Customer Spotlight: Kona

She's got the look. She's got the treat. She's got the love. She's Kona - the luckiest pooch in the world!
A lovely one-year-old Black Labrador Retriever, Kona is a special girl.

Beautiful Kona is wearing our 1.5" wide Flower Pup martingale collar. Photo by Leonard Photography.

Born with a Liver Shunt, a congenital defect that causes abnormal blood flow between the liver and the body and in turn prohibits the liver from functioning regularly as it is unable to properly rid itself of all the toxins, Kona requires a lot of special care and medical attention.
Fortunately, sweet Kona has everything she needs and more, thanks to her dedicated family!

Kona after her trip to the emergency room, still with her orange bandage.

In addition to 3 daily doses of antibiotics and a laxative, a monthly checkup and tests at UC Davis, Kona is on a very strict low protein diet, which includes prescription foods and special treats prepared by her mom Shannon!
Yes to provide Kona with tasty treats that are healthy and safe for her digestive system, Shannon began baking vegan treats that are free of wheat, corn, gluten, meat, dairy and low in fat, protein and phosphorus.
Instead her treats are made from tons of wonderful, delicious ingredients including juicy tropical fruits and farm fresh vegetables, potatoes, rice, all natural creamy peanut butter.
Shannon's treats are so healthy and yummy (we're big fans!) that it didn't take long for dog lovers to catch on and request for their pooches! Shannon now offers her fabulous treats to dog lovers everywhere through her company Alopaw, inspired by beautiful Kona.

Healthy, tasty, we love Alopaw treats!

Kona, you sure are a special, lucky girl. And we love you!

Kona and her sister Mila. Pretty girls!

Kona modeling our 1.5" Pink Camouflage martingale collar and dog tag.

For more info about Alopaw treats, check out their website here and join them on Facebook.
Sirius Republic offers handcrafted products for dogs and their people. Visit us on our website (www.siriusrepublic.com) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/SiriusRepublic).

Martingale Collars 101: how to choose the right size

Effective, practical, and comfortable, martingale collars have become very popular among dog lovers.

Originally designed for Sighthounds such as Greyhounds whose heads are narrower than their necks and can easily slip out of traditional side release or buckle collars, martingale collars effectively prevent escape. Their sensible design and effective use have made them a popular and preferred collar for owners of all dog breeds as well as many dog trainers in recent years.

Each martingale collar has 2 connected loops. The smaller, control loop attaches to the leash while the larger adjustment loop goes on the dog's neck. When the control loop is pulled, the adjustment loop tightens. When used properly, martingale collars never choke and work effectively to prevent escape and for training purposes.

Choosing the right-sized martingale collar is very important and different from sizing traditional collars. Below is our simple, 2-step method to correctly size your dog for a martingale collar:

1. Take 2 measurements - circumference of your dog's neck and the widest part of his/her head.

2. Use the larger of the 2 measurements taken in Step 1 as your guide to choose your collar size. For example, if your dog's neck is 17" and his head is 20", then you should choose size Large (18"-22"), NOT Medium (15"-18") even though your dog's neck at 17" falls within this category.

This is important as dogs vary greatly in size, weight and shape. Breeds like Pit Bulls, Rottweilers, Mastiffs have a wider head than neck (use head measurement to size) while other breeds like Dobermans, Whippets, Greyhounds have a wider neck (use neck measurement to size).

Now that you're an expert on martingale collars, check out our collection of martingale designs and order one for your pooch :)
For more info, visit our website and connect with us on our Facebook page.

Life with Dogs' Get Sirius Collar Giveaway Week

This week we're thrilled to sponsor the Get Sirius Collar Giveaway Week, a cool contest hosted by one of our favorite dog blogs and websites Life with Dogs.

Each day of this week (October 4 - 8), we'll be randomly choosing a winner and giving away a hand-sewn Sirius Republic collar of his/her choice. That's 5 winners!
And it's very easy to enter. Just read the Life with Dogs' giveaway announcement post and good luck!
We'll be updating this blog daily with previous day's winner, so please check back and see if you have won.
Winners:
Monday October 4, 2010: Juliet Coberly Farmer
Tuesday October 5, 2010: Elysa Davis Allison
Wednesday October 6, 2010: Michael Clifton
Thursday October 7, 2010: Linda McVey
Friday October 8, 2010: Pam Monahan

In the News: Leo the former Michael Vick dog

If you're a dog lover living in the San Francisco Bay Area, as we are, you probably have seen the news segment on KPIX the local CBS station last night about Leo the former Michael Vick dog who is now a therapy dog.
If you missed it, below is the clip telling the story of this amazing Pit Bull, rescued and adopted by Our Pack Inc., a Pit Bull rescue and advocacy group in the Bay Area. Our Pack is also one of our Rescue Partners, a program that allows us to donate a portion of our proceeds to nonprofit organizations such as Our Pack and help them save homeless animals.
I'm proud to add that Leo is wearing one of our hand-sewn martingale collars - The Chief - in the video (not the clown collar, the serious one). Way to go Leo!

Small Dog Big Bark Skinny Collar

Things have been quite hectic around here! We have introduced a series of new products and most recently our very own Leashes, Wristlet Key Rings, all complimentary to our Martingale Dog Collars in that they feature matching designs.

First we've added many accessory items, including Dog Breed Awareness Ribbon Magnets, Dog Breed Bone Magnets, and Paw Magnets. They are quite adorable and noticeable, and at $5 a piece, it makes it so simple to make a statement about your favorite dogs! In addition we're also offering Dog Breed Magnetic Clips. I love these clips, they're big, beautiful and pratical!

Moving onto our handmade items. Answering requests from dog lovers everywhere, we've finally added a new category, the Skinny (3/4") Martingale Collars for small dogs. They feature the same distinctive, whimsical designs as our wider collars. We also now offer matching Leashes and Wristlet Key Rings. Overall we offer over 40 designs of Martingale Collars in 3 width categories: Skinny (3/4"), Regular (1"), and Wide (1 1/2"), Leashes, and Wristlet Key Rings-something for everyone and every dog!

See you in the shop!http://www.siriusrepublic.com

Introducing Sirius Republic Martingale Collars

I'd like to introduce our own line of products: the Sirius Republic Martingale Collars! For some time now, I've been working to develop, design, and create my own products and I'm so excited that they're finall here!

Each one of these collars is completed handmade by me; so they are one-of-a-kind collars you won't see anywhere else! There are currently 3 widths (1-inch, 1 1/2-inch and 2-inch) and many elegant and whimsical designs. With prices as low as $12, your dog can afford to keep an inventory of various designs and express him/herself creatively! :) I plan to add more designs very soon, including various themed collars such as holidays.

In other great news, we now offer FREE SHIPPING ON EVERY ORDER placed in the U.S.A.

http://www.siriusrepublic.com/