WHY do we want to go to #Barkworld??

WHY do we want to go to BARKWORLD??

I think a more appropriate question would be WHY WOULDN'T you want to go to BARKWORLD?!  :D

BARKWORLD IS AWESOME!  If you've never heard of it, it's a pet social media convention held in Atlanta, GA.  This year it's in August.

They have classes that help you become more social media savvy.  (And don't worry- they have beginning to advanced level classes... something for everyone.)   (And the skills I learn at these conferences help me in my regular full time job too!)   It's an INCREDIBLE place for networking with other pet companies and pet lovers.  

If you don't know my dog Jasmine, she's a talented trick dog.  We've been to the past 2 BarkWorld's.  (2011 and 2012)

My first year at BarkWorld, we taught a class called "How To Make Your Pet a YouTube Rockstar".  (Since Jasmine's popularity took off when I created her original YouTube video "Dog Goes Shopping"... which is now up to 222,590 views!)   And from there, Jaz became well known on social media, and now has a very loyal following of friends all over the world!  

Jaz actually got several opportunities to be on TV because of connections we made!  (She perfomed her dog tricks on Animal Planet's "Who Let The Dogs Out" and the Anderson Cooper show..... all because of connections we made at BarkWorld!) 

And now... we're trying to get back to BarkWorld again!  The expo is Aug. 22-24th, 2013.  

And Pruven from 3M is sponsoring one lucky blogger to go!  

But I need your help!

Here's an easy way to help send Jasmine back to BarkWorld!  Tweet at BarkWorld (and Pruven) that you would like them to pick My Favorite Pup Jasmine to send to Atlanta!  Or write it on their Facebook page!  (I made a Rafflecopter thingy just to make it simple)  There's no prizes involved, but I really would appreciate your help!  (and I didn't write any terms & conditions since it is just a friend helping out a friend!)  And there's no limit to the # of times you can contact them, and encourage them to pick Jasmine!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

P.S.  In case you are still curious about BarkWorld, here's a teaser video I made about our trip out there!  We loved it!!!  :)  :)  :)

#BarkWorld HOWL-O-Ween Party!!

I think Halloween is SO FUN!   And this year, I get to spend it at the BarkWorld Expo in Atlanta, GA!

Tonight, they had a HOWL-o-ween party- hosted by my friend Rick Rockhill (who is awesome!)   He's here representing Natural Balance Pet Foods.

It was so fun.  (and yes, the song "Thriller" is still stuck in my head!!)

OK - first of all- Rick and I TOTALLY did NOT plan this!  But we both came dressed in matching pirate costumes!!!  LOL.  What can I say?  Great minds think alike!!!  ;)

There were so many great costumes!!!  We all entered a costume contest.  The winner was the guy who was dressed like a fisherman!  (and his bulldog Pudgie was the fish).  It was adorable!

This is our friend Niqqi!!!

 

These were cool.

Karen and Norman the Scooter Dog were there performing!

 
 This is our friend Preston.                                    and Pepper

Isn't this a GREAT costume?   Kona is a purse!

 This is our costume- the Pirate Gang.

This is Cosmo!  The other Havanese here!

A lot of effort went into these costumes!

This is Jan.  Such a kind-hearted person!  She just loves Jazzy.

So- that was our fun-filled night!  After it was over, I took Jasmine on her walk outside.  It dawned on me that I was dressed up as a pirate walking down the streets of Atlanta.  LOL.  Only at BarkWorld.  ;)

#BarkWorld, ready or not, here we come!

I can't believe it's only one more day until we leave for BarkWorld!!!  (This is a little teaser video I made of our trip last year!)

I was so thrilled when I found out Natural Balance and Petco were sponsoring Jasmine's trip out to Atlanta for BarkWorld 2012!!   

