In this episode of In The Vet’s Office, Kathryn Hurley Dhall (founder of Wags & Walks Nashville Animal Rescue) stops by with her dog Jax. Kathryn and Dr. Josie talk through everything you need to know about adopting a pet. Kathryn breaks down the ‘3-3-3’ rule – what to expect 3 days, 3 weeks, and 3 months after bringing a rescue pet home. Dr. Josie and Kathryn address misconceptions about why animals end up in shelters, talk about if pit bulls deserve the bad rap they get and more. In the intro to Kathryn's interview, Dr. Josie also sits down with her co-host, radio personality Shannon Ella, to dive into the Case of the Week – a routine procedure expressing a King Charles Cavalier’s an*l glands going VERY wrong! A listener calls in to ask for feedback on his dog eating grass, and Dr. Josie’s answer may surprise you! After the interview, Dr. Josie and Shannon wrap up the episode with PAW & ORDER where Dr. Josie details things she’d never do with her own pets including leaving small dogs/cats unattended outside, making them a prime target for predators.
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Yeah, you're listening to in the Vets Office with doctor Josie Horshak.
Hi.
Everyone, welcome to in the Vets Office. I am your host, doctor Josie, and I am here with missus Shannonella.
Hello.
Hello, how are you? I'm doing great? How are you? I'm good. I'm excited.
I feel like every week we get to catch up and find out what crazy thing happened to you this week in the Vets Office.
And I don't know what it is yet.
This week I'm kind of scared because you have a funny look on your face.
Yeah, we were sitting here.
I was like, I wonder if this is a little TMI for the audience, but you know, it really happened, so I feel like I got to share it. Okay, this is not this past week. This is actually I probably was a year into practice. So I was a baby VET okay, and we had the cutest little Cavey King Cavalier.
Oh they're so sweet, They're adorable.
And this sweet little angel was crying every time she was trying to go poop. And we went to I went to express for anal glands and for the life of me, could not get them to express and so I had my mentor and friend. He is a veterinarian, he's probably about seven years older than me, and I said, hey, you need to come check this out, like something's not right here. And he's like, sometimes they get impacted and we have to sedate them and express them. I'm like, great, so we'll sedate her. You're like, oh great, I'm like perfect, let's do it. So I sedate her and go to express for anal glands and still cannot get them to express. And so doctor Williams is his name. He comes out and he says, okay, well i'll help you. I'll show you how to do this. And he's, you know, doing the thing, and he says, hey, come here, I want to show you, like I want you to see exactly what I'm doing so you can replicate it in the future.
Warming I'm like, I'm so nervous as to what is going on here, yep.
And I am getting a bird's eye view. I mean I'm in there.
Looking oh, and you're right in the area. Okay. And then he's you know, trying to express them.
And there was like kind of like a plug and the plug came out. Oh no, and the anal plan expressed and I went all over my face, into my mouth, into.
My eyes and I.
I don't know that I've recovered from that. This was about seven years ago and I still have PTSD. The best part is that there was security footage because we have cameras in the hospital, so the whole team.
Watched it back. It is like, actually, very hilarious.
I'll probably have to post it on my Instagram and we're gonna need a copy of that video. I'm spitting on the floor. I'm like throwing up in the sink. They're like, doctor Josie, what do you need. I'm like, call me an uber. And so I got an uber and I went home and I showered and I really wanted to have a glass of wine, but it was like nine in the morning, and so drank water.
Went back to work.
Oh wow, I have no words of moment. And you still after that moment, you were like, this is the path for me?
It was like and that was a testing time, I will say, but yeah, I was like, hey, this is part of the.
Job, part of the job, part of the job.
Wow.
Yeah, have you I felt really bad for my uber driver? Yeah, Like I do not smell goods or.
That I can I can't talk about it. No, I'm like, I like my nose right now? Do you now since you've learned your lesson whenever?
Oh yeah, have anyone coming in there? Oh we're teaching.
You're like, let's not look over top of.
The area, like put your face shield on, yeah, put your goggles.
Yeah.
No.
I was debtimately a learning experience for sure, and a rite of passage as a baby vet.
So when you finally got home and thought about having your glass of wine, right, how many times did you have to shower to get that smell?
Yeah?
Ok, so I walk in We were in downtown Chicago. I walk into my apartment. My husband works from home, and he's like, wow, what's going on? And I was like, do not come close to me. I took off all my clothes, like right at the front door, ran to the shower. I probably had a shower like three times, like wash my hair and my face and brush my teeth.
