The Animal Rescue Podcast: what you always wanted to know but didn’t know who to ask

This week I talk with Jackie Jolie, founder of AnimaSol, who has nearly 20 years of experience as an equine and canine bodyworker and specializes in red light therapy for animals. After healing from Lyme disease through holistic methods, Jackie became passionate about photobiomodulation—using red and near-infrared wavelengths to stimulate mitochondria, boost ATP production, and improve circulation...

This week I talk with Vanessa Shakib, co-founder of Advancing Law for Animals, a nonprofit law firm dedicated to animal advocacy. Vanessa transitioned from traditional litigation to animal law in 2018 after becoming passionate about animal welfare in college. We discuss what it means to bring forth cases on behalf of advocacy organizations and the multitude of ways lawyers can integrate animal cas...

This week I talk with Jackie Ducci about her lifelong connection to animals and how those relationships shaped her mission to promote the human-animal bond through both storytelling and philanthropy. Jackie discusses creating the documentary  Unspoken Bond , which highlights stories of people whose lives were changed or saved by animal. Jackie also shares the origin and work of the Human Animal Al...

This week I talk with Thomas Sahm about his involvement in the work of supporting Beau's Law in Alabama. We discuss the work that goes into writing and supporting a bill, how the community came together to contact their representatives to pass Beau's Law, and some of the nail-biting behind-the-scenes as the bill was voted on, even though it was a bipartisan bill. Thomas shares his tips on...

This week I talk with Meredith Blanchard, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), to explore the realities of animal testing and the growing movement toward cruelty-free science. Meredith shares insights into the NAVS mission to replace animal experiments with humane, human-relevant alternatives such as cell-based research methods. We discuss the recent bea...

This week Rachel Martinez is back! As one of my first guests ever, Rachel comes back on to talk about growth and energy. We discuss the evolution of her work and her new program Dog Psychology for Embodied Leaders. We also get into the energy side of life with practices that can help you feel more in flow and alignment with yourself. If you have been curious about how internal work can help you wi...

This week  Nicole Navarro, founder of Pawsitive Beginnings Fox Sanctuary, joins us again to celebrate the sanctuary's 6-year anniversary. Nicole shares exciting milestones including publishing her children's book "Reef the Fox" and hosting a yoga fundraiser, while currently caring for 7 foxes rescued from fur farms. She discusses valuable lessons about trusting her instincts, her...

This week I talk with Stephanie Stephan, a lifelong animal lover who transformed her childhood dream of veterinary medicine into a unique practice of Reiki energy healing for animals. In this episode, Stephanie explores the profound spiritual connection between humans and their animal companions, explaining how pets mirror our emotional states, teach us essential life lessons, and even physically...

This week I talk with Patti Eddington, author of "Don't Look in the Freezer: The Very Strange Life of a Veterinarian's Wife," who shares her experiences as the spouse of veterinarian Jim, including the challenges of frequent moves, financial struggles, unexpected client home visits, and memorable incidents like confrontations with irate clients and poor hiring decisions. The book addresses misconc...

This week I talk with Genevieve Frederick, founder of Feeding Pets of the Homeless, a national nonprofit founded in 2008 that operates in all 50 states to help homeless individuals care for their beloved pets. Through five key programs - pet food collection, emergency veterinary care, wellness clinics, shelter crates, and veteran support - the organization has collected over 2.7 million pounds of...

This week I talk with Josh from Red Barn Rescue and the Rescueality Podcast. Josh has been rescuing animals since age 5 and founded Red Barn Rescue in Mexico in 2018 with his mom, successfully adopting over 1,500 dogs primarily to the U.S. Currently caring for about 70 dogs—including 25-30 permanent sanctuary residents—Josh and his mom run operations that have included massive adoption events, lik...

This week I talk with Roger Devine of SchoolAuction.net. For many animal rescue organizations, fundraising is one of the hardest parts of running the organization. What type of fundraiser should you host? How will you get community support? Are you even ready to host a large event? Roger talks us through many of these points breaking things down into manageable steps. If fundraising leaves you fre...

