Lili Chin

Lili Chin was born in Malaysia where she imagined she would grow up to be a veterinarian or private investigator. After six years in an Australian boarding school, she attended the College of Fine Arts in Sydney, taking workshops on the side on everything from shoemaking to mime. She soon realized that her first love was animation, so after training and working on TV series and commercials, she established her own 2D animation studio in 2000. Her debut, a children’s animated show, was picked up by Warner Brothers. She moved to Los Angeles and the series, ¡Mucha Lucha! , was a hit on Kids WB Network for 52 episodes.

Then her career took a sharp turn. 

After Lili’s adopted dog Boogie attacked someone and she was threatened with either losing him or being evicted from her home, Lili focused exclusively on dog behavior and training. She quickly transitioned from animation designer to dog nerd-artist, with a brand new business: Doggie Drawings. She became a member of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), and spent years educating herself about dog habits so she can share her passion for promoting an up-to-date understanding of animal behavior and humane training methods to the general public through her art. 

Lili’s viral dog body language drawings have been featured in a World Health Organization rabies-prevention campaign, two museum exhibitions, law enforcement training programs by the spcaLA, and several dog-bite prevention and dog welfare campaigns, internationally. Her educational dog infographics have have also been used by  progressive dog training professionals, veterinarians, animal welfare organizations, and the pet industry, for clients including: Petco, RSPCA, Fear Free Pets, Wallis Annenberg Petspace, MoreThan Pet Insurance, Dr Sophia Yin, and the City of Charles Sturt.

Lili fills the world with happy pet-centric art and products. Her popular “Dogs of the World” map that went viral on the internet is now featured on internationally-licensed products including calendars, jigsaw puzzles, pet ID tags, and dog toys. Her fuzzy pet beds and blankets are sold at Homegoods stores around the US and her Year of the Dog enamel pins can be found at many gift boutiques, including the AKC Museum of the Dog store. 

In a way, you could say that her dream of being a veterinarian or private investigator came full circle: she has written and illustrated her debut book, which sleuths out what our pets are telling us every day with their bodies. Doggie Language: A Dog Lover’s Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend (Summersdale) has sold over 100,000 copies. She is the illustrator of the picture book What’s Up, Pup? by Kirsten Nelson, which explains dog communication to kids. Lili continues to illustrate and write about animals. Her book Kitty Language will be followed by Dogs of the World: A Gallery of Pups from Purebreds to Mutts, as part of her two-book deal with Ten Speed Press/Random House. To date, Lili’s books have been translated into more than 13 languages!

Lili’s website: doggiedrawings.net

Online shop: doggiedrawings.etsy.com

Twitter: @lilita_yaya

Instagram: @lilita_yaya

Facebook: doggiedrawings