37. Presidential Pets and the Canine Mayor of Idyllwild

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

00:00:00:04 - 00:00:14:11
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.

00:00:14:13 - 00:00:28:10
Chris
Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of the Pets Add Life podcast. I'm Chris, joined, as always, by the outgoing and optimistic Kristen Levine on this wonderful Election Day.

00:00:28:12 - 00:00:30:02
Chris
How are you doing today, Kristen?

00:00:30:04 - 00:00:38:00
Kristen
Oh, I'm doing great. I'm doing great. And as you said, we're recording this on Election Day. I early voted this year. How about you?

00:00:38:06 - 00:00:59:14
Chris
I did as well. Yeah. It was Connecticut's first year doing early voting, so I had the opportunity to vote on a weekend, which was awesome. Instead of having to deal with long lines in the morning before work on Election Day. So that was great. My vote is cast. I've performed my civic duty right, my ancestors proud and all that jazz.

00:00:59:16 - 00:01:13:07
Kristen
Right? And we don't have to wait in any long lines today. And I'm I'm really excited about the show today because we have two really kind of topically relevant guests, but very uplifting and bipartisan type of guest. So I think identifying.

00:01:13:09 - 00:01:30:23
Chris
We understand today is probably a divisive and nerve wracking day for everybody and for everybody out there. So we're going to try and add some, levity. I don't want to spoil too much, but we're going to be keeping a little lighter on today's show. But as always, we're going to bring you two guests. We're going to tell you two great stories.

00:01:30:23 - 00:01:39:01
Chris
We're going to recommend two amazing products. And at the end of our show, we'll answer two questions from our wonderful audience. How's that sound, Kristen?

00:01:39:03 - 00:01:40:12
Kristen
It sounds good to me.

00:01:40:14 - 00:01:46:05
Chris
Yeah, that sounds like a show. So without further ado, let's jump into storytime.

00:01:46:07 - 00:01:50:14
Voice Over
Kristen and Chris present story time.

00:01:50:16 - 00:02:17:17
Kristen
All right. My story today is it's really about it's an ongoing story with somewhat of an update. As you as our listeners know, everybody knows about Hurricane Helene, that, you know, that tore a 500 mile path of destruction from Florida up through north or, I'm sorry, through western North Carolina, which is where I live. Fortunately, we didn't have any damage at our place, but it's been pretty devastating for our community.

00:02:17:19 - 00:02:38:06
Kristen
And the story that I wanted to share is just it's an uplifting one of all the people, the organizations that have come to the rescue of, of the animal shelters, the people who have been displaced from their homes, people who've lost their pets or, you know, stray pets that have, you know, been separated from their families.

00:02:38:11 - 00:03:04:20
Kristen
It's just been an overwhelming, effort by so many groups. I just wanted to shout out a couple the Bissell Pet Foundation, ASPCA, best friends, and countless numbers of communities around all around the country. Animal shelters from communities that have opened their doors to pets that have been that were either in shelters here and could no longer, you know, stay in those shelters.

00:03:04:22 - 00:03:25:10
Kristen
Donations are coming in from everywhere. And, and I just wanted to highlight this because when I googled the story, just to kind of find out what was happening in the past, you know, week, really the news stories stopped about ten days ago. And this is a story that is going to continue for many months and and years to come.

00:03:25:15 - 00:03:56:23
Kristen
For example, the Brother Wolf animal Shelter, which is the main animal shelter in Asheville, North Carolina, was completely wiped off the face of the earth. It was completely destroyed. Fortunately, the the 150 animals that were at the shelter were evacuated the day before. So that is a wonderful, you know, you know, silver lining. But I just want people to keep, keep the people and the pets of these devastated areas top of mind.

00:03:57:01 - 00:04:13:15
Kristen
What they need most now is monetary donations to rebuild. So, maybe we'll put, a couple of those, those groups in the show notes. So if you feel so inclined to make a donation, you can do so. But anyway, just thank you to all the people who have come forth to support through donations or volunteering.

00:04:13:17 - 00:04:18:15
Kristen
And just please keep in mind that this is it's going to take quite a while to rebuild.

00:04:18:17 - 00:04:40:19
Chris
Yeah, absolutely. It was, you know, you never think living in Appalachia essentially, that you're going to have to deal with a hurricane and, the weather's changing, I would say slowly but surely, but it's kind of just surely, so, you know, no matter where you are, if you're anywhere on the East Coast, it's good to have a plan.

00:04:40:21 - 00:05:03:21
Chris
Remember to take care of members of your community when you see a community in trouble. Lend a hand if you can. So if you are capable of either donating or if you're in the area capable of volunteering. Yeah. Kristen, I think it's a great idea. Let's get some of those organizations in the show notes in case, we have any wonderful people listening who want to volunteer their time or their hard earned money.

00:05:03:23 - 00:05:07:20
Kristen
Yeah, okay. How about your story, Chris?

00:05:07:22 - 00:05:26:03
Chris
My story is a little lighter. Good. But it also kind of has to do with flooding. So this is a very New York story. This is like, I love these little pieces of New York story. And this is very Brooklyn as well. So there is a fire hydrant that flooded out. Right. That happens all the time in New York.

00:05:26:04 - 00:05:44:10
Chris
These the water line. Yes. And, you know, you see it in like TV and media all the time where the fire hydrant bursts wide open, sprays everywhere in the summer. Everybody has a good time. That's really not how it happens. It usually gets sort of leaks out the bottom and yeah, floods. Well. So there is this leaky hydrant that the city wasn't fixing.

00:05:44:10 - 00:06:11:17
Chris
So a group in Brooklyn, decided to fence in the flood with some stones and cement. And it they created a what they called a gorilla goldfish aquarium. So, I mean, it's it's absolutely insane. I'm looking at the picture and they set up an aquarium. I mean, with the with the plants, with the little the little details. They stocked it with some goldfish.

00:06:11:17 - 00:06:37:12
Chris
They had gravel down at the bottom all around this fire hydrant. The community rallied around it. They took turns sort of watching, taking care. So while answering people's questions, it popped up on Google Maps for a bit as like a tourist thing. And tourists were coming to see the gorilla goldfish aquarium. Now, unfortunately, the latest update is that it has been shut down because they did fix.

00:06:37:14 - 00:06:37:15
Andrew
It.

00:06:37:17 - 00:06:56:16
Chris
Finally. But this is the most New York form of protest I have ever seen. If you want something fixed in New York City, what you have to do is have fun with it being broken, right? And then they'll turn it into a new attraction. No, you can't have fun. No no no no no no, this this is too uplifting.

