Talking Animals

Spencer Conover— Assistant Director of Pasco County Animal Services (PCAS), whose work has received national acclaim, partly accounting for his being viewed as a rising star in the animal shelter world—recounts growing up in a conventional household regarding animals (they had a dog and a cat), but a pivotal memory was the family taking in a stray calico they thought was male, but later had a litter of kittens. That episode didn’t figure into his career for many years, when Conover recalls, he initially pursued a career in sports journalism, hoping specifically to cover hockey: his dream job. Or so he thought. But, he says, he scored that very opportunity, moving to Denver for a sports radio gig—and hated it. To supplement that paycheck, almost on a whim, he took a job working the intake lobby at the major shelter, an open-admission facility that took in more than 20,000 animals annually. He loved the work, and a new career path was born. Conover traces that path, including stints as Regional Adoption Center Supervisor with Best Friends Animal Society and Director of Operations with the Humane Society of Utah. He shares a telling story about being let go from the latter job, contemplating the reason, and recognizing he had been “a bad leader.” He threw himself into shoring up that weakness, including pursuing a master’s degree partly with a leadership emphasis. He discusses in some detail his current position, as Assistant Director of Pasco County Animal Services (PCAS), where he arrived in 2018. He describes some PCAS innovations and programs, noting their save rate first hit 90% in in 2019, and the percentage has risen since. Conover’s leadership skills have clearly strengthened, and as one measure of that, he’s quick to credit the PCAS 53-member team for the shelter’s multiple successes. (https://www.pascocountyfl.net/408/Animal-Services, https://www.facebook.com/pcasap, https://www.instagram.com/pascocountyanimalservices/)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Joe Capozzi, a journalist who spent 30 years writing for newspapers—most of that time for The Palm Beach Post, and now publishes pieces on his own website, ByJoeCapozzi.com, where one of his latest offerings is an excellent, deeply reported piece on the recent bear killing in Palm Beach County that sparked tremendous controversy. Capozzi speaks to a core element of his story: a power struggle developed between two agencies: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who had jurisdiction in the matter, and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO), who did not, arguably resulting in the bear’s death. (https://www.byjoecapozzi.com)

COMEDY CORNER: Greg Fitzsimmons’s “Adopting A Dog” (https://gregfitzsimmons.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE:  We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TAJuly6Final.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Mark Reinfeld— the award-winning vegan chef and author of numerous books, including “Healing The Vegan Way: Plant-Based Eating for Optimal Health and Wellness”—returns to the show, this time offering more early biographical information than we’ve discussed in past conversations. This includes growing up in Stony Brook, Long Island, where he and his family ate a pretty standard (if not standard American) diet—“not plant-based,” Reinfeld recalls, dryly.  He shares details of his younger years, including extensive travel, going to school for a year in London, working in a commercial cooking operation in L.A., briefly attending law school, and a stint at a San Diego health food store, which proved pivotal, in that he left there to launch his own culinary and consulting enterprise. Reinfeld recalls that his interest in food and cooking was spurred by his grandfather, a chef, master ice carver, and generally a colorful, illustrious figure in South Florida. He explains when he started recognizing that working in the vegan cooking realm might be a calling. And given the years—decades, really—that Reinfeld has been ensconced in the vegan culinary world, he’s particularly well positioned to observe any cultural shifts that may have occurred regarding attitudes about vegan food,  and offers those observations. Some of those observations extend into the medical field, where the progression of  certain diseases and conditions (including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure) can be halted or reversed, while more and more medical schools are altering their nutrition curriculum to include the virtues of a plant-based diet. Reinfeld describes the cooking workshops he’s presenting this summer, including the Virtual Four-Week Vegan Cooking Immersion (four-plus hours per day, five days a week, additionally featuring guest instructors, including Miyoko Schinner of Miyoko’s Creamery), Nourish Your Life Through Food: A Six-Part Introduction to Successful Plant-Based Living (Ashley Boudet, ND, and Reinfeld, aka “The Doctor & The Chef,” co-lead this virtual workshop on creating a healthy and balanced plant-based lifestyle), and the Three-Day In-Person Vegan Culinary Jam Session (This workshop is in person, with participants traveling to Colorado, near Boulder, to join Reinfeld in the kitchen to develop, and share, more sophisticated techniques). Information on these workshops, and much more: https://www.chefmarkreinfeld.com, https://www.facebook.com/chefmarkreinfeld, https://www.instagram.com/chefmarkreinfeld/)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Julia Wang, BirdCast Project Leader at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Wang offered a brief overview of the Lab, a member-supported operation of Cornell University, in Ithica, New York, which studies birds and other wildlife. It was founded in 1915. She went on to explain BirdCast, which explores and tracks bird migration, aiming to cultivate safety for the billions of migratory birds—Wang noted that the program engages in data collection and other science, research which seeks to additionally protect the birds and further enhance their welfare during future migrations. She also touched on the BirdCast Migration Dashboard, a new feature enabling people to track nightly migration in their region, and which can be found at https://birdcast.info, among other details of interest to current and budding birders. (https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home)

