International Puppy and Handler Weekend - IPAHW

08/28/2020

Good Afternoon!
We have processed all refund requests up through the end of last week. We hit a snafu that caused a lot of delays: About 20 of you filled out the refund form prior to this week and have not received your refund, because your refund app (PayPal, Zelle, etc.) identity (your handle, phone number, however the app confirms your identity) was missing in the original request (a field that should have been required on the form, but wasn't...so, our fault, not yours).
So, if you have not received your refund, please fill out the form again at https://www.ipahw.com/registration
Our sincerest apologies for the delay.

08/16/2020

Regarding Refunds for IPAHW 2020:

We deeply apologize for the delay in distributing refunds to those that have requested them via our website.

We ask that you bear with us while we work with the corresponding financial institutions during this time so that we can get the refund to you. Many people have requested refunds due to the Covid-19 pandemic so we want to be as thoughtful as possible and act with intention when it comes to these situations.
You will receive an email from us inquiring the name/handle on the monetary app of your choice. On our refund form, we are adding the option to list the name used for Venmo, CashApp, Zelle, etc. so we can distribute your funds without adding barriers.
Due to the large volume of requests please allow 2-3 weeks for all refunds to be processed and distributed to you.
We thank you for being patient and trusting us during this time.

-IPAHW Staff

08/15/2020

IPAHW wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our current titleholders, Pup Sirius (IPTC International Puppy) and Handler David (IPTC International Handler).

These two have been a shining example on what it means to be a titleholder and carrying the IPTC name throughout their title year and journey.

And it is with this, we are very happy to announce that both Pup Sirius and Handler David have accepted to continue their title for another year, until their step-down at IPAHW 2021.

We are very happy and excited to have these two amazing individuals as part of our title family and for another year.

So look out for these two, for we got to stick with them for another year hehe

08/08/2020

This will not come as a surprise to anyone who hasn't been living under a rock for the past 6 months, but there is an international pandemic going on!
As you all know, IPAHW was postponed from July to October. It is now, despite all of our hopes, clear that there will not be a vaccine or any respite from this in the next two months.
With no way to maintain the health and well-being of our attendees, we are acknowledging that IPAHW 2020 will not be able to host an event this year.
We have added a refund link to our webiste: IPAHW.com to make it easier for the cancellations. The form will give you the option of: rolling your registration over to July of 2021, donating your registration to the organization, or getting a refund. If you are getting a refund, there is another question that asks if you would be willing to allow us to charge-back the electronic banking fees associated with payment/refund. These generally range from 6-8%, depending on the electronic application used.
Why do we ask this? IPAHW has already spent many thousands of dollars on the 2020 preparations. While we will be able to apply the vast majority of the product to the 2021 event, that doesn’t help us when it comes to refunds. To put it transparently, allowing us this cost-savings helps to ensure that IPAHW is around for years to come.
Thank you, we love you, and we hope to see you in 2021.

IPAHW is a weekend dedicated to human pets & those who appreciate them. Our purpose is to provide a safe, inclusive environment for fun and education to anyone interested in the lifestyle of human pets. For the puppy play community and IPTC contest

08/01/2020

After many weeks of evaluation, re-evaluation, and fine tuning, our Diversity & Inclusion team presented the final draft of our updated policies to the coordinator team and board.
We are amazed at what they came up with.
We’ve placed it on the home page of the website for now, so there is no mistaking where the organization stands.
This comprehensive policies will lead us to some very specific guidelines for IPAHW, so stay tuned!

IPAHW is a weekend dedicated to human pets & those who appreciate them. Our purpose is to provide a safe, inclusive environment for fun and education to anyone interested in the lifestyle of human pets. For the puppy play community and IPTC contest

07/30/2020

As we all know, organizations evolve and grow. Sometimes the growth is organic and beautiful, and sometimes the growth is painful. The most painful things that many of us will ever go through (organizations included) is to face our short-comings and choose to be better.
IPAHW was later than we should have been in acknowledging some of the traumas in our community and acting on behalf of that community. While the delay was not intentional, it was costly. As most everyone knows, Tripp, our Weekend Producer, chose to follow his conscience and move on. While his decision was unexpected, know that we have parted on good terms and we all want what's best for the community. Since his announcement, we had to get together as an organization, look at our strengths, honestly evaluate our weaknesses, and seek help to build a stronger organization.
This introspection has led us to some sweeping changes. To briefly name a couple: Our Diversity and Inclusion Team is expanding. We've also been sitting in on workshops and roundtables to understand what we can better do to serve our community. We have been offered advice on how to make tangible upgrades to make our already diverse organization even more welcoming and inclusive. We will talk about a host of new commitments, in detail, in the coming weeks.
Tonight, we bring the first of our changes. Our Assistant Weekend Producer, Mika (aka Ruckus) will be stepping up to be our new Weekend Producer!