00:06:56:20 - 00:07:17:21
Chris
This is right. This is too cute. But but it was up. I want to see if they have in the article how long it was up for. I think it was about a week. And now, of course, it is turned into a memorial site with people bringing flowers to the fire hydrant. But I just think that's such a fun little New York, story.

00:07:18:01 - 00:07:23:15
Chris
I mean, I've heard weird things about, like, the perpetual stew and things like that and all these weird.

00:07:23:18 - 00:07:24:09
Kristen
Creative.

00:07:24:09 - 00:07:35:04
Chris
Brooklyn. So. So that's another one. It does say here in the article that the city did give the people who set it up a chance to come get the fish. So they didn't just like that.

00:07:35:07 - 00:07:36:18
Kristen
That was going to be my next question.

00:07:36:20 - 00:07:54:09
Chris
They did come scoop up the fish and put them back in. I assume these people probably either took them from a pet store, their own personal aquariums or something. So all the fish are safe. We don't have to worry about that. But the, the bed Stewy aquarium is no more.

00:07:54:11 - 00:07:55:14
Kristen
I love it. That's a great story.

00:07:55:15 - 00:08:09:04
Chris
Trying to keep it light on a like on election day. Yes. Trying to keep my own mind straight as we head through this very busy day. But I believe we are now going to welcome our first guest. So let's go

00:08:09:04 - 00:08:13:12
Voice Over
beyond the leash exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

00:08:13:13 - 00:08:26:00
Chris
So we are joined now by Andrew Hager, the historian in residence at the Presidential Pet Museum and author of All-American dogs A History of Presidential Pets from Every ERA.

00:08:26:02 - 00:08:56:00
Chris
His work delves into the fascinating tales of presidential pets, focusing on the dogs that have roamed the halls of the white House since George Washington. Zahra Andrew's passion for history and pets shines through as he explores how these animals have influenced presidential life, campaigns and even American culture. His book combines original research and rare photographs, give readers a unique look at these four legged members of the First Family, and we're so excited to have Andrew here on a very special election Day.

00:08:56:03 - 00:08:58:07
Chris
So thank you for joining us, Andrew.

00:08:58:09 - 00:09:01:07
Andrew
Oh, I'm so glad to be here. Thank you for having me.

00:09:01:09 - 00:09:17:01
Chris
Of course. So we'll get started. With what inspired you to decide? You know, I'm going to dedicate a significant amount of time delving into the history of these animals, these pets. You know what? What made you decide that that was the route you wanted to take?

00:09:17:03 - 00:09:36:17
Andrew
It was all kind of accidental. I was a social studies teacher in middle school, and, I'm legally blind, so I went and got a guide dog, and, it became increasingly difficult for me to do my job at the school. And so eventually I retired. And when I retired, I was still looking for something to do.

00:09:36:17 - 00:09:58:09
Andrew
And a friend of mine called me and she said, hey, you like history and you have a dog. Do you want to get paid to write about dogs in history? And I said, getting paid is always a good thing. So I think I'll do this. And it turns out that she was working for a man named Bill Hellman, who was just taking over the Presidential Pet Museum, and he was looking for someone to be his historian.

00:09:58:11 - 00:10:15:20
Andrew
And, so that's how I got into it. And the book came about because when, Joe Biden was elected in 2020, I got a call from Harpercollins and they said, hey, Biden's got the first rescue dog ever in the white House. And so we want to do a book about presidential dogs. Do you want to write one?

00:10:15:20 - 00:10:19:12
Andrew
And I was like, yes, the frame of mind.

00:10:19:14 - 00:10:20:17
Chris
Yes, I do that.

00:10:20:18 - 00:10:39:02
Andrew
Yeah. Like, you know, when I was a kid, I dreamed I'd write, like the Great American novel or I'd write the Oscar winning screenplay. But it turns out that my, my book is, it's a book about the history of presidential dogs. And, you know, it was a lot of fun going through that history and getting to know that history.

00:10:39:04 - 00:10:58:00
Andrew
It's really been an experience. Now, I'm, just as a little bit of correction. I'm no longer the historian in residence at the Presidential Pet Museum. I, I've stepped back from that position, but I still, you know, go out and talk about presidential dogs. I love going to schools to talk about them. Because that's my background.

00:10:58:00 - 00:11:29:11
Andrew
It's just so, this so it felt like a natural fit to to be in this role for a while and to be able to talk to people about American history through the eyes or through the lens of animals, because it really want it humanizes the presidents. And two, it's a it's essentially a political. So you're talking about these presidents, but not in the context where people usually get mad, you know, like, oh, you know, Barack Obama had a dog.

00:11:29:11 - 00:11:54:15
Andrew
Well, I hate that dog, you know? So so they might hate Obama, but they're still like, well, the dogs cuteness, right? Right, right. You know, so that's a lot that's nicer. It's better than being out in the normal, political science world. I was a political science major in college before I became a teacher, and, I'm glad that I went with teaching instead of politics, because I look around and I'm like, oh, this is so, you know, dodged a bullet.

00:11:54:17 - 00:11:59:00
Andrew
You sure? Now I'm like, you sure, man. I'd have a heart attack.

00:11:59:02 - 00:12:12:15
Kristen
So, Andrew, I know in the book you you talk about some historical moments involving presidential dogs like Lincoln's and Hoover's. Can you can you share one and one or more of those stories? Maybe your favorite one or the most interesting one?

00:12:12:17 - 00:12:32:23
Andrew
Well, I always say that, my favorite of all the presidential dogs is pushing to, I love this story for a lot of reasons. First of all, you've got Nikita Khrushchev giving a puppy to the Kennedy family at the height of the Cold War. Like right after the Cuban Missile Crisis, or no, right before the Cuban Missile Crisis, but after the Bay of pigs, like in that window.

00:12:33:01 - 00:12:52:12
Andrew
It's crazy that they're exchanging gifts. So that that's one thing. And then pushing to has these puppies with one of Kennedy's dogs. Do you have, like, this little Cold War love story going on? A couple of the puppies were given to kids in the Midwest, and so there's a possibility that there are descendants of pushing it out there.

00:12:52:14 - 00:13:04:13
Andrew
Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. I left out like one of the most important parts, which is that pushing because mom was one of these dogs that the Russians had sent into space, who had orbited the Earth. So it's like, what puppy? You.

00:13:04:15 - 00:13:06:19
Kristen
Andrew, you could read a whole book just on this story.

00:13:07:00 - 00:13:28:20
Andrew
Well, you know what I did? I we had a little museum, had a self-published children's book about Washington, which is, which is available on Amazon and at other retailers as well. So, you know, just throwing that out there, it, isn't quite as, fancy as all American dogs, but it's, you know, it's fun. I, I don't know, I was obsessed with the Kennedys when I was a kid.

