When I was a kid, a classmate and I would pretend to be wolves on the schoolyard. We ran around, giving ourselves pack names like Sundancer and Wind Chaser, and howling at the sky. Her name was Karen and we went to Disneyland for one of her birthdays, and that’s when I met a friend of hers named Amanda. Then Karen went off to England for boarding school and everyone fell out of touch.

Thanks to Facebook, however, I got back into contact with Karen, and even met up with her on a recent trip to New York where she now resides. We reminisced about being wolves. While scrolling through my Facebook feed, I noticed a comment Karen left on a particularly amusing commissioned portrait of her Pug, Fred. Intrigued, I clicked further, and the portrait was the imaginative and skillful work of Amanda! I messaged her, excited to find out about her pet portraits, elementary school memories flooding back to me. When I was a kid I never would have imagined I would get to write about dogs for a living!

Amanda — or Manda Wolfe, as she calls herself on her Etsy page — is an avid animal lover who happens to also be a talented artist. Her foray into pet portraits began a couple of years ago when a neighbor, upon beholding her creative skills, requested a pet portrait. Manda was hooked, and has been taking requests ever since.

Using a soft, pastel palette, Manda strives to recreate the whimsy, wonder, and unique love that dogs bring into our hearts. She is routinely touched by the stories her clients share about dogs who forever changed their lives — for the better. With soft tones and delicate, realistic renderings, Manda conveys the profound bound between dogs and humans.

If you’re interested in a pet portrait from Manda, contact her through her Etsy shop — she’s taking orders for the holiday season and will book up quickly.

Thank you so much to Manda Wolfe for letting us share these beautiful pieces with our readers!