Isis and Cooper, by way of Val Mallinson

The travel bug bit Val Mallinson early, in the back of a 1972 Mercury station wagon with fake wood paneling. On family road trips, and on her own, she has avidly explored all 50 states, a dozen European countries, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Val’s love of dogs began even earlier, thanks to her childhood companion Keegan, who waited with his nose pressed to the window for her to come home from kindergarten. After a passing puppy love with wrinkly shar-peis as a teenager, she adopted two miniature dachshunds, Cooper and Isis, as an adult.

Before devoting herself to the position of chauffeur and stenographer for the Wonder Wieners, Val survived medical policy and procedure documentation, wrote a screenplay, and spent a decade in the fast-paced and glamorous world of advertising and marketing copywriting. She is also a contributing author to the stylish travel guide Moon Metro Seattle. With her husband, Steve, she has lived in Seattle for ten years.