It can be a dark place when you think about abused and neglected animals. There are also dogs stuck in the judicial system hanging on by a thread in a cage 24/7 waiting for a court date, but with the help of Safe Humane Chicago, those animals have a future instead of a death sentence. Cynthia Bathurst, the Founder of Safe Human Chicago, joins me to talk about all of the goodness the program brings to Chicago and now, far beyond Chicago! While education is the key to our future, Cynthia has built a program by learning from the past and it continues to grow and flourish under her guidance! For more: www.safehumanechicago.org 

Often we are going about our daily life and we do not recognize something in front of us that could be a big problem. In big cities, thousands of birds die each migration season (and beyond) when they run into buildings. Those buildings are not just the 50 story offices, but also smaller buildings. There are many ways to help and Annette from Chicago Bird Collision Monitors is so knowledgable on the subject and she has been doing it for over 20 years! For more: https://www.birdmonitors.net/

I decided to turn a Live Like Roo story into a podcast because it is just so special. Sometimes fate steps in when you need it the most. Imagine losing your house, your owner and the only semblance of life that you know in a span of a few weeks. That happened to a dog named Tiki. 2 Heroes stepped in named Tom and Cary and as luck would have it, our Accountant heard their story at a hotel bar and the rest is history.

Imagine starting a business plan at age 8 and seeing it flourish at age 16. Ava decided to make homemade dog treats at age 6 and NOW her product is in Target. She also gives back to community by donating treats to non-profits and dog shelters. She is a great guest! For more: www.avaspetpalace.com

I have so much respect for vet techs. They do SO MUCh and I always say they do not get paid enough for all the work they do not just medically, but also emotionally. I met Dani a few years ago and because of the vets that Live Like Roo uses, she was often the tech for our difficult cases. She was watching the pawdcast a few weeks ago with Dr. Josie Horchak, her former coworker and I decided to ask her to come on so we could chat about what it is like to be a vet tech! 

Natalie from Great Lake Pigeon Rescue joins me to chat about these incredible animals and what the rescue does to help them! What you may see as a disposable annoyance on a city street, some people see as a family pet. My jaw was on the floor for a lot of this interview. Natalie and her colleagues at Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue do so much great work for injured, discard pigeons and doves. When you hear what some of these birds go through, it is really hard to believe. Great Lakes Pigeon Rescue’s mission is to save the lives of homeless domestic and non-releasable pigeons and doves in the Great Lakes region, who otherwise would face euthanasia or a slow death from lack of care, by providing foster homes, adoption services, medical treatment, and compassionate education about the need for pigeon and dove rescue. For more: https://greatlakespigeonrescue.org

Dr. Horchak was my go-to for all things cancer-related and old hot mess chihuahua related when she was with a local Chicago vet. She uprooted and opened her OWN practice in Nashville and though I was sad, I was so proud of her. I always feel lucky when we get someone like her on the podcast because she not only started a biz from the ground up, but she has the best heart and always helped me through tough cases! 

"We cannot save them all."  Elli Frank adopted Mr. Bones from an open admission shelter and because of his reactivity in situations that caused him stress and angst, she had to say goodbye to him with a behavior euthanasia. Elli was talking about this long before many were brave enough to tell the truth about what happened to some animals. Elli also bases her rescue on QUALITY and not QUANTITY. There is no competition with other groups. She just wants to give the animals in her care the absolute best. Is it always perfect? No, but she is doing it the right way. Elli is a terrific guest, with lots of knowledge through firsthand experience.  OH PS: Elli did not grow up with dogs! Tune in at 7pm central! For more on Mr. Bones & Co: https://mrbonesandco.org/

Imagine you become incapacitated in some way or even worse you pass away. Think about the instructions you leave a pet sitter when you go on vacation. (SAME!) What if there was no plan for your dog? What if your cat had to go to a friend and they did not know the cat was an escape artist. So much to think about if your pets were left to someone who had little to no info about them. Christine Ciana Calabrese has made it REALLY easy for you with her book "What About The Dog," which is as much a journal as it is a book. It pokes at you to THINK about what the needs are of your pets in case something ever happens to you. Something we ALL should think about and journal about as tough as it may be. A great guest! More here: https://www.whataboutthedogbook.com/ 

Save the Manatee Club was created in 1981 by Jimmy Buffet and former Florida Governor Bob Graham. TJ, a manatee biologist, joins me to chat about all the incredible work the Club does to keep manatees safe as they face many obstacles in their habitats. TJ is a great guest!  To learn more: www.savethemanateeclub.org 

Horses have a magical healing power and once you get to know one, it is hard to walk away. For Valorie at North Winds Rescue and Healing, it all started with a horse named Sarge in a kill pen and on a list that no horse wants to be on. She saved him and he inspired her to do even more. She created North Winds Rescue & Healing that not only saves horses, but also saves humans through the healing power of horses. Quite remarkable. For more: https://www.northwindsequine.org/