DOG TALK® (and Kitties Too!) on 
DOG TALK® features Tracie's interviews with authors, pet experts and animal welfare advocates from around the world, discussing practical and philosophical issues regarding our relationships with dogs, cats, other pets, wildlife and the natural world.
The show broadcasts from WLIW FM 88.3 in Southampton, the only NPR station on Long Island, reaching from the East End across Long Island into Southern Connecticut and Westchester.
The show’s theme song is “Mmm My Best Friend” by Sophie B. Hawkins from her album TIMBRE.
Sponsored By:
Also Sponsored By:
The Therapy Dog Who Jumped in To Save Her Life
#920B: Allison LaField and her Old English Sheepdog Wallace won an AKC ACE award in the “Therapy Dog” category, not just because they volunteer at Brook Army Medical Center and the Natatorium where the military veteran community and amputees swim — but because Wallace jumped in to save Allison’s life when she accidentally fell to the bottom of her own pool at home.
Meet the Westminster Kennel Club’s New Resident Vet
#920A: Dr. Treyton Diggs talks about the honor of being the WKC’s Veterinarian of the Year in 2024 and the added privilege now of being the first Westminster Kennel Club Resident Vet, and how he hopes to inspire children — especially children of color — to reach for the stars in their own lives.
Rosco the Electronic Scent Detection K-9
#919B: Winner of the AKC ACE Award in the “Uniformed Services K-9” division, Lt. John Haning of the Claremont Oklahoma Sheriff’s department talks about his Labrador Retriever Rosco, who works on the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) and is on the Homeland Security Investigation Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Task Force — finding the hidden electronic devices which will put the perpetrators of these crimes behind bars. Rosco is also a family dog who sleeps with Haning’s 13-year-old daughter, who pampers him with “spa days” she chronicles on Tik Tok.
When Turtles Fly
#919A: Dr Doug Mader talks about the sea turtles that are “cold stunned” in the waters of Cape Cod and flown by volunteer pilots down to The Turtle Hospital in the Florida Keys to be rehabilitated.
Did You Take Your Pet’s Medicine? Did They Take Yours?
#918B: Dr. Renee Schmid — senior veterinary toxicologist at the Pet Poison Helpline — discusses the many instances when pets ingest something they should not, which is where their specialized service comes in, to support the owner, the vet and the specialty hospital if they need to go there.
The Slippery Slope of Prescription Pet Foods
#918A: Dr. Rick LeCouteur and Tracie discuss the history of pet foods formulated to help manage medical conditions but are often based on less-than-optimal ingredients for long term use — for which they were not intended anyway.
Dive Into a Pile of Delicious Puppies
#917B: Vanessa Woods, co-author with her husband Brian Hare of the delightful book “Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog,” immersed herself in the litters of service dog puppies from Canine Companions that they raised and studied — bringing them to life on the page as individuals you come to know and love — funny, annoying, delightful and sometimes baffling.
How Does A Judge Choose a “Best in Show” Dog?
#917A: Don Sturz, who is President of the Westminster Kennel Club [which has put on America’s most prestigious dog show every February for 149 years!] discusses what it takes to become a Best in Show judge at Westminster Dog Show — as he was in 2022, and how to make that decision. He talks about the three dogs who share his life currently, only one of whom has the “It Factor" to be a show dog — his champion Pekingese Fiona.
The Tortoise Taxi
#916B: A philosophical discussion about how much sacrifice we “should” make for our pets. Tracie asks whether Dr. Doug’s desire to stay in Florida to keep his Tortoise Taxi going, outweighs the safety benefits of moving away from extreme weather with his wife and animal entourage to Oregon where the tortoises would have to live in an indoor herpetarium.
How Can You Tell if Your Puppy is a Genius Dog?
#916A: In his book “Puppy Kindergarten: the New Science of Raising a Great Dog,” co-authored with his wife, Vanessa Woods, Brian Hare talks about how they helped to raise potential service dogs at their Canine Cognition lab at Duke University in order to discover how early a puppy will reveal his/her proclivity for becoming a successful service dog. They also ask the question of whether the way “regular people” raise their own puppies is good enough...or is there something more we should be doing?