79. National Dog Day, Parade Joy & Music for Dogs

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Speaker 1 (00:00):

Pets Ad Life, your guide to the latest in Pet Trends products and the joy of the Human Animal Bond with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonafide, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog tv.

Speaker 2 (00:14):

Alright. Hello everybody and welcome back to another episode of the Pets Ad Life podcast. I am your host, Kristen Levine, and Chris is out again today, but we have a very special show today. You're going to love our co-host. It just so happens to be National Dog Day, the day this show is releasing. So we've got lots of fun stuff to talk about, but before we go any further, let me introduce our co-host today, and you probably caught her on a previous episode of Pet Side Life. It's Tori Mystic. Tori is a digital marketing and pet lifestyle expert based in Pittsburgh. She's also the founder of the award-winning blog and podcast Wear Wag Repeat. She launched her platform in 2013 and has grown it into a thriving community for both pet parents and pet entrepreneurs. Tori holds a master's degree in digital media and she's a certified canine enrichment technician and a very well-known educator and coach helping pet focused parents and entrepreneurs succeed online while enriching their dogs' lives at the same time. Welcome, Tori. Hello. Happy National Dog Day. Yes, I'm so glad you are here for this special day. And Bert's here in the background, right?

Speaker 3 (01:24):

Yes, my dog, Bert is in the background and I'm sure we'll talk about him plenty today.

Speaker 2 (01:29):

Yes. Yeah, well, you and I have that in common, a love for Labradors.

Speaker 3 (01:33):

Yes, I've had Labradors for a long time. I've always had chocolate labs, so I don't know. I feel like once you have chocolate, then you get all the clothes and your furniture blends in. With the chocolate fur, I could never get a yellow lab. That just wouldn't work for me.

Speaker 4 (01:48):

Yeah,

Speaker 3 (01:49):

We had a yellow lab for

Speaker 2 (01:51):

A while and that was a big problem. We had a black lab, a lab, so we had the black fur on our white stuff and the white fur on our dark stuff, so it was challenging, but they are awesome. And I just learned before we started recording that for National Dog Day, which I read was started back in 2004. And really just as a, it's an event intended to highlight the importance of dog adoption and also all the wonderful things dogs do for and bring to our lives. We've got a couple of guests that are going to help us celebrate the special

Speaker 3 (02:28):

Occasion. Yeah, I think we have a lot of great ideas in store today from our guests and questions and all kinds of stuff. Two other

Speaker 2 (02:36):

Things I wanted to mention, dog tv, who co-host co-sponsors this podcast. They are going to have a Times Square billboard all day today, which is amazing to me. I mean, I don't know how they pull that off. Yeah, we should be there. Kristen, why are we should Times Square? Hey Ron, why are we not doing the show from Times Square today? But without further ado, Tori, I know you've been a guest on the show, so you probably know the drill. But what we do is we share two stories of the week. We share, we talk to two great guests, we share two product recommendations, and then we answer two questions from the audience. So are you ready to kick it off with me? Yes,

Speaker 3 (03:16):

I'm ready to go.

Speaker 1 (03:18):

Kristen and Chris, present story time.

Speaker 3 (03:21):

When I was thinking about what to share with you on this episode today, I was thinking back National Dog Days, always right before Labor Day, and one of the things that I have loved to do for many years is Labor Day Dog Swim. So a lot of the pools in my area will open up at the end of the day. It's like from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Labor Day, you're allowed to take your dog in the pool. And years ago in 2018, I was at a Labor Day dog swim with my dog Lucy, and it was just her absolute favorite thing to do. We used to go, there was a wave pool that did the dog swim, but they didn't turn the waves on. It was just the pool. But it was great. The dogs could just wade into it instead of having to jump off the edge and then trying to get out and everything. So the Wave Pool was just awesome for Dog Swim. And back in 2018, I can remember it clear as day being there, I had just discovered my dog Bert on Petfinder at a local shelter. He wasn't in our lives yet and the shelter was closed over Labor Day. But I remember telling my friends, I might be adopting a dog this week.

(04:41):

It was at the Labor Day Dog Swim back in 2018 that remember telling everyone, I think I might be getting this dog. I'm going to meet him. We'll see how it goes. And that's how Bert came into our lives. And ironically, Bert, when I first got him, he hated the water. What a Labrador. That hates water. Yes, he's special in many ways, but one of those is that he just did not like the water. So when I first got him, he would leap over puddles. He didn't even want to touch a puddle. So over the years, Lucy, because she was just the ultimate little fish, little water dog, she really taught him how to be confident and how to enjoy the water. And he still to this day, doesn't like to swim, but he will walk and hang out in the water now.

Speaker 2 (05:33):

So he'll wait in.

