130. Smarter Dogs, Spay & Neuter Solutions & Understanding Animal Intelligence

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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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. Hello and welcome to another episode of Pet's Ad Life. I am one of your co-hosts, Chris Bonafati, and joining me as always is improv comedian Kristen Levine. Kristen,

Speaker 2 (00:28):
How are

Speaker 1 (00:28):
We doing today? Oh, great.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
You're going to put me on the spot. Now I've got to be funny. Thanks a lot.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Yeah. And everybody knows that when you try to be funny, that's when the best stuff comes out.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
True,

Speaker 1 (00:39):
That's true. That true. That's when you try really, really hard.

Speaker 2 (00:42):
Hey, this show's dropping on September 1st and I can tell you are not ready for summer to be over. I'm

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Not. I've got my floral. I don't know what you would call this shirt. I guess it's just a shirt. I don't know why I said I don't know what you'd call this. It's obviously a shirt. I've got my floral shirt on. I have a nice iced coffee. I am.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Oh, I got my iced coffee too.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
I love fall. I do. I think it's my favorite season. I'm the most comfortable during fall weather-wise and I love all the activities, but it's always so hard to say goodbye to summer. I

Speaker 2 (01:14):
Know it is. It is. But you know what I love to do in September, and I do this almost every day in September, is play Earth, Wind and Fires September.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yes, that's appropriate. You just make it your alarm, your alarm set.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
There you go. Oh, I love that's what I'm going to do this year. September. September.

Speaker 1 (01:36):
We're allowed to sing it because we're so bad we're not going to get hit with the licensing fee. It's going to be covered under parody. Oh my goodness. There we go. Well,

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Hey. No, I was just going to say, we're doing a show today. We're doing a

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Show. We're doing a show today. And just because we've changed the calendar September to September doesn't mean we are changing anything else. We are going to have two interesting stories, two excellent guests, two amazing products. And at the very end of the show, stick around because we're going to be answering two questions from home. So I think we have done away with the pleasantries. Let's go ahead and jump into story time. Kristen and Chris present Story Time.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
Chris, why don't you kick us off for story time?

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Absolutely. So I've got this article from the New York Times. And if you recall, a couple months ago, there were those terrible earthquakes in Venezuela. So this is an article that I found really interesting and heartwarming about the search for pets and the volunteers and rescue professionals who are at the forefront of what has been a continued relief effort. I mean, this episode is dropping in September, but hey, movie magic, we record these pretty well in advance sometimes. So this was a pretty fresh story at the time of recording. And there's pictures of veterinarian offices that may have been ruined. There's this one picture here in the article of a vet office being set up in a cafe because there was just so much structural damage that they needed to reallocate resources. So this cafe, basically, this wasn't even a cafe. It was a McDonald's restaurant being used as a temporary health center and pet

Speaker 3 (03:40):
Reunification

Speaker 1 (03:41):
Center in LaGuaria. And not only were there people looking for lost pets, but on the other side of things, there were many search and rescue dogs being used as well. There's a picture of a Argentinian military service member who came over. Obviously a lot of South American militaries came to assist with a search and rescue dog who was able to locate, I think they say here, two other dogs with its keen nose. So I mean, these kinds of stories are always, it starts off as a tragedy, but as our dear Mr. Rogers used to tell us, look for the helpers. And I think it's amazing that not only is there a concerted effort in looking for animals and pets and allocating scarce and precious resources to their care, but that animals and dogs and things, they help us in times like this too, that they're well-trained and eager to be helpful.

(04:54):
So I thought it was, while the situation is a terrible, terrible tragedy, I feel like this was a little heartwarming to read. So it's a great article. We'll post it up in the show notes. Feel free to flip through that one.

Speaker 2 (05:08):
Well, and I think it's important to remember that even though that happened a couple of months ago, those people are still struggling. They're still dealing with the tragedy. But the news cycle moves so quickly that we don't hear about it anymore. So thanks for sharing that. Mine is a little bit more uplifting and fun. Oh, that's good. This is about a shelter cat with a genetic quirk that makes him unadoptable. However, he's turned out to be the most requested adoption of the year. Oh

Speaker 3 (05:37):
Goodness.

Speaker 2 (05:37):
This is something that went viral starting early in the summer. And usually by the time the virality's over, that's when I discover it. So some of our listeners and may already know about this, but it's a little black kitten named Dobby. He was born with a rare genetic mutation that gives him a second but smaller set of ear flaps. So he has four ear flaps. The mutation also causes him to have a curled tail and a pretty severe underbite. So the extra set of. We'll post a link to this too. He's all over the internet. These four little ears are so cute. The back ears are normal size. The front ears are a little teeny weeny. But apparently he had to have surgery to correct the. What did I say? Overbite or underbite? Where is it? Underbite. He had to have the underbite corrected. He's gone through that.

