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Free dog images for commercial use: the terms

By the Dog Image API team. Updated .

Yes, you can use the free previews in commercial work. The condition is a visible link that credits Dog Image API, placed next to the image or on the same page. The paid full-size files drop that condition. Reselling the images as a collection is not allowed on any plan.

This page explains the terms in plain words. It is not legal advice. The license page is the reference.

The draft notice

The license page is marked as a draft. A lawyer has not reviewed it yet. We describe it as it stands today and promise nothing beyond what it says. If your use is large, unusual or risky for your business, ask your own lawyer before you rely on it.

Free previews

The free files are WebP images, transparent, at 512 x 512 and 1024 x 1024 pixels.

Allowed

  • Any use, commercial use included: a shop page, a mobile app, a flyer, a slide deck, a client mockup.
  • Hot-linking the preview files.

Required

  • A visible link that credits Dog Image API, next to the image or on the same page.

Each breed page gives the snippet in this form:

<a href="https://dogimage.dev/dogs/pug">Pug image: Dog Image API</a>

Change the breed slug and name for each breed you show. If you show many breeds on one page, a visible credit on that page covers the page. Make sure a visitor can see it without hunting for it.

Paid full-size files

The full-size files are transparent PNGs at 2048 x 2048 pixels. They come with a paid plan, listed on the pricing page.

Allowed

  • Use in your own products: apps, sites, documents, print and packaging.
  • No credit needed.
  • Files you fetched while a plan was active stay usable in the things you built with them.

What the plan adds

  • Higher resolution and PNG instead of WebP.
  • No credit link.

A plan counts distinct full-size images per month. Download a file once and store it on your side. Do not call the API from a page to show a full-size image to visitors.

What is not allowed

The license lists these limits for the full-size files. The terms of use also say not to copy the site or the API to rebuild the image set.

  • Reselling the images.
  • Sublicensing them.
  • Republishing them as a collection, a dataset or an image library.
  • Using them to build a competing image service.

Putting a dog on a product you make is a different thing from selling the dog. A poster that shows a Beagle is a product. A zip file of 100 Beagle images is a collection. When your idea sits between the two, read the license page and ask your lawyer.

Where the text around the images comes from

Breed names, color names and summaries come from Wikidata (CC0) and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). The catalog JSON is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. If you reuse that text, follow the terms of those licenses.

About the images themselves

The pictures are AI-generated illustrations. Every set shows one dog from nine views, passes an automatic check before it is published, and is reviewed by a person over time. They are not photographs, and they are not a breed standard. If your use needs real photos of real dogs, for example a veterinary claim, use real photos. The guide on AI-generated dog images covers this in more detail.

Common cases

  • A shop page with dogs on it. Previews are fine with the credit link on the page. Paid files are fine without it.
  • A client mockup. A private draft is your working file. Once it is published, the preview rules apply to the published page.
  • A mobile app. Show previews with a visible credit link on the same screen as the images, or use paid files, which need no credit, and download them into your app build.
  • A printed poster or packaging. Use the paid 2048 pixel PNG. A 1024 pixel preview is too small for most print sizes, and print is a place where a credit link is awkward.
  • A clip art pack, an image library or a published dataset. Not allowed, as described above.

A short checklist

  1. Using a preview? Add the credit link on the same page.
  2. Printing or shipping a product? Use the paid full-size PNG.
  3. Planning an image library, a published dataset or a competing service? That is not allowed.
  4. Not sure? Read the license page, then ask a lawyer.

Questions

Can I use the free previews in a commercial product?

Yes. The previews can be used for any purpose, commercial use included, as long as a visible link credits Dog Image API next to the image or on the same page.

Where does the credit link go?

Next to the image or on the same page. Each breed page shows the snippet to copy.

Can I sell the images or put them in my own image library?

No. Reselling, sublicensing or republishing the images as a collection, dataset or image library is not allowed, and neither is using them to build a competing image service.

Is this legal advice?

No. This page explains the terms in plain words. The license page is the reference, and it is marked as a draft that a lawyer has not reviewed.

Are these real dog photos?

No. They are AI-generated illustrations. They show no real dog and are not a breed standard.

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