My career in writing about pets began after a neighbor in my Southern California town moved, leaving behind his two dogs. This was in the early 90s, mind you, not during today’s foreclosure fiasco. Back then I was young enough to believe it was somehow just a big mistake and he’d soon return for them. Of course, that never happened. So I rounded up the dogs and drove to a neighboring community where a no-kill shelter offered to find them new homes. Shortly afterward I began volunteering at the shelter, writing articles for local publications about the plight of homeless animals and eventually went on to publish a freebie newspaper, called Desert Pet News, that featured animals for adoption and educated owners on how to properly care for their pets. At its peak more than 10,000 copies were distributed in the Palm Springs, California area to grocery stores and retail outlets.

Today, more than 15 years later, I write full-time about pets. (Before that I worked as a staff newspaper reporter and for a brief stint as a veterinary assistant.)

My work has appeared in a wide range of print and online publications as well as syndicates, including: Cat Fancy, Family Circle, The New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Live Science, HealthDay, Petside.com, and National Geographic News. I'm also a contributing editor to Dog Fancy magazine, the most widely read pet publication in the country.

I share my home with K.C., a rescued Chow/Akita mix (shown above) and Sasha, an energetic 10-year-old Belgian Sheepdog mix.