34. Dog Show Competitions and Pet Influencing with @CorgiClubColton

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00:00:00:04 - 00:00:14:09
Voice Over
Pets add life. Your guide to the latest in pet trends, products and the joy of the human animal bond with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonifati powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog TV.

00:00:14:11 - 00:00:31:22
Chris
And we are back with another wonderful episode of the Pets Add Life podcast. I'm Chris Bonifati. Joining me, as always, is the salacious and studious Kristin Levine.

00:00:32:00 - 00:00:34:11
Chris
Kristin, how are you doing today?

00:00:34:13 - 00:00:39:05
Kristen
I'm doing great. I love October. I just love it.

00:00:39:07 - 00:00:46:01
Chris
It's my thing. It's a great month. I got married that month. It's my dad's birthday this month. Halloween is this month I love. I love me some Halloween.

00:00:46:04 - 00:00:47:01
Kristen
Yes.

00:00:47:02 - 00:00:54:08
Chris
Yeah, I'm a big fantasy nerd, so, like, giving me an excuse to get all, like, dressed up and dissociate for an entire day.

00:00:54:12 - 00:00:57:08
Kristen
You're. Are you wearing a costume right now? That shirt is kind of a.

00:00:57:12 - 00:01:21:18
Chris
Yeah. This shirt actually, you know, shout out to Josh for Terry. Found me at the end of Super Zoo to hand deliver me this exact shirt because he was wearing it. And I said, that's an awesome shirt. I need one like that for my podcast. And he obviously we're at a trade show. He couldn't give me the shirt off of his back, but I found a way to make it possible later on in the week.

00:01:21:20 - 00:01:32:04
Chris
So big shout out to Josh out there. If you're listening. Your shirt has finally made it. It's totally my esthetic. Yeah, but we'll call it a costume.

00:01:32:06 - 00:01:33:03
Kristen
Okay?

00:01:33:05 - 00:01:43:10
Chris
Yeah, we'll call it a costume. This week we have, some really great guests for you guys. We're going to be, talking about some famous dogs as.

00:01:43:12 - 00:01:45:16
Kristen
And talking to a famous dog.

00:01:45:18 - 00:01:58:10
Chris
Yeah. Which is, it's tough to get out of, you know, these celebrity dogs, they clam up. They're their saying. Yeah, they're kind of, mysterious. They've got an air of mystique about them. They don't want it. They want to be vague. They don't want to. Yeah.

00:01:58:10 - 00:02:00:11
Kristen
You have to go through their people.

00:02:00:13 - 00:02:20:11
Chris
To actually go through their people. And it's always, you know, yeah, I hate that. I just want to work directly with the talent. But we're going to be giving you, as always, a great episode, two guest, two stories, two product recommendations. And at the end of it all, we're going to answer two of your questions. And I still cannot believe it is October.

00:02:20:11 - 00:02:28:18
Chris
So we're going to walk straight through that disbelief and, start ourselves off with some story time.

00:02:28:20 - 00:02:33:03
Voice Over
Kristen and Chris present story time.

00:02:33:05 - 00:02:36:11
Kristen
I have a story with a really happy ending today.

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Chris
Okay.

00:02:37:20 - 00:03:16:07
Kristen
So this is a story about two cats who were both, in the same animal shelter in North Carolina. One kitty, I think his name is Percy. Percy, was very, very shy cat. He had he spent over 400 days in this shelter. The other kitty is. Where is. Oh. Hold on. Oh, there is winter. The other cat, his name is Winter and was a very outgoing cat, but oddly, even as an outgoing cat, he spent over 500 days in this animal shelter.

00:03:16:09 - 00:03:40:19
Kristen
Well, a couple of weeks ago, both Percy and Winter were adopted together into the same home. And one of the reasons, the woman who adopted them chose those two is because, you know, Percy was so shy and Winter was so outgoing, and so she was hoping that they would kind of like that would be a nice balance in the home that they're not both outgoing and competing for attention, and they're not both super shy.

00:03:40:19 - 00:04:01:03
Kristen
So Percy and Winter finally got adopted, together. And so we wish them the best of luck. And and I did want to point out that, I believe it was winter was brought into the shelter, like I said, over 500 days ago as a kitten and was actually shy as a kitten, and it took some time for him to come out of the shell.

00:04:01:04 - 00:04:29:00
Kristen
He became very social, which which tells me that the shelter volunteers probably did a really great job of socializing him and working with him. But, sometimes the kittens that are more, you know, outgoing and, you know, vocal are the ones that get adapted first and the ones that kind of hunker in the back of the cage and are quiet, you know, I guess, you know, visually it might look like something's wrong with them or they're just not very friendly when they really just are probably frightened.

00:04:29:00 - 00:04:38:06
Kristen
So anyway, I'm just super happy to hear that these two cats that have there really done some long time in that shelter, have a home together now.

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Chris
Yeah. And shout out to that shelter staff too. That's a long time to be taking care of an animal in a shelter. So it is a big shout out to all those volunteers and workers who make stories like this even possible.

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Kristen
What's your story today?

00:04:53:03 - 00:05:07:14
Chris
I've got a fun one. I've got some controversy in the high fashion world. I've got controversy in the high fashion world. So, this is a story coming out of, Rome, Italia, and Dolce and Gabbana.

00:05:07:16 - 00:05:08:04
Janina
Okay.

00:05:08:04 - 00:05:22:14
Chris
In all their infinite wisdom, have launched a new alcohol free perfume for dogs called What a Feather? After Dominico Dolce Poodle.

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Kristen
Oh, of course.

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Chris
This has caused an uproar. Which I just think is so funny. So this, you know, 3.4oz is going to run you €99. That's 108 freedom bucks for for those of you who aren't going to do the math. And obviously, you know, it's still European Union, they went through all the safe pet cosmetics and all that kind of stuff, all totally aboveboard.

00:05:48:15 - 00:06:01:00
Chris
But guess because something's aboveboard doesn't necessarily mean it's great, right? There's a lot of people who are like you. You shouldn't be doing like dogs. Communicate through scent.

00:06:01:02 - 00:06:01:16
Kristen
Yes.

