Towards the end of 2008 I started learning leather craft. I found the process very frustrating at first as there were no people who specialised in dog tack nearby who could teach me. I took some classes to learn the basics, but then I bought all my own equipment and set up a studio at home.

The first collar I made was for Ivan. Unfortunately I hadn’t figured out how to measure correctly yet so it didn’t fit him! Luckily we have enough dogs for it to be bound to fit one of them! I thought it might be too masculine for Trixie, but I’ve been assured that she’s pretty enough to carry it off!

The next one I made was a disaster, but #3 actually fitted Ivan. You can’t imagine my glee! It’s a bit rough around the edges, but I quite like that. It’s still going strong several months later!

The next collar I made was for my friend Kim to wear to Mardi Gras. I bought the hot pink hide a few weeks beforehand and I was determined to use it somehow! Apparently she got in trouble for accidentally stabbing people when she went in for a hug, woops!

Kim’s collar inspired this one that I made for Angel. I thought it would be too delicate for every-day use, but it’s wearing really well, so I’ll probably add something similar to my retail collection.

The last collar I finished was for Rocco, an 80kg Bullmastiff. His owner was finding it difficult to source a strong yet stylish collar for her dog and commissioned me to make one for him. She liked Ivan’s one, so I made her something similar in black and brass to match a lead she already owned. I changed the way I attached the centre d-ring to make it even stronger. As they live in Queensland I had to get Chopper to model it!