Welcome to another edition of Big Barker's interview series, Sit, Stay, Speak, where we get to know our favorite internet friends and their dogs! Today we're talking with Rory from The Dobie Sisters — an amazing photographer, passionate advocate, and dog mom of her Dobermans, Griffin and Boston.
3. Location: Split time between Ohio and North Carolina
4. If you could ask your dogs one question, what would it be?
Well, right now, Boston is dealing with a toenail that fell completely off, so I would ask her why she can't just leave it alone so it can heal? Doesn't she know that the less she tries to lick it, the faster it will get better?
But, big picture, I guess it would be do you think we're good dog parents? Is there anything you need to feel biologically fulfilled that we're not providing you with?
5. What's your favorite pic/video you've ever posted and why?
6. What's something your dog is afraid of?
Griffin is very afraid of thunder/loud noises in general (unfortunately it's gotten worse as she's gotten older)
Boston is generally afraid of the unfamiliar. We adopted her when she was older, so she missed out on her critical period of socialization being stuck in a shelter as a pup. It takes her a while to warm up to new people and new things in general.
| Check out what Rory and the Dobie Sisters think of their Big Barker bed, click here to watch! |
7. What's the coolest trick your dog knows?
Griffin does a high five while in a sit pretty (it's always a crowd pleaser!).
For Boston, she does a head down command, but the word we use for it is "Eeyore" since she has such big blue ears.
8. What's their weirdest habit?
Dobies as a breed have a lot of neuroses. Griffin likes to suckle on the edge of her bed -- not eat it per se, just have it in her mouth, kind of like a kid who sucks their thumb.
Boston likes to rest her head on things - anytime and anywhere. We often call her "Queen B" and joke that heavy is the head that wears the crown.
9. What's the best thing about being an influencer?
I would say it's a tie between two things -- one being the exposure to so many different people and products that we didn't know existed, and the other being thankful that people value our opinion. We don't choose to work with every brand that reaches out to us and we take the "honest" in "honest opinion" seriously, i.e., some brands only want a positive review in exchange for free products and will ask you not to post anything negative. It's hard for your audience to trust you if you just blindly love every product you receive. We've done our best to stay honest, including about free products that we did not like for whatever reason, and we're glad that shows through and our followers value our opinion a bit more because of it.
10. What's the biggest struggle you've had as an influencer?
Not getting caught up in the comparison game. There's a saying that comparison is the thief of joy and I think that can definitely be true in the world of social media. There will always be someone who lives in a more beautiful location, who has the ability to travel to more exotic places, who has a dog that knows more tricks and poses for photos in ways that easily draw in an audience, that has more followers and more engagement, etc. etc. We started our account mainly to document our journey raising two rescued littermates -- and so sometimes needing to remind myself that that's what we're primarily here for, to document our personal journey, not to compare it to anyone else's.
12. Who are some of your favorite creators?
13. What's your hidden talent?
I was a gymnast growing up so I can stand on my hands for inordinate periods of time.
14. What's your favorite hobby (one dog-related and one not)?
I'm an introvert, so I like mostly solitary activities. With dogs, it's hiking and exploring around the Blue Ridge Mountains, and afterwards, it's reading. I'm an avid reader -- my mom was a librarian so I literally grew up surrounded by books -- and curling up with a good book is a great way to rest and recover after a long hike with the dogs. I read mostly non-fiction.
15. How would you define your dog in three words?
Griffin: sweet, loving, sensitive
Boston: shy, agile, intense
16. What's the best piece of advice you've received?
Fortune favors the prepared.
Keep up with Rory and the Dobie Sisters on their Instagram!
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