Dog Save The People

Kristen Kidd is a photographer who launched the Woman’s Best Friend Project to share the dynamic bond between women and their canine companions as a riff on the traditional “Man’s Best Friend” idea. With it, she wanted to create a community of inclusion and understanding. Kristen has photographed dozens of women and their dogs as part of the project, covering important stories of the furry and fem...

Amy Shelle is the Founder of Dogs for GRETA, which trains service dogs for survivors of sexual assault diagnosed with PTSD. Usually, civilians have few options for service dog training as it is typically reserved for veterans. As a sexual assault survivor, Amy recognized an unmet need for services dogs for people with similar situations to hers. With degrees in animal science and social work, she...

Jenni Williams’ husband was serving in the British Army, which led them to move to the U.S. on assignment for a period of time. Due to the circumstances, Jenni was unable to work with her visa status. To use her time, she decided to do volunteer work instead, landing on fostering. It turned out to be one of the most important decisions she ever made. Over time, Jenni ended up taking in 15 dogs ove...

Jake Windell is an LA county firefighter who has a therapy dog, named Echo, who he brought into his fire station to help make a difference in the ongoing mental health crisis of the fire world. Firefighters are often seen as a tough group, where it can be sometimes hard to break down emotional walls. They risk their lives daily to save others and 1-in-5 firefighters actually suffer from post-traum...

Lizz Whitacre is the Founder and CEO of Pawlytics, a cloud-based software for animal shelters and rescues who want to save more dogs. Lizz has always been interested in animals and got her first dog at 13, the oldest and most unadoptable one she could find. And while she gave them another chance at life, that dog then inspired her within the short few years they were together. A fuel started withi...

Isabel Serna is the founder of Black Lamb Studio, a Miami-based design studio. She recently published a book, Dog Mom: A Love Story , that she wrote and illustrated. It was based on her experience with her dog, Charlie, a french bulldog who she got when she was 30 and who completely changed her perspective on being a nurturer and caregiver – even preparing her for eventually becoming a loving and...

Hope Dawson is a mother of two kids and a wonderful dog, Coco, who all come together to be a family. After going through a domestic violence situation, Hope was able to go to the People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program in New York City at the Urban Resource Institute (URI), where they were able to stay together. Coco helped Hope, and the kids, during this unsettling time and gave them much...

Dr. Chris Blazina is a licensed psychologist, retired professor, and award-winning author. He has been in practice for nearly 25 years, focusing in particular on men and their depression, anxiety, life transitions, grief & loss, relationship problems, and pet bereavement. In his work, Chris has found dogs to be an important companion and part of a male’s life that is not able to be found in th...

Rabbi Gadi Capela leads the Congregation Tifereth in Greenport on the North Fork of Long Island. Throughout his life, he has had a strong connection to dogs – from always having them as a kid to having several since in his adult life. During his studies and life experience, he has learned about why dogs have such a strong connection to us as humans. - SOCIAL MEDIA - Website - https://www.dogsaveth...

This is a special episode of Dog Save The People with two guests from the same organization. First up is Nathaniel Fields, the CEO of the Urban Resource Institute (URI). It’s a nonprofit organization that has done crucial work in the New York City community for 40 years now – including the development in the past decade of People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program under URI. The creation of...

Winnie Au is a photographer based in Brooklyn, NY, who has found a muse in dogs throughout her career. She specializes in creating poignant and playful editorial dog photos. After her own dog, Tartine, received a cancer diagnosis, she pursued a long, traumatic, and expensive treatment plan that ultimately could not save her pet. This experience inspired Winnie to partner with a non-profit for a ph...

As a Real Estate agent, Kelcey Otten had the great idea of bringing dogs up for adoption to her open listings (with her clients permission in advance, of course). Ever since she was young, Kelcey was exposed to the rescue and foster world through her mother and has now taken that torch and initiative on her own. She also has two rescues of her own, Stella and Rosie, and has fostered many others. -...

