Speakers

Chloe DiVita: Chloe is the Director of Events and Programs for BlogPaws.  She works with the sales and marketing team as a key member of the product committee guiding innovation of new programs and products to help grow brand and blogger relationships. Connect with Chloe: BlogPaws.com, on Twitter, and on her blog, Snotface and Twiggy.

Chloe’s session: Chloe is part of “The Pet Blogging Business” panel with Lena West and Dino Dogan to kick off BlogPaws on Friday morning, May 9th.

Lena West: Lena L. West is the leading expert on how women entrepreneurs can monetize social media. She is also the Founder of InfluenceExpansion.com, the home of the Influence Expansion Academy, the only social media mastermind program created specifically for women entrepreneurs. Connect with Lena on http://influenceexpansion.com/blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Lena’s session: Lena is part of “The Pet Blogging Business” panel with Chloe DiVita and Dino Dogan to kick off BlogPaws on Friday morning, May 9th.

HABRI (Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative): The keynote for Saturday, May 10^th, is HABRI. HABRI Central is an online platform for open research and collaboration into the relationships between humans and animals, specifically companion animals.  This is very exciting news because pet bloggers and microbloggers, who are also pet parents, realize the importance of researching and writing about the bond between people and pets. HABRI supports research, education, and other charitable activities that validate the positive impact the Human-Animal Bond can have on the integrated health of families and communities. Learn more by visiting www.habricentral.org.

Michael Cavanaugh: Emcee, Michael Cavanaugh, DVM, DABVP, Chief Executive Officer of the American Animal Hospital Association will announce the winners of the BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media awards at the conference in May. Dr. Michael Cavanaugh graduated from the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1983. He became the Chief Executive Officer of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) in January 2010. He practiced at AAHA-accredited hospitals including West Ridge Animal Hospital in Topeka, Kansas, which he opened in 1988. He became a Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (Canine and Feline) in 1996, and later recertified in 2006. He gained valuable experience in the animal health industry working with several organizations including Pfizer Animal Health where he was Director of Veterinary Hospital Services. Learn more about Michael here.

Steve Dale: Steve Dale, CABC (certified animal behavior consultant) is author of twice weekly national newspaper column (syndicated by Tribune Content Agency). He’s a contributing editor, USA Weekend and host of two national radio shows (Steve Dale’s Pet World, The Pet Minute) as well as Steve Dale’s Pet World on WGN Radio, Chicago. His blog is chicagonow.com/stevedale. He’s also a contributor to Advanstar blogs/publications. At Cat Fancy magazine he’s a special correspondent. His many TV appearances range from Oprah to National Geographic Explorer. Connect with Steve at Steve Dale Pet World and on Chicago Now. Connect with Steve at Steve Dale Pet World and Chicago Now. 

Steve’s session 1: Do You Speak Cat? (Helping to educate pet owners about behavior and how lives can be saved)

Steve’s session 2: Blogging About Parasite Protection: Not so Ho-Hum, It’s Aha!” Presented by Vectra 3D

Denise Wakeman: Denise Wakeman is an Online Business Strategist, Founder of The Blog Squad and Co-Founder of The Future of Ink. She works with authors and online entrepreneurs to optimize, leverage, and strategically use social marketing tools to gain visibility, build credibility and make more money selling their products and services. Denise is passionate about travel and how it can inspire you to think bigger and go for what’s possible in your business and life. Denise adores her two Canadian cats, Pele (17) and Bo (13). They live a comfy life with her in Los Angeles. Connect with Denise on her blog, on Google +, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Denise’s session: Getting the Hang of Google+ – How to Use Hangouts On Air to Grow Your Audience

Sandy Robins: Sandy Robins is an awarding-winning multimedia pet lifestyle expert, author and spokesperson. She is the 2013 recipient of the Excellence in Journalism and Outstanding Contributions to the Pet Industry Award presented by the American Pet Products Association to individuals in the media who have the power to influence millions of people and use this to positively promote the joys and benefits of pet ownership.  She works as a pet lifestyle spokesperson for Petco and has worked with influential corporations such as Toyota to launch their pet safety campaign and represented numerous pet companies such as Merrick PetCare, Friskies, Whiskas and Pedigree dog food, and American Airlines to launch their pet carrier.

