Animal Radio®

Officer Tells Story Of Lake Rescue The video of a cop rescuing a dog from a frozen lake has gone viral. Officer Robert Voorhees took a big risk when he decided to cross an ice-covered lake in New Jersey. He'll share his heroic story with Animal Radio listeners. He says anyone would've done what he did. Would you? Listen Now Top Dog-Friendly States With about 90 million dogs living in homes in the US, we are a country of dog lovers. But not all states are equal in terms of safety and amenities for pets. You may be quite surprised by the findings. Where does your state fit in? Listen Now Pet Owner New Years Resolutions Fear Free certified trainer Debbie Martin thinks both you and your vet should make resolutions and promises to your pet. She'll share her techniques for creating a Fear Free environment and schedule for your dog. Check out the Fear Free Expert Series. Listen Now The Real Cost of Owning A Pet You can add up all the vet visits, food, and toys, and you still would be missing the costs associated with damage to your house… because that happens. Chad Hall with Remodel Mate has tips to help you reduce the damage and do it without selling a kidney. Listen Now Chinese Pet Economy On The Rise The world of pets is changing in China with the country's fast rise in wealthy citizens. The Chinese government is calling for residents to create 1,000 "Specialty Towns." In Pyongyang County, the specialty theme is pets. There is no doubt that the Chinese pet economy is thriving mostly because of an aging population and declining birth rates. Listen Now Felony Charges For Boy Who Tossed Kitten There's good news about the kitten that unfortunately starred in a viral video last month. You've heard about Spot, a little 3 and a half-pound calico kitten that was tossed high into the air by a teenage boy in the Southern California. Police got their guy. The San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office has filed a charge of felony animal cruelty against the 16-year-old suspect. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Beatles Song For Dogs Sir Paul McCartney is confirming that one of the all-time best Beatles songs has a special sound included in the track that only your dog can hear. It has long been a rumor that dogs knew something about the song that humans didn't. Listen Now Dealing With Off-Leash Dogs It's the stuff of nightmares. You and your dog are enjoying a walk through the neighborhood when, all of a sudden, you spot an unaccompanied canine heading your way. It could turn into a bad scene even if your dog is socialized. Stephanie Colman, the manager of the "Puppy Department" at Guide Dogs of America, has the five things you need to do if you encounter an off-leash or stray dog. Listen Now Do Pets Slow Down Your Aging Process? After all the recent studies about pets keeping humans youthful, there is a new report out in the British Medical Journal that says having a pet doesn't seem to slow down your aging process after all. Listen Now Enrichment In The Home During Winter Cold weather usually means the kids and pets spend more time indoors. Less exercise and activity could result in unwanted behavior issues. Dr. E'Lise Christensen is a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. She'll share some great ideas for keeping your pets occupied and out of trouble. As far as the kids go, you're on your own. This is part of the Fear Free Expert Series. Listen Now Most Popular Pet Names for 2025 The Netflix series "Stranger Things" has some influence on the top pet names of 2025. "Eleven" is becoming commonplace among pet names, after the main character in the popular series. "Star Wars" names like Rey and Leia are up 70%. Listen Now Pet Food Sector Seeing Tremendous Growth Online U.S. researchers say most of the growth in the pet food sector is going to behemoths Amazon.com and Chewy.com (owned by PetSmart). Other trends include home-delivered and customized fresh foods. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Jo Anne Worley Returns Actress, Comedian, President of Actors and Others for Animals, and all-around funny gal Jo Anne Worley (Laugh In) returns to Animal Radio to talk about her one true love, "Harmony," her 5-pound Yorkie. She proves that laughing and loving animals is all we need to be a happy soul. Listen Now Laundry Pods Dangerous for Animals You probably know those laundry detergent pods that so many people are using these days are dangerous to children, but did you know they are very harmful to pets as well? Most soaps and detergents contain chemicals called ionic and anionic surfactants. When a small amount is ingested, it is possible for pets to become sick with gastrointestinal upset (drooling, vomiting, and diarrhea) and even come down with serious respiratory issues. Listen Now Why God Created the Dog and Cat Former ASPCA CEO Ed Sayres tells the story of how God decided to create the dog and cat. We'll also share several other holiday-themed stories that will touch and inspire the animal lover in you. Listen Now Pet Rocks Nordstrom's has sold out of pet rocks! An $85 leather-wrapped stone sold out online after going viral on social media. A spokeswoman for the retailer declined to say exactly how many pet rocks were sold. If you're old enough, you may remember the pet rock craze in 1970 that made Gary Dahl a millionaire six times over. Listen Now Taking Your Pet's Picture Photographing your pet may not be easy. It's tough to get the right shot in the right lighting. Britt Savage has tips for taking excellent photos of your furry family this holiday season. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

