Talking Animals

Dr. Marty Becker–veterinarian and longtime presence on “Good Morning, America” and, more recently, a contributor to “The Dr. Oz Show”–discusses a number of the important details and suggestions included in his latest of 20 books, “Your Cat: The Owner’s Manual: Hundreds of Secrets, Surprises, And Solutions For Raising A Happy Healthy Cat.” These include the virtues of feeding cats by way of food puzzles; shedding and caring for cats’ coats (including the recommendation of the FURminator), methods for pursuing parasite control, noting that indoor cats are at greater risk of heartworm and other maladies than most people would imagine, etc. Dr. Becker also addresses various aspects of litter box problems (we mention the observation in his book that refusing to use the litter box is the number one reason cats are surrendered to shelters), what causes them, what can be done to correct them, and prevent them. He also explains the dangers of exposing cats to certain human remedies or medicine, while noting that a select few are fine for cats in careful doses, like Benadryl. He also touches on other topics, such as declawing and the complexity of knowing when it’s time to say goodbye to a family pet, and fields a number of listener questions. (www.DrMartyBecker.com, www.facebook.com/DrMartyBecker) COMEDY CORNER: Paula Poundstone’s “Cats Puff Up” (www.PaulaPoundstone.com) MUSIC: Jeff Beck’s version of “Tiger Rag,” Paul Thorn’s version of “Snake Farm,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: David Bowie’s “Cat People”

Bob Tarte–the author who writes wry, witty books chronicling the adventures and misadventures he experiences with various animals who live at the Michigan home he also shares with his wife; his new one is “Kitty Cornered: How Frannie And Five Other Incorrigible Cats Seized Control Of Our House And Made It Their Home”–runs down the entire animal population at the house, and discusses at what point in his home’s burgeoning number of cats he decided he had the makings of another book. He also describes the kind of impact that Frannie–when she joined the household–had on the other cats, and other animals, as well on Tarte himself. He also addresses that the way he casts himself in “Kitty Cornered” (and the previous books) as hapless hero–sort of this lazy, tired, ineffectual figure–is a useful fiction, exaggerations and distortions in the service of writing the comedy-infused memoir that has become his speciality. Tarte recounts his experiences with an author who also functions as an animal communicator, and Tarte’s own efforts trying his hand as an animal communicator; and more. (www.BobTarte.com, www.facebook.com/BobTarte) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Glen Hatchell, of Home Buddies Tampa NE (and a colleague at WMNF, host of the Thursday Morning Show) who conducts Shelter Dog Play Groups–which help dogs who have a variety of backgrounds and personalities improve their behavior, enhancing their prospects for successful adoption, among other virtues–under the auspices of The Humane Society of Tampa Bay. (www.campbowwow.com/hb/us/fl/tampane/, humanesocietytampa.org/shelter-dog-play-groups/) COMEDY CORNER: Sean Cullen’s “Cats” (portion) (www.SeanCullen.com) MUSIC: King of Prussia’s “Arabian Thoroughbred,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Bob Dylan’s “Man Gave Names To All The Animals”

Ruby Roth–the author-illustrator whose new children’s book, “Vegan Is Love: Having Heart And Taking Action” has triggered more than a little controversy and criticism for its direct style and sometimes graphic illustrations, and been showered with plaudits for the same reasons–discusses her childhood and teen years, in terms of her formative experiences with both animals and art. She talks about her first children’s book, “That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals,” how her experiences as an elementary school teacher who couldn’t find a book to show her students curious about her veganism prompted her to write this one, and how it elicited little controversy, especially as compared with the hubbub surrounding “Vegan Is Love.” Roth also addresses her approach to writing and illustrating “Vegan Is Love,” including talking about certain passages that have particularly touched off the book’s brouhaha. She also opines on the media coverage of the book and the controversy, and reacts to the recent passing of Maurice Sendak, a towering figure in her field and someone with whom Roth is philosophically aligned. (www.WeDontEatAnimals.com, www.facebook.com/WeDontEatAnimals) ALSO: We also spoke briefly with Amber Simpson, one of the organizers of a then-imminent vegan bake sale to benefit some very ill kittens (their mother is feral), who needed to spend time in an incubator on oxygen. All this care has been racking up a hefty veterinarian bills, which the May 18 vegan bake sale was intended to help defray. Contributions can still be made to help the kittens by visiting www.TampaCatCrusaders.org, clicking on the Paypal link and writing “sick kittens” in the memo line. (www.TampaCatCrusaders.org) COMEDY CORNER: Jim Gaffigan’s “Whales” (part two) (www.JimGaffigan.com) MUSIC: Iron & Wine’s “Serpent Charmer,” Jubal’s Kin’s “Cuckoo Bird,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds”

