The Green Dog Keepsake Service: your dog's collar remade by hand into something you carry, and nothing is cut until you have said yes

The Keepsake Service | Turn Your Dog's Old Collar or Lead Into Something You Keep

£45.00
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The Green Dog Keepsake Service: your dog's collar remade by hand into something you carry, and nothing is cut until you have said yes
  • The Green Dog Keepsake Service: your dog's collar remade by hand into something you carry, and nothing is cut until you have said yes
  • You do not need to know yet. Things people have had made from a dog's collar or lead: a keyring, a phone lanyard, a wrist strap, a bag strap, a belt, a charm or tassel
  • How the Keepsake Service works: send a photograph, we work out what it becomes, you post it, nothing is cut until you say yes, and every offcut comes back
  • The Green Dog Keepsake Service: your dog's collar remade by hand into something you carry, and nothing is cut until you have said yes
  • You do not need to know yet. Things people have had made from a dog's collar or lead: a keyring, a phone lanyard, a wrist strap, a bag strap, a belt, a charm or tassel
  • How the Keepsake Service works: send a photograph, we work out what it becomes, you post it, nothing is cut until you say yes, and every offcut comes back
The Keepsake Service | Turn Your Dog's Old Collar or Lead Into Something You Keep

The Keepsake Service | Turn Your Dog's Old Collar or Lead Into Something You Keep

£45.00

When a dog dies, the collar is the thing nobody can throw away. It goes in a drawer, or it stays on the hook by the door, and it sits there doing nothing except being impossible to look at and impossible to bin.

This is the other option. Send it to me and I will take it apart and make it into something you carry. The same rope, the same leather, the same brass, worked by hand into something that goes with you instead of sitting in a drawer.

I have done this a handful of times, quietly, for people who asked. It is the work I have been most glad to do. So it is a proper service now.

You do not need to know what you want. Most people do not, and it is the wrong place to start anyway. What a piece can become depends on what it is, how much of it there is and how it has worn, and I cannot tell you that from here. So this starts with you showing me what you have, not with you choosing from a list.

Send me a photograph. Just that. hello@greendog.pet, with a picture of the collar or the lead, laid out flat if you can. Tell me anything you already have in mind, even if it sounds unlikely, and tell me if you have no idea at all. I will come back to you with what I think it could be and exactly what it would cost, and you can decide then. That costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

Or start it here for £45 if you would rather get it moving, and I will come back to you the same way.

What people have had made

  • A keyring, from a collar or a length of lead. The one asked for most, and often two or three from the same collar so the family each have one.
  • A phone lanyard, from a rope lead.
  • A wrist strap, for keys or a camera.
  • A bag strap, rope or leather, with fittings to suit the bag.
  • A belt, from a leather lead, cut and punched to your waist.
  • A charm or a tassel, on its own or worked into any of the above.

Almost everything on that list was a customer's idea rather than mine, which is the real reason this page does not have a menu on it.

What it costs. £45 starts it, and for a small piece that is the whole of it: a keyring, a charm, a zip pull, a wrist strap, nothing more to pay. Larger work costs more because there is more of it, and I will give you the exact figure before anything happens. As a guide, two or three keyrings from one collar usually lands between £70 and £95, a lanyard or a bag strap between £65 and £110, and a belt from a leather lead between £120 and £160. You are never charged a penny you have not agreed to first.

Nothing is cut until you have said yes. When your parcel arrives I photograph it, tell you exactly what I would do and where I would cut, and wait. If you change your mind at that point I send it straight back and refund you in full. You are not committing to anything by posting it.

Everything comes back. Every offcut, every fitting I do not use, every last piece of it goes back in the parcel with the finished keepsake. I do not keep anything and I do not throw anything away. That is the whole point.

The name tag. If there is a tag or a disc on the collar, tell me what you want done with it. It can go on the keepsake, stay where it is, or come back to you loose. There is no right answer and I will not decide for you.

If you would rather I did not clean it, say so. Some people want the mud and the smell left exactly as it is. That is not a strange thing to want and I will do as you ask.

What I can work with. Rope, paracord, nano and micro cord, BioThane®, British wool, woven cotton, veg-tanned leather, and solid brass or steel fittings. It does not need to be something I made. What I cannot rebuild by hand is fused webbing, printed nylon or plastic hardware, so the photograph settles that too.

And if I cannot do it, I will tell you. Some pieces are too far gone, and pretending otherwise would be the worst thing I could do here. If that is the answer, you get a full refund and your dog's collar comes home the same week.

There is no discount on this and there is no rush on it. It is bespoke work, so the automatic offers on the rest of the shop do not apply. Your Green Dog loyalty points do, because you earned those. And if you order and then find you are not ready to post anything, tell me and I will refund you. Some people wait a year. That is completely normal.

Made by hand in Britain, by me.
Delivery & Making Time

Start with a photograph: Email hello@greendog.pet with a picture of the collar or lead, laid out flat if you can. I will tell you what it could become and what it would cost. That costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

Or start it here: 45 pounds begins it and I will come back to you the same way. That 45 pounds is the whole price for a small piece, and it comes off the total on anything larger.

Turnaround: Two to three weeks from the day we agree the plan, not from the day you post it. This is one-off work and I will not rush it.

Before I cut anything: I photograph what arrives, show you exactly where I would cut, and wait for you to say yes. Change your mind then and it goes straight back, refunded in full.

