About This Stamp
Whether your idea of the perfect pet is a loyal dog or majestic macaw, these 20 Forever® stamps celebrate the animals in our lives that bring joy, companionship, and love.
The stamp art for Pets features 20 existing photographs of different animals taken against white backgrounds by Eric Isselée. Each photograph represents animals we love from these groups: puppies, betta fish, iguanas, hamsters, goldfish, parrots, guinea pigs, tortoises, rabbits, kittens, corn snakes, mice, hermit crabs, chinchillas, gerbils, dogs, parakeets, horses, cats, and geckos.
More than half of U.S. homes have at least one pet, with the number growing every year. The most common domesticated animals are dogs and cats, but pets come in all shapes and sizes. Pets offer their human companions unconditional love and happiness, as well as physical and emotional health benefits. They are more than just animals; many people consider them members of the family. Whether you prefer the silky scales of a corn snake or the warm fluff of a guinea pig, responsible pet ownership begins with familiarizing yourself with the animal possession laws and regulations in your area and finding the right pet for your life and needs. Choosing a pet whose specific needs you can understand and accommodate will ensure that your new animal friend will live a happy, healthy, and safe life.
Art director Derry Noyes designed these stamps.
Pets was issued as a booklet of 20 self-adhesive Forever stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.
Stamp Art Director, Designer, and Typographer
Derry Noyes
For more than 40 years Derry Noyes has designed and provided art direction for close to 800 United States postage stamps and stamp products. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Hampshire College and a master of fine arts degree from Yale University.
Noyes worked as a graphics designer at Beveridge and Associates, a Washington, D.C., firm, until 1979 when she established her own design firm, Derry Noyes Graphics. Her clients have included museums, corporations, foundations, and architectural and educational institutions. Her work has been honored by American Illustration, the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington, Communication Arts, Critique magazine, Graphis, Creativity International, and the Society of Illustrators.
Before becoming an art director for the U.S. Postal Service, she served as a member of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee from 1981 to 1983.
Noyes is a resident of Washington, D.C.