Hal Abrams and Judy Francis,

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All spelling has mostly been left as 'Aussie English' :-)
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Read 'Letters' 2007 here

December 2006

G’day from Down-under…

Our lawmakers – just like yours – tell us local laws are enacted to try and keep ‘bad people’ good. Ok, that’s an oversimplification of course but think about it.

If you are told – all dogs need to be on leash on the streets and other public places because (a) it’s safer for them and (b) it’s safer for the people too, then ‘thinking’ people would probably say “Ok… I don’t mind that, as long as there is somewhere convenient for me to take my dog and let it run around ‘off-leash’ ”.

Likewise, if you are told ‘pick up after your dog because 'the rain washes the doggy doo into our streams and rivers and kills wildlife, causes pollution and sickness’… then again this is a pretty good reason to pick up right? Of course having convenient trash disposal points help because it means you don’t have to carry a warm, smelly steaming mess around in a plastic bag for everyone to see!

So is the threat of a fine (usually only a few bucks to a few hundred) going to persuade YOU to do the right thing?

Absolutely not because YOU and we pretty well know what is right and what is wrong.
Why? It’s a little thing that Animal Radio and Pet Talk Radio listeners probably all have… it’s called ‘common sense’.

Sadly there seems to be an ever decreasing lack of common sense these days which in turn means there are more and more laws being brought in to control the ‘bad people’.

In fact – very few ‘free form’ canine or feline activities are allowed these days. And to make things worse, some local councils (city halls) only want us to have no more than two pets… of any kind!

So thanks must go not only to a very vocal group of people in our community whose long term goal is that nobody should ‘own’ a pet, and also to those ‘bad’ people we mentioned before who clearly have no ‘common sense’.

We don’t have the answer to our ever diminishing rights as pet owners, but thought this reminder was timely for those of us who love our pets as children – especially at Christmas time.

Anyway on a happier note, we want to assure you that Christmas in Australia is celebrated with just as much family fun as it is in the USA even though it’s a little warmer here at this time of the year – most Aussies have a BBQ or go to the beach after lunch to cool off and try out all the fun water toys that Santa usually brings.

This year Kaye & I are taking my son and daughter (who actually lives in LA) to Cairns in far north Queensland for a tropical Christmas.

Meantime though we’d like to wish you all a very happy and spiritual Christmas and a safe holiday season and best of all a successful New Year. Our thanks to Hal & Judy from Animal Radio for allowing us to share our thoughts with you each month.

Hugs for your pets from Brian & Kaye and the Pet Talk Radio! team.

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G'day from downunder to all Animal Radio listeners...

You know - doing our show for the past 4 years has really helped us learn and appreciate the whole world of animals a lot more... not just dogs and cats but a whole range of species.

In fact many of these animals reside in our own backyard.

That's right - we now have our own 'backyard safari' whenever we want... and guess what?... it's been there all along.

Our reptile guy (herpetologist) Mark Richmond has been one of the people to help us 'see' what has always been there. Mark reckons there are more species of reptiles and amphibians in the average Aussie backyard than there are in the whole of the British Isles!

We've had other guests and co-hosts do the same thing - open our eyes to the wonderful variety of animals we can observe that we don't have to travel to Africa to see... that we don't have to visit a zoo to see because there are only 15 of something left in the world

We have a pair of nesting Blue Herons in a large tree next door. Apart from the fact these are coastal birds and we're about 30 miles from the coast, these birds are about the size of a Turkey and they've built their large nest, had their chicks and now the 'fun' begins.

The Herons on the other hand is determined to stay - nature dictates it MUST have chicks and rear them successfully for the Heron family line to continue. So right now we have a mini 'war' being waged high up in the trees.

What can we do?... Absolutely nothing - and nor should we. This is nature at its most basic but also its finest. And guess what - we can watch it anytime we want right in our own backyard.

And that's the whole point of this little story - if you take the time to look, learn and find out more about the world of animals, you'll find just like we are, that this simple task will lead you on a fascinating world of discovery that will help you understand yourself, and your own pets better.

