With pitbulls in the news amid the Michael Vick dog-fighting controversy, Leslie Nuccio of Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pit bulls (BADRAP.org) discusses the challenges facing breed. Also, we respond to a listener's email about how or whether to add a second cat to her household.

Call 206-350-DOGS, email [email protected], our blog is thepetcast.blogspot.com and our site is www.thepetcast.com.

 

Emily's sister's lab Georgia Peach miraculously survives bloat, a usually fatal and sudden intestinal problem. Georgia Peach was at a doggie summer camp, Camp Four Paws, which is a whole other matter. Plus, Steve is stumped by how to stop Jack from freaking out whenever he sees another animal or person on their walks and Steve relates that his grandfather, who died a few weeks ago, spoke on his deathbed of his favorite childhood dog, Teddy.

Call us at 206-350-DOGS, e-mail [email protected], our blog is thepetcast.blogspot.com and the site is www.thepetcast.com.

The Bark magazine editor Claudia Kawczynska explains her more literary approach to pet magazines and books the company is launching. Also, Air Canada decides to stop any transporting animals from now on because of space restrictions in cargo holds and allergy concerns in the cabin. Also, ex-con Paris Hilton is reported a lousy pet owner but we play a clip of Jewel from "The Strip" talking about a more appropriate approach to celebrity pet ownership: Keeping it to themselves.

Paul Jolly, director of the PetCo Foundation, describes the pet-retailer giant's good works, discusses the outcome of the pet-food recall and chats about a celebrity animal-rights group called Actors and Others For Animals. Plus, we ponder a bizarre negative advertisement for Scooter, a one-eyed chihuahua on Petfinder.Com. Call us at 206-350-DOGS, e-mail [email protected], thepetcast.com is our website and thepetcast.blogspot.com is our blog.

When is pet insurance a good idea? How does it work? Dr. Kent Kruse of Veterinary Pet Insurance, the nation's oldest such company, answers those questions and more. Plus, following up on cockroaches as pets, a USA Today story reports that chickens are now becoming more common as domestic animals. Huh? Call us at 206-350-DOGS, e-mail [email protected], thepetcast.com is our website and thepetcast.blogspot.com is our blog.

Steve and guest host Amy Turner from the Grits to Glitz podcast discuss their respective dog issues and ponder some recent news items indicating that people are seriously turning to cockroaches as pets. Really.

Call us at 206-350-DOGS, e-mail [email protected], our site is thepetcast.com and our blog is thepetcast.blogspot.com.

Jill Jones, a reporter for the Apache Junction News in the Phoenix suburb of Apache Junction whose amazing investigative reporting helped an 80-year-old woman recover her stolen dog, 2-year-old terrier/beagle mix Bobby. Emily and John both had some amazing reunification stories of their own. Plus, John claims the Beatles recorded a dog whistle on the inner groove of the vinyl versions of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Call us at 206-350-PETS, email [email protected], the site is thepetcast.com and the blog is thepetcast.blogspot.com.

No. 85: Investigating Crimes Against Pets Dr. Melinda Merck, one of the nation's pioneering forensic veterinarians, discusses the emerging field of using information about cruelty and attacks on animals to solve violent crimes. Merck, based in Atlanta, has a new book out called "Veterinary Forensics: Animal Cruelty Investigations" and is co-founder and vice president for Georgia Legal Professions For Animals, an association of professionals who facilitate the education of state prosecutors, judges and law enforcement on veterinary forensics. Plus, guest host John Katsilometes relates childhood memories of his father's vet practice in southeastern Idaho, including an emergency call to save an owl.

 Call us at 206-350-PETS, email [email protected], the site is thepetcast.com and the blog is thepetcast.blogspot.com.

Emily is prompted to apologize for remarks about bulldogs on a recent show that drew the ire of some of our favorite fellow podcasters, Amy and Bay of "Grits To Glitz." Then, Emily's sister Marcy joins us to talk about a frightening encounter on a bike ride with a rattlesnake and other Richmond family small-critter antics. Call 206-350-DOGS, e-mail [email protected], the blog is at thepetcast.blogspot.com and the site is thepetcast.com.

Emily and John are joined by Emily's friend in Mountain View, Calif., who describes the issues involved with introducing a baby human with her cat, Bowzer, and dog, Sammy. John? Who's John? Well, that's John Katsilometes, an entertainment writer for Greenspun Media Group in Las Vegas. True to his name, Kats has cats and discusses the challenge he and his girlfriend had blending their feline families. Call 206-350-DOGS, e-mail [email protected], our blog is thepetcast.blogspot.com and thepetcast.com is the website.