COMEDY CORNER: Julio Torres’ “I Am Vegan”  (https://www.instagram.com/spaceprincejulio/?hl=en)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE:  We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/TAJune29Final.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Every year or two, I jettison the chief component of the “Talking Animals” format—a longform interview with a single guest—to offer a debate or some other multi-guest panel discussion. As part of that occasional effort to temporarily reconfigure the program, and a parallel desire to give voice to a broader array of animal organizations, leaders and individual advocates, as well as provide airtime to listeners who also may have important animal-oriented information to announce or comments to offer on pending legislation, animal news items, etc.—I invite people to call (or email) into “Talking Animals” and, briefly, become the show’s guest.For a variety of reasons, today seemed like an ideal time to reprise this segment, which yielded a handful of wonderful calls, and an only slightly smaller number of messages that arrived by email or text. For example, Maria from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB) called in to mention HSTB would be participating in the St. Pete Pride Parade that was to be held June 25, urging listeners to check out and patronize their retail store—the proceeds of which helps fund their programs to help animals…Mary from Nokomis phoned, noting she’s interested in opening a cat café and seeking people who may be interested in partnering with her on the venture—she can be contacted via her Facebook page: Life of Riley…Katherine of 411 Raccoon Solutions—a past “Talking Animals” guest and periodic contributor—checked in to inform us about a safe, humane, relatively new method of rat control, called ContraPest. Developed by two women some years ago, but without much of a marketing push initially, Katherine said, ContraPest functions as birth control for rats. Website: https://contrapeststore.com…Nikki from Largo was lamenting the impact inflation struck her as having at animal shelters and, possibly, on pet owners generally feeling compelled to implement belt-tightening measures. She wondered why people couldn’t reduce their outlay on cable TV and other expenses she deemed less worthy than feeding and caring for animals…A subsequent caller indirectly addressed Nikki’s concerns by pointing out that many pet store chains have phone apps that offer discounts on food and other products, and for those who can buy in bulk, many stores provide a free bag of food after purchasing a certain number of bags…Rob from Thonotosassa suggested we do a show about dog nutrition, a suggestion I heartily embraced because I’ve been pondering how best to tackle a program about periodic pet food recalls, and these topics could nicely dovetail…And so on!

