The Individual Animal

Dr. Lisa Gunter, an assistant professor at Virginia Tech, discusses her journey into animal welfare research, including her work on breed labels, fostering, and field trips for shelter dogs. She shares insights on the impact of these programs and the importance of individualized care for shelter animals. Dr. Lisa Gunter discusses her work at Virginia Tech, including a hybrid fostering program for dogs and a shelter training program for students. She also shares insights into a collaborative study on post-adoption outcomes for dogs with biting behavior. Dr. Gunter emphasizes the importance of workforce development in animal sheltering and the need for accessible science to improve the lives of dogs. www.lisamgunter.com 

In this conversation, Nikki and Kate discuss their experiences in animal welfare and their work at different shelters. They talk about their past internships, the challenges of working in animal shelters, and the importance of community engagement. Kate shares her role as the volunteer and community engagement coordinator at MADACC and the various initiatives she has implemented to increase adoptions and engage with the community. They also discuss the difficulties of the current dog overpopulation crisis and the need for innovative adoption programs   Show Notes: https://madacc.org/ Training Assistance/Good Pup - https://shelter.goodpup.com BSL - https://nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/breedspecificlegislation/ Connect with socially minded companies that want to make a difference - https://www.visit.org/ https://heartsspeak.org/    

Mike shares his journey in animal welfare, starting as a kennel attendant and working his way up to becoming the Chief Operating Officer of Brandywine Valley SPCA. He emphasizes the importance of advocating for oneself and taking opportunities to learn and grow in the field. Mike discusses the impact of the stressful shelter environment on dogs' behavior and highlights the need for social interaction, exercise, and mental stimulation. 

Hi everyone, there won't be a full episode this week. However, if you're going to the HSUS Expo, we'd love it if you could visit our table and say hello to Ashley and Nikki! We have a bunch of fantastic resources to share, as well as some cool giveaways.

In this conversation, Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD discusses the work of the Functional Dog Collaborative (FDC) and the need to improve dog breeding practices in North America. She highlights the issues with current breeding practices, including the prevalence of large-scale commercial kennels. Jessica emphasizes the importance of moving the needle towards responsible breeding practices and reducing the number of dogs ending up in shelters. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the concept of heritability and its implications for selective breeding. In this conversation, Jessica Hekman discusses the concept of heritability in dog behavior and the role of genetics in shaping traits. She explains how selective breeding can influence behavior and the importance of considering both genetics and environment in understanding dog behavior. The study she conducted on breeds and behaviors was also discussed. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the importance of early socialization in shaping dog behavior. The functional dog collaborative        Podcast and Facebook group, Instagram, and Tik tok Groundbreaking study Companion dog project with associated companion dog registry  Dogzombie.com for more on Jessica and Jessica's webinars, teachings, and to get on her mailing list Lisa Gunter on The Functional Dog Collabrotive Poscast

In this conversation, veterinarian and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Amy Marder discusses the importance of recognizing that every dog is an individual and that behavior evaluations should be tailored to each dog's unique needs. She emphasizes the need for guidelines and observational methods to understand a dog's behavior and provide appropriate support. The conversation also touches on the stress levels in shelters, the benefits of foster homes, and the importance of considering a dog's behavior in their previous home when making adoption decisions. Shelter Medicine Courses - https://onlinesheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/about/faculty/amy-marder/ Alexandra Protopopova - https://scholar.google.ca/citations?hl=en&user=QzzG6YUAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate Dixie:      

Join us this week as we chat with Amanda Kopec and Mindy Naticchioni from Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter and discuss the positive impacts playgroups have had on their organization. Instagram cuyahogadogs Facebook Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter  Tik tok cuyahogadogs  Website cuyahogadogs.gov   The stats for Cuyahoga County we mention in the episode are:  Dynamic Stats: Cuyahoga County Shelter Director reported stats since Playgroup implementation: • 176% increase in volunteer hours • 62% decrease in bites • 20% decrease in LOS = average of 4.2 days/dog • 20% increase in adoption rate • 3.8% decrease in Returned Adoptions

Join us this week as we review the outcome of reintroducing breed labels to our online listings. Additionally, we have the opportunity to speak with Chrissy Blake, the Director of the Old Dominion Humane Society, in Fredrickburgh VA, and discuss her shelters experiences with removal labels and other exciting projects she is involved in.  

