Kala modeling ‘blue and coral bunny ears’
Jemesii has started her own business on Etsy, and I’m busting with pride. Five Chihuahuas offers a bevy of whimsical and warm sweatshirts for pooches large and small (sizes xs-xxl).
Our daughter Jemesii has always been 
enormously creative. Although she possesses a degree in metal smithing, her love of adornment extends well beyond jewelry; shoes, tattoos, clothing and cupcakes–all beloved and bedazzled. Five Chihuahuas is a wonderful fusion of Jem’s fashion sensibility and her devotion to animals. Not just canine couture, but a source* of comforting warmth when the temperature drops.
Jemesii’s explanation of how she came up with the name Five Chihuahuas is beguiling: “I began to research chihuahuas and learned more about their mysterious history; I like to explain to people that chihuahuas used to be the “unicorns” of the dog world. There is a legend that the Mexican general Santa Ana used to ride into battle with a troop of chihuahuas at his back as they were believed to have magical abilities. In my mind I saw this phalanx as five chihuahuas spread behind him…. and thus the name!”
As I said, couldn’t be prouder.
*Always the advocate, Jemesii has a soft spot for rescue animals and some of her product will be donated to dogs with demodex mange, a debilitating but reversible condition that can be particularly severe in cases of neglect.
life and breath: outliving lung cancer 