• Wordless Wednesday: 2012 BarkWorld Photos

BarkWorld is a social media conference for the pet industry, and a lot of fun.

• On My Way to Barkworld

I'm at the airport on my way to BarkWorld. If you're not in the pet industry, "BarkWorld" may be a strange name for a conference, until you know that a high percentage of attendees have four legs.

BarkWorld is a social media conference for the pet industry. As a pet sitter, I blog and microblog (on Facebook and Twitter) so it's a prime opportunity to meet other pet bloggers, learn about trends and new products in the industry, and how to use technology to communicate more effectively. I have a private meeting with the BarkWorld IT peeps and a list of questions as long as my arm.

BarkWorld is also a ton of fun. The conference kicks off with a HOWL-O-Ween Charity Pawty, which I expect to be an overload of cuteness. And at last I'll get to meet German Shepherd Buster, mom Amy, and dad Rod of GoPetFriendly, a web site for traveling with dogs and cats. Buster's brother, Ty, is as shy as his Shar Pei wrinkles are deep, and will probably spend the conference snoozing in the RV. I'll also get to catch up with pals I've met on a Monday night Twitter party, #petchat.

@PepperPom, one of my roomies

BarkWorld also does good. Petco is giving $1, up to $5,000, for every Tweet and/or blog that references Be the Change 4 Animals (#btc4a) from October 22 to October 27. Shelter animals will be the beneficiaries. You don't have to be at BarkWorld to contribute to this worthy cause—just Tweet Be the Change 4 Animals to @Petco.

Wordless Wednesday: October 17, 2012

Lilly, Lost and Found

As I perused Lost & Found Dogs - DC Metro on Facebook, I saw Lilly, found in Falls Church, Virginia, where I live. I posted her on my Facebook page. When a friend got an email from the AKC about a lost beagle in Falls Church, she remembered the picture on my site. "Could it be the same dog?" she asked. I called the AKC. The AKC called the owners. Yes! From the description, owners confirmed it was Lilly.

I've been trying to help Rachel, another lost dog find her way home since May. It's discouraging. Lack of success for Rachel probably explains my utter jubilation for Lilly. The lesson? Don't quit. Share lost pet photos, even if you think it won't help. You could be responsible for a miracle, and that feels grrrrrreat!

• Wordless Wednesday: October 10, 2012

Rachel has been lost since May 2012. Please help Bring Home Rachel.

This week I'm breaking the rules for Wordless Wednesday for Rachel. Rachel is lost. She got loose when she was in the hands of a pet professional—one of the people you trust to give the highest level of care to your pets. Rachel wasn't wearing her collar or tags but she has a microchip registered with HomeAgain. She was sighted in the City of Fairfax, Virginia, by neighbors and tracked by a scent dog, and for a while dozens of people hung flyers, handed out business cards, and offered prayers and suggestions on Rachel's Facebook page.

That was in May and June. Now it's October and Rachel hasn't been sighted for four months. A lost pet expert we're working with said it best: "She's not made of fairy dust. She didn't disappear. She's out there somewhere."

Rachel was lost on May 23, 2012, in Fairfax, Virginia, just west of Fairfax Circle. (Fairfax is in Northern Virginia.) Rachel is an Australian Shepherd-Border Collie mix approximately 9 years old. At the time she went missing she weighed 46 pounds. She has a short, smooth, blue merle coat with black patches on the body and brown on her face and ears. Her eyes are brown and her tail is long, straight, and bushy.

Please go to Rachel's Facebook page. 'Like' it. Share it. Wherever you are—help Bring Home Rachel.

Wordless Wednesday: October 3, 2012

Blessing of the Pets: Yikes!