00:06:01:16 - 00:06:30:16
Chris
And there's a lot of vets, that are essentially they're bringing this, complaint to the Bureau Veritas Italia. Wow. That provides it's a publicly held company that provides inspection, laboratory verification and certification, certifying certifications, services. Kind of like, Italy's better business bureau, is it? Sure. So just this concept that, hey, dogs communicate with scent.

00:06:30:16 - 00:06:56:04
Chris
If you change the way a dog interprets its scent, you're going to change its behavior. You can use other dogs, you can confuse dogs that may be around it often, or a case at the dog park. The dog might end up using the bathroom in the house because its sense of smell is, thrown, thrown off. And if the fragrance is so overpowering, the reason a dog knows you're, like, coming to the door.

00:06:56:05 - 00:07:14:14
Chris
Sure, it's the sense of hearing, but it's also they smell you coming. And if that perfume is essentially blocking that sense of smell, it could cause confusion. So there's this whole there's all of this, like, how much harm could it be versus this group of people, like, you're ruining animals and I'm somewhere right in the middle of.

00:07:14:16 - 00:07:27:12
Chris
I'm not spending $100 on dogs. You know, that's why this one didn't make it into product of the week. It's not because of the controversy. $100, three ounce. Well, you know, I love my dog, but not like that.

00:07:27:14 - 00:07:35:22
Kristen
You know what this makes me think of, though? This makes me think that it was. Do you think maybe maybe it was just a publicity stunt by Dolce and Gabbana to get some? I mean.

00:07:35:22 - 00:07:38:09
Chris
The product is real. It's real.

00:07:38:11 - 00:07:41:11
Kristen
So they put a lot of a lot of resources into it. Okay.

00:07:41:11 - 00:07:51:10
Chris
Yeah, but you're right. Like, these are Italians we're talking about. And I got to say this as an Italian myself, these are Italians we're talking about. They are conniving and they love drama and they will do so well.

00:07:51:10 - 00:07:51:20
Kristen
They got it.

00:07:51:20 - 00:08:06:18
Chris
Wrong just to cause a kerfuffle. So maybe, maybe it is just some clever marketing. But either way, I, you know, when I was hitting the internet trying to find something to talk about, I saw this and I was like, this is just whoa. Well, these people, it.

00:08:06:18 - 00:08:16:13
Kristen
Is a little it's absurd. I mean, if the only reason you would, you would think to use Cologne on your dog is because maybe he doesn't smell good, and maybe you just need to give him a bath.

00:08:16:15 - 00:08:23:12
Chris
Yeah, or you're just one of those people who really thinks that your dog is a person.

00:08:23:14 - 00:08:23:23
Kristen
True.

00:08:24:02 - 00:08:43:06
Chris
You know, I'm it's okay to have a personal relationship with your dog, but at the end of the day, they are a dog, right? And they don't use the same stuff we use. And I think sometimes we blur that line a little bit and it's like, yeah, it's a dog. Like, you know, I'm talking about like dog beer, which is basically just like bread flavored water.

00:08:43:12 - 00:08:44:08
Kristen
It's just kind of fun.

00:08:44:08 - 00:08:54:21
Chris
The the dog doesn't desire beer. He doesn't really want it. You're doing it for yourself. And I feel like this is another animal product where it's like, you're doing it for yourself. The dog doesn't really want this.

00:08:54:23 - 00:08:56:18
Kristen
I'll be interesting to hear what happens.

00:08:56:20 - 00:09:06:10
Chris
Yes, we we will be following this one closely. So tune in. Maybe I'll have an update when Dolce and Gabbana get, sued at some point. Yeah, I know, we'll see.

00:09:06:12 - 00:09:11:01
Voice Over
Beyond the Leash exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

00:09:11:01 - 00:09:38:11
Kristen
All right. Joining us now is Janina Loren, a distinguished judge at Westminster Dog Show. And Janina brings decades of experience and a profound understanding of the herding group. She hails from Connecticut, and she was born into a family that's passionate about dog shows. And Nina's journey in the world of dogs. Started out with German shepherds but quickly expanded to Belgian terriers, which she has lovingly displayed on her and her so behind art.

00:09:38:11 - 00:10:05:11
Kristen
The oven behind her. Since 1999, she's been judging with a focus on the herding group, Best in Show, junior showmanship and several working and non-sporting breeds. Let's see. Under the Chateau Blanc kennel name, Janina has bred over 200 champions, including multiple Best in Show winners and top performers, top performance dogs in obedience and agility. Welcome Janina.

00:10:05:13 - 00:10:07:17
Janina
Hi. Nice to be with you today.

00:10:07:19 - 00:10:28:04
Kristen
Oh, it's great to meet you. You are an esteemed judge and we've got Kristen. I have lots of questions for you, but I thought I'd start out with, since, you know, you judge the herding group. Can you give us some examples of herding group dogs so that some of our listeners who are not, as you know, you know, wise, we can.

00:10:28:04 - 00:10:34:12
Chris
Just say it for Chris because he doesn't know. Chris doesn't know. So, yeah, because, Chris, that's.

00:10:34:12 - 00:11:05:13
Janina
Probably the most common to, well known breeds in the herding group are the German Shepherd dog and collies, the rough coated, long coated ones and the Smooth Collies. And the third probably most well known dog is Queen Elizabeth's corgis. So they're two corgis in the herding group, the Pembroke Corgi, which is generally a detail, and, the cardigan corgi, which is a little bit longer coated and a little bit heavier.

00:11:05:15 - 00:11:29:22
Janina
So, there are other breeds like my own, the Belgian to Vern, which, there are several, breeds of Belgians or varieties if you're from around the world. And then there are other dogs like the Bouvier and the Brickyard and the smaller breeds like the Sheltie, which is also very popular as a family pet, the Shetland Sheepdog.

00:11:30:00 - 00:11:36:11
Janina
And the very, distinct looking pool, which is almost typically accorded breed.

00:11:36:12 - 00:11:41:06
Chris
Yeah. Gotcha. All very, intelligent dogs to this herding group.

00:11:41:11 - 00:12:11:16
Janina
Yes. The, herding group is very intelligent, and that's one of, I think the hallmarks of working and herding breeds is that they were meant to serve us, for the most part, as humans and doing tasks throughout history, and to the best that we can in today's modern society. We ask them to do tasks, tasks and things to keep their mind active and, primarily as a pet dog, to keep them out of trouble at home.

