Talking Animals

Elias Weiss Friedman—the enormously popular photographer specializing in dogs known as The Dogist; at last count, he had 1.7 million followers on Instagram—discusses growing up in a family where there were always multiple dogs around, and photography was important: his Dad took pictures, so did Friedman, and there was a darkroom in the house. Friedman traces his post-college path, including working at a brand strategy firm and launching a short-lived, but successful start-up, and an online video enterprise, Barking At Dogs.Com, which gave voice to an array of canines through dog-on-the-street interviews. He explains how the latter venture proved to be a direct jumping off point for his guise as The Dogist, in which he quickly and spontaneously photographs dogs he meets in and around New York City. Friedman describes how he works, and shoots—sort of a day in the life of The Dogist (and how that accounts for the fact that, at the moment, he does not have a dog himself). He recently published a book, also called “The Dogist,” that features photographs he’s shot of more than 1000 dogs. Friedman addresses how his Instagram following developed steadily in the wake of profiles in The Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and elsewhere, and then exponentially to the point he’s reached that 1.7 million level of Instagram followers. Towards the end of the conversation, Friedman outlines the Give A Dog A Bone program he created, which helps tell the story of shelter dogs—and get them adopted—as well as raise awareness of the plight of pit bulls. All photos: The Dogist (http://thedogist.com)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Loretta Williams, event coordinator at St. Francis Society Animal Rescue, explains the organization’s history and mission, and describes the then-forthcoming Hambingo on Domingo fundraising event taking place Jan. 31 at Hamburger Mary’s in Ybor City. (www.stfrancisrescue.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Pete Holmes’ “Dropped A Dog” [portion] (www.peteholmes.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” The Bottle Rockets’ “Dog,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Beatles’ “Hey Bulldog”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/TAJan27-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

In an unusual edition of “Talking Animals,” Ellen Jaffe Jones—the running coach, speaker and author of such books as the bestselling “Eat Vegan on $4 A Day” and “Kitchen Divided: Vegan Dishes For Semi-Vegan Households”—discusses her own kitchen divided and the ensuing unraveling of her marriage, chiefly tied to growing philosophical differences around her husband being a meat eater while Jones is a vegan, with those differences widening as she shifted from being vegan for health reasons to animal rights reasons.Jones recounts the medical scare and family history of disease that first prompted her to drastically change her diet 30-plus years ago, and the response in her immediate family to her second stint when she embraced veganism. She describes the growing tension and diminishing respect that developed around this issue between Jones’ husband and herself, particularly after she was exuding a more dedicated and high-profile commitment through steps like serving as a media consultant for the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM), teaching vegan cooking classes, writing her books, and becoming a busy and popular veg-oriented speaker. Against this backdrop, Jones explains, a pivotal chapter in the saga of this dwindling marriage arrived when her husband suffered a heart attack, then underwent bypass surgery. All in all, it’s a conversation that involves deconstructing how a marriage came to the end, a hefty load of soul-searching, a good deal of hindsight (some foresight, too), and as one might imagine, more than a little regret and sadness. The conversation may also carry some broader implications, and provide a cautionary tale or two. (www.vegcoach.com)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Twila Cole, director of development at the Humane Society of Pinellas, about their Pet Festival 2016, taking place Jan. 30 in Saint Petersburg. (www.humanesocietyofpinellas.org/events)

COMEDY CORNER: Maria Bamford’s “Raccoon & Horseback Riding” [excerpts from her set on “Colbert” Jan. 15] (www.mariabamford.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Consolidated’s “The Sexual Politics of Meat,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/TAJan20-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Sy Montgomery—author of 20 nonfiction books for adults and children, including the memoir about life with her pig, “The Good Good Pig,” and, most recently, “The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness”–recalls growing up as a military brat, moving a lot, but animals (including a terrier and a parakeet) as her companions representing a central through line of her life during those formative years. From there, Montgomery explains, it was a vacation stint in Australia involving wombats and the ensuing opportunity to return to the outback to study animals there—five years into a newspaper career on the science beat—that truly launched her on the decades-long vocation yielding all the animal-oriented books, as well as countless articles and columns. Montgomery describes how she became enchanted by octopuses through regular visits to the New England Aquarium in Boston, noting some of the biggest surprises about octopus traits, behavior and problem-solving she experienced. She recalls the immediate connection she felt with the first octopus she met at the Aquarium, Athena, enthusing about touching her and petting her, and long stretches where she was essentially, holding hands with her. (Athena is pictured here.) By contrast, Montgomery observes that some human visitors did not get this sort of affectionate response, but instead, a blast of cold water…in some cases, every single time that person visited! “The Soul of an Octopus” details Montgomery’s efforts to get certified in scuba diving, enabling her to see the animals in nature in a variety of locales—in response to my question, she shares her view, after all her experiences in nature and at the Aquarium, of keeping octopuses in captivity. (http://symontgomery.com)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Nicole Paquette, vice-president of wildlife protection at The Humane Society of the United States, about the announcement Ringling Bros. made two days earlier that it would retire its elephants from the circus shows in May—18 months before the 2018 originally announced. We addressed the implications of this decision, including what will happen at Ringling’s Elephant Conservation Center, which will then have 40 elephants living at a 200-acre (less than one tenth the size of the two main U.S. sanctuaries), where they will be subjected to cancer research, breeding, etc. (www.humanesociety.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Tom Shillue’s  “Animal Shows”    (www.tomshillue.com)

