Motor City Hypnotist
Motor City Hypnotist
The Healing Power of Pets: How Animal Companions Boost Mental Health (part 1)
Ever wondered why petting your dog or cat feels so good after a stressful day? The science behind it is more powerful than you might think.
The U.S. Surgeon General recently declared loneliness a major public health crisis, with shocking statistics showing it increases risk of heart disease by 29%, stroke by 32%, and dementia by a staggering 50%. But research now confirms what pet owners have intuitively known: our animal companions might be the antidote we desperately need.
When we interact with pets, our brains release a cocktail of "happy hormones" including oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin – the same chemicals activated during positive human connections. This biological response explains why people who live with pets report lower rates of depression and anxiety, even when facing significant life challenges.
Beyond the biochemical benefits, pets provide structure, purpose, and unconditional love. For people struggling with depression who might otherwise stay in bed all day, a dog needing a morning walk becomes powerful motivation to get moving. The responsibilities of pet ownership create healthy routines that anchor us to daily life, while their constant companionship battles the isolation that plagues modern existence.
The story of Tommy, a service dog who detected his owner's life-threatening heart arrhythmia before medical instruments could, demonstrates the remarkable intuition many animals have about their humans' wellbeing. From reduced blood pressure to increased physical activity, the health benefits of pet ownership extend far beyond emotional support.
Whether you're considering adopting a pet for mental health benefits or simply curious about strengthening your bond with an existing animal companion, this episode offers evidence-based insights and heartwarming stories that might just change how you view the animals in your life. Have you hugged your pet today?
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Change your thinking, change your life!
Laugh hard, run fast, be kind.
David R. Wright MA, LPC, CHT
The Motor City Hypnotist
David Wright: 0:01
In this episode of the Motor City Hypnotist Podcast. This came up because of last week Matt and I were talking, but we're talking today about pets and mental health. Yeah, yeah, are there benefits to your mental health from having a pet? Are there? Will your mental health be challenged if you have a pet? That's a valid question, but we're going to answer that. But we're talking about pets and mental health. Okay, and, as usual, we give away free stuff. Hang in there, folks, we'll be right back.
Announcer: 0:32
This sounds like something for the authorities in Detroit. Well, joke's on you. I'm living to 102 and then dying, like the city of Detroit.
Matt Fox: 0:40
Guys like this can't take over here out of Detroit, of Detroit. Guys like this can't take over here out of Detroit Spawned in the hellfires of Motown. Take him to Detroit.
Announcer: 0:48
No, no, not Detroit, no, no, please Anything, but that no, stationed in Drambuie, it's worse than Detroit. We did not have, as a unit, the confidence that we felt like we needed to beat Detroit. Let's go to Detroit. Now you're talking brother. I don't think so. He plays for Detroit now. Do they have many farms in Detroit?
Matt Fox: 1:12
Detroit to Michigan. I go to school. I know where Detroit is.
Announcer: 1:16
Get ready for the Motor City hypnotist, david R Wright. Originating from the suburbs of Detroit, michigan, he has hypnotized thousands of people from all over the United States. David Allwright has been featured on news outlets all across the country and is the clinical director of an outpatient mental health and hypnosis clinic located just south of Detroit, where he helps people daily using the power of hypnosis. Welcome the Motor City.
David Wright: 1:54
Hypnotist David R Wright. What is going on, my friends? This is David Wright, the Motor City Hypnotist. We're here with another episode of the Motor City Hypnotist podcast. Yeah, you are. That is Matt Fox, the other voice you hear, or hanging out usual Monday evening. We're a little earlier tonight than usual, but I posted that today that we'd be going an hour earlier, so people who look for it will probably see it All right fair. But yeah, we're here in the palatial Podcast your Voice, Southfield Studios. Thank you, it's been a while. We haven't given a shout out to Podcast your Voice.
David Wright: 2:35
They just had like what do you guys have? Two or three new shows in the past couple months.
Matt Fox: 2:40
Yeah, jamie keeps working his ass off.
Announcer: 2:42
Yeah well, no that's awesome, because I don't it's good for you guys.
