Summary: Special guest James Guiliani was a bad dude. He hung with Gotti and spent time behind bars. He was a drug-addicted ex-con on the verge of suicide when a dog and a dame changed his life for the better. James says “If you think the mafia is bad, try animal rescue.” Also, research published in Activities, Adaption & Aging calls for increased understanding about older adults and the current barriers, which limit older adults’ chances to own a pet. Medical, physical and financial barriers keep seniors from enjoying the therapeutic benefits of animal guardianship. Also, pet health insurance is revealed to be one of fastest growing employee perks in a benefit package. While not all companies allow our four-legged friends in the workplace, one in three Fortune 500 companies now offer pet insurance as a voluntary benefit. As the popularity of pet health insurance expands, some companies are subsidizing a percentage of their employee’s cost, with several companies now paying as much as 100% of their employees’ pet insurance premiums. Also, water shortages across the west have house owners re-thinking their backyard. Many have opted to replace their high-maintenance grass for faux grass without thinking about their pet. Fake grass can be hot and smelly and full of bacterium that’s no good for pets or humans.
