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Wild About Pets

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March 05, 2010 The Rescue of Pets & Animals in Haiti There has been much news coverage of all the worldwide efforts to help the people that were affected in the Haiti earthquake. What happened to any pets or animals that were also caught or trapped in the debris? The Best Friends Animal Sanctuary along with The Animal Rescue Coalition for Haiti launched a rescue mission to help save the animals. Rich Crook, Rapid Response Manager of Best Friends, is back from Haiti now, with many photos you can see, and will tell us what it was like on-the-ground offering help for the animals they encountered.

February 26, 2010 Futuristic Science That Is Saving Endangered Animals Todays' show will feature the work done at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species. At this most interesting and cutting edge scientific facility, they are doing in vitro fertilization and cloning to save endangered wild cats and sand hill cranes among others. No matter what you think of the practices, you'll want to hear about the work this center is doing. This center was featured in the fictional scientific thriller, "Altar of Eden", by best-selling author, James Rollins, who was a recent guest on the show.

February 19, 2010 Time to Change How We View and Treat Animals For many of us that spend time with animals, we commonly experience that they exhibit numerous emotions and behaviors that show empathy, cooperation and a sense of fairness. Susan's guest this week, is award-winning scientist, Marc Bekoff, who will talk about animal's emotions, their morality and the reasons it is time to change how we relate to the non-human creatures with which we share this planet. You won't want to miss this provocative and controversial conversation!

February 12, 2010 How Baby Wild Animals Learn Major cute photo alert! You'll want to make sure you see the photos that go along with this show. You will hear captivating, funny and intriguing stories from Susan McCarthy, author of Becoming A Tiger: How Baby Animals Learn to Live in the Wild, about how playful baby wild tigers, whales, elephants, big-footed bear cubs and scrawny chicks, all learn about themselves, the world and how to survive.

February 05, 2010 Natural Health Care for Your Dog and Cat In today's episode, Dr. Richard Pitcairn, D.V.M, author of Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide To Natural Health For Dogs & Cats will be sharing with us some of the limitations of the conventional approach in veterinary medicine, and how you can use more holistic and homeopathic remedies to help your pet. Dr. Pitcairn will also be answering your questions about your pet’s health, so be sure to call in.

January 15, 2010 Rescued Dogs and Rescuing gardens from dogs. Today's show will focus on two stories from the National Geographic Channel's show, DogTown one of which will be the success story of one of Michael Vick's rescued dogs and then we will talk to Tom Barthel, the author of a brand new, one of its kind book called, Dogscaping about how to create the perfect backyard and garden for dog owners.

January 08, 2010 Genetic Experimentation on Animals - The Stuff of Science Thriller Fiction or Fact? James Rollins, the popular New York Times Bestselling author of the SIGMA thrillers and a veterinarian has written the newly released book, Altar of Eden. It is a action packed thriller that combines real-world science, with provocative subjects of animal intelligence and genetic manipulation. Join us as we explore what is the actual fiction in his new novel and what is truth. You'll be surprised.

December 18, 2009 Performers, Pets and Politics: Attending the 2009 Great American Pet Expo in Chicago Join me as I banter with local Chicago personalities, Steve Dale and Paul Lisnek about pets and politics, discover some very useful products and services for your dogs, get behind the scenes with the International Cat Association, Ultimate Air Dogs and interview one of the stars of the Classic K-9 Extreme team, a border collie named Sky.

December 11, 2009 Non-violent Dog Training with the "Original" Dog Whisperer There are so many different types of dog training methods and books out there, it can be overwhelming to know which to choose. What is the real difference between the techniques? Does it matter? In this episode, find out the answers when we talk to Paul Owens, author The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent, Approach to Dog Training. Learn easy and fun techniques of "positive training" that is based on teaching your dog to do what you want instead of trying to get your dog to stop doing something you don't want.

