Nola in 7 Words

Smart

Loyal 

Beautiful 

Funny

Vibrant 

Loving 

Evil

Black and White Sunday

Charlotte Saturday

Review Day

     Hey, y'all! Sorry I haven't been around much the past few days; it's a pretty busy and stressful time right now, and the past few days Mom's been having trouble remembering to eat, much less visit blogs! DM: I've also had about 9-10 hours of sleep in the last 3 days. Bleh..  Things should calm down and be back to normal by the middle of next week.



      I've got a few quick reviews for you today, and the first things up are two lovely collars from Mareziedotes, an Etsy shop that makes collars, beds, totes and more. Here's a little about them:

Mareziedotes came about because of my desire to work from home...We have quite the menagerie at our house and at the time I was working at a kennel/grooming/pet store..My wonderfully supportive husband helped me brainstorm...And my beautiful daughter-in-law inspired me with her Etsy shop (abrushwithlove)..She is a gifted pet portrait artist...She and my son, Nick helped me open my shop....I decided to make everyone at home a collar..I started out using nylon collars and sewing pretty appliques on them...These did not prove durable enough for me...So I decided to try and teach myself leather tooling..I invested in leather stamp tools and researched leather paints, etc...My boss at the pet shop stocked "Circle T" leather collars and they are such nice quality and very toolable!..I discovered that this is a lot of fun for me!..I really love the enjoyment that my customers get from my creations!..I love it when I get to see them on my new little friends!..I have had a few of my collars designed by my customers...My "Big brother" collar was my friend's daughter's design for her doxie when she had a human baby!..My "Deaf" collar was requested from a customer for her dog..And Nola's wave collar was designed by Nola and Amanda!..I had to do freehand waves with a stylist tool for that one..I have new ideas and recently retired so I hope to have more time!..I want to create some safety cat collars... I tool bracelets and belts also...And I make fleece tied pet beds and am creating stamped and painted canvas bags...I would love to create some custom collars for Nola's friends!...Custom collars have become my most requested item in my shop on Etsy!


    I was sent this adorable and customized "Little Sweethearts", and also a totally custom piece Ocean one. I really liked these collars!

     These collars are hand tooled and hand painted, but are surprisingly durable. These are 3/4" wide, which is one of my favorite widths. Wide enough to stand out on a skinny Dachshund neck, but thin enough not to look like a neck brace.


PROS:
Great customer service
Awesome prices
Good quality
Custom
Fast shipping/making
Durable
Pretty and cute
Lots of choices for color, width, design, size, ect
USA made

CONS:
The holes are a bit small, so it makes it hard to adjust the collar the first few times
They get a bit tacky in the heat (but again it's FL and was 103-105)

     4/5 stars.


     Up next is a rope leash from Island Mutt Ropes (on Etsy here), Florida (yay!) company specializing in rope dog leashes. You might know this, but Mom is a huge sucker for rope leashes, almost as much as leather. It's so durable, classic, and rustic!

     I picked their "White Paradise" leash to review. It's about 6ft long, white with small flecks of black, blue wrapping at the handle and end, and silver hardware.

PROS:
Durable
Washes up well
Strong
Cool looking
Good prices
Florida company!
Good customer service
Lifetime warranty
Fast shipping

CONS:
Nothing!

     5/5 stars.


     Now we have a leather leash from KEN Leatherworks, an Etsy shop specializing in leather products (obviously ;)). They do mostly custom work, and if you have something specific in mind let them know and they'll be happy to work something out with you.

    I was sent a 6ft long, 1/2" wide brown latigo leather leash with a solid brass swivel snap. These leashes come in 1/2" and 3/4" wide, 4ft or 6ft, but if you want something different they can swing that too.

PROS:
Fair price
Good service
USA made
Fairly soft and pliable from the get go
Sturdy
Durable

CONS:
Edges were quite rough
Only one color leather
Only brass hardware

     4/5 stars.


     And lastly check out these yummy treats from The Honest Kitchen called "Quickies" (DM: yes, I laugh my ass off each time I give my wiener a Quickie. I'm just that mature).
I really, really liked these treats! They're made of just one ingredient; dehydrated haddock, so they're great for allergy pups like myself. They're teeny little treats, so are great for training, posing, or just as a snack. Each treat only has 1 calorie, so they're perfect for those of us who stay lean! DM: Be aware that these treats stink. REALLY stink. And don't put them in your pocket unless you want to smell like low tide all day.

Kisses and Tail Wags,
Dachshund Nola

   

My throne

Wordless Wednesday

It's Fall

Yeah right! It's still upper 80s-mid 90s here with full on humidity, and it won't feel like fall until at least mid October. But at least we've got some form of a breeze, and it's semi tolerable in the early mornings and at night!

You, down there

Yeah, you. I've got my eye on you. 

