Home » Blog » Blogging » Pet Bloggers Journey 2021

Pet Bloggers Journey 2021

This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.

Pet Bloggers Journey 2021. Golden Retriever puppy sits on a slide in his playpen.
Pet Bloggers Journey 2021

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program to bring you a blog post about blogging.

If you ever wanted to start a blog about your pet or you currently are a pet blogger then today’s post is for you.

If you’re looking for puppy training tips then check out our archive of blog posts. We’ll be back to our regular scheduled programming tomorrow.

Would you be interested in attending an in-person Pet Blogging Retreat? That’s exactly what we did a few years back. Check out our Pet Blogger Retreat blog post for more information.

So, what is the Pet Bloggers Journey? It’s our blog post answering 10 pet blogging questions, but it’s much more than that…

  • It’s our chance to share our pet blogging accomplishments from the past year and share a glimpse into the future by sharing the hopes and dreams we have for our blog.
  • It’s a time to support our fellow pet bloggers by sharing some of our own wisdom from the things we learned this past year.
  • It gives us the opportunity to learn from others and leave words of encouragement as we comment and follow other bloggers on this journey.

Without further adieu, here’s our PBJ post for 2021:

Pet Bloggers Journey 2021

Check out our Pet Bloggers Journey informational blog post for directions about how you can join and follow other bloggers participating in this community event.

1. When did you begin your blog and what do you currently write about on your blog?

I launched my blog on August 1st, 2007. I write about my experiences raising and training service dog puppies.

2. Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2020, that made you most proud.

2020 wasn’t all doom and gloom. I took a step forward in several areas, hitting all-time highs in traffic and revenue. Since this is my full-time job that’s a big deal.

Even though I hit record numbers, the one thing I’m most proud of this year is I finally asked for help. I hired a coach and I started bringing on writers to help with content.

In 2021 I’d like to continue what I started in 2020 and outsource more work to help with Pinterest, graphic design, content, social media, scheduling, etc.

3. Which of your 2020 posts was most popular with your audience? Why do you think it does so well?

When we picked up our black Lab puppy, Elsa in June my plan was to put together a series of posts tracking her week-by-week progress.

Unfortunately, I was overwhelmed and only able to put together a post about her first week home.

I wrote a very detailed post about bringing home an 8-week old puppy. Almost immediately I started receiving emails and comments thanking me for sharing my experience with Elsa and how helpful it was to hear about our experience raising and training her.

Someone even told me my post was better than the entire Puppies for Dummies book he ordered from Amazon! High praise for sure!

Here’s the post in case you want to take a look: What Should I Expect From My 8 Week Old Puppy?

Oh, and why does the post do well? I tried to make it as detailed as possible and answer every question you’d have about an 8-week old puppy.

4. What was the biggest blogging challenge you faced in 2020, and how did you tackle it?

I’m sure a lot of us will have the same answer to this question. The pandemic has been my biggest blogging challenge.

I’m lucky that traffic and revenue have gone way up thanks to the pandemic, but besides those key metrics, other parts of my blog suffered.

We decided not to put our kids in daycare because of the pandemic. The big challenge is taking care of my 3-year-old daughter and 2-year-old twin girls and trying to blog at the same time.

I’m cherishing this time with my girls and enjoying every minute, but the truth is my blog has suffered because it’s tough to work when you have three young kids running around the house like wild animals.

Oh, and did I mention we had a litter of 8 puppies to go with a 5-month-old puppy. It was a busy ending to the year.

It’s definitely fun. It’s definitely exhausting. I’m glad I get to spend this time with my family. 🙂

5. Tell us one thing you learned in 2020 that can help us all become better bloggers.

Constantly test new things. Small changes can have big results.

You can increase your ad revenue by making small changes like changing the size of your font, increasing the line space, making smaller paragraphs. Mediavine has an RPM Challenge that has helped me increase my revenue.

