Dogs Trust News Roundup

Hello hello. It's been a little quiet in our social sphere of late as we've been working hard on the kind of behind-the-scenes stuff that is not very flashy or visible but none-the-less very necessary. Here's a quick run down of what's been going on that you might or might not know about.

Waggy Walks

You should have heard about this one! The digital team (minus Lo who sadly can't make it) is getting ready for the six-mile trek around Finsbury Park on Sunday and is fundraising furiously. Many thanks to those who have already chipped in. At work, we've been organising emails to thousands of people encouraging them to join the near-4,000 who have already signed up for the walk. You can still come along on the day if you haven't registered; just come along to the starting point of the walk between 9 and 10am to let us know you're walking. Check out the website to find the event nearest to you.

New Website

We've been mumbling about a new website for some time now, and it looks as though we'll be able to reveal all by the end of the year. But as the various pre-launch milestones come thick and fast we're furiously working away, making lists and - like Santa - checking them twice, to ensure that copy is accurate, links work and all the new features we're dying to show off work properly. Stick with us - we think you'll like what's coming!

ICAWC

The International Companion Animal Welfare Conference has just been and gone, bringing together 280 delegates from 38 countries and 107 animal welfare groups. Covering everything from veterinary issues to shelter management and fundraising, the expert speakers did a fantastic job in sharing information that is key to those trying to help animals around the world. Jacqui was there to do her bit by running a workshop all about digital marketing and website building on restricted budgets. The presentations are now available online for viewing and download; watch the website for details about the 2010 conference.

Q&A

Meanwhile, Jacqui, Lo and I might be quieter than normal at the moment, but we are definitely listening and responding to all your questions, be they in our supporter inbox, on Facebook, via Twitter, through Bebo, at the DoggySnaps forum or on any of our other online pages. Please keep questions and comments coming; we're always happy to help.

By the way, remember I told you that John Barrowman's fans made a generous donation in honour of his debut in La Cage aux Folles? Well we also just received a whopping £1451.90 from the eBay auction of two pairs of his tights from his last panto season (there was a website-related delay which meant it's only been confirmed now). It's official: we love the man and we love his fans!