Speaker 3 (05:35):

Yes. And he likes in the local streams and stuff where he can kind of drink the water, he'll just go through and he opens his mouth and he just walks and just shovels in the water. Right, right, right.

Speaker 2 (05:50):

That's so cute. I love that story. I love that. And that reminds me, when we lived in Florida, the same thing. The local recreational pools would open up for Dog Day. And I have a picture, we took Chile, who was our black lab at the time, we took him to the Labor Day Pool swim and the local newspaper was there. And so they were taking a picture of all the dogs having fun in the pool. And when I saw it in the paper, this is going back away when we actually read newspapers, my dog chili was in mid pee as he was squatting in. It was just the very shallow where you weighed in, he was peeing in the pool and they captured that and it was on the front page, keeping it classy. Keeping it classy. You can always count on chili for

Speaker 3 (06:37):

That. I love that. I think that's why they hold off on the dog swim until the very last hour of the pool being open. Exactly, exactly.

Speaker 2 (06:48):

So my story today has to do with National Dog Day as well as the fact that August, the whole month of August has been clear, the Shelters month, which is a huge national promotion with NBC and hundreds of shelters all over the country. And I thought I would just share this story. Well, it's not really a story, it's kind of a PSA or tidbit that I learned from a trainer many years ago, and it's called The Three Rule for adopting a rescue dog. And what is the three rule? So this is for anybody who's thinking about adopting or who has recently adopted or knows somebody who's adopting, you can pass this on.

Speaker 3 (07:30):

The idea is, and this is really good information, so everyone, if you're distracted,

Speaker 2 (07:34):

Pay

Speaker 3 (07:34):

Attention,

Speaker 2 (07:35):

Listen up. This is really key. And I think this doesn't just have to be a rescue dog, it could be a puppy, it could even be a cat to some extent. But the first three stands for the first three days. And those first three days, your dog is decompressing and kind of learning about his or her new environment. So you can expect your dog to be a little bit stressed or anxious. You can expect them to sleep a lot, maybe even hide. And so during those first three days, you want to keep things really calm and predictable. You might even want to limit the access in your home, maybe can confine the dog to a certain area of the home so that he is not overwhelmed. And you might also want to hold off on introducing him to any other critters that are in the house for those first three days.

(08:20):

And then that second three stands for three weeks. So in the first three weeks, you're going to see more of their personality start to emerge. And maybe you saw that with Bert when you adopted Bert back in 2018. And then that's a good time once they're starting to recognize and settle into the routine to start some basic training and to kind of build in additional routines. And then the third three stands for three months. So those first three months are where the true bonding begins. Your dog starts to gain confidence. He is understanding the house rules and starting to feel like he really belongs. So I wanted share that today. Maybe you already know that, or like I said, if you're thinking of adopting, because I think it's important not to have unrealistic expectations when you bring a new dog home. For it to be instantly just fun and games happiness. It takes a little bit of time. It's a journey, not a single day event. So hopefully everybody will keep that in mind next time they adopt a dog and maybe if they're planning to do so during National Dog Day,

Speaker 1 (09:26):

Beyond the Leash, exploring the untold stories of pet passion and professionalism.

Speaker 3 (09:30):

Fern Watt is an author, speaker and dog lifestyle expert based in New York City. She is the founder of the nonprofit New York Dog Parade, which raises funds and visibility for canine causes through colorful community events. Fern's writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, LA Times NPR, good Morning America and many more. She also writes The Weekly Pets and the City column for am. New York hosts the Canine Hotline newsletter and YouTube show and is the author of Dog Lover books including Giselle's Bucket List and Adventure Dogs. Fern lives on Manhattan's upper West side with her two rescue pups and shares her passion for the dog human bond through speaking and community building. Hi Fern, welcome to the podcast today.

Speaker 4 (10:24):

Hi, thank you so much for having me. I'm so happy to be here.

Speaker 3 (10:29):

I'm looking forward to talking about everything that you do. And I want to start off with the New York Dog Parade. So what sparked your idea to start this and can you kind of describe to us what it's like, what would happen at the New York Dog Parade?

Speaker 4 (10:45):

Yeah, absolutely. So New York Dog Parade, I feel is something that has been kind of in my head since I started in the dog space. And I guess I'll tell you a little bit about how I got started and what led to that. But I, 10 years ago wrote the story about a bucket list I made for my dog named Giselle. And Giselle was my best friend and she was 160 pounds. And we lived together in New York City and we went on all these adventures including the Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade, which is the biggest dog parade.

Speaker 3 (11:19):

It's epic.

