Murry and Julie Walton with Maggie and Blue Belle.
Dog’s Eye View, written by Boise, Idaho website designer, Julie Walton; her hubby, Murry; and their best friend and dog blogger, Maggie. (Note – sorry to report Maggie died October, 2012. We are happy to introduce you to to the newest member of our family, an adopted rescue Aussie/Heeler named Blue Belle.) She is the Rescue Dog that rescued us.
Our goal in creating this blog is to inform and educate our friends about dogs and the resources we have here in the beautiful Northwest, and to include some good clean fun!
If you have a suggestion, or idea, please feel free to comment or send an email. See the Comment Bubble at the top of each post. Thanks for your interest.
“The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.” ~Author Unknown
Many of our DogBlog followers have invested their time and talents in websites and blogs for dog parents and veterinarian clinics. I recently received a message from Sharon Wagner offering an article about how to strengthen your website. Let’s take a look at her advice.
When resources are stretched, your website becomes your frontline. It shapes how people judge your business — whether they trust it, stay on it, or act. Clear navigation, fast loading, clean content, and smart structure can tip the scale in your favor. These aren’t bells and whistles. They’re basic survival infrastructure. Do them right, and your site doesn’t just stay afloat — it pulls you forward.
Load Speed Is the First Impression
When someone lands on your website and it lags, you’ve already lost. There’s no second chance. Speed is perception — and in a downturn, perception is everything. Customers are scanning for signs of reliability, professionalism, and ease. Instant load times send the signal that your business is operational, modern, and attentive. Even a one-second delay can spike bounce rates and chip away at the credibility you’ve worked hard to earn. Use this as your first gut check: does your site feel fast, like it’s ready to serve? If not, that’s the first fix.
Know What’s Working Every Week
Data is the gut-check. Don’t fly blind — especially now. Knowing where your traffic comes from, what pages people leave, and what converts best isn’t “advanced.” It’s required. You can log into Google Analytics and start tracking basic signals that tell you what’s working. Check it every Monday. Look for red flags. Spot weird dips. Use it to drive small experiments: move a button, reword a CTA, change an image. That’s how you improve week over week. When you monitor your bounce rate and traffic, you put decision-making back in your hands — not in your gut.
Opening a veterinary clinic is more than just a business decision — it’s a lifestyle shift, a leadership leap, and a long-haul commitment. It calls for clinical skill, yes, but also business acumen, emotional resilience, and a sharp eye for invisible risk. Too many clinics launch with heart but no scaffolding. And while love for animals is non-negotiable, it won’t keep the lights on. If you’re serious about building a practice that lasts — and doesn’t just survive but grows — here’s what you need to weigh before opening your doors.
Start With the Street, Not the Scalpel
Before you scout equipment, sketch logos, or price out syringes, you need to understand your local terrain. Not just where the nearest dog park is — but what types of pet owners dominate your zip code, what they spend, and what they expect. Market gaps often live where expectations and services misalign. Instead of guessing, dig into resources that outlineunderstanding local pet-owner demographics. Knowing if your region skews toward working professionals, retirees with aging pets, or first-time millennial adopters changes everything: hours, pricing, care tiers. Start with data. Let it shape your service DNA.
Use Tools That Remove Friction From the Start
One of the most underestimated factors in a clinic’s day-to-day chaos is paperwork. Intake forms, medical histories, post-op instructions — all piling up. The fix isn’t fancy tech. It’s intelligent formatting. Incorporatingbest practices to create fillable PDFs lets you digitize intake processes, streamline consent documentation, and reduce errors from illegible handwriting. It’s not about going paperless for the sake of it — it’s about reducing patient lag, accelerating front-desk workflows, and avoiding lost information that could impact care quality.
I have seen people riding their bike holding on to a dog leash with their dog happily running along side their owner. I have always thought “that is dangerous”. Sure, the dog is out for a run, but how safe is it?
I received an email from a man in Oregon, Mark Schuette. He has invented an awesome way for your dog to go for a run with you, a dog powered scooter or a dog powered recumbent trike. Mark says it is best for medium to large sized high drive athletic dogs. It is also appropriate for blind and deaf dogs. Mark has also done a few trikes for handicapped people and wounded war veterans with service dogs.
