akirchner, From Central Oregon, 158 Fans, 181 Hubs, Joined 6 months ago
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theherbivorehippi interviews akirchner
akirchner talks about "Roller blading with dogs" and other topics.
In
the time I've been on Hubpages, I have stumbled across a few really great Hubs
and authors. There is one author however, that reeled me in with one
truly hysterical Hub that caused me to spend an entire afternoon reading
everything she had to offer.
Akirchner, first let me thank you for allowing me the time to interview
you!
You
are more than welcome! Your compliments are truly appreciated and if I
made you laugh, that’s what it’s all about. I am honored that you
would read so many of my hubs.
Your Hub "Roller Blading With Dogs: Am I Out Of My Mind?"
literally put me to tears due to laughing so hard. Really, what were you
thinking during the ordeal and did you really think you would be able to stop
your dog? Have you gave roller blading with your dog another attempt?
Actually,
I think my life flashed before my eyes in those minutes that seemed like
hours. I remember saying a lot of swear words and I remembered thinking
to myself – ‘What the heck are you doing (again)? Are you INSANE?’ Just normal
stuff along those lines! It seems that these kind of ‘situations’ seem to
happen to me a lot and yet somehow I’m just not prepared. After that
fiasco though, I did in fact strap both of them up with the roller blades on –
on the downstairs patio in our backyard where there was no traffic – and they
ran me into the support poles. They did not outsmart me though – oh no –
I progressed on to the scooter (I have a hub on that one too and will write one
just devoted to that soon). My dream now is to do skijoring with them
when Griffin grows up. I have a feeling there will be another hub in the
escapade! My son-in-law, however, is taking one of the dogs so I may have
a prayer. In the meantime, we are training them on the scooter (walking)
and doing snow-shoeing, etc. in harness getting ready for the ‘big time’.
I have to say I’m not very fond of roller blades any longer as you really don’t
realize until you’re behind a 100-pound dog how fast those things can go!
As we know, so many Alaskan Malamutes end up in shelters and rescue
organizations. Where do you think owners are going wrong? A lot
seems to be blamed on the dogs, do you think the breed is the problem?
I
never think the breed is the problem – in almost every case it is the
owner. By that, I don’t mean that the dog has no responsibility in
behavior but the problem comes when people who don’t understand breeds get dogs
and then are surprised by what happens. Arctic breeds, specifically
malamutes are known for certain traits – the hardest one of all being their
stubborn streak – and if a malamute owner does not know how to raise and/or
handle a malamute, there are going to be problems from the beginning. I
think we live in a disposable society, however, and if people don’t know how to
handle a dog, they simply take it to the shelter or dump it. Sadly, it
happens with a great many breeds for the same reasons. The dog can only
be as good as its owner. There are no bad dogs – just bad dog
owners. Those are my 2 mottos when it comes to dogs of any breed.
There are extenuating circumstances where a dog is prone to certain behaviors,
but even then, I think if the owner is responsible, you can live with it/you
can work with it.
What advice would you give to any new Alaskan Malamute owner or anyone
considering bringing one into their family?
Know
what you are doing!! Do lots of research. Make sure you have the time and
ENERGY to devote to a malamute – or any breed of working dog because it isn’t
fair to get a dog like this and expect it to lie about in the sun waiting for
you to get home after a 10-hour day. They are not made that way.
Mals need work – they need exercise – and there are many ways to get them to
work and keep them happy – but you have to do the time. You also have to
socialize them and interact with them. They are one of the most social
breeds around and are never content to be put on the shelf until you are ready
for them. They are great kid and family dogs – but they tend not to be
great in terms of recall (unless highly trained), they are the least likely dog
to be a watchdog and unless raised with small dogs and/or cats, they can give
you a bit of trouble with chasing those and/or the prey instinct. I have
had many breeds over the years and still I love mals – there is something about
their devotion and interaction with people that made me fall for them but they
are not for everyone. And I have to doubly love my husband for being
there with me!
You have been on Hubpages for only 5 months yet you have an abundance of
amazing Hubs! Where do you come up with your ideas?
All of my hubs are things I have a personal interest in or have lived
through – my family dynamics ones, my legally blind son’s anomaly – then of
course the malamute hubs (always potential there) and the cooking hubs. I
don’t have to go too far to think of an idea because I have so many I can’t
keep up with them! I have a lot of hobbies as well as those things above
such as gardening and music, reading, piano, sports, business – in general just
learning things. I love learning and absorbing things so generally I have
at least 5-10 things on my mind per week that I could write about. I get
my ideas in the middle of the night sometimes in a dream – or I think of
something on my way to the market – or I hear something that reminds me of
something else – or I cook something I absolutely love - and there I go!
I do keep a little list of things I currently am thinking about or need to
research/find video for, etc. and then if it gels in my mind, I go with it.
I keep saying I’m going to throw it out if it doesn’t work but I haven’t had
that happen (yet)….crossed fingers.
Reading your profile, you are a busy person with your job, family and dogs, how
do you find the time to produce such quality Hubs?
