KONG®- A Legacy of Play

Join The Amys and two powerhouse team members from KONG® — a veterinarian specializing in feline medicine and a long-time professional trainer — for a deep dive into enrichment, play, and solving real-world behavior challenges. They explore how thoughtful play supports physical health, emotional wellbeing, and stronger human–animal bonds in both cats and dogs. From food puzzles and prey-sequence play to managing boredom, anxiety, and destructive behaviors, their guests share practical strategies that pet professionals and owners alike can implement immediately.

Whether you’re a veterinarian, trainer, or devoted pet parent, this conversation will reframe how you think about play — not as a luxury, but as a behavioral and emotional necessity. Because when we enrich their lives, we transform their behavior.

Grab some liquid enrichment and get up to speed on the latest buzzzzzz, courtesy of your favorite VBees 🐝🐝, on the latest episode of Behavior Buzzzzzz with 2 Amys veterinary behavior podcast!

• Visit The Honey Pot at behaviorbuzzzzzz.com for episode references and more information about our fantastic guests, Dr. Danielle Graziano & Amy Leewood. Thanks, Danielle! Thanks, Amy!

Bee Positive. Bee Informed.

JOIN US and the HIVE MIND at behaviorbuzzzzzz.com
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Thank you to our amazing sponsors:
PRN Pharmacal, makers of Reconcile®
Nestlé Purina PetCare, makers of Purina Pro Plan® Veterinary Diets & Purina Pro Plan® Veterinary Supplements
Malena DeMartini, Inc. founder, Certified Separation Anxiety Training (CSAT) & Mission POSSIBLE
Ceva Animal Health, makers of ThunderEase® & FELIWAY® products

Amy L. Pike, DVM, DACVB, IAABC-CDBC - Co-Host
Amy Learn, VMD, DACVB, IAABC-CABC - Co-Host
Teryn Blais, Executive Producer
John LaSala, Podcast Editor

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:03

We'll see, John's gonna get mad.

SPEAKER_04 0:05

Alright, we're winging it. Does that make you nervous? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alright, well, we will get started. Welcome, Hive Mind. We are buzzing with excitement about today's guests, Dr. Danielle Graziano and Amy Leewood from the Kong Company. We thought we'd allow Dr. Danielle to join us today, despite her name not being Amy. Yeah, that was only another Amy. It should be a requirement. There's a non-starter. Sorry. Amy's only. I love that. And especially Amy's with AMY, too. That's the right way to spell it, right? The 80s way. The 80s way. It is the 80s way. So 80s. Thank you, ladies, for joining us to set the record straight on the hottest and most controversial topics. We're excited to have you on the Behavior Buzz Podcast, a veterinary behavior podcast that aims to bring cutting-edge scientific information and education to pet parents, behavior professionals, and the veterinary community. I'm your co-host, Dr. Amy Pike, a board-certified veterinary behaviorist.

SPEAKER_03 1:11

And I'm your other co-host, Dr. Amy Lern, also a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. And we are coming to you live from the PRN PharmaCal Studios. You guys all know what PRN stands for, right? Uh, pro secco right now? I like that. That was a good one. That sounds great. Yeah. That's how I like it. Yeah, yeah. Maybe we're gonna have to contact the company and be like, I'm sorry, you're gonna have to change your whole name. Change your secco is way more important. No, actually, it means pro re nata, a Latin phrase meaning as the circumstance arises. And do you know how long the veterinary community has been trusting PRN PharmaCal to be here when needed with industry-leading research innovative products to improve animal health and quality of life? Yeah, since 1978.

SPEAKER_04 2:03

They have been at it as long as the Hungry Hungry Hippos have been gobbling up marbles and providing enrichment, which we're gonna talk about today, for young kids. I know, enrichment for kids.

SPEAKER_05 2:17

Hungry hungry hippos.

SPEAKER_04 2:19

PRN PharmaCal is a proud sponsor of the Behavior Buzz podcast and is committed to the physical and emotional health of animals everywhere, which makes sense why their slogan is PRN PharmaCal, here when you need us.

SPEAKER_03 2:32

And I feel like in 2027 it's gonna be we're coming to you live from the Kong studios, so we're gonna have to kind of figure that out. We'll see if you went in on this action. This is all the fun things we could be saying about Kong.

SPEAKER_01 2:48

We're so famous.

SPEAKER_03 2:49

And just since we were talking about Hungry Hungry Hippos, have you seen the um like live um human version of Hungry Hungry Hippos? No. So would they need to play? Hold on, it's it's hilarious because you needed like a gymnasium though, and they have like those scooters that you like sat on when you were little. Yeah. So people are on their bellies on their scooters, and somehow there's like a rope attached to the scooter, and they have um one of those round um laundry baskets. Yeah, yeah. And so like they kick the person out and they have to go out and like get a ball in the laundry basket and like bring it back. And so then there's like all these teams like kicking their person out and then like rolling them back in.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

So it sounds amazing. We should probably get that together at one of the conferences we go to basically. I think we'll get together. 100%.

SPEAKER_03 3:39

Yeah. So anyway, so so a little aside, a little aside there about enrichment. So let's start uh this whole episode by finding out what is getting us all buzzed today. I am drinking a glass of sangria, a perfect blend of fruit and wine, and it's healthy. And I just got back from some Sedona wine-tasting tour, uh little vacation. So I was like right up right in there. I love it. I love that you say it's healthy, just because it has fruit in it.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Because it has fruit.

SPEAKER_04 4:08

It has fruit in it.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

It's healthy.

SPEAKER_04 4:11

Well, today I am drinking a lovely pink prosecco. What about you, Danielle, and Amy? What are y'all drinking?

SPEAKER_00 4:19

Well, uh, I'm I'm in the clinic, so coffee. Definitely not drinking. Yep, yep. Coffee. Coffee. Gotta wait till at least after 6 p.m. when the doors closed and the last patient's out of here. Oh man.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

She's got her ethyl alcohol like from the cabinet for um antifreeze at the end.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

Oh yeah. You've got your everclear ready, ready to go.

SPEAKER_04 4:44

I I don't know. Like, seriously, I'm like, I need to know. It's been so years, so many years.

