It's Boston's news radio.
Mar Good Evening. My name is Morgan White Junior. You hear me on Saturdays here on BZ from nine to midnight, but periodically management says, Morgan, Dan's not gonna be in. Can you do that shift? And almost every single time I say, sure, yes I can, and I try to plan what I call a nightside like show. I'm gonna go backwards from ten to midnight. I have a gentleman's
friend of mine who's gonna be on. He has a connection with Eon Productions Everything or nothing EO N. They are the people to keep putting out James Bond movies. And between ten and midnight, I want you, the night side audience, to call in and recommend somebody who should be could be the next James Bond. If you have an opinion about that, and I hope you do, you'll share it between ten and midnight with my guest Steven J.
Rubin and I. I have a name. I'm not gonna say it because I don't want my opinion to sway your opinion. That aside, the hour before nine to ten o'clock, I've got a young woman, her name Trelaine Clark, and she's gonna be talking about a couple of conferences coming up, which if you have kids you might show interest in. One's gonna be in Washington, DC. One's gonna be in Ghana over in Africa. And we'll talk about that when
she comes on. But right now, maybe you heard a story I heard right here on BZY News a week ago. People walking and jogging around Chestnut Hill Reservoir over by BC have had problems with bats, bats swooping in on them. And you know bats can, I say, can carry rabies. And my first guest is a woman who has an organization called Hair of the Dog and hair it's spelled
jr e. Hair of the Dog Incorporated. And they deal with all sorts of wildlife and they focus down in the Pembroke area, which incorporates Cape Card Southeast mass and they do the best they can to eliminate or at least try to combat rabies among wildlife. Her name is Marielle McCann Randolphe Mariel. Welcome to Night's Side.
Thank you so much for having me. How are you all right and how are you not too bad?
I'm going to ask you a question and understand where I'm going with this. Do you remember the Beverly Hillbillies, Yes, I do, Marielle, trust me, trust me. You remember the character of Ellie May. Yes, she Well, she had a way. I mean they lived quote unquote in the hills, and she had a way with forest creatures. All of them would gather around her and show love and respect for her. And when I think of you, I think of you
in that way. No, you're not only made clamping, I know that, but you're out there doing the best you can with the animals, with rabbits and raccoons and skunks and other animals which can I say again, can carry rabies, and you're doing the best. You're doing the best you can to combat that.
Yeah, our specialty here at Hair of the Dog is raccoons, So certainly we come across our fair share of rabbit animals and then and fears of rabies and some ignorances as well.
Tell my audience what is raybies? Specifically, we hear the word used, but a lot of people don't know what it is. Tell the audience, so, it.
Is a very serious virus that affects the brain and spinal cord of mammals, and it almost always causes death, so you know it's it's nearly one hundred percent fat all. It's something that's generally transmitted by the bites of animals because it's carried in the saliva. And I do want to say that less than half of one percent of bats have rabies, so they are on the top of the list, but that does not mean that all bats have rabies. So just as an aside.
Numbers, those numbers are scary when you go out for a walk. We're hitting thirty eight states with our signal right now. It's not just the greater Boston area, So there are people, I'm sure in rural parts of states. I know we've got New York. I know, oh, we've got Wisconsin. I know we've got Minnesota, and I could name so many more states from which we busy get our phone calls. What can people do because no matter where you live, it's conceivable texts are ticks are in
any wooded area where you live. What I know, tuck your pant leg into your socks. But other than that, what else can people do to kept back on potentially being bitten by a tick?
Well, for tics, ticks don't carry raby, so thankfully we're not. We don't necessarily worry as much about that, but we can. You know what you're doing for ticks specifically, that's something you know, protecting your pets and making sure that your you know, yard is cleared up of debris and things like that. I kind of can see both sides of it. I want happy, healthy eCos system of different types of bugs.
So I personally wouldn't go and try to eradicate every tick that I had, but I do a good check afterwards. I make sure that I protect my pets with any preventatives, which is the same thing with rabies. I'm going to go. I'm going to make sure all my pets are rabies vaccinated and keep up to date with that. I personally have a Raby's vaccination for myself because I'm at higher risk because I do have a lot of around and you're out there as well.
Tell you what, let me take a break when we come back. You touched upon our house, pets, our puppies and kiddies. Let's talk about trying to make sure they are safe. And anyone who wants to call in six one, seven, two, five, fourteen thirty or eight eight, eight, nine, two nine, ten thirty time and temperature here on night Side eight sixteen seventy four degrees.
Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Welcome back to Dan Ray's night Side. Dan is off tonight. He will be back on Monday. I verified that with Rob, who is here tonight where he usually is on the master control board. If you want to call in, Rob will answer your call and put you in queue as it were, and then you'll get to speak with me and my guest Mariel six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty or eight eight, eight, nine to nine ten thirty.
Let's talk about how to make sure our dogs and cats don't catch rabi's from either maybe a skirmish with a raccoon or running into the deep bush and finding out there are ticks in there. So Mariol tell my audience how to watch out for the kiddies and doggies.
Yeah, so i'd make sure that your pets in Massachusetts. I know that your multi state, but in Massachusetts it's the law to get your dogs and cats up to date on their rabies vaccines and we very rarely ever
see any bad reactions to those. The risk of getting rabies is much worse in once your you know your pets fully vaccinated and you have them outside and you guys are out playing, keeping them on leash is huge because an animal will not you know, a healthy raccoon's not going to come anywhere near your dog or cat unless they're in their area. So keeping them away from places where raccoons would be. Keeping your trashes nice and
covered and secured. Making sure that you're not feeding the wild lice is a big one too, because you're inviting it into your yard. And but that raby vaccine, you know, rabies is one hundred percent preventable, and vaccinating pet is the way.
To do that, all right in the area where hair the dog does the best they can to offset rabies and animals that have contracted rabies would be in the Cape Cord Southeast Massachusetts area. And tell me about the rabies task forces that you have.
Yeah, so we were invited by the Cape cod and Southeast mass Raby's task Force to help them spread rabies vaccines into the environment. And these are vaccines that are oral baits that are scented, They stink, they zink like fish, and that will attract raccoons to it. So when they bite it, they get that oral vaccine. We were really crowd to help them with that this year because they had to spread quite a bit to keep mainly Cape cod.
They're doing a wonderful job keeping rabies off of Cape God did a lot of biologists and scientists working on tracking rabies and raccoons and and really do an exemplary job. So I had a day off, so we volunteered. My father and I volunteered and spread those rabies vaccines around.
All right, and you're talking, we were talking about your pets. No, there are people. I don't know why, because my cat has never seen the light of day outside of his pet carrier. But there are people who let their cats go outside come back into the pet door, and that's where a kitty could get in trouble. Dogs, I guess, are different. If they do have access to outdoors. Dogs can Dogs can put up a brave front. Their growl
is enough to make raccoons at least back down. But a kitty, no matter how brave they might take a stand, a raccoon's not going to pay any attention to that.
Yeah, but they're not going to A healthy raccoon isn't really gonna be too interested in a cat either. I you know I'm with you. I keep the cats indoors all the time for their safety. And you know, I'm a wildlife rehabber first, so I certainly see lots of trouble when cats are out there with my native population of wildlike. So it's important to me for my cats and the wildlife to keep them indoors. But I know this is a very contentious topic, so I understand you.
As long as people are educated and make their own choices, we're okay with that. Another thing that we do to keep your pets safe is all of the raccoons that come through our wildlife rehiblic rehab will will be fully vaccinated before release, right, and so they won't be able to contract it and spread it to other raccoons once they're back to their natural habits.
Now, I used to live in Boston. I used to live in bright Nolston on Strathmore Road, and I know Strathmore runs all the way through bright Nolston into Brookline, but I lived at the end close to the the body of water outside of BC chest Up Hill Reservoir. And why are bats flying around around that area?
Good food I guess, okay, are there going to be around They're going to be around water areas because there's going to be better like good bug populations there. There's buildings and I don't want to say cliffs or anything, but big rocks, things things like that, places where they can have some habitat and some natural areas. But they bats will find any way into chimneys and brickwork and things like that. If you think that you have bats in your house right now, now is the time to
get them out. Because if there's a colony in your house, then you have May to get them out or August through October. And the reason for that is babies. The baby bats are on their way.
So okay, now I again, I lived in that area for years. I own two German shepherds, and every now and then I take them through the teeny i'm gonna say, small wooded area you walk through to get to the water. And I never saw a bat. I saw every other type of wildlife. I saw skunks, I saw raccoons. I even saw an apossum on a couple of occasions. And why is it that so close to the city there's such a wild animal incursion into the environments of Boston.
Well, they're running out of natural places to be, and they're like humans. A lot of them are wonderful at adapting to whatever areas are around. And a lot of the animals that you mentioned are ones that will use humans in a way of we leave a lot of trash around, we leave food out, there's extra stuff. So it certainly is we will keep them well fed and then they'll go into their small spots of nature when
when the people are around. So but I, you know, I think of it as a great sign when we see some you know, raccoons running through the city, and especially a couple of possums. They're up there on my list two of favorites. I always say they're you know, that's my favorite, but I say that about every animal, but possums and raccoons really really my favorites. O, my guest, if you've just turned on the radio, Mario mccairn, lean Delphi, did I pronounce that properly? Yep?
