The Hero Beside Me

Welcome, listeners, I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve missed you, and the journey to explore the world of the working dog that we have been on together! Today I bring you the first of two special bonus episodes, in which will be celebrating another important animal who, like our friend the canine, works hard every day to assist humans in work that is essential to our way of life – the powerful, beautiful, irreplaceable horse. With their honesty, loyalty and willingness to share their hearts with us, horses are helping us to become better humans. Welcome to The Hero Beside Me –– the Horse Edition.

Listen to get a taste of what the first season of The Hero Beside Me is all about!

Welcome, listeners, I'm so glad you're here! In today’s episode we highlight police K9 officers and the work they do alongside their human partners to keep us safe. Today I bring you along for the ride as I make a few visits to a few different law enforcement agencies. Our first stop is Shelter Island in San Diego, where we chat with a few of the San Diego Harbor Police Officers who have come out with their canines to give a demonstration of the kind of work they do. This episode was recorded mostly outdoors, so please pardon the background noise. Next up, we head to the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar to visit some military working dogs and their handlers who are military policeman. They are doing a training event in conjunction with another local law enforcement agency, and have invited us to tag along. We stand outside of the aviation museum on base, surrounded by a lot of different aircraft. The dogs search under and around each one, sniffing for the scent of explosives, and when they find the source of the scent, they sit and stare at it until their handler joins them and gives them their paycheck …their favorite toy. They get to play with it for a few moments, but then it’s back to work. Listeners, thanks for joining me on today’s journey. I also want to take the opportunity to say thank you to all of service members who are out there doing their best to keep us safe, and a thank you to the canine service members as well. I was able to photograph the wonderful K9s featured in this episode, and if you’d like to see some of the photos, as well as photos from other dogs featured on this show, just visit our website:  herobeside.me. There you will also find our listener feedback survey on the podcast page, and I would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to fill that out, as your opinion is valuable to us and influential to the future of this show. This episode is the last one of season one of The Hero Beside Me Podcast. I want to thank you so much for joining me as I have embarked on this adventure to discover all the professions that dogs can have. We haven’t covered them all…it seems like people just keep discovering even new ways for dogs to display their genius…but we’ve covered quite a few, and it’s been a blast. I’m so grateful to have had your company on this wild ride. Please consider signing up for the newsletter so I can let you know about future developments. Whether or not there will be another season is still to be determined, and this is where your feedback would be really helpful. And if you haven’t yet, please consider subscribing and rating the show. Thanks again for your listenership, and thank you to all the handlers, trainers and dogs who participated this season. And don’t forget to give some extra love to the hero beside you today! On this podcast, we seek to highlight the work being done by working dogs of all disciplines. This show exists in support of its sister photography project on the same topic and of the same name. You can learn more about that by visiting www.herobeside.me.

Welcome, listeners, I'm so glad you're here! In this episode you'll hear from Annie Zucker, therapy dog handler who works with her dog to bring comfort and happiness to those in stressful situations with an organization called Love on a Leash. Annie gives us the run down on what therapy dogs do and why she and her dog do this work; then, I tag along with her and her dog on a visit to an assisted living facility to check out what therapy dogs are all about!  On this podcast, we seek to highlight the work being done by working dogs of all disciplines. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to it, rating it, leaving a positive review, and sharing with people you know who are interested in this topic. This show exists in support of its sister photography project on the same topic and of the same name. You can learn more about that by visiting www.herobeside.me. We are currently trying to determine the future of this podcast and would love your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out this survey, and be sure to leave your email address so we can keep you updated! You can also reach out anytime at [email protected] or on Instagram @herobesideme. Thanks for listening! Be sure to give the furry hero beside you some extra love today.

Welcome, listeners, I'm so glad you're here! In today's episode you'll hear my conversation with Karen Reynolds of Environmental Canine Services about the work she does with canines to keep our water systems pure. With sewage systems around the country that are aging, leaks are more common than anyone wants to think about, and those leaks contaminate our water ways and systems. But as usual around here, it's dogs to the rescue! Karen explains how canines are helping to keep this very real threat under control.  On this podcast, we seek to highlight the work being done by working dogs of all disciplines. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to it, rating it, leaving a positive review, and sharing with people you know who are interested in this topic. This show exists in support of its sister photography project on the same topic and of the same name. You can learn more about that by visiting www.herobeside.me. We are currently trying to determine the future of this podcast and would love your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out this survey, and be sure to leave your email address so we can keep you updated! You can also reach out anytime at [email protected] or on Instagram @herobesideme. Thanks for listening! Be sure to give the furry hero beside you some extra love today.