Ruckus is the newest addition to the IPAHW board; he is now the Weekend Producer overseeing all events outside of the contest. Calling Philadelphia home, this deviant leather dog is no stranger to organizing and producing. He is one of the co-organizers of Phlthy: Philadelphia's only monthly mosh and bar night at the Bike Stop for Pets and Handlers. Ruckus was the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Puppy and went on to become co-producer of Mid-Atlantic Puppy and Handler Contest. Since then he became the recipient of the 2019 Tallen Award at International Puppy and Handler Weekend. He has been lucky enough to judge, staff, and teach at leather, puppy, and furry events across North America. He is a Siberian Husky who is aggressively anti-racist, pro-trans, and dedicated to intersectional resistance. Ruckus is proud to be the Alpha of his loving and mighty pack.

07/20/2020

While our FB page has seemed quiet, much has been going on in IPAHW over the past couple of months. Several posts will be forthcoming over the next week or so. Each will be about a specific topic. Since our D&I policy has been mentioned a few times, it seemed like a good beginning point.
When IPAHW was nothing more than an idea in the backs of our minds, Diversity and Inclusion was at the forefront of that thought. As we looked across the events, both large and small, we saw a lot of people talking about being inclusive, but not much more. IPAHW wanted to be different. During the final year of our divided contest, both groups intentionally sought out judges, presenters, and volunteers that showed as much intersectionality as possible. We heard the community saying, "stop talking and SHOW us." And so we did. We knew going in that it would cause a lot of folks to raise an eyebrow (for the good AND the bad), and thankfully it did. We pi**ed off and lost a lot of support from the traditional leather community. Good! The shake-up was needed! Most importantly, we had under-represented folx come to us for WEEKS, telling us how welcomed they felt. That only made it MORE obvious that we needed specific attention on diversity, inclusion, and the creation of safer spaces.
Earlier this summer, we made a post in support of BLM. But statements are easy to make. We also knew that it was time to revisit our Diversity and Inclusion Policy, to make it more specific, and much harder to 'skirt around.'
So, what has taken so long? A lot. But simply put, we didn't want to be 'just another' organization putting out a canned D&I Policy created by a couple of cis white guys. We didn't want to look like we were trying to use the timing to be opportunistic. We didn't want to take away from the importance of what was going on around us by a "look at what we've done" post. And further, we didn't want to look like we were trying to suddenly "make up" or "cover up" any short-comings or mis-steps by anyone involved in, or associated with, the organization. Given our (the owners) own lack of experiential understanding, we handed the task off to our Diversity Coordinators. Once they had drafted a mock-up, we STILL didn't want this decision to be made by us. So, we presented it to the entire Coordinator Staff at our monthly meeting, for review and discussion. And the discussion was robust and amazing.
Right now, the draft is being finalized and will (hopefully) become reality during our meeting next week.
So, our lack of activity on social media has not been because we've been sitting idly by. We have been working hard to put forth a meaningful policy that can facilitate change within our community, and not a bunch of words to placate people.
Thanks for your continued support!

06/07/2020

We at IPAHW want to acknowledge that unless Black Lives Matter, all lives do not matter.

IPAHW supports those in the community that are taking up the fight to end systemic racism and oppression in our society.

We commit to making safe and affirming places for all our Black siblings in the community.