00:13:28:22 - 00:13:50:05
Andrew
That was one of the things that really got me into history. And some of that was probably also due to Oliver Stone. Although now I look at that and I'm like, that's a great movie. But it's really crazy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I loved the Kennedys. And so Push think is just all of the things that I'm interested in all rolled into one, tiny little fluffy white package.

00:13:50:07 - 00:14:02:16
Chris
If you were to tell me that story was fiction, I would believe that it was fiction. Before I believed that it was an actual thing that happened in our history.

00:14:02:17 - 00:14:07:21
Andrew
Yeah. I mean, it sounds like something that would be in, like, a Disney cartoon or something.

00:14:08:00 - 00:14:11:22
Chris
And I'd be like, that's two over the top. We got to keep the story more grounded.

00:14:12:00 - 00:14:14:12
Andrew
Nobody's going to, you know, like don't.

00:14:14:14 - 00:14:51:02
Chris
Yeah. So speaking of the, the the relationship between, you know, the presidents and their animals, you know, certainly our guess in the general population, the way the type of relationship we would have with our dogs has evolved greatly from them being, companions to truly being part of our families. When you look back on the total history of the United States and their presidents, do you see that same type of, of change, you know, presidents really becoming more close with their dogs, treating them more like family rather than just, companions?

00:14:51:04 - 00:15:11:18
Andrew
I mean, you can trace the history of Americans relationships with pets through the presidents. I mean, you start off with George Washington. He has hunting dogs, and he's running a breeding program, but he's very interested in just getting these specific kinds of dogs to do specific things. And he did have some pets around the house, but they didn't have flea medication and things like that.

00:15:11:18 - 00:15:29:03
Andrew
So most people didn't keep dogs in the house, except maybe in the winter if you were in a colder clime. But as you go through, you get to Lincoln. And now he's starting to bring his dog into the house. And when he left, Fido in Springfield to go to Washington, because Fido was a little too anxious to go to the white House.

00:15:29:08 - 00:15:48:17
Andrew
Some dogs are like that. And you can see that with Biden's dogs. You know, Lincoln leaves his dog behind, and he leaves a letter to the person he's leaving the dog with, and it says, you know, you can't punish him for bringing mud into the house or jumping up on your couch. I mean, Lincoln's starting that really more, I guess, what we would call a progressive trend toward animals.

00:15:48:19 - 00:16:10:00
Andrew
And then you get into the 20th century and you really do have more of a relationship like that developing, once you get to the Kennedys and their dogs, or Gerald Ford and his dog Liberty, having puppies in the white House, until you finally get to, the Bidens and Obama and they they really are. You know, I think they really do see the animals as part of their family.

00:16:10:00 - 00:16:25:16
Andrew
And, I mean, the animals are still working in some sense because, if you talk to people who were in the Bush administration, for example, the George W Bush administration, they'll tell you that Bush used to go out and play fetch with Barney, and that was a way of relieving stress in the middle of all of these things.

00:16:25:16 - 00:16:46:18
Andrew
You know, Hurricane Katrina with 911, you know, like all this stuff that was happening. Presidents need to chill out sometime soon, like take a load off and petting your dog and playing fetch with your dog or whatever. That's a way to really ease out of the day. And you know, lift some weight off your shoulders because you we've got a lot going on.

00:16:46:20 - 00:16:57:21
Kristen
Yeah. For sure. So, Andrew, do you think that, presidential pets have actually influenced campaigns or public perception over the years?

00:16:57:23 - 00:17:20:11
Andrew
Yes. Well, and I can cite a couple of examples. The most famous is the Nixon Checkers speech in 1952. Now, some people think checkers was a white House dog, but checkers never made it to the white House, unfortunately, because, Nixon got checkers in 1952 but didn't make it to the white House till 1968. But Nixon was going to get kicked off of the Eisenhower campaign.

00:17:20:11 - 00:17:41:13
Andrew
There was a scandal involving finance and inappropriate gifts or alleged inappropriate gifts. He goes on TV, makes a speech about how he didn't do anything wrong. And at the end he said, well, we did get this dog from a supporter and we're going to keep it. And, you know, it just kind of won over the public. And suddenly the Eisenhower campaign gets all of these telegrams saying, don't get rid of Nixon, keep Nixon.

00:17:41:15 - 00:18:00:12
Andrew
And so we kind of have checkers to thank for the next 20 years of American politics. You know, for, for good and ill, you know, because I don't love Nixon, but he did do some things that, you know, like creating the EPA or opening relations with China that are, you know, valuable. And so, I guess thank you.

00:18:00:12 - 00:18:19:13
Andrew
Checkers. But, you know, you mentioned Herbert Hoover earlier, and Hoover Hoover's campaign was one of the first to really, use a dog in campaigning. In the sense that Hoover was seen as kind of a cold bureaucrat. People didn't have warm feelings toward him. They thought he was really smart and really good at what he did.

00:18:19:13 - 00:18:44:22
Andrew
But, you know, he's a bureaucrat. So they put out campaign posters of him and his dog, King Tut. And, that thing printed tens of thousands of these things. And while we don't have direct scientific evidence that that swayed the election, you have to feel that if a campaign is going to invest that much money and time into something like that, it's probably going to pull a few votes, you know?

00:18:45:00 - 00:19:09:00
Andrew
So I think there have been examples of that now, our current presidential race, neither one, neither vice presidents or former President Trump has a dog, so. Or a pet. So we're really in kind of, I think, uncharted territory here. I don't know that this has ever happened. I, I can't remember if John McCain had a pet in 2008, but the minute Obama won, he was like, well, we're getting a puppy.

00:19:09:02 - 00:19:22:18
Andrew
So they did get a white House dog. So I don't know. We'll have to see what happens. Depending on who wins, I don't think Trump would be likely to get a dog. It's possible. Maybe Vice President Harris would. I don't know, time.

00:19:22:21 - 00:19:37:02
Chris
Yeah. That's, that's an interesting point. It's the. So you're saying it's the first time, at least in recent history, and that you could recall off the top of your head that both candidates have no pets going into Election Day.

00:19:37:04 - 00:19:56:08
Andrew
Yeah, yeah. Usually you start seeing it in the primaries, like people will bring out their pets when they're campaigning in the primaries. Elizabeth Warren had selfie lines for her golden retriever. And, you know, I would get a selfie with Elizabeth Warren, but yes, I would also want a selfie with her dog. I know, right? You know, it's good.

00:19:56:08 - 00:20:18:13
Andrew
It's good advertising. And I always thought it was cool that Pete Buttigieg had rescue puppies. And I did think it was great that Biden had fostered major. And, you know, they had taken in a rescue dog. Like, those are the kind of stories that it's not going to switch your vote, especially in the general election, because the issues are two different between the parties.

