So, about coming back...we are here for a one time special series finale. Sorry, folks, we did intend to lower our posting schedule and continue, but soul-searching made us realize our free time for this wonderful experience has passed. Join us for our last catch up, a full explanation of why we're ending, and, of course, the tangents. We love you all and are happy you have listened. Join us in the Discord and on the Instagram, those are staying up. One last note: we talk about this at the end of the episode, but Wolfie's Wish reached out to us. We were originally going to schedule an episode to interview the creator, but that is no longer in the cards. Please check out their lovely grieving card set to help you thoughtfully work through your grief with a reflection question each day. Check Wolfie's Wish at: https://wolfieswish.com/

Pet Parents Pod is taking a 4 week break! See you back in March!

This week finally we discuss the long-awaited topic of Mishka and Roux's dermatology appointment. They went, we learned things, and now we're sharing the results so far. As always, Roux is a dog-shaped medical Rubik's cube.

So another fun blanketed trigger warning for the episode. This week we talk about declawing cats, what it is, why it is horrible and what other things you can do to help with scratching.

Also if you would like to help check out the Paws Project at https://pawproject.org/ 

Kipp is back! Join us on our discussion of being children and learning how to interact with animals. We will help guide your animal whisper bond with their chosen familiar.

Blanketed Trigger Warning! This episode is about pet's trauma, so this isn't a happy episode, but join us on our dark journey.

Follow Allie on Instagram @justsimplyallies or her and friends on twitch https://www.twitch.tv/flaminhottrash

Today We are minus Kippy because they have a life outside the pod. So we kidnapped my friend, Allie! Join us as we talk about traveling with pets, car trips, flying and moving. Which route will you choose?

Follow Allie on Instagram @justsimplyallies or her and friends on twitch https://www.twitch.tv/flaminhottrash

This week we talk about our aquatic friends, fish. Heath talks about his platy plagues, Kipp explains benefits of live tanks and Danielle talk about fish fry... Join us on this underwater adventure.

Kipp has a bouncing baby bully mix, Charlie! We decided to discuss dog training. Rosie is a good girl, while Mishka goes from class clown to most improved. Join us on this journey of becoming our dogs teachers.

This week we talk crabs. There is murder, intrigue, lies and deceptions an wild ride in our discussion of crustaceans as pets.

This week Dorothy returns and we chat about cat cafes and our experiences at these lovely places. Check out Happy Tabby and Java Cats in Atlanta, GA. Along with The Catio Cat Lounge in Nashville ,TN  and Good Luck Cat Cafe in Fort Lauderdale, FL. 

Check out Dorothy, Time Bandit and Tumbles @timebandit_and_tumbles on Instagram

Today join Heath, Danielle and our guest host Dorothy! Kipp is out sick this week, but Danielle's cat crazy youngest sister is here to help. We discuss weird medical young cat issues, time traveling cats and CoVid kitten adoptions. 

Follow Time Bandit and Tumbles @timebandit_and_tumbles on instagram.

This week we discuss our eight legged friends! Kipp talks Tarantulas, Heath defends Wolf Spiders and I just am here for the ride. Let's talk about the helpful houseplants of the pet world. 

Wonderful spider pictures provided by Kipp's Matt follow for more spider pictures @ticotarantula on Instagram.

We discuss taking photos of pets this week. Why pet photography such a challenge? There's gotta be a better way! Fear not, there is! We discuss tips and tricks to get that perfect picture of your pet.   

Sources: 

• https://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/resources/how-to-photograph-pets/ 
• https://expertphotography.com/11-tips-improving-cat-photography-skills/ 
• https://www.angierose.com/what-to-look-for-in-a-pet-photographer/ 
• https://www.k9ofmine.com/how-to-become-pet-photographer/

Today join us as we do a check on increases and decreases of our pet herds. We discuss what has been going on in our animal families.

April joins us again to discuss Danger Noodles, or more realistically sweet huggable serpents. Our snake episode is featuring Pixel (April's snake) and the rest of us talking about our thoughts on misunderstood reptiles. 

You can follow April @mojobymoonage on Instagram. 

This week we discuss mostly Danielle's love of birds. Enjoy this diversion about our feathered friends.

