Certified animal behavior consultant, Amy Shojai, CABC, has been named the Dog Writers Association of America’s (DWAA) Hall of Fame Winner.
Certified animal behavior consultant, Amy Shojai, CABC, has been named the Dog Writers Association of America’s (DWAA) Hall of Fame Winner. Shojai, who began her career as a veterinary technician, is a nationally known authority on pet care and behavior. She has authored more than 35 prescriptive nonfiction books about pets as well as the pet-centric fiction series, September & Shadow Series. Shojai was selected by a committee of former honorees because of her ongoing coaching and mentoring of her peers.
“In an industry where everyone is vying for the consumer’s attention, Amy takes time from content creation to mentor and coach her peers,” said Therese Backowski, DWAA’s president. “She is an excellent ambassador for what DWAA represents.”
During a video interview with DWAA board member and social media chair Lisa Begin-Kruysman Amy said:
It is an honor of a lifetime to receive this recognition. I am absolutely thrilled to be in the company of the past Hall of Fame winners, each of whom made significant contributions in the field of communication. This is a very supportive group and we help each other through networking and resources.”
The complete interview is available here:
Shojai publishes in traditional and digital media platforms, crafting more than 4,000 articles and columns, as well as creating puppies.about.com and atcats.about.com (now TheSpruce.com). She received the 2023 AVMA STEVE DALE EXCELLENCE IN VETERINARY MEDIA AWARD from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA) in recognition of her accomplishments.
For more than 30 years, she wrote a weekly award-winning P’ETiQuette newspaper column for and hosted nearly 100 half hour award-winning Pet Peeves podcasts. She appeared in a twice monthly Pet Talk feature at KXII-TV and as a pet expert on Animal Planet’s DOGS 101 and CATS 101 for nearly 20 years. She has also worked with Merck Animal Health, Rover.com, Sergeant’s Pet Care, HomeAgain.com, Tidy Cats, Purina, PetCareRx, and Pets Best, among others. She has been interviewed by major broadcast platforms including ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN and national print publications such as USA Weekend, The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal , Woman’s Day, Family Circle, and Woman’s World.
She currently serves as affiliate Pet Editor for Readersdigest.com, and writes features and reviews for HillsPet.com. A frequent conference speaker on writing and pet-related issues, she is also a proud “hybrid author,” publishing traditionally and independently in Ebook, print, and audiobook formats as well as direct sales from her own store.