On The Road With Mac And Molly - Pets & Animals On Pet Life Radio (petliferadio.com)

In this episode, Donna visits with Catherine Powers, Animal Control Officer for Curry County on the southern coast of Oregon. From a heart filled with passion and compassion, Catherine tells us how she was drawn into this work. We hear about the wide range of responsibilities that rest on the shoulders of animal control officers. Catherine’s duties include responding to emergency calls; rescuing the endangered; attending to dog licensing; providing health-building food, clean shelter and loving care for abandoned animals; seeking safe and permanent homes for the same; overseeing volunteers and much more. Each day brings its own special challenges. Catherine shares some of the heartbreaks and triumphs that come with the territory and she shares her vision for the ideal animal shelter. The show concludes with a discussion about the unique way Catherine has found to help fund her animal rescue efforts: providing daycare and overnight boarding for dogs who already have pet parents. More details on this epi

In this episode, Donna visits Gold Beach, Oregon to take a 104-mile jet boat trip on the rugged Rogue River. She learns that the company serving up the adventure -- Jerry’s Rogue Jets -- now Oregon’s only mail boat outfit, has come a long way since the days of pike poles and sails. Jerry’s shallow-draft, jet-propelled vessels can carry 38 to 65 passengers and are able to navigate in depths of as little as eight inches of water. From Nic McNair, who owns the company with his brother Scott, mother Cherie, and father Bill, we learn how jet boats operate over the recreational, scenic and wilderness sections of the Rogue. We hear about some of the boatmen who have grown up alongside these waters and we marvel at the wildlife (from black bears to bald eagles to playful otters) that can be seen along the banks and in the river. Donna shares from her own experience of the "Wilderness Whitewater Adventure" that takes folks up to Blossom Bar Rapid, which is as far as is navigable by jet boat. The show ends with a note

The North American Gray Wolf has been protected by the Endangered Species Act since shortly after the law was passed in 1973. But now, in an unprecedented move, Congress has delisted the Gray Wolf in Idaho, Montana and parts of three other states. The action is being challenged in court by environmental groups but, at this moment, wolf hunting seasons have been authorized for the fall and the plan is to reduce the population -- currently estimated at 1,700 -- to 150. In this episode of ON THE ROAD WITH MAC AND MOLLY, Donna speaks with Joni Soffron who, with her husband Paul, founded the North American Wolf Foundation and Wolf Hollow with the mission of preserving the wolf in the wild through education and exposure. We’ll hear from Joni about life at Wolf Hollow where visitors can meet the resident wolves -- at close hand -- and observe how a wolf pack functions. Wolves are social creatures and their pack dynamics are fascinating, in many ways paralleling that of a human family. Wolves are devoted to the

In this episode of On the Road with Mac and Molly, Donna chats with artist and full-time RVer Debra Goode. The two discuss what it’s like spending all your days on the road, what inspires the artwork, and what makes a good subject for an artistic rendering. Debbie explains why her focus is on pets and wildlife and details how she sees and how she conveys what she sees to her canvases. All that and more on the next On the Road with Mac and Molly. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Perfectly Goode: Pet Life and Wildlife Artist Debbie Goode on Pet Life Radio

Donna visits with San Antonio, Texas Veterinarian Rae Dishinger, of the Alamo Dog and Cat Hospital, who shares some of the "Threats to Pets" specific to the American Southwest. As Donna and her husband Gene have been moving about the country with Mac and Molly, they have had to be on guard against potential perils all along the way. In the West, they’ve been on the look out for rattlers and copperheads, coyotes and bobcats, feral hogs and even birds of prey. On occasion, they’ve been too late to keep Mac from rolling in burro poop and to keep Molly from eating cow pies. Donna chats with Rae about these concerns and asks what toxic plants may be encountered in the Southwest. Rae also offers advice on dealing with climatic changes when traveling with pets and shares the story of how her own beloved dog succumbed to the bite of a rattler. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Threats to Pets Part 2 on Pet Life Radio

Donna launches into a multi-part series entitled, "Threats to Pets." As she and her husband have been traveling about the country with their two Old English Sheepdogs Mac and Molly, they have encountered potential perils all along the way. Speaking just of wildlife: in Louisiana, they were warned to take care walking near a lake because the denizens therein " the alligators " had developed a special appreciation for "dog." In Colorado, the concerns were over bears and mountain lions. In South Dakota: prairie dogs carrying the bubonic plague. In Texas: rattlesnakes. Featured in the opening episode will be veterinary toxicology consultant Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, former Vice President of the ASPCA’s Poison Control Center who will identify some of the toxins and poisons commonly found in and around our homes and at stops on the road. She’ll offer suggestions on what to pack for our pets when we take them traveling with us and what we ought to be certain to keep away from our pets (in the way of medicines an

In this episode, Donna chats with John Erickson, author of the Hank the Cowdog series of humorous mystery books for children. More than 7.5 million copies of Erickson’s books have been sold since 1983. His 57th volume -- The Disappearance of Drover -- was just released as was the audio version of the book. (Hank holds the title for the "Longest-Running Children's Audiobook Series".) John speaks to us from his home in Perryton, Texas where, at the time of the interview, he was teaching a class on writing to a group of homeschooled junior high and high school students who’d been raised on Hank the Cowdog stories. Also on the show will be Phil and Amy Kruse, owners of the Circle View Ranch in Interior, South Dakota who share how they were inspired by John’s books to name their own border collie Hank the Cowdog." More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Hank the Cowdog on Pet Life Radio

