Our Writers

Lauren Dixon

Contributing Writer

Lauren Dixon is a journalist based in Chicago. She has work published in Block Club Chicago, The Chicago School’s Insight, and Chief Learning Officer, among other places. Besides pet parenting and pet behavior, she covers technology and the staffing industry. She is the proud mom of a disabled but unstoppable calico kitty named Sookie and an anxious Cattle Dog mix, Spider-Man. (No, they are not friends.)

Kari Paul

Contributing Writer

Kari Paul is a Paris-based writer, artist, and filmmaker whose work has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, ELLE, and VICE. She has had an endless march of more than 20 foster kittens, cats, and dogs over the last few years and always cries when they leave. She covers technology, personal finance, and animal behavior, among other topics.

Alicia Kort

Contributing Writer

Alicia Kort is a writer and editor living in Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in Esquire, InStyle, Apartment Therapy, The Kitchn, Parade Home & Garden, Newsweek, Interview, Brooklyn magazine, and more. In her free time, she runs, reads, and spends time with her dog-nieces, Maya and Lady, and her cat-niece, Pepper. In her work, she focuses on pet behavior, pet-friendly spaces, and the lifestyle commerce space.

Dr. Amy Fox, DVM

Contributing Veterinary Writer

Amy Fox, DVM is a small animal veterinarian in New York City with over thirteen years of experience in a mixture of general practice, emergency medicine, and shelter medicine. A lifelong animal lover, Dr. Fox studied biology in college and then worked as a veterinary nurse before pursuing veterinary school at Cornell University.  Her expertise includes surgery, dentistry, and management of chronic conditions, and she is interested in toxicology, pain management, nutrition, care of senior pets, and educational outreach. Dr. Fox also enjoys writing about veterinary medicine and teaching, and her work has previously appeared in Spruce Pets. In her free time, she loves to cook, garden, go for long runs, and hang out with her goofy mixed-breed dog May, who provides never ending comic relief!

Timothy Baker

Contributing Writer

Timothy Baker’s work has appeared in Thrillist, Chowhound, CNBC, Newsweek, CBS Sports, The Game Master’s Guides, SyFy, and NBCUniversal. He is lucky enough to have two dogs in his life: Snoop, a nine-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback / Dachshund mix (and complete diva) and Summer, a three-year-old Bernedoodle with a heart of gold.

Julie Hecht, MSc

Freelance Writer

Julie Hecht, MSc, is a PhD candidate studying animal behavior at the Graduate Center, CUNY, and author of the Dog Spies blog at Scientific American. Her academic publications include “A review of the development and functions of cat play, with future research considerations,” in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, and “Introduction to Dog Behavior” in Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff. She would really like to meet your dog, and thinks that her cat, Josh, excels at being himself. And she loves him for it!

Danielle Vrabel, CPDT-KA

Contributing Dog Behavior Writer

Danielle Vrabel is a dog trainer who earned her CPDT-KA in 2020. Danielle is a proud pet mom of five pets: two dogs, two cats, and a corn snake. Danielle has fostered over ten dogs and fifteen cats and kittens, as well as helped train shelter dogs before they are adopted. Both of Danielle’s dogs are pet therapy dogs, where she also volunteers her time helping evaluate future therapy dogs.

Emma Loewe

Contributing Writer

Emma is a writer, editor, and environmentalist based in New York City. She is the senior sustainability editor at MindBodyGreen, the author of Return To Nature: The New Science of How Natural Landscapes Restore Us (April 2022), and the co-author of The Spirit Almanac: A Modern Guide To Ancient Self-Care. Her writing has appeared in Grist, National Geographic, Civil Eats, and Outside Magazine, among others. While she doesn’t have any pets of her own, she is a loving dog aunt to Pip the pup.

Robert Haussmann, CPDT-KA

Contributing Dog Behavior Writer

Robert Haussmann is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Canine Behavior Consultant, and Co-founder of Dogboy NYC. He is licensed under the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers and has been working with dogs and advising their humans since 2003. With over 25 years of experience, he is an experienced trainer and focuses on puppy training, foundation training, basic manners, agility, behavior modification with an expertise in challenging behaviors such as separation anxiety, fear, and aggression. He founded Dogboy NYC in 2005 to help canine and human clients navigate the complex urban jungle of New York City.

Through creative, practical, and humane solutions, Robert specializes in helping dogs overcome behavior issues like fear, phobias, anxiety, and aggression. He advises clients on the best practices for helping their dogs thrive at home and beyond.

Since he was a child, Robert has had an inherent interest and deep connection with dogs. After college he contemplated a career with animals. Robert studied animal behavioral science with a strong focus on applied behavior analysis and operant conditioning to begin his education as a professional dog trainer. To this day, Robert is fascinated by the human-dog connection and continues to learn through professional and educational development.

Robert met his wife Kim in 2000. He quickly earned the nickname “Dogboy” through his ability to find, befriend, and safely return stray dogs to their owners and nearby shelters. When Robert and Kim began brainstorming business names in 2004, Dogboy NYC became the obvious right choice. They live in Brooklyn with their daughter and their fuzzy rescue dog Josie.

Training includes Puppy Training, Basic Manners, and Behavior Modification. He facilitates group classes such as Puppy Social Group, Basic Manners, Introduction to Agility, Tricks Class, and Introduction to Scent Work.

Marianne Eloise

Contributing Writer

Marianne Eloise’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Cut, Vulture, and more. She is also the author of an essay collection Obsessive, Intrusive, Magical Thinking. She has been going on adventures with her dog Bowie since she was 17.