鈥淭hese ain鈥檛 your nana鈥檚 bandanas.鈥�

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

鈥溾�橞andana鈥� is now the 鈥楤鈥� word 鈥� we do not use that here. These are neckwear鈥� sounds way more important,鈥� she said with a laugh.

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

READ MORE:

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鈥檙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 鈥榖ad-nanas.鈥�

鈥淭hey鈥檙e all about fun, and fashion and showing off,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 have not run out of ideas yet. I don鈥檛 know how, but I just haven鈥檛.鈥�

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鈥檛 have the answer.

鈥淚鈥檇 never sewn in my life,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 went online 鈥� which is another thing I just learned how to do 鈥� to see what鈥檚 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.鈥�

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

Simply Fetching Pet Designs neckwear is made of three layers 鈥� 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.

鈥淭hey always retain their shape,鈥� she said added that they are quite durable. 鈥淚t all looks so fragile, but it isn鈥檛.鈥�

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 鈥渓ittle something special鈥� 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鈥� 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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.

鈥淭hey are Bernese mountain dog people, they are poodle people, they are chow people鈥� that鈥檚 all they care about,鈥� she said about folks who compete at dog shows. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 care about cute and colourful.鈥�

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.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 looking forward to the fair, it鈥檚 family oriented,鈥� Mackey said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not missing this year.鈥�

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.