2019 Pet Blogger Challenge

Networking is one of my most favorite things. So when I learned about the Pet Blogger Challenge, I knew I had to participate! Animal people are good people, and I count myself lucky to be part of such a great pack. 
Here goes…

For those who may be visiting your blog for the first time, how long have you been blogging and what is your main topic?

While Pooch Parenting is a pup in blog years, I’m no stranger to the blogging world. You could say that I was an early adopter. I was a classroom teacher for 8 years and had a website and blog to share teaching resources for my students. After my kids were born, I founded and ran a cooking school for children for another 8 years. What’s Cooking with Kids, my next blog, was part of my cooking school and helped to educate families about cooking with kids, coping with picky eaters and healthy ingredients. That work lead to a cookbook and a visit to the White House for the Chef’s Move to Schools program!

Now, I am blending my teaching experience with my one true love – dogs. Pooch Parenting is custom-made for families with kids and dogs. It offers ideas for how babies, toddlers and children can build relationships safely with the family dog, and how parents can manage the chaos that comes with parenting kids and dogs at the same time.

What was your proudest blogging moment of 2018?

To be honest, simply building my website and blog by myself felt like a huge accomplishment. I’m also very proud to be the “go-to” Kids and Dogs member of the Trainer’s Circle in Dog Training 101: Community Forum, a Facebook group of over 63k members.

What was the biggest blogging challenge you faced in 2018, and how did/will you tackle it?

I’m having trouble getting into the blogging groove again. It’s tough to find time to balance all of the moving parts required to get a business and website off the ground alone. It’s still a work in progress…

Which of your 2018 blog posts was your favorite and why? 

My favorite blog post is also one of my first: Kids and Dogs – Keeping the Peace. I think that it speaks to any family with kids and dogs, no matter what their ages. My hope is that it will inspire families to consider the needs of both their kids and their dogs by improving their relationship, management and training. The post shares simple ways to achieve these goals and to reduce the stress that comes with parenting kids and dogs at the same time.

Which of your 2018 posts was most popular with your audience? Why do you think it does so well?

For many families, their dog is their first baby, so my most popular post of 2018 is Help Your Dog Prepare for New Baby’s Arrival. In some cases, families are nervous of how the pooch will react to a new addition. In other cases, the dog may have some behavioral challenges that could make having a baby in the house fairly difficult. I hope to ease their stress with tips in this post…or with an in-person or virtual consult.

Did you implement a new series, feature, or practice on your blog in 2018 that you’re enjoying?

I’m most excited about my Facebook Live series that answers common questions about parenting kids and dogs. It includes dog training tips, fun enrichment ideas for the pooch, and management strategies to keep everyone safe.

As the social media landscape changes, how are you promoting your blog posts and connecting with new readers?

So far, Facebook has been the best tool to promote my website to new readers. But I am open to other suggestions 🙂 

Looking forward to 2019, if you accomplish only one thing through your blog, what do you hope it is?

I’d love to provide relief to families who have kids and dogs. Parenting kids and dogs at the same time can be really hard. If I can offer enough support so that families don’t feel the need to relinquish their dogs to the shelter, I’d consider that a HUGE win.

What steps are you planning to take to ensure you reach your goal?

I plan to continue networking with other amazing pet bloggers, Facebook groups and professionals so that they can use me as a resource for helping families and their dogs.

Now it’s your turn! How can we help? Is there an area where you could use some advice, or an aspect of your blog that you’d like input on? Share it here, and we’ll answer you in comments!

I’d love to know who your go-to resources are for all things parenting and dog related. I’d also love to know what kind of networking support you need. Maybe I know someone who can help?

A Pooch Parenting blog post would not be complete without at least one photo. The cuties at the top of the page are Barley, my 10 year old mix, and Yara, the 9-month old service puppy I am raising.