Did you ever wonder who the face is behind your favorite pets blog? How about getting the chance to meet him/her?!

The ground-breaking, first of it’s kind, pet bloggers conference is coming up in just 11 days! Blog Paws will supposedly include almost 300 pet bloggers and writers from all over the country. It’s a fantastic chance for some of us closely-knit bloggie friends to meet face to face finally!

Blog Paws, sponsored by Bissell and PetSmart, among many others, is being held Friday, April 9 – Saturday, April 10 (next weekend) in Columbus, OH at the Westin. You can get a special room rate of $99 if you mention you’re part of Blog Paws.

The conference will include all kinds of fun and educational stuff, including: sessions on driving traffic, building up a community, best practices from the experts, tips on writing product reviews, monetizing your blog through advertising (something I REALLY need to learn to do), the use of promotions and contests, and sessions on best SEO practices - which will help your search results and drive traffic, and leveraging social media.

There’s also a silent auction, special exhibits, educational panel discussions and social events in the evenings!

BlogPaws is by far a MUST-ATTEND event for anyone who is starting or currently writing a pets blog. Or even if you’re just an avid reader of them – come one, come all! There’s so much to learn and so many people to meet…and we are all so passionate about the same thing: OUR PETS!

According to the Blog Paws site:

Who Should Attend BlogPaws 2010?

If any of the following describes you, we encourage you to pause in your daily tasks and give BlogPaws a try. We guarantee a terrific, worthwhile experience!

-Pet bloggers who blog for fun, profit or on behalf of a company.

-Marketing and PR professionals interested in working with the online pet community.
 
-Organizations or individuals who have just launched a blog, are considering a blog or just want to connect with bloggers.

-Business owners who want more information about blogging to help increase awareness for their products or services.

-Frankly, anyone involved or interested in the online pet community. There’s something for everyone at BlogPaws!

** BlogPaws is founded by three passionate and dedicated pet lovers and bloggers – Caroline Golon of the famous Romeothecat.com and Yvonne Divita and Tom Collins of Scratchings and Sniffings and Windsor Media Enterprises.

To register, click here.

Hope to see you there!

Jaime

This is my little niece (my sister’s cat), Lily, aka Lily-kins or Tiger. She is just the sweetest most loving rescue cat ever and is constantly purring and following you around! She has such a happy and pleasant personality and loves to be around people, which is a huge change from her hesitancy when she first was brought home. She openly welcomed two more rescue cats and several foster Basset Hounds into her home over the last year or so:)

Don’t ya just love happy endings? I hope my next rescue kitty is like Lilly…

On behalf of Guideposts’ John McCartney, I’m sharing this piece on 5 ways to help the animal rescue efforts in Chile and Haiti:

(see original article here): http://www.guideposts.com/story/tips-animal-rescue-haiti-chile
The 5 tips include:

1. Contribute to rescue efforts.

Most organizations aiding pets in devastated areas are not-for-profit. They depend upon charitable contributions to keep going.
These three groups are already operating mobile veterinary clinics and other services in Haiti, and planning to go to Chile when they’re allowed in:
- IFAW  (International Fund for Animal Welfare)
- American Humane and ARCH (Animal Relief Coalition for Haiti)
- WSPA (World Society for Protection of Animals)

2. Offer your time.

Not everyone can, or should, travel to disaster areas since there are necessary legal and safety restrictions. But when safe, able workers and members of rescue organizations are needed to work hands-on in countries in need. Veterinarians, technicians and others can volunteer to travel to Chile to help groups such as World Vets.

3. Donate Food.

Local shelters and rescue organizations take in animals displaced from earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, house fires, and other tragedies. We can help by donating bags of pet food, litter, or other supplies to these organizations, which may be filled to capacity in times of need.

4. Adopt a displaced pet.

If you’re looking for a pet, consider adopting a cat or dog displaced by the recent disasters. Petfinder.com lists animals for adoption. They also have a foundation to help pets in Haiti.

5. Spread the word…and pray.

Educating ourselves to the need, and how we can help, is part of the solution. We can also spread the word to our friends and co-workers in person, on our Facebook pages and other social networking sites. And when we still feel like there’s nothing we can do, we can always pray for God to be with these animals and the people sent to help them.

