When Life Hands You Lemons and a Golden Retriever...

Here is a story to feel good about on a hot summer day! Pictured is the lovely Maisy (she is the one with the Lucky Fiona Bug Off Collar and Leash and the golden fur) with her pals Sydney and Olivia ages 6 & 9. Maisy was adopted this past March from Golden Retriever Rescue of Houston and is an adored addition to the family. Since temps hit 100 degrees in Texas (whew! Hot Dog!) Sydney and Olivia decided to help people cool off with a lemonade stand and help some Goldens in need while they were at it. The entrepreneurs raised $100 with their stand to benefit GRRH! How fabulous is that? Fiona thinks one good turn deserves another so we will donate a "Slice It Up!" collar to Maisy so she can show off her lemons with style. Great job girls!

A Rising Star and Reason to Smile Today

Ummm, have you ever seen anything cuter? This is Ted the Rhodesian Ridgeback pup at 7.5 weeks of age. You'll be seeing a lot more of him around here as he is the next up and coming "star-puppy" at Lucky Fiona. My dear pal Jennifer has been dreaming of becoming a Dogmom for some time now (see May 8th post for more) and is anxiously awaiting the final days before Ted's breeder releases him to his new forever home with her. Can you smell the puppy breath? So during a week where I am mourning for a friend's dog that has crossed over, I can also find joy in a new puppy entering somebody else's life. I suppose that is the circle of dog love, weaving in and out of our lives and capturing hearts along the way.

Murphy Brown

In Memory of a Wonderful Dog

My heart is filled with sadness as I write this as a good friend of Lucky Fiona has crossed the bridge. Murphy Brown was not just a bulldog, in my heart she is THE bulldog, she was the quintessential example of the breed and she stole my heart the moment I met her. I fancied bulldogs from afar and it seems like fate that just a week or so before we moved into our home and across the street from Murphy I found an old vintage photograph of a bunch of English Bulldogs on a hill in the 1930's. I thought to myself how I'd love to photograph a bulldog, capture the spirit from within those wrinkles of skin. Then as if fate or kismet or some great Dog in the sky was looking over me I bought a house across the street from the most beautiful bully in the world. Murphy's parents were of coarse the best neighbors we could ever ask for, kind and friendly and in total love with their fur-child. They spoke dog and as our second language a fast friendship of animal lovers was formed.
Murphy became my muse and seemed to enjoy the funny lady with the camera poised who liked to take her picture all the time. I never tired of dressing her up or capturing that tilted head or enthusiastic smile. I quickly realized the way to her heart and the heart of bullies everywhere was through food and I was happy to be the spoiling Aunt that gave her far more treats than she was allowed. I was William Wegman and she was my Man Ray, I felt like I could capture something in her photographs that was special and was her and more importantly she wanted me to see it. We shared a connection and I am so grateful she let me into that large heart of hers. Her yearly holiday photo became her signature and I was only too happy to take it.
One of my favorite memories of Murphy or Mugsy as I affectionately called her was when her parents were out of town and I was pet sitting her. I went over for her bedtime visit and discovered a half eaten tube of Neosporin on the floor. After a frantic call to the animal poison control center the vets there said given her body weight she should be okay, but just in case she needed to be monitored closely for seizure activity through the night. I was running a professional pet sitting firm at the time and my hard fast rule was no sleepovers, and believe me lots of clients begged for this service. After Murphy's ointment snack I had no choice - I had to stay over with her. So we hunkered down in the guestroom and Murph and I became strange bedfellows. I had heard bulldogs snored and I occasionally witnessed the infamous bulldog flatulence when around Murphy. But never had I witnessed both firsthand in a bed up close and personal. My husband thought it was fantastic karma that I was forced to sleep with a loud snoring dog given that I apparently snore too. (allegedly) I didn't do too much snoring that night as 75 pounds of bulldog snuggled up with me and snored in my ear through the night and tooted out the other end. This I reasoned was what loving dogs was all about, because as I lay awake watching the sun come up, Murphy slumbered seizure free and I couldn't have been happier.
Even after Murphy's Dog-parents took new jobs and moved an hour and half away we still stay close friends. They added some children and we added some more dogs to our pack but they never stopped speaking the language of dog with us. I've witnessed Murphy slowing down over the years when we'd visit and counseled her Dog-mom on some of the changes. I've known in my soul time with her was slowly coming to an end and my heart started to save a little special space for her with the other dogs I've lost that have meant so much to me.
Today Murphy crossed the bridge with dignity and love and I hope with pride. She was a fine bulldog and brought so much love and happiness to so many. We often speak of people that cross into our lives and the effect they have upon us, but I like to catalog some of my time on this planet with the dogs that have meant so much to me. Murphy was one of those dogs and I find solace today that she is happy again, in another place where she can be young and healthy and free of the ailments that deterred her in this world. I love you Mugsy and you will be missed.