Test different affiliate programs and products. Some products will resonate better with your readers than others. Promoting the products that your readers are looking for will greatly increase your affiliate earnings. The trick is finding those products. You do this by testing and trying new things.

“Big things have small beginnings.”

David – Prometheus

One more thing. Always check to see what your site/blog posts look like on mobile. There’s a good chance the majority of your visitors are reading your blog posts on their phones.

Ten years ago 9% of my traffic was mobile. Today 79% of my traffic is mobile!

In my best Bob Dylan voice:

“The Times They Are A-Changin'”

6. What are your top three blogging goals for 2021?

The theme for my 2021 goals is diversify. Here are my top 3 for 2021.

#1. Diversify my traffic sources by mastering my email list – I’m part of an email mastermind group sponsored by AdThrive with live sessions beginning this Monday. I’m so excited to be part of a mastermind group.

Complete by January 31st, 2021.

My reward: If I successfully complete all the lessons in this mastermind group then I’ll buy each one of my kids a special gift. Watching my kids open presents is my guilty pleasure. It puts a huge smile on my face.

#2. Complete all 15 challenges in Income Schools Ultimate Content Warrior Challenge – I don’t expect to win the 55-pound tub of Thai Curry, but I’ve already learned a thing or two completing the first 3 of 15 challenges.

Complete by February 22nd, 2021

My reward: If I complete all 15 challenges? I’ll order food for the family from our favorite Thai restaurant. If you haven’t had Nam Sod Kao Tod you’re missing out. Hopefully, they’ll have the Roti for dessert. Sorry, Income School guys I won’t be ordering the Thai curry.

#3. Diversify my monetization channels by releasing a product – Last year I tried hiring a coach to walk me through the process. Even though we pretty much completed the project, I missed the mark with my product offer and pulled the launch 2 days in. My plan is to relaunch with a new product that should better resonate with my audience.

I’m currently working through a product launch course that I plan to complete by March 31st, 2021.

My reward: Donate the first $500 in sales to my favorite charity.

7. In the perfect world, where do you see yourself and your blog one year from now?

In a perfect world, a 50% increase in traffic and net profit would be amazing!

In a perfect world, a more even distribution of traffic sources would be amazing. Right now traffic is heavily skewed towards Organic Search. In my ideal world this would be my traffic split in January 2022:

  • 45% Organic
  • 30% Social
  • 15% Email
  • 10% Direct
  • Less than 1% Referral and Other

In a perfect world, a more even split between monetization channels would be amazing. Right now income is heavily skewed towards affiliates. In my ideal world this would be my income split in January 2022:

  • 50% Affiliate Income
  • 20% Product Income
  • 20% Advertising Income
  • 10% Sponsored Content

One final thing. In a perfect world, I’ll be able to celebrate birthdays and holidays with friends and family next year. I’m really hoping this will happen in the first half of this year. Fingers crossed.

8. If you had a $1,000 to spend on your blog how would you spend it?

I’ve had the same theme for over 5 years now. I’ve had the same logo for almost 13 years. I even wrote a blog post when I designed my own logo on July 30, 2008 (YOWZERS!).

I think it’s time for a change. I got an invitation to Mediavine’s Trellis beta theme. The child theme designs aren’t great so either I’ll have to do some of the design work or hire someone to do it for me.

Two years ago I had a few designers work on updating my logo. I wasn’t totally satisfied with the results so I held off on changing the logo. I think I’d like to revisit a logo update.

So, moving to Trellis beta along with hiring a designer plus updating my logo could hopefully be done for $1,000.

9. What is one skill you’d like to learn or improve in 2021?

VIDEO! VIDEO! VIDEO!

Another one I bring up every year. I did a series of videos for my guide pup, Dublin between 2010 and 2012. Since then I haven’t done much with video.

Last year I published one new video. That’s right, just one!

A big reason is my lack of skill as a videographer, scriptwriter, editor, actor, and everything else involved in creating a quality video. Plus I have stage fright. I need to up my video skill set.

