I'm a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and 2021-22 MIT Knight Science Journalism fellow.

I play the ukulele in public when I'm feeling brave.

coming October 2025

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"A tender, beautifully written story that every dog lover should read."

—Dr. Brian Hare, author of New York Times beststeller The Genius of Dogs

LAB DOG is among the most eye-opening and important exposés ever reported. It changed the way I think and taught me so much, best of all about the boundless capacities of love.

—Silas House, New York Times bestselling author of Lark Ascending

Praise for LAB DOG

Melanie Kaplan’s heartfelt story of her tender relationship with one rescued “lab dog,” Hammy, tells it all. This is an eye-opening and deeply personal book, for anyone to read, whether or not you live with a former lab dog.”  

—Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., author of Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine