This nation's economy is in the crapper and you know who is riding high through this economic crisis? Well loved dogs and cats. Let's face it, we have all felt the pinch of these hard times. My husband and I have adopted several budget strategies to help make up some of the lost revenue we are all feeling. However there is one area I just can't cut too far back on and it's the part of our budget called "animal care".
I just recently had to put to paper all of the monthly costs involved with caring for our zoo of 3 dogs and 3 cats and it's enough to frighten anybody this Halloween season. Let's put it this way - I even "
accidentally" omitted some of the usual pet related costs (my husband doesn't need to know everything right?) and the number was still really high. Like car payment high. Like I could pay for a whole village to eat for a year in
Namibia high. Um, it's a lot of money a month.
But I look at those furry faces and say "It's not your fault we're in a fiscal crisis!" I can't punish the four pawed children because our government screwed us bad these past years, right? I mean they didn't vote Bush in, heck they growl at him when he comes on the TV.
Here are some warning signs that perhaps you are in the same boat as me:
* Have you stopped going to the high priced salon to have your cut, styled and dyed and opt for self trims and the $12 box of Nutrisse Hair Dye at the drug store.... yet your dogs keep their standard grooming appointments at $50 a pop for each of them every 4-6 weeks?
* Have you resorted to cutting coupons and buying generic brands at the grocery store for your own food needs but your animal companions are still eating $45 bags of holistic -hormone free - antibiotic free-grain free Dog Food from non-traditional protein sources like Buffalo and Kangaroo?
* Have you stopped buying meat as frequently due to the high cost and find yourself preparing pasta more nights of the week for dinner than your husband cares for.... yet your dogs and cats get whole beef, salmon and quail treats routinely?
* Have you denied yourself that great smelling $12 candle at Target because "it's not a necessity and times are tight" .... yet you spend $33.99 on dog and cat toys at Target to add to the giant bin of dog and cat toys in your family room?
* Have you stopped buying the fancy body lotion at Origins that smells like grapefruit and opted for the Suave brand at Walgreens instead in an effort to save a few bucks.... yet your dogs are still using Happy Tails Fur Breeze Aromatic Spa Mist in Citrus and Vanilla because it "freshens dog body and soul" at $16.99 a bottle?
* Have you glanced at the cheap no-name cat litter on the bottom shelf of the pet supply store and thought "well it is $4 cheaper and they are just going to go potty in it!" and then talked yourself out of it as you don't want the cat's to be "subjected to change and it's not their fault the stock market is bottomed out."
If you can relate to any of the above you too are a victim of Dog-o-nomics. Let's hope times will get better in the coming months or sigh...years and that
above all people will keep buying custom made dog and cat collars! After all it's not your dog and cat's fault that times are so ruff...they still need to look good. Even if your hair looks like crap and you long for a nice steak.
* Candy is for everybody but dogs.
Final days to purchase a collar for this wonderful dog - we so want to meet our goal of 50 collars by the end of the month! Check out new fabric choices! 
Yes, I know technically these are children and I primarily like to keep the talk very animal related around here...but c'mon! How dang cute are my nephews Rowan and Kieran? I took this photo last week while visiting them in NY. I wanted to get them dog costumes but was disappointed to find the puppy dog outfits had a bone attached to the front of them. Not a cute sewn on one, but a large cumbersome one. It was very odd and as my sister in law pointed out rather phallic as it was located on the part of the costume where little boys have little parts. Alas, not wanting to subject them to "boner" jokes in puppy dog costumes I bought them lion costumes. I can't stand how adorable they are. Perhaps I am a biased Aunt and Godmother, but have you ever seen cuter cats than this? 
We still need to sell 18 collars this month to make our goal and help defray Sarah's huge vet bill. Check out her listing on our website as we are updating fabric choices in the hopes of soliciting more sales! Thanks to all who have purchased one on her behalf. 
We received the letter below upon our return from our trip and our hearts are broken. If anything it is a message for us all to love and appreciate every minute you have with your animal companions as they could be gone in just the blink of an eye. Alfie's Dogmom Julie has kindly allowed us to share his story as she needs support right now. Please share your messages here as she needs some words of comfort from other DogMoms and DogDads. Alfie was a rescue from the ASPCA and was just given a second chance only a year ago. His time with his furever family was way too short, but how lucky he was to find such patient and loving guardians. Julie spent a lot of time helping Alfie get over his anxiety and fears as he did not trust humans when she rescued him. We hope all the happy memories with Alfie will help his family heal as they mourn this tragic loss.
Hi Shannon,
"Oh Shannon, don't you worry that when you are not at home the dogs will torment the cats? Yes I have heard this question many times. Now due to the technology of hidden cameras I am able to unlock the secrets of what exactly goes on between the dogs and cats when I drive out of the garage. Please be forewarned the following photographs are graphic and shocking in nature. Diabetics and those sensitive to sweetness, turn away now!
Dear Lucky Fiona Collar Fans-
This is Dugan's happy face! Why is he rolling on his back smiling you ask? Well he is THRILLED that we sold 25 collars for Sarah yesterday alone! That is half our goal in ONE day! Whooo-hooo! We are so thankful to all who purchased collars and encourage you to keep it going by purchasing one of the 4 fabric styles of our charity collar. 50% of each collar sale goes towards Sarah's $2300 medical bill. If we hit 50 sold collars soon we will add more fabrics and keep this going. Thank you, thank, thank you.
As you know we donate proceeds from our Silly Stripe Collar every month to a different Humane Organization. In September we worked with Save Our Setters and I was made aware by SOS that our donation from collar sales were going to a very hard luck medical case they have in foster in Ohio. Her name is Sarah and she is just 4 years old and needs extensive surgery to get healthy enough to be placed in her forever home. Collar sales in September for the Silly Stripe resulted in an $84 donation from Lucky Fiona to SOS. We are so thankful to all who bought collars in September for this great cause but we want to do more. Sarah's vet bill is currently at $2300 and it is staggering to me to fathom that high of a bill for a dog that has really no home or family to call her own. The fact that SOS is the type of group that will not give up on a dog like this is true testimony to the wonderful work they do. We are extending our commitment to helping Sarah throughout October. We are offering not one, but four, count 'em... 4 different collars for sale where 50% will go to Sarah's medical bill. It is still a drop in the bucket even if we can sell 50, but that is our goal. Please purchase one to help this pretty red head, even if you don't have a need for a collar at the moment! We gift wrap remember and these collars make awesome gifts. Heck the holidays are right around the corner.