Speaker 4 (11:20):

Yeah. So when Giselle got sick, I made a bucket list of things I wanted to do with her and I wrote about it and I didn't think anyone would read it, honestly. I thought it was a little, I just felt almost embarrassed. I thought, no one's going to read this. And then it turns out millions of people read that story about their dog bucket list, like my dog's bucket list, and started reaching out to me about their own dogs and what their dogs meant to them and how their dogs had helped them through something and how their dog was their best friend. And that was so inspiring and touching to me to hear from people all over the world who were now creating dog bucket lists, writing about going to the beach with their dog, doing things with their dogs. So this sparked an exploration of writing about dog human friendships, learning about how dogs help us.

(12:12):

And then New York Dog Parade is kind of the representation of all those things. We help, our nonprofit focuses on how dogs and humans help each other, how dogs can bring people together. They teach us empathy and compassion. And through these really fun, exciting dog parade events, we get to bring all these people together and dogs help us talk to each other. And it's very joyful to see dogs. I feel people love looking at them, people love talking about them. And we parade, they set up a little red carpet and we usually have very formal music. These are fairs. We really respect dogs if we hold them to the highest regard. Dogs are so special. So these parades really show that off. They show off the dogs, they show off the people, and it's just, they're fun, silly moments. We have a lot of parades coming up next year as well as some really exciting things happening this year. So

Speaker 2 (13:14):

I can't think of a happier event than a dog parade.

Speaker 4 (13:18):

I know it's really fun. And for New York City too, I mean everyone is obsessed with their dog, so you guys should come to a parade.

Speaker 3 (13:30):

We should.

Speaker 2 (13:32):

Let's take this show on the road. Yeah,

Speaker 4 (13:35):

Tell your dogs what would they wear? We could talk about it.

Speaker 2 (13:39):

Yeah, I just have to think about that. So Fern, when Tori was giving your introduction, I was thinking, wow, Fern is so busy, or she must have a team of 20 people. You do a lot of writing, you've obviously got the events. How do you balance it all and how do you adapt your storytelling for each different platform, whether it's writing or YouTube or

Speaker 4 (14:08):

Content

Speaker 2 (14:08):

For your newsletter?

Speaker 4 (14:09):

Yeah, this is something that's always evolving and very exciting to explore. It's really cool because all of my projects are a bit different, but they all feed into each other. It's all about celebrating dog, human friendship, learning from dogs about ourselves. So of course it's a lot to figure out and think through in my head. And there's so many different things happening all the time, but it's always so joyful because dogs are at the heart of it. People are also at the heart of it, and I feel so lucky to get to wake up and do this type of work. Sometimes it's funny though, I'll be working on something so joyful and I'm like, this is so stressful. Literally dogs costume. I'm like, okay, get

Speaker 3 (14:59):

It together. Right. Well, something that sounds stressful and intimidating to me is writing a book, but you have your latest book, adventure Dogs is all about active dog adventures. So what is a story from that book that you said you love talking about human dog friendships? Are there any great stories from adventure dogs that kind of capture that?

Speaker 4 (15:28):

Yeah, I mean, so many. I got to do so many cool dog adventures through this book. I got to travel and go to all of these amazing places. Truffle Hunting in Oregon was a really cool one. All of these people sign their dog up for truffle scent work classes. And scent work is so important for dogs to do all dogs, and I feel a lot of people don't always think about this. So it was really fun to see a class of dogs learning to use their noses and then the humans alongside them also learning how to help their dog learn this thing that I think of it like a dog getting to use their nose is as important as a child learning to read. This is how dogs understand the world, so we need to be encouraging them to do this. And this class of all of these dogs learning to truffle hunt, there was a blind pug in there and there were puppies and there were all types of dogs of all ages. And the instructor got up there and was like, every dog will learn to find a truffle. And I was like, there is no way all of these dogs are learning truffle. I'm sorry, they're just not. But I'm in there and I'm taking notes. And then sure enough, every single dog did learn how to do it and it was so sweet. It was really cool.

Speaker 3 (16:50):

Well, I have to ask, the important question is, did everyone get to keep their truffles?

Speaker 4 (16:55):

I mean, the truffle hunting scene in Oregon can be quite competitive. The people who are really good at it, it's wild. I was with these two expert truffle hunting dogs the next day and they found truffle. They find them every few seconds, they're just sprinting through. People get to keep the truffles and truffles are shaved. It's a whole truffle weekend.

Speaker 3 (17:21):

I'm going to have to start training my dog. That's really cool to figure this out. So thank you.

Speaker 4 (17:26):

Yeah.

Speaker 2 (17:26):

So RN Fern, tell us about the canine hotline. How did that come up and what is that all about?

Speaker 4 (17:33):

Yeah, that's like I get a lot of questions from dog lovers who will be like, what should I do about this? Or I want to take my dog to Europe, or I want to find the best X, Y, or Z. So that is where I get to explore some of those questions. And I think it's also really cool because dogs, it's like some of it is more health related where I'll go tap into a vet to try to learn something, but some of it is very relationship based, which I think is really sweet. If your dog is fearful of something and you're trying to get over it, or maybe your dog doesn't like your new boyfriend or just all sorts of dogs are such family members and I think we can have dilemmas with them, but they're another species. So how do you handle that? And that's kind of what that is about. I get to tap into a lot of the experts from adventure dogs to also answer questions about dogs.

