The Animal Welfare Junction

This episode of the Animal Welfare Junction is about learning about our wildlife neighbors. Dr. G will be speaking with experts in the field about what to do with injured wildlife, what diseases we need to worry about, and how to become a wildlife rehabilitation amongst other topics. Joining us are:

David Donahue from the Ohio Wildlife Center

Jess Armstrong from SCRAM! Wildlife Control

Barbara Ray and Gwen Hoogendoorn from the Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association.

This is Part 1 of a wildlife topic that we hope to follow soon with Part 2: Wildlife Forensics

What is behavioral euthanasia? This is a very sensitive subject that often brings strong opinions from both sides of the table. On Episode 4 of The Animal Welfare Junction we will discuss this subject matter with individuals who are often faced with making these decisions, as well as a foster and pet owner who had to make this decision herself.

Our guests today are:

Jenn Thomas, Executive Director for the Ross County Humane Society

Missy Haughton, Richland County Ohio Dog Warden

Amanda Wampler, dog foster and owner

This episode is a very honest discussion on aggression and euthanasia, and we know it is not easy. But if we want to help dogs and the community, we have to understand and work together for everyone's benefit.

In this episode we dive into what are hoarders and go into the details of a rescue hoarder case from our 2017 files in Athens County, Ohio. Our guest is Mary Beth Brown, the former Dog Warden who worked with us in this case where we rescued… well… you will have to listen to find out how many dogs this elderly lady had in her house.

Hoarding is not just animal cruelty. This is a mental health problem and we have to do better to protect the animals and to rehabilitate the individual. Without mental health assessments and treatment, animal hoarding has a near 100% recidivism rate, meaning they will likely do it again.

For images from this case visit our facebook page at The Animal Welfare Junction podcast.

Episode 2 is about the veterinary shortage. This is a problem affecting pet owners everywhere, but has an even greater impact in underserved communities. There is no easy answer, and it will take different stakeholders to find solutions to this problem. Our guests today are:

Dan Spehar, Co-Founder of the Together Initiative for Ohio's Community Cats and Independent Researcher, on a report demonstrating the resource deserts present in Ohio.

Dr. Rustin Moore, Dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, on how the school is addressing the need for veterinarians and the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in providing veterinary care to underserved communities.

Cheri Storms, Executive Director of Pet Friendly Services of Indiana and Chair of the United Spay Alliance's Veterinary Shortage Task Force

The questions today are: Is there a veterinary shortage, is it present everywhere, and what can we do. We look to address these questions and also discuss how the veterinary field is affected by this shortage.

Episode 1 discusses the importance of providing affordable and accessible care to animals, especially pets living in underserved communities. Our guests are:

Myke Davis, Founder and Executive Director of The Animal Health Organization

Jenn Thomas, Executive Director of the Ross County Humane Society

Dr. Andrea Iglesias, a clinical and community psychologist working with underserved communities through a non-profit organization.

The question today is: What is your opinion of "If you cannot afford an animal you should not have one"? Our guests will answer this question and provide their experience-based opinion on the importance of pet ownership and pet retention and how providing resources for veterinary care helps both animals and the community.

In this episode we introduce you to our host, Michelle González (Dr. G), and we give you an overview of what to expect from our episodes. If you are interested in animal welfare and veterinary forensics, we invite you to join us on our journey as we explore how different disciplines are involved in keeping our animals and our communities safe.