Sandy is a regular contributor to many popular sites such as Today.com and AOL’s PawNation and national publications from Consumers Digest to pet centric magazines such as Dog Fancy, Modern Dog, Cat Fancy, and industry leaders Pet Age magazine. She blogs for Modern Dog, for Sergeants PetCare’s Pet Health Central blog and recently launched a new personal blog called Reigning Cats and Dogs. Her next cat book, The Original Cat Bible will be on bookshelves summer 2014. Connect with Sandy on Twitter, Facebook, and her website and blog, reigningcatsanddogsblog.com.

Sandy’s session: Monetizing Ideas for Profit

Dr. Karen Fling:  Presented by Partners for Healthy Pets. Visit the booth and find out how to win an iPad!

Dr. Fling’s session: Myth Busters: Exposing Pet Care Misconceptions, Plus a Q&A with Veterinarian Karen Fling

Manny the Frenchie and Family (Amber Chavez and Jon Huang): With 448,000 (yes, almost half a million) followers on Instagram, Manny_the_Frenchie describes himself as, “a 3-year-old Frenchie who loves to make new friends and give back to charity.”  BlogPaws is on the cutting edge of all things social media, especially as they apply to the pet space. Well, with Manny being such a rock star on Instagram (and elsewhere on social media), he and his crew will be speaking for a one-hour session at the BlogPaws 2014 Conference. Connect with Manny at www.mannythefrenchie.com, and on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

 Manny’s session: How to be an Instagram Star

Brian Easter: As CEO of Nebo, an Atlanta-based digital marketing and web design agency, Brian Easter brings international experience to his role along with a proven track record of helping organizations reach their digital marketing objectives. Under his leadership, Nebo has enjoyed ten straight years of growth, has never laid off a single employee and has won over 100 digital awards in the just the past two years.
He led his team in the creation of The Rescue Pledge, an online campaign to encourage the adoption of shelter animals. In less than a year, the campaign has generated 20 million+ impressions in less than a year, sparked over half a million online conversations and amassed an audience of 50,000+ Facebook fans.Brian is known for being a fierce advocate for the end user, a passionate speaker on weighty and controversial subjects and a vocal and avid supporter of animal welfare. Brian has spoken at SES, SEMPO, AiMA, the INC 5000 Speaker Series and many other industry events. He has also been published in publications such as Ad Age, iMedia, Mobile Marketer and Social Media Today. He is an Appalachian State University alumnus with 15+ years of experience in digital marketing. Connect with Brian on the Nebo blog, on Twitter, Nebo Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Brian’s session: How to Amplify Your Bark Across the Digital Ecosystem

Matt Beswick:Matt is the founder of Hidden Pixel – a UK based digital marketing agency, as well as being the co-owner of Pet365 , a lifelong dog lover and new dad. This will be his 3rd Blog Paws, working up from the beginner session in Salt Lake to the Pro seminar last year.  Find him on his personal blog – mattbeswick.co.uk or Twitter – @mattbeswick.

Matt’s sessions: SEO Basics Session, SEO Advanced Session, and SEO Advanced Workshop.

Carleen Coulter: Carleen is an Illinois attorney and blogger for Babble Pets. She also owns multiple beauty and food blogs. She has previously spoken on legal topics, blogging ethics, monetization, and SEO at Blog World New Media Expo, Blogher, and Reviewers Retreat. Carleen lives in the Chicago area with her corgis Ty and Eve, who have their own blog at Puppy on a Roomba. Connect with Carleen on Babble Pets Author Page, Puppy on a Roomba, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinteres. 

Carleen’s session: Top Legal Issues Faced by Bloggers, What You Need to Know in a Nutshell

Debbie Glovatsky:  Debbie Glovatsky is the creative funny-girl behind the hilarious, award-winning cat blog, GLOGIRLY.com.  Known for her visual storytelling, beautiful photography and laugh-out-loud-funny imagery, Debbie and her two cats, Katie & Waffles, have found a welcome place in the hearts and in-boxes of loyal readers. In just two years she’s won over 25 awards for excellence in blogging, photography, design and social media. Among her most recent awards are three Certificates of Excellence and two Muse Medallion Awards for Photography from the Cat Writer’s Association. Through her awards, she’s donated over $25,000 in food, supplies and cash to no-kill rescue shelters. Connect with Debbie on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and http://www.glogirlydesign.com. 