Learn valuable marketing tips and tricks for animal shelters on this week's episode, featuring the special guest, Caitlin Quinn. Some links based on our convo: https://petsmartcharities.org/pro/resources/adoption-partner/introducing-rescue-writer https://heartsspeak.org/chatgpt-impact-on-marketing-2023/ https://heartsspeak.org/pet-bios-using-chatgpt/   Top 5 Animal Shelteing Organization to Follow: https://monmouthcountyspca.org/ https://www.awla.org/ https://www.southernpinesanimalshelter.org/  https://www.oaklandanimalservices.org/ https://www.onetail.org/ https://www.ruffhaven.org/ https://www.instagram.com/ruffhaven_/   HeARTs Speak is launching some learn-at-your-own pace courses this spring so keep an eye out for those and, in the meantime, they are always adding more tools to the Marketing Resource Center. https://heartsspeak.org/marketing-resource-center/            

Join us this week as we talk to Janis Bradley and Dr. Gary Patronek about behavior evaluation in animal shelters. Here are some link to the the items we referenced in the episode: No better than flipping a coin  Relevance of breed when choosing a companion animal    

Join Bernice and Nikki for this ​fun episode as we talk with Trish Mcmillan, who holds a Master's degree in Animal Behavior and is a certified professional dog trainer. We will discuss Trish's comprehensive shelter consulting program. We are also delighted to have Lauren Rubin, the Behavior Coordinator at Dakin Humane Society, join us. Trish herself describes Lauren as an exceptional student of her program. Lauren shares some enjoyable and fascinating stories about her journey during and after completing Trish's course.   ​Learn more about Trish's Shelter Consulting Course - https://www.trishmcmillan.com/shelter-consulting Learn more about Dakin Humane Society - https://www.dakinhumane.org/   Please consider submitting your stories to the podcast:  https://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/podcast/

On the latest episode of The Individual Animal, we chat with Aimee Sadler from Dogs Play for Life (DPFL) to discuss the shadowing and mentorship program offered by DPFL. Tune in to learn about the abundance of resources DPFL offers. And of course, we will delve into playgroups and the importance of partnerships in this context. Join us for an informative and engaging discussion! dogsplayforlife.com In this episode, Aimee mentions the stats for Cuyahoga County. Here they are:  Dynamic Stats: Cuyahoga County Shelter Director reported stats since Playgroup implementation: • 176% increase in volunteer hours • 62% decrease in bites • 20% decrease in LOS = average of 4.2 days/dog • 20% increase in adoption rate • 3.8% decrease in Returned Adoptions

Join Bernice and Nikki this week as we discuss behavioral euthanasia. Listen in as Bernice shares stories about the varying experiences she has had throughout her career. We will explore the differences between owned dogs and dogs in shelters, and how the available resources can impact the decisions made. Stay tuned for future episodes as we delve deeper into this topic. We would love to hear from you. Are you open to sharing your experiences, achievements, challenges, triumphs, or lessons learned? If you have a story you want to share, head to our podcast page to learn more, or leave a voicemail/text on our podcast line at (845) 867-7646   Links mentioned in this episode: Ian Dunbar Bite Scale   We were unable to track down a picture of 8-week old Luther but here is a photo of him in his senior years

Join Bernice and Nikki this week as they have a relaxed conversation with Acadia Generelli, Shelter Manager at Animal Farm Foundation. They will discuss how the newly arrived dogs from Chicago are adjusting to their new environment. Additionally, you'll get the opportunity to learn more about Acadia herself and her journey with AFF.

Join Bernice and Nikki this week as they discuss a real-time shift. Visual breed identification is not accurate and reliable. To remain honest with our adopters, we should avoid labeling dogs in shelters. However, what if in online searches, no breed categorization leads to dogs getting less exposure online

Animal Farm Foundation is fully committed to enhancing the lives of dogs currently in shelters. Our goal is to assist organizations in adjusting policies and practices to expedite dog adoptions, reduce unnecessary stress on team members, and elevate the overall quality of care for all dogs.  Playgroups, dog handling, kennel enrichment, labels, language, marketing, and open adoptions are just some of the topics we cover. Join Bernice and Nikki on this week's episode as we discuss how we're expanding our resources and knowledge to create a comprehensive program that enhances the lives of dogs and the people who take care of them. Learn more at https://www.animalfarmfoundation.org/shelter-consulting/ We want to hear from listeners like you. Want to share your experiences, achievements, challenges, or lessons learned? Head to our podcast page to learn more, or leave a voicemail/text on our podcast line at (845) 867-7646.

