Cat Catalogs and Dog Diaries: Do Pet Bloggers Matter?

by: Carol Bryant

“Is it normal for my Rhodesian Ridgeback to cough like this?
*insert video here*

“My cat fears storms and can smell one coming. What can
I do?”

Logging on to microniche blogs and finding out the norms has
been a part of our culture since cavemen measured the worthiness of their clubs
against one another. Comparatives and competition are in our bloodstream as
human beings. Pet parents are no different. So are pet blogs the new "go-to" resource for trusted information?

Yes! You blog about a pet (more than likely if you are reading this) or you might be considering starting a blog. Perhaps you are well on your way to rock-stardom as a power pet blogger, having grown your audience, followers, and fans over the years. Indeed, it takes years to climb to the top of this pet heap (and anyone who says they did it overnight probably has a bridge somewhere in Brooklyn for sale).

When you are looking to get your pet a product, do you 100 percent trust what you read on the brand's website OR do you look to what bloggers are said….bloggers who have a reputuation to maintain and who have been there, done that, tried it on their pets and can show you via their words, imagery, and video?

I know what pet people want: I go to the shows, I walk the
expos, I interact with the brands, my dog and his pack of friends have play
dates. I see the toys and water bowls, and read the labels with the scrutiny
of
an Encyclopedia Brown magnifying glass. Propylene glycol? Wheat? Soy? Off with
your head. We have play dates and make the cover of USA TODAY. We convene at
BlogPaws conferences and commune in Twitter chats and paw-ties (our next one on September 11 from 8 pm to 10 pm EST – hashtag #blogpawschat).

We’re getting daycare, investigating backgrounds of in home
nannies, hiring dog walkers, equipping our pets with nanny cams, and (gasp)
allowing them to wear clothes, walk runways, and even get married.

I know the people names of all the dogs at the dog park. I
often forget their owner's name.

There's buying power at the end of a leash, in an aquarium, chipring through the bird cage, and meowing next to us.

Have you walked the aisles of a pet superstore lately? Are
you planning a pet friendly vacation?

If you don’t think your pet is a person, no worries: a lot
of folks don't, but we know our pets are valued family members that understand us better than most people. I recall a hysterical comic I found on Facebook recently that sums this up:

So the next time someone asks you if pet blogging is important or if it really matters, you can not only say yes, but you've got $52 billion reasons for reference (the amount the APPA expects will be spent in the pet industry this year alone).