It’s the Puppy Episode! I’ve always heard that the best way to set yourself & your dog up for success is by putting in 12 months of solid training with your puppy so you can reap the rewards for the next 12+ years (hopefully!) with your amazing dog. So how do you best set up your new puppy for success – not just in your home but in the world too? What is proper puppy socialization? And what isn’t? Kathy Callahan, CPDT-KA, has spent the past 10 years fostering 200+ puppies while attending dog...
May 13, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 94
Did you know that the health decisions you make for your dog today will impact their long-term health? including whether your dog could be at-risk developing Canine Cognitive Dysfunction aka canine dementia? I learned that as many as 50% of dogs show signs of canine dementia in their lifetime – and these signs can show up as early as 5 years old for larger breed dogs! Francine Barish-Stern learned all of this first-hand after her experiences with her dog, Shamrock. She spent years trying to get ...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 93
What do you think are the most common complaints our dogs have about us Pet Parents? Animal Communicator Nancy Mello shares the two most common grievances she hears – and I definitely needed to hear this! While some of us might be completely intrigued by the concept of animal communication, for Nancy Mello, her experience hasn’t been all love & light. Nancy describes herself as “not at all woo-woo.” She spent the first 30+ years of her life trying to repress her abilities and just live as a ...
Apr 08, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 92
Is your dog always 100% confident? While Kelly Lee of Dogkind Training specializes in working with fearful dogs , her confidence building tips will help you build your dog’s confidence in any situation. Kelly shares her top Do’s and Don’ts for increasing your dog’s confidence – whether it’s a brand-new situation or an experience you may need to reintroduce to your dog in a different way. My biggest takeaway is how to break down these experiences into tiny steps. Dogkind Training’s website has am...
Mar 25, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 91
Have you ever wondered if we’re [accidentally] making our dogs’ anxiety worse? Alex Peacock – a dog trainer who specializes in working with anxious dogs – is going help us answer this question and understand why anxious people and anxious dogs seem to attract each other. Alex works with pet parents of anxious dogs through a comprehensive program he designed. He’ll share with us the three pillars of his program and give us powerful tips for any pet parent dealing with an anxious dog. Alex also ad...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 90
Our dogs are always talking to us … but are we listening? I believe that learning our dogs’ body language is one of THE most important aspects of being a pet parent. So thank goodness for Lili Chin’s work translating Doggie Language for us humans. In fact, if you follow anything dog-related on social media, you’re probably familiar with Lili’s illustrations and artwork. Lili never anticipated that adopting Boogie, the Boston Terrier, would impact her life and career in so many ways. She also had...
Feb 19, 2024•50 min•Ep. 89
Have you – or someone you know – ever struggled with a challenging dog? Where you’ve tried everything from trainers to vets to behaviorists, but life with the dog is still a daily struggle – whether fear, reactivity or feeling like the dog runs the house instead of the humans. If any of this sounds familiar, then you won’t want to miss this episode. After struggling for 5 years with her own dog, Maya, Souha met a series of life-changing teachers and mentors. These experiences led her to develop ...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 22 min•Ep. 88
Dog Mom Confession: Sometimes it’s stressful adopting a new dog! Have you ever heard of the 3-3-3 Rule? This advice gives Pet Parents an expectation of what to expect 3 Days, 3 Weeks and 3 Months after bringing a new dog home. Today’s guest Ann King is the dog trainer who has popularized the 3-3-3 Rule for the shelter & rescue community. Ann is also the creator of the Rescue SMART framework. SMART is an acronym for Ann’s five steps to successfully introducing and integrating a new dog to you...
Jan 22, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 87
Is your dog as happy as you think? Are there scientifically proven ways to make your dog happy? Dr. Zazie Todd shines light on these questions in her book Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy . This is a re-broadcast of Episode 9, which originally aired March 9, 2020. Zazie Todd did not grow up with pets, while on her way to becoming an accomplished social psychologist. When she & her husband adopted 2 dogs within 6 weeks from their local humane society, Zazie used her psychology and re...
Jan 08, 2024•49 min•Ep. 86
Did you know that the most common cause of trauma in dogs is at the hands of people – particularly harsh handling by Pet Professionals such as groomers, veterinarians and dog trainers? Caroline Alupo is a Sweden-based ethologist and dog trainer who literally wrote the guide to diagnosing PTSD in dogs. This topic is extra-personal for me as I believe my dog, Neno, meets the criteria for Complex PTSD from abuse and neglect he experienced before we adopted him. Caroline shares the signs to look for...
