Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast

Katie Stryker
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  • PETS & ANIMALS

A monthly conversation with the staff of Leon County Humane Society to address ongoing animal welfare issues, discuss current projects and goals, and involve the public. 

Episodes

  1. 11/24/2025

    Zoomed Out: The Full Picture of Pet Care - Episode 10

    Send a text In this episode, we're joined by Dr. Nat Davidson, co-owner and DVM of Animal Angels: An at home veterinary clinic offering hospice and end of life services. She has several years of animal care and veterinary experience under her belt, is a pet owner herself, and has generously offered to sit down for a couple episodes to dig into some care-related topics. For episode 10, we take a step back and look at what it really means for a pet to thrive. Beyond physical health, from balanced nutrition to meaningful mental stimulation, we explore the pillars of whole-pet wellness and how the internationally recognized Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare and the role they play in helping guide compassionate, responsible care. Whether you’re a first-time pet parent or a seasoned pro, this conversation offers a grounded, judgment-free perspective. Because the truth is: pet care isn’t about perfection—it’s about being curious, staying teachable, and making thoughtful choices that help our animals live their happiest and healthiest lives. There is no finish line to learning, and we all have room to grow! Join us as we zoom out, widen the lens, and discover what a truly thriving pet looks like. You may find this companion slideshow to be helpful while listening, or even to review after or before: Click here. Dr. Davidson has also provided academic articles to aid in your  ✨RESEAAARCH ✨ The Five Freedoms Risks and Benefits to Raw Diets

    1h 11m

  2. 08/01/2025

    LCHS Rescue Podcast Ep. 9 - Rescue and Shelter Intake

    Send a text In this episode we discuss how we make intake decisions and the difficulty that comes with trying to support our community while remain responsible with how much we choose to take on.  Guests:  Lisa Glunt - Executive Director April Rider - Director of Operations  Katie Stryker - Director of Advocacy and Community Education  Amy Raddar - Dog Program Coordinator Mars Carnes - Cat Program Coordinator  Lynne Rahman - Financial Administrator  We are a life-saving, limited intake facility. This means that we prioritize saving animals who would be at risk of euthanasia in a shelter facility. Unfortunately, we're seeing so many owner surrenders that we find ourselves struggling to find fosters for the ones who really need us. With more and more shelters in the US moving toward a no-kill status (a new wave of shelter management that ultimately prioritizes saving lives, but along the way has sown mistrust in shelters and may be leading to more cases of abandonment and unintentional neglect, because it's branded shelters as the worst possible place for animals.) Especially in northern cities who have fewer stray animals and more resources for spay/neuter, along with initiatives like animal registration, they are able to implicate no-kill techniques and see great success through managed intake and community education on rehoming. In the south, these methods are instead leaving animals to be left outside or without care, with many of them reproducing and adding to the cycle of unwanted animals.  We view our city shelter as doing incredible work but find the growing stigma of fear associated with shelters who may be forced to euthanize for space when their community is creating or surrendering more animals than they're adopting or fostering as a way to villainize people who would prioritize humane care.  There are several fates worse than death, and they're often seen as an acceptable risk over utilizing a community resource.  Rescues are often left to work in overdrive so that shelters aren't utilized, which skews numbers and data that show community need and help make decisions for funding that could include TNR initiatives, low-cost vetting opportunities and need, and animal control support and staffing.  Ultimately, we need more data to be captured to truly show what choices and initiatives are helping animals end up in safe spots, and we are working to document these cases to help animals in Leon County and surrounding areas, so we have a better sense of how many animals are being turned away to encounter a fate that may be worse than a shelter.  Here is the link to the Tallahassee Animal Services Statistics.  Here is the link to the UC Davis Study on When to Spay and Neuter - this study does not include information on genetic testing done on these breeds of dogs or whether they were well bred/genetically inclined to have these issues regardless of their spay/neuter timeline. This study will undoubtably have a negative effect on pet overpopulation - most pet owners want what's right and healthiest for their animal, but not all of them are reliably able to prevent accidental litters as we see anecdotally time and time again. Thousands of unwanted dogs are reproducing in the panhandle and south and many of them are being poorly and irresponsibly bred by backyard breeders (those who breed dogs for profit or without testing/a lifelong support for the dog,) rather than by preservation breeders (those who research, test, and breed out of a love for that breed of dog).  Feel free to reach out with questions or concerns to kstryker@leoncountyhumane.org