David Toussaint is a writer, commentator, theatre critic, playwright and author. Since 1997, he has written articles for Brides magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Gay Financial Network, Outsider Ink, Diversion magazine, and more. He was an editor at Conde Nast and a three-time guest editor for Francis Ford Coppola's online magazine Zoetrope. He has also been a full-time columnist for GayWeddings.com,...

Kimberly Elliott is the Founder of the Be Like Josh Foundation. She is a proud dog mother to Josh, a dog with cerebellar hypoplasia. While initially being nervous about being able to take care of a dog with a disability and what that might be like, Josh has completely transformed her world for the better. Her aim with his organization is to enlighten others about his condition and using that as a...

Brad Kriser is the Chief Education Officer of Independent Pet Partners (IPP). Recently, they did a study about the 5 Pillars of Pet Wellness to help dogs and their humans live happier lives. Brad speaks about what those pillars are, why they’re important, and why dogs play such a big part of our lives. He has also had many dogs throughout his life since birth and has had a bond that he could not i...

Sarah Liss is a writer and editor. She is the author of the book Army of Lovers , a community history of the late artist and LGBTQ activist Will Munro. While she had always been against having kids, she became more ready and accepting of the challenge of parenthood after the transformative experience she had with her dog, Harriet. Currently, she lives in Toronto with her partner, Lisa, and their t...

Dr. Clive Wynne is the Founding Director & Principal Investigator of Arizona State University’s Canine Science Collaboratory. His work and studies involve looking at the question, “What makes dogs special?” At a roadblock in fully tapping into what he was trying to discover with his findings, Clive had help from his own dog - Xephos - who helped him form a greater understanding of the human to...

Known as “The Dogfather of Harlem" in New York City, Brian Taylor has been running his dog business – the Harlem Doggie Day Spa – for almost a decade. Initially from West Africa, he came over to America when he was 13 years old and found his way to New York City after college. With his business, he’s been very involved in his neighborhood to help bring people together, make the Harlem dog communit...

For this Q&A minisode, John Bartlett talks about the ways that you can show love to your dog that they will understand. Dogs crave appreciation and look to their owners as the leader of the pack. So how you act, and what you may be feeling towards them, can make them feel loved. He talks about specific examples that can work including certain types of touch, talk, play, and the act of being em...

FREEDOM RIDE - Peter Philipakos is a retired Greek-American soccer/futbol/football midfield player. He found a stray dog, Jack, while playing in Greece. The two formed a close bond (along with Peter’s fiancé, Natasha) and grew inseparable. They decided to take him in and give this special dog a happy, forever home. Peter also decided to take an early retirement from playing the game he loved to ma...

For this Q&A minisode, John Bartlett answers about how dogs help us make friends. They connect us to people we wouldn’t otherwise meet, are great icebreakers, and even turn into deeply personal connections (especially in places like the dog park). SOCIAL MEDIA Website - https://www.dogsavethepeople.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dogsavethepeople/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/dogsav...

Alan Cumming is a three-time Emmy-nominated and Tony-award winning actor. With his husband, illustrator Grant Shaffer, they have always had dogs as part of their pack. Along with strengthening their relationship, the dogs have also taught Alan about being more in the moment at all times. He and Grant have also created two books around their previous dogs, Honey and Leon, and are working on an upco...

For this Q&A minisode, John Bartlett answers about the best way to greet a dog. Importantly, he reminds us to always ask permission from dog owners before touching their animals. SOCIAL MEDIA Website - https://www.dogsavethepeople.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dogsavethepeople/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/dogsavetheppl Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/dogsavethepeople FEATURED...

Cara Zelas is an early childhood teacher. While her dog, Little Dude, has changed her life in several ways – she's not the only one he's impacted. After training him to be a therapy dog through the Good Dog Foundation, they connected her with hospitals and schools to visit children and adults dealing with the trauma of disease, disability, and disaster. Little Dude provided them a level of comfort...

Welcome to the third episode of our new Q&A minisode series, where we will feature a curious question about canine/human behavior and relationships. For this question, John Bartlett answers about why you should consider getting a senior or older dog. SOCIAL MEDIA Website - https://www.dogsavethepeople.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dogsavethepeople/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/dog...