DogTime interviews Carol Bryant of FIDO Friendly, winner of the 2011 Petties Award for Best Dog Blog. Congratulations, Carol!
DogTime: Who or what is the inspiration for your blog?
Carol Bryant: FIDO Friendly is an online extension of the magazine of the same name. Now in its 11th year of publication, FIDO Friendly magazine includes the very latest hotel and destination reviews along with health and wellness topics, dog training advice, rescue and feel-good stories, contests, and the latest pooch products to hit the market.
We wanted a way to deliver the latest and greatest in the dog universe to our readers in a living, breathing real-time way. The inspiration is a reflection of who FIDO Friendly is in print. Our mantra is Leave No Dog Behind®, so we incorporate dogs as family members into our everyday lives
and all we do.
DT: How did your blog begin?
CB: My heart beats dog and writing. I’ve always loved (and needed) those two inmy life as much as breathing. As a long-time dog lover, advocate and self-admitted magazine junkie, I approached FIDO Friendly magazine with their need for a blog and social media presence. The blog began, therefore, as my own love affair for dogs, dog travel, and a need to fulfill this niche market’s place in the social media-verse.
DT: Has your life changed since you started blogging? If so, how?
CB: So many feel social media is a threat and they run from it. To me, media has even begun to reach its peak yet. When more and more companies and individuals coming on board that were once hesitant, I realize the sky’s the social limit. My dog network is now very far reaching; 99.99 percent of my friends, contacts and associates are dog moms and dads. In addition, I’ve been able to dogs those in need and realize the power of the electronic written word is a weighty one. Pets who might not have found their forever homes are deeply impacted by the internet and pet bloggers, myself included.
On my new blog, Fidose of Reality (www.fidoseofreality.com), I vow to feature a new dog a week that is searching for his forever home. Can you imagine where pets would be without the power sites like Petfinder? People can log on and find a family member, rescue a loving soul in need, and make a powerful impact far beyond the posted written word.
I’ve learned to live the creed “Remember, no one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” by Eleanor Roosevelt. Learning to be tenacious and pursuing my dreams has been the greatest gift to self.
DT: What does winning a Petties Award mean to you?
CB: Recognition for a blog well done, being able to spread the word of traveling with your dog and how it can be done successfully, and knowing my peers voted this blog to success means more than words could say. Imagine that, a wordless blogger! Winning this gives me a proud sense of self, a reiteration that I’ve chosen the right path in life, and that I will keep writing for and about dogs. I was also inspired to start a blog of my own in addition to the one I maintain for FIDO Friendly. Winning a Petties Award gives me even more to strive for, grow towards and achieve.
DT: What do you hope to accomplish with your blog?
CB: For FIDOFriendly.com: The goal is to be the one-stop, all-inclusive travel and lifestyle resource for dog lovers. We plan to continue promoting all things dog and helping dogs find their forever homes.
I will continue to have a presence in both print and digital, do radio and television interviews and segments and keep scouring the globe to bring dog lovers the best canine news to be found.
For FidoseofReality.com: My goal is to unite dog lovers of the highest order. Gayle King called me that a dog lover of the highest order on her radio show and that stuck with me. My mission statement is to be a go-to dog-themed resource with experts, contests, reviews and off-the-beaten news “bites.”
DT: How did you decide which organization would receive the Petties donation
money?
CB: I love Cocker Spaniels, so I knew I wanted to help that breed’s rescue. The amount of cockers turned over to shelters is alarmingly frightening. Camp Cocker and Gulf Coast Cocker Rescue do so much for being such “small” groups. I knew they needed the assistance and so the wigglebutts are the recipients.
Check out all the Petties winners’ interviews…
