142. Veterans Day Special: Heroic Working Dogs, Service Animals & Honoring Their Legacy

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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 Dog TV. 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 the golden flaky crust of a rustic homemade sourdough. Kristen Levine, Kristen, how are we doing today?

Speaker 2 (00:32):
That's one of my favorites so far.

Speaker 1 (00:34):
I got bread on my mind.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
Oh, have you been eating bread or smelling bread or something?

Speaker 1 (00:38):
I always eat a lot of bread, but Grayson started to eat bread, so now I have... Hope doesn't eat a lot of bread, which is a weird thing to say about a person.That's just a weird... She's got very strange eating packs. She does not eat a lot of bread, but now Grayson is enjoying bread, which means I get to buy extra bread and say it's for my baby and then eat the bread when no one's looking.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
And I would think sourdough would be really great for teething. Is he teating?

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Yeah, he loves to get... We're looking for safe foods that he could kind of eat on his own without being in the high chair in Munchon and a nice bread crust is great for him because it'll dissolve in his mouth and it satisfies the teething in the back. I love bread. I'm a big fan of bread. Whoever's working on bread these days, keep it up.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
Keep it up.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
Keep it up.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
And as much as we love to eat bread, smell bread and talk about bread, this is not the bread episode. This is actually -

Speaker 1 (01:33):
Be a tough one to do.

Speaker 2 (01:34):
This is actually a Veterans Day episode. It is. Veterans Day, I believe I think tomorrow?

Speaker 1 (01:39):
Tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (01:39):
If you're listening to this, the day it comes out.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Right, right, right. So we're going to be talking about animals who were called to serve. Got a couple of really great guests today and yeah, maybe we'll have some bread at the end of the show.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
I'm definitely going to be breaking bread later. And now I'm thinking about lunch. And here's my thoughts on bread and I want to put this out into the universe because this is something I tell anybody who's willing to listen. Kristen, I may have even ranted this to you before. I feel like this is one of my most common rants. If you give me a sandwich and it's on bad bread, it doesn't matter what's on the sandwich. It's a bad sandwich. If you give me a sandwich that has excellent bread, you could put whatever the heck you want on it. It's going to be at least a good sandwich. So the bread makes the sandwich.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
It's the star of the sandwich.

Speaker 1 (02:33):
Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
Speaking of which, oh my gosh, I had the best bread I've ever had on a sandwich last weekend. I had some friends in town and I lived near Asheville, North Carolina, and we went to a brewery called Wicked Weed Craft Brewery.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah, I'm familiar with it.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
The focaccia bread was this thick on both sides of the sandwich and had the perfect crispy crust. Oh my gosh, it was amazing.

Speaker 1 (02:57):
Well, thank you to all of our veterans for protecting our right to eat bread and talk about it on our animal podcast, our pet related podcast. Let's go ahead and jump into story time.

Speaker 3 (03:13):
Kristen and Chris present Story Time.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
All right, let's see story time. Kristen, do you want me to go first? You want to kick us off? Which way are we going today?

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Go ahead and kick us off, Chris.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
All right. I tried to find something relevant here and we're a couple months out of it, but it was the 25th anniversary of nine eleven, which is obviously a very heavy time and there's all sorts of things that are talked about and discussed and looked back and reflected on. But I saw a very, very interesting story. This came from University of Pennsylvania and references the AKC Canine Health Foundation. And essentially they've been for the past 25 years studying and researching the health of dogs that were called to service and rescue during nine eleven. And as many of you are probably familiar, the people, the human volunteers who were helpers and first responders and assisting, there was a significant amount of damage to their long-term health from the air they were breathing in, et cetera, et cetera. We don't really need to get into that so much as to say the AKC was researching this and University of Pennsylvania researching this for the dogs as well.

(04:42):
They tracked 95 dogs who worked ground zero in the Pentagon back in 2001 and then against 55 similar dogs who were never deployed and they basically followed these dogs all the way through the rest of their lives.

(04:58):
Now the big fear was these dogs are going to have issues just like people are having issues. What they actually found is that they didn't. There's something about the dog's respiratory system that's different enough from humans that the dogs in the control group lived 12.8 years and the dogs in the experimental group lived 12.7, which is no statistical significance. So the lead researcher, her name was Dr. Cynthia is Dr. Cynthia Otto and she runs Penn Vets Working Dog Center. I love this quote. She said, "Honestly, this is not what we expected and called it wonderful. This is exactly the kind of update we wanted to receive." I just think it's a really nice story. There's not a lot of heartwarming stuff out there when you're trying to find dogs who are sort of called into service and asked to sacrifice for us, but it's good to know that the dogs who were able to give and help out went on to lead long and happy forever lives with their families.

