Animal Beat

We’re on the beat for animals.

We aim to gather the information you need to understand animals and the issues that affect them.

Balance and accuracy are paramount. Though we hold strong opinions and will sometimes post them delineated as such, we are journalists first and foremost, independent of any other entities’ agendas.

You’re likely to find a variety of viewpoints in our content. If our inclusion of that wide range of voices sometimes ruffles feathers, it will mean we’re truly on the beat.

Mostly, though, we hope you find as much satisfaction in experiencing this site as we do in presenting it.

Many thanks for visiting and please come back soon!

Shelley Frost is a writer and filmmaker whose work has been featured on Oprah and in People magazine. She has served in executive positions for several animal rescue organizations.

Katerina Lorenzatos Makris is the author of 17 novels for publishers including Avon, E.P. Dutton, and Simon & Schuster, and hundreds of articles for publications such as National Geographic Traveler, San Francisco Chronicle, and Veggie Life. She wrote a teleplay for CBS and short fiction for The Bark magazine. Holding a B.A. in Environmental Science Studies and a lifelong interest in animal issues, she spends a lot of her time battling a severe addiction to dogs.

Together Shelley and Katerina wrote Your Adopted Dog: Everything You Need to Know About Rescuing and Caring for a Best Friend in Need (The Lyons Press).


Barb Kohn is a communications consultant. She has a passion for the welfare of animals and has volunteered with many San Francisco Bay Area rescue and shelter organizations, including Homeless Cat Network, Peninsula Fix Our Ferals, Pets in Need and Furry Friends Rescue. She also is the National Cats Examiner for the Examiner.com.

A. Bronwyn Llewellyn is a veteran writer and editor who has written, edited, or ghost-written a dozen books on careers, horses, interior design, Shakespeare, and green jobs, among others. She has written and edited text for scores of museum exhibitions on topics ranging from honeybees to high technology, skyscrapers to civil rights. Currently she is writing the text for a new science museum in Reno, Nevada, and is the assistant editor of two popular astrology websites based in San Francisco. Ms. Llewellyn holds a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Museum Studies.

Meera Lester, an internationally published author and former magazine editor, has written more than two dozen books on topics ranging from history and religion, to New Age, arts and crafts, high technology, futuristic topics, interior decorating, music, and lifestyle topics. Most recently she completed a new book for F&W Publications/Adams Media titled, The Marriage Devotional (to be published in 2010). A lifelong cat lover, she has instilled a love of animals in her twin granddaughters who both currently volunteer once a month at an animal shelter in Northern California when they are not caring for their own three dogs.