I’ve blogged recently about the Blog Paws 2010 convention I attended in Columbus this month.  What I haven’t yet mentioned is the powerful, exciting, grassroots movement that was spawned there and is still going strong today.  Be the Change Challenge was the brainchild of several amazing women who presented their case at the conference.  Dorina Wagner (Your Daily Cute), Lynn Haigh (pawpawties), and Dr. V. (Pawcurious) – and moderated by Jane Harrell of Petfinder – combined their genius minds and came up with a challenge to the convention attendees.  The idea was simple:  a charity was chosen at random (the winner was Pets Without Parents) and the challenge was put out to all attendees to spread the word and raise money and awareness for unwanted animals.

The weeks since the conference have been filled with a number of events, but the fun is not over.  Donations can still be made by clicking the button below.  The cause has already exceeded the goal by leaps and bounds and continues to grow.  Donating money is not the only way to help!  Consider donating old bedding, towels, toys, or other items to local shelters in need.  Sign up to be a volunteer for your favorite rescue.  Spread the word on your own blog and among your friends.  Anything you can do adds to the growing momentum of this wonderful cause.  Remember that an ocean is made up of billions of tiny droplets – be one of those drops!

If you’d like to know how I am making a difference, visit my other blog From The Horse’s Back.  There, you can read about Hazel’s story.  In addition, I am going to sign up as a volunteer for Pet Rescue By Judy, a local no-kill shelter that is a superstar saver of unwanted animals.  Finally, if you have an idea for change or have contributed in some way, comment here.  Happy Changing!

Each of these beautiful dogs is unwanted and awaiting adoption at Pet Rescue by Judy. Photos courtesy of www.petrescuebyjudy.com

Well, I’m finally back and in the swing of things!  My trip to Columbus was exciting, eventful, and productive.  Slobber Dog had a great time hanging at his second home with his buddy Bella, and everyone was happy to see me when I got home!  So why the delay in posting about my wonderful adventures?  Well….I’ll leave that story for another day, but suffice it to say that I have a houseguest at the moment!

Anyway, back to BlogPaws.  I found out about this convention of pet bloggers quite by accident just as I was getting ready to leave for a horse convention being held in the same town at the same time!  Tell me THAT’S not fate?  So I signed up to go, and boy was it worth it.  I met some really fantastic people while I was there and got tons of great information about blogging in general and specific to pets.  It was held at the Westin and was entirely pet friendly.  I saw cats and dogs by the dozen and they even had a little doggie daycare service for those pets needing a break from the blog talk.  All in all it was a great time, with over 200 attendees.  The seminars they held were:

• Tips, Tricks, and Habits for SEO and Traffic Stats – this session was incredibly helpful and I could have sat through another 2 hours of it.  Stephan Spencer, in particular, was extremely helpful in guiding bloggers to success.  He even critiqued some of the audience’s sites and gave tips on improving traffic.
• Fair, Focused, and Fun Product Reviews
• Book Publishing in a Digital World
• Sponsorship and Advertising on your Blog
• Building your Blog Strategy
• Leveraging Social Media:  Using Today’s Interactive Tools – This was another helpful session for a social media newbie like myself.  Sure, I have a Facebook page, but I don’t use it for blogging purposes.  And I’m brand new to Twitter and just learning the ropes with it.  It was fascinating to hear how these tools have made critical differences to many bloggers in terms of their popularity and success.
• Business Blogging
• Be The Change You Want to See
• Contests, Sweepstakes, and Promotions – This was another good one!  I hadn’t given much thought to the legal aspects of contests – in fact, I’d just posted a contest on my other site, From The Horse’s Back, before leaving for Columbus!  It was very helpful to learn some of the regulations and tips to making sure contests stay fun. 

These four legged attendees cruised BlogPaws in style in their very own Pink Catillac!

If all this information gathering wasn’t enough reason to attend, the swag they gave out sealed the deal!  Huge bags filled with treats, toys, cleaning products, books….you name it!  I can’t wait to dig into it, it’s almost like Christmas!  As you can see, there was a ton to see and do at this convention!  Anyone that has the chance to check out the next one should definitely do it.  Meeting all those awesome pet bloggers has reminded me how great pet lovers are and reinforced my commitment to creating a successful online pet community. 

Click the link if you’re interested in checking out information about Blog Paws or want to see the slides for the presentations.

I have some fantastic news I want to share with all of you!  Things have been humming behind the scenes, while I’ve been working with the creators of The Foodie Blogroll to unveil something new and exciting to the pet blogging community.  That something is……..(drumroll please)……. Pets Blogroll, a brand new online community dedicated to bloggers that love their animals. 

You might be wondering, Why a pet network?  I have to tell you that I am really excited about this site and all it has to offer.  It’s a great way for all of us pet bloggers to stay connected and motivated to keep writing.  There are also many other benefits:

• Contests and Giveaways - There will be numerous cool prizes awarded to bloggers that join the network
• Browse for Blogs and Members in our easy to use search fields
• Meet and connect with other bloggers that love pets too
• Favorites allows you to save and follow your favorite blogs in one easy to use location
• Rate blogs and vote for your favorites

Joining the network is easy and fast and only requires the installation of a widget on your sidebar (and meeting a few basic criteria for pet blogs).  I truly hope that you will check the site out and consider joining the network! 

This site launched last month and we’ve already gotten great response from our new members.  So far we’ve already given away a copy of Susan Wilson’s book “One Good Dog” and there are other giveaways going on too!  In our first month, we’re already averaging 1,500 hits per day!!! Members’ traffic is increasing and people are making connections.  If you have a pet blog, please check it out!

Grady and I visited Fleet Peeples Park recently to enjoy our the warm spring sun.  He had a great time playing along the lake shore and making lots of friends…

I'm ready for my closeup now!

 There were good times to be had by all…

There were chasers...

 even the lazy pooches!

...and sunbathers!

The water lovers were having a great time enjoying the warm sun…

But the boy that had the most fun of all was Slobber Dog!!