The Dogist: Talking Dogs

When a TikTok account goes from zero to over 800,000 in just two months, you know you've got something good. Our guest today is Karen Diaz, the parent and human behind the viral TikTok account, @goldenchilaquil. Chilaquil is a nine month old Golden Retriever puppy who was born in Toronto to a Mexican mom and Brazilian dad, and moved to Mexico City with his parents to avoid the cold winter. He has since become an internet sensation with a loyal following, brand deals, and his very own agent.

With all the different information out there, it's hard to know what to feed your dog. Our guest today is Sara Starkman, a certified canine nutritionist, writer, recipe developer and founder of Heal DOGGY – a canine wellness hub that helps guide dog parents and pups on their journey to optimal well being. On this episode, we talk canine nutrition, health trends in the pet space, and overcoming dog parent guilt.

This week, Team Dogist sat down for a chat about our typical bagel orders, our internet pet peeves, and a quiz to see if we know how to read dog body language. 

What are our dog's thinking? Where do they go when they pass away? Our guest today is Nancy Mello. As you may remember from our previous episode with her, Nancy is an animal communicator and Evidential Medium. She prides herself in end-of-life pet work and helping pets with problem behaviors in over sixty countries. She has helped find 121 pets since 2020. On this episode, Nancy connect's to our dogs, including two who have passed away.

We all want to find love, but what about finding love through your dog? Our guest today is Bella, who is the opposable thumbs behind the instagram @bully.baloo, an account that aims to educate and break the stigma surrounding bully breed and rescue dogs. Baloo is a task trained service dog and sport dog who Bella rescued from a local animal shelter in her freshman year of college. Baloo has changed Bella’s life in a number of ways, including introducing her to her now fiancé at the dog park.

It's our last episode of the season! On this episode we reflect on the year we had, talk about all of our favorite dog moments, and discuss about our goals for 2023! Thank you all for listening and supporting us this year – we could not do any of this without you.

Did you know that cheetahs and dogs can be best friends? Our guest today is Andie Haugen, who is a senior animal trainer and educator in the Cat Ambassador Program at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. In this role over the last five years, she has worked with eleven cheetahs and a whole bunch of other incredible animals. She was featured on programs such as the Disney+ show, “It’s a Dog’s Life” and has been interviewed by Cincinnati Magazine, Inside Edition and the Cincinnati Zoo’s podcast, Zoo Tales.  In addition to all of her work with cheetahs, Andie has also raised three cheetah companion dogs, who serve as unexpected friends to baby cheetahs born as single cubs. 

On this Giving Tuesday, we're telling the story of Thomas Panek, the president and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Under Panek’s leadership since 2014, Guiding Eyes continues to be an international leader and pioneer in the service animal field, including the first-of-its-kind specialized training program for running guide dogs.  An avid marathon runner, Panek ranks amongst the top athletes in the Visually Impaired Division of the Boston and New York Marathons.  In 2019, he became the first runner to compete in the New York City Half Marathon guided by dogs, and in 2020, he became the first blind athlete to run a self-guided 5K solo through Central Park in New York City. On this episode we talk about running, guide dog training, and the impact Guiding Eyes has on individuals experiencing vision loss.

How old was the oldest dog to ever live? How many dogs survived the titanic? Which president had a singing dog? This week we sat down with Candy Pilar Godoy, who is the founder of the instagram pages @dogsofnyc and @ahistoryofdogs. Candy is a native New Yorker with two rescue dogs, one Brazilian street cat, and one human baby. Boredom during the pandemic, along with a love of dogs, trivia, and history, inspired the Instagram page two years ago. Let us know what your trivia score was!

This week, we all sat down and answered all of your burning questions – what's our LEAST favorite part about working at The Dogist? What dog breed would we never own? Do any of us have tattoos? Plus, we reveal a secret that we've all been keeping for MONTHS.