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Reflect on what cats mean to us and the many ways they influence our lives with these 3 feline authors. 

Sarah Chauncey’s heartfelt P.S. I Love You More Than Tuna is a touching celebration of our bond with our cats, illustrated by Francis Tremblay. Claw This Journal: An Activity Book for Cats and Their Humans by Sassafras Patterdale (Lowrey) is packed with crafts, training, and activities and a deep understanding of cats’ emotional wellbeing. In the latest in the Sunday Times bestselling series, Alfie the cat is preparing for a purrfect festive show when things go wrong, in Alfie the Christmas Cat by Rachel Wells. 

We talked about:

• The story of how PS I Love You More Than Tuna came about (and the Easter eggs in the book)
• How this book is designed to be given away, and how giving became part of Sarah's process
• The role that a Muse Medallion from the Cat Writer's Association for an article by Sassafras played in making Claw This Journal come about
• The range of activities in the book (and which ones are Sassafras's favourites)
• Why Rachel started writing the Alfie the Cat series, and the themes behind Alfie the Christmas Cat
• What it's like to sustain a feline character and their supporting cast over so many books
• And you can listen to each author do a reading

Learn more about the authors:

Sarah Chauncey https://www.sarahchauncey.com/

Sassafras Patterdale https://sassafraspatterdale.com/

Rachel Wells https://itsacatslifebyrachelwells.substack.com/

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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Zazie chats with Kerry Nichols, bestselling author of Puppy Brain: How Our Dogs Learn, Think, and Love.

We talk about:

• How Kerry got into breeding dogs
• Why we both love Golden Retrievers
• How the book, Puppy Brain, came about
• What puppies are like when they are born
• Examples of the socialization that Kerry does with puppies
• Her favourite part of the first 8 weeks of a puppy's life
• Advice on finding a responsible breeder (for any breed)
• And Kerry reads from Puppy Brain for us!

Puppy Brain: How Our Dogs Learn, Think, and Love is out now in hardback. The paperback will be out on April 29th and can be pre-ordered now from all good bookstores.

The books we recommend in this episode are:

• Dog Poems: An Anthology by Various and Christopher Wait
• The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson

OFA - The Canine Health Information Center is at https://ofa.org/.

Kerry Nichols is a former attorney turned canine educator and advocate whose journey into the world of dogs began nearly fifteen years ago. With the founding of Nicholberry Goldens, she devoted herself to raising the healthiest Golden Retrievers possible. This evolved into a mission to instill emotional resilience and agency in her own puppies, a pursuit she now shares with an audience of hundreds of thousands of followers across social media. Her methods continue to garner support from leading veterinarians, trainers, and psychologists, and notable owners of her Goldens include executives from Facebook, Microsoft, and Tinder. 

Kerry's website: https://www.kerrynichols.com/home

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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If you love crime and mystery novels, you’re in for a treat as dogs help solve crimes in these remarkable books. When a singer dies in mysterious circumstances, dog sitter Gwinny Tuffel and the singer’s Border Collie investigate in Antony Johnston’s cosy and witty The Dog Sitter Detective Takes the Lead. In Louisa Scarr’s dark and compelling Gallows Wood, PC Lucy Halliday and her dog Moss search for the body after a severed hand is found in the woods. And when veterinarian (and amateur detective) Dr. Bannerman and his champion sniffer dog Pippin holiday near a remote lake, he has to try to save some poisoned sled dogs and figure out why a float plane crashed in Eleven Huskies by Philipp Schott DVM. 

We talked about: 

• How Antony Johnston came up with the idea of Gwinny Tuffel, the pet sitter who is the amateur detective in his Dog Sitter Detective books 
• Why Johnston especially enjoys writing cozy crime 
• The story of PC Lucy Halliday, the human remains detection dog handler, who is the main character in Louisa Scarr's Gallow's Wood 
• How Scarr did the research for this book which is a police procedural 
• How Dr. Bannerman and his pet dog work together in Dr. Philipp Schott's Eleven Huskies 
• Schott's love of the northern Canadian landscape and how it plays out in his books 
• and more, plus readings from each of the books! 

Learn more about the authors: 

Antony Johnston: https://antonyjohnston.com/ 

Louisa Scarr: https://www.instagram.com/louisascarrwriter/ 

Dr. Philipp Schott: https://www.philippschott.com/ 

The books are available wherever books are sold.

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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Zazie and Kristi talk to dog trainer Si Wooler about his new book, More Than Just a Dog.

We talk about the big changes that people are willing to make for their fearful dogs, and why the dog's relationship with their person is important for all dogs, but especially the fearful ones. We talk about what a great job Si does of helping people see things from the dog's perspective, and we ask how he talks with clients about the dog's umwelt, or how the dog perceives their world.

We ask about how Si decided where to fit Sophie's story in the book. And Kristi puts Si on the spot and asks how he deals with the outdated idea of dominance when it comes up in conversation and what he thinks of toxic masculinity in dog training.

More Than Just a Dog: Understanding, Loving, and Living with Dogs, The Indispensable Guide for All Dog Lovers by Simon Wooler is out now in the UK and available wherever books are sold, including UK Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/14471/9780008707484

More Than Just a Dog will be published in North American on May 13th.

The books we recommend in this episode are:

• A Dog a Day, Old Dogs, and Rescue Dogs by Sally Muir
• Woman at 1000 Degrees: A Novel by Hallgrímur Helgason, trans Brian FitzGibbon
• The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann

The talk by Dr. Lindsay Parker is the A&S Colloquium Kicking the Dog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN7m4sfkbZA&t=1s 

Si Wooler has been training dogs for more than ten years. He studied with the Academy for Dog Trainers, one of the most rigorous dog behaviour and training programmes in the world and specialises in training fearful and reactive dogs. In 2023, he worked with author and broadcaster Rory Cellan-Jones and his wife Professor Diane Coyle to help their Romanian rescue dog, Sophie, overcome her profound fears, bond with her people and gradually discover the world, a journey that was followed daily by hundreds of thousands of fans.

Si came to dog training after 20 years as a sound engineer so loud barking hardly registers on his personal decibel scale. His own fearful, ‘unhomeable’ rescue dog, Thomson, was the motivator for seeking out effective, evidence-based training methods and leaving his career in sound and stage to focus on working with troubled dogs and the people who love them. This is his first book.

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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Develop a better bond with your dog with these 3 canine authors. For the Love of Dog is Pilley Bianchi’s love letter to our canine friends, sharing wisdom from her father John W. Pilley’s work with Chaser the Border Collie and illustrated by NYTimes illustrator Calum Heath. In Tender Paws, Wendy Lyons Sunshine examines what dog guardians can learn from the science of human parenting. And Carri Westgarth draws on her research into human-animal interaction to help you improve your pet’s wellbeing and become The Happy Dog Owner. 

This conversation was recorded at Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers, which celebrated the launch of Zazie Todd's new book Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog.

In this conversation, we talked about:

• How Pilley Bianchi's book, For the Love of Dog, illustrated by Calum Heath, came about
• The role of Chaser the Border Collie in the book and tips from her learning of words
• The parenting research that Wendy Lyons Sunshine drew on to write her book for dog parents
• How to understand parenting styles when caring for a dog
• Why Dr. Carri Westgarth decided to focus on how to make dog owners happy
• Tips from her book about finding a responsibly bred puppy, which behaviors are most important to teach, and tips on training an alert

The other books mentioned in this episode are:-

• Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows 1000 Words by John W Pilley and Hilary Hinzmann (mentioned by Zazie and Pilley)
• Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy by Zazie Todd (mentioned by Carri)
• Kitty Language by Lili Chin (mentioned by Kristi)

The books are available wherever books are sold, including from:

Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores) https://bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers 

UK Bookshop (which supports indie bookstores in the UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers

The authors' websites:

Pilley Bianchi: https://www.pilleybianchi.com/

Wendy Lyons Sunshine: https://www.wendylsunshine.com/

Carri Westgarth, PhD: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/people/carri-westgarth

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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Learn about the best ways to care for cats with these 3 feline authors. The delightful and informative drawings in Kitty Language by Lili Chin teach you how to understand your feline friend. Mikel Delgado’s Play With Your Cat! will inspire you to have more fun through interactive play with your kitty. And in the book your cat wishes you would read, Lucy Hoile empowers cat guardians to build a better relationship with their cat.

We talked about:

• How Lili researched her book, Kitty Language
• What she learned about feline body language that surprised her, and how her two cats influenced the book
• Why play is good for cats
• What Mikel thinks are common mistakes that people make when trying to play with their cats, and what to do about them
• What to consider when getting a kitten or adult cat to ensure a good match for your household
• What Lucy thinks is the biggest thing cat guardians get wrong
• Plus readings from all three authors, and more

The books are available wherever books are sold, including from:

Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores) https://bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers 

UK Bookshop (which supports indie bookstores in the UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers

The authors' websites:

Lili Chin: https://doggiedrawings.net/ 

Mikel Delgado PhD: https://mikeldelgado.com/

Lucy Hoile: https://www.lucyhoile.co.uk/

The other books mentioned in this episode are Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy by Zazie Todd, and the book your dog wishes you would read by Louise Glazebrook. 

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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Celebrate the dog-human bond with these bestselling authors. Social media stars Alexis Devine and her dog Bunny examine our ability to communicate with dogs through buttons that let them “talk” in I Am Bunny. And in Poppy in the Wild, #1 New York Times bestselling author Teresa J Rhyne tells the breathtaking tale of a dog lost and then found in the wilderness.

We talked about:

• Why Alexis decided to start using buttons to teach Bunny to 'talk'
• How Alexis went about the research for the sections on animal communication
• Cute stories about some of the specific buttons that Bunny uses
• How Poppy came into Teresa's life
• The Thanksgiving that for many people would be a dog lovers' dream
• What it felt like to search for Poppy in the wilderness
• Plus readings from both authors, and more!

The books are available wherever books are sold, including from:

Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores) https://bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers 

UK Bookshop https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers 

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/shop/animalbookclub/list/S3BJZSCWLQKG

The authors' websites:

Alexis Devine on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whataboutbunny/

Teresa J Rhyne: https://teresarhyne.com/

As you'll hear me say in the audio, Kerry Nichols was unfortunately unable to join us for this session due to a puppy situation. I'm happy to say it all turned out well for the puppies. In her national bestseller, Puppy Brain, you can learn the best ways to raise a puppy so that they become happy and resilient. You can learn more about Nichols on her website https://www.kerrynichols.com/

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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Discover the role of emotions and perception in dogs’ lives. In Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine and the second edition of The Emotional Lives of Animals, Marc Bekoff updates our understanding of the emotions animals feel (and how we know they feel them). For people whose dogs feel shy or worried, Zazie Todd’s Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog is a compassionate and practical guide based on the latest science. And in the beautifully-crafted New York Times bestseller What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren explores the extraordinary abilities of scent detection dogs and tells the captivating story of how Warren’s dog Solo became a human remains detection dog. 

The books are available wherever books are sold, including from:

Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores) https://bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers 

UK Bookshop https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers 

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/shop/animalbookclub/list/S3BJZSCWLQKG

We talked about:

• Why Marc wrote Dogs Demystified
• Why Marc likes to introduce people to ethology
• Why Zazie wrote Bark!
• Balancing personal stories with science in the book
• How Cat got into scent work with her dog Solo
• How Cat deals with the emotional side of the work
• and many other topics, including readings from each of the books.

The speakers' websites:

Marc Bekoff: https://marcbekoff.com/

Kristi Benson: https://www.kristibenson.com/

Zazie Todd: https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/p/home.html

Cat Warren: https://catwarren.com/

Resources mentioned:

Dogs: The more I know, the more I say "I don't know" by Marc Bekoff https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/animal-emotions/201908/dogs-the-more-i-know-the-more-i-say-i-dont-know 

Sound masking to help dogs with a noise phobia or sound sensitivity by Eileen Anderson https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/noise-canceling-for-dogs/ 

Indiana Bones: The archaeologist dogs discovering human remains by Cat Warren quotes Adee Schoon https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/dog-archaeology-ancient-human-remains-bones-croatia-a9522776.html

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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Bark! Fest gets off to a tail-wagging start with a conversation with one of the world’s top dog trainers. Jean Donaldson’s seminal book The Culture Clash reframed how we think about dogs and has inspired generations of dog trainers to use (or switch to) reward-based methods. Join us to talk about all things dog training, including positive reinforcement, fearful dogs, and education for dog owners and trainers alike.

This recording is of a panel at Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers, that took place in September 2024. Bark! Fest was organized to celebrate the launch of Zazie Todd's third book, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog. Bark!.

All of the Bark! Fest books are available from good bookstores, including from Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores): https://bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers

We talked about:

• why Jean wrote her book The Culture Clash
• what the Transparency Challenge is and why it's so important for dog trainers to answer these questions
• her advice to someone who is struggling with their dog's behaviour
• what is distinctive about the Academy for Dog Trainers
• a writing tip
• her favourite thing that's changed in the world of dog training over the years
• and she answered lots of questions from the audience

Resources mentioned:

Transparency in dog training https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=987644334623619 

The Academy for Dog Trainers https://www.academyfordogtrainers.com/

Find a PPG professional https://www.petprofessionalguild.com/find-a-ppg-professional/ 

Karen Pryor Academy https://karenpryoracademy.com/

Victoria Stilwell Academy https://www.vsdogtrainingacademy.com/ 

The Great Courses Dog Training 101 https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/dog-training-101 

The ultimate dog training tip https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2017/04/the-ultimate-dog-training-tip.html (Companion Animal Psychology)

Emily Priestley Wild at Heart Dog Training and her book, Urban Sheepdog https://wildatheartdogs.com/ (see also our recent podcast with Emily, https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/2024/11/what-you-need-to-know-about-herding.html )

Cooperative Paws by Veronica Sanchez https://cooperativepaws.com/ 

More about Jean Donaldson: https://www.academyfordog

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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Patricia B. McConnell PhD is an internationally-renowned applied animal behaviourist who has dedicated her life to improving the relationship between people and animals. Amongst her many treasured dog training books, The Other End of the Leash draws our attention to the human side of dog training.

McConnell’s memoir, The Education of Will, is a beautifully-written and uplifting account of how to reclaim life after trauma, for both humans and dogs. Join us to talk about dog behaviour, overcoming hardships, and the importance of compassion and science in dog training.

This recording is of a panel at Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers, that took place in September 2024. Bark! Fest was organized to celebrate the launch of Zazie Todd's third book, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog. Bark!.

All of the Bark! Fest books are available from good bookstores, including from Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores): https://bookshop.org/lists/bark-fest-the-book-festival-for-animal-lovers

We talked about Dr. McConnell's writing process, how she became interested in the human side of the leash, why she wrote The Education of Will, understanding trauma in people and dogs, differences and similarities between people and dogs, finding grace, and healing.

In The Education of Will, bestselling author and internationally renowned animal psychologist and dog trainer Patricia McConnell “gives a voice to those who can’t speak in words and provides hope for fearful animals everywhere” (Temple Grandin) in this powerful and uplifting memoir about healing.

Dr. McConnell mentions several books in the conversation. They are:

• After Silence by Nancy Venable Raine
• Good Morning, I Love You by Shauna Shapiro
• Unlearn Your Pain by MD Howard Schubiner

Patricia McConnell, PhD, CAAB Emeritus is an author, speaker, and animal behaviorist who has consulted with pet owners for over thirty years about serious behavioral problems. She co-hosted Calling All Pets with Larry Meiller on Wisconsin Public Radio for fourteen years, and has educated and entertained audiences around the world about animal behavior (human and canine!). Patricia taught "The Biology and Philosophy of Human/Animal Relationships" in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for twenty-five years. Her self-published books

About the co-hosts:

Kristi Benson is an honours graduate of the prestigious Academy for Dog Trainers and has her PCBC-A from the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. She lives in beautiful northern British Columbia, where she helps dog guardians through online teaching and consultations. Kristi is on staff at the Academy for Dog Trainers, helping to shape the next generation of canine professionals. Kristi’s dogs are rescue sled dogs, mostly retired and thoroughly enjoying a good snooze in front of the woodstove.

Kristi Benson's website Facebook

Zazie Todd, PhD, is the award-winning author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy and Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy. She is the creator of the popular blog, Companion Animal Psychology, and also has a column at Psychology Today. Todd lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, one dog, and one cat.

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