This Week's Official Friend of Fiona is...Scout!

Look at that face? Who can resist the intense gaze of lovely Scout? Well we sure couldn't and that is why she is our winner this week as the "Official Friend of Fiona" ! We think she looks simply smashing in her "Jenny-2" collar and according to her Dogmom it looks fabulous even after Scout has taken a dip in the pool. (talk about durability and fashion sense all in one collar!) We hear Scout is sort of a collar-addict and we fully support that addiction by gifting her a free custom collar of her choosing. Congrats Scout - sometimes being collar obsessed pays off!

I'm in love with an Animal...

Yes I have been happily married to my wonderful husband for 13 years - but today I must talk about a new great love in my life. It's not another man per say, and it's not another rescued dog or cat. It's my Dyson DC07 Animal Vacuum and he is delicious in every way.
We met last week and I can honestly say it was love at first sight, that sleek purple body had me saying "I can't wait to get my hands on you!" But nothing compared to the first time I ran him over the living room carpet. Now keep in mind I just vacuumed it with the Hoover (the vacuum that sucks...and not in a good way) the day prior. Alas, a few swipes with my lightweight Dyson and the canister filled with dog hair not even visible to the naked eye! I was instantly high, my eyes gleamed with excitement and I started vacuuming everything in sight giggling maniacally as more and more hair swirled in the HEPA filtered canister. Attachments snapped on and off in a jiffy and when I emptied the full canister into the garbage by squeezing the simple "empty trigger" I heard myself exclaim "Hot Damn!"
Then I looked over at the laminate floor with my heart full of hope. Previous vacuums scattered the dog hair and dirt in 50 directions instead of sucking them up as I went over them. This forced me to sweep with a rubber broom first and then vacuum the dirt/hair pile and then use the attachment to get hair out of the corners, this followed by mopping and drying with an old towel. (by the way- has anybody out there attempted to sweep a dirt/hair pile with a cat that likes to pounce on dirt/hair piles? Not pretty) This was the floor ironically we installed for "ease of cleaning" with dogs and cats sharing our home. Could my man the Dyson handle a bare surface? I cautiously flicked my turbo action head to "Bare Floor" and held my breath in anticipation. I rolled the DC07 over the Pergo and hair sucked into the Dyson like it was going out of style. It even went under the furniture and God Bless it, the Dyson sucked the dog hair bunnies out of the corners without any additional attachment changes. A tear rolled down my cheek as I proclaimed "It's a miracle!"
Some may say I am a bit melodramatic...but I have 3 dogs and 3 cats. I go through a new vacuum at least once every 2 years and I foolishly didn't invest in a Dyson in the past due to sticker shock. Let me tell you Dogmoms out there. IT IS WORTH IT. Sell your children if you have to, this vacuum may be the second coming.

We Got New Labels In!

We here at Lucky Fiona listen. Fiona always has her ears perked up to feedback and we were getting some not so positive feedback on our collar labels. Seems some boy doggies were not too thrilled to wear the name "Fiona" printed on their collars. ( so silly - I mean really boys, be confident in your masculinity!) Well our new tags are just fabulous and gender neutral and Fiona is thrilled to have her likeness now on our larger collar labels.