(06:33):
And the fans on social media have been joking that this cat can ignore you twice as much. Get it, get it, boom. I

Speaker 1 (06:42):
Love it. I love

Speaker 2 (06:44):
It. Yeah. Anyway, as you can imagine, adoption applications flooded in. I could not find an update on whether or not he's been adopted, although I am certain he has. And if not, he's probably still with his foster mom, Stephanie Brown, who's a board member of Kitty Cat Haven and Rescue. So if you're looking for something to make you smile today, go check out Dobby, the four-eared Kitty Cat.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
Yes. A fantastic pallet cleanser. Beyond the Leash, exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

Speaker 2 (07:17):
Please join me in welcoming our guest, Brianna Lovell-Meyers. She's the executive director of United Spay Alliance, a national organization working to expand access to affordable, accessible, and timely spay and neuter services across the country. Brianna has spent her career in animal welfare starting out at Alley Cat Allies and later working with grassroots rescues, TNR groups, and other animal welfare organizations. Brianna joined United Spay Alliance in 2020 and became the executive director in 2025, where she now leads the organization's programs, partnerships, and efforts to strengthen spay and neuter resources nationwide. That's a big job. This October, United Spay Alliance will bring together hundreds of veterinarians and animal welfare professionals for its annual online conference with an increased focus this year on challenges and solutions affecting dogs. Brianna, welcome to the Pat Sad Life Podcast.

Speaker 4 (08:15):
Hey, thank you. Thank you. I'm very glad to be here.

Speaker 2 (08:18):
Fantastic. Well, for listeners who might not be familiar with USA or United Spay Alliance, tell us about your mission and why expanding access to affordable accessible spay and neuter services is still so important today, like it always has been.

Speaker 4 (08:34):
Yeah. So our organization really exists to focus solely on spay neuter. That is our niche. It's a very narrow focus, but yet there's still so much work to be done and so much support that's needed. And so we are really a resource. And I say that we lean into the alliance part of our name because we are really out here to connect people to resources that they need for help. So for the average pet parent that's looking for spay neuter help, we have an online directory that makes it really easy to go and search our map. You can click on your state, you can input your zip code, and you can bring up a list of resources that are near you. And you can also identify your state leader. We've built a state leader network where we have found that people or organizations in each state all around the country who are working hard on spay neuter issues who are plugged in to what's available in the community.

(09:29):
And so we have that as a resource for the public, pet parents can contact state leaders if they have questions, but then we've also brought those state leaders together for peer-to-peer support and networking and engagement. So we kind of have for the general public, we have resources for spay-neuter. For people who are engaged in the work, we have ways for them to connect and share ideas because it's the number one tool we have and we call it our upstream solution when we're thinking about helping animals. And we want to help the animals that are right in front of us, but we also want to think upstream. And how do we make it so that someday we have more time and resources to help all those animals and aren't constantly feeling the overwhelm? And the only way to do that is going to be through spay neuter.

Speaker 1 (10:16):
Well, I think a lot of people, when they think of spay and neuter, they're thinking about it simply as a way to prevent unwanted litters, but the impact is cascading. It reaches much farther than that. So what role does this sort of access to spay and neuter play in the big picture of animal welfare?

Speaker 4 (10:36):
Well, the big picture is obviously like we think about all of the animals in our community and the ecosystem that exists to support them. And so that could be your animal shelters, it could be your rescues, it could be your local veterinarians. There's this whole web of resources that exist to support animals. And I think all of them are feeling the overwhelm at this point. And so we know spay neuter helps the individual animals. So when we get our individual cat or dog spayed or neutered, we know we are improving their individual lives. There are undeniable health benefits. We know spayed and neutered dogs live longer. So it's a great preventative care tool. We're cutting off cancers and all these other just medical benefits to the individual. But at the community level, you zoom out a little bit and you know that we're not going to have so many litters because where do those litters end up?

(11:33):
All of those puppies, all of those kittens, they go to the shelters and they go to the rescues, but the rescues are overwhelmed. And so where are all these resources coming from? And so if we can, again, think about getting ahead, getting upstream to a point where that overwhelm isn't felt year after year after year and those same resources, those same time, because they're kind of finite at a certain point. There's only so much money. There's only so much time. We have so many compassionate people, but there's only so much those people can give and do. So how do we make sure that all of those resources are being used to the maximum benefit of every single animal who needs help?

Speaker 2 (12:15):
Sure. And you mentioned the puppies, litters of puppies and kittens even that are born, they go to the shelters. And who gets adopted first? The puppies or the adult dogs? It's the puppies that get adopted first. So in the intro, I mentioned your conference is coming up and there's a special emphasis on dogs this year. Can you talk to us about that?