Welcome our first guest, April, Danielle's big sister and our grooming expert. She has a beautiful black poodle, Leon and is our guide into the world of dog grooming. 

Check her and Leon out on Instagram @leonthefluffernut and @mojobymoonsage

Happy Holidays! From our furry family to yours, this week we discuss trips down memory lane involving pets and holidays.

This week we discuss kittens and how they are a handful in their own right. Oliver reminds us of vaccine schedules, kitten play and trips down memory lane. 

This week Kipp leads us into the world of camping with your dog. It was a dark and stormy night, join us as we learn what it takes to survive in the wild with our pups. 

This week we regale you with the story of our two month or so timespan of fostering a baby squirrel that fell from a tree into our backyard after a storm as well as our collection of other interactions with wildlife around our homes. Squirrels are NOT pets (although baby squirrels and Jeremiah are precious). We don't generally condone rehabilitating wildlife yourself if you're not licensed to do so in your state and always suggest you attempt to find existing professional resources for wildlife rescues in your area, but the times of COVID-19 have lead to an increase in people noticing wild animals that may benefit from intervention.

Helpful Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EpLSJuzQSs

http://www.orphanedwildlifecare.com/squirrelcare.htm

This week we talk about teaching our dogs how to play with others! We talk about how we tried to find places, teach our dogs manners and their puppy social hour.

Today we take a stroll down memory lane and discuss our virtual pets! Enjoy our ramblings on Neopets, Pokemon, Tamagotchi, and more! 

This week Danielle had everyone watch a documentary about service dogs in order to better discuss them. We all had emotions and learned about the cycles and training that go into different types of service dogs. Join us as we talk about the important and hard work to aid these dogs in helping others live their best lives.  

Sources: 

• Pick of the Litter 
• Puppy Prep 
• https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/service-dog-training-101/

Welcome to our kitty extravaganza! We've been rather puppy heavy due to them being the most demanding children. So this week we're talking about cats! They're the furry and adorable roommates who spend their time sleeping and cuddling! 

After a terrible storm, we suffer through power outages and pup distractions from our trio. The sound might be a little different since we recorded at Kipp's as they were the only one who had the gift of electricity. This week we discuss emergency room visits, autoimmune disease, pet insurance and pet insurance alternatives!

On our second episode you will hear the story of Rosie, Mishka and Roux coming to their new homes! Enjoy Kipp, Heath and Danielle figuring out how to handle adorable puppies into the mix of their homes!

Intro to three humans talking about their pet history and credentials. Welcome to Pet Parents Pod!

This week we discuss a heavy but very important topic. The struggles with executive dysfunction and being responsible for the needs of pets. This is mostly from personal perspective, but Danielle did get some definitions. Obviously this is a very wide topic with lots of nuance and this doesn't capture everyone's experience. We did our best, please enjoy.  

Sources:

• https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3629239/ 
• https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23224-executive-dysfunction

This week we discuss the weird skin bumps and lumps that our dogs have developed. Heath and Danielle learned about abscesses from Mishka and Kipp learned about histiocytomas from Charlie. Let us explain what these things are.   

Sources: 

• https://www.queensparkpethospital.ca/does-your-pet-have-an-abscess/ 
• https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/skin/c_dg_histiocytoma

Trigger Warning: gross topics such as poop eating and dogs being disgusting. Roux ate wild rabbit droppings. This sent us on a strange spiral of what animals shouldn't eat in the backyard.   

Sources: 

Four zero woof...the dogs ate our sources. You will have to trust us or just do your own research. Sorry. Honestly you could Google backyard threats to your pets and find them but Heath did not feel like relocating them all over again a couple weeks later.

This week we discuss enriching your cats' lives. What do they need to fuel their apex predator needs? Should you get a cat TV? Spend millions on cat trees and wall furniture? Build a Catio? Join us to find out.

Happy al Halloween!  We watch 'Pet Sematary' for the final spooky season episode. Warning: this movie's main theme is death including animal and child death. Join us on this morbid journey with a lot less pets than originally guessed based on the title.   