SPEAKER_03 4:49

Yeah. I think so. That's the thing that binds it, right? So we would give that IV.

unknown 4:54

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03 4:56

Yeah, we literally have a bottle of ever clear closet. I haven't had an antifried poisoning, even when I was in GP for a very long time. So I can't say if that's the current therapy, but it was wild.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

I've ever had one. I did have a another other day, though, a dog that ate 1600 milligrams of weed gummies. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 5:16

How was that dog feeling? Of course, Colorado.

SPEAKER_00 5:19

Yeah, yeah. Uh she was feeling great, I'll tell you that much. Save the monthries. Oh, yeah, which was great because she came in and he's like, I need a stretcher. And I'm like, oh god, how bad? Am I gonna be able to make this dog vomit? It had been like an hour, and uh, but no, she could swallow. She was very ready to eat, and we got up what we could, which was not much, but um started pumping her full of fluids, had some at Daz Lamb ready just in case. And uh, but no, she she we got a little bit of charcoal into her. She kind of ate some and then was a little bit like, I don't know if I want to swallow anymore. So we just kind of watched her, and then after some time passed, she was like, actually, where is that bowl of charcoal and a little bit of AD? And she ate it all for us. So got some problems. Yeah, but yeah, she was she was a sweetie. She she didn't she she didn't mind that she was dribbling pee and she was looking adorable. But yeah, she did fine. She she walked on out of here, so it worked out for her.

SPEAKER_04 6:13

Fantastic. And Danielle, what are you what are you drinking this morning? Me? Oh, I I'm a cognition.

SPEAKER_03 6:18

You're drinking coffee. Amy, what are you drinking? Oh, Amy, sorry, sorry. Did you mean Amy? Okay, sorry, I did.

SPEAKER_02 6:23

You're fine, you're fine. I did. Okay, so similar to Danielle, I am in the Kong office right now. So I well, first let me just mention wine. I love it. That's usually my first go-to. So fantastic. Um, however, today I am drinking tea. So Danielle can vouch to the fact that I am um a tea fanatic. Yes. Um, so I actually uh make my own tea blends. So this is my breakfast blend that I make. So it is a jasmine green tea, loose leaf, and then moringa and nettle and lemon balm. So those are all the herbs that I put together um for my breakfast tea.

SPEAKER_00 7:03

And Amy is dense. She's amazing. She also makes like all her own like face oils and is just yeah, Amy is a very diverse and amazing person. I cannot sing her praises enough.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

Oh, thank you, Danielle. That is a big trick. I appreciate that. You are also amazing. Oh, um, yeah, no, I should say my sister-in-law is an herbalist and she works at an apothecary, so that's really helps to support this. So amazing.

SPEAKER_04 7:31

I love that. We'll have to make a behavior buzz tea blend. Yes. Oh my gosh, you can make up with that.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

Special tea blend. I'm down. I'm love that. Okay. Well, let's get into the meat of the matter. I don't like that. Let's get into the more important part of this conversation.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

The nitty-gritty. The nitty gritty. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

The nitty gritty. That's it. Let's let's start with the nitty gritty. All right. Dr. Danielle, you are a veterinarian that has a focus and interest on feline medicine and behavior. And Amy, you've been a trainer forever, working with all kinds of crazy different animals. Yet you both work for Kong. So, how did a veterinarian and an animal trainer kind of work their way into this little relationship with Kong? Tell me, tell me your backstories.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

Yeah, absolutely. Do you want me to go first? You want to go, Danielle?

SPEAKER_03 8:25

Go ahead, Amy.

SPEAKER_00 8:26

I love saying your backstory.

SPEAKER_02 8:27

All right, yeah. So, you know, naturally, I've always loved animals. I feel like all of our stories, and that's how we got where we are at today. However, um, so my journey, um, so I started, you know, I thought about going into veterinary care. Um, and then I decided that I wanted to do more of the training aspect of it. So I went to school um at Moore Park College. I'm not sure if you guys are familiar with Moore Park. So yeah, so I went to Moore Park College and there, um, this is a specialized college, it's like a wing off of uh Maine College. Um they we had their, they have their own zoo. Um so you go to classes uh where you're getting your degrees in animal behavior, wildlife education, and um animal training. And uh so yeah, so you go there, but not only are you getting all your degrees, you are also going to um you're you're taking care of the the zoo. Like you essentially run the zoo, you are open to the public on the weekends, you do presentations, and then during the week, you're going to classes and you're training the animals and you're cleaning the exhibits and you're doing all things. So it's like a seven-day a week um experience. Wow. So the program itself is extremely um rigorous. So it's actually uh seven days a week year-round, pretty much. So it's intense, yeah. Wow. Um, so it's an experience, but it's like one of the coolest experiences um you can have because you just get this wide range of experience, right? So like I gotta train a sea lion, a tiger, a bald eagle, you know, all kinds of things. So um it was just it was a very cool experience. So from there, I um actually ended up going down to San Diego, and this is where I trained dolphins for the Navy for 10 years. Oh, that's awesome. So I was at the the Navy for 10 years training dolphins there. Um, I'm originally from Colorado, so we ended up having our second child. I have a nine and an 11-year-old right now, so we decided to move back to Colorado because my whole family's here. So if anyone has kids, you know how helpful it is to have some support and all of those things, especially to um, you know, having the kids just grow up around their family, cousins, aunts, uncles, stuff like that. So we made the choice, the very difficult choice, to move back to Colorado. Um, and then here I trained service dogs for a while. Um, and I created my own YouTube channel, children's educational YouTube channel, um, with an emphasis on environment, nature, um, and wildlife. And um, let's see, what else? Yeah, different things like that. So, um, and my dog Odin, he's kind of the host of that uh YouTube channel. Anyways, then I came across a job opening at Kong. And so here I am today. Um, so as the Kong trainer, technically the canine behavior and training specialist is the official title. Um uh that's how I came here today. So I am the manager of the education department. So I uh help create content, do all kinds of presentations, and I oversee all projects that are pet professional um focused.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

So yeah, I think I love that.

SPEAKER_02 11:23

That is cool.