I guess producing two videos would be an improvement. Doubling my year-over-year output! That’s sad.

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

Sorry, I’m going to throw two questions at you:

  1. How do you organize, store, and backup your images?
  2. What security measures do you take with your blog?

Thanks!

There you go! A glimpse into last year’s achievements and this year’s hopes and dreams.

Now that you’ve read through my post go and visit other bloggers participating in the Pet Bloggers Journey by clicking on the links in the table below.

If you are a participant don’t forget to leave a comment including a link to your PBJ post and I’ll add your post to the table.

I’ll continue to add participant links up until January 16th, 2021, 11:59 pm PST.

Thanks, everyone, and all the best to you in 2021!

Pet Bloggers Journey Participants

1. Puppy In Training2. That Mutt
3. Peaches And Paprika4. Oh My Dog Blog
5. Pet Faves6. Service Cats U.S.
7. Kol’s Notes8. Pet Frenzy
9. Maggie Loves Orbit10. Boogie The Pug
11. Wag A Bond12. K9s Over Coffee
13. BJ Bangs14. Keep The Tail Wagging
15. Dash Kitten16. Random Felines
17. Melissa’s Mochas, Mysteries, & Meows18. Shed Happens
19. Homestead Prowlers20. Sweet Purrfections
21. Stunning Keisha22. Love Newfoundlands
23. Fidose of Reality24. Henry The Smol
25. Happy Oodles

If you’d like to participate in this year’s PBJ make sure you visit our first blog post with information and details about the Pet Bloggers Journey.

Save To Pinterest

Pet Bloggers Journey 2021 - English Cream Golden Retriever puppy sits on a slide inside his playpen.
Pet Bloggers Journey 2021

Top Picks For Our Puppies

  1. BEST DOG CHEW
    We Like: Beef Collagen Sticks - All of our pups love to bite, nip, and chew. We love using Collagen Sticks to help divert these unwanted behaviors.
  2. BEST PUPPY TOY
    We Like: Calmeroos Puppy Toy w/ Heartbeat and Heat Packs - Perfect for new puppies. Helps ease anxiety in their new home.
  3. BEST DOG TREATS
    We Like: Crazy Dog Train-Me Treats - We use these as our high-value treats for our guide dog puppies.
  4. BEST FRESH DOG FOOD
    We Like: The Farmer's Dog - A couple months ago we started feeding Raven fresh dog food and she loves it! Get 50% off your first order of The Farmer's Dog.

Check out more of our favorites on our New Puppy Checklist.

Colby Morita has been raising and training guide and service dog puppies for over 13 years. He has puppy graduates from Guide Dogs of America, Tender Loving Canine Assistance Dogs, Cascade Service Dogs, and Canine Support Teams. Colby has been writing to the PuppyInTraining.com blog and sharing his puppy training tips from his experiences since 2007. Follow his puppy adventures at Facebook | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

Similar Posts

59 Comments

  1. Hello! Thank you for this really worthing information. I’ve started a blog a few years ago, I got well into it and found that it wasn’t successful as I thought that it would be, but I’m looking into it again, maybe do some blogging about dogs, but there are already people out there like you to already doing that topic, but in the video earlier, one of you mentioned about being unique and using our own experiences and knowledge with dogs that we can present to the online blog world.

  3. Thanks for participating. I hope you find the Mediavine link helpful. The amount of Mediavine ads on a page can be controlled. You can specify ad density, ad spacing, and ad limits per page. I don’t love running ads, but at this time it’s a way to get paid for the work I do producing content. My hope is to sell products in the future that would allow me to remove the ads from my site. I don’t think that’s going to happen by the end of this year, but hopefully sometime in the next couple years.

    Thanks again for being a part of this years Pet Bloggers Journey. Have a great 2021!

  4. I am about to start visiting the blog folk who are part of the challenge and wanted to thank you for the Mediavine challenge info. I am not part of them they worry me a little (a blogger had 17 Mediavine ads on one post YIKES!!!) but the link is so helpful and educational thank you.