W. Bruce Cameron–the award-winning columnist an New York Times bestselling author of several books, including “A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel For Humans,” and acclaimed and immensely popular saga about (and ostensibly told by) a charismatic canine seeking to understand his purpose over the arc of being reborn as various dogs–discusses the surprising-to-him success of that book, including its 10-month residency on the NY Times bestseller list. He also explains the thinking behind writing the sequel to “A Dog’s Purpose,” “A Dog’s Journey: Another Novel For Humans,” which hit came out the day before this interview. Cameron speaks to what sorts of rules he established for himself regarding what the canine narrator would understand and not understand–along with what knowledge would be carried forward from previous lives–as the dog was reporting the book’s stories and scenes. He also addresses the growing use of cancer-detecting dogs, those dogs and their training constituting an important story element of “A Dog’s Journey,” and more. (www.BruceCameron.com, www.facebook.com/Adogspurpose) We also paid tribute to Adam Yauch by incorporating several Beastie Boys instrumentals into today’s show, and playing the band’s “Funky Donkey.” RIP, Adam Yauch. COMEDY CORNER: Erin Foley’s “Dogs” (www.ErinKFoley.com) MUSIC: The Growlers’ “Sea Lion Goth Blues,” The Beastie Boys’ “Funky Donkey,” Chuck Prophet’s “What Makes The Monkey Dance,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog”

Kevin Nealon–the comedian, actor and longtime animal advocate who stars as pot-loving accountant Doug Wilson in the Showtime series “Weeds,” and earlier in his career, enjoyed nearly a decade stint on “Saturday Night Live”–discusses starting to shoot the eighth and what may be the final season of “Weeds,” and why the series may have been under-appreciated. He also addresses some of the animal organizations listed on Nealon’s website as those he’s designated “highly recommend supporting,” including Farm Sanctuary, providing a brief view of its history and purpose. Noting he had just helped Best Friends Animal Society with its new Los Angeles “No Kill” campaign, and speaks to how no kill is far more intricate and rife with challenges than someone might think at first blush. Nealon also explains that while he had many cats and fostered assorted animals earlier in his life, he and his family currently are living sans animals. He also discusses his new stand-up special (and then-forthcoming stand-up appearances in the greater Tampa area), a pilot he shot co-starring Marcia Gay Harden, and what vegetable is his favorite. (www.KevinNealon.com) COMEDY CORNER: Kevin Nealon’s “Cows On The Roof” (www.KevinNealon.com) MUSIC: M. Ward’s “Wild Goose,” The Human Condition’s “The Wizard Of Menlo Park,” Ray Wylie Hubbard’s “Snake Farm,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: “Magilla The Gorilla”

Dean Stefan–who, for the better part of 25 years, has enjoyed an illustrious career as a television animation writer, penning episodes of shows ranging from “Dragon Tales” to “CatDog” to “The Penguins of Madagascar” to new programs like ‘The Octonauts”–discusses how he got into writing animation, what drew him to the field, and how, once he solved the puzzle of writing animation, he found the work exhilarating and offered great freedom. He also addressed that much of the animation he has written involves animals–talking animals, as it were, and how he approaches writing what animals are going to do, how they’re going to behave, what they’re going to say. Dean observes that he’s long lived with an array of animals, and notes that depending on the show he’s working on, he may draw inspiration from those animals he shares his home with (or have shared his home with over the years). To help illustrate some of these points, we play a snippet of a “CatDog” short that Dean co-wrote (and that was shown in movie theaters with “The Rugrats Movie”) that involves a radio contest & a complication resulting from Dog being, well, a dog. On a mildly peripheral note, Dean also speaks about his Facebook page, which features a steady stream of commentary on news items, animal stories, gags, contests & more–and is regularly visited by comedians, comedy aficionados (Elayne Boosler sent her fans there), musicians, and others. (www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=658687999) COMEDY CORNER: Bill Cosby’s “The Story Of The Chicken” (www.BillCosby.com) MUSIC: Paul Weller’s “Dragonfly,” and The Human Condition’s “The Wizard Of Menlo Park,” (a portion), instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Norman Tanega’s “Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog”

