In this episode of All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the privilege of speaking to Cheri Wells; Executive Chairman & Founder of Loveyloaves Rescue.

Cheri is returning to the show today to tell us a little more about the 2023: Mutts & Martini’s Gala later this week! Get gussied up in your finest and join us for a formal night of dinner and dancing to benefit the special needs dogs of LoveyLoaves Rescue.

Lovely Loaves is a small breed, special needs, dog rescue that is devoted to saving and rehabilitating dogs that have been dealt with different or difficult circumstances in their life. This includes amputee dogs, blind dogs, deaf dogs, medically complex dogs, dogs with diseases, and so on. Cheri continues to open her heart and help all those little lovey loaves. Read more

In this episode of All My Children Wear Fur Coats; we had the pleasure of speaking to Carol Podolak, co-founder of Bark Butter. Bark Butter is a pet-friendly peanut butter made for dogs by dog lovers.

Joy and Carol are two spunky Indiana soccer moms who were looking for a healthy nutritional product to sell at fund raising events for their kid’s soccer team. They found that product once they began making gourmet peanut butter. Their peanut butter journey started as a small endeavor, only selling it at small events, and it quickly caught fire. Suddenly parents and kids couldn’t stop asking, “When can I buy some peanut butter?” Carol and Joy sprung into action. In no time they had a cooking facility and local shelf space for their new product. Now their product is on shelves across the country.

Carol and Joy are on to the next step, creating a product for dogs across the country. BNutty is proud to introduce Bark Butter.

Read more

In this episode of All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking to Dr. Wendy Hauser. Dr. Hauser is the President of Peak Veterinary Consulting and Chief Veterinary Consultant for OraStipdx.

Dr. Hauser is raising awareness of the dangers of Periodontal Disease and educating pet parents about the importance of pet dental care. It is the most common disease in pets around the world and it often goes undetected causing health and behavioral issues down the line. OraStripdx can help this issue.

Periodontal disease begins when a plaque biofilm, comprised of bacteria, attaches itself to the gum. As time passes, the bacteria make its way into the space between the tooth and the gums. Since the gums are an ideal space for anerobic bacteria, they begin to thrive and reproduce. These bacteria power their metabolism by producing a chemical called thiols. Thiols are toxic to the gum tissue and the gums begin to break down. These bacteria can then go into the blood stream and cause damage to the organs.

Early Periodontal disease is incredibly difficult to detect in animals that are not anesthetized and is usually only spotted when pets are receiving dental cleaning. Dr. Hauser states that less than 80% of all pets receive some sort of vet dental care in their lifetime. For this reason, it continues to go undetected by vets and pet parents alike.

To avoid any damage, the priority should be catching Periodontal disease to treat it before it does any damage to the teeth, gums, or organs. As of now there is only one screening test to detect the early stages of Periodontal disease, OraStripdx.

OraStripdx is the only screening test that can be used on pets that are not under anesthesia. A simple swab lets the user know whether Thiols have been detected. From there the pet parent should begin to take preventative action.

Read more

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking to Tanya Hart. Tanya Hart is the CEO and Founder of Augie Bones.

Tanya watched as her dog Augie destroyed toy after toy, every time with an increasing concern for Augie’s health. Tanya was worried that Augie was ingesting pieces of these nylon and plastic toys and feared that these materials would eventually damage Augie’s health. She decided to act. With her background in Polymer composites and her expertise in business development, the first Augie Bone was born.

The Augie Bone begs the question; what if there was a better dog bone? A dog bone that is not only safer for your dog, but also better for the environment. Tanya and her team settled on a bio-composite that closely resembles the toughest chew toys out there without any of the added chemicals or health risks.

Augie bones are 100% certified non-toxic, composed of plant-based materials, made in the USA, and most importantly; loved by dogs. But the goal for Tanya goes beyond just dog toys. Tanya is setting an example in environmentalism.

Read more

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking to Cara Achterberg. Cara Achterberg is the founder of Who Will Let the Dogs Out.

Cara is raising awareness for the influx of pets coming into shelters around the U.S as of late. She describes the current situation in our country as the “perfect storm.” Undeniably, shelters are being overwhelmed. There is an abundance of animals being surrendered for various reasons. The housing crisis, pet specific legislations, and the economy are some of the biggest factors playing into this growing issue, but there is one more issue.

On average, about 10% of all adopted animals return to a shelter for various reasons. During the pandemic, there was a quick and aggressive increase in pets being adopted. Fast forward to post pandemic and now 10% of all these animals are quickly returning to shelters that are not prepared for the overflow. Meanwhile adoptions have also slowed down because those who wanted a pet already got a pet during the pandemic. A perfect storm.

Cara does most of her work in the South. While the Northeast has a solid foundation for animal control services since it is more densely populated, it seems like the South has fallen behind in this regard.

The rural South has a lack of public shelters that are government controlled. Most shelters in the area are private nonprofits that are opened by people who want to shelter animals and help in any way they can. Dogs have always run loose in the South and that’s just the way it’s been, but that needs to change. As the South gets more populated, this lack of attention is becoming dangerous for both people and animals.