Oh and don't forget to listen to Animal Radio and Pet Talk Radio - your continuos resource on everything to do with animals!

We'll keep you posted on our beautiful Herons :-))

Take care and hugs for your pets - Brian & Kaye

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October 2006

G'day from Downunder... Sydney NSW to be precise.

Did you know October 4 is World Animal Day? - there's a number of great websites with more information for you, but we found this:
www.worldanimalday.org.uk

Basically - the whole idea is to celebrate animal life in all its forms and our relationship with animals.
It's also to acknowledge the diverse roles that animals play in our lives – from providing food, through being our companions, to supporting and helping us, to bringing a sense of wonder into our lives and to acknowledge and be thankful for the way in which animals enrich our lives.

We have to admit those worthy phrases come straight off the World Animal Day website, but what do they really mean to the average pet owner?

In Australia right now there is great debate over whether immigration visas should only be given to those people who can speak our language and have an understanding of our culture. On the back of that we thought we'd start a test of our own for pet owners... We're going to call it 'The Great Aussie Pet Test'!

The idea is that on October 4 this year - and we hope every year - all pet owners do a test that not only helps them understand more about animals, but also helps them learn about stuff they maybe didn't know... 'Like how do Turtles breathe?' or 'Is it better to let dogs & cats have a litter before spaying or neutering? (answers below)

The idea of the Great Aussie Pet Test is that everyone's a winner! Why?, because no matter if you answer correctly or incorrectly, pet owners get to learn a lot more about their own animals, and about some of the other animals in our environment.

So while the official 'World Animal Day' is a great global concept, we think acting locally - starting with Pet Talk Radio! listeners, is another proactive way of helping people celebrate animals.

Ok, something completely different - and it looks like the temperatures are cooling in your part of the world right now heading into fall but here in Australia it's the opposite! - But it's never too late to have a pet disaster plan, and after recent years and the horrendous fires we've had, we're starting to get people to plan for that emergency that may just strike when we least expect.

Fires, floods, hurricanes and even terrorism are now all part of everyday life all over the world - most authorities find animals to be a real problem in emergencies for many legitimate reasons, so it's never too late to plan what you are going to do if (when?) disaster strikes.

There are plenty of good websites out there and no doubt some great books - best of all, check with your local city hall, fire department or emergency services for what they suggest you do in your particular area... Or give the local SPCA a call.

Finally (and we promise we'll bring back the fun next month!) - have you included your pets in your will?... If you have an accident, who will look after them?

We bring you this reminder in honour of 'WildLife Warrior' Steve Irwin who made darn sure his legacy of caring conservation for all animals will be carried on for many generations to come....

Something to think about eh?

Until next month, take care and hugs for your pets from Brian & Kaye

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOVE:
Turtles breathe through their 'Cloaca' (basically their bum!) And ALL domestic animals should be spayed or neutered BEFORE their first 'heat'. This helps prevent accidental litters and many problems later in life such as ovarian cancer in females etc. Ask your veterinarian for more information or listen to Animal Radio Network or Pet Talk Radio - (preferably both!!)

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SEPTEMBER 2006

G'day to all Animal Radio listeners from down-under...

Ahhhhh - spring has sprung! - well in our neck of the woods anyway! And that means all the critters are starting to come out of hibernation seeking warmth, food and usually a mate!

Now we don't want to put you off visiting our little piece of paradise here in the balmy South Pacific, but one of the sad consequences of spring in Australia is that it's also called 'snake season' - that's right, September / October are officially the months we report more snake bites than at any other time of the year.

And already we've had one dog killed in inner city Melbourne, our southern most capital city. Apparently it was a Tiger Snake - and as you can imagine, it all happened so fast.

One of our listeners has a dog called Ruby, a little Mini Schnauzer and she was out on her usual morning walk in a local leash free area. Ruby spotted some movement near a hedge and went - as all dogs do - to investigate.

Wham! - poor Ruby would not have known what hit her and died within a very short time - Of course Ruby's owner is devastated having only had her for about 18 months.