Welcome back! Executive Director Bernice Clifford and Operations and Public Policy Manager Nikki Juchem are here for a quick chat to announce the relaunch of The Individual Animal podcast. We'll explain what you can expect from this podcast going forward and are excited about all things to come. We hope you will all join us in sharing your stories too! If you have a story to share on the podcast, visit our podcast page to learn more, or send a voicemail/text to our podcast line at (845) 867-7646.

****Deposition Re-enactment***** Carli Wade is the Animall Control Supervisor in Williston, North Dakota, though she lives in Montana. You've seen her if you've watched the body cam footage of Jessica Burling's arrest. Carli was deposed as part of an AFF funded lawsuit against the city brought by local dog owners. Carli enforces laws based on the falsehood that "pit bull" dogs are dangerous to families - yet she identifies one of her own dogs as a "pit bull." Weird, right? Her deposition is slightly over an hour long and at almost every minute it exposes the extreme hypocrisy within the city of Williston with regards to breed-specific legislation and the people who do animal control work for the city. Learn more about the Williston, North Dakota lawsuit at animalfarmfoundation.org/williston Learn more about how we're fighting breed-specific legislation at animalfarmfoundation.org/legalactionfund 

We know that those of you who work in shelters and rescues want to know what we look for when we select candidates for our service dog program. Maybe there's a local program that similar to ours, or maybe you have a great dog who you think would be good for us.  In this episode of the Individual Animal, Bernice and Nikki take us through the process from beginning to end. Read more here.

In the latest episode of the Individual Animal, "I'll Send You Some Tips," we interview Caitlin Quinn of HeARTs Speak to talk about marketing shelter pets. While the entirety of the episode isn't about Covid-19, one of the reasons we wanted to have Caitlin on the show was to discuss ways shelters can market their dogs during this time. How do you discuss current events and bring levity to a situation without crossing a line that gives off a dismissive vibe? This can be a challenge, especially if you're a lover of dark humor. That's why we asked Caitlin that tough question of how the heck do you market shelter pets during a pandemic? To hear her expert opinion, push play now! For resources from HeARTs Speak, check out their Covid-19 communication tools and resources.

“Don't Go There, That's the Bad Part of Town,” is something people used to say to this week's guest on the Individual Animal. When Kim Wolf lived in New York, people would tell her to stay out of neighborhoods because they judged people based on socio-economic and racial stereotypes. But Kim isn't one to do what people tell her, because she knows that stereotypes don't solve problems and that talking to individuals does. Kim, a former AFF employee, has worked in both animal welfare and in human services. She's always gone places people told her not to go and when she does, she makes sure she paves a path for people to follow. Read more on our website.

We confess the title of this article is a bit clickbaity, because as we learn from our podcast guest, Janis Bradley, dogs and people have been working things out and creating happy families together for centuries. Still, we wanted to have Janis on this episode of the Individual Animal to talk about the relevance of breed in choosing a companion animal – and that is not-so-coincidentally the name of her book, which you can order here.  Big spoiler: Breed isn't all that relevant. It's the personality that matters.   For full references and more information, visit our website.

Listen to part 1 of this series. “Pound.” “Stray.” “Abandoned.” “Problem.” “Kill shelter.” “Dogs nobody wants.” These are not simply words and phrases. They are value judgments we place on dogs and people. Words have meaning and often, they have an impact that is greater than our intent.  Cynthia Bathurst once said “Language reflects habit, not thought,” meaning that we often choose terms that are easy, familiar, and comfortable without taking the time to reflect on how those terms fit into the context of today's society - or even whether or not those words and phrases truly reflect what we mean to say. In animal welfare, how we use language affects the animals in our care, the people who care for those animals and the people who want to give those animals homes. It also impacts the general public, some of whom may never interact with our animals at all.  In this episode of the Individual Animal, Cynthia Bathurst, the Executive Director of Safe Humane Chicago, joins Nikki, Regina, and Stacey to talk about why language matters. We discuss specific terms, some of which we mention above.  We also touch on some beloved phrases like “forever home” and “foster fail,” because even words that come from the best intentions can carry negativity that can create impossible standards for individuals to live up to.