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

 NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: David Bowie’s “Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” R.I.P., David Bowie

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/TAJan13-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Lori Marino—founder and executive director of the Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, as well as a neuroscientist and expert in animal behavior and intelligence—explains exactly what a neuroscientist is, and how that academic orientation informs her thinking about animal behavior as opposed to, say, an animal behaviorist without that scientific training. Marino describes what prompted her to launch the Kimmela Center and the organization’s guiding principles, signaled by its motto “Informed by Science, Driven by Passion.” In part because it served as a prelude to the core of the conversation, Marino outlines, at my request, the history and conclusions of her doctoral thesis: “Brain-Behavior Relationships In Cetaceans And Primates: Implications For The Evolution Of Complex Intelligence.” She discusses the workshop that she and Dr. Naomi Rose (a guest on “Talking Animals” in 2011) presented just before the Holidays, entitled “Sea-Pen Sanctuaries: Progressing Toward Better Welfare for Captive Cetaceans.” This daylong symposium involved eight other panelists offering an array of expertise and input that sought to provide serious answers to questions arising, post-“Blackfish,” about relocating orcas and other whales and dolphins if they were removed from SeaWorld and similar operations. She explains the impact of captivity on animals with such large, complex brains and sophisticated social proclivities, noting in a nod to Ringling Bros.’ Tampa engagement opening that night, that this same impact is also seen in zoo and circus elephants. (www.kimmela.org)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Rick Medina, the founder of Animal Based Charities (ABC), which helps underwrite the cost of animal adoption events across the Tampa Bay Area—in its five years of existence, Medina figures ABC has been indirectly responsible for the adoption of some 5000 animals. To help fund ABC’s undertakings, they present a variety of events, including the then-impending 6th Annual Barkarilla, offering a slew of activities and contests, featuring dogs and their humans dressed in pirate regalia. (http://animalbasedcharities.org, www.facebook.com/Animal-Based-Charities-227004270689387/)

COMEDY CORNER: Ron White’s “Killer Whale” (portion)  (https://tatersalad.com/home)

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

 NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/TAJan6-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

This morning, I once again set aside the usual “Talking Animals” format to present my Annual Christmas Animal Song special—that is, a show entirely devoted to Christmas-oriented animal tunes. Sure, as in the past, to pull off this slightly shaky conceit, I fashioned the program with a liberal sprinkling of “Rudolph” songs, from The Brian Setzer Orchestera’s peppy new offering, “Rockabilly Rudolph” to Keith Richards’ classic fiery take on “Run Rudolph Run.”  I also played some far less obvious nuggets and possible future classics. My new favorites in that category this year include the swinging “Jingles The Christmas Cat” by Freddy Cole backed by the Pittsburgh Jazz Symphony…Thanks to a hot tip from WMNF Music Director Lee Courtney–—we call him Flee, though this time of year, he’s known as “Flee Navidad”–I included a new offering from The Both,“You’re A Gift.” Technically, it may not be an animal song, but it’s certainly open enough to interpretation that it could be a pet paean, especially given that both of The Both (Aimee Mann & Ted Leo), are huge animal lovers…The Big Cheese Band’s “The Christmas Crocodile,” in some ways a companion piece to the bouncy gem we introduced last year and reprised today, Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas’ bouncy “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas.” We always work in something from EELS, and this year was no exception: “Christmas Is Going To The Dogs.” And so on. We extended another tradition when I took a brief break from playing the yuletide animal songs to read what I refer to as the Dorothy Strauss Christmas Message. Happy Holidays to you and yours.

