Petspace Podcast

“The dogs are good again this week.” Over the years, Matt Nelson of WeRateDogs has delivered some iconic lines in support of man’s best friend, and as WeRateDogs’ presence has grown, so has Matt’s ambitions to give back to the community of dog-lovers that he has amassed. Enter the 15/10 Foundation, inspired by the followers of WeRateDogs this foundation now covers medical bills to make shelter dogs more adoptable.

On this episode of the PetSpace Podcast, Matt talks about why he was personally inspired to start the 15/10 Foundation, how a small college in North Carolina led to the creation of internet sensation WeRateDogs, and how he and his team are constantly working to earn and retain the trust of their community.

For more from WeRateDogs, check out their website, and follow them on Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org

Nathan Kehn is many things: an actor, a video game designer, an influencer, a budding TNR enthusiast… but first and foremost, he identifies as a “crazy cat lady” in the best of ways. He found that leaning into being a “cat lady” was a superior alternative to “Nathan the Cat Daddy” (trust us, he very quickly learned why). Nathan the Cat Lady hasan innate talent for writing skits and has grown it into a purpose-driven platform that strives to make the world a better place for cats and cat-lovers alike.

On this episode of the PetSpace Podcast, Nathan talks about how he has benefitted from the cat distribution system, why crazy cat ladies totally rule, and how he’s constantly learning more about being an ambassador for saving as many cats as possible.

For more about Nathan, visit his website, and follow him on Instagram and TikTok.

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org

“Who rescued who?” It’s something you hear often when it comes to our pets, but for Zach Skow, the sentiment couldn’t be truer. Faced with end-stage liver disease and an uphill battle with addiction, Zach credits his dogs with getting him through his darkest days, and he’s been returning the favor ever since. His rescue, Marley’s Mutts, has been going strong for more than a decade, and he joined us on the PetSpace Podcast to talk about one of its newer programs, Pawsitive Change, a comprehensive canine training program for inmates.

In this episode, Zach talks about how Pawsitive Change provides enrichment for everyone it touches, what’s in store for the program’s future, and how he’s learned first-hand just how important it is to give everyone – humans and animals – a second chance.

For more on the Pawsitive Change Program, you can find them on Instagram, Facebook, and the Marley's Mutts website. You can also follow Zach on Instagram. 

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org

Okay, so let’s say you were inspired by our last episode with Puppy Bowl ref Dan Schachner, who fostered dogs for a decade before finally adopting one for himself. Or maybe fostering has been on your to-do list, or it’s a New Year’s Resolution of yours, but you don’t know where to start. Well, today’s guest on the PetSpace Podcast, Holly Allen, has been rescuing animals for basically her entire life, and she has years of experience and advice for all you would-be fosters out there.

Holly stopped by PetSpace to share all the finer points of fostering, like how she avoids foster-failing, why transporting is a great entryway into the world of rescue, and how she’s learned to care for herself – and her own pets – while fostering.

For more from Holly, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org

On this episode of the PetSpace Podcast, we’re joined by someone who truly scored a touchdown when he landed the role of a lifetime: as the referee – or “ruffaree,” as the case may be – of the Puppy Bowl. Each year, Dan Schachner attempts to maintain order for the 100+ puppies who participate in the event, while also highlighting adoptable puppies and helping their rescues find homes for dogs in need.

Dan joined us at PetSpace to talk about the finer points of “ruffareeing,” how Puppy Bowl has evolved in the 13 years he’s been refereeing the event, and why, after 10 years of fostering, he has finally adopted a dog of his own.

For more from Dan, follow him on Instagram, and check out puppybowl.com to learn all about Puppy Bowl XX.

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org

What would you do if you found an abandoned kitten in a tree? Hopefully we’d all do something to help, but for Hannah Shaw, stumbling upon her cat-to-be, Coco, literally changed her life. And in the years since, as the Kitten Lady, she’s made it her mission to educate people on how to care for neonatal kittens, the most vulnerable – and incredibly cute – population found at shelters across the country .

