep your "fur family member" by your side forever? A niche profession has emerged: pet wool felt artist.

Pet wool felt is a handcrafted work made using wool felt materials to recreate the appearance of a pet. The material offers a wide range of colors, a simple production process, and requires minimal tools. As a result, it has become popular in countries like the U.S., Europe, and Japan. However, in China, it remains a relatively new craft.

"Some people create these pieces to commemorate their departed pets, while others use them to record their pets' growth. The demand is so high that orders are booked until June 2027," said Tang Guo, a pet wool felt artist, in an interview with Cover News on Wednesday.

For her, this is not just a job; it has become a bridge that carries emotions and heals pet owners.

From side hustle to full-time career

Tang, a post-85s generation who studied Korean, originally worked at an offline trading company. At first, she took up pet wool felt customization as a side hustle, trying to take orders online.

What truly made her decide to turn this side hustle into a full-time career happened three years ago.

"At that time, my black teddy dog, which accompanied me for nine years, passed away due to heart disease, and I was feeling very down," Tang said. Before, she had never dared to customize a wool-felt version of her dog. After its passing, she gathered the courage to recreate it.

This experience led her to pursue a full-time career as a pet wool felt artist, where she creates emotional "bridges" for other pet owners.

For customizing wool felt, artists don't need to be able to draw or have professional training. However, it does require a certain level of craftsmanship and talent. "I've always enjoyed handcrafts, and I like to replicate things. I also watch a lot of online tutorials and have bought many books to learn about pet bones, body proportions, muscle structures, and so on," she explained.

She noted that capturing the facial features of cats and dogs requires a lot of effort because they often make various expressions.

She explained the process of making a pet wool felt piece: first, customers provide a clear front-facing photo of their pet, then pay a deposit and schedule a timeline. Afterward, the production begins.

"Wool felt is entirely handmade, and it's not mass-producible. It's a process from scratch, which makes the production cycle longer."

She added that first, you twist the wool fibers into a pancake shape, which is the basic step; then, you attach eyes and carve out the pet's facial features to add detail and realism. "Many customers also send in their pet's fur to be incorporated into the wool felt."

"Then, I mix colors and use weaving techniques to make the wool felts colors and textures richer and more natural," Tang continued. After these steps, parts like the nose and ears are made and attached. Finally, the piece is refined.

There are generally two types of products: framed wool felt pieces and three-dimensional wool felt models. Production times vary. Smaller pieces may take one to two days, while larger ones can take up to a month.

A profession mixed with joy and sorrow

In Tang's words, this profession can be described as "a mix of joy and sorrow."

"Many clients come to me because their pets have passed away or are suffering from terminal illnesses. They want to keep their 'fur babies' by their side forever in this form," she said. Because of this, each order often carries a weight of emotion.

One particular experience left a deep impression on her. A client requested a wool felt piece of her pet, but since no photos were available, only a video screenshot can be used. When the finished product was ready, Tang arranged a video call for the client to review it. "After a long period of silence, the client finally told her that she had been crying because it felt like her pet had returned to her side. She found it hard to hold back her emotions."

"Most of the time, I'm crying along with my clients," Tang laughed. As a pet owner, she sometimes finds it difficult to control her emotions when listening to clients' stories and ends up crying with them.

She said that some clients struggle for a long time with grief. For example, some avoid walking down the street where they used to walk their dog, as it brings back painful memories. These moments also make Tang think of her own late dog.

However, there are also many joyful moments. "Some clients want a small figurine of their pet to place on their desk or in their car, while others get them as birthday gifts for their pets," Tang said.

Some also use wool felt pieces to capture different stages of their pets' growth, whether it's a full-body sculpture or a cute expression. According to Tang, these moments bring her a sense of healing.

"This profession is not just about making crafts; it's more about providing emotional value. It carries the deep bond between a pet and its owner, and it's truly meaningful and valuable," Tang explained.

As she works, she feels she can see the everyday moments shared between the pet and its owner, making the work even more fulfilling.

Training courses attract hundreds of domestic and international students

"I am an independent artisan with no team, just a small studio," Tang said. Due to the time and effort required to create pet wool felt, her pieces are not cheap.

For example, a mini version around 8 cm, such as an accessory, typically costs around 1,000 yuan ($137.01). A 7-inch framed piece ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 yuan. The most popular 20 cm wool felt sculptures vary greatly in price due to customer preferences for different colors or patterns. The cheapest starts at 5,500 yuan, while more intricate pieces with complex fur details can cost between 6,000 and 8,000 yuan.

Thanks to the viral success of her pet wool felt videos, Tang said that orders are constantly pouring in, and she spends her days responding to inquiries across various platforms. "On busy days, I can receive more than a dozen orders daily, and my monthly income can reach tens of thousands of yuan."

She roughly estimates that there are about 200 orders pending, with a waiting list that extends until June 2027. She would spend time editing and posting videos of her daily work in the past, but in recent months, she has had to pause because "there's just no time, the orders are overwhelming, and I can't keep up."

In addition, she also dedicates time to training students.

Tang has established both online and offline training courses, attracting hundreds of domestic and international students who want to learn the craft.  

The courses are offered in two formats: online, which includes recorded lessons and online Q&A, and offline, where students receive hands-on training. Both formats have different pricing, but both guarantee that students will be taught until they master the skill. Most students opt for online courses.

"It's not hard to get started, but for an artisan, the hardest part is persistence and patience."

For Tang, this job's greatest appeal lies is its emotional value. As she creates each piece, she heals herm losing a pet is also healedtch, as she createhort breaks now and then, but I will keep doing this," she said. She hopes more young people will join this emerging profession, producing handmade crafts that are warm to heal more pet owners.