Home again

Our cats are so lucky to have Donna and Tim to look after them. I'm not sure what I would do without them, now that Alden has moved to Ithaca. 3.5 days of 3 visits a day....that's a huge commitment!

The AWFNJ conference was, as usual, excellent, although New Jersey got their only (only!) snowstorm of the year on Friday, the first day of the conference, so it made travel somewhat challenging for attendees. By Saturday most everyone seemed to have found their way through the weather.

My camera was poorly suited to the lighting so the few shots I did get are a bit on the fuzzy side. I was room monitor for Brian Kortis (Neighborhood Cats) Trap Neuter Return certification program (yes, I did get to choose which workshops I monitored--lucky me!). It's always fascinating to sit in the audience with people who range from lots...to little...to no....TNR experience where you can listen to what they agree with, what surprises them, and what startles them. As someone who has been involved with TNR for over a decade, it's good to be reminded of what it's like to be exposed to this idea for the first time.

The TNR movement now benefits from many excellent videos (now DVDS instead of good old video tape, so more affordable for advocacy groups to reproduce and mail) and I highly recommend anything you can find from Neighborhood Cats (www.neighborhoodcats.org).



I have not yet seen the Alley Cat Allies DVD and I meant to pick one up while I was there. I guess I'd best order one on line! The ACA booth was also well attended and I enjoyed the time I spent with the ACA rep (she gave me several contacts for issues I had questions about and I thank her!)



During his presentation Brian showed the room how to use Laura Burns' (Hubcats of MA) amazing drop trap.



You can learn more about this item of beauty here

ACES (Animal Care Equipment and Services) was at the exhibitors area so I was able to say hi to Bill Brothers, whose business provides equipment for both domestic and wild animal rescue, welfare, and control. The exhibit hall is always one of the best parts of any conference. I daresay I would not be working in a paid position in animal welfare now if I had not constantly visited exhibit areas at local wildlife rehabilitators conferences when I first started out in wildlife control in the early 90s. Exhibitors for wildlife rescue overlap with domestic animal welfare. It was in the exhibit hall that I learned so much, forged friendships, and purchased equipment I otherwise would not have been able to afford, at show discounts.

Even when I was working in other fields, I always tried to attend one animal welfare workshop each year, even if paying for the registration meant I slept in my truck in the parking lot (with permission!), or camped at a local KOA for $12. Luckily I lived in NYS, which meant I usually didn't have to drive far to find something in NY/PA/VT . Remember to look outside your field as well. Wildlife rehab programs have a lot of medical expertise to share with domestic animal rescuers!

I did have to take a shot of the Petfinder booth. I distinctly heard someone say "oh, man, she has a blog!" when I was taking photos. Sorry! (no I'm not!)




This is just a tiny snippet of a very large two-day conference. If you live in the NY/NJ area, I highly recommend this conference, which is held every year.

Next up is the Whole Cat Workshop in MA on March 9 in Grafton MA. Only $40 for non members. Let me know if you are going!

Unfortunately I also brought home a virus from my travels and I'm not feeling so hot. So I'm headed off to bed...dare I say? Before midnight.

Thank you again to everyone who make my travels possible!