Yeah. I was, oh, brush your teeth. It was a journey.
Oh no, yeah, because I mean regular shampoo is not going to get that smell out, and no regular soap. No.
I threw my I threw my clothes away my top. Yeah, I was like, burn it.
Did you go back to work right after I did?
Oh?
Yeah? Yeah? I oh that day?
Yeah, I ran home, ubered home downtown Chicago, changed, showered two to three times, brush my teeth, got back in the uber, and went back to work.
Okay, did the same mover driver pick you up? Did you wait for you or? No? God?
No?
He was like that girl was stinky. Like if I ever see Josie pop up? Yeah, stop picking her up?
Yeah? Wow?
And did you get a raise? No? No raise, no raise? No? But it is funny.
So the camera footage shows all of my nurses just like dying, laughing, and I'm like, you traders.
No one tried to help you.
I mean they were like what, like you just don't even know what to do at that point. So half of them are just like giggling in the corner. And I mean, I can't blame them. It was pretty funny.
But and did you stay working there for? Is that where you?
Yeah?
That's where I was prior to moving to Nashville.
How I don't know if I could have returned back to the seating the crime.
If you're listening to this doctor, Williams. Thank you so much for that learning moment.
Oh my gosh.
All right, we are going to have more learning moments right now because some of our listeners have some questions for you.
Yes, we're going to do some listener question and answers of the week. All right, let's see what we got. Hi, doctor Josie, Sometimes my dog eats grass, and I was wondering if this is normal or something I should be concerned about. Please let me know what. Thanks Ah the grass eaters.
Yes, I get asked this question for sure on a weekly basis. And it's a myth that dogs are carnivores. They're omnivores just like us. They require protein and and they're greens, and so I don't get worked up about dogs eating grass here and there. It's pretty normal for them to want to forge. So if your dog is like munching on a blade like a cow, that's fine. I will say, if they're rushing outside scarfing down tons of grass, sometimes that can mean they have an upset stomach.
Okay, so that's not a myth. That is not a myth.
So if they ever really hurt tummy and they're running outside and they're just like ravenously eating grass and then throwing up afterwards. You know, if it's a one and done, okay, let's keep an eye on it. But if that's consistently happening, you should talk to your vet.
Okay.
But my German shepherd will go for a walk and he'll like, we chewing on a blade of grass the whole time, and I'm.
Like, you know what, he just likes his greens.
Yeah. My French bulldog she used to do that all the time, and I would laugh because she would just take like one big chunk of grass and just sit there and enjoy it.
She could.
But we have a German Shepherd mix and she will play for hours and get really worked up and then she just devours grass and throws up. Yeah, And I'm like, but she doesn't do it all the time, but I always get so worried and I'm like, is something wrong with her? But she's also like panting and now she's vomiting. I'm like, this is not this is not great.
Yeah, I think it.
Obviously they can't tell us, but my guess is that they're tummy's hurting. There's like an acid build up in there. Grass is very non acidic. So it kind of can coate the tummy, and so they're probably trying to help with that acid build up and then ultimately they end up throwing it up.
So it's not the end of the world.
But if it is a consistent like, hey, this is happening multiple times a week, certainly it's happening every single day.
Talk to your mutinarian for sure. Cool.
All right, good to know.
That is our last question for the week.
But for the listeners out there, if you have any questions that you'd like for us to address, you can click the link in our show notes.
And feel free to record. No questions are off limit.
Yes, and in those questions, I always love hearing what people are up to because I feel like there's so many different things that people are worried about that you don't want.
To call your vet about. Now you can just ask doctor Josie exactly, so one stop shop. Absolutely all right, I'm excited.
Who is our guest today on the show?
I'm super excited today in the VETS office, we have Catherine Hurley Doll coming in and she is the executive director here at Wags and Walks in Nashville. It is in my opinion the most well known and respected dog rescue in the area. It's actually where I adopted my big German shepherd, Oakley from, and Catherine is a friend of mine. I actually when I moved here during the pandemic, I wanted to be involved in a rescue. I'm really passionate about it, and I had heard a lot about wags and walks and what better way to introduce yourself to someone than to slide into their DMS.
So yes, very Kelsey Ballerini, Chase stokes of you.