(06:12):
That's always nice to hear.

Speaker 2 (06:14):
That is great news. And my story dovetails nicely with yours. I know we've talked about this in the past, but something that a lot of people don't realize is that when military working dogs, first responders, dogs, when they retire, there's no pension, there's no benefit to cover their medical expenses. So usually the vet bills typically fall to the owner, to the owner's responsibility or whoever adopts them after their service. But a bill in Congress called the Canine Hero Act of 2026, it's been presented. It aims to help out with these costs. It was introduced by Wisconsin Congressman Derek Van Orden, and it would create a federal grant program of $5 million a year starting next year and going through 2031. All that money would go to nonprofits whose mission is caring for retired federal working dogs. So that's some really good news for the caretakers of these retired dogs because fortunately, like you said in your story, Chris, they're not finding that they have health issues related to their service, but still senior dogs do have health issues and they're often costly.

(07:30):
So this should really help.

Speaker 1 (07:34):
Yeah. I feel like those dogs aren't adopted at the same rate as other shelter dogs. And so to give people the option of, well, their healthcare is going to be covered, I think it would motivate some people to take a risk on a dog who is obviously going to be older since they're retiring from a career and also let's call it a more interesting past than some other dogs out there. So I think that's really great.

Speaker 3 (08:06):
Beyond the leash, exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

Speaker 1 (08:11):
Our next guest studies some of the most remarkable abilities in the animal world and helps us understand what separates an ordinary dog from a dog capable of doing an extraordinary job. Dr. Lucia Lazarowski is a chief behavioral scientist with the Canine Performance Sciences Program at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine, where she's also an assistant research professor and a certified applied animal behaviorist. Lucia spent her career studying canine cognition, behavior and that extraordinary canine sense of smell with a particular focus on working and detection dogs. Her research asks fascinating questions. Can we identify when a puppy is just a few months old, whether it has the qualities to become an elite working dog? How do genetics, early experience and training shape that dog's future? What makes one dog better suited to detecting explosives while another may be suited for a completely different job? All these questions and she's bringing answers.

(09:06):
She's studied everything from puppy cognitive development and problem solving to scent detection and the behavioral characteristics of specialized dogs. She's the editor of the scientific book, Olfactory Research in Dogs. All these credentials brings us here to Pets Ad Life. Dr. Lazarowski, thank you so much for taking some time from what I'm sure is a busy schedule to hop on the podcast today.

Speaker 4 (09:30):
Of course. Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (09:32):
So Doc, let's start with the big question. What makes a great working dog? If you were to put 10 puppies in front of you, are there things you could already look for that might tell you which one has the potential to become exceptional?

Speaker 4 (09:50):
Sure. So there's kind of two main things that we look at, one being what you might call confidence or boldness. So is the puppy exploring the environment? It's willing to go up to you. It's not afraid, not showing any signs of fearfulness because in the future they're going to be working out in the world and need to not be afraid. So that's one big one. And the other is kind of just an enthusiasm to work and being high energy, wanting to play and interact with you and with toys because that's all what's going to be used in training and in working later on.

Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah. Well, how early are you able to tell if a puppy is going to be well suited for whatever type of work they may be going into? What do you look for besides simply a puppy that's not fearful or has a good nose?

Speaker 4 (10:43):
Yeah, we start to see some of these things as early as three months, which is just the earliest that we've looked at. Other groups have seen as early as eight to 12 weeks, you can start to tell. Again, it's more just about is that puppy showing that it's interested in the kind of work that it's going to be doing? Is it interested in working with people and in the games that we play in training? Is it confident and bold and not afraid? And we start to see some of that as early as three months, if not younger.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
Wow, that's really interesting. I want to key in on the sense of smell because I love asking experts this because I think it's so hard to conceptualize as people and what we understand smell to be and our terrible human noses. So a trained detection dog, what's that sense of smell like and what are they capable of detecting? What's the science behind what's going on and what makes it so different from a human's understanding of smell?