The Big Cat Is Back Actress and Animal Activist Tippi Hedren (The Birds - Shambala) returns to Animal Radio to talk about life living with Lions, Tigers and Ligers, oh my. She rescues tigers that were purchased as pets and outgrew their home. She's also forged legislation that outlaws exotic animals as pets. Animal Radio will hook you up with her autobiography, Tippi. Listen Now Turtle Doves Drives Up Cost The faltering U.S. economy may be responsible for the increasing costs of the 12 Days of Christmas. The price of two turtle-doves has jumped from $290 last year to $375. But the partridge in the pear tree, which has actually become cheaper, has offset the total cost. Listen Now Signs of Holiday Stress in Dogs The holidays can be stressful for everyone, both humans and our pets. While some dogs enjoy the increase in activity and new experiences that come with holidays, there are lots of others who are not fans of change and all the chaos that can come with it. Lori Brooks will help you recognize signs of stress in your pet, so you can remove them from dangerous situations and help them relax. Listen Now Rising Pet Health Care Costs Pet owners may shell out as much, or more, money for their pet's health care as they do for their own health care, and it's mostly because of pricey new technologies and more advanced treatment options. Healthy Paws Pet Insurance's most expensive insurance claim was for a 3-year-old female French Bulldog diagnosed with intervertebral disc disease, with a final bill of $44,296. Listen Now Parrot Only Witness In Murder Case Court proceedings are underway in Newaygo County, Michigan, where a preliminary hearing has been held for a woman accused of murdering her husband, and their parrot is the only apparent witness. The couple's pet, an African Gray parrot, apparently witnessed the shooting and began repeating words from the victim just moments before his death. The parrot has been recorded as saying, "Don't F*#&ing shoot." Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

#OpossumLivesMatter Opossum guardian and advocate Lea Murray is mother to several opossums, including Kricket, the Fruit Loop-eating marsupial in this viral video. Lea is outraged about an Inside Edition broadcast that painted Opossums as a typhus vehicle. She says the much-maligned and misunderstood critter is actually good for humankind. Listen Now AVMA Releases Latest Stats on Pet Ownership Pet ownership is on the rise, with dogs leading the way and large increases in the number of less traditional pets like chickens and lizards. 57% of all U.S. households have a pet. The state with the honor of having the most pets is...drum roll please...Wyoming. Listen Now No Chainmail Gauntlets Needed Trimming your cat's nails may not be your favorite activity, but it's truly important for their health. Joey Villani has tips to make it a little easier and less bloody. It doesn't need to be a big deal for you or your cat. Listen Now What It's Like To Be Bitten By A Pit Bull Denise James loves animals. She also loves talking about them.... a lot! Her love for dogs was not soured when she was bit in the face by a pit-bull. She'll tell us what went wrong and how to avoid being a dog treat. Listen Now Pet Hoarding On The Rise A new study, published in the journal Psychiatry Research, takes a look at the motivations of people who hoard animals. This latest study suggests that animal hoarding should be classified as an independent disorder with the hope of developing specialized treatments to help these people cope with the compulsion to collect critters. Animal hoarders acquire and live with dozens or even hundreds of creatures in their homes, causing suffering for both the hoarder and the animals. In the United States, authorities discover between 900 and 2,000 cases of animal hoarding every year. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Talk To Your Cat About Gun Safety Zachary Auburn is on the show to deliver an important message. He wants you to know how to talk to your cat about gun safety, abstinence, drugs, Satanism, and other dangers that threaten their nine lives. Zach believes we can make our cats - and America - great again. Listen Now Music for Cats Topping Charts A special music album created just for cats is being lapped up by humans too, and has topped two classical music charts on Amazon and iTunes. Despite being allergic to cats, American cellist David Teie released "Music for Cats," featuring five instrumental compositions, after raising more than $200,000 on Kickstarter. On the album, bird chirping accompanies his cello playing, along with purring noises based on his theory, which he researched for two years, that mammals have an intuitive response to sounds present in their early development. Listen Now Drive-Thru Restaurant For Dogs Bane and Vader are a couple of gentle, barrel-shaped bulldogs. They're also the namesakes of a unique new business in Easton, Pennsylvania, "Bane and Vader's Drive-Thru Restaurant," exclusively for dogs. Pull up and order a FreshPet meal with your choice of add-ins, including fruits, vegetables, eggs, and peanut butter. You might even want to take home some doggie ice cream for dessert. Their mom, 30-year-old Amanda Brown, left her job as a pharmaceutical sales representative, but she's back to work making what she calls Yappy Meals and Bow-Wow Bowls for motorists who want to treat the pooches to something special. Her idea came from a survey that found one in six restaurant drive-thru customers pick up something for a dog, too. While some restaurants offer special menu items for dogs, In-N-Out Burger has a special unseasoned Pup Patty served in a doggy bag, and Starbucks offers a small cup of whipped cream called a Puppuccino. Bane & Vader's is strictly for the dogs. It has no special menu items for humans. Listen Now Airport Hires Therapy Dogs With the crowds and the lines, flying can be stressful. So, the Albuquerque, New Mexico, airport has come up with a way to calm you down when you travel. More than a dozen therapy dogs are joining the thousands of passengers at the airport. One of them is known as "Turbo," and he loves people. He especially loves to lick guys with beards. Turbo is one of 15 certified therapy dogs and K-9 ambassadors now giving peace to stressed-out travelers. Thanks to the 70 volunteers who handle the dogs, the program will soon expand the number of therapy dogs. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

The Raw Debate Chef Kevyn Matthews, also known as the Dog Chef (Dogs 101/DOG-TV) is doing a booming business cooking for dogs in the Northeast. He prepares nutritious meals focused on healing specific ailments. He'll debate the pros and cons of a raw diet with Dr. Debbie. Listen Now Mercury In Your Pet Food Postdoctoral Scholar Dr. Sarrah Dunham-Cheatham randomly sampled 100 pet foods. 16 of those samples had mercury concentrations that were well above the maximum tolerable limit. That's not the only thing she found. Listen Now Regulating Groomers Hot on the heels of fatal grooming incidents at Petsmart and Petco, legislators are fast-tracking groomer certification for the unregulated business. Animal Radio's very own groomer, Joey Villani, is helping to push this legislation through. He'll explain what is currently happening in New Jersey and how that will become a model for the nation. Listen Now When Are Puppies The Cutest? Everyone knows puppies are cute, but did you know that people find them at their cutest at eight weeks old? Experts at Arizona State University's canine-science laboratory now say they have discovered that Peak Puppy Cuteness serves important purposes and might even play a fundamental role in the bonding between a puppy and its adoptive owner. Listen Now Tesla Offering Unique Dog Friendly Features One of Tesla's new car features includes a computer program that stops the car's interior from exceeding a certain temperature. A future update may include a special 'Dog Mode' that displays a message warning passers-by not to panic if they see a pet inside a parked vehicle. That future update could also include a display of the current interior temperature, so well-meaning strangers don't break the car's window to rescue your pup. The temperature-regulating feature is called Cabin Overheat. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

14-Year-Old Pet Product Inventor Brooke Martin is only 14, but she sounds more intelligent than many adults. She is also the inventor of a device that allows you to have visual contact between you and your dog using a tablet or mobile phone. It also dispenses treats. Brooke believes this is an answer to separation anxiety. Listen Now New Worm Threat Imagine a 6-inch worm coming out of your pet's skin. Sounds like something out of the latest horror movie. Unfortunately, it's a real new worm that poses a threat to your pets. Parasitologist Araceli Lucio-Forster explains this new discovery. Listen Now Buzzfeed Beastmaster What the heck is a Beastmaster? Jack Shepard is a self-proclaimed Beastmaster at the Buzzfeed website. He gets paid to surf "animal-related" fodder and make it go viral on the incredibly popular website. Listen Now My Bionic Pet Amputee Jennifer Robinson worked at a prosthetic manufacturer. Now she's showing off how artificial limbs are being used on dogs, cats, birds, and even sea life. She's a part of a PBS show called My Bionic Pet. Listen Now Dog Sells for $2,000,000 Only in China would a dog be sold to a 56-year-old property developer for a cool 2 mil. This isn't even the first time. The 200 lb. Tibetan Mastiff is treasured like the Panda in China. Some say it was all hype and that cash never actually changed hands. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Faking It! A new trend is the unfortunate and fraudulent use of "Service Dog" credentials for owners wanting to bring their dogs into restaurants, airlines, and hotels. Pawtopia's Colleen Demling explains the problem and why the disabled suffer. Listen Now Aspirin and Pets Did you know that Aspirin can be toxic to your pet? Dr. Debbie dispels the myths about pain relief for your pet. Listen Now Josh Duhamel Guests Besides a flourishing acting career, Josh Duhamel spends a lot of time speaking for the animals. He has a web series and he's back to talk about it...and to flirt with the ladies. Listen Now A Shot To The Tail Don't be surprised if the next time your cat gets an injection, it's in the tail. Recent concerns have come up over treating rare but potentially deadly injection site sarcomas. Some vets then shifted the site to the hind legs, since an amputation, if necessary, would be easier and more successful. Listen Now Pet ONLY Apartments Octogenarian and Landlord Judy Guth only allows tenants with pets in her apartment complex. Is this discrimination? Judy doesn't care. And if one of her tenants loses their pet, she'll even take them out to dinner and then to the shelter to find another roommate. Listen Now Pet Spending At All Time High The American Pet Products Association reports we're shelling out nearly 60-Billion+ bucks a year on our animals. Research shows that empty nesters are now spending more on their four-legged children. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Using High-Tech To Find Homes Adi Pinhas is using facial recognition technology in his new iPhone app. You'll upload a picture of the pet you want, and it'll tell you all the adoptable animals that look like the original picture. The Verge Magazine uploaded a picture of Lady Gaga and got back an adoptable hamster. Listen Now Pets In The Classroom New research says kids learn better when their classroom has a pet. Even truancy is down. We all remember the class pet. And if you were lucky, the teacher let you take the guinea pigs home for the summer. Brent Weinmann of the Pet Care Trust is making sure all kids get an opportunity to have pets in their classroom. Listen Now Cure For Parvo? Researchers may have literally stumbled on a way to treat the usually fatal Parvo virus. It happened when a pharmaceutical was looking for a way to save flocks of geese that were mysteriously dying. They discovered an antibody that's harvested from the yokes of goose eggs that can stop the Parvo virus in as little as two days. Listen Now Calf Gets Prosthetic Back Legs Kitty Martin loves her calf so much that she's put more than $40,000 into rescuing the steer after its back legs were amputated because of frostbite. She's the Hero Person this week with a great story to tell about the human-bovine connection. Listen Now Sharing Your Bed With Your Pet Leads to Bad Sleep Quality If you have a cat or dog, chances are they sleep with you in bed. But new research says that sharing your bed with your pet can lead to bad sleep quality. Recently, at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, data was presented that showed at least 30% of pet owners say their pets wake them up at least once per night. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Parrots Helping Veterans with P.T.S.D. Dr. Lorin Lindner founded Serenity Park, a unique sanctuary on the grounds of the Los Angeles Veterans Administration Healthcare Center. She noticed that the veterans she treated as a clinical psychologist and the parrots she had taken in as a rescuer quickly formed bonds. Men and women who had been silent in therapy would share their stories and their feelings more easily with animals. Listen Now Are Americans Too Attached To Their Pets? Psychological Scientist Dr. Clay Routledge believes young adults may be bonding with animals at the expense of vital human relationships. While the Animal Radio team may be divided on the health aspects of loving your pet "too much," there is one empirical fact: some of us have trouble prioritizing humans over animals. Listen Now Gone to the Birds We often celebrate our cats and dogs, but today it'll be about the birds. We'll focus on bad bird behavior and training your parrot or cockatoo. Dr. Debbie breaks the myths about bird food and explains the nutritional value of seeds vs. pellets. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Boy's Mission To Pet A Million Dogs Gideon Kidd has a goal to pet a million dogs for his pet project. So far, the young boy has pet more than 750 dogs. He's chronicled his journey on social media, garnering over 200,000 followers. He'll tell us how it's going since we last spoke to him. Listen Now Please Don't Repo Fido - Lawmakers Ban Pet Leasing Puppies sold in pet stores, most of which are sourced from puppy mills, are often accompanied by soaring sticker prices. To make the puppies appear more affordable, private lending companies are offering leasing plans. Miss a payment and they can repossess your pup. Bill Ketzer, from ASPCA Government Relations, is asking lawmakers to end this predatory practice. Listen Now Millennials Choose Pets Over Children Millennials are less likely to become parents of "human children" because they are instead focusing on their pets. Apparently, 44% of millennials are unsure if they want to have children, but their rate of pet ownership continues to rise. These animals are acting as a substitute for children, according to psychology professor Jean Twenge. This generation is half as likely to be married than the generations preceding it. Listen Now Convicted Deer Poacher Ordered to Watch Bambi Every Month For a Year A Missouri judge has ordered a convicted deer poacher to watch Bambi at least once a month during the year he will be spending in jail. The man is actually one of four family members implicated in a three-year hunting operation that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of deer. The prosecutor said the family mainly stalked their prey at night, killing the deer and taking their heads and antlers, and then they abandoned the carcasses. The state's Department of Conservation called it a thrill and kill sport for the men. By the way, the one-year jail sentence was initially suspended in favor of a two-year probationary period. But the guy who now has to watch Bambi quickly violated the terms of his probation, leading the Judge to reinstate the original one-year sentence with the additional Bambi twist. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Pet-Friendly Housing Standard Pacific Homes knows the 60-billion-dollar pet industry has a place for homebuilding. 27 of their developments now include pet accouterments, including a pet spa and TV exclusively for Fido. Standard Pacific's Danielle Tocco explains what they're doing to cater to pet owners. Listen Now Heartworm Medication Causes Deaths There are more worries about the dog heartworm medication Trifexis. So far, 965 complaints about dogs dying after taking Trifexis have been filed with the FSA over the last three and a half years. The drug's maker, Elanco, says it's sold 70 million doses and has found no link between the pill and any dog deaths. Listen Now No More Pet Piercing Assemblyman Carmela Garcia (Dem. N.J.) has written legislation that would outlaw piercings and tattoos on cats and dogs. Inspired by a lady who pierced her "gothic kittens," Garcia feels this ban would stop a burgeoning fad. Listen Now Pet Oxygen Masks Does one size fit all? The Animal Radio Hero Person, Debra Jo Chiapuzio helps supply fire departments with life-saving oxygen masks for dogs and cats. She loves her job and has a great passion to teach others pet first aid. Listen Now Moving With Pets Can Be Pricey! Apartments.com did the math in its Pet-Friendly Renting Trends Survey. It found that close to 80% of renters had to pay a deposit to have a pet, and it was more than $200 per year in more than half the cases. About 64% of the people asked said they had a hard time finding an apartment that allowed pets, even with a deposit. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

The Dog Park Phenomenon Boston Globe TV Critic (a great gig if you can get it), Matthew Gilbert, investigates the dynamics of dog parks. He didn't like dogs. In fact, he was afraid of them until his spouse introduced him to a dog that would forever change his view. Matt shares stories about the nutty fellow canine-lovers at his dog park. Listen Now Flea Wars Animal Radio Vets Dr. Marty Becker and Dr. Debbie are armed with flea-ridding tactics. Did you know that there are over a dozen different kinds of fleas? There's a difference between "cat" fleas and "dog" fleas. Most importantly, how do we get rid of them for good? We've got answers. Listen Now Muffin's Halo Our Hero Person this week invented a bumper, or better described as a 'halo,' that protects blind dogs from bumping into furniture and other obstacles. Sylvie Bordeaux was tired of seeing her blind dog bash into stuff. With needle and thread in hand, she created a genius product that is helping vision-impaired pups from being discarded at shelters. Listen Now New Uses For Unwanted Fur Now, a national organization called Born Free USA has come up with a fantastic idea. It collected unwanted furs and sent them to wildlife rehab centers in Texas. California and Missouri, where they were cut into small pieces and used for orphaned babies and injured animals to snuggle in. Listen Now Declawing Is Major Surgery The American Veterinary Medical Association has amended its policy to clarify that declawing is a major surgery that should only be performed as a last resort to prevent destructive clawing, but it stopped short of suggesting a ban on it. The new policy stresses the importance of educating cat guardians about normal feline scratching behavior, alternatives to declawing, and that declawing is actually the amputation of the first digit of the cat's toes. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Pets In Space Celestis Pet will shoot your pet's cremains into deep space, or to the moon, or even into orbit around the earth. The rocket and space technology company has been launching satellites and human remains for over a decade. Now, they want a piece of the 58-BILLION-dollar pet industry. Top Dog Stephen Eisele explains what you get for your $1,000. It's pretty impressive! Listen Now The Language of Dogs TV Dog Trainer Justin Silver is back with his really funny friend, Dave Donnenfeld. Together they're 'righting' canine 'wrongs' wherever bad dogs and bad guardians need them. "Their book is the Rosetta Stone of Doglish," says Animal Radio host Hal Abrams. Listen Now Woman Does CPR on Bearded Dragon When you love your pet, you love your pet, no matter what breed or species he or she is. That explains the actions of a woman in Oregon. Sherrie Dolezal runs a bearded dragon rescue and came home the other day to see one of the lizards, named Del Sol, floating unconscious in the pool. She got him out, started pounding on her back, and doing chest compressions. She finally started CPR, and he started breathing again. Del Sol and Sherrie are now doing just fine. Listen Now Big Choices For This Week's Hero When his agent asked, " Do you want to act or do you want to save animals?" after he kept missing auditions, he chose to dedicate his life to the creatures. That makes Leo Grillo, the founder of DELTA rescue, our 'Hero Person.' He has over 1500 animals on 115 acres. He doesn't adopt out any of these animals because his statistics say owners keep their animals only 2.5 years on average. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

An Emasculating Rooster When Brian McGrory moved in with his girlfriend, he also moved in with a Rooster that did not like him. If Brian were to "make it work," he would have to learn a lot about how to befriend a foul with ruffled feathers. He joins us and we have copies of his best-selling book, "Buddy, How A Rooster Made Me A Family Man." Listen Now Does Your Dog Know You? I Mean, Really Know You? A certain bark, a certain posture, a certain look. Your dog can tell a lot about you. They know when you're being unfair-to some extent. Researchers found that when dogs saw other dogs getting treats for a trick they'd been performing unrewarded, the uncompensated dogs became visibly distressed. It can even lead to depression. Listen Now I Don't Brush, Why Should Fluffy? Home dental care is one of the best ways to help keep your pet's teeth and gums healthy. And unlike us, not brushing could be fatal for your pet. Start as early as possible in your furry friend's life so he or she will become accustomed to having the mouth handled. Use a moistened, soft, pet or child's toothbrush, finger toothbrush, gauze around a finger, or even a cotton swab. Stay away from human toothpaste....unless your pet has learned to spit afterwards. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Trainer Teaches Dogs To Drive You may have seen the viral video of the rescue dogs that were taught to drive a retrofitted Mini-Cooper. Their trainer, Mike Vette of New Zealand, is our special guest with tips on how you can train your dog to do cool tricks. Listen Now Dog Tarot Cards Whether you take it seriously or as a novelty, there is no denying the best-selling success of the Dog Tarot Cards. Creator Heidi Schulman shares her inspiration and helps you understand why Fido insists on rolling in dead stuff. Listen Now Low-Income Pet Food Elizabeth DeMasellis' family is like many living paycheck to paycheck. Sometimes, when money gets tight, food for the family's furry friend is stretched a little, or she gets a hot dog. That is, until three months ago, when the 30-year-old Milford mother of three learned she could get dog food at Community Sharing Outreach Center. "I wouldn't get rid of her just because we couldn't afford to feed her. It's like getting rid of one of your kids," says DeMasellis. Listen Now Katherine Heigl Tucks Her Pets In At Night Bedtime at Katherine Heigl's house can take a while. As a mom of two daughters and seven other kids of the four-legged variety, she likes to give each one special attention. The Emmy Award winner says first she tucks in her girls, then she takes her seven dogs through their own nighttime ritual. Listen Now Parrots Have Personal Taste In Music It turns out that parrots are choosy about their music. Scientists have discovered that parrots have personal tastes in music. Dr. Franck Peron of the University of Lincoln, who headed the study, says that both birds enjoyed rock and folk music from such artists as U2, UB40, and Joan Baez. They even got into the music, bobbing their heads and squawking as if they were singing along. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

