About The guy behind the shirts. I’ve been around dogs my entire life — not as a breeder, not as a vet, just as someone who’s never not had one in the house. Growing up, it was Dachshunds. My parents always had them, and if you’ve ever lived with a Dachshund, you know they run the household whether you realize it or not. Stubborn, loud for their size, and completely convinced they’re a Great Dane. My grandmother had Poodles — the real ones, not the doodle-mix variety that’s everywhere now. Smart dogs. Smarter than most people I’ve worked with, honestly. In high school we had a Cocker Spaniel. Sweet dog, high maintenance on the grooming front, ears that needed more attention than a teenager’s social life. Then my sister got a Jack Russell, and that dog eventually ended up with us for a while. If you’ve never owned a Jack Russell, imagine a caffeinated toddler with the athletic ability of an Olympic gymnast and zero impulse control. Loved that dog. Exhausting, but loved her. Right now I’ve got a Jackobee — that’s a Jack Russell and Beagle mix — crossed with a Chihuahua. She’s got the colorings of a Jack Russell but the scaredy-cat lapdog habits of a Chihuahua. Big opinions, a nose that won’t quit, and the terrier stubbornness dialed up to eleven. She’s perfect. I started Esoteric Design because I wanted dog shirts that didn’t look like clip art from 2004. Vintage-style illustrations, real breed character captured in the artwork, printed on shirts people actually want to wear. Every breed in the store is one I’ve either lived with, spent time around, or researched enough to have a genuine opinion about. The breed write-ups on this site are mine. Not a content team, not a freelancer, not a committee. If I say a breed isn’t for first-time owners, that’s based on what I’ve seen — not a disclaimer a lawyer made me add. If I recommend a product, it’s because I’d actually use it. When I’m not working on the store, I work in technology — which has nothing to do with dogs but everything to do with why this site is built the way it is. I automate things. I build systems. And I got tired of dog merch that looked like it was designed by someone who’s never actually owned one.