You’ve come home from work to discover evidence your dog has diarrhea. Ugh. It continues, and you call the vet. No appointments for two weeks, unless you want to pay for an emergency visit … but this doesn’t seem like a huge emergency.

Most veterinary visits are for the same few problems. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get basic health tests – like fresh poop samples you scrape off your floor – done from home, and get the results back in time for your scheduled veterinary visit?

Today we are speaking with CEO Jen Hagness of MySimplePetLab, the first from home general wellness company. MySimplePetLab offers at-home and from-clinic testing kits for dogs and cats. The test kits are designed by veterinarians, and MySimplePetLab provides the tests, shipping to their lab for testing, and the results delivered to both you and your vet. 

Jen shares with us the benefits to pet parents and veterinarians of these kits, and what the future may hold for at home testing.

Episode Links

MySimplePetLab

This episode is sponsored in part by EverPup and BarkBox.

Chapters

00:00 Start

02:56 MySimplePetLab

07:33 Traditional Pet Parents vs. Modern Pet Parents

11:33 Gold Standard Testing

12:59 Vets Included

15:29 2023 Teaser

20:02 Telemedicine

30:29 Being a CEO

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have grieved the loss of our dogs ever since they first became man's best friend, thousands of years ago. Everyone experiences loss in their own way, but it is a pain that is shared by everyone who has ever loved a dog. But is there anything you can do to prepare for that grief?

Our guest Nancy Gordon works to raise awareness about the different stages of pet grief, and how to process the guilt and heartache from end-of-life decisions.

As a licensed clinical social worker and certified life coach, Nancy understands the pain of loss through her personal journey. After a terrible car accident, she had to leave her practice and focus on her own recovery with chronic illness and debilitating pain. Relief from the pain (both physical and mental) came to her through her service dogs, Pink and Toaster.

But then, the inevitable happened. Both of her service dogs had to cross over the rainbow bridge and Nancy was left navigating that loss. Taking what she learned from that experience, Nancy continues to help others through the dark days that follow the death of a beloved pet.

In today’s touching conversation, Jim and Nancy discuss anticipatory grief and how facing that inevitable loss ahead of time can help transform that experience for you and your dog.

Episode Links

Nancy Gordon

I Miss You Already: Bearing the Unbearable Loss of Your Pet by Nancy Gordon

This episode is sponsored in part by EverPup and BarkBox.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

1:22 Start of Interview

4:45 Unhealed Grief

7:30 The 7 Stages of Grief

29:22 Jim’s Pet Loss Therapy Session

38:05 Continuted Bond

42:41 How to Find the Right Therapist

47:24 Outro

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show we discuss the history and evolution of dog training. Dog training now looks very different than it did just a few decades ago. It used to be commonly accepted that the best way to train a dog was to punish them when they did something wrong. Whether it was spanking them, rubbing their nose in their accidents, or using choke chains or shock collars.

But things are changing. This evolution of dog training has taken us from punishment and pain training, to something much more powerful. Shannon Riley-Coyner created Truly Force Free animal training to help you train your dog without using pain or fear.

Shannon has over 30 years of experience training dogs and is optimistic about the direction her industry is heading: towards more positive reinforcement. On today’s episode, Shannon shares with us the evolution of dog training, what science tells us about how dogs learn, and what to look for in a trainer.

Episode Links

Force Free Dog Training

The Evolution of Dog Training by Shannon Riley-Coyner

This episode is sponsored in part by EverPup and BarkBox.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

12:24 The Neck is Very Vulnerable

16:01 Trauma Bond

27:20 Picking A Trainer

29:10 Group Training vs. One-on-One

30:56 Online Training Videos

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the show: dog geniuses. What does it mean to be a truly gifted dog? Researcher Dr. Claudia Fugazza has been on a mission to better understand how dogs learn. She is particularly interested in the dogs that can memorize dozens of toy names.

Everyone thinks they have the smartest dog in the world (or at least the best!) but what makes a dog a prodigy? Dogs like Chaser, a border collie who has purportedly learned the name of over 1,000 toy names! But that kind of talent is very rare. And it’s not well known why they are able to do this.

Is it breed? The way they were trained? Were they just born talented? Dr. Fugazza and her colleagues at the University of Budapest want to find more. Thus, the Genius Dog Challenge was born. 

In her search to better understand talent and language in dogs, Dr. Fugazza has started an online initiative to study smart dogs around. In this conversation, we delve into the world of dog learning, and you will find out how to test if your dog is a genius.

Episode Links

Genius Dog Challenge

The Long Leash #61 Sit, Stay, Speak...with Buttons! With Leo Trottier

This episode is sponsored in part by EverPup and BarkBox.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

2:30 What is a Smart Dog?

14:21 Talent in Dogs

24:40 Rico and Chaser-Genius Dogs

30:27 Do As I Do

36:52 Episodic Memory

43:56 Is Your Dog a Genius?