Yes, exactly right to the source. Yes, So I DMed her on Instagram, just letting her know. You know, I'm a veterinarian, I'm new to the area, I want to be involved, and we became fast friends from there. We've spent a lot of time working with sick animals together. But I don't think I realized what a force she was. She is birthing puppies in her bathroom. She will go to Alabama at the drop of a hat to rescue dogs from death row. She's going into extreme hoarding situations to extract animals, and really has just dedicated her life to saving dogs that most people wouldn't even think about giving a second chance, So if you.
Have not checked out Wags and Walks, Like, I truly have to limit myself from looking at all of the beautiful rescues that they have because I would take them all home. We have a farm now, and like they would all be at my house because the dogs that they the time they put into them, and just how sweet they are, and the great events that they put on are so awesome. So I'm excited to get to know her better too, because I haven't actually spent much time talking to her before.
So yeah, she's lovely, and I think a really great thing for listeners too, Like a big takeaway will be what to expect when you're adopting, because I have so many patients that are rescues, and I think it's important for own to be prepared when rescuing. It's a beautiful thing, but there's good things to know before you do it. So here we go, Hi, Catherine, Welcome to in the VETS Office.
Thank you for having me. I'm so excited for you to be here today.
And all of our listeners know that this podcast is BYOD Bring your Own Dog, and we also have the one and only mister Jacks joining us today tell us a little bit about Jacks.
Jax is the love of my life. He's my first dog. We have four. As you know, Jax came from Pontiac, Michigan, close to my hometown. His origin story is probably my favorite of all of my dogs. We were as nineteen year olds, you know, do on Craigslist, just searching for dogs.
Craigslist was like it was a place.
It was it back in the day, back in the day, and we had just gotten into fostering, so I grew up with breeder dogs like Shitsu's small poodles, nothing in the realm of a pit. And me and Rejeeve my now husband then boyfriend, and one of our friends saw a photo of him in a Craigslist ad and he was being held by his neck with his one of his siblings, and you could see the police crawling across their face. And it was like ten PM and Pontiac, Michigan is really not anywhere I should be.
And my mom was like, yeah, go go get them. Let's do it.
And we drove there and knocked on the house. It had no electricity, and the guy was nice. He didn't try to murder you. He did not okay, and you could just hear puppies like screaming. So we were like, oh, how many do you have? And he was like, I am eight or so. So I was like, well, if I give you one hundred dollars now, will you not sell any of them? And like We'll come back for the rest. And you know, again, I do not condone buying dogs off of Craigslist.
Right again, this is pre rescue.
And we got his whole litter, adopted all of them out, and he was the last one to find a home and regieve. From day one, was like, this is my dog.
This is my dog.
And I'm like, no, we can't. We're moving to LA And my favorite joke of it is I called him. I'm like, okay, we can keep him under one circumstance, and he's like anything. I'm like, we're changing his name from Away from Jack's. He was named after Jack from VANDR Pump Rules. My sister named him and I did.
Not like him.
Yeah, and Regie was like, no, we're keeping him and his name is Jacks.
I was like, okay, You're like fine, and then we loaded up into a U haul a couple of weeks later and off to LA. You went where we went. I'm lucky enough to know Jax.
He's one of my patients and Regief loves this dog.
Yeah, it's terrifying. It's very scary for me. Amazing. He's eight now and we talk about him being eight a lot.
So many owners do that. I'll find myself doing that, like my three year old healthy dog. I'm like, when the time comes, I don't know and I'm like, what am I doing?
Oh?
It's so unhealthy. It is. It's called anticipatory grief. Okay, see, there you go.
My therapist told me about it and that we both really suffer from it. That we just think about him not being with us way more than that is healthy.
Well as his terinarian, I can tell you he's extremely healthy. He really is, and he's going to live forever. So it's great genetic We're gonna throw that anticipatory grief out the window. Okay, tell us a little bit about Wags and Walks and what you guys do.
Wags and Walks is a five O one C three nonprofit where a dog rescue. It started in Los Angeles, which is where I worked for four years, and Rejeev's job took us to Nashville. The plan was not to open a second branch. It was the opposite of whatever that can be. And he just kept joking, like you're gonna do it, You're gonna do it. And the more I was visiting shelters and then getting farther away from being hands on with dogs, it started to.
Creep into my mind.
And then we found a piple, a black Piple, and all of for puppies, brought them home with like no hesitation, got them vetting, got them adopted out. And that was kind of my first dose of like, oh, like I was my first foster, Like we did it, Like.
I could do that again.
