Talking Animals

Dr. Chris Pachel, veterinary behaviorist

Dr. Chris Pachel —a veterinary behaviorist who owns, and is the primary clinician at, the Animal Behavior Clinic, in Portland, Oregon—recounts how he’d wanted to be a veterinarian since childhood, though in some of those earliest years, he wasn’t quite sure what a veterinarian was. He describes the impetus for, after graduating from veterinary school, and practicing for two years, embarking on a behavior residency program, later becoming board certified by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. Pachel underscores that the human(s) in the household represent a central factor in the equation of treating most behavior issues, and outlines some issues that he and his Animal Behavior Clinic colleagues commonly see in their practice, noting many of those issues tend to be rooted in fear and/or anxiety. This segued into a listener question about a cat with a biting issue, and indeed, Pachel fielded a number of listener calls and emails throughout the interview, including questions about whether he tends to identify certain behavioral issues with certain breeds or regions of the country, about the pros and cons of adopting a puppy versus an older dog, about how Pachel feels about the benefits of CBD oils, about a Chihuahua that regularly attacks her bed and other dog beds in the house, among others. (https://animalbehaviorclinic.net, https://www.instagram.com/animalbehaviorclinic, https://www.drpachel.com)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Majid “Magic” Esmaeili, proprietor of Zaksee Bird Sanctuary, a five-acre Tampa facility housing some 200-plus parrots. Owing to a dispute with one of his neighbors, Esmaeili alleges that the access road he and others had used to get in and out of the sanctuary is now blocked, so he’s isolated and struggling to keep the birds fed and cared for, as volunteers who used to help him have stopped coming. He began to outline the details of legal dispute, but because he was initially unreachable at the scheduled interview time, then disconnected the call when we finally reached Esmaeili, we ran out of time for him to provide a fuller explanation. (https://zaksee.com)

 

 

COMEDY CORNER:  Max Rosenblum’s  “Dog People”  (http://maxrosenblum.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE:  We didn’t play “Name That Animal Tune” today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE: