What a weekend.

The talks have been absolutely unbelievable. The conference started with two amazing talks from Drs. Nick Dodman and Frank McMillan, and things really just talk off from there – deep, informative and insightful talks on multiple species, covering the latest research and techniques.

I’ve been able to meet a lot of people with whom I have been corresponding with literally for years. It’s sometimes shocking and surprising to finally put a name with a face (and I am sure many people felt the same about me) but despite how much I love technology and social media, there is no substitute for real life and real meetings to build a well, real relationship.

I was finally able to meet Victoria Stilwell and her husband Van. No surprises. They are both wonderful people, and their dedication to their mission to help dogs is apparent in everything they do.

I was also able to meet Ann Allums from Best Friends Animal Society and the late and lamented TV show “Dog Town.” Ann works for the Association of Pet Dog Trainers now, still working hard to help dogs.

Two Vick Dogs, Handsome Dan and Cherry Garcia visited the conference to see Ann! It was great meeting them and their rescuers. Check out those beautiful dogs!

Last night at the IAABC banquet, I was presented with the “Animals as Other Nations” award. I’m still stunned and trying to figure out what to say. (I suppose getting everyone back together so I can give an acceptance speech is out of the question?)

More later….the conference isn’t over yet.

I am off to the IAABC Conference in Rhode Island. There will be a scheduled post coming up soon, but other than that, the lights are off. Hope to see you there!

I’ll make this short and sweet.

Dr. V of Pawcurious has organized a “Blog Hop” to help World Vets raise money to help animals caught in the horrible situation in Japan. This is a great cause, and your money goes directly to where it is needed.

I want to help, and already gave out of Dog Spelled Forward’s overflowing (that’s sarcasm) coffers.

I am assuming that I cannot afford to match donations, because I know you pet people are going to be way too generous for that. (That’s not sarcasm.) So I am going to give an iPod Nano to a donor.

Here are the rules:

1) Donate any amount using the widget below.
2) Use a legit e-mail address and they’ll e-mail you a receipt. I know this, since I just used it.
3) Forward the receipt to me at my gmail address.
4) Tomorrow I will assemble the e-mail addresses of donors in a spreadsheet and use some kind of random generator thingie to pick a winner. Amount of donation will not affect the results.
5) I’ll contact the winner, who will provide me with the color (s)he wants and a shipping address. I’ll have Apple ship it directly to her/his home.

Go it? Good. Give!

This week’s IAABC podcast is another entry in the IAABC 2011 Conference Speaker series!

Dr. D’Arpino does great work with the Animal Rescue League of Boston, helping make dogs more adoptable.Animal Rescue League of Boston. In the interview Dr. D’Arpino shares information the work being done at ARL and the Center for Shelter Dogs in Boston.

Click to Play the Interview with Dr. Sheila D’Arpino

Yesterday I published a book review of “Enchantment,” Guy Kawasaki’s latest book.

Even though this is a “business book,” published by an icon in both the technology and business community, I think that it is relevant to everyone, especially people on the forefront of animal welfare.

As a matter of fact, I found the book relevant enough that I interviewed Guy about the book for the IAABC podcast. Here it is. Enjoy!

Click to Play Guy Kawasaki Talks About Enchantment

Animal Cafe is live, with an interview I did with Marjoie Alonso, President and Executive of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants.

I’ve written about the IAABC here before. We are an organization of behavior consultants that work with dogs, cats, parrots and horses. We offer certification to our members, as well as education with discussion lists, webinars, podcasts and of course, our conference. The next conference is next months in Rhode Island. We discuss it in the interview.

Click to play: Animal Cafe with Marjie Alonso

We’ll be online for a chat over at the Chat Cafe this Wednesday at 9PM Eastern! Please join us with questions for Marjie (or me), or just to say “Hi!”

If this is your first time here, there are a few things to check out:

• My Free E-book!!!
• Training Tips
• Class Registration (if you’re from North Jersey or NYC.)
• My Facebook Page where I am giving away a free iPod Nano for the best photo of a dog uploaded.
• The IAABC Podcast is here.
• My new co-project is Animal Cafe. Check it out!

Thanks for dropping in!

I’ve been doing the IAABC podcast since December now, and it has been a lot of fun. So, in the word of Ernie Banks, let’s play two!

I am joining with Mary Haight; animal welfare advocate (Dancing Dog Blog), Edie Jarolim; author and pet travel expert (Will My Dog Hate Me) and Lorie Huston (Pet Health Care Gazette) to bring you Animal Cafe.

Animal Cafe is a weekly podcast and chat program. Each week one of us will post a podcast interview with someone from the pet community on Monday. On Wednesday at 9:00Pm Eastern, we’ll host a online chat with that individual, where you can ask your questions! (It’s text, not voice, so no stage fright!)

I am starting out next week by hosting an interview and chat with Marjie Alonso the President of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, the organization for which I host my other podcast and of which I am a member of the Board of Directors.

The rest of the Animal Cafe schedule is over here, and the rest of the group has some great stuff planned for March already!

Talk to you next Wednesday!

I haven’t been keeping up with the news updates, but this is worth breaking the silence. eBay has decided after all that the profits to be made by enabling the sale of puppies online are more important than animal welfare. Mary Haight has the details on eBay’s puppy sales, and a link to a petition over here.

Have nice long weekend!