Once Clare and I really did find our way to the elevator -- and remarkably it was there all along -- I had the serendipitous experience of meeting one of my oldest and most avid blog followers from back when I was putting my first nascent posts on Posterous -- Vinny the Pug or at least his voice, owner Allen Kimble. Unfortunately, poor Vinny passed away. But there was Allen in the elevator and as soon as I saw his name tag, I squealed, "Allen" and we ended up Giving each other a warm hug. It was nice to see a friendly face even if it was one I had never actually seen before.
"Do you two know each other?" My friend Clare asked and it was hard to explain. In this digital age what qualifies as knowing each other? I have worked for one publication since its origins and have only seen the editor once. Come to think of it that's the case for most of the publications for which I write. Tonight, people throughout the conference venue were exclaiming over celebrity pets they knew only through the web. I know that Vinny or Allen's comments on my blog had inspired a number of blog posts, that they were quiet inspiration in the early days to keep writing because at least someone out there was not only listening, but seemed to like what he heard, and that in turn, mourned Vinny's death. Certainly, Allen was a friend. We ended up talking later during the reception as he shared some of what he will be speaking on this Saturday, a marketing plan to sell Vinny the Pug merchandise and to make money to end the killing of healthy pets in the process.
After Allen and I bid each other goodnight to go network with others, I got to watch a demonstration of Sony's new action cam, which one can buy with a harness for your dog, allowing you to see the world from your dog's eye view. I practically placed an order on the spot--Alfie and Waffles need one one of those don't you think. The action cam is only the tip of the iceberg. I also got to see a dog GPS that not only allows you to track Fido should he get lost but also keep track of his daily exercise. I'm pretty sure I can monitor Alfie's exercise or ack thereof without it, but the GPS might be cool for my friend Joan's pugs who often like to wander away. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if it would work in her region of Vermont. the is supposed to be a coverage map online which I will have to check out. I have only spent a few hours at the conference and already have two huge bags of swag. I hear UPS will be on hand to ship things home. I've taken lots of pics but won't be able to post more until I get home.
Meanwhile, on the homefront, I understand that Waffles has taken the opportunity of my absence to sneak upstairs to the third floor bathroom, the one that isn't being renovated to explore the trash for sanitary napkins, wipees or baby diapers. She scored at least one of these! So I guess in our own way, we are each having fun -- now that I think about it, I guess the trash can probably seems like a giant swag bag to Waffles.