Welcome to a special edition of the Individual Animal. What follows is a reenactment of the deposition of Cindy Rarrat. She is a private contractor working with Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue Center.  Animal Farm Foundation is helping to bring a lawsuit against Sioux City's "pit bull" dog ban.  The website for the lawsuit states: "Despite acknowledging that her officers have no training, she insists that they all know the breed standards for the breeds included in the ban and that they have enough animal experience to know exactly what characteristics make a pit bull a pit bull, though she cannot name those characteristics herself. "Forty years of experience tells me I know." Cindy maintains that certain breeds are more aggressive than others, and that physical characteristics are indicative of behavior. When presented with science that states even experienced people misidentify breeds based on visual identification 60% of the time, Cindy insists that her visual identification and knowledge trumps all while also insisting that breed determinations are made by consensus at animal control."   Rarrat's deposition shows that lack of training and knowledge the animal control officers of Sioux City have.   You can learn more about the lawsuit and read the depositions at siouxcitylawsuit.org and donate to help us end breed-specific legislation.

“Pound.” “Stray.” “Abandoned.” “Problem.” “Kill shelter.” “Dogs nobody wants.” These are not simply words and phrases. They are value judgments we place on dogs and people. Words have meaning and often, they have an impact that is greater than our intent.  Cynthia Bathurst once said “Language reflects habit, not thought,” meaning that we often choose terms that are easy, familiar, and comfortable without taking the time to reflect on how those terms fit into the context of today's society - or even whether or not those words and phrases truly reflect what we mean to say. In animal welfare, how we use language affects the animals in our care, the people who care for those animals and the people who want to give those animals homes. It also impacts the general public, some of whom may never interact with our animals at all.  In this episode of the Individual Animal, Cynthia Bathurst, the Executive Director of Safe Humane Chicago, joins Nikki, Regina, and Stacey to talk about why language matters. We discuss specific terms, some of which we mention above.  We also touch on some beloved phrases like “forever home” and “foster fail,” because even words that come from the best intentions can carry negativity that can create impossible standards for individuals to live up to.   This is part 1 of our language episode. Part 2 will be released in two weeks.

In this episode of the Individual Animal, we dive deep into the process of shelter transports. We talk about how to get the process rolling, why it's safer than you might think it is, and why it's good for dogs and people. A few months back, we did an episode of the Individual Animal where we spoke with Chris Bender about his experiences doing shelter transports. The response to that was mixed, with some people commenting that it was life-saving for the animals in their shelter and others commenting that transporting meant that dogs at the destination were going to suffer at the expense of the transport dogs. Others made the wild and unsubstantiated claim that shelter transport within the U.S. caused diseases to spread. Within the group of organizations who do transport dogs from other communities, there are a subset that do not transport “pit bull” dogs. This is because they follow the self-fulfilling prophecy that there's a “pit bull” problem or worse, that they subscribe to Roger Haston's belief that “these are the dogs nobody wants.” What Sasha Wilkerson and the rest of the great folks at the Lenawee Humane Society found is the simple truth that transporting dogs from one community to another saves lives. It's good for dogs and it's good for adopters. It's also good to step outside of your own community and find out what reality is like for other communities who might not have your resources.

In 2018, My Pit Bull Is Family volunteers called over 300 supposedly dog friendly apartments in the Twin Cities. What they found was that only 12 of them accepted dogs regardless of what they looked like. The reality is that when people surrender their dogs because they've moved, it's not necessarily because they are heartless. It's more than likely because they have nowhere to go that will accept their pet. The Twin Cities encompasses Minneapolis and St. Paul, plus several surrounding suburbs. That's a large area with a big population of individuals. Individuals who cannot simply pick up and move to a completely different geographic location. The lack of pet owner accessible housing is a real issue and when we talk about why dogs are being surrendered to shelters, this is one of the main issues that we need to address. We need to not shame the owners. We need to look at how we can work with landlords and property managers, as well as communities, to fix what is broken. On top of that, Shannon mentions that many of the pet owner accessible apartments are not affordable. We all know that there is a huge shortage of affordable housing across the country. That number shrinks even further for people who have pets. For Shannon, and also for us at AFF, the way to address these issues is to work together. In the podcast, Shannon talks about the importance of building a community with organizations and individuals to help you achieve your goals. Along those lines, we talk about something we discussed in our previous housing podcast, property managers and landlords aren't the enemy. Most people are reasonable. When we view individuals as allies rather than adversaries, we get a lot farther in bringing dogs and people together to end discrimination.  

