Dog Talk ® (and Kitties Too!)

#839C:  Veterinarian-turned-novelist Brian Porter talks about his book “Dreams of Arcadia,” which follows a city veterinarian, who joins a country practice in Texas and learns how harsh it is out there. 

#839B: Tracie just learned about the work of Dr. Sarah Byosiere, who has been director of the Thinking Dog Center at Hunter College in New York City — only to learn from her that the center is closing! But the Animal Behavior and Conservation department is still there.

#839A: Dr. Rachel Geller is a cat behavior specialist who founded her own non-profit All Cats, All the Time to provide non-judgmental advice, information and support to people having problems with their kitty cats. She has helped thousands of cats stay in their loving homes — all for free!

#838C: Bri Golub, the Director of Programs NOMV (Not One More Vet) talks about the mission of the organization to support veterinary wellbeing — and the excitement around the gala planned for October with Temple Grandin as the speaker. 

#838B: Dr. Geraldine Diethelm describes how acupuncture works for pain relief and healing, and the many ways in which veterinarians can help pets with acupuncture — even exotic animals, in addition to dogs and cats!

#838A: Daniel Fine talks about the plight of pets that had to be abandoned during the war and his nonprofit War Animals Relief Fund. Tracie urges everyone to join her in helping the GoFundMe campaign to support his upcoming FIFTH volunteer mission to help unite the dogs and cats of Ukraine with their displaced owners.

#837C: Kimberly La Russa describes how the Ten Lives Club has managed to save the lives of 3,000 cats a year.

#837B: Wayne Pacelle, head of Animal Wellness Action, cheers the news that the Supreme Court upheld states' rights to make their own rules about living conditions for pigs and hens. California Proposition 12 was upheld, despite efforts by the food industry to continue “cruelty tied to commerce.” 

#837A: Curtis Huttenhower is a Harvard professor and co-director of the Harvard Chan Microbiome in Public Health Center, who talks about their study [funded by the Morris Animal Foundation] of a cat's gut biome and how that influences obesity. And they are looking for volunteers to send their cat's poop and help answer the question.

#836C: Lili Chin's charmingly illustrated book “Kitty Language: An Illustrated Guide to Understanding Your Cat” does just that — gives you clues and hints to how and what your cat is feeling

#836B: Tammy Kaehler is a recipient of a grant from MissionMeow for her group Love Your feral Felines 

#836A: The marvelous ethologist Dr. Marc Bekoff — who has spent a lifetime watching and thinking about dogs, shares it all in his new book, “Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine” 

#835C: Hanna Fushihara teaches people how to engage their cats' very sensitive noses in a fun pursuit that until now has been only for dogs. “Nosework for cats” could be a lot more interesting than just fishing wand play for both the human and the feline!

#835B: Dr Sharon L. Campbell, ​DVM, MS, DACVIM, is the Medical Affairs Lead on Canine Chronic Pain at Zoetis, where they have developed Librela, a once-monthly injectable monoclonal antibody treatment for the control of canine osteoarthritis, since 40% of dogs of ALL ages have signs of OA.

#835A: Dr. Marty Becker spent years consulting with veterinary behaviorists to come up with the guidelines for vets, vet-techs and vet assistants to get certified in his Fear Free program — making the doctor visit much less stressful for your dog and cat.

#834B: Megan Bunting, a dog trainer in Branford, CT, talks about a client whose dog (who happened to be an otherwise sweetheart Pitbull, a breed hard-wired to fight) viciously attacked her canine housemate, who happened to be an Australian Cattle dog --- another high-drive breed. 

 #834C: Martha Frassica-Rivera runs the Everglades Outpost wildlife refuge and rehab, where Dr. Doug Mader — Tracie's co-host on EXOTIC PETS — performs medical high-wire acts like jaw surgery on a 9-foot alligator — which you can watch on the website video!

#834A: Dr Charles Garvin from the AKC Canine Health Foundation discusses grants they have funded for studies of innovative new ways to detect and treat cancer.

 #833C: Corrine Bourgoin --- adoption supervisor and shelter operations manager at the MSPCA Boston --- discusses how the shelter has achieved the highest return-to-owner rate of cats in the whole USA, 10 times higher than the rest of the country! 

 #833B: Terry Taflinger of the Animal Protection Association talks about the life-changing grant they received from MissionMeow --- the crowd-sourcing non profit --- and how they are putting the donation to work. 

 #833A: Wayne Pacelle, the founder of Animal Wellness Action, talks about the Belmont Stakes race next weekend and the travesty of young race horses dying needlessly as their owners chase Triple Crown glory and winnings. 

Sally Williams (MissionMeow) on accumulating many smaller donations to make one large donation go further, making a substantial difference in their work

Jonathan Losos (“The Cat's Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa”) discusses when and how cats talk

Dr Robert Sharp (“The Bull in the Darkness and the One-Eyed Dog: Scenes From the Life of a Country Veterinarian”) on his wild, unpredictable and funny life

Photographer Laura Cohen discusses her Tortoises Pedro and Petra --- featured in “In Good Company” --- which she found at the huge live animal market in Mexico City

Justin Goodman (White Coat Waste Project) discusses bill to defund Pennsylvania animal testing labs, including at Temple University, and University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Kwane Stewart (“What it Takes to Save a Life: a Veterinarian's Quest for Healing and Hope”) on overcoming suicidal thoughts after random act of kindness for homeless man's dog

Jackie O'Sullivan (Rescue Dogs Rock NYC) discusses dream of finding physical location for her rescue, renovating former boarding facility on Long Island to make dream come true

Dr. Nichole Weinstein on caring for pets of unhoused people in Montclair, California, and joining Kwane Stewart's Project Street Vet

Jonathan Losos (“The Cat's Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa”) on his lifetime love of cats, his deep dive look into what and who cats really are

Erica Messer created Wolfie's Wish pet grief products after tragic death of her kitty, turned her grief into helping others with same struggle

Dr. Emily Tincher explains what “spectrum of care” means at Nationwide, an unusual philosophy for a pet insurance company, choosing palliative care rather than medical maximum

Tracie and Dr. Doug Mader discuss why they launched EXOTIC PETS, because an atypical human-animal bond is just as meaningful to people, owners need to be good stewards of unusual pets

Musical director Alex Rybeck discusses how he came to have as his non-human companion Petula, the corn snake, as featured in “In Good Company”

Dr. Robert Duquette (Veterinary Professional Services for Companion Animals at Merck) Street Dog Coalition, helping pets of unhomed people

Dr. Kwane Stewart (Project Street Vet) on challenges of being a minority in his field, joining Diversity Committee of California Veterinary Medical Board

How Ron King went from being That Guy who wears a Gucci swimsuit to sit by the pool (by himself!), to managing Oscar's Place Donkey Adoption Center & Sanctuary

Stephanie Boone (Wondercide founder) on creating natural alternatives to spraying chemicals on pets, property and people so they can be safely pest-free

Rowan Hisayo Buchanan on commissioning and co-editing "Dog Hearted: Essays on Our Fierce and Familiar Companions," which memorializes dogs in a very British way

Stacy LeBaron (Community Cats Podcast) celebrates 500th episode and how she started out to support one lonely TNR trapper and one cat needing rescue, which is still the mission

Jennifer Wheeler (NYC Doggies, author of "Whole Dog Parenting") on raising and training an urban dog, even those with more grass than concrete under their paws

Johanna Seigmann ["In Good Company (Notable People and their Pets)"] on celebrating human-animal bond in photographic essays, with dogs, cats, and other animals