David Wright: 2:45
I mean, but if you guys are out there and you've ever thought, ah, I know, everybody has a podcast, and here's the thing, we're not going to beat Joe Rogan's ratings, but if you enjoy something, if you're invested in something that you enjoy and you want to talk about it, a podcast is a great place to get your. And here's the thing I can give you real life data. I don't know, I think this year we've had, we've had over a thousand views, I believe, I think, when I, when I go into Buzzsprout. So so yeah, you're not going to get millions of views necessarily, unless, unless it takes off, that that could be. But, but again, if you have a passion for something, you want to share it with an audience. This is the place, because you come in, you sit down, you record and you walk out. They handle everything the back-end tech, the posting, as far as the show itself. Going out to the podcast.
Matt Fox: 3:36
Yeah, we even make sure the curtains aren't showing, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain yeah, and you.
David Wright: 3:45
You got a nice ambiance. There's a full bar here, by the way, which you can always enjoy. Well, yeah, yeah, if you do a show here, you can do a show, yeah absolutely that's kind of the point yeah, it's not a public bar, so don't come knocking on the door, so we'll just send you away.
David Wright: 3:57
What's your address? So, yeah, big shout out to podcast your voice. Check, check them out. Podcastyourvoicecom. Correct, thank you for that. Fantastic. Yeah, let me tell you, folks, where you can find me. My website is motorcityhypnotistcom. On there you'll find all kinds of things Inquire about shows, inquire about personal sessions. There's a lot of good information there as far as hypnosis recordings and things like that. So check that out. My social media links, facebook and YouTube, are both Motor City Hypnotist and Snapchat.
Matt Fox: 4:32
Instagram and Tik TOK are all Motor City Hypno. It's H Y P N?
David Wright: 4:35
O and as we've done on every show. This is episode three 13. I'm going to say, man the ball. Going back to number one, we've given away a free hypnosis guide text the word hypnosis to 313-800-8510. Within a few minutes you'll get a pdf that I've written. It's a couple page explanation of hypnosis. It's kind of an overview, dispel some myths and misconceptions, but you can have it totally free also. Also, with that text, you will get a link to my Google page Motor City Hypnotist Google page and you can leave a review of the podcast there, which we'd greatly appreciate. Also, wherever you're listening, whatever audio platform you're on, be it iTunes, stitcher, spotify, wherever it is subscribe to the show and the most important thing is to leave the review that helps get in front of more people which, wherever it is, subscribe to the show. And the most important thing is to leave the review that helps get in front of more people, which helps more people to find the show and hopefully grow our audience.
David Wright: 5:30
Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right, I think we got all the good stuff out of the way. Oh, uh-oh, it is time, is it?
Announcer: 5:44
That's how winning is done, all right.
Matt Fox: 5:46
What do we got? What do we got?
David Wright: 5:48
You know, Matt, we did a story last week about a dog who sensed this guy's heart attack before it happened. It's another story of a dog saving a guy. I love these. It's crazy. The Labrador usually lets Hank sleep late, but not on this particular day.
Matt Fox: 6:09
Wake up.
David Wright: 6:09
Hank. Something was wrong, very wrong. The service dog named Tommy has been with Frank since he was a pup and he knew his owner was at risk. He started nudging Hank with his nose, then pawing at him and jumping on him. Yeah, wake up, hank. Figured the dog needed to go outside a little earlier than normal.
David Wright: 6:32
But, when Hank stood up, he was lightheaded and woozy, starting to sense that something was wrong with him. He opened the door to let the dog outside, but Tommy didn't budge. 54-year-old Hank kept feeling worse. He decided to check his vital signs with a blood pressure cuff and he was startled by the results. His pulse was a staggering 171 beats per minute. Okay, the military veteran who had served more than 20 years called his local veterans hospital, but they thought his vital readings were obviously wrong, that he simply misused the blood pressure cuff. Yeah, because the patient's always wrong. Yeah, hank and Tommy both knew better.
David Wright: 7:15
So the resident of Fort Lufton, colorado, drove himself to the hospital and the diagnosis arrived a few minutes later, which is, they were freaking out about it. Hank recalled when the doctors confirmed his vital signs it was good that Tommy woke me up. Something about the way he woke me up. He hasn't done it before and he hasn't done it since, hank told CNN. Doctors said more than likely it would have been a stroke and it would have been a big one. What he was experiencing was AF, fib and a regular heartbeat characterized by rapid rhythm, the upper chambers of the heartbeat out of sync with the lower chambers, and the condition can lead to reduced blood flow and cause strokes or even death.
Matt Fox: 7:57
So Hank is sitting there, I'm sorry. Tommy is sitting there listening to Hank's heartbeat like shoes in a dryer.
David Wright: 8:03
Yeah, pretty much like as the dog. The dog probably sensed it or heard it, I don't know. Years ago, Hank was in self-described dark spot. He had spent decades of his selfless military service in high-stress situations, a hero in harm's way. He served in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Bosnia and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Wow, so he's a decorated veteran.
David Wright: 8:28
He served in four different conflicts, that's over a couple of decades. Then, when he left the military, he worked for years at a federal penitentiary, adding even more layers of stress. All those experiences and memories weren't easily forgotten. Hank had a significant case of PTSD. He didn't like dealing with people or going out in public. He slept a lot and stayed at home, sheltering himself from the outside world. He doesn't like people.
Announcer: 8:55
Yeah.
Matt Fox: 8:55
Well, who does Well I?
David Wright: 8:56
mean. His doctors encouraged him to pursue a service dog Okay, great. And when his hunting dogs also Labradors passed away, hank reached out to the Wounded Warrior Project for a service dog Okay, great. And when his hunting dogs also Labradors passed away, hank reached out to the Wounded Warrior Project for a service dog.
David Wright: 9:08
Love that. That organization helped connect him with Dogs Inc. A nonprofit that provides guide dogs, service dogs and therapy dogs free of charge to people in need. Love that, yeah. Not long afterward Hank and Tommy were united and the impact was immediate. We bonded fast.
David Wright: 9:24
Hank said I've had some good connections with dogs, but nothing that we have. He would he the clues I was putting out really quickly. If you're stressed out, he will come out and look at you and put his chin on you and like, hey, are you OK? It was a calming presence and it was really quick. I was ready to have a dog again, but I wasn't expecting what I got. Hank received a new best friend and a new path forward, tommy. Life started to look a whole lot better and when Hank's heart was on the verge of potentially fatal malfunction, he was stabilized in the hospital. His wife brought the dog to see him. Tommy crawled right up onto Hank's bed and laid across him. The dog stayed there for hours. So perhaps it's no surprise that he was the crucial first responder and hero when Hank's heart spun wildly out of rhythm. I knew dogs were a man's best friend for a reason. Hank said he takes it above and beyond that.
Matt Fox: 10:21
Love this. Oh great story.
David Wright: 10:23
Well done, Tommy.
Matt Fox: 10:24
Yeah.
David Wright: 10:25
Tommy the dog and Hank the man, hank the guy Hank.
Matt Fox: 10:29
Yeah, bobby, who was? It Was his nickname Hank the tank.
David Wright: 10:35
Was it Frank the tank? Was it Frank the tank?
Matt Fox: 10:37
It's Frank the tank Well, it's Hank though.
David Wright: 10:39
Yeah, it is Hank here.
Matt Fox: 10:40
It's Hank here.
David Wright: 10:45
I was thinking Hank Hill, oh okay, damn it Bobby. Damn it, bobby. If you weren't my son I would give you a hug. Definitely winner of the week, stuff for sure.
Announcer: 11:00
That's how winning is done.
David Wright: 11:02
Yes, it is Again another story of a dog saving a human. How many times? Come on, dogs, You're taking all the attention. You're saving everyone. Humans are doing crap.
Matt Fox: 11:17
I'd vote for him I mean put him in charge.
David Wright: 11:20
Put him in charge.
Matt Fox: 11:22
Yeah, I said it.
David Wright: 11:24
Yes, you did did so back to it. So, speaking of dogs, it's a great segue. We're talking today about pets and mental health. Yes, we are matt and I were having a conversation last week about last week's winner of the week, and then we also do and, as you, if guys listen to the podcast and and then at any point you know we we do a dog or a pet at the end of every episode from the Detroit Dog Rescue, ddr Dogs and cats who need to be adopted or they need to be fostered. So we definitely have a place for animals. So we talked about this and we're like, oh, we should do a show on this show on animals and mental health and see how this pans out.
David Wright: 12:07
That's what we're doing? Yes, it is. So here's an interesting. Let's start off with a fact. Ok, in 2023, united States Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy announced that an epidemic was on the rise. Ok, so we're talking two years ago. Ok, and it's not the one you're thinking of. Loneliness is a growing global condition that affects people of all ages and background. A study from the American Psychiatrics Association found out that one in 10 Americans say they feel lonely every day. The US Department of Health and Human Services reported that loneliness can lead to serious consequences. And here's statistics from the study. Loneliness can lead to serious consequences, and here's statistics from the study 29% increase in heart disease. 32% increase in stroke. 50% increase of developing dementia.
Matt Fox: 12:59
What what was your what?
Announcer: 13:02
What'd you say?
Matt Fox: 13:04
Well, what's your name? So to go back to those statistics Okay, so stroke heart disease and dementia. Yeah, Because you're lonely, you have nobody to talk to Right and you're sitting on the couch.
David Wright: 13:18
By yourself.
Matt Fox: 13:18
By yourself. You're just couch potato.
David Wright: 13:21
You're just taking all of the stress of the world without any kind of outlet or partner or somebody else.
Matt Fox: 13:28
So yeah, your mental health is going to take a dive, yeah, yeah.
David Wright: 13:34
So a team of researchers from the University of Georgia, led by Dr Sherry Sanderson, completed a feasibility study exploring an unconventional and adorable solution to keep older adults healthy as they age. Okay, we're going to guess what it is, because that's what our subject is today. It's an animal. The study addressed the needs of two vulnerable populations by pairing foster cats from the Athens Area Humane Society with adults age 60 or older who were living alone and didn't have any pets in the house. So cats, yes. This first study, yes. So they did the study to learn more about the impact of the human-animal bond on mental and physical health. Of course Older adults are.
David Wright: 14:21
This is a quote from. This is a quote from shoot, I just lost it Sherry Sanderson, the doctor. Older adults are a population at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation. Loss of family and friends, declining health, lack of transportation and financial stress all increase the chances of them becoming lonely, as well as the adverse health conditions associated with it. The human-animal bond is one way to help older adults and homeless cats simultaneously, so it's a win-win for both parties. Okay, so that was a study.
Matt Fox: 14:58
All right, so real quick yeah. What do cats do?
David Wright: 15:02
They, they, they, they do their own thing, they do their own thing, they do?
Matt Fox: 15:07
They lay on the couch and they, they judge you.
David Wright: 15:10
Yeah thing they do, their own thing they do. They lay on the couch and they, they judge you. Yeah, they judge you, they, they. They make you know, they hiss at you and and feed me clean out my bowl, yeah, yeah. Pick up my poop, yeah, yeah and then they cough up hairballs every 10 seconds thank you for for the demonstration.
Matt Fox: 15:26
Appreciate that right.
David Wright: 15:30
But we that If you've had a cat, you know what they do.
Matt Fox: 15:34
I'm going to share a story with you when it comes to a feline and mental health, in something that I've experienced personally. Yes, my current feline friend, she has. How do you say that? She's got a schedule, if you will. So when I get home from work, we'll sit down and watch a show or something, and that cat immediately knows to get on my lap and that's where she will stay until it's just about bedtime. Right, she puts us to bed. She has a thing about bedtime. Right, she puts us to bed. She has a. She has a thing, a routine where she'll put us to bed. She'll make sure that we're tucked in and that you're going to lay at the foot. Yeah, she takes care of us.
David Wright: 16:20
Yeah.
Matt Fox: 16:21
And then if we're having a bad night, she will make sure that we are aware that she is there. Yeah Right, we'll make sure that we are aware that she is there, yeah right, so she'll get up on you and be like are you okay? Is there a pat? On your face, or licking you, or something. The cat knows.
David Wright: 16:35
These animals just know, Animals do know it's crazy. So the first question we're going to address so, how does having a pet help? Physical health we're going to get into the mental health part in a minute, okay, but here's the thing most pets require exercise and play time, yes, which again it requires the owners to be engaged with them, to interact and have some consistent physical activity. Sure, even low maintenance pets you mentioned cats and birds they also need physical stimulation and interaction throughout the day. What about a sea anemone? An anemone?
Matt Fox: 17:20
They're low-maintenance. No, no, don't shut me up. I haven't had any alcohol. I could say sea anemone. No, you haven't.
David Wright: 17:27
Yeah, you're totally fine. What are you drinking coffee? No, no, you haven't. Yeah, You're totally fine.
Matt Fox: 17:31
What are you drinking Coffee? No, I'm just having a little cola.
Announcer: 17:34
Oh, that looked like a coffee cup Coffee makes me a lot nervous when I drink it.
David Wright: 17:42
Close enough. Hop on, I got it, here we go. So research from the Mayo Clinic health system shows that the additional exercise that comes from owning a pet can help improve blood pressure, reduce obesity, strengthen joints, reduce blood sugar and increase aerobic capacity.
Matt Fox: 17:57
Yeah, Again, it's just movement.
David Wright: 18:01
And here's the thing I deal a lot with clients who are suffering with anxiety, depression, ptsd, things like this. They have effect on your mood, their mood disorders, and one of the things the one of the, the number one thing I say is what kind of physical, physical activity do you get in a day or every day? Right, and I'm not kidding, 95 percent of the time, none I'm like. Okay I, I don't want you to work out for three times a day in a gym. I want you to walk up and down your stairs 10 times. Sure.
David Wright: 18:33
Once a day Baby steps Yep.
David Wright: 18:35
Just get started, baby steps out the door and again, even a little movement can do wonders for your physical health and your mental health. And we'll get into that part in a little bit. And again, just the routine of taking care of a pet. It kind of gives you that built-in schedule. So a lot of people with depression, let's say, for example, they might sleep till two or three in the afternoon because they just but if you have a pet that has to go outside at 8 am Gets them up, you have to get up, yeah. So it kind of and I hate saying it this way, but it's true it kind of forces you into some schedule, some structure, some activity and that's going to be beneficial for you. And here's the thing People will I say this with the utmost confidence people will do anything for their pets.
David Wright: 19:27
The problem is they won't do it for themselves, right, like people like, again, people who are depressed that don't their pets. The problem is they won't do it for themselves, right, like people like, again, people who are depressed that don't have pets, they might sleep 20 hours a day, but if they have a pet they are going to take care of that. That's the one thing that never I shouldn't say never. I'm sure there are exceptions. Most of the time your pet's not going to be ignored. No, well, well, they'll let you know. I I mean again, I know there are exceptions in there. I gotta go. So that's the big thing it it's. It motivates you to get up and and do something and at least let your pet out and feed them and give them water, and you have.
Matt Fox: 20:01
It's a routine, yes, and the animal helps you keep that routine because they're going to need to go out at a certain point in the morning and in the afternoon, and then you need to feed them.
Matt Fox: 20:09
so there is a routine. If they're going to need to go out at a certain point in the morning and in the afternoon, and then you need to feed them. So there is a routine. If they're eating, if you're going to feed them, make yourself something to eat as well. Absolutely. They got to go to the bathroom. Okay, get yourself out of the bathroom, get yourself clean. You got to put yourself on a routine and the animal will help you do that. Absolutely, I agree.
David Wright: 20:24
And again, all of these physical things that we talked about blood pressure, obesity, blood sugar, aerobic capacity, that these are all things that you will gain over time when you have a pet. So that's the physical side of things. So when we get into the mental health side of things, I think it's more striking or more I'm trying to think of a good word more why. It's more on point. Sorry, let's go with that. I don't know what word I was looking for, it's gone. So a lot of organizations have studied and are studying the relationship between pets and mental health. The National Institutes of Health and the Mental Health Foundation and the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute have all done studies. In a joint study between these organizations, research revealed that oxytocin levels increase in both pets and human beings when they interact with each other. Known as the happy hormone, along with dopamine and serotonin, oxytocin can increase happiness and life satisfaction, while reducing stress and depression. So the study actually saw a change in the chemical activity of the brain with people who have pets and people who do not.
Matt Fox: 21:45
I 100% agree, yeah, 100%.
David Wright: 21:49
And I know a lot of people out there. I want to put this nicely Maybe you didn't grow up with pets, maybe it's not your thing, maybe you don't want an animal in the house. I mean things like that and I get there are some people like that, totally fine. The thing is, if you've grown up with dogs or grown up with pets, it's kind of I don't know. It's kind of just kind of hardwired in your brain, I think Tired of looking at a camera here. Oh, was your rear block in my view? Or I was, oh, you couldn't see me.
Matt Fox: 22:19
Yeah, oh, okay, I see your eyes above the camera. I can't, I can't anymore. So, yes, I can't anymore. So, yes, all right. So there is a pleasure to having an animal, right? And if you've never owned an animal, you've never had to take care of an animal, you've never had that responsibility, right, right, you don't know what you're getting yourself into. So folks that don't have a pet in their home at 60 years or older, and then they have a cat thrusted upon them. It's like oh man Come on.
David Wright: 22:52
But here's the thing Unless one of their kids or a friend said take this.
Announcer: 22:59
You need this.
David Wright: 23:00
It's their choice ultimately, of course. But I will say this it's a lot of responsibility, it's a lot of work, and maybe that's the point, because when we have structure, when we accomplish things, when we take care of something, we feel that feel good hormone, a purpose. Yes, it makes us feel needed and valued, especially for people might not need and value themselves. The pets can bring that on.
Matt Fox: 23:33
Yeah, Absolutely Okay, you know it's, I've just I try, I'm trying to see both sides of the penny here, yeah absolutely so.
David Wright: 23:41
The doctor we mentioned, sanderson. She said she has cats of her own and she says she never feels lonely at home. Of course not, because when she gets home they're waiting for her. Meow, yeah, meow. And she said there's this little entourage of faces that are happy to see me. There's always someone that wants affection and is happy just laying on my lap. She used the word entourage.
Matt Fox: 24:01
Yes, I know which is fantastic. Follow her around everywhere, you know which is awesome.
David Wright: 24:06
That's a fantastic thing. So we're going to do this, folks, we got some more information to share and I don't want to cram it all in and, as you guys know, we always do parts one and two. Yes, that's normal on this show.
Matt Fox: 24:19
It shouldn't be a surprise and we have a few more minutes here of this episode. We do so. You've owned pets pretty much your entire life. You've always had an animal in the home Pretty much.
David Wright: 24:30
I mean, our last dog passed a little over two years ago. So we have a turtle though, yes, and the turtle just passed a couple weeks ago. So, honestly, and that turtle came when we still had Pippin. We still had the dog when the turtle arrived, sure.
Matt Fox: 24:45
So honestly, was the turtle waking you up, saying, hey, are you? No, no, no it's again.
David Wright: 24:52
It's a different interaction, but but they're. I know it just sounds crazy to people unless you own a turtle. You correct me if I'm wrong, but this turtle had a personality. He would get excited when he walked into the room he would start start splashing and going to the edge of the glass and my son. He stayed in my son's room and my son said, yeah, I'd be at my desk on my computer and I'd see him just looking at me. He's just floating in the water just staring at me.
Announcer: 25:18
Yeah, judging you.
David Wright: 25:21
And again, turtle owners. Correct me if I'm wrong. I don't know if do we have the facebook feed up, matt, just just wondering if anybody's in or not. No, nobody's in, I I just looked oh, you're good. No, it's okay, I I I really, I really want to talk to another turtle owner at some point.
Matt Fox: 25:36
They're hard to find sure, but again, just just satisfy my questions yeah, and I ask you the question if you, if you've had pets your time?
David Wright: 25:44
grew up with pets. I grew up with dogs, growing up same here dogs, cats, birds never had cat my sister had a bird. My brother owned a bird for a long time, parakeet or okay we've had parakeets, we had a lovebird.
Matt Fox: 25:57
The lovebird was actually one of my most favorite pets was it? Yes, because this lovebird was hand trained. So what at it was being handled by a human, so it was very trusting of humans.
Matt Fox: 26:09
And this lovebird was so affectionate I would be eating to cheese it and this bird would walk from my shoulder to my face and my mouth and grab a piece of cheese it and go back to my shoulder and eat it. It was one of the most fun pets I've ever had. Unfortunately, we had labs as well. Well, and we all know that labs are bird dogs. Yeah, and the lovebird was really comfortable in the home and flew a little too close to one of the puppies and the puppy tried to snap at it and it scared the heck out of the bird. It was a very dark day in our household, y Yikes. But I'll tell you what. Having the responsibility at a young, very young age, you know seeing a Cocker Spaniel give birth and helping her to birth not helping her but you know breaking the sack, if you will. When the second puppy was born, because the first one was born, she broke the sack, licking on it and then she had a second one and she's like what do I do?