00:12:11:18 - 00:12:16:22
Chris
Yes. Yes. Precisely. Yes. A board, a board German Shepherd can.

00:12:16:22 - 00:12:22:02
Janina
Is not a good. Any board dog is not good.

00:12:22:04 - 00:12:28:23
Kristen
So do you need it when you're judging? What are some of the key qualities you're looking for in, in a herding dog during these events?

00:12:29:00 - 00:12:54:20
Janina
So as we talked about, the herding breeds are primarily, activity dogs. They were meant to do things. And all of those breeds have standards, which you're to judge against that. A parent club, which is the host club of that breed, determines what the best German Shepherd is, what the best, ideal Belgian to should look like, etc..

00:12:54:22 - 00:13:21:16
Janina
So we judge against a standard and some of the things that we look for that are common within the herding breeds is functionality. First of all, because they need to have four good legs, so that they can do their job if that's herding or gathering or driving a herd someplace. And then the other thing is, when you look at them, do they look like they're supposed to look like.

00:13:21:18 - 00:13:47:13
Janina
So if you see four heads of four herding breeds looking over, a fence, would you recognize that as a German shepherd or a Belgian terrier, or as a collie, or as a border collie or an Australian shepherd? So they need to have a distinct look that identifies them as what they are. And then are they in condition or are they in working condition?

00:13:47:18 - 00:13:55:01
Janina
So if asked, would they be able to go out after they're done showing and actually do what they were bred to do?

00:13:55:02 - 00:14:15:08
Kristen
You know, Chris and I are talking about this before we started the interview. And you know, so Chris and I, they they often look all the same. So there must be it must be really difficult in your, in your role to, to to identify the nuances between dogs that are that to us seem like they all meet the standard, you know race and.

00:14:15:08 - 00:14:45:11
Janina
Right so you it it can be to the novice either you would easily get confused between, for example, a bearded collie and perhaps a Polish Lowland Sheepdog, which have somewhat similar colorings, and an Old English Sheepdog. And they're all very distinctly different. So, the best thing I could tell someone that's new to the dog show game is pick up a book of dogs.

00:14:45:12 - 00:15:08:10
Janina
And the AKC has, The Complete Book of Dogs, and there are probably several out there at the bookstores. And look on the internet and look on the AKC site and just go under the herding group or whatever breed you're interested in or group you're interested in, of dogs. And, just look at them and look at the characteristics that might fit with your family or your show goals.

00:15:08:10 - 00:15:11:13
Janina
If you're interested in showing.

00:15:11:15 - 00:15:39:15
Chris
And so we've got the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show coming up this February, and it will be your, first time judging the group at Westminster. So, yeah, made a bit of made a bit of a concern face there. Little word. Is it? You know, this is this is the big one, right? Is it is it all at all anxiety inducing to be sort of doing, this judging, at, you know, at Madison Square Garden?

00:15:39:21 - 00:15:43:04
Chris
Yes.

00:15:43:06 - 00:16:03:16
Janina
So when, when I received the letter and it said that it would be back in New York, I, I guessed it would be back at, Madison Square Garden, but I wasn't sure until they actually announced it. And then they announced and and then I was scared and like.

00:16:03:18 - 00:16:17:11
Janina
It it didn't sound as intimidating if it was going to be in some of their temporary locations. But now that it's in the garden, it's just the whole thought of it, initially frightened me, quite frankly, so.

00:16:17:11 - 00:16:19:05
Kristen
But but what an honor.

00:16:19:06 - 00:16:29:04
Janina
Yeah, I know that. You know, it's an honor. And, it's exciting and there's so much that goes with it. So I'm looking forward to it very much.

00:16:29:08 - 00:16:47:03
Chris
Good. What what type of prep goes into something like this? I mean, obviously you have. You've been judging for years. You know, the breeds extensively and yet still there's that pang of anxiety in the back of your head doing this on this big stage. So how are you going to prepare? What are you going to do to get ready?

00:16:47:05 - 00:16:51:11
Chris
Because I know you're going to do a great job, but how are we going to get there?

00:16:51:13 - 00:16:57:16
Janina
So yes, I think all judges, when they get to that point, put on their game for like game face that day.

00:16:57:18 - 00:16:59:13
Chris
They actually make it right.

00:16:59:13 - 00:17:29:22
Janina
So then all the panic disappears and you're very familiar with what you're doing. So some of the preparation of course is personal. You have to, when we're judged late at night, which is, in itself very different. And the bright lights and, personally, you know, you have to make sure you have, your dress and all that works together and doesn't get doesn't get in the way of examining dogs or walking down that long pathway from one end of the breed to the next.

00:17:30:00 - 00:17:57:22
Janina
And then for actual knowledge, no matter how much you read standards, you always read them again because, as comfortable as an individual might be with those, you never know. So standards change their nuances that are different. So yeah. So I'll be reading standards and, trying to remember as much of the hallmarks of a particular breed as is possible.

00:17:58:00 - 00:18:02:01
Janina
So that's what I'm doing to prepare.

00:18:02:03 - 00:18:13:07
Kristen
Very exciting. Well, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is going to be held February 8th through 11th back at Madison Square Garden, as you mentioned. And as I understand, tickets are already on sale.

00:18:13:07 - 00:18:15:15
Janina
That's terrific. That's terrific.

00:18:15:15 - 00:18:39:08
Chris
Get get your tickets now because they're it's back at the garden. I expect it to be a an absolute sellout. I had the honor of being there, last year when it was at Arthur Ashe. I got to meet, a lot of very interesting characters. There's all sorts of fun people who both attend and show and judge, these events.

00:18:39:08 - 00:18:59:23
Chris
So if we have some listeners out there, Janina, who, maybe considering, starting to show their dog or breeding dogs, or maybe they've been showing dogs they want to become a judge. Do you have any advice for for folks who maybe just starting out, on how to get involved, that maybe a more local level?

00:19:00:01 - 00:19:23:03
Janina
Yes. Because, going to, the garden is like the pinnacle of success. So if you work your way up to that, and we all started out locally, so I can only tell you from my experience, when I started out and for H and then I was in junior handling and then I showed and bred my own dogs.