We tend to forget here in Australia that we have snakes living among us... we usually don't see them although more than 6,000 dogs are reported as being bitten each year.

We also have more than our share of paralysis ticks, poisonous spiders, poisonous stingers, poisonous plants and heat so hot it kills hundreds of pets every summer.
And just this week we had a Pet Talk Radio listener complaining that there were no 'UNSAFE FOR PETS' labels on a brand of 'weed and feed'.

We told her that warnings on cigarette packets don't stop people smoking - like most labels they just stop companies getting sued!

But 'living dangerously' does not have to mean living scared. All pet owners - no matter where they live - have environmental obstacles to overcome, and as long as we all know what our local problems are, most pets - and people - will survive quite nicely. Of course the same goes for any holiday trips to a new area - do your research first.

But our thoughts go out to Ruby and her devastated mom - and even if our story helps save just one dog this year, it's been worth telling.

Ok - something a little different - is your dog (or cat) fat?... you know, overweight...or O B E S E ? Maybe it's time for some LIPOSUCTION!

A groundbreaking new procedure has just been done here in Australia using liposuction - and while it may not be the cheapest way for our pets to lose weight in a hurry, it certainly is the best way to remove what are called 'fatty tumours - a form of cancer.

We interviewed Dr Geraldine Hunt from the NSW University's Veterinary Science Faculty who has just performed this groundbreaking surgery on Patch, a 12-year-old kelpie cross.

Dr Hunt took out about two kilograms of fat or 10 per cent of his body weight during the hour long operation. The fatty tumours were slowly crippling Patch to the point where he would soon need radical surgery. And with most conventional surgery recovery can be anything from a few days to a few weeks. Not this time.... the result? - Patch was up and jumping around the very next day.

What a great result thanks to a procedure developed for humans, and of course we shouldn't forget the highly trained veterinary surgeons willing to 'have a go'.

Oh - and the best way to lose weight fast? - Forget liposuction... have you ever heard of
'E X C E R C I S E'?

Until next time, take care and hugs for your pets
Brian & Kaye

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AUGUST 2006

G'day America....

Is it just our imagination or do we have a 'niche' following from the USA? - Our website statistics reveal we have a lot of continental US visitors mixed in with Aussies of course..

Maybe it's the fake Aussie accents, or maybe - as we suspect, people are interested in how our two countries deal with animals, anyway you guys have more than 10 times the number of people and pets as we do!

After the great interview we had with Hal & Judy, (right click to download) a lot of our listeners told us they tuned in to www.AnimalRadio.com - this is great news because it means we can share knowledge, pick up tips and hints from each other, as well as discover that 'we are not alone' in our fight for better safety with kids and dogs. We also want more spaying & neutering (we call it desexing) and just like you want to help keep thousands of animals out of our shelters and pounds.

Only last week we had two e-mails from the USA asking how we got figures for the number of animals euthanased each year here in Australia. The same writers wanted to know if we would like to join forces and somehow get an international front going to stop Puppy Mills - we call them BackYard Breeders - but the fight is the same.

And it seems our dog trainers want to know what your dog trainers are doing and vice versa.

Well known pet dog trainer Terry Ryan from Washington - who runs the Legacy Canine Behavior & Training Centre - www.legacycanine.com was here in Sydney on a 3 day speaking seminar teaching experienced trainers how to be better trainers. Putting the glove on the other hand, our co-host and internationally renown animal trainer Steve Austin has been invited to California next year to talk to about 400 of LA's finest about handling dogs!

As different as we are, we have a lot to offer each other too... and we think the internet particularly has had a lot to do with how that information is now shared.
So to our US listeners we say "welcome" - or more correctly 'G'day', and hope you enjoy both Pet Talk Radio AND Animal Radio... 'cos you can't have too much of a good thing right?

Another topic completely - we recieved a photo from an elderly listener last week of a very cute dog (Bandit) and a fluffy cat (Tina) snuggled up on a mans lap - the subject line was "We Love Our Dad" - it put a smile on our faces... but upon reading the e-mail tears soon welled - 4 roaming dogs had broken down the fence of the owners yard and attacked Bandit & Tina - Tina was saved but poor little Bandit was savaged to death....