Dr. Bonita Bergin–who in 1975 invented the concept of the service dog to assist people with mobility limitations, at which point she founded Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), the first non-profit organization to train and place service dogs–discusses where and how she got the inspiration for the service dog idea, including that, at this point, she had no background with dogs and how most friends and colleagues initially made it clear they thought this was a nutty notion. She also addresses her years with Canine Companions after launching the organization and how she reached a crossroad, where she would’ve redoubled her commitment to the service side of service dogs or pursued the research and academic side, the latter path being the one she chose in creating the institution that is now called Bergin University of Canine Studies. Dr. Bergin explains what additional information she’s learned about dogs through these decades of study, research and training, including stages of what motivates their learning and service, culminating in a phase that involves a moral sense; she says this moral sense will be the focus of her next book. She also comments on the traits that are essential for a good, effective service dog, what’s the most misunderstood aspects of dogs, and more. (www.BerginU.edu) ALSO: We had a brief, in-studio conversation with singer-songwriter-guitarist and Tampa treasure Ronny Elliott about his then-impending 65th Birthday Concert, as well as his longtime love of animals, including being a vegetarian for nearly 50 years. Ronny also performed an animal song: “Down Home On The Farm.” COMEDY CORNER: Jim Gaffigan’s “Whales” (part one) (www.JimGaffigan.com) MUSIC: Ronny Elliott And Animal Geniuses’ version of *See You Later, Alligator” and Ronny Elliott performed live in studio: a version of “Down Home On The Farm,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Squeeze’s “Cool For Cats”

Tied to April being National Adopt A Greyhound month, I conducted a roundtable discussion about the current state of racing greyhounds–and, mostly, former racing greyhounds. The panelists were Don Goldstein, affiliated with Greyhound Rescue And Adoptions of Tampa Bay (GREAT); Dr. Shelley Lake, a veterinarian in Kansas who was an assistant trainer at the Woodlands with deep involvement in foster/adoption work; Barbara Masi, president of Greyhound Pets of America Florida, Southeast chapter; and Michael McCann, president of The Greyhound Project. We addressed an array of topics, including how adoptions and other factors have been affected by the struggling economy, and more, such as the degree to which the dog racing industry funds these organizations. I also inquired about what has always struck me as the extremely cozy relationship between the tracks and many greyhound organizations, which led into my raising the philosophical divide amongst the greyhound organizations about the use of the term “rescue.” I tried to examine the percentage of former racing dogs that are adopted relative to those that aren’t–which typically means they’re euthanized–and there seemed to be a dearth of records or other paperwork documenting those numbers. I introduced other topics, including whether a more united front among greyhound groups wouldn’t lead to better, more uniform treatment of the dogs, if not a more rapid end to racing, and more. (www.adopt-a-greyhound.org, www.greyhoundpetsfl.org, www.great-greyhound.org) COMEDY CORNER: Richard Jeni’s “Fred Robster” (www.RichardJeni.com) MUSIC: Miss Redelle’s “The Greyhound Song,” Louis Jordan’s “Barnyard Boogie,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”

As a then-prelude to the Talking Animals Music Night–presenting 10 great bands performing animal songs, March 31 at New World Brewery in Tampa, the March 28 edition of “Talking Animals” featured folks from three of the bands as in-studio guests: Gracie Grieshop (leader of Sunset Bridge Band), Ricky Wilcox (leader of Ricky Wilcox & The Moonsnakes), and Mark Murphy (leader of Talk To Mark), joined by guest vocalist–& WMNF programmer–Scott Elliott, host of the All Souls edition of “It’s The Music.”      They each play an acoustic animal song–Ricky performs Buck Owens’ “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail,” Gracie does Miike Snow’s “Animal,” while Mark & Scott (with vocal help from everyone else in the studio, dubbed The Shock-Ettes) covered Peter Gabriel’s “Shock The Monkey.” They also discuss the animals currently living with them, what role animals played in their formative years, as well as animal issues and/or organization that are important to them, and more. COMEDY CORNER: Paula Poundstone’s “12 Cats” (www.PaulaPoundstone.com) MUSIC: Jimmy Smith’s “Back At The Chicken Shack,” Kristin Hersh’s version of “Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey,” (animal!) instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Specials’ version of “Monkey Man”

