Back Home to Excited Setters...

Received a warm tail wagging/body wiggling welcome from our four pawed children this evening! You'd think we'd been gone for months the way they carried on... but secretly we love it. If only I could bottle this enthusiasm, it truly is priceless. Especially loved Fiona's vocalizations "a-rooo-rooo-roo" as if she was scolding us for going out of town. With the smell of baby spit up lingering upon my shoulder I got quite a nice sniff-over from the crew as well.

Back to collars and more collars! No rest for the weary, we started cutting orders this evening before we even unpacked bags.

Weddings and Christenings and Non-Dog Events Oh My!

Our non-dog oriented lives continue as we attended our dear friend Jill's wedding last evening in New Haven Connecticut and had a fabulous time. Pictured here is the most gorgeous bride in the world, the new Mrs. Soricelli. I was honored to perform the wedding ceremony (in addition to making collars did I mention I was an ordained minister?) and it was a wonderful event. Weather was perfectly gorgeous for the wedding which was held outdoors overlooking the water of Long Island Sound. Having a splendid time but still missing the pooches, life seems a little empty without them. But setter slobber and wedding gowns don't go together too well now do they?

They are just as cute as puppies...

So Lucky Fiona is on vacation this week as some of you may have noticed by our banner in the Etsy shop. Fiona's Dogmom & Dogdad had to travel to attend a christening for new little twin nephews Rowan and Kieran. Are they not the most adorable little puppets ever? We are definitely enjoying this precious time with family, but missing our dogs tremendously. Life is just not the same without them, and although they are in good hands with their beloved pet sitter Jane (a.k.a. The Cookie Lady) we still miss them so. Last night as I slept I reached my hand down instinctively to pat Fiona on the head, only to realize where I was and that she was not there. It's rather ironic that I go to bed every night at home grumbling about the lack of space in our bed as we maneuver around setters strewn lengthwise in our sleeping space...then get a night of the whole bed to ourselves and mourn their absence.

Yes, life with no dogs around is foreign and strange, the lack of dog hair and commotion is eerie. Luckily my dog skills served me well this morning when my sister in law and husband left me alone with the twins. They started crying so I put Rowan in a crate with a Kong toy and taught Kieran how to sit using a Gentle Leader head harness. (just kidding! don't call child protection services on me yet!)

Lucky Fiona is Serious About Helping Setters (and so is Annie)

Fiona is a rescued English Setter and she has made it her mission (along with pointing every living creature in a 2 mile radius of our yard) to help other English Setters in need. We are happy to donate 50% of every Silly Setter Stripe collar we sell on Etsy to ACES (Another Chance for English Setters). We've been pleased to offer this wonderful organization a mid-month donation in March and April and we will keep going until we run out of fabric! It's been wonderful to hear from many ACES alumni and their dogparents from around the country. Pictured here is the lovely Annie (Dogmom is ACES BigWig Patty) who is striking a very supermodel "serious setter" pose. Thanks to all and remember that "life is better with a setter". Visit www.englishsetterrescue.org for information on setters in need and how you can help ACES.

This Week's Friend of Fiona is...

Max

Fiona has found a kindred spirit in Max, he too gets just a wee bit excited at the sight of a squirrel. Fiona personally feels that squirrels are some type of secret evil empire that are looking to take over the world. Her job is to point and stalk them until she can't take it anymore and she breaks out in a run and chases them over our fence. We don't know if Max shares her theory on the evilness of all squirrels but we do know he looks darn handsome in his 1.5 inch width Fluffernutter. Congrats on being the official Friend of Fiona Max, you win a free custom collar!

This is a Must Have!

Fiona's An Art Lover- You can be too!

Our good pal Elizabeth over at Art4Milkbones has created the most adorable sign that speaks nothing but the truth... Life is Better with a Setter! Her adorable and ridiculously low-priced hand crafted signs are throughout my laundry room and add such a creative touch to my bare walls. (my other favorite "Dogs Allowed, Children Must Be On Leashes") Pick one of these up while they last, or ask kind Elizabeth to make more! She does fantastic custom work as well.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=26809 (Art 4Milkbones Etsy Shop)

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11035827 (Life is Better with a Setter Sign)

Fiona gets a little more famous!

Fiona featured in City Dog Magazine's Cool New Products Section. You all know our Ms. Fiona loves herself some free publicity and this little mention in City Dog (click on the collars to read) just made her day. She is just one step closer to people in the publishing world approaching her for her autobarkgraphy. Some suggested titles "Things I Did to Escape Out of the Fence - One Setter's Quest to Be Free" or "Spots Don't Make the Dog - But They Make the Other Dogs Adore Me - A Love Story" I can just see these making Oprah's reading list, can't you?

Fiona does not judge a dog on height alone...

Quote from a real live fan-email Fiona received this week:
Harlie's Dogmom writes:
"Those soulful eyes! Those black whiskers! That sexy collar! Perhaps he, too, will sweep Fiona off her feet? Alas if only he were taller . . .Just how does Fiona feel about dating shorter men?"

Fiona responds:

My Darling Harlie - I never judge an eligible suiter by height! In fact I think you are quite the looker in your custom Lucky Fiona Barky Bark collar. (in black no less- what a bold color choice!) I mean honestly, who would even notice how tall you are in that dashing collar of yours! I like your spotty legs, I have spots too, so you see we are more alike than you think. I know some "bitches" out there will put a nice boy doggie down based on his height or breed background, but not this setter! I go for personality and good taste and based on your collar choice you for sure have super taste. Big smoochies to you Harlie.

