Deirdre Franklin is the founder, president, and soul behind Pinups for Pitbulls, Inc., an education and advocacy group that helps shelters and animal rescues around the country. She earned her Master's degree in public policy at Drexel University and wrote her thesis on breed discriminatory laws. She has garnered many accolades for her efforts in dog advocacy, including the Wallace Award, by championing the relationship in the human-canine bond. She lives in Asheville, NC. Linda Lombardi began her writing career as the pets columnist for the Associated Press. She is the author of Animals Behaving Badly, a humor book based on science and the news, and the Hannah Lilly series of zoo mysteries. Her hands-on experience with animals includes work training shelter dogs and as a zookeeper with small mammals, reptiles and amphibians.