Good? And she's he from the organization The Hair of the Dog Incorporated. And they're out there doing their best to try to keep the scales from being tipped way over in favor of animals that may carry rabies. So if you are of a mind, lift the phone. Here are your phone numbers six one, seven two, five, four ten thirty, eight eight eight nine to nineteen thirty. I'm Morganwhite Junior, filling in for Dan Ray. He's off tonight.
He will be back on Monday. I boy scout on a promise you, but from now to midnight, I've got the helm. So if you'd like to call in, I've got several guests still to go the direction I'm taking it right now, I'm leaving with this subject. Next subject that will be education. And the last two hours were going to talk about W seven Bond, James Bond, and now I'm gonna take a break. Phone numbers real quick six on seven, two, five, fourteen thirty or eight eight,
eight nine two nineteen thirty. This is nightside time in temperature eight thirty seventy four degrees.
If you're on nightside with Dan Ray on w b Z, Boston's news radio.
Dan is off tonight. He will be back on Monday. I have verified that with Rob Brooks, who is here. I'm Morgan White Junior, normally heard on Saturdays from nine pm to midnight. I host the Morgan Show. I'll tell you more about that when I'm doing tomorrow a little bit later on into this show, Nightside, my guest she is here, Marie L m A, r I E. L McCann, LANDOLPHI L A and D L FI. She is from the Hair of the Dog Incorporated. They're doing the best they can to try and keep rabies in wild animals
at a minimum, if such a thing is possible. And are you are you ready to take a phone call Mariel, Sure, let's go to West Bridgewater and speak to Corinn Krin. Good evening, welcome to Night's Side.
Well, thank you very much. It's nice to be talking to Logan and Mariel, and I really am. You're on a great subject for me right now. I really appreciate this really well little background. Back in February, I took in a stray dog and I immediately went to the vet, and of course they wanted to load me up at shots. They you know, it's definitely in puppy mode. But they assured me they had my pup had one year teeth,
so we were assuming. I assumed nothing, and they said, well we're going to give the shots just as it was a puppy, and when it came rabies, I kind of questioned it, and I thought, well, it's a little puppy's mostly going to be inside with me and on a leaf, and I do live in a wooded area, And I thought, what happens if he's already had his shots and he does it again. And they assured me that that wouldn't be a problem where they do it
yearly anyways. And I was just wondering, what if I had a concern with something like that or better on the air, on the side of safety.
Mario, No, definitely the side of safety. Yeah, we often, like even up to date animals, if they are exposed to any wildlife that we don't know if the wildlife is positive for rabies or not, we go ahead and give another rabies vaccine. The rabies vaccine is probably the least common one to get negative reactions to. Some of the other ones we see a little bit more sensitivity too, but that rabies, we very rarely see a negative reaction.
So you know, I would be happy to revaccinate my pets at any time.
Oh, that's great, Okay, correct, that's great. I really appreciate that. Thank you again.
I appreciate the backup you for making the call.
Okay, thanks good night, And Maria.
Marine just said A Corinne just said something, what is your background? How did you get into this very very difficult business.
So I started in human medicine and then switched over to veterinary medicine and became a vettech. And I really, you know, I can't as you as you've already mentioned, I can't stay away from the animals. You know, as a child, I have cousins who made fun of me for talking to the chipmunks and things like that. So it's definitely you know, you find your calling.
So I.
I really love veterinary medicine. Right now, I am a hospital manager at a local veterinary clinic, Parkway Vet Hospital, which is wonderful with wonderful veterinarians. And then alongside run Hair of the Dog Wildlife Rehab. So even in my off time, and then when I have a day off of both of those, then I help that Cape cod and Self East math Braby task Force.
How long did it take you in study to become a veterinarian?
So as for veterinary technicians is more like a nurse than it is the doctor. So I've worked under doctors for many years. I've been working in veterinary medicine for fifteen years now, working from assistant to then technician then you know, lead surgical tax and now management as well.
And I absolutely love it when one of the technicians of the doctors needs help holding you know, an aggressive care at or you know, anytime I can get my hands in there in any surgeries or anything like that, I hop on it.
And I mean, you have seen some animals cat and or a dog and other animals who want nothing to do with receiving care from event They claw, write and nip and do everything possible. And tell me about one of those experiences how you've had to use extra energy to keep Fido in place.
