127. Dog Parks, Community Connections & How Pets Bring People Together

Disclaimer: Our podcast is produced as an audio resource. Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and human editing and may contain errors. Before republishing quotes, we ask that you reference the audio. 

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pets Add Life, your guide to the latest in pet trends, products, and the joy of the human animal bond. With Kristen Levine and me, Chris Bonafati, powered by the American Pet Products Association and DogTV. Hello and welcome to another episode of Pets Ad Life. I am one of your co-hosts, Chris Bonafati, and joining me as always is a banana split. Hold the banana. It's Kristen Levine.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
I can do the splits.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
You can? Yeah. I actually 1000% believe that.

Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah. On both

Speaker 1 (00:38):
Sides. Out of all the things you've ever said on the show, that's the most believable.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
Oh my goodness. How you doing, Chris?

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Good. I'd be much better if I could do splits. I'm the opposite. I'm a plank of wood. In fact, my wife has been telling me I need to get more flexible so that I'm better on the ground with the toddler.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, you need to

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Start stretching. Yeah. And I started doing my phone recommends stretching exercises I could do. Good. And I was thoroughly impressed with how inflexible I was because it tells you like, oh, when you do this stretch, you should feel it here when you get to about here. And meanwhile, I barely move my body and I'm in immense pain.

Speaker 2 (01:25):
Well, but the good news is you can make a lot of progress because you're kind of starting at a zero for stretchability.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
That is a great way to tell somebody that they're terrible at something. It's like, you've got a lot of room to improve, buddy. There's a lot of room to improve there. Well, speaking of being rigid, we're not kinking anything up. We got the same show we always do. Same show. The show's not flexible. We do the same thing every time, but we've got a really fun one lined up for you all as we continue through the dog days of summer. We're going to have two awesome guests, maybe even a little surprise thrown in there. A couple of stories, some products. We're going to answer your questions.

Speaker 2 (02:15):
I can't believe it. It's a winning formula. We don't need to change it.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
We are the winning formula. So

Speaker 2 (02:19):
Rigidity can be good.

Speaker 1 (02:21):
Rigidity. That's a word, isn't it? I

Speaker 2 (02:24):
Don't know. I just made it up.

Speaker 1 (02:25):
Sounds

Speaker 2 (02:25):
Like one.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
I like it. If it's a word, hop in the comments. If it's not, deal with it. Without further ado, story time.

Speaker 3 (02:36):
Kristen and Chris present story time.

Speaker 1 (02:40):
All right, Kristen. Yes. Story time. What do you got for us?

Speaker 2 (02:44):
Okay. Well, my story is a hint to the theme of today's show. Okay. It's called the Desert Mountain Club, which is a premier private golf club out in Scottsdale. And their staff noticed something surprise. Well, it was surprising to them, not so surprising to us, but of all of their amenities that they offer, and they have seven award-winning golf courses. They have impeccable dining facilities. They've got pickleball, tennis, fitness, but it's the dog park that became the strongest social connector on the property. And they've obviously spent millions on the courses and everything else. And the members started organizing daily coffee meetups and informal yappy hours around the dog park. And the club's membership director was joking that the dog park brings more community to the property than all the expensive amenities they've built. So not so surprising to us, but we do have a dog park theme today on the show.

(03:47):
And so I thought that would be a fun story to share.

Speaker 1 (03:49):
But I want to share a recipe. Oh, cool. Because I brought it up at the top of the show. We're in the dog days of summer. And I personally enjoy a nice frozen treat in the summer. No way. Whether it's an ice cream cone, a banana split without the banana or a popsicle. But what about a popsicle for your dog? And this is advertised as taking about 15 minutes to prep and then you freeze it. But it's really simple. Basically you're. And we'll put the link in the show notes. I grabbed this from Daily Paws. You're mixing up, blending up some blackberries, bananas, some peanut butter and some yogurt and you're turning that single instantly comfortable. The milkshake. And then you do the popsicle tray, you pour that all in and you get a milk bone or a similar treat and use that as the popsicle stick.

(04:44):
Ooh.

Speaker 3 (04:45):
Oh,

Speaker 1 (04:46):
That's a great idea. So when they freeze out, it's like a whole thing. You've got the frozen treat. So cute. The whole thing is edible. And you know what? Our pets, our dogs deserve a nice summer treat as well. So I guess I was cruising around the internet and I saw this and I thought, okay, I don't trust myself with being able to do something like baking related for a dog. I'm terrible at baking, but blending a few things together and sticking it in the freezer, we could handle it folks. We could all do that. We could handle that. Yeah, we could all do it.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
That's a great summer activity for the kids too.

Speaker 3 (05:24):
Yes. Beyond the leash, exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
It's my pleasure to introduce my friend and colleague Harrison Forbes back for another guest appearance on Pet Sad Life. He's one of America's best known pet experts with four decades of experience helping people build stronger relationships with their animals. A TV host, a producer, a trainer, author, and animal advocate Harrison has appeared on numerous national television programs, and he's dedicated his career to educating pet parents about responsible pet care, training, enrichment, the human animal bond, the works in the pet world. In recent years, Harrison's become a passionate advocate for creating more dog-friendly communities through innovative public dog initiatives that encourage exercise and socialization and just overall stronger connections between pets and their families. And he believes that dog parks can serve as an important community space that improves the lives of both pets and people. And also, Harrison is the host of dog TV's brand new original game show, So You Think You Know Pets, which launches today on dog TV.

