• Wordless Wednesday: Spoil Your Pet

When owners pick furniture based on their dogs' comfort . . . .

• Wordless Wednesday: Playing in the Snow

• Wordless Wednesday: Learning a New Trick

"Look, a new trick! I am three dogs!" 

• Wordless Wednesday: Winter Problems

Caption this!

• Pet Blogger Challenge 2014

With its broad focus, my blog can include a  bunny in a dress and a Dal.

Every year on January 10 Amy Burkert of Go Pet Friendly hosts the Pet Blogger Challenge. This year Edie Jarolim of Will My Dog Hate Me? is co-hosting. They pose questions and bloggers answer. (I shortened the questions.)

1) Why do I blog?
I've been blogging since 2011. Deciding to blog was part left brain: As a pet sitter, I felt I needed to participate in social media. But truthfully, my decision was mostly right brained: Whee! creativity time.

2) One thing about my blog that made me proud in 2013
I'm getting more comments.

3) What about blogging has changed for me in the past year?
One thing that hasn't changed is that I'm fairly lazy. I always post on the BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, but otherwise I don't keep to a schedule. I did come out of the closet about being 21 years' sober. I think I'm ready for what I write to be more meaningful. Stay tuned.

I can post about doing energy work with horses . . .*

4) What lessons have I learned?
People want to be heard. When someone comments on a blog, "Likes" a post on Facebook, or retweets, it shows that someone is listening. When we pay attention, we honor each other.

5) How do I get more traffic to my blog?
Sometimes I mention a post several times on Twitter. I should do this more, especially for posts that are evergreen, like my post about dog fighting. (Notice how I'm getting more traffic to my blog here?)

6) How much time do I spend publicizing my blog?
None. To get regular readers you need to post on a schedule and have focus, but I write about what I feel like when I feel like it. I worked at National Geographic for 32 years. Being behind the scenes (Get more readers! Keep them! We're losing them—get them back!) took a lot of the fun out of it. I love to use my background to help other people, but as for myself, I'm just having fun.

7) How do I gauge if what I'm writing appeals to my audience?
The more comments I get, the more I assume I appeal. Ironically, the most thoughtful comments I received last year were in response to my Meet the Bloggers post, in which I revealed that I'm a recovering alcoholic. I was transparent and authentic. People found that meaningful, which, in turn, meant a lot to me. (Feel free to make meaningful comments below. LOL)

8) What inspires me to comment on someone else's blog?
On Wordless Wednesday sometimes I comment on blogs so people will visit my blog. Shallow, huh? If I have pertinent information I'll share that, but I tend to make few comments.

9) Do I do product reviews and giveaways?
No. A lot of my work at National Geographic was production (print publications, T-shirts, etc.) and coordination (printing and distribution). The thought of setting up a system to run contests and mail prizes sounds like what I used to do. And I don't want to do what I used to do.

. . . and about doing Reiki on horses.**

10) When writer's block strikes, how do I recharge?
I don't blog regularly, so this doesn't apply. I admire people like Amy who produce on schedule, week after month after year. I would have thought that 5 years after I retired that I would be ready to commit to a blogging schedule, but I'm not. For this INFP, 32 years of deadlines was about 31 years too many.

11) Have I taken a break from my blog? Thought of quitting?
Never.

12) What goals do I have for my blog in 2014?
I want to get back to writing as a craft: the punch of the right verb, the "Ahh" of an unexpected metaphor, the kind of piece that makes people say, "I never thought of it that way." A good goal would be to write one blog post a week. Mind you, that's not my plan. I don't have a plan. And for now I like it that way.

*  Fire Horse Ranch Equine Guided Experience. Photo by Diana Gogan
** Manifested Harmony Reiki for Animals class. Photo by Allie Phillips

• Wordless Wednesday: Farewell, Tango

Tango, the Fire Safety Dog, at BlogPaws

• •

• January 1, 2014: Can You Tell I'm a Pet Sitter?

• "Meet the Bloggers" with Go Pet Friendly

Buster (L) and Ty. I think Ty is smiling.

Amy Burkert is one of the coolest women you ever want to meet. Amy and her husband, Rod, and their dogs, Buster and Ty, travel full time. Their passion is helping people travel with their pets. Check it out: Go Pet Friendly. Amy even asked me to write a guest post about traveling with a hamster. Meeting Buster and Ty was my highlight of BarkWorld 2012.

So when Amy announced the "Meet the Bloggers Hop", I couldn't resist. And today—my birthday—is the perfect day for this post! Amy posed questions for us to answer.

What's my favorite non-animal-related movie?
I'm tired of watching "Where the Heart Is," but I cannot for the life of me change the channel when it's on. I think it's how Natalie Portman is so alone, and finds community. It gives me hope. "To Kill a Mockingbird" moves me. When Atticus Finch loses the trial, the Blacks, in the balcony because they are not allowed on the floor, rise. "Stand up, Miss Jean Louise," says one man. "Your daddy's passing." I tear up every time.

Who is my favorite actor?
Meryl Streep is scary good. Liam Neeson is just about the hottest guy around. Sir Laurence Olivier ("Is it safe?"). Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch is . . . unspeakably sexy and ethical. Sam Sheppard (oh, that snaggletooth!). Ed Harris. James Lipton. Jimmie Stewart. I can't think of everyone.

Butler was a partner in Equine Guided Discovery,
which is a blog post in and of itself.  :)

What makes me feel fabulous?
The Southwest. I don't know if its the heat, the terrain, the sun, or the freedom, but I come alive there like nowhere else. A locational geographer confirmed that several places would be ideal for me to live. And a great haircut makes me feel fabulous.

What's one thing I have to do every day?
Floss

What do I like to do in my free time?
Photography. My mother wouldn't let me take pictures with her Brownie, but I haven't been able to put down a camera since I was in high school. Recently I've taken classes in animal communication, TTouch, IET (Integrated Energy Therapy), and Reiki, and done energetic work with horses. Energy healing fascinates me. There's so much we don't know. And I watch reality TV. I'm not proud that Bravo is my go-to channel, but there it is.

What is one thing you've done that you're most proud of?
Getting clean and sober 21 years ago. This is as good a time as any to come out of the closet about this. When I was drinking I didn't mind who knew, but I feel like there's something shameful about having had a drinking problem. So. There it is.

If you didn't have your current pets, what pet would you choose to have?
A horse. Two horses so they'd have company. As Carol Bryant might say, my heart beats horse. I'm in Lancaster for my birthday, and today I drove 340, the Old Philadelphia Pike. Snowy fields and Amish farms line the road, which has wide buggy lanes on either side. You can see the horse's hooves when you're behind a buggy. Even though it was freezing (really—it was 30° F) I rolled the window down so I could hear the clip-clop when I passed.

Winnie

I didn't say much about my pet. My dear hamster Charlotte passed away about a month ago. I still miss her. Winnie is my new baby. Winnie is painfully shy. I have to remember to speak and move softly around her. When I came home from a three-day pet sit last week I startled the heck out of her. But tonight Winnie got in the ball for the first time while I cleaned her cage. And she left me a birthday present: poop! On that note, I'll stop here.

• Ovie Forgot Wordless Wednesday!

• Wordless Wednesday: Rare "Poodle Bush"

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