Pawfee Podcats

First off, APOLOGIES for the distortion at the beginning and end of this episode. We are still audio/podcast newbies and figuring it all out. Luckily, the large middle chunk of this episode is pulled from a previous conversation with our resident cat expert, Carrigan, and the audio is very pleasing to the ears.

The main discussion is an expansion on the conversation about feral/community cats versus stray/owned cats who have found themselves lost in the big, wide world. Carrigan also advocates for microchipping your felines! Even if you have an outdoor cat who's typically great at staying close to home, it can be oh so helpful in case they do wander off or a well-meaning citizen takes them to the local humane society.

We also give an office kitty update and tell you a bit about Bone Appétit, our annual gala and largest fundraiser of the year! It will be held virtually on Saturday, October 17th from 7-8pm. Visit boneappetit2020.givesmart.com to check out party packs (if you live in Shawnee County, Kansas) and register for *free* to view our online auction (we will ship within the continental U.S.!). The livestreamed show will air on our Facebook page, YouTube channel, and website.

This episode (yet again) fueled by the wonderful compassion juice at Classic Bean Fairlawn Plaza in Topeka, KS.

Gremi interviews Michelle McCart, Manager of Customer Care and Adoptions. Michelle has worked at HHHS for 7 years and has lots of experience to share regarding our adoption process and how we help you pick the perfect pet. If you've ever been curious what it's like to adopt an animal from Helping Hands Humane Society, this episode is for you!

We also reminisce on funny adoption stories, like that time a family wanted to introduce their pet duck to a dog before adopting. Plus you get an office kitty update.

Tune into our podcast every Thursday at 10am for information about our humane society and the animal shelter world. Please feel free to email us at [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions or ideas you have!

In this episode, Gremi interviews Dr. Grace, HHHS's in-house, full-time veterinarian. We get to learn about why Dr. Grace became a veterinarian and what her day-to-day now looks like in shelter medicine, caring for hundreds of animals with her trusty team by her side. She busts a few different myths about spay/neuter, puppy breath, and grain-free pet food. Finally, Dr. Grace performs a dramatic reading of Grace's famous vet checks for the entertainment of all (no singing on this episode, but trust us, these vet checks are a worthy substitute).

A special shout out to our wonderful partner and supporter, Hills Pet Nutrition. We feed all of the shelter animals Hills food (it's complete, has all the things, no supplements necessary!) and sell it in our gift shop.

Dr. Granger's...I mean Dr. Grace's magical time-turner music and segue music:

This episode fueled by the violet vanilla and maple leaf cookie lattes from Classic Bean at Fairlawn Plaza ("It tastes like purple!").

Gremi interviews Nathan Dahlgren, part-time Animal Care Technician at HHHS. This is his second job, and he does it because he LOVES dogs and wants to make their lives better! (When we say we have the most amazing team of people who are passionate about helping animals, we mean it.) Nathan gives us insight into his day-to-day job, the two amazing "pibbles" he's adopted from HHHS, funny experiences with our canine residents, and what he's learned about dogs since beginning his work here. Nathan posts an adoptable dog-of-the-week including videos and pictures on his personal Facebook - keep an eye out for these as we share them on our Helping Hands Humane Society Facebook page! We're happy to report his latest feature dog, Hoyt, has been adopted! https://www.facebook.com/hhhstopeka/posts/10157094499236058

Grace and Emi give you updates on their office felines (congrats to Andi on being adopted, and everyone send love to poor Kent who is now known as "the smelly one"). We also reminisce about a funny photo shoot we once held during a fundraiser - special shoutout to Shae and Kristen for taking our kitten stroller golf course photos! And finally, too much bonus singing at the end of this episode...redeemed by the delightful behind-the-scenes meows of sanctuary cat Paulie (doesn't he have the cutest voice?).

