Pet bloggers assemble at BlogPaws 2013 (Photos)

Blogpaws Conference 2013 ended less than 24 hours ago, dispersing nearly 500 specialty bloggers back to their home computers newly motivated, educated, and inspired to cover their special animal beats.

Just three years ago, three dedicated pet bloggers founded Blogspaws, a social media company that teaches pet bloggers how to use social media.

Blogpaws became successful at warp speed, attracting the attention of the Pet 360 Media Company, and they have joined forces.

During Blogpaws conferences, bloggers are treated to top-notch educational sessions on a range of topics crucial for optimum blogging such as search engine optimization, capitalizing on Facebook, Google Analytics, strengthening a brand, how to do product reviews, and Wordpress tips and tricks.

Blogpaws 2013 offered three learning tracks to satiate the beginner, the intermediate blogger, and the more experienced, professional blogger. A fourth track covered special topics such as copyright law and using social media to effectively advocate for animals, presented by the ASPCA.

National and international companies, such as petcurean, which premiered Savor Every Moment at the Tribeca film festival, filled the exhibit hall, promoting their products and good works, while providing hands-on educational opportunities. Purina, Sony, Adopt a Pet.com, and Natural Balance Pet Foods were among the top-level sponsors.

Rachel Ray sent a team with her Nutrish dog food and provided an artist to draw caricatures of patrons and pets. Yes, pets! The Sheraton Hotel outside of Washington, D.C., the site of this year’s conference allowed bloggers to bring their pets. Actually some of the pets have their own blogs. Ferrets, rabbits, and guinea pigs rounded out the cadre of cats and dogs.

The products represented are too numerous to mention. Think of a pet product, a smart pet product, and it was there. Standouts included the Spoiled Pup Boutique, which seemed to inspire the gowns worn during the Official Red Carpet Walk and Zero Odor pet odor eliminator, which works from a molecular level and elicited spontaneous testimonials from this tough crowd. This writer snagged a Critter Zone Air Naturalizer. Look for upcoming information on the effects of odor eliminators on feline litter box behavior.

Those who couldn't find exactly what they wanted could customize and order a personalized product from Just 4 My Pet.

The Center for Pet Safety ran an important video in the exhibit booth demonstrating that "many of the pet safety restraints currently on the market do not provide acceptable levels of protection . . . in a crash situation." Safety restraints are critical because in a crash your pet is as helpless as an unrestrained infant, becoming a projectile during a crash. The video showed shocking evidence of the inadequacy of current restraints.

The most valuable aspect of Blogpaws is the opportunity to meet, greet, and renew interactions with other pet bloggers. Some of the best and most popular pet bloggers attended, sharing expertise, food and friendship.

Celebrities of the pet world attended to mix and mingle and strut their stuff. This writer's personal favorite was Schmitty The Weather Dog, accompanied by famous New York meteorologist Ron Trotta and Elly McGuire, founder and weekly host (Monday 8PM) of Twitter’s #petchat. Schmitty has inspired a line of products, appropriately named the NewYorkieStore.

Norman the bicycle-riding French Briard wowed the crowd by riding his bike and scooter in the lobby of the hotel. He's quite a showman and yes, he actually pedals, as you can see in the video.

Some of the animal lovers did not warm up to the invited Labrodoodle that was shaved with hair died to look like a lion. Even the surfer-dude cat with the wig thought this was a bit much.

Frankie, the lovely therapy trained pit bull dressed up during the conference in pretty colors or a cute tie made sense because the outfits suit his work and makes him less imposing, but no clear answer about why the Labrodoodle was put through so much to look like something he’s not.

Frankie is a "lover not a fighter," who was seized in an FBI drug raid, rescued and trained, earning his Canine Good Citizenship Award and becoming a therapy dog with Pet Partners. He visits nursing homes, schools and public events to educate against Breed Specific Legislation and bring smiles.

After the Red Carpet Yappy Hour and Walk, Blogpaws presented Pet Blogging and Social Media Awards 2013. BlogPaws left it’s mark on the area, donating a couple of thousand dollars worth of equipment to local authorities, including a K-9 Police vest to Officer Tom Binckley for his partner Hugo and pet oxygen masks to Prince George’s County Fire and Emergency Services. Exhibitors gave lots of goodies to local recues, including Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, which hosted a table and brought dogs for adoption.

If you missed Blogpaws 2013, no need to despair. Registration opened today for Blogpaws 2014, which will be held in Las Vegas. In between annual conferences, BlogPaws provides resources to pet bloggers such as forums and online support.

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