(06:35):
And this is where contestants put their pet knowledge to the test in a fast-paced competition, celebrating the fun, surprising, and fascinating world of animals. And we're going to give you a little example of the show after we talk to Harrison. So welcome, Harrison.

Speaker 4 (06:49):
Hey, when you said that 40 years, I think I felt a couple of gray hairs just start popping out. I was like, "What?"

Speaker 1 (06:56):
I had to suppress a shish.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
You must have started when you were four. You probably started when you were about four years old.

Speaker 1 (07:04):
There we go. We'll

Speaker 4 (07:04):
Stay started in the womb. We'll go

Speaker 2 (07:06):
Ahead. There you go. There you go. Well, since you have spent all of this time working with pets and pet owners, what first inspired your passion for animals and what keeps you excited after all these years about the pet world today?

Speaker 4 (07:20):
I mean, the first part of it is I've always loved animals. I grew up around being outdoors a lot. And my grandfather, he was a postmaster, but his hobby was he lived in this old neighborhood that had the huge canopy of all these old oak trees. And his mission was to tame the local squirrels. So he would sit out there for hours and tame these squirrels and get them to come in to the door and give them peanuts and all this stuff. And he did squirrel calls and they'd come down. So I witnessed a lot of that as a kid and ended up having a couple of really great mentors that owned a pet store and one of the dog trainers that was the original three guys that started the US military program for canines in World War II. And so just kind of lucked out on some of that and it was a mix of wild animal behavior and then into canine and other things like that.

(08:20):
And I had a doberman when I was, I guess, 12 that got the first case of parvo in the state of Tennessee. And our vet had just hired a new vet straight out of Auburn Vet School. And he had just studied parvo. So he was the only one that kind of diagnosed it. And I ended up staying at the clinic for like three days in a sleeping bag while they did IVs. He was the only one that kind of knew how to treat it. And I ended up working there during high school and it just kind of takes root from there. So that part of it started then. I think what keeps me interested is I've always been involved in a lot of other businesses that are kind of non-pet related and still am. I think it keeps things fresh. But it's hard to always get excited about waking up in the morning and going to sell insurance.

(09:14):
I mean, some people, maybe it's great for them, but the pet industry has its own kind of love, core love that most people that are involved in it have. And so it's like a connection point that kind of is an underpinning foundation of all of it. And so I think that keeps it kind of exciting and keeps some emotion into it to where it's not just widgets. And I always think what other innovation can come about? There's no way to reinvent anything new, but then I'm proven wrong every year. Every

Speaker 1 (09:48):
Single time.

Speaker 4 (09:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (09:49):
Yep. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (09:51):
And as we were talking about pre-show, I just got back from Japan and that was my first time there. And sitting in some of the parks and watching some of the dog behavior and the way some of the dogs were in stores and on trains compared to when I was at Inner Zoo in May in Germany. And then I was in Spain and France right after that. So I've kind of had four countries here in the past eight weeks to really measure against the way some of the participation that dogs have in everyday life compared to here. And there's a lot of similarities, but there's also a little bit of nuance differences too. And yeah, if you have a barking unruly dog in Japan, you will get frowned down. Not necessarily called out, but -

Speaker 1 (10:40):
The

Speaker 4 (10:40):
Coldest

Speaker 1 (10:41):
Shoulder.

Speaker 4 (10:42):
But boy, you get some staggered stares. I witnessed a couple. There was a tourist there with a beagle mix at a park one day that was just yapping at every other dog. I mean, there were a thousand eyes on that owner like, "What is wrong with you? Tourists."

Speaker 1 (11:01):
Well, I believe we've got a quick promo and then we're going to hop into our own little version of So Yo Think You Know Pets.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
Think you know pets? Really know pets? Then it's time to prove it. Come up. Three contestants. Three rounds. One pet trivia showdown. From dog breeds to unbelievable pet backs and everything in between. Only one player will claim the top spot. So you think you know pets. Launching today. Unleashed by dog TV. Ready to play. I'm ready to play.

Speaker 4 (11:41):
Kristen, going back to what you said before, I think now that I'm watching that, one of the things that surprised me was how on the guest the breed park, how many pet professionals were stumped on a lot of -

Speaker 1 (11:53):
I'm about to be

Speaker 2 (11:54):
Stumped. I was

Speaker 4 (11:56):
Like, whoa.

Speaker 2 (11:56):
That's a category that makes me really nervous.

Speaker 1 (11:59):
I'm about to be stumped. I'm about to get embarrassed on national television right now.This is bad. I want to remind everybody that my day job is math and I don't think math is going to be on this quiz.

Speaker 4 (12:13):
We will not tolerate that kind of backing out already.

Speaker 2 (12:17):
All right. Oh, that's a, I want to say Shiba Inu or. I can't get anything out of. Is it a Shiba Inu? That is a. That's a Belgian Malinois. Dachshund? I'm going to say that is a lowland sheep dog. Besenji. That is a. Ooh, let's see. It's a spaniel. I know that. Okay. I don't think it's a setter. I'll go with English springer spaniel.

Speaker 1 (13:09):
All right, Kristen, I counted you as having four correct that round. Okay. All right. So you're currently up four zero and you'll probably stay up. We'll see.