Well, the majority of that sort of skill that I have learned now I use that mostly with like an injured raccoon, because with our pets, we have medications that we can give to make a fear free visit. And I always say, if you could go to the doctor without being worried at all, why wouldn't you, So we can offer that to animals. So at the beginning of my veterinary career, we did a lot of that, and I got a lot of experience, you know, holding down
knotty cats or stressed out animals. But as we've learned more, we you know, do better. And so there's there's medications and there's treatment plans that can help make your pets much more comfortable during a visit, because if you know, if we just do it the hard way, it gets harder every time they have to go.
I would think a full adult raccoon, it's going to be a bit stronger than your year old house cat or your year old beagle. Heck yeah, thank you for recognizing that. I was right about that. So what do you do in that situation? Do you have to take precautions before they even get on the table, put them in some sort of restraint or what?
Absolutely? Absolutely So generally, when I have to deal with something like that, it's when I have to get like I can think of a story that I had to get one out of a dumpster that was injured, so I had to go in it couldn't use our typical method. If you have a dumpster and you have a raccoon caught in there, then just putting a two by four
in the dumpster and then they'll climb out themselves. But if they're injured and that's not working, then I head on into that dumpster and I'll do that with work gloves, a big towel and a crate. And I wouldn't recommend anybody ever try that, calling your animal control for advice and you know it is definitely the way to go. But I can do anything with a towel, a nice, big, thick towel. That's how I do the majority of my restraint.
Have you been in that situation where there are more than one raccoons in a dumpster so you were outnumbered?
No, but I bet you if there was more than one, then two by four situation would work.
That's so they walk out on the two by four, not wapping them with the two by.
Four exactly exactly.
Oh my goodness. I'm gonna give the phone numbers again because I only have mariel up until the top of the hour. So if you call in as Corinne called earlier, six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty or eight eight, eight, nine, two nine ten thirty, she is here and we'll be here till nine o'clock. And if you want to call seeing that it's seventeen minutes before nine. Your time is a dwindling and there are people out there listening right now.
You own a dog, you own a cat, and they may have been an issue that has not yet been brought up, and you want to bring up that issue. Here is a professional. She is here, and she is here to help you. And I mean specifically you sitting there. You own a cat, you own a dog, You let them out into your back yard, you walk them with a leash, you whatever with them. Here's your chance get that question responded to by Mariel from Hair of the Dog.
And on that note, I'm going to take my last break of this hour, and before I give time and temperature, I'm going to give the phone numbers again. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty eight eight eight, nine to nine, ten thirty. This is Night's side. Dan is off tonight. I'm one of his colleagues here at w b Z Radio on Morganwoite Junior. You've heard me filly in for them many
many a time. So now that you've got all that information, I'll give you the time and temperature eight forty four seventy four degrees.
It's nice eye with Dan Ray on w Boston's news Radio.
Eight seven this Friday evening, roughly eight minutes of show to go for the first hour, and Mario, I've been told to tell you that Gray, what's you.
I get to see him in person soon, right, Yes, yes you do.
And all right, since I've brought this up, tell everybody about your relationship with my cat Gray.
Well, he's a doll. He's an absolute doll. Really, My relationship started.
With Joseph, Yes, our previous cat.
Yes, So this is his, his predecessor, and I've only met him a couple of times, and I'm looking forward to seeing him again at work soon so he can get his rabies updated.
And obviously, just by this conversation over the past forty five forty eight minutes or so, we know how important that is. So for anyone out there listening, and I sound like a broken record, you own a cat, you own a dog, you own a rabbit, whatever pit you may have that has fur, you need to get a rabie shot.
And well, rabies vaccines are for a dogs, cats, ferrets, belly pigs, there's quite a few of them. But talk to your vet about your specific exotic right and if you have a house rabbit. Don't let it outside, not without direct supervision.
You'll never see it again. When you do, there'll be more than one rabbit, many many more than one rabbit if you do see it again. And how can people get in touch with you?
So the easiest way is my website is Hairfthdog dot org and that's h a r E.
Hair of the Dog.
But we're on Facebook and Instagram as well, and that's same thing at Hair of the Dog, Inc. And generally that's the easiest way.
Give me a good feeling story involving Hair of the Dog. It's personnel, something where there was a calamity. You guys stepped in and you kind of resolved the calamity.
Well, we have a few. There's always a few that come to mind. I had an adult female possum that was hit by a car and she had eleven babies on her and so every one of those babies we raised until release. Mama didn't make it to release, but she made it enough to help raise those babies out of their critical times where it's difficult to be able to rehab both babies. So that was wonderful. Our most
recent one was another possum story. Where we got a possum that was hanging out in someone's yard all day doing nothing. They had thought it had passed at one point, and then sat move brought it to me. We did an exam at work and then one of the wonderful vets. After exam we noticed had broken tooth and so she was able to remove that tooth. I just released that powsome last weekend, so was in our care for a few weeks getting back to good weight. And so that release was special this year.
And what's the website against the Hair of the Dog.
It's hair offthdog dot org and hair is spelled like a rabbit h a r e yes h a r e enow.
We did touch upon this. The Cape Cod Well sam Southeastern mass area is your area from which you operate. Any details we need to know about that area and Raby's.
Now we so we we can take animals. We'll accept animals in from all of Massachusetts. The vaccine help that we helped with last week, that is by the Cape Cod and Southeast mass Raby's task Force, and they have a Facebook is at Cape Cod Raby's task Force and they have tons of information and all that scientific data all the inZone what they're doing to combat rabies with
us DA as well. When we have an animal in care at hair of the Dog that passes if we suspect at all, or if it's a rabies vector meaning it can pass rabies from one animal to another, then if it passes away in our care, then that facility will help pick up and test and if they test, then then they know where to send those rabies vaccines when they have a positive case. So that's why we fully support them. We love helping them and they're really a great resource.
And once then I know if you are going to be going out into a wooded area, high grass, I'm pointing specific ticks, tuck your pant leg into your socks, cut down on as much exposed skin as possible. I remember that from being back in the Boy Scouts when we went out into the woods and did those things. What else, what else should people know just not to be a target of bats?
So for bats generally, like you generally aren't going to be as exposed to a bat unless there's one if it comes into your home and is stuck in your house. We've seen that. That probably is what started my love
of these rabies vector animals. As a child, I would leave the doors open pretty routinely by accident because I didn't have a great attention span, and we would get bats in the house, and so they would fly around the living room, and you know, you to hear mom screaming, and so we may not have done the right thing men, but now we know. All you have to do is open up some windows, remove the screen, shut the door, and the bat will use their echo location and find
their way out. For when you're outside and there's bats flying around, they generally will fly up high enough that there'll be above you. But every once in a while if they're on the ground. If you see one on the ground, they cannot take off from the floor. They have to take off from a tree or ledge or something.
Why can they not take off if they are on the ground.
It's the way that their biology is. Physically, they just can't. So generally what you would do is you could, you know, throw on some gloves. I almost treat it like a like a giant spider. You can put a you know, a thing like a box over it and then something under it and then just put it up somewhere high and then they're able to take off and flight again, or get them to the nearest tree. They'll climb that tree and then take off.
Okay, I'm a novice when it comes to bats. Obviously you have you have experience. And your mom was not happy about you leaving doors so they could come in.
No, no, not particularly.
And I hope you didn't take offense to me using Ellie May as a reference to you. But she had she had that kindness gene that attracted, well, the way they wrote it, that attracted all the woodland creatures to her.
Yeah, I like, I like some woodland creatures. I agree, all right, well, and there you go.
And she had animals that normally don't get along. I remember one scene a dog was dog paddling in what they called the Semen pond, a swimming pool, and a cat was on its back. Dogs and cats normally don't play nice to each other. They will if they're raised together. But I remember that one scene as clear as day.
Yeah. Yeah, and they wouldn't go in the pool either.
No, Well, there you go.
Sement or Otherwise's pond. Yeah, I remember that all right.
Now, for all the people who know you and are listening, do you want to send a greeting off to them through WBC's airwaves.
Yeah, I mean it's there are so many people that help support us. At Hair of the Dog. We had go fund me for a bunky house, which is wildlike nursery that were making in the amount of volunteer years that I have. Of course, my father, who will do any crazy wildlife thing that I request of him. My husband, John, who is the only forced volunteer that I have, whether he wants to.
Be or not.
You know, everyone, how long have you and John been married?
I was really hoping that wasn't going to be the question you were asking.
I don't know.
I think my anniversary is soon and it's been over ten years. I don't know how many years it's been for maybe fifteen marriage. Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely, as long.
As you know each other's birthdays, it's all that married.
Yes, yes, yes, I do.
Now I'm going to have you on again when I don't know, probably in the fall, so be prepared for the phone to ring. And I want to thank you for what you've done tonight. You've educated a lot of people, So thank.
You, Thank you very much, you too.
Thank you, bye bye, and next hour we're going to talk about education. We're going to talk about some education conferences that are upcoming on offspring and summer calendar. On that note, time and temperature eight fifty eight seventy four degrees