Dog Talk ® (and Kitties Too!)

Updated: 23 Jun 2025 • 826 episodes
traciehotchnerpets.com/shows/dog-talk

DOG TALK® (and Kitties, Too!) originated on the only NPR station on Long Island, WLIW-88.3, where it has been on the air for 13 years and numerous consecutive shows.  This Gracie® Award-winning show (for “Best entertainment and information program on local public radio”), is produced and hosted by pet wellness advocate Tracie Hotchner. Each show features Tracie’s interviews with authors and pet experts from around the world, discussing far-ranging topics involving practical and philosophical issues regarding our relationships with dogs and cats.The show broadcasts from the East End and reaches all across Long Island, into Southern Connecticut and Westchester.The show's theme song is "Mmm My Best Friend" by Sophie B. Hawkins from her album TIMBRE.Podcast also available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon podcasts, and Audible.

Show episodes

#940B: Vivian Zottola, author of “Being a Good Dog in a Human’s World,” discusses some of the philosophical aspects of having a dog and whether words make a difference when you use the phrase “owner” or “pet parent” instead of  “guardian.” 

29 min
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29:23
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#940A: Joan Dalton"s book “Second Chances” chronicles a program for youth in Oregon’s toughest juvenile detention facility, where they pull the least adoptable dogs from the local shelter and let these young men train them for adoption. Miraculously, 95% of the participants were never incarcerated again. 

28 min
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28:58
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#939B: Nicole Navarro — founder of Pawsitive Beginnings, located in Key Largo, Florida — describes her sanctuary for foxes rescued from the fur trade, partners with organizations like the Florida Keys Children’s Shelter, using the foxes’ stories of survival and resilience as therapeutic tools to help youth on their own

29 min
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29:33
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#939A: Charles Hood, the naturalist photographer, talks about his full-of-surprises book “Nature at Night: Discover the Hidden World That Comes Alive After Dark,” and how you can turn your cell phone into a bat detector.

29 min
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29:26
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#938B: Tracy Kinney in Batavia Illinois says if she were a canine she’d be a bully type dog — meanwhile she has trained 9 of her 13 rescued Bullies to be registered therapy dogs (English Bull Dog, Pit bull, Boxer, French Bulldogs, Pug, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier). Getting them to line up for a yearly grou

28 min
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28:12
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#938A: Lorie Westhoff from Purina’s Purple Leash Project talks about their partnership with Red Rover, the non-profit that is working to have more pet-friendly domestic violence shelters able to accept pets, since not being able to take the family pet(s) is a barrier to leaving an abusive relationship.

28 min
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28:14
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Show participants