Talking Animals

Dr. Bonita Bergin, who, in 1975, invented the concept of the service dog to assist people with mobility limitations—then launched Canine Companions for Independence, later founded the Assistance Dog Institute, now called the Bergin College of Canine Studies–recalls the scenes of disabled people improvising she’d observed while traveling in Pakistan, India, Turkey, and other countries […] The post Dr. Bonita Bergin, inventor of concept of the service dog first appeared on Talking Animals.

NOTE ABOUT THIS SHOW: I’ve had better mornings. As many know, each Wednesday, around dawn, I drive from my home on the east coast of Florida to the west coast, landing at WMNF in Tampa, where I broadcast “Talking Animals.” The trek is long (later, I reverse course, and drive home), but usually uneventful. Today, […] The post Paula Poundstone, comedian and cat devotee first appeared on Talking Animals.

Gene Baur–president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, considered the world’s first farm animal sanctuary and advocacy organization, now marking its 40th anniversary—is nice enough, at my request, to recount the Sanctuary’s origin story for the umpteenth time, incorporating (also at my request!) where the Grateful Dead figures into the narrative, partly in a nod to […] The post Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary first appeared on Talking Animals.

Michael San Juan, a veteran Animal Control Officer with Hillsborough County Animal Control—his career spans 22 years, including initiating it in New Jersey—recalls that animals played a huge role in his life starting when he was a kid, when he regularly tended to sick and injured wildlife and other critters. San Juan continued traveling on […] The post Michael San Juan, veteran Animal Control Officer  first appeared on Talking Animals.

Amy Munns–named the 2026 Pet Sitter of the Year by Pet Sitters International, (PSI), considered the world’s leading educational association for professional pet sitters and dog walkers—recalls that animals were always around while she was growing up in San Antonio, yet reflecting a cultural and generational propensity, their dog wasn’t allowed inside the house. That […] The post Amy Munns, 2026 Pet Sitter of the Year first appeared on Talking Animals.

Allison Argo–, and writer-producer of “Tusker: Brotherhood of Elephants,” a new episode of the PBS series Nature—recounts how her background in the family business of theater (on Cape Cod) may have made her uniquely equipped to launch a filmmaking career. Her first film, “The Urban Gorilla,” made quite a splash—it was narrated by Glenn Close, […] The post Allison Argo, award-winning documentary filmmaker first appeared on Talking Animals.

‘Tis the season: This morning, I yet again set aside the customary show format to deliver the “Talking Animals Annual Holiday Animal Song Special.”  I noted the title is intentionally unwieldy, which I enjoy in an odd way, mostly because it reflects the tongue-in-cheek, nutty nature of the show. On the other hand, this year, […] The post Talking Animals Annual Holiday Animal Song Special–2025 first appeared on Talking Animals.

Dawn Barbone–founder of Samadhi Wildlife, a nonprofit refuge in Ormond Beach that rehabilitates sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife native to Florida—explains that she hasn’t merely loved animals since she was a child, but has also loved healing them since then. It’s not uncommon in the animal welfare world to encounter someone who was that kid […] The post Dawn Barbone, founder of Samadhi Wildlife first appeared on Talking Animals.

Artist-photographer-writer Claire Rosen—who’s cultivated a long, lauded career, with much of her work reflecting a longstanding passion for animals, and celebrated for its sense of whimsy—traces the shaping of this sensibility back to her childhood, reading Beatrix Potter, regularly visiting the American Museum of Natural History, and going to the zoo and the circus whenever […] The post Claire Rosen, acclaimed artist-photographer first appeared on Talking Animals.

As we’ve done 14 times before—spanning the better part of five years–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.”  In each session of ATT, listeners are invited to call or email (or text) questions about their dogs or cats. The Trainer these listeners have an […] The post Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–15th Edition first appeared on Talking Animals.

Dr. Holly Dutton–Medical Director at the Tampa and Clearwater locations of VEG ER for Pets, a national operation specializing in around-the-clock emergency care for pets—reviews some of the VEG ER distinguishing traits we covered in her June 2025 appearance on “Talking Animals,” as a prelude to today’s discussion focusing on Holiday-related emergency vet visits, and […] The post Dr. Holly Dutton, about Holiday-related emergency vet visits first appeared on Talking Animals.

Dr. Jennifer Conrad—veterinarian, founder of The Paw Project, tireless crusader against declawing cats for a quarter century—recalls the initial impetus for her anti-declaw advocacy: her work, as a newly-minted veterinarian, with declawed big cats at a wildlife sanctuary. Conrad’s own history ended up dovetailing with answering my question about the history of feline declaw itself, […] The post Dr. Jennifer Conrad, veterinarian & founder of The Paw Project first appeared on Talking Animals.

Joshua Lisbon–a researcher/educator/storyteller at the center of a new PBS/Nature documentary, “Willow: Diary of a Mountain Lion”—describes his background and experience (and academic training) before working on the 10-year study that formed the core content of this doc.Tongue partly in cheek, Lisbon tried to dismiss his education-heavy history as “wrong” for this project. But given […] The post Joshua Lisbon, researcher/educator/storyteller central to “Willow: Diary of a Mountain Lion” first appeared on Talking Animals.

Andria Gibbon–founder and president of Protecting Paws for Life, a nonprofit Florida organization dedicated to helping more domestic violence shelters become pet-friendly–recalls, as a young woman in New Jersey, her transformative first foray into animal rescue, never imagining she’d still be doing it 27 years later. In a conversation pegged to October being Domestic Violence […] The post Andria Gibbon, founder and president of Protecting Paws for Life first appeared on Talking Animals.

Dr. Crystal Heath–a veterinarian who’s bristled at inhumane treatment of animals throughout her career, and before, dating back to her childhood as a 4-H kid discovering the goats she’d raised would be slaughtered—recalls growing up in a rural part of Northern California, adoring animals and riding horses. Dr. Heath, a speaker at the Tampa Bay […] The post Dr. Crystal Heath, veterinarian and activist first appeared on Talking Animals.

Kirk Johnson—paleontologist, Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and onscreen narrator of “Walrus: Life on Thin Ice,” a documentary that airs Oct. 22 in the season premiere of the PBS series “Nature”—recalls a research opportunity as a grad student some 40 years ago, involving walruses. It was, he says in the […] The post Kirk Johnson, onscreen narrator of “Walrus: Life on Thin Ice” first appeared on Talking Animals.

Stephanie Boydston–founder and director of Love Life Animal Rescue & Sanctuary, a refuge in Myakka City, FL devoted to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing farmed animals—recalls a childhood in Long Island, NY amidst a string of foster animals, reflecting her father’s belief that family members should become accustomed to saying goodbye to animals. These were mostly […] The post Stephanie Boydston, founder and director of Love Life Animal Rescue & Sanctuary first appeared on Talking Animals.

Father Andrew Heyes, Rector of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Tampa—a uniquely canine-centric man of the cloth, rarely going anywhere without his Doberman, Humphrey, at his side, sometimes including the altar—recalls growing up in Northwest England with the first of a lifelong string of dogs. He remembers a decidedly pro-animal ethos amidst his family (he […] The post Father Andrew Heyes, Rector of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Tampa first appeared on Talking Animals.

Dr. Melissa Miller–a wearer of multiple University of Florida hats: research scientist, wildlife ecologist with the school’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, lead investigator on a project that employs Artificial Intelligence technology seeking to halt the growing population of yet another invasive species, the Argentine Black and White Tegu—describes some of the tasks associated […] The post Dr. Melissa Miller, lead investigator on University of Florida project using AI trap to halt the Argentine Black and White Tegu first appeared on Talking Animals.

Please Note: Owing to a major accident that closed down Highway 60—a central route I take in commuting to WMNF each Wednesday—I was unable to make it to the radio station to broadcast ‘Talking Animals,” having to deliver an improvised version of this show from my car, with enormous (& much-appreciated!) production assistance from Jessica […] The post Patrick Hardy, founder of Bee Platoon first appeared on Talking Animals.