As foster dog Aloo (“Looie”) makes her transition into a permanent member of the Paco crew this week, we couldn’t help but notice the coincidental timing: foster-mom Josie is becoming an official “mom” right around Mother’s Day. Seriously, how perfect is that?

It started us thinking about how dog-moms deserve the same recognition as human-moms on this here Mother’s Day. If you consider it, the job is almost equally as difficult. Of course, there’s the added bonus that dogs don’t talk back (okay, maybe sometimes) or grow up to hate you, but since they emotionally mature at about the human-toddler level then there’s still a lifetime of sleepless nights and never ending poop pick-up, not to mention the day-to-day routine of feeding and care, for which you never receive any credit.

In an ideal world, the dogs would all stop, pause and properly recognize our never-ending efforts on Mother’s Day but why hold our breath… that’s never going to happen. Instead, we’ve got to take the power into our own hands and celebrate ourselves.

From Wednesday May 9 to Wednesday May 16, enjoy 20% OFF anything on the site with coupon code:

DOGMOMSRULE

Of course, we encourage you to get something special for yourself (like belt, bracelet, or class), but since we know that the collars that make our dogs look awesome are as much for our benefit as theirs, then that works, too Really, it’s your gift so get what *you* want!

As always, feel free to contact us with any questions either by email or phone, we’re always here to help.

In the meantime, go give yourself a big ol’ pat on the back. Even if the dogs can’t be bothered to pamper us for one day, we can at least have one big group hug, get ourselves something nice, and recognize the fact that while dog ownership is a lot of work, but we’re all in it for the long haul!

It’s our biggest giveaway yet!

This February, we will be holding a “Spread the Love” promotion. For every collar purchased during the month of February at regular price, we will donate one* to a shelter or rescue!

Now here is the fun part: YOU get to nominate and vote on the recipient shelters and rescues! We will be accepting nominations until 7pm Pacific on February 7th. The top two rescues and shelters, plus one of our choice, will be the winners receiving the goods!

To vote for your favorite shelter click here and “like” your choice(s)
To vote for your favorite rescue, click here and “like” your choice(s)

(* we may elect to donate leashes and slip leads in addition to collars if it looks like those are more needed)

Since a lot of our job is comprised of giving advice to dog owners, we figured we’d formalize the deal by offering a weekly time slot for exactly that purpose.

Introducing “Free Dog Advice Thursdays” at the shop from 5-7 pm! If you have a question about your four-legged friend, feel free to drop by during that time and ask away. We’re not licensed vets, we’re not certified trainers, but we can let you know if you need to see one or if your issue is something that can be easily fixed at home. Remember, you get what you pay for, but sometimes getting a fresh perspective can put you on the right track. Anything from house training your puppy, grooming basics, or knowing when you need to go to the vet. Bring us your problems!

What: Free Dog Advice Thursdays
When: Every Thursday 5-7 pm
Where: Paco Collars Studio, Berkeley
Cost: Free!
Notes: Please leave your dog in your car until instructed otherwise. Consults are limited to 5 minutes or as time allows.

We’re spending the holidays with friends, family, loved ones, and just plain taking a break from the non-stop pace you’ve kept us on this season… it’s been a great year, but we need a rest!

During this time, you may expect a delay in response to emails and calls. The shop will be open for regular business hours Tues-Fri 11-7, but with the following changes:

Saturday Dec. 24, Christmas Eve: 11-3
Sunday Dec 25, Christmas: CLOSED

Saturday Dec 31, New Year’s Eve: CLOSED
Sunday Jan 1, New Year’s Day: CLOSED

As this year draws to a close, we reflect on the past year and give thanks to all of our wonderful friends and fans… we couldn’t have done it without you!

Yep, that time of year is sneaking up on us again but never fear, we’re here to help!

Refer to our handy dandy guide below to help plan your holiday gift giving.  Remember, our general turnaround time is 2-3 weeks though we may be able to fast track certain requests through faster.  Allow maximum allowance for orders including Fetching Tags or Bits.

So yeah, it’s time to get in the holiday spirit!

– Early Bird Special November 16th to 25th, a special deal for those who plan way ahead- if you order between November 16th and 25th you will get free shipping!

– November 25th come in the store or call for Plaid Friday Specials on sample collars.

– From now until November 30th, breathe easy. We’ve been producing faster than our published turnaround times so you will get your goods well before Christmas without having to purchase a RUSH FEE.