Speaker 2 (13:20):
We'll see.

Speaker 4 (13:22):
All right. Chris, turn your Google off. Hands

Speaker 1 (13:24):
Are right here. Hands are right here. All right. On many things, but not a cheater. That's a pug. That is a kelpie. No. See? Wrong. Oh man. Is that a Belgian sheepdog? Let's go. Oh man. I don't know what any of these are. I don't even think I could pronounce most of these words. I'm going to go with beer were terrier. Right. Nope. I couldn't even say that one, so it can't count. This is a collie. This is an Australian cattle dog. This is a greater Swiss mountain dog. Oh, that's Bernice. I am an idiot. I'm dumb. This is a Schenauzer. Oh my gosh. I feel dumb.

Speaker 2 (14:23):
Chris, you got four. We're tied.

Speaker 1 (14:25):
We're tied. All tied up.

Speaker 4 (14:27):
Let me say the slide that had the Collie and the Shetland Sheepdog, I'm like three of those answers have color phases that pretty much look like that

Speaker 1 (14:36):
Dog. I know. I know. But hey, listen, nobody said it was going to be easy.

Speaker 4 (14:40):
That's right. All right. I'm going to read these out.

Speaker 2 (14:43):
What's the theme?

Speaker 4 (14:45):
Pets. Oh,

Speaker 1 (14:46):
Just general

Speaker 2 (14:46):
Trip. Okay. Okay. World

Speaker 1 (14:49):
War

Speaker 2 (14:50):
II.

Speaker 4 (14:52):
Chocolate is dangerous to dogs because it contains.

Speaker 2 (14:56):
Theobromine. Theobromine.

Speaker 4 (14:59):
A cat's average number of vertebrae in its tail is. What?

Speaker 2 (15:04):
Oh my gosh. Oh gosh. I'm going to say 19 to 23. Sweet.

Speaker 4 (15:14):
What is the most common training method recommended by experts today? That's a loaded question.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
Oh. B, positive reinforcement. That was easy.

Speaker 4 (15:23):
What is a normal body temperature for a healthy adult cat?

Speaker 2 (15:28):
I think it's C, 100 to 102.

Speaker 4 (15:33):
Boom. What is the most common orthopedic injury in active dogs?

Speaker 2 (15:43):
ACL tear.

Speaker 4 (15:46):
Cats have how many toes on their front paws?

Speaker 2 (15:50):
Four.

Speaker 1 (15:53):
That was five, Kristen. I knew zero of those answers, so I'm very excited to see you. I bet you made a Chris version where it's like. Yeah, what color? What color is this black

Speaker 2 (16:07):
Dog?

Speaker 1 (16:10):
All right. Hit me. Let's go, Harrison.

Speaker 4 (16:13):
Here we go, Chris. What vitamin is toxic to dogs in high amounts?

Speaker 1 (16:19):
C for vitamin D. Let's

Speaker 4 (16:22):
Go. Tricky answer. What condition causes excessive thirst and urination in dogs?

Speaker 1 (16:28):
A, diabetes.

Speaker 4 (16:31):
What is the name for a cat that lives outdoors without an owner?

Speaker 1 (16:36):
A, a stray or feral cat. Isn't

Speaker 4 (16:41):
It? The tallest dog breed on a record.

Speaker 1 (16:43):
Oh man, this is a toughie because I could see a lot of these working. I'm going to go with B, the Great Dane, because I love Scooby-Doo. Let's go. Thank you, Scooby.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
Dogs cool down primarily by.

Speaker 1 (16:58):
Bee panting.

Speaker 4 (17:01):
Which breed is known for not barking much?

Speaker 1 (17:05):
Oh man, I don't know, but based on experience, I'll go with C Basingi.

Speaker 4 (17:11):
Is

Speaker 1 (17:12):
That how you pronounce it? Basengi. Basengi. See, I guess know those other three are really noisy.

Speaker 4 (17:17):
What is the main job of whiskers in animals like cats?

Speaker 1 (17:21):
B, detecting objects.

Speaker 2 (17:23):
Woo, Chris for the win. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Speaker 1 (17:29):
I will say, those seemed like Chris layups. Okay? There was a lot more cat questions in mind than in

Speaker 2 (17:36):
Christ.That was good. That

Speaker 4 (17:38):
Was good. And you got that Basengi that's a close like fish does into a Basengi.

Speaker 1 (17:43):
I apologize to owners of those kinds of dogs. I swear. It's no offense. It's

Speaker 2 (17:48):
A Basengi that swims.

Speaker 1 (17:49):
Yeah. I do math and I do podcasts. I don't know the dogs. Okay.

Speaker 4 (17:55):
Listen to humble winner over there.

Speaker 2 (17:57):
Yeah. Okay. True or false?

Speaker 4 (18:02):
Oh yeah. True or false?

Speaker 2 (18:03):
That would be true.

Speaker 4 (18:08):
Cats can jump six times their body lengths.

Speaker 2 (18:12):
Yeah, at least. True. Sorry.

Speaker 4 (18:18):
Horses can vomit.

Speaker 2 (18:20):
Ooh. No, they cannot.

Speaker 4 (18:22):
Is that being false?

Speaker 2 (18:23):
False. Sorry. Sorry.