Debbie’s session: Photography Tips, Tricks & Product Reviews

Sybil F. Stershic:  Sybil Sterschic is the president of Quality Service Marketing and is an accomplished business professional who helps service-based organizations strengthen employee-customer engagement. A graduate of Lehigh University, she began her career in bank marketing; however, the banks she worked for merged into oblivion. She founded Quality Service Marketing in 1988, specializing in internal marketing, marketing training, and planning facilitation. Shew also  teaches marketing workshops nationwide for nonprofit and corporate managers. Sybil is a respected thought leader and blogger on engaging employees and volunteers through internal marketing. Her latest book, Share of Mind, Share of Heart – Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits, was honored with a 2013 Small Business Book Award in Marketing. Connect with Sybil at  LinkedIn and on Twitter @SybilQSM.

Sybil’s session: Thursday “Be The Change” Workshop: Fundamentals of Nonprofit Marketing: Building Share of Mind & Heart for Your Rescue/Shelter

Penny Sansevieri: Penny C. Sansevieri, Founder and CEO Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a best-selling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU. Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative Social Media/Internet book marketing campaigns. She is the author of twelve books, including How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon and Red Hot Internet Publicity, which has been called the “leading guide to everything Internet.” AME was the first book marketing and publicity firm to use Internet promotion to its full impact through The Virtual Author Tour™, which strategically harnesses social networking sites, Twitter, blogs, book videos, and relevant sites in order to push an author’s message into the online community. To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, you can visit her web site at www.amarketingexpert.com, on Facebook , on YouTube, and on Twitter .

Penny’s sessions: Make Your Book a Bestseller on Amazon and co-presenting with Susan Daffron and James Byrd for How to Get Published.

Paul Jorgensen: Paul C. Jorgensen is an energetic and popular instructor returning to BlogPaws 2014 after his popular presentation last year. Paul founded and runs The Jorgensen Law Firm PLLC in Washington, D.C., providing cost-effective and personalized counsel in intellectual property and contracts to individuals, organizations and large businesses worldwide.  The Firm also provides pro bono legal counsel to The National Cherry Blossom Festival and the District of Columbia Commission on the Arts and Humanities.  Paul was honored with the 2012 Mayor’s Arts Award for his longtime dedication to the arts in Washington D.C. Connect with Paul through www.jorgensenfirm.com.

Paul’s session: Copyright for Bloggers

Danielle K. Lambert: Danielle K. Lambert is a social media coach and founder of SnoutSchool.com, a website dedicated to teaching social media to veterinary & pet professionals. Danielle bases her coaching on experience gathered while working as a veterinary practice manager at Quinebaug Valley Veterinary Hospital in Danielson, Connecticut. She strongly believes that pet businesses can use social media to communicate, educate & connect with clients. In her spare time, she enjoys taking too many iPhone photos of her Brussels Griffon, Archer, and screaming at Tom Brady every Sunday.  Connect with Danielle on Twitter: @DanielleSNOUT, like Snout School on Facebook & Pinterest, or follower her pup, Archer, on Instagram.

Danielle’s session: Pawsitively Pinteresting: Using Pinterest to Grow Your Blog

Ted Nguyen: Ted Nguyen  is a nationally award-winning social media, public relations and communications professional with more than 20 years of developing and executing cost-effective programs. An international panel selected Ted to lead a seven-member team of social media experts and bloggers for Florens 2012, a worldwide gathering for arts and cultural heritage week in Florence, Italy. He also was chosen to present on social media and mobile apps for museums. His most-recent accomplishment includes the top prize in 2012 from the Public Relations Society of America Orange County, winning a record number of Protos trophies for communications excellence and receiving the top individual honor for Distinguished Service. Ted’s work in social media and digital communications is featured in two books: The Power of Real-Time Social Media Marketing and The Big Book of Social Media. Connect with Ted on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and his website,  Ted Nguyen USA.

