feelin' lucky?

Green beer, anyone? Sorry puppies... none for you.

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays... I love Ireland, I love green and I love my dad (his name is Patrick). I realize it's not necessarily a big holiday, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to craft some collars to celebrate.

As always, you can find them in the shop!

need a nap?

So Oliver had a dental and a tooth extracted on Friday, and the vet had to give him anesthesia of course. He was still a little loopy when I picked him up. I can't help but laugh like a crazy person when I watch this. Sorry Ollie...

flying dog

Exhibit A: Handsome, energetic and enthusiastic dog sits at the top of a rather tall staircase...

Exhibit B: Handsome, energetic and enthusiastic dog's banged-up legs after said dog decides that the stairs simply take too much time... he'd just rather fly... and then do a face-plant into the sidewalk.

Seriously people... he also has a scraped chin and chest and a busted lip. He PLOWED into the concrete, and then didn't miss a beat. Just kept running. And there I am trying to chase him down to make sure that he didn't indeed have a broken jaw like I was sure he must have.

well that's one way to draw a crowd

talented friends

I have a very talented friend who is a great artist and photographer. She's also my go-to "Mona Mae Keeper" when I go out of town. And for Christmas this year, she was super generous and gave me this lovely painting that she did of my sweet miss.

She recently opened her own shop on Etsy that features all original work. Make sure to check it out!

another way to help haiti

Search and rescue dogs are working overtime in Haiti right now trying to find those buried as a result of the earthquake. The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation - the only non-profit in the nation that recruits rescued dogs, partners them with firefighters, and trains them to find survivors buried in the aftermath of disasters - has deployed several teams to Haiti to help. 

USA Today ran an article this weekend about the efforts of search and rescue dogs in Haiti. One team - Bill Monahan and his Border Collie - rescued three young girls buried under a four story building.

If you'd like to support their efforts, please take the time to go to their web site and donate.

[NOTE: Apparently their web site is down because they're receiving so much traffic. You can learn more about what they're doing in real time by following them on Twitter.]

Watch the video below to see a hero-in-training:

puppy love

Valentine's Day collars are in the shop! My favorite is the HeartBreaker Bow Tie... Check them out here.

Who says guys can't wear pink?

And all my proceeds from this year's Puppy Love Collection will go to the Morris Animal Foundation Canine Cancer Campaign. I lost my puppy valentine to cancer less than a year ago, so by raising some money for the cause, I hope to save someone else's valentine.

anthropologie doorstop

Where's a poorly hung door when you need one? I really wish I had a good excuse to bring this guy home...

the dog hair factor

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it here, but I love interior design. It's a huge passion of mine, and if I had a chance to do it all over again, I'd say "forget political science... let's get an interior design degree!"

Anyway, the reason for my digression here is to confess that my design choices in my own home are primarily dictacted by two things: 1) Do I like the way it looks and 2) is it dog-friendly?

So when I look at a photo like the one above, the conversation with myself goes something like this:

"Ooh, I love this bathroom. So pretty! I love the way they've hung the deep green velvet drapes outside the door. And the rug is such an unexpected choice for a bathroom, but it really adds interest to the room. Oh, but it's probably an antique. I could just see my face the first time one of the dogs tracked mud on it. And can you imagine the scratches their nails would make on that floor? And those velvet drapes - you might as well just hang a sign on them that says 'Dog Hair Magnet.'"

But here's the thing... I love my dogs WAY more than pretty velvet drapes, white floors and fancy rugs. So I stick with what works (i.e. washeable, wipeable, nothing too fancy), because at the end of the day, an expensive sofa isn't going to greet me at the door with a wagging tail and an open heart.

all it takes is just one thing

Just do one thing... no matter how small.

You can keep tabs on Stanley and join his Facebook page here.

ridiculous

So I'm working in my home office last night... sewing away on a few collars... when I stop to listen for the sounds of puppy mischief. And - "crickets". And while you might think that the quiet was a good thing, I know better. Complete silence around my house usually means that someone (or everyone) is up to no good.

So I ventured out into my living room, and I saw this:

Adorable and completely insane at the same time, no?

gigantic goldendoodle

This is Oscar. He belongs to my brother & sister-in-law, and he makes me laugh.

whew!

"You mean this isn't my bed??"

So the pups and I managed to survive another holiday season, and I hope that I still have some readers out there after my hiatus... hopefully... anyone... out there?

I had lots of great customers that took home lots of my Christmas collars this year. And that combined for a wonderful but busy holiday season. I think my dogs wondered what had happened to me... I definitely neglected them for about a month or so while I was glued to my sewing machine!

Quincy has had to get used to sharing his snuggles with others...

To kick things off with a new year around these parts, I want to officially introduce everyone to my current foster dog - Matilda. I've actually had her with me for a couple of months now, but I've waited to post about her until I got her healthy. She arrived at my house with demodectic mange (thank heavens it's not contagious), and because of that, she had a bald head and a few other bald patches on her body. So we had to wait to take her glamour shots until now. But she has turned into quite the cutie with these beautiful honey-colored eyes, little freckles across her muzzle and head, and big, blonde polka dots on her back.

She's now mange-free, has had all her shots, and she'll be spayed very soon before she goes to a new home. She's a young one - somewhere between eight to twelve months old - and she definitely acts her age. She's very playful, L.O.V.E.S. my other dogs and from time to time she'll have one of those crazy, running-in-circles moments.

But once she settles down, she gives my Quincy a run for his money in the snuggling department. There's nothing that makes her happier than cuddling on the sofa... whether it's with me or the other dogs. And she gets along well with my cat, although a less tolerant feline might find Matilda to be a little too enthusiastic.

She does well in her crate, she's housetrained, and she's learned sit, down, off and leave it (although that last one is negotiable if it's something REALLY interesting).

Although she loves kids, she will need to go to a home without them because she is a mild resource guarder. Some of you out there probably know what this means, and you might even have a dog that has this problem (I've learned lately that it's more common than I realized unfortunately). But in case you don't, this means that she can be possessive of high-value objects like rawhides - occasionally (not always) she'll growl when you try to take a rawhide or special toy away.

[To learn more about resource guarding, you can listen to Dr. Ian Dunbar discuss it in depth here].

I've been working with her on it, and she is doing really well (we've had growling on two different occasions during the two months I've had her). But this does mean that she can't live with children, and she needs to go to a dog-experienced home where the new owner(s) are willing to continue working with her using positive reinforcement.

This does not mean she's not a sweet and wonderful dog... she's probably one of the sweetest dogs I've ever rescued. But she does have this issue, and I will only place her in a home that is a great fit - one where everyone involved understands the problem and where they will work with her on it and continue her training. There's no doubt that she will bring a great amount of joy and love into the right home.

If you'd like to help Miss Matilda find her forever home, please take a minute to post her on your blog or Facebook page, or send around an email with a link to my post. She's an incredibly special girl that deserves an incredibly special future. So spread the word! Anyone interested in learning more about her can email me here.

PS - Most of you know that I'm a tireless Pit Bull advocate, so I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that resource guarding is not just a "Pit Bull thing." I've seen resource guarding in goldendoodles, shih-tzus, and hounds... just to name a few. Ok, that's all... carry on.

dealing with disappointment

I've recently had to deal with some disappointments... particularly with my dogs. I work very hard to train them so that they are the best dogs they can be. And sometimes I forget that at the end of the day... they're dogs. And they'll make mistakes - some big, some small.

So I was really touched by the story of Ricochet. Take a look at the video below...

merry christmas to me...

I bought myself a Christmas present. I discovered this wonderful artist in New Orleans - Susan Woodard - who paints watercolors of children and pets, and I loved her style so much, I commissioned a portrait of my sweet Sully.

She was so easy to work with, and I received the painting about a week after I sent her the photo to work from. And on top of that, her pricing is unbelievably reasonable.

From photo to watercolor in just a week...

