A Sirius Collar Discussion

If you've followed our blog for a while, you may have noticed that we have quite a varied collection of collars here for the Greyhounds.  Morgan has acquired a small assortment of her own collars, as well.   Okay, I'll even admit that I actually own a t-shirt that says "Collar Addict" on it.  So, you can imagine my excitement when we were asked if we would be willing to do a review for Sirius Republic and share their collars with you.

The collars are all handmade using cotton fabrics, nylon webbing and welded metal fittings.  The welded metal is one thing that we look for in collars, since it's less likely that you'll have an accident that results in a loose dog.  They are triple stitched, as well, which helps to keep the collars lasting longer.  They offer martingale collars, buckle collars and quick release martingales in 1.5 inch, 1 inch and .75 inch widths. 

We really liked the cute, whimsical patterns that they offer on their collars.  A lot of our readers have asked us about finding holiday collars and collars with cute patterns.  Sirius Republic is a good place to find them.  I had looked at the website when we were asked to do the review and I had my eye on a couple of the patterns.  I was lucky enough that we got several of the ones I had my eye on and they are extremely cute in person.  They are also very well made.  I looked them over and I would definitely feel safe going out with our girls in the collars.  They are also not terribly expensive, so if you're like us and you like having collars for different holidays and seasons, you can afford them and still have money left over for kibble for you and the dogs.  Actually, if you spend over $35, they offer free shipping.  They aren't lined collars, but the webbing is very soft, so if that is important to you, know that you might want to save them for occasions when you're going out and about or having company over.  They're so cute that you might not want to take them off your dogs, though!

I have a feeling we may be placing an order for a few things from them ourselves in the near future.  Another thing we liked about this company is that they offer the Rescue Partner Program, which is a cool way to help out rescue groups.  Shopping with a company that has compassion for rescue definitely makes us happy!  You can find them online and on Facebook if you're interested in ordering.  We were definitely impressed by what we've seen of them!

A Question Of Greyhound Fashion

Bunny here at the keyboard to answer a question our friend Oskar asked us last week. 

He said that he'd noticed that we wear special collars and wanted to know more about them.  Greyhounds wear martingale collars, or sometimes they're called limited slip collars.  Over the years our collars have taken quite a turn from what we used to wear.

Early collars worn by dogs served an important purpose.  They were made of leather or metal and had metal spikes attached to them.  This was not for fluffy poodles who wanted to look tough walking down the street.  It was to protect the dogs' most vulnerable area from wolves, bears and boars, which they often helped to hunt.  The collars weren't just a fashion statement, they were necessary for a dog's survival.

Later, dogs began to wear collars that were particularly unique.  Many are considered valuable works of collectible art and antiquity now.  They show that we canines were loved and cared for as much back then as we are now.  Many of these collars had jewels or metalwork on them.  They weren't serving dogs for protection quite as much as before, but they did still let everyone know that the dog was a treasured companion of someone.

Today, we Greyhounds wear martingale collars made of leather or webbing and fabric.  You see the leather collars more on dogs who live in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.  In the United States, we tend to wear more of the fabric collars, sometimes with fancier adornments.  Our collars still serve a valuable purpose, though.  Our noses and heads are much narrower than our necks.  So, if we wear a regular collar, it slides right off our heads and ends up on the ground or attached to a leash hanging from a human's hand.   Our collars are made to tighten up behind our ears when we pull or put our heads down while on a leash.  It doesn't tighten up enough to hurt us, just enough to keep it from coming off. 

There's a museum dedicated to dog collars in Leeds Castle in England which I would love to visit, but that seems unlikely since I live so far away from it.  It's even in a castle, which I think is fitting.  As far as I know, it's the only museum dedicated to the history of dog collars.

So, now you know perhaps more than you wanted to about collars.  Hopefully I answered Oskar's questions in a way that makes sense and entertained you all.  Greyhounds aren't the only ones who wear martingales -- often other sighthound breeds, Dobermans and Shetland Sheepdogs wear them, too.  We Greyhounds do love our extravagant collars!