SPEAKER_00 11:24

Yeah, Amy has the coolest story. I think she's gonna write a book. So my God, that'd be so fun. Yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, so for me, um, kind of as as Amy started out, right? We love animals. Um, but for my story for getting into vet school is a little bit different. I was going for equine sciences, realized it was only a two-year program at UMass Amherst, and I said, Well, I want to party with my Prosecco until, you know, four years past. For four years, so and so I swept into the what I thought was actually the animal science um major. And my advisor was like, you know, I think you could do the pre-vet program. And I was like, I'm here to party, I'm not here to study, you know, I'm 18 years old, right? And so, unbeknownst to me, thankfully, she had me doing the pre-vet track, you know, because she we'd go and pick our classes, whatever. And senior year comes around, I'm like, what in the heck am I gonna do with my life now that I've been partying for four years and not thinking ahead. And uh I was like, maybe I should go to vet school. What the heck do I need to do to you know, prereq wise get in? And she was like, Well, luckily, I saw the future and was an amazing advisor, and so yeah, so I ended up at Michigan State um for another four years of partying, which I will say, obviously, you know, you guys all know what what vet school is, right? So a lot of a lot of hard work, obviously, in there. Hard play hard. Exactly. Yeah, so I basically was like, okay, cool. Um this is definitely my calling in that I really love using like the the tools and the knowledge to to help heal and preserve the human animal bond from early on. So actually, I I I guess now I'm a cat vet, but I did not even understand cat body language until I was about halfway through vet school, moved in with one of my nearest and dearest friends this day, and her kitty cat, Tucker, uh not a nice cat, but I was on the inn crew, you know, and he taught me so much, and I just realized like cats are just misunderstood, and that kind of sent me on my journey for for cat medicine. And then, in terms of like, you know, this is now coming up on a decade ago in my first job, I didn't really appreciate how the animals were being handled, kind of manhandled and things like that. And so for me, the emotional health has always been a very important piece of physical health as a whole. And so um I've been with Kong now over a year, um, and that position came available, and I really like the whole push that we have to kind of advance all that reduced stress handling piece, but then also considering how do we move our field towards true cooperative care, right? Um teaching these animals start buttons, um, giving them the option to choose. Uh, you know, Amy's so inspiring to me because if she can teach dolphins just voluntarily swallow an endoscope, like why are we still manhandling our small animals? So it is definitely uh a passion project that's turned into a really exciting career opportunity. That's so cool.

SPEAKER_02 14:31

I gotta say, Danielle, I'm really happy that your advisor decided to put you into the next program. You'll be here today with us at Kong. So fantastic. It was meant to be.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

Yeah, she was amazing, she was amazing. She thank God, yeah. The people in your lives can really make a difference, right?

SPEAKER_04 14:48

So true. That's so true. All right, ladies. Well, can you tell us a little bit more about Kong and like how did the company itself get its start?

SPEAKER_02 14:58

Absolutely. So this is one of my favorite stories to tell. Like I mentioned earlier, um, you know, I do a lot of presentations and educational stuff, and usually this is part of that because I feel like it's kind of just a fun story that everyone can relate to. Uh pet pet parents, you know, animal lovers can relate to. And it's kind of cool to think about where it started and what Kong is today. And I apologize to Danielle because you've probably heard me tell this story like 30,000 times.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

Oh, I love it. I love it. I love listening you talk, Amy.

SPEAKER_02 15:27

Oh, I never get sick of you. Um okay, so how, okay, so I should say that um we the do you guys know what year we are established? No. No. Any guesses? Been around a long time. 78. Very close. Nicely done, yeah. So 1976. So think about that. And you can think about um this year is a very biggest birthday.

SPEAKER_03 15:54

Are they doing some things? We need to have a 50-year celebration.

SPEAKER_02 15:57

Yeah, so our we are turning 50 um in August. So technically August 4th is our kind of Kong birthday, if you will. Um, so yeah, so I know we have a bunch of fun things planned for the anniversary, but I don't really know. I think some of them are surprises and such, so I don't really know exactly what they all are because we're not we're not part of the marketing team to make these decisions. So regardless, um, it's really exciting. So we've been around for 50 years, and so like think about you know, we are we've been around for 50 years, we've been we're in over 80 countries right now, which is pretty cool. Um, but like I said, the origin story is kind of fun because it all just really started from a pet parent trying to address a behavioral problem, right? So um, again, I think that's just so relatable. Um, so essentially the story goes that um, so the creator of the Kong is Joe Markham, um, and he had a dog named Fritz. He was a German shepherd, um, and he was a mechanic. So he would bring Fritz into work with him nearly every day. So Fritz had a pretty bad behavioral issue of destructive chewing and chewing on things he should not chew on. So things like rocks, like just stuff that's really gonna, you know, mess with the teeth, right? And um, so you know, of course, he'd bring him into the shop with him, and Fritz would go and find like car pieces, metal pieces to chew on. Obviously, this is a problem. So one day Joe is uh working on a VW van and he kind of tosses a uh suspension, it's a suspension part. He tosses a car piece um to the side, and Fritz, of course, naturally comes over and picks it up. Well, turns out that this suspension part is a part of it, is a big rubber piece, right? So it's a black rubber piece, looks very similar to the actual Kong, like the shape of the Kong. Um and then it also just has like a metal bracket on it. So but the great thing is that Fritz decides he wants nothing to do with the metal bracket, he only wants to chew on that rubber piece. And from that day on, it was the only thing Fritz wanted to chew on. And so of course, of course, Joe was like, oh, there's something to this, obviously. And he noticed how it was durable to withstand Fritz chewing, um, but also not hard on his teeth. So it was like durable and safe. So that's kind of like the the magic formula of the Kong, right? Um so of course he went to, he went on to um go ahead and design the Kong. Uh, and he was talking. Do you guys know how Kong got its name?

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Mm-mm.

