Hound Opinions

Fact – senior dogs are awesome. There’s really nothing like a senior dog. They’re often happy to just spend time on the couch with you. They might let you sleep in on weekends. They don’t require super-long walks or play sessions to get their energy out. What’s not to love, right? But despite being amazing, senior dogs that wind up in shelters or rescues are often overlooked in favor of younger do...

So much of dogs’ communication comes in the form of body language. Tails, ears, eyes, mouths … all of them hold clues to what a dog is thinking and feeling at any given time. But one of the hardest parts about reading a dog’s body language is that it happens fast. So it’s easy to miss subtle signs that can give you an indication of what’s going on in a dog’s head. And that can lead to misunderstan...

Welcome to Season 3, y'all!  Bill wanted to kick off the third season of Hound Opinions with something a bit different. But don't worry, he still talks about dogs a bit.  If you’ve been following on social media, then you know that since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the “supreme” court, Big Wags Chicago has been regularly donating a portion of the proceeds of each walk and training sess...

It's the final episode of Season 2, folx! Hound Opinions will be taking a break for the month of September, but Bill will be back with Season 3 on October 6.  We see the term "self-care" tossed around a lot these days, especially on social media. Really, since the covid pandemic began, we've been talking about how important it is to practice. But the term "self-care" isn't particularly descri...

It's the second-to-last episode of Season 2, y'all!  If you’ve been in certain veterinary offices or groomers, you might have seen some signage that says the clinic or groomer is “Fear Free Certified”. Ever wondered what that means? Fear Free is a philosophy dedicated to alleviating fear, stress and anxiety in pets by educating the people who care for them – including veterinarians, groomers,...

This is the second in the Rescue Spotlight series. This time, we talk to Patty Sampson, who's on the board of It's a Pittie Rescue .  It’s a Pittie is entirely volunteer-run and is dedicated to rescuing, rehabbing and rehoming pitbull-type dogs. Find It’s a Pittie Rescue online at rescueapittie.org and by searching It’s a Pittie on social.  Big Wags Chicago is on the web at www.bigwagsch...

The animal rescue world is in a bit of a crisis right now. If you Google “overcrowded shelters”, you’ll get recent news stories from all over the country about how shelters are packed to the gills with dogs and cats. Shelters are already tough places for animals. They tend to be noisy. It’s hard for them to get the attention and enrichment that they need. The animals are under a lot of stress. The...

This is the first in what we hope will be a recurring feature on Hound Opinions - Rescue Spotlight. It's always fun to shout out animal rescue organizations and the awesome work they do, and that's what Bill's doing this time. On the pod this week is Erin Thompson. She's the marketing manager for Tony La Russa's Animal Rescue Foundation - the rescue founded in 1991 by White Sox manager Tony La Rus...

It's that horrible, horrible time of year. That's right, folks. We're talking about fireworks season. At best, fireworks are annoying and for your dogs, they can be downright terrifying.  On this episode, Bill talks about how to prep your house, your dog and yourself for fireworks and help make this terrible time of year a bit easier to handle.  Big Wags Chicago is on the web at www.bigw...

There are an estimated 500,000 stray dogs roaming the streets and beaches of Puerto Rico. The island's shelter system is overwhelmed and with no access to food, fresh water, or veterinary care, many of these dogs are living daily lives of severe suffering. Enter The Sato Project . The Sato Project is an organization dedicated to getting the stray dogs of Puerto Rico into happy, comfortable loving...

Hey y'all!  Bill's been fighting off some sort of plague - not covid - since last week and he just hasn't had the energy to get an episode together. He's really sorry and there'll be a new episode in two weeks. Thanks for being so understanding!  Big Wags Chicago is on the web at www.bigwagschicago.com . You can also find Big Wags on Twitter and Instagram at @bigwagschicago. Have a quest...

Hound Opinions is taking a break this week. Enjoy this rebroadcast of the episode from Nov. 25, 2021 featuring listener questions. By the way, Bill's planning another episode like this, but he needs questions. Email 'em to podcast@bigwagschicago.com . On this edition of Hound Opinions, Bill takes a few questions from listeners. He talks about how to help your dog deal with loud noises like thunder...

