As a chess player, I really enjoy chess variants, especially those involving randomness. I've spent quite a lot of time playing Dice Chess.
The concept of choosing only your pieces is really interesting, and it definitely makes me want to play more. But the biggest problem is that I can't recognize the pieces at all. At a glance, I have absolutely no idea whether a particular dog is a rook, a knight, or anything else.
And it's not just because the pieces look very similar. Even if they looked radically different from one another, I'd still have the same problem, because I honestly wouldn't feel like putting in the effort to memorize which one is which.
I think you should build on the fact that chess players already know the pieces and how they move, rather than making them feel completely lost.
If the pieces get redesigned, I'll definitely give the game another shot and try to get really good at it!