Happy Tails General Information

General Information...

Everything we sell is made by us. We are not a factory, each item is individually made by us with care and attention to detail. We are not hobbyists, we make toys full-time, seven days a week, assuring your order gets prompt attention and capable craftsmanship.

Ordering

We have a very diverse product line and much of our work is custom done, so we cannot have a shopping cart on this website. We actually enjoy having personal contact with our customers like you, and we need to discuss things. That way we make sure you get a good product that is right for you. Whichever way you contact us, we need to know a few things so we recommend the right products for you. Your height, if you are the one throwing the flogger, sensation you are seeking, your budget, your zip code and speed of delivery to calculate shipping, colors and handle pattern, length of tails, and any special instructions.

You need to either call us with your order and billing/shipping information at 707-277-7003, or you can send your information via email to ORDER at FLOGGER dot COM. We also accept snail mail orders; please call or email us for snail mail address. We also have a secure payment server and online order form, if you would rather type in your payment privately. Please email us for further information on that option. We are in the Pacific Time Zone, and our hours of operation are 9 AM to 9 PM daily, 7 days a week, including most holidays and weekends. If we don't answer the phone, please leave a message and we'll return your call as soon as we can.

CALL US OR EMAIL US TODAY!

When you click on the order link, an e-mail window will appear. Please tell us what you're interested in, specify any special requirements, and we will promptly reply with inventory info and/or price quote/s or etc.. If you prefer to order by phone, please call us at 707-277-7003, 9am to 9pm Pacific time zone, 7 days a week, . We accept all major credit cards, personal checks, PayPal, and money orders. Prices are in U.S. Dollars.

Warranty

We stand behind our work. We will promptly repair or replace defective merchandise if the problem is due to a mistake on our part - after all, we are human and sometimes we do make mistakes (no time limit). Just let us know. We will not be responsible for damage resulting from misuse, abuse, or improper storage/cleaning/conditioning. Please follow our care instructions below, especially for our horsehair floggers, to avoid damage. You should expect some wear and tear on your flogger or whip with use and age - nothing lasts forever. However, proper care will ensure many years of service and good looks from your Happy Tails toy.

Handles and Colors

This page (click on link above) shows you our handle braid patterns and colors available. Total handle length on most floggers is 9 inches, including the pineapple knots on both ends. Big extra-heavy floggers will usually have longer handles due to counterbalancing needs. If you have small hands and want a big, heavy flogger with a small handle, please inquire for details about how that can be specially done for you. Several of our favorite personal floggers are of this type.

All About Leather

For our handles we use only kangaroo leather; it's 5 times stronger and more durable than cowhide, it wears well, looks great, and gains a wonderful patina with use! For the flogger tails, we personally select all our hides for the very best quality, finish, and handle. We look for good "grain" pattern, the pebbly appearance of the hide surface (or lack thereof), appropriate for that type of hide. We want good "finish" to a hide, it's surface should be evenly dyed and pretty much free of blemishes. And most especially, we want good "handle", that is drape and feel when we examine the hide in our hands. Handle should be appropriate for the hide type - latigo should be stiff and crease-free, while deer and elk should feel "buttery" and drape well.

Hides are organic and subject to surface and internal blemishes due to insect bites and the like, although we try to minimize these. Some hides, like deer and elk, are seasonal in availablity and at times we may have shortages. Occasionally we obtain extra-select or unusual hides which make really unique and special one-of-a-kind toys - you may order these by advance reservation (please inquire). Floggers made from these special hides usually are higher priced.

Selecting Your Flogger or Whip

Brief descriptions of the various leathers and/or their sensations appear on the flogger pages (look at the handle/colors page, too). You should decide what type of feel you want, whether stingy or thuddy or a combination, and choose the leather that can deliver that effect. If in doubt, we are happy to advise you. For extra thump you might want a "mop" type flogger with extra tails. The number of tails on a flogger depends on the density and thickness of the chosen leather and certain details of construction. We can also advise you on the length of tails that will be best for you, if you are uncertain what to get. Generally, shorter tails are easier to control than longer ones (20-inch tails are usually suitable for average height/strength people). We cut tails in 16", 20", 23" and 27" lengths. A basic collection of floggers might include a deer or cow flogger for warm up and cool down, an elk flogger or mop for pure thud, a bison or bullhide for heavy thud with an edge to it, a Stinger for pure sharp sting, and perhaps a Roo mop for super softness and/or tender areas. You may want to include a cat o' nine or Tomcat for super intensity, and a bunny or angora (goat - mohair) flogger.

All whips, tomcats, and quirts are made by hand, not in a factory! Singletails, tomcats, and quirts should be tightly braided from whip-tanned kangaroo leather. Our whips are 12-16 plait. The braiding should be tight and straight down the length of the whip. There is no such thing as a "special spiral braid" pattern - crooked braiding will make a whip fly crooked, not a good thing!

A tight, new whip is hard to crack for most people. Whips need to start out tight because they loosen up and "break in" with use. As they break in, they become more accurate and easier to throw. When fully broken in, a good whip is very accurate when thrown properly.

Please show your whip respect and handle it with kindness! Take care of it and don't let careless people screw around with it!

A good whip should be light and lively in your hand, and should not be over-weighted with lead. While some weight in the upper portion of the whip is a good thing, too much weight can make a whip hard to control and can contribute to tendonitis in some people. Worst case, the excessive weight actually causes the leather to split apart and the whip breaks. We do know of instances in which this happened to people. Lead weighting slows down the action of a whip, but should not be over-done, a common fault in some whips on the market today. Don't be fooled into thinking that a heavy whip is better than a light one!

Leather and Toy Care

Floggers: We recommend you use a quality leather conditioner on our flogger handles, like Pecard's Dressing, Huberd's Shoe Grease, or similar product. Do not use Neat's Foot Oil, it damages and discolors leather! We do not recommend Lexol, either. If the handle gets dirty, lightly wash it with a soft damp cloth and a tad of gentle soap. Do not immerse or soak leather, ever! When dry reapply a light coat of conditioner and wipe with a soft cloth.

We do not recommend the use of ANY conditioners or cleaners on flogger tails! Tails are easily discolored, and damaged! Although you may have read or have been told to use a bleach solution, or some sort of cleaner on the tails if you have gotten blood on them or genital secretions, that is false information! We have tested many products and they all damage leather, and NONE have been FDA approved for use on leather. Do not use them!

Dry cleaning your flogger by a professional leather cleaners is usually a fine way to refresh and clean the tails, especially for white doe. Consult your professional cleaner and follow his/her advice. Take it across town where they don't know you and don't care to, and for about $20 your "Renn Faire costume accessory" will come back next day on a hanger all nice and clean!

If you are concerned about germs and disease, it really isn't an issue with just a little care. People are not going around getting sick from flogger tails. Dr. Charles Moser, founder of the American College of Sexual Medicine and Health, and one of the nation’s leading authorities on sexuality-related medicine with a Castro area practice, recommends you hang up the flogger in a ventilated place for a week after use. Sunlight is also good, just spread out the tails.

Don't believe us? We follow the advice of our doctor, Charles Moser, Ph.D., M.D., and we frequently discuss toy and disease information with him, to share with YOU, our customer.

Dr. Moser received his Ph.D. from the Institute for Advanced Study in Human Sexuality; he is now a Professor of Sexology and Dean of Professional Studies there. He went on to earn his M.D. degree from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia in 1991. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and is also a board-certified Sexologist. He maintains a private internal medicine practice in San Francisco, with a focus on sexual concerns and the medical problems of sexual minorities. He has served as the President of the Western Region of the Society of Scientific Study of Sexuality and is on the Editorial Board of San Francisco Medicine. He is in the process of forming the American College of Sexual Medicine and Health, an organization of physicians interested in the sexual aspects of medicine. He has published numerous academic papers on sexual topics, including nipple piercing, sadomasochism, safer sex, orgasm, and the effects of recreational drugs on sexual functioning. In addition, he is a frequent speaker and expert witness on alternative sexualities. His curriculum vitae can be accessed on-line at http://pweb.netcom.com/~docx2/

For more info about talking with your doctor about your health and BDSM, see also the following links:

http://www.ejhs.org/volume2/Moser/moser1.htm

http://www.greenerypress.com/books.htm (scroll down to Health Care Without Shame)

Your flogger's tails may stretch a little and become uneven with use; this is normal. Simply trim the stretched tails with a heavy scissors, or visit our booth at one of the events we attend and we will trim them for you. Always hang up your flogger when not in use, away from light, heat, and excess humidity. Good air circulation during storage is a must to avoid molds and mildew.

Horsehair: Our heavy horsehair floggers require a little special care: We recommend you wash the hair when it becomes dull or dirty. Use any good liquid dish soap and warm to hot water. The hair is not that fragile and doesn't require fancy soap. Keep the handle dry! Squish the soap suds through the hair with your hands. Rinse well and blot dry with towel, then hang to air dry.

We recommend applying "Cowboy Magic" shine and de-tangler, available at many tack and feed stores (we will be supplying this product in the near future). Follow label directions.

Use a pin brush or wide-toothed comb on the hair. Comb gently in short strokes, working from hair-tip to handle-end in small sections, and ease apart tangles with your fingers as you comb; don't force the comb or brush. Be gentle but firm, like you would with your own hair. Tangles will pull apart easiest if you pull the hair along the plane of it's length, rather than just pulling apart sideways. Regular brushing keeps overall maintenance down and takes only a few minutes. During transport, cover the hair with a long, toeless sock or fabric tube, or braid the hair and put on a rubber band.

Whips: For our whips, tomcats, and quirts made of kangaroo, use the above leather conditioners as needed to keep the leather lubricated but not gummy. In dry climates the leather may need more frequent conditioning than in humid. They may be occasionally lightly cleaned by washing with saddle soap and a soft damp cloth, especially if a whip is exposed to dust and grit during use. Dry in a cool place. Keep away from sunlight and direct heat. New whips, while being broken in, may require more frequent conditioning. Do not use whips in a manner that they hit hard or sharp objects, or the ground. Long whips should be used over carpet or lawn. Misuse can cause strand breakage and excessive harm to the whip. With use, the crackers on whips will eventually wear out and need replacing. Whips with braided-in crackers will have to be repaired by a whipmaker, while most Australian-style whips with falls can be repaired at home. We can supply new crackers and repair service for most whips (please inquire).

The Happy Tails Flogger and Whip Website