December 04, 2009 African Gray Parrots are smarter than you think! Dr. Irene Pepperberg, who worked with the African Gray Parrot, Alex and demonstrated that parrots can do more than mimic speech, will be Susan's guest. Dr. Pepperberg will tell us more about Alex's understanding of language, we'll hear about Griffin, the parrot that she is continuing to work with, and learn more about the intelligence and characteristics of African Gray Parrots that will amaze you.

November 20, 2009 Taking Great Photos of Your Dog It is so much fun to capture those adorable moments and antics in your dog's life with a camera yet it can be challenging at times to get really good pictures. Susan's guest this week is, Kim Levin, a professional pet photographer and author of the book, PhoDOGraphy. She will give you many tips and suggestions for how to get great shots, while we view some of her own photos during the conversation.

November 13, 2009 Is Natural or Raw Pet Food Really Better? Let's talk about all the buzz about "natural and raw" food for our pets. Are the benefits really worth the extra expense? And how do you know which brands are really good ones, that can make a difference. We'll be talking to the owner of a local shop whose research into the products and nutrition for pets convinced her to only carry pet food brands with no preservatives, hormones or antibiotics.

November 06, 2009 How to Ensure Animals Have A Good Mental Life As pet owners, we are aware of the physical needs of animals, like food & exercise. But what does it take for an animal to be happy?Temple Grandin, the world famous animal scientist will answer this question, explain the core emotions that both we and our pets share and offer the simple rule that will help us create good mental welfare for all of our animals. Then, Milt Wilcox (former Detroit Tigers pitcher) tells us all about the "Ultimate Air Dogs."

October 30, 2009 Cats Can Be Trained - Even to do Acrobatics - Find out How! You may have seen dogs that have been trained to do all sorts of acrobatic movements. But cats that can ride skateboards, ring bells, walk a high wire and even run an agility course? Today, hear all about the "Acro-cats" who do all the above things and play music. Find out how they learned to do all these things. In my second segment, dogs take the center stage as we find out how dancing dogs learn to do those fancy moves as we speak with Anna Schloff from The World Canine Freestyle Organization.

October 23, 2009 An Animal Rescue Group Unlike Any Other - Rescue Ink Rescue Ink is a bunch of tattooed, motorcycle-riding tough guys who have joined together to fight animal cruelty, educate abusers and help resolve situations other rescue groups cant or wont handle themselves. They've been in the news a lot lately and have a book and a TV show now. Susan will talk to Rescue Ink's Johnny O , to get the scoop on what we don't see on the TV show. Plus, find out about the "Olympics for Dogs" from Ken Scarnegie, founder of the the Classic K9 Show.

October 16, 2009 How to Care For and Train Your Adopted Shelter or Rescue Dog Have you recently adopted or are thinking about adopting a dog from a shelter? Saving and welcoming into your home one of the thousands of animals from the shelters is to be commended. It can be a challenge however, knowing how to care for and train an animal that may have some unique issues due to its history. Susan's guest this week, Kim Saunders, from Petfinder.com and author of The Adopted Dog Bible offers a must-have checklist for how to choose a good dog , explains what to expect from your rescued dog when you bring your new pup home, and provides suggestions about how to retrain an adult dog that may have little or no training.

October 09, 2009 We are wrong about Pit Bulls. Learn the truth! Susan's guest this week, Ed Fritz, with the Best Friends Animal Society and head of the "Pit Bulls: Saving America's Dog" campaign, will tell us the truth about these wrongly understood dogs, and alert us to the growing situation across the country that is putting pit bulls, who are in actuality, innocent victims, at harm.

October 02, 2009 It's a Great Time to See Wildlife - Learn Where and How to Watch. Fall is here and this means birds and mammals and monarch butterflies are on the move. Now is a perfect time to get outside and see animals as they are migrating to warmer climates. Susan's guest this week is David Mizejewski, celebrity naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation. Find out some of the tips for how to spot wildlife, where to find the major migrations and learn how to attract desirable wildlife to your own backyard.