00:20:18:15 - 00:20:33:21
Andrew
But I don't know if you were in a primary and you you were having trouble deciding and the policies were all pretty similar. It might be the kind of thing where it would sway you just enough to be like, well, that person seems like a nice person because, look, there they are with that dog, and I have a dog.

00:20:33:21 - 00:20:36:00
Andrew
And, you know, there's just like me.

00:20:36:02 - 00:20:55:09
Chris
Well, I mean, just in our day to day lives. I don't know about everybody else, but I, I don't trust people who can't get along with animals, you know? And I don't mean, like, animals or love animals, but, like, if you walk in a room and all the dogs just suddenly, you know, arch their backs and their fur sticks up and they growl a little bit.

00:20:55:10 - 00:20:58:12
Chris
Yeah, I don't know. You've just got that aura of I don't.

00:20:58:13 - 00:21:01:05
Andrew
I don't know about you, I don't know about you, but that's.

00:21:01:05 - 00:21:02:09
Kristen
Something we don't.

00:21:02:11 - 00:21:15:12
Andrew
Yeah. That's such a prominent cultural trope. Like, you see that in movies too. Like, I remember there was a movie where Zac Efron played Ted Bundy, and the first time we get an inkling that he's bad, like they go into a, animal shelter and the dogs all start growling at him, and the woman's like, I think why?

00:21:15:12 - 00:21:20:17
Andrew
They're growling in the audience? Like, because he's Ted Bundy. He said, Bundy.

00:21:20:18 - 00:21:21:19
Chris
Take the hint, lady.

00:21:21:19 - 00:21:42:23
Andrew
Take the hint. Yeah, yeah, don't don't take him anymore. You know, so that's the that's the thing you see in movies. But I think it is true to some extent. Right. Like we we're looking for clues of how to understand other people. And that's one bit of data that we picked up on. You know, because humans have a 10,000 year history with dogs and, you know, it's a friendship.

00:21:42:23 - 00:21:59:21
Andrew
It's it's different from the way humans interact with cats or fish or birds and nothing against any of those pets. I mean, I, I was a cat person for a long time before I got a guide dog. But it's just a different feeling, you know, like dogs are a little closer somehow.

00:21:59:23 - 00:22:07:10
Chris
Yeah, absolutely. So we're coming up at the end of our time here. Andrew, why don't you let people know where they could find your book?

00:22:07:12 - 00:22:30:20
Andrew
So my book, All American Dogs is available, at any great local bookseller or on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble, wherever, wonderful books are sold. My, I have, two children's books. And what about Woodrow Wilson's ram old Ike? And both of those are available on Amazon as well. So yeah, that's my promo. Thank you.

00:22:30:20 - 00:22:44:01
Chris
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining us. This was, a really good way to spend our election day. And I hope, everybody listening at home who may be a little stressed out today, found some solace in some of those great anecdotes you had for us. Yeah.

00:22:44:02 - 00:22:45:08
Andrew
Thank you so much for having me.

00:22:45:08 - 00:22:47:04
Voice Over
Pets add life.

00:22:47:06 - 00:22:57:05
Chris
That was, really fun talk. It's absolutely fascinating. What some people can study for such a long time become experts in.

00:22:57:07 - 00:23:08:00
Kristen
Yeah. You know, I he said that he is no longer the historian at the Presidential Pet Museum, but I didn't even know there was a presidential pet museum. So that's that's something I'd love to check out.

00:23:08:02 - 00:23:35:07
Chris
Yeah, I assume it's in Washington, DC, although I didn't check, but I assume so. Maybe next time I'm down in DC, I'll have to go to the presidential, pet Museum. But speaking of, presidential pets, our, next guest, assists in putting a dog into a high office on the local level. So we're going to go ahead and jump into that conversation now.

00:23:35:09 - 00:24:06:18
Kristen
All right. Joining us now is Phyllis Mueller, the chief of staff for the office of mayor Max Mueller, the golden retriever elected as mayor of Idlewild, California. Since 2012. Mayor Max and his successors have served the town's unique and lovable mayors for life, bringing joy and a sense of unity to the community. Under Phyllis's guidance, the mayoral office has grown into a beloved institution, with the mayor and his team engaging in community service, public appearances, and various goodwill efforts.

00:24:06:20 - 00:24:17:19
Kristen
Phyllis has been instrumental in sharing Mayor Max's legacy and ensuring that the canine mayorship continues to inspire love and support for animals. Welcome, Phyllis.

00:24:17:21 - 00:24:22:00
Phyllis
Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here today on Election Day.

00:24:22:01 - 00:24:37:09
Kristen
Absolutely. We're so glad you could join us. And we understand mayor Max is going to join us shortly. Let's just start off by, having you share the story behind this whole idea of having a dog mayor in Idlewild. He is. Am I saying that right? Idlewild?

00:24:37:11 - 00:24:39:00
Phyllis
Yes, I wow. Right. Okay.

00:24:39:01 - 00:24:42:13
Andrew
Like how write land while.

00:24:42:15 - 00:24:44:13
Kristen
How did that come about? Phyllis.

00:24:44:15 - 00:25:06:18
Phyllis
So in 2012, the local animal rescue group, Idlewild Animal rescue friends that we call by its acronym, well, RFA. IRF and then, they decided to have an election, and apparently they had the idea for a long time, but they never decided to do it until we moved to town. That was just a coincidence. They didn't know us.

00:25:06:18 - 00:25:27:01
Phyllis
We didn't know them. And but when I heard about it, they decided it would be fun for a while to have its first mayor, and. But we're an unincorporated town, so no human was allowed to run in the election. But if you were a local resident, you could run your cat or dog, and you paid with your, dollars.

00:25:27:01 - 00:25:47:10
Phyllis
That was a dollar, a vote. But because all the money went to help animal rescue, we were allowed to vote a lot, and it was promoted as the election you can buy. And when my husband told me about it, I. I knew I really wanted it, and so I, I told my husband we're going to win that election.

00:25:47:10 - 00:26:12:15
Phyllis
And we did. We campaigned harder. We generated more votes than anyone. But my husband and I are also passionate animal rights activists. And so we wrote a $20,000 check for animal rescue as well. That's all that that secured our position. I didn't know when, you know, because, there was another lady who went into them and said, how much will it cost to buy the election?

00:26:12:15 - 00:26:16:05
Phyllis
When we looked at found out she was actually really wealthy.

00:26:16:06 - 00:26:17:04
Andrew
While.

00:26:17:08 - 00:26:25:05
Phyllis
My husband. I'm just passionate animal rights activist. So, you know, and then, we've got the mayor joining here.