    1h 13m

  3. 05/23/2025

    LCHS Rescue Podcast Ep. 8 - Tally Cat Cafe

    Send a text This Episode Features Courtney Kendrick, Joshua Kendrick, and Katie Stryker - the three founders of Tally Cat Cafe. Their soft opening was May 21st, 2018, and since opening Tally Cat Cafe has not only found homes for more than 1,800 cats, but has created a community and culture of cat lovers here in Tallahassee.  Tally Cat Cafe provides a foster space for 10-20 adoptable LCHS cats at a time, but also has a separate coffee and boba shop attached to their cat room, educates their audience on cat care and fostering, and advocates for Leon County Humane Society through fundraisers and social media.  On this episode, they reflect on some of the challenges, crazy stories, amazing cats, and wonderful people from over the years.  Happy 7th birthday to our adoption partner: Tally Cat Cafe!  www.tallycatcafe.com 2218 N Monroe Street Feel free to reach out with questions at tallycatcafe@gmail.com  **Edited to include** As of June 1st 2024, a compounded treatment for FIP can be procured legally, meaning that vets can legally treat FIP in the US as of last year.

    1h 6m

  4. 03/15/2025

    Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast Ep. 7 - Compassion Fatigue

    Send a text In this episode we welcome our new Cat Coordinator, Mars, and discuss some of the ways being involved in animal rescue weighs heavy on us, as well as some of the challenges we face in facilitating successful interactions with our community to better the lives of animals.  We do use profanity one time in this episode, while quoting someone who came in inquiring about our adoption process - just as a heads up. There is also brief discussion of euthanasia.  Being involved in animal welfare is a double-edged sword - not only are we focused on bettering the lives of animals and feeling their pain through the empathy we have for them, but often we're also feeling the sadness of the pet owners who are seeking help. We spend each day hearing stories of struggle and often suffering, and several people enter our front door crying. We end our days wondering if we did enough, or if we could have done more. Sometimes people are unkind to us, and sometimes the animals we're working so hard to save can't be saved. We're constantly looking for ways we can do more while trying to make sure we're taking care of ourselves so that the animals and people can continue to rely on us. Then, we have to find ways to take these experiences and turn them into learning moments for our community - without being total bummers and risking people just tuning out or unfollowing.  Our Mission Statement is Rescue, Rehabilitate, and Educate, and we discuss what these words mean to us and how this mission, along with our fearless leader, Lisa Glunt, guides us in our everyday decision making.  We hope this episode clarifies some decisions we make so that we can better help more people and animals (like our new phone tree,) and sheds lights on some of the struggles that not just veterinarians, but all animal welfare professionals face.  **The phone message we play also insinuates that we are taxpayer funded, so for clarification's sake - we are 100% donation run and are funded entirely by individual donations and grants. We receive no taxpayer funding.

    1h 10m

  5. 02/25/2025

    Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast Ep. 6 - Bottle Baby Fostering

    Send a text Welcome to our 6th Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast!  This is a special episode featuring two of our longtime bottle baby fosters, Lynn Barr and Susan Fordham. Collectively, these ladies have helped raise and save hundreds of puppies and kittens, and they're here to talk about what their fostering journey includes.  We discuss what it takes to be a bottle baby foster, what supplies they rely on, some of their favorite milestones, the hardships that might come up on their journey, and the outcomes of some of the bottle babies near and dear to their hearts.  If while listening, you realize that you want to save lives alongside these inspirational ladies, please visit our website to submit a foster application so we can get you started on saving the most vulnerable population in rescue.  Do they have your admiration, but you don't think bottle baby fostering is for you? Consider supporting them along with our other fantastic fosters by making a donation of vital supplies through our wishlist, here. Click here for a peek at some of their current fosters.

