Blogging My Way to BarkWorld with Pruven

About this time last year, I wrote about how much I wanted to go to BarkWorld. Most of the blog events I attend are related specifically to parenting or women's issues so I think it would be amazing to shift my focus to another niche I am highly interested in. I am an avid supporter of our local shelter, Kansas Humane Society, and my day job is at a design firm that created their mobile app, PetBridge. Everyone in our office believes very strongly in pet adoption. So much so that we're fostering kittens! I'm writing this post today in the hopes of winning a trip to BarkWorld next month so I can learn more about tailoring my social media efforts to helping animals.

If you're a longtime reader, you know how much I love animals. Our current household roster includes two dogs, six cats and two dwarf frogs. (Our turtle, Tick Tock, was released into the wild earlier this summer although my mom reports she saw him by her back door and put him in her koi pond. I have yet to confirm this although the kids back up her story.) All of them were rescue pets, except for the frogs, who came via mail. I hate to brag but keeping some teensy frogs alive for three years kind of proves my animal rearing skills… ha!

The sponsor of this year's BarkWorld blogger trip is Pruven, from 3M. I haven't actually had the chance to try their wares yet but I am anxious to. Especially the odor removing stuff because, uh, I have six cats and a year old Boxer with anxiety issues. By writing this post, I am hoping to win the following:

1. A ticket to BarkWorld 2013 
2. Roundtrip airfare (up to $350)
3. A 3 night hotel stay at the host hotel, Westin Buckhead (room & tax)
4. Roundtrip airport transport in Atlanta, GA

Wish me luck!

Iams Home 4 the Holidays 2012 #IH4tH2012

Iams Home 4 the Holidays is one of the largest pet adoption campaigns in the world. They partner with shelters and rescue organizations to find homes for animals in need and have placed pets in over 7 million homes since 1999. As usual, they are hoping this is their most successful year to date and one of the ways they hope to accomplish that goal is by helping pet loving bloggers get to BarkWorld in Atlanta this October.

As my readers know, we are a family of animal lovers. We have five cats, a basset hound, two dwarf frogs and a turtle. The latest additions to our family were two kittens I adopted while attending a social media workshop for nonprofits that was held at Kansas Humane Society. I couldn't resist their charms! Our other cats, even the ones who are no longer with us, were all strays and they had to be coaxed into loving us. These two were fostered and it shows in their sunny dispositions. Lucky and Wanda June moved right in like they owned the place! They even like to play with Stella, our dog, who was also a KHS alum.

I'm a big believer in the therapeutic powers of critters so I'm also a gigantic proponent of rescuing them whenever possible. I'm hoping to win a trip to BarkWorld sponsored by Iams to learn how I can make more of an impact on pet adoptions in my community by leveraging my social media influence, such that it is. 

awesome rescue pets poster by little friends of printmaking

If you'd like to support me in my quest, retweet or share this post with the hashtag #IH4tH2012 on your social networking platforms. Hopefully, I'll get to Atlanta and hobnob with the cognoscenti of pet blogging and learn some new tricks to share with you.