The simple idea behind the show is how the selfless act of caring for a dog transforms who we are as people.
This responsibility often awakens in us a greater understanding that all people, all creatures, are connected as one.
It helps us learn to love ourselves, connect with one another, and treat all living beings with empathy and respect.
Amy Shelle is the Founder of Dogs for GRETA, which trains service dogs for survivors of sexual assault diagnosed with PTSD. Usually, civilians have few options for service dog training as it is typically reserved for veterans. As a sexual assault survivor, Amy recognized an unmet need for service dogs for people with similar situations to hers and started her own specialized service dog training program.
Read MoreJenni Williams was moving around with her husband, who was serving in the British Army, and wasn’t able to work when they came to the U.S. on assignment. She wanted to do volunteer work instead, and landed on fostering. It turned out to be one of the most important decisions she ever made. When she later had her daughter, Eve, who has a very rare chromosome condition and epilepsy, Jenni was able to understand how Eve showed love in a nontraditional and nonverbal manner thanks to her canine soulmate, Jess, and the other dogs she had fostered.
Read MoreJake Windell is an LA county firefighter who has a therapy dog, named Echo, who he brought into his fire station to help make a difference in the ongoing mental health crisis of the military, police, and firemen. Through the Peer Support Team that Jake is involved with, they are trying to make actionable changes to address mental health issues. One of the successful efforts so far has been with Echo, where having a dog around provides comfort to the firefighters and allows them to feel more comfortable to talk about how they may be handling job related stress.
Read MoreLizz Whitacre is the Founder and CEO of Pawlytics, a cloud-based software for animal shelters and rescues who want to save more dogs. After pursuing different self-started companies and endeavors over the years within the industry, she is today running Pawlytics (a culmination of all her experience) with the aim of implementing an innovative and modern software system for the animal welfare industry in order to help have the most efficient process in place everywhere to find homes for every dog that needs one. It all started with inspiration from her first dog, Rex, who gave her the fuel for this mission.
Read MoreIsabel Serna is the founder of Black Lamb Studio, a Miami-based design studio. She recently published a book, Dog Mom: A Love Story, that she wrote and illustrated. It was based on her experience with her dog, Charlie, a french bulldog who she got when she was 30 and who completely changed her perspective on being a nurturer and caregiver – even preparing her for eventually becoming a loving and caring Aunt to a recently born niece.
Read MoreHope Dawson is a mother of two kids and a wonderful dog, Coco, who all come together to be a family. After going through a domestic violence situation, Hope was able to go to the People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program in New York City at the Urban Resource Institute (URI), where they were able to stay together. Coco helped Hope, and the kids, during this unsettling time and gave them much-needed support to get through it.
Read MoreDr. Chris Blazina is a licensed psychologist, retired professor, and award-winning author. He has been in practice for nearly 25 years, focusing in particular on men and their depression, anxiety, life transitions, grief & loss, relationship problems, and pet bereavement. In his work, Chris has found dogs to be an important companion and part of a male’s life that is not able to be found in the same way as with any human.
Read MoreRabbi Gadi Capela leads the Congregation Tifereth in Greenport on the North Fork of Long Island. Throughout his life, he has had a strong connection to dogs – from always having them as a kid to having several since in his adult life. During his studies and life experience, he has learned about why dogs have such a strong connection to us as humans.
Read MoreThis is a special episode of Dog Save The People with two guests from the same organization. First up is Nathaniel Fields, the CEO of the Urban Resource Institute (URI). It’s a nonprofit organization that has done crucial work in the New York City community for 40 years now – including the development in the past decade of People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program under URI. The creation of PALS in 2013 made it the first pet-friendly domestic violence shelter in NYC. Second up in the episode is Danielle Emery, the Director of PALS. Today, it serves as an important and safe place for dog-owners suffering from domestic violence to be able to escape to and stay together with their dogs, who play a crucial and important role as part of their family in the healing process.