Name that Collar Excitement!

Don't be fooled by the serene look on Caelan's snout pictured right - we are super excited around here! The suggestions and stories are pouring in for the "Name that Collar Contest" and we are getting a kick out of the entries. Keep them coming and since we like to give rules out after the official start of the contest here are a few:
* No, Fiona can not be bribed to pick a winner with a promise of organic peanut butter dog treats. (Nice try Sharon in Connecticut)
* Please make sure you're not duplicating an existing collar name. We have a Sully collar already - so sorry!
* Fiona has a strict policy of not naming anything with the term "Princess" in it. This comes from her deep rooted resentment that people think she was named after a character from the Shrek series. Truth be told she was named after a girl I once knew named Fiona Durkin. So "Princess Baby" "Princess Fairy" and "Princess Sassy-Pants" are no-go's - try again!

Drumroll please...

We're looking to name a new collar after a special dog out there! Entries are already rolling in and here is the darling new design. Tell us about your dog and why we should name this collar after them. Winner will receive a free custom collar of their namesake and a gift certificate to choose any other collar in our shop. Send info. to luckyfiona@comcast.net. Doesn't your dog deserve it's 15 minutes of fame?

Help Fiona name a New Collar!

Fiona is searching for inspiration and you can help! We have a fabulous new fabric and need an equally fabulous name to go along with it. Does your dog have what it takes to have a collar named after them and enjoy Lucky Fiona fame? Send us a pic of your pooch and reason why they should be our new collar namesake. Send info. to luckyfiona@comcast.net , winner will be announced on August 1st. May the best doggie win! Oh - winner will receive a free custom collar in their fabric and also a Gift Certificate to use for any other collar in our shop! Tune in tomorrow for the first exciting pictures of this yet-to-be-named collar.

We love a rave...

"OMG!!! This is the BEST collar EVER! I LOVE it, it's beautifully crafted with a fun print. We WILL be ordering again! I will also tell all our friends to order!"

- Jaci in Virginia

This Week's Official Friend of Fiona is...Zoe!

This week's lucky winner as the Official Friend of Fiona is the lovely Zoe seen here in her matching Mod Dot Custom Collar and leash. Talk about being perfectly coordinated, we love how the colors of the collar and leash play so lovely against Zoe's coat. Fiona gives Zoe 4-paws up for her keen style sense and demure pose here. Congrats pretty lady and please tell your Dogmom to log onto our shop and pick a free collar of your liking as this week's winner.
www.luckyfiona.etsy.com

Now that Fiona is back to her old healthy self (her happy-setter-bird-chasing-pointing-stalking self that is) we are putting the call out to her fans far and wide! We need a pooch to name a new Summer Collar after! Does your dog have what it takes to be a collar namesake? Check out our blog this week for more details on this exciting new contest!

Mystery Dog!

Just a friendly reminder that we love your dog pictures! Fiona went ga-ga over these shots and we had to post them for all to see. These two photographs were sent in from one of our happy Dogmom's from Canada but we didn't get the dog's name in any of the emails.(oh no! For shame!) Don't let gorgeous dogs go un-noticed! Please tell us your pooch's name so we can give them their 15 minutes of fame and glory on our blog. I mean honestly...have you ever seen a dog wear the Lotus and Bug Off so gorgeously? If you have, then dang it send us a picture!

Back From Vacation and Cone-Free!

We're back from our relaxin' vacay back East and ready to bring more collars and Fiona fun your way! Fiona is doing wonderfully - no more horrible cone and healing just dandy. Staples to be removed tomorrow morning from the vet. Thanks to everybody for their kind support during Fiona's little trauma. We did figure out the culprit as well that caused the laceration! A large shard from a broken flower pot was the cause and insult to injury it wasn't even one of our flower pots. : (
Oh well - if was a goofy way to get cut , but our sweet Fee is no worse for the wear.

No We Are Not Just Being Lazy...

On vacation until July 10th...