COMEDY CORNER: Robert Schimmel’s “Punching A Shark In The Nose” (DS edit)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Elvis Costello’s “Pete The Cat,” Steve Forbert’s “What’s A Dog Think,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE:  The Police’s “Canary In A Coalmine”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TAJune22FINAL.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Ally Burguieres— an opossum advocate and rehabilitator, whose passion to protect and serve, and heal, these marsupials is reflected in a recent HuffPost piece and in her new book, “Possums Are Not Cute! And Other Myths about Nature’s Most Misunderstood Critter”—addresses the “possum/opossum” dilemma, citing history, international distinctions, and how even when “opossum” is the correct version, conversationally it can be pronounced (not incorrectly) “possum.” Burguieres points out what, in her experience, is the biggest misconception about opossums—what makes them “nature’s most misunderstood critter,” to crib from her book title–noting that a widely-held belief is that the animals carry rabies, even though, in fact, their body temperature is too low to do so. Burguieres recounts how she got started in opossum rehab, having been in rescue/rehab of other animals, gravitating toward working with opossums, in part because the complexity of their care and feeding connected directly to her penchant for research and learning. (She holds two master’s degrees and a PhD.) This fount of knowledge also helps account for her firm belief, articulated both in her HuffPost article (https://tinyurl.com/4cfdujr7), and in this conversation, that opossums should never be kept as pets; they really cannot be domesticated. Similarly, if you spot an opossum who looks ill or injured, Burguieres strongly advises against trying to treat the animal or even intervene, recommending that you contact a local wildlife rehabilitator, using the resource Animal Help Now (https://ahnow.org/#/) to help locate the best local assistance for that animal and predicament. Burguieres fields a number of listener calls and emails (one caller advanced the idea that opossums are “the hippies of the animal kingdom”), and we briefly touch on her propensity for education and string of degrees, and far too briefly on her work as an artist and designer, who owns three galleries or boutiques in New Orleans. (https://www.itsmesesame.com, https://www.galleryburguieres.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html, https://www.cocoally.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html, https://www.facebook.com/sesametheopossum, https://www.instagram.com/itsmesesame/)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Crystal Davidson, adoptions coordinator of A Promised Land, a local animal rescue organization that was holding an adoption event in New Port Richey on Saturday, June 18. Davidson outlined A Promised Land’s history, mission, and distinguishing traits—including that she and her colleagues began by plucking from Hillsborough County Pet Resources Center the most difficult dogs to get adopted. Over time, she explained, they shifted their fostering and adoption focus from these dogs to outdoor or community cats. Davidson noted they try to ensure good out outcomes by having the adopters promise not to declaw the cats, and to keep them indoors. The also conduct at least rudimentary background checks, even at the adoption events. (http://www.apromisedlandrescue.org, https://www.facebook.com/promisedlandanimals)

COMEDY CORNER: Sebastian Maniscalco’s “Opossum Problem” (DS edit) (https://www.sebastianlive.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TAJune15Final.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Rebekah Keat and Siri Lindley—highly vocal (and highly effective, as it turns out) advocates for ending horse slaughter—recall a pivotal horse, Savannah, who served as a catalyst for their advocacy. Lindley remembers having some of the equipment for a horse, and the inclination to rescue one, before Savannah entered her life. But it was a simple, salient question this experience spurred Lindley to ask herself: What are these horses being rescued from? Seeking to answer that question placed Lindley on an online research path that landed on a horrific, graphic video depicting horse slaughter. Lindley was traumatized by this video, including what was apparently a blood-curdling scream—which, naturally, sent Keat racing to her wife’s side, to see what had happened. Keat watched the video, too, had the same reaction, spawning two instant, and fervent, anti-horse slaughter activists. Some of their next steps included founding Horses In Our Hands, a nonprofit involving a broad coalition of experts and high-profile figures who are committed to halting horse slaughter. Their activities have ranged from personally saving 187 horses, to far broader efforts to educate legislators and the citizenry at large about the nefarious and downright barbaric realm of horse slaughter. As we touched on in the interview, these two are world champion triathletes, so when they set a goal—like trying to halt horse slaughter—you’d best jump onboard, because nothing, or no one, is gonna get in their way! For example, they harnessed the power of social media, reaching some 10 million people through their posts. They say they facilitated the sending of 210,000 letters to legislators, and as many as 1700 Letters to the Editor. Not surprisingly, then, they indicate they were the first organization to meet with Congressman Frank Pallone, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has the purview of HR 3355 SAFE (Save America’s Forgotten Equines) Act—the proposed bill to end horse slaughter. Keat and Lindley recall what happened at a May 26 Committee hearing, and what needs to happen next for the bill to advance, without amendments being added that could derail its success. (https://www.horsesinourhands.org/, https://www.facebook.com/horsesinourhands/, https://www.instagram.com/horsesinourhands/, https://twitter.com/HorsesInOurHand)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Amy D’Andrea, owner of a company called Pet Emergency Education, which offers pet health-related classes, including a Pet CPR and First Aid Certification class that was scheduled to be taught June 4 in Brandon. D’Andrea discussed what prompted her to start the company 10 years ago—as a vet tech, she realized that pet owners often brought their ill or injured animals in too late for the best outcome toward recovery and figured that taking these sorts of classes would help the owners more swiftly and accurately determine their animals’ condition, improving their prospects. In response to my observation that cats are notoriously stoic when ill or injured, D’Andrea agrees, noting that owners who’ve gained the knowledge offered in these classes—for which they receive certification—are more attuned to medical issues in their animals, even when there are no overt symptoms. Also, she said this sort of training can be valuable—required, in many cases—for those who run or work for dog walking businesses, animal day care/boarding operations, and the like. (https://petemergencyeducation.com, https://www.facebook.com/petemergency, https://www.instagram.com/petemergencyed/)

