What I Did This Summer at BlogPaws

Raise your hand if you have ever responded to the back-to-school writing prompt “Describe what you did this summer.” Did you write about going to a beach or a camping trip? 

Maybe you were one of those lucky ones who visited Disneyland. If I were to write my summer essay it would contain cacti, therapy cats (yes, it’s a thing), pet world celebrities, and a red carpet walk with a paper doll horse. I attended my first BlogPaws conference in Phoenix June 23-25 and it rocked!

What is BlogPaws Anyway?

BlogPaws Social Media and Pet Blogging Conference is like summer camp for animal-loving social media types but with better food, more comfortable beds and no mosquitoes. This year the event was held at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass, a pet-friendly resort.

BlogPaws provided first-rate instruction via conference sessions and keynote speakers. The grand finale of the conference was an Oscar-style awards ceremony for various categories of blogs. My retired racehorse Knight and I were up for Best Unconventional Pet Blog! (Spoiler alert: we won! More on that later.)

Education

The conference session line-up was so interesting, it was hard to choose! I learned tips for how to create an irresistible brand by Aimee Beltran of Irresistible Pets, and was inspired by the Cat Writers Association panel discussion “From Blogger to Author” (I hope to one day have a horse book published!).

Animal behaviorist superstar Steve Dale and marketing maven Bill Schroeder led a workshop on search engine optimization (SEO) and gave tips on everything from how to generate blog post ideas when you’re stuck to the power of live streaming. Besides the incredible content, what made individual sessions even more fun was that pets were there too.

People and Pets

A highlight of the BlogPaws experience was meeting so many incredible animal loving people. Elizabeth Keene who blogs about her pups at Chronicles of Cardigan was like the camp counselor for all the conference newbies. She led an online discussion group before the conference so first-timers would feel welcome and sat with us during meals at a specially designated newbies table.

My fellow attendees were fun and interesting. I learned about search and rescue dog training from Carrie of Tales and Tails, got to know Rachel of Three Chatty Cats who lives the next town over from me, and received sage advice from Larry Kay of Positively Woof.

I also visited dozens of vendor booths with products ranging from innovative pet food brands such as The Honest Kitchen to protective (and attractive) 4Knines Pet Products car seat and cargo covers. 4Knines’ founders Jim and Maggie are owned by two Dobermans whose crazy backseat antics inspired them to create a heavy duty car seat cover. Missie, my Doberman couldn’t make the conference this year, but she is enjoying the conference swag.

Among my favorite vendor booths was the one with the adoptable kittens.  Sadly my husband is allergic to cats so I couldn’t take the kitty home with me.

The Red Carpet Experience 

The red carpet event leading up to the Nose-to-Nose awards ceremony was so incredible. The pets and people were dressed to the nines.

I think Knight would have been okay walking down the carpet, although it might have triggered a racetrack memory and made him have an extra spring in his step. Maybe next time I will rent a miniature horse as a stand-in. His poster board Mini-Me was a great conversation starter and was useful to save my seat when I had to use the ladies room.

The culmination of the conference was winning an award for this blog: Best Unconventional Pet Blog. It hadn’t occurred to me that I would capture the honor, and so I did not prepare a speech. Normally I’m okay with public speaking (I am after all, a teacher), but to be in front of a room of hundreds of people, most with way more experience than me in the world of blogging and social media–it was a little overwhelming.

And the thought of this blog being birthed out love for a retired racehorse I didn’t even know existed–that place of longing for a horse–the seemingly never-ending horse search for “the one,” the ups and downs of getting the “perfect” horse who later becomes gravely ill, and trying to balance a job, long commute, and healthy family life with such an intense and expensive hobby. . . I got a little choked up and kept telling myself, “Don’t cry.”

In Conclusion

What has touched my heart the most about this “ride” with Knight and Saddle Seeks Horse is how enriched my life is due to the animal lovers I’ve met in person and online.  Doors of friendship and encouragement have swung wide open in a way you might not understand unless you also blog about a special interest.

Thank you readers, friends, and fellow animal lovers and BlogPaws. You’re the best!

And that is what I have done this summer (so far).

Your Turn: Have you been to any conferences lately? Which one/s? What do you enjoy about them?

Thank you for reading and please trot along on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.