The simple idea behind the show is how the selfless act of caring for a dog transforms who we are as people.
This responsibility often awakens in us a greater understanding that all people, all creatures, are connected as one.
It helps us learn to love ourselves, connect with one another, and treat all living beings with empathy and respect.
Brad Kriser is the Chief Education Officer of Independent Pet Partners (IPP). Recently, they did a study about the 5 Pillars of Pet Wellness to help dogs and their humans live happier lives. Brad speaks about what those pillars are, why they’re important, and why dogs play such a big part of our lives. He has also had many dogs throughout his life since birth and has had a bond that he could not imagine living without.
Read MoreSarah Liss is a writer and editor. She is the author of the book Army of Lovers, a community history of the late artist and LGBTQ activist Will Munro. While she had always been against having kids, she became more ready and accepting of the challenge of parenthood after the transformative experience she had with her dog, Harriet. Currently, she lives in Toronto with her partner, Lisa, and their two sons and their other dog, Lula.
Read MoreDr. Clive Wynne is the Founding Director & Principal Investigator of Arizona State University’s Canine Science Collaboratory, as well as a Professor of Psychology at the university. In the Fall of 2019, Clive released a book entitled “Dog Is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You” that looked at how affection is the very essence of dogs, backed by scientific evidence. He had help in writing the book from his own dog, Xephos, who helped him form a greater understanding of the human to dog relationship.
Read MoreKnown as “The Dogfather of Harlem" in New York City, Brian Taylor has been running his dog business – the Harlem Doggie Day Spa – for almost a decade. Initially from West Africa, he came over to America when he was 13 years old and found his way to New York City after college. With his business, he’s been very involved in his neighborhood to help bring people together, make the Harlem dog community stronger, and offer the services that people may need. And while keeping the business going during the pandemic has been tough, he’s been finding his way through it and is now about to embark on The Pup Pandemic Relief Tour across the country to help dogs in need of grooming.
Read MorePeter Philipakos is a retired Greek-American soccer/futbol/football midfield player. He found a stray dog, Jack, while playing in Greece. The two formed a close bond (along with Peter’s fiancé, Natasha) and grew inseparable. They decided to take him in and give this special dog a happy, forever home. Peter also decided to take an early retirement from playing the game he loved to make sure Jack had the best of everything. Now, the three of them live in Los Angeles, California, living a sunny new life.
Read MoreAlan Cumming is a three-time Emmy-nominated and Tony-award winning actor. With his husband, illustrator Grant Shaffer, they have always had dogs as part of their pack. Along with strengthening their relationship, the dogs have also taught Alan about being more in the moment at all times. He and Grant have also created two books around their previous dogs, Honey and Leon, and are working on an upcoming animated TV show based on them. Currently, they have two other great dogs by their side in Lala and Jerry.
Read MoreCara Zelas is a teacher whose dog, Little Dude, has done therapy work with her at hospitals and schools. After this experience, Cara decided to use her educational background to create a curriculum and a series of books to help young kids learn about lessons like kindness and empathy. Parents and teachers will likely find this helpful for teaching their kids – especially right now, while everyone is at home and learning remotely, but also really for any time you seek to expand children’s social and emotional intelligence.
Read MoreDean Koontz is a number one bestselling author whose work spans six decades and has had both commercial and critical success. His books have sold more than 500 million copies to date. Koontz also has written about several dog characters in his work, including his new book DEVOTED. Dean has had three dogs of his own now – each of whom has had their own impact on him, but especially his first dog, Trixie.
Read MoreLisa Miller is a staff writer and Contributing Editor at New York Magazine. Her dog, Callie, came to her during the time of Hurricane Sandy and is now helping her through an even worse catastrophe with the coronavirus and its quarantine situation. Taking her dog Callie on their routine of walks is a return, even if just briefly, to normalcy during these strange, uncertain times. Recently, she wrote an article for The Cut (Walking the Dog Is the Only Time I Feel Sane) about this, too.