COMEDY CORNER: Joe Zimmerman’s “Pet Snakes” (DS edit) (http://www.zimmermancomedy.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Beatles’ “Dig A Pony”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/TAJune1Final.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Vincent Kelner—writer-director of “A Taste of Whale,” a documentary examining the “grind,” Faroe Islanders’ ritual slaughter of pilot whales, but an intricate film with a lot more on its mind than that—addresses the question that I customarily ask documentary filmmakers: What was it about this subject matter that he found so compelling he was willing to devote several years of his life to making a movie about it? Turns out, first of all, that Kelner says he spent eight years working on “A Taste of Whale,” and came to the project initially from the angle of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society: His wife is a member of the organization, which was planning to deploy a battalion of activists, boats, and other equipment to the Faroes to disrupt the grind. So, initially, the film appears to be establishing a conflict between the Faroes’ traditional practice—which is viewed as barbaric by some, but has been carried out for centuries—and a veteran, high-profile group aiming to at least protest, if not halt, the grind. But, Kelner explains, after spending more and more time in the Faroes, and witnessing the grind multiple time, his perspective shifted and, not coincidentally, the stance of the film widened out. As such, the black-and-white, Faroes-vs-Sea Shepherd duality forged early on in “A Taste of Whale” dissolves into various shades of grey. For example, the locals, while objecting, sometimes vehemently, to being characterized as “barbarians,” can also be quite reasonable, even magnanimous, about the criticisms. The film features a scene in which one local concedes that many of the activists’ past criticism about the methods used in the slaughters were fair and accurate. Another key issue that emerges as the film unspools—as the interview does, too—is acknowledging the pilot whale hunt as a means to provide people with meat, a more visible means but otherwise no different, really, than producing meat behind the closed doors of a slaughterhouse. Indeed, there’s a lot to chew on in the doc (which opened May 27 in theaters and on Amazon and Apple TV) and in this conversation. (http://www.vincentkelner.com/portfolio/a-taste-of-whale-2)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Kristen Davis, of SPCA Tampa Bay, describing a weeklong (May 20-27) event, the BayFirst Adoption Promotion, which, for those who’ve been contemplating adopting a pet, probably seemed to offer perks aplenty with this particular adoption. Primarily, Davis explained, Bayfirst (formerly known as First Home Bank) donated $25 to SPCA Tampa Bay for every adoption made in that May 20-27 window, and all adopters also received a $25 gift card to PetSmart. And, of course, as a result, the animal in question lands in a forever home. That’s what we, in the cliché business, call a “win-win-win.” Davis noted that this promotion extended beyond cats and dogs, to pocket pets, including hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, mice, and so on. She also mentioned some of the animals available for adoption, including Roxy, a nice dog–and apparently, staff favorite—who’d been at the shelter since early February. The BayFirst Adoption Promotion was slated to run through 6pm on May 27, but even without those incentives, it’s always a good time to adopt an animal. Whether that’s Roxy, or the cat named Martha Stewart, or countless dogs, cats (or pocket pets) like them, go give an animal a home. That act is its own gift. (https://spcatampabay.org, https://www.instagram.com/spcatampabay/, https://www.facebook.com/SPCATampaBay)