SPEAKER_02 18:26

Okay. So he was talking to his friend about his idea, and you know, you know, he wants to make this dog toy, and you know, this is why, and all the things. And his friend said, Well, what are you planning on calling it? And Joe said, you know, I really haven't gotten that far yet. I'm not sure. And his friend said, Well, I don't know what you're gonna call it, but it looks like King Kong's earplug. So that is literally how Kong got it. Oh my god, I need no idea. Uh-huh. So think about it. Think about that. Kong looks like a gigantic earplug, right? So that is literally how Kong got his name. But anyways, I that's kind of our that's the origin story, and I just think it's like, it's just really cool. And um, you know, a great background, you know, very relatable in all the things because again, most of us, most of us pet parents are trying to address a lot of behavioral issues throughout our time, right? So um, and then I should just also mention too, all of our, so like I said, that those those Kongs, they're made out of that natural rubber. So we use natural rubber only. Um, and that is because it gives it that nice little combination of being durable and safe for teeth, right? And so we make all of our rubber products in the United States. Um, in fact, in literally in the room next to me right now is manufacturing. So we make every rubber product you see on the shelves has come from this building. So that's pretty cool. Um, all of that being said, uh we would love to source the natural rubber here, but unfortunately, the United States um we cannot, our climate cannot support rubber trees, and rubber trees are the only place that you can get this natural rubber, right? So we do source that natural rubber, we pick out the highest quality, we bring it to the United States, and then we make um all of the Kong's rubber products here. Um sorry, Danielle, did I miss anything? Throw anything in.

SPEAKER_00 20:13

I think just uh that that was a beautiful summary, and I think it's important for our vet audience and pet parent audience to know that um there is barium in all of our natural rubber products as well. So, God forbid, in case of ingestion, they will show up on X-ray.

unknown 20:28

Oh, I know.

SPEAKER_03 20:28

Yeah, so all of them do now.

SPEAKER_00 20:30

Because I remember you came out with the blue one. It was just now all of them do. Yes, that we said, well, why in the heck would we limit this? Like safety comes first.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

So, yeah, so there used to be that dark blue Kong was the official vet cong. And then we were like, hold on, we should make the small person.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

Yes, yes, I love that.

SPEAKER_04 20:50

That's an amazing idea. Like, I love that so much. It was brilliant. Yeah, whoever decided that. So you mentioned that their uh Kong is turning 50 this year. Do you know who's turning 50 today?

SPEAKER_03 21:04

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 21:08

Didn't we already record the order? Happy 50, baby. Happy birthday.

SPEAKER_04 21:18

You know I was gonna call you out.

SPEAKER_03 21:20

You would call it a birthday con.

SPEAKER_04 21:22

Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_03 21:24

Oh my god. I love that. Make it a horse one, that would be fun. Um, all right, so so I love that story and the bumper, and we all know that like iconic image of the kind of hive-shaped earplug, evidently shaped rubber toy. But that is not all. You have expanded dramatically from there, and this business has grown and is really taking over the toy enrichment, animal like happiness um lane. So tell us about some more of the things that they kind of make.

SPEAKER_00 21:57

I mean, I'll jump right into cat products. I think. That uh it's important for people to know that we actually have a huge cat product selection as well. Um, and part of my job that's very exciting is working with production on like the cat psyche and how we can really optimize these toys for cats. Um, so make sure to check out our cat catalog. There's there's a lot there. I think one of my favorites is the kickaroo, and that's for when that like raking mood when they want to bite and kind of just fuck up the something and instead of your hand, insert kickaroo here, you know. So I love that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:31

I need to get that for our clinic cat.

SPEAKER_00 22:34

Yeah, I love the kickaroo. It's it's I recommend it. And and we have a kitten one too, you know, um, which is adorable when they're so tiny and they're like, I'm gonna kill you, kickaroo. Um, so yeah, it's it's something that I recommend to all of my uh cat parents because I mean, so commonly they're like, This cat's biting my arm and leg. I'm like, okay, well, first of all, number one rule, well, I have many number one rules, one of them being no hand play, right? Always having a toy between hand and kitten or cat.

SPEAKER_02 23:02

So that is a challenge with my kitten and my nine and eleven year old. Trust me, I'm not like he's biting me. I'm like, yeah, get a toy. You were wiggling your fingers in his face. You're literally asking him to bite you right now. Yeah. Oh my god. But yeah, no, and good, I'm really glad that you brought that up, Danielle, because a lot of people don't know that Kong has cat toys, believe it or not. So we have come across so like we I started to make it a practice that at all of the trade shows and conferences I go at, I always have a cat section because inevitably we have multiple people come up and say, Oh my gosh, you guys have cat toys. So, like trying to make a push so that people really do know that we have cat toys and we have some really um fantastic options for cat toys as well.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

So And I have to plug our catnip is so good. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_02 23:52

I mean, very high quality.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

Every single time my cats will choose con catnip over uh any any other option, honestly.

SPEAKER_04 24:00

Um that is so true. Yeah, like we have a thing of Kong catnip at the clinic, and this client was like, nah, my cat doesn't like catnip. And I was like, let me try this. And oh my god, went bananas. So yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:13

Yes, and and I felt that way before I was an employee of Kong, disclaimer.

SPEAKER_04 24:17

So I am not an employee of Kong. We love it.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Um but yeah, but other than cat toys, you know, obviously the Kong itself is our foundation product, but like you guys mentioned, we have grown quite a bit from there. So we have a ton of cat toys, but then we also have all kinds of different treat dispensing toys, tug toys, fetch toys. Um, you know, you name it, we've pretty much got it. And um, you know, to just to name a few, like one of my favorites you guys are probably very familiar with is the Wobbler. Um that's a fantastic little kind of puzzle feeder treat dispensing toy. Um, but different things like that um we also offer. So so yeah, definitely check out our website because it'll have all of those different items.

SPEAKER_00 24:59

And we uh recently law launched our direct to consumer platform. So you can actually purchase directly from our site now. Oh, that's well, that's great.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

Yes, this is a big deal. So we've never been able to sell directly to the consumer. So we just launched it this last November, so pretty cool.

SPEAKER_00 25:14

Yeah, and it's still in its infancy and growing and all that, but uh yeah, it's kind of exciting.