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TADec23-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Lisa Bekiaris—founder of Raffle Rescue, which functions as a food bank of sorts, but in this case, we’re referring to pet food—recounts her childhood and formative years as a precocious animal lover, where she and her sister would raise and care for animals on their property, and tend to sick or injured ones nearby. As an adult, she recalls, her kinship with animals hardly diminished, and in reading an article about people feeling compelled to surrender their pets to shelters because financial factors made them unable to afford to continue caring for them—and decided to do something about it, launching Raffle Rescue in 2009. Some month slater, Bekiaris remembers, she took a position as a driver with Meals On Wheels, and quickly recognized that many of her elderly clients were sharing some of their meals with their animals, because they lacked the resources to buy pet food. This galvanized and expanded her efforts with Raffle Rescue, which, she explains, when the started it, was the only such organization she was aware of anywhere. By the numbers, Bekiaris notes, the organization is currently serving, 96 clients, which represents 144 pets, and each month, they distribute some 3400 pounds of pet food. She explains the criteria used to determine people who qualify for the program, and the protocol she employs for visiting the home, otherwise assessing the clients’ needs and ensuring all parties understand the commitment being made. Bekiaris acknowledges that her ambitions include expanding the Raffle Rescue well beyond the Pasco County region. (www.rafflerescue.org)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Taylor Rothenberg, the manager at Camp Bow Wow Sarasota, about its then-impending event, “Photos with Santa Paws,” to benefit the Bow Wow Buddies Foundation, which provides medical  grants of up to $2500 for the care of animals whose humans may be unable to afford those treatments or procedures. (www.campbowwow.com/Sarasota, www.bowwowbuddies.com/)

 

COMEDY CORNER: Karen Rontowski’s “Animals, Parents, Alligators” (portion)   (http://www.karenrontowski.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Los Lobos’ “Will The Wolf Survive”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TADec16-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Ron King— co-founder of Ruff Ranch Sanctuary, which seeks to find homes for aging or other hard-to-place dogs while aiming to help military veterans, who will become the chief caretakers of the dogs—explains how his lifelong kinship with dogs began as a kid. He discusses how that affinity has become a through line of his life, through multiple decades and various careers, very much including his stint as a dog trainer. King recounts the details of working with a key canine client, Bubba, and her human, Linda Baker, describing the profound shyness and other challenges the dogs was contending with. He notes that Bubba became a healthy dog—while he and Baker became a couple, and then married. Running parallel to the blossoming of that romance, King—a Vietnam veteran—and Baker, a longtime devotee of dog rescue, hatched the idea for Ruff Ranch Sanctuary. King outlines the Ruff Ranch mission, which includes plucking difficult-to-adopt dogs (some of whom, he says, experience a form of PTSD…notable, given that some of the veterans they’ll be paired with via Ruff Ranch also experience PTSD) from shelters and working with them, placing them in foster homes and other measures in order for those dogs to find a forever home. The big picture plan, King says, involves developing a property that will become the Ruff Ranch Sanctuary, on which veterans will live in cabins, either individually or with their families—and live with the dogs they will care for. (www.ruffranchsanctuary.com)

COMEDY CORNER: Jackie Kashian “New Dog” (www.jackiekashian.com)

MUSIC: Aimee Mann’s “Labrador,” instrumentals (A technical glitch prevented us from playing the customary opening song, Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme.”)

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Frank Sinatra’s version of “Fly Me To The Moon”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TADec9-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Laurie Anderson— the long-celebrated artist and musician, who recently made an acclaimed film, “Heart of a Dog”—discusses the genesis of the movie. She also addresses the scope of ideas, feelings and themes coursing through the movie: “Heart of a Dog” is a visually dazzling exploration of stories—how we tell stories, and how those stories (and/or their meaning) can change over time—mated with a rumination on death (spurred by the passing of her beloved rat terrier, Lolabelle, but alluding to other deaths, including that of her husband Lou Reed), love, childhood, dogs, post 9/11 security and surveillance, and challenges and choices involved in delivering all this in a sleek 75-minute film. When asked about one key concept that popped out in the piece—when her meditation teacher advised “you should learn how to feel sad without being sad”—Anderson replies that it ended up not being that difficult to navigate that emotional distinction, and doesn’t think it should be that difficult for others to do so. In addition to being showered by rave reviews, “Heart of a Dog” has received other significant kudos, including being nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary, and—the day before the “Talking Animals” interview—it was announced to be on the shortlist of finalists for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. She responds to my observation that while “Heart” is a singular film, it seemed surprising initially to see it considered a documentary—which, arguably, it both is and isn’t. Anderson outlines what working on the film has done for her—how it’s changed her—both as a person who’s experienced multiple major losses, and as an artist stepping for the first time all the way into the filmmaking world. She also spends some time talking about Elizabeth Weiss, the extraordinary dog trainer who worked closely with Lolabelle, including teaching the dog to play piano as she was going blind and later, as Lolabelle became more frail, teaching her to paint. Anderson mentions her current dog, Will, who has a cameo, and quickly points out he does not play the piano or paint. (www.laurieanderson.com, www.heartofadogfilm.com)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Tracey Stewart, the author of “Do Unto Animals: A Friendly Guide To How Animals Live, and How We Can Make Their Lives Better,” a wide-ranging book that addresses everything from how to read a dog’s body language, to how to make a squirrel feeder. We discuss the book, as well as the plans that she and her husband, Jon—the former host of “The Daily Show”—recently announced that their farm in New Jersey would become the fourth location of Farm Sanctuary. (www.farmsanctuary.org/)

COMEDY CORNER: Bill Burr’s “Dog Trainer”  (www.billburr.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Laurie Anderson’s “Animals Are Like People,” instrumentals

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

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TADec2-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Melanie Sue Bowles— founder-director of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary and the author of three books—provides a brief overview of the work she’s done at the sanctuary for nearly 25 years, as a prelude for discussing a momentous Facebook she had recently written. That lengthy post lamented the ugly frustrations of fundraising that Bowles has experienced over almost a quarter century, and then the piece widens out to reflect a broader exasperation, announcing that Proud Spirit will not only scale back its fundraising measures (though there are still 47 equine mouths to feed), but altogether halt its rescue and advocacy efforts. Bowles describes some of the circumstances that constituted a cumulative impact—as well as a last-straw moment–that led to this multi-faceted decision. In response to my noting that one of the reasons I was struck by Bowles’ Facebook post—and felt it would be instructive to discuss on the show in various ways—is that she is not some disorganized newcomer in over her head expressing frustrations, but a 25-year veteran doing so, she discusses possible remedies to the fundraising dilemma. Using a listener email as a jumping off point, Bowles elaborates on the supreme challenges and travails of operating a sanctuary, not strictly speaking about Proud Spirit, but more broadly offering a cautionary tale—especially when a sanctuary fails &/or its operator calls it quits, meaning other sanctuaries, often already overcrowded, then feel the pressure to accept the newly homeless animals from the defunct facility. Bowles outline what the future holds, personally and professionally, in light of the changes she announced in that Facebook post. (www.horsesofproudspirit.org)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Susannah Sherman, one of the organizers of the then-impending 10th annual ThanksVegan Feast, the huge potluck vegan dinner held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa. Sherman explains there would be 100 dishes offered in the ThanksVegan buffet, and upwards of 350 attendees were expected at this year’s event. (http://tampavegthanksgiving.com)

 

COMEDY CORNER: Andy Ritchie’s “Balthazar”  (http://andyritchiecomedy.com) The day after we offered this small tribute to Ritchie, he passed away.

R.I.P., Andy.

 

 

 

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Frank Sinatra’s version of “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TANov25-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Ann Weaver—an animal behaviorist conducting a pioneering, long-term, conservation-based study of free-ranging bottle nose dolphins off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida—explains that she initially gravitated toward dolphins as an academic interest, as opposed to a personal one, having grown up in the suburbs of Chicago. Weaver traces her professional path, driven by a desire to work with—and learn about—the behavior of a broad array of animals, working at places ranging from zoos to an exotic pet shop, getting hired to work on her first dolphin study connected with pursuing her masters degree in animal behavior. She discusses the focus of her doctoral thesis, derived from a study examining how primates learn to apologize to each other. Weaver details her current project, which she launched more than a decade ago, observing and charting the behavior of the bottle nose dolphins that live in and around the John’s Pass area, recording the impact before, during and after a major task was undertaken there: a bridge project that involved periods of both demolition and construction in this key dolphin thoroughfare. She describes her methods—which echo those of prominent fellow animal behaviorists like Jane Goodall, Cynthia Moss and Dian Fossey—photographing and identifying the dolphins, using close-ups of their fins to identify some, but instantly recognizing as though they were old friends. Over the course of the study, she notes, this represents some 350 dolphins. Photos: Ann Weaver &/or National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration  (www.goodnaturedstatistics.com)

 

COMEDY CORNER: Jim Gaffigan’s “Eat Vegetarian”  (www.jimgaffigan.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” The Bottle Rockets’ “Dog,” Buena Vista Social Club’s “Black Chicken 37,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/TANov18.mp3 | Open Player in New Window