Do you talk about Chaz?

Do you talk about Chaz, people on chaz or what have you to people in RL? Do your friends, family, coworkers know you are this crazy of dog person that you're on a dog forum?

Also, how do you refer to people that you know from on here? Do you call them friends? People you know? acquaintances?

For me, my family knows I'm on a dog forum. In fact they probably know most of your dogs since I'll shove their pictures at them whenever the mood strikes! I mean, how else do I explain having a stranger from the internet come stay with us every Christmas or importing a dog with another :rofl1:

For the most part, to other people, I refer to you all as my crazy dog people. As in "Oh, one of my dog people friend persons has a so and so dog"

And when meeting someone from online I typically will tell my boss or someone that I'm meeting another 40 year old man rapist from the internet at the dog park. Since he already thinks I'm nuts.

My husband rolls his eyes when I talk about "internet people" or "dog forum people". No one else hears about it--I'd be considered insane.

Just to my hubby lol

You guys are "people I know" lol. So if I'm talking to people about dogs I can say "well someone I know had a dog with such-and-such issue and this is what worked for them".... For some reason I prefer that over just saying that I read it online? Makes it seem more legit or something? lol. My favorite is when I get in an argument about something (like raw feeding) and I can say "I know lots of people that do X and their dogs are just fine!" In reality, I don't know anyone that does whatever the topic is about... I'm just talking about people from Chaz lol.

Otherwise it's all super secret since my family would think you're all murderers. When my sister had rat babies, someone on my hamster forum was interested in a couple... she lives in Missouri. I agreed to meet her in Iowa. I told my family that she was a "friend of a friend" and even that struck a lot of hesitation from them.

No one from my family knows I'm on a dog forum, even though I'm friends IRL with people I've met on Chaz lol. My mom believes that "everyone on the internet is a rapist or a murderer or a criminal", so she thinks that I've met all these people "through mutual friends/from work/whatever" - I DO work at a pet food store, so it's believeable.

Some of my friends/co-workers know I'm on a dog forum (only the friends/coworkers that are dog people lol), but I don't talk about it super in-depth. I'll mention, "Oh, someone I know has x breed" or "someone I know dealt with this or that with their dog", or whatever, but I don't get really into it.

My few friends that aren't dog people? Absolutely not, just because we don't really talk about dogs, since it's not a mutual interest. They probably wouldn't care that I'm on a forum, though - a few of them are very active on car forums and things.

Chazhound follows the same rules as fight club as far as I'm concerned lol YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB.
Partly because it's an emotional oasis where I can ESCAPE the people I know IRL, and partly because they would think I was nuts.

If anything arrises where I must mention one of you, it's "my friend that moved away"
It works because I went to school as an animal science major so there was plenty of opportunity for me to meet other crazy animal/dog people lol

My friends, family etc.. know I love dogs. They know I love my dogs, they know I know a lot about dogs.. but they consider it a quirky hobby/point of interest.
but to be a member for a dog internet forum and be researching and talking about dogs as much as I do? Ha. NO WAY.

I even moved ya'll to my own doggy people facebook so I could be my uninhibited doggy self without clogging the newsfeed of innocent bystanders with dogs 24/7 lol

The other half, yup. lol

I don't show pictures too much, especially now that I've moved, but I do talk about some of you often. For example, there was a dog on the cocker forum who looked and acted a lot like Maddie and only a month apart in age, was sick for a while and when I read the Rainbow Bridge post I cried and had to explain that one to them and they knew exactly who I was talking about "Oh that Cocker ______ who is Maddie's twin"
I refer to all of you as my friend's from my "dog website" and the others my friends "from the rescue" because its hard for them to understand the difference lol. When I was younger they didn't like it (the shipments) and gave me crazy looks for Christmas cards, but they're all used to it now lol and occasionally I will be asked "Hey, can you ask your friends on your dog website _________"

It depends!

Several people IRL know I am a member of various dog forums, but I think most of them believe it has more to do with promoting my collar business rather than being part of a community.

And I talk about many of you IRL as "my friends", but generally don't bother to mention how I know anybody unless directly asked.

Um, yeah I usually call them "people I know" or sometimes "friends" if it is someone on here who I talk to a lot and feel like we would hang out if we lived close.

And considering both of the assistant managers at my work now have accounts here, yeah...I talk about it a lot. And now when I'm talking about someone they'll be like, "Are they on Chaz?" and I'm like YAY! Plan=working!!

Also the other day peaceful_minion (one of my coworkers) was like:
"There's a person on Chaz with a wirehaired Ibizan hound!"
And I was like: "That's Whiskey's owner!!!"

That probably sounds really lame, but I remember it as being cool. Don't judge.

Oh and like Fran on the occasion I do mention someone from here, it's in an obtuse sort of way, like "A friend of mine..." and since I've moved so many times I'm pretty sure they just assume it's a friend from a previous state. Often it is. But sometimes...sometimes it's Chaz

I have mentioned it to my dad.

I've mentioned some topics from here at work when it was slow just to see what coworkers say.

But usually I don't. When I mention it to my dad I don't call it Chaz I call it 'my dog forum' XD

I don't want anyone I know to come to my internet safe place.

I don't really tell anyone about forums. My mom has a 'don't ask don't tell' thing..she knows probably but doesn't ask about it. I get mail from Kaley in Georgia and she just leaves it for me, haha! If it comes up, and someone thinks I'm crazy, I'll point out guys on car or video game forums haha.

A handful of people know about "the dog forum I'm on." Good friends or other nerds (one of my radio co-workers came up one day and was like "are you on a forum? I'm on forums too.") and my parents.
Usually when I'm talking about people here it's either "I know this girl with such-and-such" or "my friend with such-and-such." Fair warning, if you're on my Facebook, it's Facebook official, you're my friend. >=|

I think most people my age that have intense hobbies tend to be on forums so I don't really ever worry about them judging.

And Fran, I did the same thing to my FB. Mainly because I felt bad for the people getting inundated with dog stuff. I have my 'none dog friends' list and always block them from seeing all dog stuff.

But I will say, some of my none dog friends are really big into different things like Roller Derby, Cars, Babies, Weird dress/doll things, Fiesta Wear etc. And I really kinda enjoy reading all about that stuff. It's fun learning and seeing their passions so I hope they never block me from it like I've done them

Hmph!

This! One of my best friends is just as dog nerdy as I am and I think I have mentioned to her "this one dog website I'm on", but I just hope and pray she never asks me what it's called because then I will feel violated lol.
Sometimes I worry though that she will just come across it in a Google search and see a pic of Juno, put it all together and then there will be nothing I can do to hide!

Nope, LOL. I mean, not really. I don't really think any of my friends or family would CARE or make fun, but it's just kind of .... my thing, and my place to go where I can talk about them (LOL) or vent, etc. So I don't really want them to know what I'm doing. My family knows that I know a lot about dogs, they know I have a YouTube channel with Jackson videos on it, but to the extent of how involved I am with all of you guys? No ...

When I went to Arlington to meet up with a few Chazzers, I told my mom I was going with my two dog park friends (which was true, they did come along). Not to mention, I didn't even tell THEM (the two friends) the extent of who I was going to meet, lol. I just told them there was this "dog group" that I joined online and was meeting up, and they never asked anymore questions, hahaha.

It's not like I met any of my current friends on here or anything.