Mimi Green Engraved Buckle Collar

There are so many collar manufacturers out there that I’ve lost track, and most of them don’t seem to offer much in the way of innovation. But there are a few that do, and Mimi Green is one of them. They have an exhaustive selection of dog collars, leashes, and harnesses, from basic to designer and everything in between. Whether you want a classic design, something innovative, fabric, leather, synthetic, laminated, webbing or something totally different, these folks probably make it. And they make everything in the USA, which is even better.

We tested a leather collar with an engraved buckle. I like this design because there’s no collar tag jingle, and because the tag cannot come off.  We had just got a Shiloh Shepherd puppy and wanted something sturdy, good-looking and adjustable (at 8 months, she was nearly the size of our full-grown Irish Setter).

The collar arrived quickly and was more than I expected. Although the company could use cheaper leather and probably 80% of consumers would never know the difference, I could see that the leather they use is nice quality bridle leather. No cracking, oily India leather here. This is gorgeous, full-bodied, supple, strong leather, the kind that gets better with age and lasts for a dog’s lifetime.

The stitching is firm and even, with small stitches (large stitches are faster and less expensive, but don’t hold up as long as small stitches). The buckle is nickel-plated die-cast metal, which should hold up to years of use. The side-release mechanism operates smoothly. All the hardware has a heavy, quality feel to it. (Note that I chose a collar for a large dog; the smaller sizes have quality hardware that will not be too clunky for smaller dogs.)

The personalized buckle collar also comes in fabric webbing in 18 colors.

We’ve tested the collar for three months. During that time, our Shiloh has been her active self. She scratches, swims, and generally causes mayhem for her collar. But this collar has held up well. The leather is as smooth and supple as it was when we got it. I was glad the buckle would never get scratched up so badly that it would be difficult to read; the laser engraving is guaranteed never to wear off.

We’ve had to enlarge the collar once, so I was glad that it was adjustable. A Chicago screw holds the collar at the desired size. A screwdriver (or a dime) will get the screw out so you can place it in the next hole if your dog is growing or gaining/losing weight. It adjusts up to 2 inches.

You can get up to three lines of laser engraving on the buckle, so you can put either your dog’s name or your name on it (or both), plus a phone number or two, a microchip notification, and/or an address, or any combination of those.

The engraved buckle collar is available in webbed or leather styles. Shipping is reasonable and the company is friendly and responsive. They have loads of other designer dog collars, too. In my view, the price is very reasonable considering the quality of the materials, craftsmanship and engraving, which is included in the price. And isn’t that refreshing? Most places would charge you by the letter. Thanks, Mimi Green!

Personalized Engraved Name Leather Collar

Price: $41.99 any size

Sizes: 12 to 26 inches

Colors: 4 leather colors

Engraving: 15 fonts, 3 lines, 15 characters per line

Get it from: shopmimigreen.com