For this episode of the Individual Animal, we spoke with Dr. Kelsea Brown from the National Canine Research Council. Kelsea recently relocated to Chicago and what she encountered while looking for housing surprised us. First, she had some rules:   Unless a place specifically said “no pets,” she applied, even if it said there were breed restrictions. She had her facts about canine science and behavior ready. She emphasized that she was a responsible dog owner and that she would continue to take responsibility for her pets.   Kelsea has two dogs and two cats, and her many people perceive her dogs to be “pit bull” dogs. But Kelsea and her husband have never had their dogs' DNA tested. They just consider them dogs. They didn't consider breed restrictions because they don't know their dogs' heritage and they don't need to know that to know that they are great pets. We can't dismiss the fact that Kelsea's experience comes from a place of privilege and we get into more of that in the podcast episode.  But there is something to be said for the action plan she had and the approach to working with others that she took - in fact, that last part is key. Kelsea said multiple times that she approached the process with the assumption that people are reasonable, so that if she reasonably explained the facts and explained that she was a responsible dog owner that her chances of getting an apartment she liked were pretty good.  Listen to the episode to find out how it all turned out. And tune in next week where we dig deeper into this issue with Shannon Glenn from My Pit Bull Is Family.

Hi and welcome to the latest episode of the Individual Animal a podcast about dogs, people, and discrimination. Nikki and Regina discuss animal welfare, canine science, discrimination, and other issues facing dogs and people. There's often witty banter and sarcasm, even for the serious subjects - because that's who we are and how we cope. After a brief hiatus, we're back! After some banter, we get into the difference between service dogs, emotional support animals, and therapy dogs.  We all know people with disabilities face discrimination, even more so when they have a service dog - and you can triple that discrimination when they have a dog who does not match people's expectations of what a service dog should look like.  We've written before about why people need emotional support animals. Not respecting that need is also discrimination. We've seen that play out with Delta's ban on service and emotional support dogs visually identified as “pit bulls.”  Tackling the individual subjects of service dogs and emotional support animals requires a lot of unpacking. Before we do a deep dive, we wanted to lay the groundwork and establish some basics. There is a difference between an emotional support animal and a service dog - a difference that the media and the public often do not understand. Sometimes, the term therapy dog gets thrown around as if it were synonymous with both of those terms.  We also talk about our personal thoughts on the instances of people faking disabilities in order to take their dogs into non-dog friendly spaces. We touch on the importance of language here and why we need to stop saying “faking a service dog” and reframe it in the proper context, which is that people are actually faking a disability. And on that topic, we want to make sure that business owners and employees know how they can protect their customers and protect the rights of people with disabilities. As you can tell, we cover a lot of issues under this topic! Grab a drink and listen to us go on some tangents. You can follow Pepe the Service Dog on Instagram and see some pics of service dog Koda on his person's account. You can keep track of Regina's guide dog on Facebook. *There are some times in this episode where we reference that an emotional support animal is prescribed by a doctor or physician, but they can be prescribed by any mental health care professional.

One of the things that we do at Animal Farm Foundation is to provide the resources to pay for attorney's fees for individuals who are suing their municipality over breed-specific legislation. Right now, in Sioux City, Iowa, there is a lawsuit alleging that the city's breed-specific ban violates their rights to due process and equal protection and that no rational basis exists for the ordinance's enactment or existence. In this episode of the Individual Animal, we talk with attorney Gene Summerlin who is representing the dog owners in the case. Gene discusses the problems with visual breed identification and the vagueness of the law, as well as what might make the law unconstitutional. It's an important listen for anyone interested in standing up for dogs and people.

We've expanded our grant focus to include more community-based programs that help keeps dogs out of shelters and with their people. We address things like housing/insurance, human shelters that allow dogs of all shapes and sizes, programs fighting discrimination against people with service dogs, innovative foster programs that pair people and dogs in need, etc... In this episode, we interview Melanie Lindmark, our Director of Finance and Grants Administrator, about our new grants and why we made the decision to evolve how we make lives better for dogs and people.  You can apply for our grants on our website and contact Melanie with any questions at mlindmark@animalfarmfoundation.org.

Trish McMillian joins Nikki, Regina, and Bernice to discuss the controversial, sometimes divisive, and always emotional topic of behavioral euthanasia.  Because this is such a heavy topic, we'll forgo a lengthy description here and let the podcast speak for itself.   "Trish McMillian is a certified professional dog trainer (through CCPDT),  certified dog behavior consultant and associate certified cat behavior consultant (through IAABC) who holds a Master's degree in Animal Behavior from the University of Exeter in England.  She specializes in training and behavior modification work using positive reinforcement with dogs, cats, and horses." (You can read more about her here.) If you have had to euthanize a dog for behavior reasons and are interested in joining the group Trish mentions, you can find Losing Lulu here.

