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Pet expert Debra Hamilton interviews other pet lovers on this delightful podcast about pet custody, pet drama, pet problems and pet solutions. Why Do Pets Matter? is a heartfelt podcast dedicated to pets, hosted by pet-focused attorney Debra Hamilton, Esq.
Episodes
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
Thursday Oct 15, 2020
"Only A Punk Would Hurt A Cat Or A Dog."
So honored to have Caroline Griffin on this episode of "Why Do Pets Matter?" with you!
Caroline was a practicing attorney for 20 years. For the past 10 years, she has been working in the animal protection arena supporting animal welfare and co-founding an anti-cruelty campaign that has become a movement - "Share Your Soft Side."
Show Your Soft Side is a public service campaign that was created to change the mindset of young people who all-too-often view the maiming and torturing of defenseless cats and dogs as a sign of “toughness” or “manhood.”
The campaign’s message that compassion towards animals is a sign of strength, not weakness, is one that, overnight, struck a nerve with old and young alike. Today, Show Your Soft Side, Inc. uses its reach and resources to build a better world for animals and, in doing so, build better adults.
More About Caroline Griffin
Caroline Griffin graduated from Loyola University of Maryland in 1984 and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in 1987.
Ms. Griffin practiced law for 20 years until she was appointed Chair of the Mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Task Force in Baltimore, following the brutal burning death of a dog named Phoenix. For the past decade, she has devoted all her time to animal protection work.
She is a co-founder of the anti-cruelty campaign Show Your Soft Side, serves on the Board of Directors of the Animal Welfare Institute and Days End Farm Horse Rescue, and is the Chair of the Maryland Spay Neuter Advisory Board.
Connect With Caroline:
Website: ShowYourSoftSide.org
Facebook: ShowYourSoftSide
Twitter: SoftSide1
Instagram: @showyoursoftside
Thursday Oct 08, 2020
Thursday Oct 08, 2020
I can't wait for you to listen to this special "Lollapalooza" episode of "Why Do Pets Matter?" You'll get to meet and learn more about the incredible work of four very passionate animal and people lovers who are making an impact around the world.
Learn More About:
Spencer B. Hodgetts
Spencer helps Pet Advocacy & Therapy Professionals connect globally to create the social-impact they desire through his work and website ReboundDog.com
https://rebounddog.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerbhodgetts/
Christina Burki
Christina is a psychotherapist and animal communicator who believes that animals are a wonderful source of comfort to humans. Animals are highly sensitive and instinctively know when someone needs a cuddle, a nudge or a game of ‘fetch’ – they’re great stress relievers. She says that her 2 dogs and 2 cats, who often participate in counseling sessions, are her co-therapists.
https://www.christinaburki.com.au/animals-within-our-sessions.html
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinaburki/
Teresa Wagner
Teresa is the founder of The Animal Loss & Grief Support Institute. Her mission and life's work is to help us deepen our spiritual intimacy with animals, resolve problems with and honor animals, assuage the suffering of animals, heal from the pain of losing animal companions and from being witness to the suffering and loss of animals in the environment, and to celebrate with like-minded people the joy of our miraculous, spiritual connection with all animals.
https://animalsinourhearts.com/
https://pet-loss-grief-counseling-certification.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-wagner-28096430/
Caroline Griffin
Caroline is an attorney working in the field of animal protection. She was appointed chair of the Baltimore Mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission, after the burning death of a dog that made national news. She is the co-founder of Show Your Soft Side, an anti-cruelty campaign, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Animal Welfare Institute.
"Only A Punk Would Hurt A Cat Or Dog."
https://showyoursoftside.org/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-griffin-42aa658/
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Thursday Oct 01, 2020
Deirdre Chiaramonte, DVM - Science and Technology Meet A Deep Love For Animals
Deirdre Chiaramonte provides veterinary professionals and pet owners with solutions that improve the lives of their pets, their working animals, and their patients.
She is the Director of Clinical Education at Assissi Animal Health. And is currently working with a rescue in the mid-Hudson Valley.
