The Top Dog Podcast

What does it take to build a movement rooted in compassion? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Kim Sturla, President and Co-Founder of Animal Place, one of the nation's pioneering farm animal sanctuaries. For nearly five decades, Kim has dedicated her life to rescuing animals, promoting compassionate living, and proving that education is just as important as rescue. From selling...

What if the biggest challenge in animal welfare isn't a lack of compassion—but the stories we tell? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Hanna Lentz, Executive Director of SPARC (Supporting People and Animal Relationships for Change). Hanna is helping organizations rethink how they communicate with communities, shifting from blame and judgment to empathy, partnership, and systems t...

What happens when a business leader challenges everything animal shelters have always done? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with John Gerrard, President & CEO of Hamilton/Burlington SPCA, who left the corporate world to lead one of Canada's largest animal welfare organizations. Drawing from decades of experience in retail, marketing, and business strategy, John shares how innovatio...

Animals don't just change lives—they help heal them. In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Jackie Ducci, Founder of The Human-Animal Alliance. Jackie shares how her lifelong connection with animals inspired her to build a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the human-animal bond through grants, education, and storytelling. From producing an award-winning documentary to funding organiz...

What does it take to lead one of the largest municipal animal shelters in the United States? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Jon Gary, Director of San Antonio Animal Care Services. With more than 27 years in animal welfare, Jon shares his journey from cleaning kennels to leading one of the nation's busiest municipal shelters, serving a community that welcomes more than 30,000...

Animal shelters are no longer just places for homeless pets—they're becoming the heart of their communities. In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Jane Tomsich, Executive Director of Licking County Humane Society. Drawing on more than 16 years in animal welfare, Jane shares how modern shelters can strengthen communities through prevention, transparency, fostering, and keeping pets w...

The best way to save shelter animals is to keep families together before a surrender ever happens. In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Christy Schilling, Executive Director and Co-Founder of BetterTogether Forever. Drawing on her background in social work, Christy has dedicated her career to helping pet owners overcome housing, financial, and medical challenges so they can keep th...

What happens when shelters stop judging and start supporting? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Megan Winters, Director of Shelter Operations at Harbor Humane Society in West Michigan. From starting her animal welfare journey as a dog groomer to helping lead a progressive, community-focused shelter, Megan shares how modern animal welfare is evolving beyond traditional sheltering...

What does it take to go from volunteer dog walker to leading an entire humane society? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Caryn Fugatt, Executive Director of Pope Memorial Humane Society – Cocheco Valley. After starting as a volunteer dog walker, Caryn worked her way through nearly every role in the organization before becoming Executive Director, giving her a unique perspective...

What if the most powerful way to help animals isn't rescue — it's education? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Danielle Hanosh, Co-Founder and Executive Director of LEAP (Leaders for Ethics, Animals, and the Planet). A former middle school teacher and founder of Blackberry Creek Farm Animal Sanctuary, Danielle is helping sanctuaries across North America inspire the next generati...

What does it take to transform a small animal shelter into a community lifesaving organization? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Dara Worthington, CEO of Friends of Strays Animal Shelter in St. Petersburg, Florida. Under Dara's leadership, the organization has grown from approximately 500 adoptions per year to more than 2,000 annually while expanding services, facilities, and c...

What happens when a passion for animals evolves into a mission that changes lives? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Nicole Navarro, Founder and Executive Director of Pawsitive Beginnings, a Florida-based sanctuary providing lifelong homes for foxes rescued from the fur trade and exotic pet trade. What began as a desire to save a single fox has grown into a unique organization h...

What happens when a police officer, disaster responder, and animal welfare executive all become the same person? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Kerri Burns, CEO of Santa Barbara Humane. With nearly three decades in animal welfare, Kerri shares how experiences in law enforcement, disaster response, shelter leadership, and community service shaped her philosophy of compassionat...

Saving animals starts with supporting the people who care for them. In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Alexis Fine, Operations Manager at Williamson County Regional Animal Shelter in Texas. With more than 20 years in animal welfare and 15 years at the same organization, Alexis shares how investing in staff culture, leadership development, and community engagement creates better o...

What happens when veterinary medicine finally shines a light on animal shelters? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Kate Hurley, Founding Director of the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program and one of the pioneers who helped create the field of shelter medicine. Starting her career as an animal control officer, Dr. Hurley witnessed firsthand the challenges shelters faced...

What happens when the unconditional love of dogs becomes the reason to keep living? In this powerful episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Zach Skow, founder of Marley’s Mutts, to talk about recovery, redemption, and the life-changing impact of the human-animal bond. After being given just 90 days to live due to end-stage liver failure, Zach found hope through his dogs — a turning point tha...

What does it take to build a community-wide solution for homeless cats? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we talk with Chris Bush, Vice Chair of Chatham Animal Rescue & Education (CARE), about the growing need for community cat programs in rapidly expanding communities — and why collaboration is the key to long-term change. With decades of rescue experience, Chris shares how Trap-Neuter-Return (...

What does transformational leadership look like in animal welfare? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we talk with Kristen Hassen, Founder and CEO of Outcomes Consulting, about the systems, leadership strategies, and cultural shifts needed to create lasting change in animal shelters and rescue organizations. With decades of experience leading large-scale shelter transformation, Kristen shares how...

What happens when animal services focus on keeping pets and people together? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we talk with Rachel Ide, Animal Services Director at Young-Williams Animal Center, about building modern community-centered animal services programs that go far beyond traditional sheltering. Rachel shares her experience working on the historic rescue of 4,000 beagles and explains how i...

What happens when saving a dog also helps save a human life? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we talk with Stephen Knight, Founding Executive Director of Dogs Matter, about building one of the most unique foster-based recovery programs in animal welfare. After overcoming addiction himself, Stephen founded Dogs Matter to help people entering drug and alcohol treatment place their pets in tempora...

What does true horse welfare actually look like? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Caroline Hegarty, founder of Equitopia — an educational platform focused on evidence-based horse welfare, ethical horsemanship, and responsible horse ownership. Originally from Ireland and now based in California, Caroline shares how her lifelong passion for horses led her to challenge traditional...

One vacation to Puerto Rico changed everything. In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Melissa Giordano — animal rescue advocate, foster mentor, and Rescue Partnerships Manager at Fi. What started with rescuing two stray dogs from a beach in Puerto Rico turned into a lifelong mission helping shelters, rescues, and foster networks save more animals. In this conversation, we explore: •...

The most vulnerable animals in shelters are also the most adoptable. In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we talk with Marnie Russ, founder of the National Kitten Coalition and creator of Kitten College — a groundbreaking program focused on saving neonatal kittens through education, foster support, and scalable systems. After a successful career as an international aerospace lobbyist, Marnie shifte...

Real change in animal welfare doesn’t just happen in shelters — it happens through systems. In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we talk with Natalie Ahwesh, Executive Director of Humane Action Pennsylvania. From a background in mathematics to leading statewide policy initiatives, Natalie has helped pass nearly 30 animal welfare laws — impacting thousands of animals across Pennsylvania. Her work fo...

What does it take to lead and evolve animal welfare over four decades of change? In this episode of Top Dog Podcast, we sit down with Shelly Moore, CEO of the Humane Society of Charlotte. With more than 40 years of experience, Shelly shares how an unexpected visit to a shelter turned into a lifelong mission of leadership, innovation, and community impact. Shelly walks us through the evolution of a...