You, along with the shelters, animal control officers, and rescue groups of southwest Virginia are invited to the Spring 2000 Animal Welfare Expo, cosponsored by VA PAWS and the Virginia Tech Student Animal Welfare Committee.

The goals of the Spring 2000 Animal Welfare Expo are to:

The expo will focus on the sources of animals' problems and work towards addressing them on a long-term, regional basis. Similar animal welfare conferences have yielded significant positive, ongoing support of and improvements in animal welfare programs.

Conference topics parallel the main goals of VA PAWS:

These themes will be covered by a variety of engaging speakers discussing topics of interest to all conference attendees. Please refer to the agenda below for details on each speaker and his or her topic. The day will conclude with a town hall meeting of animal welfare organization representatives with speaker Bob Christiansen, the president of CLC Publishing. The town hall meeting objective is to build mutual support, trust and increased interaction between the many people working in animal protection in the region and to work towards the development of new cooperative programs. Booths and demonstrations will bring interesting and enjoyable experiences to both seasoned animal veterans and the public. The expo will highlight your booths, focusing attention on your work and programs while encouraging people to become members and volunteers. Your organization may solicit memberships, donations, and sell items to raise money. We encourage you to man a booth and take advantage of the media and other publicity you will receive by being part of this event! Reserve your booth or demonstration space by contacting us as soon as possible. Tables for booths will be provided. During the expo we encourage you to make use of the suggestion box to let us know which aspects of the conference were most useful to you and give recommendations for future animal welfare conferences. We look forward to sharing in this groundbreaking event for southwestern Virginia and how we can maximize its benefits for you!
For more information please contact:

Lila Borge Wills Kathy P. Davieds, DVM
Vice President President, VA PAWS
540-651-4530 540-745-2185
email: vapaws@onemain.com email: momdog@usit.net

Sponsors:

Virginia Tech Student Animal Welfare Club Ralston Purina NRV Kennel Club Hans Meadow Kennel

Agenda

Time
Event or
Speaker (click on name for bio) Title
9:00 - 10:00
Exhibitor booths open
10:00 - 10:10
Chris Thompson, VA PAWS Welcome and introduction
10:10 - 11:00
Dr. H. Marie Suthers-McCabe, DVM The Human-Animal Bond
11:00 - 11:10
Break
11:10 - 12:30
Bob Christiansen, President of CLC Publishing Veterinarians & Animal Welfare: Working Together for a More Effective Community Animal Management System
12:30 - 1:30
Lunch and demonstrations
1:30 - 2:15
Teresa Dockery, President of VA Federation of Humane Societies State Laws, Local Ordinances and Shelter Policies: Using These Tools Effectively to Eliminate Animal Cruelty, Neglect and Overpopulation
2:15 - 2:45
Dr. Dog (Dr. Douglas Gordon) Trotting Across the Literary Landscape: Dogs in literature
2:45 - 3:00
Break
3:00 - 3:20
Dr. Kathy Davieds, DVM Responsible Breeding: An Oxymoron?
3:20 - 3:35
Carol Wiloughby and "Blake", St. Francis of Assisi Animals as More Than Companions
3:35 - 4:20
Dr. H. Marie Suthers-McCabe, DVM Animals in Community Disaster Planning
4:20 - 4:30
Break
4:30 - 6:00
Town Hall Meeting - Animal welfare group representatives meet with Bob Christiansen Developing a Community Animal Management System

Current list of organizations manning booths and/or holding demonstrations

Organization
Booth
Demonstration(s)

St. Francis of Assisi Educational materials, 5 minute video Assistance dog demonstration
FERAL: Feline Education, Rescue, and Adoption League, Inc. Educational materials
New River Valley Kennel Club AKC educational materials Canine Good Citizen (CGC) and Therapy Dog International (TDI) tests demonstration
Canine search and rescue Canine search and rescue demonstration
CENTAUR, the Center for the Animal-Human Bond educational materials
Pulaski County Humane Society educational materials
Lost Paws educational materials
Canine agility Canine agility demonstration
Your Pets Closet, Inc.
Hi-D-Ho Dog Training Training materials, answer questions
Hoof 'n Hound educational materials
Canine Kerchiefs
Bone Appetite
Virginia Tech Student Animal Welfare Club refreshments, educational materials