September 18, 2009 What Friendship Means at the Country's Largest and Most Notable Animal Sanctuary Do you know what happened to the abused dogs that were rescued from Michael Vick or where many of the lost pets from Hurricanes Gustav and Katrina went? They were saved by the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. We'll hear the inside stories about the animals that get a second chance from my guest, Faith Maloney, Director of Animal Care and from Makayla, an eight year old girl who traveled from Illinois to Utah just to be able to volunteer a few days of her time.

September 11, 2009 9/11 - Now, for the Stories of the Dog Heroes! There has been much, great news coverage of all the police, firemen and volunteer heroes that made such a difference at ground zero. But do you know the stories of all the dog search and rescue teams that were often the first responders at the site? In this week's show, you'll hear the heartrending, courageous and uplifting stories of these human dog teams and see the compelling photographs of the dogs at work, while listening to my guest, Nona Kilgore Bauer, author of Dog Heroes of 9/11: A Tribute to America's Search and Rescue Dogs.

September 04, 2009 How a Baby Buffalo Taught One Family About America and Their Hearts Buffalos - seemingly an American icon and yet we know so little about them. In today's episode, you will hear the powerful and engaging story of a week-old orphaned buffalo who found a temporary home with animal lovers, Veryl Goodnight and Roger Brooks. My guest,Richard Rosen, the author of A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, An Animal, and the American West will tell us what it was like to meet Charlie, the buffalo and share the history of this most misunderstood species. We've got the pictures of Charlie and his foster parents for you to see while listening to the show. Wait until you see how cute a baby buffalo is and how huge they get.

August 28, 2009 The Tiger within your Pussy Cat Are you aware that besides the difference in size and markings of the fur, a wild tiger and your pet cat is the same animal in many ways? Understanding that the behavior of your cat is instinctually rooted in its "wild cat" heritage offers much insight in how to live in greater harmony and comfort with your kitty. Drawing from the book "The Tiger on Your Couch: What the Big Cats Can Teach You About Living In Harmony With Your House Cat" by Bill Fleming and Judy Petersen Fleming, Susan Frank, will offer practical advice about why playtime is so important, how and why to teach your cat the word "no" and that regardess if you are a man, woman or child, being a better "mother" to your cat makes a big difference in having a warm, affectionate and respectful bond with your feline.

August 14, 2009 What to do When Wildlife Moves In Often, the wildlife that lives nearby us decides our homes and businesses would be lovely new places to raise their families. Unfortunately, you might not quite agree. So what are the steps you can take yourself to encourage the animals to move out and when do you need to call in the professionals? Kevin Clark, founder and CEO of Critter Control will address these questions.

July 31, 2009 Answers for Allergic Cat Lovers Are you allergic to your cats and suffer along or do you wish you could get a cat but due to allergies think this is impossible? This show will help. Find out from Diane Morgan, author of The Sneeze-Free Cat Owner, what the often misunderstood cause of the allergy is, what many options are for managing cat allergies and get the low down about breeds of cats considered to be less problematic.

July 24, 2009 In Search of the Last Wild Tigers Travel along as Ruth Padel relates her story of a two year adventure traveling around the globe to learn all she could about tigers, their conservation and see the magnificent creatures in the wild. In the book, Tigers in Red Weather the question is posed, Can wild tigers be saved, or is this their last moment before extinction. Hear the personal story of Ruth Padel's quest to find this answer.

July 17, 2009 How Smart is Your Dog? A key to selecting the right dog for you or your family is understanding the inherent abilities and intelligence of the breeds. During this show, Stanley Coren, the author of The Intelligence of Dogs will tell us about the different types of dog intelligences, how to rank your dog and offer some fun activities to do with your dog to "test" its IQ.

July 10, 2009 Mission Accomplished: Thanks to the Dog! You may have heard of seeing eye dogs but did you also know that dogs serve people by acting as grief counselors, avalanche rescue workers and illness detectors? This week you will hear about dogs that perform all types of highly unusual jobs as Linda Anderson, co-founder of the Angel Animals Network and co-author of Angel Dogs with a Mission tells you the stories of pooches who use their canine skills in extraordinary ways to help people in extraordinary circumstances.

