Fiona Seeking Dog Poems and Quotes...

"Thorns may hurt you,

men desert you,

sunlight turn to fog;
but you're never friendless ever,

if you have a dog."
~ Douglas Mallock

Fiona is getting very literal and searching for your favorite dog quotes for an upcoming product project we have in development. Let us know your favourite poems and dog or cat inspired ditties! Leave them here as comments and be sure to credit the author if known.

Holiday Photos

Golly! I asked for some holiday pictures and you Friends of Fiona delivered! Thanks to everybody who took the time to answer our call of need for adorable photos.

- Bee

Getting Sentimental

As 2009 comes slowly to an end I wax
nostalgic over the past 12 months and
all the wonderful friends and dog lovers
we have grown to know through this
little collar company.
Lucky Fiona was never meant to be the
"next big thing" or my attempt to retire
early to Bora Bora. Instead a small and
mindful little company focusing on our
four pawed pals and the relationships we
have with them. I honor and nuture that
special relationship with every stitch I sew.
I don't think customers truly know the joy
I receive from making these collars and
knowing they will be given to creatures that
are so loved and cherished by their guardians.
Thank you for supporting us through another
year. With the troubled economy we did see a decrease in sales this past year, but we
remain committed to providing you and
your animal companions with fun and
affordable collars in 2010. If you like what we do, please pass it on. We find our best
source of marketing is you! The New Year will bring new styles, new promotions and contests and hopefully many new friends of Lucky Fiona.
Smooches to all you pooches and kind humans too ~
Shannon (The Head Bitch)

Let's See Your Pictures Lucky Fiona Fans

Calling all Friends of Fiona who were camera happy this Christmas! Please send us your photographs to share here on the blog. Your pooch or kitty does not have to be wearing a Lucky Fiona collar (although one would naturally have to ask "why not?") We simply just want to see how are four pawed pals enjoyed the big day. Any gift wrap shredders? Tired pups? Kittens stuck in curling ribbon? Please send them our way to: info@luckyfiona.com.

Keep in Touch Friends of Fiona

Dear Friends of Fiona ~

The Head Bitch is off on holiday, but have no fear...I'm here! My name is Brigid (Bee for short) and I will be answering emails, convos from Etsy and general vendor requests and questions. All communications will be recorded in the order received and forwarded to Shannon & Alex's attention upon their return.

I appreciate the patience a few of you have shown as I sometimes have to research a bit to answer your queries. Thanks for hanging in there as I find your tracking number from the giant mailing log or figure out exactly how many colors are represented in "The Veronica"!

Merry Christmas to all -

*Bee*

We Love a Rave...

Hello,
I just wanted to pass along a photo of Molly and her Luckyfiona collar. We were introduced to your site a few months ago, and totally fell in love with your collars. The fabrics are trendy and stylish, and of course Molly looks adorable in them. Keep up the great work!
Merry Christmas,
Kelly Manicke

Thanks Kelly! Molly looks oh-so-festive in her ChocoTree Collar!

Reader Mail!

Received this email from Charice (Dogmom of Tula - pictured) from Southbridge, Massachusettes ~

Saw the blog post, Looks like fun for all! We want to make some cookies for all of Tula's dog friends in the neighborhood.... what do you use for a dog cookie recipe and frosting embellishments?
P.S. We love our chocobloom collar and leash set. Will have to send a picture showing it off.

Well Charice it takes a bit more thought to bake and decorate dog cookies as so many things we use in human cookies are not safe for dogs but with a bit of preparation and a Whole Foods you too can make cookies that look delicious and will be safe for Tula to eat.

Basic Cookie Recipe:

2 cups of whole wheat flour (sub oat or barley flour if desired)

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 cup of Natural Peanut Butter (be sure no added sugar and no added salt)

1 cup of skim milk

Preheat oven to 375. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another and then slowly add dry to wet. Knead dough onto a floured surface and roll out to 1/8-1/4 thickness. Place on greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. You want a crunchy but not burnt cookie.

The key to storing a dog treat long term is getting all traces of moisture out - to do this leave cookies in low temp oven for a few hours or in a dehydrator till super-duper crunchy.

