Goodnewsforpets.com’s Lola and her pal Rosie eating 20th Anniversary birthday cake from Three Dog Bakery.
As we get ready to say goodbye to 2020, there is some unfinished business here at Goodnewsforpets.com. To those that know me well that is hardly a surprise. One more tweak, one more change, pretty please! Count public relations and digital pro Shelli Manning among them. She handled my reaching out for an interview on the creation and launch of Goodnewsforpets.com at year-end with her usual aplomb. Ditto for her counterpart and creative whiz Amy Davis. Again, another pro that knows me well.
The 20th Anniversary year of Goodnewsforpets.com started with grand plans in January – well before the pandemic set in and COVID-19 upset our lives. We launched with our anniversary logo at the start of the year and a special interview with our first columnist, Steve Dale, recipient of the AVMA Media Award during VMX. That interview was followed by the launch of the Charmed by the Love 20th Anniversary Contest at Global Pet Expo at a packed show in Orlando. Little did we know this would be the last trade show we would attend in 2020.
A Goodnewsforpets calendar we anticipated would be filled with travel to onsite events changed to virtual events, and changed again as it became clear even early 2021 was not enough time for the pandemic to safely be over. We were still able to maintain our longstanding sponsorship of the Cat Writers’ Association (CWA), a group like so many we hold dear. I was surprised, humbled and honored to receive the CWA Michael W. Brim Outstanding Service Award.
We thank industry partners Purina, Fetch for Pets, Thunderworks and Sleepypod and association partner, the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists (ACVB) as pandemic logistics challenges forced us to change the 20th Anniversary contest. Even with that we were able to award our winners some very nice prizes and contribute shelter donations.