乌鸦传媒淭hese ain乌鸦传媒檛 your nana乌鸦传媒檚 bandanas.乌鸦传媒�

That乌鸦传媒檚 the tagline Kathy Mackey of Chilliwack uses to describe her custom-made pet accessories. She乌鸦传媒檚 the designer and creator of Simply Fetching Pet Designs.

乌鸦传媒溛谘淮�媒橞andana乌鸦传媒� is now the 乌鸦传媒楤乌鸦传媒� word 乌鸦传媒� we do not use that here. These are neckwear乌鸦传媒� sounds way more important,乌鸦传媒� she said with a laugh.

Mackey will be selling her handmade items at the 151st annual Chilliwack Fair Aug. 11 to 13.

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Spread across the table in front of her on a sunny summer afternoon is a slew of neckwear for dogs and even some for cats.

As Mackey mentioned, they乌鸦传媒檙e not your standard, run-of-the-mill bandanas. These are handmade creations and each one is unique. Themes include: western, floral, stars, skulls and crossbones, dinosaurs, military, sugar skulls, sports and more. Her Harley Davidson-themed ones are called 乌鸦传媒榖ad-nanas.乌鸦传媒�

乌鸦传媒淭hey乌鸦传媒檙e all about fun, and fashion and showing off,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚 have not run out of ideas yet. I don乌鸦传媒檛 know how, but I just haven乌鸦传媒檛.乌鸦传媒�

She uses all sorts of fabric including faux leather and suede, flannel, denim, and fabric by Indigenous artists such as Cree designer Linda Lavallee.

For a long time, Mackey has loved to craft and do embroidery, but if you asked her about a year and a half ago how to thread a sewing machine, she wouldn乌鸦传媒檛 have the answer.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檇 never sewn in my life,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚 went online 乌鸦传媒� which is another thing I just learned how to do 乌鸦传媒� to see what乌鸦传媒檚 out there to get some ideas. In 2023 there still is nothing out there but bandanas. You tie them in a knot and they get all these wrinkles.乌鸦传媒�

She said she was blown away that she couldn乌鸦传媒檛 find any pet neckwear that wasn乌鸦传媒檛 a tie-up bandana, so she decided to start her own business.

Simply Fetching Pet Designs neckwear is made of three layers 乌鸦传媒� the feature fabric at the front, a liner at the back, and fusing in the middle. If you scrunch it up into a ball, it springs back into it original shape.

乌鸦传媒淭hey always retain their shape,乌鸦传媒� she said added that they are quite durable. 乌鸦传媒淚t all looks so fragile, but it isn乌鸦传媒檛.乌鸦传媒�

Each one is adjustable and has a velcro closure. They are to be hand washed in cold water and dried flat.

She uses buttons, beads, fringes, lace and other embellishments. Mackey adds a 乌鸦传媒渓ittle something special乌鸦传媒� on the back of each piece and each one has a matching clip/barrette, she said.

There are Elvis ones, Minion ones, and some have little pockets made from old kids乌鸦传媒� jeans which are meant to hold dog treats.

Styles range from sparkly rhinestones to motorcycles.

Her business is on Facebook and Instagram. For a 69-year-old who recently gave up her flip phone, learned how to sew and use the internet, Mackey乌鸦传媒檚 pet neckwear business is pretty impressive.

Simply Fetching Pet Designs has been around for a little more than a year, but almost nobody has seen her work.

Mackey has Crohn乌鸦传媒檚 disease and it was a severe flareup last year just before the Chilliwack Fair that put the kibosh on what would have been her first hometown show. She ended up in the hospital for more than a month.

Last fall, she had a booth at a dog show in Chilliwack which did not go well. She later realized sales were low because people at dog shows are breed-specific and none of her neckwear was made to highlight one type of dog.

乌鸦传媒淭hey are Bernese mountain dog people, they are poodle people, they are chow people乌鸦传媒� that乌鸦传媒檚 all they care about,乌鸦传媒� she said about folks who compete at dog shows. 乌鸦传媒淭hey don乌鸦传媒檛 care about cute and colourful.乌鸦传媒�

But, she said she always looks on the positive side of things. She had great feedback at the dog show about her work, and she figured she was simply at the wrong event.

乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 why I乌鸦传媒檓 looking forward to the fair, it乌鸦传媒檚 family oriented,乌鸦传媒� Mackey said. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 not missing this year.乌鸦传媒�

Mackey will have her booth set up at the Chilliwack Fair from Aug. 11 to 13 at Chilliwack Heritage Park with more than 300 neckwear pieces for sale. Prices range from $14 to $34. She does custom designs on request, including for weddings.

For more, check out Simply Fetching Pet Designs on and (instagram.com/simplyfetchingpetdesigns), call/text 604-703-5858 or email a1a@telus.net.