Speaker 4 (11:47):
Sure. So they can smell anything that has a smell, which is pretty much everything. We aren't able to smell certain things at the level that they can, so they can detect pretty much anything that gives off an odor, but it's more about the training that then goes along with teaching them to single out a particular odor of importance and be able to ignore everything else. So not only can they smell things that we can't even perceive, they can zero in on that and focus on that one particular substance that's important and pick that out amongst everything else that's also smelly to them and ignore that.

Speaker 1 (12:25):
Yeah. I feel like a lot of these situations can be, especially professional detection dogs, it could be overstimulating a place like an airport or a stadium or a concert venue. So what does that focus training, how does that become a part of that dog's regimen in training? Because it's so easy for us as people to conceptualize focusing on sight and focusing on hearing. What's the process to get a dog focusing on a singular smell like?

Speaker 4 (12:57):
Yeah, that's a good analogy. So for a dog, it's not really that it's overwhelming because yes, they can smell everything, but just like people who, for us, vision is the most important sense of hearing, we're not overwhelmed by everything that we're seeing. Our brains pay attention to what we've learned is important. So for the dogs, it's teaching them that the odor of this explosive or this drug is what's important and that's what they're paying attention to. And so the biology of being able to smell everything, but then the training of teaching them this is important. If you alert to this, you're going to get a reward. That's how they learn what's important.

Speaker 2 (13:32):
I see. Doc, I want to put a practical spin on this research. So you're looking at early life experiences and puppy development. Are there lessons that working dog science can teach ordinary pet parents like Chris and I, when we're raising our own puppies? So particularly around socialization or problem solving, confidence building or introduction to new environments?

Speaker 4 (14:00):
Yeah, that's absolutely something that all dogs can benefit from. So it's really important for working dogs because they're going to be out working in environments like airports and stadiums that there's a lot of chaos and noise that your typical pet dog usually can't handle because they haven't been prepared or trained to do that. But we still have to take our dogs to the vet. It'd be nice to be able to travel and take them places. And so socializing puppies and exposing them to environments and just teaching them how to adapt to the world is so important just for a normal dog to be able to live a happy life and for us not to have to worry about what might happen if we take it somewhere when we have to take it somewhere and for that dog to not be stressed. So yeah, it's crucial for working dogs, but it would be a very big benefit for pet dogs to also have those skills too.

Speaker 1 (14:49):
Yeah. It's almost like modern child acting where it's like, "Yeah, this kid has a job, but we need to make sure they still have a childhood." Is it the same thing where it's like, "Yeah, this dog has a job, but we still have to give it what we consider a companion animal's life, right? The comfort and enrichment and play, that's still all part of the process, right?

Speaker 4 (15:11):
Yeah. Work-life balance, just like humans is super important. So obviously their work is

Speaker 1 (15:16):
A

Speaker 4 (15:16):
Very important part of what they've been bred

Speaker 1 (15:18):
And

Speaker 4 (15:18):
Trained to do, but they also need the downtime, they need to rest, they need enrichment and to play. So having that balance, having a dog that has good welfare and enrichment is going to be important for its ability to work well and perform well, just like humans. If we aren't rested and happy, it's going to affect our work, but it's important just for their day-to-day life as well. We should care about how it affects their life and their health and not just their work. It's both. It's an important balance of both.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
Well, and also just as a regular person, when I see the dogs at the airport and stuff, in the back of my mind, I'm like, "I hope they have a good day." So it's good to know that they get to go home and play a little bit.

Speaker 4 (16:01):
Yeah. And it's also important to know that for most of these dogs, getting to work is actually fun for them for them at the game and it's what they were bred and trained to do. And so sometimes it's not really... We view work as stressful unless you happen to have a really cool, fun job. But the dogs, they enjoy it. So getting to work is enriching too, but they also do need downtime for rest and be off.

Speaker 2 (16:21):
Sure. Yeah. I'm curious to know about, is there a general percentage of dogs that once they're trained, they just don't quite make it through the program? And what is it typically that causes them not to kind of graduate and go on to do the job they were trained for?

Speaker 4 (16:38):
Yeah, it varies by program and by specific jobs, but roughly about 50% of dogs and programs for different working roles end up not making it. The number one factor usually that's reported is that lack of confidence and boldness because for the vast majority of working dogs, they're going to be working in some kind of environment that is challenging, it's dynamic, it's variable, and they have to handle anything that comes their way. And that's something that without a lot of socializing or proper genetics and training can be a challenge for a lot of dogs. So that's usually the main thing that will get dogs and cause them to fail out from training. And then they might have a career change to some other job in a more comfortable environment or maybe just be a pet instead.