    I have cats 😉 so sympathise with your amazing kids running amuck BUT you get to see them grow and THIS makes it SOO worth it I know.

    Good luck, thrive and make 2021 your best year yet!

  5. Hi Bonnie! I’m glad you were able to participate this year. Yep, I use an external hard drive for backup too and I don’t think it’s the best solution especially after having so many hard drives fail. I got some great suggestions from other bloggers for organizing and backing up images and will try to implement a new system in the coming weeks.

    Thanks for joining the Pet Bloggers Journey. Have a great 2021!

  6. Thank you, Colby for hosting the Pet Bloggers Journey again this year.

    I first came across the Pet Bloggers Journey last year and learned so much from reading through everyone posts. This year I am really excited to join the Journey, so even though I am joining at the end I wanted to make sure I did it.

    Here is my post: https://happyoodles.com/2021/01/pet-bloggers-journey-2021/

    Reading your Pet Bloggers Journey post is an inspiration. It’s nice to hear about the successes of a fellow pet blogger. It’s also comforting to know everyone has challenges.

    As far as your question about organizing images, I also use an external drive with a second external drive that is a copy of the first, but it’s not the best solution. I often find myself just taking new pictures when I can.

    I am looking forward to reading and commenting on everyone’s posts over the next week!

    Bonnie

  7. Thanks for joining the Pet Bloggers Journey! I love looking back at the goals from my past years posts. Some completed others not so much. If you have a chance send me an email through my contact form with your boyfriends information: https://puppyintraining.com/contact/

    Thanks again for participating in this years journey. Have a great 2021!

  8. Hi Carol, I’m glad you joined the journey again this year.

    The coach’s name is Matt Molen. I found him through AdThrive. It’s been good. I feel like a lot of what he’s teaching I know or have known, but with his guidance I’m implementing. Before the mastermind I had knowledge without execution which is not a good formula. Having deadlines and an expert to talk to has been very helpful. I’ll let you know in a few weeks how everything turns out.

    Thanks for the tips about images. I want to try Carbonite and I need to find a way to organize my images. I’ll probably try a combination of folders and tagging.

    I’m up for an online mastermind group. Maybe we can talk about that offline.

    Thanks again for participating. Have a great 2021!

  9. Thanks for taking part in this years Pet Bloggers Journey. I’m glad you found us in the FB groups. I hope you have a great 2021.

  10. Thanks! It’s been a long time blogging and a lot has changed over the years. I’m always happy to participate in this hop to see what the old timers and new bloggers are up to. Thanks for participating. Good luck in 2021!

  12. Wow! This was such an inspiring post! Congrats on all your accomplishments! And also for asking for help; that’s not always an easy thing to do.

    When I read about The Pet Bloggers Journey in a Facebook group, I was super intrigued. I think it’s a great way to hold yourself accountable and get clear on your goals. It was a great exercise for me to do, as a newbie blogger! Here’s the link to my post: https://henrythesmol.com/pet-bloggers-journey-2021/

    By the way! My boyfriend is a graphic designer, if ever you’re still looking for some help with your logo 😉

    Cara + Henry

  13. I’d love to know more about this coach you hired and how you found him or her and what the coach helps you do. Sounds intriguing and you’ve piqued my interest. I’m a lifelong learner, so I’d like to learn more about that.

    You’ve had such great accomplishments and I love that you’ve found the formula to capitalize on affiliate marketing. I make some, but I haven’t given it my all, so there’s that.

    In terms of your questions:
    How do you organize, store, and backup your images? I use Google Photos, Carbonite, and I separate my photos into categories each month. So I have folders on my desktop and I label them things like:

    Dexter face
    Dexter outside
    Dexter eating
    Dexter with other dogs
    Road trips

    And so on. So when I need photos for posts, I know right where to go. I also use Google Photos and search for images there.