On this episode of the PetSpace Podcast, Hannah shares her advice for avoiding burnout in animal welfare, how she’s gotten so good at managing houseguests who need to eat every 3 hours, and how she’s worked to become the type of resource she wished she had when she first started rescuing neonatal kittens.

For more from the Kitten Lady aka Hannah Shaw, follow her on Instagram, find her library of unparalleled knowledge on Youtube, and check out her website.

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org

Our guest on this episode of the PetSpace Podcast, Susan Michals has spent close to a decade producing events that challenge typical “cat people” stereotypes. A former writer and producer at E!, Susan decided to marry her love of cats and her art background into the first Cat Art Show; impressed by the turnout, she created CatCon a year later, and the rest is history.

Coming up on the 10th year of Cat Art Show, Susan joined us to talk about the origins of her feline-focused events, how rescue and visitor experiences separated CatCon from the pack, and why she’s made it her mission to create the equivalent of “in-real-life dog parks” for cat people.

For more on Cat Art Show, January 19-21, 2024 at our own Annenberg PetSpace, check out the website and Instagram.

For more on CatCon, August 3-4, 2024 in Pasadena, check out CatCon’s website and its Instagram.

And for more on Susan, you can check out her website too.

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org

As the human half of Liberty Mutual’s buddy-cop pair LiMu Emu and Doug, writer/actor David Hoffman is pretty famous for working with animals… well, one specific animal. But, as he confesses on this episode of the PetSpace Podcast, despite his rapport with his emu partner, he has actually been afraid of dogs for most of his life. The keyword there is “most,” as David shares how his rescue dog, Duke, has considerably changed his outlook on Man’s Best Friend.

On this episode, David talks about the relatable origins of his fear of dogs, how Duke has fit right into his newfound family, and why, even as a cat person, he always advocated to Adopt, Not Shop.

For more on David, you can visit his website here, and check out his Instagram for cute pics of him and Duke.

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org

On this episode of the PetSpace Podcast, celebrity stylist and rescue dog dad, Brad Goreski, joined us in-studio to share what he loves most about his resced dogs,how he is using his Instagram as a platform for rescue activism, and how he can no longer imagine a night where he isn't sleeping snugly with a pup on either side.

During our conversation, Brad confessed that one of his goals for 2023 was to conquer his fear of visiting an animal shelter; like many people, he worried that visiting a shelter might be too sad or too difficult. So we seized the opportunity, hit the road and took Brad on an adventure to one of LA’s highest volume municipal shelters. With careful guidance from friend of the podcast, Rita Earl Blackwell, Brad dove right into the deep end. Spoiler alert: he didn’t bring them all home, his heart didn’t break, he made a difference, the dogs LOVED the time out of their kennels, and Brad has continued to make trips to share the pets who are waiting for another chance at love. So, there you have it! Visit a shelter!

If you have not yet listened to our episode featuring Rita Earl Blackwell, you can find it here. 

For more on Brad, follow him on Instagram.

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org

On this episode of the PetSpace Podcast, we are joined by one of our most treasured rescue networkers and fairy dogmother, Rita Earl Blackwell. This time we took the show on the road to Rita’s home away from home - one of LA County’s Animal Care Centers. Rita has repeatedly gone viral for her videos and photos of shelter dogs in need. This incredible human has helped many rescue organizations – including PetSpace – identify and transfer in some of their most incredible dogs. We all got a little teary-eyed as Rita shared how she’s dedicated her life to rescue, how every dog she meets and posts is unique and special, and how she first realized she could use her camera and now her phone to save lives.

For more on Rita and her work in LA’s animal shelters, you can follow her on Instagram and visit her website.

The Petspace Podcast is:
Hosted by Catie Voglio,
Recorded & Edited by Roger Gomez,
Produced by Cameron Kell,
To learn more about Wallis Annenberg Petspace visit us at our website annenbergpetspace.org