Nominations Now Open for the DogTime 2011 Pet Blog Awards

SAN FRANCISCO, June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- DogTime Media, the largest vertical media community focused exclusively on pet owners, today announced that nominations are open for the DogTime 2011 Pet Blog Awards, also known as "the Petties".

The Petties are the only awards that are nominated by, voted for, and presented to the pet blogging community. The DogTime Media community includes more than 525 pet bloggers, making it the largest pet blogging community in the world.

Last year's Petties winners were:

Best Cat Blog: Janiss Garza for Sparkle the Designer Cat
Best Dog Blog: Roxanne Hawn for Champion of My Heart
Best Cause Blog: Nikki Jeske and Ashley Niels for I Love Rescue Animals
Best Pet Blog: Dr. Jessica Vogelsang for Pawcurious

"The Petties has connected with pet bloggers because it is truly an awards program for bloggers, by bloggers," said DogTime Media CEO, Trevor Wright. "This year we are recognizing twice as many bloggers and are doubling the donation that DogTime will make in the name of each winning blogger to the animal shelter of their choice."

Nominations are now open for the DogTime 2011 Pet Blog Awards in eight categories:

• Best Dog Blog
• Best Cat Blog
• Best Cause-Related Blog
• Best Overall Pet Blog
• Best Designed Blog
• Best Individual Blog Post
• Best Social Integration Blog
• Funniest Blog or Blogger

Each winning blogger will be awarded a $1,000 donation to the animal shelter of their choice, along with a custom "Petties" award, a "Petties Winner" badge for their blog site, a valuable package of editorial coverage across the DogTime Media Network, VIP access to the BlogPaws 2011 and a host of social media traffic driving opportunities.

Nominations for the 2011 DogTime Pet Blog awards close June 29th, 2011. The four bloggers with the most nominations in each category will be chosen as finalists. Voting for the finalists opens July 5th and closes July 29th, 2011. Winners will be announced at a gala awards ceremony in the ballroom of the Sheraton Premiere on Friday, August 26th, in Tysons Corner, VA (just outside Washington DC) during the BlogPaws 2011 conference.

For more information and/or to nominate a blogger, go to http://dogtime.com/petties.

"This year the awards ceremony is going to capture the classic style of old Hollywood, with lots of glamour, beautiful gowns, red carpet, the works!" said Leslie Smith, Editor-in-Chief of DogTime and emcee of the Petties awards ceremony. "This year we will be awarding more prizes, donating more money than ever to shelters on behalf of the winners, and recognizing more of the great work these bloggers do everyday."

BlogPaws 2011 Event Details
What: BlogPaws 2011
When: August 25-27, 2011
Where: Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner, Virginia
For More Information: http://www.blogpaws.com

"We're so happy to host the Petties again this year," said Caroline Golon, BlogPaws co-founder. "The excitement around the awards is a testament to how supportive pet bloggers are of one another. We look forward to bringing the community together at BlogPaws to celebrate everyone's hard work and accomplishments."

BlogPaws 2011 will feature exciting keynotes and action-oriented education sessions covering topics pet bloggers rely on for their craft: social media strategies, search engine optimization, content development, blog monetization, product reviews, pet photography techniques, tips and tricks for using popular blogging platforms and more. The event will also feature a specific track for veterinarians interested in social media and blogging as well as special sessions for animal rescue and shelter administrators and volunteers.

1.  SOURCE:  comScore MediaMetrics, 1/11

About DogTime Media:
DogTime Media is the largest vertical media community focused exclusively on pet owners and the 50 billion dollar annual pet market. DogTime Media reaches 40.3 million monthly users via its community of 513 leading pet-focused websites, 525 pet bloggers and more than 3,000 rescue groups, anchored by its own DogTime.com, the premier destination for dog owners.

DogTime Media actively supports the efforts of rescue groups and shelters nationwide to significantly reduce the number of homeless and neglected pets in the country by providing authoritative advice to both novice and experienced pet guardians. DogTime Media has donated over $232,000 to pet related caused via its Save a Dog and Save a Cat Facebook applications, monthly grants and a variety of other programs. Privately held DogTime Media and DogTime.com are based in San Francisco, Calif.

About BlogPaws:
BlogPaws is the premier online resource to help pet bloggers, brands and pet enthusiasts connect digitally, build their online presence, enhance their social networks and give back to the community. In addition to its dynamic web-based network, BlogPaws brings this passionate community together for annual live events. This year's conference, BlogPaws 2011, will be held August 25-27 in Tysons Corner, VA. To learn more, please visit: http://www.blogpaws.com.

SOURCE DogTime Media