If you want to be a bit of a cheater like the Lucky Fiona Street Team you can also purchase Cloud Star Buddy Biscuits that come in the shape of Gingerbread men and are nicely embellished with your own frosting and toppings. For those grain-free diet doggies out there the Cloud Star Provence cookies come in the shape of Stars and again are easily jazzed up with frosting and decorations.

*To "frost" we used:

Unsweetened Carob (a safe "chocolate-like" treat for dogs - available in bags of chips at health food stores or Whole Foods) Pipe onto cookies or spread like frosting.

Unsweetened Yogurt Drops (again available at natural stores and melted in microwave)

Sugar Free Vanilla Frosting (a bit gritty to spread but dog safe!)

White Chocolate Wafers - contain some sugar but are safe to ingest unlike regular chocolate and come in different colors to pipe onto cookies.

To decorate we used:

Honey - helps things stick onto cookies and naturally sweet and safe for dogs

Sugar Free Sprinkles - available again at Whole Foods

Sugar Free Aerosol Cookie Coloring - little spray cans you can spray on cookies or frosting to color easily

Ground Peanuts - dogs love 'em and if you have a Slap Chop easy to ground down

Tapioca Balls - instead of sugary nonpareils they make nice accents on frosting

I'm sure there are other ideas out there if anybody else would like to post some! Good luck with your cookies Tula - you will be sure to make tails wag among your furry friends this holiday season.

Lucky Fiona Street Team Does It Again!

Thanks to all for the fun today at the Lucky Fiona Street Team event held at gang member Marcy's home. We so appreciate you opening your home to us at this crazy time of the year for such a messy event! We had a ball decorating dog cookies for holiday gifts for our own Lucky Fiona pups and for friends and family. The creative skills of the group was once again amazing and I know many happy pooches will enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Happy Howl-i-days Street Team and looking forward to more fun and dog oriented gatherings in 2010!

Warmly -
The Head Bitch

Seeing Spots

One of the nicest things about rescuing a dog from a great breed specific organization is the fact they will entertain crazy questions regarding the breed with utmost kindness and won't laugh at you. Such is the case with Ohio English Setter Rescue's Head Bitch Susan England. Not only did she answer my query about Lily our recent adoptee but actually said it was never a bother to contact her. (she said this on a day she posted earlier on Facebook she was relaxing and taking a mental health day...talk about a good egg)

It was a tad embarrassing having to ask her a question about English Setters, but it was driving my husband and I a bit loony. I am also one of those annoying dog people that "knows everything about setters" so when I could not get an answer from my vet or the all knowing internet I had to take a slice of humble pie and admit I didn't know why something was happening with my very own dog. You see, Lily is developing spots. Now I know what you are thinking (hey Dogmom, aren't you on pain meds for that upcoming knee surgery?) and yes, actually I am. (jealous?). But I am not seeing pink elephants dancing around the room, I am just seeing spots appear on Lily that were not there before. The drug induced theory also goes out the window because Alex sees them too. Keeping in mind this is a man who cannot notice the sink if full of dirty dishes or that the cat has thrown up on the carpet, but he notices faint spots getting darker on our English Setter. Our only English Setter experience mind you has been with Fiona and her spots have always stayed the same. Our Irish setters are sans spots so no background there.

Thankfully the kind and experienced Susan explained to me on her Mental-Health-Day-Off that I was not going cuckoo or seeing things. She has seen many English Setters go through rescue that will develop spots and ticking after they are placed in a home. She believes it's due to the dogs getting their stress level lowered and better nutrition coming into their lives.

So now we are are having Spot-Watch 2009" at Lucky Fiona headquarters. Lily seems delighted when we preen her coat praising her newest spots. To keep things fair around here we will compliment Fiona's spots and pretend we see some on our Irish's Dugan and Caelan's coats too, God love them they wag their tails over the folly. So I guess you can teach an old Dogmom some new stuff every once and awhile. No time to Sigh, I have spots to watch.