Speaker 4 (18:25):
Very

Speaker 2 (18:26):
Simple instructions I cannot follow.

Speaker 4 (18:29):
Dogs can suffer from anxiety disorders.

Speaker 2 (18:32):
True.

Speaker 4 (18:35):
Cats need when they are content.

Speaker 2 (18:38):
True.

Speaker 4 (18:40):
Rabbits can vomit. Well, we got a whole lot of pukin - What's

Speaker 2 (18:43):
All the vomiting?

Speaker 4 (18:45):
Puppies sleep more than adult dogs.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
I think that's true. Ooh, sweet.

Speaker 1 (18:52):
I believe, Kristen, that was seven actually.

Speaker 2 (18:55):
Awesome.

Speaker 1 (18:55):
Two, three. You got all of them right.

Speaker 2 (18:58):
Cool.

Speaker 4 (18:59):
And use all sorts of alternative words. True or false.

Speaker 1 (19:04):
Kristen, you got to answer in the form of a question. The segment is called true or false. No, I don't believe so.

Speaker 5 (19:16):
All right, Kristen.

Speaker 4 (19:18):
Possibly could be.

Speaker 1 (19:20):
Possibly could be. Maybe. All right, let's see how I do.

Speaker 4 (19:24):
All dogs instinctively know how to swim.

Speaker 1 (19:27):
I'll say true. Off to a great start.

Speaker 4 (19:31):
All cats hate water.

Speaker 1 (19:33):
False.

Speaker 4 (19:35):
Horses can see in color.

Speaker 1 (19:37):
False.

Speaker 4 (19:40):
All dogs have web feet.

Speaker 1 (19:42):
False.

Speaker 4 (19:46):
A cat's nose print is unique.

Speaker 1 (19:49):
True?

Speaker 4 (19:52):
It's

Speaker 1 (19:52):
Also sure on yourself. I'm not sure, but hey.

Speaker 4 (19:55):
Rabbits need hay as a major part of their diet.

Speaker 1 (19:58):
True?

Speaker 4 (20:01):
Come on, Chris. I'm guessing. Have some

Speaker 2 (20:04):
Confidence in your answers, Chris.

Speaker 4 (20:05):
Dogs can detect pigs above the -

Speaker 1 (20:07):
True. This one's true. This one's true. I know this one. It's true.

Speaker 4 (20:10):
Cats can see in color.

Speaker 1 (20:13):
False? Oh my gosh.

Speaker 4 (20:16):
Some fish can walk on land.

Speaker 1 (20:18):
True. I've seen the videos. Wow. I've been on that part of the internet. Four,

Speaker 2 (20:22):
Five, six, seven. Seven right. I think Chris won because -

Speaker 1 (20:28):
Kristen, I have four in round one, five in round two, seven in round three. And as I've said, math is my day job, which is a total of 16.

Speaker 2 (20:39):
And I have for you four, seven, seven, which is 18. So you win. Woo. Congratulations, Chris.

Speaker 1 (20:46):
Wow. I win a subscription to dog TV that I already - Dog to me.

Speaker 4 (20:51):
Have you heard about dog TV? Have I heard about dog TV?

Speaker 1 (20:55):
The channel we are on that I already get access to for doing this silly little show, but hey, you know what? Maybe I'll get the subscription to a friend.

Speaker 4 (21:03):
Fucking Stuffers. Here we come.

Speaker 1 (21:04):
Yeah, Stocking Stuffers. Yeah. I expect a physical card in the mail, Ron. All right everybody. That was some really great fun, Harrison. I'm looking forward to seeing the full production. And I want to let everybody know he was wearing the sickest jacket I have ever seen when he was filming this thing. I'd usually never ask people where they get their clothes, but I had to ask. And unfortunately you said it was like a one-off by this guy who made it in the Middle East or something. So I'm not getting my hands on

Speaker 4 (21:32):
That. A whole eclectic collection. So each episode has a different jacket. So now if we keep going with this, I'm going to have to go jacket hunting.

Speaker 1 (21:43):
Jacket hunt. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Well,

Speaker 2 (21:45):
Thanks for being with us today, Harrison. Great to

Speaker 4 (21:47):
See

Speaker 2 (21:47):
You always. Yeah, it was great to see you guys. And be sure to check out. So you think you know pets on Dog TV Star

Speaker 4 (21:53):
Today?

Speaker 2 (21:53):
That's

Speaker 4 (21:54):
Right. Check it out. Good to see you guys. Take care.

Speaker 2 (21:57):
Take

Speaker 5 (21:57):
Care.

Speaker 2 (21:57):
Well, congratulations, Chris. You beat

Speaker 1 (22:01):
Me. No congratulations are in order. I'm still very angry at all the ones I got wrong. Th's the type of person I am. Are you a

Speaker 2 (22:08):
Perfectionist?

Speaker 1 (22:08):
I'm just pissed. You wanted to get them all right. So I'm going home. I'm pulling up Wikipedia when I get home. I might be contesting some of the answers if I find some conflicting information.

Speaker 2 (22:23):
Okay. Hire a lawyer.

Speaker 1 (22:24):
Yeah. I'm going to retain representation and Ron's going to be hearing. His people are going to be talking to my people about that. But you

Speaker 2 (22:34):
Won. You can't do any better than that. You won.