Peter Gwin–the award-winning staff writer at National Geographic magazine, whose article in the March issue, “Rhino Wars,” examines the current state of rhinos & rhino poaching in South Africa and other regions–traces his path from Georgia native to globe-trotting journalist, filing from far-flung locations. (c) Brent Stirton/National Geographic He also recounts how he came to explore and tell the rhino poaching story, guided by colleague Brent Stirton, a South African photographer with whom he’d collaborated on other articles–and who shot the stunning photos that accompany Gwin’s extraordinary, deeply-reported piece. Gwin discusses the dramatic surge in recent years of rhino poaching in those areas, propelled by the exploding black market trade of rhino trade–1000 rhinos killed since 2006–and how this tale involves Vietnam (rhino horn is highly valued in traditional Asian medicines, and more recently touted as a cure for cancer). Other elements figuring into this rich, complex saga include crime syndicates, horrible episodes of poachers brutally sawing off horns from the rhinos whether or not they’ve shot the animals first, colorful characters–including John Hume, who operates rhino farms with the express purpose of harvesting their horns in a careful procedure while the rhinos are alive–and more. (http://Ngm.NationalGeographic.com) ALSO: We had a brief conversation with Art Fyvolent, spokesperson for the then-pending Party Like A Pinup, a party extravaganza to be held March 24, and also serving as a benefit for Pinups For Pitbulls and other pitbull-oriented organizations. (www.partylikeapinup.org, www.pinupsforpitbulls.org) COMEDY CORNER: Eddie Izzard “Fox Hunting/Fly Hunting” (portion/DS edit) (www.EddieIzzard.com) MUSIC: The Starlight Mints’ “Rhino Stomp,” Miike Snow’s “Animal,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Specials’ version of “Monkey Man”

Ellie Laks–the founder of The Gentle Barn, a Southern California sanctuary of sorts that houses 130+ animals that have been rescued from abuse, neglect or slaughter…once they’ve recovered, the animals are visited and often cared for by abused children–recounts her own childhood of frequently coming to the aid of injured or sick animals, bringing them home and often clashing with her parents about the parade of critters.  In fact, she remembers a tantrum as a seven-year-old where she pledged that one day she’d have a big place of her own where she could look after a bunch of animals. Fast forward to adulthood and the beginning of The Gentle Barn, when she rescued a neglected goat from a petting zoo that involved planting herself there for 12 days straight, until they relinquished the goat. That goat and other animals lived in the back yard of her house in Tarzana–and right away, Laks got underprivileged and abused kids interacting with these animals. Now, The Gentle Barn sits on a six-acre parcel in Santa Clarita, CA, where the animals (horses, donkeys, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, dogs and cats) are visited and tended to by kids in foster care, on probation, in gangs, from the inner city, as well as special needs children and adults. Tremendous healing takes places, in all directions. Laks also addresses plans to open additional locations of The Gentle Barn, possibly launch a reality series at the facility in collaboration with Ellen DeGeneres, and more. (http://www.GentleBarn.org) ALSO: We had a brief conversation with Twila Cole, Director of Development, Events and Community Relations at the Humane Society of Pinellas County, about the organization’s then-forthcoming Mutt Strut to be held on St. Patrick’s Day, marking the 20th year of the event. (www.humanesocietyofpinellas.org) COMEDY CORNER: Jerry Seinfeld’s “Horses” (portion) (www.JerrySeinfeld.com) MUSIC: Johnny Cakes and The Four Horsemen of The Apocalypso “The Donkey Song,” Tribal Style’s version of “Like A Lion In The Morning,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Pixies’ “Monkey Gone To Heaven”

Dr. Kerry Kriger–the founder and executive director of Save The Frogs, which bills itself the world’s leading amphibian conservation organization–traces the path that led him from an undergrad with a BS in mechanical engineering to a PhD in environmental sciences, and founding Save The Frogs.  He also discusses the plight of amphibians that prompted him to start Save The Frogs and constitutes a focus of the organization’s global efforts, particularly the world’s dwindling amphibian population–their website notes that “nearly 200 species have completely disappeared since 1979.” Dr. Krizer also addressed the forthcoming 4th annual Save The Frog Day, to be held April 28, the events he knows are already planned and inviting listeners to create their own Save The Frog Day events. On a very related note, we incorporated a brief chat with Avalon Theisen, an 11-year-old award-winning Tampa resident, who described the Save The Frogs Day event she has planned at Camp Bayou Outdoor Learning Center in Ruskin, FL. (http://www.savethefrogs.com, www.savethefrogs.com/day, www.conserveitforward.org) ALSO: We had a brief conversation with Sherry Silk, executive director of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, organizer this weekend’s Bark In The Park, discussing various elements of the 25th annual Bark, and recalling some colorful memories from over the years. (www.humanesocietytampa.org) COMEDY CORNER: Mitch Hedberg’s “Smackie The Frog (portion) (www.MitchHedberg.net) MUSIC: Laura Veirs’ version of “Little Lap Dog Lullaby,” Sons of Hippies’ “Ants Falling,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Pearl Jam’s “Animal”