49:12 Outro

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s show we hear from Jen Danna, a crime novelist whose FBI K9 novel series explores the world of FBI agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue dog Hawk.

If you’re thinking “I thought that series was written by Sara Driscoll,” you’re right.

Sara Driscoll is a joint pen name for Danna, a Canadian infectious disease researcher, and her co-author, Ann Vanderlaan, a Texan oil biz technical writer. 

Their very different work and their shared passion for writing inspired them to pen seven novels under their joint pseudonym.

Danna’s dedication to scientific accuracy drives her storytelling. She shares what she has learned about the deep connection between FBI working dogs and their handlers. 

Danna also talks about the seventh novel in their series, “Still Waters,” which has been published half-posthumously after Vanderlaan’s death earlier this year. Even as she celebrates the new novel, Danna reflects on how she will continue Meg Jennings’ story now that she has lost her other writing half.

Episode Links

Still Waters: An FBI K9 Novel by Sara Driscoll (aka Jen Danna and Ann Vanderlaan)

Jen Danna official website

Bouchercon World Mystery Convention

Does the Dog Die

The Long Leash Episode #57 My Life Transformed by a Golden Angel with writing legend Dean Koontz

Dog Edition Episode #71 From the Titanic to Queen Mary 2: Transatlantic Dogs

This episode is sponsored in part by EverPup and BarkBox. 

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Too many people face a cold reality when their dog gets sick: they want to give vet care, but simply cannot afford it. Ways to cope vary, including hoping and wishing the problem will disappear on its own, reducing pain and other medication use to “make them last,” and even euthanizing a dog who might recover with proper care.

It’s devastating for the family members and the veterinarians and their staff who must help them make these terrible choices.

When money is the issue, and money is not there, no question has an easy answer.

Our guest today is Dr. Michael Blackwell, the founder of AlignCare Health. His organization is a national, community-funded One Health interprofessional system that helps families with limited means get access to veterinary care.

In other words, he helps keep families together, regardless of species.

Dr. Michael Blackwell’s received his calling to help after hearing about a veteran whose dog was put to sleep because he could not afford his treatments. What was the problem? A police officer had shot his dog (unjustly), and the resulting injuries required extensive and expensive procedures.

The veteran’s utter loss and devastating pain “lit a fire” in Dr. Blackwell’s soul. That’s when the high-ranking government official and educator decided to start breaking down economic barriers that prevent pets and their families from getting the care they need.

Dr. Blackwell joins us for an in-depth, moving discussion about how our pet’s care influences our own health and healthcare, and why affordable veterinary care is critical to our health as a species and citizens.

Episode Links

Access to Veterinary Care-Barriers, Current Practices, and Public Policy A project of the Access to Veterinary Care Coalition, Dec 2018

AlignCare Health official website

This episode is sponsored in part by EverPup and BarkBox.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

2:26 Start of Interview

4:09 The Event that Changed Everything

6:38 1 in 4 Families Lack the Ability to Pay for Vet Care

8:58 Phycological Benefits of Having a Pet

11:32 Economic Barriers to Vet Care

13:05 Status of Pet Insurance

17:03 Health Benefits Associated with Pet Ownership

19:21 What is AlignCare?

22:47 AlignCare in Los Angeles

34:55 The Emotional and Financial Stress of Being a Vet

45:54 The Importance of Public Servants

50:09 First Minority Dean of a Major Vet College

54:14 Future of AlignCare

56:52 Outro

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every dog-loving human has their own idea about what being dog-friendly means. For some, it’s the neighbor who switches to non-toxic snail bait. For others, it’s a dog water bowl in front of a business, or a grassy dog park in an otherwise quiet neighborhood.

But some humans have bigger ideas, like creating dog-friendly architecture and dog-friendly legislation. Dog-friendly school curriculums and dog-friendly business models. How do we include human's best friend in our life design efforts?

Beth Miller, the founder of Wagtown, joins us to talk about the macroeconomic and health benefits of dog-friendly planning. Her non-profit helps communities define what dog-friendly means to them … and then become more dog friendly.

In Miller’s world, dollars follow dogs. Creating more dog-friendly spaces impacts economic development, business growth, housing markets … and even our own lifespans, which are longer when we share them with dogs.

Wagtown has been involved in many dog-friendly planning projects. Beth shares how they changed patio laws for the state of Ohio in a “Pups on Patio” campaign. Wagtown also assisted local law enforcement officers in building a working relationship with community dog walkers. Listen and be inspired to create a more dog-friendly future for all humanity!

Episode Links

Wagtown

This episode is sponsored in part by EverPup and BarkBox.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

1:36 What does it mean to be dog-friendly?

3:12 Dog friendliness desert

4:50 Dog friendliness is a factor of location

8:29 What is Wagtown?

