Dogster

Kelly Pulley

I wasn’t always a pet writer. There was a time when I cut cold cuts on one of those insanely unsafe meat slicers in a local grocery deli store (trust me, blood was lost) and I overstuffed the plastic containers filled with pasta salad so that oil got on the customers’ hands (this meant no star for me that week). I eventually graduated into the world of advertising, which I discovered was very cut-throat (go figure), so I downgraded to a government publishing job and then used my miles to get a stunning job at Nature in New York City.

All along this fascinating path, I wrote about dogs. It seemed like a good subject to pursue since, even way back in 1992, people were nuts about their pets. I couldn’t spend the time I wanted to on this endeavor until about five years ago, and I am proud to say that I now know a good way to stop gas in dogs. I’m also the proud owner (“companion,” “parent,” “guardian,” or “snuggle buddy,” depending on your political leanings) of two Pit Bulls and a very stealthy cat who can turn on a dime. We four (and this art called “pet writing”) fit together like a space station built out of Legos, except we have the option to detach when we need a drink of water.

Full Name (Including Embarrassing Second Names): My full name is Kelly Cabell Pulley Modzelewski. The Pulleys have done nothing of note that I know of but my grandfather, Earle Cabell, was mayor of Dallas when JFK was killed (in the second car behind, no less!). The “Modzelewski” shall be severed soon as I am getting a divorce (no, it’s a good thing, really).

Age: 39. I choose this age in homage to comedian Jack Benny who, even when he turned 80, claimed to be a spry 39 (and, let's just say, this is the first year I‘d be lying)

Location: New York City

Where You Can Stalk Me on the Internet: Yeah, so I’m not very high-tech right now. If you find some bad mystery stories online with my name on them, I know nothing about them.

What I Do for a Living: Hmm, well, technically I write about pets for a living, but based more on the living standards and expenses of Cambodia.

What I Do for Fun: I rub my dogs’ feet while we watch an old movie and pretend that I didn’t put a ton of butter on the “healthy” popcorn.

Hudson, 12. Pit bull and proud junkyard dog. He comes from Coney Island and walks more miles in a day pacing in front of the door than Forrest Gump ran in a year.

Falstaff, 7. Pit bull. Has convinced Hudson that he is the alpha and thus manages to snag more treats — but he’s also responsible for taking out the trash.

Ed the Cat, 9. Ed lives a very sheltered life, almost a monastic existence, and his wise parables guide us daily.

My Favorite Things to Write About Are: Dogs! Cats! Horses! Any sort of dog-cat-horse creature, murder mysteries (in a witty and “fun” way), myself

My Pet Peeve Is: The apparent lack of concern in today’s youth (yes, I sound like my mother) about correct grammar and spelling (don’t check my spelling; that doesn’t count)

My Guilty Pleasures Are: Massage, massage, massage

How I Deal with Dog Hair: Gave up trying to rein it in years ago. We exist peacefully with the balls of fur that reside in the corners, and aren’t going to worry until we can’t find Ed.

What I Want to Be When I Grow Up: I still don’t know. This writing thing is pretty good, though.