Yeah, And it grew from there, and now we're almost five years old and have our first adoption center and an incredible staff, and you know, we take a ton of pride in everything that we've built in regards to the foster program, the medical program, and it's become a big staple in the Nashville community.
Yeah, it is such a big staple. I feel like everyone in Nashville knows about it, especially if you're involved in any way or just even a dog lover. And I can really speak to the medical side of things. I've worked with a lot of rescues, and WAGS is far and away one of the if not the best rescue as far as really seeking top care medical treatment, and that is not inexpensive, but you guys really go the distance and you make sure that these pets are well vetted and healthy, and if they're not entirely healthy, like being completely transparent with the adopters on what they're getting.
So I think it's pretty amazing that you should be very proud, Thank you, welcome.
Yeah, I think it's so much of what WAGS has been built upon has been why people hesitate to adopt and how do we rework that in a way that it can be for everyone. Medical is certainly a huge part of that is people are like, well, how do I know? And the answer is, if you go to a shelter, you're not really gonna know. Yeah, And that's no, that's to no credit of you know, the shelter not doing their best right when you're so limited on resources and staff and funding, what else are they going to do? Yeah, you know they'll and they'll be honest with you that they're like, yeah, we you know, we don't know this dog's knees are great.
Right.
So I think it's been a huge point of pride for the staff of just like getting feedback from fosters and you know that dog's drinking a lot of water.
It's like, oh, well, maybe a kidney issue.
Yeah, yeah, you know the dog we sent to you the other day. Now we have a great four heart murmur and you know, but there's a ton of people out there that with the information, they'll still make the decision to adopt.
You just want them to have all the information, exactly the full picture.
I think that brings me to a really interesting point, and so many of my clients are interested in adopting. But I think it's important when you're looking at a rescue to.
Make sure it checks a couple of boxes.
I would say, in my experience, not all rescues aren't created equal. What do you think, what does wags do? That kind of sets you guys apart.
Yeah, it's a great question, I think, stemming off of the medical side, giving people clear expectations and being as transparent as possible from both the medical, behavioral and the take home of that dog. So most of our dogs are in foster homes, which means we can then have a conversation with you if you're applying to adopt a dog and you have children, and I can say, hey, this dog is living with three kids and they're doing great, or I can say I do not think this.
Dog will be a good fit for children, Like it's.
On both sides of it, and so I think the transparency on that has been so helpful for making quality matches and lifelong matches because the return rate for a lot of rescues is where they struggle is you want to get that dog out the door and you want to get them forever home. But there are so many wonderful people, but that doesn't mean that they're the perfect match for a lot of dogs. So learning more about the dog and being able to make that match, I think is what's been really successful for us.
Yeah.
Absolutely, it's interesting. Having three rescues of myself, I has really been an eye opener. And I think a lot of people when they adopt dogs, they think, Okay, here I go, I've got my dog. We're going to hit up the dog park, we're going to go for a run, we're going to go to a patio. And sure, there's like the occasional few that can do that but the reality is that the majority that's not necessarily the case. You have a new adopter, what sort of advice would you give them?
Yes, so we preached the three three three rule that means three days, three weeks, three months. So the expectations of that dog throughout that process is very different. So when you're bringing that dog home, you know, like you just said, the word dog park is like very triggered.
Right now, our eyes are twitching.
Yeah, going to the you know, twelve South Farmers Market. I'm like, please don't do that. I think what's most helpful to have people grasp what the three three through role really means of a dog decompressing into your lifestyle is by the time that this dog is in your home, especially if you're adopting an adult dog, that they have either been surrendered by their family, which is traumatizing, or they were astray and you know who knows what that entailed. Now they're in a shelter that's loud and overcrowded, they're getting poked and prodded with needles, they're getting behavior assessments that are very stressful, and then they're there for however long where they're getting out of the can for very minimal amount of time because against shelters are underfunded and understaffed. Right then they're coming to the rescue, so we're already on like three or four transitions. So say they stay at Wags for three days until they find a foster, Well, then they're going to go to foster, and then they're going to settle and they're going to like really start to learn how to be a dog, find their routine, and then they're going to go to you adopt. Yeah, so that is just so much for a dog to have to respond to, and so the expectation that they're going to come into your life seamlessly is everyone's I think biggest hiccup is like, you need to get out of your own way. I realize that it's going to take some time. So again that three days, three weeks, three months, if you follow those rules and just keeping their world small, is in the long run so much better for them and so much better for the adopter.