Naturally the owner was devastated and wanted to know how could this happen - how can we teach owners to have more control over their dogs? - and we had to say... "you can teach an old dog new tricks, but teaching humans starts in childhood".

To that end Pet Talk Radio hopes to soon be working closely with one of our state governments to help promote pet care, security and safety around dogs. The program is designed to be conducted in schools for the 5-7 year age bracket and will eventually become part of the school system. It will show how pets enrich our everyday lives and will also show how not everyone loves animals like the rest of us. It may not solve all our pet related problems but it's a darn good start! - We'd like to know what is happening in your neck of the woods on this topic...

Meantime we'll have more news on this soon - until then, take care and hugs for your pets - whatever they may be :-))

Cheers
Brian & Kaye

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JULY 2006

G'day from chilly Australia!....

Yep it's winter here.... and there's a drought.... (worst in our history!) and just as our southern pets are rugged up or lying in front of warm fires, we had an e-mail from a listener in Darwin... that's about as far north as we go here in an area called the Northern Territory... (Uluru, Kakadu etc)

The writer was worried about her two Alaskan Malamutes getting too hot!! - CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? - In our southern states which are the coldest areas here, some people run Huskies and Malamutes in the forest when the temperature dips below 15degs Celsius (59 F) but Darwin??... IT'S ALWAYS HOT UP THERE!

It hardly ever drops below 20degrees Celsius (68F) and that's overnight - daily temps during winter are around 30degrees!.....(86F) with summer reaching up to 50Celsius (122F) - so we asked ourselves "why do people have pets - dogs in particular - in inappropriate climates?"... and is Darwin or any perennially warm location an appropriate place to have Huskies and Malamutes and the like? The writer's other dog is a Spitz - another 'cool country' dog.

We offered some advice including those new 'cooling vests' you can buy and of course reminded her that dogs really require a LOT of hydration before, during and after exercise - or even when temperatures are warmer than normal - for these particular dogs we imagine that must be most of the time!

We happen to know this person loves her dogs 100% but gets moved around with her work quite a bit so maybe she has very little say where she goes - so the next point of all this of course is 'if we had a child with asthma, could we ask never to be moved to Sydney for instance - the asthma capital of the country?'

And if we can do it for our kids and ourselves, why can't we do it for our pets?

These days a whole new set of challenges await pet owners and lawmakers alike. If animals now effectively have 'rights', then surely we should be able to say on their behalf "I have a certain breed of dog (or cat or bird etc) and don't want to be moved anywhere that's too warm (or cold or whatever)."

Sadly there are people 'out there' who don't want us to have pets at all. Despite all the medical evidence that pets are good for our health, some cities, towns and their respective lawmakers, don't even like animals and try and bring in laws to limit or stop completely our freedom to enjoy being with our animals almost anywhere - anytime.

But while a lot of that activity goes un-noticed on a daily basis (we'll watch it for you!) - something that does happen daily is the smile on a child's face seeing their first puppy or kitten.

Brian's young granddaughter Lisa-Maree just got two rescue Papillion's. TWO!!! - She lives in another state so we hurriedly joined her up to our national tag and photo ID service Dog-E-Data. I also sent her some information on microchipping, spaying and neutering, diet etc plus, we also sent her a DVD of Clicker Puppy, produced by Doggone Crazy in Canada and endorsed by well known trainer Karen Pryor, just to kick start her on the basics of training.

We figure anyone who gets two rescue dogs from the pound who has never had any experience is gonna need all the help they can get!... and the last thing we want is to see those dogs back in the shelter.... Darn, we really wish their mom had asked us first.... we would have suggested a Guinea Pig, a mouse or even goldfish to start with!

So remember - if the kids are hankering at you to get a pet, please... "DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST!" - then we might have a few less abandoned and surrendered animals in our animal shelters next year after the novelty wears off.

Meantime - we'll keep you posted with young Lisa-Maree's progress.
Hugs for your pets whatever they may be and hope you continue to enjoy the Animal Radio Network...

