Art Shaul—founder-director of Safe Paws Rescue, a small but mighty rescue serving the Tampa Bay Area—recalls growing up watching his Dad bring home ill, injured, sometimes “bedraggled” animals, caring for these critters, then making them family members. Observing...
Tracey Callahan Molnar--handler and chief human of Beacon, the therapy dog who’s become increasingly beloved across the U.S.A. Gymnastics world and beyond, emerging as a media sensation along the way—recounts her own career as a gymnast and coach, specializing in...
Dara Eckart--CEO of Friends of Strays, St. Petersburg’s oldest no-kill animal shelter, currently undergoing a significant transformation, including opening a cats-only adoption center, The Cat Box on July 1—outlines the shelter’s history, citing key milestones of...
This was a truly distinctive edition of “Talking Animals”: For starters, the show was part of WMNF’s full day of special programming devoted to celebrating Juneteenth. Second, my two (in-studio!) guests were both stellar, veteran WMNF programmers: Harrison Nash,...
Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice--an entomologist by training who’s appeared on the show multiple times, discussing ants, spiders, homing pigeons, and microbes (often tied to a book she’s written on the topic)—acknowledges that writing for young readers has officially...
Rhonda Eldridge--Executive Director of The Community Pet Project, which provides pet food and several other resources to homeless and at-risk communities throughout Hillsborough County—discusses the organization’s origin story, beginning in 2017 as an offshoot of a...
Anton Ptushkin--director of the PBS Nature documentary profiling the efforts of Ukrainian citizens to rescue animals amidst the destruction of the war—describes the sort of travel pieces he produced as a YouTuber, before he morphed into a war correspondent....
Jennifer Langston--founder of Golden Ears Sanctuary and Rescue, a specialized refuge for senior and hospice dogs in Wesley Chapel, FL—recalls growing up in a house where dogs were always present, whether they be fosters, newly-adopted, or the family pooch. Notably,...
Arin Greenwood--a wearer of many hats, mostly animal-related, including Director of Philanthropy Communications at Austin Pets Alive! former animal journalist extraordinaire (HuffPost, Washington Post, The Today Show website, et al), and novelist--maintains a...
Lee Asher--a staunch advocate of dog adoption whose profile has risen dramatically in recent years, owing to a handful of factors, including multiple compelling stories: his ADHD and attendant childhood isolation prompted him to regularly visit his local animal...
