Today marks six weeks that Tyler has been in his new home. It also marks his first visit to Aunt Tracy, our groomer par excellence. Not that she could do much more than even up the bad haircut he got when the dogtor treated him for parvo. But she did the best she could with what she had to work with, and I must say that Tyler is looking very handsome and fluffy today!
I haven’t been in a hurry to change my profile photo from Bailey to Tyler, but maybe it’s time. I think Bailey would be pleased with the way Tyler is running me ragged with his demands, and it seems right to start including him in my online life.
So today we took some photos:
Tyler & Bev--our new profile photo!
I have updated my “About Me” page and you’ll now see the new profile photo of me and the new little man in my life.
This is really such a small thing, and yet it feels like I’m making such an enormous change in my life. I’ll never forget Bailey. But this silly little change of profile photo is a new indication that my sweet girl is gone and will not be back. Another step in that whole “stages of grief” thing, I guess.
Last weekend I attended the first-ever BlogPawspet blogger conference. I thought I was going to meet some friends (old and new) and learn more about blogging (SEO? FTC?). Turns out I was inducted into a tribe of do-gooders intent on helping each other and every homeless pet they could find.
The most impressive session I attended, the one that resonated with me the most was called “Be the Change You Want To See.” The panel was made up of some of the rock stars of the social media pet world. Moderator Jane Harrell (a rock star in her own right with PetFinder) led Dorian Wagner (YourDaily Cute), Dr. Jessica Vogelsang, (Pawcurious), and Lynn Haigh (the queen of the Pawpawty) to inspire all of us to look inside and figure out what we can do as individuals to help change our world for the better–specifically, our pet world. (Be sure to check out my video interview of Lynn posted just before this post–she’s incredible!)
Their philosophy is that if we all band together, bringing our individual talents to the table, we can achieve huge results. And when it comes to $$$ donations, if we all give just a little bit, together it makes a huge amount.
We’re launching this movement today, with a Be the Changeblog post day. Across the blogosphere, pet bloggers are talking today about how they will be the change.
On April 21, the BlogPawty is on Twitter! We’re raising money for Pets without Parents, a shelter in Columbus, Ohio picked by the group. Please notice the First Giving widget in this post, and consider giving a couple of dollars to help this effort (remember, a little bit grows into a huge amount if we all give). Be the change!
Here’s my list of what I’m going to do to be the change. It’s not complete. But it’s a start.
~ I will continue to hold an annual, month-long fundraiser during the month of March in memory of Bailey to raise money for rescue–most likely for Small Paws. This past March, Caroline Golan (Romeo the Cat) and I raised $2,400.oo for Small Paws Rescue–my favorite Bichon rescue organization.
~ I will make contributions to FrugalDougal’s pawpawties and Romeo’s monthly fundraiser from now on, and I will do it right after I load their First Giving widget onto my blog each month.
~ I will look for more ways that I can blog and tweet to bring awareness to homeless pets.
~ I will continue to contribute to my local shelters–both money and food.
~ I will be the change, and I’ll find ways to encourage others to be the change.
What about you? What will you do to be the change?
First let me say, Lynn Haigh is charming. Whether she’s bemoaning the fact that she got to Columbus long before her luggage, or telling a room full of people to Be The Change (more about that soon), she is a wonderfully charming woman. With an accent that adds music to her speech (at least to my jaded Yankee ears). And did I mention she’s also rather witty?
I know. I’m gushing. Can’t help it. I get star-struck, and Lynn is most definitely a star of pet-oriented social media. Frankly, she’s brilliant. And did I mention charming?
I really enjoyed putting this video together–in spite of the problems I had with Windows Movie Maker–because I enjoyed listening to Lynn talk. If you’re interested in the (brief) history of the pawpawty, and how Twitter can be an incredible fundraising tool, you will enjoy it too. And maybe learn something!
I caught up with my old buddy, Nicole Daute, and made a new friend, Christina Kwan, this past weekend at BlogPaws 2010. Both are with DogTime Media, and very smart cookies when it comes to blogs and blogging. Here is my interview with them. Enjoy!
Thanks so much to Nicole and Christina for gifting me with their time!
While at BlogPaws this past weekend, I pulled out my video camera and put several people on the spot when I interviewed them. Here is the first of (hopefully) 4 video interviews.
Dorian Wagner (a wonderful anipal) of Your Daily Cute talks about her pets, her online work, and the importance of pet bloggers.
A big THANK YOU to Dorian for being such a good sport!