We know lots of people have opinions on transporting dogs from southern states up north, well, Nikki has a lot of opinions too and she shares them on this episode of the Individual Animal. Chris Bender, the former Adoption and Shelter Manager from the Dutchess County SPCA, chimes in with his experiences, as does AFF's Executive Director, Stacey Coleman. There are some organizations that will not transport dogs labeled "pit bull." As you can imagine, this does not sit well with us. Arbitrarily labeling dogs plays a huge role in preventing good dogs from going home. We saw this in South Carolina a few weeks ago. This arbitrary labeling is what leads to the fallacy that shelters have a "pit bull" problem.  Many shelters in the south have bigger hurdles to overcome when it comes to the number of dogs in their shelters than in northern shelters. The more shelters work together through transport, the more dogs that get to go home. Transport saves lives and we need to have real conversations about why some shelters refuse to transport some dogs, regardless of their personality and whether or not they are good dogs.

We've written on our blog about the mandatory spay/neuter legislation that was proposed in South Carolina. The legislation never came to be, but we felt it was important that we open up a larger conversation about mandatory spay/neuter and how it really isn't an answer to the issues facing communities.  We decided to visit various communities in South Carolina to look at the individual issues they face. Here's what we found.

We give you a behind the scenes look at a day in the life of a detection dog and what it takes to bring communities together. Officer Dave Contreras talks about his partner K9 Coco and the work they do.  We grant funds to Sector K9, a dog training facility in Texas. Wes Keeling and his team train former shelter dogs as drug and gun detection dogs. Some dogs are work in their general community, but others, like K9 Coco, work in schools to address the issue of kids using illegal drugs.  Follow K9 Coco on instagram at www.instagram.com/k9.coco All of the K9 teams in the program work to end stereotypes for dogs and people by fostering an environment of community policing. You can view all of the current dogs in the program here: https://animalfarmfoundation.org/programs-events/detection-dogs/

Rehoming a pet is a complicated situation and one rarely ever taken lightly. In this episode of the Individual Animal, AFF's Director of Behavior and Training, Bernice Clifford, discusses her personal connection with this issue. One of her dogs, Mowgli has picked several fights with her much smaller, elderly dog. She considered rehoming. We talk about the many reasons people consider rehoming, resources that can help them with the process (like getyourpet.com), and what resources exist to help them keep their pet - because often, people don't realize that solutions are out there.

A few months ago, Scientific American published an article titled, "Your Dog May Not Be A Genius After All." The article went viral on Twitter, with thousands of people having an intense emotional reaction to the headline. Most everyone had a humorous reaction, but the feeling behind it was almost one of betrayal. For this episode of the Individual Animal podcast, Arin Greenwood joins us to discuss why people had this reaction, what our own dogs mean to us and whether or not we think they are intelligent. We discovered that one of Nikki's dogs can sing. Regina's dog is a jerk. Arin's dog is lazy and forgetful.

Veterinary geneticist Jessica Hekman joins us for this episode of the Individual Animal to talk about breed traits and how they affect a dog's personality. She answers the question of whether or not they dictate personality (spoiler: they don't). We cover a lot of things in the episode. We talk about the role things like a dog's early environment play in who the dog becomes, the role of responsible breeders, how individual circumstances can change how a dog sees the world, and of course, we discuss how breed traits fit into all of this. We also talk about the fox domestication project and what that says about the evolution of dogs and their behavior. (another spoiler: It's not a clear cut answer.) You can follow Jessica on Twitter and Facebook.

We know this is a sensitive and emotional subject for a lot of people, in fact, it was a difficult topic for one of our podcast hosts to deal with, but it's an important one to talk about. What's the problem with saying “pit bull” when we refer to our dogs? For starters, they don't actually exist - at least not in the way the  majority of modern society thinks they do. Janis Bradley, Director of Communications and Publishing for the National Canine Research Council, discusses the damage the inaccurate label of “pit bull” can cause to dogs and their owners.  