Ted’s session: WordPress Tips and Tricks

 Layla Morgan Wilde: Layla Morgan Wilde wears many hats but they all contain cats. She is a holistic cat behaviorist, an award-winning writer/photographer and founder of the premier online magazine, Cat Wisdom 101 where they enlighten and entertain cat lovers with unique content. For the past three years Layla conducted hundreds of pet product reviews and giveaways. A passionate advocate for cats, she founded the Toronto-based Annex Cat Rescue in 1997 and her Etsy shop of unique feline art benefits the ASPCA. In addition to blogging at Cat Wisdom 101, she’s blogged since 2008 at Boomer Muse, contributes to Petfinder.com, Pet360.com, Catster.com, Nordic Spotlight and Huffington Post. Wilde is a professional member of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her Etsy shop of unique feline art benefits the ASPCA. She lives in Westchester County, NY with three feline muses who are helping her write a book on holistic pet loss. Connect with Layla on About, her website, Facebook, Twitter, and on Etsy.

Layla’s session: Running a Giveaway

Jim Nelson:  In late 2006, Jim and his wife Rene started a blog for their dog Jerry who lost a leg to cancer. After selling the marketing firm they had grown—along with nearly every thing they owned—they bought an RV and traveled the country together as a pack, following Jerry’s lead to live in the Now. As the couple documented their travels with Jerry, Jim installed discussion forums and a live chat room for members at tripawds.com. After being featured on PBS in “Nature, Why We Love Cats and Dogs” website traffic continued to grow and Jim launched a WordPress multisite network allowing members to create their own blogs to share stories and photos. Tripawds has since grown to become the largest online community for amputee pets and their people, with nearly 1,000 blogs, 5,000+ members, a popular Facebook Page, and regional Facebook Groups around the world.  Today, Jim and Rene continue traveling with spokesdog Wyatt, managing Tripawds from their mobile headquarters wherever they go. Connect with Jim on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and at http://tripawds.com, 

Jim’s session: Facebook Pages vs. Groups/Maximizing Reach and Engagement with Your Facebook Fans

Susan Getgood: Susan Getgood has been involved in online marketing since the early 90s, and watched the web evolve from the first browsers to the interactive communities we participate in today. In Fall 2010, Susan joined BlogHer Inc. where she currently serves as Vice President of Sales and Marketing.. In this role, she connects social media influencers with the brands they love through mutually beneficial business and advertising opportunities. Follow Susan on  SusanGet Good Strategic Marketing, Marketing Roadmaps, Twitter, and Facebook.

Susan’s session: Monetization workshop (Revenue, reputation and recognition: Defining your path to professional blogging success)

Rose Hamilton: As Pet360’s EVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Rose is responsible for consumer strategy, vision and marketplace positioning, as well as business prioritization and resource allocation. Pet360 is an integrated media company devoted to providing pet parents the information, products and advice they need to raise happy, healthy pets. The Pet360 network reaches more than 12 million pet parents each month and powers industry leading sites such as Pet360.com, petMD.com and PetFoodDirect.com.

Rose previously served as the Vice President of E-commerce for Ann Taylor and LOFT, where she oversaw online marketing strategy and analytics to drive multi-channel customer acquisition, engagement and conversion. Prior to joining Ann Taylor Stores, Rose led online marketing, merchandising and loyalty programs for a variety of leading retailers and financial services organizations, including Chico’s FAS, Best Buy, Wilsons Leather and US Bank. In 2013, Rose received The CMO Club’s Rising Star Award and was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by the Women in the Pet Industry Network. She sits on the Board of the Pennsylvania SPCA and holds an MBA from the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Business..  Connect with Rose on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

Rose’s session: Creating Engaging Content (with Shawna Schuh)

Arden Moore: Arden Moore, The Pawsitive Coach™,  happily wears many “collars” in the pet world: radio show host, editor, author, professional speaker, media consultant and behavior consultant. She travels all over North America to help millions better understand why cats and dogs do what they do. Arden unleashes her sage advice spiced with humor as an in-demand TV and radio show guest, (including The Today Show, CNN, FOX, Martha Stewart and The George Lopez Show.) Her mission is to help people and their pets learn to play with a purpose and to play it safe.

And she knows how to play it safe — with pets. She is a Master Certified pet first aid, CPR and safety instructor with Pet Tech, the world’s leader in hands-on training and pet wellness classes. Whenever possible, she brings her dog-cat teaching tandem of Chipper and Zeki to give hands-on skills for her students. Connect with Arden at Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the Four-Legged Life.

