blog a dog - Pretty Fluffy

Dog blogs
Blog a dog
day,” says Miller, whose own
furry friends are a three-year-old
Cocker Spaniel cross Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel, Cresswell,
and a Cocker Spaniel cross
Poodle, Edwina, two.
“I found I was spending
so much time thinking about
dogs, looking at dog products,
exploring photos and reading
dog-related books that I might
as well share all that experience
with others.”
Puppy Tales, which attracts
around 200 unique readers every
day, is devoted to the promotion
of good relationships between
dogs and humans. “This means
not only sharing things such as
cute photos, dog toys and dog
events but also exploring the
further integration of dogs into
our society and highlighting
the benefits and enjoyment
they can bring to all members
of our community,” says Miller,
whose web-designer husband is
responsible for Puppy Tales’ fun,
fresh look.
Future plans include adding
a gallery function that will allow
people to submit their own
dog photos, plus a “dogs in the
community” section featuring
a database of local activities
people can do with their dogs.
Dog lovers around the globe are taking to the internet to share the
often hilarious, sometimes moving and always adorable antics of their
four-legged friends. Dogs Life editor Laura Greaves sniffs out the web’s
best dog blogs.
Border Collie Soda enjoys
her role as Pretty Fluffy’s
resident taste-tester.
them their ‘daily dose of dog’
and they use it as a daily pickme-up to brighten their day,”
she says.
Future plans for the blog
include expanding coverage of
the plight of rescue and shelter
dogs. “I’ve most recently teamed
up with the Sydney Dogs and
Cats Home, showcasing one
dog per week looking for a new
home,” she says.
Pretty Fluffy’s official mascot is
Faber Nelson’s 10-year-old
Border Collie, Soda. “Her
hobbies include barking at cats
and jumping on my laptop when
I’m in the middle of writing
a blog entry,” she says. “She’s the
love of my life.”
Puppy Tales
http://prettyfluffy.com
Sydney television producer
Serena Faber Nelson, 31, has
loved dogs all her life, but
only took her self-confessed
“obsession” online in November
last year with the launch of
Pretty Fluffy.
“I noticed
there were
few blogs that
combined
a love of dogs
with a chic,
contemporary
56 | www.dogslife.com.au
lifestyle. For me, dog ownership
doesn’t just need to be about
flea treatments, worming and
poop bags — it can
also be about puppy
cupcakes, innovative toys
and cute homewares,” Faber
Nelson explains.
“Pretty Fluffy was
born out of a desire
to celebrate the fun
and stylish aspects of
having a fluffy member
of the family. I wanted
to give people
a community where
they could not only connect with
other likeminded dog owners
but also access unique doggy
DIY projects, stylish new products
and informative articles inspiring
them to live happy and fulfilled
lives with their dogs.”
Since its launch, the blog’s
readership has doubled every
month — it currently stands at
around 8000. Its most popular
features include the Daily Fluffy,
an extra-cute dog photo to which
Faber Nelson adds a quirky
caption. “Many people have told
me that the Daily Fluffy gives
The Poodle (and Dog)
Blog
iStock
Pretty Fluffy
http://puppytales.com.au
Leaving her job as a product
manager for a large media
company to set up an online dog
store was a “huge leap of faith”
for Sydney’s Lisa Miller, but she
hasn’t looked back for a moment.
She set up Puppy Tales and
its accompanying blog almost
two years ago after realising that
her four-legged friends were
occupying more and more of
her time. “I’ve had a love of all
animals since I was very little and
I studied and worked for many
years as a zoologist, but my main
inspiration comes from owning
my own dogs and the joy I get
from having them with me every
http://thepoodleanddogblog.
typepad.com
After almost six years at
the keyboard, Californian
grandmother Jan Williams is
a dog-blogging veteran.
Williams, a writer and volunteer
with a group that works to
socialise rescue dogs, started
The Poodle (and Dog) Blog
after becoming frustrated
with constant — and often
sensationalised — media
coverage of dog attacks and
animal cruelty. “The lives of
humans and animals have been
intertwined since we first invited
their ancestors, the wolves, into
our caves, but you might think
from all the headlines about
mauling and cruelty that dogs
and humans were enemies rather
than best friends,” she explains.
“I look for upbeat stories in the
news and give them my own spin.
So often the happy stories are
carried only locally and the bad
dog or brutal human stories get
national attention. I don’t write
about events until there
is a happy or at least
satisfactory ending.
“The purpose of the blog is
to celebrate the remarkable, the
ordinary and the very funny dogs
that share our world. I also write
about historic dogs, presidential
dogs, mythological dogs, movie
dogs and fictional dogs.”
Williams shares her home with
four dogs: Poodles Misty, seven,
and Timmy, eight; mixed breed
Chamois, six; and five-year-old
Chihuahua cross Tudee. “I also
have a cat, Taki, who wandered in
and made us her staff,” she says.