Brian & Kaye
THE PET TALK RADIO TEAM
Australia

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JUNE 2006

G'day from down-under to all Animal Radio Network listeners and readers of this newsletter! This month we're looking at 'Faithful Dogs or Just Neurotic?'

For 14 days during April/May, Australians have been captivated by the compelling story of survival and ultimate escape of miners Todd Russell and Brant Webb from their 'tomb' 920metres (??feet) underground in a gold mine in Beaconsfield Tasmania. (That's that tiny island at the bottom of the big lump of dirt to the north we call home!)

By day 11, a side-bar story emerged that intrigued we animal lovers even more - it was about a Labrador named Harley.

According to the local people Harley’s been keeping a vigil for his missing master Todd Russell… visiting the mine gates every day since Russell left for work on April 25 and didn’t return.
Journalists and cameramen apparently tried initially to shoo Harley away believing him to be a stray - but locals have been touched by his habit of turning up at the mine and pet lovers will understand why.

As the world now knows - the two miners were freed after a harrowing 14 days (and you guys in the US will see and hear their story through ABC's Diane Sawyer soon)
But this got us thinking about dogs and loyalty - are dogs really loyal or just neurotic? - Lassie is certainly loyal and Grayfriars Bobby - http://www.greyfriarsbobby.co.uk -that classic story of a dog who stood watch over his masters grave for 14 years is truly amazing.

But animal trainer and co-host of Pet Talk Radio! Steve Austin believes what a lot of us see as loyalty is really just dogs being neurotic - they can't stand to be parted from us. They cry or bark when we leave the house, they scratch to get in or escape the yard completely in search of their lost 'masters'

Perhaps one of the reasons dogs have become neurotic of course is that we often put too many 'human values' on to our pets - it's called anthropomorphism - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropomorphism - especially when it comes to dogs, because we think this will make them love us even more... but in fact the opposite is true.

Dogs need strong leaders. They like to know that someone is the alpha dog - that's YOU!
Homo Sapiens (man) and canids (dogs) have a unique contract going back thousands of years - early man needed someone to clean up his neanderthal campsites from Bison, feral pigs, birds etc that man caught to eat...

Dogs (more likely wolves and jackals then) liked the variety of animals man was capable of capturing and killing for food and in return acted as his guard against predators - both man and beast!

Both enjoyed each others warmth and company and over time, this bond became normal as dogs slowly became 'domesticated' and we humans accepted them - in fact wanted them to be with us as 'faithful' companions.

Ok - so that's not a particularly scientific version of events, but it does remind us all where this relationship with our animals started and how it evolved...
Dogs today are under a lot of pressure from we humans to the point where they are probably on the verge of being 'over-domesticated'. Or should that be 'over-indulged'!

We buy them bling collars and expensive designer jackets. We have them coiffed and groomed to within an inch of their lives and feed them all kinds of overpriced food designed by so called 'scientists!' We expect them to do things OUR way then euthanise them when they do the wrong thing according to our rules.

We can read their minds through animal communicators, treat them with acupuncture and Chinese Herbal medicines, and blonde wannabe starlets carry them around in Louis Viton handbags as fashion accessories. (Watch this space when we ask some of those people in a few years time "and do you still have your dog?")

So back to the point - is your dog really faithful or is it just a bit neurotic? Have a good look at your dog next time it 'plays up'... when it barks inappropriately, or cries or as ours sometimes do 'howl' when you leave the house. Think about what YOU might be doing to cause these problems.. after all, our dogs are just doing what we 'tell them' to do or allow them to do (or get away with!!).

And if we don't have strict guidelines for our pets - strong rules from strong leaders - then that crying dog is definitely not faithful... just neurotic.

But don't give up - help is always at hand with the experts on Animal Radio and of course Pet Talk Radio!.... and if it's any consolation, we actually have a neurotic dog ourselves - Cosmo, the 12year old miniature Apricot Poodle - he's one of four dogs we have but our 'first born' so we made all the mistakes on him.

