Conversations For The Animals

Join Lisa and her guests Rita Garza and Celinda Guerra of the Houston Area Women's Center as they discuss The Link between domestic violence and animal cruelty during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic Violence Hotline: (713) 528-2121 1-800-256-0551 Sexual Assault Hotline: (713) 528-RAPE (7273) 1-800-256-0661 TTY: (346) 295-8994 National Domestic Violence Hotline Call 800-799-7233 Text BEGIN to 88788

Guadalupe 'Michel' Hurtado is an Animal Enforcement Officer for BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions for the City of Houston. As an officer, she not only picks up stray, aggressive, and injured animals, she also conducts bite/rabies investigations and responds to cruelty calls. In addition to her role as an enforcement officer, Michel visits local clubs and groups to talk about animal welfare and safety, including disaster preparedness. Join her and Lisa as they talk about getting ready for the next weather emergency.

Felicia served as Chief of the Animal Cruelty Unit with the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office where she trained officers on animal cruelty investigation. In 2016, Felicia was the recipient of THLN’s Bull Dog Award. She is the author of Josie Dreams of Justice, a children’s book that addresses issues such as bullying and self confidence while introducing children to the criminal justice system. Currently, Felicia serves as a criminal defense attorney with KCLitigation and continues to be an advocate for animal rights.

Bet Betner and Lauren Hodge are President and Secretary of the Houston PetSet Young Executives Board. They are among the very first members of this exciting and motivated group of professionals who are working to support Houston PetSet in our fundraising efforts. Learn about why they got involved, what a Young Executive Board can accomplish, and what to consider if you want to start your own!

Erica Grigg provides psychotherapy that specializes in supporting those experiencing burnout, chronic stress, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma/PTSD, and substance use challenges. While working through her own mental health challenges, Erica left her 20-year career as a litigator and became a licensed professional counselor. Join her and Lisa as they talk through signs and symptoms of burnout and healthy mechanisms to improve wellbeing. We hope our partners and friends will find this episode helpful as you navigate your own personal animal welfare journey. *Content Warning - Discussions of Substance Abuse and Suicide* Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Dial 988. Help is Available. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists https://ericagriggcounseling.com/

Freddy Cruz is the founder of Speke Podcasting, but the Greater Houston area has heard his voice through the radio for more than seventeen thousand hours across three decades. When he's not in the lab writing or creating auditory satisfaction, you can find him nose deep in a book, snuggling with his dog Sparrow, or jogging in his neighborhood. Freddy is a great lover of animals and has used his powerful voice on their behalf for years. Join Freddy and Lisa as they talk about advocacy and marketing for animal welfare on this episode of Conversations for the Animals.

Kelli Betner was born and raised in Midland, Texas. Growing up, her dream was to raise 300 "head of weenie dogs" on a rescue ranch to be called "The Long Dog Ranch". To this day she still dreams of that ranch! Kelli was in the U.S. Army and served a tour in Afghanistan from 2010-2011. After the military she earned her undergraduate degree from Baylor University and her Master's from New York University. Before joining Houston PetSet, Kelli worked in the corporate world, but is so glad to be a part of the HPS team!

Dr Chumkee Aziz is a first generation Bangladeshi-American and native Houstonian. She is a board-certified shelter medicine veterinary specialist and currently works for the University of California, Davis' Koret Shelter Medicine Program as a pro-bono shelter consultant. She volunteers with Houston's Street Dog Coalition chapter and supports underserved, Houston-based students who want to obtain post-secondary education training. She is an avid birder, likes to go camping, and loves movies.

Tama Lundquist and Tena Lundquist Faust are twin sisters and Co-Presidents of Houston PetSet. They have been working to elevate animal welfare in Houston since 2007 when they joined Houston PetSet's board, and have grown the small local fundraising organization into the powerhouse that it is today. In 2023 they produced and starred in For The Animals, A Documentary, bringing to light the immense toll of Houston's homeless animal crisis. They join Lisa to talk about Houston PetSet's past, present and future as we celebrate 20 years. #ForTheAnimals

Trish McMillan is a certified professional dog trainer, certified dog behavior consultant and associate certified cat behavior consultant who holds a Master’s degree in Animal Behavior from the University of Exeter in England. Trish has a wide variety of experience in the animal behavior world, including seven years with the ASPCA where she helped assess and rehabilitate animals from cruelty, hoarding, and dogfighting cases, as well as pets rescued from natural disasters. Trish has a private behavior consulting company, and she founded Shelter Behavior Hub to be a behavior resource for animal shelter professionals. Join her and Lisa as they talk about addressing the animal welfare crisis and behavioral euthanasia.

Wild Tunes is a music therapy program for shelter animals started by Yuvi Agarwal, a 10-year-old animal and music lover. Each week, Yuvi goes to local shelters in Houston to play the keyboard for the animals in their care. Yuvi and his mom Priyanka are hoping to spread this local program across the country so that musicians can enrich the lives of shelter pets everywhere.

