For the Love of Dog

Did you know dogs can donate blood? PJ Rosch and Christine Smith of The Little Red Dog explain how canine blood donation works, which dogs are eligible, and why one healthy donor can save several other dogs, then share the rescue dogs who need foster homes right now, from a shy little girl on a ten day deadline to an 80 pound lap dog nobody has asked about in two and a half years. Visit thelittler...

The Little Red Dog turns 15 this Sunday, and PJ Rosch and Christine Smith look back on over 8,000 dogs rescued: what it really takes to start a dog rescue, why a foster-based rescue depends on its fosters, the dogs they still think about, and what comes next, from spay and neuter clinics to advocacy. Plus Good News of the Week: a rescue dog who had a rare cancer at one year old, lost the top of hi...

Found a stray dog? PJ Rosch and Christine Smith of The Little Red Dog explain what to do first: get it scanned for a microchip, post it on lost pet sites, never just let it go, and ask for proof before handing it to anyone who claims it. They also walk through what really happens after a rescue says yes, and the true cost of saving one dog, about $1,200 from transport to spay and neuter. Plus Good...

Why didn't you just take the dog? PJ Rosch and Christine Smith of The Little Red Dog explain why a rescue can't simply take a dog from its owner. In one story, animal control was called six times and nobody came. They also cover why rescues ask so many questions before an adoption, from home checks and full-household interviews to why they never do surprise adoptions. Plus Good News of t...

Fifteen dogs at The Little Red Dog have been waiting a year or more for a home, and almost nobody applies for them. PJ and Christine introduce every one of these long-term rescue dogs, from Lucy Ann, who has waited almost five years and adores her mail lady, to Dudley, a blind and deaf dog who is practically bulletproof, and Cookie Crisp, the Frenchie who proves six is not old. They also talk abou...

Please note: we show the actual messages on screen in the video version of this episode on YouTube. PJ and Christine of The Little Red Dog rescue open up their inbox and read real dog surrender requests: a perfect family dog left behind in a move, a grandmother's dog after a dementia diagnosis, a bulldog "jealous of the baby," surprise litters, and a family facing homelessness. They...

Attorney, Penn Law professor and Animal Advocate Penny Ellison joins PJ and Christine to talk about pet surrender prevention: why housing restrictions and the cost of vet care drive most surrenders, how Philadelphia passed a three-year moratorium on unlicensed dog breeding and built a subsidized spay/neuter coalition alongside it, and why veterinary telehealth could reach families living in veteri...

Four police K-9s died in hot cars this summer, and PJ and Christine are not letting it slide. They walk through what happened to Chili, Georgia, Rip and Boomer, why one sheriff claimed there is no such thing as animal neglect under her state's law, and why "the equipment failed" is not an excuse when a dog is your partner. Recorded on Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, the episode clos...

August is Make A Will Month, and PJ and Christine sit down with Spencer Cassidy, co-founder and CEO of LifeLegacy, to talk about the one document most dog owners never get around to: a will. 70% of Americans have no estate plan, and TLRD has pulled countless dogs out of shelters because their person died and nobody had a plan for them. Spencer breaks down pet guardianship, what really happens to y...

Five years after adopting Naomi Mae, TLRD VIP Jeff Cohen is back in studio to talk about life with her, why he keeps donating and fostering, and what it's like to raise a dog nobody else wanted into a total sweetheart. Then, PJ and Christine share the true story of Goosey, a Texas pet goose whose honking alerted her family to an emergency. A warm one about second chances. Support the show Don...

Volunteer Caroll Schwartz joins PJ and Christine to talk about what it really takes to walk rescue dogs: the 100-pound pit mix named Rhino who dragged her across a lawn on her fifth outing, why The Little Red Dog runs a walking clinic before anyone takes a leash, and the honest difference between a martingale and a prong collar. She also tells the story of the Halloween foster fail that turned int...

Volunteer photographer Christian Shenouda has spent 15 years taking the photos that get shelter dogs adopted. He joins PJ and Christine to explain why the intake photo is usually the worst picture a dog will ever have, and what actually changes their odds. He shares practical tips anyone can use on their own foster or transport, plus the advice his therapist girlfriend gave him for walking into a...