    What security measures do you take with your blog? My webmaster has that covered for me, as that is part of what we went over when I hired him.

    I do wish we could all somehow have an online mastermind group where we meet and can help each other, hop on a monthly Zoom. Nothing fancy, just to bounce off questions, hold each other accountable, etc. If you have any thoughts on that, I am game to team up for it.

  18. I’m glad you found us through another blogger and you were able to join the fun. I’ve been at this for a long time so if you have any questions please feel free to ask. Have fun visiting all the other bloggers on the list, and if you know any other bloggers that would like to join please let them know.

  19. Ok, now I’ve had a chance to read your whole post (accidentally found your blog via another blog yesterday and wanted to get my post done before time ran out 😉 before delving into all the posts) and the first thing we did was check ourselves out on the mobile. You clearly have way more experience blogging than we do so I’ll be going back thru to jot some things down for future. We also thought it was so interesting that you raise and train service dog puppies. Thanks much for hosting PBJ and nice to meet you!

    Candice~Marie

  20. Thanks for participating. Yep, I asked everyone to leave a link in the comments and I’m updating the Participants table manually. I already added your link to the list. Have a great 2021!

  22. I’ve been using a couple external hard drives for a while, but I’m afraid they will fail since I’ve had many fail in the past. It’s usually just a matter of time. I’m probably going to use a cloud solution moving forward.

    Thanks for participating. I hope you have a great 2021!

  23. Thanks for participating in the Pet Bloggers Journey! I remember visiting your blog over the years through Amy’s Pet Bloggers Challenge. I’m glad you were able to join again this year.

  26. I have recently made the call to pick up an external hard drive where I can store and organize my images and files. I use a system where it’s sorted via date starting with years, then months within that.

    Thank you for putting this all together! As a newer member of the pet blogging world, I really enjoyed going through all the questions and I am really excited to now go through and read everyone else’s answers!
    https://shedhappens.net/pet-bloggers-journey-2021/

  29. Darned cats can’t see the screen!

    Sorry Colby. 2031 will be awesome and the Pet Bloggers journey gets us all off to the best start.

    Thank you.
    (Spell checked while the cats had supper!)

  30. I just had to get involved gir 2031 it WILL be an awedome and PAWsome year!

    Proud to add my link (below) to your endeavour I can’t wait to read everyone’s inspirational posts.

  31. Hi Kimberly! I’m glad you joined us again this year. Yep, the Income School on YouTube. I’m not a member, but I do enjoy their YouTube videos.

    I like the technical side of blogging, but just like you I decided it was one stress I needed to remove. I’ve been on managed hosting for several years now.

    I can’t wait to read your post. I always enjoy seeing what your up to. All the best to you in 2021!

  32. I’m glad you found us and joined the journey! Video has been on my list for a while now too. Hopefully 2021 is the year I get more consistent with producing video content. Thanks for participating in this year’s Pet Bloggers Journey. Have a great 2021!

  33. Thank you for hosting this event once again. It’s so helpful to look back to better understand the steps I want to take as I move forward.

    Are you talking about the Income School on YouTube? I love them and have always wanted to join their program, but I’ve held back. Maybe next year.

    I back up my images on the Cloud (Apple). And when I moved my hosting to Amazon, security became easier and spam practically vanished. I now do managed hosting instead of self hosting and although it’s more expensive, this is the first couple of years where I had no stress about the back end of my website.

  35. Thanks Barbara for joining us on our Pet Bloggers Journey again this year. Whenever I talk to people I always tell them to take as many pictures and videos as possible of their puppies. That stage is so short and before you know it you’ll have an adult dog. I wish I had more puppy pics of Stetson and Linus. At least we have a handful of good ones to remind us of them when they were adorable little fuzz balls.

    When I was thinking about rewards I was trying to think what would make me happy. Watching my girls open gifts, eating good food, and helping out charities are all things that put a big smile on my face. I can’t wait to tackle and complete these goals!

    Happy New Year! and have a great 2021!

