Bark Radio

The co-hosts catch up after Dee’s trip to Denver for BlogPaws. Next, Terry’s leaving town soon to attend the No More Homeless Pets annual conference in Vegas. If you are attending, look for Terry! Coming soon: interviews with Eric Bellows from Rescue Ink, Josh from Canine Adventures, and Lisa Spector from Through A Dog’s Ear. Terry updates us on the therapy dog work he and wife, Vickie, are doing with their dogs. And then there’s that stupid Burger King commercial. Yikes. What were they thinking?

Maggie Martin rocks. With BlogPaws West taking place in Denver – and Denver having notoriously BAD breed specific legislation – Maggie launched a postcard campaign. Exceeding her expectations, Maggie received better than 1500 postcards from all over the world. Get the details of that campaign in this interview with Emmett’s mom (that’s him below). Keep up with Maggie on her OhMyDog blog.

Meet concert pianist Lisa Spector, the woman who plays the incredible music that is … Through a Dog’s Ear. Improving the lives of dogs through music? Yes indeed. Does your dog have anxiety issues? Music therapy can help dogs with phobias like fear of thunderstorms and fireworks, as well as one of the most common problems dogs can face: separation anxiety. Is it riding in the car that makes your dog anxious? There’s a special CD in Lisa’s series just for that. This beautiful classical music benefits shelter dogs and new litters of puppies, as well. Visit Lisa’s website. And consider music therapy for your household. It worked in mine, settling dogs and humans alike – in minutes!

While attending BlogPaws, Dee sat down for a chat with Amy, Rod, Ty, and Buster from GoPetFriendly.com. The foursome travels the country looking for the best in pet friendly experiences to share with animal lovers online. GoPetFriendly.com is a great resource for up-to-date pet policies for more than 4,000 pet friendly campgrounds and RV parks and more than 20,000 hotels and B&Bs in the U.S. and Canada. Visitors to the website can find places to go and things to do by searching for pet-friendly restaurants, beaches, off-leash dog parks, etc. GPF’s latest version of Roadtrip Planner makes planning an extended driving vacation with pets a breeze. Look for their Winnebago in your town!

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is TOO COOL! Hear all about his innovative use of a prison. It’s a win-win for animals, prisoners, and the budget. From hero to villain, the next story falls under the heading “what the heck is wrong with people?” as a girl is videotaped throwing puppies into a river. Then there is the disturbing trend of some foster pets being abandoned. And, finally, who is Stu (or is it Stew?)

Dee travels to Denver this week for BlogPaws, so we are revisiting a recent episode of Bark Radio about Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). The Department of Justice (DOJ) is tackling breed discrimination. Why? Because Denver has a 25-year-old law banning pit bull type dogs. So what has that city done that got the attention of the Feds???? They seized a veteran’s service dog. Big fat mistake. Why? Because Federal law trumps local law and in this case it is the DOJ’s Americans with Disabilities Act that trumps Denver local law. Want to tell the mayor of Denver what you think of his city’s antiquated law? Join Oh My Dog’s postcard campaign.

Cardiac concerns in pets are at the top of this episode of Bark Radio. Then it’s on to Georgia and a good sized reward the HSUS is offering for information leading to the identification, capture, and conviction of the creep(s) who shot two dogs. Live near Wrightsville, GA? If you do and you know who committed this crime, step up to the plate! Next, four paws way up for Stanton, Delaware’s SPCA and the Ride. It’s a motorcycle road rally AND Pitbull Awareness Day all rolled into one. Don’t miss that one if you’re anywhere near Stanton! The episode is topped off with Rico the hero who happens to be a Pitbull, Richmond Animal League’s Best in Show 2010, and Family Dog Digest’s Travel Guide.

Gracie, one of Michael Vick’s dogs, was in the news recently. Hear about Gracie’s new life and her friend, Michelle. Next, the conversation turns to other Vick dogs in the news. And it’s mostly GREAT news. Bravo to all the folks who were part of rescuing these fabulous dogs, including Jonny Justice. In today’s episode there is also a shout-out to the Richmond Animal League. Visit their website and check out the summer newsletter to get more details about the dog formerly known as Emily.

A few weeks ago a bunch of us attended a great dog event near Richmond, VA. While at Dogs Day, we talked with some folks including Lisa from Rescue of Chained K9s (ROCK). Learn how this terrific organization is making a difference, one dog at a time. Next we talked with Dean Frazeur, pastor of Goochland Church and our host for the day. This is a great guy whose mission on Dogs Day was sharing the love between people and their dogs. Mission accomplished, Dean! And finally, a shout out to the great folks at Meals on Wheels for their Meals for Pets program.

Condolences to a couple of our Bark Radio friends. First, to Cathie Smith – we are so very sorry you lost your Ellie. Then there’s our friend, Ginger, who lost her Heart Dog Pete. We love you, Ginger. A shout-out today, as well, to Murphy from 2 Dogs 2000 Miles. Murphy walked from Austin to Boston with brother Great Pyrenees, Hudson, and human Dad, Luke. After a recent cancer diagnosis, this wonderful dog is going through radiation treatment. Hang tough, Murphy!