Matt Fox: 27:12
Yeah, I broke the sack licking on it. And then she had a second one and she's like what do I do? Yeah, I broke the sack, pushed it up next. What the fuck are you doing? I know it sounds pretty crazy, but then then to see the animal go, oh, I have to take care of this one too. Right, she ended up having eight. Wow so, but to be there and seeing, you know, at a young age I was in, I was in grade school.
Matt Fox: 27:23
You know, yeah, but to see that yeah, and to be a part of it and see the, you know, the birth of life, or what have you with?
David Wright: 27:29
a little sidebar, Matt. I know we have another episode coming up, but I distinctly remember I don't know I had to be eight, nine, something in there, but I don't know if you remember that TV show. They showed up, they showed a, a live birth. Okay, it was for educational purposes, Was? It an animal, no a human. Oh, okay, but it was on TV, Okay.
Matt Fox: 27:53
I don't recall.
David Wright: 27:54
I know If.
Matt Fox: 27:55
I saw it.
David Wright: 27:56
I'm a bit older than you, so you probably missed it by 10 years or so. If I had seen it I'd blocked it out, but I remember seeing that on TV. I was traumatized as a kid. It was like it came out of what.
Matt Fox: 28:07
Yeah, but here's the thing the funny part of helping a Cocker Spaniel birth their puppies is that the puppies were born with full tails and at my young age I was like, why do they have tails? Because they actually snip off the tails when they're born.
David Wright: 28:24
Right.
Matt Fox: 28:25
I had no clue. I'm like off the tails when they're born, right? I had no clue. I'm like, oh, they have tails. I was so excited and I didn't understand why. But then I was told that they cut the tails off because they are spaniels. And I'm like, oh, that's terrible. Yeah, that doesn't that?
David Wright: 28:37
that's not very good. No, I was like oh man boy.
Announcer: 28:42
That escalated quickly.
Matt Fox: 28:44
I mean that really got out of hand fast so I I wanted to share that with you, because you know, and as we, as we talk about, you know, in the next episode the mental part of having an animal and what it can do for you. Yeah, absolutely.
David Wright: 28:57
I'm in lockstep here.
Matt Fox: 28:58
Yes absolutely.
David Wright: 28:59
Yeah, I am too. Like I said, I've grown up with animals all my life.
Announcer: 29:03
I mean shoot you guys were doing animal talk radio for a long time yeah.
David Wright: 29:07
So, yeah, definitely, Before we leave, speaking of animals, somebody needs a home. Who dat, who dat, midge, midge, midge needs a home. Okay, it's a senior dog Schnauzer A schnauzer.
Matt Fox: 29:21
Female Okay.
David Wright: 29:23
Dog friendly yes, kid friendly over five Activity level. Setting her dog friendly yes, kid friendly over five activity level is low. Okay, she was born in 2015.
Matt Fox: 29:33
Okay, so she's about 10 years old. Perfect again. Oh, come on, midge, that's actually in whole persons, man yeah, yeah, and it fits, let me make this bigger. Oh, there you go yeah, yeah, yeah, there you go midge, here oh, there's, there's Midge, look at that.
David Wright: 29:48
She's adorable, she is setting her way, she has a routine, nope nope, she's a senior dog Again, just so, and I'm not acting like I'm the animal professional here. But senior dogs are set in their ways. But they just need somebody to love them for the remainder of their life. And that's a difficult ask for a lot of people. People don't want to get a dog and think, oh, they're going to pass in a year or two, right, they don't. It's an emotional investment. But some people I know of some people who they only will adopt senior dogs. That's kind of their purpose to give them a great end of life. But Midge needs a home. Yes, please, yeah, give Midge a home. Yeah, look at that face. How could you say no? Come on, detroitdogrescuecom slash, adopt.
David Wright: 30:39
All righty folks, we are going to be back with part two of pets and mental health in the next episode. Those of you on Facebook Live if you're there, stick around, we're going to be doing another episode. Those of you listening on audio jump ahead. If it's not there, it will be there on Tuesday or Thursday, something like that. All righty folks, change your thinking, change your life, laugh hard, run fast, be kind. I'll see you next time, thank you.