  36. Hi Siddhika! I’m glad you were able to participate this year. The Pet Bloggers Journey is a great opportunity to meet some of your fellow pet bloggers. We participated for the first time in 2012 (the first challenge was in 2011) and love reading everyone’s responses.

    When I started blogging it was just me, my rescue, Linus, and my guide dog puppy, Stetson. Everything is very different today, but the subject of the blog remains the same.

    Thanks again for joining us on this journey. I hope you have a great 2021!

  37. Thanks for posting in the dog bloggers society group and thanks for participating. I use iCloud to backup my phone and laptop too, but I’m looking to better systemize my process.

    I have the paid version of Akismet to cut back on the spam and I plan to add a more robust layer of security to this blog. It’s on my to do list for this year.

    I hope you have a great 2021!

  38. Hi Hannah! Thanks for participating again this year. You gotta give yourself something for accomplishing your goals 🙂 If you’re thinking about getting a puppy you might find a helpful tip or two in the article. All the best to you in 2021!

  39. Thank you for hosting the journey again, Colby! You can find my answer here: https://k9sovercoffee.com/nutrition/pet-bloggers-journey-2021-what-happened-at-k9sovercoffee/

    To answer your image related question, I keep mine on Canva and on the Cloud. My new hosting provider SiteGround takes care of daily back ups! They’re so great.

    The pandemic gave me a lot of time this year to focus on my blog and updating it, as well as finally going through the provider changing process. I don’t know why I was so worried about it – definitely necessary and so worth it.

    Great, thorough post on the expectations of an 8 week old puppy! I so wish I would have used my camera when I brought my 8 week old puppies Missy and Buzz home back in 2011. I’ll never NOT record that process again.

    Thank you for the reward ideas once you hit your goals! I hadn’t though of doing that, but now I will. I may split any rewards 50/50 – some will benefit me personally, and others will benefit animals in need. OK, I may also take my boyfriend out for a yummy dinner 😉

  40. Hi Colby, I’ve been following your blog for quite sometime. I believe I’ve also backlined a puppy training post of yours in one of my articles. I love your writing style. It’s authentic and honest because it comes from your own experience. I’ve recently started my blog and I’m a huge believer of Blogger outreach. The more you share, the more you learn.
    I read all your answers to the questions and I can’t imagine what it must be like to juggle a blog with kids and a litter of puppies!! Kudos to everything that you’ve achieved. Very inspiring!
    The Pet Bloggers journey that you’ve hosted is a brilliant idea. I can’t wait to connect with other bloggers and know more about them. Here is the link to the post with my response – https://wagabonding.com/pet-blogging-journey-2021/

  41. Hi Colby!

    I love reading your Pet Blogger Journey posts because you’re where I hope to be in a few years 🙂

    You’ve accomplished so much – both in the blogging world and the dog world. That many puppies?! And human babies?! You’re a super human.

    To answer our questions, I’m pretty terrible with images too. I use iCloud to store them, so they’re automatically sorted by location, or face. Working on this will be a goal of mine in the upcoming years, but since my blog is relatively small, it still works for me right now.

    For safety, I use Akismet and I limit login attempts.

    Here’s to a great 2021!

    Here’s my post: https://boogiethepug.com/pet-bloggers-journey-2021/

  42. I love reading about your journey. Your blog is well established and I love learning from how you continue to evolve and grow. I especially loved how you stated your goals and “rewards”.

    I haven’t read your article on your new puppy – heading over there now. Thank you again for spearheading the challenge.

  43. Hi Bren, Thanks for participating in the Journey! I can’t imagine raising 7 and having a farm to run! Those are some great suggestions and exactly what I’m looking for. I don’t use Stop Spammers, Loginzer or Bruteforce. I’ll have to check those out. I do have cloudflare with another site, but I haven’t added it to this one yet. Also, I’ve been lazy about moving my admin page, but that’s something I will most definitely do. I can’t wait to read through you Pet Bloggers Journey post. I hope you have a great 2021!

