Dog Writers Association of America

To continue with my series of spotlights on the associations I'm involved in - today I'll discuss the Dog Writers Association of America.

The DWAA has an impressive membership list of dog writers, canine behavior specialists, veterinarians, trainers and dog lovers from across Canada and the States.

Benefits include:

• a monthly newsletter (this is December's)
• a forum where members can discuss doggy things and pass on tips for writing markets
• a yearly conference
• and their main event - the dog writing awards held each June. The categories include dog books, magazine articles, newspaper features and blogs or websites

Inde-debut group - small presses rock

Thanks to Amy Allgeyer Cook our founder, and Lori Calabrese our blogger guru, I'd like to introduce our new Inde-debut blogsite. Our group is made of authors whose books are being published by small presses in 2010 or 2011. Our blogsite is a great source of information on small and independent publishing presses as well as writing tips and other cool stuff.

Check out the "about" page for a quote from Business Week about how small presses are finding unique ways to market their authors.

Also check out the member links on my sidebar and perhaps discover a new favorite author.

Mush with PRIDE

Mush with PRIDE is another organization that I belong to. Providing Responsible Information on a Dog's Environment. They promote the musher/dog relationship and work towards responsible dog care and public perception of dogsledding.

There's all kinds of great information here.

And if all mushers were members, perhaps stories like this wouldn't happen. I hope they find good homes for all 97 of those unfortunate sled dogs.



"When I grow up, I want to be a sled dog."
This image is pilfered from here.

Outdoor Writers of Canada

I am now a member of the Outdoor Writers of Canada and I got this cool card in the mail. They are a National organization with the following objectives:

1. Stimulate interest in and appreciation of the outdoors.
2. Stimulate high standards of craftsmanship among those concerned with the portrayal of outdoor life.
3. Co-operate with others in support of responsible use of Canada's natural resources.

Go here to check them out.

Dog Teams from the BARK program

Meet my dog teams that I'm sponsoring this year through a great program called BARK over at sled dog central.

Bill Cotter is an old friend I met when I worked for a kennel in Nenana Alaska. He has a rich history of racing his dogs.

Laughing Eyes Kennel run by Hugh Neff and Tamra Reynolds are very active in the sport including winning Iditarod Rookie of the Year award in 2004. Hugh races both the Iditarod as well as the Yukon Quest. Amazing. They tour schools and give lectures on the positive energy of dogsledding. Check them out.

Some teams on the list are all rescue dogs, some are award winning Iditarod racing teams. This great program allows you to be a part of a dog team of your choice and follow along with their racing season.

So if, say you've had to sell your team due to a career change but miss their smiling faces every waking moment and still hear their happy voices in your dreams, you can feel a little like you're part of it all.

Please visit my next blog post where I will finally announce the HUGE secret I've been waiting to share with you.