Black and White Sunday

Charlotte Saturday

L-R: Charlotte, Boston, Nola, Auggie

Review Day

     Hey, all! It's review day!

     First up we have a review of my Halloween costume. Halloween is a favorite holiday in my house, second only to Christmas, so I was super excited to do this review! The shop is called Young Urban Puppy, and you can find them on Etsy here and on Facebook here.
What I love about Young Urban Puppy is that they custom make each costume to your specific measurements. Being a Dachshund, most "off the rack" costumes don't find in some or all spots. Too short in the back, too loose in the neck, too tight in the chest, too big on the waist, ect. I'm totally fine with wearing clothes, but it makes it a lot more fun when stuff actually fits and is comfortable.

     Enough blabbering; I know you're dying to see my costume. It's so perfect!

The headband loops under my chin and across the back of my head so it stays on.

     How awesome is that? I'm honoring my German heritage and looking totally adorable while I'm at it.

PROS:
Good price
Good customer service
Perfect size since it's custom
Cute
Comfortable
Shipped fast
Easy to put on
Stays on

CONS:
No hole for a collar/harness


     4/5 stars.


     Up next is a carrier from Dachshund Delights, makers of the popular Hug-a-Dog harness. It's called a Take-a-Long bag, and comes in the following sizes:

• Small, up to 4lbs
• Medium, up to 8lbs
• Large, up to 14lbs
• Extra Large, up to 20lbs

     I'm 11lbs, so my carrier is a large. Check out the cute print I chose!

     The carrier is very well made and very soft, but the sizing is a little funny. Like I said, I'm 11lbs, and barely fit in the carrier length wise. And my body is shorter than the average Dachshund! My sister, Boston, is about 14lbs and there is no way she'd fit in there, and she's your typical super long Dox.

PROS:

Comfy

Cute

Pockets

Adjustable straps

Folds up surprisingly small

CONS:

Size is wonky

Expensive

    3.5/5 stars due to odd fit.

     Now we have a beautiful leather collar from the Etsy shop Sarah's Artistry. Sarah is a super warm and great to deal with! She makes lovely leather collars, belts, jewelry and other accessories.

     I picked this stunning collar to test out, and I had it personalized. Instead of doing the traditional name on it though, Mom had Sarah put "You are my Sunshine" on it, since I'm Mom's sunshine! It turned out pretty incredible, as you can see:

My only complaint is that I wear the collar on the first or second hole, and it leaves slack that covers the words. Mom loves it too much to cut it off!

     Now, you'd think that such a lovely and intricate collar would be for special occasion only, but surprisingly that isn't the case! Sarah assured me that her collars will hold up just fine to everyday wear, so long as they're not submerged in water. I can say it held up just fine to the rough and tumble play the Minions and I do on a day to day basis.

PROS:

Beautiful

Detailed

Well made

Surprisingly durable

Wonderful customer service

Made incredibly fast

Very reasonable price

CONS:

Nothing!

     I give my highest rating of 5/5 stars. If you want to check her out, use the code LEATER for 15% off your order (live until Oct. 4th.)

     Next we have some fun tug toys from Go West, an Etsy shop that makes dog toys.

      Tug games can be a bit of a controversial topic in the dog world, but since we use positive reinforcement Mom loves the drive that tugging builds. Mom taught me to leave it and drop it by just using tugging, no treats at all.

     I was sent 3 tugs in three different sizes to review. Not surprisingly, the biggest one was my favorite.

PROS:

Good prices

Lots of color choices

Good customer service

Fun

Fairly durable (the larger one)

CONS:

The smallest one was easily shredded

     4/5 stars.


     And finally we have a lovely soft carrier/sling from the Etsy shop Sophie's Paws, the "dogwear boutique with a purpose".  They offer beds, slings, jackets and blankets.  Here's a little about them:

I started Paws4Peace after adopting Sophie my 5 year old Chihuahua. Sophie is the love of my life! Sophie was in a box heading into the pound when we found her. It has always been heartbreaking to me to see all of those poor animals in rescues and the horrible stories we all hear about abuse. This is what inspired me to start Paws4Peace as a way to contribute monetarily and help these animals. We donate 10% of our profits to ASPCA as well as various local rescues and causes. I was determined to create high quality dog items that not only look nice, but products that also make pets feel safe, cozy and loved. All of our products are handmade in Phoenix, Arizona. My logo is inspired by Sophie. One of her little paws has black toes and one little pink one. (Also, why my Etsy site is called Sophie Paws). 


     I picked their black sling with microsuede and plush lining to review. Seriously, this carrier is sinfully soft.

DM: Note to self; make sure shirt is pulled down/shorts are pulled up before taking pics.

Next to impossible to take pictures of yourself like this!

PROS:
So soft
Great customer service
Very sturdy and durable
Washable
Folds up small
Leash clip

CONS:
Pricey

     4/5 stars. 

Kisses and Tail Wags,

Dachshund Nola