UPDATED Feb 6, 2011
First ever “doggy” tweetup in history held in reaction to local story about 100 slaughtered Canadian sled dogs
“Barking Mad”
Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011 – Noon – 2pm PST Ambleside Park, 1300 Marine
WEST VANCOUVER, BC – Canada’s wealthiest bedroom community played host on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011 to the world’s first ever massive social media “doggy” tweetup event. Organized by WestVancouver.com community blog editor and media personality Catherine Barr (catherinebarr.com), the “Barking Mad” event makes history for being the first of its kind ever on record.
Speaking on CKNW 980AM radio’s Bill Good Show last week, Barr said the event was planned in response to recent news about the inhumane and extremely violent slaughter of 100 healthy sled dogs by a local tour operator in the neighbouring resort community of Whistler, BC. Online reaction has included equally violent language and police continue to investigate numerous potential threats made towards the people named in the killings. Social media is being blamed for the threats.
“We need to channel something positive from this tragic event and show the world that this is not Canada, and it’s not the right way to use social media,” said Barr during the interview.
The event was not originally planned as a protest, but rather a social gathering or “Tweetup/Meetup”. Saying that this event is just as much about correct social media practices as it is about the violence against animals, Barr and her Twitter/Facebook followers battled cold and rain to show that social media is the new way to organize a cause in the 21st century.
Volunteers handed out “Tweet Cheat Sheets” to the over 800 attendees. On the page were directions about how to participate in the tweetup event if you didn’t have a Twitter enabled cell phone. “Find a new friend, ask them to tweet for you,” were the directions. Local professional bloggers were accompanied by sign bearers showing their Twitter names so that anyone wanting to take part could easily find an online connection.
Taking place from noon – 2pm in Ambleside Park, West Vancouver, BC (1300 Marine Drive), on the beaches adjacent to the landmark Lions Gate Bridge and the local SPCA, people brought their pampered pooches and wore their red Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic attire. The tweetup hastag was marked with #BarkingMad. Driving rain and cold weather did affect turnout, but thanks to those who also took party virutally, the event was a history making success.
A special balloon ceremony was performed by “Sammy” – a 13 yr old Jack Russell – who carried a heart shaped balloon out to the Squamish Nation Welcome Figure which marks the start of the doggy walk. This 20-foot tall native public art figure stands at the water’s edge and represents a welcoming of all to the area and a wish to respect the land, the animals and the traditions that go with it. Sammy was met by local musician Bruce Vernon performing music from his original composition “Der Abschied” (German for “The Goodbye”).
Online response has been overwhelming and early estimates predict that anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people attended. Inclement weather unfortunately diminished the over 3,000 expected attendees.
The event was covered by every major media outlet in Vancouver including Global BC TV, CTV Vancouver TV, CBC News TV, City TV Vancouver, News 1130 Radio, CKNW 980 Radio, CBC 1 Radio, Virgin 95.3 Radio, Vancouver Sun Newspaper, Vancouver Province Newspaper, North Shore Outlook Newspaper and WestVancouver.com Social Media Hub.
More information please contact WestVancouver.com / Turner Media Canada Ltd. at 604-926-9293 or online at westvancouver.com
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CONTACT: Catherine Barr: (604) 926-9293 / http://www.twitter.com/catherinebarr
EVENT PAGE: http://westvancouver.com/news/news-features/editorial-news/barking-mad-a-meet-up-tweet-up-in-support-of-whistlers-slaughtered-sled-dogs/
ABOUT WEST VANCOUVER: West Vancouver has a population of approx. 45,000 and is home to some of Canada’s wealthiest properties, including a $12 million estate rumoured to be owned by Oprah Winfrey. Famous residents including billionaire industrialist Jim Pattison, Clinton Foundation trustee Frank Giustra and Grammy award winning musicians Sarah McLachlan, Diana Krall and Elvis Costello, to name a few. It is located five minutes from downtown Vancouver and includes Cypress Bowl ski hill (the former site of the 2010 Winter Olympic freestyle skiing and snowboarding events)
Big thanks to my Virgin Radio 95.3 and Astral Media/AM650 family who will be on site for the afternoon and will be providing us with great music to go with our doggy tweetup event.
Hi everyone. The positive energy continues to flow towards the first ever “doggy” tweetup in history. We have some local celebs confirmed, some prominent politicians and lots and lots of media. Please don’t forget that this event was organized as a result of the violence – ALL OF THE VIOLENCE – including the threats that have been issued online as a result. These threats are equally disturbing and I hope you can join us in channeling that passion into something better. By definition, a “tweetup” is a social, happy event. It’s simply a chance to meet up with new friends and their pups to share in a pleasant afternoon that is the first of its kind in history. Look forward to seeing you all there. – Cat Barr
VANCOUVER SUN ARTICLE – http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Rallies+planned+over+sled+slaughter/4227782/story.html
UPDATED – Feb 3, 2011
WEST VANCOUVER, BC – Canada’s wealthiest bedroom community will play host on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011 to the world’s first ever massive social media “doggy” tweetup event. Organized by WestVancouver.com community blog editor Catherine Barr (catherinebarr.com), the “Barking Mad” event is hoping to break records for being the first of its kind in history.