Speaker 3 (18:33):

Wonderful. So it seems like a big theme or mission for you is connecting people being active in the community and the friendships that come from that. So for people who are kind of curious about maybe volunteering with their dog or doing a meetup or supporting shelters or doing something else like that, what are some of your recommendations for how they could get started with that?

Speaker 4 (18:57):

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. At New York Dog Parade, we're actually working on some of that too, to try to make some of this more accessible because I think you might want to help a rescue, but you don't know which one to go to or it can just feel very overwhelming trying to figure out where and how. So New York Dog Parade is a good place to start. Well, we share a lot of that information and I think always Instagram and finding the shelters in your area, it's like so many of them have platforms on Instagram. It's like you can even just reach out to them and be like, Hey, I want to help. Or Hey, I have a dog items, can I drop them off? I feel like so many small local shelters just need help. So I think that's where to start. And then New York Dog Parade, where we're also working on making some of this a lot more accessible and easy for people like that because I do agree there's so many who want to help but don't always know.

Speaker 2 (19:56):

Yeah. And volunteering is such a great way to get started. Going back many years, I started volunteering at the SPCA in Tampa Bay where I lived and it turned into a 35 year career working with pets. So you just never know where a volunteer opportunity is going to lead to. So Fern, can you please tell us where are all the places we can find you follow, you get more information about the parade? And I think we had some dates. Do we have, what was the date on the parade again?

Speaker 4 (20:30):

Yeah, we have a parade coming up on September 7th in New York City. It's on the Upper West side and it's going to be so much fun.

Speaker 3 (20:40):

Is there a theme to the parade?

Speaker 4 (20:42):

So it's all about introducing your dog to the community. So just showing off your dog, come out with your dog, meet the other dogs, and it'll be on Columbus Avenue. It'll just be a really fun community event. And then of course we have Halloween coming up and we're working on the date for that right now. It's looking like October 18th, but that'll be announced really soon. And I'm so excited for Halloween. I feel like Halloween is a busy season for all the dogs.

Speaker 2 (21:11):

For sure, for sure. And where can we follow you?

Speaker 4 (21:14):

Yeah, it's Fern Watt author on Instagram and that's the best spot. And then New York dog parade.org or NY Dog Parade on Instagram.

Speaker 3 (21:24):

Wonderful. Fantastic. Thank you for sharing with us.

Speaker 4 (21:28):

Of course. Thank you so much for having me.

Speaker 2 (21:32):

So our producer Ron, is calling Fern the Carrie Bradshaw of New York of the dog world, I think

Speaker 3 (21:38):

New York Dog World. Yes.

Speaker 2 (21:40):

Spot on. She's doing some amazing things.

Speaker 3 (21:43):

That was so fun. I can't believe how many people she gets at these parades. And she did ask one question, which is what would our dogs dress up as at the parades? And I want to know, I'm Tulip. I mean it's kind of in the name.

Speaker 2 (21:58):

Well, I'll tell you what she really would wear because her name is deceiving. She's not super friendly with strangers. She likes her people. And so I bought her a few years ago, I bought her a little gray sweatshirt that says security on the back of it. And so I think she would wear her security shirt because then she could just kind of bark at people and it would seem like it's okay, like she's in charge and she

Speaker 3 (22:22):

Might get you backstage or something. She might. What would Bert wear? Well, Bert now he has so much gray hair and everyone says he looks such a distinguished gentleman. So I have a little tuxedo bandana for him. And so I think he does a really good job with the most interesting man in the world. He just needs, what is that Doce Equis. We need a bottle of Doce Equis and there's a

Speaker 2 (22:52):

Costume.

Speaker 3 (22:53):

Love

Speaker 2 (22:54):

It. I love it. I am so excited to introduce everybody to our guest, Lisa Specter. She's a Julliard trained pianist, canine music specialist and the founder of Canine Classical, which is a brand new platform helping dogs and their people bond through the power of music. She's the artist behind the original through a Dog's Ear recordings, which I've had for many, many, many years. And her new album, Chopin for Dogs, was just released on all streaming platforms. So welcome, Lisa.

Speaker 5 (23:26):

Thank you, Kristin. It's so great to see you again and honor to be here.

Speaker 2 (23:29):

Hi Lisa.

Speaker 5 (23:31):

Hi Tori. Great to see you too.

Speaker 2 (23:33):

Yeah. And before we jumped on here to record, we were all talking about how much all three of us love Labrador retrievers, just the irony of that.