Collar of the Month Testimonial from Morgan

Excerpt from recent letter we received from Morgan - A Service Dog that works with children who have special needs. Morgan has been a Lucky Fiona Collar of the Month member since March 2009 ~

Dear Fiona,
I want to thank you so very much for all the collars that I’ve been getting through “collar of the month” club!! I’m so excited!! My ma signed me up almost a year ago thinking I would get about 12 collars, and I’ve gotten way more and they are all so fashionable!! My favorites are the thick collars, you were right! They look really good on me, especially since I’ve got such a beautiful black coat with a nice long neck. My ma’s birthday was on Thanksgiving, and you totally nailed the collars that month! I loved the turkeys and the golden book collars! Actually, my student’s really like the golden book collar, they asked me to read those books to them once they saw my new bling! Please tell your mom that she does an amazing job picking out fabric and helping you put them together! My ma isn’t very good at sewing, but she is good at coordinating my outfits! My year of collars is soon coming to an end, which makes me very sad. I’m going to try to convince my ma to join again, hopefully she will even though she’s busy training for an ironman. I’m going to help her train again by riding in my trailer behind her! Remember last year I told you that she flipped it over? Hopefully she doesn’t do that anymore! I didn’t get hurt, but you never know! Life is good out here in Washington...

* Morgan loves her Collar of the Month subscription and so will your dog or gift recipient! Perfect for the dog lover you never know what to buy! $150 for one year of once a month collar deliveries ($251.76 value) Order today!

A Message from Fiona to her Dogmommy

Dear Dogmom,

It is that special time of year again when flashbulbs round the world start going off and canines lose all sense of dignity as Dogparents dress them up for holiday photo cards. Please take a few moments to review the following before you begin your quest to create the "best" holiday photo ever.

I think I speak for canines everywhere when I say we are dogs. Not reindeer. Though both mammals that is where the similarities end. Please do not put reindeer antlers on us. It seems that you forget this every year and the antlers keep getting more elaborate and more humiliating. They started off as brown felt and that was bad enough. Now you seem to find delight in securing antlers to our heads that sing songs or light up via battery packs or are bedazzled in pink sequins and marabou feathers. If dogs were meant to have horns God would have created us that way! Cut it out!

Likewise I do not know of any dog on the planet that enjoys being dressed up as an elf. I don't care how many liver treats you bribe me with I am not putting those damn curly toed elf shoes on my paws. My job is to chew and destroy shoes, not wear them. So I suggest forewarned is fair warned - you force the goddamn elf shoes on me and I cannot be responsible for what happens to your new designer pumps once you leave the house for more than an hour.

I ask for your empathy. Do you enjoy wearing that really ugly holiday sweater your Aunt Francie gave you in 1992? No? Well then, why do you feel the need to put me in a tacky sweater every December that inexplicably has pom-poms on it? Does anybody really want to wear pom-poms? Also have you seen the quality of most dog sweaters? There is a reason they are typically clearanced at Petsmart for $2.99. Truly you love me more than that don't you?

Let's just forget about fake beards, Santa hats I will shake off my head the minute you take 2 steps back to turn the camera on and anything that requires a lot of velcro and a team of assistants to put on my body.

I am a dog and I love you. You love Christmas and due to my undying love for you I will put up with these shenanigans. Just please oh please do not buy that Snowman dog suit from the In the Company of Dogs catalog. I mean it about those pumps.

Signed -

Your Loving Dog Fiona

Just Say No To Puppy Crack

Puppy Crack ~ The dogs viciously attack for a bite of the Crack

You never think it could happen to one of your dogs. I raised them right after all...took them to obedience, monthly grooming, hired the most incredible pet sitter for the days I can't be home with them. They have a nice home, fully fenced yard and dog park passes. My dogs are well socialized, always test negative on Heartworm tests and can tell the difference when fetching a toy between Hedgey the Hedgehog and Pink Eyed Puppy if I ask them to retrieve something specific out of a toy bin. I did everything right. But Crack still found them.

The dealer is a lady who owns a dog boutique called Hairy Winston and she sent this poison directly into my home in a so called "gift" box full of other harmless dog treats and dog related products. An end of the year "thank you" goodie box for Lucky Fiona. Who knew what evil rested inside the gold foil bag she mailed to us hidden beside chicken jerky and sweet potato ropes!

