BlogPaws is proud to announce our
first keynote speaker, who will be motivating and bringing his dynamic voice
for and about pets to the 2013 BlogPaws conference on Friday, May 17, 2013.
Who could it be?
Who is Steve Dale?
Newspapers and Blogs
Steve writes a twice-weekly syndicated newspaper column (Tribune Media Services, since 1995); he’s a contributing editor at USA Weekend (since 2002) and he blogs at Petphoria. Host of two nationally syndicated radio shows, Steve Dale’s Pet World and The Pet Minute (together heard on over 100 radio stations, syndicated Black Dog Radio Productions, since 2001), he is also a Chicago Tribune blogger and contributes blogs on various other websites, including for Victoria Stilwell.
Television
On television, Steve has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show; National
Geographic Explorer; Pets Part of the
Family; PBS; various Animal Planet Shows and many others. For several
years, Steve was a
regular contributor to Superstation WGN-TV morning news. And
he formerly hosted Animal Planet Radio.
Special Correspondent
Steve is also a columnist and special correspondent for Cat Fancy and catchannel.com. Steve’s also a regular on regular contributor for WGN Radio, Chicago; and host of a podcast at WGNRadio.com. In print, he’s been quoted in, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Redbook, veterinary publications and dozens more.
Author
Wait, there’s more. This pet dynamo is also author of two e-books, “Good Dog!” and “Good Cat!” (published by the Chicago Tribune), and the author of several other books, including “DogGone Chicago” and “American Zoos.”
Advocate
And he gives back to and for the animals. Steve is a founder of the CATalyst Council and served on the Board of Directors from 2008 to 2012. He’s also on the Board of Directors of the Winn Feline Foundation, Tree House Humane Society in Chicago. In 2012, he cycled off the Board of the American Humane Association but remains a National Ambassador. Steve also serves on several advisory Boards, including for Blog Paws.
In Chicago, Steve created the Chicago Task Force on
Companion Animals and Public Safety (2000-2010), where they’ve three-times
overturned proposed breed bans and twice over-turned mandated pediatric
spay/neuter, as well as overturned proposed pet limit laws. The Task Force also
created guidelines for ‘doggy day care.’ As a pet advocate, Steve has testified
many times against breed specific bans, pet limit laws, etc.
After his beloved cat Ricky passed away in 2002 of feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), Steve created a fund to raise money to research this often fatal disease. He’s raised well over $100,000 – and as a direct result a genetic test was created to determine if a gene defect for HCM exists for two breeds.
Awards
Among Steve’s many awards, the AVMA Humane Award (the only AVMA honor bestowed to a non-veterinarian), Editor and Publisher syndicated newspaper Feature Writer of the Year Award, AKC Responsible Dog Ownership Public Service Award, HSUS Pets for Life Award, and has been honored with over 15 Maxwell’s Awards from the Dog Writer’s Association of America and over 15 Muse Awards from the Cat Writers’ Association of America. He’s also been honored by the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, and was the first recipient of the Winn Feline Foundation Media Appreciation Award.
In 2012, Steve became the youngest person ever inducted into the Dog Writer’s Association of America Hall of Fame.
Giving Back
For 10 years his dog Lucy was an animal assisted therapy dog. To honor Lucy, who passed away in 2011, Steve created the Lucy Fund to raise money for the American Humane Association Hero Dog Award for Animal Assisted Therapy. He also serves the advisory board for national animal assisted therapy organization called Angel on A Leash. He’s also on an organizing committee for the International Organization Human-Animal Interactions Organizations. Blog Paws is one of several advisory Boards he serves.
Steve’s a regular speaker at veterinary and shelter conferences around the world, and for shelter fundraisers, and other special events. Steve’s presented at each of the major U.S. veterinary conferences (numerous times), and he’s the only speaker to present in all of the conferences for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (which he is a certified member). He’s also spoken at the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Conference, Caribbean Veterinary Conference and many others.
Two of Steve’s favorite honors: Commencement Speaker at Madison Square Garden for Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (2008), and appearing (in 2012) as 59 across in a TV Guide Crossword Puzzle (pet journalist Steve _ _ _ _).
A FInal Note
Steve will be gracing the BlogPaws 2013 Conference to address all attendees with the Friday morning keynote and will be on hand all weekend at the original social media conference for pet bloggers and micro-bloggers, BlogPaws.
“I do like this conference - many tips on blogging, and meeting a WIDE variety of bloggers. Fact is, crazy as it may sound to some, blogging is the best way (maybe short of live radio and in a different way Facebook and Twitter) to directly and instantly connect with people,” Dale reported. “This will be my third Blog Paws, and am committed to it!”
Have you purchased your BlogPaws 2013 conference pass yet?
Can't wait to see Steve again!
Posted by: AmyJo | 12/17/2012 at 07:15 PM