In this episode, I chat with Allen Frye about his service dog Max. Max, a gorgeous German Shepherd, was trained by Allen to assist with his mobility after he experienced a serious spinal cord injury in 2018. We hear about Allen’s accident, his road to recovery, and how Max has been a constant source of love and support. We talk about the benefits to having a service dog that go beyond the tasks they are trained to do and why general obedience is the key to having a solid service dog like Max.

Resources:

VA Adaptive Sports and Arts, Grant Program

AlaskaMan Extreme Triathlon 2017

Guest info

Instagram: @onlyslightlyquadriplegic

Contact us

Podcast Instagram and TikTok: @animalsoulmatespod

Podcast email: animalsoulmatespod@outlook.com

Credits

Host & Executive Producer: Dr. Abbie Viscardi

Production Team: Citizens of Sound, https://www.citizensofsound.com/

In this episode, I continue my chat with Shannon Kiley, a professional dog trainer, who discussed her experience in search and rescue work with her dogs in Ep 16. This week, Shannon shares Reckon’s story. Reckon, a black and tan Doberman, came from a line of successful search and rescue dogs. Instead of following in his family’s footsteps, Reckon entered into the world of musical freestyle, which eventually led him to be featured on Season 13 of America’s Got Talent. While an untimely injury caused his AGT career to be cut short, Reckon stole the hearts of many with his winning smile and joyful demeanor. Privately, Reckon also got Shannon through the immense grief of losing her Dad, once again demonstrating the power and multifaceted nature of the human-animal bond.

Resources: Content warning: this episode includes discussions of pet loss, which may be difficult for some listeners.

ASPCA National Pet Loss Hotline (24 hour support): 1-877-474-3310

Watch Shannon and Reckon on America’s Got Talent here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEvAqP6HpoE

Guest info

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sardobe

Website: www.dobiedetectives.com

Instagram: @shannonandreckonthesequel

Contact us

Podcast Instagram and TikTok: @animalsoulmatespod

Podcast email: animalsoulmatespod@outlook.com

Credits

Host & Executive Producer: Dr. Abbie Viscardi

Production Team: Citizens of Sound, https://www.citizensofsound.com/

In this episode, I chat with Shannon Kiley, a professional dog trainer who was involved in search and rescue work with her dogs for 18 years. Her incredible Dobermans Soleil, Dagger, Never, and Savor, were specialized in human remains detection; we hear about what it takes to train a cadaver dog, why a “one size fits all” approach is not ideal, and we discuss some of the cases that her dogs participated in during the course of their careers. Finally, we chat about the connection Shannon shares with her dobies and her undying love for the breed.

Resources: Content warning: this episode includes discussion of crimes involving death, which may be difficult for some listeners

Guest info

YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sardobe

Website: www.dobiedetectives.com

Instagram: @shannonandreckonthesequel

Contact us

Podcast Instagram and TikTok: @animalsoulmatespod

Podcast email: animalsoulmatespod@outlook.com

Credits

Host & Executive Producer: Dr. Abbie Viscardi

Production Team: Citizens of Sound, https://www.citizensofsound.com/

In this very special bonus episode, I am joined by my significant other, Brandon Reid, and we share the story of Romeo. Romeo, the absolute sweetest pittie boy, was the first dog we ever adopted together. While his time with us was short due to an undiagnosed medical condition, he taught us so much about love and resiliency. I am forever grateful for this boy and hope Romeo’s story will inspire others to take a chance on the underdog and to love your animals intensely, because you never know which day will be their last.

Resources:

ASPCA National Pet Loss Hotline (24 hour support): 1-877-474-3310

Contact us

Podcast Instagram and TikTok: @animalsoulmatespod

Podcast email: animalsoulmatespod@outlook.com

Credits

Host & Executive Producer: Dr. Abbie Viscardi

Production Team: Citizens of Sound, https://www.citizensofsound.com/

In this bonus episode, I chat again with Krystal Hise, a pet portrait artist and our guest featured in Ep 11, about reactivity in dogs. We talk about what this behaviour looks like in Frank and Freya and share our experiences working through reactive behaviour in our pups. We are honest about the challenges associated with having a reactive dog and discuss the many ways we advocate for them. If you are struggling with reactive behaviour in your dog, I hope you find this conversation helpful. There are a ton of resources available. Also, trazodone.

