Pet expert Steve Dale is the official spokesperson of the CATalyst 2009 Top 10 Cat-Friendly Cities. Dale, a cat (and dog) behavior consultant has been an active participant and supporter of the CATalyst Council’s initiative since its establishment at the CATalyst Summit in February 2008. He is a founding board member of the CATalyst Council and has been an essential part of keeping the CATalyst Council on the consumer and trade media front lines.
Dale is best known for being the author of the twice weekly syndicated newspaper column “My Pet World” (Tribune Media Services). He is also the host of nationally syndicated radio programs Steve Dale’s Pet World, The Pet Minute and also Pet Central at WGN Radio in Chicago. Dale is also a contributing editor for USA Weekend. He has been quoted in dozens of newspaper and magazine stories, including the Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Redbook. He has also hosted several TV and radio satellite tours.
Dale is the author of “American Zoos” and “DogGone Chicago,” and has written forewords and been a contributing author to other publications. He is a special correspondent for Cat Fancy and editor-in-chief of PawPrints (a newsletter for veterinary clinics). He has written for most pet publications, including Dog World, Dog Fancy and Cats and was at one time a regular contributor to People magazine and a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.
Dale has been a part of many charitable endeavors throughout his career, including the establishment of the Ricky Fund. When his cat Ricky died of a common but incurable heart problem, he created a fund through the Winn Feline Foundation to support research; since then, well over $100,000 has been raised and important progress has been made as a result. Dale also is helping popularize kitten classes in America, which were originally developed in Australia.
Dale has received an abundance of accolades throughout his career. He is the recipient of many awards, including the prestigious American Veterinary Medical Association Humane Award (highest honor to a nonveterinarian), Syndicated General Feature Newspaper Writer of the Year, the American Kennel Club Responsible Dog Ownership Award, Winn Feline Foundation Media Award, American Humane Association Media Award, Cat Writers’ Association Shojai Mentor Award and Humane Society of the United States Pets for Life Award. In addition, his dog-and cat-writing colleagues have awarded him recurring awards, such as Best Newspaper Column, Best Newspaper Feature and Best Radio Broadcast.