Working Like Dogs - Service Dogs and Working Dogs - Pet Life Radio Original

Michelle Woerner, Director and Trainer with K9s 4 Mobility stops by to visit with Marcie and Whistle about how she trains, places and supports Assistance Dog Partnerships. Michelle gives us the scoop about how her agency gets 50% of their dogs from local shelter/rescue programs and how they work with individuals who want to train their own assistance dog. Plus, Michelle talks about her work as an...

Join Marcie and Whistle as they welcome Steve Fowler and Harry to the show! Steve and Harry recently graduated from The Seeing Eye. Listen in as Steve articulates his experiences as a young professional who began losing his sight at age 17 and how he made the decision to apply for and receive his first Seeing Eye dog, Harry. You will be captivated by Steve’s candor about the social and practical a...

Have you ever thought about alternative ways to respond to issues your dog may be having such as allergies, stress, or anxiousness? Have you ever wondered about meditating with your dog or tapping into ancient practices for helping your dog live a healthier and more balanced life? Then join Marcie and Whistle as they visit with Amanda Ringnalda, Master Educator for the Deepak Chopra Center for Wel...

Okay, so you've decided a service dog or assistance dog is right for you. You've decided whether you're going to train that dog yourself, or you're going to decide to go with a service dog agency that you're going to work with. You've done that process. You now have this amazing fine-tuned athlete that is going to be by your side to assist you. Now what do you do? Tune in to find out all the thing...

Listen in as Marcie and Whistle welcome Cesar Millan best-selling author, public speaker, and the internationally acclaimed star of Cesar 911, as well as the original, Emmy-nominated host of the Dog Whisperer program, to the show! Cesar stops in to talk about the second season of his NAT GEO WILD show, Cesar 911 and his special Cesar Millan: Viva Las Vegas. Cesar shares his training wisdom about t...

Did you know that there are currently over 15,000 working elephants throughout the world? Helana Telkanranta, Executive Director of Elephant Experts visits with Marcie and Whistle about the work her Finland-based organization is doing throughout the world to improve the welfare of elephants and the safety of their handlers. Helena talks about the onsite training and management of working elephants...

Yep, it’s time that we talk about that dreaded subject and ask ourselves, 'How do we survive the loss of our incredible service dogs?' Who better to join us to talk about this difficult subject than Bob Vogel, journalist, photographer and senior correspondent for New Mobility (NM) magazine. Bob talks openly about the loss of his incredible service dog, Schatzie, and his article, 'Grieving the Loss...

Best-selling author, Maria Goodavage stops in for a heart-warming visit with Marcie and Whistle about her new book, Top Dog: The Story of Marine Hero Lucca. Maria describes military dogs as canines who 'save lives by day and souls by night.' In Top Dog, she masterfully tells the story of heroic Marine dog, Lucca and her handlers. Maria weaves a rich tapestry of details that explain why Lucca embod...

Dr. Ursula Rack, Arctic and Antarctic Historian at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, talks with Marcie and Whistle about her incredible historical research into the working dogs of Antarctica. You will be fascinated as Dr. Rack recounts the information she has gathered about working dogs and how they were utilized in Antarctica from the diaries and reports of the explorers and scientist...

Brandon McMillan, animal expert and host of CBS’ Emmy-nominated series Lucky Dog stops by to visit with Marcie and Whistle about Lucky Dog's new season as part of the Saturday morning CBS Dream Team. Brandon talks about the work he is doing to rescue unadoptable dogs at local shelters and give them a chance to become productive, hard-working dogs that transform the lives of their human partners. Y...

Did you know that professionally trained canines who are graduates from some of the most prestigious, accredited service dog organizations are working as courthouse dogs? Listen in as Marcie and Whistle visit with Linda Milanesi, Executive Director of Assistance Dogs of the West and Carrie-Leigh Cloutier, Executive Director of CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates about the work they are doing...

Dr. Robin Ganzert, Executive Director and CEO of the American Humane Association stops by to visit with Marcie and Whistle about the upcoming Hero Dog Awards to be held on September 27, 2014 and televised October 30, 2014 on the Hallmark Channel. She also talks about the AHA’s partnership with Mission K9 Rescue to ensure that all hero war dogs are returned to the United States before being retired...

Historian, author and dog lover, Kate Kelly visits with Marcie and Whistle about some of her favorite current and historic working dogs. Kate will amaze you as she shares stories about some of America and the world’s most memorable events and the dogs that were present. You’ll be astonished to hear about the first dog used to take a message across a battlefield and the dogs that were on board the...

