Speaker’s Biography

Steve Dale

Pet Expert

Ross University School of Medicine

2008 Keynote Graduation Speaker

Winner of the prestigious American Veterinary Medical Association Humane Award—the highest honor bestowed on a non-veterinarian—and a contributing editor at USA Weekend, pet expert Steve Dale is touted as influencing more pet owners than any other pet journalist. He is the author of the twice weekly syndicated newspaper column “My Pet World,” distributed by Tribune Media Services. He is also the host of two nationally syndicated radio programs: Steve Dale’s Pet World and The Pet Minute with Steve Dale, as well as Pet Central, at WGN Radio, Chicago.

Steve is a frequent radio guest on local and national radio. He has been quoted in dozens of newspaper and magazine articles, including the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and Redbook. He has hosted several TV and radio satellite tours.

Steve’s TV credits include appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic Explorer, Pets Part of the Family on PBS, several Animal Planet shows, Fox News Channel, and Balance TV (Canada). Steve has written for more pet publications than any other expert in his field, including Dog World, Dog Fancy, and Cats. His books include American Zoos and DogGone Chicago. He is a special correspondent for Cat Fancy and editor-in-chief of PawPrints (a newsletter for veterinarians). Previous print credits include being a regular contributor to People magazine, and a columnist in the Chicago Tribune.

Steve is certified as a behavior consultant by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. He has presented at many major veterinary and humane conferences, including the Western Veterinary Conference and the Convention of the American Veterinary Medical Association, in addition to the North American Veterinary Conference, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association Congress, the American Humane Association Leadership Conference, and the Conference of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

Steve serves on the boards of directors of several organizations, including the American Humane Association, the Winn Feline Foundation, and Tree House Animal Shelter. He is co-chair of the Task Force on Companion Animals and Public Safety under the auspices of City of Chicago/Alderman Gene Schulter.

Following Hurricane Katrina, Steve organized a “Mardi Growl” fundraiser for New Orleans, which prompted similar fundraisers across the country. When his cat died of a common but incurable heart problem, he created a fund though the Winn Feline Foundation to support research; since then, over $70,000 has been raised, and important progress has been made as a result. Steve also teamed up with the American Veterinary Medical Association to raise thousands of dollars through the “Pets for Afghan Kids” campaign.

Steve is the recipient of many awards, including: Syndicated General Feature Newspaper Writer of the Year, the American Kennel Club Responsible Dog Ownership Award, the Winn Feline Foundation Media Award, the American Humane Association Media Award, the Cat Writers’ Association Shojai Mentor Award, and the Humane Society of the United States Pets for Life Award.