Speaker 5 (23:43):

And have Labrador retrievers

Speaker 2 (23:45):

Too. Have Labrador retrievers. Yes, exactly. So lemme just kick off. The first question I want to ask you about is to kind of tell us your origin story of what led you a Julliard trained pianist to create music specifically designed for dogs, both to calm dogs and also to help us bond with them more. So

Speaker 5 (24:05):

Well, about 20 years ago, my Julliard degree went to the dogs, wasn't planned when I graduated Julliard never thought in a million years I'd be performing for dogs. It was for people and some of the best things in life, it just happened. Something fell in my lap in 2003. I owned a music school in my town and I was a volunteer puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind. And I was researching music that would calm the children, the four year olds. I went into them to focus and I found something that worked for the kids. But I looked over at my rambunctious four month old puppy and he was snoozing in 30 seconds. And it's like, kids have a good time. I'm onto this. So started figuring out what research had been done. And at those days there had hardly been any research. There had been one by Deborah Wells, Irish behaviors on the effects of music and calming dogs. And that's how it all started.

Speaker 3 (24:59):

That's amazing. So now your music is being played by people all over the world, but notably it's being played in shelters. So what kind of effects have you noticed amongst the shelter dogs with their behavior and their wellbeing now that they're playing your calming music there?

Speaker 5 (25:18):

Well, I'm a diehard shelter volunteer. I've had a long history of volunteering in shelters. The first thing I did when I started through a dog's ear was to get my music into shelters. And was very, a couple years in, I mean those are back in the days when I was, were using CDs and I was literally postmarking them myself, taking them to the post office. And then we got a grant from American from Bayer Animal Health. And so that allowed us to get the music into 1500 shelters worldwide. And so one of the best, most rewarding calls in my life was from a shelter manager. He called us from Ohio and he called me and he said, Lisa, this is the first phone call I have been able to make from the shelter in 10 years because it's always been too loud. There was so much barking. And I have to tell you the story about Trello. Trello has been here over, was here over a year, and he started listening to music and he finally got adopted out because now his canine nervous system is calm enough that he makes a great family pet and he's out of here in his forever home. And it just warm my heart.

Speaker 2 (26:23):

Oh my gosh. How fulfilling that is for you to hear. Well, there's no better place for calming music to play than in shelters, that's for sure. And actually, Lisa, you were really among the pioneers studying how music helps animals and even before dog TV was launched and looked to your studies to help inform how they presented both music and audio for dogs. But I'd like to talk to you about how you made a shift from calming music to now what you're doing now with canine classical. What's the difference and why?

Speaker 5 (27:00):

So when I started, there was no one doing this. Maybe there's one other company. And then of course dog TV came around and help educate people and realizing how simple and effective sound and music can be to calm your dogs and relieve anxiety issues. But think of mind when I was back then, there was hardly anyone do this. Now there's a lot of companies doing this and a lot of mind is always based on research as dog TV is in a lot art. So it's become a little more kind of trendy. So I just feel like now that I'm thrilled that there's been so many companies that are producing music that's effective and relieving Canaan anxiety. But now I feel like I want to focus on the number one comment that is said to me over and over these 20 years. I've had three dogs over this time.

(27:59):

Sanchez was the pioneer with me. And then seven years when he was seven, I adopted Gina. And then she passed away at 15 and a half, about half a year ago. And then I adopted Sundance. And the comment that comes to me every single time is, Lisa, I want the relationship you have with your dog. And my dogs have lived very long lives. I mean, for a lab to live healthy until she's 15 and a half is remarkable. And Sanchez was a bigger lab, he was 14. And I just feel like there's something to this in terms of the music, it's hard, it's so intangible. It's hard for me to really say, but I can come out with it in words in music. So that music is a huge part of my dog's life. They hear me practice, they hear all the time, they hear my recordings. If they're alone, I won't say her name, but you all know what it begins with an A. She plays my music when I'm gone. And so it's a huge part of life and it's like, well, how can I package this? How can I package my relationship with my dogs that I've had? And I feel like it's the thing that might be the missing ingredient to longevity.

Speaker 3 (29:08):

Wow, this is amazing. Well, and I think it's that the care and love that you put into it. So instead of just saying, oh, I'm going to hit play on whatever's turn on the radio, you've crafted something specially. And I think people can replicate that a little bit by putting a lot of care and love into and intention, I guess, into what they're doing with their dogs.

Speaker 5 (29:31):

Exactly. It is all about intention. It's not about just having background music, but it's about having intentional music that's chosen for your dog. And I also invite listeners to really watch, what does your dog do? Do they go tour the speaker? Do they go away from the speaker? Do they want to be dogs? We love them because they want to be by our side. Right? But they'll also put themselves in the middle of cacophony. They'll have a football game in one room and classical music and another and the teenager playing punk rock and the other, and they'll put themselves by people. But that it's our responsibility to put them in a safe auditory environment too.

