WGN Petcast: Getting Wild with Gorillas, Renting with Pets, Service Dogs for PTSD Veterans

Listen HERE (may take a moment to load) to this adventurous WGN Radio Petcast….

Just returned from Africa trekking the Virunga volcanoes in Rwanda to see mountain gorillas. What was that like? Hacking our way through forest, we’d reach the gorillas, and often times as we observed they’d come within inches. In one case, my wife had a really close encounter. Through Terra Incognita Ecotours we had the experience of a lifetime. It’s inspiring to see elephant or cheetah or lion as we later did in Kenya, but observing our relatives (gorillas do share about 98 percent of our genetics) was something else all together different and awe inspiring.

Here’s a video “Steve meets gorillas.”

Here’s a print piece about the Mountain Gorilla Project.

More apartments available as more people seek to rent….in some places, though, the market has in other places  become tighter for rentals. So, how do you find a pet friendly apartment?. And how friendly really is the apartment….there’s a way to ask people who actually live there. Also, in large buildings a way to meet other pet owners who might live three floors up. There are so many benefits of allowing pets, as described by Eric Broughton, president/CEO of RentSocial.com.

In part, it all began on this radio show – the suggestion from Minnesota Senator Al Franken to further study post traumatic stress disorder among our U.S. veterans and how service dogs may help them. The study began months later than it was supposed to and with far fewer dogs were included, and was recently suspended – though it is unclear what the heck happened. What’s more the Department of Veterans Affairs is now saying they won’t support veterans returning with PTSD. We know veterans with PTSD paired with service dogs seem to have a lower rate of substance abuse and suicide, as well as simply a greater likihood of being gainfully employed. It makes no sense. I speak with Carol Borden of Guardian Angel Medical Service Dogs.

Reader email: Black cats and Halloween

Dr. Brent Mayabb, director of education at Royal Canin does some myth busting about cats.

Linda Case, author of “Canine & Feline Nutrition: A Resource for Companion Animal Professionals” explains what our pets really do need in their food, and how to choose the right pet food for your pet(s).