Dec 18, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 85
If you’re playing a drinking game along with this episode, “shocked” is the word of the day. I was utterly shocked learning about the institutionalized lack of accountability in caring for the retired military and contract working dogs that protect the U.S. Many of us weren’t aware that this was a problem until the outcry of animal advocates after the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 where contract working dogs were left behind. In fact, it wasn’t until 2016 that a law was passed s...
Dec 04, 2023•50 min•Ep. 84
Can dogs see colors? How does your dog’s breed affect their vision? What changes in your dog’s behavior could indicate they are losing their vision? Cathy Symons, CVT, CCRP, answers all these questions and more for us. Cathy’s pug Booda, aka The Emperor, was a bold and adventurous dog who loved his agility class and lived life to the fullest. Until the day he didn’t, and Cathy realized that Booda had gone blind due to a condition known as SARDS (Sudden Acute Retinal Degeneration Syndrome) that i...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 83
Have you ever had one of those experiences that seemed like it was the worst thing that ever happened to you but then it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to you? Kay Stewart was shocked when her position of 32 years was abruptly eliminated. But this career loss helped Kay realize how out of alignment she had become with her childhood goal of helping animals. When she stumbled onto a job listing posted by Ruby, Founder of Real Dog Box , Kay began to find her true passion. Hired ...
Nov 06, 2023•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 82
Have you ever wondered if your dog could be a Therapy Dog? Are you & your dog ready to be a therapy team? Where do you even start? After working in tech for many years, Sherrie Rohde decided to make a career change and become a therapist. And when she learned (through Instagram!) about animal-assisted therapy work, Sherrie became excited about the idea of incorporating dogs into her new career. When Sherrie adopted her dog Sunny, they started training courses right away. Sherrie became more ...
Oct 23, 2023•53 min•Ep. 81
Have you ever been around a dog who doesn’t “dog” like other dogs? Maybe you’ve experienced a dog who is reactive or has separation anxiety or a noise-phobia? Sharon Vincuilla and I explore how dogs (and people!) can experience the world differently and how neurodiversity shows up in a dog’s behavior. And Sharon has experienced this first-hand with her dog, Muggins! Sharon found that life with Muggins was even triggering her own trauma. Seemingly ordinary life events like walking the dog or havi...
Oct 09, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 80
Panita Senjit grew up in India where she learned to be terrified of dogs. So you might be wondering how she’s become the award-winning author of a children’s book series based on her therapy dog, Lil’ Leo. And the answer is: her son really wanted a dog. When living in Austin, Texas, Panita was introduced to Therapy Dog work and realized their family dog, Leo had the perfect temperament for being a therapy dog. Panita was quickly drawn to the impact of therapy dog work with children. After moving...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 79
Has your life been impacted by the loss of a pet? Erica Messer and her husband adopted Wolfgang, a sickly kitten found in a barn during the height of COVID quarantine in 2020. But when a tragic accident ended Wolfie’s life the following year, it completely changed the direction of Erica’s life. Now the Founder of Wolfie’s Wish, Erica created the product she was looking for on her grief journey but couldn’t find. Wolfie’s Wish Grieving Cards are affirmation-style cards that help you incorporate h...
Sep 11, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 78
What do burnout, self-care and boundaries have to do with rescue? Everything! We’ll learn the emotional toll that rescue has taken on our Roundtable participants. This conversation gets incredibly vulnerable and I commend the courage that it took to share this with the world. Our Rescue Roundtable also explores ideas for creating a more sustainable organization and what they would differently in the future. We start off picking up where we left off last week and jump right into those Home Visits...
Aug 28, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 77
Dogs, drama and death threats…oh my! On this Roundtable, we’ll hear from 3 women in Baltimore’s animal rescue community who have collectively impacted the lives of countless dogs. I brought these guests together so we could dive into topics such as who determines Adoption Requirements & Procedures and how rescues can set up their Foster Families for success. But while I’ve been around the animal welfare world since 2008, there was still a lot that I didn’t know – especially about the “dark s...
Aug 21, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 76
This might be the most important conversation I’ve ever had on the Believe in Dog Podcast. Have you ever wondered why there’s a seemingly endless stream of homeless pets in need at shelters and rescues across the USA? As a writer, Cara Sue Achterberg began documenting her family’s experiences fostering dogs for a local rescue and wrote the book Another Good Dog - One Family and 50 Foster Dogs . Cara shares with us her dog fostering wisdom learned from now more than 150+ dogs who have spent time ...
