Pawcurious Blogathon 2011!
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8 commentsThe third annual Pawcurious Blogathon starts this coming Saturday at 1:00 pm Central Time!
- Recently Rescued Pups at Nebraska Humane Society
What is Blogathon?
Blogathon is a word that I assume Dr. V made up, which as you know, in my book, makes it a real word now. Especially since it has a real word definition. Blogathon is a very fun online fundraiser for animals. It was started in 2009 when Dr. V decided, sort of on the spur of the moment, to spend twenty-four hours in a row blogging hourly to raise money for her local humane society.
In 2010, eight other bloggers joined Dr. V to raise money for different pet causes. Four of us raised money for a seizure support dog for a four year old named Bradyn. (He is getting his dog in March 2012 – woo!) This year, the project has gotten so crazy that I do not even know how many animal lovers are participating yet! How cool is that??
Dr. V is raising money for a large animal sanctuary near San Diego called Lions, Tigers and Bears. Su Smith and her students at Cornerstone Christian School are raising money for dogs affected by the recent Texas wildfires. Elizabeth Hilpipre and I, along with at least six other Omaha bloggers, are raising money for the Nebraska Humane Society. Also, an anonymous donor is matching every single donation to the Nebraska Humane Society during the Blogathon! (Thank you Secret Pet Saver!!!)
Here is a running list of participants…Let me know of any others!
supporting
supporting
The Wandering Duck Climbs a Mountain
supporting
supporting
When is Blogathon?
1:00 pm Saturday, November 12. 2011 – noon Sunday, November 13. 2011 Central Time.
Can I participate?
Yes, of course!
How?
- If you have a blog, and an animal related cause you would like to support, join us on Saturday and Sunday to blog hourly to raise money for your chosen cause. Feel free to blog more or less often, or participate in the “sane” hours of the Blogathon.
- If you have a blog and would like to support a cause already being sponsored, check the list of participants and jump in with the project you would like to support! Last year, I was still figuring all of this out, and loved Dr. V’s idea of helping a little boy get his therapy dog, so this is the option I chose.
- Let us know you are participating!
Do I Have Time to Prepare if this is the First I Have Heard of Blogathon?
Last year I bought some Diet Coke and chocolate right before Blogathon started and made stuff up as I went. So, yes.
What Should I Blog About?
The cause you are supporting…pets…your thoughts on things you think…videos…photos…links to the cause you are supporting or other Blogathon participants’ websites and the causes they are supporting or other stuff…
My blogging style is a bit random, so I made sure to link to the donation site at the end of every post last year to help focus myself. I will be doing that again this year!
Do You Have Links From Last Year I Can Check Out?
Yes, and if you follow those links, they will bring you to more information!
Blogathon 2010 on Riley and James
Oh no, I do not have a blog! Do I need to sit on the curb and watch everyone go by? *sniff*
No, of course not!
- Offer to write a guest blog post in advance for any participating blogger you think may need a 3 am coffee break.
- Comment on the participating blogs. You would not believe how encouraging support and participation are when bloggers are thinking “What was I thinking?” and “What did I get myself into?” and “I am so tired!” and “Is this making a difference?”
- See if bloggers need pictures that you have taken. We are ALWAYS looking for great pictures, and they make posts more fun to read. Also, your pets are super cute.
- I am specifically looking for pictures of clocks “on the hour” to post each hour, so if you take a neat clock picture that I can use, let me know!
You are crazy! I am not staying up all night!
That is not a question! But you do have a good point. You can still help!
- Promote the Blogathon through facebook and twitter and other social media sites.
- Tell your friends and family.
- Support the cause or causes that you love. Make donations during the Blogathon or even later in honor of “The Pawcurious Blogathon.”
- Learn about the groups highlighted during Blogathon that sound interesting.
- Get to know the participating bloggers. Odds are, they are just as dog crazy as you are and would be very fun to know!
- Do the awesome things you are already doing to help organizations helping animals…give, volunteer, support.
I think you are awesome, and I can not wait to spend this coming weekend with you! THIS is going to be fun, people!
Shawn Finch, DVM 
Welcome to Bridey’s Page
Dear Friends,
Thank you so much for taking the time to visit Bridey’s page. My name is Roberta Boyle. I rescued a pup that lived in deplorable conditions. She is 6 months old now and she is the most adorable, sweetest, loving puppy I have ever had.
Bridey has had some health issues since I got her, starting with parasites. I have taken care of her through all of this but now she is facing her biggest challenge. After much research and many Vet visits and tests I have discovered Bridey is in need of a liver shunt. The good news is that she is a good candidate for it and that her chances of living a long health and happy life after the surgery are very high. The bad news is that the surgery is very expensive and I do not have the money to pay for it. The really heartbreaking news is that if she does not receive the surgery, she doesn’t have much longer to live.
Setting up this page and asking for help is extremely difficult and humbling for me, but I do not know what else to do. I am in a situation that is breaking my heart, and feel like I must do everything I can to save my little puppy. I currently do not have steady employment, and am selling things on ebay and craigslist to raise money. I have already spent several thousand dollars on vet bills to get to this point. Friends have been asking how how they can help, and a few friends told me about the ChipIn website and how I could use this as a secure website to let people make donations to help save Bridey by chipping in for her liver shunt surgery.
Thank you at the very least for reading about Bridey and hopefully you can send some prayers her way. If you are able to “chip in” to help with her surgery, my gratitude will be beyond words. I will be writing more details about her condition, what the surgery is, and what all of the vets are saying, and will either post her bills or send them at one’s request. Any money that is not spent directly on Bridey’s vet bills will be donated to a reputable animal charity.
Thank you so much in advance for your kindness,
Roberta & “Bridey” Boyle
• October 29 12:13pm
I am very excited to write a guest post for this year’s Blogathon! Taco and Maya spent the weekend giving me ideas what to write about, and Sid even chipped in a bit with her snarly un-liking-anyone-ness. I am even more excited to read all the great posts Dr. Finch (my favorite Sister-I-Love) and all the other writers will submit. <3
Yay! I am so excited to do this Blogathon with you, Sister-I-Love!
What is she cooking and eating this year? Cat food catsorole? Natural balance sushi rolls? Her puparoni recipe was the best.
I don’t know what Dr. V is going to eat! That is why I am doing Blogathon – to find out!
I loved the Blogathon idea, but I really did not feel I had enough time to get it all together and did not quite have all my questions answered. Do you think y’all can start to talk it up a bit earlier next year? I’d love to do it, but I needed to get organized, etc. Please bring it up earlier. THANKS!!!!
We answered your questions as best we could. It is still going on if you want to join us.
If you read through all the posts of the participants when it is all said and done, it might make more sense. I was totally lost when I first started learning about Blogathon – it is a pretty strange concept, in a good way!