Our Year In The "Social Dog" Scene. Part One

Wow. I can see I'll have some 'splaining to do. We are once again at the end of summer and I haven't blogged once here since 2009. Shame on me.

Where have we been? Well, we ventured into the New York City "social dog" scene. First, we signed up for Facebook. Next, we joined several meetup.com small dog groups. And next we navigated both the virtual and the real world of the "social dog" scene. By we I mean, of course, myself and my little old Maltese, Giorgio. (A little disclaimer before I start this series to my new friends and their celebrepups, remember please, there's no such thing as bad publicity. No harm intended!)

It has been quite a journey this year of ours with lots of highs and lows, and a tremendous learning experience. I learned a great deal about myself, about my dog (and dogs), and, about a very different dog culture that exists not just here in NYC but across the USA., a world filled with competitions, sometimes fun but more often than not fierce, competing for 15 minutes of fame by getting your dog seen on television or into print--by winning a photography contest and getting onto the cover of a dog treat box or dog food, or, winning some trick competition, by modeling (yes modeling not just dog collars and leashes but designer outfits).

The New York City "social dog" scene is wild, sometimes weird, fun, and, truly, one the dogs enjoy as much as the humans. What's not to enjoy? The companions are spending time together and the dogs are getting a great deal of attention. Additionally, all of these events usually have raffle prizes and admission fees that benefit one of many very deserving pet rescue/shelter/educational charities.

That said, if you're afraid of competition, this might not be the scene for you (or your dog). It's not an easy world to enter and it can get ugly (though no one involved ever admits that publicly.) If you're thin skinned (as am I) whatever you do, don't enter the competitions to win! Just go with your dog, socialize, enjoy the entertainment, buy a raffle prize. Its all about enjoying the experience, win or lose.

Some dogs and their humans even have their own agents so that they can get the big gigs, the cover of a national magazine, a role in a TV show or movie, or even on Broadway. We didn't have any of those lofty goals in mind, at least, not when we started. Truly our reason for venturing into the "social dog" scene was to have a wonderful time with Giorgio as a senior dog, and, to meet people and other dogs, perhaps to make human and canine friends.

As I mentioned at the start, our journey began by creating a Facebook page. The page is under my trade name, AuntChristine Neighborhoood Dogs. (I have since created a persona and page for Giorgio titled The Naked K-9.) I figured as long as I was using social media and networking I should do the responsible thing and do a little self-promotion along the way for my little dog boarding business, and, my photography project (Neighborhood Dogs). When I opened my new page, it took months to learn how to use the medium. I made a lot of mistakes and started several failed "groups" and "pages" on Facebook. No harm done. I think a lot of people do the same thing.
I learned that using social media is hugely time-consuming. It literally eats your life if you let it. But, it was a necessary evil if I was to have a great experience with my Giorgio. I'm still spending too much time online, social networking, but, I think I'm getting better at budgeting my online time.

The first great experience we had as a result of joining Facebook was attending a "meetup" in lower Manhattan (Lower Manhattan Small Dog Play Group) where Giorgio got to meet his idol, Andrew The Greatest Maltese, and I got to meet his human companion and trainer, Laurie C. Williams from "Greatest American Dog" on CBS. (see photos) What a thrill for us both. Giorgio and I watched the show faithfully and were routing for Andrew and Laurie to win (and they were robbed, truly should have been the winners) and I kept thinking "my goodness, Giorgio and Andrew could be twins." They have very similar looks about them, besides both being male Maltese. They both maintain the traditional long Maltese coat, and, they have longer faces instead of the pushed in designer Maltese face that has become so popular with the ladies these days.

At this same event, we were introduced to the term "celebrepup" and witnessed our first dog fashion/costume contest. To be continued in Part Two of OUR YEAR IN THE "SOCIAL DOG" SCENE.

In photo's (1) Laurie C. Williams and Andrew (2) Grace Forster with Rosie & Portia (3) Karen Beihl with Eli, Laurie & Andrew (with with Jorge Bendarsky's Pomeranian "Tito" under the chair), and Rick Caran with Jilli Dog