Pet Business: Pet PR
Pet are big business these days. But they also support many, many small businesses. One business owner that I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with for many years has been Caroline Zambrano who is a pet journalist/editor/PR person. I asked her to share her story with Pet Problems Solved…
Q. Caroline, What do you call yourself? And what made you set this business up?
A. I’m a Pet journalist/editor/PR
I wanted to write about pets and care for my children. Freelancing gave me the opportunity to do what I love – write about pets – and be there for my children. It seemed the logical choice when I became pregnant with No. 2.
Since 2003, I worked as editorial assistance for Dogs Life magazine. Left on maternity in mid 2004 and came back late 2005 as editor. In 2007 I added to my role at DL, as managing editor of Pets Mag and Choosing Your Dog mag.
I left in mid 2008 and started my freelance business in December 2008 when I learned I was expecting baby No. 2.
Q. How does your business fit into the rest of your lifestyle?
A. I love animals, wildlife, pets – and volunteer for Pets in the Park charity – Parramatta clinic. I enjoy doing K9 Nose Work with my dog Cruz, going dog-friendly camping, exploring the outdoors …
Q. What is a typical job and who hires you?
A. Preparing a media plan, writing a press release and distributing to selected media outlets to promote a pet business/service/product.
I also write articles for magazines – ie National Geographic Kids, Better Homes and Gardens, Pet Industry News, Dogs Life magazine, PETS Mag.
Publishers (to write a magazine article) or a pet business/company hire.
Q. What unusual work have you been requested to do?
A. I am always amazed at the unique products/ services that are launched in the marketplace. Every time I say this is the craziest thing I’ve seen, I’m surprised with something more unique!
Q. Tell us about your pets!
A. Snowy, a Molly fish – alpha male, alone in his aquarium because he kills/eats any fish in the tank with him!
Cruz, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, age 4 in October.
We got Cruz as a Christmas gift for our family. We had attended the Dog Lovers Show with the kids and listened together to the talks, made a pet care plan so that everyone in the family would have a role in caring for our new dog. So it wasn’t up to mummy to do all the work!!! Today, I’m proud to watch my girls get up in the morning, feed Snowy and Cruz, and change his water bowls, and hubby brushes him every morning and is in charge of cleaning the aquarium with the girls’ help. I do the dog walking and supervising that everyone else has done their jobs 😉
Cruz is a gentle giant, not at all reactive (he sleeps through the worst thunderstorms!), LOVES doing K9 Nose Work and playing hide and seek with the girls. He also enjoys playing particularly with smaller dogs — he’s very nurturing towards them, lies on the ground and lets them jump all over him. He loves taking Isabel to school as he gets lots of pats from the school kids.
His best friends are Daphne, an Irish Wolfhound cross, and Buffy, a Puggle. He wags his tail so hard when he sees them that he nearly knocks himself over sometimes! lol
Snowy is also very friendly and comes up to the surface of the water when we feed him, and lets us touch him. He’s a brave little fellow.
Cruz does not like being left at home particularly when he expects to come with us for school drop off/pick up etc and I leave him at home for some reason. I nearly always come home to find he has destroyed something. I know who he’s upset with by the item that he has destroyed, ie Isabel’s toy or notebook, or my shoe or hat. He has never ever destroyed anything that belongs to hubby or our 13yo daughter.
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Q. So Cruz is definitely a gentle giant! With his size, there must be some good Cruz stories?
A. Plenty of funny stories to tell! One thing that comes to mind is a few years ago I was trying to get a photo of my friend’s dog Dennis at Cafe Bones in Leichhardt – we were minding Dennis – an Airedale Terrier – whilst my friend was in the UK. As I was getting my digital camera ready out of its bag, Isabel (now 9) fell and hurt her knee. While I was tending to her, Dennis (the Menace!!) decided to jump after the birds in the horribly smelly, dirty canal. When I looked up, we couldn’t find him and searched up and down the walkway anxious that we lost him!!
After a few frantic minutes, we finally found Dennis standing in the middle of the canal, covered in !#$%#$^!@$!#$ – smelling the worst I don’t know what! – the birds/ducks had flown away … we had to use hubby’s belt to lower him down into the canal so that he could reach Dennis. Erick eventually managed to grab the naughty dog and started to push him up the canal walls, his face buried in Dennis’ curly bum hair!!!! LOL He got covered in wet !@#$%@^@#$$@#$ whatever that was! we managed to pull Dennis out and then Erick, crawling out on his hands and knees …. he was so upset! I was laughing hysterically. I couldn’t help it. And in all of that, I forgot to take a photo!!! It was a priceless moment….
After a few frantic minutes, we finally found Dennis standing in the middle of the canal, covered in !#$%#$^!@$!#$ – smelling the worst I don’t know what! – the birds/ducks had flown away … we had to use hubby’s belt to lower him down into the canal so that he could reach Dennis. Erick eventually managed to grab the naughty dog and started to push him up the canal walls, his face buried in Dennis’ curly bum hair!!!! LOL He got covered in wet !@#$%@^@#$$@#$ whatever that was! we managed to pull Dennis out and then Erick, crawling out on his hands and knees …. he was so upset! I was laughing hysterically. I couldn’t help it. And in all of that, I forgot to take a photo!!! It was a priceless moment….
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How can people get in touch with you?
Cruz features in another Pet Problems Solved post – Do Dogs Enjoy a Belly Rub?
Also read: Pet Business: Mobile Dog Wash
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