Want to help the dogs Nathan walks every day? Looking for a way to support the special needs kitties chillin' in our offices? Consider making a donation! No amount of money may be able to get rid of Kent's endearing odor, but it can pay for his vaccinations, the cleaning supplies needed to keep his environment comfortable and healthy, and the bills to keep our facility temperature-controlled and air-filtered for the hundreds of animals in our care! http://www.hhhstopeka.org/donate/donate-online/

Gremi interviews Carrigan, the Cat Care Coordinator of Helping Hands Humane Society. This episode fueled by Starbucks at 1223 SW Wanamaker Road in Topeka, KS.

Carrigan busts a myth about what a lost pet cat will look like (more info on that here: https://4fi8v2446i0sw2rpq2a3fg51-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/FeralvsStray-Caregiver.pdf), teaches us about the ASPCA Feline-ality test, and shares with us some of her personal tricks when working with feral and scared cats. 

In this episode, you'll learn about Carrigan's favorite naughty cat Chucky, what exactly a Cat Care Coordinator does day-to-day (new dream career, anyone?), and get an update on our office kitties! 

Also calling all Linkin Park fans and all artists: we would love to see your cat-related parody Linkin Park lyrics and your artistic interpretation of Carrigan--a Victorian goth in combat books surrounded by cats!

Episode 4 is fueled by Milk & Honey coffee (and chai!). <3 M&H is a delightful new local coffee shop (WITH A DRIVE THRU!) on 29th St off of California in Topeka, KS. Make sure to order a hot drink so that you may have the honor of receiving one of their coffee sleeves decorated with uplifting messages. https://www.facebook.com/milkandhoneycoffee/

In this episode, Gremi interviews Lindsay, our Behavior Specialist here at HHHS (also wonderful cook, The Office enthusiast, and lover of white cats), about all things dog behavior. She touches on the process of owner surrenders, our behavior assessments, and reading dog body language. Lindsay also BUSTS a myth about fearful dogs.

We reminisce about "that time we had to get Lindsay because we didn't know if these dogs liked each other or not" and give you an office kitten update (so much happens in a week with these felines!). Podcast episodes air every Thursday at 10am. Tune in next week for an interview with Carrigan, HHHS's Cat Care Coordinator.

This episode is fueled by Judee's Coffee connected to God's Storehouse (thrift store) in Topeka. Yum!

Gremi interviews Margaret Price who has worked at HHHS for 20 years and is the Manager of Admissions (and so much more...behavior, rescue, foster, training, you name it, she can do it!). She covers what it's like to bring a stray or surrendered animal to our shelter as well as the process those animals go through as they come under our care and move through the humane society. 

If you have lost a pet or find a stray animal in Shawnee County, KS, please get in touch with us right away at 785-233-7325. Also be sure to check the lost & found pet Facebook groups out there for our area--they are very active and effective!

Our office kitties are ever-changing as they get adopted and new ones need our help. We give you the latest update and tell you a story about one of Emi's very first days working at HHHS back in 2012.

Please get in touch if you have any feedback, questions, or ideas for future episodes! New episodes air on Thursdays at 10am (CT). Next week we'll be interviewing our Behavior Specialist, Lindsay.

We briefly cover several topics in this episode, are joined by silent co-host Paulie the office cat, and MOST exciting, have some outro music.

When we mention Topeka Community Cat Fix (TCCF), we're talking about our local TNVR (trap/neuter/vaccinate/return) group! Check them out at tccf-tnr.org

Here is more information about puppy mills from the Humane Society of the United States: https://www.humanesociety.org/all-our-fights/stopping-puppy-mills

Join us next week as we dive into the path an animal takes once they are admitted into our shelter, beginning with Margaret Price, our Manager of Admissions (and so much more).

Meet your Pawfee Podcats hosts - Grace Clinton, Director of Business Development and Special Events (likes dogs), and Emi Griess, Communications Coordinator, both of Helping Hands Humane Society, an open admission private shelter with a municipal contract located in Topeka, Kansas serving Shawnee County and Northeast Kansas. We talk about our hopes for this podcast, our wonderful office felines, and mythbust a euthanasia rumor about our shelter.