2017 "SUPERZOO - NATIONAL SHOW FOR RETAILERS" SPECIAL

Since 2003, Animal Radio has been showcasing the latest toys, gadgets and technology available for your pet. Our 2017 SUPERZOO SPECIAL is no different. We will be featuring the latest gadgets as well as cutting-edge technology for your pets. And the best part? We have giveaways for you!

This week's final pick is the Paby 3G GPS Pet Tracker & Activity Monitor - Monitor Your Pet's Location and Activity Level with the World's Most Advanced Real Time Pet-Tracker

Paby is a real-time smart tracker that monitors a pet's location and activity to provide owners with peace of mind when it comes to their pet's safety and wellness. Featuring an integrated GPS, LBS (Location Based Service) and wireless technology (3G-WCDMA) that provide owners instant and accurate tracking no matter where their pets are. Paby's small, durable and waterproof design is available in a variety of colors and patterns to match the pet's personality. Plus, it comes with a mobile app that allows users to see custom reports and alerts, designate virtual fences and get daily exercise recommendations based on the pet's breed, weight and age.

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Birding In The Nude
Olaf Danielson, Naturist

Olaf Danielson has made a hobby out of birding without any clothes. Olaf is an author, religious scholar, storyteller and adventurer. He will share some of his favorite stories of seeking out rare and exotic avian wildlife... while naked as a jaybird.

Olaf became a nude birder after a conversation with his publisher. While it wasn't a bet, it was an encouragement from her. They were sitting in her office one day when she asked him what he thought about the movie "The Big Year," that came out about five years ago. Olaf told her that it was all fine and dandy, but could he see 749 species naked? His publisher then took it upon herself and wrote out a draft contract for a book project. Olaf was confused at first, but then she explained that she wanted him to do a book on the subject and spend the next year seeing how many species of birds he could see while naked.

Olaf wasn't sure he should have said yes to the project, but admits it was fun and he met a lot of interesting people and had interesting adventures along the way, and that is what life's about! He spent about a year nude birding and saw 594 different species of birds. He went from North America to the Caribbean Islands north of 15 degrees, which was a sort of an arbitrary point, but excluded Cuba, because being an American you can't really travel affectively to Cuba, nor would he want to! Olaf wasn't sure how it would work if he didn't include a couple of Caribbean Islands where they have nude beaches.

Most people would be afraid to be out in nature in the buff, but the main concern Olaf had was from bugs, then the coldness, as well as the authorities like the police. He didn't worry about what his mother or wife thought, but there were a lot of things he worried about. So was he worried about what other people thought? Olaf states that it's interesting for what tolerance people have, especially those on the west coast, but it's different for people in the other parts of the country. People on the west coast are a little more tolerant of finding the odd chance encounter of a naked guy on a trail in a national forest.

When Olaf started, he knew there were a lot of places in America where people already go naked. He started there, but to get a better birding total, he had to get out of the naturists clubs and go to more interesting venues, which involved some risk for him getting in trouble.

It all worked out and Olaf didn't get arrested in spite of some encounters where this could have happened. However, a bear did chase him on the 4th of July in 2013. This bear actually chased him into a photography session at a Hindu wedding. He claims this was a good thing, because while all of the people yelled, "bare, bear," the bear stopped and he snuck around to his car. He says when he first arrived; there were no other cars or people around. He was also almost shot at in South Texas with his friend. A guy was pointing a gun at them and Olaf thinks they may have accidentally stumbled upon a growing operation. They then spent the rest of the day hiding in the mesquite until dark.

While Olaf did most of his nude birding alone, some of the places required spousal participation, especially in the clothing optional clubs that he went to. Other times he would bring a friend, who is also a birder, who would sometimes take off his clothes too. Other times his friend would stay back on the trail to alert Olaf if someone came bouncing up the trail behind him. He did this by having a coughing fit or even talking to the person who was approaching. This would give Olaf some time to whip out a sari that he carried to cover himself up with, which sometimes garnered him some strange looks.

So having no existing record to pursue, Olaf decided to set up his own rules for NUDE BIRDING. "Being tough but fair," is how he wants to describe his rules. The results will be submitted to the American Association of Nude Recreation (AANR).

Here are the rules:

1. You have to be nude to count the bird. Hats and footwear are fine but nothing else. From the knees to the neck, it must be uncovered.