Speaker 2 (30:12):

Yeah, that's true. So can you give us a sense for, and by the way, for our listeners, I want you to know we're going to have Lisa play for us in just a couple of minutes, but before we do that, can you help busy pet parents with a quick and easy way to incorporate your calming music into their daily routine so that they can live the life of Sundance into have all those benefits?

Speaker 5 (30:39):

Sure. And I will answer that, but let me tell you, sentence is about to turn two, and she is a very high, she's the highest drive dog I've ever had, but you don't know it right now because she's been listening to my music. But I would say use it the same way veterinarians prescribe it, which is to have 20 to 30 minutes a day where you, it's not only for dogs, it's for both ends of the leash. So where you are, say sitting, take some quiet time and sit on the sofa either with your dog or with your dog in the dog bed by your side and just do nothing else but listen. Like it is your time to just, it is like a retreat. It's like a music retreat in your living room. And so where you're not rushing around, you're not having in the background, but really sit because also you want to condition your dog too, that the music means to be calm.

(31:24):

So when you play my music, the canine sound therapy for your dog, they have been conditioned that the music means go to your bed and settle. And so then you're conditioning them. Let's say you're using it later on for separation anxiety because it is also used for anxiety issues. So if it's used for that, they're conditioned, you leave and it's okay because the music is on and the music means to be calm and all's good with the world because they develop this association of my humans with me cuddling with me or by my side. So it's a comfort, it's like a security blanket.

Speaker 3 (32:01):

I love this. It's all about, like you mentioned, the heart connection and the emotional connection. And I personally love when enrichment is about bonding with your dog. It's not just a babysitter to get your dog to leave you alone or something like that. So I bet you get such great feedback from pet owners, you shared that wonderful story from the shelter, but have you received some other feedback from pet owners that has really made your heart sing?

Speaker 5 (32:28):

Yeah, there are so many, but a couple that just come to mind. So my dog is so appreciated by, have you ever watched only murders in the building? Yes. So then Winnie, her real name is Minnie Bulldog and Josephine, her person, brings her on set with my music and her playlist. She's trained her to actually touch your upon the music plays on the phone. That's so cute. And so you don't see that side of her, but she comes from a shelter background and very, she's a rescue dog and had a lot of anxiety and the music has calmed her down enough that once she got hired to be on only murders in the building, and two, she sits backstage and just snooze to this music so that she's also builds her confidence. So there's a lot going on that stage that you don't see during filming.

(33:19):

That is a lot of sounds and a lot of movement, a lot of motion. But the music has really helped her. And then on the other end is a story way back. Remember the Michael Vick dogs, the Fighting Dogs? So way back, this is way back early on and it's just such a beautiful story. So I got a call from Susan. So Susan had adopted Little Red who was a dog who, if you remember back in those days, they didn't think any of those dogs could have normal lives and you to be so patient. I mean, some of them it took years, but they did rehabilitate many of them. So this dog, little Red, would not let Susan touch her. And then she kept playing my music, and then one day Little Red just laid in her back and opened her paws and exposed her belly to Susan. And Susan messaged me and said, this is the most heartwarming dog experience of my life. She finally now trusts me. So it's not only for calming, but it's for building confidence and building trust with your people.

Speaker 2 (34:23):

Lisa, tell our listeners and our viewers where we can follow you, how we can access your music and learn more.

Speaker 5 (34:31):

So new website, new social, everything is canine classical. And also if you want to get a checklist on how to form a deeper bond through music with your dog, canine classical.com/intune for getting in tune with your dog, your heart connection

Speaker 2 (34:48):

With your dog. I love that. Oh, that's wonderful. Lisa, thank you for all your contributions through music for dogs and for people, and it's exciting to watch you rebrand and continue to help us all.

Speaker 5 (35:03):

Thank you so much. It's such a pleasure speaking with you both.

Speaker 2 (35:08):

So Tori, like I mentioned, I've had her CD that threw a dog ear CD for so long. When we had our yellow lab, he was very noise phobic. And when it would storm, the only place he was comfortable was in the back of my SUV. So we would literally go sit in the park, the driveway, put on the music, and he would calm right down.

Speaker 3 (35:30):

Oh wow.

Speaker 2 (35:31):

What

Speaker 3 (35:32):

A great story.

Speaker 2 (35:33):

Yeah, yeah. So it really does work.

