Talking Animals

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:

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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:

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Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice—a North Carolina-based entomologist and author of books on ants and spiders, who, as the product of a family activity, has developed a passion for pigeons and attendant expertise—recounts the objectives propelling her to get a PhD, and noting why a career in academia was not the goal. Spicer Rice describes carving a different professional path, realizing that she could make her living writing about insects—she happens to be an extraordinary, eloquent writer—fulfilling an educational agenda from a different angle, spurred in part by frustrations over reading articles that glorified killing critters. She published “Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Ants,” a series, and “Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Spiders,” co-authored with Christopher Buddle.” And she’s set to publish two new books in 2023. Meanwhile, the lingering question may be: How did an entomologist become such a fervent pigeon enthusiast? Spicer Rice explains that it began five years ago, chiefly, as a family activity, when her eldest son was two, and she thought it might be fun and educational to round out the household fauna of dogs and hermit crabs with…homing pigeons. Fairly quickly, she (and apparently the rest of the family) became hooked on pigeons. Including raising, caring for, training, and observing these birds. The traits Spicer Rice says she finds most enchanting about pigeons include that they’re gentle, intelligent, and each bird clearly has its own personality. We touch on other topics, including how far and unerringly homing pigeons return to their home (she indicates the biggest known journey is a bird who traveled from France to Vietnam, some 7000 miles). Spicer Rice also fields an array of listener calls and emails, about everything from histoplasmosis (a fungal infection that can be carried in pigeon droppings), to some behaviors of mourning doves (in the same family as pigeons: Columbidae), to hornets (a caller reports stepping on an unseen nest, getting stung by seven hornets). (https://verdantword.com/, https://www.instagram.com/espicerrice/?hl=en) [Photo of Spicer Rice by Kate Medley]

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Karin Slifker, chief organizer of the Florida Wiener Dog Derby, which was slated to take place Saturday, May 7, at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. Slifker recalls the history and evolution of the Derby, and highlights some of the many activities planned for the event, including the costume contest that kicks off the day and the races central to the titular competition, as well as offshoots. The Wiener Wanna-Be race is among those and, tongue-in-cheek, I asked how elastic the standards were to enter—could a Labrador Retriever compete? (No. A Wanna-Be can only weigh 35 pounds or fewer.) Slifker also notes that, as fun and colorful as much of the Florida Wiener Dog Derby is, the event is also strictly volunteer-powered—and serves as a fundraiser for two dachshund rescues. (https://www.floridawienerdogderby.com, https://www.facebook.com/floridawienerdogderby/, https://www.instagram.com/SPEED_WEENIES/)

COMEDY CORNER: Hannibal Buress’ “Pigeons Get Murked” (https://hannibalburess.com/)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass’ “Spanish Flea’

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Helaine Olen— an opinion writer for The Washington Post, an expert on personal finance, and author or co-author of books, including “The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn’t Have To Be Complicated,” who recently wrote a Post piece headlined “Stop the inhumane practice of renting pets”—addresses the breadth of subjects covered in her column, which tends to be rooted in finance and economics. Olen recounts the circumstance that led her to that wing of journalism, while chuckling initially when asked to assess the financial literacy, generally, of the American people. She notes that she’s a longtime animal lover, growing up an only child with a Schnauzer “sibling,” and sharing her own family home with a poodle named Katie (the mother of two college-age sons, Olen has long referred to Katie as her daughter). She recalls first becoming aware of the topic of pet leasing several years ago, when it caused a stir in the business press; she found the concept startling, but figured it was an odd, marginal enterprise that would likely fade out. (A reaction I and others shared.) Pet leasing drew Olen’s attention anew when, as she reported in her column, that recently  “Massachusetts came to an almost $1 million settlement with a financial services firm that the attorney general’s office said was leasing dogs in violation of state law….” If that weren’t jarring enough, Olen’s column indicated that, alongside Massachusetts, only seven other states have passed bans on pet leasing—meaning, obviously, that in most of the country, the practice remains legal. She goes on to note the serious drawbacks and often-onerous elements of these arrangements, essentially lease-to-buy contracts where, sometimes, thousands of dollars more ends up spent for the dog (not infrequently, a pure breed or so-called designer mutt) than the initial sale price. Olen observes that a fundamental question that threads through these transactions is “What does it mean to own a dog?,” adding that a formidable issue here is that, legally, animals are considered property.  (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/04/22/pet-leasing-inhumane-massachusetts, http://helaineolen.com/, https://twitter.com/helaineolen)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Dr. Chris Learning, a veterinarian at Bayshore Animal Hospital & Avian Practice, who was slated to host an “All About Animals” workshop on Saturday, April 30 at Great Explorations Children’s Museum in Saint Petersburg. Learning described what he planned for the workshop, geared for kids 5 to 10 years old, featuring a handful of exotic animals, and aiming to cultivate a general sense of respect for animals, how to hold and handle them, and so on. Learning (his real name, btw) added that he hopes to offer similar workshops regularly at Great Explorations. (https://greatex.org/, https://www.bayshorevetstpete.com/staff/)

