About Us

Patty Spitler is the host and producer for Pet Pals TV. An Emmy Award winner, Patty worked for 23 years at WISH-TV in Indianapolis as an anchor and entertainment reporter. She retired in 2004 for health reasons. Patty has Meniere's Disease with permanent and progressive hearing loss. She now is mom to a Bernese Mountain Dog named Stewie, mutt Mabel, indoor kitty Timber, and several neighborhood cats that she feeds on her porch. Patty is twice the recipient of the Best Indianapolis TV Personality in an IndyStar poll and was inducted into the Indiana Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Ramón Carrera is the CEO/Show Owner/Executive Producer for Pet Pals TV. He shoots many of the stories you see on the television show and edits the half-hour program. Ramón also coordinates the transmission of the program each week to our growing family of local television stations and cable networks. Ramón owns INDY Audio Visual Productions, a local production company in Indianapolis. Originally from Madrid, Spain, he attended the University of Indianapolis. During Ramón’s downtime, he enjoys practicing Kendo, the ancient teachings of Japanese martial arts. 

Steve Sweitzer has over 30 years of broadcast TV news experience, mostly at WISH-TV in Indianapolis; shooting, writing, editing, field producing, and as Chief Photographer and News Operations Manager. Awarded Indiana News Photographer of the Year and taken first place in the Associated Press reporting category. Steve also is a former president of the National Press Photographers Association. For the last 20 years, he has taught courses for the Journalism Department at Indiana University Purdue University (IUPUI). In 2021, Steve was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Hall of Fame. 

With a background in animation, television news, and journalism, Joy Hernandez has created a colorful world of her own, via her art. Joy is an aerosol and acrylic artist currently based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the founder of Full Circle Nine Gallery in Indianapolis and shows her art there as well as other locations throughout Indianapolis . She has a cat and two dogs who are Springer Spaniel mixes but enjoys small mammals, having had pet rats in college. Joy has worked at WISH-TV as a photojournalist for over 17 years. She enjoys house renovations and gardening projects with her husband. 

Tom Dock has been involved with pets and the veterinary profession for more than three decades as a veterinary assistant and practice manager within Noah’s family of animal hospitals in Central Indiana. Tom was the very first non-veterinarian in the United States credentialed as a Certified Veterinary Journalist. His current role within the Noah’s family is teaching new employees the basic concepts of preventive care for pets as well as overseeing the animal hospitals' media outreach. Tom and his wife have four English Mastiffs who are the Live Mascots for the Indy Eleven soccer team!

Renee Jameson grew up in Muncie, Indiana, and attended Ball State University. For 16 years she worked as a broadcast journalist in television markets in Ohio, Florida, Tennessee and at WISH-TV in Indianapolis, where she was a general assignment reporter for four years. She also worked at WRTV in Indianapolis for three years. Renee received a Best in Indiana award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2005. She took some time off the air to raise her family and says she is thrilled to be working once again with Patty Spitler.

Photographer Adam Dunn has worked with many large and small corporations to create stunning internal and external productions, ranging from corporate communications to full marketing campaigns and commercial productions. Originally from Illinois, Adam graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a B.S. degree in Mass Communications: Electronic Media Studies. In 2016 he became a photographer and reporter for Pet Pals TV. He has always had a passion for animals and enjoys covering animal stories.

KJ spent 13 years as the co-host for the award-winning radio program the Smiley Morning Show in Indianapolis and has been Pet Pals TV’s Kitty Correspondent since 2018. She combines her dedication to animal advocacy and love of Marvel comics and movies to connect with followers and fans alike. She is a frequent go-to expert on all things cats, superheroes and sci-fi, and is executive producer of the new show Paranormal X Road. KJ is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville and is president of KJ Media Company. She and her husband are passionate about cats – they have seven of them in their Indianapolis home!

Danielle is a graduate of  Indiana University and worked for several years in the medical field. But her curiosity about people, places, and things led her into the world of television. In 2011, she became the on-air personality as The Face of MyINDY-TV 23 in  Indianapolis, covering local events, sports, concerts, and Indy nightlife. However, all those activities come to a sudden halt anytime a puppy showed up! Her enormous love of all animals makes her a good fit for Pet Pals TV. Now Danielle is a busy wife and mother and finds being a reporter for Pet Pals TV is the perfect escape to get her puppy time! 

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Photographer Barney Wood has worked in the cable, broadcast, and multimedia industries since 1988. He has a passion for human interest storytelling and is a two-time Emmy Award-winning recipient with 21 Emmy Nominations. Barney lives south of Indy with his wife Lisa, his son Orion, and his faithful production assistant, Zoe Butterscotch, the Shih-Chi Wonder Dog! Barney describes himself as a "geek" who can never own enough computers, camera equipment, and various gadgets.

Rita Rose is Executive Assistant at Pet Pals TV and personal assistant to host Patty Spitler. She is a retired reporter and Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor for The Indianapolis Star and currently is a Feline Friend volunteer at the Humane Society of Indianapolis. At Pet Pals TV, she edits and writes some of the blog content on the website and contributes to the Paw Prints e-newsletter. She has an 11-year-old rescue kitty named Tinkerbell.

Jason provides digital content for PetPalsTV.com and produces content for our valued sponsors.  An Emmy-award winning television producer, Jason develops marketing plans to help sponsors maximize their goals. Jason also produces Grateful Rescue TV, a program that celebrates the adoptions at Grateful Rescue and Sanctuary in Muncie, Indiana.  Jason works full-time as Inflight Communications Supervisor for Republic Airways.