Speaker 3 (35:36):

Yes, I love playing it and I think it's just, I have to say I'm guilty. I don't usually sit and just live in the moment and sit for 20 minutes with my dog listening to music. So I think that's great advice and I'm looking forward to trying that. I have something very practical that you'll use every single day, multiple times a day. And so this is for the real dog, people listening here, and they're my favorite poop bags. So I finally found, and I'm calling these the best poop bags. It's from Green Line Pet Supply. And I actually, because I am that person, I had a zoom call with the woman who created it. We talked for an hour about, oh my gosh, about poop bag poop bags. I was just amazed at the science and research that went into this. She did testing for years to see how this material broke down in a landfill sort of situation. And she did so much research and testing for years. And my personal favorite thing about the bags is that here in Pittsburgh this winter, we had a record cold winter. And so I was always wearing heavy, heavy gloves and mittens, even like snowboard mittens to walk the dogs. And I was able to open these bags with mittens on.

Speaker 2 (36:58):

Oh my gosh, that that's an incredible testimonial. Yeah, check 'em out. Lemme know what you think. So my product of the week is actually for cats. I know it's National Dog Day, but I thought I'd just give cats a little shout out here. Yeah, we need balance. I think we do need some balance. And there's so many cool things for dogs and we don't have quite as many cool things for cats. So this is a very practical product and it's a dental health treats or bites for cats. And the reason I thought this was important to share is because over 70% of cats over the age of two suffer from dental issues like either plaque or tartar buildup or gingivitis or even periodontal disease. And that stat comes from Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine. And when it's untreated, these diseases can cause really bad things like oral pain, tooth decay. Ultimately the bacteria from the teeth can actually get into your pet's system, your cat system and impact organs, kidneys, liver, heart, things like that. It is really important to maintain your cat's dental health. And that includes either the annual or every other year, having a professional cleaning done on your cat. But in between, you don't hear about too many people brushing their cat's teeth. I know a few people that brush their dog's teeth. I haven't

Speaker 3 (38:20):

Heard too much about brushing cat's teeth.

Speaker 2 (38:22):

I have yet to meet anyone that brushes their cat's teeth. Not that, hey, try it, give it a try. Let us know how that works. But this is a really great way to provide some maintenance in between those professional cleanings. So let's see, they're called, they're by pet honesty. They're fresh breath dental bites for cats. And I think what cats will like about them is they have a crunchy exterior and an ooey gooey middle. They're creamy inside like a gush. Yeah. Yeah. So they're like designed to appeal to picky cats. They do break down plaque and prevent tartar. They have a post biotic in them to support a healthy oral microbiome and also parsley and decaffeinated green tea blend, which I guess offers a natural fresh breath support. So they were formulated by a veterinarian and you can get a bag of them for under 15 bucks. So Q and As.

(39:19):

Alright, Tori, this brings us to our favorite part of the show. This is where we get to answer two questions from our listeners or viewers. And it's very simple to get your question answered. All you have to do is go to the Pets Add Life podcast website, which is pets add life.org/podcast. And you just scroll all the way to the bottom and you can type in your question, or if you're really brave, you can record and audio question, which we love it when you do that. So please, please, please, I encourage you to do that. So I've got a question for you, Tori, and I think it's appropriate because it's about a Labrador.

Speaker 3 (40:02):

It's on theme for our episode today. Yes,

Speaker 2 (40:04):

It is. It is. And this one comes from Carlos in Dallas. He says, my Labrador is always bouncing around, running laps, grabbing everything in sight. I love how energetic he is, but I worry about using up all that energy safely. Any tips on guiding that hyperactive energy so we can both relax?

Speaker 3 (40:24):

Yes, Carlos, I can relate. I feel your pain because I've had many Labradors over the years and especially when I adopted Bert and brought him home for the first time. He just wanted to grab, he wasn't used to having all these toys and all these things and everything around. So I have a couple of pieces of advice. So one, this is a little tough love. I know a lot of people don't like to hear this, but put everything away. Just clean house, put the toys away, bring stuff out when you're going to use it, but put things away. You have to put your shoes in the closet, you got to put everything away. That will cut down a little bit on just the impulse of like, oh, shiny thing. I'm going to grab that. So that's one piece of advice. Another thing is that Labradors love to run and fetch and bring you things back.

(41:13):

That's probably why your dog wants to grab all these things and carry them around. So I would play fetch, but play it in a smart way. So don't get them too revved up. Put a limit on it so that they might want to play fetch until the sun goes down. But you want to put a time limit on it. So probably 15 minutes of fetch is enough fetch for one session. And then after you do one of those high energy activities, you want to do something calming so that your dog knows, okay, the excitement time is over. Now it's time to kind of relax a little bit until my next chance to go crazy. And so one of those things you can do is I love to just sit and watch the world go by is what I call it. So if you're out at the park playing fetch, just to save five minutes at the end to just sit and do nothing with your dog. And then we also just got such great advice from Lisa with the calming pet music, canine, classical. And you can check out her music and maybe listen to that at home and encourage your dog and you together to kind of rest and relax. So hopefully that advice can help you get a handle on your lab. People always ask me, when will my lab calm down? And I don't know about you, Kristen, but my dog Bert, he's 13 and a half and he's just starting to calm down.

