The Animal Welfare Junction

There has been a lot of media attention to a "mystery" respiratory disease affecting dogs, and many pet owners and rescues are understandably concerned. But is it as mysterious or dangerous as it is being reported?

To answer this question, we have invited Dr. Jeanette O'Quin, Associate Professor at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. O'Quin has training and experience in public health, infectious disease management, and outbreak response and presents us with an educated perspective on this important issue.

For our shelter friends, Please visit the Association of Shelter Veterinarians website at https://www.sheltervet.org/resources/guidelines for assistance in maintaining as healthy a population as possible.

Homelessness is a serious crisis in the United States, with the most recent report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development dated December 2022 finding over 580,000 unhoused people on a single night in January of 2022 (hud.gov). It is a sad reality that pet ownership by housing-insecure individuals and families is a significant obstacle to sheltering and affordable housing. The lack of affordable co-sheltering facilities and pet-friendly affordable housing can be the factor that keeps someone at risk in the streets.

From their website: "My Dog Is My Home's mission is to increase access to shelter and housing for people experiencing homelessness with companion animals. By securing their ability to maintain their most important relationships and find adequate shelter, we ensure every family’s right to build a home."

Founder Christine Kim shares with us the story of the organization, how it helps communities with co-sheltering and affordable housing initiatives, and her advocacy work with the Providing for Unhoused People with Pets (PUPP) Act, a federal bill to provide financial assistance to homeless service programs, shelters, and housing.

If you like our content, you can help spread our message by rating and sharing. Together we can make a difference for the people and animals in our communities.

https://www.mydogismyhome.org/

https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/hud_no_22_253

Mentioned in this episode:

Keep it Humane Podcast Network

The Animal Welfare Junction is part of the Keep It Humane Podcast Network. Visit keepithumane.com/podcastnetwork to find us and our amazing animal welfare podcast partners.

The lack of financial access to veterinary care creates a ripple of negative effects. It poses challenges such as delayed or foregone medical treatment for pets, compromising their health and undermining the broader objectives of the One Health approach. This issue is exacerbated by credit inequality, where individuals with limited financial resources may struggle to afford veterinary services, potentially rupturing the human-animal bond due to economic euthanasia or owner surrenders. Surrenders due to owner financial constraints then contribute to the overcrowding of shelters, the need for more adopters, and the cycle begins all over again.

Addressing this problem requires a multifaceted approach, including the expansion of more accessible payment options at the point of care, which is where VetBilling hopes to fill the gap for pet owners who can’t access conventional financing. Ou guest, Suzanne Cannon, is the co-founder of VetBilling and we will discuss the problem pet owners face as well as how their company helps both the pet owner and veterinary clinic with payment plan solutions.

Mentioned in this episode:

Keep it Humane Podcast Network

The Animal Welfare Junction is part of the Keep It Humane Podcast Network. Visit keepithumane.com/podcastnetwork to find us and our amazing animal welfare podcast partners.

On this episode, our guest Dr. Michael Blackwell explains the concept of OneHealth and the importance of caring for both animals and their caretakers to promote wellness throughout the community, with a particular emphasis on services for communities lacking in resources. Family health does not stop at the humans or the animals, but involves both. And this must incorporate mental and physical health care.

A collaborative effort between veterinarians and social workers is important in providing a comprehensive program for long term results and not just a “spot fix”. And this approach has broad benefits to the environment, diseases, and even the current shelter overpopulation problem.

Dr. Blackwell is the Director of the Program for Pet Health Equity in the Center for Behavioral Health Research at University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and is also the Director of AlignCare Health Inc.

Mentioned in this episode:

Keep it Humane Podcast Network

The Animal Welfare Junction is part of the Keep It Humane Podcast Network. Visit keepithumane.com/podcastnetwork to find us and our amazing animal welfare podcast partners.

We hear the term no-kill often within the rescue and shelter community, but do you know what no-kill actually means? You may be surprised to learn the facts behind what it takes to be a no-kill shelter and the impact it has on the current pet overpopulation and rescue hoarding crisis.

Our Guest, Daphna Nachminovitch, head of PETA's Cruelty Investigations Department, joins us to discuss this topic, educate our listeners on the problems seen when no-kill goes too far, and help the community understand how their misconception and demands are promoting overpopulation, warehousing, and hoarding. We do not want animals to die needlessly at shelters and all adoptable animals should have a home, but euthanasia is not the problem, the current animal care crisis is.

Please note that this is a statement on the no-kill perception and not an episode against Best Friends Animal Society. We believe that they do amazing work in providing resources and ideas to help shelters, but we would love for them to use different language that is not divisive and that best exemplifies their movement. 

This episode discusses sensitive topics, including animal abuse and interpersonal violence.

Domestic violence affects the whole family and unfortunately, often the family pet and animals. What most people don’t realize, is that abuse of a family pet can be one of the most serious indicators of the most at risk people and children. Perpetrators who harm animals rarely stop at animal victims and are some of the most lethal abusers. Often  people who are experiencing violence  feel like they can’t leave an animal behind to seek their own safety, either because the animal will be unsafe, hurt as  a means to control the human victims or commonly, because they are deeply bonded with the animal. Pets and animals can be a source of joy, offer a sense of purpose and be a significant comfort during hard times, for both adults and children.

Based in Australia, Lucy’s Project works to make it easier for people and animals to find safety from domestic and family violence. Founder, Anna Ludvik, shares what inspired her to pursue this work and how through education and advocacy we can make a safer place for animals and humans victim of domestic violence and other crimes.

The shelters are overcrowded. This is a sad reality. And these animals are there at no fault of their own. Part of the problem is when individuals purchase animals without researching or learning about the traits of the breed or the individual dog and end up with a pet that is not compatible with their lifestyle.

Today's guest, Elizabeth Menegon, is the creator of Hands 2 Paws, an app that helps individuals browse animals that may be a better fit based on the qualities of the dog instead of just aesthetics. We also discuss the dangers of purchasing from back yard breeders, puppy mills, pet stores, and online services.

We will always believe in Adopt Don't Shop, but for those with specific needs that must purchase a dog, please shop responsibly.

Mentioned in this episode:

Keep it Humane Podcast Network

The Animal Welfare Junction is part of the Keep It Humane Podcast Network. Visit keepithumane.com/podcastnetwork to find us and our amazing animal welfare podcast partners.

Puppy mills are facilities in which dogs suffer in mass to produce puppies for sale. If you purchase a puppy from a pet store, there is a risk that it is coming from a puppy mill.

But what are puppy mills? Who regulates them? How can consumers protect themselves?

Shalimar Oliver, Animal Crimes Manager from the Humane Society of the United States, joins us again to discuss these and other questions regarding this form of "legalized cruelty".

Puppy mills only exist to make money, so it is within our power as consumers to shut them down by stopping demand. Learn more about puppy mills and how the HSUS Puppy Mills campaign is working to help these dogs and protect the community in this episode.

If you find this episode helpful and educational, help us spread the word by rating, liking and sharing with your friends and family. Together we make a difference for animals.

Mentioned in this episode:

Keep it Humane Podcast Network

The Animal Welfare Junction is part of the Keep It Humane Podcast Network. Visit keepithumane.com/podcastnetwork to find us and our amazing animal welfare podcast partners.

Dr. Jeff Young is the founder of Planned Pethood International, but many know him as Dr. Jeff, Rocky Mountain Vet. His passion for helping animals and their caretakers as well as educating the next generation of veterinarians is clear. Join us for a 45-minute ride into many topics affecting pet care, affordability, and the veterinary profession. We discuss compassionate care, technician utilization and compensation, compassion fatigue, the human-animal bond, and why the veterinary field has shifted so much in the last decades. This is an episode for everyone, pet owners, advocates, and those in the profession.

If you enjoy our content and want to help us reach more animal advocates, please like, rate and share our episode. Together we make a big difference for animals everywhere.

Mentioned in this episode:

Keep it Humane Podcast Network

The Animal Welfare Junction is part of the Keep It Humane Podcast Network. Visit keepithumane.com/podcastnetwork to find us and our amazing animal welfare podcast partners.

Warning: This episode dives into animal crimes and sensitive topics

On this episode, Dr. G and guest Mark Randell discuss different animal crimes and the LINK between animal and interpersonal violence from a local and global perspective.

Mark Randell is a retired senior detective from the UK police. In that role he was was responsible for covert operations, criminal intelligence and analysis and international cooperation on serious crime and terrorism. He retired from the police 13 years ago and has been running undercover ops, campaigning and training about crimes against animals and their relevance in society on 5 different continents. 

Mark is currently a campaign manager for Naturewatch Foundation, a UK based charity responsible globally for World Animal Day, and also campaigning within many areas inclusing wildlife crime, animal experiments and puppy farming. Mark’s campaigns include working in Ukraine which Naturewatch Foundation has done since 1994 and ‘Protect Animals. Protect People’ that highlights the animals– human abuse link. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Keep it Humane Podcast Network

The Animal Welfare Junction is part of the Keep It Humane Podcast Network. Visit keepithumane.com/podcastnetwork to find us and our amazing animal welfare podcast partners.