Dr. Patricia McEachern–the Dorothy Jo Barker Endowed Professor of Animal Rights at Drury University in Springfield, MO–recounts how former “The New Price Is Right” host Bob Barker (Drury is his alma mater, the professorship is named in honor of his late wife) approached the school with the notion of making $1 million donation if Drury could create a program to truly help animals & animal welfare. From there, the Drury University Forum on Animals Rights was created, and then Barker made another $1 million donation to provide the resources for Drury to offer an 18-hour, interdisciplinary minor in Animal Studies, and freeing up McEachern’s time (she had been a professor of French) to oversee the program. She also addresses how a French professor ended up a Professor of Animal Rights, describes the key components of the minor, and outlines her hopes and aspirations for the program, including, ultimately, the school offering a major in Animal Studies and a master’s degree in the field. (http://www.drury.edu/section/section.cfm?sid=377) ALSO:We had another brief conversation with Libby Boosalis, our friend and “Talking Animals” family member who, in early January, decided to go vegan. We spoke with her on the Jan. 11 show, when she was just a few days into the conversion, then again on the Jan. 25 and Feb. 15 shows to get update. As she had allotted herself 60 days for this experience–and we were at Day 55 today–this may well represent the final such segment, at least for now. COMEDY CORNER: Myq Kaplan’s “Animal Rights and Wrongs” (www.MyqKaplan.com) MUSIC: Sunset Bridge’s “Good Ole Dog,” Radiohead’s “Morning Mr. Magpie,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Rolling Stone’s “Monkey Man”

Dr. Walter Burghardt, Jr.–veterinarian, chief of behavioral medicine since 1995 at the Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base, and considered the leading authority on canine post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)–describes the Hospital and the scope of its staff and services, and what it means to be responsible for the behavioral care of over 1500 military working dogs around the world. He also discusses how in 2007 he and his colleagues began to see clusters of behaviors in military dogs they began to identify as canine PTSD. Dr. Burghardt addresses why he and some colleagues were initially skeptical about canine PTSD–as “a data guy,” he didn’t feel at first that there was sufficient scientific medical evidence of it, and there was concern about employing a diagnosis that mirrored a human diagnosis. But he notes that it has become useful as a shorthand for diagnosing a certain set of behaviors exhibited by military dogs in combat, explains some implications in combat of a dog experiencing signs of PTSD some, and outlined some of the ways it can be treated. Dr. Burghardt also reviews, in the wake of this knowledge, adjustments made to the way military dogs are deployed. COMEDY CORNER: Kevin Hart’s “Phobias” (portion) (www.KHartonline.com) MUSIC: Portugal. The Man’s “Guns and Dogs,” Shearwater’s “Animal Life,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Pink Floyd’s “Dogs”

Omar Von Muller–trainer of Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier who stars in the Oscar-nominated black-and-white silent film, “The Artist”– discusses how he met and adopted Uggie, who was so wild and high-strung, he had been unsuccessfully placed in at least one home before meeting Von Muller. He recalled the initial training he provided Uggie, how the dog performed with him and some other animals on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, as well as in a touring production called The Incredible Dog Show–Uggie’s key trick was riding a skateboard. Von Muller also charted Uggie’s path from live shows into making commercial’s and then appearing in films, including “Mr. Fix It” and “Water For Elephants” before “The Artist.” He briefly commented on the shooting of “The Artist” and the virtues of–it being a silent movie–being able to give Uggie commands in a way that filmmaking doesn’t usually allow; he also described teaching “Artist” star Jean Dujardin some basic Uggie commands. Von Muller conceded that while making “The Artist,” that neither he nor anyone else involved with the film imagined it would become as celebrated or successful as it turned out, discussing some of the awards and accolades accorded “The Artist”–and Uggie. ALSO: We had another brief conversation with Libby Boosalis, our friend and “Talking Animals” family member who, in early January, decided to go vegan. We spoke with her on the Jan. 11 show, when she was just a few days into the conversion, then again on the Jan. 25 show to get an update. On today’s latest installment in our periodic series we’ve dubbed–tongue-in-cheek–”The Vegan Chronicles,” we’re joined by Nikki Benoit of Vegan Outreach, who responds to the chief challenges Libby mentions in her update–and a notable new personal development that Libby reveals. (www.VeganOutreach.org, www.VeganHealth.org, www.JackNorrisRD.com) COMEDY CORNER: Bill Engvall’s “Never Have My Own Animal Show” (www.BillEngvall.com) MUSIC: Lee Rocker’s “Swing Cat Stomp,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Weather Report’s “Birdland”