June 26, 2009 Positive, Fast, Training For Your Pet: Just a Click Away Do you wish there was some easy, non-punishing method to train your pet to do certain things and stop doing others? There is! And it works with most animals, your dog, your cat, your horse or your guinea pig! Karen Pryor, founder of clicker training and the author of her new book Reaching the Animal Mind will be Susan's guest this week. You will learn about this remarkable technique.

June 19, 2009 Holistic Cat Care Advice Susan's guest this week is Anitra Frazier the author of The Natural Cat, considered the holistic bible for cat caregivers. This handbook offers easy to follow, natural advice for all aspects of caring for your cat. During the show, Anitra will talk about the most important aspect of feeding your cat for optimal health, how to introduce the scratching post to the cat so it will actually use it, what the hazards of clumping cat litter are and what to do about those darn fleas. You'll want to make sure you call in with your questions for Anitra.

June 12, 2009 A World of Homeless Cats Perhaps you have seen them - many eyes peering from behind bushes or groups of the same cats that seem to live outdoors near restaurants or places you visit. I came across a "colony" of them when I visited Florida on vacation one year. These are not simply lost cats, but are known as feral cats, the "wild" offspring of domestic cats that are primarily the result of pet owners' abandonment or failure to spay and neuter their animals. And there are feral cats everywhere - worldwide living in urban areas. In this week's show, we'll talk about these homeless cats; can they be helped or adopted? Are they a danger and what can you do if they become a nuisance in your yard. You'll hear what one organization, The Feral Cat Coalition is doing to help the situation and these cats.

June 05, 2009 Real Men Love Cats Too! We commonly think that women love cats and men love dogs and never the twain shall meet. And whenever a woman lives with more than a few cats, she is forever known as "the cat woman". Tom Cox, Susan's guest this week, is a self admitted, Cat man. He will tell some of his very funny stories of owning seven of the most charismatic, idiotic and duplicitous cats in the U.K. from his book Under the Paw, Confessions of a Cat Man.

May 22, 2009 Owning Reptiles - What you Need to Know Susan's guests today are both members of the Chicago Herpetological Society, on organization dedicated to the education, conservation and advancement of herpetology which is the study of amphibians and reptiles. They will discuss the pros and cons of keeping reptiles as pets, tell you exactly what you must do to keep the animals happy and healthy and reveal which reptiles make terrible pets and why.

May 08, 2009 Rescuing Animals - Healing Goes Both Ways When people reach out and rescue abused and abandoned animals, they find that these very animals wind up healing and restoring them in many profound and unexpected ways. My guest this week, Karin Winegar, the author of Saved: Rescued Animals and the Lives They Transform will tell us stories of the remarkable people and the engaging animals she met as she traveled the country writing this book. (Photo Credit - Judy Olausen)

April 24, 2009 My Visit to the Chicagoland Family Pet Expo Show I walked this year's Pet Expo show at Arlington Park, IL looking for the unusual and interesting in the world of services for our pets. Listen in as I interview experts in the field discussing a variety of topics such as: the benefits of feeding raw food to dogs, how taking your dog to a specially designed swimming pool can do wonders for its health and finding out the answer to the question is there anyone who can take care of your pet while you are in the hospital?

April 17, 2009 Time for New Spring Wildlife Babies Spring is just around the corner for those of us living in the Midwest, and this means that many wild animals are giving birth or making preparations like building nests to get ready for the new generation. As people and wildlife live in ever growing closer proximity in suburban and urban areas there are times, when you may find that nest built right by your front stoop or a mother animal has actually moved into your attic to raise her young. What are you suppose to do when this happens? How do you protect your property and the lives of these animals? During this week's show, you'll find out how to handle the wildlife that comes a little too close and we'll be taking your calls in order to answer your particular questions.