13:22 Interviewing 600 people

14:25 What to consider when building a new dog park

19:22 Building dog friendly spaces

20:26 The economic benefits of being dog-friendly

21:00 Pups on patios

27:19 Future of a dog-friendly society

29:09 Dog walkers working with law enforcement

30:52 Outro

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you pair wine with something that’s not food? Our guest today says it’s simple: compare the personalities and traits of both. And yes, you can pair wine with dogs!

Michele Gargiulo, certified sommelier, wanted to sprinkle some joy into the winery world, which she says takes itself far too seriously. In her book Pairing Paws, Gargiulo discerns the distinctive personalities of various vintages and a multitude of mutts … and makes a compelling argument for which goes with what.

Sound weird? Maybe. Not everyone thought this book was a good idea. Gargiulo’s personal story about writing and publishing her quirky and fabulous book started out as a romantic adventure tale, but soon turned tragic when her boyfriend died. Gargiulo credits her dog, Riesling, with keeping her moving and bringing love and light back into her story.

Episode Links

Pairing Paws by Michele Gargiulo

Azores Wine Company Arinto dos Açores White to be paired with Maltese

This episode is sponsored in part by EverPup and BarkBox.

Chapters

0:00 Introduction

1:26 Pairing Paws the book

11:19 Pairing dogs with wine

15:49 How do you publish a book?

22:31 What it REALLY means to be a master sommelier

24:02 Making the wine world more accessible

26:24 Surviving the loss of a loved one

30:16 Outro

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For more than two decades Dr. Renée Alsarraf treated cancer in her canine patients. Then, at age fifty-one, she was diagnosed with cancer herself … and so was her boxer, Newton.

The healing nature of their bond helped Dr. Alsarraf fight. Newton acted as her guide dog through chemo, therapy, and recovery.

Dr. Alsarraf joins us to share what’s she learned about cancer from her own ordeal. There are similarities in between the species that she understands more deeply than ever. The lessons she learned on her journey she incorporates into her current veterinary practice.

Now cancer-free, Dr. Alsarraf connects with the parents of sick animals with a new level of empathy and experience.

Dogs teach us how to live well, if we pay attention – and Dr. Alsarraf pays attention. She has chronicled her extraordinary experience in her book “Sit, Stay, Heal.”

Episode Links

Sit, Stay, Heal: What Dogs Can Teach us About Living Well by Dr. Renée Alsarraf

This episode is sponsored in part by EverPup and BarkBox.

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Veterinarians are animal lovers, and many expect their career to be all about spending quality time with animals. Reality is a little different, though.

First, veterinary school is hard. It’s also expensive. When vets graduate, their starting yearly salary might be half of their debt burden.

Practicing animal medicine is an emotional roller coaster, and every day features new and more loop-the-loops. Over the course of a single workday, a general practice veterinarian goes from handling a playful kitten to helping someone understand their pet is dying.

This daily fluctuation in emotional tone is sometimes called the killing-caring paradox. It can take a heavy toll on caregivers.

And now things are changing. Pet health providers have responded to pet parents viewing their dogs and cats as family members. The medicine is better, the vet practice is safer, and the stakes are even higher than they have been.

Where does that leave the veterinarians?

On today’s show, we discuss changes in veterinary medicine, and how to improve wellness for those who care for our pets.

George Melillo is the CEO and founder of a chain of veterinary hospitals called Heart + Paw. In his hospitals, the veterinarian’s mental well-being is the priority … with the aim of improving pet care, as well.

George Melillo’s innovations may seem simple, but they could be seen as revolutionary. Aiming to reduce stress in an incredibly stressful profession, he gives veterinarians more autonomy when it comes to scheduling and includes pet parents are included in all aspects of care.

Join us as Dr. Melillo explains why his business approach will help animals and veterinarians alike.

Episode Links

Heart + Paw

Chapters

[00:00:00] Teaser

[00:00:14] Introduction

[00:01:41] Introducing George Melillo

[00:03:54] The Challenging Career of Veterinary Professionals

[00:06:04] High Rates of Veterinarian Suicide

[00:07:15] Creating a Safe Space for Veterinarians

[00:13:47] Changes in the Vet Industry

[00:16:33] Changes in the Industry as a Result of COVID

[00:22:55] Heart + Paw

[00:24:57] Giving Advice to your Past Self

[00:26:17] Outro

About Dog Podcast Network (DPN)

DPN is the first of its kind. A podcasting network as devoted to dogs, as they are to us. Our mission is simple: entertain, inspire and inform. We will improve the quality of life for dogs and the people who love them.

Check out Dog Podcast Network for other dog-adjacent shows:

Dog Edition: our flagship show where a global team of dog-obsessed journalists and storytellers feature news, in-depth reporting, analysis, features, and interview segments

Dog Cancer Answers: which offers vetted advice from real veterinarians who answer your questions about dog cancer

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices