I spent part of the weekend thinking about what value pet blogs, and the pet lovers behind them, offer the general reader. There are more than 72 million households with dogs and/or cats in residence (APPA), and some of those people seek to share common experiences and find out more about dogs. With many thousands of pet blogs available online, there must be something for everyone!
I’ve seen, heard, and read so many bloggers working to better understand the needs of their furry families, revealing their successes and failures, and have laughed and cried along with them during the ups and downs of life with dogs and lessons learned. Pet blogs are often rich journals of experiential and/or professional insight, shaped by a combination of the personality of the blogger, sometimes their dog or cat, and reader response.
I thought about recent stories, how inspiring and instructive the triumphs of lost dogs found from No Dog About It, the smart and sassy comic relief that was a hallmark of Will My Dog Hate Me, sadly closing shop any day now, and the intelligent and touching story of a newly situated shy foster dog at Something Wagging This Way Comes. All offer a real life, up close view of what it’s like to be in their shoes for the satisfaction that results from a behavioral breakthrough, the fear and trepidation over something gone very wrong, delight at laugh-out-loud animal antics and for the joy our companions bring to our lives each day.
Life lessons are not difficult to find in these blogs – the ability of dogs to forgive us for not knowing (fill in the blank) stretches it seems beyond most human capacity. We mistake their needs with our own and forget they are a species apart with their own way of deciphering the world. Yet there is the wagging tail and smiling face greeting us, regardless.( Cats, well – let’s say cats are not always on board with the forgiveness theme.)
A shock comes with the lesson of a sudden medical emergency. I learned of a near death experience from vaccination at Champion of My Heart, instructive and a cautionary tale. A simpler, more common problem presented an obvious life lesson – Dieting with My Dog from blogger/author Peggy Frezon, gets people off the couch and outdoors to help themselves and their dogs slim down.
Pet blogs offer readers and bloggers alike the chance to learn from each other, to be better prepared to keep our companions safe from harm, be ready for emergencies, learn what methods are best to enrich pets’ lives and share some laughs along the way. Take a tour — an inspired and welcoming community awaits!
(Photo: Debbie Wakabayashi, Salmon Paws)
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