Talking Animals

Dr. Jillian Johnson—a chiropractor and owner of Farmhouse Chiropractic, a Tampa-based mobile practice that involves treating humans and animals (her slogan is “chiropractic care for you and the horse you rode in on”)—recalls being a fervent animal lover since she was a kid, first getting on a horse at age 2, and how crucial animals of all kinds were during a childhood marked by her family moving every two to three years because of her Dad’s construction business. Johnson (aka Dr. J) recounts what became a pivotal experience when she was nine and her horse was struggling with a nagging injury: her Dad’s chiropractor heard about the problem, adjusted the horse, who instantly showed improvement. In Johnson’s telling, even at that tender age, she decided she might like to become a medical professional that treats animals, though up until pretty deep into her college career, she had thought this would mean becoming a veterinarian. She describes switching gears to be schooled as a chiropractor, then subsequently undergoing training in animal chiropractic–she is one of only about 1300 doctors who are board certified by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA), a national certification only veterinarians and chiropractors are eligible for. Despite the rigorous training and exacting standards behind Johnson’s rather rarefied occupation, she expresses frustrations with this being a field that’s poorly regulated, noting many people exploit the system, sometimes brandishing “certifications” that bear various degrees of legitimacy. Regarding some of the details of her practice, she observes that it’s commonplace when adjusting a horse to also adjust its rider, and that in the course of her career, she’s additionally treated dogs, cats, pigs and rabbits. (www.farmhousechiropractic.com)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Jaime Manfra, owner of Service Learning Micro-School, in Palm Harbor, FL. She outlined a bit about the school’s academic philosophy, including its emphasis on cultivating students’ community engagement and public service. Toward that end, Manfra described how the school and its students have organized a Halloween-theme event on October 20 in Palm Harbor, as a fundraiser for the Humane Society of Pinellas, for the second year running. (www.servicelearningschool.com)

 

COMEDY CORNER: Brian Regan’s “Animals” (http://brianregan.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Nashville Cats”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/TAOct11-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

How do zookeepers prepare animals for natural disasters? Plus - a look a one man's mission to prevent frogs from drowning in pools. Sam Litzinger features pieces from Weijia Jiang and Adriana Diaz on this week's "Talking Animals."

There seems to be an app for everything -- including finding the perfect pet. Kenneth Craig has the story. Plus -- military veterans have found a new way to cope with life after service -- by scuba diving. Mark Strassmann reports.Sam Litzinger features these pieces on this week's "Talking Animals."

The shark tracking and research organization Ocearch has launched an expedition along the shores of Montauk, on New Yorks Long Island -- where group of explorers will begin focusing their research on tagging juvenile white sharks. Plus -- are animals self aware? Sam Litzinger learns more on this week's Talking Animals.

Yosemite National Park is giving you the chance to follow bears -- via GPS. Plus -- another look at the bond between humans and their pets. Sam Litzinger learns more on this week's Talking Animals.

Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice—an entomologist and writer who lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and who just published four new guides on ants—recalls growing up having a fascination with ants (and other insects), but unlike most kids, she never lost that for bugs. Spicer Rice addresses what she’s found so enchanting about ants over all these years that most of us may have missed, mentioning as an aside that Florida has 200 species of ants, and noting that she also had an academic and personal interest in bees. Part of what made the conversation with Dr. Spicer Rice so fun and entertaining—and illuminating—was that a large number of listeners participated, calling or emailing with questions or comments. Including a Buddhist gentleman who observed that contractors and workmen coming to his home were incredulous to learn he doesn’t kill any ants, wasps or other bugs or critters there…and recalled a stint at a Buddhist monastery where a visiting woman who had a horrible history with mosquito bites was told there’d be no killing anything at the monastery, was worried she’d wind up covered in bites—and was, magically, totally left alone by the mosquitos. Another caller, Warren, was seeking remedies for a swarm of bees that had collected on his FPL meter, and wanted to remove the bees without harming them; multiple listeners called in with suggested solutions. But the interview was ostensibly about ants, and did draw on the first of Spicer Rice’s guides, “Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Ants”: She spoke about Pavement Ants, Odorous House Ants—and fire ants. As in the Red Imported Fire Ant, an invasive species notorious for its painful sting—and an insect that became a part of the news coverage of Hurricane Harvey, with a number of stories reporting that clumps of fire ants were floating in floodwaters in and around Houston. Dr. Spicer Rice explains how fire ants interlink their legs and bodies, allowing great numbers of them to “raft” in the water.

COMEDY CORNER: David Huntsberger’s “The God of Ants” (portion) (www.davidhuntsberger.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Steely Dan’s “Monkey In Your Soul.” R.I.P., Walter Becker.

AUDIO

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/TASept27-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

The oyster population is thriving -- mostly because the human population finds them so delicious. Sam Litzinger features Faith Salie's piece. Plus -- there is now an organization dedicated to helping the dogs left behind after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

Humans have begun treating their ailing pets with pot. Kenneth Craig reports. Plus -- what is a crow cafe? Sam Litzinger finds out on this week's Talking Animals.

Tracy Voss—the co-founder of TracysDogs, a San Antonio, Texas-based organization that pulls dogs from high-kill shelters, rehabilitates them, then adopts them out to families across the country, transporting the dogs in their 32-foot trailer—discusses growing up as a dog devotee, and how a beloved black Lab significantly helped her navigate through a somewhat awkward, isolated childhood. Voss recounts being laid off from her job several years ago, and seeking to do a kind act that would make her feel better, spurred her to visit her local animal shelter, use her iPhone to videotape dogs that were slated to be euthanized, then post the clips on Facebook and elsewhere, urging folks to adopt those dogs. She subsequently was re-hired by the company who laid her off, and while her time to help dogs consequently became more limited, TracysDogs still follows largely the same procedure—but on a larger scale. Voss describes how there are monthly adoption events, typically held at PetSmart locations in various parts of the country, and in the run-up to those events, she and her colleagues post pictures and videos of the dogs available for adoption, interested parties submit their applications—some dogs elicit numerous applications, some none, but TracysDogs adoptions managers and General Manager/Adoptions Counselor Kerrie Bell Nelson, whom Voss swears has magical matchmaking powers, pair up the humans and the canines. Even though people don’t meet their new dogs until the day they adopt them (a source of some trepidation), this approach appears to be quite successful: For instance, the most recent event—the Saturday before this interview, the event in Secaucus, New Jersey yielded 49 adoptions—and Voss says they have an overall return rate of less than 2%. (www.tracysdogs.com, www.facebook.com/TracysDogs/)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Amy Jesse, Public Policy Manager for the Puppy Mills Campaign at the Humane Society of the United States, about AB-485, a bill that places California on the cusp of being the first state to ban the sale of puppy mill dogs in pet stores. The bill requires the signature of Governor Jerry Brown to become law. (www.humanesociety.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Paul F. Tompkins’ “Apologize For Your Dog” (portion) (http://paulftompkins.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/2017/09/TASept20.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

This week's Talking Animals gets prehistoric! Sam Litzinger features pieces from CBS's Dana Jacobson and Jonathan Vigliotti - as they learn more about the T-rex and the Patagotitan mayorum.