One of my favorite Christmas memories is from December of 1989. Huntsville was still recuperating from the November 15th tornado that had devastated the city. For weeks, my friends and I looked forward to the debut of a heavily advertised new show, The Simpsons. I saw its debut, and my favorite part of the pilot episode was when Bart and his family adopted a lonely, abandoned greyhound, named Santa’s Little Helper.

A Brown and Pink Martingale Collar

Greyhounds are well-known for their speed as racing dogs, and are very popular as rescue dogs once their racing careers are done. Several respected charities exist to place retired greyhounds in forever homes.

Greyhounds are strongly associated with a special type of dog collar. Martingale collars are so closely associated with greyhounds that they are sometimes called greyhound collars. Martingales are designed to be worn by dog breeds with necks that are larger than their heads. Standard dog collars are easy for these dogs to slip out of, just by pulling. Martingale collars have a distinctive two-loop design. They are humane choke collars that put the animal in control of the tightness of the collar. When a dog is trying to remove its head from the collar, the Martingale collar tightens. When the dog stops struggling against it, it loosens again. Unlike metal choke collars, the Martingale will not crush or injure a dog’s trachea. The collar itself will also not be damaged or tangled, even in thick fur. These safeguards and its unique design mean the Martingale is a safe, effective, and humane collar for your canine friend.

The greyhound has a distinctive profile that clearly shows why they’re such a great fit for the Martingale collar, and for the other sight hound breeds, like Irish Wolfhounds and Afghan Hounds. But Martingale collars are great training collars for dogs still learning to cooperate with their owners, and Country Brook Design offers a wide range of Martingale collars with fun and fashionable designs, and they can also be paired with a matching leash, making them great Christmas gifts.

Alexander the Great, Henry VIII, and Anne Boleyn were all proud greyhound owners. They were not able to benefit from the Martingale collar, though another famous Brit, J.K. Rowling, has adopted a greyhound. But whether it’s for a greyhound or just for training a new animal friend, the Martingale collar is a helpful tool in learning to live, work, and play with a canine companion.