00:26:25:05 - 00:26:28:21
Andrew
Hi there. Yes, there. Max is there Max.

00:26:28:21 - 00:26:31:10
Kristen
Oh, he's so beautiful.

00:26:31:12 - 00:26:37:12
Phyllis
Isn't he great? And, am I ever going to hold him for as long as you want us to? Him?

00:26:37:14 - 00:26:40:05
Kristen
Oh. He looks very mayoral.

00:26:40:07 - 00:26:41:01
Andrew
Yes.

00:26:41:03 - 00:26:58:20
Phyllis
He's very regal. He knows he's the mayor. We have a hand. You may be the reincarnated mayor. Mansell said. No, I mean, it's uncanny that he was being, And he was being very mayor of as well. So Mayor love you, buddy. Oh, great.

00:26:58:22 - 00:27:00:06
Andrew
He's so right.

00:27:00:07 - 00:27:06:13
Chris
I have a question. What are some of the mayor's responsibilities around time? Around town?

00:27:06:15 - 00:27:24:07
Phyllis
Sure. Well, one of the things that he does is he comes out in the public every day, but he does hundreds of events every year. He's a very good fundraiser, and we're a nonpartisan, nonpolitical office. So we don't take sides on issues, because if you ask him how he feels on an issue, you're going to hear crickets.

00:27:24:09 - 00:27:26:07
Andrew
But no.

00:27:26:09 - 00:27:45:11
Phyllis
No, we just do kind, loving things that a dog can do. And so that if he's at a nonpartizan, nonpolitical charity fundraiser, more people will come to the event and it generates more funds for the event. But they also go to hospitals, schools, nursing homes. What we do when I say hundreds, I really mean thousands of events. Wow.

00:27:45:11 - 00:28:07:21
Phyllis
And it's very busy, works every day and we never say no to a visit. And my husband and I were, gone for three days recently, and we just got back last night to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. And while we were gone, we had, people come to the house to meet the mayor. Because we were gone.

00:28:07:21 - 00:28:31:06
Phyllis
We have a live in, caretaker who takes care of our dogs, knows how to do that. And so we never say no to a visit. So, you know, he does that kind of thing. Every kind of party function, event, ribbon cutting business, grand opening, you know, birthday, wedding, anniversary and he. You think of it. We've done it.

00:28:31:08 - 00:28:35:15
Phyllis
Yeah. It doesn't turn any around.

00:28:35:17 - 00:28:44:06
Kristen
So what? So what would you say his, Max's impact has been on the residents, of Idlewild?

00:28:44:08 - 00:29:07:01
Phyllis
I think that he creates tremendous joy. In fact, it's so, strong that even if I happen to be in town without the mayor, people see me, and they just get an ear to ear smile. And so, he creates a lot of joy. People love him. He's like a rock star. Even when we drive into town and we have people screaming and yelling out there for mayor.

00:29:07:01 - 00:29:30:13
Phyllis
And even on our trip. Right. We have two mayor mobiles that have all the signage. So when we went out of town, I heard, you know, people with you and your people together, we're driving by. He's known all over the world. And so, you know, he we're celebrities wherever we go. And, you know, aside from the past three days, they're always with us.

00:29:30:15 - 00:29:52:23
Phyllis
So, you know, people really don't want to see us without the mayor. And there also has a vice mayor and two deputy mayor. So a lot of times, you know, I mean, the six of us, my husband and myself and the four mayors, which our mayor, Max, the mayor and his assistants.

00:29:53:01 - 00:29:58:00
Chris
Of course, a mayor requires a cabinet. Of course. You.

00:29:58:01 - 00:30:22:10
Phyllis
Are the head of security and the bodyguards for the mayor. They wear a little security vest for one person badge. And then, Metro is the, first vice mayor of i.t. While Max is the third mayor in a while, and the other two are in heaven from old age. And then, so this time, when I went to get mayor Max the third, I got the vice mayor as well.

00:30:22:10 - 00:30:29:06
Phyllis
And then the two deputy cone mayors. They outlived mayor Max the second. They're still going strong. They're 11.5.

00:30:29:06 - 00:30:30:04
Chris
And,

00:30:30:06 - 00:30:34:02
Phyllis
And the first thing is, can be so it's fun.

00:30:34:04 - 00:30:57:10
Chris
So I'm Phyllis, I want you to reach into your memory bank and think of all the wonderful years you've spent with mayor Max. And see if there's any particular moments or events you went to that were particularly fun or touching, maybe one where you felt like Max had a really big impact, or you really felt, wow, like having having a canine mayor is is actually really great for our communities.

00:30:57:10 - 00:30:59:12
Chris
And does anything stick out?

00:30:59:13 - 00:31:29:23
Phyllis
Yeah, yeah. Mayor Max the second was so well-behaved you could lie on a hospital bed and comfort the dying patient and create even some joy in this, and it makes you cry to talk about it. So I'm moving right away from that. But, the other thing is that I have this one darling video, and there are like 6 or 7 children that, jumped in the back of the truck with mayor Max, and they were singing a song they made up mayor Max and I.

00:31:29:23 - 00:31:54:06
Phyllis
I don't remember the tune, but they were singing and the the exhilarating joy. In fact, in the last year, that year, Max the second was alive. It was the first time I ever put a picture on the cover of the calendar. We do every year. There was children surrounding Max in the back of the truck with their arms around them in the joy on their faces and the joy on Max's face.

00:31:54:08 - 00:32:30:07
Phyllis
It is just is is really, a canine mayoral religious experience and a non-religious, bipartisan spirit. I mean, it really does. And, you know, the work that we do is very valuable and we create joy and so much so I actually have received well. And Max's second passed away was in the millions. But, condolences. But I have thousands of, and have all kinds of responses.

00:32:30:07 - 00:33:06:06
Phyllis
I have millions, but of, people who have actually said that, mayor Max has saved their lives, that the joy he creates has helped them through crisis. And they go into more specifics than that. But the joy that he creates, that they come into our website and they start their day. Some parents tell me they start their day with their children on the mayor's website, and they read them where they are, the daily activities, because I believe that positive energy and leads towards life and negative energy goes in that opposite direction.

00:33:06:07 - 00:33:37:14
Phyllis
So I never have ever was even, have ever posted anything negative, on our site. So it's always uplifting and fun or finding your or touching or, you know, during Covid, I noticed that there was an increase in the amount of depression that people were experiencing. So I did, write some things that were from me, about how to live in challenging times and how to get through it and how to, be happy and that type of thing, even when it's challenging.

