2 weeks ago
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They are beloved family members whose deaths are often felt as keenly as those of our human companions.
Now a Scots needle artist is easing the pain of losing a pet by crafting woollen lookalikes – and requests for her work have been pouring in from all over the world.
Fiona Finlayson began making the figurines after realising how heartbreaking the loss of a cat or a dog can be for the owner.
The 53-year-old, of Livingston, West Lothian, felt ‘something had been missing’ until she started making animals using needle felting.
The lifelike figures even contain the fur of deceased pets
Launching her business in 2018, she now creates around eight likenesses each month to ship to her customers, who ask for a depiction of their deceased pets.
Ms Finlayson said: ‘I didn’t really appreciate when I first started how much it would mean to people.
‘I’ve got a dog, I’ve always loved animals, and for some losing a pet is horrible.
‘If there’s something you can have that makes it a little bit easier, then it’s nice to be able to help create that and give it to somebody.’
Fiona Finlayson is a needle felt artist from Livingston
Ms Finlayson’s handiwork is popular with pet lovers worldwide
She said as well as orders from across the UK, she has shipped her woollen animals to Australia, America, Canada, France and Norway.
Ms Finlayson said it takes up to 15 hours to make each piece depending on the task, creating woolly sculptures measuring around 8in.
She has even incorporated the fur of her customers’ pets into the sculptures, as well as collars, to allow them to feel as though a part of their animal is still there.
The artist said she had created a Bichon Frise dog for one customer whose pet had died.
The owner said they would speak to the doll in the morning and ‘it was almost like it was the dog’.
Ms Finlayson’s creations cost around £130 each, including postage.
She said: ‘I feel such a responsibility making the pets and want to get it just right. But once I do, it’s such a nice sense of satisfaction.’
