“When I’m writing about animals, I think about my own pets. Since I love my pets, these are generally warm, fuzzy, happy thoughts. My four dogs are usually all crowded around my desk as I write,” published pet writer Susan Daffron shared. Published pet writer: Three words so many of us pine for (present company included), so having a success story in the Fidose of Reality “Paw-er” Women lends itself perfectly.

In a crowded field with traditional publishing changes abound (think e-books, Borders book stores no more and tablet e-reading devices), things are changing but Susan Daffron embraces those changes. Here, she bellows books and dishes dogs for an exclusive interview.

Fidose of Reality: Welcome aboard the Paw-er Women series. Tell us about yourself.

Susan Daffron: I am the President of Logical Expressions, Inc. and the Founder of the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals (NAPRP) and a writer.

FOR: What books have you written and how many?

SD: I’ve written 12 books. A number of them are about business or computing topics, but four of them relate to animals. I wrote Happy Hound: Develop a Great Relationship with Your Adopted Dog or Puppy and Happy Tabby: Develop a Great Relationship with Your Adopted Cat or Kitten after I volunteered and worked at animal shelters. I ended up writing articles because I met so many people who seemed clueless about caring for their new adopted pets. Later a lot of the content from those articles was re-worked into book form.

More recently, I wrote Funds to the Rescue: 101 Fundraising Ideas for Humane and Animal Rescue Groups. After I founded the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals, I met a lot of people in rescue who were desperately looking for moneymaking ideas, so the book begins with the “Hows and Whys of Fundraising” and then follows with the 101 ideas. All of the ideas are rated according to how much money, time and personnel they require, so people can select ideas that are workable for their specific organization. Plus, I scoured countless press releases for examples from shelters who have actually used each specific idea and the results they achieved.

My latest book is Publicity to the Rescue: How to Get More Attention for Your Animal Shelter, Humane Society, or Rescue Group to Raise Awareness, Increase Donations, Recruit Volunteers, and Boost Adoptions. This book came about after I did a tele-class on the topic. People loved it and I discovered a lot of folks in rescue didn’t realize the impact publicity could have on their organization. Like Funds the Rescue, the book has an introduction with the basics of publicity. Then it goes on to list possible tactics and features 19 publicity success stories from humane groups.

FOR: Those are some terrific ways to write, give back and inspire others, especially shelters and rescue groups who, particularly in these trying economic times, need all the assistance they can get.  What is your background with dogs and why this career?

SD: I was a technical writer. As most people know, one hallmark of tech writing is that it’s boring. I started volunteering at my local animal shelter about a week after I moved to Idaho. Opportunities to help them with various writing tasks appeared almost as soon as I walked in the door. In addition to all the PR writing I did, I also created their newsletter and first Web site. I was thrilled to do it because it was better than writing “Choose File|Open” for the 7,000th time.

Plus, like most people who end up involved in humane work, I adopted a number of pets. So all the research I did on pet care and behavior helped me with my own animals.

FOR: We can totally relate. Having written in the medical field, it can be tedious and highly technical. What are some websites that helped you get started and on your way to writing success?

SD: Because I started my business so long ago, it was before so much information was online. I went to the library and checked out books. I also read business magazines like Entrepreneur. Now you can visit Entrepreneur.com and find all that great information online. You also can get free information from you local Small Business Development Center and SCORE volunteers. These resources are underused by a lot of people, but they can really help. In some cases, there’s no substitute for having someone to talk to, so you can ask questions that are specific to YOUR business.

FOR: How true, the Internet certainly has re-shaped the business model, but the core path to success still remains the same: Research, work and dedication. What advice would you give others wanting to pursue their pet/dog-related business?

SD: If you love writing and you love pets, writing about pets doesn’t feel like work. It’s a lot more interesting to write about something you care about. Writing is creative, but if you want to make money from it, you need to treat it like a business. When I started my own business years ago, I went to the library and read everything I could find on entrepreneurship. I’ve owned my business for more than 15 years and my products and services have evolved over time. (For example, I no longer offer technical writing services at all!) Every time I take my business in a new direction, I research what I want to do and then act on it.

Many people dream about things, but then never do anything about it. Taking action is the key.

FOR: Where can our readers learn more about you and all you do?

SD: I have about 25 Web sites, but the ones I mentioned here are:

The National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals (NAPRP) – http://www.naprp.com
Logical Expressions, Inc. – http://www.LogicalExpressions.com
Publicity to the Rescue (book) – http://www.PublicitytotheRescue.com
Funds to the Rescue (book) - http://www.FundstotheRescue.com
Happy Hound (book) - http://www.HappyHoundBook.com
Happy Tabby (book) – http://www.HappyTabbyBook.com
Pet Tails (archive of pet articles) - http://www.pet-tails.com

FOR: What’s next and on your bright horizon?

SD: I post regularly to the NAPRP blog and do monthly tele-seminars with experts. Eventually, my members will tell me about a frustration they are having and that probably will inspire another book idea. I also write guest posts for various sites around the Internet. (I’m sending a guest post off this morning to a big pet site and I’m crossing my fingers that the editor likes it!)

Catch up:  If you missed the first four parts of our Paw-er Women 10-part series, catch up below.

We’d love to hear your feedback on writing about dogs and if you are a writer or blogger, share your thoughts, struggles and comments with us. Feel free to ask questions of me or any of the women featured in the series.

Part 1: Abby Kass and Pet Fashions

Part 2: Amanda Jane Finnell and Chinese Pet Herbalist

Part 3: Paris Permenter and Dog Blogging

Part 4: Janice Costa and Starting a Dog Vacation Camp