2. You have to have left naked to go birding (or for another nude activity) to count the bird. Seeing a turkey vulture while playing nude volleyball is acceptable, while driving along in a car or walking textile, seeing a bird, and then slipping off your clothing does not count. In fact, being in car doesn't count ever. To count a bird, you will have to go back to car, or house, undress and then return unclothed. For legality reasons, leaving a car walking around a corner and disrobing is acceptable, as long as it wasn't because you saw a new bird.

3. You cannot be inside an enclosed boat, house, or car/truck for it to count. A bird blind must be open to a degree any birder would consider it open. Being naked on an ATV if you left naked on an ATV or even a snowmobile (burr!) is acceptable. If you see a bird and you are walking or driving or riding on an ATV, a boat, canoe, or something like it and you are forced to cover up afterwards for obvious reasons like to avoid arrest, the birds you saw before that count but no birds after that point even if you could take your clothing off again.

4. Birds can count if you see it while located in all states except Hawaii, plus Canada, and all Caribbean islands north of fifteen degrees north latitude and the French Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence count as long as the bird species is considered free breeding and with an established population and not domestic. For honesty sake barrier islands such as Roatan, Cozumel, and Ambergris Key, only count for a kilometer from shore on the mainland side of the islands, or until you can see the mainland, or on close islands, halfway to the mainland, which ever is a shorter distance. Otherwise you can go out from land to continental shelf. Bermuda does not count, but the Bahamas do. Since I as an American citizen at the time of writing this cannot legally visit Cuba, so for fairness, Cuba is excluded as well.

A wild Rock Pigeon is fine, even if it is feral. Chickens are not a species. Visiting Barnacle Geese from Greenland are fine as are Skylarks on Vancouver Island, which are established. I do not think we have any peacock communities that would qualify. Birds in zoos are not free in the sense so they don't count either. I defer to the birding associations for determinations.

So why did Olaf alter the territory from the movie? Initially, he wasn't sure how this would work and since it would be hard to bird naked up north for six months, so he needed to expand the southern boundaries. Since nudity on the French islands is generally more tolerated than in the USA, he needed to go far enough south to include St. Barths and St Martin. In reality, he only added about one hundred to one hundred and fifty species to the mix, since even the barrier islands of Central America don't have all of the species that the mainland has and fifteen degrees cuts below Honduras and doesn't include Trinidad or Costa Rica.

5. Species now lumped together with another species will require a loss of a species, even in future. Flickers and Juncos have been split then lumped back together. The rules are set by the various birding associations and scientists over the years, so my total may fluctuate. Things happen and that is just the way it goes.

Olaf is not a big fan of rules but for something like this, you need a little guidance to you going. This is, like all bird counts, on the honor system as in many of the places you will go birding, cameras are forbidden. Since there is no record for this that he could find, he got to make the rules.

So would Olaf recommend nude birding to everyone? He says it's interesting in that it makes you feel one with nature and something you can easily start in your backyard, depending upon where you live. Olaf says he has a bit of a following of some people who will email him their list of birds they have seen – clothing optional. Olaf thinks that it is interesting that there are some people out they who are doing this now!

In his autobiography, Olaf also chronicles his own real-life adventure in "Boobies, Peckers, and Tits," one man's naked perspective, which proves the adage that sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Visit Olaf's Blog

Training Pit Bulls for Good
Jeff Jenkins, Midnight Circus

Jeff Jenkins is the ringleader for the Midnight Circus, a pit bull agility performance that shows the often-misunderstood dogs in a positive light. He's helping youngsters train their Pit Bulls to do tricks instead of fighting. It brings together acrobats and although it's not an animal circus, the unsung stars of the show are Jeff's two wonderful rescued Pit Bulls, Junebug and Rosie Rae.

Junebug and Rosie Rae are very talented dogs. They jump rope, they jump through hoops and do backflips, as well as comedy bits where the run in and out of their doghouse, opening and closing the doors. They also take Jeff's hat and steal the show!

Unfortunately Pit Bulls are misunderstood and when most people see them, they freak out. But Jeff explains that his show is very theatrical and very contemporary and that his Pit Bulls in his show are a conduit to the community. People usually have those preconceived notions about Pit Bulls, so when they see these dogs in a different light, well-behaved and friendly, and know their back story that they came from a difficult rescue situation, it tends to build that bridge.

