Beastie Bonds AJ Henry

You probably don't need to be convinced that there is something special to the human animal connection, the "beastie bond". Maybe you appreciate how, compared to navigating the complexity of relationships with fellow humans, the one you share with your horse, your cat, or your dog more predictably leaves you feeling more seen and unconditionally accepted. But have you ever wondered, beyond how good it feels to always have someone clearly glad to see you, what measurable impacts it may have on your physiology?
Today's guest, Dr. Nancy Gee,  Director of the Center for Human Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University, stands in the sweet spot of a heart-led, research-backed perspective of the beastie bond. 
Check out Nancy’s new book, The Role of Companion Animals in the Treatment of Mental Disorders
By Nancy Gee (Editor), Lisa Townsend (Editor) & Robert Findling (Editor)
Resources Related to this Episode’s Theme:
https://chai.vcu.edu/
https://www.inverse.com/science/do-therapy-dogs-work
 
Join our community on social media! Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! We’d love to hear what you think of the stories our guests share, and see pictures of your own beasties!
 
Beastie Bonds theme:
King James by Ghost Beatz, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
 
Additional music featured in this episode includes:
Music by Olexy from Pixabay
 

In this bonus episode, AJ celebrates the 1-year anniversary of the show! Hear highlights from the past year and some updates from the past year of podshow guests!
Want to help us celebrate?! Please please please rate and review the show, and be sure to join our community on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! We’d love to hear what you think of the stories our guests share and see pictures of your own beasties.
 
The Beastie Bonds theme:
King James by Ghost Beatz, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
 
Additional music featured in this episode includes:
Assorted past episode tracks, all from Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
Music by Leonid Timachev from Pixabay

This episode features one of my favorite kinds of stories: those in which a fortuitous string of seemingly unrelated events all lead to an incredible outcome! 
According to the American Kennel Club, the Great Pyrenees is a dog breed known to be trustworthy and mellow companions; vigilant guardians of home and family. Meet Moose, a dog who lived up to this reputation and then some.
One rainy Friday afternoon, Chris Cushna & Sheila Jane, their granddaughter Luna (age 8) &  their 2 children Anya (age 10), Logan (age 12) were looking for something to do and decided to “check out” a dog from the Portsmouth Humane Society’s “field trips for shelter dogs” Paws Around P-Town program. You won’t believe what happened next!
Learn more about, and consider supporting the Portsmouth Humane Society, where Moose lived before hero-dom!
To learn more about Chris and Sheila’s process of rebuilding after the fire, or to make a donation to help them out, please visit their GoFundMe Hero Dog Saves Portmouth Family, set up by friend James Cullen.
 
News Articles Relating to the event include:
Foster Dog Saves Virginia Family From ‘Really Big Inferno’ Houseboat Fire (msn.com)
 'A really big inferno': Foster dog helps save family from boat fire (kcra.com)
 
For more information about Moose’s breed visit:
Great Pyrenees Dog Breed Information (akc.org)
 
Here’s where you can see Chris singing the song he wrote about Moose (featured after the credits in this episode!) https://www.facebook.com/1574507554/videos/605096911824139/
 
Join our community on social media! Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! We’d love to hear what you think of the stories our guests share and see pictures of your own beasties.
 
Beastie Bonds theme:
King James by Ghost Beatz, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
 
Additional music & sounds effects featured in this episode include:
Storm Before the Calm by LNDO, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
Sound Effect from Pixabay (fire)
Sound Effect by Miku Aalto from Pixabay (dog)
Sound Effect from Pixabay (boat)
Sound Effect from Michael at Pixabay (rain)
Sounds Effect by Howard Lee at Pixabay (dogs1)
Sounds Effect by Howard Lee at Pixabay (dogs2)
Piano Music by Juan Sanchez at Pixabay
Sound Effect from Pixabay (crowd)
 

In this episode, Maddalena Bearzi, my guest from Episode 20, returns to the show to share her insights about the so-called orca "uprising," a series of recent animal/orca "attacks" (aka encounters) which have been making headlines in the US and around the world. Why have these beautiful and intelligent animals started ramming and sinking boats?!
Maddalena Bearzi is the President and co-founder of Ocean Conservation Society in southern California.
Learn more about Maddalena Bearzi, PhD
 Maddalena's op ed in the LA Times
Books authored by Maddalena Bearzi include:
STRANDED: Finding Nature in Uncertain Times
Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins
Dolphin Confidential: Confessions of a Field Biologist
 
Explore Ocean Conservation Society (OCS)’s education, research and conservation resources 
Donate to support the work of OCS
Follow OCS on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
 
Sources for this episode include:
Orcas: Is there an 'orca uprising'? Like orcas themselves, the answer is complex. - ABC7 Chicago
Orca uprising: Why are killer whales sinking boats? | indy100
‘Orca uprising’: Why are orca whales targeting boats? | News | Al Jazeera
Orca Attack Leaves Yacht Heading for Rock Collision (msn.com)
 
Join the Beastie Bonds community on social media! Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! We’d love to hear what you think of the stories our guests share and see pictures of your own beasties.
 