Wildlife SOS, founded in 1995 by Kartick Satyanarayan and Geeta Seshamani, is an Indian animal welfare organization that has made remarkable impact through compassionate, community-focused conservation. Their groundbreaking Dancing Bears Project rescued 628 sloth bears from brutal exploitation while providing alternative livelihoods and education to 3,000 families in the Kalandar community, succes...

This week I talk with Sara Deen Kimball, a dedicated volunteer with the Louisiana State Animal Response Team (LSART) who stumbled into animal rescue through a technical large animal emergency course and never looked back. After volunteering during the 2010 BP oil spill, Sara became deeply involved in disaster response work, helping overwhelmed animal control departments during hurricanes and other...

This week I am thrilled to talk with Richie Marino, a balanced dog trainer from New Jersey whose personal journey from emergency services to dog training is as compelling as his training philosophy. After battling alcoholism and PTSD, Richie credits his rescue German Shepherd Greta with saving his life, which inspired him to dedicate his career to helping dogs stay in their homes through clear, ki...

This week I talk with Anna Nichols from Down and Dirty Dogs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the lives of shelter dogs through positive reinforcement training. Anna shares her inspiring journey from volunteering at the Humane Society of Tennessee Valley to becoming an Animal Behavior Specialist, and introduces us to Down and Dirty Dogs—a team of five passionate women working to...

This week I talk with Heather Ripley, founder of Orange Orchard PR, who discusses how animal welfare organizations can effectively use public relations to advance their missions. After becoming vegan in 2017 and realizing there was more she could do to support animals, Heather launched Orange Orchard as a specialized division of Ripley PR focused on helping animal rescues, sanctuaries, and conserv...

This week I talk with Katya Lidsky, author of "Be Your Dog's Best Friend" and self-described "recovering dog trainer." Katya challenges traditional obedience-focused training methods, advocating instead for genuine bonding and relationship-building with our dogs. Drawing from her experience volunteering at South LA Animal Shelter, she shares how being present and trusting o...

This week I talk with Rachel Horton, Director of Saginaw County Animal Care and Control. We discuss how she has transformed the shelter by increasing the save rate from 56% to 82%, moving into a new state-of-the-art facility, and opening a low-cost surgical center in summer 2024. Coming from a farm background and Michigan State University education, she shifted the organization from a punitive enf...

This week I talk with Holly Gutwillinger, a Canadian author and podcaster who went from having no writing background to creating a fictional story inspired by her anxious rescue dog Sully that explores acceptance rather than trying to "fix" each other. Her self-published book,  North of Broken & Furever   Home , is due out on February 14th and is a "love letter to her dogs"...

This week I talk with Adam Spencer, founder of Furlanthropy, who went from being afraid of dogs to creating the first charity-owned crowdfunding platform for animal welfare after adopting Hazelnut, a rescue dog whose original family surrendered her due to their inability to afford Parvo treatment. Discovering that two-thirds of pet euthanasia in America occurs due to financial constraints, Adam de...

This week I talk with Julia Pennington, founder of Hera the Dog Vodka, who transformed her approach to animal activism after discovering criminal abuse at a Nashville animal shelter in high school, leading her to devote 25 years to Los Angeles rescue work before realizing traditional methods weren't addressing root causes. To create sustainable funding beyond donor fatigue, Julia developed a p...

This week I talk with Monica (pen name Leokadia George), author of a 4-book children's series about Trumpet, a "miracle" Mexican gray wolf at the Wolf Conservation Center in New York. Monica shares insights into the center's breeding programs for critically endangered wolves, creative conservation partnerships with ranchers (including AC/DC-playing drones as deterrents), and how...

This week I talk with Linda Velwest, author of "City Rescue Pets, Second Chances for Love and Hope". We discuss her early experiences with animal rescue, how that influenced her adult life, and what led to the creation of her website City Rescue Pets and the book "City Rescue Pets, Second Chances for Love and Hope". To learn more you can find her online at  www.cityrescuepets.c...

This week I talk with Beth Gould, Executive Director, and Erica Kubersky, Director of Community Outreach, for Positive Tails, an organization based in New York City. Positive Tails focuses on supporting people and their pets by providing funding for emergency care, hosting health clinics, and spay/neuter resources. We discuss their experiences in animal rescue and welfare from a young age, how see...