Pet Blogger Challenge 2014!

1. How long have you been blogging? Please tell us why you started blogging, and, for anyone stopping by for the first time, give us a quick description of what your blog is about.

My 27 month old blog is all about my bicontinental adventures in the Swiss Alps and the American West. I'm a rescue miniature dachshund, and my parents gave me a new leash on life. (I don't like to call it a new lease on life because leases have a pre-determined duration, but my parents are mine fur-ever!)

2. Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2013, that made you most proud.

The sweetness of the comments that my fur-friends leave on my blog.

3. When you look at the post you wrote for last year’s Pet Blogger Challenge, or just think back over the past year, what about blogging has changed the most for you?

Steven Spielberg called us to negotiate the movie rights for a remake of Jaws based on my blog!

4. What lessons have you learned this year – from other blogs, or through your own experience – that could help us all with our own sites?

Going viral is random. My one post that went relatively viral (over 1000 hits in a day) featured a picture of a dachshund sticker on a tourist train in Lugano, Switzerland. Dachshund Daddy had taken that picture as he was stuck riding his bike at granny speed behind the train. My godson Bouncing Bertie, who writes an incredible blog, hit the Zeitgeist with a picture of US flags on dog poop. Could it possibly get any more random than dachshund bumper stickers and US flags on dog poop?

If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

Finding a sponsor, even if it doesn't pay much. Money is like pee in the ocean... no matter how small the quantity, it adds up.

5. What have you found to be the best ways to bring more traffic to your blog, other than by writing great content?

Make your blog look like any Italian city. You'll definitely see lots of traffic!

6. How much time to do you spend publicizing your blog, and do you think you should spend more or less in the coming year?

I publicize my blog 24/7, especially when I'm napping.

7. How do you gauge whether or not what you’re writing is appealing to your audience?

I have a remote wagometer that I use to measure how much wagging is happening at each IP address and at each IPoo address.

How do you know when it’s time to let go of a feature or theme that you’ve been writing about for a while?

I use my remote wagometer for that, too.

8. When you’re visiting other blogs, what inspires you to comment on a post rather than just reading and moving on?

I leave a comment if and only if my remote wagometer indicates that the author of the post in question was wagging while she or he was blogging.

9. Do you do product reviews and/or giveaways?

Yes! I would like to do more giveaways to promote my Zazzle products and show my fur-friends how wotten waven they are. ("They" refers to both my fur-friends and the products; don't you love the subtle ambiguities of the English language?)

If so, what do you find works best, and what doesn’t work at all?

For product reviews, always speak the truth. For giveaways, keep things as simple as possible.

10. When writer’s block strikes and you’re feeling dog-tired, how do you recharge?

I burrow, go for a hike, and wag. Not necessarily in that order.

11. Have you ever taken a break from your blog? How did that go?

Never a real break, only mini-breaks, as it befits a miniature dachshund. I do take comfort breaks as well. And naps.

Have you ever thought about quitting your blog altogether? What makes you stay?

No, not really. It's so much fun!

12. What goals do you have for your blog in 2014?

I would like to draw more attention to Tootsie's Shoppe, my quirky Zazzle store. I use it to showcase all my doggy products, which I'm having so much fun designing. There's always new stuff, like this very rare painting featuring my great-great-...-grandmother Bettina.

"Madonna with Dachshund" Artistic Notebook by BicontinentalTootsie