We need to get honest about what happens when we demonize free adoptions and holiday shelter promotions due to our desire to protect animals from potential cruelty. We also need to get honest about whether or not these emotional responses to potential cruelty are really based in reality. Author and animal advocate Arin Greenwood joins us as we talk through what's really behind the negativity surrounding free adoptions.  Maddie's Fund has a roundup of studies on the subject. Read our full blog on why we think free adoptions and pets as gifts are good things for dogs, people, and communities.

In Sioux City, Iowa, officials can take your dog regardless of how well behaved your dog is. In Sioux City, someone can decide your dog is a "pit bull" and take it from you and kill it. And you have no recourse. We not only call that unscientific bullshit, we also call it unconstitutional. We've taken this case to court. This isn't the only time we've worked to end breed-discriminatory laws or policies. But we don't talk about that part of our work much, so you probably don't know all of the cases or situations to which we've contributed legal help or consultation.  This week's podcast episode is a bit of a behind-the-scenes experience. We (Nikki and Regina) had a call with our Executive Director (Stacey) about what we do to effect change and help end discrimination for dog owners. There's some helpful information for advocates here, like the difference between laws and policy. We also talk about why lobbying isn't a part of what we do. Plus, we talk about Virginia spiced wine and mystery beer! So, settle on in and listen to AFF staff chat about BSL. Visit Sioux City Lawsuit for information on our current legal efforts to seek justice for local dog owners.

It's that time of year again! TIme for Jingle Paw Rock! Never heard of Jingle Paw Rock? We haven't either. Literally just made it up. We make up a lot of wacko ideas for adoption promotions in this podcast. We even got some inspiration from 1960s/1970s key parties - Yes, we're talking about swingers. Confused and possibly disturbed? Listen to the episode to find out what we mean! We also chat about our some of our favorite things we've seen this year, like the viral Grown Ass Adult Dog campaign and a pupper and her human dressed as Taco Bell. We also tackle the semi-controversial topic of “are pets presents?” (We're prepared for hate-mail. Come at us, 'bro.) All of the ideas in the podcast have one thing in common: They are all community focused. They're about making your shelter an integral part of your community and a place people love to go. Got other ideas? Let us know! Oh, and take a shot every time Regina says “like” and you'll be drunk before the 15-minute mark.

Dogs are individuals and so are their people. The new book by Ken Foster, City of Dogs, explores the unique relationship between dozens of New York City dog owners and their best friends.  The stories have heart, but also give us a glimpse of the realities of life in the big city. There's poverty, privilege, loss - but most importantly there is love. We talk with Ken about what it means to build a relationship with a dog and how those relationships affect how people connect with one another in a bustling city. The book also features some of our dogs from our PAWS of Purpose prison program. We talk with Ken about what the program means to the inmates and to the dogs.  You can purchase Ken's book on Amazon.

Welcome to episode 3 of the Individual Animal, a podcast about animal welfare and discrimination. Today, we talk with Donald Cleary about how social constructs affect how we relate to dogs and in turn, how that affects how we relate to each other. Some of you might be surprised by a few things, including that moral panics about dogs extend beyond dogs labeled "pit bull." Don has an impressive bio, which we get into in the episode. What we don't touch on is that he's a co-author of the U.S. Department of Justice manual "The Problem of Dog-Related Incidents and Encounters," and of “Co-occurrence of potentially preventable factors in 256 dog bite-related fatalities in the United States (2000–2009),” a comprehensive study published in 2013 the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.  We also reference The Relevance of Breed in Selecting a Companion Dog by Janis Bradley, which you can read here. And for anyone interested in a comprehensive look at how social constructs have affected "pit bull" dogs and their owners, Bronwen Dickey's book Pit Bull: The Battle Over an American Icon is a must-read.

Special awareness days for dogs typically targeted by breed-discriminatory policies send the unintended message that there's something different about those dogs. According to canine biology and behavior science, there's nothing different about them. Awareness events served their purpose a long time ago. Nikki and Regina talk about what happens when dog advocacy doesn't evolve with society. FACT CHECK: We mention awareness campaigns starting in the early 90's but the correct date is closer to the early 2000's 

The Individual Animal is a podcast about animal welfare and discrimination co-hosted by Nicole Juchem and Regina Lizik. In this podcast, we'll talk about the socio-political implications of how we treat dogs and what that says about how we treat each other. Racism, classism, ableism and all other forms of human injustice are at the root of canine discrimination. We can't change things for animals until we get honest about our own issues. Grab a beer, coffee, wine, or just stay hydrated and drink water, and listen to us talk about science, dogs, and how we can all be better humans.