It wasn’t easy being a dog on the run. But one day, when life was oh so rough, somebody came to my rescue. I must have been quite a sight and in some human’s estimation a bit too much to handle.
Thankfully, people who truly cared didn’t give up on me. In fact, I was taken to live with guys who actually dwell behind bars. Yes, they call these men prisoners, or inmates. They live in the “big house”. They gave me the attention I needed, taught me some dog gone manners. And before I knew it, they considered me rehabilitated
One day the men who live behind the great big high razor topped fence told me it was time for me to go. A nice family came and picked me up. They knew all about dogs and forever homes and knew I had some ruff stuff baggage to deal with.
My new friends had this look in their eyes like they needed me, so I decided to “rescue” them. I got to ride in their car and went to live in their house. It was a new experience being a member of a real family, and I had so many things to learn. But now I am happy to report that this inmate trained pup is doing great. Thanks to the prisoners who trained me, and the rescue shelter that saved me (Second Chance Animal Shelter), I am experiencing a happy and healthy life – Yes It’s a Dog’s Life – and it’s GREAT!. We are excited to see our Rescue Animal story featured in FidoandWino.com as R.O.A.R. Squad members from the State of Idaho.
The R.O.A.R. Squad (Rescue Owners are Rockin) is the ingenious idea of a lady named Shauna who lives in a great smelling country, our neighbor to the north, Canada. She has a couple lovable canines in her family, and has first hand experience in compassion for pets that have found themselves as outcasts in society, “throw aways”. Shauna had this terrific idea to encourage humans to help us non-humans (some people call us pets) by inviting a rescue animal into your family and giving it a forever home. She created an awesome blog that features Rescue Owners and their rescued animals from every province in Canada and every state in the USA. We think that is DROOLIN COOL!
This joke was posted way back in 2009. Now I figured we need a few laughs, and this one is a good one.
A shepherd was herding his flocks in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand new Jeep Cherokee advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and a YSL tie leaned out of the window and asked the shepherd: “If I tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?”
The shepherd looks at the yuppie, then at his peacefully grazing flock and calmly answers, “Sure!”
The yuppie parks the car, whips out his notebook, connects it to a cell-phone, surfs to a NASA page on the Internet where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system, scans the area, opens up a database and 60 Excel spreadsheets with complex formulas. Finally he prints out a 150 page report on his hi-tech miniaturized printer, turns round to the shepherd and says: “You have exactly 1586 sheep!”
“That is correct, take one of the sheep.” says the shepherd. He watches the young man select a sheep and bundle it in his Cherokee.
Then he says: ” If I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me my sheep back?”
“Okay, why not” answers the young man.
“You are a consultant.” says the shepherd.
“That is correct” says the yuppie, “How did you guess that?”
“Easy” answers the shepherd. “You turn up here although nobody called you. You want to be paid for the answer to a question I already knew. And you don’t know bleep about my business because you took my dog.”
Enjoy your day, friends.
AMAZON FINDS
Our dog, Blue Belle, is a cancer survivor. To help us pay for her various medications our family has become Amazon Affiliates. We appreciate your support. Looking for some products for your puppy? This will get you started.
Disclaimer:
DogBlog: A Dog’s Eye View and BestDogBlog.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Originally posted January 2009 about this super cool elephant dog relationship. Our dog, Maggie wished she had an elephant friend.
Maggie’s cousin Jessica (she’s a human) sent us a great email about an elephant and a dog. This is so cool. Tara and Bella are very close friends. Bella is a stray dog that found a home in an elephant sanctuary. They are absolutely inseparable. You have to see this amazing story found on CBS News – Assignment America. This Animal Odd Couple Story is a must see video.
Aren’t elephants amazing. Do you want to learn more about the Elephant Sanctuary? The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, founded in 1995, is the nation’s largest natural-habitat refuge developed specifically for the care of African and Asian elephants. Discover more information on the FAQ page.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases.
If you are an elephant or dog enthusiast, you might want to explore these fun treasures.
