Ask Dog Lady is…
- Pet lifestyle column.
- Internet site — askdoglady.com adds value. Readers comment easily.
- Radio – Weekly companion program nominated for excellence by the Dog Writers Assn. of America. “Ask Dog Lady” airs weekly on a station in Massachusetts and, via Web, streams worldwide.
- Seasoned journalist and media personality provides clean, compelling copy. Advice column with pet trends and expert reporting generates great response from readers of all ages – those who have dogs and those who don’t.
- Newspapers with content needs and tight budgets can’t afford not to buy this one-of-a-kind feature. Column can start immediately.
- Contact: Monica Collins, 617-248-0253; doglady@askdoglady.com.
Who:
Monica Collins created “Ask Dog Lady” in 2003, recognizing the need for a smart, stylish pet column. After she got Shorty, a West Highland white terrier, Collins’ own life shifted dramatically. She changed her journalistic focus – from TV critic to lifestyle columnist. She realized how much a pet can transform relationships and shake up daily routines for the better.
“Ask Dog Lady” is about the people who love dogs, loathe dogs, and could care less but want to read something unique. The column thrives on true questions, Collins’ reporting, her empathic sense of the human-canine relationship, and many funny bones. “Ask Dog Lady” appears in 400+ daily newspapers, weeklies, and magazines (names available upon request). A former staff writer for USA Today, TV Guide, and the Boston Herald, Collins contributes to the Boston Globe and USA Weekend magazine. She hosts a weekly radio call-in program, “Ask Dog Lady,” for WCAP 980AM in Massachusetts (available on the Web).
What:
This weekly feature owes much to classic newspaper columns such as “Miss Manners” and “Dear Abby,” only with animal attractions. Casting a wise eye on the social scene of people with pets – and each other – “Ask Dog Lady” offers edgy albeit sensible counsel.
The column generates profuse reader/audience participation. Monica Collins receives hundreds of emails, Tweets (on Twitter), and phone calls to her radio show every month. All of the questions in her column are guaranteed to be real. “Ask Dog Lady” can’t answer every one but Collins chooses universal and intriguing queries – about relationships, dog park dilemmas, dating quandries, divorce and custody issues, the name game, bed etiquette, and many other conundrums of living with an elephant in the room – the dog.
Why:
According to the 2009/2010 survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturing Assn. (APPMA), 45.6 million U.S. households have a dog — the country’s most popular pet. There are 77.5 million canines, with countless humans keeping and housing them. Owners spend upwards of $45.4 billion annually. A recent Gallup poll found that more people identified themselves as pet owners than aligned with any political party. Readers’ interest in pets does not waver in a recession.
