Question One: I don't have a pup community in my town, but I don't know if I should be the one who starts it or should I wait for better support to do it?
Cooper's Answer:
That's really up to you! There's nothing wrong with saying to yourself "I want this thing, but it's not me who can do it." But, if you have the bandwidth and skills, it's a huge service to your community that will benefit many people, including you. Do it because you want to. Don't expect to get something out of it, because that can be a recipe for disaster. Community organizing is a service that, unfortunately, often goes without a lot of gratitude, or the gratitude comes here and there. You will always get negative feedback, so do it because it means something to you to serve most of all!
Here are some tips to get started from my experience planning programs and serving my community as a volunteer:
Don't bite off more than you can chew. Consider how many hours a week you can seriously and reliably commit to it. Only work on it that much. Keep balance in your life.
Start small and be realistic with yourself. Do an event, plan a meet-up. Do something you can achieve with the time you dedicate to it. It may take longer to go slow, but it will be sustainable and you won't develop resentment if you are doing what you can and enjoying it. You can always grow!
Build a team. Don't expect to do it yourself, get others involved and set clear and measurable expectations with one another. Have the members do things they are naturally good at and can do easily.
Make plans and use project management tools. Go online and look for templates and tools used by project managers. They break down the process into steps and can make a big thing much easier. Having a plan to follow can get everyone on the same page and help you check off the things as you accomplish them, helping you to see your success!
Want to submit a question? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter by clicking START HERE in the menu to my website. You can submit your question in the next issue!
Question Two: How to find other pups? im on fetlife but its pretty dead, I'd like to find other likeminded pups to be friends with. is there a website or community somewhere where i can meet others?
Cooper's Answer:
Yes! There's quite a few places online where pups connect.
First - I invite you to join MY unique community, the Support Pup Community. Use the COMMUNITY link in my website menu to join. It's a low cost membership style online community that's maintains a few vibes at once: it's social, educational, and supportive. It has spaces to connect with other pups, including a one-to-one messaging feature, opportunities to talk with me, and I post special content and facilitate discussions about pup play, BDSM, sex, sexuality, and relationships. I'm just starting to promote it, so I'm offering your first month free for new subscribers. Once you sign up, I promise that I will never increase your monthly fee. If I ever raise prices, your price will not increase. I created it because I saw that we were missing something like this and I wanted a space where all pups felt like they belong, were included, and could learn and support each other on their journeys.
Some of the other online options to connect include Pup Space, which uses an app called Grokio. There's also Howlr, which is a mix of pups and furries. Recon.com is a BDSM website where a lot of pups are, and Scruff and Grindr both have tag systems in their profiles, so if you add "pup" or "pup play" you can connect with folks that way also.
Another great way to find the community nearby is to search on Google for Pup and Handler Associations or Clubs near you, called PAHs (pronounced "paws"). They are usually formally organized groups that host events, raise money, provide education, etc. Most large cities have them and in some of the biggest cities, you may even have more than one. I am currently building a page for my website where I'm going to list them.
Want to submit a question? Subscribe to my monthly newsletter by clicking START HERE in the menu to my website. You can submit your question in the next issue!
Comments