Can you tell us a little bit what you mean by what can you expect it? Three days, three weeks and then three months.
Yeah, So it's the expectation for the dog and what you should be doing is the adopter.
So that three day rule is like keep.
Their world tiny, hand feeding them, getting them on a crate schedule, and just letting them decompress to their surroundings and to your neighborhood. Something is even like going on the same routine for your walk. Just give them some structure and consistency. Keep that throughout that three weeks and that's where it's like, you know, if your mother in law wants to come over, or you want to have a play date with one of your dog friends. Again, just little by little introducing them and exposing them to new situations and scenarios. And then it's really that three month where you start to really see their true personality come out and then adjust to that. You know, and again I say it all the time, get out of your own way for expectations of what these dogs are going to be right, and what's in your head is rarely what ends up being the dog in front of you and being okay with that and then adjusting to what they need and whether that's you know, they do need a create schedule because they're an anxious dog, or hey, I have that rare jam of a dog that is going to be good in a dog park and if they're not like that's okay, you know, advocate and do what's best for the dog that's in front of you.
Yeah, I from personal experience, you know, I have Oakley, who's a Wags alum and he was actually one of the dogs that Catherine rescued from Alabama, and he fits that role perfectly. At three months, I was like, Okay, here's you're obsessed with your ball still, but like you're kind of decompressing, Like here's your personality and I can see you're a lover, but you still won't really let me petch you.
Yeah.
And now we're a year in and he like won't get off my lap. But I mean it's just like it takes a really long time. I mean, the PTSD is real for these animals, and you really have to, like you said, get out of your own way, sit back, let them decompress in their their own timeline. And it's a beautiful thing. I think with like each month and each year that goes by, you like get to know them and they they really start to let their guards down.
And even on like the flip side of Oakley, it's like, Okay, we was a like ball driven like prey drive, like let's go.
And you had to be like pump the braids. Yeah.
But then there's the other dogs that are really nervous and they're shy, and we have this like desire to baby that right, and I deeply understand that desire. It is not helpful to that dog, right, you know that can Now we're going to resource guard mom because Mom's my safe space, right, and that structure though challenging. I just sent my dog to a tweak board and train, Yeah, just trying to like get him back on track. And because Moose is so squishy and soft and sweet, it's so easy to be like, oh, I'll let you in the couch, I'll let you in the bad I'll let you do what, literally whatever you want because I love you.
But like you got to show love in different ways.
Yeah, a little tough love goes a long way. I preach that structure. They want structure, Yeah, they thrive off of it.
And it's so interesting that like humans just we really struggle with with that. Yeah.
Really do we're suckers? Yeah?
Well, like I say, we're like grandparents, like we just even though like the parenting should be stricter.
I want to always act like the grandparents. I'm like, let it be a free for all.
No bedtime, whatever snacks you want. Yeah, that's very true. One thing that I hear my clients say a lot is and I actually one time had a situation where people will say, Gosh, I want to adopt, but it's so there's a lot of prerequisites, and I got denied. I actually once when I was in Chicago, got tonight because I didn't have a fence in my backyard. And people get really frustrated with that. What do you say to that.
I understand both sides of it. I've been on both sides of it as well. I think I would have been turned down to adopt Jacks because of my age and.
Like, what do you mean You're moving to LA in three weeks? Like how is it hit? I'm like, I don't know. I'll figure it out though.
So I understand that a lot of rescues are either volunteer run and they're so fearful of like putting a dog in a situation that's not going to be good for them. And I get that, But if the end goal is that adoption is the standard, know, then people we want people to stop buying dogs. Then again, we have to get out of our own way, right, So I think Wax isn't a good job at balancing that and having our adoption program be thorough but not judgmental or having too many barriers. So when we ask you, you know, how many kids you have and how old are they and what's your schedule, it's not to be like finding reasons to not give you a dog. It's to find the best dog that we can matchmake you with. Yes, So I think finding rescues if you're you know, someone from the public, look into their policies, look into their process, and try to be open minded that if you don't have a great experience and you do feel like the backyard, that's something that like just it's also expensive, you know, like there are people that can be great dog owners, but like putting up a ten thousand dollars fence or their hoa doesn't let them like is not the reason right that they shouldn't be able to have a dog. And then it's on the rescue to find you the right dog, right, you know, like no, I'm I going to maybe give you like a husky, probably not. We're going to talk about why I'm not going to give you a husky. Yeah, and just finding dogs that fit lifestyles. And I think our option team crushes it with that. I think I think it's it's fun for them to be able to get on the phone and hear about people and.
