Bio
Judy McFadden, a coal miner’s daughter born and raised in
southwestern Pennsylvania, has experienced a special connection with
animals, especially dogs, throughout her life. She is a people
person because of the diversity that existed in the coal mining
community. Italians, Russians, Greeks, Poles, Swiss,
Czechoslovakians, and African-Americans lived and relied on each other
in her neighborhood.
Her love of travel began exploring the Pennsylvania woods.
Judy lived in Germany for two years and learned to cook sauerkraut the
German way; visited France, toured Paris, and the palaces at
Fontainebleau and Versailles; saw rainbow-colored fields of tulips in
Holland; traveled to Costa Rica and gazed into an active, bubbling
volcano; spent three days in the Costa Rican jungle where howler
monkeys swung in the trees and crocodiles sunned on river banks.
She vacationed in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Canada.
Judy has visited many of the major cities in the United States.
As a certified Therapy Dogs International volunteer and a member of
K-9 Therapists of Las Vegas, Judy and her Scottish terrier, McDuff,
appeared on KVBC-TV Channel 3 News in Las Vegas, and received front
page newspaper coverage in the Anthem View in Henderson, Nevada, in recognition of McDuff’s outstanding therapy dog work.
She has been employed as a legal secretary, sales representative,
custodian of records for The Ohio State University Hospital, and public
inquiries assistant on the National Cancer Institute 800-4-CANCER
telephone line. She resigned her position as courtroom clerk in
the Eighth Judicial District Court at the Regional Justice Center in
Las Vegas, Nevada, to pursue a writing career.
Judy lives in Henderson, Nevada, and is a member of the Dog Writers Association of America, Henderson
Writers' Group, sponsor of the annual Las Vegas Writer’s
Conference, Henderson Chamber of Commerce, and Toastmasters International. She speaks
to audiences to promote awareness of the benefits of therapy dogs and
animal assisted reading programs like Therapy Dogs International and
Reading with Rover.