The Poodle (and Dog) Blog
attracts up to 800 readers a day
and Williams says that as long
as she has dogs in her life she
will continue to write about
them. “The happiest day of my
childhood was when I got my first
puppy, Mickey, when I was three
years old. She died during my
senior year in high school — all of
my childhood memories involved
Mickey,” she says.
“I can’t imagine not having
a dog in my life.”
Dog Milk
http://dog-milk.com
Full-time blogger Jaime
Derringer already had her
hands full with her popular
modern design blog, Design
Milk (http://design-milk.com),
when she realised she was
witnessing the emergence of
a new trend: cutting-edge
doggy design.
“After a few years, I felt the
amount of fantastic and modern
dog products on the market
warranted its own site. The goal
is to expose dog lovers to pet
American Bulldog
Lulu is a constant
source of inspiration
for Dog Milk’s
Jaime Derringer.
A few more of our
favourite dog blogs…
http://phetched.com
“This blog finds the coolest pet
products out there and the author,
Katherine, is just hilarious,” says
Pretty Fluffy’s Faber Nelson.
www.barkzilla.net
Twenty-something New Yorker
Samantha details her life with stylesavvy pooch Paddington.
http://blog.fidofriendly.com
Fido Friendly is an online magazine
devoted to cool dog products and
dog-friendly travel and lifestyle.
http://dailywag.marthastewart.com
Domestic goddess Martha Stewart’s
dog blog, featuring her pooches
Francesca and Sharkey sharing
photos, tips and projects, is a
favourite among dog bloggers.
http://boogiebt.wordpress.com
“I really love reading Lili Chin’s blog
about her dog, Boogie,” says Dog
Milk’s Derringer. “She shares a lot
of great insight into the struggles of
training a rescue dog. Her illustrations
are fantastic, too.”
http://www.petpicsblog.com
“The Sartorialist for dogs,” Faber
Nelson says. “Comprised of beautiful
snapshots of the cutest pets making
their way in their everyday lives.”
http://www.pupstyle.com
“I love Dara Foster’s blog about
doggie style. She’s always so on top
of the trends,” says Derringer.
design that fits their uniquely
modern sense of style,” says
Derringer, 32, from New Jersey
in the US.
“Dog Milk is a place where
dog owners can come to
find modern dog products
beyond the norm. On the site,
you can find handmade dog
collars, one-off architectural
dog houses, product reviews
www.dogslife.com.au | 57
Dog blogs
and official ambassador for her
dog accessories label, Gangs
of New Yorkie, Steve certainly
has style.
“I started the Gangs of New
Yorkie blog to promote my
accessories line, to write about
cool ‘dogcentric’ products and
to promote adoption, neutering
and spaying,” says Boehl. “But
mostly it was to celebrate Steve,
who I know is up to no good
right now, by the way.
“It’s aimed at anyone who
loves dogs and product design.
We do stretch a little by
adding jewellery and furniture
for humans, but it is always
somewhat dog related.”
Steve’s appeal isn’t just limited
to his blog — his Twitter feed (@
gangsofnyorkie) has more than
850 followers.
Gangs of New Yorkie isn’t
Boehl’s first dog blog. She also
posted at Product by Canine
for several years but stopped
when the blog’s mascot, Boehl’s
beloved 17-year-old Yorkie Mr
Phoo, passed away in 2008.
Next up for Gangs of New
Yorkie are collaborations
with fellow dog blogs Will
My Dog Hate Me (http://
willmydoghateme.com) and
Dexter’s Ruff Life (http://
dextersrufflife.blogspot.com).
For Boehl, one of the main
attractions of dog blogging is the
canine-crazy online community
she has been embraced by. “The
dog blogging community is truly
awesome and keeps growing
daily. I love all the guys in the
Gangs of New Yorkie’s ‘blog love’
roll,” she says. 
And don’t forget Dogs
Life’s blog! Visit us at http://
dogablog.dogslife.com.au
I Pets Palace
Australia’s No. 1 Store for Pet Products
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Huge Range!
Gangs of New
Yorkie’s Steve is
one cool customer,
says owner
Luciana Boehl.
and modern dog-themed
housewares — products for
dogs and dog owners alike.”
Derringer — who describes
her dogs Lulu, a five-year-old
American Bulldog, and Beans,
a four-year-old Boston terrier as
“exact opposites” — says her
blog has struck a chord with
trend-conscious dog owners,
with more than 1000 visitors to
her site every day.
And it seems the sky’s the
limit. “I brought on another
contributor last year and we’re
58 | www.dogslife.com.au
planning on expanding the site
to include more features, original
content and event coverage,”
she says. “We hope to add more
posts that feature real dogs, too.
It’s a very exciting year for
Dog Milk.”
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Prices!
Gangs of New Yorkie
www.gangsofnewyorkie.com/
blog/
Yorkshire Terrier Steve is arguably
the coolest pup in Brooklyn, New
York. As the canine companion of
fashion designer Luciana Boehl
Visit our new retail store at:
Shop 28, 617-627 King St, Newtown, NSW (Sydney Park End)
Or shop online: www.petspalace.com.au