And then the right the perfect match that's going to be a life, lifelong match.
Yeah, hopefully, hopefully.
Another thing that a lot of my clients will say is, oh, gosh, like I I really want to rescue. It seems so wonderful, but I'm really looking for this particular breed like a Golden Retriever or a husky and and or my husband has allergies. I'm looking for something that doesn't shed. So what do you say to that? Yeah, we joke about it internally a lot, like it's hard. You know, people are like, I want the great trained, potty trained seven pound Maltese that does not shed, and we're like, okay, like you and the rest of the world. Right that being said, I think the state of rescue now in particularly in the South, those dogs are like not very few and far between anymore. So I think it's the keyest patience.
And I mean me and you both know the hypoergenic thing like has gotten a little bit out of hand with like the cross breeding of the doodles. That if you're going to breed a Bernice Mountain dog in a poodle like, that does not mean your puppy is going to be hYP don't from these breeders. That being said, I do understand that there are people that want dogs that look a certain way or you know, are on the lower shedding side of things. And with the doodle craze, we're now seeing the come down of that, and that means there's so many of them in shelters.
Over the last couple of months, we've taken in well over fifty That is insane. It's insane.
And we're one rescue right, Like, We're not even just the one rescue in Nashville, Like, there's so many rescues everywhere.
And I have.
Friends that work in shelters and rescues across the United States. They're saying the same thing. So it's okay if you want a certain breed, but please know that there's to be rested. They are out there, puppies adults. Last week, we had two standard poodles surrendered, and I'm like, what's going on, and they're good dogs, you know. So it's just, yeah, everyone can find the dog that they want rescue.
And I think what you just said is they are good dogs. I think people think, well, gosh, why are they in a rescue, like what did they do?
Or why did their owner give them up?
And a lot of times it's just whether it's financial or medical. Like people, it doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with the dog. It can be the circumstance of their previous owner. And so, yeah, I personally think there's they are the best and they deserve that second chance.
Yeah.
I think the misconception that dogs are in shelters because of behavior or anything that they've done is largely false.
The average age of a shelter dog.
Oh, excuse you, come here, he says, I own this set.
Now Jack's come.
He says, this is Mavid's office.
Yeah, I think the idea that dogs are in shelters because of behavior is largely false. It's mostly due to life circumstances of the person and also just that they're old dogs or discarded and damaged. And the average age of a shelter dog is under one years old. And so whether you're looking for a puppy, a one year old, a three year old, they're probably not in the shelter. And also they have to go through a behavioral assessment at the shelter to be on the adoption floor. Right, So, even though rescues have more resources to learn more about the dog, if you're seeing a dog at the shelter.
It's because it's yeah, it's a friendly dog. Yeah. Maybe not for every single person, but overall.
Yeah, So you know, clearly there are pure breads in rescue so many, but I would say a large majority of them are pitbulls or do have piple in them.
And you know pit bulls.
Get a really bad rap. I know you're an advocate for them. What what do you say to that?
Yeah, that could be a seven day podcast of live streaming consciousness for me. But I mean, yeah, I think the one thing is is the identifying even of what a piple is and like what that even means. And there was a study done where you know, if you were to show people a picture of ten Golden Retrievers, everyone's going to be able to identify the Golden Retriever and the DNA test is going to match, right, Like, you know what the golden looks like you know what a French bulldog looks like, a pug et, cetera. But then when you're showing people, hey, these are x amount of pippules labeled in shelters and showing people the photos, they're so misidentified across the board. So if you can't even visually say what a piple is, they're like how then it gets so convoluted when you're talking about bites and aggressiveness and this, yeah, because everything can almost be a pit bull, right, like anything with a blocky head and short hair, right, and.
Really alters the statistics.
Greatly to the point that they become irrelevant, right, and you know, and then you even go into like economic status of like what's even getting reported, right, So like two people that are wealthy and they're burn a doodle bite someone that's not getting reported. That's not going to make any headlines. It's not interestingly enough. Like the narrative is that pipples are bad right now, So that's that's a whole thing on its own of even be able to identify them. And then even on the flip side, you know, we have so many adopters that love wisdom panels and embark and these things, and then they're adopting dogs that don't look like a pity at all, Right, and then their DNA tests come back and they're like forty percent American Staffshire Terrier.