Cosmo is still work in progress but getting better every day. See... you can teach old dogs new tricks, we're learning from our own radio show every week!!

Take care,
Brian & Kaye

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MAY 2006

G’day from down-under to all Animal Radio Network listeners….

Winter has just started to kick in here with temps going from t-shirt, shorts and iced drinks to sweaters and jeans plus our famous ‘ugg boots’ (and a little something special in the coffee perhaps!)

Now is the time here in Australia that we really start to see the pet fashion brigade start to spend up big. We listened with great interest to your San Diego Pet Expo shows and in fact did a segment ourselves on this very expo. PTR#169 - Pet Prams + Pooper Scoopers at the 2006 Int'nl Pet Expo - we even poked a little light hearted fun at "those crazy Americans!!"

We are always amazed at how many Aussies now buy ‘designer jackets’ for their pets for winter… it’s pretty cool really – we’re not against it at all – but the only question we have is “why do people spend so much on designer jackets and absolutely nothing on training?”

Dogs – in fact pretty well most domesticated animals – should be in our society on our terms. Of course this is not how it is in most pet households.

The point here is that training a dog does not start and end at puppy classes. Just because your dog will come (most times) sit and stay does not mean it is ‘trained’… it may be ‘in-training’ but it is not trained. Training is a life long activity for you and your pet!

Training includes being socialized with other dogs, people, machines, noises etc and also understanding that meeting someone new doesn’t mean you can lick and slobber and jump all over them (like ours have just done to the editor of a national magazine here called Dogs Life who just paid us a visit!)

Training can also mean knowing when to eliminate (wee and poo) on command.

In fact this is one of the most useful commands for many dogs and is used in military, police and other service areas. It can also be used to good effect when walking your dog past 3 blocks of neighbours houses to the park NOT to drop one outside Mrs Jones’ house for the 3rd time this week!

People say “my dog comes when I call… mostly”!!... but it’s that 1 or 2% of NOT coming when called that could spell the end of your dog or cat for that matter or result in something – say a fight – that could end up badly for all concerned.

Cats (rabbits, birds etc) can all be trained just as well as dogs – it’s a little harder but our featured co-host animal trainer Steve Austin has already done it with his cat Pie.

This cat walks on a dog’s back, sits – drops and stays… and even ‘walks the plank between two high chairs.

Steve is now trying to teach it to speak on command. And while our 4 dogs are quietly snoring away at our feet as we write – we can’t help but wonder how much better they might have been had we kept up the training. Hmmmm….

You know…sometimes we humans need a little ‘prodding and pushing’ to do the things we know we ought to be doing….. Writing this training reminder has now prompted us to do what we are telling you to do!

So…c’mon, let’s get up - get out and get training… we’ll all be better for it in the end and you guys in the northern hemisphere have absolutely no excuses now it’s coming into summer (lucky people that you are!!)

Kaye & I hope you and your pets have a great summer and get plenty of chances to listen to Animal Radio and of course Pet Talk Radio!... oh, and don’t forget to tell a pet loving friend or two either.

Take care
Brian & Kaye

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APRIL 2006

Hi to all Animal Radio listeners,

Hey!.... we heard the news that Animal Radio is now available via cell phone WOW!.... the things we can do with technology now. Internet, satellite, terrestrial radio and now cell (we call 'em mobile) phones!!! I'll bet Alexander Graham Bell has a big grin on his face eh?

And have you seen those GPS style tracking devices for dogs?? Cool (until the battery runs out of course!) ... and what about those 'web cams' in some of the fancier 'doggy day-care' centres where you can log on via the internet and check out what Fido or Fifi is up to while you are at work. And did you know about those ultra-sonic devices that help train dogs to stop barking inappropriately... the list goes on and on.

Of course all this technology is great... for those of us who are 'into it'. We use it to communicate with each other about animals, we use it to learn about animals, to save animals and we use it for fun.

But what about all those people who don't have access to all this wonderful technology... those that are not as technically savvy as the rest of us or who may well be smart but don't have the funds to enjoy what the rest of us do? Not people in third world countries - I mean people here in Australia and in the United States, Canada, the UK too!