Over eleven years ago Midnight Circus decided they wanted to transform their show into a much more community oriented event. So they partnered with the Park District's "Night Out In The Parks" in the City of Chicago.

Since 2007, Circus In The Parks has played to nearly 30,000 attendees. And this one of a kind event has raised nearly $850,000 for local park improvements. Celebrating community, raising funds and rebuilding parks one circus at a time. This allows the parks to do playground renovation and programming.

Midnight Circus isn't the only thing Jeff does. For many years, Jeff ran a program to end dog fighting with the Humane Society of the United States. He primarily worked with young men in Chicago who were at risk, or were involved with dog fighting, engaging them in a positive way.

So many people have never seen a Pit Bull, or a bully breed, in a positive light in a lot of these communities. Through the circus and the other work Jeff does, he has been able to shine that light on how great these dogs can be, to get folks involved in positive relationships with their dogs.

Pit Bulls are not for everyone and not everyone wants one in their neighborhood. If you do adopt one, you need to be a good neighbor and a good spokesperson for the breed. If you are active and engaged with your dog, then this could be the dog for you. But you have to put in the time, because they are very active dogs with a lot of drive. Also, you need to be a leader. So many of the bully breeds that are in shelters have been through the ringer. So, you will end up adopting a dog that might require a little more work up front than a Labrador or Golden Retriever. You need not only the time; you also need to be patient, firm and positive.

Check out the Midnight Circus that plays in eight parks in Chicago over the course of eight weekends.

E-Cigarette Toxicity in Pets -Dr. Debbie

Think that vapor cigarettes (a.k.a. electric cigarettes or e-cigarettes) are a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes? The vapor habit might be better for you and decrease your pet's exposure to second hand smoke, but can increase the chance of a pet's toxic ingestion of nicotine. A story from England told of the tragic death of a puppy that died after chewing on an e-liquid container.

Ivy was a 14 week on Staffordshire Bull Terrier that chewed on her owner's bottle of e-liquid used to refill the electric cigarettes. Within 30 seconds of nibbling on the container, she fell sick with vomiting and disorientation and was rushed to a veterinary office. Sadly Ivy died within 24 hours due to heart and respiratory failure.

What's in e-liquid?
The ingredients in e-liquid vary but include carriers such as propylene glycol, polyethylene Glycol 400 and vegetable glycerin, as well as flavoring agents and nicotine. The amount of nicotine in e-liquid varies with some products not containing any nicotine, to others ranging from 18 mg/ml to 100mg/ml.

How toxic is nicotine?
The toxic dose of nicotine for pets is 0.5 to 1mg per pound of body weight. The fatal dose is 4mg per pound. So if you consider a 20 pound dog, toxicity would occur if 10mg were ingested, and the pet would die if 80mg were ingested. Therefore with the high nicotine levels in e-liquid, it wont take much to reach those fatal levels. That hypothetical 20 pound dog could die from less than 1ml of the highest potency liquid nicotine.

Pets likewise can develop toxicity if other sources of nicotine are ingested such as cigarettes, chewing tobacco, nicotine gum, or nicotine nasal sprays. The typical amounts of nicotine in these products are: Cigarette 9-30 mg; Nicotine gum 2 - 4 mg per pieces; and Nicotine patches 8.3 - 114 mg.

Even cigarette butts can be toxic if enough are ingested - cigarette butts retain 25-percent of the nicotine in the original cigarette.

What are symptoms of nicotine poisoning?
Symptoms usually develop within one hour of ingestion. Pets may display excitability, rapid heart rate, drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, seizures, and coma.

How are pets treated for nicotine toxicity?
The first step is to decontaminate by inducing vomiting. Nicotine typically causes vomiting when ingested, but further decontamination is advised at the veterinary office. Other emergency care includes intravenous fluids, medications to manage elevated blood pressure and heart rate, and anti-seizure medications. Nicotine is metabolized by the liver and excreted within 16 hours after ingestion. Pets that survive the initial four hours after ingestion have a favorable chance of survival.

The vapor cigarette trend is becoming more popular world wide. It's important to recognize that nicotine is a toxin and poisonous to animals and children. Consider the e-liquid a hazardous material and store it safely in a locking cabinet, away from children and pets.

To read more about Ivy's toxicity after ingesting E-fluid go to "Dog dies after chewing e-fluid container."

