Animal Instinct

On this week's episode of Animal Instinct, Dr. Taylor Truitt of Vet Set joins Celia to talk about dog behavior myths, crossbreeding, and more! Dr. Truitt knew since she was four years old that she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grew up. She started working in veterinary practices when she was 18. Her lifelong passion and adoration of dogs and cats transitioned into her professional commitment to their physical and mental well-being when she graduated from veterinary school.

On the season premiere of Animal Instinct, Celia is joined by PR specialist Nancy Hassel, founder and president of American Pet Professionals, an award winning business-networking and educational organization for the pet industry since 2009. Nancy works with pet companies in many aspects of PR, event planning, media relations and training for pet professionals. Nancy also runs the Re-tails & Sales Pet Expo with Dana Humphrey, a trade show featuring Made in the USA pet products. Nancy is also a speaker at various pet industry conferences, a writer for pet trade and consumer magazines, blogger and photographer, and was a TV producer and production coordinator for 10+ years. Nancy also created a Responsible Dog Ownership program and taught over 2,500 pet parents in a 5-year period. Nancy resides on Long Island, NY and is the proud pet parent of Cody, a rescued American Pit Bull Terrier.

On the season finale of Animal Instinct, Celia is joined by Pam Johnson-Bennett. Pam is a superstar in the world of cat behavior. She is the best-selling author of 10 books, including the brand new release, CatWise (Penguin Books, 2016). Pam’s best-selling book, Think Like a Cat (Penguin Books), changed the way cat owners view cat training and has been referred to as the “cat bible” by veterinarians, shelters, behavior professionals and cat owners world-wide. Her book, Cat vs. Cat (Penguin Books), was the first of its kind to address the unique needs of households with multiple cats. Pam hosted the Nat Geo Wild/Animal Planet show Psycho Kitty, which aired in the UK and Canada. With a career that spans over 30 years, she is considered a pioneer in the field of cat behavior consulting and her books have been used as texts for professional behavior and shelter training.

This week on Animal Instinct, Celia is joined by filmmaker Nancy Schiesari, director and producer of Canine Soldiers: The Militarization of Love. The film explores the intimate bond between military working dogs (MWDs) and their handlers -- combat soldiers who make life-and-death decisions based on the instincts of the dogs who lead their patrols.

On this week's episode of Animal Instinct, Celia is joined by researcher Dave Knieter to talk about trophy hunting. Having lived in multiple states and countries, Dave is a self-described "geographic mutt”. After serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa (2003-05) he settled down in Missouri for ten years, where he earned masters degrees in Education and Geography. It was the latter discipline that got him interested in the politics of conservation and the making of “wild” spaces. Dave is now a PhD student at West Virginia University where he studies trophy hunting, game farms, and conservation in relation to the political economy of South Africa and land reform initiatives. He currently lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, an emergency veterinarian, and their two special-needs cats, Nanook and Devlin.

On this week's episode of Animal Instinct, Celia is joined by Alicia Prygoski to discuss Arkansas's recently passed Ag-Gag Bill. Alicia is a public policy coordinator for farm animal protection at the Humane Society of the United States. She holds a law degree from Western Michigan University and was previously a lobbyist for an environmental organization in Michigan. Alicia now lives in Washington DC with her rescue dog, Patches.

On this week's episode of Animal Instinct, Celia is joined by Gil Webb, Cookie's dad, and Sara, Tumbleweed's mom. Cookie is an Eastern Gray Squirrel who was found at a day old. She required months of close attention and care to pull through. She now lives in Florida with her chihuahua, horse, cat and human. Tumbleweed is 19 months old and suffers from hydrocephalus. Most people know this as water on the brain. He isn't your typical squirrel and can't do most things squirrels do. We love him with all of our hearts and as long as he is fighting for his life, we will fight for him too

On this week's episode of Animal Instinct, host Celia is joined in studio by Dr. James Brusseau, PhD in philosophy, and author of numerous books and articles in the history of philosophy and ethics. His most recent is the short narrative nonfiction Dignity, Pleasures, Vulgarity, which investigates animal rights reflecting between the nonhuman and human animal realms.

This week on Animal Instinct, Professor Frank Grasso is back to chat with Celia about monk parakeets. If you live in Brooklyn you've probably seen one of these small green birds. Nobody knows for sure, but Professor Grasso gives us a few possible explanations for why there are so many monk parakeets in this specific region of NYC.

