Who is caring for your pets when you’re traveling?  That’s the question today’s guest, Isabel Alvarez Arata, is going to help us answer.

 Isabel describes herself an advocate for in-home  pet sitting and shares with us everything we should know before hiring a pet sitter.

When she had trouble finding a dog walker for her newly adopted dog Titan, Isabel saw a career changing opportunity and spent the next 15 years running a highly in-demand pet sitting business in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington DC.

First we’ll meet Michelle Dumont who created a series of children’s books based on Phoebe Cakes, the tiny special needs bulldog who spent 4 amazing years with Michelle & her family.

From rides to Starbucks to her Mardi Gras Barkus Parade “float,” Phoebe lived and loved to the fullest.  Michelle’s books continue to spread Phoebe’s zest for life to children with her fun interactive books. 

 Next we’ll meet young entrepreneur Ari Minkus, the founder of Always Happy Pets.

As a middle schooler, Ari created his company to provide high-quality sustainable gift baskets for dogs filled with treats and toys. Ari shares what inspired him to start this venture, how he sources the products and why he stopped using actual baskets and what he uses instead.

6 years ago Mindy merged her passions to create her pet photography company: Dogs I Meet. From family photo shoots to working with pet brands, Mindy is dedicated to using photography to create connection through visual storytelling.

Mindy generously shares her best tips & tricks with us so we can all take better photos of our dogs with our phones. (I was doing one of these things right!)  

Did you know a good photo can even save a dog’s life? Mindy also shares with us about her experiences volunteering with animal shelters and rescues to take photos of dogs looking to be adopted.

Steph Evans is a Physiotherapist (UK term for Physical Therapist) for both people and animals.  She shares with us everything we should know to not only rehab our dogs after an injury – but also how to prevent injuries in the first place with Prehab.  We’ll also learn signs of pain to look for in our dogs and thoughts about how to choose a harness versus a collar for your dog.

Steph is also the creator of the Ultimutt Bootcamp for Pet Parents and their pups to exercise together.  Not only is this a great way to keep our bodies moving but it’s an amazing way to bond with our dogs!

After wanting a dog her whole life, 3 years ago Steph finally became a Dog Mom to Teddy the Golden Retriever – who has NOT been an easy dog. Steph is incredibly honest about her struggles with Teddy and all that she’s learned along the way. From how to select a dog trainer to motivating a dog who’s not interested in food, Steph shares invaluable insights.

Susan Shahoda is a lifelong dog lover who has devoted much of the past 15 years to volunteering with Westside German Shepherd Rescue in Los Angeles, CA. But don’t let the name fool you – Westside rescues dogs of all shapes & sizes and adopts to families throughout the continental U.S. and Canada. In fact, Westside is celebrating 20 years and 20,000 dogs finding loving homes!

Why are those adoption applications so long? How do rescues determine which dogs get chosen? Why are rescue volunteers on-call 24/7 ? And what do rescues really think about people who can’t keep their dogs anymore? Susan gives us a true behind-the-scenes view of running a rescue organization.

Susan also shares her thoughts on the unsung heroes of the animal welfare community, the surprising benefit of the Nextdoor App, the best & the hardest parts of rescue and what keeps her going even in the tough times.

Andrew Cotter is a lifelong dog lover and sports lover. You may recognize his name or voice from his career as a sports broadcaster where he’s announced everything from Wimbledon to the Olympics. But since COVID-19, Andrew is better known as the Dog Dad to the internet’s most famous Labradors, Olive and Mabel.

Andrew shares with us behind-the-scenes of making his favorite videos and the challenges of setting your expectations for non-professionally trained dogs to perform on command. And while Andrew just thought he was making some silly dog videos, the feedback he received from people all over the world who found moments of happiness from Olive & Mabel during COVID times was truly meaningful.

Andrew is the author of the hilarious and heartfelt books Olive, Mabel & Me and Dog Days: Life in Lockdown with Olive and Mabel.

You’ll also get to hear Andrew’s play-by-play of Olive and Mabel’s antics during our interview.

Forever Home is such an honest and vulnerable share of the ups & downs that Danny and Ron have experienced in life and in rescue.

I think so many Pet Parents will find a piece of themselves in Danny & Ron’s story as it’s a universal experience for our dogs to help us through everything from illnesses to grief.

Of course it’s not as universal of an experience to have 100+ dogs living in your house at any given time! After rescuing more than 600 dogs from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Danny & Ron formalized their long-standing rescue efforts into an official organization and have now gone on to find loving home for 14,000+ dogs.

But unlike many rescues which rely on foster homes or kennels to house adoptable dogs, Danny & Ron are unique in that all the dogs in their rescue live with them in their home.

You might be surprised to learn that Billy Hoekman grew up without pets while eating take-out and fast food. Because today Billy is known for being THE Dog Nutrition Guru.

Billy’s life changed forever due when an adorable pug named Lua caused Billy to ask the question: What’s the best thing for my dog to eat? And he’s been obsessed with answering that question for the past 15+ years.

Billy and I also talk about misconceptions about the Amish, the #1 thing he wants Pet Parents to know about feeding their pets, and the special relationship he had with his friend and mentor, Jacqueline Hill (who recently passed away).

Lisa Tully has a passion for healing pets and Pet Parents – physically, mentally and emotionally.

From Ireland to an wildlife sanctuary in the Amazon rainforest to living amongst the Tibetan monks in the Dalai Lama’s community, Lisa shares her world travels with us and the incredible experiences she’s had along the way.

We’ll hear how Lisa first learned she could communicate with animals, the most common reasons Pet Parents contact her and what she says when people don’t believe in her work.

A lifelong mutts-lover, Olivia uses her talent and passion to highlight the beauty of non-pedigreed dogs with her new book MUTTS: A Celebration of Mystery Mixed Breeds.

We learn how Olivia was inspired to create a book for mutts, the logistics of finding and photographing 100+ dogs in just a few weeks and some of the special mutts and their people from the book.

Proceeds from MUTTS helps Louisiana-based animal shelters and rescue organizations.