Sources: 

• https://youtu.be/k6ULlnM7sxg

Okay, folks, Producer Dan messed up on which weeks we were recording for and there will be no episode this week. We are doing a Pet Parents Go to the Movies next week on Pet Sematary, the original from 1989. Warning: movie contains animal and child death. If you are brave enough, come back next week to hear us discuss the film. In the meantime, continue to enjoy autumn and be sure to keep yourself and your pets warm if you too have a cold snap or otherwise freezing or near freezing weather.

This week we discuss Cryptids! What is a cryptid? What are their spooky tales? What real life animals could they actually be? Enjoy another spooky season episode with us. Also all Danielle's research is her memory and Wikipedia, so no real sources this type.... because spoiler - Cryptids aren't real...But let's have some fun!

Happy Galentine's/Palentine's Day! We are on the eve of the lovey dovey day of love so we are talking about animal symbols of love. There are a lot birds, but Danielle didn't mean to make it a bird-focused episode. She swears. Enjoy our weird conversation.  

Sources: 

• https://college.unc.edu/2020/02/chaucer-valentines/ 
• https://featuredcreature.com/5-valentines-day-inspired-animals/ 
• https://www.livescience.com/33001-why-do-doves-represent-love.html 
• https://blog.ferplast.com/en/why-are-lovebirds-called-that/ 
• And some live Googling

This week we get caught up with Halloween decorations, doggone hikes, medical and doggie playdate updates. There is a giant spider and lots of chaos with this fun check-in.

This week to ring in the spooky season we are discussing Witches' Familiars. We have our number one fan, April, who also happens to be witch and therefore an expert on witchcraft and magic. What is a familiar? Is it a black cat or was it a word used by the establishment to kill someone they didn't like. Or is it a bit of both? 

 Also check out April's Tarot Readings on Instagram @mojobymoonsage 

If you are going to AWA check out our friend Aimee's Jewelry Booth Witchy Wish. April will be there helping out there! Check the cute shop out on Instagram @witchywishshop  

Sources: 

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/13GLeQt4FzMLQWD6_sb-Ew7fWa6o3GMdQG9Rdv5WNMw0/edit

This week we discuss the history of brachycephalic dogs and cats. The problems with this trait, why we bred it into them, and hopefully we can inform folks to make more responsible decisions for these animals going forward.     

Sources: 

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/evolution-petface-180967987/ 
• https://pugfactsguide.com/what-did-pugs-originally-look-like/ 
• https://dogtime.com/advocacy/60835-problem-breeding-brachycephalic-short-faced-dogs 
• https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/brachycephalic-airway-syndrome-in-dog

This week we take a trip down memory lane to the film that deluded children into thinking owning over 100 dogs was a feasible task. Little do most know this film was a ground breaking film that saved Disney as an animation studio. Danielle puts on her animation hat and brings us through a cool and spicy part of animation history. 

Sources:  

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-one-hundred-and-one-dalmatians-saved-disney-180977869/ 
• https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TheHundredAndOneDalmatians 
• https://youtu.be/RZRm67FJH3Q

Happy 100th Episode of Pet Parents Pod! In honor of that, we finally did it--Heath and Danielle pulled the trigger on the Dog DNA tests! We discuss Roux and Mishka as well as Kipp's experience with PetSmart's Puppy Plan DNA test. Enjoy our fun episode!  

• Mishka's profile: http://embk.me/mishka369?utm_campaign=cns_ref_dog_pub_profile&utm_medium=other&utm_source=embark 
• Roux's profile: http://embk.me/roux457?utm_campaign=cns_ref_dog_pub_profile&utm_medium=other&utm_source=embark

This week we do fun and exciting world of travel Cats. Trucker cats, hiker cats, stroller cats, harness cats and car cats. Let's talk about how some take their cats on the road with them and what you can look for if you're interested in the same.  

Sources: 

• https://catexplorer.co/discussion-topics-about-cats 
• https://www.whyanimalsdothething.com/harness-train-your-cat 
• https://catexplorer.co/stories-posts/travel-cat-litter-tray-ideas 
• https://catexplorer.co/stories-posts/what-to-include-in-your-cats-first-aid-kit 
• https://www.gopetfriendly.com/blog/personality-traits-traveling-cats/ 
• https://www.moaa.org/content/publications-and-media/news-articles/2022-news-articles/how-to-find-good-veterinary-care-when-traveling-with-pets/ 
• https://ezfreightfactoring.com/blog/trucking-with-cats/ 
• https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/03/15/percy-lost-and-found

This week on Pet Parents Pod, we enter the world of games. Danielle has played a bittersweet animal game about a cute fox family in the end of days of a dying planet. Join us for an adventure in the game Endling: Extinction is Forever.   

