Award-winning photographer Bob Walker’s latest book is a love letter to one very unlikely recipient who enters his cat house, a Chihuahua: A Lost Dog Finds Cat Paradise: Tails of Love and Mischief.

The EveryCat Health Foundation’s 2025 Communications Award recipient is Stacy LaBaron for her podcast, The Community Cats Podcast. What exactly are community cats? Why do myths about these cats continue to persist?

Do dogs really need to routinely wear prong (pinch) collars?

Co-editor of Low Stress Handling: A Practical Guide to Cooperative Care, Training, and Behavior Modification, veterinary behaviorist Dr. Christine Calder explains what cooperative care is about. For example, how you may train your dog or cat to comply contentedly with having nails trimmed. And what’s the most important cue you can teach a cat or dog?  Also, a hot topic now, the equipment used to train dogs. Is there ever a place for shock collars?

Tick diseases are on the rise with more ticks in more places than ever before.

Illinois Director of the Humane Society for Animals Marc Ayers joins Steve Dale to explain how the seemingly harmless and fun puppy yoga classes may be sourcing puppies from puppy mills. In Chicago, this is illegal, and the City has taken action.

Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Beth Strickler makes an exciting announcement which will save lives of dogs, cats and rabbits. There’s a new and improved pheromone product available which will reduce anxiety, the Secure line of products by Signs. After all, behavior is the number one cause of death for pets and the most common behavior issues occur because of anxiety. What’s more, this is just the right thing to do. Dr. Strickler describes pheromones and how our animals use these chemicals naturally to communicate.

Minoxidil (often sold as Rogaine) is toxic and potentially deadly to pets.

Hard to believe that a dog training organization that seeks to set licensing standards for dog trainers is willing to accept the use of shock collars. Dog trainer Zak George explains why that is unacceptable. He notes that while the use of shock can stop of a problematic behavior in its tracks, it will also cause significant collateral damage to the dog, and potentially fracture the human animal bond.  A deep discussion about the use of shock to train dogs.

Dr. Elsey’s Cat Litter has removed all scented cat litters.

The great dog train escape

Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Co-founder of Center for Behavior Studies explains what this non-profit to support pet studies and keeping pets in homes is all about. Dr. Dodman reveals the most common behavior problem in dogs. Why do dogs sometimes have compulsive behaviors, such tail or light chasing, and what can be done to help these dogs?

They’re doing incredible things at Anderson Humane, Fox River Valley. A conversation with Dean Daubert, CEO/President. He talks about the role the economy is playing in relinquishment of pets. And overall people are giving up more dogs, and adopting fewer dogs. Also, how important it is that his facility is Fear Free, and what that means.

Steve Dale remembers news director Tom Petersen, and explains he wouldn’t be at WGN Radio for nearly 30 years if it wasn’t for Petersen.

Dog trainer Jeff Millman on a new way to think about dog bite prevention, which is actually Steve’s idea. Millman is the author of Triggers and Reactions: A Guide to Fixing Dog Behavior Problems: Volume One: On-Leash Aggression 

Anti Cruelty President Darlene Duggan talks about the city’s oldest and most significant animal shelter’s biggest fundraiser, Bark in the Park, on May 31 in Lincoln Park. Over 1,200 dogs come together for the City’s largest dog party (and as many cats if you count images on people’s phones).  She also discusses some little known but important community Anti Cruelty programs.

At the age of 97, she had some babies.

Detroit passes Humane Bill, as they join over 400 cities to prohibit dog/cat sales at pet stores.

Once the executive director of Chicago Animal Care & Control, Susan Russell is now in Philadelphia and after a stint at an animal shelter there, she has authored Midnight: Don’t Judge Me Ruiz. She discusses the book and the still existing long list of pit bull related fallacies and Philly cheese-steak sandwiches.

Good news about heart disease in cats described by veterinary cardiologist Dr. Sonya Gordon. She also talks about heart diseases in dogs.

My conversation with primatologist Dr. Birute Galdikas about orangutans and saving the forests of Borneo.

Tips on getting dogs into shape as the weather warms.

You may recall Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald from Animal Planet’s Emergency Vets and E-Vet Interns or perhaps you’ve even seen him perform his stand-up act at a comedy club. He talks about what he’s learned about veterinary medicine from the best and about what he’s learned about show biz from the likes of the Rolling Stones to George Burns. He talks about his autobiography, It Started With A Turtle: One Man’s Life on a Blue & Green Planet.

Wayne Pacelle, founder/CEO Animal Wellness Action and Center for a Humane Economy is positively ecstatic as so many animal lives will be saved as a result of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s bold vision to reboot drug development by discontinuing the use of animals to test pharmaceuticals. And as one additional outcome, drug prices should decline. 

Here’s something different, it’s not a cat café, it’s a capybara café.  

Cat allergies neutralized with Purina ProPlan LiveClear .

Straight up, asking questions listeners would want to ask of Armando Tajeda, Executive Administrative Assistant and Public Information Officer Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC). He conceded the agency doesn’t have a long history (and that’s true in many other cities as well) of absolute transparency, that’s now changed. And offer Armando an opportunity to explain it all, good and bad – just the truth.  

Steve makes an announcement about his latest book, due out later this year, called Ask the Dog. 

And it turns out a new and nutritious kind of milk has been discovered.