We attended last year, and had a blast!!   Last year, we gave a presentation on "How To Make Your Dog A YouTube Rockstar" along with our best friends Lauren and Paige.  Sadly, our partners-in-crime can't be there this year because of work obligations.   But NEXT year 2013- we'll have our reunion!!  :)

 This year, we get to just enjoy the conference!!  (I'm sure I'll remember so much more when I'm not worried about giving a presentation!)  LOL  

This year, I'm going to try to keep updating my blog/Facebook/Twitter a little better than last year.  (I kind of know what to expect this year!)  

If you want to stay in touch, here's our info!

My Favorite Pup Jasmine  :)

    Blog: http://www.myfavoritepup.blogspot.com/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyFavoritePupJasmine

    Twitter:  http://twitter.com/MyFavPupJasmine

    YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/myfavoritepupjasmine

I can't wait!!

Look out #BARKWORLD, here we come!! ;)

I have GREAT NEWS!!!  Jasmine has a sponsor for BarkWorld next month!  Well, two actually!!
Petco and Natural Balance are going to sponsor our trip to Atlanta next month!  YAY!!!  I'm so excited!!  

For those of you who are unfamiliar with BarkWorld, it's a pet social media convention.  There are great classes and tons of networking opportunities.



We went last year for our first time.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!  My friend Lauren (and her trick dog Paige) met us out there.  Together we gave a presentation on "How To Make Your Dog a YouTube Rockstar!" (and of course Jasmine and Paige did a trick dog demo!) It was so incredibly fun! We learned tons, and met a lot of new friends!

Networking within the pet industry is the biggest perk of BarkWorld!   Jasmine got a chance to be on the Anderson Cooper show because of a contact I made at BarkWorld last year.  People from the show emailed Denise (the founder of BarkWorld) asking for some video recommendations for a show about pet parents.   Denise emailed a bunch of us, and I wrote back and sent in Jasmine's video.  They liked it, and voila- Jasmine's trick video aired on Anderson Cooper.  :)  How cool is that?



I absolutely cannot wait to go back this year!!  :)   THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Petco and Natural Balance for making this dream come true!!

And FYI- a little background info about us- this is our first sponsorship to BarkWorld.  Last year, we didn't have a sponsor. (not for lack of trying!)  I probably emailed 35 different companies, but no one knew who I was back then.  (and a lot of my emails went to generic email addresses I got off websites, such as info@______ rather than a specific rep.)   Jasmine had been on TV a lot (mostly news), but I didn't have any contacts with pet-related companies.  BarkWorld changed all that!  :)  Now I know quite a few!

One last little funny story-  last year, I was sitting in the lobby our hotel with Jasmine and Paige.   (Lauren was talking with some friends over in the restaurant, so I was watching both dogs.)   The lounge connected to a bar/restaurant.  (Which had a live jazz band in the background.)  Very nice ambiance.   This guy and his girlfriend walk by and notice the dogs.  The guy asks if he could pet them.  I said yes.  Both dogs love the attention... and I probably talked to this guy and his girlfriend for about 5 minutes.  We talked about their breeds, BarkWorld, where I was from, etc...  And the guy tells me about his dog, and how much he likes border collies.  He was a very nice guy. I didn't think much of it.  Everywhere Lauren and I went, strangers were talking to us, and wanting to pet our dogs.  

After they left, the guy on the couch behind me turned around and said, "Do you know who that was?!??"   "No", I admitted.  
He said "that was Malcolm Jamal Warner!!"  I was still trying to figure out how I knew that name... and so he clarified.... "You know... THEO?  From the Cosby Show??"  "And that's Diana Ross' daughter".  

Ooooh!!!!  LOL.  It's a good thing I have people to tell me these things, otherwise I would have never known!!  
 This created quite a buzz among our BarkWorld friends who joined us later.  (and yes, it was for sure Malcolm and Tracee.  We saw them later in the lobby leaving the restaurant.)  So Jasmine and Paige got to meet a few celebrities while in Atlanta.
 This just goes to show you that I don't get "starstruck" very easily.  They're just regular people.  (And it's really cool when they just act like regular people and don't let it go to their heads.)  I can tell you firsthand that Malcolm and Tracee are both very nice people to talk to.  And both dog-lovers. :)

BarkWorld 2011- Reminiscing

Good ol' Barkworld! Every time I see photos from that event, I get the biggest smile on my face! (Obviously Jasmine does too!) I just LOVE this picture of her!


