Fiona Petersen, local dog trainer and behavior consultant from Andover, was recently awarded the Dog Writers Association of America’s prestigious Maxwell Medallion. The award was presented at the Dog Writers Awards Banquet, which is held annually at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City, the day prior to the start of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

The Dog Writers Association was formed in 1935 at a meeting of the Westminster Kennel Club and states that part of its mission is to encourage quality writing about dog sports and dog companionship.

Fiona said, “I was very excited when I learned in December that I was one of four finalists for the Dog Writers Best Series Award and also the American Kennel Club’s Publication Excellence Award, but never imagined that I’d win; it’s a national writing contest, and the competition is extremely stiff. It was an honor just to be selected as a finalist in two categories.”

The winning four-part series, called It’s A Dog’s Life, describes how dogs use their sense of smell, hearing, vision, and learning ability to define their world and their relationships with humans and other dogs and details how fascinating and complex the life of a dog really is.

She went on to say that she feels providing good information about canine behavior and dog training is more important than ever in the face of all the inaccurate, dangerous information and harsh training methods that can be seen on reality television. “Training a dog should be fun for both dog and owner. It’s not a battle for domination, as some TV personalities would have us believe.

“Old beliefs die hard, so writing about more effective, positive methods is a way for me to educate people about training their dogs without physical force and also to give them scientifically accurate information about dog behavior. It’s another way that I can advocate for dogs.”

If you are interested in reading the series, please contact Fiona at NorseQueen03287@nullyahoo.com.