There's not a huge amount of research into the effects of CBD on dogs. But Dr. Jennifer Weiss and Jeremy Dedic have done their share.  Jeremy and Jennifer are the minds behind Cubbington’s Cabinet – a Chicago-based purveyor of CBD products with the mission of improving the quality of life for people and pets by providing a trustworthy source for socially responsible, thoroughly tested and acc...

Dogs are great photo subjects. But they're also living creatures that like to move, which can make getting good photos of them hard. But you've come to the right place. In this episode, Bill talks to Pulitzer prize winning photojournalist Scott Strazzante . He's been on the staff of the San Francisco Chronicle since 2014. His work has been featured in National Geographic and Mother Jones. And his...

Most of y'all probably know David Frei as the voice of the National Dog Show and/or the Beverly Hills Dog Show. And he's both of those, but he's so much more. He's also the founder of Angel on a Leash, an organization that brings therapy dog and handler teams to visit anyone who might benefit from the special bond between a human and a dog.  Big Wags Chicago is on the web at www.bigwagschicag...

One of the toughest parts of being a positive reinforcement trainer is explaining to people why it’s more effective and what exactly it means. But Mandy Boutelle has figured out an unconventional way to do just that. Mandy was a certified R+ dog walker and dog trainer before founding her clothing line, Woof Cultr . By putting the ideas and principles of R+ training on shirts and other items, it in...

Welcome to Season 2 of Hound Opinons! Bill's talked about service dogs before on the pod. And to kick off the second season, he's talking about 'em again! This time, his guest is Joanne Moliski. Joanne is a 28 year old engineer and community organizer. She is a partially ambulatory quadriplegic who has uses her service dog, Scorpio, as her primary mobility support. Scorpio is 2-3 years old, half p...

It's the finale of Season 1 of Hound Opinions, folx! But don't worry; season 2 will start in just two weeks! For the Season 1 finale, Bill has a really cool guest. Dan Schachner ( @danschachner ) is best known as the guy getting peed and pooped on every year as the referee of the Puppy Bowl ! But he’s also an advocate for dog rescue and foster, as well as an ambassador for the Sato Project , which...

Service dogs are amazing. They can do so many impressive tasks that aid the lives of their disabled handlers.  On the pod this time is Ashley Bravin, an artist, disability advocate and service dog handler living in Glendale, California. She has a host of chronic illnesses and she’s been a service dog handler for nearly 7 years. She’s going to talk about all the tasks her dogs perform, as well as a...

Hound Opinions is taking a quick break this week, but Bill will be back next week (January 27) with a new episode. In the meantime, enjoy this rebroadcast of the inaugural episode of Hound Opinions! Flying with a dog can add a whole new set of complications to what is already often a stressful experience. But what if you want or need to travel with your dog? What's that like? How do you prepare yo...

Compassion fatigue is one of those terms that folks in the service industry like to use a lot. Compassion fatigue is the physical, emotional and psychological impact that comes from helping others. According to the American Psychological Association, it can cause, among a host of other things, burnout, depression and anxiety, as well as both physical and emotional exhaustion. But what actually IS...

With the holidays coming up, it's time for a great story about a dog overcoming some difficulties to live her best life. Zoey is an almost-13-year-old bloodhound with degenerative intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). On this episode, Bill talks to Zoey's guardian, Natalia Waclawska, about IVDD and how she makes sure that despite the physical limitations, Zoey lives her best life.  You can keep...

Life with a reactive dog can be tough, both for the reactive dogs and their people. If you've never had or spent time with a reactive dog, it can be hard to conceptualize and you might even think that reactive dogs can't have happy lives because they'll miss out on all the wonderful interactions with other dogs. But that's just a myth. On this episode, Bill talks to Ashleigh and Carol, both of who...

On a special bonus edition of Hound Opinions, Bill takes a few questions from listeners. He talks about how to help your dog deal with loud noises like thunder. He also gets a little heavy (trigger warning: pet death) when he addresses a question about how to know you're ready to adopt another dog after your dog passes away. He also gets into the pros and cons (spoiler: mostly cons) of dogs being...

Separation anxiety is tough. At its most basic, it means that a dog becomes anxious or upset to the point of distress when their guardian leaves. It's really tough on dogs and their people.  On the pod this week, the guest is Jenny Halpern, whose rescue dog, Bo, deals with separation anxiety. Jenny will talk about what that's like, how she handles it and the progress (though slow) Bo is makin...