Read MoreWinnie Au is a photographer based in Brooklyn, NY, who has found a muse in dogs throughout her career. She specializes in creating poignant and playful editorial dog photos. After her own dog, Tartine, received a cancer diagnosis, she pursued a long, traumatic, and expensive treatment plan that ultimately could not save her pet. This experience inspired Winnie to partner with a non-profit for a photo series to raise awareness for those who need financial assistance for medical bills of their dogs. The photo series, Cone of Shame, also flips the negative stigma of dogs wearing cones around their heads and presents them in an artistic, positive, and playful light. The eye-catching photos helped get attention for Animal Haven's Recovery Road Fund, which helps take away the burden of choice based on affordability for your dog’s care.
Read MoreAs a Real Estate agent, Kelcey Otten had the great idea of bringing dogs up for adoption to her open listings (with her clients permission in advance, of course). Ever since she was young, Kelcey was exposed to the rescue and foster world through her mother and has now taken that torch and initiative on her own. She also has two rescues of her own, Stella and Rosie, and has fostered many others.
Read MoreDavid Toussaint is a writer, commentator, theatre critic, playwright and author. Since 1997, he has written articles for Brides magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Gay Financial Network, Outsider Ink, Diversion magazine, and more. He was an editor at Conde Nast and a three-time guest editor for Francis Ford Coppola's online magazine Zoetrope. He has also been a full-time columnist for GayWeddings.com, HuffPost, and more. He has also written four books, including one about his dog DJ – who had a big impact on his life and helped him get out of a depression in his 40’s.
Read MoreFREEDOM RIDE - Kimberly Elliott is the Founder of the Be Like Josh Foundation. She is a proud dog mother to Josh, a dog with cerebellar hypoplasia. While initially being nervous about being able to take care of a dog with a disability and what that might be like, Josh has completely transformed her world for the better. Her aim with his organization is to enlighten others about his condition and using that as a tool for a general acceptance of our fellow beings.
Read MoreBrad Kriser is the Chief Education Officer of Independent Pet Partners (IPP). Recently, they did a study about the 5 Pillars of Pet Wellness to help dogs and their humans live happier lives. Brad speaks about what those pillars are, why they’re important, and why dogs play such a big part of our lives. He has also had many dogs throughout his life since birth and has had a bond that he could not imagine living without.
Read MoreSarah Liss is a writer and editor. She is the author of the book Army of Lovers, a community history of the late artist and LGBTQ activist Will Munro. While she had always been against having kids, she became more ready and accepting of the challenge of parenthood after the transformative experience she had with her dog, Harriet. Currently, she lives in Toronto with her partner, Lisa, and their two sons and their other dog, Lula.
Read MoreDr. Clive Wynne is the Founding Director & Principal Investigator of Arizona State University’s Canine Science Collaboratory, as well as a Professor of Psychology at the university. In the Fall of 2019, Clive released a book entitled “Dog Is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You” that looked at how affection is the very essence of dogs, backed by scientific evidence. He had help in writing the book from his own dog, Xephos, who helped him form a greater understanding of the human to dog relationship.
Read MoreKnown as “The Dogfather of Harlem" in New York City, Brian Taylor has been running his dog business – the Harlem Doggie Day Spa – for almost a decade. Initially from West Africa, he came over to America when he was 13 years old and found his way to New York City after college. With his business, he’s been very involved in his neighborhood to help bring people together, make the Harlem dog community stronger, and offer the services that people may need. And while keeping the business going during the pandemic has been tough, he’s been finding his way through it and is now about to embark on The Pup Pandemic Relief Tour across the country to help dogs in need of grooming.
Read MoreFor this Q&A minisode, John Bartlett talks about the ways that you can show love to your dog that they will understand. Dogs crave appreciation and look to their owners as the leader of the pack. So how you act, and what you may be feeling towards them, can make them feel loved. He talks about specific examples that can work including certain types of touch, talk, play, and the act of being emotionally present.
Read MorePeter Philipakos is a retired Greek-American soccer/futbol/football midfield player. He found a stray dog, Jack, while playing in Greece. The two formed a close bond (along with Peter’s fiancé, Natasha) and grew inseparable. They decided to take him in and give this special dog a happy, forever home. Peter also decided to take an early retirement from playing the game he loved to make sure Jack had the best of everything. Now, the three of them live in Los Angeles, California, living a sunny new life.
Read MoreFor this Q&A minisode, John Bartlett answers about how dogs help us make friends. They connect us to people we wouldn’t otherwise meet, are great icebreakers, and even turn into deeply personal connections (especially in places like the dog park).
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