Meet Alison Best | Tattoo Artist, Illustrator, Block Printer & Dog Lover

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alison Best and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alison, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Ah, my business. It’s still so weird to say those words “MY business”. It’s been a wild ride but, simply put, it stemmed from two things: my love for animals ( especially dogs, hence the business name ) and my desire to no longer work in the corporate world. I found myself in this mentally draining cycle I didn’t know how to get out of ; work my butt off at my corporate job, make money, buy things that i thought would make me happy to balance out the fact that i hated my job. And the best support throughout the years of trying to figure all of this out? dogs ( i mean yeah of course my family and husband too but ….. dogs, you know? ).

I admired so many people, musicians, painters, photographers, sculptors. If there was an article/video/anything related to an artist i looked up to, i was all over it. I just wanted to get into their brains an understand how they did it, how they followed through. I had always wanted to work in the arts but i just never found anything that “stuck”. However, there was ONE snippet of advice that i swear everyone noted in their interviews. It was so simple yet i feel the most complicated advice to give anyone. Worded a little different in each article It was something along the lines of “don’t give up”, “stick with it” or “do it every day”. Ill never forget the day, it was in 2019 and i was in the basement with my husband and I just said out loud “ Hey i think I’m gunna draw every day “. And in the most Josh response there was, he said “ hell yeah! Go for it! “. So i did, i made a little drawing prompt list and i dedicated time every single day to draw. I started my Instagram and posted every single illustration. I didn’t care about anyones opinion, I just wanted to be able to see my own progress.

Whew, okay i promise that was the longest part of the story. The rest kind of just … happened. Once i was full speed into my daily drawing, i decided to draw my friends dogs for the holidays and when i say it clicked, it freakin clicked. The one thing I found that i truly would never ever get sick of drawing. DOGS. Ill never forget the first person who slid into my DMs and asked if they could commission a drawing of their fur baby. I was beaming with happiness. Once i had a few commissions under my belt, i knew i wanted to start a little side illustration business, and what better to name it than exactly what i am here to do every single day, and that’s when HERE TO PET DOGS was born. In between illustrations i tried my hand in block printing, turning all of my comfort show characters into doggos. And after having two sides to my business ( illustration commissions and vending at local art shows with my block prints ) I had a thought of pushing myself one step further and dipping my toe into the tattoo world. What a dream to memorialize sweet animals on their humans for the rest of their lives? Normally i would have a thought like this and talk myself out of it with “ absolutely not, that’s way too hard Alison “ but instead i said “ why not, what is the harm in asking for an apprenticeship and trying it out? If I don’t like it or if I’m not good at it, i can find something else “. So at 2am in June 2021 i reached out to my friend and local tattoo artist ( Hayden Welch of Hinterland Studio, Rochester NY ) and asked if she would ever consider having an apprentice. She asked “ who” and i said……. “Me”. Her response? “ oh heck yeah “ and i swear, it was the best decision i ever made in my life.

So, with an incredible amount of dedication, determination and so much emotional support from my loved ones, in November 2021 i was able to quit my full time corporate job and in all of two and a half years became an illustrator, block printer and tattoo artist.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As I’m sure you can tell a lot of these are answered in the panel discussion question! ( once i start talking about my business its hard for me to stop, i just love it so much! ). I’m just so proud of where i am. I was the typical antisocial, very private, anxious and insecure person who thought they would just always be working for someone else at a job they hated. It was difficult, but worth every second. For two years straight i worked full time, illustrated full time, in 2021 alone i vended at 34 art shows and started apprenticing. And here i am, full time artist, running my own business, people are wanting me ( ME? ) to not only illustrate their sweet pets, but also tattoo their cute faces on their bodies. I’m putting together “Paws for a Cause” flash days where people can come in and get a tiny paw print tattoo and all profits are donated to a local animal foundation. I would have NEVER believed you if three years ago you said i would have this life. I’ve learned so much. I’ve learned that i can do whatever i want in life, all i needed to to was trust and believe in myself.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh gosh, i mean, number one. Freakin garbage plate. Never heard of it? Google it, i promise its better than it looks! I have many, many favorite places in Rochester. For breakfast? We would probably go to Jines which is my absolute favorite breakfast spot. You have to follow breakfast with a good coffee and one of the best would be from Ugly Duck ( their summer time coffee slushies are to die for ). We would stop at Bones Bakery to pick up some dog treats and toys ( because if you’re my friend and you’re visiting you probably have your dog with you! ) and get some of those delicious garbage plates from Dog Town for us to eat before heading with our beloved fur babies to Letchworth state park to do a little hiking. After a full day of activities, we’d head to Silver Iguana for some tacos and margaritas!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I absolutely would not be where i am today without the constant encouragement and support from my husband, sisters, parents and my sweet, sweet mentor Hayden. They will forever be a beacon in my life.

Website: WWW.HERETOPETDOGS.COM

Instagram: @heretopetdogs

Image Credits
Tabitha Neibuhr Photography ( for the framed block print photos )