Starting a blog is like getting a wiggly puppy…exciting and fun with a whole world to explore with your new friend, but holy crap now you have to train and feed this beastie. I have blinkered optimism that the joy a puppy brings will somehow translate into joy starting and running a blog.

What I aspire to offer you at VanDoggo are relatable experiences with my furry 3 yr old companion, Tikka, as well as dog centric thoughts and findings from all the dogs I have had the honour to know and share a home with. Tikka is a world of joy for me and my husband and although shy at times she is up for any adventure and plays the ever patient model in front of a camera lens.  Although our base is Vancouver, B.C., there will be something for everyone here. Over the years we have tackled in-cabin plane travel, explored new dog parks, learned new tricks, joined some amazing dog classes, and searched out dog friendly restaurant patios. Fingers to keyboard, I aim to translate these adventures and  experiences and share with the VanDoggo community.

And fair warning, there will be a healthy dose of photos as I gravitate to visuals and dogs inspire me to be a better photographer, finding the unobvious angle. How about that, here’s one now.

As I type this first post, Tikka is crashed out after charging around a beach for an hour, shaking off all her city smells. She is at her most content and it is seemingly the simplest of reasons. Energy depleted, full belly, sheltered and hydrated. But it’s much more than that. She is with her pack. To be able to bond like this is a mutual gift to be cherished as they give us so much more than we could ever give back. Pet your dog at this point in time, I’ll wait for you to come back.

Oh, I should mention, we have some cats snoozing at home, so we might not be a pack at all, but instead part of their clowder (did you just learn a new word? I did, I had to look it up).

So welcome to the VanDoggo community and share back in the comments or drop us an email at info@vandoggo.com. Feedback is always welcome, but bullying and nastiness that the internet can sometimes bring is intolerable – let’s be a happy, productive pack. And please don’t steal the photos on this site, just email me and I’ll hook you up!