Rupert Fawcett was born and raised in West London where he still lives with his wife and three children. He became a professional cartoonist almost by accident when in 1989 whilst doodling he drew a little bald man in braces and carpet slippers and named him Fred.
After receiving over 80 rejection letters from publishers for Fred, he was finally offered a place in Midweek, a free magazine given away at London tube stations. This was soon followed by his first book deal and a contract for Fred greeting cards. These proved very popular and within a short period of time were to be seen everywhere. A range of Fred merchandise followed with a steady succession of books. The cartoons also appeared in the Mail On Sunday for four years. Over ten million Fred cards have been sold in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Off The Leash is one of his latest creations and the first he launched on Social Media. The Facebook page has over 800,000 followers, some images generating over 1,000,000 million shares. His 3 books are sold around the world, and he delights in regular feedback from his fans, clearly bringing joy and laughter to millions of dog lovers around the world on a daily basis.