How can we communicate with them? Because it is this group of people who are most at risk of having a dog that bites or strays or is un-desexed and a potential danger to everyone. Or a cat that kills suburban wildlife.

The sad facts of life - we believe here at Pet Talk Radio - are that we only 'preach to the converted'. And perhaps so are many of the radio and TV shows about animals including Animal Radio (sorry guys!) but it's true... Whilst our respective shows are labours of love and garner pretty good audience figures between us, our listeners eagerly await each week's show because they have the resources to listen using several technologies if standard radio is not available.

So how can we get 'out there' into the community to those people who love animals but just don't know programs and information like ours exists?

Well the good news here in Australia - New South Wales (NSW) to be precise, the state government has initiated a campaign - it goes by the rather dry title of "Dogs In Today's Society". But it's a start.

Pet Talk Radio recorded this seminar (pro-bono) and also made it available on-line - but the seminar / forum is actually designed for local community groups to understand what is available to them in the form of school education programs, magazines, radio shows like ours etc etc.

The good thing is - and the whole point of my story - is that this seminar will actually physically travel to various regional centres on a bi-annual basis to start with, encouraging local community groups to get involved in animal issues and through various programs - some that are currently running and a few new ones - to get into schools and get to the kids BEFORE it's too late. Before they have pets or certainly while they are just starting out in the wonderful world of animals.

Our respective listeners already know all the issues - puppy & kitten farmers, overcrowded shelters, some pet shops, internet, newspaper and market sales of animals, animal cruelty issues, de-sexing - the list is endless.

Most people who have a pet think they are good pet owners, but the facts are a lot of us aren't... which is why shows like Animal Radio and Pet Talk Radio have been running for so long... because as new pet owners discover us , they can't get enough new information... and as long as they keep on learning, then that's all the thanks we need.

So if we are 'preaching to the converted' ... that's ok... just make sure YOU don't keep Animal Radio or Pet Talk Radio or any other valuable animal information resource a secret all to yourself... TELL A FRIEND!... they're sure to thank you for it and so will future generations... because education is the most powerful tool we have available to us all.

Take care
Brian & Kaye
PET TALK RADIO!

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MARCH 2006

G’day from downunder…

You know – the more we look at what’s happening in the US, the more we see we have so much in common when it comes to our animals.

We did a story on Pet Talk Radio! recently (PTR#160) – ‘Pet Rescue To The Rescue’.
Ultimately we hope our listeners were left wondering “why the heck do we need to rescue animals in the first place?”

Our introduction highlighted several listeners who had written in saying how disgusted they were that so many animals are dumped (not surrendered) and that they not only wondered why this was happening but also what was being done about it.

It seems that for some people, dumping an animal is much easier on the conscience than surrendering it to a welfare organization and the ‘face to face shame’ that that experience obviously brings – especially if the ‘surrenderer’ has to fill out a form stating why they are surrendering.

In our on-line forum we’ve also had people saying the RSPCA (like your SPCA in the US) should be shut down because they ‘kill’ animals (euthanize them).

But with limited or no government funding, where do they think all these animals are going to be kept - who is going to feed them - who will attend to their medical needs???
This is why we get so frustrated at the attempts by various animal welfare groups to 'save every animal' - it simply can't be done.

Using just Aussie figures here - can you imagine if we stopped killing unwanted animals (in shelters) tomorrow, what would happen in 12 months time?... In Australia there would be 200,000 animals living in cages somewhere for the rest of their lives... the year after there would be about 400,000 within 5 years a million... see where we’re going?

Of course in the US you could multiply that by at least 20 times or more!

Whilst we don’t want to see ANY animal killed ever – sadly some animals have to be killed because there are not enough people now to take or keep the animals we have already.

But saying all of that won’t change the minds of the average pet owner like you or us – especially if they listen to our show or Hal & Judy on Animal Radio…. but what CAN happen is that YOU take this – and similar messages – to your friends, neighbors AND state & federal governments and get them to see that the only way out of the problem is to educate kids that animals are not disposable items.