Speaker 1 (22:37):
Yeah, you could always do better. That's the fun part about trivia is you could always do better. But hey, I think it's a lot of fun. The show is going to be great. Some of the episodes were filmed at Global Pet Expo, so I got the behind the scenes tour. Wasn't quite jeopardy, but I'll make it one day to that studio. So I hope everybody has a chance to check it out on dog TV. I believe it's available now. If you're listening to this, I believe you could just go ahead and hop on the platform and check it out. So go ahead and let us know what you think.

Speaker 2 (23:09):
Enjoy.

Speaker 1 (23:12):
All right. We're rolling. Okay. It is my pleasure to introduce Camille Perry, bestselling author whose newest novel, Social Animals, explores something every dog owner already knows. Dogs don't just change our lives. They change our social lives too. Camille's the acclaimed author of The Assistance: When Catty Met Cassidy and Now Social Animals, a witty and heartfelt new book set in and around a suburban dog park where three very different women discover that sometimes our pets introduce us to exactly the people we need in our lives. Inspired in part by Camille's own experiences as a dog owner, social animal explorers friendship, community, loneliness, privilege, and the surprising ways our dogs help us build connections with the humans around us. Camille, welcome.

Speaker 5 (23:58):
Thank you so much. Happy to be here.

Speaker 1 (24:00):
So let's jump right into the new book. Centering around a dog park, the people who gather there. What was it about that environment and maybe experiencing it in your past that made you think there's a story here that can be told?

Speaker 5 (24:17):
Well, I had been a writer for a while and before I got my dog Pip, a 10 pound Brussels graffant. Yep. She looks a little like that, but she's a short hair. That's a long-haired griff on the cover of Social Animals. Pip is a little short-haired Griff. And she was a pandemic puppy. So we got her when I was living in Maryland at the time and trying to write a book and having a lot of trouble. And then we brought Pip to the dog park for the first time. And the second I was there, I was like, wow, this is a place that is full of colorful characters and drama and intrigue and gossip. I love that. And I started looking forward to going to the dog park every day. At 5:30, we would go and I would look forward to it like a favorite soap opera.

(25:05):
It was just amazing. So it struck me, oh, this novel that I've been struggling with needs to take place in a dog park. Duh. Put dogs in it. Why didn't I think of that sooner?

Speaker 2 (25:16):
Right,

Speaker 5 (25:16):
Right.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
Oh, I love it. Well, first of all, I love the book cover. I mean, I would grab that off the shelf right away. Oh, thanks. Kudos to that. So dogs have this really great ability to bring complete strangers together. So did a specific experience you had at this dog park inspire some of the relationships in the book?

Speaker 5 (25:38):
Well, I took a lot of inspiration from my real life experience at the dog park and used it for this book. I did change the names of the guilty and infamous. Smart. Yeah. It was an interesting time because we were still under COVID restrictions and I was thinking a lot about isolation and about loneliness. And when we got Pip, going to the dog park was really our only social life. And what was funny was we were bringing her there so that she would be socialized because we were like, "Well, she's a puppy and she needs socialization." But what we didn't realize was how much we needed it as well, especially during that time when we were still being told to stand six feet apart from one another and I hadn't seen my family in a long time. And around that time, the Surgeon General had come out with, when I was writing the book, had come out with this report calling loneliness an epidemic, that it was as bad for your health as smoking a pack a day of cigarettes.

(26:38):
And so I was thinking a lot about social connection and how we all really need that. And at least for me, my dog really helped as an introvert. My dog's an extrovert. And my dog really helped me learn how to connect with others even when I felt like I didn't want to. If you're walking a little cute dog up the street, people are going to come talk to you. And so I just started really thinking about human connection and how much there was to get out of that. And dogs can really, really foster that.

Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yeah. And I want to pull on that thread a little bit more because both in the novel and real life, the characters at the dog park, they're all from very different backgrounds and life experiences, but there's that common motif of the dog that connects them. So for you, why was that dynamic important for you to explore? I mean, it was a very trying time when you were developing these concepts, but that idea of different people finding common ground, what's that mean to you?

Speaker 5 (27:39):
Well, what's so interesting about dog parks is that they're public spaces. And so everyone and anyone is welcome. And you get this mix of people who would otherwise not be mixing together. And so you get a lot of different people with different backgrounds and different beliefs, but we're all there for the dogs and it's sort of a unifying element. I think probably people with kids who go to the playground, it's similar. I'm a former librarian. I think libraries are spaces similar to that too. Where I just think public spaces where different sort of people gather, you have to learn how to get along. You need to learn how to play nice with others just like your dog does. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
Well, talk to me a little bit. We're now five or so years past the pandemic and things are very different in both a macro and micro sense. The world is a very different place. You are now a dog person, you're writing this story. How do you feel like that loneliness epidemic, smoking a pack a day with. And then there's some people who are lonely and smoking a pack a day. But how do you feel that's changed? And how do you feel the role of dogs, because I have my own opinions about this, but how do you feel like the roles of dogs have changed over the past, let's say seven years, either in your own personal experience or some commentary on society in general?

