Hi! I’m Haley Young.
I’m a writer, full-time traveler, and huge creature nerd. My first book, THE DOG LOVER’S BUCKET LIST (Quarto May 2026) encourages readers to make memories with their dogs through a mix of education, inspiration, and journal prompts.
Early in my career I interned at an elephant sanctuary before leaning into my passion for canids on the Paws and Reflect blog, growing it to 30K followers. Today I work for pet brands like Sniffspot and Juniper while contributing to Business Insider, Kinship, and more. I also read creative nonfiction for Wallstrait and Months to Years literary journals and copy edit for The Lit Nerds.
I’m currently focused on a hybrid memoir with emotional realizations, training insights, and core values from seven years helping my fearful dog handle—and more importantly, enjoy—our life.
My word affair goes way back.
Wrote my first "novel"
2006 | My childhood home
In the 4th grade I wrote a 300-page (double-spaced, don't worry) novel on my family's desktop. Cyber was about a lost husky finding his way home. "Writing meets dogs" is an accurate origin story.
Couldn't stop writing about canids
2019 | Thanks to a shy rescue dog
When I adopted my heeler, I started a social media blog called Paws and Reflect. Today it holds hundreds of reflections on dog training, van life, and other assorted whims—and has inspired a book-length memoir.
Went full-time freelance
2021 | Async on the road
Most of my content marketing clients found me through Paws and Reflect. I love the pet space! I also increasingly pitch editors to write about more than dogs.
Will publish my first book
2026 | Epic Ink at Quarto
This summer, Quarto's senior acquisitions editor asked if I'd be interested in writing a work of illustrated nonfiction about my favorite pets. You bet I said yes! The Dog Lover's Bucket List hits shelves in May.
I do some things besides write, too.
Design social media and website graphics
My graphic design minor left me with a soft spot for minimalism.
Implement technical search optimizations
Great content comes first—but words can't do SEO all alone.
Develop with Wordpress and front-end code
I designed and coded the website you're looking at from scratch.