SPEAKER_04 25:19

Yeah, so my favorite Kong toy, just because it's my dog's favorite Kong toy, is the Kong tennis ball, the regular tennis ball size. I don't know what you guys put in that. It must be like like dog nip or something because he can literally sniff them out from a bag that's like up on a refrigerator. Like he knows we have new Kong balls anytime we bring them into the house. And I'm like, how do you know this? And if I toss like a regular tennis ball and a Kong tennis ball, he will go find preferentially the Kong ball. Like, is there seriously something like what is about it? Why does it look so high quality rubber? It is.

SPEAKER_02 25:56

Um, it's so funny that you bring that up because I so one of part of my job at Kong too is to talk to consumers, especially if they're having some issues at home with, you know, a dog destroying a toy or whatever it is. Um and one of the questions that I get is exactly this question is like, what do you do you put a scent on the tennis balls? And the answer is no. We don't intentionally put any kind of scent or anything on there. Um so I but I think what it is is just um the materi the specific materials we use must have a distinct smell to them. And you know, the dogs, uh you know, usually what I'll tell um the customer or the consumers when they call about these things is that it's it's probably because that dog started with that initial positive association with that specific ball. And so they've developed that reinforcement history with whatever the smell and material is of it. And so from then on, they they have a preference for it. Yeah. Um I can date that that's what it is, but we do not intentionally put anything like in them.

SPEAKER_04 26:56

That's uh I mean, like he is obsessed and it's so fascinating. Yeah. I should own Stock and Kong tennis balls.

SPEAKER_02 27:06

Yeah, and that being said, too, this is something I always like to talk about as well, because a lot of people don't realize like so human tennis balls are not necessarily safe for for dogs or other animals, right? So like our tennis balls, and then I mean, pretty much any pet safe tennis ball should be safe because those should go through a quality control to make sure that um whatever felt and ink and materials we're using is safe to actually be in an animal's um mouth.

SPEAKER_04 27:32

So And I don't and you can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they wear their teeth as much with those tennis balls either, right?

SPEAKER_02 27:40

Correct. Yeah, so that's the other thing too. So yeah, so they don't using our like or I shouldn't say our just like pet safe materials is going to be less of abrasive on the teeth. But I also a big thing I talk to people about as well, because they will call and say these tennis balls are ruining their teeth, but oftentimes it's usually has more to do with the fact that the tennis ball gets thrown, it goes in the dirt, the dog chews on it, gets a bunch of saliva on it, and then it's that grind that that grit that's that's grinding back and forth on the seat that's actually wearing down the teeth, not the tennis ball itself. So a couple suggestions clean the tennis ball if you can in between throws, which that might not be as easy, but also just use a different texture for fetching. So, like even a Kong itself is not gonna pick up as much uh dirt and sand and things like that. Or there's other balls that are different textures. So so yeah, so that's something I definitely talk about quite commonly with a lot of uh pet parents. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:33

That makes sense. So play with Ike Pike is very important, what playing with his tennis ball, but why is play so important for dogs in general?

SPEAKER_02 28:41

Yeah, so so there are a ton of reasons why uh play is so important. So, of course, like the most first and most obvious things are gonna be just that physical fitness and health, right? Um, so that one I feel like most pet parents can jump straight to that conclusion. Well, it's good for them to be, you know, physically fit. Um, but also play is gonna help with some mental stimulation and their cognitive functioning as well, um, and emotional well-being and stress relief. And then on top of that, also socialization and behavior. So, you know, play with people that helps with uh, well, for one, creating a bond with the people, um, socializing with people, but then also play with other dogs is going to be like a big thing when it comes to socialization, right? I don't know if you want to add anything, Danielle.

SPEAKER_00 29:29

Oh, I uh no, I'm uh thinking about cats, that's all.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

But yeah, so there's there's all there's so many underlying reasons why it's like play is not just play, right? So it sounds simple, but there it really has all these um important aspects that come along with it that really can help with a dog's overall well-being as well as I'm sure the cats, if you want to dive into that, Danielle.

SPEAKER_03 29:52

Yeah, that's our next question, right? So tell them uh about cats and if you want to mention any other species too, um, because it's not just dogs. And it's not just dogs and cats. There's a whole lot of other options out there with Pong.

SPEAKER_00 30:06

Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Yeah. So, you know, on the cat front, um, when we look at feline evolution, they have not evolved alongside us for very long. I think the updated numbers are like three to five thousand years or something, right? So they're these basically little wild lions and panthers and tigers, maybe not lions because they're more social than our house cats contend to be. Um, but but uh, you know, they are so tied to that wild ancestor that play for them is how they're gonna get that predation out, right? And so I think it's really important when we talk about playing with cats. Sure, when you're there's a you know little kitten, you can kind of throw a little something, they'll go bat it around and chase it. But as they get older, they get smarter, they get more patient, they descend from ambush predators, right? So we as humans need to get more patient, we need to get more creative with our play, we need to really interact with our cats. Uh, I think there's, again, they're just misunderstood creatures. They're not aloof, independent. Yeah, okay, maybe a little bit, they have some of that independence, but they need that interaction and they thrive on that interaction. I want to say the feline VMA has a study somewhere that mentions when you play with cats or if owners initiate play with cats for at least five minutes twice a day, they're shown to have less behavioral problems. So I think, you know, when we look at the five pillars of feline environmental needs, which I shouldn't get into because we'll talk for an hour and a half. Um but, you know, uh it I think it's really important that we recognize that this is for cats beyond enrichment, right? These are actual needs to allow them to thrive in our homes. So um I think, you know, I'm super passionate about getting that information out there and just helping better the lives of house cats in general. Um, so that's my little cat spiel. And I'll cut myself off because I will talk for years about cats. Yeah. Um but and then as far as other species, I mean, yeah, as as you mentioned, Dr. Lern, like we we see, we see chimps playing with Kongs, we see horses. There was there, I don't know if it's available anymore, but we had a big, big wubba that horses love to kind of toss around. Um, you know, otters, things like that. So it's a it's a certainly a diverse product. Birds, you know, you can use that for some foraging too. Um that that actually even leads me back to cats too, because like our kitty kong that people don't realize that we even have, uh, I think it's a great way to allow for some of those hunting and foraging instincts for our kitties. You just, you know, put their dry food in there. You're not gonna stuff it like you will for a dog. Those tiny little cat tongues aren't gonna be able to get all the way in there. Um, but you know, put their dry food in, hide them, let make those cats think.

SPEAKER_02 32:43

So you can top it off with little wet food too, or or chair or some shit.

SPEAKER_04 32:48

Yeah, yeah. I was at the Bermuda aquarium. We went we went to Bermuda a couple of years ago as a family, and um their octopus was had a Kong foraging toy. Yeah, I love that. Yeah, so I'll put I I actually included the pictures for um for the podcast. So we'll uh we'll make sure the audience sees.

SPEAKER_02 33:06

I want to see that too. Yeah, and yeah, I should say too, so you know, thinking about enrichment, um, you know, our animals in our zoos and things like what we've been talking about, they they require enrichment as well. So it's not just a um addition, it should be kind of part of their lives because it's going to help them to just really thrive in their environment, right? Because they need an outlet to express some of those more innate behaviors that they have, you know. So um, you know, working in zoos and things like that, we always for every species, we always have an enrichment um schedule, a rotation. It's just very important um that that's a part of their lives as well.

SPEAKER_04 33:45

Yeah, absolutely. You kind of mentioned with the with the feline VMA there, um, you know, that twice a day play with your cat decreases behavioral problems. Why is enrichment and play so important for our um, you know, like our patients that um come to see Dr. Learn and I for behavior issues?

SPEAKER_00 34:04

Sure, yeah. I I again I could I love talking about cats um and and their behavior issues because you know I think when we don't have a healthy feline environment set up for them, they can't cope in a healthy way, right? And so that stress leads to medical and behavioral issues. I want to say the statistic is like 90% of house cats will pee inappropriately in their lives, right? Um so once we've ruled out those medical causes, well, a lot of times it's about optimizing that feline environment. Um and one of the pillars, you know, providing opportunities for play and predation kind of ties into what I was saying earlier of we ha they need an outlet to hunt, basically, right? And just you know, putting a little tiny poofy ball on the floor for them to play with is not hunting, right? So it's important for them to get these natural behaviors out. I I think my Amy mentioned zoo animals. I mean, cats are basically these little wild creatures living in our homes, right? So it's so important to have an enrichment plan for them. It's important to rotate another pillar, right? Providing opportunities, um, or I'm sorry, providing c positive and consistent human interaction, right? That ties in too. Like we need to be interacting with our cats, they're not just there as a little mantelpiece, right? So play is important, rotating the toys are important, they habituate to their toys super quickly, they get bored, right? Um, getting creative with our kitties, and I think a lot of it is getting the info out there of like, oh, wait a second, cats are not these aloof creatures that don't want to interact with us. They might want to choose when to interact with us, and that's fine because they're kitties and they thrive on choice, control, and predictability. But if we want to see cats staying in their homes, because you know, urinary things are not fun for pet parents, if we want to see them thriving emotionally, therefore physically, um, we have to be interacting with our cats regularly.

SPEAKER_02 36:04

Yeah, and I can speak to the dogs a bit here too. So very similar in the sense of again, um, you know, to in providing enrichment can really help to prevent or at least uh, you know, reduce some of those behavioral issues at home. Uh so again, this is something I talk to those pet parents about pretty regularly as part of my job. Um, because one of the biggest things is that they are, you know, dogs are getting destructive at home. And obviously pet parents can get pretty frustrated with that. Uh so if I kind of phrase it in the the way that we're kind of talking about it now, it seems to really kind of help because it it's like a light bulb kind of goes on. So having them understand that those dogs have those innate natural behaviors, so they have that need to express these behaviors. So they're not doing it to be naughty or bad or all the things, you know, as frustrating as they as it might be. Um, it's because they actually have a need to express those behaviors. So if we can provide that enrichment that gives them that outlet to express those behaviors, this is going to be so helpful when it comes to addressing any of those unwanted behaviors.

SPEAKER_00 37:06

Yes, Amy, you put that so, so perfectly, because that same exact statement goes for cats. I think so many times my my caregivers are like, oh, he's mad I went away on vacation and peed on my bed. It's like, well, no, like he's not doing this intentionally, he's telling us something, right? And so yeah, I Amy, you put that really, really beautifully. So thank you.

SPEAKER_03 37:27

I think it's important, you know, as we're talking about play and welfare and enrichment and meeting our animals' needs, that is so important when we're talking about veterin care and clinic um appointments as well, because we we know all of us have had our own animals or have been in a clinic and understand how stressful that environment can be. And we see that our dogs and our cats do not always love going to the vet as much as we love to see them. They don't always love to see us. And so I have some inside information, but I want it to be outside information. I want to world to know. So, can you tell us a little bit more about this new program that you are rolling out?

SPEAKER_02 38:08

Absolutely, yes. So we have it's called our Kong Clinic Kits. Um, so we are currently in a pilot program for these. So so excited about this. Um, you know, as you guys have probably all noticed, like we're very passionate about, you know, cooperative care and those types of things. So uh, you know, we see that Kong can really align well with helping to set up that reduced stress environment in the clinic. So we went ahead and developed um our Kong clinic kits. So we have both a cat kit and a dog kit. Um, and these kits have different items, Kong items in them that can help to really support that reduced stress environment within the clinic during physical exams or um, you know, procedures or whatever is the task at hand. Um and so yeah, so that's kind of what we've been launching over the last year or so. Um and like I said, we're in the pilot program. I don't know, Danielle, if you want to add some more info to that.

