Enjoying Your Dog

August 23, 2021

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I’ve been having a hard time enjoying my dogs recently.

With our new housing situation, both have regressed in behaviors we’ve previously made a lot of progress on, which means one of them isn’t sleeping through the night anymore and one is barking a lot more, and I’ve been having a hard time feeling functional enough to make sure their needs are met and my work responsibilities are being taken care of while making sure I’m not getting consumed by all of it.

Recently, I finally figured out a system that worked well for Lexi overnight, and I woke up on Saturday feeling energized for the first time in a long time, and I had an idea, because, of course, what I need at the moment is more things to do.

Once a week, I’m going to try something new with my pups and record it. I’ll take some videos and photos and share to my socials and YouTube channel.

Building (or rebuilding) your relationship with your dog doesn’t have to be pricey, but unfortunately, my first two choices were.

Smallcakes Maumelle

Smallcakes does marketing well. I’ve been getting sponsored ads on Instagram since right before their Maumelle location opened, and I saw the ad for the cannoli cupcakes a couple of times before I decided to stop by and grab a few. I’d been in the store once already, but it had been right after school had gotten out, and it had been packed. This time, there was no line. Once the employee behind the counter learned it was my first time there, she was ready.

I just wanted three cupcakes, I explained.

“Well,” she countered. “You’re already in front of the ice cream. Why not try some? It’s free.”

And I was curious to see what was going to happen. I’d already noticed some signage like “featured on the Today show” in the window. That wasn’t this store. Jeff Martin opened the original store in Overland Park, Kansas, in 2008. Jeff grew his company from the ground up, and was able to land three Cupcake Wars appearances. Now, as of 2021, there are five locations in Arkansas, and dozens more in 26 other states, with more franchise opportunities available.

I agreed to try a few different flavors and decided to get a scoop of ice cream as well. She suggested a second scoop, because it would be half off.

Sure.

Then I wanted my three cupcakes.

It was a little surprising to me that they don’t sell the cupcakes in sets of four, although their boxes are set up that way. I could get a discount at six, which would be too much for me. Three it was.

And then she asked if I had dogs at home. They had small, dog-safe cupcakes for three for $5. Okay, fine.

My total, with three cupcakes, two scoops of ice cream and three pupcakes was $25, plus a few bucks cash for tip.

And I can see why Smallcakes has been growing in popularity. The cupcakes are cute and delicious, and the ice cream is rich and creamy without being sickingly sweet. Branding to dogs is a great little touch as well.

But it’s also an exercise in emotional marketing, which can make targets of us all. I wanted to see how the conversation would go, but I also didn’t go in with a plan, and I can only imagine the emotions of being a parent with small children, finally hearing the total at the end and not being able to put anything back or tell the kids they’ve changed their mind.

I also know people with pets get targeted for similar tactics, which is why I try to set things up step by step, with package options and no pressure. Think about it. Make a decision without the intensity of emotion or pressure.

I don’t regret the purchase, although I’m not sure I would have gone as far if I’d know it would have cost me $25. Everything was delicious, and my pups loved the cupcakes. But it’ll be a while before I stop by again. We’ll find some more affordable treats in the meantime.

Bark Box

I’ve been thinking about getting Bark Box for a little while now. A client pup had a little Bark Box newspaper squeaker toy, and I thought it was the cutest thing. I knew it would be fun for my dogs, and I figured it was something we needed after the stress of the past eight months.

I put an order of the subscription box in my cart on the website and left the site.

Then I started getting emails about it, which included an offer of an extra toy all six months for free if I came back.

The first email subject line: 🛒🐶 Lexi’s cart, upgraded ✔️

The second email subject line: Psst: We’ve added a free extra toy to Lexi’s box.

The third email subject line: Lexi’s last chance for $60 of free toys. No pressure.

“Are we too thirsty?” the email read.

Okay, fine.

I got the box and paid for six months. The first one arrived on Saturday, and I did an unboxing video. It was road trip themed and super cute.

And then I wanted to take some photos and show some behind the scenes work of taking photos. Now, I’m not a photographer, and the lighting wasn’t great for the session, but I got to play around, relax, and truly, for the first time in months, just enjoy my pups.