Archive for: Media Database

Alfie’s Diary is written by Rosemary Kind on behalf of three of her dogs, all diarists and founding members of the Pet Dogs Democratic Party. Sharing their view of the world, the blog has also led to a range of merchandise, four books and been ranked in the Top 10 Pet Blogs. We caught up with Rosemary to find out how the blog has grown into an international phenomenon, writing for different personalities and working with brands and PRs.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
When we started the blog thirteen years ago, we were living in Belgium and had just got the puppy of my dreams. We only intended to write it for a short time for family and friends to know about all the funny things going on, living abroad and trying to work out what was going on around us.

We never thought then that it would be used to teach English in schools and would start being read by people all over the world! Complete strangers would meet us and know all about our life. Alfie became a celebrity and we just had to keep going. Now we review products, provide advice as well as continuing all the fun things that a life of international travel with a dog entails. Now our commute is between England and Switzerland, but still includes as many amusing situations.

What’s the best thing about being a pet blogger?
We love it when one or other of the dogs receive emails and notes from other dogs around the world. It is great hearing about our readers from the dogs themselves.

How conscious are you of the animal’s personality as opposed to your own when writing?
Very – I write from the point of view of three of my different dogs. I’ve even been asked if different people write it as they can tell the different characters. Funnily enough if you analyse the language it shows up differently too. I’m very in tune with my dogs so if I’m thinking about how one of them would see things, their voice comes quite naturally.

What’s better (and WHY) cats or dogs?
For me it’s dogs. Cats are way too independent, whereas the lives of the dogs and mine are totally intertwined. Where I go, they go… even to the bathroom!

Do you dress up your pets for Halloween?
We’ve struggled to find costumes that fit. As a breed, an Entlebucher is not a standard shape. They are much broader chested than many dogs of their size and longer in the back. Whatever costumes we’ve tried in the past end up looking ridiculous… for all the wrong reasons! Maybe Wilma needs to learn to sew.

Did you have a pet growing up?
It is my only childhood regret that I was not allowed to have a pet. I’m still working on making up for it now. My teddy bears were my substitute, that and every other dog in the neighbourhood that I could get up close to.

What’s the best top tip you have for pet owners?
Do your research to find the right pet that fits your lifestyle. Don’t base your decision just on how the animal looks. Getting the right fit will bring years of happiness and it’s worth the effort it takes to do that.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
It has to be a relationship of mutual respect. Both we and they need to achieve our goals out of it. When it’s a good fit then everyone wins. I always try to reply where I am sent things that are relevant to us, but I don’t always say yes. If I’m going to partner with a brand, even for a short time, I need to make sure we can do them justice and that we can give an honest opinion.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
Recently the best has to have been First Impressions with their bronze resin casting of Alfie’s paw. The end result is amazing, and they were a real pleasure to work with.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
That’s an interesting question. Yes, it would probably be useful. While some people set out to do this as their profession, many come to it by accidental success and probably are the ones most in need of a support network and advice.

What other blogs do you read?
We dip into all sorts. Whenever we have research to do, both for writing and life in general, blogs can be the perfect place to find information. The internet age is great for finding that whatever you are facing for the first time, someone has been there before you. I do look through the Vuelio lists too as in every category there are some really interesting blogs to read.

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.

Monty Dogge is the superstar Newfoundland that stars in the Adventure of Monty Dogge, which was recently named in the Top 10 UK Pet Blogs. Written by ‘hooman’ Mark Sanders, the blog covers Monty’s adventures with his family of doglets – and also features the latest books Monty appears in. We caught up with Mark to find out how he manages posts with Monty’s personality, Monty’s hilarious opinion of cats and how the pair work with brands and PRs.

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
I started back in 2011 with a series of Facebook posts called Life according to Monty Dogge. It was about the life of a very big puppy in his own words and it’s fair to say things have changed quite a bit in the past seven years. Though the Facebook page and group still runs regularly, the blog is via the website and features articles from Monty and me. I have collected every post from 2011 as I plan to write a book next year and the first posts were very basic and were mainly Monty talking about his toilet habits on that particular day. People have followed him for years and now it’s very much a conscious effort to offer new content that is entertaining, informative and fresh.

What’s the best thing about being a pet blogger?
For me I get to spend all day with the dogs, and it’s been a huge adventure. From posting on Facebook I have now published four children’s book and spend most of the week in schools with Monty or Cookie reading stories about my best friends. I have done book signings at Waterstones, attended the Edinburgh Fringe and blogged live from Crufts. To be honest, at the age of 59 and supposedly retired, everything is great about being a pet blogger.

How conscious are you of the animal’s personality as opposed to your own when writing?
This is a great question because this is something that has really developed over time. As Monty has gone from a puppy exploring the world to a seven-year-old adult Newfoundland, his personality and understanding of the world has changed as has my writing. It sounds a real cliché, but I actually think it’s made me a better ‘hooman’.

To be constantly looking at life through the perspective of an animal really makes you realise how good, honest and full of love they are. I love the relationship we have on the page, Monty views me as quite odd and really struggles to understand most of the things I do as a furless biped. We end up having this loving battle between our personalities and it’s a fascinating writing process.