Read MoreSimon Doonan is an author and a judge on the NBC show Making It with Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. He was previously the Creative Ambassador-at-Large for Barneys New York, while working in fashion for over almost four decades. With his husband, Jonathan Adler, they have had two dogs – one named Liberace, and then another named Foxylady. It brought them a sense of being a family while also learning how to look after someone else.
Read MoreAround two years ago, Grace French started having intense nightmares while dealing with personal trauma, getting little-to-no sleep. She turned to training with a dog to help wake her up during them and overall help with her anxiety. The results made a big difference, and Grace has been able to keep improving and moving forward ever since with the help of her trusty sidekick, Bentley. In addition, Grace is the Founder and President of The Army of Survivors, a national organization focused on education, advocacy, and support for child athlete survivors of sexual violence.
Read MoreMimi Swartz is an Executive Editor and Author at Texas Monthly. Throughout her life, Mimi’s whole family has had a relationship with dogs. However, it was her Dad especially who was the most connected. His relationship, in particular with the dogs later in his life, showed her the ultimate power of how dogs and humans can bond together. During both good and bad times, dogs provided a level of companionship to her Dad that was crucial to his well-being.
Read MoreAudrey Hendler is the Founder and Executive Director of A Fair Shake, a program that uses the power of registered therapy dogs to help middle school children develop a foundation of empathy and self-esteem, and reduce bullying. As the kids learn to work with the dogs they learn about themselves and each other in ways that open up new possibilities for their lives.
Read MoreJesse Freidin is a professional freelance dog photographer, who creates memorable images of dogs and their owners. Based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, he shoots primarily in black-and-white and always sets out to capture the true essence of a given dog (and, if requested, their owner). During his time in this field, for over a decade now, he has learned a lot about the dog and human relationship from his work.
Read MoreRuchi Vikas went through a really tough period in her life when she lost a friend to suicide, which led to her adopting her dog Ponyboy. He’s been a big part of her finding her way forward, including traveling with Ruchi around to 48 states and counting. Ponyboy has also helped her become better at different aspects of her job in the psychiatry field, including learning how to better listen to patients and be more open.
Read MoreMichael Suttles is a data scientist who focuses on researching statistics, numbers, and information about dogs. He started an organization called Save All The Pets with the idea of using this data to help save dogs by using that information to apply a smarter approach to the rescue world. Not to mention, trying to overall gain a better understanding of the dogs around us in general.
Read MoreDevon Apodaca is the Executive Director at the Humane Society of Imperial County, trying to save one dog at a time in a rural California community along the US/Mexico border region. Being in an economically disadvantaged area along the Border Region has meant dealing with limited resources, overcoming language and cultural barriers, and managing the ever-increasing number of strays/medical emergencies of pets. Devon has been impacted by many dogs who have touched his life in profound ways enough for him to carry on regardless of the many obstacles, politics, and limitations he faces on a daily basis never losing hope of the end result.
Read MoreMaira Kalman is an Israeli-born American illustrator, writer, artist, and designer. She has written and illustrated eighteen children’s books and is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, including creating several covers for the magazine that you may have seen before. After initially being afraid of dogs from a young age, Maira eventually had a change of heart and opened up her world to dogs. She realized how much dogs have to teach us, how they’re natural comedians, and how they make us better as people.
Read MoreEllen Ballon Dante is the Founder and CEO of Deity Animal Rescue and is based in Los Angeles. After initially starting Deity as a jewelry line, she realized she could use the success that business was having to help raise money to rescue dogs. Already having worked as a volunteer in the rescue world, Ellen knew how much every dollar helps. Since then, the Deity Animal Rescue nonprofit has helped with hundreds of dogs.
Read MoreTeena Patel is the Founder and CEO of the University of Doglando, a dog training and behavior company based in Orlando, Florida. After originally being raised in Kenya, Teena came to the United States in her teenage life. While she was interested in working with animals from a young age, she discovered the idea of dog training and found her passion in that field. Incorporating her experiences from Kenya into her practice, Teena has aimed for Doglando to be a place where dogs can be in an open environment and to have them live in the most natural and enriching way possible.
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