A little dog named Prieta went missing over the Fourth of July and turned up two weeks later swimming in San Francisco Bay, fending off seagulls until Menlo Park firefighters scooped her out of the water. PJ and Christine talk about why her microchip got her back to her family within an hour, then celebrate Boerne, Texas, where a town of 24,000 placed 46 shelter dogs into 29 emergency foster homes...

PJ and Christine dig into the real reasons adopted dogs get returned: too much love too soon, unrealistic expectations, not enough exercise, no rules or routine, the wrong match, and life changes nobody planned for. They share what The Little Red Dog has learned from 15 years of rescue about setting a new dog up to succeed, and close with the story of a seven-year-old boy who sold his prized Pokem...

In 2025, roughly 600,000 animals (including 320,000 dogs) died in America's shelters — many of them alone, scared, in their kennels. PJ and Christine of The Little Red Dog dig into why so many good, adoptable dogs get overlooked: breed mislabeling, the pit bull myths that follow certain dogs, and how the shelter environment itself can turn a happy dog into a so-called "behavior case.&quo...

This week on For the Love of Dog, PJ and Christine share must-know Fourth of July safety tips to keep your dog from becoming part of the July 5th shelter surge — from microchips and safe spaces to keeping gates closed during the fireworks. They also dig into the disturbing Miranda's Rescue case, where dogs were found shot and buried, and ask how transfers and adoptions go unchecked. Plus an u...

PJ and Christine sit down with adopter Jill Stanton, who almost never found Zahara — a dog pulled off the kill list at one of California's deadliest shelters and now, in Jill's words, “heaven on earth.” Jill shares how she discovered foster-based rescue (the middle ground between a shelter and a breeder that most people don't know exists), why staying open-minded landed her the perf...

"No-kill shelter" is one of the most comforting phrases in animal rescue — and one of the most misleading. This week PJ and Christine pull back the curtain on what really happens to surrendered dogs, why five states account for half the nation's euthanasias, and how kennel stress breaks down even healthy animals. They also dig into why so many good dogs get overlooked — seniors, bla...

The #1 request The Little Red Dog gets isn't to save a shelter dog — it's "please rehome my pet." This week PJ and Christine walk through the real alternatives to surrendering your dog: trainers and rescue support for behavior issues, Care Credit and Scratch Pay for vet bills you can't cover, pet-friendly housing searches, safe rehoming (never free on Craigslist), and how...

For thousands of people, a dog is the one constant through the hardest stretch of their life. PJ and Christine dig into the "My Dog Is My Home" movement and the shelters finally making room for pets, the life-saving role fostering plays for people leaving abusive situations, and the big debate: is crate training helpful or harmful? Plus two urgent rescue appeals from The Little Red Dog....

It's National Microchip Month — and PJ and Christine are here to remind you to not just chip your pet, but actually register it and keep your info updated. Then they get into it: off-leash dogs, summer safety tips, and why your dog doesn't have to like everybody (and neither do you). A packed episode full of practical advice for dog owners heading into the warmer months.  Support the sho...

What happens when the rescue is the danger? This week PJ and Christine break down three recent cases that shook the dog rescue world: Woofy Acres in California, where 94 of 114 seized dogs were euthanized and the operator may walk away with probation; Miranda's Rescue in Fortuna, where dogs were shot and buried in mass graves; and Working Dogs of Nevada, where a whistleblower's phone foo...

Liz has fostered over 30 dogs for The Little Red Dog in six years — and yes, it still hurts every time she says goodbye. This week, PJ and Christine sit down with Liz (and her current foster, Cookie Crisp!) to talk about the number one thing that stops people from fostering, the real decompression process behind a dog settling into your home, and why the TLRD support system makes it possible even...

PJ and Christine get real about where your rescue donation actually goes — and why $1,100 barely covers saving one dog anymore. Then they get on their soapbox about dog parks: inattentive owners, parasites like giardia and coccidia, and why a pit bull in a scuffle always loses even when it didn't start it. Charlotte is still urgently looking for a foster — and fostering is always completely f...

Charlotte has until May 7th to find a new foster — and this week, PJ and Christine are putting out the urgent call one more time. This episode also celebrates National Pet Week and Adopt a Shelter Pet Day with real talk about the bond you build with a rescue dog, plus separation anxiety tips that actually work (and one surprising reason YOU might be causing it). It wraps with PJ's passionate...