How to Apply: Sending Us a Pitch
One email, five things in it, no forms
There is no application form here and nothing to sign up for. Send an email to [email protected] with the five things listed below, and you will get a straight yes or no. We do not collect personal details, ask for a portfolio account, or run anything you need to register for.
This page covers contributor pitches. We are a small independent site with no salaried vacancies — the write for us page explains the position in full, including what we look for and an honest section on payment. Please read that before pitching, and please do not send a finished article until we have agreed terms.
The Five Things to Include
A subject line that says what it is
“Pitch: managing EPI day to day” tells us more than “Article idea” or “Collaboration opportunity”. It also stops your email being mistaken for the twenty link-building requests that arrive each week.
One paragraph on the idea
What question does it answer, and who for? The sharper the question, the easier it is to say yes. “Something about nutrition” is hard to assess; “why EPI gets missed for months and what the TLI test actually shows” is not.
One paragraph on why you
Your qualification, your accreditation and the body that issued it, or your first-hand experience. Lived experience counts — say plainly which it is.
One link, if you have one
Something you have written, or your professional profile. Not required — plenty of people who know a great deal have never published anything.
Anything we should disclose
If you work for or are sponsored by a brand you would be writing about, say so up front. It rarely rules a pitch out; discovering it later does.
The whole email should fit on one screen. We are not assessing your writing from the pitch — we are working out whether the idea fits and whether you are the right person. Do not attach a finished article. If we agree the idea, we will discuss terms first.
What a Good Pitch Looks Like
Subject: Pitch — what hydrotherapy actually does for a dysplastic hip
I’d like to write about canine hydrotherapy for German Shepherds with hip dysplasia — what a session involves, what it can and cannot achieve, how it differs from swimming in a lake, and what owners should ask before booking. Your arthritis and swimming guides both mention it but neither explains what happens in a session.
I’m a qualified canine hydrotherapist, registered with [body], and I’ve worked with large breeds for eleven years. Most of my referrals are Shepherds, and the questions owners arrive with are consistently the same four.
Portfolio: [link]. No brand affiliations to declare.
That is roughly a hundred and fifty words, took ten minutes, and contains everything needed to make a decision. Note what it does: it names a specific gap in existing content, establishes the writer’s standing, and declares the absence of conflicts without being asked.
What Happens Next
| Stage | What to expect |
|---|---|
| 1. We read it | Usually within a couple of weeks. This is a small site, not a newsroom — if it takes longer, one polite follow-up is entirely reasonable |
| 2. Yes or no | A straight answer either way. If it is a no, we will say why in a line, which is more than most sites manage |
| 3. Terms first | If it is a yes, we agree scope, timescale and payment before you write anything |
| 4. You write it | We will send the house style notes. Nothing complicated — plain English, answer first, headings, no fluff |
| 5. Edit together | We edit for style and structure and you see it before it publishes. Nothing goes live over your byline that you have not approved |
| 6. Published with credit | Byline, short bio, one link to your site or professional profile |
What Not to Send
- A short, specific pitch
- Your accreditation and who issued it
- A note on any brand relationship
- Corrections to anything we have got wrong
- Suggestions for guides that do not exist yet
- A finished article we have not agreed
- Guest posts whose purpose is a backlink
- Generic outreach not addressed to this site
- Requests to insert links into existing articles
- Sensitive personal or financial information — we never ask for it
- Anything about protection or bite-work training
We do not ask contributors for bank details, payment card numbers, identity documents, or a fee of any kind. Nobody legitimate charges you to write for them. If you receive a message claiming to be from this site asking for money or financial details, it is not us — please tell us about it.
What We Do With Your Email
- We read it, reply to it, and keep it while the conversation is live.
- We do not add you to a mailing list, and we do not share or sell your details.
- Ask us to delete your correspondence at any time and we will.
- Full detail in our privacy information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there paid writing jobs at German Shepherd Place?
There are no salaried positions — this is a small independent site with no employees. Contributor payment is discussed case by case at the pitch stage, before any writing happens. If we cannot offer what your time is worth, we will say so rather than waste it.
Do I need to be a professional to contribute?
No. Veterinary and accredited training qualifications carry the most weight for health and behaviour topics, but genuine first-hand experience is valuable in its own right — living with a dog who has EPI or degenerative myelopathy, for instance. Just be clear about which you are offering.
Should I send a finished article?
Please do not. Send a short pitch instead — one paragraph on the idea and one on your background. Writing a full piece before terms are agreed costs you a weekend and risks a no you could have had in ten minutes.
Do you accept guest posts with links?
Not where the link is the purpose. We are happy to link out to genuinely useful resources within a piece, but we do not publish guest posts placed for SEO, do not sell links, and do not insert links into existing articles.
How long until I hear back?
Usually a couple of weeks. This is run by a very small team alongside other work. If it has been longer than that, one polite follow-up is welcome and will not count against you.
I found an error in one of your guides. Where do I send it?
Please do — to the same address, or via the contact page. Corrections are genuinely welcome, we act on them, and we note the change. That applies whoever wrote the original.
✅ Before You Hit Send
- Subject line says what the pitch is
- One paragraph on the idea — a specific question, not a topic
- One paragraph on why you
- Accreditation named, with the issuing body
- One link, if you have one
- Any brand relationship declared
- It fits on one screen
- No finished article attached
- Sent to [email protected]
- Write for us — what we look for, and the honest position on pay
- Editorial standards — the standard you would be writing to
- Resources centre — including routes into actual dog careers
- Contact — for anything that is not a pitch