00:33:37:14 - 00:34:05:20
Phyllis
And it's by being of service to others and taking your attention off of you and helping someone. And it goes into little more detail than that. But I had so many people thank me for that. And so we I also reach out to anyone in need. So I've learned how to tell in social media by a person's response, if they're in trouble and if they are, I reach out to them privately and I ask them to call me or give me their number.

00:34:05:20 - 00:34:14:06
Phyllis
And I called them, and I work with them one on one through that crisis. So, you know, the mayor elevate the spirit. And I'm proud of that work.

00:34:14:08 - 00:34:26:13
Kristen
Yeah, you should be. You should be. But an uplifting experience for everybody involved. And then as Mayor Max's, event schedule, is that posted online somewhere on social media?

00:34:26:15 - 00:34:50:07
Phyllis
It's it's not. And so what we do is we post and I probably should do, now it is, that where he is downtown and that type of thing. Yeah. So people know if they go to the website, that Thursday and Friday, he's downtown for weekends into holiday Mondays. I have to. And Monday to Wednesday by appointment or when we find out that.

00:34:50:07 - 00:35:16:14
Phyllis
Right. And a lot of times Monday through Wednesday, based on my husband's and my work schedule, we might be having people come to the house. If I get enough calls in a day, then I go downtown. And so, that's there. But all the other events, we just post them as they're coming up. I do fliers and, and social media, and we also do email and we print fliers and distribute them in town, and they get in the windows of the businesses, that kind of thing.

00:35:16:16 - 00:35:40:19
Phyllis
But, what I do is I promote the various events and other things that we're doing. But for the general public, they kind of know where to go every day. And so it's kind of like that and there's so many things that come up it's hard to keep up like and October 26th, we had six events and one day and we and one of them was added right at the last minute of our.

00:35:40:20 - 00:36:03:22
Phyllis
In fact, we had another request for an event. While we're at the events and just I find it sometimes challenging and, a lot of people think we're retired, but, my husband and I are not. We work for a living, and we, we fit. Mayor Madsen, we have two full time jobs, a regular job that and mayor Max and I even post.

00:36:03:22 - 00:36:23:14
Phyllis
And sometimes when I go, you know, because we might be playing hooky from work sometimes, but to do a mayor Max event, we never say no. Never. And so, we, And I'll say good thing. And none of my, none of our clients, that's the social media. So I don't know where we're playing hooky case I haven't.

00:36:23:16 - 00:36:25:06
Andrew
Yeah.

00:36:25:08 - 00:36:45:23
Phyllis
Yeah. Our time. So romance. I mean, if I ever got into a situation economically where I didn't have to work for a living to afford to do a mayor, Max, which has a cost, and, you know, and you're doing hundreds of events. Gasoline alone is over 20 grand a year. Yeah. And know, but there are other costs as well.

00:36:45:23 - 00:36:57:23
Phyllis
And but if I could, I would do even more. And, I would be doing our 80 plus hours a week would all be mayor marathon, you know, kind of thing. Because it is a labor of love for me.

00:36:58:02 - 00:36:59:05
Chris
Yeah, absolutely.

00:36:59:07 - 00:37:01:09
Phyllis
Yeah. Yeah, we love doing it.

00:37:01:11 - 00:37:15:14
Chris
Well, Phyllis, we're we're coming up at the end of our time here. I just wanted to say thank you for joining us. And thank you for giving us a shining example of what a politician should be. We can all be a little more like mayor Max.

00:37:15:16 - 00:37:38:00
Phyllis
Max and I think someone have drive time to say one more thing. Of course. That if I told people in town that I'm the mayor and come and see me at 2:00 every day, I don't think anyone would come. I say mayor Max is going to be downtown at 2:00. Hundreds of people come. Yeah, yeah, sometimes on an event day or three, living that kind of thing.

00:37:38:03 - 00:37:54:12
Phyllis
And so you know that and and because we reach out to people and we do so much loving work, I do feel that it's not only valuable what we do, but it helps so many people. It's a valid way to do politics.

00:37:54:14 - 00:37:55:06
Andrew
Absolutely.

00:37:55:06 - 00:38:00:20
Kristen
Great example of how pets bring us all together despite our political differences. That's right.

00:38:00:22 - 00:38:03:12
Phyllis
Oh yeah, he's so on every side of the camp.

00:38:03:12 - 00:38:05:23
Chris
I'm sure he does. I'm very. But please.

00:38:06:01 - 00:38:14:02
Kristen
Please thank mayor Max for us for making parents here on the Pets Add Life podcast. And, and, thanks for joining us today.

00:38:14:04 - 00:38:17:19
Phyllis
Well, thank you. I appreciate it.

00:38:17:21 - 00:38:23:00
Chris
Christine, I have an important political statement to make was I'll be voting for mayor Max for the.

00:38:23:00 - 00:38:26:06
Chris
Rest of my life. I don't know how I'm.

00:38:26:06 - 00:38:29:03
Chris
If I'm allowed to or how it works. I know that because.

00:38:29:03 - 00:38:29:13
Kristen
You know what?

00:38:29:14 - 00:38:34:14
Chris
That was like a dollar to vote. I've got a dollar, I've got a dollar. I'm voting for mayor Max.

00:38:34:19 - 00:38:40:06
Kristen
Well, you're going to need a lot of money if you want to swing the election to another candidate because, yeah.

00:38:40:09 - 00:38:49:03
Chris
Yeah, maybe I'll form, like, a pet president superPAC. And this is how. This is how I get rich. If everybody else can do it in America.

00:38:49:03 - 00:38:50:04
Kristen
But why not.

00:38:50:06 - 00:38:51:18
Chris
Voter? Why not me? Right?

00:38:51:18 - 00:38:52:18
Chris
Why not?

00:38:52:19 - 00:39:14:05
Chris
But I think, you know, I think it's great that it's, you know, it's an unincorporated town, so there really isn't a need for a mayor. We looked up the population of vital while it's like 3500 people and they have this wonderful dog, mayor, it just seems like a simpler, more joyous type of experience than what I get here in Connecticut.

00:39:14:07 - 00:39:16:02
Kristen
Are you moving to Idlewild?

00:39:16:04 - 00:39:17:01
Chris
You know what?

00:39:17:03 - 00:39:19:12
Chris
No, but.

00:39:19:14 - 00:39:51:05
Chris
But I I'm I'm considering it. The product of the week. It is time for the up a product of the week. And so for my, pop up product, I'm kind of combining a little bit of fall and a little bit of health care, and wellness for your animal. We're a big pumpkin spice house. You know, I've got that good old Nespresso machine, but I've got the, the pumpkin spice zero sugar sirup pump that I got from Max.