05/04/2020

As we all know, navigating life right now can be a day-by-day challenge and any form of definitive future planning has become very nearly impossible.
Last night the greater IPAHW board had a meeting that had only one topic: “How do we make IPAHW as safe as possible?”. The unanimous conclusion was that we need to delay IPAHW a few months, in hopes that the immediate crisis will be averted by the end of the summer. IPAHW has secured postponement dates and will be officially moving to October 15-18, 2020.
This was not a decision that was made lightly. We have watched the social media chats/posts from so many people who are looking forward to a “family reunion” type event, once the Stay-at-Home orders have been rescinded. Our initial hope had been that we are far enough into the summer to be able to operate safely and responsibly. Unfortunately, models and predictions have been changing daily. As some states begin to relax their sheltering orders, it could be a month or more before we know the impact. We simply don’t feel, at this time, that we can make any kind of assurance that we can keep our attendees safe, if we attempt to have a July event. History may prove us wrong and July may see the world re-opened, but we don’t find that there is any way to have that assurance at any point in the near future, while people still have the ability/opportunity to change plans.

For those who have registered, your registration and room reservations will be automatically transferred to the October 15-18 dates. For those who have paid, but will be unable to attend the new dates, we will give you the choice of either a refund or the corresponding 2021 Registration/products. Please be patient with us while we process the many, many requests for information, and now refunds, that have been coming through. For those on payment plans, we will change the due dates of the final two payments to September 1 and October 1. Those who have missed any payments will NOT be in jeopardy of losing their reservations, provided that they are caught up by September 1.

04/29/2020

Our Next Judge is Mama Gail!

Gail is a laid-back leather mama that is all about Loving Leather Spaces. Opportunities for travel, presenting, judging, attending, and volunteering at various events, Mama Gail enjoys hosting non-judgmental safe spaces to support, celebrate, and connect with others, allowing them to share their experiences – Continuing the Cycle of Wisdom Sharing – and further Dialogue Without Discord on the topics that matter to you the most. Mama Gail is Women’s International Leather Legacy (WILL) 2018. Some of Gail’s recognitions, service commitments, and organizations where she is/has been involved include being a Pantheon of Leather Nominee, the first and only woman President of Tulsa Uniform Leather Seekers Association (T.U.L.S.A. est. 1988), FortPruitt Service Award Winner (first and only woman recipient), Co-Key holder for Oklahoma Leather Archive and Display at Oklahoman’s for Equality Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, staff, facilitator, and producer for multiple Leather/Kink events and programs. Fun facts: Flags black and grey on the left, grooves with rope; Master to a slave [Courtney] that calls her "Mistress" (est. 2012)

04/22/2020

Our next judge announcement! Dorian Gray!

Mr Cincinnati Leather 2016, Mr Tri-State Leather 2017, IML 2018 Finalist; is the grateful recipient of the 2018 Pantheon of Leather Award/Great Lakes Region, and 2019 Pantheon of Leather Award/Southern California Region. He also held the honor of delivering the Keynote speech for the 2019 Leather Leadership Conference.

Dorian moved to San Diego in 2018 from Cincinnati, OH, where he was born and raised. He has been fortunate to use his 13 years in the medical and public health field to help underserved pregnant women fight their addiction to ni****ne, to advocate for and assist in the implementation of gender-neutral patient identifiers for one of Cincinnati’s largest health systems, and to create a directory of LGBTQ+ and HIV friendly medical providers in Cincinnati. Since moving to San Diego, Dorian’s career has allowed him to work to identify and close gaps in care for those living with HIV in San Diego. Dorian’s leather journey began when he wandered into the, now closed, leather bar in downtown Cincinnati, On Broadway. It felt like the sexually charged gay bars of old. It felt like home. While navigating and exploring this path, Dorian has been lucky enough to meet his partner in an alley during Mid-Atlantic Leather 2017, travel the world representing the Tri-State area (OH, KY, IN), and find an amazing Sir. Leather is where Dorian found his family. Leather is where Dorian found his true self.

04/14/2020

We’re very excited to announce our first judge for IPAHW 2020: Patty IMsL 2014 !!!

Patty is a butch leatherdyke from Toronto, Canada and has been involved in the Leather Community long enough to take a few trips around Kinky Block. She is honoured to hold the titles of International Ms Leather 2014, Ms Leather Toronto 2014 and Ms Northbound Leather 2013. She regularly presents workshops on a variety of kink topics and with 20 years in mental health services, she is passionate about developing the capacity of community members to better understand and respond to those in mental health distress. When not raising funds for her charity Rainbow Railroad, she plays as hard as she works and is a huge fan of dangerous things wrapped in pretty packages.