January update: anxiety meds, Miss Piggy and our first £1.87 on YouTube 🥳

Hello, happy January and welcome to our first ever newsletter!

So this is my first newsletter. I’ve been sort of blown away by the response to this idea. I really mean it when I say I’m so glad you’re here. If you know me, Jess the Human, IRL or on Instagram you’ll know I’m impulsive (hello ADHD 👋). Not thinking things through means sometimes they flop so what an exciting surprise that you all decided to join me. This is going to be fun!

So without further ado here’s the juice you came here for…

Brave little Jess the Dog 

Recently Jess has been taking medication to help with her anxiety, solidifying her status as the most relatable little dude in the world. We haven’t really talked about it on our Instagram because it made me a bit nervous, especially as people can have strong opinions about her veterinary care which it’s not always easy to be on the receiving end of.

Here’s the story though: for the past 20 months our house has been a building site with lots of loud noises, funny smells and strange people. It’s a lot for a little bean to adjust to and every time she starts to get her bearings something changes in her environment and it’s back to square one. So our wonderful vet suggested prescribing something to help manage her worry levels.

Since she’s started taking it we’ve noticed some lovely changes. She’s lain on her back with her belly in the air, hung out with a friend while we were out for the day and even opted to be in a room with an open fire - all almost unheard of before. So here’s to brave little Jess the Dog and her antidepressants. And let this be a reminder to take your pills today, people! 

Me, Jess the Human 

As you know I’ve officially left the world of employment to be Jess the Dog’s full time biographer: a big, wonderful leap of faith made possible by you (and her, of course). February is shaping up to be our busiest month ever so you’ll be seeing more brand partnerships than usual on our accounts, particularly our Instagram. I hope you’ll be able to tell that we’ve really enjoyed making the videos and that we’ve put as much love into it as we put into everything else on our page. (When I say “we” I mean me and Jess the Dog, obvz).

Speaking of Jess, she’s the best colleague in the world. She hypes up all of my ideas, actively encourages using our bed as a desk, keeps my feet warm while I work and reminds me to take regular wee breaks. In return I provide cucumber snacks.

Here are some of the things we’re working on at the moment:

Patreon

I’m hoping to give our Patreon, the Snoot Troupe, a ✨glow up✨in the first part of this year. Patreon is a big deal for us. It’s nowhere near paying our bills but it’s our only predictable income so growing it will help me sleep better, for one thing! The main difference you’ll see when we re-launch will be a brand new welcome pack full of downloadable goodies but there’ll be some changes behind the scenes, too. A weekly selfie is a simple proposition but it takes a lot of time and effort to run at the moment so as it grows I’ll feel better about that, too.

YouTube

Earlier this month we hit the monetisation threshold on YouTube, meaning that every view on one of our videos earns a little bit of money for the Worried Whippet - emphasis on the little. I am proud to announce that in our first week we made a grand total of *drumroll* …… £1.87. I’ve never been more excited about £1.87 in my life.

What I’m enjoying at the moment 

Ugh, doesn’t the world feel a bit rotten at the moment? I thought I could share some of the small things that are making me happy.

• Everything Everywhere All at Once. This film is so weird but so brilliant and I loved every minute. It’s not for the faint-hearted but it’s pure fun and has some beautiful reflections on mother-daughter relationships.

• The Miss Piggy x FKA Twigs TikTok trend. If you haven’t seen this yet I apologise in advance - it will now be on repeat in your head until the world stops turning. It’s so worth it though, I promise.

• Musifée. If you love your life to have a backing track but never know what to choose then this is for you. My wonderful friend Sarah started an online magazine sharing music journalism and curated playlists (like this one) and it is really brilliant. Follow them on Spotify and thank me later! 

• Sad Potato. If you love Worried Whippet you’ll love it, I promise.

If you’ve made it to the end... phew, well done! You have two options:

1. Go and get yourself a biscuit and do whatever you’re going to do next

2. Hit the ‘reply’ button and tell me what you thought!