COMEDY CORNER: From Inside Amy Schumer: “Doggy Daycare” (https://www.amyschumer.com/)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” The Sun Society’s version of “Octopus’s Garden,” instrumentals

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

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Phil Jenni—executive director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (WRC) in Minnesota, considered the world’s busiest wildlife hospital—addresses how that “world’s busiest” title is determined, noting that it’s the product of admitting approximately 19,000 patients each year. So the criteria involves the number of animals that come through the door, and by that metric WRC clearly is in a class of its own, the second busiest facility, in England, admitting around 14,000 patients, Jenni says. The WRC was founded in 1979, and Jenni guides us through the iterations of the Center and some key milestones spanning those four decades, including achieving 501 (c )(3) status in 1996, and Jenni’s hiring in 2002. And the WRC evolution continues: Jenni explains the organization is in the midst of a $10 million capital campaign for a new building that will accommodate as many as 10,000 animals. While quickly agreeing with my assertion that the very nature of the WRC defies anything resembling “a typical day,” Jenni does walk us through some scenarios of what might happens when someone brings in injured or ill wildlife—to treat these patients, which can span some 190 species, there’s a staff of 30-plus, nearly half of which are veterinarians or vet techs, plus interns, and a sprawling battalion of about 600 volunteers. Beyond the medical trials and tribulations you might imagine that WRC faces on a daily basis, there can be more menacing challenges, such as the current dark scourge of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), so virulent, Jenni explains, that he characterizes it as “COVID on steroids for waterfowl.” Another measure of what an intense, highly transmissible threat HPAI poses, Jenni says, that if the medical staff even suspects a patient might have it, the protocol calls for that bird to be euthanized. Jenni points out some of the educational, marketing and fundraising virtues of the WRC website and other online services—including perhaps my favorite feature: the Critter Ticker, which scrolls across the Center, tracking new patient admissions for that day. (https://wrcmn.org, https://www.facebook.com/WRCMN, https://www.instagram.com/wrcmn/)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Rashelle Stewart, executive director of , a horse rescue in Santa Rosa County, FL—Santa Rosa County being where an awful incident occurred on April 12: A mule named Jack had gotten loose that day, an , named Philip Hayes, who works with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office (SRCSO) was dispatched to capture Jack. After about two hours of unsuccessful efforts to do so, Hayes shot and killed the mule. Although not directly involved in this horrible episode, in its aftermath Stewart wrote a Facebook post that reflected a familiarity with the various entities, a sharp perspective, and a powerful sense of outrage that has escalated widely in the days since this animal was killed: https://www.facebook.com/TinyAcresNWFlorida/posts/141791011709533 Hayes has since been charged with crimes: torturing and inflicting pain or serious injury or death on an animal, and inhumane slaughter of livestock. He has retained counsel. We will continue to track this story. (https://www.tinyacresnwflorida.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Josh Gondelman’s “We Adopted A Pug” (DS edit) (http://www.joshgondelman.com)

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

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

AUDIO ARCHIVE: 

