Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Time for a BlogPaws Update

by Yvonne DiVita

You're coming, right? To BlogPaws, I mean? To THE event of the year? Oh yeah, it's an event, all right. It has pets galore (I hear through the grapevine - her name is Rebecca Flick - that we have a ton of dogs attending already and there are a whole lot of new registrations coming our way every day... I bet that means another 10 -20 dogs! WOOOHOOOO!), it has great speakers, it has brands that just wanna have fun (sung to the tune of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun") and it has a ton of bloggers hoping to meet those folks they talk with everyday on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and in their blogs.

What's new this year? Well now, I can't actually tell you that. WE have some surprises in store. And when I say surprises, I mean... real surprises. For some key people in the pet community. One thing I can announce, which we announced a week ago, I believe, is that the amazing David Frei, who's Angel on a Leash will be getting a donation from us this year, will be Emceeing our Nose-to-Nose Awards. How kewl is that? I can't wait to meet him, in person, in the flesh! 

Don't Miss All the Fun & Excitement!

BlogPaws, of which I am a Co-founder, as many of you know, announced their tentative agenda over the weekend, last week. If you haven't visited the conference page showcasing the agenda, click the link above to it. <pic here is my Olive at last year's BlogPaws in Salt Lake City, looking out the window of our room... she was wondering where Onyx was as she and Onxy were the only two executive dogs to attend last year)

If you have, I hope you're checking back daily to see make sure we don't surprise you with something new!

BlogPaws is bigger and better than ever, if I do say so myself. We are over 2000 registered members. And, we have Steve Dale keynoting... how kewl is that? And, we have Clara Shih, who is a Facebook expert and social media maven. You don't get better than that for keynotes at a conference. Each one comes with different expertise and both are pet-friendly! 

Life after The Global Pet Expo

Anyone who's ever been to a pet expo will relate, and anyone who hasn't... well, you just need to go!

There's one BIG difference: The Global Pet Expo is like a dozen other expos, all in one! According to Twiggy's Mom, the entire show is at least 14 football fields long, big or whatever. And, it felt like 14 football fields, as we walked around it!

I'll tell you this, the energy and excitement at being around so many pet people and pet products was amazing and wonderful and mind-boggling! I have a super-high respect for the APPA (American Pet Products Association) for putting this show on! They did a truly outstanding job.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Dance

Pin it for Pets! Join in - This Closes December 16th!

Pin It For Pets - Holiday Pet Charity Promotion

We just learned of a great way to help pets this holiday season with a charity promotion using Pinterest from our friends at The Anipal Times. (That's the AT's Editor in Chief, BlogPaws member Brutus the Dane with Santa.)

The promotion runs from Dec. 1-16, 2012. This is how it works: You post a photo on Pinterest, with the hashtag#pinitforpetsmart in the photo description.

For each photo, PetSmart and Fetch… for Pets! will donate $25 toPetSmart Charities to help homeless pets, up to $25,000.

To participate, post a link to your Pinterest pin on PetSmart's Pin It For Pets Facebook page.

Carol Bryant wrote a post, Do You Have A Pinterest Account?, explaining why maybe you should be on Pinterest and BlogPaws members have been adding links to their own Pinterest accounts there, so we can all follow one another.  ; ) 

(yes, borrowed from BlogPaws because I love this idea and had to share! I pinned as soon as I saw this post mentioned on Facebook. Also shared. I hope you'll join in and have some fun with Pinterest - to help pets everywhere! You do have a Pinterest page, don't you???)

 

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PetSmart: 12 Days of Savings (12/13-12/24)

Remembering 2012

Ah! This is the year... that was. Or, should I say, this was the year that is? I don't know. I just know it was a year full of fun and excitement.

As we head into 2013, I remember all the good times with my pups - sleeping all over my bed and not one bit concerned about where I would find to stretch out! 

I remember our walks - with Emily ever sniffing out rabbits and stalking them like the good hound dog she is. Of course, she never caught any because, as Tom says, "She can't pull me fast enough to catch up to those rabbits!" 

I'm so happy to report that Chester has, at last, settled in. He loves his soft bed here in the living room, but I think he truly loves those couple of hours in the evening when we all cuddle up on the master bed and rest. He settles in nicely, after we coax him up our homemade stairs. One is not sure sure why he can't remember how to come up those stairs every night. 

It's Howl-i-day Time! Howl Away with Our Holiday Gift Guide 2012!

BlogPaws Holiday Gift Guide #PawsGiftGuide on Twitter!

I don't think I ever appreciated Christmas the way I do now. Just this weekend, Tom and I were shopping for the 'hooman' folk in our family, when we decided to stop in at Petco and pick up a few things for the dogs. What fun! I don't think the dogs get it - they think every day is a howl-day, but... we get it. The items we picked out will make us happy, anyway. :-)

However, I do not want to forget the BlogPaws Holiday Gift Guide! Have you seen it? It's chock full of great stuff! BlogPaws talked with some fun brands to have their products included in the gift guide. A bunch of bloggers are sharing the guide all across the net because, after all, we all love great pet products, right?

All ya all know FURminator, right? You have to have one of these amazing tools! We love our FURminator and so do our pets! Well, now they have a tool for your vacuum! OMD! Check it out!

Pinterest... R U On It?

Sharing good stuff this week.

From Carol Bryant, over at BlogPaws, a post about Pinterest. Are you on Pinterest? I am. But, I don't have a page for this blog, yet. My pins are all about my Lipsticking world (marketing to women) and I share all sorts of pet stuff there, too. 

I'm wondering if I should branch out and create Pinterest pages for this blog, for a couple of other sites I contribute to, maybe even a whole page just for funny dog pics. I mean, really... there are thousands, aren't there? In fact, there could be a Pinterest page for cute cat pics and videos...and, I bet there is one. Is it called Tunaberger... (instead of cheesebuger... I know, I'm not really funny at all, am I?)

Santa Paws! Santa Paws! Santa Paws!

Sometimes you just gotta give credit where credit is due. Snotface and Twiggy, those two best friends from opposite sides of the couch (so to speak... I mean, how many ferrets and Greyhounds are bestest friends, like they are?), have a wonderful post on their site about Santa Paws. If you don't know what that is... I'm sharing here... do join in! There's no time to lose!

The Santa Paws drive is a cause that "is dedicated to helping shelter animals have a happy holiday season! These furry friends are often overlooked during the holidays, and it is our goal to make sure they get the love, attention and gifts that other pets are lucky enough to get."

CyberMonday

DIRECT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH: (okay, we don't have horses at BlogPaws... but we wish we could!) We do have pets of all kinds - including people. You know your pet thinks of YOU as the pet in the household!

Do not let this go by - it's the best cyber Monday deal on the web! If you think you're better off waiting to be sponsored... let me say this - sponsorship might happen and it might not. Why not decide TODAY that you're attending on YOUR terms, not as a gift from a brand? Why not partner with some friends, create the car pool, decide you're coming to meet the whole dang pet community, and have a chance to work with ALL Sponsors, not just one that might or might not 'sponsor' you?

I don't know. I like sponsorships, too. But, as I grow smarter in this new world of social media, I realize the real power is when I am my own boss. And, that's why this CyberMonday deal is so great! I hope to see you at BlogPaws - don't disappoint me!

BlogPaws Announces Cyber Monday Savings