Like, would you have adopted that dog?
Right?
If I told you it was? Like, hopefully the.
Answer is yes, but realistically the answer might be no. Right, So I am not naive enough to think that every single person's going to want to pipple. Like.
There are certain breeds and types of dogs, like I like big dogs. I probably ever own a Shitzu.
Probably not right, But get out of your own way, right, don't let your own biases prevent you from an opportunity of finding a really wonderful match. Yeah, that's why I always encourage fostering. There are tons of people that will foster a pity, but like say, they won't adopt one, and then the conversion rate.
To foster fails.
You're like, oh see, yeah, and you know, just at minimum offering what they offer us, and that's unconditional love and an open heart. And I just I go to shelters very very often, and it's just the correlation's really not there, right, not even from my own personal experiences. I truly dive into the research and the stats of like what's going on, and they're wonderful family dogs.
Right And yeah, well I can tell you from having I have a lot of experience for against the bulls at the clinic, and I would take them over the tiny little chihuahua that's trying to eat me alive every single day.
Yeah, I mean, it's so fascinating that, like I never want to then breed by us another groups of course, but then like just I own a chuaha, so oh, I'm a big Shuahua up there. But like cattle dogs for example, you know, like you don't hear cattle dog slander. We always joke about that, and the restue of like yeah, the statistics of them being able to like nip your kids if they're not getting enough mental stimulation is so much higher, I know. And then you want to talk about some breeds that were like are still truly bred for certain things, right that you know, you want to talk about a pit bull and it's like, well, what was happening in the eighteen hundreds, l eighteen hundreds to now is like they're not that's so convoluted in their DNA, but like it's not for a border Collie, right and your two year old and a border Yeah.
He's trying to like herd him into the Yeah, it's uh.
It's again like just take dogs on face value of the behavior that they're showing you, yeah, and and make your decision based off of that. And I'm not saying every piple is perfect, but yeah, most of them are.
Yeah, they're big, squishy babies are okay, last not least. This has nothing to do with rescue. This is just something that as your friend, I have noticed. And then I love that you do. Your ability to narrate dogs, Oh yes, like what they're thinking and how they talk is amazing.
Thank you.
You're sure you like the big bullies like Bubba.
Yes, so Boba dishes Baba and he is very strong, but he's very sweet.
He's going to come give you keyss. Yes, yeah I have. I have a lot of different voices.
It's so amazing and it like fits them perfectly. So Catherine will call me and be like, Okay, I went to this house and we met this dog and he was like, how you doing it? And I'm like, oh, I can just like see him right now.
It's so bad when it's in the background of so many shelter videos and like I just see can hear myself? And I'm like, please mute that.
There's like this. Yeah, it's usually the big old pities that I like like to do it. Which, oh, but does your widow dogs to you? You can't do ah way a bit of dat.
It's so amazing. Do your four dogs at home have their own voice?
That?
Yes? Okay? Yeah, like hear be Hery has no eyebrows.
Hue is a very large English bulldog with no eyes.
So he's mad.
Jeeve is better because he has like a deep broken British accent for him. Yeah that's good, yeah right, yeah, you can see it and move. She's a little bit more like I'm just a little slow. I don't think a lot.
And JoJo's mad.
Jojoy's controls everything and she's a little feisty.
And there's Jack and there's the perfect one.
He's rolling around on the ground right now. For all of you that can't see us, that's amazing.
Well, well, thank you. I don't think everyone would agree with you on that perspective, but I appreciate it.
I love it when you say that to me, I'm like, oh, I can see this dog and now I get it. Well, thank you so much for coming in Rescue. I know to you is very near and dear to your heart, and it is also to me. So I think it's really important to create awareness and most importantly for all the listeners out there that want to adopt, just no what to expect and a lot of times getting out of our own way and just kind of letting them come into their own I think it's so important. So appreciate you coming in and giving us your expert advice.
Thank you for having me and giving a platform to talk about why adoption should be the only option and how there's just millions of wonderful dogs looking for their home.
You're so welcome, so awesome to have Katherine Hurley Dall on the podcast.
And if you're listening and you are interested in Wags and Walks, do not forget to go follow them on social media at Wags and Walks Nashville, and I promise you will be highly entertained and there's so much great content on there and it just really gives you an inside look at what the work that they do. So definitely go check them out.
Yeah. Absolutely, it's certainly my favorite account that I follow me too.
It can be very.