Speaker 4 (12:36):
Yes. And so we know that, and for so long, I think cats have been a focus of spay neuter work. And I don't know whether it's because I come from such a cat focused background, but I think just in generally now I hear so much from my just colleagues around the animal welfare space that cats aren't the issue anymore. It's dogs. And it's especially medium to large breed dogs that we're seeing more and more of. And there's confusion. There seems to be misinformation out there that people are hearing about when to spay and neuter dogs. So they are waiting to spay, which means now their once puppy who was nice and small grows up into this big dog. And that surgery gets to be a lot more complicated. If they're over 50 or 60 pounds, not every veterinarian's even going to perform that surgery. It's in a more expensive surgery.

(13:31):
So it just comes with more complications. And so we're seeing now confusion over when to spay neuter. And so we want to talk about that. And so we have at United Spay Alliance, we've been talking internally. We're building resources and tools to help people understand not just what we think is right, but what the veterinarians and what the science says about spay neutering. So that's something we've been working on. And this conference is going to be an opportunity for us to share some of that information and the evidence behind it so we can confidently say, this is what we know is best for our dogs and here's why.

Speaker 1 (14:06):
I want to ask a little bit about the resources you keep mentioning because I think we have a lot of people listening to this show who may be considering getting a dog or cat, or maybe they are expecting a litter of puppies and they're just overwhelmed. So it sounds like based on this conversation, it's not just information that's available, it's locations and things like that. So can you go into more detail on what a pet parent might be able to expect when they head over to your website?

Speaker 4 (14:39):
Yeah. So for our pet parents, if you are looking for spay neuter services or even other things around that. And so we've started to build out our directory. So it includes things like pet food pantries or other support services that might be helpful. I mean, our focus still is on the spay neuter. And this is all people driven information. So there's a lot of stuff out there, but we're trying to make it as comprehensive a resource as possible. And so we do have our directory and it is nationwide. Basically you'll see a map of the country. You can click on your state, you input your zip code, and it'll pull up all the resources that we've identified in your area. You can also connect if you do have a litter coming that's on the way, you're not sure what to do. So you can connect with your state leader who is like an added layer, another resource to help answer those questions.

(15:32):
They're going to be really plugged into the spay neuter scene as it were. They're going to know all those resources and connections. And so they're another resource for the public as well. And then we just have lots of information if you want to read more about any of these things. I mentioned the preventative care benefits of spay and neuter. We have more information about that. We have more resources to point you towards some of the science that we're talking about if you're curious about learning more.

Speaker 2 (16:03):
Yeah. And Brianna, I wanted to ask you about this. As the cost of veterinary care have risen over the past decade, considerably risen, have you experienced more strain on your resources from more people needing to find affordable spay neuter options for their pets?

Speaker 4 (16:24):
I mean, absolutely. United Spay Alliance as a network and an organization kind of came together around 2015, but it was really around the COVID pandemic. And when we

Speaker 3 (16:37):
Saw

Speaker 4 (16:37):
That real pinch and that change to the spay neuter, I mean so many things. But spay neuter was hugely impacted by that pandemic as well. And so that's where we really doubled down on our efforts to get the directory up to date and to get all these resources together. And then we've kind of been rolling full steam ahead since then because this is so important and because there is such a need. We've seen an increase in traffic to our website. And we've definitely, the more information we put out there and the more we're able to let people know that we're here as a resource, the more I'm hearing from the public saying, "Help, I need this. Can you point me in the right direction?" And of course that's what we're here to do. So we're glad to be that resource.

Speaker 1 (17:25):
And before we let you go, Brianna, I want to squeeze one more question in. For the folks listening out there who may want to get involved in some capacity, whether it's with your alliance directly or you have a vast experience in animal welfare, what are some ways folks at home can get involved and be helpful if this is something they want to help be part of the solution for?

Speaker 4 (17:51):
That's a great question and I'm so glad you asked. And so one of the things I always recommend is seeing who in your community is helping animals and reaching out to them first to see what they need. And so if it is donations, do they need donations of in-kind items? Do they need dog food? Do they need dog beds or toys? Or would it be helpful? Are you in the position where you can, of course, donating money is always appreciated. I think everyone always loves a gift, but if you're able to give of your time. And it's not always. I mean, if you want to go walk dogs at your shelter, that's an opportunity. But a lot of these groups also need other skills too. And so I can't tell you how important it is to find people who are good at websites, who are really organized and can help with spreadsheets and logistics on the back end.

(18:43):
And so there's certain skill sets that are really needed too. So even if you're thinking that, oh, I want to help, but I really don't want to go clean out a kennel or I'm not able to foster a dog. And that's totally understand. I'm not in that position either, but you know what? I know my way around a spreadsheet. And so that's kind of where I started. And I'm telling you, groups are grateful. And so I always encourage folks to reach out and see who is right there in their community doing the work.

