Better Blogger = Better Pet Parent

No one would ever doubt the love I’ve had for every pet that has been in my life. My hubby and I have always done our best for all of them, but sometimes we didn’t have enough knowledge to really know what the best might be.

We all make mistakes along the way; we can only make the wisest choices possible armed with the information we have. When it comes to health issues especially, decisions for the right things to do can be very difficult, agonizing even. In those cases we can only make our best choice from our hearts and hope all goes as well as it can.

*Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about how BlogPaws helps educate and inspire pet influencers, but Wag ‘n Woof Pets only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. BlogPaws is not responsible for the content of this article.

How Blogging Helps Me to be a Better Pet Parent

However, we can always educate ourselves more, and one of the best ways to do that is to learn from other’s experience. Before the days of the internet, we had limited access to that type of information. Now we have almost too much of it. It can be confusing.

Being a pet blogger has its benefits and one is access to so much information, not just in the pet blogging community, but also through the people that read my blog and share their own stories. The internet has become a place not just to find information but more importantly to connect with others. For me, writing a blog has been the perfect way to make those connections.

I’ve learned so much since I started blogging. I’ve learned about healthier foods for my pets and more about the importance of keeping them at a healthy weight. I know about supplements and alternative treatments. I research health issues not just for my own information, but to share with others as well.

I research training, behavioral, and health issues through those I know first. When Sheba was first diagnosed with cancer, blog friends directed me to the Dog Cancer Survival Guide and I credit that partly for the fact that Sheba did so well after her diagnosis. I may never have chosen that book without those recommendations.

We’ve joined walking challenges with other blogs many times, trick challenges, and I might not have found nose work or Fenzi Dog Training Academy without the help of my blogging friends and readers. I often need motivation and that provided by other pet families is exactly what I need to keep myself moving more with the dogs. The Positive Pet Training blog helps to keep me up to date and engaged with Luke’s training.

After all, if I didn’t do anything with my pets, eventually I’d run out of things to write about; cute photos can only go so far!

When I’m dealing with a problem with my pets I don’t have to just google it; I have a community of people I can reach out to that are more than happy to help and share information and experience. That’s how my pets can get better care, and that’s also one place that BlogPaws comes in.

How BlogPaws Helps to Make me a Better Blogger

Anyone can write a blog, but learning how to get others to actually read the blog, that part you need help with. My first few months of blogging didn’t get a lot of attention, and it wasn’t until I found BlogPaws® and started connecting with others through their community, that my blog really started to be seen.

What exactly is BlogPaws? They are a “global community of pet enthusiasts who write about and support pets….”.  Their mission is “to empower pet parenting bloggers & social media advocates to amplify their voices, expand their influence, and generate economic opportunity, while supporting fellow members’ efforts to give back to the pets we love so much.”

BlogPaws provides a way to connect with so many more other pet bloggers than I could by just doing a random internet search. It also provides groups that can be joined where you can meet bloggers interested in the same specific things you are. I just joined a group about holistic medicine where I hope to learn more in our quest to be healthier.

BlogPaws isn’t only about community, even though that’s an important part. They are a resource. They provide one of the biggest and best pet conferences annually. There bloggers can not only connect personally with their community, but with brands so we can test products to share with our readers, and attend educational classes to learn more about the technicalities of blogging.

It doesn’t stop at the conference.  BlogPaws offers online classes year-round, and challenges to help us to grow our blogs. Honestly, I don’t take nearly as much as advantage of all of the available resources as I should, but I plan to do more in the future. I’ll be attending the conference for my second time this year, and I can’t wait. It’s exciting to have so many resources available for learning and growing my blog before and after the conference.

For me, being a better blogger leads to more connections that can lead to being a better pet parent. You don’t have to be a blogger but you can read blogs; knowing that you’re getting personal stories that you can relate to and provide support. Bloggers don’t replace the importance of your own veterinarian or trainer but they can share experiences and what worked for them. They can be someone who has gone through what you’re going through; and is there not just to story tell but to listen to your story. Nothing makes us happier than when a non-blogging reader reaches out to us!

Do you want to be a better pet blogger? Then don’t miss out on the opportunities that BlogPaws can provide to you for education and connections to those with the same goals as you; we all want to be the best pet parent we can.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of BlogPaws. The opinions and text are all mine.