You can see more of her work here... and make sure to check out her portraits of children as well. They're absolutely adorable. If you're interested in ordering a watercolor for yourself, you can e-mail her here.

it's making the rounds

but it's so funny I couldn't resist...

a dog's life

A couple of my dogs already think they should be famous, so I think I'll stuff their stocking this year with these treats that have their pictures on them. A Dog's Life gives customers the opportunity to customize their packaging with their own dog's photo. They have lots of different varieties... some organic, some all-natural and one that's even grain-free.

And for your dog-loving & wine-loving friends (or yourself)... you can order a bottle of wine that features their pooch as well. Merry Christmas to me...

rifle paper company

I found these cheeky and adorable dog cards today at the Rifle Paper Company. A dog in rainboots? Excellent. I think I need these for all my after-Christmas thank you notes.

it takes two to tango...

Matilda: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH... LET'S PLAY!!!

Penny: Bring it on, new kid...

dogpile

UP

I realize I'm very late to the game on this... but once I missed it in theaters, I had to wait for it to come out on DVD. UP became available this week, and since I had a rainy day off from work yesterday, it was a perfect opportunity to finally watch it.

And let me say... it did not disappoint. It's a BEAUTIFUL movie, with a very touching storyline, lots of humor and it provides a fantastic portrayal of dogs.

When the movie originally came out, I had read an article in The BARK magazine that looked at the movie from a "dog perspective." From that, I learned that Pixar had consulted Dr. Ian Dunbar - he's pretty much a rock star in the animal behavior and training community - to make sure that their portrayal of the dogs in the film was as accurate as possible.

Dug wearing the "Cone of Shame"

That was all I needed to hear. And the movie definitely lived up to my expectations. Dug - the Golden Retriever/Lab mix that is the main dog character - was perfect. From his body language to his actual speech and speech patterns... it was so on point that you could almost forget that dogs don't usually have the ability to communicate with speech.

I got the DVD through Netflix, but I'm planning to go buy the 2-disk deluxe edition that includes a short film featuring Dug called "Dug's Special Mission" and a documentary called "Canine Companions" that showcases the amount of study that went into crafting the dogs in the film. There are interviews with Dr. Dunbar and footage of lectures he gave the Pixar animation crew about dog psychology.

If you haven't seen it... you're missing out. Any dog lover will want to watch it again and again.

guess what I found in my backyard?

And then somehow... it ended up here:

(please forgive the picture quality. Camera phone + 6 AM = bad picture)

the perfect gift

As we begin creeping closer and closer to the holiday season, we'll all be searching for the perfect gift for those special people in our lives. I think I might have found it.

These custom "pet doodles" from LMNOPrint are so cute and quirky, AND they're a great price.

All you need to do is email her photographs of your pet along with your (or your friend's) pet’s name and breed. She also asks to know about any unique markings, and asks you to describe your pet’s personality in three words (i.e. “goofy, loyal, loving”) so that she can accurately depict your pup (or cat!).

You can also find her web site here.

more holiday collars...

I finished up a few more Holiday Collars over the weekend. I'm so in love with the reindeer... I've named him Bob.

Check them out here.

it's that time again...

I can't believe I'm already showing you guys this year's Christmas collars! Where has the time gone?


I've brought back a couple of styles from last Christmas, but I've added a few new ones as well. I've also placed a few plain tartan styles in the shop, and I'll be adding some other boy collars to the shop on Monday, so stay tuned!

You can find all the new Christmas collars here.

scoundrel

This dog is a mess. For an old, stray dog that had never set foot in a house before, he sure has come a long way in six months.

exciting times on dogwood street

Things have been kind of crazy in my house these past few days... First, I'll start out by telling you that three out of five dogs in my house are on medication for three different things: Henry - antibiotics for his lick granuloma, Penny - something to help with her wicked upset stomach she had late last week, and Oliver - all natural "stress pills" for his recent anxiety attacks. And of course each of these required a separate trip to the vet. Why can't they understand that it would be so much better for me (and my bank account) if they'd just coordinate the timing of their ailments?