SPEAKER_00 39:06

Sure, yeah. Um yeah, basically we have the the kits that are, you know, we just want to see how durable, how easy to clean, how easy to implement in the day-to-day. Um the the kits themselves are really helpful to reducing stress, like things like spinning lick mats, for example, I use for every physical exam. And um and again, I think too, really encouraging us as a field to start thinking, okay, great, we're doing more of this reduced stress and honoring the emotional health. What is it gonna take for us to move towards true cooperative care? And so the kits are kind of yes, there to help the pets, but also as a little reminder to us all as uh clinicians of what if we could train this animal to say yes to a nail trim or a blood draw, right? Um I think that that would make owners happier, obviously make pets happier, that goes without saying. Therefore, compliance is better, we're gonna see those pets more frequently. I mean, think about if we think about cats, like so many don't get care because it's such a stressful uh situation. And if we can train lions and tigers to present a jugular, I think we can train our kitties, right? So um, so it's also a way to kind of encourage our field as a whole to really start thinking about what does the next level take? Let's let's close the gap between us and the training community, you know, our certified canine and feline behavior consultants. Um, because unfortunately, we're not gonna teach cooperative care in 30 minutes, right? We have to just bridge that gap and come up with a plan that makes sense for our clinics. Um, you know, happy visits, getting cats and dogs in for happy visits during during not just the puppy series, but kind of throughout life. You know, maybe we host those training classes with our friends, the certified canine feline behavior consultants in clinic, right? Like just starting to think about how do we get creative about that. So um the kits, yeah, their goal is to help the pets feel better in the moment and to be that little reminder of like how do we move our field in this direction, truly.

SPEAKER_03 41:07

I love that. Yeah, and I love them. Like they're these little canvas bags that are so strong and durable, like the handles, like they're not gonna fry, they're not gonna pull off. You've got a million in one pocket and you shove all that stuff in there, right? Like you've got all of the different toys and the um Kong pasty, yummy, gooey stuff, right? Like there's so much stuff that goes in those little packets that uh you can they're portable, you take them from room to room. Uh it just seems like an amazing idea. So wait a minute, Lauren.

SPEAKER_04 41:37

Do you have one?

SPEAKER_03 41:38

I don't I have two.

SPEAKER_04 41:41

Oh my God. So can like I know you're in the pilot program, but how can other vets get one of these? Yes, okay.

SPEAKER_02 41:48

So, first of all, we'll send you some. Oh, yay! Yeah. Yes, yes, Dr. Pike, we can send you some for sure. Um, and then yeah, I was gonna say, we can we can put the link to the landing page to get more information on the clinic kits. Um, and people can go there to take a look at them, and then you can also fill out a form there. Like we said, we're in the pilot program right now. Um, we are still uh bringing clinics into that, but we're probably gonna hit a um a point where we will stop. Um but yeah, if anybody's interested, please do go to the landing page, um, which we'll share the link of and um go fill out that form that will put you in the queue, and then we'll keep bringing people in as long as we have space for this for this year essentially. So we're we're yeah, we're hoping to be complete with the pilot program by the end of 2026.

SPEAKER_00 42:35

Yep, yep, and then they'll come to market ultimately. So um, and what's involved is basically just watching a short video on how we recommend using and cleaning, because obviously we're you know in a hospital setting. We need to make sure they're easy to clean, easy to get back in rotation. Um, and then after about 60 days or so of use, we will send out a survey uh just short, I think it's like five or six questions to just basically see how we can improve the kits and really make them as good as they possibly can be before they come to market.

SPEAKER_02 43:08

Yeah, and that feedback survey, if you get into the pilot program, is so important to us because we really, really just want to really hear the good, the bad, and the ugly, right? So that we can really fine-tune these and make sure that they're really effective in the clinic.

SPEAKER_03 43:21

And so one of the coolest things that I saw, I mean, that it's all cool, but uh uh something that I had never thought about before is they have a Kong brush to clean the Kong's out and it's shaped like a Kong. Yeah, it's a good thing. It's like a bottle brush, right? But it's a Kong shaped brush. Yeah. I was like, what the fuck does it have?

SPEAKER_01 43:40

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 43:41

It's a life changer, it's a relative changer, yeah, yeah. Yeah, because I think I use my daughter's old baby bottle brush. I need a legit Kong one.

SPEAKER_02 43:51

We'll send we'll send you some. So yeah, and those are in the kit. They're in the kit, and a lot of people don't know they exist as well, so I always bring them to my shows and My talks and things, but yeah, no, they they really do make a difference. Yeah, it's a con brush. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's amazing. It could be a toothbrush, who knows? I've actually used it as a toothbrush for the top.

SPEAKER_00 44:11

It can, it's nice and gentle.

SPEAKER_02 44:13

Because it is like it's it's not there's not that like hard side to it, like some toothbrushes, it's soft all around.

SPEAKER_00 44:18

So it is, yeah. Um, and I will say too, um, for listeners tuning in, this is a golden piece of information. If you coat a Kong with some fish oil first, it will not stick nearly as badly. So coat all those Kongs. Yes, it'll take a little bit of fish oil. It could be any toxic.

SPEAKER_02 44:38

Or any animal safe oil, but oil. Fish oil is great because of the omegas. But sorry, go ahead, Greg. That's a great idea.

SPEAKER_05 44:44

That's a great idea.

SPEAKER_02 44:45

And then, yeah, like I think what Danielle was saying, you can dip that brush in the oil and then just co use that brush to coat the inside of that cong. Nice and even, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 44:53

And they are also yes. And for at home and clinics that have access to a dishwasher, you can put the rubber products in the dishwasher top rack with no heat dry.

SPEAKER_03 45:05

Okay. So you just turn the heat cycle off, the heat dry off. Yeah, that's what we do. We put our muzzles and our Kongs in the top rack over our dishwasher. Love it. There you go. I love it. Um I want to ask about this, wasn't a predetermined question. I am gonna hit you up with this, but you are um not only are you selling direct cut to customers now, but you are also um working on an idea of having Kong available as a product that veterinoses can sell, right? Like not only are we gonna see them being used in the clinic to help with our cooperative care and our um kind of our improving our welfare for the stress, but now people can be like, oh, and I love this so much that there's a retail option that they'll buy a Kong product on their way out of the vet as well. Do you want to speak to that a little bit more?

SPEAKER_00 45:53

Yeah, I think for for me, um keeping the revenue within the clinic is important. And I see, like, especially with like all the pharmacy stuff these days, it's pretty difficult to do that. So if we can help support vets too by having these trusted recommended products right there for available for purchase in clinic um to at least help kind of keep some of that in-house. Um this is also actually right now in a pilot program, um, and that's just because we've been on the pet parent side for so long. We're kind of navigating the ins and outs of the veterinary side and what distribution would look like there. So uh, but yes, we we would, you know, if clinics are interested, we have a couple different um displays that we're they're we're currently piloting. And Amy, I don't know if you want to speak any more to that.