Speaker 5 (29:07):
Well, I think a lot of people did get dogs during the pandemic. And most of them I think kept those dogs. We have heard the horror stories of people who it just didn't work out and that's going to happen. But I think that a lot more people, not just nationally, but internationally, became pet parents during the pandemic. And now that we're five years, we all have these five-year-old dogs now. It's like a baby boom of dogs, five years old. I think that at least from where I'm sitting, it seems like everywhere I look, dogs have become more recognized as sort of members of the family. We're seeing a lot of public spaces allowing people to bring their dogs with them. At least in New York City, there's restaurants with dog menus that are specific to you. They have items for the dog. There's Dog cafes.

(30:02):
I just think that we're starting to recognize how much pets can be as important as people in terms of the kind of connection that you make with them and the kind of love that you have for them. And I think that that's great. Even legally, a lot of states see dogs as property. There's actually a through line of this in the book. If you're getting a divorce from your husband or wife, your partner, and you're fighting over the dog, the dog is considered no different in many states as a toaster or a recliner. But in some places, they're starting to recognize the dogs as living entities as if they were children. And I think that's super interesting. And it says a lot about where we are as a society in relation to our pets.

Speaker 2 (30:51):
Yeah, it sure does. And going back to the talk about the pandemic, I also adopted a dog during the pandemic, Tulip, and she's just turned six. And what I noticed about her is we had more reasons to be outside with her, walking in our neighborhood. So we actually got to know our neighbors. After living in this house for 20 years, we actually got to know our neighbors better because of getting out to walk her around and meeting the other neighbors that were walking their dogs. So you're so right. They are true connectors.

Speaker 1 (31:24):
You're right because I'm a cat dad and I don't even know the names of my neighbors. I don't know their first or last names.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
Chris, you need a dog. Camille, I was just going to ask you that, without giving too much away, what do you hope that readers take away from social animals after they finish the book?

Speaker 5 (31:42):
Well, first and foremost, I think it's a fun book. It's a feel good book. There are no animals harmed. There are no animals that suffer in this book. I think it's a fun read. I think there's a lot of heart to it. And mostly I think of if I see someone on a park bench or something reading my book, I just want to see a big smile across their face. If I see that, then I know that I've done my job well.

Speaker 1 (32:08):
That is great. The book is Social Animals. Camille, where can we find the book?

Speaker 5 (32:14):
The book is available anywhere books are sold. If you don't see it at your local bookstore or library, please request it. But you can also get it online anywhere. You can reach me at camilleperry.com. I'm also @Camille Perry on Instagram. If you do read the book, drop me a line. I'd love to know if you liked it.

Speaker 1 (32:32):
Well, this is definitely one I'm going to check out. I'm going to buy a copy and I'm going to go to the library and make sure they have it since you're a former librarian. And I love my library. So I can't wait to check it out. It sounds like it's right up my alley. I always say if I wanted something like sad or tragic, I'd just think about my own life. I don't need a book for that.

Speaker 5 (32:52):
I hear you, Brett. I hear

Speaker 1 (32:54):
You. So I'm very, very happy that it's a nice, good read. So I'll definitely be checking it out.

Speaker 5 (33:00):
Thank you so much. Thank you.

Speaker 1 (33:06):
Kristen, I'm actively on barnesandnoble.com right now. Are

Speaker 2 (33:09):
You really? Yeah. You know it's a good interview when you head straight to Barnes & Noble to buy the book

Speaker 1 (33:14):
After you talk to the author. I'm adding this to my cart. I know we've got a show to do and I don't necessarily have time to, but I'm completely serious. I've been reading a lot of fantasy literature and I'm almost at the end of a big series and I'm going to need a change up. Fun fact, Chris reads a lot. It may not seem like it based on his personality.

Speaker 2 (33:36):
When do you have time to read, Chris? That's what I want to know with a

Speaker 1 (33:39):
One year old. Every night to wind down. Okay. Every single night to wind down and fall asleep. Mostly on like an e-read or a Kindle or something like that. I don't have space to fit all the books I read onto a bookshelf.

Speaker 2 (33:53):
So are you going to buy Social Animal as a hard

Speaker 1 (33:56):
Cover? I'm going to get the hard cover. I'm going to support Camille. I'm getting the hard cover. Awesome. And I'm going to my library and I'm going to request a copy either on. Here's a fun fact, if you didn't know this, libraries have a system called the Interlibrary Learning System. So if you ever go to your library anticipating certain book and they don't have it, talk to the librarian people. They're super helpful and they may be able to acquire you a copy from another library they partner with.

Speaker 2 (34:24):
Okay. And then you will provide a book report after you've read it, right?

Speaker 1 (34:28):
Yeah. We'll do a full episode book report. I'll break it down. Listen, I went to private school. You want me to overanalyze a piece of literature? I got you. I'll tear the thing to shreds.

Speaker 2 (34:40):
All right. This is the longest outro ever.

Speaker 1 (34:43):
Well deserved though. So thanks again to Camille. Again, the book is Social Animals. Join Chris's book club. We'll be reading it this month.

Speaker 3 (34:51):
Product of the Week.

Speaker 1 (34:53):
All right. It is time for our products of the week. And I am keeping my little summer theme going here. And this is one of those things that I saw and it seems so obvious, but I never though of it. So it made me feel like an idiot. And to do the spoiler up front, it's an elevated pet bed. It's a pet bed, but it's off the ground because the ground gets real warm and it allows air to go through it. And I though, wow.

Speaker 2 (35:26):
Smart.