Aug 07, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 75
What does pioneering integrative veterinarian Dr. Marty Goldstein want you to know about the cause of cancer in dogs? Today we’ll hear the 3 biggest causes for the exponential increase in cancer rates over the past 50 years. I was fascinated to learn that it was Dr. Marty’s journey with his own health that led him to questioning the medical establishment for both people and pets. And when Dr. Marty witnessed the connection between diet and health, he made his life’s work to spread this truth eve...
Jul 24, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 74
Did you know that hearing dogs are trained to support the deaf and hard-of-hearing community? I recently learned this when I connected with David Allery, Founder of the nonprofit organization, Your Hearing Dog . David, who experienced a loss of hearing due to a medical condition, shares his own experiences and the societal isolation experienced by many people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Hearing dogs are not only trained to alert to vital needs such as a smoke detector, but serve an equally ...
Jul 10, 2023•50 min•Ep. 73
What is life like with a rescued puppy mill dog? And is there anything we can do to stop puppy mills? These are the questions we explore today with Dog Mom and Advocate Jo Anna Kloster, author of Lily Unleashed . Jo Anna shares the story of how Cagney, her first rescued puppy mill dog, changed her life and gave her passion and purpose. Jo Anna shares all that she’s learned about the inner workings of puppy mills, pet stores and the laws that aren’t being enforced. Jo Anna’s passion and career as...
Jun 26, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 72
Have you ever wondered if it’s possible to make a living being a Dog Mom? Tori Mistick is here to tell us how she turned her blog Wear Wag Repeat from a creative outlet into her full-time job – including all the pivots along the way. I’ve learned so much from Tori’s online courses for petprenuers (entrepreneurs in the pet industry) and from her monthly membership group, the Wear Wag Repeat Society. Tori also shares with us why it’s important to her that the Wear Wag Repeat Podcast is a platform ...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 71
Are all of us communicating with our animals and we just don’t realize it? This is one of the questions we explore today with Animal Communicator Shannon Cutts. While Shannon grew up loving nature and always wanting a pet bird, it took many years for Shannon to follow her intuitive calling to work as an animal communicator. Shannon shares her long and winding journey with us, including the many ways animals have been healers in her life. We also explore how Highly Sensitive Pets experience the w...
May 29, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 70
How did Ruby Balaram go from being a reluctant dog mom to pet industry CEO? You don’t want to miss this episode. Like me, Ruby grew up in a house where she wasn’t allowed to have pets - except that one time she & her mom tried to sneak in a cat! So when Ruby met her partner, Turk, he came with a dog and she wasn’t so sure about jumping into the Dog Mom Life. But when Turk’s dog got a second cancer diagnosis, Ruby witnesses the power of feeding fresh real food to dogs when the grumpy old Dobe...
May 15, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 69
By day, Jen Danna is a scientist studying infectious diseases. But at night, Jen has immersed herself in creating the world of FBI K9 Handler Meg Jennings and her dog Hawk. From domestic terrorism to human trafficking, the FBI K9 series follows Meg & Hawk as part of the FBI’s Human Scent Detection Team. From page one, these books had me hooked and it felt like I was along for the ride as Meg & Hawk are tasked with locating the missing, lost, escaped or dead. Jen shares her writing proces...
Apr 24, 2023•44 min•Ep. 68
We’re diving into an age-old question today: do dog trainers train dogs … or people? As a dog trainer and pet health coach, Jessica Fisher has a lot to share on this topic. Despite having some “not so great” experiences with pets when she was growing up, Jessica was on her way to becoming a bit of a crazy cat lady when she met the man who would become her husband … and his chihuahua. But it took her dog Kimberly, a rescue who came with separation anxiety, for Jessica to find her calling as a dog...
Apr 03, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 67
We see these memes online everyday joking that all of our dogs are freelance emotional support dogs. But what if it’s your dog’s behavior that’s causing you anxiety? I’m grateful to Karoline Edmonds of Dog Mom Mentality for courageously sharing her ups and downs with us today. Admittedly a bit of a reluctant and naïve dog owner, in early 2020 Karoline agreed that her boyfriend could get a dog – if he was willing to do all the work. Then COVID happened and Karoline found herself being the one at ...
Mar 20, 2023•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 66
Who is caring for your pets when you’re traveling? That’s the question today’s guest, Isabel Alvarez Arata, is going to help us answer. Isabel describes herself an advocate for in-home pet sitting and shares with us everything we should know before hiring a pet sitter . Though she’s a lifelong animal lover, Isabel never intended on a career in the pet industry. But when she had trouble finding a dog walker for her newly adopted dog Titan, Isabel saw a career changing opportunity and spent the ne...
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 65