Love- Fiona

This Week's "Friend Of Fiona" is Ziggy

This week's winner is of International Importance! (well I shouldn't say that... every Friend of Fiona is equally important!) The lovely Ziggy hails from Denmark and could be a professional doggie model judging from these pictures. Fiona of coarse thought Ziggy was a boy dog and was expecting to launch a cross continental romance, but was quickly corrected by Ziggy's Dogmom of the following facts:

1. Ziggy is a girl.

2. Ziggy already has a boyfriend. (see photo)

We agree she is just lovely (Dugan will be emailing later) and looks gorgeous in her Lucky Fiona wear. Congrats on being our weekly winner!

Lucky Fiona I.D. Tags are a hit!

How adorable is Lucy? We're a sucker for a cute puppy photo around these parts and Lucy just about takes the cake for cutest dang little thing ever! We can't wait until she grows into her Lucky Fiona Custom I.D. tag, at this point it is almost the size of her little puppy noggin. (awww, shucks, that is so cute!) At any rate, the tags were a product test for Lucky Fiona and we are so pleased at the response we've had from wholesale vendors and customers alike. We are going to continue to develop them, looking for icons we can hammer into them and also different sized letters. We've had some pretty creative tag saying requests. Some of our favorites:
"Poop Eater"
"Biscuit Whore"
"Teeny Wienie" (for a mini-doxie)
"Yes I Bite"
"Head Bitch"
"I'm a Boy Damn It" (from a very frustrated male Poodle named Rodney)
"Cat Police"

Keep the orders and ideas coming! We get a big giggle from them!

Love Triangle Turns into a Square?

Check out this comment from Fiona's posting yesterday! Carter and Yoshi - who the heck is Perry?

The comment reads below:

"Don't worry Fiona, Perry thinks that winter fudginess is sexy on a woman! He says to tell everyone that you're just extra-fluffy, then they'll be jealous of your pretty coat..."

Hey Hey! Happy Dog! Spring has Sprung!

The birds were back...the grass is showing signs of green re-birth...my Dogmom actually tuned off the heat and opened the windows! It's spring! Wahhoooo! After a winter that according to my Dogmom lasted 500 years I was a happy pup to spend almost the whole day outside. There was so much pointing to do I didn't even know where to start. I even helped with spring lawn care by running around for hours on end which according to my DogDad aerates the lawn, who knew?
At any rate I am hoping for this warm weather to last. I've put on a little winter "fudginess" according the vet so I need to get back into lean setter shape. Stay tuned for continued Spring news from the Chicago suburbs, tomorrow I may begin digging under the fence as I am sure that will somehow assist in spring lawn maintenance, right?

This Week's Friend of Fiona is...RUDY!

Fiona as always had a rough time choosing a winner as we got so many great pictures of doggies (and kitties!) wearing their Lucky Fiona gear this past week (keep 'em coming!) But we had to award Rudy as our Official Friend of Fiona, he's too cute to resist! Look how dapper dear Rudy looks in his Tristan Collar. We especially love the photo essay submitted by his Dogmom, so creative! Here's Rudy in his Lucky Fiona collar sitting so nicely, here he is answering the door with a toddler, here he is looking off to the distance rather dramatically, here he is guarding the front door...such a supermodel! Rudy gets his choice of a custom collar (or gift certificate for one) for being our weekly pick! Congrats Rudy!

Dugan Speaks Out!

Hey there lovely ladies. I'm Dugan. I was here before Fiona. Do I have a company named after me? No. Do I get fan mail and have people adore me from afar because my picture is plastered all over the internet next to catchy dog collar descriptions? No.

Let me tell you I am dang tired of it. I'm tired of all this spotty dog talk around here. I am an Irish Setter and there are no confusing spots anywhere on me. So ladies here's my stats:

I'm 8 years old and I was a rescue too. I'm a redhead with a matching fiery temper. (don't come within 10 feet of my bone while I am chewing it, or thinking about maybe chewing it...or contemplating taking a nap and then maybe waking up and then chewing it. Just stay away from my bone, got it?) My hobbies include barking at anything that comes along the sidewalk behind my fence. This means you joggers and stroller pushers! I also enjoy stealing food off the kitchen counter, digging in the garbage and going through people's purses looking for food items. (Chapstick is a food item in case you didn't know) I'm tutored according to my vet record, whatever that means.

I'm looking for a pretty gal to call my sweetheart. Perfect date would be stealing some meat off the grill while it's still cooking then going through the recycle bin to lick out the empty ice cream containers. (you wouldn't believe how much good stuff people leave in there!)

I'm open to any breed and any age. Tired of being single too? Email me at luckyfiona@comcast.net

Fiona Love Triangle Continues...

Our sources reveal that Fiona is thinking of taking a trip to Kentucky this summer. Her spokescat Brody has no comment but those close to the spotty setter say she is planning a secret rendezvous with none other than Carter! (Fiona was tipped off by a top ACES official that Carter would be in attendance, which makes this reporter question what part of the scandal does ACES play?) Seems both have their snouts pointed towards Louisville and the ACES Reunion being held in August! Will Yoshi be there? Will Fiona and Carter finally fess up to their secret love affair? Stay tuned!