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As we’ve done three times prior, today’s show involved setting aside the customary “Talking Animals” format in order to present the extended feature, “Ask The Trainer,” in which listeners are invited to call or email questions about their dogs or cats, particularly involving behavioral issues. The Trainer these listeners were communicating with is Glen Hatchell, the Behavior and Enrichment Manager at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, who’s also an accomplished dog trainer and behavior expert, having held the Certified Professional Dog Trainer certification for many years. (Glen is also a former—and longtime–WMNF programmer.) In today’s edition, before taking a listener question—in part, prompted by my inquiry about, with all the schooling and other training he’s undergone, what he’s still learning from dogs–Glen addresses trends in the canine world, including that some by-products of the pandemic include that some dogs are not socialized the way they would otherwise be, and how this helps reflect dogs’ considerable  resilience. Among the listener questions Glen were fielded were ones dealing with a female, five-month-old Lab/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix jumping “all the time” on its humans…prompted by a new Schipperke puppy, wondering if it’s possible to teach a dog to bark at certain things and not bark at certain things…a recently-adopted five-and-a-half-month-old rescue, part Bluetick hound, who appears to know how to respond to commands, but often opts not to…a senior dog that gets anxious—shaking, at times—when riding in the car to hikes, and when people come over to visit…a Greyhound adopted in Asheville–though not a former racing dog—who gets highly excited in certain circumstances…Glen touched on other topics, including providing an update on the Dogs of Chernobyl, and recommending the training resources on the Humane Society of Tampa Bay: https://humanesocietytampa.org/adopt/training-resources/

COMEDY CORNER: There was no Comedy Corner today

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

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

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Danielle Hall—a wildlife ecologist, who, drawing on her professional expertise and her longtime personal passion for animals, has stepped into an intense human-versus-animal battle that’s erupted over vultures in a Tampa neighborhood—explains what a wildlife ecologist is, and does. Hall recalls loving fauna of all types since early in her childhood, noting she was one of those neighborhood kids who was known to tend to sick or injured animals and birds. She traces the path from precocious rescuer to academic studies that would help enable her to work with, and help, wildlife as an ongoing profession. Hall describes the clash that’s arisen in Westchase Community in Tampa’s Northwest Hillsborough County, pitting a number of residents of that community against black vultures that live nearby, where they have a rookery; it’s nesting season. Hall notes that the birds have ventured onto people’s property, landing on fences or rooftops, sometimes pooping during these visits. This behavior outraged some of the homeowners—it’s unclear just how large a group this actually represents, but it has been vociferous enough in its complaints that the U.S.D.A. got involved. The U.S.D.A. formulated a plan to frighten away the vultures with loud fireworks, and if that part of the plan failed, the next part of the plan was to shoot the birds! There have been an array of meetings about this conflict, and this U.S.D.A. plan, and Hall has attended many of them, owing to her own concern, as well as on behalf of Florida Voices for Animals. She reports on the meeting that occurred the day before this interview, and suggests that people bothered by this U.S.D.A. plan voice their opinion to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)– https://myfwc.com–and can get updates on this saga by checking the Florida Voices for Animals Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/FLVoicesForAnimals. It’s probably important to note that, over the course of this conversation, several listeners weighed in with unanimously positive comments about vultures, and their virtues—including one caller named Richard, who mentioned that, for many years, he’s had a very smart, very good friend…a vulture named Elvis. Turns out Hays is good friends with Elvis, too. (https://www.floridavoicesforanimals.org)

 

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Gracie Grieshop, director of marketing at Pet Pal Animal Shelter, which is gearing up for its gigantic annual fundraiser, the Puppy Love Benefit. She briefly outlines what Pet Pal is, what it does, the various services it provides—and how all this is funded. The 20th annual Puppy Love event is pivotal to its operating budget, she says, and will be virtual—the auction is a major component, and while many auction items have already rolled in, Grieshop invites additional items to be donated, ideally before May 1, which is when bidding begins. She explains other ways to participate in Puppy Love, including sponsorships, and donating money.  (https://petpalanimalshelter.com/puppylove/)

 

 

 

COMEDY CORNER: Sean Patton’s “Emotional Peacock” (DS edit) (http://meseanpatton.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: George Harrison’s “Dark Horse”

