I’m getting beat up pretty badly over this question of a pink collar for Zinnia. The idea was first offered by my friend Sue Silverstein, the theology and art teacher at Bishop Maginn High School.
She’s volunteered to be a socialization stop for Zinnia, and I agreed.
You can’t do better than to socialize a therapy dog in a high school classroom run by Sue, an over-the-top dog, and animal lover, and a notorious squish.
She started kidding me about getting a pink collar, perhaps with rhinestones, for Zinnia, and I dug in, saying, no working dog, male or female should have a pink color (or bandana, as far as I’m concerned.”
I feel strongly about this, it makes me crazy when groomers put bandanas on my border collies. They don’t need bandannas.
Working dogs are not girls or boys, they are working dogs. They don’t need feminine or masculine colors. I was unanimously outvoted by my readers on the blog and then on Facebook.
The only support I got was tonight at Bingo night when most of the largely female crowd at the Mansion agreed with me, saying a working dog should have a neutral color.
I can’t imagine putting a pink color on Rose, who I often joked was the only real man on the farm, or on Frieda. Maria says my position on the pink color was sexist. Pink, she said, was a strong and proud color and we would be doing Zinnia proud to wear it.
I admit I associated the color with all of those frilly and poofy things people bought for little girls. But things have changed, and that one slipped past me.
“I go for a pink collar without the rhinestones,” said Maria, “pink is a powerful color, a female color. It’s the color of women. It’s been denigrated and seen as something that’s weak and we’re taking it back.”
Okay, I buy that idea for Zinnia. I want her to be a powerful woman.
Sue Silverstein was stricken when I said no pink collar, she couldn’t imagine why I would object. At the Mansion tonight, Peggie supported my position exactly, “don’t get her pink,” she pleaded, “get her something brown.”
But the Mansion women are a bit behind the curve on this one, I think. Only one or two feminists there.
I called Sue tonight that I was surrendering and withdrawing my resistance to a pink collar, but I couldn’t stomach a rhinestone.
She said she was only kidding about the pink collar, it was up to me.
But she added, “pink is the color of little girls. We can be strong and we can be soft, that’s what makes women so awesome.” She said she wasn’t serious about the rhinestone.
Okay, I’m not fighting all that, I somehow missed the evolution of the color from a little girlie thing to a feminist power symbol. I get it. This is a train I’m not standing in front of.
Sue said she’d leave it to me. (BS).
Not so fast, I said, you started this, you are the reason I’m getting beaten up all over the Internet, you can’t weasel out now. So she sent me this image of the collars she had been considering:
Sue has agreed to host Zinnia while I’m at Bishop Maginn teaching my writing class, and she will also buy the pink collar without the rhinestones.
Zinnia will be proud of being a woman.
Deal. Thanks for your input. It was unanimously against my opinion. I know when to quit.
I completely agree – pink without rhinestones – it’s a beautiful collar!
Pink is beautiful, used to be a colour for male children long ago. Pink + rhinestones is too much of a muchness.9
Pls pls consider the pink!!!☺️☺️?
Zinna is YOUR dog. She shall whatever color collar YOU choose.
I don’t mind listening to others, Cindy, I’m open to change..
I am with you Jon on this one….pink is not a strong color, especially for a working dog…I put red on my female BT,..can’t imagine her with a pink collar!
The day goes by better with a little pink ???
Maybe a hot pink…although I’d go with a brown or green if she was mine. My red Merle had a pretty green floral for every day, and a tan with dark brown & 2 Amber stones for working stock. Ruger is a black tri, and just got a black leather with variegated ribbon inserts for every day. He doesn’t wear it when working cattle, too risky.
On the upside, she will outgrow the first collar fairly quickly, and the next can be whatever suits her!
I go with a pink camouflage collar on my service dog Annie. Pink is powerful, and you can always use more than one collar!
One of our two dogs has a pink color and the other has a light blue color. Both are female. We do not dress the dogs in ridiculous costumes or adorn them with ribbons. The pink collar is on our Molly who is a German Shepard mix and she would love being a working dog if we lived in the country, but we live in a small town. The light blue collar is on Gracie, who is a Lhasa Apso and is a born and bred guard dog. Both have their own personalities and the collars do not represent the sex of the dog. However, each collar has the name, address and home phone number woven into the fabric of the collar in case either of the girls get lost.
Pink is also the color of the fight against breast cancer. So I’m in with the pink (minus the rhinestones….)
Dark pink , no baby pink. It gets dirty so fast
The CANCER SOCIETY has taken over the colour pink. Any pink product now is for the cancer fight. Many of us, cancer fighters or survivors, dread the colour since it is so overused.
Jonathan dear,
Do not fear
Size ‘small’ pink collar will only fit sweet Zinnia
for less than a year!
If…that long..
I was 100% for you. The pink choice is very sexist. Maybe for a cute puppy. But the whole thing is kinda silly. You may see a beautiful collar someday that’s purple paisley and it would look great. Or maybe royal blue. Zinnia won’t care. I feel, if you aren’t right with it, do what you want. All the dialog is kind of interesting. I didn’t think you gave up that easily. Sounds like you were bullied into it. But, to each his own. I just care that she is healthy and a wonderful addition to your family. Again, I agreed with you all the way. And I accept now that you decided to go with what everyone else wanted. It’s just a collar. After she is here, it won’t matter. Loving her will.
Let her select which one she wants to wear. After all, she has to be comfortable. My Mertie dog, also a yellow lab, often sported a French blue collar even though she was female. Zinnia and her emotional health will be fine no matter what color she selects. She is a stunning dog.
We live in the country and ramble in the fields and woods for miles. My girls get pretty dirty so my Bostons wear red and black plaid and my English Cocker Spaniel has a wipeable collar with our Canadian maple leaves on it. To each his or her own.
My sweet Dalmatian, Digit, survived 2 mastectomy surgeries (the 2nd involved one whole side), so in honor of her strength & survival, I got her a pink collar. I, like you, always frowned on pink, frou-frou collars, too, but it just seemed appropriate for her. Actually, didn’t Maria get you some pink socks, or a shirt, or something once? You are certainly a secure enough man to wear pink, so I’m sure that Zinnia will be a reflection of that, no matter what color, although for a light yellow Lab, I would probably choose a “winter” color, such as deep purple or hunter green.