Sure I thought my dogs were hooked on their usual favorite Molasses Buddy Biscuits, but nothing, nothing compares to the fervor that occurred when they first tasted Puppy Crack. It only took one chomp of this innocent looking little biscuits to see there was a problem. Drooling became out of control, whining commenced and dogs that typically are gentle as lambs with each other began to body slam each other looking for crumbs.

My name is Dogmom Shannon and my pooches are Puppy Crack addicts.

Is it my fault? Is it because I try to give them baby carrots as a treat when really it's not a treat but a healthy vegetable? Did I coddle them too much? Why dear God? Why!

I can't even blame it on any outside bad influences like the Lucky Fiona Street Gang who they hang out with every month. Sure those dogs have some quirks, but none of them are Crack junkies. (as far as I know at least, hmmm, Jetty the puppy does seem to have a crazy look in his eyes and that Micky is a newcomer, who really knows her past?)

All I know is I have dogs who will sit under the fridge fixated on the Puppy Crack package on top of the fridge. Like any good Dogmom my first thought was to flush it all down the toilet, but then I thought this may cause withdrawal behavior worse than the current wackadoodle addiction behavior. I also locked up my jewelry as I found Fiona going through the Yellow Pages to see what Pawn Shop is closest to our home.

I love my Puppy Crack addicted dogs. I do. I just hope this does not happen to your dog. Take this opportunity to talk to your dogs about Puppy Crack now and how to say no. You never know when some dealer will push it on your dog. Sigh.

This Week's Friend of Fiona is Izzy!

Look who is this week's Official Friend of Fiona! It's Izzy!

Oh our dear curly coated gal - you look so ready for the Howlidays in your brand spankin' new Lucky Fiona Zuzu Custom Dog Collar. We especially like how the subtle yet classic print says "I fit in with all this lovely holiday decor around here without being obnoxious about it!" We understand Izzy, that's why we try so hard to make seasonal collars that are not your typical run-o-the-mill pet wear. I mean really Izzy, anybody can make a reindeer collar. Gee whiz, that's too easy.

We want to thank your Dogmom for sending in your photo making you our weekly winner. Contact us with your pick of a complimentary custom collar big winner (and feel free to brag to all your poochy pals) info@luckyfiona.com

* Keep those photos coming folks! There is nothing the Head Bitch loves more around here than
looking at sweet dogs and cats sporting our gear!

Lucky Fiona

12 Days of Doggie Deals
List the secret code ''FIONA" in the NOTES section of your Etsy order and receive a FREE RED STARLIGHT COLLAR .

Be sure to indicate size needs in notes as well.
One Free collar per household.
Today only bloggers so don't dilly-dally.
Tell your friends! (but do it in a hush hush tone for dramatic effect)
Lucky Fiona will be closed for business December 15th ~ December 28th
Order your Howl-iday Collars now!"

It's Maddening I Tell You! Maddening!

