Dog Buffs: A Review
Dog Buffs is a website about dogs that is filled with "practical tips from canine experts".
(...no, they're not dog experts running around in the buff.)
Initially, I had to chuckle at the title. But in a good way. I like it. It gave me a good first impression.
Our goal is to create a great library of real dog wisdom, that will be well organized, continually improved upon, and truly useful to people and their canine companions, and we are committed to that goal." Source
A Site With Basic Dog Info
If I had to guess, I'd say the site has only been around for a short time (June of 2007, according to their About Us page). Which might explain why there's not a whole heck of a lot of content on this site. There's certainly enough to get you started. But not really enough of a "hook" to keep you coming back.
There are only 3 main categories on this site:
Perhaps their aim is to be a dog owner's first stop for answering the most basic questions about dog health, dog food, and dog training. Period. In which case you are likely to find some answers to your most basic questions here. But then, chances are you'll quickly move on to explore other dog-related websites for greater depth and opinions and firsthand experiences.
Finding Your Way Around
In my opinion, the "structure" of the site is a little over-simplified. Everything can be found from a basic organization tree of categories and subcategories. So, it's somewhat cold and boring in that sense (rather than fun and dynamic). But that's just me. I prefer less structure in lieu of more casual and interactive content -- especially with such a fun topic as DOGS.
One thing's for sure: It's a cinch to browse through all of their sections. And you know right away if DogBuffs.com has the info you're looking for or not.
My Summary:
I think Dog Buffs is a good site for the first-time dog owner. There are a lot of facts about dog training, dog food, and dog behavior packed into their articles. In fact, so many facts per article that it gets a little overwhelming... if not boring to just keep reading so many words about the same thing. I found it odd that very few (if any) of the facts are actually documented or referenced in any way. So you just have to take their word for what is fact. I'm a little uncomfortable with that.
Which leads me to my next point... I wish they would explain a little more about who the writers are for this website. Who exactly are the "canine experts" who claim to know so much about dogs? We don't need names. But, are they just calling themselves experts, or are they really? Prove it. (I mean, they did name their website based on this expertise...)
If general information about dogs is what you want... you'll certainly find it here. Especially if it's pertaining to dog health, dog food, or dog training. That's why I think DogBuffs.com is certainly worth a visit -- for the first-time dog owner. However, I'd be inclined to check some of their facts against other sites and in search engines.
Overall, I was hoping for a bit more of a "wow" factor from this site. I mean, they don't even have many pictures of dogs on a website about dogs. And the two dog pictures they do have appear to be "borrowed". All of this made me wonder if the "canine experts" running this site even have dogs themselves!
For example, I've raised 10 dogs in my lifetime, and I have literally thousands of pictures of my dogs in my personal photo collection. I just don't get the same impression from the writers at DogBuffs.com.
I was asked to review DogBuffs.com through ReviewMe.com. This is a paid (albeit honest) review of the Dog Buffs website.
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