Our team has a combined 290+ years of experience when it comes to our canine friends, both personally and professionally. Each of our writers and editors is committed to providing the most in-depth and unbiased information via research, reviews, and personal stories to ensure you have all the guidance you need for every aspect of caring for your beloved pup.
Expertise You Can Trust
There’s a lot of fake news on social media or the internet, especially regarding caring for animals. There is also conflicting information or opinions about specific topics like toy safety, whether dogs eat certain things or special diets. Our goal is to demystify the misinformation, get to the bottom of the truth, and give our readers the most scientific-based, human-verified content.
Several of our writers are licensed veterinarians (DVM) who have dedicated their lives to improving the lives of pets and their owners. They review health content for medical accuracy from start to finish. They wouldn’t put their name on something they didn’t believe would be 100% true. We also have a licensed insurance professional who checks insurance content for compliance and accuracy.
Meet Our Team
Get to know the people (and pups) behind our company who come together to bring you the best content for canines.
Alex Schenker, CEO/Co-Founder
Alex holds degrees in Management Science from the University of California at San Diego and Computer Science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and is co-parent to two rescue dogs, Barley (Mountain Feist) and Lily (Carolina Brown Dog). Alex’s first dog was a Dalmatian and has nearly two decades of experience with several rescue dogs. He’s been versed in everything from basic dog training techniques, canine diet and health, and pet insurance, and he donates regularly to the local animal shelter Forsyth Human Society.
Michelle Schenker, Co-Founder/ Licensed Insurance Professional
Michelle is a licensed insurance professional (license #19494757) with an MBA from Vanderbilt University. Since 2007, Michelle has specialized in dogs, focusing on pet insurance. She has run over 2,000 pet insurance quotes, reviewed hundreds of policies, and canvassed the industry for all the latest news, trends, and updates. This focus allows her to provide pet owners with the most comprehensive and valuable advice. Michelle is a Dog Writers Association of America member, and her expert advice and opinions have appeared in media outlets, including Newsweek, The New York Times’ Wirecutter, Forbes, People, Reader’s Digest, and more. Michelle has always lived in a home full of dogs, including today as a co-parent to two rescue pups, Barley and Lily.
Kimberly Alt, Researcher & Content Strategy
Kimberly is a writer and content strategist for Canine Journal, specializing in pet insurance consulting. She has written and edited professionally since 2010. In 2014, Kimberly began researching dogs and discovered her passion for pet insurance. She strongly advocates for insuring pets and knows insurance is a complex subject for most. Kimberly has read hundreds of pet insurance policies (including the fine print), ran more than 3,000 pet insurance quotes, engages in frequent discussions with pet insurer representatives, and conducts mystery shopping to gain an unbiased perspective and explain how companies differ and their strengths. Her passion is teaching others about the pet insurance industry and helping them make informed decisions for their pet insurance needs. Kimberly has a B.A. in Multimedia Journalism from Simpson College. She is a Dog Writers Association of America member, and her work has appeared in many brands, including The New York Times’ Wirecutter, Reader’s Digest, Forbes, People, Woman’s World, and Huffington Post. Kimberly is the parent of a rescue Coonhound mix, Sally.
Sadie Cornelius, Creative & Content Marketing
Sadie graduated from the Moody School of Communications at the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor’s in Advertising and a business concentration from UT’s McCombs School Of Business. She has covered dog-related topics for Canine Journal since 2012. Her dog advice and expertise have appeared in many notable media outlets, including The New York Times, Forbes, People, Reader’s Digest, Apartment Therapy, and dozens of regional news organizations. Sadie’s love of pets started from an early age with her childhood cocker spaniel and cats and is a dog mom to a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Georgie.
Sally Jones, Researcher/Writer & Editor
Sally has over 25 years of professional research, writing, and editing experience. Since joining Canine Journal (CJ) in 2015, she has researched and tested hundreds of dog accessories, services, and dog foods. In addition, she brings decades of experience in health sciences writing and communications and is the CJ resident expert on canine health issues. Sally holds a BA in English from James Madison University and an MA from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism & Mass Communications. Her work has appeared in several notable media outlets, including The Washington Post, Entrepreneur, People, Forbes, and Huffington Post. Sally is currently a pet parent to a rescue dog, Tiny, and three rescue cats.
Danielle DeGroot, Researcher/Writer
Danielle graduated from the University of Colorado Global with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and a specialization in Marketing. Her work has supported multiple small businesses, brands, and larger organizations, including the University of Denver. She is a lifelong supporter of rescue pets and has adopted almost every animal she has ever met that needed a home. Danielle is an expert in product reviews, pet food, dog names, pet behavior, and breeds. Her rescue dogs, Falkor, a Poodle Beagle mix, and Daisy, a Pitbull Lab mix, serve as Canine Journal’s in-house dog food testers and have tested over 50 kinds of dog food. She also has three rescue cats.
