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.