Dog Save The People

Human-animal behavior research and education has grown significantly over the past decade. One person who has stayed on top of these developments has been Zazie Todd, PhD, a psychologist, trainer, behaviorist, and writer. Through her website, Companion Animal Psychology, Zazie has written since 2012 about the ways science can help our animal companions have happier lives through digestible insights that everyone can unders...

Pamela Hornik is an art collector based out of the Bay Area. She is a Founding member of the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco (ICA SF), Board member of Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center, and a Management committee member of Stanford’s Anderson Collection. Pamela and her husband, David Hornik, also regularly supports artists with funding their exhibitions, publishing their books, and more. In recent years, thanks to ...

Lisa Jhung is a freelancer outdoors writer, author, and editor. She writes a regular column about outdoor adventure gear for Outside Magazine and has also written extensively for Runner’s World. Dogs have been a constant in her life through early childhood and now as a mother. One particular way she has always loved to spend time with a dog is being out in nature. Whether running on trails or even going for a morning walk,...

 Tom Turcich is an adventure photographer and author. In his new memoir, The World Walk, he writes about being one of 10 people to ever walk around the globe. His dog and travel buddy, Savannah, was the first to do so. Tom is a former guest of the show and returns to discuss adjusting to life back home in the US after being on the road for almost 7 years and writing a memoir about his worldwide travels.   He also opens up ...

Vanessa Woods is the Director of Duke University’s Puppy Kindergarten program, which studies what qualities are important in becoming a great service dog. The program is funded by the National Institute of Health and works with puppies from Canine Companions, the largest service dog provider in the United States. While this is primarily intended to learn what makes the best service dogs, it has also been informative about ...

PART TWO - One of the most hot-button discussions in Turkey is how street dogs impact everyday citizens. Most people in cities like Istanbul are used to it, with a long tradition of living alongside them. However, in peripheral areas, there is not always as much support. When government municipalities started to push strays from city centers to outside suburban and rural areas, out of their natural environment, there have ...

The Turkish Parliament passed new legislation this summer that aims to remove all stray dogs from the streets by 2028, as these dogs are labeled by the government dangerous and causing harm to humans. This is a significant shift in policy in a country where street dogs have been embedded and accepted into its culture for centuries. Turkish animal welfare groups say in reality there are very few deadly dog attacks, but soci...

Ben Moon is a photographer and filmmaker who has integrated his passion for the outdoors into his work, including as a longtime contributor to Patagonia with climbing and surfing imagery in particular. Dogs have always been part of Ben’s life, but it was after a divorce, living out of a car,  and then a colon cancer diagnosis at 29, that the companionship with his rescue dog Denali, a pit-husky mix, took on a new meaning. ...

Marianne Leone is an actress, screenwriter, essayist, and author. She is well-known for her recurring role in The Sopranos. After her son, Jesse, had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and passed at a young age, Marianne found comfort in dogs. From Goody, who had been Jesse’s best friend, to current dogs of Titi and Sugar, the mix of bichon’s have provided great comfort. Along with her husband, Chris Cooper, they have been...

Jennifer Holland is a longtime writer for National Geographic where she has covered animal behavior, evolutionary biology, natural history, and more. She is also a book author, whose latest work ‘Dog Smart’ looks at the different ways we can re-consider the intelligence of our canine companions. Instead of anthropomorphizing them and evaluating against our own standards, we need to look at them for who they truly are. 

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For centuries, stray dogs in Turkey have lived outside amongst their humans. These strays do not have individual guardians, but are rather taken care of by the community. Last week, at the end of July 2024, Turkey’s parliament passed a new law that aims to get the strays off the streets, which would completely change this longstanding cultural relationship. With this re-issue episode, we wanted to bring back a conversation...

Anastasia Stellato is the Principal Investigator at Texas Tech University’s Human-Animal Interaction Lab, where she studies animal welfare. After becoming more of a dog person in her personal and professional life, Anastasia wanted to understand better why dogs react and behave in certain ways. More importantly, she wanted to figure out how to help them further. Through her research and the One Welfare approach that takes ...

Winnie Au is a photographer who has worked on many dog-related projects over the years. Her most notable project to date is Cone of Shame, with its name taken from the stigma connected to the cone-shape object dogs have to wear after medical procedures. Through her colorful and creative photos, Winnie has aimed to flip that concept around and show that this is actually a beautiful transition into a better life ahead for th...

Alexis Devine has been determined over the past five years to grow the types of communication she has with her dogs. It started with her sheepadoodle, Bunny, who she trained to learn 100+ pre-recorded buttons that helped express feelings, wants, and needs. Today, this has grown to include other techniques like gestural commands or pointing.

Through this process, Alexis has made sure to try to give as much agency to the dog...

EPISODE 5 of our new DOG PARKOLOGY narrative series:
We’ve become disconnected from the natural world around us. However, our dogs – and our dog parks – can help us reconnect to our environment in a more attentive and curious way. When we start to feel a deeper understanding of our place within the larger ecosystem, we can start to care more about protecting it and living symbiotically with all non-human creatures and w...

EPISODE 4 of our new DOG PARKOLOGY narrative series:
Third places like dog parks can help us form ties and cohesion among neighbors. Developing this trust and dependability can foster communities that are more unified, safer, and friendly. It’s also important, however, to ensure that there is equitable access for all neighborhoods to benefit from this foundational support.

Listen to Dog Parkology on Apple Podcasts or Spo...

EPISODE 3 of our new DOG PARKOLOGY narrative series:
Dog parks provide a chance for us to meet strangers we might not otherwise. Through our shared love for our dogs and the inherent trust of meeting another dog parent, we can foster new relationships with those around us. These interactions can allow us to widen our perspectives, increase our sense of empathy for others, and come together in greater unity.

Listen to Dog...

EPISODE 2 of our new DOG PARKOLOGY narrative series:
Guided Play is a learning approach borrowed from child education that may be applied to dogs, too. It involves ongoing observation and interaction to understand the subject's needs and preferences. As dog parents, we should actively pay attention to our dogs at dog parks to ensure optimal engagement. Some dogs may love socializing or only want to play catch with you. ...