What’s better (and WHY) cats or dogs?
I’ll let Monty answer this one. Well it’s obviously dogs isn’t it? Cats do all this aloof independent act, but they don’t fool me. Really, they’re needy and desperate to be dogs but they know if they go paw to paw to get the hooman’s attention they’ll lose. And clever? Really? A friend of ours locked themselves out of the house as the door slammed behind them. They looked through the letterbox and could see the key so they asked the cat to pass it to them… Well, the only thing this supposedly intelligent pet could say was Me? Oww?

Do you dress up your pets for Halloween?
We are a bit of a crazy house with five dogs, four children and four adults so there is always something going on around events such as Halloween and Christmas. The dogs always join in, but I think it’s one of those things that can get overdone and for us it’s occasional rather than daily costumes on Instagram. I think it comes down to knowing your dogs. Believe me Monty wouldn’t do anything unless he wanted to so yes, we do.

Did you have a pet growing up?
My parents didn’t really like animals, so I only ever had a hamster, just the one. I really got obsessed with animals after visits with my Grandad to Paignton Zoo in Devon where I grew up. My first job after I left school was as the Curator of Birds at a Bird garden which was an interview where I had to be quite imaginative about my previous animal experience. I then spend some time as a Giraffe keeper and kennel manager, so I think not having a pet as a child probably pushed me further in that direction.

What’s the best top tip you have for pet owners (management/maintenance/behaviour)?
I’m by no means an expert and anybody who has seen my You Tube character ‘Absolutely Barking’ – the world’s most incompetent dog trainer would, I’m sure, agree. I think any advice I could offer is about socialisation. I personally think if dogs are really socialised well, have firm but kind boundaries and are treated with respect you won’t go far wrong.

How do you work with PRs and brands?
We have some good relationships with brands and like to build that relationship on a mutual respect. We do get contacted by lots of companies but I really like to believe in the product and welcome the chance to really try it out before featuring it in a blog. Luckily the good brands also have this philosophy, so we have done some good work with those. At the moment working closely with PRs has been in my thoughts more and more. I am really keen to get to the next level with our books particularly and see the blog as a great way of attracting a larger audience and following.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
We have been very lucky to been asked to get involved in some really exciting projects over the past 12 months. 2018 saw the very first Dog Lover Show at the SCC in Glasgow and we were asked to be the guests of honour, which was amazing. We set up a separate blog page for the show and were given our own ‘Monty Dogge’ area complete with branding and bean bags for the children. The show attracted a very big public attendance and we were very busy for two days. Monty was also asked to be an Instagram model for Lintbells who are a major brand in the Pet industry and this has been a lot of fun. I think each of the collaborations that we’ve worked on have been interesting and unique and we’ve certainly had a packed 12 months.

Do bloggers need their own industry association?
I really think this needs looking at as blogging becomes more of a respected and realistic occupation. Monty and I have recently been asked to be author/s in residence at a school for young people on the autistic spectrum and one of the things they are really keen on is blogging and writing on social media. I think several years ago when you mentioned blogging people thought it was just something you did as a bit of a geeky hobby but boy has that changed! So if I was asked for a short answer it would be Yes.

What other blogs do you read?
I have to be honest and say I really don’t read at all as much as I’d like. When I do get a chance my go to blogs are Guido Fawkes, DIY Daddy and the wonderful Paw Post.

Britt Box is the author of She Who Bakes, a new entry in the Top 10 UK Baking Blogs. Britt started baking as a means to tackle depression and has now turned it into her business, which includes the bestseller book Cakes, Bakes & Business. We caught up with Britt to talk about turning your blog into a business, improving her bakes and making magic with brands and PRs. 

How has your blog changed from when you first started?
When I first started, I didn’t have a proper blog website, it was just a page of information. I was also making commission cake at the time and most of my blog posts were documenting whichever cake I was working on that week. Now I concentrate more on recipes and tutorials.

Why baking?
I accidentally fell into baking in 2010. I was suffering badly with depression, anxiety and septicaemia after an operation. I was signed off work and not having a great time. A friend of mine was running a charity bake sale and asked if, as I had a bit of spare time, I wanted to make a cake for it. I bought a packet mix and a block of icing and made an (inedible) mess. BUT I enjoyed it so much I kept doing it, I kept going, started a blog about what I was doing and years later here I am. I baked my way out of depression and now I help others.

How do you make your blog stand out?
My blog is aimed at beginners. I talk about the highs and lows of baking. I keep it completely real. I felt it was important that people should know cakes don’t always turn out how you planned and that’s ok!

What’s the best bake you’ve ever made?
Caramel blondie cups. It’s all of my favourite flavours and I ate most of them just to myself.

What’s the best bake you’ve ever eaten?
A madeira cake. I can do it in my sleep now and I always get great results with them.

Who will win The Great British Bake Off?
Kim-Joy.

What one thing should PRs know about you?
Creating recipes, tutorials and writing articles about baking is something I love doing. Get in touch and let’s make magic together.

What are the best collaborations you’ve worked on?
Working with Homepride Flour & Macmillan Cancer Support. I lost my mum and nan to cancer so that was a job close to my heart.

Do you think bloggers need their own industry association?
I think so, yes. Nowadays bloggers are making up more and more of the people who write reviews, collaborate with brands and we are who people turn to for advice in specific industries. I think bloggers as a whole need to be taken more seriously.

What other blogs do you read?
Iced Jems, The Baking Explorer and BakingQueen74.