Walking the Furry Red Carpet: The Blogpaws Gala Awards

Since Wednesday, the pet blogging conference, Blogpaws has occupied my every waking and dreaming moment. It’s been an exhausting but exhilarating time meeting many of my favorite bloggers, PR and pet industry brand connections face-to-face for the first time. Talk about a lot of hugging and a genuine sense of community!

What’s different about this conference, taking place at the gorgeous Westin Las Vega Resort is that many of those attending brought their pets. Dogs of every size and breed, a few cats, tiny kittens, ferrets, a cockatiel and even a rodent as big as bulldog plus Tillman the famous skateboarding bulldog are welcome at meals, during the educational sessions and the exhibition area where bloggers can meet the sponsored pets brands. Pets are king and most enjoyed being fussed and fawned over. For those who didn’t bring a pet like me, we swapped stories and photos. It made me wish for a world where pets could be publicly embraced in every hotel. The location with acres of green, red desert hills, even a dog park on a lake was doggy heaven. Yes, we even had a Yappy Hour cocktail mixer outdoors ( the weather been glorious) and a Meow Hour among the dozens of meetings, meals, demonstrations like pet first-aid and tons of free product samples.

The highlight is the Gala Awards evening tonight. Sparkles, gowns and tuxes (human and some pets) will fill the ballroom. You are welcome to watch the awards live. I’ll post the link with more news later. Check out #blogpaws on Twitter, Facebook and Google+