00:39:51:05 - 00:40:14:19
Chris
Of course. Nice. That's the only place I can find the full size ones with the pump. So we love some pumpkin spice. And wouldn't it be awesome if your dog could also enjoy some pumpkin spice? And what if your dog had, an upset stomach or was having some loose stools, or they were doing the butt scoots on your favorite rug, trying to itch, their private parts?

00:40:15:01 - 00:40:40:08
Chris
Well, those are all signs typically of some anal gland issues, which is something we usually don't talk about because it's gross. It is, but it is a problem with a lot of dogs. And luckily, there's some holistic, remedies for that. So my product of the week comes from Thera Pets, and they have this probiotic, essentially a powder that you can add to a dog's wet food.

00:40:40:10 - 00:41:03:05
Chris
Okay. And this one that they just came out with is a pumpkin spice flavor. A lot of dogs actually really like pumpkin. I think this one's more pumpkin spice because you for people. And spice is actually no pumpkin. It's just like a spice. Nutmeg and sugar. Right. But I think this one is really pumpkin, because pumpkin is actually really good for your digestive system for people and dogs.

00:41:03:05 - 00:41:06:23
Chris
It's full of fiber, although squash is really good at keeping you regular.

00:41:07:00 - 00:41:07:16
Andrew


00:41:08:00 - 00:41:15:08
Chris
So this is a, an enhanced powder that uses pumpkin and other holistic ingredients. It's going to help bind up phyto.

00:41:15:14 - 00:41:16:12
Andrew
Like things a.

00:41:16:12 - 00:41:39:10
Chris
Little more regular. Everything that fiber makes is, is well reviewed. This one here, 2.5oz, which is good for, up up up up, up. If you have a small dog, quite a few different because, you know, it's the number Skip to use is based on the weight of a small dog. 2.5oz is going to last you a while.

00:41:39:15 - 00:42:01:06
Chris
If your dog's over 60 pounds, you you're going to be buying this quite often. But they're, they're offering it for just 30 bucks. It's a great additive for your food. If your dog's having any digestive issues, if their tummy is upset or they're, you know, asking to go out more than off, more than usual, especially with winter coming around.

00:42:01:11 - 00:42:10:18
Chris
You don't want to be walking that dog more than you have to out in the ice and snow. So go ahead and check it out. The, link to the product will be in our show notes.

00:42:10:20 - 00:42:18:11
Kristen
You know what would be really cool, Chris, is if the when your dog does their business, it came out smelling like pumpkin spice.

00:42:18:13 - 00:42:34:00
Chris
That would be great. That's not the world we live in. That's unfortunate. Unfortunately, that's not the reality. There's actually a disclaimer on their website where it says your dog stools will not smell like pumpkin spice that summer.

00:42:34:02 - 00:42:34:18
Andrew


00:42:34:19 - 00:42:36:02
Chris
It's this is what it is.

00:42:36:07 - 00:42:50:01
Kristen
I think I'm going to try that because we do give tulip pumpkin, quite frequently. She loves pumpkin. But, I think that's a that's a really great product idea. Did you say Farrah? Farrah. Okay. Yeah. All right. And we'll have a link to that in the show notes.

00:42:50:06 - 00:42:51:00
Chris
Yeah.

00:42:51:02 - 00:42:52:10
Chris
What about right.

00:42:52:12 - 00:43:22:18
Kristen
Okay. So my product of the week, is okay. I'm not trying to bring us down. This is actually a very uplifting story, but it's about a a pet grief product. So there is, a wonderful lady named Erica messer. She's a former musician turned mental health advocate. And she, based on her experience when she lost her beloved dog, Wolfgang, many years ago, she created a whole line of pet grief products called Wolfie Wish.

00:43:22:20 - 00:43:49:09
Kristen
Now, we'll actually, I'm sorry. We'll see. I believe was her cat that she lost. And, I've actually bought these products. I actually I tend to buy, like ten, 15 of these grief products at a time because I like to send them right away when, when a friend or family member loses a pet and she makes beautiful note cards, little memorial, things that you can display.

00:43:49:09 - 00:44:10:13
Kristen
She's just got a beautiful line of products. They're called Wolf is wish. And the reason I chose this today is because she just debuted Wolf is on QVC last week. So that's a really big deal for Wolf as well. And, I just think it's a really clever, very thoughtful way to support someone in your life who's lost a pet.

00:44:10:15 - 00:44:33:21
Kristen
So Wolf is wish. Check it out. They've got a whole, several categories of products. Everything from the greeting cards to note cards that you actually, kind of look at each day to kind of help you get through that. The grief process, coffee mugs, t shirts, books, all kinds of really thoughtful gifts. So, so, so check that out.

00:44:33:23 - 00:44:35:20
Andrew
Q and A's.

00:44:35:22 - 00:44:55:13
Chris
All right, Kristen, it's time for the best part of our show. That's right. We're going to answer two questions from our wonderful audience. And I know what you're thinking at home. You're driving your car on your way to your wave stage. Wage slave boring job. This show is your one spark of joy in your dreary, dreary, gray life.

00:44:55:15 - 00:45:00:11
Chris
Well, I have an offer for you on how to turn that whole entire thing around.

00:45:00:12 - 00:45:01:23
Kristen
Speak for yourself, Chris.

00:45:02:04 - 00:45:04:06
Chris
Yeah, yeah, right.

00:45:04:08 - 00:45:27:13
Chris
That might have been a little bit of a projection. You could have your entire day turned around by hearing your question answered on the Pal podcast. That's right. Having a bad day. Hear your burning pet related question played on this podcast by going over to PetAddlife.org/podcast gone down to the bottom of that page, you'll see a form to submit your question.

00:45:27:15 - 00:45:50:09
Chris
Or if you're feeling as brave as this year's poll volunteers, you can have your question played live on air by leaving us a voice memo. So whichever way you do, we'll be sure to get to your questions. But, Kristen, we've got some great questions here for you. Jack in Austin. So thank you, Jack, for this question.

00:45:50:11 - 00:46:09:22
Chris
Jack writes I have a somewhat busy household with two birds, a cat, a dog, and a rabbit. What can I do to make sure that my birds are comfortable living alongside the cat, considering they are naturally prey animals to the cats? It's a great, pretty, pretty good question. So what do you think?

00:46:10:01 - 00:46:52:12
Kristen
Yes, yes. Well, hopefully the birds aren't sitting in their little enclosure with the cat salivating below them. Like like lanterns. The birds might be stressed for sure. I don't yeah, exactly. And we don't understand exactly how long you've had the birds and the cat, but, I think the best thing to do would just be to make sure that the birds have a very safe and secure enclosure, and perhaps in a room that maybe the cat doesn't always have access to, and maybe only supervised access to, so that the birds, even if the cat is in the room, the birds would feel less stress because you are there.

