Dog Talk ® (and Kitties Too!)

#848B: Dog trainer Annie Phenix (author of “Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs”) discusses the apparent ignorance of President and Jill Biden about what is acceptable canine behavior — since they now have a second German Shepherd that is repeatedly biting Secret Service members and other staff at the White House.  

#848C: Rick DuCharme talks about the Community Cat Clinic he opened in Georgia — with more to come — that offers accessible services and fees to cat owners and community cat protectors who previously did not have affordable or geographically accessible care.

#847A: Pilley Bianchi talks about her book describing growing up alongside Chaser — probably the most famous dog in modern times, the Border Collie her father taught more than 1,000 words.

#847B: Dr. Doug Mader — Tracie’s co-host on their podcast Exotic Pets — discusses the value of routine annual exams at the veterinarian whether for dogs, cats or snakes!

#847C: Spencer Williams — the owner of the dog toy company West Paw — talks about the safety element to their toys being made of non-toxic, recyclable FDA approved material, and Tracie congratulates him for celebrating their 10th anniversary as a “B corp.”

#846A: Ross Scarbro from Wondercide discusses the products they have created with natural “plant power” to repel and kill fleas and ticks without exposing your pets to toxic chemicals.

#846B: Dr Craig Clifford, who previously spoke about the Take C.H.A.R.G.E Registry, returns to consider whether food, environment, genetics or something else can be blamed for the ever-higher incidence of cancer in dogs.

#846C: Robin Joy Meyers talks about how she and her husband developed a brand new kind of fabric that captures pet hair and dirt - while being elegant and luxurious to the touch — and how they made it into Magic Fabric throws to protect furniture and beds from snuggling dogs and cats.

#845A: Tracie is so happy to catch up with Dr. Clive Wynn, who she interviewed years ago as author of “Dog is Love,” and who is the director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University, who is happy to have many other “canine scientists'  following in his footsteps.

#845B: Stephanie Volo, who is the Chief Impact Officer for Earth Animal, talks about how the toy company West Paw (one of the first pet businesses to be a B Corp) created the “Funnl” to hold Earth Animal’s unique No Hide dog chew — “a partnership for good,” as she describes it, “for the betterment of animals, people & the planet.”

#845C: Dr. Angie Johnston — Director of Boston College Canine Cognition Center & Social Learning Lab — returns to talk about how they are studying learning from watching how kids and dogs learn differently. And it may be that dogs are actually smarter than children at some things!

#844A: Tracie was surprised to learn that yet another prestigious college has dog studies — the Yale Center Canine Cognition Lab. She talks to Dr. Zachary Silver, who got his degree and is leaving to start a dog studies program at Occidental College, where he will be a professor, finding the study of co-evolution with dogs and awareness of their social cognition endlessly fascinating.

#844B: Nancy Peterson of the National Kitten Coalition talks about the challenges and successes in groups across the country rescuing kittens, but she urges people not to disturb little kittens in a nest because their mother is surely looking after them — and it gives them a better chance of survival.

#844C: LeeAnn Wagner from the Suitical company — which originated in the Netherlands —  talks about the unique products that cover a dog or cat’s body for healing from wounds or surgeries instead of the dreaded “cone of shame” disliked by pets and owners alike. 

843A: Katie Haegele talks about her art-infused stories in her book “Cats I’ve Known: On Love, Loss, and Being Graciously Ignored” and also her Cat Zine series, creating some of the most delightful tales Tracie has encountered about the feline-canine bond.

843B: Dr. Rupal Tewari is a stem cell scientist and veterinarian who speaks to Tracie from her BioCraft laboratory in Vienna, Austria (via her professional progression from India to Italy) about the challenges and rewards of creating cultured mouse meat and chicken meat as future sources of protein for pet foods.

843C: Veterinary oncologist Dr. Craig Clifford talks about the Take C.H.A.R.G.E cancer registry and how doctors and scientists are doing comparative oncology research into similarities between some cancers common to children and canines to benefit both species.

#842A: Lynn Hightower’s riveting thriller has a brave and valiant dog at the center, whose devotion gets the heroine through the deepest loss and grief — and jeopardy.

#842B: Tena Lundquist and her twin sister Tama are the heroines of this documentary about the terrible plight of tens of thousands of homeless dogs in Houston. Tena talks about how they and a few determined animal-lovers are working to change animal welfare in their city.

#842C: Ace Tilton is a fascinating person, who worked in a mortuary before following their love of dogs into a home euthanasia business with their veterinarian husband. Then they wrote this book — “The Little Book of Dog Care: Expert Advice on Giving Your Dogs Their Best Life” — which grew out of a lifelong love of dogs, offering advice and anecdotes from a unique perspective.