Today, 5th July, is Pet Remembrance Day. People across the UK will remember companion animals that have died. Using the twitter hashtag #PetRemembranceDay many will share photos and fond memories of their pets.
Rescue and rehoming older dogs
The event is organized by Arty Lobster – specialists in 3D printing pet sculptures. Pets Magazine is a co-organizer and the day aims to raise funds for The Oldies Club, a charity dedicated to finding new homes for dogs aged seven and over.
I asked Arty Lobster’s CEO Lars B Andersen more about the event and how his company use 3D printing to make tasteful pet memorials. Andersen says, “Many of our sculptures are bought by people as a pet memorial. As Arty Lobster can make a 3D printed sculpture from photos, this is a popular way to create a keepsake and a 3D representation of that favourite pet.”
We have been going for about three years so far. I run a name tags printing business, and was interested in 3D printing. When two friends mentioned that they were looking for a tasteful pet memorial and a gift for a pet-lover, the idea of Arty Lobster was born.
3D printing a pet memorial
The process of creating a 3D printed pet memorial is relatively straight-forward. Andersen explains, “We have a number of artists who will convert about 10 photos of a pet into a full colour sculpture. We then use a 3D systems Projet 660 Pro to 3D print the sculptures.”
So far Arty Lobster has mainly 3D printed sculptures of dogs, cats and horses, but they also work with less typical pets – this can present challenges.
We have had the opportunity of creating leopard geckos, pigs and guinea pigs too. Some of the more challenging pets are very fluffy dogs like bichon frises or poodles, as the fur is too fine to be accurately 3D printed. It is also impossible to scan furry dogs, so we use our own artists to create a 3D printable artistic impression of the pet.
Pet Remembrance Day was set up to help people grieve and remember their pets. Andersen says, “It is slowly getting more accepted that it is perfectly normal to grieve for our pets. Pet Remembrance Day helps people with ways to remember and with talking about pet loss. We are on twitter all day today with the #PetRemembranceDay.”
3D printing pet sculptures appears to be growing use of the technology. As we reported earlier this year Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg marked the occasion of his dog’s birthday with the gift of a 3D printed replica. Furthermore, several other companies 3D printing pet sculptures can be found online.
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Featured image shows Lars Andersen with Arty Lobster 3D printed pet sculptures. Photo via Arty Lobster.