  44. Great Post Colby! I really do feel the same when it comes to making videos! I was excited to see how everyone was doing in that area since we had mentioned it last year! I did manage to do three myself but it was very time consuming and living in a chaotic home where everyone is working from home. Makes it really hard. Kuddos to you for having done so much with so many young ones around you all day! I remember those days! I raised 7 myself and had a farm to run. So I can actually visualize this!
    As for organizing and storing your images. I use an external drive. I had to relocate all my pictures but at least I know I will never lose them. I use a couple of external drives, to be honest. I also still use a USB stick for backup cause I am old haha. But if you have one-drive or online storage I would recommend using that for your backup.
    As for security I honestly have been using Stop Spammers, Loginzer with BruteForce. Along with WordPress Security. I haven’t had any issues at all. Cloud flare really helps too. I know that is probably not much help! But so far that has worked wonders for me so I don’t get as much spam. You can also rename your Login page from wp-login.php to anything of your choice e.g. mylogin. This would make it very difficult for automated attack bots to know where to login.
    My Pet Bloggers Journey last year was a puddle of confusion when I read it now haha. But this year I am much more confident and have made some changes in my direction. Here is the link to my Journey 🙂 and thank you for including me again this year! I am really looking forward to reading everyone’s journey once again. https://petfrenzy.ca/pet-blogging-tips/pet-bloggers-journey-2021/

  45. Hi Valentine! I talked to Debbie from GloGirly Designs a couple years ago and she’s on my short list if I decide to move forward with a logo redesign. Thanks for the suggestion. I visited your site, it’s very cute. If you write a Pet Bloggers Journey post please let me know and I’ll add a link to your blog in the participants table. Take care!

  46. Mew Mew hello. Mom and I just found your bloggy via the Sunday Selfies hop. We are totally impurressed with your professionalism and learned some new things by reading your answers in your post.

    You might check out GloGirly Designs. We were really happy with the work she did on our logo and headers in 2020. Mom just starting using CodeGuard in December for backing up all our website files. It is available through Bluehost. Purr purr purr.

  47. Puppies are tough, but for some reason after about a year I feel like I can do it again. The litters aren’t as bad because you only have them for 8 weeks mama dog does most of the work for the first 4-5 weeks. I used to work with a rescue that mostly rescued litters from the shelters. I may go back to that since this was Raven’s last litter.

    I think using the tagging feature with my mac is the way to go. Are you using Photos or do you use another app? I was using Adobe Bridge. Doing cleanup is something I really need to do right after I take pics. I have so many dups and bad ones that need to go directly to the trash.

    That’s 3 for Wordfence. I’m actually running the free version of Wordfence on another blog, but I haven’t really used much of it’s capabilities.

    I can’t wait to read your PBJ post! Thanks for participating and have a great 2021!

  48. Thanks for participating in this years Pet Bloggers Journey! I added your link to the table. It’s a manual process this year because Linky Tools is charging an annual fee now. I guess one of my questions should have been how to busy handle a blog hop with free tools. All the best to you in 2021!

  49. I always love reading other people’s posts for this hop. I barely stayed afloat with …just me and Kol. Three kids and what feels like 91 puppies? I’d have been sunk. I don’t really want a puppy, but I love all the resources you have if I ever changed my mind lol.

    Now: Image Organization

    All images used in posts are saved as the post name – #.

    Images that are not currently in use are named by year/image number (as assigned by the phone or camera), but since I use a Mac, I do use the tagging feature so when I’m looking for say Kol as a puppy, I can search puppy and find all my options.

    I’m also careful to delete any duplicates or unusable images the day I do my photo editing, so space isn’t taken up with junk.

    Next security:

    I’m using Wordfence, have two-factor authentication installed, have moved my login page so it’s not at the standard log-in url. I had a brute force attack last year that made me work to lock things down.