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Liz Marshall—a documentary director whose latest film, “Meat The Future,” examines the realm of “cultivated meat,” generated in a lab setting, from animal cells, but these animals remain unharmed—explains the criteria she considers when deciding what topic or person will constitute her next movie. More specifically, Marshall recounts how she started down the path of  “Meat The Future,” starting in 2016 after seeing a report about Dr. Uma Valeti and colleagues producing the now-famous $18,000 meatball—reflecting that they had mastered the technology to yield cultivated meat, but still faced a towering challenge: how to create far larger quantities of this meat, at far lower costs. These were very early days, but Marshall recalls that she followed her instinct, deciding right then that this saga, fronted by Valeti—a hotshot cardiologist who’d jettisoned his medical career to pursue this endeavor, fraught as it was with uncertainty—would form the core of her next film. What she didn’t realize then, she concedes, is that chronicling Valeti’s quintessential quest and that of his company Memphis Meats (since re-branded Upside Foods) would represent a more than five-year journey for her, ongoing even now, as she beats the drum for “Meat The Future” becoming available on demand April 5 in the U.S. “and selected territories” on Apple TV. She addresses the notable access that distinguishes her film, having carried the camera into important meetings, hearings and elsewhere you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see coverage. (She explains the notable access was brokered in a way by Bruce Friedrich, above, executive director of The Good Food Institute, featured in the film, but also friends with both Marshall and Valeti, and introduced them.)  Speaking of flipping expectations, Marshall acknowledges that as  “Meat The Future” unspools, some strange bedfellows emerge—for example, traditional meat producers like Cargill voice their support for Memphis Meats, while Cargill and Tyson Foods become investors. By contrast, representatives of cattle organizations convey a dim view of the whole enterprise, right down to objecting to the use of the word “meat.” [Photos: Meat The Future] (https://meatthefuture.com, http://instagram.com/meatthefuturefilm, https://www.facebook.com/MeattheFutureFilm)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Eric Keaton, chief marketing officer at the SPCA Tampa Bay, which was slated on April 2 to hold its Annual Pet Walk—31st Annual Pet Walk, that is. Keaton outlines some SPCA Tampa Bay history, and what makes the shelter distinctive. He discusses the Pet Walk, including the weather-related and Covid-related challenges the event has faced in recent years. But good news for this year’s model: Keaton reports that, a few days beforehand, “several hundred” people have registered for the Walk, signaling strong support for this important SPCA Tampa Bay fundraiser, and the promise of more to come. Keaton mentions that, in addition to the battalion of canines participating in the Walk, his hope is that at least one pig will join them. He notes the day’s activities will include a pet costume contest. (http://petwalk.org, https://spcatampabay.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Alex Edelman’s “Koko The Gorilla” (DS edit) (https://www.alexedelmancomedy.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Bob Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

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Dr. Heather Johnston—a veterinarian who serves as the Medical Director at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, a multifaceted operation in Jupiter, Florida that, in celebration of March being Women’s History Month, is slated to present a “Women in Wildlife Panel Discussion” there on March 29 (featuring Johnston)—recalls that she wanted to be a vet since she was a young kid, and other than a fleeting flirtation with becoming a jockey, that desire never wavered. Indeed, she graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Johnston recalls, her earliest experience as a vet included working at an animal clinic and a wildlife facility, establishing a sort of dual storyline that, twenty years later, still courses through her career narrative: In addition to her duties at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, Johnston practices at Harmony Animal Hospital, predominantly treating cats and dogs, though in a given day there, she says, she might see a rabbit, a guinea pig, or various reptiles. Johnston also maintains a strong interest in birds of all kinds—professionally and personally (having become a birder in her youth)—noting she can probably find something interesting about any bird, plus always being enchanted that they can fly, and we can’t. She was particularly rapturous about raptors, but is enthusiastic about all the birds she mentions, pointing out that parrots not only can talk, but some research has shown they can read and understand what they’re reading. Johnston touches on her likely contribution to the “Women in Wildlife Panel Discussion” (which happens March 29, 11am-12:30pm; it’ll be filmed and subsequently posted on YouTube). Using the then-breaking news of a tiger attack earlier that day at an animal sanctuary in Collier County, Florida—apparently, an employee not authorized to be with the tiger entered the enclosure—as a jumping off-point for Johnston describing the safety protocols at Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, which houses bears, Florida panthers, bobcats, alligators, crocodiles, and other critters that can be dangerous. Because the Sanctuary is gearing up to move to a parcel of land almost twice its present size, I asked Johnston to address—as Medical Director—the plans and logistics she needs to formulate for relocating an enormous number of animals, across a sizable array of species. (https://www.buschwildlife.org, https://www.facebook.com/BuschWildlife/, https://www.instagram.com/buschwildlife/?hl=en)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with chef Thalia Tatham, who this week opened House of Vegano, a restaurant in Saint Petersburg, serving vegan sushi that many may be familiar with from being offered at her pop-ups, at festivals, and at other temporary outlets. By contrast, this new venture is a permanent, brick-and-mortar restaurant, and Tatham notes that after offering her food in those ephemeral settings, to enthusiastic response, she felt like the right time had arrived to open her own restaurant. She outlined the key offerings of the House of Vegano menu (sushi, ramen, dumplings, poke bowls, salads—all plant-based), and describes a bit of how she creates the vegan sushi that delights her customers, many of whom previously loved the Real McCoy. Tatham observes that she hopes the House of Vegano menu and format may prove to be an approach that can be duplicated in additional locations. (https://www.instagram.com/houseofvegano/, https://www.houseofvegano.com)