I just dedicate some time to it every day pretty much – even if it’s just
an hour or half an hour. I am a medical transcriptionist so the typing is
not too hard for me and I think about as fast as I talk. My fingers do
the same so I generally type up little blerbs/parts and then in a quiet moment
I put it all together. Maybe another time I research videos or links –
more info – get pictures together or take my own pictures. Other times if
time permits, I sit down and just do it all at once but I have tried to divide
it up a bit every day so I have time for everyone and everything….mostly that
goofy malamute puppy! I don’t want my writing to take priority over other
aspects of my life so I try and juggle/balance it all. It also keeps it from
getting too canned I think or stale. If I have an idea and I have a bit
of a space of time while I’m training Griffin in the living room and Bob’s
watching a game, I just grab my laptop and type up a blerb and then review it
later.
Did you do any writing anywhere previously to joining Hubpages and what brought
you here?
The only
writing I’ve ever done has been for personal use – mainly putting down my
stories, funny and sad, and keeping them for my kids. I also am famous
for writing the ‘book email’ – I just get carried away! I used to hand write
them long ago as letters. I actually started on blogger 2 weeks before I
joined hubpages and that was the first time I’d ever ‘published’
anything. I did not like my format because it was just 1 huge story and
another huge story – I wasn’t quite getting it. I was going to give up
the blogging idea. Then I literally just stumbled onto hubpages and kind
of freaked out – didn’t think I could possibly do it – but decided to just give
it a go. The formatting seemed to click for me and forced me to (most of
the time) not get too verbose. I think it automatically released my inner
writing self and taught me to break things down into smaller bits – it just
totally worked so I’m still here.
What is your favorite Hub of your own and why?
That’s a
tough one – some of mine have made ME cry just because they were hard subjects
to live through – some made ME laugh just because I was there and it was too
hilarious! I love the malamute ones simply because I hope I’m doing the
breed a favor and I love them so. I love my cooking ones just because it
is a huge part of who I am – my statement/my contribution to the world that it
doesn’t have to break your pocketbook or your clock to eat healthier and we can
take the time to cook for the people we love – or our pets. I think I get
the most satisfaction and pure joy from the humor ones though because I
absolutely love being able to make someone ‘see it’ so much that they
laugh. It is truly me being me and it is only me – no opinions – just raw
Audrey - that is the best feeling! I keep writing those but don’t think people
have so much time for humor these days.
I notice you have a lot of fans here on Hubpages. Do you think they are
important to have and why?
That is
the coolest thing about all of this. I think I’ve said I was quitting
about once a week since I started because I get despondent and I don’t think
I’m going anywhere – I don’t think my stuff is worthwhile – I don’t think I’m a
good writer. I think we all go through this (not sure what everyone
else’s curve is though). But then when I think ‘that’s it – I’m just not
going to do it anymore – I’ll be done with it’ – I can’t. I think about
how it would make me feel not to get some kudos for writing or some comment
back and it makes me feel I would feel empty on some very important
level. I like that we are all each other’s audience. I like that we
all support each other. When I started this, I wanted everyone I know and
everyone in my family to read everything I write – I quickly found this was
impossible and an impossibly stupid dream! So letting yourself ‘go’ and
taking a chance to see if someone else likes what you do – it’s a great
thing. I love reading other folks’ stuff and I love the
interaction. It’s one of the greatest things in my life to know that
people read me! What a gas! What an honor!
Do you have any long term goals for yourself here on Hubpages? If so what
are they?
Yes – I
want to be President – not really – too busy. I think just like everyone
– I want to be successful. I’m really bummed about being rejected all the
time no matter what I say to eBay – I’d like to boycott them but I won’t!
They have too many sweet deals! It’s tough to look at your earnings and feel
like you are pathetic but you keep writing – and explaining to your husband
that you’ll take him out to dinner once you get above $25 - maybe. It is
tough to see yourself move up 3 points, drop 3 points and not get psycho about
it but I figure that’s on me. I don’t have a lot of time because I do
write a lot and do so many other things - but that’s no excuse. I don’t
seem to be able to absorb some of the ‘success’ tips as I would like to and
sometimes think I need a personal trainer! If I had one, I think I would
be better at that part of it. Sometimes I think I’ll stop writing for a
while and ‘get it’ and then I think forget it – just keep writing!
You have been very successful in the amount of time you have been on
here. What advice would you give for new Hubbers or those that are maybe
struggling?
That is
so kind of you to say – and you see, I always think I’m not successful.
Now I have to change my thought process – oh yeah, I’m successful!
Seriously – if I am successful, it is only because I write what I think and I
write from the heart. I don’t worry about being popular although I love
having fans and being a fan. My biggest piece of old lady advice would be
just not to get down on yourself. You can’t expect to just sit down and
type and become famous – or even be read. When you start to write, it
becomes overwhelmingly clear how many billions and billions of writers there
are out there – and how many pages! It is insane to think that anyone would
even hit on my pages and read me. Then it becomes a real gift! Also
don’t take yourself too seriously – easy for me to say since I’m ready to quit
every other week. It’s true though – enjoy it for the ride that it is and
think of what a gift it is to express yourself and be free to do so.
Expect less and sometimes you end up with more than you imagined. Don’t
forget that everyone else out there probably at one point feels the same way as
you do – so give a care. Be kind no matter what you do and always
remember what it was like to be all alone starting out and feeling like you had
no clue! There are no ‘magic’ formulas – kind of like with life.
You have to take the cards you are dealt and make the best you can of them.
Thank you so much Akirchner for writing such diverse Hubs that not only bring
us laughter, but also fill us with useful information that we can use and most
of all thank you for taking the time for this interview today.
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