Speaker 2 (19:12):
Well, the website is unitedspayalliance.org. And no matter how you can help, there's many ways you can help, like Brianna said. So Brianna, thank you for your time today. And I hope the conference goes really well and we continue to make progress in this area.

Speaker 4 (19:29):
Absolutely. Thank you guys so much for having us. And I hope everyone can reach out to their local orgs and maybe we'll see you in October at the conference.

Speaker 1 (19:38):
Sounds good. Thank you, Brianna.

Speaker 4 (19:40):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (19:44):
Kristen, I really appreciate what she said at the end there about all the different ways to be helpful and engaging in your community. You don't need to be a Brianna doing things at this national level. It is okay to just find your shelter or organization, whatever it may be, and seeing what they need and how you could be helpful in whatever capacity that is. And honestly, you do that and you're a better person than nine out of 10 people.

Speaker 2 (20:15):
And back when I worked in the shelter world, we used to say we can use your time, your talent, or your treasure. So if you just have some time on your hands to help clean cat cages or if you're talented at something like spreadsheets like Brianna is, there's something for everybody who wants to help.

Speaker 1 (20:30):
You know what shelters are always looking for too, is photographers. True. People who just are good at getting good pictures of the animals because that really helps the adoption rate.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
It does.

Speaker 1 (20:42):
You never know how you could be useful. They even need guys like me.

Speaker 2 (20:46):
Really?

Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Listen, I run a mean spreadsheet too. Okay?

Speaker 2 (20:51):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (20:51):
Inventory -

Speaker 2 (20:52):
T's true. You the data guy

Speaker 1 (20:53):
Now inventory and ins and outs and things like that. I could clean up a database real nice. So listen, if Chris could be helpful, so can you. And it is my pleasure to introduce our next guest, Jennifer Holland, a prominent science and nature writer, longtime senior staff writer and field reporter for National Geographic, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Unlikely Friendships books. Jennifer spent her career exploring the fascinating world of animal behavior, wildlife, and the surprising relationships animals form. Her bestselling unlikely friendship books introduce readers to remarkable true stories of bonds between animals of different species. And her latest book, Dog Smart: Life-Changing Lessons in Canine Intelligence takes us inside the science of how dogs think, learn, communicate, and experience the world around them. Jennifer, welcome to the show. Thank you so much for joining us today.

Speaker 3 (21:54):
Thank you. I love being here. Appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (21:56):
Of course. So you've spent a lot of your career writing about animals for National Geographic, a very familiar brand to many of our listeners. What's it about animals and their behavior that continues to fascinate you after all of these years?

Speaker 3 (22:12):
That's a great question. It's been a lifelong passion. I loved animals right from the start. And I think initially it was just sort of that, "Oh, aren't animals sweet and cute? And I want to pet them all and hug them." But then over time, as my brain developed, I think I started to realize there's so much to really learn and understand. Things that we can kind of learn about ourselves, but also all the things that animals do differently from us. And it's such a wide range of wisdom that we can gather from studying their behavior and learning how they think. And it's just been a real pleasure.

Speaker 2 (22:47):
Yeah. Well, I want to ask you a question about your latest book, Dog Smart. We all think our dogs are smart. So when you were researching this book, what did you discover that most changed the way you think about canine intelligence?

Speaker 3 (23:02):
I kind of went into it with the idea that dogs are smart in their own way. And so certainly people say, "Oh, my dog is kind of dumb. He's always staring at the wall," or, "My dog is brilliant. He knows how to do this particular trick." But the fact is that we don't really always remember that dogs are this other creature and they have a completely different way of seeing the world, way of experiencing the world. And there's a lot of intelligence in that that maybe doesn't fall under our definition of intelligence. But then again, many dogs are also smart the way we think of smarts. They can learn commands and learn words and all that. So there's kind of these two different avenues that I wanted to explore.

Speaker 1 (23:43):
Yeah. So what are some of the kinds of intelligence that dogs possess that we may be overlooking or passing over because - Yeah, it just goes over our heads. Yeah, we're humans and we don't get it.

Speaker 3 (23:54):
We're missing it. Yeah. I focused a lot on olfactory intelligence, which is sort of how I described it, just because obviously dogs have these amazing noses. They have 350 million olfactory receptors, something like that. And just they're constantly bombarded by scent the way most of us see. And they have to get through this information and decide what's important and what to ignore. And there's just a lot of different ways that they use scent that we just aren't familiar with. Our noses do fine, but it's nothing like what a dog experiences. So that one covers, there's a lot of ground covered about olfactory intelligence in the book.

Speaker 2 (24:35):
Yeah. And were there things that really surprised you as you were doing the research? Because I know you worked with a lot of experts, trainers, working dogs. Were there some real aha moments for you?