Getting it back: UK tracked post, in fresh packaging, with every offcut and every unused fitting in the same parcel. Return postage is included.

If there is a date that matters: An anniversary, a birthday, a scattering. Tell me when you first get in touch and I will work to it.
Customisation Options

There is no menu, on purpose: What a piece can become depends on what it is, how much of it there is and how it has worn. Send me a photograph and I will tell you what I can see in it. If you already know what you want, say so. If you have no idea, that is the normal answer.

What people have had made: Keyrings, often two or three from one collar so the family each have one. A phone lanyard from a rope lead. A wrist strap for keys or a camera. A bag strap. A belt from a leather lead. A charm or a tassel, on its own or worked into something else.

Most of that came from customers: Almost none of those ideas were mine. So tell me what you are thinking even if it sounds unlikely, because it probably is not.

The name tag: On the keepsake, left where it is, or back to you loose. There is no right answer and I will not decide for you.

New fittings: Split rings, clips, buckles and lanyard fittings in solid brass, nickel, black or gun-metal. Choose the finish or leave it to me to match what is already there.

Cleaning: Tell me if you would rather I did not. Some people want the mud and the smell left exactly as it is. That is not a strange thing to want.
Materials & Construction

Your dog's material, kept: The rope, the leather, the wool, the cotton and the brass that were on the collar or lead are what the keepsake is made from. I add fittings where I have to, and nothing else.

What I can work with: Rope, paracord, nano and micro cord, BioThane, British wool, woven cotton, veg-tanned leather, and solid brass or steel fittings. It does not need to be a piece I made.

What I cannot: Anything I cannot take apart and rebuild by hand. Fused webbing, printed nylon and plastic hardware are out. Send a photograph to hello@greendog.pet first if you are not sure what you have.

Everything comes back: Every offcut, every fitting I do not use, every last piece of it goes back in the parcel with the finished keepsake. I do not keep anything and I do not throw anything away.
Sizing & Fitting

Nothing to work out in advance: Send the photograph first and I will tell you what measurements, if any, I need. For a keyring or a charm the answer is usually none.

If it becomes a lanyard or a wrist strap: Tell me whether it is for a phone, a camera or keys, and whether you wear it round the neck or on the wrist. I will suggest a length and you can change it.

If it becomes a bag strap: Measure the strap you use now, clip to clip, and photograph the bag's fittings so I can match them.

If it becomes a belt: Measure a belt you already wear, from the buckle fold to the hole you actually use. Not your trouser size. A lead needs roughly 130cm of sound leather to make a belt, which is one of the things the photograph tells me.

How much you get from one piece: A collar generally makes two or three keyrings. Tell me how many you need and I will tell you honestly whether there is enough material before you commit to anything.
Care & Durability

Built to be used: A keepsake that lives in a drawer is the thing you already had. These are made to go in a pocket, on a bag, round a wrist, and to stand up to it.

Older material: Rope and cord that has done years of walks is not as strong as new. I cut around the worn parts and use the sound material, and I will tell you if the piece needs treating gently.

Leather: Wipe it and condition it once or twice a year with a leather balm. Old leather takes conditioning well and usually looks better afterwards than you expect.

If it wears out: Send it back. I will repair it at cost plus postage for as long as I am making things, because this is not a piece you can simply replace.
Safety & Usage Notes

Not for walking a dog: A keepsake made from an old lead is made from material that has already done its working life. Do not use one to walk another dog. If that is what you want, ask me about the Workshop Service instead.

Bag straps: I build these to carry a normal bag, not a heavy one. Tell me what you will put in it and I will tell you honestly whether the material is up to it.

Take your time: There is no hurry and nothing expires. If you order and then find you are not ready to post it, tell me and I will refund you. Some people wait a year. That is completely normal.

If I cannot do it: Some pieces are too far gone, and pretending otherwise would be the worst thing I could do here. If that is the answer you get a full refund and your dog's collar comes home the same week.
FAQs

I do not know what I want it to be. Good. That is the usual answer and it is the reason this starts with a photograph rather than a list. Send me a picture and I will tell you what I can see in it.

What will it cost? 45 pounds starts it and for a small piece that is the whole price. As a guide, two or three keyrings from one collar usually lands between 70 and 95 pounds, a lanyard or bag strap between 65 and 110, a belt between 120 and 160. You get the exact figure before anything happens.

Do I have to pay before you have seen it? No. Email a photograph first and pay nothing. Ordering here just gets it moving sooner, and it is refundable right up until I cut anything.

Does it have to be something you made? No. Whoever made it, if it is built from materials I can take apart and rebuild by hand, I can work with it.

What if I change my mind once you have it? I photograph everything and agree the plan with you before I cut. Say the word at that point and it goes straight back, refunded in full.

Will I get the leftover pieces back? Yes. All of them, in the same parcel. I do not keep anything and I do not throw anything away.

Can we get more than one, for the family? Usually. A collar generally makes two or three keyrings. Tell me how many you need and I will tell you honestly whether there is enough material.

Can you leave it dirty? Yes. Just tell me. Some people want the mud and the smell exactly as it is.

Can I send more than one dog's things? Yes, and people do. Tell me which is which and I will keep them separate and label them.

Is there a discount? No. This is bespoke work and the shop's automatic offers do not apply to it. Your Green Dog loyalty points do, because you earned those.

Is it a gift someone else can buy? It can be, but ask the person first. This is not a surprise to spring on someone, and it needs their collar.

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