00:19:23:05 - 00:19:57:21
Janina
So I would recommend to anyone that, you go to dog got a dog shows and watch and just observe and talk to people when they're done showing about what you're interested in. And certainly there is, an avenue at the American Kennel Club where you can go and visit with them and you can go on their website and ask questions of experts that are there, signs someone in the breed that you are comfortable with and that may take a little bit of time.

00:19:57:23 - 00:20:25:15
Janina
To find, commonality among what your interests are. And, just take your time and watch and see what you like. It's not as intimidating as you think. Some some people find it very intimidating, but, once you get comfortable with how dog shows are run and how it happens, you can crawl right into it and you individually, can end up being very successful.

00:20:25:15 - 00:20:46:10
Janina
And a great number of people that compete at Westminster are our normal, everyday people that own a very nice dog and started out and have reached the breed level they are. On average the group will have all and we've had breeder owner handlers win best in show there. So it's totally possible.

00:20:46:12 - 00:20:56:03
Kristen
Yeah, well, and I appreciate you breaking it down for us to make it, you know, feel more accessible and attainable for, for people who might have an interest and or maybe a dream. Oh, yeah.

00:20:56:03 - 00:21:06:07
Janina
I, you know, most, you have interesting people, you know, they see Westminister on TV in some of the larger shows and it's like, oh, my God, I need sparkles. I need a.

00:21:06:09 - 00:21:12:23
Chris
This. You do need sparkles. Let's be clear. You need sparkles. But, you know, the.

00:21:12:23 - 00:21:18:07
Janina
Everyday, run of the mill dog show. Is that a fairground? For the most part, yeah. Yep.

00:21:18:07 - 00:21:35:03
Chris
So that's you? Yeah. And, you know, to echo the sentiment, I've had the opportunity to go to a few dog shows now, and everybody that I've spoken with, whether they were a handler or a breeder or a groomer or a judge, have been absolutely welcoming, ready and willing to share their knowledge.

00:21:35:03 - 00:21:37:14
Kristen
And answered all your stupid questions.

00:21:37:16 - 00:21:59:10
Chris
Answer all my stupid questions about, you know, what makes, what makes a Chihuahua an award winning Chihuahua, things like that. So it really is an awesome, space kind of its own little universe that it is until you feel the gravitational pull. You may not even be aware it exists, so definitely check it out at the local level.

00:21:59:12 - 00:22:06:00
Chris
My understanding is you could just go straight on to the AKC website and see see some of this information. Is that correct?

00:22:06:02 - 00:22:22:08
Janina
That's correct. And they there are dog shows that are filmed on occasion. And you can just take a look and see what's going on. And the people that, do that are also very good at explaining to a level that everyone understands what's going on at the dogs.

00:22:22:09 - 00:22:47:06
Chris
And speaking of filmed dog shows, folks, dog TV still has that archival footage of the The Old Westminster shows up on their channel. So if you want to see and not just, the current best in show, but the evolution of these different breeds and what used to win and what wins now, I found it to be a really cool experience, kind of watching some of the, the old, clips, even going back to, black and white.

00:22:47:06 - 00:22:49:01
Chris
So that was, that was really cool as well.

00:22:49:04 - 00:22:53:06
Janina
Oh yeah. Those are fun. Yeah, I enjoy watching those myself.

00:22:53:08 - 00:23:07:03
Kristen
So, and if you want to see Judge Jeanine judging at Westminster, be sure to get your tickets now and hopefully I'll get to come next year. Oh, I mean, I'll be there with Chris this time and I will come look for you. Jeanine.

00:23:07:05 - 00:23:08:00
Janina
Oh, great. Danny.

00:23:08:00 - 00:23:08:19
Kristen
No. Sorry, Jenny.

00:23:08:19 - 00:23:22:08
Chris
That's all right. Well, that's all the time we have. Janina, thank you so much for joining us. I will definitely be there. We're going to get Kristin up there to and maybe we'll come find you for the the herding group and and, get a follow up interview.

00:23:22:10 - 00:23:23:14
Janina
Oh, that'd be fun.

00:23:23:16 - 00:23:40:00
Chris
That would be a lot of fun. We'll see you down there. And again, folks, go ahead and buy your tickets. 149th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show February 8th to 11th at the beautiful the world's Greatest arena, Madison Square Garden. So go ahead and check that out. Do you need to? Thanks again for joining us this morning.

00:23:40:01 - 00:23:42:01
Janina
Thanks for having me. Have a great day.

00:23:42:03 - 00:23:44:17
Kristen
Bye now.

00:23:44:18 - 00:24:08:13
Chris
You know, coming out of that, I think we learned a lot. We learned a lot from Janina, but I'm still stuck on the fact that corgis are judged next to German Shepherds. And Kyle, it's like, you know, like when she mentioned that I literally instantly opened another tab and I was like, there's no way to win. That's right.

00:24:08:15 - 00:24:11:05
Chris
Right, right. Well, it's absolutely true. These are.

00:24:11:07 - 00:24:19:16
Kristen
All right. I asked her to share some of the herding breeds because I automatically think I don't even think of shepherds. I automatically think of like, Australian shepherds as well.

00:24:19:16 - 00:24:21:22
Chris
Yeah, but I mean, they got Shepherd in the name Chris.

00:24:22:04 - 00:24:23:05
Kristen
Come on. I know that's.

00:24:23:05 - 00:24:23:17
Chris
Like what I.

00:24:23:17 - 00:24:26:04
Kristen
Visualize in my head, you know? So.

00:24:26:04 - 00:24:28:00
Chris
Okay. That's fair. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:24:28:02 - 00:24:44:02
Kristen
Speaking of corgis, you know, there's more than one way to become famous dog. And it's not just, you know, Westminster Kennel Club dog show. You can also be a famous dog on Instagram. And, you had a really interesting interview recently, didn't you?

00:24:44:04 - 00:25:09:09
Chris
Yes. With, bacon, the corgi, basically the Kanye West, the old Kanye West, not the new Kanye West, but the old Kanye West of corgis decked out in in the the shutter shades and a bacon bow tie. I mean, just absolutely oozing swagger. So it was really cool to a meet the dog, but also talk to, Bacon's parents.

00:25:09:11 - 00:25:29:22
Chris
So we're going to go ahead and, play that back for you on that. I'm joined now by John Ginger and of course, bacon, who is feeling mighty frisky, doesn't want to sit down all excited for the second day of Super Zoo here, as we conduct this interview. How are you guys doing today? Good. Having a good time.

00:25:30:00 - 00:25:39:14
Chris
That's awesome. And, bacon is all decked out and all of his swag. I love the glasses. I love the look. What has inspired Bacon's look today?

00:25:39:16 - 00:25:55:07
Ginger
Well, his name is bacon. There we go. We, we love to, always be on trend and, make him, you can't mistake his name that way. I've had his Instagram is a little bit different because it's Corgi Club Colton. So a lot of people get confused. And so that way when they know him as bacon.

00:25:55:07 - 00:25:57:13
Ginger
So that way can't miss this.

00:25:57:15 - 00:26:04:12
John
He's got a little mix of bacon and Vegas going on there. You know if you notice the sparkle and the bling he he's he's he fits the theme.

00:26:04:12 - 00:26:17:20
Chris
Yeah there's definitely some sparkle. There's definitely some pizazz. That is if you can't see that on camera that sequenced bacon on the handkerchief. I've never seen anything quite like that. So how did bacon get his start as a celebrity?

00:26:17:20 - 00:26:21:07
Chris
Was this always the goal? Did he kind of fall into it?

00:26:21:09 - 00:26:38:01
Ginger
Really fell into it. We had our, our other dog, Colton. That's why the Instagram Square Club Colton that we lost in 2020. And my John, my husband actually started that account. I didn't do anything with it. I was we ran a Corgi club and, just did meet ups. And then everyone was getting on to Instagram.

00:26:38:01 - 00:26:47:20
Ginger
Thought it was, you know, something that everyone was doing. So I kind of started posting on there and it took off. And then when we lost Colton, he just picked up the earth.

00:26:47:22 - 00:27:05:07
John
Give any. It was kind of funny because I had to tell her what Instagram was. I said, I started an Instagram for the dogs and she's like, what's that? Why would I want to do that? And so I had to teach her how to use it. And then it was so funny because within a year it just took off and exploded.

00:27:05:07 - 00:27:19:02
John
And she was teaching me how to do it still is. Yes. It's completely outpacing you as an influencer. Yeah. So what's it like being, you know, not necessarily a celebrity yourself, but your dog somewhat having celebrity?

00:27:19:06 - 00:27:20:19
Ginger
Oh yeah. I'm not a celebrity at all.

00:27:20:19 - 00:27:22:14
Ginger
I usually the one that gets pushed.

00:27:22:14 - 00:27:24:15
Ginger
Aside and they're like, can you move so that he.

00:27:24:15 - 00:27:27:01
Chris
Can maybe get out of out of the shot?

00:27:27:03 - 00:27:45:18
Ginger
But yeah, we have a lot of fun with it. We've got to do some really, really neat, things and some cool opportunities. And so it's it's a blast. He loves it. He loves people, loves the attention. And it's just it's really, really fun to see the smiles that happen. I mean, we've connected with so many people on Instagram that we wouldn't have met otherwise, so I, I love it.

00:27:46:00 - 00:28:12:03
John
I got Bacon's dad, like, finally, I have an identity in this world. I can I can wield this name. I can be dad. Like I'll be Bacon's dad if that's what you want. Yeah, that's great. Are there any particular memories that come to mind? Some. Some really special stuff that has happened with, you guys and bacon that, just really sticks out as, like, a core memory that you guys have because of, the journey you've been able to go on there, end up being a lot of them.

00:28:12:06 - 00:28:29:16
John
We have a lot of family traditions, so we have different trips and different things that we do with them each year. And each one of those things is different. It's unique. But it it's like it's a, it's own experience where we're making special memories with the dogs. And we look forward to doing it each year. So it's like it almost is like it rolls from one thing to the next.

00:28:29:16 - 00:28:37:11
John
I don't even have time to catch my breath and process the thing that just happened, because then we're always on to the next thing. So it's a lot. It's a lot of fun.

00:28:37:13 - 00:28:53:09
Ginger
Yeah. The the people that we've gotten to meet, you know, got we love sports were sorbet sports family. So he's gotten to do stuff with the Phoenix Suns, with the Arizona Diamondbacks, with the Rattlers. And so it's just he's recently gotten and he loves Corgi Racing. He doesn't win but he is the most stylish dog there.

00:28:53:10 - 00:28:53:21
Ginger
He has so much.

00:28:53:21 - 00:29:00:12
Ginger
Fun with it. If they gave us a trophy for that he would always win. So yeah the people and everything that we have met has just been so amazing.

00:29:00:12 - 00:29:19:14
Chris
Yeah, it's important to look good when you're racing. I, I used to run track and that was rule number one was look good. Rule number two is run fast. So I think bacon is doing quite well. Dogs are sort of taking over the internet and I'd say slowly but surely. But it's been a rapid growth to their dominance over social media.

00:29:19:14 - 00:29:28:21
Chris
TikTok and Instagram. Where do you guys sort of see, bacon and the other dogs on the internet? Where do you see that starting to go?

00:29:28:21 - 00:29:40:14
Ginger
And as we build momentum, you know, the one thing is we've always tried to be really careful with it because our number one goal in doing any of it has always been for these guys to, like, just live their best life and have a lot of fun.

00:29:40:14 - 00:29:53:18
Ginger
So we we've had to kind of just pull back on some of it because you get all these brands want to do things and want a partner and want you to work with them. And we always have to just step back and look at it and say, hey, is this in his best interest? Is this something that he wants to do?

00:29:53:18 - 00:30:09:18
Ginger
Because, you know, the goal has always been for them to just live a great life, have lots of great experiences, be able to do things and, and have fun. So that's always the number one goal is just, you know, be out there with the family and, and get, get a chance for him to just live life.

00:30:09:18 - 00:30:15:20
Chris
And their lives are so much shorter than, than ours. So we have to fit a lot of stuff into a little time with that.