Alex grabbing toy golf clubs for my nephews at Target at 5:30 a.m. Friday

My new weekly feature exploring topics that may or may not be dog related but are certainly maddening! Maddening I tell you...maddening!
Today's topic: Black Friday
Now if you are wondering why it has taken till Sunday to write about Black Friday it is because it has taken me a full 48 hours to get over the trauma of going out at 5:00a.m. last Friday.
Let me start by sharing with you that I started working retail at the mall in my home town at the green age of 15 at an upscale woman's store called Up To Date. I was the Dressing Room gal. Breaking several child labor laws I worked 12 hours straight my very first Black Friday employed in the working world. My legs felt like overcooked spaghetti from not sitting down once and I vividly recall making a solemn pledge that when I grew up I would stay home on Black Friday and not shop. In my 6 consecutive years after age 15 where I worked at various retail shops at the mall I repeated that vow every Black Friday and would fantasize about adulthood and freedom from the crowds, sales and general mayhem.
So why on God's Green Earth did I decide to go out last Friday to Target at 5:00a.m.?
Well it was those goddamn $3 Chefmate appliances they advertised. Yes I was a sucker over the mere notion of obtaining a crock pot for $3 or a 12 cup coffee maker or panini press. Now keep in mind I would have to gift said items to somebody I didn't give a rat's ass about or was born in the depression era. 92 year old Great Aunt Snookie would be the only person to not judge me for giving her a $3 gift and also due to her lack of mobility be unable to physically return the crock pot and find out my dirty little secret that I spent the cost of a McDonalds Happy Meal on her Christmas gift.
To be honest I also had another reason for not minding an early wake up to head to Target. Regrettably I have been getting up around 4:00p.m. daily due to my chronic knee pain (on the docket for 2010 is knee replacements for me! Whoo-hoo!). I figured why not go out for $3 deals as I will inevitably be awake anyhow with aching patellas. I put the plan in front of my husband who gets up for work on a normal day at 3:30a.m. and he was unfazed at the prospect at heading out in pitch blackness. Alex (as usual) took it one step further and hatched an evil plan where I could get more deals by using my cane to smack people and/or get sympathy when there was just one panini press left on the shelf. He did have a really, really evil plan of me using the complimentary Target motorized cart to not only get to sale items faster but also strap my cane to the front basket a la battering ram to clear out any congested areas of the store. I reminded him the few times I have used the motorized cart it goes about 1 mile per hour fully floored and he quickly decided this idea wouldn't work. So me and my cane were going to hobble to cheap-ass appliance heaven all on our own.
Since here in the Chicago suburbs we have a Target in every direction from our house all about 10 minutes away we decided to go to what we like to call the "Secret Target" It's not a Superstore like many of our local Targets and is next door to a Walmart Supercenter so it tends to be a little sleepy and full of a lot of clearance stuff as not many people shop there. We naively figured people would go to the other more popular Targets and all the more $3 coffeemakers for us.
I began to realize we were screwed when I saw the local police directing traffic into the parking lot when we rolled in at 4:50a.m. Then I saw the line. It was filled with excited looking cheap appliance seekers and stretched out for miles. We went to the end of it as the doors were opened and I saw on the ground a sight I had not seen since I waited for Springsteen tickets in 1985 - strewn blankets, empty coffee cups and pieces of half eaten sandwiches. These crazy people had been camping out on line since 1:00 a.m. for my goddamn $3 crock pot. Bastards!
We got one of the very last carts available as we walked into the bottle necked entrance. Target in all their wisdom put all the $5 DVD's right as you walk in on cardboard racks. It was a freakin' feeding frenzy and I had to laugh as a lady shouted out in glee "I got The Davinci Code!" (um, it really wasn't that great of a movie and it lasted what felt like 23 hours) Using highly technical hand signals I pointed to the left to my husband so we could cut through one of the open check out lines and by-pass the DVD madness. He nodded and off we went. I put my cane on high speed and said to my husband (who should be at my side) "Lets go all the way over to the left side of store so we can go straight down to appliances!" When I got no response I realized quickly I was talking to nobody as Alex had stopped 10 feet back at the $1 bins. What?
We are out at 5:00 a.m. among throngs of shoppers all stuck in the DVD shopper traffic and I devise a fantastic plan to by-pass hundreds of people to get the $3 appliances and he stops to browse the stupid $1 bins that are there ALL the time!
I know the military says to never leave a man behind but I have to keep the dream alive! I ditch Alex like a bad prom date and hobble in high gear back to appliances by cutting through the kids department. I see people coming towards me with arms full of red Chefmate boxes. I can smell the $3 bargains they are so close!
I see the Doorbusters Deals end cap in sight as I turn the corner and I think "I'm going to make it! I can do it!" A flash of red shirt then stood in my path and I listened in horror as a Target team member announced "That's it folks!" She handed the last panini press to a man with a White Sox hat on. I clutched my cane a bit tighter and thought about using it in force to get that panini maker, alas Target has pretty good security and the cops were right outside still directing traffic.
My husband shows up on the scene a few minutes later clutching some plastic jungle animals from the $1 bins for my nephews. He does not understand why I am losing my mind over missing out on the $3 appliances. In his estimation we would have had to be been one of the 1:00a.m. camped out people to get those great deals. He unplugs the floor demo $3 coffee maker from the display shelf and hands it to me at which point I respond using language not fitting of a lady.
For the next hour I watch crazed individuals run around Target like chickens with their heads cut off. Women in baseball caps covering unwashed hair pushed 2 carts at a time full of merchandise. I listen to a man in electronics brag his "big fish" story to a group that he just happened to be standing near a set of stock room doors when staff brought out the 2 last flat screens on super sale which he motioned to on a flat bed. Bystanders ooohhed and aaahed over this tale of triumph. A frantic woman came up to me and peered into my cart in a panic looking for the Barbi Aluminum Kick Scooter in purple. Apparently she had one and she set it down for a second and it was gone. I was in Crazyville.
Meanwhile I did not find any other outstanding sales or items I just had to have. The $15 crock pots that were $19 off seemed absolutely exorbitant when you knew a $3 one once existed. Target is always home to good pricing, nothing was worth getting up that early and facing such lunacy. I got some gift wrap supplies and some ornaments that would have cost the same say at 11:30a.m. The check out lines were long enough to watch the Divinci Code DVD and still have time for a nap. Alas, the shopping gods finally looked over me when a team member stepped up to me and whispered "You don't have too many items - you can step over the to the pharmacy for check out." I took off like a bat out of hell.
So dear friends. I now vow again to never shop on Black Friday again. I don't care how good the deal, I just don't have what it takes. Now what the hell am I going to get Great Aunt Snookie?