Staying Together For The Pets Many pet owners treat their pets as if they were their own children, whether it be a dog, cat, turtle, or gerbil. For these owners, the pet is an integral part of the family. But owner beware, the pet that you love and cherish can easily be taken away from you in an instant if you are involved in a nasty divorce. Divorce Attorney Silvana Roso has the information you should know. Listen Now How Many Cats Do You Own? Residents in Wellington, Kansas, now have a limit on the number of their feline friends. As of January 1st, households in Wellington can only have a total of four cats. In order to cut down on the number of homeless cats, the town has also required that newly adopted cats be spayed or neutered. Listen Now Taking Great Pictures of Your Pet The Pawtographer Robert Semrow has a thing for taking cool pics with pets. In fact, he makes a living dressing up dogs (and cats) for photo shoots. He has tips to make it easier to photograph your furry-friend. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

A Plan To Get Rid Of All The Cats Dr. Gareth Morgan wants to rid New Zealand of all the cats. He says they're damaging the bird population. Is he crazy, or does he have a point? We'll speak with him and find out what he's thinking and the adversity he's facing with his plan. Listen Now The Hard To Train Dog Peggy Swager has dedicated her life to the "hard-to-train" dog. She will tell us about her toughest cases and how to manage a dog that just won't behave properly. We'll have tips for overcoming problem behaviors and giveaways of her book. Listen Now Poison In Your House Dr. Justine Lee works at the Pet Poison Helpline. She says the top 5 pet toxins are probably in your house and accessible to your furry-friend. Dr. Lee will tell you what to watch out for and how to treat a pet that has eaten something poisonous. Listen Now Bully Sticks Condemned Turns out there's a lot more inside a popular dog treat than most pet owners probably imagine. They're called "pizzle" sticks or "bully" sticks, and a new study out of Canada says they're loaded with calories and bacteria. The treat is made from uncooked, dried bull penis, and researchers say it can contain things like E. coli and MRSA. Listen Now Iran Launches Monkey Into Space Iran said it launched a live monkey into space, seeking to show off its missile systems. "This shipment returned safely to Earth with the anticipated speed along with the live organism," Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi told the semi-official Fars news agency. However, comparative pictures of the monkey don't match. Listen Now Read more about this week's show.

America's Pet Obesity Problem Obesity is troubling about 3 out of every 5 pets. This week, we're tackling this problem with stories, tips, and tricks to keep your pet healthy and happy. You'll hear about the kitty that ate McDonald's every day, an inventor that created a cat-treadmill, and a 77 lb. Dachshund. Listen Now Top Behavioral Problem Separation Anxiety not only tops the list of dog behavior problems, but it's most often brought on by the dog's owner or guardian without knowing it. Alan Kabel has sure-fire ways to teach an old dog new tricks. Listen Now Dogs Going Postal Dogs go postal in Los Angeles more than any other U.S. city. The U.S. Postal Service released its rankings of the best and worst cities for dog attacks on mail carriers. Los Angeles recorded 69 incidents last year. San Antonio and Seattle round out the top three worst cities. Wichita, Kansas, is the safest city with just 20 attacks. Almost six thousand postal workers were attacked by dogs. Listen Now Worm Season With Mosquito season comes an increase in parasitic worms that could ultimately be fatal. Joey Villani tells you how to keep the skeeters away, and Dr. Joel Ehrenzweig tells listeners about over-the-counter products that are safe for your pets, but put a damper in any worm's day. Listen Now Dogs Good For Our Hearts The American Heart Association (AHA) has declared that pets, especially dogs, are good for a person's heart. Further proof that dogs are among the best friends a person could have. Dr. Glenn N. Levine, director of Baylor University's cardiac care unit, says, "Pet ownership, particularly dog ownership, is probably associated with a decreased risk of heart disease." Listen Now Plus, the Animal Radio Dream Team answers questions about your pet. Read more about this week's show.