Moxie’s collar is a tool we used everyday.
It helped me hold her still when we trimmed nails and brushed her coat, and I clipped her leash on to walk the busy streets together.
Everyday tools like her collar do an important job but I too often take them for granted. Because so many things are made cheap and disposable is part of the reason. The other is because I get caught up wanting the latest new or glitzy thing.
It’s totally natural, so I don’t get upset or blame myself, but I know it’s never made me happy. The opposite actually. The thrill wears off quickly and the hole it was supposed to fill is bigger than before.
But then I started looking for a collar when Moxie was a puppy.
Not finding anything suitable, I visited craftsman workshops and saddleries to learn and design my own. The process and final product taught me something.
Craftsmanship gives a thing character. Character comes from having good values and values are what fills the hole instead of making it bigger.
That’s what I realized when I clipped the first Knotted Collar around Moxie’s neck, patting the long, beautiful scruff down as I closed the buckle.
It felt substantial like how the grip of my garden trowel is sturdy and dependable. It was brand new but felt as familiar as the wristwatch my grandfather always wore.
That’s the character I found in Moxie’s collar and how it felt seeing it on her. She wore it every day until she passed.
Now Whimsy wears a Knotted Collar and it’s the everyday tool we use to help us live extraordinary together.