Speaker 1 (17:25):
So I have a question on the other side of the leash here with the humans. And I'm curious, it's kind of a two-part question because I honestly don't know this. Are the dogs trained to work with one particular handler or one particular team or are they trained to sort of perform under commands? And if they work with several people, do they have favorites? Do they have their best bud that they like to go to work with? I'm just so curious what that relationship's like.

Speaker 4 (17:58):
Yeah, it varies a little bit by the specific role, but for the most part, once a dog is finished with all of its training and it's actually deployed or placed in its role, it's assigned to one handler that for the majority of its career, it's going to be paired with that handler. But obviously there's going to be different handlers throughout its life during training stages or sometimes a handler changes jobs or tired and so they do shift around. So it is very important that bond with the handler, obviously. Ideally, we want the dogs to be able to work with anybody because there might be situations where they change handlers and we want the dogs to be kind of resilient to who's holding the leash, but that bond is really important in how the handler's behavior, if the handler is really nervous or stressed or not as good at their job, those things we say can run down the leash and affect the dog too.

Speaker 2 (18:54):
I have a question about the book that you were the editor on, the olfactory research in dogs. So are there things that this book talks about that would really surprise some of us about how dogs perceive and use their own world of scent?

Speaker 4 (19:11):
There's a lot of information in that book. I'm sure there is. There's a lot in there that most people probably just aren't aware of. But yeah, as far as things that people might not really be aware of in terms of how many odors dogs can learn and remember and the different types of scents that they can be trained to detect that, like we said, we can't even perceive. And so yeah, their world is driven by odor and so it's almost hard for us to even understand how that works.

Speaker 1 (19:44):
Well, Lucia, we got to let you go here. We're coming up on time, but if folks want to learn more, follow your research, follow your journey, where should they go to on the internet to find out?

Speaker 4 (20:01):
I don't have the URL memorized, but if you Google my name and Auburn University, you should find our programs page and my page. And then from there, there should be links to publications and information and you can always email me and I'm happy to provide more information. Awesome.

Speaker 1 (20:18):
Well, thank you so much. This was super interesting and I found it very, very fascinating. It's always fun to have a guest where you've learned some real new stuff.

Speaker 4 (20:28):
Well, thank you. I'm glad I was able to provide some fascinating.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
Well, Tulip loved that interview. She's demanding now a longer sniff walk.

Speaker 1 (20:43):
Well, I think she's earned it. A sniff walk, I like that. I think she's earned a nice sniff walk, and I find it super fascinating when people... And this is probably comic book nerd stuff, but when we talk about animals with very different senses from us and how they perceive the world and almost what their power is like, what is it like to be able to observe all that scent? So I find it very, very fascinating. And it's like dog TV stuff too, all the color shifted stuff and seeing how they sort of perceive things and what is calm and relaxing for them. I guess I love it and I love talking to those kinds of people, so very interesting conversation.

Speaker 2 (21:26):
Makes us smarter too.

Speaker 1 (21:29):
Rare opportunity to get smarter. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (21:33):
All right. Please join me in welcoming our next guest who has spent more than three decades making sure that some extraordinary animals who served alongside humans are never forgotten. Susan Bahari is an internationally acclaimed sculptor whose work celebrates the human animal bond, particularly in the courage and sacrifice of service animals and their handlers. In 1994, Susan created Always Faithful, the country's first official war dog memorial honoring Marine Corps dogs who served in World War II. It was unveiled at the Pentagon and installed at the Marine Corps War Dog Cemetery in Aron Guam. Now since then, she's created some remarkable monuments. She's sculpted Sully, President George H. W. Bush's service dog, Sergeant Stubby, the legendary World War I dog, the pledge, which honors women in the US military and military working dog handlers, and service and sacrifice honoring fallen Navy SEAL Team six dog handler John...

(22:36):
I'm sorry, I'm sure I'm mispronouncing this. Let's say it's Dugura and his war dog, Bart. Now today, Susan is the founder, sculptor, and chair of the National Service Animals Monument, an effort authorized by Congress to create a permanent national monument in Washington DC, honoring the service and sacrifice of animals and the humans who work alongside them. And as if that's not enough, she's also behind the Purple Poppy Awards, which just held its fourth annual ceremony in Washington. That ceremony recognizes remarkable service animals, their human partners, and the organizations supporting them. Susan, welcome to Pet Sad Life.

