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Podcasts. We can’t live with them, we can’t live without them, amiright? But honestly, where were we before podcasts? How did we drive long drives? Did we have to talk to the people in the car with us? Stare out the window? What did we do?!
Podcasts are more than just a throwback to the days of radio, they’re intimate exchanges with warm or educated or comedic hosts about all our favorite topics, from the wide overviews to murder stories to news coverage to specific niches on just about every subject. Of course, that includes all things dog.
According to Nielsen Podcast Buying Power data, the percent of the adult U.S. population listening to podcasts has grown more than 40% in the past three years. Lucky for us dog lovers, there are plenty of new (and some old) dog-centric podcasts to keep us entertained, laughing, crying, and learning.
Here are some favorites, which heard individually, stand alone and hold up to snuff; but when heard together, these shows represent an array of what we come to dogs for, what we get from them, and all we can give to them.
1. Can I Pet Your Dog?
This gem of a show has been around since 2015 and is admittedly coming to an end in the spring of 2022. But with over 300 episodes backlogged to catch up on, and still airing every Tuesday for now, dog owners Renee Colvert and Alexis B. Preston talk to guests about their dogs, discuss the pooches they’ve met that week, and cover any and all canine-related news. If you like comedy stuff and dog stuff, this is the show for you. It is funny! And it’s about dogs! They also feature popular segments like the “My Mutt Minute” where listeners submit one-minute voice recordings about their own pups. Can I Pet Your Dog? has a large, active Facebook group where fans become friends and join together for lots of delightful dog-loving expression (and pictures.)
2. With A Dog
A podcast for the modern dog parent, Carly Parish hosts With A Dog and seeks out the answers to all our dog questions. She interviews trainers, veterinarians, business owners and awesome pet parents to uncover everything she can about all things pet care. This lifestyle show airs every Wednesday and touches on topics from health and wellness to travel to animal welfare and more. But Carly really connects with her guests regardless of the subject matter, like when she makes sure to ask what they’re reading or watching on TV. It’s a fun, heartfelt show that really homes in on how much we adore our dogs, how to maximize our bond with them, and how to ensure that both dogs and the people who love them benefit as much as possible from this special relationship.
3. The Vets Unleashed
Tune in and listen to two veterinarians talk shop. Dr. Mike (The Bow Tie Vet Guy) and Dr. Scott chat with other animal lovers and professionals about the most pressing, silly or interesting topics that the animal kingdom faces, issues big or small. This bimonthly show is the equivalent of eavesdropping on vets chatting at a cocktail party – did we mention there is always a fancy cocktail featured (and consumed) in each episode? Recipes included! It’s the banter between them that makes this show extra engaging. Dr. Mike grew up in Iowa but practices in Los Angeles where he caters to many of the rich and famous. Dr. Scott grew up on a farm in the Midwest, and has practiced in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon. The Vets Unleashed focuses on the myriad of ways we care for animals, while over drinks, but it also tracks an ongoing friendship of 25 years.
4. Drinking From The Toilet
This podcast somehow manages to discuss dog training with humor. It’s the perfect mix of science and heart, animal-learning nerdiness and animal-loving passion. Hannah Branigan goes in depth each month as she talks about the principles of behavior, but she does it in a conversational, practical way, breaking things down to make sense so they’re digestible concepts for the average pet owner. Drinking From The Toilet fills a nice niche by delving into the space where positive reinforcement philosophy and its reality meet, which is in the home, in real time, in life. Hannah makes sure to encourage techniques that are effective and enjoyable for everyone involved, including the dog.
5. You, Me, Empathy
Okay, now this is not an animal podcast, but dare we say that empathy is the gateway to loving animals. Nōn Wels started this show in 2018 as a safe space for people to show up wherever they are, in all their messy, beautiful feelings. It’s a show designed to destigmatize mental health and foster connection. And so of course, there are plenty of conversations about dogs, their poignant healing powers and the ways they improve our mental health. Episodes air on Mondays so you can start your week ready to struggle, celebrate, and anything in between, but damnit, to feel. This show inspires more compassion for all beings and calls on us to really listen to one another (even to our dogs). It calls on us to feel like dogs do – purely, with whole hearts, with all our might.
Katya Lidsky is a writer, host of The Animal That Changed You, and wishes she had the bravado to add her podcast on the list above. She talks to extraordinary people about the extraordinary animals who changed them in each (hopefully) hilarious, (definitely) touching episode which drops every Wednesday. Katya is a self-described “softcore” activist and welcomes all animal lovers, especially those who can’t watch something happen to a horse during a war scene in a movie (but have no problem seeing what tragedy befalls the dude riding the horse.) Wow, will you look at that, she shouted out to herself after all. Follow her at @KatyaLidsky
Do you have a favorite podcast? Add it in a comment below. And if you loved this list, PIN it!