Speaker 3 (24:47):
Yeah, I mean a lot of them. I think one thing that I just kind of took home was really this idea that we don't let our dogs be dogs enough. And that was sort of a theme that kind of carried me through the book. Just this idea that they really do in some ways give up some things in order to be our pets. And it's not that we don't treat them wonderfully and that we don't adore them, but there are things that they're not allowed to do anymore that they would naturally want to do. And so I think it was a little bit of an aha for me to really think about that and to try to incorporate that thinking into how I deal with my own dogs and other dogs on the street and how I talk about them. It's a good thing to let them be what they're supposed to be and what they are.

Speaker 1 (25:36):
Yeah. It's almost like this different sense of empathy. It's like an evolved sense of empathy where you're like, "I'm going to let you be the best version of yourself instead of the version I want." I think that's a really fascinating thing to experience as a pet owner. And it definitely helps with the bond. But speaking of bonds, I want to pivot to unlikely friendships because I really want to drill down on some of these because it sounds like there's so many fun stories. But these are compilations of true stories of extraordinary relationships between animals. So after researching these and writing these books, what do you think the animals have taught you a bit about that bond and sense of connection that we share?

Speaker 3 (26:23):
Yeah. I think dogs are mammals, they're social mammals like we are, but I think that we don't always appreciate the importance of relationships. Some of us can't have more than one pet necessarily and that sort of thing. And just that need to relate to another creature and to lean on that creature maybe in a scary situation, that sort of thing, it's rampant in the animal kingdom. And if you go out in the wild, maybe animals don't always have the opportunity or the luxury, I should say, of befriending every creature they meet. They may need to eat that creature. They may need away from that creature. But especially in the home with pets and stuff, you really see a different side where there's this acceptance and this empathy across species boundaries. And it's kind of a good lesson I think for humans as we're so tribal and really these animals kind of show us what maybe we should be doing a little bit better.

Speaker 2 (27:22):
So when you were working on this book series, what was the most surprising bond that formed between two different species?

Speaker 3 (27:31):
I would say one thing that surprised me was to see a story, a few stories with a reptile included, just because we don't really think of them as

Speaker 2 (27:40):
Being - No, we don't. We

Speaker 1 (27:42):
Have co-opted the term cold-blooded to mean not social.

Speaker 3 (27:46):
Yeah. And we can't really say, okay, the iguana was thinking, oh, I love this cat. But it was neat just to kind of include them in these stories and just to see that even an iguana, a male iguana that would normally, you think of as being sort of aggressive and not particularly friendly is potentially open to a warm interaction with another animal if it's getting all the things it needs and it doesn't have to worry about that.

Speaker 1 (28:16):
Well, it's like now the next level of empathy, it's like, okay, well, I could appreciate the fact that my dog is dog smart. Well, maybe that iguana was iguana smart, right? Next book. A short book. Short book. Yeah, there we go. Story done. And so if we're thinking about all this research you've done, you've seen all these stories. How has going through this experience, writing these books, how's it changed the way you interact with your own pets?

Speaker 3 (28:48):
Yeah, it really has. I'm expected to say that of course, but it's really true. I really do think a lot more about what is, for example, with a dog, my dog's experience of me. And the way I approach my dog, the way I make assumptions about what he's up for. He doesn't always want to be petted. He's not the kind of dog that's constantly cuddling and looking you in the eyes and saying, "I love you. He's very independent." And I'm much more aware of that and I'm much more willing to say, "I'm paying attention to his body language and he's not into this right now and I'm just going to let him have his space." I think we all have been taught to approach dogs a certain way. Stick your hand out, let them smell you. And a lot of that motion that we do, that leaning over that we do, the hugging, all the stuff that we do that's very primate, it's not really natural for canines.

(29:45):
And so we have to really think about, especially meeting a new dog, for example. Again, what does this feel like for them from their perspective? Having this thing looming over them, having a hand stuck in their face. We really just It has made me think much harder about that. It's made me pay much more attention to dogs, like at a dog park, what's going on here? What is these engagements and what are these dogs telling each other and how amazing it is that they have such subtle communication, but that's so meaningful among them and how we tend to miss out on a lot of that stuff because we're really just not paying attention.

Speaker 2 (30:27):
So I have a question, Jennifer. I think a lot of us see these unlikely friendships and bonds on social media where you might see a dog bond with a duck or something like that. As human beings, should we try to shape these friendships or are they really should just be natural? I guess what I'm saying is if we have multiple pets in the home, should we work toward helping these different species find a bond or is that something that just happens naturally or just doesn't happen and we

Speaker 3 (31:00):
Shouldn't force

Speaker 2 (31:00):
It?