There is great human need after these natural disasters and it is right to help where we can. These hungry, hurt, and lost animals are in our hearts as well—pets we know are someone’s friends, companions and family members—who also need our help and prayers.

Who needs a babysitter…?

Amid protests of hundreds and thousands of animal welfare advocates in the Ohio area, Petland has decided to drop its sponsorship of and participation in the Columbus Pet Expo this month. Yes, you read that correctly! HOORAY! (Insert happy emoticons here)

(See earlier post about this on ThoughtsFurPaws.)

My close friend Mary O’Connor Shaver, who initiated the petition for this action earlier this week and is a driving force in the puppy mill war against perpetrators like Petland, is a huge reason this dream has come true.

The article below is posted with copyright courtesy Kathy Gray at The Columbus Dispatch:

A boycott of the annual Columbus Pet Expo has caused the targeted sponsor to withdraw from the show.

“We don’t want controversy for our expo,” show director Mythanne Reno said.

Pet-store chain Petland, which has its headquarters in Chillicothe, pulled out of the 16-year-old expo yesterday. A news release from the expo said it will lose $4,000 that Petland would have contributed as a sponsor.
Petland spokeswoman Elizabeth Kunzelman said in a statement yesterday that the company is “saddened that we cannot be a part of the Expo” and blamed its pullout on “the actions of a few misinformed individuals who are attempting to hurt the Expo.”

The boycott started Monday when Mary O’Connor-Shaver of the animal advocacy group Columbus Top Dogs sent e-mails to more than 1,500 people asking them to avoid the show because of Petland’s involvement.

She set up an online petition urging the expo’s organizers to remove Petland as a sponsor. That petition had more than 430 signatures as of early yesterday evening.
Petland was one of 15 sponsors that include Red Roof Inn, Bob Evans Restaurants, Complete Petmart and The Dispatch.

The three-day expo, which starts March 26 at Veterans Memorial, includes vendors, entertainment and exhibits. It attracts about 20,000 visitors.

O’Connor-Shaver also asked rescue groups to pull out of the show and encouraged others not to attend because of accusations against Petland that it gets dogs from puppy mills.
Purchasers of Petland dogs have sued the company in federal courts across the country, saying Petland sold them sick and genetically damaged dogs from puppy mills. A Humane Society of the United States investigation into Petland’s puppy-mill connection led to a class-action lawsuit against the chain. The suit is pending.

Within a day of the boycott request, one central Ohio pet-rescue group had pulled out of the Pet Expo and another had turned down an offer to attend.

PetPromise President Cynthia Butler Carson said the rescue group paid for an expo booth but canceled on Tuesday.

“We need to increase awareness of where Petland gets their puppies and the horrific treatment of dogs in puppy mills,” Butler Carson said. She said her group uses the expo to educate people about rescue organizations. She did say that the group expected to return if Petland pulled out.

Second Chances Dalmatian Rescue turned down free booth space at the expo as a result of the boycott.

O’Connor-Shaver said she asked the Pet Expo last year to remove Petland as a sponsor, and repeated her request in a letter again this year to no avail. That’s when she started the boycott.

Teresa LaRotonda, expo show manager, said the show’s goals are to help rescue groups find homes for pets and to educate people about proper pet care.

Reno said that she explained the situation to Petland representatives yesterday and “we both agreed that in the best interest of the show that they should pull out.”

My lovely Basset Hound nephews, aka “The Couch Hounds.” From left to right, Barney the foster Hound, Henry the pack leader (he has serious seniority and rightfully uses it), and Franklin the former puppy mill dog who we turned into a lovehound:)

So everyone knows that Petland sells puppy mill pups by now (if not, search Petland on the blog and all my posts about it will pop up).

So the Columbus Pet Expo in Ohio — one of the biggest events statewide on the animal front — is being held this month and Petland is a major sponsor. Who are they kidding?

Here’s some more info, courtesy Mary O’Conner Shaver with Columbus Top Dogs and Ban Ohio Dog Auctions.

The Columbus Pet Expo is gearing up for their 16th year of educating and entertaining pet lovers throughout Central Ohio. This year’s Expo will be held March 26-28, at the Franklin County Veteran’s Memorial in Columbus, Ohio.

As was the case last year, Petland is once again a major sponsor for this event.

