About Me

My career in writing about pets happened by chance. A neighbor in my tiny southern California town moved out of his home leaving behind his two dogs – a Chow and Jack Russell. This was in the early 90s, mind you, not during today’s foreclosure fiasco. Back then I was young enough to naively believe it was all just a big, big mistake and he’d soon return for them. Of course, that never happened so I rounded up the dogs in my Toyota 4 Runner and drove 30 minutes to a no-kill shelter in a neighboring community. Not long afterward, I began volunteering for the shelter and writing articles for local publications about the plight of homeless animals. Today, more than 15 years later, I tackle anything and everything related to pets ranging from the serious to the ridiculous. My work has appeared in a wide range of publications including: Cat Fancy, Family Circle, The New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor and National Geographic online. I'm a contributing editor to Dog Fancy magazine and author of three books on pet care. My work is also included in the book The New York Times Practical Guide to Practically Everything.