We also need to educate them about de-sexing and why backyard breeding or puppy farming is just plain wrong. We also need to educate future pet owners that an animal is a lifelong commitment.

Then and only then might we start to see a way out of what is a national – in fact an international disgrace!

As always we’ll try and leave you on a lighter note…
We had a Japanese film crew come to our home studio last week – all 9 of them!... No-one spoke English and we don’t speak Japanese (except to say Sushi Bar!)…

Somehow through sign language and lots of bowing, we managed to do an interview…. We really can’t figure out if we answered their questions properly or who will translate our answers back in Japan…

But the one thing it did bring home to us is that animals – our 4 dogs in particular – have no problems with language or ethnic background or pre-concieved ideas about people….

They were just happy that there were more than enough new hands willing to pat and offer a cosy lap for a few hours while mom & dad ‘worked’.

Say’s a lot about animals and what they can ultimately teach us doesn’t it?

Take care & hugs for your pets – Brian & Kaye
PET TALK RADIO! - Australia

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FEBRUARY 2006

Hi to all Animal Radio listeners,

Well our summer holiday season here in Australia has come and gone all too fast... we played with our 4 dogs 24/7 for almost 4 weeks - probably too much it seems because now we've returned to the computers and the phones and of course Pet Talk Radio! (starts first week in Feb), we have some very sad faces - it's called 'separation anxiety'.

All dogs - and we guess cats - get this condition when their humans are away from the pack or ignore them.
And to be honest - we have a touch of it ourselves :-((

But we make up for it at 'knock-off time' (does that translate into US?? Ed.)
Whether you have one dog or a dozen, to a canine, a pack is you and them - end of story.

Of course this is not a life threatening condition unless your dog does a 'Houdini' - you know, escapes from your home or yard. We know Hal and Judy have some great tips to overcome separation anxiety so we'll leave it up to them, but the whole situation in our household made us realise how much animals depend on us for everything.

All domesticated animals depend on us for food, water and shelter. As to whether the 'love' we give them and that we receive from them is true love or just our collective imaginations we'll leave up to you to decide, but it did bring home the fact that animals really DO depend 100% on us for their care and that we can't afford to be complacent and 'take them for granted'.

A very quick - but unfortunately sad example for you.

We mentioned last time that New Years day here in Sydney was about 48degs Celsius (120+F) - REAL middle of the Nevada desert hot. Our 4 pack were in the struggling semi air-conditioned house WITH WET TOWELS ON THEM!! (on the lounge watching Animal Planet with us :-))

Our neighbour decided to go out for the day and couldn't decide whether to leave her Staffy (Staffordshire Bull Terrier) in or out of the house.

She made the WRONG choice - with very little shade - a bowl of water that had grown too hot to touch (in a metal bowl!!!) in the horrendous heat her dog died of acute kidney failure - basically heat-stroke.

We were sad for her but very angry at the same time. How could she NOT know that already at 9am it was a heatwave and the forecast was for things to get worse?

The moral of all this?... NEVER assume your dog (or any other pet) will be ok - be like a mother hen with your first born baby - don't take ANY chances. Basically don't take your pets for granted. They really do need us to hold their paws every inch of the way - whether white fluffies, Newfies or something in between.. and don’t forget the cats.. they too need looking after despite their ‘independence’

On another topic - our 'Say No To Backyard Breeders' (Puppy Mills) campaign here has ruffled some feathers...
http://www.saynotobackyardbreeders.com/ stay tuned as we follow up on this in our first shows you get to hear on Animal Radio early Feb.

Take care & hugs for your pets
from Brian & Kaye

Read 'Letters' 2007 here

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Thinking Of Advertising?
An estimated 1,686,000 people aged 15+, or 10% of all Australians aged 15+
listen in an average month to the community radio stations that take Pet Talk Radio!
Source: McNair Ingenuity Research Pty Ltd National Survey 2006

66%* of all those people own a pet...
You could be talking to many of them cost effectively today!
FreeCall 1800 444 364 - Read More
*Source: Companion Animal Council 1995
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