In this episode we'll be visiting Orlando, Florida and searching out some of what's on offer for pet accommodations. With the exception of service dogs, pets are not permitted in the area’s major theme parks so, if you're planning to bring your dog, cat, or pocket pet on vacation with you, they'll need a place to romp, revel and rest while you're doing the same at one of the area’s people-pleasing playgrounds. Best Friends Pet Care opened a facility recently at Walt Disney World and the center's managers Jennifer Kratzer and Amanda Burris will tell us about the amenities of and activities at this Disney-themed pet palace. In this episode, I'll also fill you in on some options for pet care at or near SeaWorld and Universal Studios. And I'll tell you what hotel has a VIP (Very Important Pets) program of pampering that includes toys and treats and special room service selections. We’ll wrap it all up with info on our favorite off-leash dog parks and another on-leash -- but still delightful park – that pet

This year marks the 60th birthday of Sparky the Fire Dog, the cartoon Dalmatian mascot of the National Fire Protection Association. Celebrations have been and will be held this year at sites all around the country. In the first half of our program, we’ll hear about some of these events and we’ll learn more about Sparky. Like many of the advertising icons that were introduced in the 1950s (from Tony the Tiger to Speedy Alka Seltzer) Sparky’s looks have changed considerably over the years. In recent days, he’s bulked up a bit and he’s become much more colorful. Today, he hosts his own website, has a Facebook page, and makes personal appearances all over the country. His likeness is seen in Sparky costumes, Sparky Valentines Day cards, Sparky birthday kits and Sparky robots. Sparky’s also finding himself the recipient of some pretty remarkable honors. One great example: a few months back -- on Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japan, Sparky was named a non-commissioned officer, a staff sergeant. This recognition w

In this episode, we’ll visit St. Cloud’s 4,700-acre eco-ranch and wildlife conservation area Forever Florida, home of Florida EcoSafaris, where -- in two and half hours and via seven ziplines and nine towers -- we’ll be ziplining and sky-bridging over Pine Flatwoods and forested wetlands. This site boasts nine distinct Florida eco-systems and is home to alligators, black bears, nearly two hundred species of birds, and the endangered Florida panther. Joining us in this episode will be Florida EcoSafari’s Matt Duda, whose background in marketing, tourism, ecotourism, and conservation makes him just the right person to introduce us to the history of the property, the flora and fauna one finds here, and the adventures (along with ziplining, horseback, safaris and rawhide round-ups) in which one can engage here. From him, we’ll also learn about the efforts being made to preserve the natural beauty and natural ecological balance at Forever Florida. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Forever Florida o

In this episode, we visit Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont where internationally-known artist and author Stephen Huneck built what has become one of the most unique tourist destinations in New England: the Dog Chapel. We tour the chapel, romp with Mac and Molly on the hillside, take a peak at what’s on offer in Huneck’s adjacent art gallery, and wrap it all up in an interview with Huneck’s widow Gwen. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Dog Mountain on Pet Life Radio Enter the code: ROAD and get 10% off your order + Free shipping at Shoebuy.com!

In this episode, host Donna Hailson reviews the initial challenges faced by those who decide to take their dogs with them when they move from living in an attached-to-the-land home to living nomadically, in a not-attached-to-the-land home. Donna offers a look at self-service dog washes and considers ten reasons your professional pet grooming costs more than your own haircut. In this episode as well: helps on staving off dog motion sickness and advice on what you'll need from your veterinarian before you hit the road. Also: what should be included in a dog first aid kit, what you’ll need at border crossings between the United States and Canada and what resources online and in print are especially helpful in locating dog parks and dog-friendly campgrounds. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Getting on the Road with Canine Companions on Pet Life Radio

In this episode, Donna will be sharing three stories of life in the North Country -- the North Country that encompasses the uppermost reaches of upstate New York. She’ll greet the Canadian Pacific Railways Holiday Train and look at the transformation taking place in the border village of Rouses Point. Then she'll wrap up with The Dirty Life, the story of the two love affairs that interrupted the trajectory of a young woman’s life: one love affair with farming and the other with a complicated and exasperating force of nature, the first generation farmer who would become her husband. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Life in the North Country on Pet Life Radio

n this episode, host Donna Hailson describes some of what went into the auctioning of her home in Pennsylvania and how she, her husband and their Old English Sheepdogs Mac and Molly have been adjusting to their initial days as nomads. Donna shares what it's like to bring your home and much of what you've collected -- over a lifetime -- before bidders. She and Gene followed this path so they could head out "On the Road with Mac and Molly." More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - The Auction on Pet Life Radio

In this episode, the focus is on some of the itches and inspirations -- from wanderlust to Steinbeck's Travels with Charley to Mr. Toad and his caravan -- that moved Gene and Donna to auction their home and a good bit of its contents so they could head out on the open road with their sibling pair of four-year-old Old English Sheepdogs. The show concludes with an introduction to the range of options -- from motorized to towable RVs -- available to those who are eager to chase ever-changing horizons. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Itches and Inspirations on Pet Life Radio

Welcome to On The Road with Mac and Molly! Listeners may expect the light-hearted and the serious, entertainment, information, insights, passion, a fresh eye . . . all depending on the subject matter for each particular show. So come along as we head off . . . On the Road with Mac and Molly! More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Introduction on Pet Life Radio