Part 4 Media Relations Laura Pennino has more than 40 years of experience as a writer, editor and public relations specialist who leverages her “Big Agency experience” and personalized approaches to support clients and media all over the world. Laura and her family have been rescuing and rehoming racehorses, dogs, cats, and goats for decades. Since August of 2020, she has fostered more than 50 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens and helped to place them for adoption with reputable rescue organizations. This is the final installment of a four-part series to help animal welfare organizations put their best foot forward. Tune in! http://www.penninoandpartners.com/

Cory Stottlemyer is a Deputy Shelter Director at BARC, overseeing the Outreach, Customer Service, and Registration teams. He also serves as the Director of Communications for the department of which BARC is a division, Administration and Regulatory Affairs. Cory began his career as a local newspaper reporter, covering the Fort Bend County area, before transitioning to municipal government, with a focus on crisis communications. Before joining the team at ARA, he served as the Public Information Officer for both the City of Houston’s Office of Emergency Management and Municipal Courts Departments. A newer team member at BARC, Cory has one foster fail dog from the shelter, in addition to two other dogs and a cat at home.

Sadhvi Siddhali Shree is the first North American female Jain monk, a US Army Iraq war combat veteran, a TEDx speaker, FORBES council member, activist, and an award-winning filmmaker. Sadhvi Anubhuti is an accomplished Jain monk, filmmaker, speaker, and activist who advocates for non-violence and human and animal rights. She is the Director of Operations of Siddhayatan Tirth and holds a BBA in Marketing and a Minor in French from the University of Houston. Determined to bring about positive change and to help humans and animals who have suffered, Sadhvi Siddhali Shree directed and produced two award-winning documentaries: Stopping Traffic: The Movement to End Sex Trafficking and Surviving Sex Trafficking, and co-directed and produced For the Animals: a Documentary, which raises awareness about the stray animal and overpopulation crisis in the United States by focusing on the city of Houston. Sadhvi Anubhuti also worked on the two sex trafficking documentaries and made her co-directorial debut on For the Animals, which aims to relieve the pain and suffering of animals. Her inspiring mission has been recognized by major media outlets, including Forbes Mexico and Univision.

Crisis Communications Laura Pennino has more than 40 years of experience as a writer, editor and public relations specialist who leverages her “Big Agency experience” and personalized approaches to support clients and media all over the world. Laura and her family have been rescuing and rehoming racehorses, dogs, cats, and goats for decades. Since August of 2020, she has fostered more than 50 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens and helped to place them for adoption with reputable rescue organizations. Laura and Lisa will be presenting a multi-part series to help animal welfare organizations put their best foot forward. Tune in!

Laura Pennino has more than 40 years of experience as a writer, editor and public relations specialist who leverages her “Big Agency experience” and personalized approaches to support clients and media all over the world. Laura and her family have been rescuing and rehoming racehorses, dogs, cats, and goats for decades. Since August of 2020, she has fostered more than 50 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens and helped to place them for adoption with reputable rescue organizations. Laura and Lisa will be presenting a multi-part series to help animal welfare organizations put their best foot forward. Tune in!

Laura Pennino has more than 40 years of experience as a writer, editor and public relations specialist who leverages her “Big Agency experience” and personalized approaches to support clients and media all over the world. Laura and her family have been rescuing and rehoming racehorses, dogs, cats, and goats for decades. Since August of 2020, she has fostered more than 50 dogs, cats, puppies and kittens and helped to place them for adoption with reputable rescue organizations. Laura and Lisa will be presenting a multi-part series to help animal welfare organizations put their best foot forward. Tune in! Would it be possible to drop our watermark (attached) into an unobtrusive corner of the video for the duration?

Special Guest Amanda Hanna DVM joins us on Conversations for the animals.

Shelby Bobosky is the Executive Director at the Texas Humane Legislation Network. She and her incredible team have been hard at work during the 88th Texas Legislative Session in Austin. There are several important animal welfare bills they are working to pass, and others they are working very hard to stop. Tune in as Shelby and Lisa review the most important bills being discussed right now, and learn how you can make an impact for Texas animals.

Mary Tipton is the cofounder of K-9 Angels Rescue. They have helped rehome over 12,000 shelter animals since 2011, through adoptions and transport. She was the first rescue to be allowed to pull from the Harris County Shelter in 2011, when they still had to pay to save animals. Mary also helped create The Empty Shelter Project in 2016. TESP goes into underserved communities to vaccinate, microchip and alter owned animals for free. Since their inception, they have altered more than 11,000 animals, reducing the breeding population by significant numbers and saving tax payers millions of dollars that would have been spent on housing, feeding and caring for homeless shelter animals. In her lifetime, she hopes to see Houston's shelters completely empty of unwanted dogs and cats. Join Mary and Lisa as they talk about the vital work these organizations are doing to meet this goal.