– December 1st-December 18th you will have to purchase a RUSH FEE to guarantee you receive the package by Christmas. From Dec 1-6 the rush fee will be $25, from Dec 7-13 it will raise to $35, and then $45 beginning Dec 14 through Dec 18. Yeah, good incentive to order early!

– Orders that include Fetching Tags have to be placed by Wed. Dec 13th with applicable RUSH FEE (depending on date) to ensure delivery by Christmas.

– After December 18th we will consider rushes on a case-by-case basis, but you will need to call the studio and speak to someone in order to find out if we have the parts/time/shipping leeway to get the goods to you on time.

Feel free to call us with any questions at any time, and you can even put in your order over the phone. The studio number is (510) 848-7226 and we are in the studio Monday – Friday 11am-7pm and Saturday – Sunday 11am-5pm.  The store is officially closed Mondays but, if you need to drop by, we’ll let you in.

Like have a sample SALE!!!

Let’s keep this hush hush- we won’t tell her if you don’t.

Don’t worry, we’re not giving away the entire shop,  just these 6 collars at 15% off with free shipping!

Bottom to top:

1) Sybil Lily Valentine Deluxe, 22-24″, Brown/Silver, $100 $85!

2) The George, 20-22″, Black/Silver, $70 $59!

3) The Swirl, 18-20″, Black/Silver/Pink , $70 $59!   —SOLD—

4) The New Jojo, 16-18″, Brown/Brass/Jade , $70 $59!   —SOLD—

5) The Swirl, 12-14″, Tan/Brass/Aqua , $70 $59!   —SOLD—

6) Mini Callie, 10-12″, Tan/Brass & Silver, $60 $51!

Be sure to get a measurement of your dogs neck taken like this to ensure the collar will fit, as we won’t be able to do size exchanges on these.

Give us a call at 510-848-7226 to lay claim to one of these or with any questions.

Best jump on this deal before they’re spoken for or we get an angry call from Vietnam…

Option 3: Do both!

Got it?  6 bracelets total, 2 different ways to win.  Enter now, and please, as always, share it far & wide.

It’s Halloween costume contest time!  Normally we have multiple winners for our contests but this time we’re changing it up… only ONE dog will walk away with a limited edition Dia de Los Muertos collar.  Here’s how it works:
– from now until 5 pm PST Saturday October 29, 2011, post your favorite picture of your dog in costume on our Facebook wall
– a jury (ahem, us) will review the entries and pick a winner, to be announced Monday Oct 31 (Halloween).
– the winner will be chosen based solely on the discretion of the jury.  The following criteria will be taken into consideration and will play a role in the decision making, though even we can’t predict one will take precedence over the others.  However, you should aim for:

* creativity, originality… make us laugh!

* popularity… vote on your favorite costumes and get friends to root for you!

* kissing ass… extra points if you can somehow work “Paco Collars” into your costume or caption

* in-person appearance… we love dogs, we love costumes, if you can make it to our Dia de los Perros party with your dog in costume you will make us very happy.

Remember, only one dog can win the limited edition Dia de los Muertos collar, but these contests are as much about enjoying everyone else’s pictures as they are winning, so let’s have some fun! And may the spooooookiest dog win!

Come celebrate our Grand Re-Opening and 9th Anniversary in a seasonally appropriate fashion!

Who: Paco Crew  + Friends + Family + Dogs + Anyone you wants to come or wanders in off the street (this is Berkeley…)

What: Lots of food & free booze, taco truck yum-yums, pinata bashing, dog costume contest (details below), possibly a stand-up comedian – Dia de los Muertos / Halloween style.

When: Friday, October 28th from 7pm to 10pm-ish…

Where: At our brand-spanking newly expanded and remodeled studio and store @ 2905 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley CA 94705. Just 2 blocks from the Ashby BART station.

Why: To unveil our awesome new classroom space and as an excuse to dress up dogs (and ourselves).

Can’t Make It?:  Don’t worry! You can still participate in the doggie costume contest. We’ll be picking the winner from entries on our Facebook page as well as those here in person (or dog-son?). Bonus points will go to those who are actually here though. Winner will receive one of our Limited Edition Dia De Los Muertos collars. Winner will be announced on Facebook the following week, once we’ve all risen from the dead.

ALL 31 have been spoken for, stay tuned for the next Limited Edition collar design!

For the month of October, we are offering laser-etched Dia de Los Muertos collars in three sizes…

Small-

Medium-

and Large-

Uber props to our talented Josie for creating such an awesome design!