Dog Talk ® (and Kitties Too!‪)‬ Tracie Hotchner

#887A: Dr. Treyton Gibbs 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.

#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.

#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.

#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.

#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.

#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.