Speaker 2 (42:41):

Oh my gosh. They usually lab lovers usually say it's around age two or three. And I think you see a slight decrease in craziness at that age. But you're right, they're lifelong goofballs.

Speaker 3 (42:54):

They're lifelong toddlers. So you just have to be prepared.

Speaker 2 (43:00):

Yes, that's a great answer from a true lab parent. So she knows.

Speaker 3 (43:06):

So this comes from joy in Charlotte, North Carolina. She says, I am thinking about bringing a bird into the family, but I have no experience. How do I know which bird is right to start with and what essentials do I need to keep them healthy and happy? What do you think, Kristen?

Speaker 2 (43:25):

Okay, well, I've never had a bird as a pet, but the reason I think I can answer this is I interviewed, this is a couple years back, so I had to go look at my video again. I interviewed Dr. Theresa Lightfoot, who is an avian veterinarian and she knows everything about bird. She's an amazing expert. And what I would say to joy is that birds definitely make wonderful, they're intelligent, they're interactive companions, but they're not low maintenance. They're little, but little does not equate to low maintenance. Well, I mean not all birds are little, but good starter birds are the smaller ones. So I would suggest you do your homework first. And you want to think about choosing the right bird for beginners. And what Dr. Lightfoot had mentioned to me is that you want a bird that's relatively quiet, social whatnot, overly demanding a smaller bird and easier to care for and to tame.

(44:23):

And those types of birds are typically parakeets or cockatiels. Parakeets are friendly, playful, and they're pretty easy to tame. They're good for small spaces. If you're in a smaller, like a condo or an apartment. And cockatiels are social also, they're affectionate and they have very expressive personalities. Sometimes they will whistle and mimic what you say. So that can be fun. And then lovebirds are very charming. They're colorful, but they do need, I mean all of the birds need daily interaction and stimulation, but what you want to avoid joy is birds like parrots or African grays or macaw until you've gotten more experience with your starter bird. Those seem like the advanced birds. Those are definitely advanced birds. You've got to work up to that. It's important to have a spacious cage. You want to offer different perches that are made of different textures and that helps to actually prevent foot problems, believe it or not. And they also need to have toys and foraging activities so that they don't get bored, balanced diet, fresh water every day, like most pets of course. And out of the cage time is really important and you'll want to bird proof the area. So make sure you're able to, or somebody in the family is able to spend time every single day with your bird outside of the cage.

Speaker 3 (45:50):

Wow.

Speaker 2 (45:51):

Sounds

Speaker 3 (45:51):

Like a bird is a little bit of a commitment. It's involved.

Speaker 2 (45:56):

Yeah, exactly. I think when we think about birds, for those of us who haven't had a bird, you think, oh, bird in a cage. Oh, that'll be easy. No, it is a little bit more complicated than that. But just like having any other pet, the rewards are certainly worth the effort that you put into them. So

Speaker 3 (46:12):

I bet birds would also love listening to calming music.

Speaker 2 (46:15):

Well, believe it or not, Tori, we are at the end of the show already.

Speaker 3 (46:19):

This has been so fun. Thank you for having me as a

Speaker 2 (46:21):

Co-host. And we didn't really get a chance to talk much about what you do for business. So as we're wrapping these up, just tell us a little bit about what you do and where people can follow you.

Speaker 3 (46:31):

Yes, absolutely. So I have been blogging for the past 12 plus years@wearwarepeat.com. And there I share a lot of science-backed canine enrichment advice as well as dog lifestyle advice and reviews and DIYs and all kind of stuff. And then I also have a community where I support Petpreneurs. So those are people who have small pet businesses like dog sitters and trainers and businesses like that. So I love to support pet parents and petpreneurs and enrichment is sort of at the core of all of that. So come check me out and if you want to connect on Instagram, you can find me at t Mystic.

Speaker 2 (47:13):

Awesome. Awesome. Thank you, Tori. Thank you for joining us today on National Dog Day. For our listeners, you could also watch us on YouTube. Just go to the dog TV YouTube channel, also on the Dog TV's Unleashed channel on Amazon Fast channels. And of course, I hope you're following us on all of the pets ad life social channels. We've got lots of great content there too. So with that, it's a wrap. Now you go wear it, wag it and repeat it just like Tory would. Perfect ending.

Speaker 3 (47:43):

Thank you, Kristen. Have a wonderful day, everyone.

Speaker 1 (47:46):

Pets ad Life, your guide to the latest in Pet Trends products, and the joy of the human animal Bond with Kristen Levine and Chris Bonti, powered by the American Pet Products Association and Dog tv.