Assissi's products employ rigorously researched, targeted pulsed electromagnetic field (tPEMF) technology that reduces inflammation and is tuned specifically to either decrease pain and accelerate healing of soft tissue and bone or to reduce canine separation anxiety -- an exceptionally useful tool for a rescue dog that develops separation anxiety when their owner returns to work after COVID has passed.
These innovative, non-pharmaceutical devices, which are backed by peer-reviewed clinical research in veterinary medicine, have improved the lives of thousands of pets and their people.
More About Deirdre Chiaramonte, DVM
Deirdre Chiaramonte received her DVM from Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Massachusetts in 1997 and completed an internship in small animal medicine and surgery at The Animal Medical Center from 1997-1998.
She became a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2004 after completing a small animal internal medicine residency at The Animal Medical Center.
She was a staff Internist and the co-founder and Director of the Tina Santi Flaherty Rehabilitation and Fitness Unit for over 10 years.
You can learn more about the amazing technology Deirdre discussed during our conversation on her website:
https://assisianimalhealth.com/
And, you can learn more about the Hudson Valley Animal Rescue & Sanctuary on their website:
https://www.hvars.org/
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
I can't even begin to tell you how excited and honored I am to be sharing this next podcast interview with you.
My good friend, Dr. Temple Grandin is known worldwide for her trailblazing work as a spokesperson for people with autism and her lifelong work with animal behavior.
Temple is truly a living legend. She is a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University and is considered one of the world’s renowned experts in two fields: animal welfare and autism. Few people ever achieve her level of expertise and fame in one area, much less two.
She also wrote the foreword to my best-selling book, "Nipped in the Bud, Not in the Butt: How to Use Mediation to Resolve Conflicts over Animals"
Today Temple is sharing some profound insight about what's going to happen to the dogs (and other pets) that were adopted during the COVID pandemic once that's over and we return to "life and business as usual".
She also talks about how she has been able to continue teaching many of her classes online and what hasn't worked well with online education. She gives some really important tips that will help enhance any educational experience.
We also talk about how pets matter to people on the autism spectrum, issues when someone is flying with emotional support animals and service animals.
More About Temple Grandin
Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities and a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed are located in the United States, Canada, Europe, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. In North America, almost half of the cattle are handled in a center track restrainer system that she designed for meat plants. Curved chute and race systems she has designed for cattle are used worldwide and her writings on the flight zone and other principles of grazing animal behavior have helped many people to reduce stress on their animals during handling.
She has also developed an objective scoring system for assessing the handling of cattle and pigs at meat plants. This scoring system is being used by many large corporations to improve animal welfare. Other areas of research are: cattle temperament, environmental enrichment for pigs, reducing dark cutters and bruises, bull fertility, training procedures, and effective stunning methods for cattle and pigs at meat plants.
She obtained her B.A. at Franklin Pierce College and her M.S. in Animal Science at Arizona State University. Dr. Grandin received her Ph.D in Animal Science from the University of Illinois in 1989.
Today she teaches courses on livestock behavior and facility design at Colorado State University and consults with the livestock industry on facility design, livestock handling, and animal welfare.
She has appeared on television shows such as 20/20, 48 Hours, CNN Larry King Live, PrimeTime Live, 60 Minutes, the Today Show, and many shows in other countries. She has been featured in People Magazine, the New York Times, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, Time Magazine, the New York Times book review, and Discover magazine.
In 2010, Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people. Interviews with Dr. Grandin have been broadcast on National Public Radio and she has a 2010 TED Lecture titled "The World Needs ALL Kinds of Minds." She has also authored over 400 articles in both scientific journals and livestock periodicals on animal handling, welfare, and facility design.
She is the author of "Thinking in Pictures", "Livestock Handling and Transport," "Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals," "Guide to Working with Farm Animals," and "Humane Livestock Handling."
Her books "Animals in Translation" and "Animals Make Us Human" were both on the New York Times bestseller list. "Animals Make Us Human" was also on the Canadian bestseller list. Her latest book, "Calling All Minds", was a New York Times bestseller for middle school students.
