Buying a dog collar is often as important as buying the right handbag so you don’t want to buy a plastic dog collar or a plastic handbag, right? The problem is people often think they have bought a real leather collar. Synthetic leathers can be very convincing and so too can the price. If you buy a collar for $50 then you assume it’s leather. Don't assume anything.

A few weeks or months later when the plastic starts peeling off its canvas backing, cracks from stretching occur, and the cut edges start to fray; it is then they realize that it’s a dud. So why do many manufacturers insist on still using synthetic leathers?

Australian based business www.hamishmcbeth.com successfully sells high quality pet products to many dog lovers worldwide. Their specialty is real leather dog collars plus quirky name tags in the shape of credit cards, cell phones and iPods.

Hazel Clarke, from Hamish McBeth explains why most manufacturers insist on using plastic:

“The simple reason is because it’s easy to manufacture. A hide comes in odd shapes and with blemishes so this means a lot of wastage. There are also a lot of processes involved before you can use the leather to make something. Working with leather is a real craft and not many factories have these skills.

China prefers to make collars out of PU or PVC. You have consistent colour on large rolls of material and little wastage. You buy it at whatever thickness is required, it gets cut up, stitched and made into collars.

I’ve lost count of how many people who can’t believe our products are leather. We sell high quality dog collars because there is a demand for it. One of the factories we use also makes products for Ralph Lauren. They’re really fussy about their products and so are we.

 Notes for editors:

 For more information please visit www.hamishmcbeth.com.

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