In April of 2026, I launched the Dog Drawings Bundle as the first product associated with my latest ThinkDogs Training & Behaviour project – ThinkDogs Creative.
This launch was met with some brilliant reception and feedback, and I am pleased that so many people took an interest in my creative work. As plans for future ThinkDogs Creative projects are brewing, I wanted to reflect on this new endeavour and touch on what is yet to come.
Blending Two Neurodivergent Passions
I’ve always had an interest in artwork growing up that intersects with my interest in animals. My insistence on only watching films that related to animals and/or were animated until a certain age highlights this. The subject of the drawings that I spent hours of my free time after school creating were never human (and happened to usually be canine, too).
As part of my autistic experience, drawing and animals are not ‘just’ passing hobbies for me, and are topics that have been consistent and intense fixations – also known as special interests. Combining these passions in this new project is an exciting step towards pushing for further education around canine behaviour/training and welfare, but also around the importance of human-made artwork.
This isn’t the first time that my art has crossed over into the animal behaviour and training world. I have sketched Leslie McDevitt’s lovely Kizzy “TroubleFox”, which was used as the logo for the 2024 Control Unleashed conference (Control Unleashed & The Resilience Rainbow’s Unleash the Rainbow event). I also created a series of illustrations which were used in handouts for the Animal Behaviour & Training Council that were released by the ABTC-DEI working group which I am also a longstanding member of.
An image displaying a selection of drawings. Left: The Unleash the Rainbow logo with an illustration of a Spitz-type dog with a rainbow overhead. Right: Three different screenshots of ABTC handouts with illustrations accompanying them, including the ABTC-DEI Mental Health & Wellbeing Toolkit cover which features an illustration of a cat listening to a radio.
Standing Up Against Generative AI
Part of the inspiration to launch ThinkDogs Creative was when I decided to create illustrations of my own dogs, Logan and Maya, to accompany a position statement against the use of generative AI (gen AI) for the business. These quick doodles received a positive response, along with other professionals agreeing with my message of concern regarding the increased prevalence of gen AI being used by other animal training and behaviour professionals who otherwise prioritise ethical practice in their work.
I would argue that the use of gen AI fundamentally comes into conflict with having progressive and welfare-driven values in the animal training and behaviour world. There is a negative animal and human welfare impact brought by AI data centres, which are contributing to the destruction of our planet, the environment and communities on a frightening scale. Gen AI is becoming increasingly woven into existing technology, making it harder to avoid. But we can still make choices, and choosing to use gen AI in your social media content, advertisements, websites, or “for fun”, is avoidable and certainly not free from harm.
The profit-motivated corporations at the helm of the AI movement are associated with some of the most oppressive and aggressive political movements that do not value the safety of the planet, or most human and animal life that resides on it. AI companies are intertwined with the perpetrators of some of the worst human rights abuses we are witnessing today. These political movements are coercive and are directly contributing to increased violence against populations that are already vulnerable and marginalised.
Gen AI does not create any new, unique content, and instead uses training data to combine elements that were created (drawn, written, photographed, and so on) by actual people. This is plagiarism and theft of labour. People have been horrified to discover that AI models had used their work without their consent. Far too many creatives are now losing their jobs to AI.
But often, like everything else, it all comes down to financial limits. Some might argue that they need to use AI because they can’t afford to pay an artist, copywriter or other creative. However, your use of AI may even be turning customers away, as the public are becoming more put off by clearly AI-generated posters (not only do they all look far too similar, but they come across as “cheap”).
Following on from this, the good news is that there are still lots of free (or affordable) alternatives to using gen AI out there. There are very large libraries of free stock images, vector graphics, and other resources on the Internet. A number of editing apps like Krita are available free of charge.
As a disabled person, I am frustrated by the argument that sometimes comes up regarding how gen AI makes art more accessible. Art can be made by anybody and there are many artists who are also disabled. Creative pursuits take work, time and patience, which is part of the joy of the craft, and real artwork has heart and soul – something that cannot be replicated by a machine.
An image showing cartoon-style illustrations of Maya the white Husky mix and Logan the sable Belgian Malinois below the ThinkDogs Training & Behaviour Logo and above the text “Statement on Generative AI”.
Overcoming Challenges and Self Doubt
We are all our own worst critics. Due to a combination of factors, I find it difficult to put my artwork out there – plagued by a feeling of unhappiness with the end product and a need for perfection.
Overcoming the self-doubt goblins that reside in my brain, or at least warding them off for now, has allowed ThinkDogs Creative to come into full fruition instead of remaining unfinished, buried at the bottom of a pit of overthinking and self depreciation.
Reminding myself that “imperfect art made with human soul is better than something technically accurate that was generated by a machine” has helped along the way. I am a big advocate for everyone and anyone to pick up a pencil and create something – that anything made authentically is better than slop churned out by gen AI – but it can be hard to embody that mantra after many years of these self-critical neural pathways being strengthened.
So another phrase came up to offer guidance and reassurance; “wabi-sabi”. This Japanese principle is nicely summed up by Bobby from King of the Hill in a clip that went viral on TikTok, where he explains to his father why he prefers the slightly imperfect flower to the one that best fits the criteria in the rulebook. Wabi-sabi embraces flaws and imperfections.
In my art, there might be some lines that are out of place, some instances where the anatomy isn’t quite perfect, but that shows that it is human! Embracing the character of my work, and how this is the antithesis to AI-churned approximations of human creations – where smoothness and polish (and the ugly, characteristic yellow tint) devoid any semblance of style or uniqueness, helps to free me from the goblins.
An image showing three cartoon dog illustration examples below the text “Dog Drawings Bundle” on a light grey background.
Dog Drawings Bundle Release
So the Dog Drawings Bundle, and ThinkDogs Creative, became a reality. A package of 33 illustrations of dogs, a human-made alternative to using AI, a selection of images based on my understanding and experience of dog training and behaviour (as well as working as a professional in the industry). Made with passion, embracing small inaccuracies, wabi-sabi.
More recently, I have now also launched a themed Mini Bundle. This includes 3 unique drawings of dogs offered at an affordable price. The theme on this occasion is “Harness Up” – the drawings show happy dogs wearing Y-front, front-clip harnesses to help promote safe, ethical and appropriate equipment.
If either of these sound like something that interests you, please feel free to check out the product pages for the Dog Drawings Bundle and the Dog Drawings Mini Bundle on the website. These products include a licence for commercial use and are designed for force-free dog professionals, but are available to anybody who would like to order them.
An image showing three dog illustrations below text that reads “Dog Drawings Mini Bundle | “Harness Up” Edition!”
What Comes Next and How to Support Me
This initial bundle of drawings was always just a first stepping stone, but ThinkDogs Creative has plans to bloom and grow in the future. Following this blog post, there are plans for more free and paid content to come. My mission to push back against gen AI and promote ethical, force-free training based on positive reinforcement is one that is close to my heart – and one that is all the more important with the increase in the use of gen AI and the present normalisation of prong, choke and shock collars (among other cruel, unnecessary dog training methods).
To help the project, I now have a Ko-Fi page that people can donate to. Any small amount sent as a tip is appreciated, and I look forward to seeing where ThinkDogs Creative will go now.
An image of ThinkDogs Training & Behaviour logo on a dark blue background. The word “Creative” is below the logo, in rainbow lettering, alongside a cartoon drawing of a dog holding a paintbrush.