Beastie Bonds Theme:
King James by Ghost Beatz, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
 
Episode Theme Music includes:
Growing Pains by Featherland, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library

AJ’s own experience of a surprising resolution to her own health condition led her to seek Reiki, energy healing, for Lola, a rescued mutt who was carrying around a truckload of pain and trauma.
Forms of energy healing such as Reiki have been practiced by many different cultures around the world for over 2500 years! In this episode, AJ talks to two guests who are masters in Reiki. Reiki is a modality of healing that has been in its present form for about 100 years. It involves the practitioner acting as a conduit and working with the energy fields around the body to guide “universal energy” from the practitioner’s palms to the client. People use it for anxiety, heart disease, and other issues. It can also be used effectively with animals. Guests for Episode 21 include Laurie Barshay and Kris Denning of Healthy to the Soul.
To contact Laurie, reach out through AJ at beastiebonds@gmail.com
To learn more about or to see about working with Kris, go to her website HealthyToTheSoul.com or email healthytothesoul@gmail.com
Find and follow Kris on social media:
Facebook 
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
 
Sources & Resources from this Episode Include:
According to the US Dept of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health:
Reiki hasn’t been clearly shown to be effective for any health-related purpose. It has been studied for a variety of conditions, including pain, anxiety, and depression, but most of the research has not been of high quality, and the results have been inconsistent.
Peer Reviewed Article:
Thrane S, Cohen SM. Effect of Reiki therapy on pain and anxiety in adults: an in-depth literature review of randomized trials with effect size calculations. Pain Manag Nurs. 2014 Dec;15(4):897-908. doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2013.07.008. Epub 2014 Feb 28. PMID: 24582620; PMCID: PMC4147026.
Healthline: What Are the Benefits of Reiki and How Does It Work?https://www.healthline.com/health/reiki#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
The International Center for Reiki Training: https://www.reiki.org/faqs/what-reiki
And Also Check Out:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/308772
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/reiki/
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/reiki
https://iarp.org/reiki-clinical-setting/#
https://www.reiki.org/articles/reiki-hospitals
 
Beastie Bonds Theme:
King James by Ghost Beatz, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
 
Episode Music also Includes:
Music by Olexy from Pixabay
Music by Ashot-Danielyan-Composer from Pixabay
Music by geoffharvey from Pixabay
Music by BluBonRelaXon from Pixabay
Jasmine Tea by Aeroplanes, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
 
Like what you’ve heard? Take a moment to review the show on whatever app you listen on. It really helps us, and thanks!
Be sure to join the Beastie Bonds pod community on social media! 
Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! We’d love to hear what you think of the stories our guests share and see pictures of your own beasties.
 

My guest, Maddalena Bearzi, has been actively studying the ecology of marine mammals with a strong conservation bias since the 1990s. One day, her research team was observing a pod of dolphins when all of a sudden, the entire group stopped feeding and rushed out to sea. Maddalena’s team followed, and were shocked by what they found.
Maddalena Bearzi is the President and co-founder of Ocean Conservation Society in southern California. She has authored many peer-reviewed articles and books. She was born and raised in Italy but now lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and dog. 
Learn more about Maddalena Bearzi, PhD
 
Books authored by Maddalena Bearzi include:
STRANDED: Finding Nature in Uncertain Times
Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins
Dolphin Confidential: Confessions of a Field Biologist
 
Explore Ocean Conservation Society (OCS)’s education, research and conservation resources 
Donate to support the work of OCS
Follow OCS on social media: Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube
 
Sources for this episode include:
https://gizmodo.com/did-dolphins-really-save-a-suicidal-girl-1585058404
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2648352/Did-dolphins-save-girl-SUICIDE-Mammals-formed-ring-drowning-swimmer-guiding-boat-aid-claims-scientist.html
 
Join the Beastie Bonds community on social media! Follow the show on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! We’d love to hear what you think of the stories our guests share and see pictures of your own beasties.
 
Beastie Bonds Theme:
King James by Ghost Beatz, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
 
Episode Theme Music includes:
Clouds by Acreage, Podcastle.ai Royalty-free Library
Piano Moment by Daddy_s_Music, Pixabay.com Royalty Free Music
Serious Moving Sad Piano composed by Ashot-Danielyan, Pixabay.com Royalty Free Music