Pet spotlight with Miss Darcy’s Adventures

Miss Darcy’s Adventures is written by May Wong and was recently ranked in the Top 10 UK Pet Blogs. Covering life in the city as a dog, Miss Darcy is joined by little brother George to tell tales of the exciting places they visit and the new friends they make. We spoke to May about how the blog has developed over time, why dogs are better and how brands can work with the blog.

How has your blog changed from when you first started? 
When a friend pointed out to me that Darcy had sabotaged my Facebook because I was posting all the things that Darcy and I did together, I thought it was time to give Darcy her own voice; thus began the blog. It was simply a diary of things we did together as we manoeuvred the challenges of living in London with a dog.

I’m often out and about and I didn’t think it was fair for to leave Darcy at home while I go about my daily chores. When I started asking around, I soon realised there are places where I can take her to – restaurants (not just pubs), shopping and travels, in the UK and abroad. I decided to use the blog to share our knowledge and adventures, and to encourage others to do likewise. Over the last five plus years of blogging, we have continued to search for dog-friendly places and address all the issues of travelling abroad. Along the way we have also gained friends in many places, some as far away as Australia and Asia.

I am often asked why we do not monetise our blog, it’s simply because we don’t want to compromise what we choose to write. As we got more involved with the dog world, especially adding a rescue into our mix, we choose to support dog causes – whether rehoming a dog or using our broad reach to help raise money for causes – but I always continue to encourage others to do everyday things with their dogs. Today we find London so much more dog friendly than when we started five years ago.

What’s the best thing about being a pet blogger? 
Knowing that it brings a smile to our reader’s day. We often get messages from them to say how much our stories make them smile, and there are times we make them cry. Either way, it connects with people’s emotions.

How conscious are you of the animal’s personality as opposed to your own when writing?  
I write through Darcy – it is her blog, so it is her voice, her thoughts, her view of the world.

What’s better (and WHY) cats or dogs?
DOGS! Because they are much more attuned to us humans. They are there when we need them, and what better thing to do than to have a walk with your dog. Can’t do that with a cat.

Do you dress up your pets for Halloween? 
Yes, here’s Darcy as Paddington Bear and George as a spider!

Did you have a pet growing up?
Not really. My father had a couple of birds but they were his pets. We had some goldfish but they all eventually died. My sisters and I have always wanted a dog but it was too much work, etc. So as soon as we all grew up and had our own homes, we all got our own dogs.

What’s the best top tip you have for pet owners? 
If you want to involve your dog in your daily life, start doing things with them early on. They will adapt easier and as soon as they see there’s nothing to worry about when they are with you, they soon trust you in all situations.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
PR agencies and brands approach us for influencer campaigns – we only accept requests and invitations if they fit our brand and if we like their products/services. We understand a lot of times this is a less expensive option for the brands and if it doesn’t hurt us to help promote their wares and brands, we would happily do so in exchange of goods/services. But we forewarn them that we would only write and post positive experiences. If we don’t agree with the products/services, we will not review them.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
I can think of three that I really enjoyed working with, mainly because of their products. The first was Cloud7 – we like their products and they are generous in offering us products we love. The second is Hindquarters because we love their unique and excellent leads and collars, and we have them in almost every colour and we do colour combinations! And I feel very privileged to have the chance to work with Indre Cukuraite of Amarcord Photography who takes the most beautiful dog portraits and has published a book of her photography.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
Not sure about this. For me this is a personal venture and not so much for business purposes. If there is one, I would probably look into it.

What other blogs do you read?
The Lon Dog and Marcel Le Corgi.