Sources: 

• https://www.linkedin.com/company/herobeat-studios 
• https://jgeekstudies.org/2022/01/24/facing-extinction-in-endling/ 
• https://unwinnable.com/2020/06/10/endling-extinction-is-forever/

This week at the movies we watch and discuss a 1993 hit about three house pets and their Incredible Journey through the wilderness. Homeward Bound, a classic from our childhoods.   

Sources: 

• https://screenrant.com/homeward-bound-incredible-journey-remake-changes-1963/ 
• https://d23.com/did-you-know-8-incredible-facts-about-homeward-bound-the-incredible-journey/ 
• https://oregonconfluence.com/2020/04/07/adventures-on-set-bruce-lawson-on-homeward-bound-the-incredible-journey/ https://sites.google.com/site/theincrediblejourneylis514/sheila-burnford

Hear! Hear! Hear all about it! We have happy and uplifting stories of cats saving a restaurant, everyone's favorite Star Trek captain helping pittbulls, a hero cat that saves a baby, and many more Pawsitive Animal Stories.

Check out the Cat Train Ramen shop @diorama_syokudou on Instagram

Sources:

• https://www.boredpanda.com/stray-cats-saved-diorama-restaurant-japan-naoki-teraoka/?utm_source=com.google.android&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=organic
• https://www.today.com/pets/patrick-stewart-can-t-adopt-pit-bull-because-uk-bans-t110069
• https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/01/us/new-york-pizza-dog-adoption-boxes-trnd/index.html
• https://people.com/pets/stray-dog-adopted-by-brazil-car-dealership-given-job/
• https://bestfriends.org/stories/features/love-unforgettable-cat-leads-family-foster-dozens-kittens
• https://nypost.com/2015/01/15/hero-cat-saves-baby-from-freezing-to-death/?utm_source=reddit.com
• https://www.readersdigest.ca/culture/funny-stories-casey-parrot/
• https://www.cnnturk.com/yasam/avm-girisi-sokak-hayvanlarina-barinak-oldu?page=10
• https://www.cesarsway.com/zoo-gave-shy-cheetah-cubs-their-own-emotional-support-dogs-to-overcome-anxiety/
• https://www.hepper.com/emotional-support-dogs-for-cheetahs/

TRIGGER WARNING! We are discussing pets and animals in active war zones. Danielle thought it would be a good idea to at least discuss the hardships and conviction of people who try to help animals in conflict zones so please join us for this bitter sweet episode. It truly shows that even in the darkest situations, people are good and will risk their lives to take care of animals.   

If you are able and would like to donate to causes that help support animals in conflict zones, we are plugging Four Paws International because they do a lot of work world wide: https://donate.four-paws.org/s/ 

Sources: 

• https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-kyiv-animals-pets-dogs-d0cc29d9cadfd85d6e8187e59fe150c6 
• https://www.ozy.com/good-sht/the-activists-whove-saved-1000-pets-from-syrias-war-zones/260522/ 
• https://www.dw.com/en/amir-khalil-conflict-zone-war-four-paws-animals-zoo/a-52108045 
• https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/keeping-pets-and-people-healthy/emergencies/pet-disaster-prep-kit.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fhealthypets%2Femergencies%2Fpet-disaster-prep-kit.html https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/14/us/ukrainian-refugees-dogs-us-border.html

This week we discuss what has been going on in our lives with emergency vet visits, machismo, and dogs on vacation. Join us for the exciting life of travel dogs and tall skeletor dogs!

This week, um, trigger warning? We talk about the history of animals in warfare. What animals did we decide were suited for it? What could go wrong? Join us on this history episode! Danielle promises it is not totally depressing.  

Sources:

•  https://www.thecollector.com/animals-used-in-war/ 
• https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/15-animals-that-went-to-war

This week we talk about our vacations. Kipp and Charlie take a hike and make a small miscalculation. Heath and Danielle take trips with their dogs and learn how versatile dog poop bags can be.