    1h 18m

  6. 01/26/2025

    Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast Ep. 5 Reflecting on 2024 and Dreaming for 2025

    Send a text Welcome to the 5th Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast and the first podcast of 2025 - Where we reflect on the challenges of 2024 and our plans to improve in 2025.  Speakers:  Lisa Glunt - Executive Director April Rider - Director of Operations Amy Raddar - Dog Program Director Lynne Raham - Financial Administrator Courtney Kendrick - Volunteer Coordinator and Cat Adoption Specialist Katie Stryker - Director of Advocacy and Community Education 2024 Statistics:  Dog Intake: 560 Dog Transfers (Thank you FOGA!): 98 Dog Adoptions: 411 Cat Intake: 400 Cat Adoptions: 332 Reminder that the podcast cover features Harvey, and he's still available for adoption! He's thriving in foster care and LOVED the recent snow Tallahassee got! Learn more and apply to adopt at www.leoncountyhumane.org/animal/harvey-2 What are some topics you'd love to hear more about on our Rescue Podcast? Feel free to email us at kstryker@leoncountyhumane.org with questions, comments, or topics you'd like us to cover! --  I have absolutely no concept of time and need to include the correction that Courtney has been with us since June of 2023 - Katie

    54 min

  7. 12/20/2024

    Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast Ep. 4 - F.O.G.A and Dog Transport

    Send a text Welcome to Episode 4, where we highlight and discuss Friends of Gadsden County Animals (F.O.G.A) and their efforts to transfer and transport animals facing euthanasia at Gadsden County Animal Services out of this underfunded shelter and into other organizations where they can be successfully adopted into loving homes. While our Dog Program Coordinator is one of the founding members, this organization is separate from Leon County Humane Society, but we hope this episode helps paint a broader picture of the need that exists not only in Leon County but in surrounding areas. Providing the animals in these area with help goes beyond our organization and requires community support and awareness.  Click here to see the interior and exterior of Gadsden County Animal Services Sweet Harvey, pictured on our Podcast Cover, was also pulled from their facility and that photo was taken on site. Speakers: Kate MacFall - FL State Director at The Humane Society of the United States* Amy Raddar - Dog Program Coordinator Leon County Humane Society Katie Stryker - Director of Advocacy and Community Education Leon County Humane Society Follow FOGA on FB Donations can be sent through PayPal to Friends of Gadsden County Animals Inc Questions on this podcast? Suggestions for the future? We can be reached at info@leoncountyhumane.org  *Leon County Humane Society is not part of the Humane Society of the United States

    34 min

  8. 11/19/2024

    Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast Ep. 3 - Office Reopening, Cat Adoptions, and Trooper

    Send a text After a hiatus, we're back and ready to share more rescue stories! This episode covers our office reopening, cat adoptions and on-site cats, our recent Adoption Event with Proctor Subaru for dogs, Trooper - the famous Bull Terrier rescued from i-10, and more. If you listen, you'll probably be curious to see some of the cats we discuss: Joonie Perry Saylor And you'll want a peek at Dina in her life vest. Speakers:  Lisa Glunt - Executive Director April Rider - Director of Operations Amy Raddar - Dog Program Coordinator  Lynne Raham - Financial Administrator Courtney Kendrick - Volunteer Coordinator Katie Stryker - Marketing and Graphic Design Coordinator

    42 min

  9. 07/19/2024

    Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast Ep. 2 - Panleukopenia

    Send a text Episode 2 of our Rescue Podcast, with this episode focusing on our recent rescue of more than 30 cats from a neighboring animal control, thought to have coccidia, and turning out to have Panleukopenia.  We discuss what's involved in containing, quarantining, and eliminating the virus. It's been a difficult few weeks battling a virus with a high mortality rate.  This episode has mention and discussion of euthanasia, a necessity in responsible rescue and animal welfare.  Speakers:  Lisa Glunt - Executive Director Amy Raddar - Dog Program Coordinator  Kayla Smith - Cat Program Coordinator Courtney Kendrick - Volunteer Coordinator Katie Stryker - Marketing and Graphic Design Coordinator

    30 min

  10. 06/04/2024

    Leon County Humane Society Rescue Podcast Ep. 1 - The Current State of Rescue

    Send a text Join the staff of Leon County Humane Society for our first podcast episode.  Hear an unfiltered reflection on the current state of rescue, how we got to this point, and what we're concerned the future holds. Hear our take on rural shelters, spay and neuter, and what we're grateful for in our community.  Speakers:  Lisa Glunt - Executive Director April R.  - Director of Operations Amy Raddar - Dog Program Coordinator Kayla Smith - Cat Program Coordinator Courtney Kendrick - Volunteer Coordinator Katie Stryker - Graphic Design/Marketing Coordinator

    55 min
  • 10 Episodes

About

A monthly conversation with the staff of Leon County Humane Society to address ongoing animal welfare issues, discuss current projects and goals, and involve the public. 

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