The Best Friends Podcast

Latest Episodes:

What Makes a Home? Nov 12, 2020

Show notes

You see an outdoor cat. What do you do? There’s a good chance your instinct is to save the cat. An outdoor cat is a cat in need. Right?

What if that isn't the case? Many cats will spend their entire lives outdoors. They often have people who care for them by providing food or outdoor shelter. Others prefer to fly solo, not looking to us for help. Regardless, healthy outdoor cats are just that, healthy and living outdoors. Bringing those cats into a shelter can be a solution to something that was never a problem, to begin with, and could lead to that cat losing its life.

This week we hear from leaders across the country who have reexamined their approach to managing community cats. You’ll hear how they’ve implemented new programs and they share how they worked with stakeholders both inside and outside of their organizations to ensure their efforts are successful.

Stacy LeBaron - The Community Cats Podcast Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

Podcasting is more popular today than ever before, giving listeners their choice of more than 1.5 million podcasts. While there are plenty of shows to feed your true crime habit, there aren’t too many podcasts that focus on saving the lives of shelter pets. One of the best and longest-running is The Community Cats Podcast, hosted by Stacy LeBaron.

Much more than a podcast, the mission is “to provide education, information, and dialogue that will create a supportive environment, empowering people to help cats in their community.” She hosts several virtual conferences, and the podcast helps fund a grant and mentoring program that has helped more than 50 organizations spay/neuter community cats.

This week we talked to Stacy to learn how she’s using the podcast as a way to cat lovers and arm them with the information they need to effectively manage the community cat population in their neighborhoods.

All Dogs are Individuals Oct 29, 2020

Show notes

Thirteen years ago, dogs seized from dogfighting busts were considered by most organizations to be too dangerous, too damaged, too traumatized to be rehabilitated. So it was no surprise that the effort to save the dogs from the Michael Vick dogfighting case was controversial. Some in our line of work called it reckless, and others believe it to be a waste of resources.

But it is the stories of those 47 dogs that have helped millions of people understand that all dogs are individuals. They have proven that breed discrimination laws are ineffective and costly. And these misguided bans may force people to have to give up their family members. Pets who have done nothing wrong; their only crime is their appearance.

How far have we come on these issues? What is the status of the legislative efforts to ensure no dog faces discrimination for the way they look? And how successful have we been at changing the public’s perception?

To Save Them All, We Must Reach Them All - Kenny Lamberti Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

A priority for Best Friends is building a nationwide, grassroots movement of advocates who are willing to work together, all driven by the belief that people and their pets deserve compassion. We need to connect with others who share the common goal of ending the killing of cats and dogs in our nation's shelters by the year 2025 - even when that means going beyond our comfort zones.

As a teacher in inner-city Boston, Kenny Lamberti realized the power that animals hold. His dog, a 90-pound pit bull named Hank, helped break down some of the barriers that prevented the kids he worked with from fully opening up. Hank's ability to get the kids more engaged, regardless of their race or socioeconomic status was what Kenny calls his watershed moment and sent him down the path towards where he is today as the Director of Grassroots Advocacy for Best Friends.

Kenny uses his background, starting with his upbringing, to drive a strategy that has mobilized more than 16,000 advocates across the country. This coalition of like-minded and diverse individuals is proving that when we work together, we can create positive and sustainable change for pets and the people who love them in every community in America.

Keeping Families Together Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

Animal care and control services are redefining the community and embracing principles that promote safe, humane communities for people and pets. Keeping families together should be a primary goal of today’s field services operations. To do that, it is critical to understand the difference between cases of true cruelty, and when it is a case of neglect brought on by a lack of resources, knowledge, or both.

In this episode, we hear the first-hand experiences of four seasoned field services professionals. Whether you are a field services officer or not, their insights can help all of us understand not just when animals need help, but what kind of help we should offer.

Embedded in Big Country, Abilene Texas Oct 08, 2020

Show notes

In 2018, Abilene Animal Services (AAS) had a 55% save rate. That put them at 27th on the list of shelters nationwide most in need of help. The community wanted the shelter to succeed and the city’s elected officials took action.

In May of this year, Abilene’s City Council passed a resolution that approved Best Friends to take on the role of Animal Services Director. The City of Abilene officially became the latest community to join the Shelter Embed Program. This unique approach to public-private partnerships has already proven successful in other communities, including Edinburg, Texas, where Palm Valley Animal Society’s save rate increased from 34% to almost 90% in two years.

This week we chatted with AAS Supervisor, Jacqueline Hernández, National Embed Program Specialist for Best Friends, Jen Adkins, who is helping AAS save cats through a community cats program, and Mike Bricker, the Director of Embed Operations for Best Friends who has taken on the role as the new director at AAS.

Access to Care - Shannon Glenn Oct 01, 2020

Show notes

Pets need food, water, veterinary care, adequate shelter, and love. But what happens when an owner can provide endless amounts of love but struggles to deliver the rest?

The lack of access to care is a major contributor to pet owners surrendering their animals to shelters. There is so much more we, as animal welfare professionals, can do for our communities. We don’t have to be their last resort. We must be a real resource for pet owners, and we should work with them to keep families together.

This week we talk to Shannon Glenn from My Pit Bull is Family. They recently launched the North Minneapolis Pet Resource Center to provide the resources, supplies, and referrals to the health and human services people need to keep pets where they belong: with their families.

Emergency Planning for Pets and People Sep 24, 2020

Show notes

Right now we are getting hit with some of the worst wildfires and hurricanes in recorded history. There’s civil unrest nationwide, the economy is on the brink, and of course, the pandemic has turned our lives upside down.

We must be prepared to respond to emergencies - meteorological or otherwise - so that we can help pets and the people who love them.

Louisiana has been battered by storms over the last few weeks. To learn more about the situation we check in with Acadiana Animal Aid, an organization playing its usual leadership role in the Gulf Coast region. And Sharon Hawa, the Senior Manager of Emergency Response for Best Friends, gives some perspective on the state of the world along with some tips on how you can be prepared for whatever comes your way.

Moving Beyond Bias with CARE Sep 17, 2020

Show notes

In previous episodes of the podcast, we’ve covered the lack of diversity in our industry and how that has affected our ability to save lives. We discussed ways that we can work on breaking down our unconscious biases and how we can focus on meaningful approaches to diversity, equality, and inclusion. But we’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to understanding what we need to do to continue moving forward on this issue. That’s why we must keep the conversation going.

This week we share the audio from a recent Town Hall hosted by Best Friends featuring James Evans, President of CARE (Companion Animals for Reform and Equity), the Senior Director of Culture and Talent for Best Friends, José Ocaño, and Julie Castle, the CEO of Best Friends.

Reaching New Heights in Animal Services - Innovator Series Sep 10, 2020

Show notes

What do you get when you take 18 of the best and brightest lifesaving innovators, pair them up, put them on a Zoom call and hit record? You get magic!

The Best Friends Professional Development Symposium is happening next week. The two-day, online event features short, fast-paced presentations designed to keep attendees engaged and excited. But every single presenter has so much more to share. That left us with a dilemma. How do we capture more from these amazing people to share with Symposium attendees?

These videos, which we’re calling the “Innovator Series,” bring nine hours of informative, thought-provoking discussions between these leaders in our field. This week we’re bringing you a sneak peek of these conversations, and announcing a newly added bonus guest to the symposium. If you’re part of Oprah’s Book Club, then you will know who this powerhouse is!

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