Speaker 5 (23:14):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (23:15):
Yes. Now, before we get to those Purple Poppy Awards that just happened, let's go back to 1994 when you were asked to create Always Faithful, the sculptor... Sorry. Let's go back to 1994. You were asked to create Always Faithful, honoring Marine Corps war dogs who served during World War II. Can you tell us how that project affected your path and your life?

Speaker 5 (23:46):
Sure. Well, it really opened my eyes to the heart of those who serve, the greatest generation. I was behind that, and they never forgot the animals that saved their lives till their last days. And so I was very moved by that, how they wanted to honor those dogs that saved their lives. I recognized that being a dog lover anyway, I always knew about the human animal bond, but this bond is very special when you're referring to any kind of service animals. And it really moved me to want to do more of these projects, and it led to many projects, as you mentioned, in the US and abroad, to honor the service and sacrifice of the incredible service animals in all the ways in which they serve. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:35):
I want to talk about all the ways with which they serve, because as an artist who's captured the likeness and the spirit of so many of these animals, you've obviously been around them and heard their stories. So for the folks who are listening at home who may not know the history, may not know what animals have provided to this country, what are some of the more obviously familiar animals and what are they like and what other animals may have been a part of this history that are less well remembered, let's say?

Speaker 5 (25:11):
Right. Well, I think most of us understand that the dogs have served incredibly.

Speaker 1 (25:17):
Right, yes.

Speaker 5 (25:18):
But then you've got many others and think about the horses, the mules, the donkeys, the carrier pigeons, even the cats that serve on ships, so many. And then even today, dolphins and sea lions that patrol our coasts, this is amazing. And at Purple Poppy Awards, we had a very unusual animal of the year, a sea otter that does rescue search work, detection work.

Speaker 2 (25:42):
Really?

Speaker 5 (25:42):
So that gives you a little bit of an idea.

Speaker 2 (25:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (25:46):
Yeah. It's a beautiful thing to see how we partner with these animals to do something great. And the animals, of course, they don't have a say in it, but they generally enjoy working. They enjoy working as well. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (26:04):
Yeah. Well, and you helped bring the Purple Poppy tradition here to the US, so can you tell us a little bit about it and who were some of the other awardees that you recently...

Speaker 5 (26:13):
Yes. We honor great animals, people, and organizations. And I mentioned the Animal of the Year was a sea otter that works alongside a dog and a handler to find skeletal remains in very cold cases. So that brings closure to the families. But we also had a real focus on nine eleven because it was the 25th anniversary. And so we had some amazing people who were there and just came together to tell about the different aspects. For example, we had David Lim who lost his dog Sirius, the only dog to die in nine eleven. He was a bomb-sniffing dog who was there working at the World Trade Center with David Lim, who was a hero, brought out many people out of the towers as they were collapsing, but sadly lost his dog. We had Omar Rivera who just brought everyone to tears and to a standing ovation.

(27:14):
He's blind. His dog, Salty, let him down the steps. He had let go of Salty and said, "Go ahead." But Salty came back and wouldn't leave his side and brought him and others down to safety as well as others. We had Denise Corless who had Brittany, the search dog, who was the last living search dog at Ground Zero. Everybody spoke with so much hard. It was very hard for them to relive it, but it was so important. So I could go on and on, but those are some of our... And we had Persons of the Year, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Representative Kiggins, Organization of the Year, United States War Dogs Association. We had Trigger and Dale Evans' Trigger the Horse used to do visits to children hospitals with Roy Rogers. So we cover all of American history. I mean, from George Washington's horses all the way to today and all the ways the animals serve, whether it's military, police work, I say law enforcement, military law enforcement, search and rescue assistance, guide, therapy animals, all of these are covered by the National Service Animals Monument Project.

Speaker 1 (28:31):
Yeah, and I want to talk a little bit about that project. It's sort of the next big thing on the docket for you, which is very exciting. Tell us a little bit about this monument, what the plan is, and then I want the artist's perspective of this. What are you trying to capture and represent? And maybe what do you want 50 to 100 years from now when the kids are going on their elementary tour of Washington DC and they see this sculpture, this fixture, what do you want them to walk away with?