Anyway, two nights ago, I was in Martha Stewart mode and had baked a bunch of fun Halloween cupcakes to take to the office and give to friends. I had placed several - seven to be exact - cupcakes on the table in the dining room in order to make more room in the kitchen. When I went to retrieve them about 15 minutes later, I discovered Henry polishing off the very last one. Of course, they were chocolate. Chocolate cake and chocolate frosting. So I immediately begin trying to chase him down. But he thinks he's in trouble so he immediately begins running from me. I manage to catch him, dump him in the tub and then pour a couple tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide down his throat. I won't go into detail, but I'll just say that I got my seven cupcakes back - wrappers still on - about 2 minutes later.

And then last night, around 11 pm, my entire crew cornered one of these in the backyard:

So there I am, in my pajamas, trying to convince a pack of dogs that the inside of my house is more interesting than the live possum sitting on my fence. Miraculously, I did manage to persuade all of them of that... except for Ollie. That dog just has too much terrier in him to let a varmint go willingly. So I had to go and physically drag him back in the house while praying that the possum didn't decide to jump on my head.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we've had our fill of excitement for a while. I can't take much more...

stud muffin

Oliver is looking sharp in his Pecan Pie Puppies bow tie collar! And those long, curly chocolate ears! He is such a dapper dandy...

A big thank you to his mom for sending in the photo!

daily chuck

Do you guys read the "Daily Chuck" over at Dooce? If you don't, get on it. You won't be sorry.

Photo courtesy of Dooce

hilary swank & home 4 the holidays

I actually managed to get up early enough the other day and have enough time to sit down with a cup of coffee and watch the Today Show before going to work. Hilary Swank was on promoting her new movie Amelia (which, incidentally, I am super stoked to see), but she also took some time to promote her other new project - Home 4 the Holidays.

I've always been a big Hilary Swank fan, but after learning that she has partnered up with Iams to promote animal adoptions, she has moved right to the top of my list. In addition to being the proud mom of two rescue pups, Karoo and Rumi, she's helping to promote the rescue cause by lending her time and energy to make sure that this year's Home 4 the Holidays project reaches its goal of 1.5 million adoptions. At this point, they've adopted out a little over 140,000 animals.... which means we've got a long way to go!

So let's help her out... here are just a few ways you can help:

• All my blogger buddies out there... take a few minutes to post about the importance of animal rescue, and promote Home 4 the Holidays' 2009 goal of 1.5 million adoptions. Call to action!


• Make a donation - whether it's to this cause or any other shelter... and donations don't have to be monetary. Call your local shelter to see what they need. Many times they can use old dog beds, blankets, towels, food, etc. I know I've personally NEVER turned down a used crate, and there have been times at my house that every single crate I have is occupied.


• Offer up your time! Many shelters need volunteers to help with everything from dog-walking to record keeping. Another really great way to volunteer is to provide transport for rescues. It's super easy to drive a couple of hours each way so that a few dogs or cats can make their way to a better life.


• And finally... if you can find a little extra room in your heart and home (and as long as your other fur-children will cooperate)... please consider adoption. I love me some pound puppies (and kitties)!

And just because I'm so excited about the new Amelia movie, I'll leave you this afternoon with the trailer... it looks superb.

i'm fired up...

You try and ban this sweet man and I'm gonna bring the hammer down :)

So it turns out that my hometown - Williamston, South Carolina - is considering banning pit bulls and rottweilers. Awesome. This means that I'll either have to make the choice to leave at least two of my dogs behind (or three depending on how broad their definition of "pit bull" is) whenever I visit my parents OR I just won't visit my parents.

Neither of these options makes me happy.

And I'm the lucky one... I don't actually live there anymore. I can't even let myself think of all the dogs that will be destroyed or abandoned if this law is passed.

I've posted here before about Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) but this is the first time it has actually affected me directly. So you can imagine how fired up I am about this.