Featured veterinarian known as "Dr. Debbie" on national pet radio program, Animal Radio. Ebook author of "Yorkshire Terriers: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend"; "Pugs: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend"; "Mini Schnauzers: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend"; and "Shih Tzu: How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend."

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Animal Radio News - Lori Brooks

What's The Key To A Good, Successful Marriage? (Puppies & Kittens!)
You're thinking love, communication, trust, common interests and that kind of stuff, right? But, a new study from the University of Florida says it could also be cute, cuddly puppies, kittens and bunnies. The team of psychological scientists found that to break the ‘familiarity breeds contempt syndrome' or boredom that can happen in long-term relationships, couples can make better associations with their spouse through a positive stimulus like puppies and bunnies. The researchers showed one group of couples images of their spouse together with positive words or happy images of puppies and bunnies. The control group saw their partner's face paired with neutral images, like a button, a box or a shoestring. After a few weeks, couples who were exposed to positive images had more positive associations with them.

Pet Crematory Gives Back Wrong Ashes
A pet cemetery and crematory in Illinois is accused of deceiving clients by giving them ashes that were not be from their deceased pets. Police found three deceased animals inside an old freezer at the facility and fortunately one of the animals had been microchipped. Authorities contacted the owner who said they had already received their cat's ashes. The owners were then told that it couldn't have been their cat's ashes, because their cat was recently found. The owner believed the pet had been cremated 4 years ago. In the end, investigators found the bodies of twenty-eight animals at Katy's Pet Cemetery and Crematory. The oldest case was one whose owners believed their pet had been cremated in 2001. But the only thing illegal in this case was misrepresenting ashes of an animal because pet crematories in Illinois are not regulated.

Remember Eddie The Dog On The TV Series Frasier?
Eddie was a Jack Russell played by a dog-named Moose beginning in 1993 but had to retire before the last four seasons of the show. A son of Moose then took over the role of Eddie. Apparently there are other things the public didn't know about Eddie. TV Guide told the world recently after an interview with Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, who confessed that "Moose had gotten so old and gray that… the make-up department painted his faded markings back on and he just got to sit on the couch and take it easy, since he couldn't really perform anymore." However the big revelation from the interview was that Eddie's owner on the show played by actor John Mahoney, actually hated Eddie because he would bite Mahoney every time he had to sit on his lap.

Your Pet Purchases Are Being Tracked
With the pet industry growing so fast, any information that can be gained from your purchases for your pets is going to be extrapolated every way possible for those companies which profit from your spending habits. Search data pulled by Hitwise from major pet supply websites in June shows the majority of both cat and dog owners, or at least those doing the buying for their pets, are women and that the women who own dogs make nearly twice as much as those who have cats. In the Pets & Animals industry, Hitwise says Chewy and PetSmart pull in more than 10% of pet industry website visits. Hitwise also analyzed the data from a lot of us that are online pet supply shoppers start off on Chewy then head over to Amazon to compare prices and end up buying on Amazon instead.

Selfies With Tigers
Too many exotic animals are in sanctuaries now because of misinformed or uncaring humans buying them as babies. But the huge population of captive tigers has gained a surprising new champion in Tinder after management at the dating app noticed the large number of profile pictures that featured men posing with captive tigers. There are only around 3,200 tigers left in the wild now, but it's estimated there are as many 10,000 in captivity now in the US alone. Tinder executives don't like the tiger exploitation and recently posted on its blog that, "Posing next to a king of the jungle doesn't make you one. It's time for the tiger selfies to go." Tinder urged users to remove the selfies and said it would donate $10,000 to Project Cat, which hopes to double the number of tigers in the wild by 2022.

Road Kill Is Just Not Funny - But This Incident Is So Strange
You can only imagine the bizarre calls authorities get, like one in California where the Highway Patrol had to respond to a report of a dead kangaroo on Interstate 580, near the Oakland Zoo. The CHP later tweeted, "Reports of a kangaroo on I-580 were false. Said marsupial was actually an enormous raccoon." The officer who removed the animal from the roadway said he had truly never seen a raccoon that big.

NEWS UPDATE brought to you by Fear Free. "Take the 'pet' out of 'petrified'" and get pets back for veterinary visits by promoting considerate approach and gentle control techniques used in calming environments.

Listen to the entire Podcast of this show (#926)