Speaker 5 (29:06):
Right. Yeah, that's very important. Well, your listeners, viewers might know that we received congressional authorization in December of 2022 to get federal land to build this national monument to honor the heroic deeds and sacrifices of all service animals and their handlers in American history. And so now we are fundraising in the remaining time we have in our authorization period. We are fundraising for a total of 30 million, and we are also adding advisors and other people to join in, so we really welcome that. That's where we are now. We also have a bill that's in Congress now, a second bill to authorize us to be located on the National Mall Reserve. So that's something that could go into next year, that's where we stand. As far as the vision, when this came to me, I knew that we had to do it. It was long overdue, and I figured I probably had to be the person to do it.

(30:13):
So just really have worked really hard with our board and others to pull together. Now, this is a monument that will inspire, educate, honor, and even I think be healing. And yet it's also celebratory of the incredible deeds and serving sacrifices and ways in which and stories and tell these amazing stories about how these animals and people partner together. Now in the future, what I'm envisioning is, and the design has to come later after the site, but right now as an artist, one of the designs is like a park-like setting with various sculptures that you visit and with a QR code listening to stories that ever change with the times and to bring it to life. Now, I really feel that this is a monument that can bring people together. I think that on something we can all agree on. I like to say that because I really believe that.

(31:15):
Also, the children are really important. As you say, they're the next generation, the future generations. And I think, and I hope that by going into this monument, they'll see a part of American history and learn it through the animals. And I think it would make them more interested in learning about history to do it through the animals. And on the National Mall, it's kind of a thread that hasn't been told, but it runs through all the existing monuments on the National Mall. So this amazing contribution of animals and this partnership. So I think that children can learn about compassion. They can learn about how wonderful to serve, how wonderful it is to learn about history and to hear these stories and to appreciate those people with disabilities who need help and use these animals. So that's some of what I envision. It's very exciting.

Speaker 2 (32:15):
It is very exciting. And you mentioned that the design comes later. So as the artist, how do you go about designing the sculptures for the monument? Because obviously you want to capture the way the animal looked, but also the relationship between that person and a human, whether it's a handler or if they were a service dog for a particular person, how do you go about doing that?

Speaker 5 (32:43):
Well, I think that we do have to work with the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission to determine how to develop a design that I bring forth and with landscape architects. So that is a whole step in and of itself.

Speaker 2 (33:02):
A big step.

Speaker 5 (33:04):
But whenever you, as an artist, whenever I try to embark on a project, you think about what do you want people to feel? What do you want them to take away? And then with that feeling and those thoughts, sketches, and as a sculptor, you build a framework and then clay and then there's a whole casting process, mold making casting, all of that. But it takes research, which I love. I love researching how things were, how they're supposed to be and try to capture something that will inspire people.

Speaker 1 (33:43):
Yeah, that's great. Well, Susan, we are coming up on the end of our time here, but I want you to let people know who are listening or watching us where they can go to follow this project or any other websites or resources where they could learn more and stay up to date. I'm sure this would be very interesting to all of our listeners out there.

Speaker 5 (34:06):
Oh, for sure. Thank you. National Service Animals with an S, Monument, nationalserviceanimalsmonument.org. And if they want to see more of my sculptures as the artist and founder of the Monument, they can go to Bahary Studios, B-A-H-A-R-Y studios.com. That

Speaker 1 (34:26):
Is great. You guys know where to go. There's a donate button right at the top of that page. So if you want to help make this happen, be part of American history, this is your chance to contribute to something that I'm sure will be amazing. Susan, thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to talk about this with us. By the way, we never got to get to this. All the sculptures in your background, are those all yours that you've worked on?

Speaker 5 (34:49):
Yes. And over my right shoulder is Sully.

Speaker 2 (34:53):
Oh, hi Sully.

Speaker 1 (34:55):
Phenomenal. Well, clearly you are incredibly talented, so I cannot wait to see how this monument turns out. I'm sure it's going to be phenomenal.

Speaker 5 (35:05):
Oh, thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 2 (35:09):
Chris, that was a first. We've never had a sculptor on the show before.

Speaker 1 (35:13):
Yeah. We get very few studio artists. We get musicians and things like, but practical studio art, especially sculpture. And all those things you saw on the screen. By the way, if you're not watching us on YouTube or Dog TV Unleashed, you're missing out on a lot because all those sculptures in the background were Susan's work. It's just phenomenal, really cool stuff. And you should check out the website to see more of her work. And if that's just a sneak preview of what she's cooking up for this monument, I mean, I'm really excited to see how it turns out. And I really hope that they could get it located on the National Mall too.