Her life story has also been made into an HBO movie titled "Temple Grandin", starring Claire Danes," which won seven Emmy awards and a Golden Globe. The movie shows her life as a teenager and how she started her career.
In 2017, she was inducted into The Women's Hall of Fame and in 2018 made a fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
You can learn more about Temple Grandin on her websites:
https://www.grandin.com/
https://www.templegrandin.com/
And, you can connect with her:
https://www.facebook.com/drtemplegrandin/
https://twitter.com/DrTempleGrandin
Thursday Sep 17, 2020
Thursday Sep 17, 2020
Thomas Nicholl is both an attorney and a veterinarian.
As a former practicing veterinarian who is thoroughly familiar with all aspects of the horse industry -- racing, breeding, show, endurance, hunter-jumper, dressage, cutting, driving, pleasure horses and companion animals -- he has amazing insight into the huge impact COVID is having on the racing industry and the health and well-being of the horses themselves. And, that's what we're talking about during this episode of "Why Do Pets Matter?"
More About Thomas Nicholl, Esq.
The choice of an attorney is a very important one. As a lawyer who is also a veterinarian, Dr. Nicholl is especially qualified to help you with animal legal issues and medical law issues.
He is a former State of Florida Prosecutor with extensive trial experience, and is licensed with the Florida Bar Association and also a Veterinarian in Florida as well as being a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Find out more here: https://thomasnicholllawfirm.com/
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
Thursday Sep 10, 2020
Barbara Gislason is a true pioneer in the area of pet law. She is the one who put it on the books as a practice area first in Minnesota and then has gone on to create international awareness and programs advocating for animals and their welfare.
During this episode of "why Do Pets Matter?" we talk about her life long passion and advocacy for animals, how a trip down the Yangtze River in China and "the silent spring" changed the direction her practice would take, and the resistance and challenges she encountered when first introducing animal law as a practice area in Minnesota.
About Barbara Gislason
Barbara J. Gislason is recognized nationwide and globally as an animal law pioneer and visionary. Her groundbreaking work has included the creation of animal law committees in both national and state lawyer bar associations, and the drafting and passing of laws, model laws, and guidelines pertaining to animals.
Following Hurricane Katrina, Barbara founded and led the American Bar Association (ABA) Animal Disaster Relief Network, which included participants from more than 70 nonprofits, law schools, and businesses. She wrote regularly published reports and created and convened the ABA-TIPS Select Legal Panel on Emergency Management Regarding Animals.
You can learn more about Barbara on her website:
You can get her ground-breaking book on Amazon, "Pet Law and Custody: Establishing a Worthy and Equitable Jurisprudence for the Evolving Family"
https://www.amazon.com/Pet-Law-Custody-Establishing-Jurisprudence/dp/1634258924/
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
Dr. Nadine Hamilton from Australia returns to "Why Do Pets Matter?" this week. COVID has created tremendous stress and challenges for veterinarians world-wide.
Nadine talks about how Australian veterinarians are coping with the pressure while providing excellent levels of care for their furry patients and their loving human owners.
Burnout, split shifts, super long hours, and less than ideal working conditions are some of the biggest factors affecting vets. However, it seems that some vets are actually enjoying the contact-less interactions because their exposure to highly charged emotional clients is limited.
Vets are constantly faced with having difficult communications with clients, resulting in highly charged emotional (and legal) situations that many are simply not equipped to deal with.
One way veterinarians can help themselves to better cope with stress and depression is to seek help from mental health professionals outside of the veterinary world.
More About Dr. Nadine Hamilton
Dr. Hamilton is the author of the popular book "Coping with Stress & Burnout as a Veterinarian." Animal lovers of all kinds will appreciate this insight into the heart of a veterinarian. It is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Coping-Stress-Burnout-Veterinarian-Evidence-Based/dp/1925644197/
Nadine is a veterinary-friendly psychologist and founder of the charity Love Your Pet Love Your Vet: https://www.loveyourpetloveyourvet.com.au/
She has spent over 15 years in her specialty psychology practice working with thousands of stressed vets as well as consulting to industry associations, practice managers, and owners to increase wellbeing, productivity, and retention in the workplace.
