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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 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/
Thursday Aug 06, 2020
Thursday Aug 06, 2020
Jeremy Cohen, Esq. "Dedicated To Defending Companion Animals" on Why Do Pets Matter? with Debra Vey Voda-Hamilton, Esq.
During this candid conversation, Jeremy talks about how his legal work helps animals, their owners, and their veterinarians, feel valued and understood by talking to one another first -- often eliminating the need for litigation.
A lawyer for nearly 20 years, Jeremy Cohen has been handling cases for dog owners since 2008. By opening Boston Dog Lawyers in 2015 he is growing a law practice specializing in representing dog owners and pet owners.
Prior to working for animals, Attorney Cohen worked in the insurance industry. He rose from a claims adjuster to manager of global claims on behalf of The General Electric Company. He founded a general practice law firm in 2007 and sold it in 2014 so he could focus on defending companion animals.
While he still handles some civil litigation outside of pets, each day his practice becomes more and more about what he loves to do.
You can learn more at his website: https://www.bostondoglawyers.com/index.html
Thursday Jul 30, 2020
Thursday Jul 30, 2020
Do you love cats? Yes? You're in for a real treat!
During this episode of "Why Do Pets Matter?" Debra has a powerful conversation with Melissa Supernor about how her pets -- 4 calico cats -- are helping her staying sane during these challenging times. Melissa also shares some wonderful insights into the nature of calicos -- the "red-heads" of the feline world!
Plus Melissa talks about what makes a veterinary practice extraordinary and how much better everyone is served when veterinary teams are engaged with their clients -- and vice versa!
More About Melissa Supernor
Melissa J. Supernor is founder and president of Educational Advocate for the Veterinary Team (EdAVT). You can learn more on her website: https://www.edavtheals.com/about
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Dr. Ian Hale, an Author, Speaker, Poet, Consultant, Autism Advocate, and cat lover is from the historic City and County of Bristol, England.
During our conversation, Ian talks about life with his many cats -- he has four -- how the absolutely delight him and how they have taught him some of his greatest life lessons.
He is a member of British Mensa, the Accademia Costantiniana and a graduate of Portsmouth, Bristol, and Bath Spa Universities. His professional background is further and higher education, special education needs, organization and genetics.
Being from a family with a history of Autism meant it has always been a part of his “normal” life and brings a radical new voice to its understanding and implication while lending a uniquely powerful and sharply different perspective to assessing and providing a high quality of educational and life experience for affected people, whether children, adults in the workplace or seniors- each group has their own particular viewpoint and needs. Autism is for life-and is seldom understood that way by society.
A highly professional and experienced Teacher, Research Academic and Counsellor, with broad Learning Disability skills. Able to both design and administer a wide range of courses in an effective and flexible manner, while utilizing them in a learning environment.
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Friday Jul 17, 2020
Mary Gardner, DVM "A Passion For Older Pets" on Why Do Pets Matter with Debra Hamilton #143
Dr. Mary Gardner, DVM is passionate about helping geriatric pets. In this episode listen as Mary and host Debra Hamilton talk about pet aging and how you can navigate the senior years of your pet with more grace and peace.
You can learn more about the services Lap Of Love provides for Veterinary Hospice and Euthanasia on their website. https://www.lapoflove.com/About-Us/Founders/Mary-Gardner-DVM
More About Mary Gardner, DVM
A dynamic and engaging speaker, Dr. Mary Gardner is able to draw on a wide range of career experiences and life lessons to educate and motivate diverse audiences. Her presentations cover a variety of topics, and encourage both professional and personal growth within the veterinary industry and beyond. Ironically, veterinary medicine was not her first career choice. https://www.drmarygardner.com/
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
Yvonne DiVita "Pets Are More Than Companions" on Why Do Pets Matter? with Debra Hamilton Podcast #138
Yvonne DiVita built BlogPaws to encourage women to write and deepen the love of pets around the world.
More About Yvonne DiVita
Yvonne DiVita is a writing professional with a passionate desire to help women everywhere achieve their highest goals and write more books. She considers herself a serial entrepreneur, from a background in book publishing, to managing a successful online influencer community called BlogPaws - blogging is all about writing, to working as a mentor and coach with women in business today.
More About Debra Hamilton
Debra Hamilton is a pet lover extraordinaire! Debra is a full-time mediator and conflict coach for people in disputes over animals and hosts Why Do Pets Matter? to further understanding, compassion and respect for animals globally. She is also a preservationist breeder of Irish Setters!
Go here for more: https://hamiltonlawandmediation.com/
e-mail: Info@HamiltonLawandMediation.com
phone: 914.552.5021
Debra works both nationwide and internationally.
She has far-reaching experience in resolving interpersonal conflicts involving animals, and she is also well-known in the world of purebred dogs as a top breeder and exhibitor of Irish setters and long-haired dachshunds. Debra speaks widely on the topic of how mediation techniques can help people address conflicts without litigation. She has presented at veterinary schools, the American Kennel Club, the American Veterinary Medical Law Association, the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators, the Living With Animals conference, state bar association Animal Law Committee meetings, and animal interest group meetings. Debra also writes a blog for Hamilton Law and Mediation and is a past contributor to the Solo Practice University blog and the Canine Chronicle. She has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, US News and World Report, and the New York Times, just to name a few. As the principal at Hamilton Law and Mediation, PLLC—the nation’s first solo mediation practice dedicated to helping people resolve conflicts over animals—Debra uses alternative dispute resolution to help address disagreements over the family pet during divorce, neighbors’ arguments over a barking dog, and confrontations between clients and veterinarians and other professionals who work with animals. HLM also looks forward to helping animal rights and welfare advocates see the benefit of having a conversation about the best interests of all parties—especially the animals—to resolve animal-related disputes. Debra is admitted to practice law in all New York State courts. She is certified as a mediator and collaborative professional and has worked with various court-based mediation programs in New York City (Queens-Community Mediation Service) and in Westchester and Rockland Counties in New York (Westchester and Rockland Mediation Centers).