I downloaded pics from the internet and found dogs that looked like mine (also the cat). The colors were tricky since I didn't have all the threads they wanted. I must say, I probably have 25 hours into this job with thread breaking, trying to download, credit card problems, not liking how it came out etc etc. I think I got a little grayer after this project!!! Thanks for the compliments. By the way, I don't have digitizing software, but eventually I might like to get some - it is pretty interesting.