Ep121 - Dr. Marty Becker

Interview! Dr. Marty Becker, "America's Veterinarian" and Founder of the Fear Free Initiative

"To finally realize we were causing psychological damage to animals…once you know it, you can't not know it."

After being a renowned veterinarian, including being the resident vet on Good Morning America for 17 years, Dr. Becker says, "I'm not retiring…I'm refiring!" His latest initiative is an innovative program that helps animal care professionals reduce the stress we put on our companion animals when we bring them for their annual vet visit. It's called "The Fear Free Initiative" and includes eight online modules that train people how to make a vet visit a positive experience…really! Dr. Becker observes that when the initiative was launched, they expected only 1000 people to take the course, but it's exceeded expectations with nearly 6,000 people completing the certification. Dr. Becker believes we can work make all experiences "fear free" for our animals by thinking about their emotional wellbeing, as well as their physical health. For more information go to: www.drmartybecker.com