Jen Reeder Accepting Her DWAA Hall of Fame Award Plaque
The Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) has inducted freelance journalist Jen Reeder into the DWAA Hall of Fame. The Dog Writers Association of America Hall of Fame induction ceremony took place Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, at the Hotel New Yorker during the DWAA Awards Banquet. Reeder attended with her husband, brother, parents, and her Yorkshire terrier mix Tux.
Jen Reeder with her pups Tux and Rio. Photo credit Chrisi French.
“I am elated and incredibly grateful to receive this honor,” Reeder said. “The Dog Writers Association of America started back in 1935, and to join the ranks of the luminaries in the Hall of Fame means the world to me. None of this would have happened if we hadn’t decided to adopt our first dog – what a life-changing and career-changing experience!”
Reeder began narrowing her focus as a journalist to pets after she and her husband adopted a Labrador retriever mix, Rio, in 2010. Since then, she’s written over 1,000 articles about pets for national publications, including Reader’s Digest, BBC News, Woman’s World, HuffPost, PBS’s Next Avenue, The Daily Beast, Wine Enthusiast, The Christian Science Monitor, Discover Magazine, Best Friends Magazine, Wine Enthusiast, Family Circle, Tufts University’s Your Dog, the American Animal Hospital Association’s Trends Magazine, Inside Your Dog’s Mind.
She covered breaking news about pets for the TODAY show’s website after hurricanes, wildfires, the invasion of Ukraine, and the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. She’s also known for writing inspirational features about rescue and working dogs. Her column “In Their Debt” for Just Labs Magazine profiles Labrador retrievers helping make the world a better place.
Her articles and essays about dogs have garnered numerous awards from writing organizations, including the American Society for Journalists and Authors, Society for Features Journalism, Colorado Authors’ League, American Society of Business Publication Editors, Society of Professional Journalists, and DWAA. (Fun fact: She’s also won numerous awards from the Cat Writers’ Association.)
Reeder enjoying her award weekend in NYC with pup Tux.
Reeder served on the DWAA leadership team from 2017-2021, including two years as President. Each year, she and her husband, Bryan Fryklund, sponsor The Rio Award in DWAA’s writing competition to celebrate work about a dog who made a profoundly positive impact on someone’s life.
Other volunteer work in the pet space includes five years as a therapy dog handler for Rio at a hospital in Durango, Colorado. Since 2015, she’s written bios of adoptable dogs and cats for the Denver-based nonprofit PawsCo.
The keynote speaker at the 2025 DWAA Awards Banquet was Dr. Adam Christensen, veterinarian, influencer, and host of dvm360 Live! and The Vet Blast Podcast.
Updated from January 21, 2025 post.
Reeder has received numerous journalistic awards, but in 2018, Reeder received a special award from Goodnewsforpets.com’s parent company Germinder & Associates, Inc. Read about it below:
Jen Reeder Named First Journalist Germinder20 Power of Pink Honoree
