Just got back from the Best Friends National Conference and I am so invigorated and inspired and amazed at all the good work being done out there on behalf of animals! It was my first time at this convention and I met the most wonderful people.
Photo above: I got to meet author / screenwriter W. Bruce Cameron at the members only opening night party. Do become a BF member, by the way: it’s one of the best ways you can spend $25. And I was so excited to meet Cameron. He is one of my favorite “dog authors.” I can’t wait to read his latest – A Dog’s Way Home, and see the movie, which comes out in January!
I also got to meet the adorable and very cuddly internet sensation, Sunglass Cat! What a sweetie. She was born without eyelids so her mom has to give her frequent eye drops and she wears little sunglasses for protection. She really loved being held, and passed around from person to person 🙂
The excellent Jackson Galaxy was there, giving a very informative and entertaining lecture on his Cat Pawsitive program. His discussion of the awesomeness of cat cafes and how they are helping to get people to adoptable cats in new ways really inspired me to get my own bookstore / cat lounge open.
As did a little bookshop the conference had set up. So many books, and the store area was ALWAYS packed. Animals and books just go together! Above are all the ones I bought. Funny, but I listen to the Our Hen House podcast (excellent podcast about animals, with an emphasis on veganism, by the way!) and the second book from the left in the top row – The Animal Lover’s Guide to Changing the World by Stephanie Feldstein – was the subject of their latest podcast, which I listened to after the conference. Now I’m all the more excited to read that one!
After the conference, we took a little tour of the Best Friends’ NKLA adoption center in West LA. What a beautiful place filled with wonderful adoptable cats and dogs.
Our tour guide mentioned that they have a “read to cats” program at their Mission Hills location up in the Valley, whereby parents can bring their kids just learning to read to read to the cats. It helps both kids with their reading skills and the cats, many of whom love to be cuddled and read to! I signed up to receive information about their program since I definitely want to do that here as well.
I’m a bit overwhelmed with all the information I received – grant writing, fundraising, marketing adoptable animals, building an organization, networking with other nonprofits, promotion, etc. etc. etc. – combined with all the info I’m receiving from the American Booksellers Association on opening a bookstore. But I really want to do this, and the conference made me all the more excited about it!
So no time for lazing around, as this little cutie was in the NKLA kitten room 🙂