Speaker 3 (31:01):
I mean, I think it's certainly giving them the opportunity is wonderful. I mean, you certainly have to be careful because not all. If you put your parakeet in front of your cat, it might not go very well. We want to be very mindful of how you do that, take things slowly, think about it. But I think that they're going to figure it out for themselves and it's perfectly wonderful to give them the option, but I certainly wouldn't push it if that and dog just don't seem interested or the cat's scratching him in the face, that sort of thing. I think you just got to let them decide just like we would for ourselves. Do I really want to be friends with this creature or can you just please go away?

Speaker 1 (31:44):
Yeah. It's like when your parents would make you be friends with their coworker's kids and you're like, "But I hate that kid. He's nothing like me." Well, Jennifer, where can our listeners follow you on social? Where can they go find the books if they're interested in reading along?

Speaker 3 (32:03):
Yeah. JenniferHollandwriter.com is my website. There is an unlikely friendships Facebook page, although I need to get back to kind of updating that. It's been a little while. And then yeah, picking up the books. I mean, I recommend DogSmart. It's a book I'm really proud of, and I really think it kind of adds some nice thinking to the conversation about our relationship with dogs and what their experience is of the world. So I hope people will check it out. It's available on all the online retailers and hopefully some of the actual bookstores as well. There you go. There

Speaker 1 (32:39):
It is. Well, thank you so much for hopping on the show today. This was a lot of

Speaker 3 (32:43):
Fun.

Speaker 1 (32:44):
I learned a lot. Looking forward to checking out the books.

Speaker 3 (32:47):
Thank you so much. Great chatting.

Speaker 2 (32:54):
You

Speaker 1 (32:54):
Go, you go, you go.

Speaker 2 (32:54):
Ready.

(32:56):
So I asked her that question about whether or not you should shape a friendship because my aunt and uncle who we recently visited, they have a bunny. And we took Tulip over there. And of course we were very careful about keeping Tulip separate from the bunny. But Tulip was just very curious and not. I thought she might want to lunge toward the bunny, but she was actually seemed genuinely curious, but we never really let them get close. So I was just wondering if I should nurture that potential friendship or just stay on the safe side.

Speaker 1 (33:31):
It's so tough between predator and prey because it's just like, man, who would blame a dog for one day just deciding

Speaker 2 (33:40):
That? It'd be all my fault.

Speaker 1 (33:42):
Yeah, right.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
I think I'll err on the side of safety.

Speaker 1 (33:44):
Yeah. But I mean, you see the stories all the time of the dog adopting ducklings. And if following her along and stuff like that, it happens, but -

Speaker 2 (33:56):
Let

Speaker 1 (33:56):
It happen naturally. Like she said, with the parakeet and the cat, sometimes nature has other plans. That's right. Definitely be careful. The product of the week. It is time for our products of the week. Kristen, what you got for us?

Speaker 2 (34:15):
Okay. I've got one that I think dogs will really love. It's called a suitical recovery suit for dogs. So this is made for dogs who've just had surgery. It could be spay-neuter surgery. It could be some type of orthopedic surgery. Anything that requires a cone to be worn after the surgery. So this is a breathable, reusable, cone-free alternative for post-surgical recovery for dogs. Let's see. It's got snap closures that make it easy to put on, take off. This is the cool thing. They can eat, drink, sleep, and do their normal activities while their incisions stay protected. Now, if you go to their website, it's, what is it? Seutical.com. You can see that they come in all different colors and fabrics. And I counted and there's 11 sizes. So definitely enough sizes to find the right fit for your dog. And it looks like the medium size is around 36 bucks.

(35:18):
So very, very affordable. Probably the same price as a cone. Around the

Speaker 1 (35:22):
Same price as a cone,

Speaker 2 (35:22):
Yeah. Absolutely. And definitely more comfortable. The only thing I would say is the cone probably, while the cone's not necessarily intended to restrict their activity, it kind of does inherently just because it's so awkward, but the pseudical won't really restrict their activity. And I know a lot of times, well, actually most times, if not all, after surgery, you do want to limit your dog's activity level. So that'll still be on you because they can much more easily move in these pseudical things. But I love this idea. I think it's a great alternative to the cone.

Speaker 1 (35:59):
Any alternative to the cone is a good alternative to the cone. That's what dogs are saying at home.

Speaker 2 (36:04):
That's right. What do you have for us?

Speaker 1 (36:08):
All right. So for my product of the week, Kristen, I'm going to ask you a question and it's okay if you don't know the answer, but when do you think tick season ends?

Speaker 2 (36:21):
Well, I know here in Western North Carolina, it usually ends in the fall. I'm going to say September this month.

Speaker 1 (36:28):
It goes all the way to November. Ticks are notoriously tough and they don't mind that little, those first couple of frosts, they don't mind. All the way through October is considered tick season. And even in some places further south, November, and even if you're in the true south, like the Florida states, you might have ticks year round.