Julie Fritz, Dental Hygentist
Julie is a writer and researcher for Canine Journal and the team’s dental expert. With over 15 years in the dental field and her love of human’s best friend, she has found a unique passion for learning all there is to know about dogs’ dental health and brings that knowledge to our readers. Her professional writing career began in 2012 and she also enjoys writing in-depth breed-specific articles and researching products and information to help pet parents care for their pups. Growing up, she enjoyed living in a house that always had a Brittany Spaniel and is very happy now when she gets to spoil the dogs in her life with love and snuggles.
Dr. Katherine Baldwin VetMed, CertAVP, MRCVS
Katherine qualified from the Royal Veterinary College, London, in 2010. She started her professional life in mixed practice, working across small animal, farm, and equine sectors. She spent seven years working in a busy, 24-hour small animal hospital in Cambridgeshire, providing routine and emergency care. Her professional interests are in medical workups, oncology, and ultrasonography. She is passionate about client education and empowering pet owners with the knowledge to improve patient welfare and access to veterinary services.
Dr. Alison Foucault, DVM
After graduating in 2006 from the University of Montreal, Dr. Alison Foucault, DVM, MRCVS, moved to San Diego to complete an internship specializing in small animal emergency and critical care. She has been practicing in this specific field ever since. She has been using her experience more recently to help design new animal hospitals and get them off the ground. Dr. Foucault also helps train recent graduates in Emergency and Critical Care. Additionally, she has worked in the TV and film production world as a Vet On Set for the last three years.
Dr. Elizabeth Racine, DVM
Dr. Elizabeth Racine is a small animal veterinarian with a passion for improving the lives of pets. She has worked in the veterinary field in various roles for more than a decade, with professional interests in behavior, nutrition, and palliative care. As a writer, her work has been featured by several world-renowned pet health and wellness brands. Dr. Racine shares her home with her dog Dasher – a beagle with his own storied career training new veterinary students – and her two mischievous young cats, Wasabi and Sake.
Dr. JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
JoAnna earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. Choosing to use her veterinary training in a different way, she decided to become a medical writer. Since beginning her freelance medical writing business in 2016, JoAnna has written hundreds of articles on pet care and pet health. She is passionate about using her writing to close the gap between what the veterinarian says and what the pet parent understands. JoAnna grew up with two dog, Dudley and Petrov.
Dr. Miriam Collister, DVM
Miriam graduated with a distinction in Veterinary Science in 2013. She works full-time in a companion animal clinic doing consultations, surgery, and working nights and weekends providing emergency care out-of-hours. Miriam’s main veterinary interest is in diagnostic imaging, which includes radiography and ultrasound. This has led her to complete a post-graduate certificate in diagnostic imaging within the last year.
Dr. Joanna Woodnutt, MRCVS
Dr. Joanna Woodnutt graduated from the University of Nottingham and holds a degree in Veterinary Science (BVMedSci) and a degree in Veterinary Medicine and Surgery (BVM BVS). After graduating, she worked in companion animal practice in the UK for several years, dealing with patients young and old. She found a love of consulting and particularly loved it when a complex concept needed to be explained to an owner- but she could only help one owner at a time. Her rescue terrier, Pixie, can often be found on her lap when she’s writing.
Dr. Hannah Godfrey, MRCVS
After graduating from the Royal Veterinary College in 2011, Dr. Hannah Godfrey BVetMed MRCVS went on to work in a busy practice dealing with animals of all shapes and sizes. She’s since found a love of smaller animals and now works in a small companion animal practice in Wales, where she combines her love of animals with her love of writing.
Dr. Sarah-Jane Molier, Veterinarian
Sarah-Jane currently works part-time in Veterinary Management and spends the rest of her time writing. In the past, she has worked in a charity clinic, as a locum, and for both independent and corporate veterinary practices, doing clinical and managerial roles.
Jeff Butler, Analytics/SEO & Affiliate Partnerships
Since joining the Canine Journal in 2012, Jeff has been involved in shaping future content topics and partnerships. His involvement revolves around behind-the-scenes work, including maintaining and enhancing key pet partnerships, analyzing traffic data, and ensuring the site remains a trusted and informative hub for all things dog. He is currently a pet parent to a Goldendoodle dog, Gary.
You’re also welcome to get in touch with your feedback, concerns, suggestions or questions. Thanks for reading and stopping by to get to know us. Here’s to keeping dogs smiling and their tails a-waggin’.