If you frequent dog parks in the Bay Area or other places where humans gather to show off their tail-waggers, you’ve probably complimented someone on their dog’s extraordinarily beautiful collar. Chances are that handcrafted fashion statement came from Paco Collars, founded in Berkeley in 2002 by Ana Poe, a U.C. Berkeley graduate who started out as a trainer in a doggie day-care facility.
Each Paco collar (the company is named for an Oakland stray who adopted Ana) is handcrafted from a base of latigo leather, often with rhinestones, studs, faux jewels, conchos and other bling worked into the design.
Customers are welcome to design their own collars for execution by Paco’s highly talented staff. They even offer do-it-yourself classes on occasion.
Paco makes leashes, tags and goodies for cats and people, too. The company has a retail store in Berkeley, and its products also can be found in many Northern California dog boutiques. Paco collars are priced from about $60 up.