Speaking on CKNW 980AM radio’s Bill Good Show this morning, Barr said the event has been planned in response to recent news about the inhumane and extremely violent slaughter of 100 healthy sled dogs by a local tour operator in the neighbouring resort community of Whistler, BC. Online reaction has included equally violent language and police continue to investigate numerous potential threats made towards the people named in the killings.
“We need to channel something positive from this tragic event and show the world that this is not Canada, and it’s not the way we treat animals,” said Barr during the interview. “We can never ever let this happen again”.
Taking place from noon – 2pm in Ambleside Park, West Vancouver, BC (1300 Marine Drive), on the beaches adjacent to the landmark Lions Gate Bridge and the local SPCA, people are being asked to bring their pampered pooches and wear their red Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic attire. The tweetup rally consists of each participant “swarming” the net by uploading photos and tweets live using the title tag #BarkingMad.
People are being asked to gather near the Squamish Nation Welcome Figure which marks the start of the doggy walk. This 20-foot tall native public art figure stands at the water’s edge and represents a welcoming of all to the area and a wish to respect the land, the animals and the traditions that go with it.
Volunteers will be on hand moving through the crowds with petitions and/or donation information. “The goal here is to affect change, to demand that heinous crimes like this do not go unpunished”.
Online response has been overwhelming and early estimates predict that anywhere from 500 to 1,000 people and pets could be present. If momentum continues to grow, the numbers could go much higher.
www.twitter.com/catherinebarr • hashtag #barkingmad
Please Retweet to help spread the word – – Tweet
RADIO DUB: (Start at time marker 4:38) http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/bill-good-show-wed-feb-2-hour-1/id284809691?i=90966423
Feb 1, 2011
On Jan 31, we heard the tragic news of the inhumane culling of over 100 healthy sled dogs owned by Outdoor Adventures Whistler. It is, without a doubt, one of the most horrific stories of animal slaughter ever to come out of Canada.
To add insult, the incident comes on the eve of Vancouver / Whistler’s one year celebration of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games – a time when the world was watching and we showed off our proud Canadian way of life.
Today, I am neither proud of my country, nor myself. I can’t help but wonder why we allowed something of this magnitude to even happen. Like many others, I am angry, saddened and frustrated to further realize that this heinous act is just one in a long string of increasingly shocking animal cruelty acts that could, essentially, go yet again unpunished under the current Canadian criminal law.
If ever there was a time to speak up, it’s now. If ever there was a time for change, it’s here.
Please join me and other WestVancouver.com friends on Sunday, February 6th, at the dog walk in Ambleside Park in West Vancouver (adjacent to the SPCA) from 12 Noon – 2 pm for an impromptu “meet up / tweet up” outdoor rally to show our governments, and the world, that we are “Barking Mad” and we won’t sit idly by and wait for it to happen again.
A formal press release, and further details of the rally, will be released later today. If you have questions, or wish to be involved, please be sure and follow via Twitter and Facebook, or check back here for more information as it is released.
Sincerely yours,
Catherine “Cat” Barr
Editor and Co-Owner, WestVancouver.com / NorthVancouver.com
www.twitter.com/catherinebarr • hashtag #barkingmad
Please Retweet to help spread the word – – Tweet
DETAILS FOR THE DAY – updated Feb 2, 2010
Event is SUNDAY Feb 6 from 12 noon – 2pm
Wear RED, your red mittens, red hats, red dog collars/scarfs, red armbands, red Olympic sweaters. Red is the color of the heart and of passion.
Please obey all signage. Dogs are only allowed in certain sections of the park. And please please clean up after your dog.
Lots of parking at both the park and the adjacent Park Royal mall
Everyone is asked to gather near the Squamish Nation Welcome Figure which marks the start of the doggy walk. This public art figure represents a welcoming of all to the area and a wish to respect the land, the animals and the traditions that go with it.
We are handing out information about how to participate in the tweetup and information about making donations – please look for volunteers marked by a red balloon and wearing a custom ID tag.
Please bring your cell phones and cameras. This is a social media "tweetup" gathering. The rules are simple: take photos and post messages live from the event and mark each one with a "#BarkingMad" hashtag at the end. We want to flood the internet and Facebook and Twitter with photos and tweets and positive messages.
If you can’t attend, you can still join us in the massive "tweetup" portion. We have the hashtag #BarkingMad, so if you use it on the Sunday you can join in from anywhere around the world.
MEDIA COVERAGE – thanks to the following outlets for their coverage so far – CKNW AM980 Radio, News 1130 Radio, North Shore Outlook Newspaper, Vancouver Province, Vancouver Sun, Metro News Vancouver, Virgin Radio Vancouver, Mountain FM107.1 Squamish, Evolution 107.9 BCIT Student Radio, BCIT students
