The Lost Dogs' Home's Podcast with Planet K9

All your usual favorites on this weeks show, including the pet calendar 'Dog Dates' and 'Pet of the Week'. Plus the team chat to Susan about her pet adoption story, the team get a nice email from Betty (a loyal listener) and Megan Gale calls in to show her support.

The Pets-A-Loud team return after a week off for the beginning of their 2013 season on JOY 94.9.

Listen to this podcast to hear the best of Pets A Loud, on JOY 94.9 - Presented by The Lost Dogs Home. This is the best of their program from December 21 with discussion in the lead up to Christmas.

This week we count down our Top 10 tips for looking out for your pet over the summer and festive season ahead. News Wrap The Lost Dogs’ Home’s North Melbourne Shelter has been buzzing with activity this week – we hear about the big changes including a bigger cat adoption centre and progress on the soon to be opened The Lost Dogs’ Home Frank Samways Vet Clinic. 1212 Pet ID Day a success! We get a report back on the day’s activities. Read the full story online or watch the video. We announce the Joy Birthday puppies, Oliver and Joy are ready for adoption!

Identify, Update, Reunite! With 12|12 Pet ID Day just around the corner, we talk about the importance of not only identifying your pet, but using December 12 as a reminder to check that your details on your pet’s ID are up-to-date. We hear from Wendy who was recently reunited with her much loved family pooch Flower – who had been missing for three years - all thanks to a tiny microchip. Dr Larry Colson takes a moment away from the building site to give us an update on the new and highly anticipated The Lost Dogs’ Home Frank Samways Veterinary Clinic.

Volunteering at The Lost Dogs’ Home Between 1995 and 2010, the estimated number of people volunteering across Australia has doubled. This upwards trend comes as good news to organisations, like The Lost Dogs’ Home, that value the role volunteers play in their day-to-day operations. To mark International Volunteers Day on December 5 and to find out how to get involved, we speak with the Elena Calodoucas, the Home’s volunteer coordinator and Jan, a long term volunteer at the Home.

This year National Pet Register, the pet ID database service created by The Lost Dogs’ Home, reunited in excess of 53,000 lost pets with their owners. With 12|12 Pet ID Day, a national day of awareness on December 12, we ask – is your pet invisible? Each year, thousands of lost animals without identification end up in shelters around Australia making it extremely difficult for shelter staff to contact owners and for owners to find their pets. A pet without any form of identification is virtually invisible. Formed over 20 years ago, National Pet Register was established by The Lost Dogs’ Home in response to the high numbers of dogs and cats that arrived at shelters without an ID. This week, we look how the simple act of identifying your pet and keeping your contact details updated betters the chances of your reunion. We also look at what you need to do if you have lost a pet, or if you have found a lost pet.

The Lost Dogs’ Home’s Veterinary Clinic in North Melbourne cares for thousands of sick and injured animals each year. With 10 full-time veterinarians and 20 nurses, the vet clinic treats and administers basic to more complex procedures to privately owned pets and shelter cats and dogs. This week on Pets-A-Loud, we get an insight into the daily workings of the Clinic, its dedicated staff and preview the Home’s new clinic set to open next month. We also get a hands-on account from work experience and newly graduated veterinary science student about her time in the Clinic’s work experience program.

A high number of these unclaimed dogs at The Lost Dogs’ Home have behavioural issues and need additional training and socialisation before going up for adoption. The Home in conjunction with Planet K9 operate a comprehensive behaviour rehabilitation program that is tailored to the needs of each dog. The program gives dogs the opportunity to be rehabilitated and as a result, better their chances of getting adopted and staying on at their new home. This week, we meet Daryl and Ozzie – two terrific terriers and graduates of the behaviour rehabilitation program. Arriving at the Home in a severely traumatised state, the pair were recently adopted following their successful rehabilitation. We also explore the types of problem behaviour and how each can be tackled.

Taking your pets on a holiday with you can be the most memorable experience for you and your family. Pets love our company and most of them also enjoy the great outdoors. You can’t however, always take your furry friends with you- perhaps you feel like you need a break, or the holiday you have planned is simply not going to be any fun for your cat or dog. With the holiday season around the corner, this week we look at some handy tips for holidaying with and without your pet.

Continuing the theme of responsible pet ownership, this week we bring our feline friends into the spotlight and explore why they are often underappreciated and don’t enjoy the same status as dogs. Anna Murphy from Breakfast on Friday asked how she can stop her eight-month-old British shorthair cat from waking her up in the middle of the night wanting to play. If you have a question for our resident vet, please email lostdogshome@joy.org.au

Each year The Lost Dogs’ Home’s North Melbourne Shelter receives around 25,000 dogs and cats and a good portion of them arrive at the home as a result of irresponsible pet owners. Off the back of the thought provoking BBC reality TV series ‘Don’t Blame The Dog’, currently airing on ABC 2, we look at key aspects of being a responsible dog owner. Earlier in the program, Alan revisits a question we received from a listener who is interested in getting a new dog however, is concerned her anxiety may have a negative impact on her pet. John from St Kilda emailed in to say that he took his 11-year-old Border Collie to the vet for her annual vaccinations and the vet suggested a blood test to check that everything was ok. Is this really necessary? If you have a question for our resident vet, please email lostdogshome@joy.org.au

Have you ever gone through a rough patch in your life or just had an off day and realised on reflection how much of a positive role your pet played in helping you feel better? A range of research shows that contact with animals can improve our wellbeing and state of mental health. A publication put together by Beyond Blue and Deakin University in 2010 found that caring for and having contact with pets encouraged owners to spend more time outdoors and socialise, added meaning to their lives and generally enriched and enhanced their sense of wellbeing. On this week’s program we explore the strong connection pet owners have with their furry friends and look at ways to return the favour and maintain happy and healthy pets.

In our first show, we introduce our main players, what we do and ask you to send in your pet related questions. Pet welfare, well being, adoption and more. Presented by The Lost Dogs Home, Pets-A-Loud is a pet inclusive zone where all things from wet noses to wagging tails are discussed and explored. Tune in each week as JOY's first ever pet program delivers interesting and engaging information on pet ownership and animal welfare and celebrates the value of human relationships with animals. Listen out for specialist interviews, regular guests from The Lost Dogs’ Home and weekly segments including: Q & A with Senior Veterinarian Dr Alan Bolton News wrap – the latest in pet and The Lost Dogs’ Home news and events Dog Dates – a preview of upcoming dog friendly events Pet of the week – feature cat or dog up for adoption