(36:56):
So to bring this together into a cohesive segment, my papa product of the week is the tick mit, which if you're like an outdoorsy dog person, you probably have one of these at home. But I think even if you're not often in the woods, it's only 20 bucks. I think this is like a must buy just if you have a dog throw it in your outdoor backpack or in your doggy thing. And it's exactly what you would imagine. It is a mitt you put on your hand and you pet through and comb through your dog's hair and it picks up bugs and therefore ticks. So I think again, for 20 bucks and a quick pat down, you are really helping prevent ticks from your dog because those medicines, the back of the neck, the pills, the collars, they work, they do, but they're not perfect.

(37:49):
And I've had with my outdoor cats growing up, they got tick medication and would still occasionally get a tick. So this is just another preventative layer because those manual checks are really important.

Speaker 2 (38:06):
They are. I would say that is an essential item to have for your dog.

Speaker 1 (38:10):
Yeah, you just throw it in the bag. It's not like this is going to be crazy expensive. Again, MSRP at about 20 bucks.

Speaker 2 (38:18):
Yeah. And particularly helpful for those darker colored dogs or the heavy coated dogs where it's not obvious, where you can't see a tick on them. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (38:25):
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Good one. And maybe for your friends too, just give them a good old post-hike Tickmit massage. Maybe not.

Speaker 2 (38:36):
Might want to warn them first.

Speaker 1 (38:38):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Definitely ask for consent before tick knitting anybody. I will say though, I will say as a PSA, I guess because I used to be an outdoors kid before graduating into my final form of an indoor hermit. But every time I've had a tick latch on, it's been in a place that was covered with clothing. They will crawl up your pant leg up a sleeve. So while a lot of people recommend like, oh, wear your long socks, your long pants, your long shirt, when you do these hikes, nothing is foolproof. Nothing is perfect except for the spot check and removal of ticks that you see with your eye holes. So stay vigilant and yeah, check out the tickmit.

Speaker 2 (39:24):
Q and As.

Speaker 1 (39:25):
All right, Kristen, it is time for our favorite part of the show. That's right. We're going to answer two questions from our lovely audience. And I know what you're thinking, lovely audience. How do I have my question answered by Chris and Kristen? Well, it could not be easier. Head on over to petsadlife.org/podcast. Scroll on down to the bottom of that page and you will see a form to submit your question. Or if you're feeling as brave as those people I see hiking the fall trails in shorts and Crocs, you can record a voice memo and you may hear your question played live on the air. So Kristen, I have augured the heavens and received a question.

Speaker 2 (40:10):
Okay. I'm not sure what that means, but okay.

Speaker 1 (40:13):
I don't think I know what it means either. I think I'm just saying things. But the question comes from Jessica. Jessica Hale's from Austin, Texas and asks, "My dog follows me everywhere, even into the bathroom and always wants to be in the same room with me." It sounds like my toddler. Is that simply. Yeah, exactly, right? Taylor's oldest time. Is that simply affection or can being overly attached actually be a sign of anxiety?

Speaker 2 (40:42):
Ooh, I like that question, Jessica. Good question. I don't think we've had anything like that before, but we can totally relate because tulip does the same thing. And there's a medical term for this. It's called Velcro dogs. No, I'm just kidding. But it is kind of how we refer to our dogs that won't leave us alone. Typically, that behavior is just affection and demonstrates a really strong bond between the two of you. Dogs are obviously very social. They want to be near their people. That's totally normal. I think where it turns into anxiety is about what happens when you leave or when you're not home. So if your dog is relaxed and settles down, once you're both in a room together, that's just closeness. But if they pace, whine or start to panic or become destructive, the minute you're out of sight or out of the house, then that's worth talking to your vet about separation anxiety.

(41:40):
So I don't think following you to the bathroom is necessarily a red flag, but I would say because you didn't mention any of these other behaviors when you leave the house, so it sounds like you're okay, but do watch for that behavior to develop. It sounds like you just have a Velcro dog right now.

Speaker 1 (41:59):
You know what I've heard about the bathroom thing and

Speaker 2 (42:01):
Dogs

Speaker 1 (42:02):
Is the reason when dogs are using the bathroom, they make eye contact with you is they're expecting you to watch their backs because it's like when they're at their most vulnerable. And so when you go to the bathroom, the dog is like, "Well, all the times you've had my back, I've got

Speaker 2 (42:17):
Yours."

Speaker 1 (42:17):
Of

Speaker 2 (42:17):
Course. I got you. I'm

Speaker 1 (42:19):
Going to stand guard. That's so cute. And

Speaker 2 (42:21):
That's

Speaker 1 (42:21):
Sort of the instinctive reason behind that behavior. I

Speaker 2 (42:28):
Love that. Which I think is just

Speaker 1 (42:29):
So cute. I think

Speaker 2 (42:31):
That could be a real thing.