Arden’s session: Pet First Aid Class

Shawna Schuh: Shawna Schuh, Certified Speaking Professional, has over forty years of pet experience. Holding many positions and pets in her lifetime Shawna brings a wealth of information to her clients and audiences. Her expertise includes communication, motivation and coaching higher performance in business owners and executives. Author of books, audio and video programs as well as writer for both online and offline publications, Shawna has built a reputation of bringing new thinking and success principals to her overjoyed clients. Shawna is also the president and chief pet wrangler of Women in the Pet Industry, the only network that includes every category in the pet industry to come together to share ideas, resources, promotion and partnerships. The philosophies of WIPIN are Growing; ourselves and each other, Giving; to help each other and the pet industry, and Connecting, for growth and mutual benefit. She lives with dogs, horses, a cat, fish and one confused goat in rural Western Oregon. Connect with Shawna on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Twitter along with the WIPIN website.

Shawna’s session:  Creating Engaging Content (with Rose Hamilton)

Laura Fremont: Laura Fremont is an attorney in the San Francisco office of the Federal Trade Commission.  She works primarily on truth-in-advertising and fraud cases.  Before she started working at the Commission, she was executive director of a charitable foundation, legislative aide in the California state Senate, and a reporter for a small news service.  She has also worked for two software startups.  She loves pretty much all animals except spiders, with whom she has an uneasy relationship, and crocodiles, which have huge teeth and can apparently climb trees.  Her cat Lucy (short for “Lucifer”) has approved this message. Connect with the FTC: FTC Endorsement Guides , FTC’s Revised Endorsement Guides: What People are Asking , .com Disclosures:  How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising , FTC Business Blog , and FTC Consumer Blog.

Laura’s session: Social Media Marketing: FTC Rules of the Road

Susan Daffron: Susan Daffron is the author of one novel and 12 nonfiction books, including several about pets and animal rescue. She lives in a small town in northern Idaho and shares her life with her husband, two dogs and a cat–the last three, all “rescues.” Her latest book, Chez Stinky,  is the first of a series of romantic comedy novels that will feature the small town of Alpine Grove. When she’s not writing novels, Susan works as the president of Logical Expressions, Inc., a book and software publishing based company in Sandpoint, Idaho. In addition to her books, Susan has written more than 70 national magazine articles, 200 newspaper articles, about 1,200 online articles, and an online software training course. Susan is the president of the Small Publishers Artists and Writers Network  and was also the President and Founder of the National Association of Pet Rescue Professionals (NAPRP). Connect with Susan via Logical Expressions, and Twitter.

Susan’s session: Co-presenting with Penny Sansevieri and James Byrd for How to Get Published (Writing and Marketing Fiction versus Nonfiction)

James Byrd : James Byrd is a book publisher with a background in database software programming. He has written numerous nonfiction articles and books on a wide variety of topics from vegan cooking to web application development. James writes fiction novels under the pen name Daniel R. Marvello and is currently drafting the final book of his fantasy trilogy. He also manages the financial and digital book production operations for his publishing company Logical Expressions, Inc. Connect with James on Facebook, Twitter, and on his blog.

James Byrd’s session: Co-presenting with Penny Sansevieri and Susan Daffron for How to Get Published. (Writing and Marketing Fiction versus Nonfiction)

Mary Anne Shew: Mary Anne Shew is a business coach and consultant who has helped dozens of small businesses improve their marketing, operations, and sales. By getting clear on goals, getting things done, and getting results, her clients achieve their dreams of being successful business owners. Her national practice includes a wide variety of businesses and nonprofits. She is a popular speaker for business and professional groups and an entertaining business expert who presents high value seminars and workshops. Connect with Mary Anne on LinkedIn, Twitter, and her Build a Blog website.

