In an article published January 1 in The New York Times, the columnist pointed out that by law city shelters and pet stores are required to microchip animals before selling them or releasing them for adoption. The author mentioned that the chip should be registered, but the “rest of that story” is where the slippery... Read more »
Tracie's Blog
Calling All Cat People To “Translate” For Their Kitties
Calling All Cat People To “Translate” For Their Kitties Researchers need the help of people who share their lives with cats to better understand why cats do what they do. Since cats are enigmas wrapped in a mystery, the veterinarians doing this study need the human companions of indoor cats to help make sense of... Read more »
Dogs, the Christmas spirit & Tracy of Batavia, Ohio---an “Ordinary Hero”
Dogs, the Christmas spirit and Tracy of Batavia, Ohio – an “Ordinary Hero” Look out, St. Francis: we’ve got a new contender for the “patron saint of animals!” For a very special holiday episode of Dog Talk I interviewed Tracy, a listener from Batavia, Ohio. Her story exemplifies the very best of the holiday spirit... Read more »
The 10 Best Fun Books
Tracie Hotchner’s year-end list of happy tales. Need a last-minute gift? From adorable photos, to laugh-out-loud humor, plus helpful tips: these delightful reads will capture your coffee table. Happy holidays from my pack, to yours! Neville Jacobs: I'm Marc's Dog, by Nicholas Newbold The world as seen through the eyes of fashion icon Marc Jacobs'... Read more »
Curcumin & Omega 3 Fatty Acids: Brain Food---for Pets and People!
Curcumin and Omega 3 Fatty Acids are Brain Food for Pets and People! Watching 60 Minutes recently, I saw an episode on the health value of curcumin, which is derived from the spice turmeric, a member of the ginger family. It turns out that curcumin has been historically appreciated in many cultures as a powerful... Read more »
How Smart is Your Mutt?
How Smart is Your Mutt? Brandon McMillan, star of the television show Lucky Dog, and author of the book Lucky Dog Lessons: Train Your Dog in 7 Days, recently contributed to an article about the smartest top 10 breeds of dogs. But have you ever wondered whether mutts are smarter than purebred dogs? Though the... Read more »
Stella’s Bed of Roses
Stella’s Bed of Roses [Guest Post by Kristy Davis (Tracie's executive assistant, who also happens to have an MFA from Bennington College (and an MA from Columbia School of Journalism, too!) in case you're wondering why this is so uber-charming)] Dog beds are a hot commodity in our house. With two dogs---Stella, our seven-year-old retriever-German... Read more »
Happy Anniversary from DOG TALK on its 500th show!
Happy Anniversary from DOG TALK (and Kitties, Too!) as it reaches its 500th show! Last weekend the 500th show of Dog Talk (and Kitties Too!) aired on Peconic Public Broadcasting --- over 9 years of consecutive weekly shows celebrating the human-animal bond in all its permutations. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to... Read more »
Embracing #GivingTuesday
Embracing #GivingTuesday Today on my show Humane Talk I heard from Kim Alboum, the director of the Emergency Placement Partners program for the Humane Society of the United States. I wanted to know more about how she and HSUS were celebrating #GivingTuesday. This day is the ultimate antidote to the rampant consumerism of Black Friday,... Read more »
Stray Gardens
STRAY GARDENS Photographer Julie McGuire on Dog Talk When British-born photographer Julie McGuire moved to India 11 years ago, she was shocked to find some 250,000 stray dogs living on the streets of Bangalore. The melee of homeless hounds inspired her to focus on a long-term project documenting the roles of dogs in societies around... Read more »