Comments on: Should I Dog? Or Should I Blog?

By: Lauranne

Lauranne — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 09:11:40 +0000

I have to say blogging takes a back seat when something more important comes along, and right now I am so pleased that it was neglected for months while I enjoyed every second of living with OH and BD, had I known that we didn’t have forever I would have spent even more time with them both.
However, we have to do things for ourselves and giving Honey some time to amuse herself, and you getting the release/support/whatever that blogging gives you is in no way a bad thing.
I think you just need to listen to whatever you are being told at the moment, go with your gut feeling, if it’s telling you to spend more time with Honey they do it, we will be here when you get back, if it is telling you to change direction then what’s the harm in trying it? Maybe a series more away from Honey? If you don’t you will always wonder what if and if you haven’t been true to your gut feeling and yourself you will be disappointed.

By: 24 Paws of Love

24 Paws of Love — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 05:33:10 +0000

I think I’ve found a pretty good balance with blogging 3 days a week, blogging during the dogs downtime and “after hours.” I’m not one for schedules but the dogs and I have a vague one now, because blogging was taking too much time. And there are still days like Houndstooth said sometimes it’s more one way or the other. I still find it hard to get it all done. And yes, I used to feel guilty and still sometimes do for not spending the time with the dogs when I’m blogging, but really this is what has helped me through those really rough times is being to put it “down on paper.” So that I can sort out what is going on and what to do different and the feedback has always been so positive that it helps me keep moving along. And I love being able to share the successes that happen.

Honestly I can’t stand computers but I really enjoy the the journal we’ve created and what feels like a special time in our lives with 6 related dogs. That can’t be beat! 🙂

By: houndstooth

houndstooth — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 02:11:41 +0000

Yeah, it’s a fine line I balance between dog time and social media time. There are days when the pendulum swings farther in one direction or the other, but I think they balance out. I’ve really been feeling bad that I just can’t get around to certain things online lately. If you don’t go out and live real life, you don’t have a lot to write about, though.

By: Donna

Donna — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 23:23:48 +0000

Thanks for explaining about Honey. I pictured her standing off somewhere in the yard like Toby does. 🙂

As for this post, i’ve come to a similar conclusion as of late. I want to cut down my internet time, but I enjoy the blogging community too much to let go, and I enjoy sharing my stories about my own dogs. When things are going wrong, you never know who you might help who’s going through similar issues, and when you find fun things to talk about, you never know who you might inspire to do more fun things with their dog.

So instead, I gave up a forum I wasn’t posting much on, I put a temporary “away” type message on my twitter account, which I also wasn’t posting much on, and biggest of all, I’m taking a temporary break from Facebook – which, at least to me, is the biggest time suck on the planet. But blogging and reading other blogs, I will continue to do. 🙂

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 22:30:09 +0000

Blogging and reading others’ blogs really does take a lot of time. But I do enjoy it. It is just a matter of finding the right balance. I still haven’t found the right balance, but I keep trying.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:57:09 +0000

Oh, I think blogging, and the support I get from you guys, is the only thing keeping me sane with Silas. I blog *so* I have the resources to keep “dogging.”

By: Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom

Callie, Shadow, and Ducky's Mom — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 15:18:51 +0000

I could not have said it any better than you, Taryn, or Jan K; nor could I have summed it up any better than Misaki. As for having the dogs in my lap? Well, other than during a thunderstorm, neither Callie nor Shadow think of themselves as lapdogs — thank goodness — and Ducky is still spending her days at daycare but she loves her Daddy’s lap! I guess mine is a bit too small for her.

Anyway, as you know, I started my blog for ME, so I could have some kind of journal of my life with Callie and Shadow. I sometimes wish I’d started blogging back when they were puppies, but I’m not even sure WordPress was even around yet, or even Blogger. That’s okay…I have loads of pix of their puppyhoods. And Ducky’s life with us is on my blog, so I won’t lose it to faulty memory, as Taryn said.

Now I need to clean the house before it becomes a “disaster”. UGH! I hate housework! 🙁

By: emma

emma — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:45:12 +0000

Mom has had similar thoughts about how much time she spends on the computer because of my blog and social media but then she realized that because of the blog and social media, she actually does more things with us, takes us more places, and has so many great photos of us that she would not have without all that. If she didn’t have the blog and stuff, she would most likely find something else to do on the computer, so for now we have accepted it as a good thing.

By: Roxy the traveling dog

Roxy the traveling dog — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:14:31 +0000

Well, I am sitting here with both dogs on my lap as I visit other blogs. So i think they are OK with things.

By: Misaki

Misaki — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 14:04:27 +0000

It’s hard to get a balance sometimes. I agree with the comments above about using the blog as a reflection tool and about the sense of community.