M&M Design's Mission:
- Provide a beautiful, quality, safe product to greyhound owners;
- which encourages them to walk with their dog,
- increasing the potential for other greyhound adoptions, and
- Support retired greyhound adoption programs and animal health studies with the proceeds from these sales.
M&M Design's Vision:
- In my lifetime, irradicate bone cancer in our precious pets;
- which leads to the same cure for bone cancer in humans,
- by donating to on-going studies to prevent this dreadful disease.
You might wonder what started all this. About 6 years ago, we began volunteering our time to walk doptable greyhoundsfor KC REGAP. They are such beautiful and elegant animals. Looking at them I couldn help but think, although it is superficial to say so, that potential adopters might pay more attention if the greyhound was dressed up in a special collar. So the enterprise began, named for our wonderful dogs Magic and Muffin. I donate the business profits to greyhound or animal adoption programs hoping to make a difference. See below for those receiving $$.
I hand-craft each collar, adding topstitching, beads, and/or jewels to meet the owner specifications. The collars are lined with grosgrain or satin ribbons.
If you are curious about the Martingale style collar-design, it is made with 2 loops or circles. The section with the buckle composes the first loop, and the Martingale section with the D-ring composes the second loop. When the leash in fastened to the D-ring and pulled, the collar snugs up to the neck of your pet, so that the pet can not back out. You can click on the picture below.
Each dog had its own personality, so I searched stores for suitable materials. Several of the materials have been named for the first dog to wear that trim. In the meantime, several friends, neighbors, and co-workers have seen the collars and leashes and asked that I create one for their pets or as gifts for their friends. We have now dressed Cocker Spaniels, Schnauzers, Boston Terriers, Dalmatians, Pomeranians, Dachshunds, Whippets, German Shepherds, Labradors, Boxers, Irish Wolfhounds, Otter Hounds, Ridgebacks, Dobermans, Weimaraners, and several breeds of cats!
Collar Stories
Here are some of the greyhound stories:
Ally Leopard:
Ally came to the kennel as a mommy dog. All she knew were breeding cages in a puppy farm in Missouri. She was terrified of most things. The first day we walked her at the kennel, my spouse had to pick her up and take her out, since she would not come out of her cage. She took one look at our two dogs Magic and Muffin and her face lit up. Her tail wagged - what joy!
It was a while before she was adopted, because she was so shy. She now lives happily with 5 other dogs.
This collar is for you Miss Ally - may we all run with the speed of a leopard and still have the softness of your heart!
Dakota:
Dakota came to the kennel as a 2 year old dark brindle boy. He had been raised in Colorado with a family that thought it would be neat to raise greyhounds with wolves. He was moved to a nursing home, where after 6 months people forgot to feed him and then on to a home with a Doberman, where he had to fight for his dinner.
Yes, you might say Dakota had a bit of an attitude when it came to food and a certain distrust for the human race. Dakota now lives with several other greyhounds.
I wish you could see how he cuddles up on the chest of his owner, when she comes home at night. Yes, all we need is love!
Dakota - this collar is for you!
Hobbs Greek Key:
Hobbs came to his home as an abandoned 3-legged boy at the mature age of 12. What a sweet personality he had. Despite what you might think, he could operate quite well on just those legs!
He is a dark brindle, with a handsome smile! He adapted quite well to the company of 3 other brindles. Who wouldn love a fluffy bed after ?? years on the street??
This collar is for you Hobbs; you are a classic!
Margaret Apricot Mousse:
Margaret is a dark red brindle. She came to the kennel missing chunks of fur, where fleas had been biting her back. After a nice bath and flea-treatment, she gave us all a big smile and a sigh of relief.
She is a little bit of a thing, but has a huge heart! She is as sweet as she can be and ever so grateful for all the attention.
This apricot mousse collar is for you Miss Margaret!
Muffin Blue Rosette:
We adopted Muffin 9 years ago. She is a blue brindle, and being a tad on the wild-side, we thought she looked like a Blue-berry Muffin! Hence, the name Muffin.
She didn't particularly care for people and least of all men - probably a bad experience with a male trainer. I wanted a little cuddly dog - she wanted space! For the first 6 months after she ate, she retired to her safe spot upstairs (an old TV box, less 1 side to make her a edroom. Gradually she remained down stairs with us; and after about a year, I could get her to sit with me on the couch.
She has turned into the perfect little doll - loves her hugs, loves her shoulders to be rubbed, and throws her paw over your arm to let you know more is needed.
This is collar is for you Miss Muffin! You are my baby doll!
Where the Profits Went
Year 2001- 05/2008: Total cash donations: $ 17,674
$6,821. Kansas City REGAP our hometown adoption program has been active for probably 13 years and probably adopted out more than 1,300 greyhounds. They take in about 20 special needs hounds a year;
$3,365 Keystone Greyhounds in Pennsylvania - their first year in the usiness(3/28/04) and their first adoptable was Vinnie a 13 year old handsome boy.
$2,829 for animal health studies. We lost our first greyhound to cancer and our young boy Rockford to bone cancer. So I actively support animal health studies, in particular the Morris Animal Foundation for its study on cancer in greyhounds; a newly formed not for profit GREYlong, who supports cancer studies; the University of Washington and their study on Artemisinin; and the University of Illinois for their studies on pamidronate to fight bone cancer.
$1,815 Local Kansas and Missouri adoption programs Greyhound Support; Animal Haven; GPA-MoKan; GPA Mo; TLC, Kansas; and Airedale Rescue (ATRA).
$2,844 The remaining was distributed amongst Greyhound Companions of Missouri ($814) from whom we adopted our first boy Magic and our princess Muffin; the Wind Chimes ($602), Canada; Greyhound Gang, Utah ($291); Virginia Greyhound Adoption Program ($295); North Coast Greyhound Connection, Ohio and Central Ohio Rescue ($400); and the remainder to the following: Hill Country and GPA-Houston for working to stop greyhound abuse in Texas; Compassion for Greyhounds - Michigan; Greyhound Crossroads, S.C.; GPA- FL-SE; GPA Nashville; Going Home Greyhounds; andSOS Galgos to save the hounds in Spain;
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