COMEDY CORNER: Drew Hastings’ “Farming 101” (DS edit) (https://www.drewhastings.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TAMay25next.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Tricia Gorham–chair of the College of Veterinary Technology at St. Petersburg College, and a practicing veterinary technician since 1991—discusses her love of animals extending back to childhood, and how she began working for a veterinarian as a junior in high school. That job, she explains, was hardly just another teenage gig—she not only gravitated toward animals, but excelled in sciences, and soon was on the path toward becoming a vet tech. Turns out, that path, more broadly, is beset with more than a few twists and turns: Gorham notes that, nationwide, there are 222 American Veterinary Medical Association-approved programs for veterinary technician training, including, of course, the one she leads that’s housed at St. Petersburg College. But, she hastens to point out, there are 11 states—Florida among them—that do not regulate the training of vet techs, forgoing the requirement that techs be licensed to practice. With that in mind, Gorham advises asking about the training and credentials of a given vet tech before taking an animal to a veterinary hospital or clinic. She describes how the College of Veterinary Technology works, from applying to explaining that all students take all classes—that if someone aspires to work with, say, wildlife or maybe exotic animals, they provide specialty seminars, internships, or trips to supplement the fundamental educational program—addressing tuition costs and probable salary for a newly-minted graduate (https://www.spcollege.edu/future-students/degrees-training/health-sciences-and-veterinary-technology/veterinary-technology)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Spencer Conover, the Assistant Director of Pasco County Animal Services, who filled me in on the drive-thru vaccine and microchip events they’ve been holding pretty much monthly—wherein someone pulls up in their car, with their pet(s) in tow, and the animals get vaccinated and chipped at no charge. May’s event was already fully committed (as they say in the restaurant biz), so Conover outlined details of the June iteration: June 25, at Dade City Senior Center, 13853 15th Street, Dade City, from 9 a.m. to noon. He recounted a story about an apparently lost dog, turned in at the shelter, seemingly a stray, who was adopted—then turned out to already be part of a family. So as to avoid a repeat of this awkward, unfortunate scenario, local rescue groups and other entities banded together to create a free microchipping program. The drive-thru events constitute an outgrowth of the microchipping program. For more information on the drive-thru, and to try to book your spot, visit http://mypasco.net/pas (https://www.instagram.com/pascocountyanimalservices/, https://www.facebook.com/pcasap)

COMEDY CORNER: Jim Gaffigan’s “Horses” (DS edit) (https://jimgaffigan.com/)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Elton John’s “Grey Seal”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Part 1:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TAMay18Part1.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Part 2:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TAMay18Part2-2.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Sy Montgomery—the bestselling author of 30-plus books, including “The Soul of an Octopus” and “The Good Good Pig”—discusses what prompted the exploration of raptors and falconry at the core of her new book, “The Hawk’s Way: Encounters with Fierce Beauty” (adapted and expanded from a chapter in Montgomery’s 2019 collection, “Birdology.”) She responds to my observation that a Sy Montgomery book tends to tell a story about a given animal entering her world–or Montgomery entering an animal’s world—and what ensues is a warm, poignant, sometimes magical tale. “The Hawk’s Way” is a horse of a different color, and not just because it’s a compact, 79-page micro-memoir. Sure, she’s as taken with the hawks she meets—enraptured by raptors–as she’s been with previous animals she’s befriended. But as her accounts in this book make clear, these birds are hunters first and foremost, high-strung, and can attack their human falconry partners. And do! Montgomery hasn’t directly experienced this sort of bird assault, but notes in “The Hawk’s Way” that her falconry instructor, Nancy Cowan, among others, had. Yet, notwithstanding that sort of ever-present peril, she writes, the “birds will show me a kind of relationship I had never known was possible with any living being”—which, for those who’ve read even just a few of Montgomery’s books, profiling a vast array of animals (and humans) jumps off the page as a striking assertion. Montgomery goes on to detail the intense connection she forged with these birds, likening the feeling to agape love. Despite developing that deep affection for hawks and other raptors—and falconry—she explains the elements of her life, and lifestyle, that prevented her from accepting Nancy Cowan’s invitation to become her apprentice. Cowan passed away in January, and Montgomery has dedicated “The Hawk’s Way” to her. (http://symontgomery.com, https://www.instagram.com/sytheauthor/, https://www.facebook.com/sy.montgomery.3) [photo by Tianne Strombeck]

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Laney Jones, the Florida-born, Nashville-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who was preparing to issue her new album, “Stories Up High,” (out May 20) and was set to play an album release show at Tampa’s Hooch and Hive, on May 18. She recalls growing up surrounded by animals—her parents raised kangaroos, wallabies, and other exotic critters on their 10-acres farm. Jones describes kangaroos as being friendly and kind animals, including a mom who brought Jones close to show her the joey in her pouch. When asked how spending her childhood amidst this menagerie may have shaped her, Jones answers that it made her a more sensitive person. (http://www.laney-jones.com, https://www.instagram.com/_laney_jones/, https://www.facebook.com/notlaneyjones)

COMEDY CORNER: Andy Ritchie’s “Balthazar”

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: They Might Be Giants’ “Birdhouse in your Soul”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

PART 1:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TAMay11Part1.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

PART 2:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/TAMay11Part2.mp3 | Open Player in New Window