Speaker 1 (35:26):
That's really smart. And I thought about it because my son gets so hot whenever he naps on his mattress. And I'm like, "Man, you are always so sweaty on the back of your head. How can I help get air float under there?" I was like, "Well, if only he was in a cot instead of a crib," and then it dawned on me like, "Oh, this would work for pets too. I wonder if somebody's invented it. If not, I'm going to go ahead and make millions." Turns out there's a lot of them available. A lot of people have had that better. What are you

Speaker 2 (35:57):
Saying, Chris? Are you saying you're going to buy Grayson a pet bed?

Speaker 1 (36:00):
Yes. A cot?

Speaker 2 (36:01):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (36:02):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, have you ever seen those videos of the toddlers running to the pet bed because they think it's comfy?

Speaker 2 (36:07):
Oh, no, I haven't seen that.

Speaker 1 (36:09):
Is that a thing? Oh, it's so cute. They grab their bottle and go to their comfy spot and it's just the dog bed. Cute. But this one I found specifically is made for the outdoors as well. It's an indoor outdoor bed, similar to the way we have outdoor furniture. It's by Pet Adobe. Link of the show notes as always. Basically like a piece of like a polyester canvas that gets looped around a frame, like a plastic frame. So you could peel that off and throw it in the wash if it gets all messed up from the rain. And it also has like a tent shader attachment.

Speaker 2 (36:43):
Oh, cool.

Speaker 1 (36:45):
So you're going to get the dog off the ground, get some air flowing underneath them, as well as granting some shade. And this one that I found by Pet Adobe is available on Chewy and the large is currently on sale for 44 bucks. So this is not breaking the bank. This is like a secondary bed situation if you want to give them something comfortable outdoors or if you just want to put away the more mattressy style pet bed during the summer and give them a cooler option. It's great for those German shepherds or Bernice Mountain Dogs or any of those big fluffy guys that you get a little worried about, the Huskies and stuff. So unfortunately, I will not be a self-made millionaire inventing a new kind of pet bed, but hey, at least we get a good product of the week out of it.

Speaker 2 (37:36):
You could invent a pet bed, a pet and kid bed, a bed that's for your child and your pet.

Speaker 1 (37:41):
I haven't

Speaker 2 (37:41):
Seen that yet.

Speaker 1 (37:42):
I think that's just a bunch of pillows on the ground.

Speaker 2 (37:45):
Okay. No, but I remember when I used to work at the animal shelter at the SPCA, we used those cots for the dog's outdoor runs. Oh, smart. Because obviously in Florida it really gets warm. So yep, that's a great one. Mine is also a summer theme. Actually, this is a year round product, but when you think about summer, you think about hydration being really important. And we do a lot of traveling in the summer. So I picked the Curgo splash-free wander dog water bowl. It's a mouthful, but basically it's this cool, I think it's made of silicone. What is it made of?

(38:22):
Yeah, made with food safe silicone. Imagine a beret, like a hat that you wear a beret. It's kind of like an upside down beret. It has walls that come up and curve in. So when you put the water in it, it can't splash out. So that's really convenient for traveling. I have one. They come in blue and red. It's only about 15 bucks. This one is on Chewy. You can also find it on Amazon, but it helps reduce the splashing that comes with movement while traveling. And it works for kibble as well as water. So holds up to 24 ounces and it's dishwasher safe.

Speaker 1 (39:01):
Nice.

Speaker 2 (39:02):
Yeah. Q and As.

Speaker 1 (39:05):
All right, folks. It's time for our favorite part of the show. That's right. We're going to answer two burning questions from our lovely audience. And lovely audience, I know what you're thinking. How do I have my question answered by Chris and Kristen? Well, it couldn't be easier. Head on over to petsadlife.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of that page and you will see a form where you could submit your question. Or if you're feeling as brave as somebody trying Chris's homemade popsicles, you can record a voice memo and you may hear your question played live on the show. So without further ado, we've gotten some interesting questions this time around outside of cat and dog. So we're adventuring a little bit outside of our comfort zone, but we're going to try our best to answer these two questions. So here we go, Kristen. All right.

(39:56):
This question is from Olivia in Phoenix. Thank you for your question, Olivia. And she asks, "I've always been fascinated by snakes, but I'm nervous about getting one because I've heard they can be difficult to care for. What species would you recommend for a first time snake owner? And what are the biggest mistakes beginners make?"

Speaker 2 (40:15):
Okay, Olivia, thank you for your question. So disclaimer, I have never had a snake and I'm not a snake expert. So I did some digging. I found Josu's Exotics, which is a really great resource. And he explained that a good beginner snake is one that has the following qualities. It's tolerant of minor husbandry mistakes. So as a beginner, if you make mistakes, it's a relatively hardy snake. It's readily available as a captive breed. It's a reliable, consistent feeder, and it's predictable in its behavior. So those are some boxes that you ideally want to check with your first snake. And he says that the biggest mistake that new snake owners have is, it's really about the species that is chosen. It's most likely an incorrect setup. So the research is so important before you get that first snake. Do a lot of research on what their care requirements are before bringing it home.

(41:19):
And regarding what type of snakes are good for beginners. Now he listed these from the easiest to the most rewarding. So easiest, he said, was the gardener snake. They're surprisingly overlooked as a beginner pick. They're small, active and diurnal, which means they're awake during the day. So you can actually watch them do their thing a lot. Number two would be the ball python, which is calm and easy to handle. Number three is, I've never heard of this one, the rosy boa. Have you heard of that, Chris?