April 10, 2009 Little Known Wild Animals: Heard about Bonobos? In the first of my new series of shows where I'll introduce you to some of the world's most remarkable animals that remain largely unknown, you'll hear about Bonobos, one of the great Apes. Their nature, characteristics and family lifestyle will fascinate, endear and startle you when you realize how much we have in common with them and learning about the similarities between their sexuality and ours - may come as a real surprise to you.

April 03, 2009 Should Chimpanzees Be Pets? Perhaps you've heard of the recent tragic episode whereby a woman was seriously injured by her friend's pet chimpanzee and the great ape itself, lost its life. This was not the only incident of its kind. Many chimpanzees are privately owned as pets and they can become aggressive, which is not considered unusual for an adult chimp. During this week's show, we'll talk about the possible reasons these incidents happen, and learn about the natural habits and characteristics of chimpanzees which are, after all, wild animals.

March 27, 2009 One Wing at a Time - Caring for Wild Birds What's the correct thing to do when you find an injured bird that smacked into your window or a baby bird alone in your yard? Do bells on your cat's collar really prevent your cat from catching songbirds? My guest today, Susie Gilbert author of Flyaway: How a Wild Bird Rehabber Sought Adventure and Found her Wings will answer many questions and talk about her adventures caring for all kinds of birds in order to release them back into the wild.

March 13, 2009 Your Old Dog Can Learn New Tricks Perhaps you have just adopted an older dog that brings its own doggy "baggage" to your home or your beloved but aging dog is exhibiting some new behavior problems. Now you're wondering how and if these older dogs can still be trained. Susan's guest this week is David Taylor, the author of Old Dog, New Tricks: Understanding and Retraining Older and Rescued Dogs. David will illuminate the challenges that older dogs face, explain what we can do when problems present themselves, and help us discover that it is never too late to properly train a dog.

March 06, 2009 I've Gone to the Dogs - And You Can Too! Come along with me as I visit the International Kennel Club's Dogs Gone Chicago Show at McCormick Place in Chicago. I'll also talk to my special guest Kathleen Borgmeyer, a breeder of Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, to find out about the great advantages of selecting a puppy from a breeder and hear about the breed known as Swissys.

February 20, 2009 For Anyone Who Loves Horses Susan's guest, Joe Camp knew nothing about the care of horses when he went for a trail ride one day. Two weeks later, he was the proud owner of three of them. What he and his wife Kathleen learned about how to truly care for the creatures, and how to build lasting trusting relationships between humans and horses, has profound meaning for anyone who owns or loves horses. There is nothing short of a revolution going on regarding some of the traditional practices of horsemanship.

February 13, 2009 Getting Along Better with Your Dog - It's Easy! Just Behave More Like a Canine Than a Human! Susan's guest, Patricia McConnell, the author of The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs will share simple techniques of how to call or greet and even play with your dog, using more dog-like behaviors that will yield wonderful results.

February 06, 2009 The Need-to-Know Facts About Your Cat's Pet Food Have you been concerned and confused by the reports of pet food recalls in the news lately? Do you want to make sure you are feeding your cat the food that can enable it to lead the longest, healthiest and happiest life? Kymythy Schultze, the author of Natural Nutrition for Cats: The Path to Purr-fect Health will share her extensive knowledge of proper nutrition for your cat and expose the pitfalls of the pet food industry. Dog owners will also benefit from this timely information about what we feed our furry companions.

January 30, 2009 Communicating with Your Animals: What Do You Believe? Can we really talk to animals and can they talk back with us? Marta Williams, the author of Ask Your Animal says that animal communication is real. She will tell us about the actual steps and experiments we can try ourselves to develop our own "intuitive communication" skills with animals. Will your results be the proof that makes up your mind?

