About Us

Welcome to our shop and the home of The Persnickety Pets webcomic! I’m Jen, the artist and maker behind all things Persnickety Pets.

Persnickety Pets got its unofficial start in October 2019, when I started making pet collars and leashes as a side gig to my career in theatrical costuming. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, I quickly found myself without work, without a steady income, and without a clear path forwards in a career I’d spent the last 8 years working towards. What a wild time.

I started drawing The Persnickety Pets webcomic in August 2020 as a way to deal with the emotions of the pandemic. In many ways, I think the webcomic sits at the heart of the business. Cheery colors, funny illustrations of life with pets, sassy cat butts, goofy doggo grins... I really hope my work makes you smile. Even better if it makes you LOL.

In June 2023, I paused weekly updates to the webcomic so I could focus on some bigger art projects within the business. It was a hard decision, but there is only one of me and not enough hours in a day to do it all. You can still get exclusive monthly art rewards on my Kofi page.

Every Persnickety Pets product is designed by me and made in the USA. Most of our products are still made by me in my home studio, though I am slowly working towards finding USA-based production partners to help me make things in small batches. Again, only one of me and I tend to dream on the bigger side of things.

I really hope you have fun poking around the site! I've loved working on it over the years and hope I'm able to keep it going for many more. On that note, lemme know if you find any typos or broken links as you're perusing the site (my IT support kitty is always napping).

 

My Persnickety Pets

My husband and I share our home with three delightful, rescued fur kids: Balou, a goober of a cattle dog mix who was our first pet together; Amira, a sideways-sitting pittie mix who we foster-failed; and Marmie, a feisty orange tabby who wobbled into my teenaged life as a tiny lost kitten. Our fluffy tabby, Kiowa, crossed the rainbow bridge in 2022, but I can still hear her telling us exactly what she thinks.

And yes, these goofballs have served as the inspiration for a lot of my comics — so much so that I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to illustrate all of the antics that have made it onto my list!

Persnickety Pets: Jen and her fur kids

Meet Our Photographers

We occasionally collaborate with pet and product photographers to help bring our products to life. Check out their stunning portfolios and follow them on social media to see more of their work!

Persnickety Pets: Andrea Cacho Photography

Andrea Cacho Photography

Washington, D.C.

Persnickety Pets: custom hand-drawn pet portrait, Brittany Tinsley Photography

Brittany Tinsley Photography

Dallas, TX

Persnickety Pets: Laura Skellie Photography

Laura Skellie Photography

Savannah, GA

Persnickety Pets: Moira Nolan Photography

Moira Nolan Photography

Moline, IL

Persnickety Pets: harvest plaid breakaway cat collar, Persimmon Lane Photography  

Persimmon Lane Photography

Owings, MD

Persnickety Pets: classic dog collar, Photography by Kim Smith

Photography by Kim Smith

Birch Run, MI

Persnickety Pets: Sasha Weekes Photography

Sasha Weekes Photography

Prince Edward Island, Canada