Update on Dairyland Greyhounds...

Thanks to Lucky Fiona Street Team member Laura for alerting us to this Associated Press article released today. Goes to show you just never know if something you see online is true! Although I am sorry the rumor has caused extra trouble to dispel by the head of this group, I hope it also did some good and perhaps educated people to rescue greyhounds and pressure other dog race tracks to close.

Dairyland Dogs Won't be Put Down, Despite Rumor
Posted: Nov 27, 2009 5:05 AM CST
KENOSHA (AP) -- A greyhound adoption group wants to silence rumors that hundreds of dogs could be put to sleep when Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha closes.
Ellen Paulus heads the state chapter of Greyhound Pets of America.
She says a message being circulated through e-mail and Facebook is not true.
It claims 900 greyhounds could be killed if they're not adopted by the end of the year.
She's spent hours responding to questions about the rumor.
She estimates there may be 200 to 300 dogs available and her group will help Dairyland relocate the dogs once the track closes at the end of the year.
She says the time she's spent dealing with the rumor could have been devoted to networking on behalf of the dogs looking for new homes.

Happy Turkey Day Friends of Fiona!

To all My Four Pawed Friends ~

Wishing you a wonderful day where you are not gated off into the other room while company comes over! I am thankful for all the pals we make with this little collar company and also thankful that my DogDad accidentally drops some turkey on the floor while craving. (that must be one slippery bird!) Check in tomorrow to see what kind of Black Friday deals we have going on. I'm not sure what exactly Black Friday is, but I think it involves free stuff.

Smooches to All My Pooches ~

Fiona

Howliday Happenings!

Don't be left out in the cold this gift giving season! Lucky Fiona Collars make the greatest gifts for your animal loving pals! Shop with confidence - It's so easy-peasy!
* We GIFT WRAP every collar for FREE!
* We can ship directly to the recipient (US orders only). Just let us know in buyer notes and we'll happily gift wrap and send a personalized gift card with your purchase.
* We offer Secret Santa services! Does your dog have a crush on that poodle at the dog park? (or do you have a crush on the person at the other end of the leash?) Let Fiona be the go-between and send a Secret Santa gift package to the pooch your dog drools over. We keep it all hush-hush.
* Not sure of the size needed for the dog? Talk to us - we can usually figure it out pretty close based on breed. If we goof and the recipient does not fit into the collar we will make a new one based on actual neck measurement at no additional charge. As long as original collar is returned unworn we'll do an exchange and donate the original collar to one of the breed rescues we work with. Satisfaction is our business!
* Your intended gift recipient does not have the dog or cat yet...No problem! We offer gift certificates that look lovely all wrapped up and then your pal can pick their own style once they get their new four legged pal.
* Never know what to get that one person who is impossible to shop for but loves their dog more than anything in the world? Purchase a Collar of the Month Subscription for them! We then send this lucky person a new collar each and every month for their spoiled pooch. Initial collar comes gift wrapped with a description of how the service works and when to look forward to their next installment. (We offer this awesome service for $150 and it is a $251.76 value) Our COM members often get true vintage fabrics that we have in our archives that we don't have a large enough quantity to sell in the shop. Little treasures just waiting for that special pup!
Lots of options to make dogs drool and cats purr this holiday season. Email with any questions you may have, we're pleased as punch to help!