    Kol’s Notes jumped in on this hop too. Our post is here: https://kolchakpuggle.com/2021/01/pet-bloggers-journey-the-evolution-of-kols-notes.html

  51. Well, we didn’t figure out how to post our link, but we did purrticipate. 2020 was a really bad year all around,. But, we did learn a lot about ourselves. Hopefully, this year will be better. Big hugs

    Luvs ya’

    RaenaBelle

  52. Hi Dawn! I’m so glad you’re participating again this year! I don’t get to visit blogs like I used to. I still think of PetFaves as your new site. 🙂

    Another vote for WordFence. I’m definitely going to dig deep and see if they’re a good solution for me.

    Thanks for joining us on our Pet Bloggers Journey! All the best to you in 2021!

  53. I’m so glad you’re part of the journey! And you really a part of my journey as I’ve known and read your blog for over a decade. Yep, kids and puppies are a lot of work, but I always tell myself it’s only for 8 weeks. It was a lot harder this time because the last time we had a litter the twins were only about 6 months old and not moving around too much.

    That’s good to hear about Wordfence. On top of everything I had my identity stolen this past year and that was a big headache. I’ve been doing my best to secure everything and like you I’ve been moving everything to 2FA.

    Thanks again for participating and all the best to you in 2021!

  54. Thanks for helping spread the word! Yep, I ended up dropping Linky Tools because you have to be an annual fee to use it. I’m doing everything old school and manually updating the table.

    Thanks for participating this year and have a great 2021!

  55. I’m glad you were able to participate again this year. I have image files scattered all over the place including on my laptop, external hard drives, dropbox, iphone, sd cards. I don’t have a backup plan. Some images are organized by event. Some are organized by year. It’s crazy town!

    I’m taking a closer look at both Sucuri and Wordfence.

    Thank for joining. Have a great 2021!

  56. Congrats on having great progress in 2020!

    Thank you for doing the challenge again! It’s great to be able to look back and also to check in with the other bloggers we’ve watched grow through the years.

    Since I use Canva for making my blog images I guess that could be considered a back up. Any photos I personally take are backed up to the sim card on my phone, Google photo, and Amazon photo. As far as being organized, well…

    For security, I use pro Wordfence. I find the country blocking has helped and made it worth the cost.

    My post is at- https://petfaves.com/pet-blogger-journey-2021

    Thank you!

  57. Colby, thank you so much for hosting this again. It’s so inspiring to read what everyone else is up to, and I’m so grateful you’re helping foster this sense of community.

    You accomplished so much last year! Working with kids is nearly impossible and adding in all those puppies? I hope you realize that you are a legitimate superhero.

    I love how you tie your goals to rewards. I bet that helps keep you motivated. I think I’m going to borrow that idea as I work through some big projects that are coming up. Thanks for that inspiration!!

    As for your questions, I am less than no hope for #1. I just leave everything in Canva. As for security, I pay for Wordfence. I used the free version for a long time, then my site got hacked and they cleaned everything up so fast, made a ton of recommendations, and got me all squared away within a day. I immediately purchased the full license and haven’t looked back! I also use really crazy passwords and TFA on any platform that offers it.

    Thanks again for all you do! I’m so grateful for you and for your constant stream of motivation for me! Here’s my post for this year’s hop: https://ohmydogblog.com/2021/01/creation-is-an-act-of-hope/

    Take care, all! Can’t wait to see what everyone else is up to!

  59. Thank you for putting together this challenge again. Congrats for having a very successful 2020 considering all the challenges. I’m impressed you managed to get any work done!

    I used to use Dropbox for storing all my files and images and I think I need to start using that again. I’m not sure why I canceled it, must’ve been cost. That was an easy way to store images. I use the Sucuri WP plugin for security.

    I hear you on the videos. I didn’t even make one video in 2020! Haha. Sad indeed.

    Here is my post: https://www.thatmutt.com/2021/01/10/pet-blogging-tips/

    I’m excited to read everyone’s posts.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.