Living vicariously through Twitter #09nmhp

The No More Homeless Pets Conference is presently underway in Las Vegas. I’m not there, but I am watching happily as hundred of people twitter and blog the conference in real time. It’s so wonderful to see the No Kill movement capturing people’s imagination like nothing in rescue ever has before.

Here’s a selection of my favourite broadcasts; with links if you’re interested.

Favourite tweets (http://twitter.com/09NMHP)

Amazing to see so many new faces at #09NMHP – So many people interested in how they can create a world with No More Homeless Pets!

#jon_dunn: Worried you’ll lose control if you let volunteer do social media for you? You’ve never had control.

RT @jbsibley: Nathan Winograd at #09NMHP conf: pet adoption screening should be thoughtful, not bureaucratic

#jbsibley Mike Arms: you’re selling used animals. Get good at it.

#CathyScott Judah Battista @ #09NMHP conf: If u had pets as a child, it doesn’t make any sense 2 not adopt 2 homes w/kids.

#jbsibley Winograd: #1 killer of cats is shelters, not outdoor living. #09nmhp

#CathyScott Nathan Winograd @ #09NMHP conf: The most unethical thing we can do is kill an animal.

#jbsibley Legislation not the answer, makes shelters adversaries of the public. MSN esp driving up killing.

#jbsibley Shelters need new leadership that is interested in moving on from old methods.

#CathyScott Bonney Brown w/Nevada Humane Society @ #09NMHP conf: “No Kill is a community wide effort. No one does this alone.”

#katalbrecht I just presented “Think Lost, NOT Stray” http://tinyurl.com/yakn2yn workshop at BF Conference #09NMHP – Fantastic response to the concept!

Favourite blogs

No More Homeless Pets Conference Kicks Off

A really moving morning session kicking off Best Friends’ No More Homeless Pets Conference. Gregory Castle, interim CEO and a co-founder of Best Friends, had this to say:

The No Kill movement is a true movement,” he told the standing-room only attendees. “It’s a driving force. By now, many of you from rescues and shelters have joined us and believe it’s possible to reach a time when there are no more homeless pets. More and more people are joining us in this fight.”

“The writing is on the wall,” he continued, to applause. “It’s clear that great progress has been made and great progress can be made.”

Gregory ended the kick-off to the conference with these words: “Be brave. Be bold be courageous. Step into unknown territory. You know and I know it’s all for the animals. As we do this work we can all be proud that we’re moving together toward the time we envision, toward the time when there will be no more homeless pets.”

Saving Animals Takes A Village – Bonney Brown

Customer service is paramount, as are spay-neuter programs. And, she said, they had to let some programs go, because the problem was certain programs didn’t have immediate life-saving impacts.

Another key move is to make a public declaration of no kill. “Putting it out there is scary,” she said. “At the same time, it’s incredibly powerful. When you tell people what you need, people will come forward and help you. For animal lovers, this is a dream come true. It inspires people to step forward and do a little bit more. You want to let them know it’s achievable and you can only do it with them.”

Enthusiasm catches on. “When you’re enthusiastic about it, others are going to capture that enthusiasm. It really is contagious.”

Also looking forward to the National Desexing Network/AWL QLD releasing their conference “Getting to Zero” power point presentations on their website tomorrow. Stayed tuned to www.ndn.org.au for updates!

Does anyone feel something big happening here?