Jeffrey Masson—the New York Times bestselling author of books about animals and their emotions, including “When Elephants Weep” and “Dogs Never Lie About Love”—explains how being on the cusp of turning 80, and contemplating his own mortality, formed the chief impetus for writing his new book, “Lost Companions: Reflections on the Death of Pets.”
He elaborates on that motivation, noting the family’s beloved dog Benjy, a senior dog increasingly 
showing signs he was reaching the end of his life. So, Masson says, he researched the literature for good books about losing a pet, didn’t find what he was looking for, and decided at that point to write his own–“Lost Companions.” He responds to my observation that the book represents something of a surprising potpourri, that while a central premise might involve contending with the loss of a pet, Masson widens out considerably over the course of the book, addressing livestock, wild animals, dog-meat markets, veganism, and more…topics and discussions that a reader drawn to a book about pet death wouldn’t necessarily expect. We touch on his musings in the book about animal grief might feel to the animal. And he outlines what sorts of issues he hopes to explore in his next book, provocatively (and, I suspect, temporarily) titled, “What The Fuck Is Wrong With Our Species.” (https://jeffreymasson.com, https://www.facebook.com/jeffrey.m.masson/, https://www.instagram.com/jeffrey.m.masson/)
ALSO: I spoke briefly with Quinn Pigott, one of the leaders of Replace Denver BSL, an organization pivotal in passing the recent repeal of Denver’s ban on pit bulls, which had been in place for more than 30 years. Pigott describes the ban, its flaws, previous efforts to overturn it—and the strategy she and her Replace Denver BSL colleagues, and others formulated to defeat it, which hinged in no small measure on the alliance forged with Denver City Councilman Christopher Herndon. She also notes the chief obstacles the campaign faced, and the implications its victory has for other cities (and provinces) with pit bull bans. (https://replacedenverbsl.org, https://www.facebook.com/ReplaceDenverBSL, https://www.instagram.com/replacedenverbsl/)
COMEDY CORNER: Eddie Pepitone’s “Dog Therapy” (portion) (https://www.eddiepepitone.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon”
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