BarkingDogShoes.com

Name of blog: BarkingDogShoes.com

Real name: Kirsten Borrink

Start date: August 2007

Your life story in a URL: SomethingGoodComesFromChronicPain.com

Why do you blog? Eleven years ago I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in my mid 20's. This disease was not kind to my feet and quickly destroyed bone and cartilage requiring surgery. At the time I was a middle school Spanish teacher--there was no sitting down on that job! All my shoes felt too tight and pinched my toes. I had to find some new shoes but had no clue where to start.

I remember walking into a Joyce Selby store at Oakbrook Center in 1997. I found a display for Dansko clogs. I had never heard of them before so I tried on a pair of darling Mary Janes. I could not believe how much relief they brought. I floated around the store with tears in my eyes. I had found THE shoes that would allow me to teach relatively pain-free. I'll never forget flipping them over to check the price and seeing the model name--Kirsten. My name.

Fast forward 11 years. Shoe manufacturers have come a long way at designing shoes that are fashion forward AND comfortable. My goal with BarkingDogShoes.com is to help women find a shoe that not only looks good but feels good.

What topic gets people going on your blog? Bunions. No, seriously. It's footwear, not politics.

What's your favorite local blog that nobody has heard of? PuglyFeet.com--although it's not local. You would never guess a photo blog featuring the author's flat feet in cute shoes could be so artistic and entertaining.

What have you learned from blogging? For a person that falls headlong into a new hobby only to abandon it in two months (think rubber stamps), I'm surprised at how motivated I am to stay the course with BarkingDogShoes.com. I'm still learning how to balance blog time with family time. I have two small children that need my attention more than the Barking Dog!