Mary Anne’s session: Build a Business, Not Just a Blog

Lisa Richman: Lisa is an award-winning director of film and video with over 25 years of experience in her field. Her shows have been featured at such international events as the Olympics, and have competed and won industry acclaim alongside such telecasts as HBO, The History Channel, National Geographic and Discovery Channels, to name a few. She sits as a judge on the International Silver Telly Award council, critiquing worldwide television campaigns every spring. She is also owner of the pet blog, A Tonk’s Tale, which is consistently ranked as one of the top cat blogs in the U.S. She is considered an influencer in pet related social media. A Tonk’s Tale has a daily presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr, as well as on atonkstail.com. Lisa works with two of the largest no-kill organizations in the midwest to train shelter staff and volunteers how to make effective and compelling videos for adoptable pets. She is also a published author whose latest work can be seen this fall in a new anthology of pet rescue stories, entitled Rescue Me: The Stories of 12 Cats, Through Their Eyes. Connect with Lisa on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. 

Lisa’s session: Killer Videos that Save Lives: Visual Storytelling 101 for Shelters & Rescues

Nickey Rautenberg: Nickey Rautenberg is an online marketer passionate about connecting the digital world with the everyday person in business.  The majority of her career has been in an agency setting where she had the opportunity to grow with the e-media industry. Most of her time was spent guiding clients and vendors to promote or develop their brands and her experience was spread across various industries. In early 2012 Nickey was given the opportunity to work in-house and develop search engine optimization and social media strategies with VetStrategy; a veterinary management organization based out of Toronto, Canada. Having been a huge animal lover and advocate since she can remember, she knew it was an opportunity she could not pass up. Nickey discovered very quickly that the veterinary & pet industry are extremely unique and thus require a unique way of thinking to be successful through marketing. Her drive to bridge the gap between online activity and return on investment or engagement has been a main focus for the last few years. Nickey’s goal is to stay on top of the internet marketing world while helping businesses and bloggers within the pet industry understand whether their efforts towards success online are paying off.  Connect with Nickey on LinkedIn ,  Twitter: @nickey, and her website,  www.nickeyr.com,

Nickey’s session: Google Analytics workshop

Caroline Golon: As one of the co-founders of BlogPaws, Caroline is passionate about the power of blogging and social media to make a difference. She’s the founder and principal of High Paw Media, a content development and digital communications company for the pet and family lifestyle industries. Caroline spends her days researching, writing, and talking about pets. From penning articles for leading pet outlets and her own pet sites to advocating for pets in need to helping pet brands understand their consumers better, Caroline has her paws in everything pet! All of Caroline’s own blogging efforts are designed to help pets in need.  Since 2009, Caroline has leveraged her cat blog, RomeotheCat.com and social media to raise more than $85,000 for rescues and shelters across the U.S. She has two other blogs: CrayonsandCollars.com dedicated to life with kids and pets, promoting responsible pet ownership and encouraging families to adopt, and TheHappyLitterBox.com, designed to keep cats out of shelters by helping cat parents solve litter box issues. Connect with Caroline at Crayons and Collars on Facebook, Romeo the Cat on Facebook, Pinterest , Google +, and Twitter.

Caroline’s session: Be the Change: We Are the World: Making a Difference for Pets – Together.

Teri Thorsteinson: Teri has in the veterinary healthcare field continuously since 1972 and her mantra has always been ‘I end my day knowing I helped someone take better care of their pet’. She is involved with the Cat Fanciers Association Ambassador Cat/Pet Me Cat program, and has attended four BlogPaws conferences, always with her cats along, as well as participating in pet rescue fundraising fashion shows. She is the brainchild of Coco the Couture Cat. Attending the BlogPaws Pet Blogger conferences with her cats really turned Teri on to just how much attention they attract and how she could use that to benefit cats in rescue. What began as a fun activity for Teri has begun to take a new direction, to use their appearances with the goal of helping rescue organizations  increase their exposure and raise funds through fashion! Connect with Teri on her blogs: http://furrydancecats.blogspot.com and http://www.cococouturecat.com , Facebook, and Twitter and/or Coco Couture Cat Twitter.

Teri’s session: Teri will be co-presenting with Carol Bryant to kick off “Meet the Rescues” at the BlogPaws Conference on Friday evening, May 9th. Teri and Carol will talk about Creative Fundraising Ideas to Benefit Pet Rescue.