January 23, 2009 Parents, Your Child Really Can Help You Care For That Dog! It's a familiar story. You have finally given in and agreed to get the dog. Your child and you both pretend that you believe their promise "I'll take care of it". The reality is when it comes to owning a dog for the first time, parents often don't know how to teach the child specifically what they can and need to do. Susan's guest is Andrea McHugh, the author of "Your Child's Dog: How to Help Your Kids Care for their Pets" and she'll explain exactly what and how to teach your child to care for and train the dog.

January 16, 2009 What Cat Lovers Know! Do you think you own your cat? Don't be silly. Cats own their people. They're in charge, which is why they don't obey us. That's what Susan's guest, Molly Brandenburg, a feline aficionado, artist and comedian says. Being an expert in "meow-speak" who has spent years analyzing our furry friends, she will share hilarious insights on how cats think and why they do the wacky things they do from her book, Everyday Cat Excuses: Why I Can't Do What You Want.

January 09, 2009 How to Save Your Pet's Life! Could you save your Pets life in an emergency? Susans guest this week, Thom Somes, is known as The Pet Safety Guy and has taught Pet CPR, First Aid and Care classes across the US. He will give us the crucial safety techniques pet owners need to know to keep their dogs and cats alive and thriving. Join us and learn the 7 Actions-for-Survival to handle any pet emergencies.

December 19, 2008 A Place for Injured Wildlife What can you do if you find your dog has mangled a young rabbit or you find an abandoned baby raccoon in your yard? Wildlife rehabilitation centers are places that can advise you and accept injured animals for healing and release back into the wild. Susan's guest is Sandy Woltman, a Wildlife Specalist at Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn, which is part of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, IL. She will provide useful information and tell us stories of what its like working to save our wild neighbors.

December 05, 2008 Wild Animals in our Backyards Most of us are aware of the common animals that live in our neighborhoods, such as certain birds and mammals like robins and squirrels, but there are also many others that live nearby mostly remaining hidden from our view. Join us to find out what they are and hear both fun facts and relevant information about a number of our wild residents.

November 21, 2008 Do You Know About The Revolution In Animal Shelters? Hear about the inner workings of Chicago's largest No Kill humane organization, PAWS Chicago, with its new state-of-the-art Adoption and Humane Center and its numerous resources for pet owners and owners to be. You will find out how and why they are leaders and role models in changing what has historically been the fate of an abundance of homeless pets. This fate is a topic that collectively we tend to prefer not to talk about or even want to think about. Pet lovers and concerned people everywhere however will rejoice in hearing how the times are changing in this eye-opening show.

November 14, 2008 Alternative Medicine for Pets? Have you heard of acupuncture for cats or Chinese herbal medicine for dogs? How about underwater treadmill therapy for pet rabbits? My guest is Dr. Barbara Royal, DVM, owner of the Royal Treatment Veterinary Spa and trained in both conventional and alternative veterinary medicine. Well talk about the who, what, when and why of these unconventional treatments, and discuss the circumstances under which your regular vet may suggest them. I was referred to Dr. Royal by my own vet, and Ill tell you what surprised me most when my cat Willie received acupuncture.

November 07, 2008 Wild Coyotes in the Cities. True or false: A danger to pets? Perhaps you have recently seen a coyote in your city for the first time. Susan speaks with Dr. Stanley Gehrt from Ohio State University who authored a comprehensive ecological study of coyotes living in urban areas. In the Coyote Project, conducted in Cook County, Illinois, he poses all the relevant questions and provides many answers that youll want to know about these seemingly mysterious, little understood yet remarkable members of the dog family.

October 31, 2008 Unusual Causes and Answers for Pet Behavior Problems In our debut show we look at possible causes and solutions for some of your dog and cats behavior issues. This weeks discussion and advice comes not from where you would expect it, veterinarians or animal trainers - but from the experiences and techniques of Occupational Therapists! My guests are Diana Henry and Deanna Sava, the authors of Sensory Tools for Pets: Animals and People Helping Each Other. They offer little known insights about the roots of pets behavior problems and suggestions for what to do that will surprise you and make total sense.