Listeners, welcome back! I’m so glad you’re here. I’m really glad to have the opportunity to bring you today’s episode, because it will be very educational to many on some very important issues that affect all of us. If I hadn’t been introduced to today’s guest, I don’t know if I would have ever learned about the crucial work that K9s and humans are doing in his field of expertise. Now that I’ve learned about it, I’m honored to pass on the knowledge to you, and I hope that you will do the same and pass it on to the people in your world.  Friends, I am someone who happens to absolutely relish being in the outdoors. I love camping and backpacking and going on hikes in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but nature, having an unobstructed view of the stars at night, walking along flowing streams and breathing in crisp, mountain air. Going on camping trips to national parks is one of my most cherished past times, as is hiking on public lands with my dog. If you share these passions with me, then this episode is for you. Maybe you’re listening to this and thinking that camping and hiking sound like the last activities on earth that you’d ever want to do. But you’re listening to this podcast, which is all about dogs, which means that in all likelihood, you’re a dog lover, and if that’s the case then you’re probably an animal lover in general. I’d be willing to bet that if you’re an animal lover, then you would be incensed if I told you that much of our wildlife…I’m talking about squirrels and rabbits but also bears, mountain lions, golden eagles, and the list goes on…are routinely poisoned in large numbers on our public lands.  If you live in California like myself, then you’ve had it drilled into you how important it is to conserve water, because we have had some serious droughts in recent years. How angry would you be to learn to that billions of gallons of our water are stolen to line the pockets of violent criminals? Listeners, what I’m talking about is the situation we find ourselves in as Americans today – in a war for our environment, our wildlife, and our water – that most of us didn’t even know we were fighting. My guest today is John Nores, who, according to his bio, served 26 years as a warden for the California Department of Fish & Wildlife and co-developed and lead his agency’s elite tactical unit and sniper unit, which were developed to combat the most environmentally damaging criminals working within California and impacting the nation. He’s going to tell us all about those criminals, what they’re up to, why it matters, how dogs are integral to the fight against them, and how we can help. Find out more on John's website, in his books, the latest of which is Hidden War, on his podcasts, The Thin Green Line, and Warden's Watch, and on social media @johnnores. On this podcast, we seek to highlight the work being done by working dogs of all disciplines. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to it, rating it, leaving a positive review, and sharing with people you know who are interested in this topic. This show exists in support of its sister photography project on the same topic and of the same name. You can learn more about that by visiting www.herobeside.me. We are currently trying to determine the future of this podcast and would love your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out this survey, and be sure to leave your email address so we can keep you updated! You can also reach out anytime at [email protected] or on Instagram @herobesideme. Thanks for listening! Be sure to give the furry hero beside you some extra love today.

Welcome, listeners, I'm so glad you're here! Today's guest on the episode is Debi DeShon, a long time dog trainer and handler and owner of Dogs with Jobs and Mussel Dogs. In this episode we talk about what it was like being a dog trainer on the set of the movie Beethoven, what contraband detection dogs are doing at schools, and how dogs are helping with the important work of protecting our waterways from the invasive quagga and zebra mussels, which are causing huge problems for our environment. Check it out and learn how you can help out, too!  On this podcast, we seek to highlight the work being done by working dogs of all disciplines. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to it, rating it, leaving a positive review, and sharing with people you know who are interested in this topic. This show exists in support of its sister photography project on the same topic and of the same name. You can learn more about that by visiting www.herobeside.me. We are currently trying to determine the future of this podcast and would love your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out this survey, and be sure to leave your email address so we can keep you updated! You can also reach out anytime at [email protected] or on Instagram @herobesideme. Thanks for listening! Be sure to give the furry hero beside you some extra love today.

Welcome, listeners! In today's episode, you'll hear my conversation with Mike Hadsell, founder of Peace River K9 Search and Rescue. He explains the relatively new discipline of electronic storage device detection, as well as when and why a K9 handler might end up in court, how even a chihuahua can be a working dog, and he mentions a topic for further exploration: scenting horses – whaaa? I think you'll enjoy this episode, and if you do, please let us know! On this podcast, we seek to highlight the work being done by working dogs of all disciplines. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to it, rating it, leaving a positive review, and sharing with people you know who are interested in this topic. This show exists in support of its sister photography project on the same topic and of the same name. You can learn more about that by visiting www.herobeside.me. We are currently trying to determine the future of this podcast and would love your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out this survey, and be sure to leave your email address so we can keep you updated! You can also reach out anytime at [email protected] or on Instagram @herobesideme. Thanks for listening! Be sure to give the furry hero beside you some extra love today.

Welcome back, listeners! I’m so glad you’re here. Today we’re highlighting the career of a dog whose job revolves around university life, and college sports: two powerful forces in the lives of many students, faculty, alumni and fans in the state of Washington and beyond. Having gone to a large state university with a huge emphasis on sports myself, I can relate to the importance of school spirit. And for Dubs 2 and his trainer, Anne-Lise, school spirit is what a day on the job is all about. In this episode you’ll hear from Anne-Lise Nilson, the trainer of the University of Washington's live mascot, Dubs 2, about the ins and outs of what it’s like to be a university’s live mascot. And as a special treat, you'll even hear from Dubs himself!  Follow Dubs 2's adventures at www.gohuskies.com, or on social media on his Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. On this podcast, we seek to highlight the work being done by working dogs of all disciplines. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to it, rating it, leaving a positive review, and sharing with people you know who are interested in this topic. This show exists in support of its sister photography project on the same topic and of the same name. You can learn more about that by visiting www.herobeside.me. We are currently trying to determine the future of this podcast and would love your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out this survey, and be sure to leave your email address so we can keep you updated! You can also reach out anytime at [email protected] or on Instagram @herobesideme. Thanks for listening! Be sure to give the furry hero beside you some extra love today.

Welcome, listeners, I’m so glad you’re here! In today’s episode, we’re going to focus on dogs who help their humans find things hidden in the forest. In a way, they’re treasure hunters. And what is the treasure they seek? First up, we’ll talk to Alana McGhee, a dog trainer, handler and owner of Truffle Dog Company, who will explain to us what she and her dogs go looking for in the forest: truffles!  Next, Roger Sigler, owner of Antler Dogs, gives us the inside scoop on what antler shed dogs do. For more information on either Alana or Roger and their work with dogs, visit https://truffledogcompany.com or http://www.antlerdogs.com, respectively. On this podcast, we seek to highlight the work being done by working dogs of all disciplines. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to it, rating it, leaving a positive review, and sharing with people you know who are interested in this topic. This show exists in support of its sister photography project on the same topic and of the same name. You can learn more about that by visiting www.herobeside.me. We are currently trying to determine the future of this podcast and would love your feedback. Please take a moment to fill out this survey, and be sure to leave your email address so we can keep you updated! You can also reach out anytime at [email protected] or on Instagram @herobesideme. Thanks for listening! Be sure to give the furry hero beside you some extra love today.