First, let me explain something about my hometown... it's this little country town in the Upstate of South Carolina where probably 30%of the population still thinks it's ok to chain your dog out back and feed him leftover dinner scraps for nourishment (IF they bother to chain or feed them at all). Another 50% have the mindset that "a dog is a dog... so what?" And if anyone out there from Williamston is reading this, please don't be offended. If you care enough about your dog to read my blog, you obviously don't fall into the aforementioned categories.

But folks, if you think I'm ticked... well, you should talk to my mother. She is... ENRAGED. You don't mess with her kids - and this potential breed ban law does just that. It messes with her kid - me - and her four-legged grandkids. And my mom has never been one to shy away from a fight. So she's gearing up for a full-blown assault (figuratively, people... I mean an assault of the verbal variety) on the town mayor and town council.

I've been helping her compile information for talking points, information packets and letters to the editor. And I thought I'd pass this information along in case anyone out there is facing this same problem.

The information and links I'm providing here are only the tip of the iceberg. I highly recommend doing your own search for information on BSL should the need ever arise.

• Association of Pet Dog Trainers Model Dog Law and their statement on Breed Specific Legislation


• ASPCA provides information on why BSL doesn't work and they also provide contact information for their Government Relations department so that elected officials can work with the ASPCA to draft breed-neutral animal control laws.


• Beyond the Myth movie trailer


• Understand-A-Bull: This web site is a gold mine of information. This site provides facts and statistics, information for letters to the editor, previous BSL court cases, etc.

inspired by...

I'm kind of obsessed with Kate Spade's new fall looks, so when I stumbled across some really cute black and white polka dot fabric the other day, I knew exactly what my inspiration would be for my next collar.

So I picked one of my favorite looks - this particular one is called "Off to the Opera" - and translated it into a dog collar. And I'm just as pleased as punch with how it turned out. I hope I did Kate proud...

*Top photo courtesy of Kate Spade

hailey

Look at this cutie pie... She's sporting her new Pecan Pie Puppies collar and mugging for the camera! Her name is Hailey and she is an almost-two-year-old, spoiled rotten Boston/Boxer mix who loves snuggles and picking on her two kitty cat sisters.

Thanks so much for the photo!

thanks fellow bloggers!

I just wanted to take a moment and say thanks to a couple of bloggers who thought enough of my collars to feature them on their blogs this past week... Make sure to check them out when you get a chance!

So a big thank you to Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! and Diary of a Southern Belle. I appreciate the encouragement!

this little guy caught my eye...

I spend more time on Petfinder than any sane person should. But as I was looking around yesterday, this little guy jumped out at me. I just love his cute, scruffy face.

His name is Archi and he's available through Golden S Rescue here in South Carolina. They also provide transport, so if you're not from this area but still think Archi would be a great addition to your family, they'll get him to you. You can read more about this little man here.

the waldingfield beagles

I'm not into hunting... in fact, I think I'd rather shoot myself than another living animal, but here in South Carolina, I'm pretty much surrounded by it. It's part of the culture of the South. And most hunters I know are awfully proud of their hunting dogs.

It's very interesting to me how hunters train their dogs... whether it be a retriever, a treeing hound or pointer... or any other variation. So the recent article in Garden & Gun about the Waldingfield Beagles caught my attention. It's considered the oldest pack in America, and the article provides some insight into the sport of beagling and how the pack has been maintained since 1885. Click here to read the entire article at Garden & Gun.

*All images courtesy of Garden & Gun

it's fall!

Fall is absolutely my favorite season. The sky just always seems to be so clear, the weather is SOOO nice, and I love me some changing leaves. I'm originally from the foothills of South Carolina, and there's nothing I enjoy more than seeing those rolling hills covered in shades of yellow, orange and red.

So I was excited to pull out these fabrics I had been saving just for this time of year! I love each of these new collars, but I have to say... I think my favorite is the garnet mum and plaid collar. It's perfect for when you take your pup pumpkin picking (say that three times fast!). You can purchase them in the shop here. Happy Fall everyone!