Dangerous, yeah, for sure, adopt them all. But yeah, they're they're wonderful, so definitely give them a like. They're often fundraising too for a lot of sick animals, so check them out.
Yeah, and just really helpful too because we have a rescue at home and so many questions and answers in that interview. Just I wish I had have had before I actually had a rescue at home.
So super helpful. Good, that's the point.
Now we get to the fun part here.
We go, all right? Next up we have paw and order.
Number one on the list this week is I, as a pet owner, would never walk my dog on a retractable leash.
They are the bane of my existence.
I think I speak for every veterinarian and dog trainer and medical animal professional out there when I say this. They just do not allow you to have any control over your pet at all. That dreaded lock button. Inevitably you're either locked up or it's not working, and then the next thing you know, your dog is jumping on someone, they're sniffing in other dogs.
But you just you really have no control.
So I recommend throwing it in the trash can, getting on Amazon and getting a regular four six foot leash. Your pet will not know the difference. They will be just as happy, and you will have exponentially more control as a pet owner. So no more retractable leashes, please, I beg you please.
I'm not even a vet, but like when I'm walking my dog down the street and someone comes towards me on a retractable leash, I'm like, oh, no, yeah, because like we're gonna get tangled.
Yeah exactly, Yeah, you're gonna get tangled. And it seems like a great idea. You're like, yes, my dog has a little bit of freedom, but they're not off leash. But really, it ultimately ends up your dog's walking you and you're not walking your dog, and.
That's not fun for anyone. Maybe it's because I had horses growing up like you. I want to have control of you.
Yeah exactly, walking a.
Horse on our retractable leish, no, I would not be good. Okay, So no retractable leishes, guys, Yes, what's next.
Next on the list we have? I would never leave my small dog outside unattended. Really, I probably wouldn't leave any of my dogs outside unattended for a long period of time, but especially the small ones. I had a patient who was scheduled to come in for her dental proceidure last week and mom called me and said I have to cancel. And I said, oh no, what happened? And she said, Sophie got beat up by a raccoon in the yard. So the wildlife is real. It is the wild West out there. We have, especially here in Nashville, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, and even hawks. They will target our small dogs.
I'm picturing the movie The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Pine Redtles with the little white dog.
That gets picked up. So, yeah, that is not a joke. No, that's not just Hollywood. It happened.
It happens. I will say.
They're making these I don't know if they're cute or scary, maybe a combination of both. They're making these little harnesses with spikes on them. Oh my god, for you to put onto your little dog. So if you are going to leave them outside or you're worried about it, strap them up, get them up in their gear.
Because predators are real. Oh no, yeah, please.
Don't buy spiky outfits for your thought about it.
Like my little chunky Chihuahua and a spike veest, I might have to get one that is amazing all right, Last, but not least, I would never not keep my pets on flea, tick and heartworm prevention all year round. I'm going to do a whole episode on this. But the weather is crazy all across the country. Mosquitoes are not just out in the summertime, and all it takes is one mosquito bite for our pets to get heartworm disease, right, So I see them end up with heartworm disease all year round, So prevention is really important. And then I always say, you know, this sounds crazy, but fleas are very smart. They know when it's going to be really hot. They know, and it's going to be really cold, and they will hitch a ride on us, and then they will hang out on our pets, particularly cats. Fleas love cats.
Yeah, our cat has had fleas before.
Yeah, and it was in like the period of time when we missed, yes, the preventatives.
So and people don't you don't think about it.
You're like, oh, it's cold out, there's no fleas or mosquitos or ticks, but telling you those fleas they have a high IQ and they're coming in on your heart, on your jackets and your shoes, and then you've got fleas inside and it's all whole thing.
So keep the mom prevention all year round because humans.
You can get flea bites too, Yes, and they suck.
I've had it. It's not fun. Yeah.
Well, I'm excited for that episode because I feel like I have so many questions for you about fleas and tics and all that kind of stuff. So if you also have a bunch of questions that you would like to ask doctor Josie, you can do that in our show notes. There's a link in there that you guys can send in your questions and we will get to them. And I'm gonna send one in because I have questions about ticks.
Yeah I need to ask you, so yes, okay, yes, send them in all your questions anything about anything generally wellness, h we're sick, And then feel free to message me on Instagram and give me a follow. My Instagram handle is doctor Josie Vets, and then of course be sure to like us anywhere that you listen to your podcasts and subscribe.
All right, we'll see you guys next time in the vet's office.