DOG TALK® (and Kitties Too!) on

icon of side silhouette of dog and cat drawn inside the dog Tracie Hotchner the Radio Pet Lady

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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Saving the Survivors of Dead Dog Beach

#869B: Harry Leff, the Chairperson of the Board of Animal Lighthouse Rescue in New York City, talks about the gratification of being able to bring dogs into eager adoptive homes (like his own!) in the New York area, straight from Puerto Rico, where many are left to die on the streets and beaches.

The Tame and the Wild — To Love or To Eat?

#869A: Historian and professor Marcy Norton talks about her new book “The Tame and the Wild: People and Animals After 1492,” that shows that our complicated, paradoxical relationship with animals is nothing new. Our ancestors from many cultures always managed to live alongside animals as both their companions and their dinner.

Cancer Treatments for Cats are the Gift of Time

#868C: Sally Williams talks about the “Marlin Nation” — people who supported her when her kitty Marlin got cancer. Now her lovely pussycat Mr. Jones has been diagnosed with cancer, too. He had surgery and chemotherapy, which gave her “the gift of time.”

Dogs Helping Kids Learn in the Classroom

#868B: Stephanie Zolo from Earth Animal discusses the company’s support of the non-profit “Pets in the Classroom” and the benefits these dogs are bringing to the learning experience.

Antibiotic Recklessness: Get Them ONLY From Your Vet

#868A: Dr. Doug Mader (author of “The Vet at Noah’s Ark”) discusses the importance of “antibiotic stewardship” and why the FDA sent warning letters to Chewy and other online pet suppliers. See your vet for any medical issues — don’t try to diagnose yourself and use antibiotics recklessly and in ignorance.

Dog Prams Promenade the Vancouver Seawall

#867C: Rikhil Bahadur, a filmmaker originally from India, via London, now lives in Vancouver where he extols the dog culture permeating every aspect of life there, right down to baby carriages filled with dogs on Sunday strolls. He discusses the scripted film set in Vancouver that he submitted to the next NY Dog Film Festival, which is called “Homeless” starring a magnificent pooch named Rocco.

A New Drug for Diabetic Cats with a “Black Box” Warning

#867B: Feline specialist Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins is concerned with a brand new (very expensive) (only partially effective) drug for cats with diabetes that comes with an FDA “black box warning” about its dangers, like you see on a cigarette package. She discusses how diabetes is an avoidable disease in cats if you stop feeding “kitty crack” (any dry food), urging everyone to feed only wet food in a can with high quality protein.

Protect Your Vet from Your Dog

#867A: Dog trainer Annie Phenix (author of “Positive Training for Aggressive and Reactive Dogs”) discusses dogs that might snap at the vet. “Emotional contagion” can go down the leash if you are anxious at the doctor/vet and it’s your responsibility to prevent a bite. A basket muzzle is a really good thing for a dog who might bite.

Vaccines to Save Bees Lives

#866C: Dr. Linda Rhodes discusses One Health and how animal drug companies have saved lives of many animals — including a vaccine created for bees — and how drugs for humans have migrated to dogs and vice-versa.

Two Kitties Ganging up on the Dog

#866B: Cat behaviorist Rachel Geller — whose nonprofit “All Cats, All the Time” offers free support and advice to people with cat problems — talks about the challenge of making peace with two newly adopted bonded cats who double-team attack Daisy, the unsuspecting resident dog.