Who Will Let the Dogs Out helps independent shelters find the resources they need to stay open and care for their animals. They do all this while also shining a spotlight on this problem that isn’t being addressed. Cara gets local groups and press involved to bring these issues to the attention of those who aren’t aware of what’s going on.

Read more

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Beth Soltysiak, Director of Development of Animal Friends of the Valleys (AVF).

Beth’s primary focus is to bring in funding for the nonprofit. Her sales, marketing, and fundraising background has allowed her to build a strong portfolio for the shelter.

Animal Friends of the Valleys is made up of people who are both animal experts and animal lovers! They want to be a resource for their community, helping their area become one of the best places in the country for pets and pet guardians alike.

As the nation’s largest sanctuary, Animal Friends of the Valleys aims to promote animal care through education and a humane, proactive animal services program. They provide adoption, animal control, spay/neuter, licensing services, and more. They look forward to the time when there will be no more homeless pets.

Read more

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Caitlin Brown. She is the founder and CEO of Sparkles and Sunshine Blog.

Caitlin started her blog as a creative outlet from her full-time job. It quickly blossomed into something much more meaningful.

The mission of Sparkles and Sunshine Blog began as a few blog posts which soon transformed into a passion for helping fellow pet parents. 

Caitlin recognized the need for reliable information about puppy training tips, big dog care, and dog enrichment ideas. She wanted to provide a platform for pet owners to find helpful and relatable content to enhance their relationships with furry friends.

Read more

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Julie Posluns. She is the founder of Cat School, an organization that creates cat training tutorials that are fun and easy for every cat to learn.

Julie is an Associate Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (ACAAB). Her journey as a cat trainer actually began with an exceptional dog named Tyson.  Tyson had a number of behavioral challenges that led Julie to discover the benefits of clicker training.  She was inspired to return to school to earn a Master of Science in Cognitive and Behavioral Ecology at Memorial University in Newfoundland. 

After earning her degree, fate stepped in. A small black kitten showed up on her doorstep.  His name is Jones. He quickly integrated himself into her household and joined Julie as she trained her dogs. Jones was eager to learn and Julie was amazed at how motivated he was.  Since Jones did so well with the clicker training, Julie wanted to see if she could also train her cat, Mackenzie.  It turns out, Mackenzie was equally enthusiastic.  Now, Julie exclusively works with cats through Cat School

Cat School is built on the foundation that every indoor cat deserves to live an enriched life.  Julie became an animal behaviorist to share the most progressive science-based methods to improve the welfare of all animals, but especially cats.  She has had thousands of students learn from her clicker training programs and has proved that cats can be easily trained. 

The Cat School website offers training products, training tips, and an opportunity to work with Julie and her team with a Cat School Membership. As part of the membership program, pet parents learn about different training methods, while utilizing a training roadmap to keep you on track. You’ll learn how to teach your cat tricks, walk on a leash and solve behavioral training issues.  

The Cat School’s mission is to make training a fun, easy, and enriching experience for cats and their people.

Read more

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jae and Adrienne, the owners of Two Crazy Cat Ladies.

Jae and Adrienne own Two Crazy Cat Ladies, a brand created to bring cat parents together and raise awareness about the health and well-being of all kitties. 

Motivated by the lack of available resources for natural feline health, they’ve dedicated their lives to learning and sharing all they can to help cats live the longest, healthiest, and happiest lives possible. 

They host regular live shows on social media to connect with cat parents, answer their questions about their kitties, and share tips about cat health and happiness via blogs and videos. In addition to their passion for learning, sharing, and growing together in the cat community, they offer a line of natural supplements [Feline Essential™] made to help treat and prevent many common cat health issues. And – worth mentioning – they also love cocktails & wine.

The Two Crazy Cat Ladies all-natural product line, Feline Essential, is designed specifically to help cats live longer, healthier lives through the power of real nutrition. 

The Two Crazy Cat Ladies’ aim is to inspire and empower cat parents with the knowledge and products needed to give our feline friends the best life and love possible.

Read more

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Spiro, the President, and Co-founder of START Rescue.

Steve was born and raised in London, England, but now resides in Los Angeles. In 2011, he formed Start Rescue with two other individuals, Renee Ruston, and Adam Tarshius, to rescue dogs. Steve and his wife Susannah have also done individual rescues, bringing home or placing as many dogs as possible in foster care.

He is a former boxer but now writes screenplays almost full-time. However, he also devotes much energy to Start Rescue’s mission. He has several TV and film projects in development. He attributes his wife, Susannah, to introducing him to animal rescue and veganism.

The START Rescue stands for Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team. It was founded in 2011 by three compassionate people who set out to make a difference in the lives of needy animals.

START’s goal is to reduce the euthanasia rates of surrendered, stray, neglected, and abused animals in California and beyond. START also focuses on saving the lives of cats and dogs at high risk of death. START also focuses on saving the lives of cats and dogs at high risk of death, and their programs are all funded through donor funds.

Read more