Speaker 2 (35:56):
Yeah, that would be great. And then I think we should do an episode from the monument when that happens.

Speaker 1 (36:01):
Field trip. Field trip. Yay.

Speaker 3 (36:05):
The product of the week.

Speaker 1 (36:09):
Okay. It is time for our product of the week. And Kristen, why don't you go ahead and kick us off with your product of the week, please?

Speaker 2 (36:21):
Sure, sure. This is a product that I have gifted to a friend and she absolutely loves it. It's from Sleepy Pod. It's called The Go Bag. It's a pet travel and emergency organizer bag. And I'm a big fan of Sleepy Pod. I think I've featured a few of their products here on our product of the week, but I like this one, especially this time of year because either as a gift or a gift to yourself, it's a great gear piece to have for when you travel with your pet. So for example, it's great for road trips, flights, vet visits, a packed emergency kit that you set by the door. It comes in beautiful colors and everything that is designed by Sleepy Pod is so thoughtfully created in terms of the size and the pockets and the ability to store a lot of stuff. And it comes with kind of like a tote bag and then it's got three other packs that go inside of the tote bag so that you could store food, you could store both dry or canned food, you could store toys, medications, you name it.

(37:32):
And it is about 99 bucks. It's not cheap. It's a little bit bougie of a travel bag for your pet, but it will last you forever. And yeah, I think it's a great holiday time gift idea or must have gear for you and your pet.

Speaker 1 (37:49):
Here we go.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (37:51):
That is good stuff.

Speaker 2 (37:54):
So what have you this week, Chris?

Speaker 1 (37:57):
So very recently I was with my parents and their dog and we had dog and baby and we're getting in the car to go out and do this stuff. And my parents have an older dog. Stella is, geez, I think she's 12 now. So she's certainly elderly, a nana dog. And she just looks so uncomfortable in the back seat. And I was thinking there's got to be a better way for this. And needless to say, there is. So Ruff Liners, I don't know if you've seen their product around Kristen, because I get their ads all the time on Instagram because I talk about pets way too often. And essentially think of those backseat covers you put on your back seats to just protect it from dog mess. But imagine it extended out all the way up to your front row seats and you essentially flicked down braces and then scooped it up and over the headrests, creating an entire flat surface from the back of the back row from the front of the back row to the back of the front row.

(39:12):
So that entire gap becomes a platform. So your bigger dog, your retriever size dogs can lay down comfortably while they're in the car. Instead of having to do that, you could tell their uncomfortable sit where they're leaning back and they do this thing and they're looking out the window as if they can't wait to get out. I just think it's a really cool product. It fits most standard cars. They have the dimensions up there. It snaps in and does the side panels too, which my parents have the backseat cover. They don't have side panels covers and you could tell because it's a claw marks all over the side panels. So it's going to protect the entire back area for when your dog is moving around. It doesn't even take bad behavior. So it is a bit expensive.

Speaker 2 (39:57):
I'm looking at it right now. It's really nice. I though you were saying it was just kind of like that hammock to protect the interior.

Speaker 1 (40:03):
No, it's like adding a floor.

Speaker 2 (40:06):
Yeah, exactly. Very smart.

Speaker 1 (40:09):
It's on sale right now while we're recording this. It's normally 190 bucks. It's on sale right now for 170. And it comes in black and gray, yada, yada, yada. And they've got more than just this. This just was very much so stuck out as a solution to what I saw recently, but they have a whole line of products and different sizes and things like that. So very clever. I talk about car stuff all the time because I think that's like, I love keeping my car clean and that is what horrifies me all the time is when a dog gets in my car and I'm like, eh. So it's kind of always top of mind for me. So I think they make some great products, so check them out. Link, as always, will be in your show notes.

Speaker 3 (40:54):
Q&As.

Speaker 1 (40:55):
Okay, folks, it is time for our favorite part of the show. That's right. We're going to answer two questions from our fans at home and fans at home. If you want to know how to get your question answered by Chris or Kristen, go 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 are feeling as brave as the service dogs who help us out every single day, you could record a voice memo and you may hear your question played live on the air.

