In general, I’m not a big fan of buying collars– I think one collar should be good enough to last through more than just the current doggie fashion season, which apparently makes me very old-school. Simply put, cheaply made, expensive collars are not allowed in the House of Dustin (of course if my wife saw me typing that, she flick me in the back of the head and laugh right about now).

Planet Dog’s Cozy Hemp Adjustable Collar is definitely a “Man collar:” Durable, fairly priced, while still managing to look fashionable without looking like a jewel-studded bracelet from a rich widow’s closet fell on my dog’s neck.

The collar has a fleece lining, which helps to prevent any chafing on your dog’s neck. Then, of course, there’s the hemp part: Not only does it sound cool, it’s one of nature’s most abundant crops, so it’s especially eco-friendly. It’ll also stand up to crappy conditions like rain and mud and snow–much easier to throw one of these in the washing machine then to hand-clean your overpriced leather collar with a damp cloth and Sunday prayers.

My one complaint is that for smaller dogs, even with an appropriate-size collar, there’s this spot where the collar just kind of bunches up–it ends up looking like this funny little knot at the top of my dog Casper’s neck.

The positives definitely outweigh the negatives, however, and in today’s saturated “premium” dog accessory market, $20 for a high-quality, eco-friendly collar sounds like one heck of a bargain– I just wished it looked a little cooler on my dog.

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