Speaker 1 (42:34):
Listen, I'm not a veterinarian or an animal behaviorist, but I've talked to a lot of them and I'm pretty sure I've picked that one up along the way from somebody more reputable than myself.

Speaker 2 (42:43):
Makes a lot of sense. All right, Chris, I've got a question for you from Michael in the windy city. Michael says, "Why does my cat suddenly get a burst of energy at night and start racing around the house like crazy? Is there a reason cats get the zoomies and should we be doing anything to help him burn up that energy?"

Speaker 1 (43:04):
Yeah, absolutely. This is a great question. And we get to use one of my favorite words, forpuscular, because cats arc for puscular.

Speaker 2 (43:13):
No, C-E-R. Oh, sorry, go ahead. I

Speaker 1 (43:15):
Have no idea what the spelling is. I don't think I've ever read the word. But for puscular, for those of you who maybe knew the show and haven't heard me rant and rave about cat's behavior before, is a word to describe animals that are most active at dawn and dusk, which is when cats tend to be the most active. Now, the reason I bring this up is because it does sort of explain those midnight zoomies because what the mistake most cat parents make is trying to sort of fit the cat's natural body calendar and cycle and time of day, internal clock into their schedule, which doesn't work.

(43:58):
If the cat sleeps all day and misses its dusk, sunset time to be energetic, you're going to witness that later that night. The way a cat typically works is right in that morning at dawn, it's asking you for breakfast, literally at the first hint that the sun is coming up. And then they go about their day and then by lunchtime, they're asleep through the hottest parts of the day. They're basking, they're relaxing, they're doing their thing, and then they bother you for their dinner. And typically that's like at your dinner time. And what do you do after dinner as a human being? You relax and you're winding down, but that's actually the time you should be engaging your cat if they have these nighttime zoomies. So during your wind down, when you're pouring yourself your glass of wine and getting your Netflix pulled up on the TV, that's a good time to do about 30 to 45 minutes of active play with your cat to ensure that they're probably not going to sleep as deeply as you and as long as you, but they'll be tired that they sleep in the darkest parts of night, which is a natural time for them to be sleeping.

(45:15):
So hopefully that helps you out a little bit and a little science behind why those midnight zoomies can be rearing its ugly head. I've dealt with it a gazillion times. And sometimes cats, they're just being silly little guys and gals. So best of luck.

Speaker 2 (45:31):
You know what would be cool? I have an aura ring and 30 minutes before I go to bed, I get a notification that it's approaching bedtime.

Speaker 3 (45:39):
It'd

Speaker 2 (45:39):
Be cool if they could add a notification that it's approaching your wind down time, time to play with the cat. We need a notification on our phones to play with the cat.

Speaker 1 (45:47):
Yeah. Yeah. A catification. Well, anyway, thank you for your question. That is the end of our show. That's it. That's all we got this week. Thank you everybody for tuning in. I can't believe it's September. Literally can't believe it.

Speaker 2 (46:04):
I know. Happy fall.

Speaker 1 (46:05):
My shirt tells the story of my disbelief. And I have a feeling I'm going to be wearing this shirt for the next episode too, based on the way movies work. That's

Speaker 2 (46:16):
Right. That's right.

Speaker 1 (46:17):
But hey, it is what it is. Hopefully all of you out there are gripping firmly with both hands onto the last vestiges of summer, or perhaps you've already embraced ball and you are getting your pumpkin spice lattes and heading to the apple orchards. And you know what? If you are, more power to you.

Speaker 2 (46:37):
Speaking of pumpkin spice lattes, for my tail end tidbit, I wanted to let you know that if you are one of those people that wears a CGS, a continuous glucose. Wait, no, CGM, continuous glucose monitor. Is that what they're called?

Speaker 3 (46:50):
I think so.

Speaker 2 (46:51):
Did you know that a dog's sense of smell is so precise that some of them can detect blood sugar swings in diabetic owner's breath minutes before a glucose meter would catch it?

Speaker 1 (47:03):
Phenomenal.

Speaker 2 (47:04):
Pretty cool, huh?

Speaker 1 (47:05):
Keep that in mind all week, marinate on that, and we'll see you next Tuesday. Bye.

Speaker 3 (47:09):
Bye.

Speaker 1 (47:11):
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.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
Hey guys, I'm Kristen Levine, your host of the new show, The Experts. This is where I bring to you three pet experts to answer your burning questions about your furry friend. So you can't do the show without your questions. So here's what you do. Take out your phone, videotape yourself horizontally, asking your question about your pet, and send it to dogtv.com/experts. And we might just feature you on the next episode. So what are you waiting for?