00:46:52:12 - 00:47:16:02
Kristen
Or so a member of the family is there. I mean, beyond that, when you're, if you let your birds out of their enclosure, obviously make sure the cat is nowhere around. And besides that, I'm not a bird expert, but, maybe to speak to an avian, veterinarian about, any other any other tips and tricks that that, he or she might be able to offer?

00:47:16:02 - 00:47:23:19
Kristen
But you obviously want the birds to feel safe, and not have to stare at, a predator all day long.

00:47:23:21 - 00:47:26:11
Chris
Yeah, that's a great point. And I would say for the.

00:47:26:11 - 00:47:29:10
Kristen
Cats, short and sweet.

00:47:29:12 - 00:47:31:08
Chris
Very, very short and sweet. And for the.

00:47:31:08 - 00:47:33:06
Andrew
Cats.

00:47:33:08 - 00:47:56:10
Chris
Keep their go ahead. Yeah. Like. Yeah. And don't let them be bored because they'll find entertainment around the house. Yeah. So. Yeah, well, that is funny. And, but make sure that, you know, they have plenty of toys and other activities and maybe, like a climbing wall or cat tree, something that keeps them otherwise engaged so they don't look at your birds as toys.

00:47:56:12 - 00:48:02:07
Chris
Yeah, but thank you, Jack, for the. Thanks, Jack. Question. Kristen, what do you have for me?

00:48:02:09 - 00:48:19:15
Kristen
Okay, so this is a good one from Amber in Seattle. So Amber says I'm considering adopting a pet, a pig as a pet. What are some important things I should know before bringing one home, especially in terms of space, diet and social behavior?

00:48:19:17 - 00:48:45:06
Chris
I mean, initial reaction is don't just don't don't do, pigs. Here's the thing. Here's the thing about having a pig as a pet. Number one, they're going to tell you the weight of what the pig will be as an adult. They have no idea that pig can end up being massive, even if it's a miniature potbelly pig.

00:48:45:07 - 00:49:09:06
Chris
You know, I've seen miniature potbelly pigs grow up and become 50 pounds. You know, you see this all the time on social media. Oh, they told me it was a tiny pig. There's no such thing as a truly tiny pig. They will always get big. Here's here's another thing about pigs. There's stinky. They're very stinky. It doesn't matter what you feed them, they're going to create new and interesting smells everywhere.

00:49:09:10 - 00:49:37:14
Chris
Now, on the off chance Amber, that you have an outdoor barn or enclosure to keep this pig properly here, is is some some advice. Pigs are very intelligent. And they can get bored. So if you want to look for, similar toys to cat toys, maybe give them the opportunity to hunt around for their food. You know, pigs are often used as truffle hunters because they have very sensitive noses.

00:49:37:17 - 00:49:56:16
Chris
They like to dig and get into the mud. So try and find unique ways to feed them, to kind of recreate that type of scavenging that they'd be doing, if they weren't your pet, if they're, you know, kind of out in the wild. But other than that, I would say good luck. You're going to need a lot of luck.

00:49:56:20 - 00:50:02:08
Chris
You're going to need a lot of patience, and you're going to need a lot of febreeze.

00:50:02:10 - 00:50:22:04
Kristen
Well, and I just wanted to add to that, Chris, that, you know, pigs can live from anywhere from 12 to 20 years. So, yeah, you know, I always worry about this, like on social media, because I know there are some really great, pig accounts on social media. And I feel like that kind of gives people the idea that, oh, what a great idea.

00:50:22:04 - 00:50:34:02
Kristen
I'm going to get a pig, too. But like you said, they have very the super smart, they have very specific social needs, space needs, you know, dietary. So, so yeah. Think it over really very, very, very carefully.

00:50:34:02 - 00:50:39:04
Chris
And then don't and don't like that's our advice.

00:50:39:06 - 00:51:01:10
Kristen
Just don't you know, I say that because when I worked at the SPCA, we had a famous pig there named Rosie. Rosie weighed 800 pounds. And guess what? Rosie ended up at the SPCA because the people purchased her thinking they were purchasing a little potbelly pig and Rosie grew up to be 800 pounds.

00:51:01:12 - 00:51:02:00
Chris
There you go.

00:51:02:02 - 00:51:27:13
Chris
So that's it. You know, I would tell is old this time. Song is old, is rhyme got a pig and it got real big. Like that is just simply the way that it goes. Nearly every time. It's in the pig's nature to get real big. So. Yeah. But you know, Amber, if you're out there, you're listening and you decide to get the pig right back into the show, we're going to want an update.

00:51:27:15 - 00:51:29:02
Chris
You're going to want to see how this is.

00:51:29:02 - 00:51:29:21
Chris
Going to have you on as a.

00:51:29:21 - 00:51:47:03
Chris
Guest. Maybe Amber, you know, isn't from isn't actually from Seattle, the suburbs or the rural area kind of east of Seattle and has a lot of land, which would which would make it a lot easier to take care of a pig if they had, some, some land for grazing. So who knows, maybe. And maybe we're wrong.

00:51:47:03 - 00:51:54:03
Chris
So we'll see. But, Kristin, that brings us to the end of today's show.

00:51:54:05 - 00:51:59:03
Kristen
I know, and you know, that means we have to go sit and wait for election results now.

00:51:59:08 - 00:52:15:00
Chris
Yes. So if you if you're listening to this and you haven't gone and voting yet, and I know normally here's where I tell you to, like, subscribe and do all that fuss. But but today guess go vote yes. Go vote if you're in if you're listening to this in your AirPod sing, you're in line to vote. Thank you.

00:52:15:00 - 00:52:35:02
Chris
Stay in line. Make sure your voice is heard. Use that power. We all have a little teeny tiny slice of power, given to us by virtue of being American. So go ahead and use it today. For those of you who have voted and are waiting for the results, relax. There's nothing you can do now. Enjoy a nice cup of tea.

00:52:35:07 - 00:52:53:19
Chris
Pet your dog, your cat, chirp with your birds. You know, roll around in the mud with your pet pig, whatever it may be, to take a load off, but take it easy. There's nothing you can do now. Relax. And hopefully the show brought you a little bit of levity in what could be a stressful day.

00:52:53:21 - 00:52:57:18
Chris
Yeah. So to meow for now.

00:52:57:20 - 00:52:59:19
Chris
If you like. Sweet.

00:52:59:21 - 00:53:06:15
Chris
And, we'll be here. We'll be here no matter what. No matter who ends up winning the election. We'll be right back here next Tuesday.

00:53:06:20 - 00:53:07:14
Chris
But bye now.