This week on Animal Instinct, Celia is joined in studio by Frank Grasso. Frank is a Professor of Psychology at Brooklyn College the City University of New York. He directs the BioMimetic and Cognitive Robotics research laboratory there the aim of which is to understand how brains control and coordinate behavior in animals. His research with octopuses follows the lab philosophy that to understand brain function one must be able study the organism, build a brain model that captures the behavior and validate that model by comparing robot performance against animal performance on the same task. Octopuses represent an great challenge to this approach because they are so alien and so complex in brain and body.

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia is joined by marine biologist and underwater videographer Josh Stewart. Josh has studied and filmed mantas around the world and has spent several years studying coral recruitment on historic shipwrecks in the Dominican Republic. It was during one of these projects that he saw his first manta ray, and was instantly taken by the beauty and grace of these amazing animals. Josh has filmed for National Geographic and Animal Planet, as well as producing a number of independent documentaries and video shorts, one of which earned him the Australian Geographic Spirit of Adventure Award in 2010. He is currently a PhD student at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and is being supported by a National Science Foundation Fellowship for his research on manta rays.

Can spiders hear? Do they see color? What are their webs made of? Tune in and learn about the world of spiders as host Celia talks to researcher and spider specialist Dr. Todd Blackledge, Leuchtag Endowed Professor of Biology at The University of Akron. Dr. Blackledge has spent his life studying spiders and their webs to understand how spider silks evolved into a toolkit of diverse fibers that includes some of nature’s toughest and stretchiest materials.

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is joined in studio by Dr. Taylor Truitt founder of The Vet Set. Dr. Truitt brings veterinary care to homes, offices, or hotels to avoid the stress her patients might experience during a trip to the vet's office. The Vet Set also offers "Fear Free" hospital visits, where pets can receive surgery, dental care, x-rays, ultrasound and critical care.

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is joined by Sharon Nunez, president and co-founder of Animal Equality. Sharon talks about the release of iAnimal, an immersive virtual reality experience into the lives of farmed animals. iAnimal uses cutting-edge virtual reality technology to give viewers an immersive look at the life cycle of factory farmed animals from birth to death. This latest project features footage filmed by 13 investigators in six countries.

This week on Animal Instinct, host Celia is joined by Lisa Luckenbach from WiggleLess, a company specialized in back braces for dogs. Lisa explains how to find the best back brace for your pet to protect it after surgery, injury or disease. Inspired by her own struggles with back pain, Lisa decided to start a business to ensure the well-being of our furry friends.

On the season premiere of Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is joined by Denise Herman, the founder and head trainer for Empire of the Dog. She is a Valedictorian Graduate of the Academy for Dog Trainers – widely considered the "Harvard of dog schools." After graduation, she was hired as a staff trainer at the San Francisco SPCA and opened Empire of the Dog in 2000. Tune in to hear them discuss why dog trainers are so important, even if you think you already know a lot about dogs!

On the season finale of Animal Instinct, host Celia Kutcher is joined in the studio by Zeke Freeman of Bee Raw Honey. Working as an advisor to Beehive Bee Products, Inc., Freeman repackaged the company's honeys in clear, retro-inspired glass jars, earning recognition in Metropolitan Home’s Top 100. In 2005, Freeman acquired majority ownership of Beehive Bee Products, in partnership with Sam Yocum, a photographer and designer. Freeman and Yocum re-launched the company under its current name: Bee Raw Honey. Today, Freeman solely manages the company, and he has expanded Bee Raw’s distribution, making its single varietal honeys and honey flights available nationwide. He also actively promotes the importance of American family-owned apiaries and works to educate the public about beekeeping and its vital role in agriculture.

Today on Animal Instinct, actress, model, and animal lover Missy Hargraves calls in to tell us about her efforts rescuing creatures when catastrophe strikes. Hargraves' past work has included documenting the claustrophobic conditions suffered by dolphins in Japan's Taiji Whale Museum. The museum is in close proximity to the infamous cove denounced in the hit documentary The Cove.

Today on Animal Instinct, we talk to the talented Olivia Barash. In a past life, Barash played the female lead role of “Leila” in cult classic Repo Man. Continuing her career in Hollywood, she's gotten to work with the likes of Robert Downey, Jr. and Johnny Depp. But let's talk about animals! In the last year, Olivia has been hard at work on BarkvilleTV with her new production company, Original Pixel Cowboys. A YouTube channel, Barkville TV stars dogs rather than humans, and seeks to help them get adopted!

Today on Animal Instinct, we hear from Tod Enko, a conservationist who founded the first and only free, year-round animal hospital in the Galápagos Islands: Darwin Animal Doctors. Tod also created an international humane education program called "A Piggy's Tale," based on the life of his dog. He now endeavors to stop poaching in Sumatra's Leuser Ecosystem, a UN World Heritage Site.