Deborah Barnes Honored, 2025 AKC Top Dog Names, and Getting Ready for VMX 2026
Since I last attended the AVMA conference this summer, fall has been filled with conferences, both online and in person. I am sad I was not able to make this year’s Cat Writers’ Association (CWA) conference in person due to yet another conflict, but I am thrilled to give a shout-out of congratulations to Deborah Barnes, the 2025 recipient of the Goodnewsforpets CWA Human-Animal Bond Award that we sponsor and that is announced each year by CWA.
As we note in the announcement, this is the second time Deborah has received the award, and with good reason. She is a multi-award winner and also won the Shojai Mentoring Award. Congratulations, Deborah, on one more well-deserved honor.
Deborah also graced us with an interview, and I urge you to read her guest column for tips on both writing and entering awards. What was also interesting to me, as I continue my studies on responsible AI, was her answer to my question about how she uses AI. Read her answer in the column here.
Although we are celebrating Deborah and her CWA win of the Goodnewsforpets Human-Animal Bond Award, we have not forgotten to share a bit of dog news. The AKC has released its 2025 list of top dog names, and Luna for girls and Max for boys take the top rank. Check out the full list.
Finally, this is the time of year that those in the veterinary industry are wasting no time getting ready for the winter conferences. First up is VMX, January 16–21, 2026, which recently announced its Champions of Care and “Must See” programming. If you are a veterinarian or in the industry, it is a can’t-miss event.
There will be more news to come as we gear up for the holidays and the conferences in the new year. Until then…
Lea-Ann Germinder
AI Disclosure: This post was written by me, a human and when I asked ChatGPT to evaluate it, only SEO suggestions were made. Yay!