Austin Cannon

Austin Cannon is an editor for The Spruce Pets and Daily Paws. Austin joined Daily Paws in June 2020. He edits and produces most of the site's news and trending stories, giving pet owners a daily dose of joy and knowledge. Prior to arriving at Dotdash Meredith, he worked as an award-winning journalist for several newspapers, most recently the Des Moines Register.

Highlights

Helped launch Daily Paws in August 2020, writing and editing much of the early content that appeared on the fast-growing site
Has authored hundreds of articles for Daily Paws, including pet rescue stories, animal health reports, and in-depth dog breed guides
Earned four awards—three certificates of excellence and one Muse Medallion—from the Cat Writers' Association in 2021 and 2022
Covered local government, education, and the Iowa caucuses over a four-year newspaper career before joining Dotdash Meredith

Experience

Austin Cannon is an editor for The Spruce Pets and Daily Paws. He arrived at Dotdash Meredith as Daily Paws' associate editor in June 2020.

Before that, he worked as a reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Ames Tribune, and Des Moines Register. He authored authoritative stories on education issues, local elections, and the Iowa caucuses, giving readers what they need to know quickly and clearly.

He used those skills to help launch Daily Paws in August 2020. Since then, he's led the site's pet news coverage, writing and editing fun, informative stories that helped grow the site's readership. Austin also authored longform dog breed guides, pet health articles, and even social media posts.

Education

Austin earned two degrees concurrently from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa: a bachelor's degree in news journalism and a bachelor's degree in political science. When not in class, he spent hours upon hours in the newsroom of the campus newspaper, The Times-Delphic. His work there eventually spawned into a trio of editing and reporting internships. Those paved the way for a career in journalism that covered local, state, and national politics—and, eventually, pets.

Expertise: Pet News, Copy Editing, Storytelling, Animal Rescues

Education: Drake University

Location: Des Moines, IA

Title: Editor

About The Spruce Pets

The Spruce Pets, a Dotdash Meredith brand, is a new kind of pets website offering practical, real-life tips and training advice to help you care for your pet. The Spruce Pets reaches 10 million people each month. Learn more about us, our editorial process, and our commitment to ensuring we are providing you with the most trustworthy veterinarian advice.