As we’ve done 18 times before—spanning five-plus years–today’s program involved setting aside the usual
“Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.” In each session of ATT, listeners are invited to call or email (or text) questions about their dogs or cats, mainly behavior or training issues. The Trainer these listeners have an opportunity to consult is Glen Hatchell, the retired Behavior and Enrichment Manager at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, and veteran, accomplished dog trainer and behaviorist. He is also a former WMNF programmer, and has occasionally guest hosted “Talking Animals.” In today’s edition, before responding to the first listener question, Glen focused his opening segment on cats—his cats—describing how, in the wake of a recent move, they changed from outdoor cats to indoor ones, plus their fundamental differences: one is elderly and blind, the other much younger and spry. They have conflicts at eating time, and Glen fashioned a toy to distract the younger cat. He had more to say about this pair of felines. The first official 
question came from…me! It was prompted by the latest, and longest, visit by mother-in-law’s Chihuahua mix, Sam. Defying gravity (if not physics), turns out Sam was getting up on the kitchen counter—where we feed the
cats—and eating all available wet cat food. The challenge was removing the objects (chairs, etc.) that enabled Sam to climb up to the counter, yet not denying the cats—particularly the frail senior, Chrissie—access to their food…Other listener questions (I should note we were bedeviled by problems with the station’s new phone system; I apologize)….A woman called (then emailed), asking about their five-year-old Blue Heeler mix, Tippi, who when on walks with her husband, stops and barks until he plays with Tippi. Glen offers advice on how to break Tippi of this habit….Another emailer explained that she adopted a German Shepherd, she works at home and is concerned that the dog spends the day laying around, worried that he may be bored; one of Glen’s suggestions was that she hire a dog walker, to take her pooch on walks while she’s working…and more.
COMEDY CORNER: There was no Comedy Corner today
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.
AUDIO ARCHIVE:
