For this edition of “Talking Animals,” we broke format and did something a little different: Setting aside our customary approach of a long-form guest interview and, often, a shorter second interview, I opened the phone lines and invited listeners to Call In To Discuss Hurricane Irma & Animals. 
I urged people to weigh in on such questions as: If you evacuated, what shelter did you and your pet(s) head to? And how was that experience? If you stayed put, how was that for the animals? Made it clear I was also interested in hearing about animals beyond cats and dogs—horses, exotic pets, 
wildlife, etc. And any unusual or poignant rescue stories, and so on. This yielded an array of calls, emails and texts, including from Larry who began tending to a baby squirrel who was orphaned as a result of the storm, and was seeking a squirrel rehab expert who could take over caring for the infant…a woman who inquired about the most effective way to place a cat into a front-loading carrier (this elicited multiple tips, perhaps none as ingenious as the woman who suggested putting catnip in the carrier), and several tales of “hunkering down” at home, relocating with animals to friends or family members’ houses (or moving horses to the barn of someone they didn’t know), very positive shelter experiences, and more.
COMEDY CORNER: Jim Gaffigan’s “Eat Vegetarian” (portion) (www.jimgaffigan.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Michael Jackson’s “Rocking Robin,” Norah Jones’ “Man Of The Hour,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play Name That Animal Tune today.
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