The sad truth behind the friendly facade of Petland stores is that there often lies a puppy mill. The documented problems of these mass breeding facilities include overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of socialization with humans, overcrowded cages, and the killing of unwanted animals. To the unwitting consumer, this situation frequently means buying a puppy facing an array of immediate veterinary problems or harboring genetically borne diseases that do not appear until years later.

Consumer demand for purebred puppies, more than any other factor, perpetuates the misery of puppy mills. Unfortunately, a dog’s lifespan is often longer than a consumer’s desire to maintain their “product.” As a result, millions of purebred dogs are sent to animal shelters every year, where roughly half will be euthanized.

***Take a look at the financial impact of Columbus Petland stores in Franklin County (statistics provided by the former Director of Franklin County Animal Shelter, Lisa Wahoff, in November, 2006):

7-10 Petland dogs PER DAY are admitted to the shelter. 80% of those dogs are:

*not spayed/neutered
*are in very poor health and/or mental state
*have no microchip registered to anyone other than the broker, and no owner can be tracked. Petland takes no responsibility.
*are not an appropriate match to the owner, resulting in owner release within one year of the purchase.

The Results?

A low-end average of $30 per day for each Petland dog (if the dog is healthy) X 7-10 dogs = $210-$300 per day!

On January 27, a federal court in Arizona issued a ruling allowing a lawsuit to proceed against Petland, Inc. based on allegations that the retail chain is routinely selling unhealthy puppy mill puppies to unsuspecting consumers.

The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Phoenix, alleges that Petland violated the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), and numerous state consumer protection laws by misleading thousands of consumers across the country into believing that the puppies sold in Petland stores are healthy and come from high-quality breeders. The suit is the result of many months of investigative and legal research, and comes after two separate investigations into Petland stores by a national animal welfare organization in 2008 and 2009 that demonstrated a direct link between multiple Petland stores and unscrupulous puppy mills.

It is our firm belief that until the public truly understands and appreciates the cruel aspect – not to mention the consumer fraud – connected with “dealing dogs,” Petland will continue to generate millions of dollars for their breeders and distributors.

We are asking animal advocates to respectfully request that Mythanne Reno and Teresa LaRotondo step forward as the Show Director and Show Manager of this event and request that Petland withdraw their sponsorship.

Until this company is no longer affiliated with an Expo that is focused on educating consumers about the plight of homeless animals, we are asking all humane minded citizens not endorse nor participate in this event.

Click here to sign the Petition – > http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/remove-petland-as-sponsor-of-columbus-pet-expo
**********************************************
2010 EXPO CONTACT INFORMATION:

1. Mythanne Reno – Show Director – Mythanne@columbuspetexpo.com – 888-650-6060

2. Teresa LaRotonda – Show Manager – Teresa@columbuspetexpo.com – 614-834-0583

Okay so some of you are probably going to read this and think I’m going psychotic…others…my more spiritual readers, well you will probably tear up at the spiritual aspect of this story as I have been doing all day long.

Last night around 8 p.m. I broke down in tears because the tuft of Theodore’s fur the vet gave me lost its smell — I could no longer smell my beloved cat from the small tuft. I was devastated.

I suffer from insomnia – some nights worse than others. Last night was a BAD night. At 5:55 a.m., I suddenly awoke from a very light sleep to feel a cat walking/pacing back and forth across the foot of my bed, walking over my feet to and fro the sides of the bed. I wondered why Sasha was up at this time and not in her usual spot: two feet away from my head at the head of the right side of the bed. I felt the cat walking over my feet and picked my head up..

Sasha was sound asleep right next to me.

It was Theodore’s spirit visiting me on one of my worst nights. The walking stopped as I picked my head up and then I felt a hard pressure on my left palm — Theodore used to nudge my hand quite hard when he wanted head scritchies.

This actually freaked me out a little so I turned the TV on for some light, and then I saw them — paw print impressions on the cashmere blanket at the end of my bed…

I immediately knew it was Theodore – and I knew it was him telling me that he is okay now and not in pain – and that he is still waiting for me. Although I was freaked out (I have NEVER experienced anything remotely close to a human or animal spirit visit), I told Theodore to rest and that I love him and not to nudge my hands anymore because that scared me. (I kept the TV on til I awoke at 10 a.m. this morning). I’m actually considering calling a pet psychic to see if they can tell if his spirit or whatever is in my room — is that me going crazy or what?!!?

What do you all think???