One Year of Blogging: Celebrating Our Blogiversary Milestone

I seriously have no idea how this happened; I swear I just started this blog last month. It seems like just yesterday I’d write a post and beg my friends and family on facebook to “like” it. Oh wait, I still do that. But time really flies when you’re having fun – it’s our one year blogiversary already.

305 Posts Later – Oh What a Learning Experience It’s Been

You know how this blog started? I thought it was such funny idea to have a dog news site named Puppy Leaks. After laughing out loud to myself I bought the domain just knowing how cute, clever, and funny it was.

I was syndicating dog news stories when this started. After a month I got so excited when one of my articles got googled; it was about a dog named Pig. I thought things would start to pick up after that but after a few months it was just…nothing.

No visits, no shares, no comments – no readers period. Well except my dad but you know that’s just part of being a good, supportive parent. (and even I have trouble believing he read the compelling “Dog With Head Stuck in Jar Rescued”)

I mean I know it’s hard to imagine but I didn’t get any comments or shares on such classics such as “Dog Finds Human Skull in Backyard,” “Texas Dog Gives Birth to 17 Puppies,” and “Dog Pukes up Missing Wedding Ring.” Yeah….that’s exactly what I was writing when I started.

The only thing I was receiving were pitches from every puppy pad manufacturer on Earth – no doubt in relation to the word “leaks” in our title. So yeah the original point missed the mark completely; I guess the name wasn’t so clever after all.

So I decided to switch gears, broaden my horizons, and write about stuff I’m actually interested in and want to research. It’s made a world of difference and I even started to enjoy the writing process.

To be honest I don’t know what one is supposed to do on a blogiversary. I’m sorry if I’m a bad host; I don’t have any prizes or candy for you and I don’t have quizzes or polls for you to take. To celebrate one year of blogging let’s just take a look back at some popular posts: (think of this like when you sit down to watch a rerun of your favorite show just to find out it’s a clip show…but better)

My Favorites

These were some of my favorite posts to write:

• Resource Guarding – Understanding the Behavior(tale of Laika’s 1st day home)
• Tips on Teaching Dog Bite Prevention to Kids
• Clingy Dogs – Is Your Dog a Velcro Dog?
• The Benefits of Hand Feeding Your Dog
• Playing Tug With Your Dog Won’t Make Him Aggressive
• What Unethical Breeding Has Done to the Bulldog

Your Favorites

Based on social shares:

• Why Do Dog Feel Smell Like Fritos? (6531)
• Can Your Dog Tell When You’re Lying? (1754)
• 33 Simple Ways to Keep Your Dog Busy Indoors (1327)
• 50 Great Dog Inspired Quotes (1278)
• 18 Excellent Reasons to Adopt a Greyhound (578)

Based on comments:

• Pet Blogger Challenge 2015 (38)
• Can Classical Music Help Soothe Dogs? (36)
• Try Yelping They Said, It Will Help Puppy Biting They Said (36)
• Why Do Dogs Love to Lay in the Sun? (35)
• Indestructible Dog Toys – Our Top 5 Picks (31)

Blog Paws Best New Pet Blog Award

I wasn’t able to attend the Blog Paws conference this year, but I was watching all the fun and excitement with Laika from home. I want to give a big thank you to Blog Paws for being such an amazing community for every single one of us pet bloggers.

Blog Paws also had each winner choose a rescue to receive a $500 donation; I chose Detroit based Home Fur Ever. How cool is that? On top of the awesome award, recognition, and support you get to donate to your favorite rescue.

Thank you to all of my fellow bloggers for the support, inspiration, technical help, and your great writing that keeps me striving to improve.

Thank you to every single one of you that has read this blog, left a comment, sent an email, or shared a post. I don’t even know how to put into words how much that means to me.

And of course thank you to Laika for being the one that keeps me on my toes and inspires (almost) every post. And because she makes faces like this:

Thank You for the Awesome Year

I’ve learned so much in the past year and it’s been nothing short of amazing. I now know what css, php, seo, roi, and BOL mean to name a few. I’m not sure what my brain had to lose in order to make room for all that but I do know it’s been a lot of fun.

Thank you for all of the wonderful comments, shares, emails; and thank you for reading. You’re super awesome in my book – guaranteed.