Please take note that Lucky Fiona will be closed December 15th - December 29th to celebrate the season.

Cut off for US Christmas Delivery is Saturday December 12th! Do not dilly dally - order today while selection is available.

This Week's Friend of Fiona is Fritz!

Finally a feline! We must admit we have seen a decrease in kitty submissions for the weekly photo contest so we were purring up a storm around here when we got these photos of Fritz the kitten wearing the "Leaf It" custom Lucky Fiona cat collar. Did we mention all our cat collars come with a bell, charm and have breakaway clasps for safety? Heck, we figure every set of kitty whiskers out there should be sporting a Lucky Fiona Cat Collar! Thanks to Fritz's Catmom for submitting such fantastic photos and for your efforts you win a FREE custom cat collar of your choice so contact us with your pick! The rest of you CatMoms and CatDads get those cameras out! Send submissions to: info@luckyfiona.com

Playing Favorites

Fiona, Lily and Dugan (laying on Ottoman)

My husband Alex has been bugging me lately that I am playing favorites with the animals. He claims that Lily and Sully are getting special treatment and extra praise. To which I say - Horsefeathers!

He also loudly announces to all the four pawed creatures in earshot that "Daddy loves you all equally! Not like the Bad Lady who plays favorites!" (oh yes, did I mention he often calls me the Bad Lady in front of them? As in "Is the Bad Lady trying to clean your ears?" or "Why is the Bad Lady laying like a pretzel on the floor restraining you and cutting your nails?" )

This Bad Lady is turning into the Mad Lady.

Okay, first off I wouldn't be the "Bad Lady" if Alex would actually do some of the more unsavory aspects of animal care. Any fool can walk in the house and hand out cookies like a mob boss handing out c-notes and be adored. Real love is scaling tartar off the cat's upper molar with your finger nail as said cat sinks their claws deeper and deeper into your forearm. Sure, Alex is the big hero handing out the leftover steak from dinner but who sniffs their butt's for evidence when unsuspected anal gland problems arise? Yes, me... the Bad Lady, the same lady that forces the medication down their throat they need to live because Daddy doesn't want to hurt their feelings.

As for playing favorites I think it's all much to do about nothing. We have 2 cats, Brody and the aforementioned Sully. Brody adores Alex and gravitates towards him, so of coarse I give more attention to Sully! He comes to me more often than Brody! I love Brody to pieces and I give her tons of love and attention, but given the choice she will go to Alex who will whisper soft nothings in her ear about what the Bad Lady is up to.

Lily our latest setter rescue likewise has bonded to me. Given the fact that a majority of the animals we rescue develop hero-worship for Alex I silently enjoy the fact that she wants to be with me more than Alex. But lets look at the reality of the matter, it's not that I am praising Lily all the time and ignoring the other dogs. Lily is just such a goodie two shoes, while the other dogs are well, um, working on trying to be um, semi-good...sometimes.

I love them all, I adore them all. They are all different and the old adage is true...you'll catch more bees with honey than vinegar. In this house it's...you'll get more praise if you are well behaved than if you are causing a commotion.

Lily is obedient, sweet and respectful of all creatures and people. She will quietly sit near me and chew on a toy. Fiona will come over and steal said toy and shred it to pieces as Lily sits with tail wagging like "okay - you have it! Oh, do you want my bone too? Sure, take it!"

Caelan will block all the dogs from entering the doggie door to go back inside the house like some type of mean prison warden. Dugan and Fiona will chase her, howl, bark and cause a ruckus until I intervene. Lily will go sweetly lay on the other side of the deck far from the scuffle until the dust settles.

