Allan Havey—the comedian and actor best known at the moment as Lou Avery on “Mad Men”—recalls his formative years as a budding animal lover with the family dachshund Peanuts. 
He describes something of a kinship with animals, always liking them and 
enjoying being around them, but noted that work on the road as comic, as well as residing in a small apartment in New York City for a number of years, precluded Havey from living with any animals for decades. However, he explains, about nine or 10 years ago, as Havey and his now-wife Susan were living in Santa Monica, a cat named Moochie—perhaps sensing an animal lover who’d been on hiatus too long—adopted him. Havey describes Friends of Shelter Animals, the nonprofit he co-founded which recognizes that municipal and county animal 
shelters are typically underfunded and lacking resources, and seeks to supplement those services and round-out those resources with periodic donations. Noting he’s a longtime St. Louis Cardinal fan, Havey recalls how a phone call from Tony La Russa led to his performing on benefits for La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), among the many benefits he regularly does. (La Russa was a guest on Talking Animals in 2007.) On the non-animal front, Havey traces the path he’s traveled 
driven by a lifelong passion for acting, remembering loving the feeling of performing as a kindergartner, to deciding to seriously study acting in college and beyond, to the multifaceted thrill of now playing Lou Avery on “Mad Men.” (www.allanhavey.com, http://friendsofshelteranimals.org, www.amctv.com/shows/mad-men)
COMEDY CORNER: Bill Burr’s “Dog Trainer” (www.billburr.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Iron & Wine’s “Serpent Charmer,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Elton John’s “Honky Cat”
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