American Kennel Club ● Byrdie ●

Bezzy ●  Giddy ●

HuffPost ● Animal Wellness ● 

Introvert, Dear ● YourTango ● 

HuffPost Canada ● Medium

I became a therapist before specializing in public health for my PhD. My research focused on cancer survivorship and the human-pet relationship.

For inspiration, I turn to my dogs, Dally, Rusty, and Frankie. Two of my pups are named after S.E. Hinton characters, played by Matt Dillon in the film adaptations.

As a storyteller and lifelong fan of The Golden Girls, I aspire to be “Picture it, Sicily, 1920-something”…but really I'm more “Back in St. Olaf.”