I just discovered these photos that were taken at the Barkworld Expo last September. (All photo credits belong to the BarkWorld Expo.)
Look at Paige!! Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?!? We brought the dogs to Barkworld for a trick dog demo. If you wanted to know how to do tricks w/ a large dog- Paige showed you. If you wanted to know how to adapt it to a small dog- Jasmine showed you. :)

Oh... to have a nice camera... and know how to use it!! I've always loved photography. I think I have an artistic eye for how to frame a photo. I just need to 1) save up the money for a nice camera. And 2) Learn how to work it! I just love these amazing photos of the dogs. Look how clear Jasmine's bright brown eyes are. Man, I wish I had that talent! Guess I need to add that to my list of things I want to learn how to do! :)

Lauren and I gave a powerpoint presentation on "How To Make Your Dog A YouTube Rockstar". Then we had Q & A. Then did a trick dog demo (whatever they wanted to see!) This was my first time attending something like this, but we had a blast!! It seemed like everyone fell in love with Paige and Jasmine. (They were being extra adorable... because there were tons of new people to meet and be friends with.)

I talked to Lauren, and we're talking about going back next year!! :D So... we'll see you there in 2012! :D

Interviews from BarkWorld!

Jasmine had a FANTASTIC time at Barkworld- in Atlanta, GA!

Here's an interview we did with Nylabone while we were there!



We roomed with our really good friends Lauren and her dog Paige!

Jasmine and Paige were the YouTube Rockstars- and gave a presentation on how to make good YouTube videos, and how to clicker train. At the end of the class, we did a trick dog demo. It was so popular, there was standing room only!! It was awesome! We met a ton of new friends. And had a blast! We'll definitely be back next year!!



I didn't even realize that we did pretty much the same tricks until after I saw Lauren's interview! LOL. Hey- great minds think alike!! ;)

They also taped part of our trick dog demo- but that will be coming in a separate post!

BarkWorld Movie Teaser... :D

Jasmine and Paige went to Atlanta, Georgia for the BarkWorld Expo!! I can't even tell you what a fantastic time we had!! I can't wait to write all about our wonderful trip! But in the meantime, here's a little teaser video for you!!! :) (It makes me grin just watching this!)

I LOVED BARKWORLD!!!!

Atlanta.... Here We Come!!

I am getting so excited about our trip to Atlanta for the BarkWorld Pet Expo! (Jasmine is less excited.... lol... but she'll be okay.) I think she'll do better this trip because she's going to be under the seat in front of me on the plane. When we went to NY for the Letterman audition, she was in cargo, and that was kind of traumatizing for her! Lauren & her superstar dog Paige will be there with us! We're both giving the presentation on "How To Make Your Dog A YouTube Rockstar"! :) This is one of those presentations that could also be titled "Things I Wish I Knew 3 Years Ago!" There's a lot of good info! There's a little bit of everything- clicker training, editing videos, SEO, marketing, and the background story of Paige and Jasmine, to list a few! It's all the things Lauren and I have learned through experience! We've got the powerpoint presentation all done- and emailed to BarkWorld. So it will be ready for us when we arrive.

I'm trying to make sure I don't forget anything!! Jaz groomed... check. Vet health certificate... check. Now I just need to pack, and buy a new memory card for my camera! (So we can take a ton of pictures of our awesome trip!) We leave on Thursday!!

Life is insanely busy of course! Remember how Jaz was a Top 5 finalist in that "Dog Days of Summer" contest? Well, the meet & greet with the judges in this Wednesday! (to pick the final winner!) I'm so glad it was on Wednesday, not Thursday!! Or we would be in Atlanta!! so- it's go-go-go for us!! :D (But it's fun stuff, so it's all good!) :D