Carol Bryant: A dog lover of the highest order is how Gayle King introduced Carol Bryant when she and her Cocker Spaniel, Dexter, appeared on Oprah Radio’s Gayle King show to dish dogs. A frequent media contributor, Carol has appeared on television, radio, and in print. A repeat nominee from the Dog Writer’s Association of America, Carol contributes to a variety of pet-related websites and is the PR and Marketing Manager for BlogPaws. She and her PR (Puppy Relations) Manager, Dexter, are active in canine rescue and fundraising through her Wigglebutt Warriors foundation. She is the founder of Fidose of Reality, a consistently ranked Technorati top 50 pet blog.  She trademarked the quote, “my heart beats dog.™” Connect with Carol on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and her blog.

Carol’s session: Carol will be co-presenting with Teri Thorsteinson to kick off “Meet the Rescues” at the BlogPaws Conference on Friday evening, May 9th. Teri and Carol will talk about Creative Fundraising Ideas to Benefit Pet Rescue.

Dr. Lorie A. Huston: Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, certified veterinary journalist, professional writer, and long-time blogger. She is the current president of the Cat Writers’ Association, though her writing encompasses both cats and dogs. Her blog, Pet Health Care Gazette, is a frequent stop for pet owners looking for information relative to their pet’s health. The blog covers a wide variety of topics ranging from preventive health care issues to specific diseases and also acts as a voice for advocacy regarding such topics as animal rescue, adoption, and TNR. Huston also writes a regular column for PetMd.com that focuses primarily on cats.

Lorie’s Topic: Creating a Blog With Authority

Links to connect with Lorie: Pet Health Care Gazette, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus.

Patrick Mahaney – Patrick Mahaney VMD, CVA, CVJ is a veterinarian and certified veterinary acupuncturist with a patient-care approach integrating western and eastern and medical perspectives. Dr. Mahaney founded his own a Los Angeles-based house call practice, California Pet Acupuncture and Wellness (CPAW), Inc. in 2008 and also offers offers holistic complements to conventional cancer treatment on an in-facility basis at the Veterinary Cancer Group. Having a passion for writing, Dr. Mahaney is a certified veterinary journalist (CVJ) and shares his perspective on veterinary medicine and pet health in a variety of media outlets, most notably being PetMD’s The Daily Vet, Pet360’s Pet-Lebrity News, AOL’s Paw Nation, Animal Wellness, Victoria Stilwell’s Positively.com, and Perez Hilton’s TeddyHilton.com. In addition to writing, Dr. Mahaney’s other media contributions include his Holistic Vets co-hosting duties on Tracie Hotchner’s Radio Pet Lady Network.  Television is also a place where Dr. Mahaney’s practice appears, as Jackson Galaxy, the star of Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell, calls upon him to lend a holistic veterinary perspective to the behaviorally challenged felines featured on the hit show. Follow Patrick on Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, YouTube, Linked In

Patrick’s Session: Human grade vs. feed grade pet foods – do you know which one your pet eats? Ever hear that all pet food is human grade? Or that no pet food is human grade? Think that it’s not a definable term with AAFCO? Stop by and learn why ‘human grade’ is a legally definable terms, and why it’s a lot less about clever marketing, and more about quality control. Presented by The Honest Kitchen.

Finnegan Dowling: When Finnegan Dowling went to college she had no idea that the school’s service requirement would change everything. Since interning in a small shelter in Washington State in 1992, she’s spent most of her life on the front lines of animal welfare. She’s worked in shelters in Washington State, Colorado, and California and volunteered in Gulf disaster zones after Hurricanes Charlie and Katrina. Finn was one of a team of volunteers who helped establish an animal shelter in Nicaragua. A former student of long form journalism and contributor to punk rock ‘zines, she blogged about the the experience. Her humorous, honest chronicling of the challenges of running a shelter in a third world country became a cult favorite and helped raise enough donations to run the shelter. In pet blogging, she combines her two biggest loves – animals and writing – to advocate for forgotten pets. Finn works for Humane Society Silicon Valley, one of the most innovative shelters in the country, where she writes their popular, positive shelter blog.  She lives in San Jose, Californa with a deadpan yellow lab mix named Frances. When not at the shelter, the two can usually be found immersed in the Pacific Ocean.

Finnegan’s Session: Using Our Super Powers for Good: Positive Pet Blogging That Saves Lives

Links to Connect with Finnegan: Facebook, Blog, and Twitter.

Keep checking back. We’ll be posting new information periodically!

BlogPaws is proud of the amazing speakers who have joined our conferences!