Speaker 2 (41:31):
Sure. All right. Our first question comes from Rachel in Denver, Colorado, where I'm headed later this afternoon. She says, "My dog spends forever sniffing everything when we go for walks. And sometimes I get impatient and try to keep him moving. Is all that sniffing actually important for dogs or should I be giving him more opportunities to use his nose at home too? And what are some simple scent games I can do with him at home?" So we were thinking this would be a perfect question for Dr. Lucia and she's agreed to come back and answer it for us because she is the true expert on dog scents.

Speaker 4 (42:13):
Sure. So yes, that is super important. Letting dogs sniff whatever they want to sniff and then have time to investigate because that is how they perceive the world and that is how they get information. And we think about for us going on a walk, it's about moving and exercise and getting from point A to point B. But for them, getting to sniff all of these different odors from different animals, different people, different substances, that to them is interesting and fun and engaging and gives them that mental and physical stimulation that they don't get when they're just sitting at home. So at home we can provide that by setting up different little fun nose work games, hiding treats and things like that. But getting to sniff things outside the home that they don't usually encounter is also a good form of enrichment.

Speaker 2 (42:58):
Awesome. Well, thank you Dr. Lazarowski for answering that question. That's something I've always wondered too. Sometimes when I'm in a hurry to do tulips walk, she just wants to sniff. It's kind of a combination between I let her sniff, but then I bring her along.

Speaker 1 (43:12):
She looks at you like you don't get it mom. You just don't understand me.

Speaker 2 (43:17):
I get it now.

Speaker 1 (43:19):
All right, great. So our next question, Kristen, is for you in Ernest. This is a question actually for Chris and Kristen. No tricks, no surprise guests. And this question comes from Jessica in, oh, your neighbor, Rally, North Carolina. Thank you, Jessica, for your question. Jessica asks, "We adopted a rescue dog who loves women, but seems really nervous around men, especially men with hats or deeper voices. We don't know anything about his past. Does that necessarily mean something bad happened to him and what's the best way to help him become more comfortable?"

Speaker 2 (44:00):
Jessica, this is a really, really great question. It's an unusual question. We've never gotten anything like this before, but I'm glad you asked it. And what I would start off by saying is that it is very common actually. It doesn't necessarily mean that your dog was mistreated by a man or men. What it typically means is that your dog maybe didn't meet very many men when he was a puppy. So puppies have this critical socialization window between three and 14 weeks of age, and that's when new things become normal to them. So anything that they are exposed to in that really, really early stage is kind of just no big deal. They're used to it. So for example, if your dog lived with a woman prior as a puppy and now you have the dog, it's probably just that he... I'm sorry, is it he or she?

(44:58):
I missed that part. It probably just means that he was never exposed to men. And it's kind of funny because Tulip has lived with us since the pandemic, since she was like six weeks old. And my husband and I are, we're not tall. I'm five four. I think my husband's five six or five seven. And so Tulip is very afraid of tall people. So whenever anybody tall comes around to the house, she's a little bit freaked out. She eventually comes around. But really the key is just to kind of let your dog set the pace, ask men not to reach for him, stare or lean over him. Just kind of turn sideways, crouch down and let your dog get used to him. Maybe take their hat off. That could help too. But if it becomes a real problem or if your dog is growling, I would say you might want to contact a certified dog trainer or an animal behaviorist just to kind of help him through that process of maybe getting desensitized to men.

Speaker 1 (46:08):
And don't let your dog watch Curious George. It'd be horrifying for him. Well, I think that's a great answer, Kristen. And to be fair, Grayson, for whatever reason, hates other men with beards.

Speaker 2 (46:22):
Really?

Speaker 1 (46:23):
Yeah. He's kind of confused by it.

Speaker 2 (46:26):
He's like, "Only my daddy has a beard."

Speaker 1 (46:27):
Yeah. I don't know what it is. So maybe some creatures just have weird opinions on things.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (46:34):
So that is a great question. Jessica, thank you for writing in. And that is it for this episode of Pal. To all of our veterans, we thank you for your service. We hope you have a great holiday tomorrow, and I hope everybody else out there has a great rest of their week. Enjoy your commutes. If you're commuting, enjoy your TV time. If you're watching us on your screen, be sure to follow us on your social medias, on your little screens, because we want to be on your big screen and your tiny screen. So make that happen.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
And if you're a dog listening that served our country or is a first responder, thank you for your service.

Speaker 1 (47:16):
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 Bonifati, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.

Speaker 2 (47:36):
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?