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I’ve always
loved animals and writing, but didn’t know how to combine
those two passions until one of my dogs shredded a message
that had been faxed to my home-based office, much to my chagrin.
However, chagrin gave way to inspiration when I wrote an article
about sharing an office with one’s dog. Inspiration
gave way to delight when the article was published by a magazine
for pet owners.
That first effort occurred more than a dozen
years ago. Since then, I’ve written hundreds of features
aimed at helping people live happily ever after with their
pets. My credits include Family Circle, The Washington
Post, Dog Fancy, ASPCA Animal Watch, Dogs USA, AKC Gazette,
AKC Family Dog, Dog World, Animal Fair, The Bark and
the Popular Dogs series. I’ve also written
several books: both editions of Housetraining For Dummies
(Wiley, 2009, 2002); Your New Dog, (Capital Books,
2003; reissued as Starting Out Right With Your New Dog
by Innova Publishing in 2005); Senior Dogs For Dummies
(Wiley, 2004) and Beagles For Dummies (Wiley, 2006).
I’d write about pets no matter what, but
it’s certainly been nice to receive some recognition
for my work. I’m a five-time winner of the Dog Writers
Association of America's (DWAA) Maxwell Award for excellence
in writing about dogs, and also won the 2001 Eukanuba Canine
Health Award for excellence in writing about canine health.
And I haven’t totally neglected the feline side: I’ve
been a finalist for the Muse Medallion offered by the Cat
Writers Association for excellence in writing about cats.
As much as I love my work, I love a lot of other
things, too. So when I’m not wordsmithing in front of
the computer, you’re likely to find me reading anything
from InStyle magazine to Ted Kennedy’s memoirs,
dissecting the in’s and out’s of TV shows ranging
from Mad Men to Top Chef, and hanging out
with friends and family—especially my husband, Stan
Chappell; our daughter, Julie Chappell (when she’s home
from college); and our Golden Retriever, Allie.
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