 

COMEDY CORNER: Brian Regan’s “Doctors and Veterinarians” (https://brianregan.com)

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

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

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Patrick Battuello—the founder and president of Horseracing Wrongs, an organization formed in 2013, and based in Albany, New York, which seeks to end horse racing–describes an unexceptional childhood when it comes to animals, growing up in a family that loved dogs. Battuello says when he grew interested in animal rights, and became an activist, he decided that a primary way he could manifest that activism was creating and writing a blog about animal rights published in The Times Union, the Albany newspaper. In working on the blog, Battuello recalls, he realized that the horse racing issue received short shrift—not much in the way of significant media coverage (save for extensive, colorful, often glowing, stories about various aspects of the Triple Crown), major animal rights organizations tended to mount cursory campaigns, and there was no entity strictly focused on horse racing. So he launched one: Horseracing Wrongs. Like any top-tier advocacy organization, Horseracing Wrong places a premium on education, aiming to inform folks (including the contingent of horse racing fans who believe thoroughbreds are “born to run”) about the little-known traits—from spending upwards of 23 hours each day in isolation, to being forced to race before their bodies and bones are fully developed, imperiling these horses and helping account for so many injuries and deaths. A key platform in that effort is the organization’s website, where Battuello extends his tradition of writing blog posts—frequently, these are deeply-reported posts, sometimes drawing on Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests to provide grim details of horse deaths at tracks across the country. In a separate section of the website, there’s a stark log of this year’s horse race deaths—labeled “Killed, 2022”—and continuously updated. The sheer volume of cataclysmic injuries and horse deaths from various causes captured on the site—because the information is factual (mostly from FOIA documents), not the shrill, dismissible, rantings of an animal rights nut; this mountain of info would likely erode support for horse racing even amongst the mint-julep crowd. But you’d have to seek out this information to encounter it, or have it placed in front of you in an easily accessible, forceful presentation: Sure enough, Battuello confirms there is a “Blackfish”-like documentary about horse racing in the works. (https://horseracingwrongs.org, https://www.facebook.com/HorseracingWrongs/, https://www.instagram.com/horseracingwrongs/)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Sarah Shook, the non-binary singer-songwriter in the country/cowpunk vein, who—with their band, The Disclaimers—recently released a new album, “Nightroamer.” Several days ago, Shook posted on their Facebook page (https://tinyurl.com/yc7futn8) what seemed like a declaration of their veganism, that also served as something of a rumination on their eight years since going vegan, ultimately urging those who’ve been considering going vegan or vegetarian to give “Meatless Mondays” a try. The post touched off a long, interesting, colorful thread and I invited Shook onto the show to briefly discuss all this.  (https://www.disarmers.com, http://www.instagram.com/sarahshooksdisarmers, https://www.facebook.com/sarahshookandthedisarmers)

 

COMEDY CORNER: Nate Fridson’s “Horse Racing” [DS edit] (https://www.instagram.com/fridskins/?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:

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