Pooper Scooper convention? You mean picking up dog poop? That's right!

And not only that, but it's  the 7th annual Pooper Scooper convention coming to Nashville, Tennessee on the weekend of the 16th of October.

The Association of Professional Animal Waste Specialists (aPaws), a 501(c)(6) non-profit  trade organization, has hosted this special event every year since its formation in 2002. The purpose is to provide continuing education specifically for professional pooper scoopers from around the country.
 

Not only does aPaws make this event available for its growing membership, but they encourage the more than 800 professional pooper scoopers nationwide to join in the fun. This year's lineup includes motivational speaker Kirk Weisler, Chief  Morale Officer and author of several books, including "The Dog Poop  Initiative," local certified AdWords specialist - Stacia Holdren, and from "America's Got Talent" - first-round semi-finalist Tony Hoard and his Friz-B K-9s.

aPaws is also involved in raising money to help provide pet air masks to fire departments and EMS Personnel. The cone-shaped plastic masks, which come in three sizes and fit snugly on snouts, can resuscitate animals suffering from smoke inhalation. This year aPaws will be presenting two sets to the Nashville Fire Department.

 What in the world is a turd herding contest? It's what every  professional pooper scooper looks forward to each year. It's the
 Scooper Bowl for pooper scoopers ... a contest to find out who the  fastest pooper scooper in the nation is.

Sometime during the convention, dozens of fake dog poops are placed around the grounds of the hotel and they see who can pick up the most  piles in two minutes. And they take this event seriously! In fact, due  to some unfortunate circumstances in past contests, aPaws board  members have had to modify the rules to include penalties for body  checking the competition. The top three winners each receive a trophy, cash prizes and bragging rights ... at least until next year!

For more information on the pet recovery masks, and how you can support the efforts to provide these masks, visit http://www.apaws.org.