Lieutenant Paul Vance from the Connecticut State Police drops in to talk with Marcie and Whistle about the incredible ways canines are assisting officers with 21st Century Policing. Lt. Vance explains how these highly trained canines perform a myriad of tasks to help officers identify and investigate bombs, arson, narcotics and missing persons. Also, he explains that canines are helping officers i...

Get lost in suspense novelist Stan Yocum’s world as he talks with Marcie and Whistle about his latest suspense novel, Unrelenting Nightmare. Stan has two life passions--writing suspense novels and raising puppies that grow up to be Canine Companions for Independence service dogs! Listen in as he talks candidly about his latest book and his puppy in training! Questions or Comments? Send them to: ma...

Move over CSI and listen in as Marcie and Whistle welcome author and North Carolina State University professor, Cat Warren to the show. Cat talks about her fascinating book, What the Dog Knows: The Science and Wonder of Working Dogs. You will be captivated as Cat talks about her cadaver dog, Solo, and how they work together to locate individuals who are missing and presumed dead. Cat speaks plainl...

What excites your working dog? Professional dog trainer and handler, Jason Lake visits with Marcie and Whistle about the innovative methods he uses to train dogs. Jason talks about how you can excite your dog to establish an effective and long-term working relationship. He also talks about how he uses his wheelchair to train and compete with his own service dog. Jason’s passion for training dogs i...

Yep, this is the hard conversation that we’ve all been avoiding. No one likes to talk about losing our beloved working dogs, but we all will have to face it sooner or later. Listen in as Marcie and Whistle talk with Dr. Alice Villalobos, Director of Pawspice and the Animal Oncology Consultation Service, about how to ensure our working dogs have a kind and gentle end to their lives. Dr. Villalobos...

Author and animal behaviorist, Susan Bulanda drops by to talk with Marcie and Whistle about her new book, Soldiers in Fur and Feathers: The Animals that Served in World War I : The Allied Forces. Sue shares some of the fascinating stories and rare photographs that she uncovered during her research of the incredible animals that served in World War I. As the 100th anniversary of World War I approac...

Therapy dogs are providing stressed travelers with comfort and smiles at LAX and 20 other busy airports throughout the country. Listen in as Brian Valente and his therapy dog Finn from Therapy Dogs, Inc. and Heidi Huebner from LAX talk about LAX’s heartwarming therapy dog program. Brian and Heidi provide all the inside scoop including how to connect with one of the amazing therapy dogs like Finn o...

Join Marcie and Whistle as they welcome the Director and Co-Director of the new documentary Hero Dogs of 9/11 (Tanya Kelen and Kenn Bell) premiering on Animal Planet, September 10 at 8pm EST/PT, and three individuals (Michael Hingson, Gerald Lauber and Nancy Brooks) featured in this breathtaking documentary. These guests talk candidly about their riveting experiences on 9/11 and how their selfless...

Zane Roberts, lead trainer for MSA Security talks with Marcie and Whistle about how he trains dogs to become explosive detection experts. Zane shares insights into the fascinating post 9/11 world where bomb-sniffing dogs are now working to detect well-hidden explosives in financial institutions, sporting events, airports, federal buildings and a host of other public venues. Listen in as Zane talks...

Dr. Robin Ganzert, President and CEO of the American Humane Association, and Hero Dog Award Finalist, Karen Ann Young and her Seeing Eye guide dog, Jingles, visit with Marcie and Whistle about the upcoming American Hero Dog Awards to be aired on the Hallmark Channel on November 7. The Hero Dog Awards was created by the American Humane Association to celebrate the power of the human-animal bond. An...

Dr. Margaret Glenn, Associate Professor of Rehabilitation Counseling at West Virginia University, stops in to visit with Marcie and Whistle about the innovative exploratory research she is conducting on assistance dogs in the workplace. Margaret talks about the lessons she has learned to date and the effective ways employers and individuals with disabilities who are partnered with an assistance do...

Learn all about these tenacious little tattletales from renowned dog trainers and diabetic alert dog experts, Rita Martinez and Sue Barns, Ph. D. Rita and Sue talk with Marcie and Whistle about their experiences training diabetic alert dogs and all the valuable information contained within their groundbreaking new book, Training Your Diabetic Alert Dog. This book is a fascinating how-to guide and...