Looking Back at 2009

This morning our dog Tiki greeted us like she does just about every morning: with her wild face-licking, “it’s-a-new-day-let’s-don’t-waste-a-minute-of-it” attitude. (Our dog Irie is a little cooler about the morning greeting but she does her own thing: she props herself up on a corner of the couch, talks her own special talk, and waves her front paws in the air.)

Tiki’s not excited that today’s New Year’s Eve and a whole year of new possibilities lies just hours away. It’s just that it’s a new day, Tiki knows she’s got family to share it with, and the promise of a good walk followed by good food awaits. That’s all she really needs to get excited.

And so we’re going to follow her example. Sure, like everyone else, we’ve spent the year cutting back and figuring out new ways to make it in this new economy. But there has been so much that’s good: family, food, walks…all the dog essentials!

And 2009 has seen DogTipper grow from a mere pup of a site that was just a few months old this time last year to a mature site that’s now pushing 2,000 pages. Also during this year:

• MyFox Houston selected DogTipper.com as their Site of the Day and devoted over a whole minute of evening television coverage to our site!
• We’ve had the opportunity to interview so many television celebrities about dogs: Cesar Millan, the guys of Rescue Ink, John O’Hurley, Dr. Oz, David Frei, and more.
• Our Irie and Tiki were chosen as part of the Dogs for the PAWS program by artist Annamarie Johnson to draw more attention to the numerous great shelter dogs waiting for homes everywhere.
• Our local business newspaper did an entire feature on DogTipper.
• Our Twitter account grew to almost 7,000 followers and our Facebook fan page is nearing 600 fans. Most of all, we’ve joined a community of pet lovers, ones that joyfully share their love of animals. When it sometimes seems it’s impossible to watch the news without heartbreaking coverage of puppy mills or animal abuse, it lifts our spirits to see how many people around the world work so hard, day in and day out, to find new homes for homeless animals and to give their own furry friends a dream home.

So as we step into 2010, we’re going to follow Tiki’s example here, too. We’re taking an “it’s-a-new-year-let’s-don’t-waste-a-minute-of-it” attitude…and we can’t wait to share it with you. Happy New Year to you all and we’ll see you in 2010!

Related posts:

1. DogTipper Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
2. Take Your Dog to Work Day, June 26, 2009
3. Facebook Friday, Dec. 18, 2009
4. Facebook Friday, Sept. 18, 2009
5. Our New Book Cover!