00:30:15:22 - 00:30:32:02
Ginger
Yeah, yeah, I agree, I think that, you know, that we've gotten some more opportunities, with partnerships that I never would have thought would be out there. And so I think just being very choosy and making sure that you do stuff, that we stay authentic, you know, I don't want it to be, you know, that we just line up with anybody.

00:30:32:02 - 00:30:37:00
Ginger
And so I think that that's the number one goal, always keeping making sure he's saying happy.

00:30:37:02 - 00:30:43:00
Chris
Authentic bacon. And where can all of our wonderful listeners follow Bacon's journeys?

00:30:43:02 - 00:30:45:00
Ginger
We are on Instagram. It's @CorgiClubColton

00:30:45:00 - 00:31:05:19
Chris
@CorgiClubColton, thank you guys so much for taking the time out of your busy schedules to talk with me for a little bit. Thank you. Bacon and Aspen, who's off camera? Thank you. Aspen as well. And we're going to go back to more awesome stuff. And yeah, thanks for coming, guys. Thank you. Thanks.

00:31:05:21 - 00:31:08:04
Voice Over
Pets add life

00:31:08:06 - 00:31:21:11
Kristen
I was checking out, Bacon's Instagram account, which is Corgi Club. Colton and oh my God, this is beautiful. Are they professional photographers? These images are stunning.

00:31:21:12 - 00:31:40:10
Chris
I think I think this like a lot of people who sort of all just kind of fell into their laps. The husband is a storm chaser. We talked a little bit about that in the interview. He goes into the planes and, chases after storms, and Bacon's just over here. He's just vibing. Yeah, that's bacon is a pure vibes dog.

00:31:40:10 - 00:31:53:15
Chris
He was so funny during the interview. Just trying to, like, find some comfort in his chair and being hell and, absolutely adorable. I guess I just love meeting, dogs like that with such, like, a big personality. It's it's addictive.

00:31:53:15 - 00:31:55:14
Kristen
Right. That's great.

00:31:55:16 - 00:32:11:11
Chris
Yeah, yeah. Well, speaking of great and addictive things, Kristen, I think it's time for us to head on over to our, putt putt putt product of the week. So let's go ahead and play that jingle.

00:32:11:11 - 00:32:13:20
Voice Over
product of the week.

00:32:13:22 - 00:32:21:05
Chris
Yeah, well, I got my my products here. And, you know, we've been talking a bit on our previous show.

00:32:21:09 - 00:32:53:16
Chris
We had been talking about, animal obesity awareness. And I got this great question from, I believe, Emily, about some feeding strategies and things like that. So I found this really cool. Interact. They call it the squeak carrot snuffle mat. And it is a they call it a nose work feed game. So essentially it's this, think of like a dog bed, big brown dog bed, and then a bunch of holes in it.

00:32:53:21 - 00:33:16:18
Chris
And these, like, stuffed carrots, like these fabric style carrots go in to the ground and they've got squeaks in them and stuff like that, but the holes are so that you could put some food under these carrots. It's really great. For some of these, like, terrier mixes or other dogs that really just want to dig and tear into stuff.

00:33:16:18 - 00:33:36:07
Chris
If you have a dog that goes outside and starts digging, think this is a great toy for them. Especially maybe maybe it's raining outside and you don't want to let your digger out because he's just going to go get into the mud. You can bust this bad boy out. You put some kibble in each of the holes and set it out and just let them figure it out.

00:33:36:12 - 00:33:55:22
Chris
They got it. I believe there's some Velcro involved, so it's not not as easy. They got to kind of work to pull it out and then stuff their nose down in there to find the food. Just like one of those things. We talk about this a lot on the show about sort of stimulating an animal's natural instincts. So if your dog's natural instinct is to dig, they're digging for a reason.

00:33:55:22 - 00:34:18:00
Chris
Some type of survival instinct is is getting them to dig, whether they're looking for food or, trying to get to cooler Earth or anything like that. This is a great toy that's going to simulate that. How about on Amazon here for $34? So it's not to be it's really not going to break the bank. It looks and it just like looks cute too.

00:34:18:00 - 00:34:24:13
Chris
Like it really does just, like, look like a little bit of carrots. So, that's going to be my product for the week for this.

00:34:24:15 - 00:34:25:08
Kristen
I love that.

00:34:25:12 - 00:34:26:16
Chris
That's a gift. Yeah. What do you got for us?

00:34:26:20 - 00:34:47:03
Kristen
So I have I have a product of the week that. Actually was the founder jumped in on our Super Zoo show and tried, you know, to, like, you're supposed to be asking us a question that he weaved in his product. So he followed up with me after, and he said, hey, I'm really sorry. I was just super excited about my product.

00:34:47:03 - 00:34:51:02
Kristen
So would you featured on the product of the week? So I said I would do that because.

00:34:51:02 - 00:34:52:23
Chris
You're so kind and.

00:34:53:01 - 00:35:15:22
Kristen
And and I think it's super cool too, because you know as we're, we're we're in October I, I forget the actual date when daylight savings time ends, but I think it's coming up in November. So it gets going to get darker earlier. And oftentimes we are walking our dogs in the dark or at dawn or dusk. And it's helpful not only, convenience wise, but safety wise to have a flashlight.

00:35:15:22 - 00:35:36:02
Kristen
So this is called the doggy dual. It is a if you're watching on video, it's, you know, maybe 8 or 9in tall. It has several really cool features. So first of all, it has a see that it's got a there we go 500 lumens flashlight to to guide you. It's a lot of lumens. It's a lot of lumens.

00:35:36:02 - 00:35:53:01
Kristen
And you know how many lumens. The average cell phone flashlight has only 50. So this is ten times brighter than your cell phone flashlight. It's also got like a strobe on it for safety. And then. Oops. Oh, I just blinded myself.

00:35:53:03 - 00:36:10:15
Kristen
It's also definitely works. Yeah. It does. Oh, my gosh, I'm seeing, like, a bolt of lightning. It's got carabiners on it. It's got a belt clip, so you can just hook it on to your belt, or you can even hook this part onto your dog's leash. And yeah, one of my favorite parts is the built in waste bag dispenser.

00:36:10:17 - 00:36:26:18
Kristen
So that you if you don't, you know, you don't forget and you can just unscrew this to refill it. And then finally on the side, it has another flashlight that has four different modes. And this one is cool because, oh, I'm doing this wrong. Okay. Anyway, see, we got the red.

