I have been visiting Blog Paws for some time for the great articles and information. But it wasn't until I went to a Twitter Party that I noticed that I could become a member of the community. It looks great so far and I hope to make a lot of friends who share my same love for animals.

My Dogs:
I recently lost one of my dogs, Sephi. She is the black Chow / Shepherd mix  in my profile photo. She was 10 years old when she passed away this past November, 2011. Sephi, short for Persephone from Greek mythology, was a great dog and I miss her dearly.

I currently have my dog Maya who is a Labrador Retriever. She was born in August 2007 and I have had her since she was a puppy. Maya was adopted at three months of age from a woman who had three young children. Maya was a bit much for her to handle. She can be a bit much for me to handle at times too but she is really smart and very loveable.

I have a new dog which I got in January 2012. He is a Border Collie or Australian Shepherd mix. He had been living in a park for nearly a month. When I heard about this, I spent three days trying to catch him. It was a very rewarding experience for us both. He was about a year old when I got him. He has been a great dog so far - super sweet and very intelligent.

My Pet Business
I own several animal-related websites including www.petautosafety.com, www.petautosafetyblog.com, http://americandogblog.wordpress.com/, and www.naturebydawn.com. I also have a website about wolves, www.informationwolves.com. You can like me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PetAutoTravelSafety or follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/naturebydawn. For the pet auto safety retail website and blog, I sell and talk about pet travel safety products. My dogs use them as well. All my dogs wear a dog car harness and my car is decked out with other pet travel products. The animal figurine website has mostly dog breed figurines for sale. I did not make them, they are manufactured items. But they are of good quality. I talk about all sorts of dog related stuff on my American Dog Blog. And I sell my own artwork on my Nature by Dawn website.

My Experience with Animals
I used to work at an animal shelter in Austin, Texas. A few years after working there, I changed jobs and worked at a veterinary clinic. At some point, I got into the corporate world and moved away from animals. Although I made more money, the job was not as rewarding as working with animals. Over the years since that time, I have volunteered at Operation Wildlife in Eurora, Kansas, and for various animal shelters including the Lawrence Humane Society. I am also a certified dog trainer with the Animal Behavior College.