My Pet World: Twenty years of columns have only fueled my enthusiasm about pets!

Summing up 20 years of work isn't easy. As I begin my third decade of writing this column, I have a wealth of memories to recall.

I was the first journalist to speak with a search-and-rescue dog handler at the World Trade Center, within 48 hours of the Sept. 11, 2001 disaster. After driving overnight from East Carondelet, MO (near St. Louis), Chris Christensen was among the first handlers on the scene.

Interviewing Chris via cell phone, he described the grisly scene in such graphic detail that I couldn't relay it all in my column. He told me how his dog, Servus, lost his footing and slid down a giant mountain of debris, landing head first in a pile of ash. Hoisting the 70-pound dog over his shoulder, Chris hollered for help and several firefighters came to the rescue.

A nurse began administering IV fluids to Servus on the sidewalk, while a police officer poured water over the now convulsing dog. What appeared to be liquid concrete streamed from the dog's nose. Rushed by ambulance to Animal Medical Center, Servus recovered quickly enough to do more work at Ground Zero.

This story spread around the globe, and morning news shows began covering the heroics of many 9/11 search-and-rescue dogs. I'm proud to have focused attention on these teams.

Following 9/11, I expressed concern about the "comfort dogs" brought in to support families with loved ones killed or missing in the wake of the terrorist attacks. The sentiment was wonderful, but many of the dogs weren't suited for the task. The term "comfort dogs" stuck, however, and today organizations do train dogs for just this purpose, which is a good thing.

I earned awards for both stories, and was named Syndicated Feature Writer of the Year for 2001 by Editor and Publisher magazine.

Better than awards, though, are comments from pet owners telling me that my columns have helped them. According to my math, that's 1,040 stories!

Back in 1995, I wrote that search-and-rescue dogs were despondent over not finding live survivors following the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK. TV news anchors picked up on the piece, asking, "Do dogs really get depressed?" I did dozens of media interviews following that column.

Over the years, I've reported on many advances in veterinary medicine. I'm proud of a 2003 op-ed piece I wrote countering a bogus Consumer Reports story on how to deal with "money hungry" veterinarians. The story was filled with misinformation, and directed consumers inaccurately.

For many years, I've been a cheerleader for veterinary preventive medicine. Today, there's data to demonstrate that without regular checkups, pets' risk of illness increases. Readers have suggested they know whether their pets are ill, or they can go online for help. While going online is good for general information, Dr. Google can't hear your pet's heart or do blood work.

I was critical of a 2014 Time magazine story headlined, "The Problem with Pit Bulls," which described them as inherently dangerous. The problem has never been with the breed, especially since most dogs referred to as "pit bulls" are merely mixed-breed dogs sharing the same general appearance. In 2014, I wrote about a position paper I'd co-authored for the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior on why community breed bans (banning pit bull-type dogs, and often other breeds) haven't worked.

Awards came my way for a column documenting my ride-along with a Chicago Police officer investigated crimes against animals. We never encountered a dogfight in progress, but did witness the horrible conditions under which such dogs are kept. I met a 7-year-old boy who told me, "dogs are for fighting."

I've often taken heat for my views. Back in 2006, it seemed everyone loved Cesar Millan, dubbed the "Dog Whisperer," except me. I called him "the dog screamer" for his antiquated and aversive tactics. I was threatened by the National Geographic Channel, but remained critical of Millan's training techniques, which ultimately led to "his people" requesting a face-to-face meeting, which I then documented.

Being an equal opportunity pet writer, I've also focused lots of attention on cats. After all, they are America's most popular pets. Still, cats don't receive equal veterinary care compared to dogs, are given up to shelters more often (and adopted less often than dogs), and get little respect. The stories coincided with my co-founding the non-profit CATalyst Council in 2008, whereby industry and veterinary medicine work in tandem to support cats.

I owned quite the feline myself. Ricky, the piano-playing cat, appeared on many national TV shows showing off his musical prowess. When he died of feline heart disease, I began the Ricky Fund at the non-profit Winn Feline Foundation. Today, supporters have contributed over $100,000, and as a result there's an inexpensive cheek swab test to determine if the gene defect exists in Maine Coon and Ragdoll cats.

I've reported from far flung places, including Australia, Africa and Europe, and from many U.S. veterinary conferences. I've spoken to diverse celebrities for this column, from Oscar winners Diane Keaton and Hillary Swank to public officials like Newt Gingrich and U.S. senators, legendary entertainers like Audrey Meadows (Alice on "The Honeymooners"), Shirley MacLaine and Betty White (8 interviews), and twice with Dr. Jane Goodall, primatologist and humanitarian.

Did I mention, "I love my job?"

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