Resources:

Victoria Stilwell, positive reinforcement dog trainer: https://positively.com/

Helpful reactivity resources from Krystal’s blog: https://krystalhise.com/blog-archive/freyas-recommended-resources

Dr. Amy Cook, “The Play Way”: http://playwaydogs.com/classes/

• Management for Reactive Dogs class recommended by Krystal

Guest Info

Instagram: @krystalhiseportraits

Website: https://krystalhise.com/

Contact us

Podcast Instagram and TikTok: @animalsoulmatespod

Podcast email: animalsoulmatespod@outlook.com

Credits

Host & Executive Producer: Dr. Abbie Viscardi

Production Team: Citizens of Sound, https://www.citizensofsound.com/

In this bonus episode, I chat again with Dr. Karen Fine, a holistic veterinarian and our guest featured in Ep 10, about the issues with puppy mills and how you can avoid them. We talk about some red flags to look out for and how to make sure you are purchasing a puppy from an ethical breeder. With an estimated 7,000 puppy mills currently operating in the United States, this is such an important topic that Dr. Fine and I barely scratched the surface of.

Resources:

Animal adoption through petfinder: https://www.petfinder.com/

Stopping Puppy Mills (article by the Humane Society of the US): https://www.humanesociety.org/all-our-fights/stopping-puppy-mills

7 Ways to Find a Responsible Dog Breeder (article discussed in the episode outro): https://www.dailypaws.com/living-with-pets/pet-compatibility/how-to-find-a-responsible-dog-breeder

Link to purchase Rory Kress’s book on Amazon: The Doggie in the Window

Link to purchase Dr. Karen Fine’s book on Amazon: The Other Family Doctor

Guest Info

Instagram: @karenfinedvm

Website: https://karenfinedvm.com/ (check out Resources for information relevant to today’s discussion)

Contact us

Podcast Instagram and TikTok: @animalsoulmatespod

Podcast email: animalsoulmatespod@outlook.com

Credits

Host & Executive Producer: Dr. Abbie Viscardi

Production Team: Citizens of Sound, https://www.citizensofsound.com/

In this episode, I chat with Eamon O’Reilly, a Sergeant at the Washington County Oregon Sheriff’s Office, about his K9 partner Radar. Radar, a very handsome 9-year old malinois, has been working with Sgt O’Reilly in patrol and specializes in suspect tracking and apprehension, as well as building clearance. We chat about how Sgt O’Reilly started with the K9 unit, what is involved with training a police dog, and what it’s been like having Radar as a partner during his career. We explore the difference in bond with a working dog vs. a companion dog and discuss how dogs purpose-bred for police work may not be well-suited to life as a family pet. Of course, we also chat about Radar’s Instagram fame and his cast-iron stomach!

Links:

Follow @deputy_dog_radar on Instagram!

Contact us

Podcast Instagram and TikTok: @animalsoulmatespod

Podcast email: animalsoulmatespod@outlook.com

Credits

Host & Executive Producer: Dr. Abbie Viscardi

Production Team: Citizens of Sound, https://www.citizensofsound.com/

In this episode, I chat with Krystal Hise about the love of her life, Freya. Freya is a beautiful, water-obsessed lab mix, who loves a good sniff-walk. Recently, she went through a cancer diagnosis, which required major surgery and six rounds of chemo to treat. We hear about how Krystal and her husband, Trevor, handled this news and how they’ve intentionally kept Freya front and center in every decision they’ve had to make along the way. Outside of being a devoted dog mom, Krystal is a pet portrait artist who also runs a blog, featuring entries that chronicle Freya’s cancer journey and describe what it means to have a Heart Dog. We chat about how Krystal honours this beautiful bond with her Heart Dog, and how Freya continues to inspire every part of Krystal’s life.

Links:

ASPCA National Pet Loss Hotline (24 hour support): 1-877-474-3310

Shelter Dog Breed Identification paper

• Gunter LM, Barber RT, and Wynne CDL. 2018. A canine identity crisis: Genetic breed heritage testing of shelter dogs. PLoS ONE 13(8): e0202633. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0202633.

Link to purchase Krystal’s book on Amazon: Heart Dog Guided Journal

These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)

• Michael Bublé: Apple Music & YouTube
• Seth MacFarlane: Apple Music & YouTube

Guest Info:

Instagram: @krystalhiseportraits

Website: https://krystalhise.com/

Contact us:

Podcast Instagram and TikTok: @animalsoulmatespod

Podcast email: animalsoulmatespod@outlook.com

Credits:

Host & Executive Producer: Dr. Abbie Viscardi

Production Team: Citizens of Sound, https://www.citizensofsound.com/