You can listen to Nadine's first podcast on "Why Do Pets Matter?" right here: https://whydopetsmatter.podbean.com/e/112-dr-nadine-hamilton/
Thursday Aug 27, 2020
Thursday Aug 27, 2020
Animals have very complex and deep emotional lives that we humans are just beginning to understand.
Raj Reddy, director of the Animal Law LL.M. Program at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, OR shares some profound insights into what our animals are feeling now that we've actually been spending more time than ever with them at home during COVID. We touch on what we need to do to prepare them and ourselves for when things transition and we're not spending as much time at home as we are now.
We also had the opportunity to have a fascinating conversation about the incredible work he is doing on a global level to help foster awareness, educate, and facilitate change for the protection of all animals.
About Raj Reddy
Dr. Rajesh K. Reddy directs the Animal Law LL.M. Program at the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School, where he teaches Animal Law Fundamentals, Animal Legal Philosophy, Comparative International Animal Law, Introduction to Animal Legal Studies, and the program’s Animal Law LL.M. Seminars.
Raj also serves on Lewis & Clark’s tri-campus Committee on Diversity and Inclusion and as a campus Sexual Assault Resource Advocate. Outside of Lewis & Clark, he chairs the Animal Law Section of the Oregon State Bar and the International Issues Subcommittee of the Animal Law Committee of the American Bar Association. He currently sits on the boards of Minding Animals International, Humane Voters Oregon, and the diversity, equity, and inclusion nonprofit Encompass.
Prior to joining the Center for Animal Law Studies, Raj earned his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School and his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, where his dissertation scrutinized the representation of human and nonhuman animals in postcolonial literature and discourse.
He has recently served as Co-Editor in Chief of the Animal Law Review and Co-Director of Lewis & Clark’s Animal Legal Defense Fund Student Chapter. He has advanced human and nonhuman animal legal efforts as part of his work for multiple nonprofits, including the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s Criminal Justice Program and the Human Rights Law Network in New Delhi, India.
He is the author of the forthcoming casebook entitled International Animal Law and Policy: Cases and Materials.
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Thursday Aug 20, 2020
Divorce is often confusing, frustrating, and acrimonious. It's hard to figure out how to move forward when you never planned for life without your spouse. Too often divorcing couples weaponize pet custody. Unfortunately, they don't realize that their pets don't hate their ex and forget to consider what kind of custody situation would be in the best interest of their animals.
Karis has masterfully combined her expertise with animal behavior and deep understanding of human behavior to help separating couples make good choices for themselves and their animals.
About Karis Nafte:
Animals are not possessions, nor are they children. They fall into their own unique category that requires a delicate and considered approach when it comes to the issue of custody. For couples who are divorcing and have pets, Karis provides a specialized service offering expert guidance about custody decisions for their dogs, cats and other companion animals.
Karis brings twenty-five years of experience as a professional animal behaviorist, she provides a neutral, supportive position between the separating couple while keeping the animal's perspective in the forefront. Even for couples who are working amicably through their divorce, the emotional component surrounding beloved pets can complicate what is an inevitably difficult time.
To learn more about Karis and the work she does, please visit https://KarisNafte.com
You can also find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karisnafte/
Thursday Aug 13, 2020
Thursday Aug 13, 2020
Diane Eigner talks openly about how "a piece of her heart belongs to each of the cats and dogs who've crossed her path". She provides compassionate hospice and end of life care to felines in Ocean County, NJ. Diane is deeply committed to helping cat owners be at peace with the decisions they need to make for their pet's transition when the time comes.
About Diane Eigner, DVM
In 2015 when Diane was getting ready to sell her urban feline practice after 33 years of feline practice ownership, her Velvet was diagnosed with chronic and relapsing pancreatitis and kidney failure. Diane provided Velvet with hospice care in her home and was able to keep Velvet comfortable for almost a year.
After Velvet's passing, Diane decided she needed to give the gift of hospice care and home euthanasia to other cat owners, so she decided to launch an end of life practice at the Jersey Shore just for cats who live in Ocean County.
For more info go to: http://thecatwhispurrr.com/