Speaker 1 (41:52):
No. The rosy boa. Sounds like a fun place to go drink.

Speaker 2 (41:56):
It does. The rosy boa bar. He says this is an underrated pick. It's a smaller snake as an adult. It's got a calm temperament and has simple heating needs. Number four, he said it's a king snake, which is hardy with a strong feeding response, simple enclosure needs. And number five, this is the most common beginner snake and it's a corn snake. It's the classic recommendation that all experts recommend. But for a good reason, it's hardy. It's a reliable eater. It's tolerant of a wide temperature range and active without being defensive. So Olivia, I encourage you to do some more research and find out what the needs are of these five recommended snakes and take the leap of faith and get a snake. And then next year, tell us how it's going.

Speaker 1 (42:48):
I've always wanted a snake.

Speaker 2 (42:51):
Why have you never gotten one?

Speaker 1 (42:53):
I have a wife who does not want a snake.

Speaker 2 (42:54):
That's a very good reason. That's a very good reason.

Speaker 1 (42:59):
But alas.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
A race. So we have another unusual question for you, Chris. This one comes from Ethan in Tampa, my old stomping grounds. Ethan says, "I recently set up my first aquarium and I'm overwhelmed by all the information online. What are the most important things that new fish owners should focus on to keep fish healthy and their tank thriving?"

Speaker 1 (43:22):
That's a great question. And I've talked quite a bit about the fish aspect of this in questions, but I want to focus on the tank because you called it out specifically. And something we've never really talked about on the show is this beautiful thing called the nitrogen cycle. And anybody who may study agriculture may be familiar with the onland nitrogen cycle, which is how we ranch cows and care for them. But there is a nitrogen cycle for tanks as well. And one of the traps new fish owners fall into is something called new tank syndrome, where if you don't understand the nitrogen cycle and don't pre-cycle your tank, you'll build up ammonia in your new tank and that's deadly for fish. So basically what you need to understand is that your fish are going to poop. Step one, right? That poop, that waste and the rotting plants and the organic waste of uneaten food creates ammonia, which we all know is not good for anything that is living and breathing.

(44:28):
That ammonia though can be consumed by beneficial bacteria. And I'm looking up the name now. One of the examples given to me is nitrosomonas. I don't know. I've always known it as like a little powder you put into the tank. So basically you introduce this bacteria and it starts to eat the ammonia. Amazing. And what it creates when it eats the ammonia is nitrate. So the nitrate is much safer, much less toxic, much less harmful, and it also will serve as food for the plant life, which then creates oxygen in your tank. And now you've created like this healthy cycle. So it's very important to pre-cycle your tank before you introduce the fish. There are some measurements you're going to want to take. I'm not going to go into those details, but if you buy any nitrogen cycling test strips, you dunk that in the water and it's going to show you if you're good.

(45:27):
And then your maintenance is basically doing about a weekly change. You want to change at about 25% of the water. So you drain at about 25%, introduce another 25% of fresh water back in. And that's going to make sure that those nitrates don't get to a level of being toxic because a little is good, too much is going to be toxic to your fish. So I think that's just like one thing. There's a lot of chemistry that goes into creating a tank because what you're trying to do is literally create an ecosystem because fish exist in these natural bodies of water that have their own thing going on. It would almost be like putting a human being in a sealed room and just expecting them to sort of live forever with food and water. But no, we breathe in oxygen and we exhale carbon dioxide.

(46:19):
We'd eventually run out of it. So fish follow some similar patterns. And it's something you should really be aware of when you're setting up your tank and considering what type of fish you're going to want, what type of plants you're going to want in there, the size of your tank. These are all things you're going to want to measure out. And trust me, go to a hobby shop. Don't go to like a big box store. Find a local hobby shop that specializes in aquatics and you will find a passionate person there who's going to be more than willing to go through all of this with you and show you the right products and explain it in far better detail than I could ever. But Ethan, that was Ethan, right? Yeah, it was

Speaker 2 (46:58):
Ethan.

Speaker 1 (46:58):
Ethan, thank you for that question and good luck with the new tank.

Speaker 2 (47:01):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (47:04):
Well, that is it for us this week on Pets Ad Life. We hope you had at least an okay time. At least.

Speaker 2 (47:12):
I hope so.

Speaker 1 (47:14):
Excellent would be great.

Speaker 2 (47:16):
Yeah. Good would be sufficient, but - Good

Speaker 1 (47:18):
Would be sufficient.

Speaker 2 (47:21):
What

Speaker 1 (47:21):
Enough

Speaker 2 (47:21):
To want to come back?

Speaker 1 (47:23):
Yes.

Speaker 2 (47:25):
I think it was a great show. I though we had some great guests and it was about dog parks, which are the most underrated pieces of real estate in our communities.

Speaker 1 (47:33):
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
And I'll leave you with this. If the next time your dog drags you over to say hello to a stranger, just remember, it might be the start of a friendship that you would never have made on your own.

Speaker 1 (47:44):
Or a rivalry. See you next Tuesday. Bye-bye. Pets Ad Life, your guide to the latest in pet trends, products, and the joy of the human animal bond. With Kristen Levine and me, Chris Bonafati, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.