Susan Hanus--executive director of Cat Depot, a unique feline-only shelter in Sarasota—recalls when she first became a cat person. Hanus has remained staunchly feline-friendly ever since, though, she explains, she stopped living with them when it turned out one of...
Valerie Benka--the Director of Programs for the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D)—recalls being someone who was nuts about animals from the time she was a kid, growing up in a family amidst a veritable menagerie. This early pet passion created...
pattrice jones--co-founder of VINE Sanctuary, sprawling across 100 acres in Springfield, Vermont, and a self-described “LGBTQ-led farmed animal sanctuary”—spontaneously describes instances of talking animals’ activity by resident roosters that very morning. jones...
Jane O’Hara, the animal advocate and artist--whose paintings tend to celebrate animals or explore animal issues—recalls a regular upbringing, amidst conventional companion animals. Only some years later, O’Hara adds, did she start researching animals, reading some...
Susan Tellem--executive director of American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), a nonprofit established in 1990 for the protection of all species of turtles and tortoises—recalls that she began helping animals in cat rescue. Some years later, she recounts, she and her husband...
As we’ve done six times prior—spanning nearly two years--today’s show involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the extended feature, “Ask The Trainer.” Listeners are invited to call or email questions about their dogs or cats,...
Dr. Jane Goodall--the ethologist, activist, and conservationist who rose to international attention in the 1960s, propelled by her pioneering work studying chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania—offers her current impressions of young people’s attitudes about animals and...
John Di Leonardo--president of Humane Long Island, an animal advocacy organization there, where he also oversees its international Duck Defenders project—recalls growing up without family pets, but deeply fascinated by all types of insects. Di Leonardo explains...
Miyoko Chu-- senior director of communications at The Cornell Lab of Ornithology—recalls an outing at age 10 or so with her father, to San Francisco’s Chinatown, where they performed a spontaneous rescue of two pigeons, a transformative experience that was pivotal...
Rick Yocum--executive director of the Humane Society of Manatee County (HSMC), established more than 50 years ago, and now a truly multifaceted operation—traces his career path to his current job, which he’s held for seven years. In answer to a question of mine,...