00:36:26:20 - 00:36:29:05
Chris
The red, the red safety highways.

00:36:29:07 - 00:36:37:12
Kristen
It also does a white one. So you can set this down on the ground. You know, when your dog does this business on the grass in the dark and you're trying to find it to clean it up.

00:36:37:14 - 00:36:38:06
Chris
Yeah. Well.

00:36:38:08 - 00:36:52:09
Kristen
This is this is designed to set it down on the ground and shoot the flashlight toward the pile so you can easily clean it up. So anyway, it doesn't even take batteries. You can recharge it with the usb-C cable that it comes with. And, it's called the doggy dual.

00:36:52:12 - 00:37:15:12
Chris
So that's that's awesome. I love how many products are out there now that, free up your hands while you're walking your dog. Because when I was living at home with my parents dog, I'd take the dog for a walk. It was like one hand was on the leash. One hand was on the poop bags. Both. Both used and new.

00:37:15:14 - 00:37:31:06
Chris
And that was it, you know, like that was you were stuck like that for the 20 minutes it would take the dog to go for a walk. So I love this kind of stuff. And yeah, I mean, visibility is a big deal at night especially. And here's the thing to a lot of people think that it's just the nighttime.

00:37:31:06 - 00:37:52:12
Chris
You have to be careful. It's actually dusk, and twilight is when visibility is the worst. Simply because lights aren't as effective in at twilight light. So something like a red light kind of hanging off your back, the back of your belt loop can be an effective, safety tool, especially if you're walking your dog somewhere where there might be cars.

00:37:52:12 - 00:38:04:04
Kristen
Yeah, exactly. And one last thing. As a woman, I. You know, I like this, feature on the end here. Like, hopefully I would never need to use it, but this could sort of be a weapon.

00:38:04:06 - 00:38:16:16
Chris
Yeah. That's hefty. Like, if you right now if for those of you listening, Kristen is brandishing thing that thing towards me and I feel threatened, I'll admit I feel threatened.

00:38:16:18 - 00:38:18:15
Voice Over
Q&As.

00:38:18:17 - 00:38:23:17
Chris
All right, we're going to move on and guess what time it is. Kristen.

00:38:23:19 - 00:38:28:19
Kristen
Is it question was it Q&A time? When we answer your question, it is Q&A time.

00:38:28:19 - 00:38:49:11
Chris
This time you caught. You caught on. This time we got it. It is time for us to answer your questions. Submitted of course, on Petsaddlife.org/podcast. Go on down to the bottom of that page. You can submit your question right there. Or if you're feeling as brave as Kristen with a dog, you do all in her hand.

00:38:49:13 - 00:38:56:19
Chris
You can record a voice memo, and you could hear your question played live on this show.

00:38:56:21 - 00:39:01:06
Kristen
And we know you have questions, so we are here for you.

00:39:01:08 - 00:39:02:18
Chris
So we are here for you.

00:39:02:18 - 00:39:09:00
Kristen
We usually decide in advance who's going to take which question. Are we just you just want to just wing it here?

00:39:09:02 - 00:39:13:00
Chris
Yeah, just wing it. You want me? Do you want me to hit hit you with one?

00:39:13:01 - 00:39:20:04
Kristen
Yeah. Hit me with, yeah. Hit me with one or 1 or 1 of the first couple that we have. Yeah.

00:39:20:07 - 00:39:29:06
Chris
So I see a question on here that you don't want me to ask, and I'm not going to do that to you, okay? I am kind. At the end of the day, I am kind because I could ask you this question right now.

00:39:29:06 - 00:39:30:07
Kristen
No, you could have.

00:39:30:09 - 00:39:31:22
Chris
You could answer it, but only throw.

00:39:31:22 - 00:39:32:19
Kristen
Me under the bus. Do that.

00:39:32:19 - 00:40:07:05
Chris
Instead. I'll ask, I got a question here, and I feel like you would do a good job answering this question. Because you share a name with the person who asked. So this is a question from Kristen in Sacramento, California, and Kristen asks my young puppy seems to be overly vocal, especially during training sessions. Is this a sign of frustration and how can I effectively communicate with him to reduce barking without discouraging his enthusiasm?

00:40:07:11 - 00:40:30:10
Kristen
Oh, that's a good question from my sister in name, Kristen in Sacramento. Thank you so much for that. So puppies barking. A common challenge. And you're saying he's he's especially doing it during training sessions. So that makes me think he's attention seeking. Typically training sessions, I'm going to assume this is a group class or something.

00:40:30:10 - 00:41:00:19
Kristen
You know, where maybe there's are several. There are several dogs and he's, you know, overstimulated and perhaps just wanting your attention. So that could be what's causing it. The other thing, too, is, if you're if you're inadvertently rewarding his barking, that's not going to help you at all. Because if he starts barking and then you immediately go to him and say, oh, somebody's in the or just like getting in his face and giving him that attention that he's seeking, you're actually rewarding, and reinforcing that behavior.

00:41:00:21 - 00:41:20:12
Kristen
So I would say and this is going to sound, easier said than done, but but I know it works because I've done it with previous puppies that I've, that I've had, first of all, you want to reward him when he's quiet. So if he's barking, I would ignore him and ideally turn your back on him.

00:41:20:13 - 00:41:42:04
Kristen
And sometimes it might take a while, but as soon as he stops barking, you know, give it a beat a second or two and then immediately reward him or tell him what a good boy or girl or good boy or girl he is. So you want to reward when he's doing the behavior you like and kind of ignore the attention he's seeking when he's barking.

00:41:42:06 - 00:42:00:23
Kristen
And I'm thinking, too, that if he is in a group training environment, it could just be that the over stimulation, especially if he's a younger puppy. So you might try some one on one training, or after class. Go outside or go to your home and like sort of go through you're supposed to practice anyway right after class.

00:42:00:23 - 00:42:12:13
Kristen
So kind of go through that with him on his own, where he might not feel like he's in such a competitive environment. So hopefully that's helpful. Kristen.

00:42:12:15 - 00:42:27:13
Chris
That's some great stuff. I wish I had something to add, but you were so exhaustive with your answer. Yes. So you're such a professional. I'm at a loss. So, we're just going to go ahead and say that between two Kristen's, we're going to have our answer already.

00:42:27:13 - 00:42:31:19
Kristen
So, Chris, do you have, do you want to give any hints to what question you would like?

00:42:31:20 - 00:42:37:16
Chris
I know you can give me the question that you were dreading. Okay. Because I think I think I have a question for it.

00:42:37:19 - 00:42:55:01
Kristen
Yeah. Okay. Super. All right, so this one's from one in San Jose, California. One says I recently set up a freshwater aquarium, and I've noticed that my fish seem less active and are hiding more frequently. Could this be a sign of stress? And what are some of the ways to create a more comfortable environment for the fish?

00:42:55:03 - 00:43:16:18
Chris
Yeah, absolutely. That's a great question. And right off the bat, yes, hiding fish is usually like the number one sign of stress. And it's kind of funny to talk about stress in fish because it's like, you know, I feel like as people, it's easy for us to tell when a mammal is stressed out, right? They're doing some of the same things, like a dog with anxiety, cat with anxiety.

00:43:16:18 - 00:43:39:16
Chris
We can see it. But what's a fish with anxiety look like? Well, I'll tell you, hiding for long periods of time. If they if fish are getting the zoomies, that's actually a sign of anxiety for students. Yeah, they'll they'll dart back and forth across the aquarium. But the only time fish really swim at max speed like that is when they think something's trying to eat them.

00:43:39:18 - 00:44:02:18
Chris
So that's a sign of a sign of stress. If they're scraping across the ground, that could either be stress or some type of, skin scale infection. And if obviously if they're not eating their food, something's wrong. Right. So now we we said, okay, the fish is stressed. Well, the reason a fish is stressed, it's again, it's different mammals.

00:44:02:18 - 00:44:15:07
Chris
It's usually like something mental. Right. That we got to kind of work through I'm sorry to say this about I'm going to say it's brave, but it's true. Fish don't have big brains, okay? They don't they don't experience emotion the.

00:44:15:07 - 00:44:16:04
Kristen
Way they hear from the.

00:44:16:04 - 00:44:45:00
Chris
Fish emotion. So we're using this word stress. And it is a good word because what really what is stress other than our, in environment being uncomfortable. Right. Whatever position we're in, we're currently not comfortable. And it's the same with fish, but it's much more literal. Their environment is not comfortable. So a make sure the temperature of your water is where it needs to be.

00:44:45:02 - 00:45:06:20
Chris
Even a few degrees below or above is going to change the behavior of your fish. Make sure your water is getting oxidized properly. It's getting enough oxygen. If you see like your fish starting to surface every now and again, that's a bad sign. It means there's not enough air filtration going through your tank. Obviously hiding places.

00:45:06:22 - 00:45:36:12
Chris
Fish like to have little spots where they could go get away from, prying eyes. And also, if you have just added new fish into your tank, that that could be, a cause for issues as well. Guess you know what eats fish? Other fish. So when you introduce new fish into the environment, even though there may be no natural, predator prey, ecosystem there because they just really that's not how these fish would interact.

00:45:36:14 - 00:45:55:13
Chris
Again, fish are not necessarily that intelligent. They're going off instinct and they see something that maybe, maybe slightly larger than them or something unknown, and they assume that they're in danger because that's simply how they work. So make sure you're providing a nice, comfortable tank experience for your fish. If you're listening to this and you're not one, you're listening to this thing.

00:45:55:16 - 00:46:15:15
Chris
You're going to start something new. You're going to start a tank. Start with just one species, something simple like a goby or, a, man. I can't think of the word right now, but it's not goldfish. Goldfish are actually better fish. No, the better fish. They're hard to because they got to be by themselves. It's the gobies, and it's a type of minnow.

00:46:15:15 - 00:46:30:18
Chris
But you don't say minnows are like it's not the right term, but just, you know, go to a store. And as somebody who knows what the heck they're talking about, go to a store as somebody who knows what they're talking about. But there's great starter fish that you can use and, you could keep it nice and simple.

00:46:30:23 - 00:46:38:03
Chris
But check the environment, make sure all the stats are nice, and, Thank you. That was one right.

00:46:38:03 - 00:46:40:21
Kristen
Waterfronts for the question, San Jose.

00:46:40:22 - 00:46:41:04
Chris
Thanks.

00:46:41:04 - 00:46:45:09
Kristen
So thank you, Chris, for answering the fish question for so that I never.

00:46:45:09 - 00:46:46:16
Chris
Gets to front.

00:46:46:16 - 00:46:53:04
Kristen
I feel like for me, fish are like plants like I, I can't keep a plant alive. And I don't know that I can keep fish alive.

00:46:53:04 - 00:47:18:11
Chris
So, we've got a plant, that is actually doing well. And it's the first time ever. It's just it's, monstera, orient. And it's now growing another little stem. It's the second new stem that it is grown under our care. So we're feeling very accomplished over the, over the plant generations. But, hey, listen, that's the end of our show.

00:47:18:13 - 00:47:37:06
Chris
Who would have thunk that? We made it to the end of a show? Yet again, another another Tuesday in the book. So if you're listening to this, hop into the social media comments, get involved in the conversation. We got Halloween coming up. We want to see we want to see pets in costumes. We want to see matching costumes between pets.

00:47:37:06 - 00:47:57:16
Chris
We want to see like a cat. Dad as Batman, cat as Robin. I want to see it, people. And if you are listening to the show, share it with a friend. Give us a nice five star review. You, tell us all the wonderful things. Give us some nice compliments, I gobble those, I love it.

00:47:57:18 - 00:48:06:18
Kristen
And until next week, we will be coming up with some more great products and guests for you. So go.

00:48:06:20 - 00:48:10:17
Chris
So go. All right, so go go go go.

00:48:10:19 - 00:48:14:09
Kristen
Sorry, it's at the end. I haven't eaten lunch. I'm getting my brains fried.

00:48:14:11 - 00:48:28:14
Chris
Then I'll do the send off. As always, be kind to yourself and be kind to your animals. And we will see you back here next Tuesday. Buh bye. Go, go.

00:48:28:15 - 00:48:29:11
Voice Over
Pets add life.