Reflecting on BlogPaws conference in the wake of Irene

Chloe, who belongs to Jamie Cook, greets visitors to the Petfinder.com table in the exhibit area.

Just before Irene tore through the region, I had the inspirational experience of attending BlogPaws 2011 with pet-centric bloggers from around the country (and beyond: one of the first I met was from British Columbia, and she responded to our introduction with, “Oh, I’ve retweeted items from the Richmond SPCA!”). The 3-day conference was held in Tysons Corner with more than 350 attendees. It was thanks to the generous sponsorship of Petfinder.com that I was able to attend the numerous workshops and presentations and take away lessons I hope will improve our blog and grow our audience.

Travelin' Jack is a travel dog reporter. His mom, Jill Lane, shared some of his tips in the Niche Blogging workshop.

One of my favorite things about the conference, besides the shared passion for companion animals, was the fact that it was pet friendly. What would a conference of pet bloggers be without the pets who have inspired us to create and maintain blogs? All aspects of the conference were pet friendly, from the welcoming reception to each educational session.

Pets accompanied their guardians and gave a great opening to conversation during networking and exhibit times. Even those who begged a little at mealtimes made sure to endear themselves in the process.

Many of us left the conference earlier than planned to return home to areas in Irene’s path. Jane at Petfinder.com had a great post on their blog yesterday on an aspect of pet care in disasters that many of us may not have considered – what if the disaster strikes while you’re away from home? Take a look at the thoughtful list of precautions Jane has assembled.

As recovery from Irene continues around the Richmond area, this is a good time to review your pet’s disaster kit. Was there anything missing? Do you need to revise your disaster plan for your own pets or replenish any of the supplies in your kit before the next unexpected scenario?  

Tabitha Frizzell Hanes is the director of communications at the Richmond SPCA. To read the biographies of our other regular bloggers, please click here. Before posting a comment, please review our comment guidelines. Please note that our comment policy requires a first and last name to be  used as your screen name.  

Comments

[Rivercitymutts.wordpress.com]

We were also at BlogPaws, and I volunteer at the Richmond SPCA! The conference was pretty inspiring (and way fun, with all the pets there - I love that my dog wasn't excluded from meals, it made it possible to bring her along), and I learned a lot. Too bad Irene had to come and rain on everyone's parade!