Dugan, well, Dugan is just naughty. He will be 11 and he still acts 11 months. He still has to be on lock down behind a baby gate when we eat dinner to curb his counter surfing for remnants or stealing items directly off the stove as they cook. He rummages through guests handbags when they visit our home and eats their breath mints, he howls like a banshee if anybody walks near our fence. His latest obsession is shredding toilet paper rolls in our guest room. It goes without saying I recently bought the giant big over sized rolls at Sam's Club. He steals them directly off the toilet paper holders in our bathrooms so now we have to put our toilet paper high up out of reach. A fact I forget every time I sit on the toilet until it's too late. Oh and my guest room often looks like a ticker tape parade came through it.

Last week Dugan stole a box of crackers from the kitchen table and was tearing it open to commence feasting in the family room. Fiona and Caelan joined in the buffet and I entered the scene to see Lily laying on the other side of the room with a curious look on her face like "Are they making smart choices here?"

It's not that I favor her and garner her with praise for no reason. She's just well behaved. It's a novelty in this house.

I love all my furry kids, warts and all. I find their hyperactivity...spirited! I find their disobedience...free thinking! Even when they break into the garden and eat my ripened tomatoes I applaud their sense of getting extra vegetables in their diet. I see the good in the bad and that my friends makes me far from being The Bad Lady. It makes me one damn good Dogmom.

We Love Hairy Winston!

Hooray for one of our favorite wholesalers Hairy Winston! Our good pal Jennie who owns and runs this gorgeous dog boutique in the Charleston area shared with us an ad her local media team ran for her. We love seeing all this Lucky Fiona style piled on top of one another. If you find yourself in or around Mount Pleasant, South Carolina stop in and say hello to Jennie and tell her Fiona sent you!
Mount Pleasant Towne Centre
Monday - Thursday 10am to 8pm

Friday & Saturday 10am to 9pm

Sundays 12pm to 6pm
1605 Palmetto Grande Drive
Mount Pleasant, SC. 29464
info@hairywinston.com

843.881.0800

Street Team Rocks the Dog Park Again!

Who could believe it? Mid-November and we had 60 plus degree weather here in the Chicago Suburbs - perfect for some serious romping at the Springbrook Forest Preserve Dog Park by the Lucky Fiona Street Gang. Fiona was thrilled to pieces to meet some new doggie pals today and their kind humans. Jett and Dio invited their pooch pals Roxie, Desi and Tino to hang with the pack. Fiona, Dugan and Caelan's pet sitter Jane brought her silly setter Luke by to run around and join in some ball chasing. Lastly our puppy pal Trini introduced her new foster sister Micki the Toller to everybody. Word on the street is Trini was hoping Micki would get lost in the 27 acres acres of the park so she could be an only child again, but Micki stayed with the group like a good girl.

Thanks again to all who spent their Saturday morning with us and keep your calendar free for our next Street Team gathering on Saturday December 12th. We will be decorating/packaging Howliday Dog Cookies for your pups and for gift giving. Details TBA.

Our New Guarentee That Does NOT Stink!

Yup - just when we were bragging about how nicely Lucky Fiona Collars launder we get a heart wrenching email from Dogmom Michelle who reports that her dog Shadow's Poindexter custom collar was SKUNKED in her back yard. Oh my, all the washing tips in the world will not help this poor collar. Luckily Shadow was our Official Friend of Fiona last month so we have a new collar in the works for the still-slightly-stinky-Shadow free of charge.

Fiona was so moved by Shadow's smelly saga and corresponding photographs that she will now offer a FREE replacement collar to any dog customer who's collar is skunked within 3 months of purchasing a collar from us. We will need proof of said collar's skunky demise along with your original date of purchase receipt. We prefer photographs - but will accept a small (read here small) fragment of the collar sealed in a Ziploc baggy as well to prove skunkability.

Rest assured we here at Lucky Fiona care about your dog and want them to wear those collars through thick and thin, but we know skunks happen. To thank Shadow for bringing this odorous issue to the forefront we will also include a Gift Certificate for a Custom Collar along with the replacement Poindexter. Until then Friends of Fiona...stay clear of the black cats with the giant white stripe down their backs.