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.
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Helping Animal Helpers Around the World
#887B: Karen Menczer is the Founder/Director of Animal-Kind International, dispensing grants to non-profits globally, often covering the salaries of shelter workers without whom animal rescue would not be possible.
Award-Winning Veterinarian Guiding His Own Pack of Beagles from Horseback
#887A: Dr. Treyton Diggs is famous in the world of competition Beagles, where he’s an AKC judge of field trials and also competes with his own pack of 32 Beagles — which he has bred and raised himself and knows everybody’s name! Now he has won Veterinarian of the Year from the Westminster Kennel Club, which gave a $10,000 donation to Not One More Vet (NOMV) in his name.
Does Your Dog Need a Lawyer?
#886B: Kristina Bergsten, who runs The Animal Law Practice in Colorado [she can also practice in New York], talks about the kinds of situations where a lawyer specializing in animal law might be valuable when facing canine-related legal issues.
Dogs Have Hacked Into Us
#886A: What if in fact dogs are “running the show” and have gotten us to do what they want? Philosopher Michele Merritt has written “Minding Dogs: Humans, Canine Companions, and a New Philosophy of Cognitive Science” to explore her theory about how dogs read our minds all the time, if only we were open to seeing it.
A Talking Dog Manages his Owner’s Emotional Messiness
#885B: Jeff Pohn’s very funny novel “Hounded: A Love Story,” features a neurotic, addictive protagonist whose loquacious witty dog is tasked with helping him make better choices.
Behavior Issues? Your Dog is Probably in Pain!
#885A: Dr. Amy Pike of the Animal Behavior Wellness Clinic in Washington D.C. explains that 75% of all behavior issues are the result of the dog being in pain, so “behavior modification” (“fix it through training”) is not the solution! The challenge: find out where the pain is and effectively treat it.
Rescue Dogs Help in the Journey to Mental Wellness
#884B: Christopher Dale’s book “We Saved Each Other: How Rescue Dogs Help Us Through Hardship” chronicles the simplicity, directness and healing value of the canine relationship, especially for people like himself, struggling with addiction and clinical depression.
From the Rolling Stones Personal Security to Veterinarian
#884A: The extraordinary journey of Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald to becoming a veterinarian in Denver, where he also does stand up comedy to open for famous comedians, having spent his younger years as head of security for the Rolling Stones.
The Mystery of Shelby the Goldendoodle’s Anxiety Attacks
#883B: Tracie talks to Susan, a listener in Connecticut, who cannot figure out why her dog, Shelby, has had episodes of sudden onset shaking and whining. Is it emotional? Physical? What is triggering it? How best to manage it?
The Emotional Lives of Animals
#883A: Marc Bekoff discusses his newly revised book “The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy — and Why They Matter,” with a foreword by Jane Goodall, alongside whom Bekoff has spent his career advancing the idea that animals have inner lives — and outer relationships — of significance.