SPEAKER_02 46:39

Yeah, sure. Um so so yeah, so this is kind of the um retail, vet retail, and the uh Kong Clinic kits are all kind of kind of this like full circle idea. So we are, you know, we know a lot, or many at least of vets already trust and know Kong and recommend Kong. So our angle here is that we want also to use Kong in the clinic. So that's where the kits come in, right? Um and then paired with that, the um clients are gonna see the vets and the vet staff using Kong um during the appointments. And we're hoping that will that should inspire them to also want to buy Kong. So then ideally they could go out to the lobby and they could purchase Kong products right there instead of going to the local pet retailer or something along those lines. So that's kind of like the big scale picture that we're trying to build. Um and yeah, so like Danielle was saying, the uh the Kong retail part, the vet retail is kind is in a pilot program as well. Um, and so if you wanted to be a part of that program, you would have to go through the Kong Clinic Kit program first. So we're trying to kind of pair those together. So we start with the kits, and then um once you know we get feedback on the kits and everything, we'll we'll talk to specific clinics to see if they're interested in placing a uh you know retail space in their lobby of Kong.

SPEAKER_03 48:03

Nice, yeah, yeah, great. It's like a one-stop shop, right? Like we're talking about that, especially during puppy visits, but all through their lives, right? Like puppies when you stock up on all the good stuff, and then each year later, then you like refill, like, and what else do I need? What do I need to add on or what do I need to replace? And so yeah, what's new? And so they're like getting all of these great recommendations, they don't have to then travel somewhere else to pick them up. They get them, they take them home, and then their pets happy as a clam. I was gonna say pig and shit, but that works too.

SPEAKER_04 48:37

I like that one. Yeah, that works too. Well, what is one thing, if you each had to pick one thing for our audience, which is the hive mind, to take away from today's episode, what would that be?

SPEAKER_00 48:50

So I'm gonna cheat and do two things, um, because one's for cats and one's kind of in general. Um, but cats are just misunderstood. That's kind of the you know, from body language to handling to how we set them up in our homes. So give them a chance. Um, and then for kind of the general statement is we can move towards true cooperative care. It's just about being innovative and thinking about how. So love it.

SPEAKER_02 49:17

Yeah, nice. Those are both fantastic, Danielle. Thanks. Yeah, so big question because I feel like we talked about so many important things. Yeah. Um, but yeah, so I guess I would have to go to just the importance of enrichment and you know, providing those, the different types of enrichment, rotating the schedules out, being um cognizant of the natural behaviors of whatever species you're trying to provide that enrichment for. And then, of course, as well, really considering that reduced care in the clinic. Reduced stress care. Oh. Amy always says reduced care.

SPEAKER_00 49:52

I've said that so many times. It's better than the other tongue tongue twister we have with the Kong Clinic kit. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:02

Sorry about that. Reduced stress care. There we go. You guys know what I'm saying. Um in my present, in my normal like Kong just essentials presentations, I by the end I'm always flip-flopping um dog and Kong together. So those two. Yep, yep. Anyways, you guys get the idea. Like that's yeah, that would be my second one, is just, you know, uh, you know, really bring it trying to bring in that reduced. I almost said again.

SPEAKER_00 50:30

Do better. Do better not you, us as veterinarians, do better for your own. I do do better.

SPEAKER_02 50:36

Oh my gosh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 50:39

Yep. Increased care, reduced stress. Boom. There it is. Reduced stress equals increased care, right? So true. So my god.

SPEAKER_03 50:51

That is so funny. Well, we end every show with our buzzword segment, which we get to know our guests a little bit more. So, like stepping out of our Kong limelight, like, tell us a little bit about your lives and your pets and your some fun things about you as humans, as people.

SPEAKER_00 51:07

Love that. Um so yeah, so let's see. Uh for me, I am really I love horseback riding. I thought I was gonna be an equine vet when I first went into vet school, but then we had a dairy cow rotation, and I didn't really love my arm being in erectum, and especially because I couldn't find the pregnancy, and so I pulled my arm out and I told my professor, I'm not sure what I'm feeling, but just as I was open mouth eye, the cow explosively into my face. Um so tiny buttholes, small animals, although also much better.

SPEAKER_03 51:42

Cat animal glance, though.

SPEAKER_00 51:43

Yeah, well, and I actually so I have a theory that things that smell like death don't actually taste that bad. A, the story I just told you guys. Because I I thought I was gonna puke, but I was like, actually, this doesn't taste like anything. And and it did not get crypto, so it was all around a success. And then most recently, too, so this will tie into my pets. Uh, my cat Maestro, who is a beautiful super meow, he loves the runway, loves to dress up, loves to adventure.

SPEAKER_03 52:13

She carries him in a backpack to her conferences. Oh my gosh. I met him. He came.

SPEAKER_01 52:17

I bet at him.

SPEAKER_00 52:18

We need to send a picture to our website. Oh, for sure. I'll send you his head shot. Oh. The one in his wig and his tuxedo. Yeah. Uh but anyway, he has anal gland issues. And he he came. I'm working on my records one night, and he walks by and I'm snuggle, snuggle. He walks away to the next chair, and I'm literally like full arm length away. I tickle his little butt cheeks, and he shot anal gland juice straight onto my face, my hair. My mouth was open. Clearly, I gotta just start shutting my mouth. Oh my god. And I it landed on my tongue. I thought I was gonna vomit, but I was like, actually, this tastes like nothing. So don't worry about it. It smells worse than it tastes screw. Yeah, it smells worse than it than it tastes as my theory.

SPEAKER_04 53:10

That's the title of this episode now. Yes. It smells worse or taste.

SPEAKER_00 53:15

So true. But um, so those are just yeah, some some little little anecdotes. But yeah, I love horseback riding. I've kept that as a hobby. Um I have Maestro, and we also, and that's spelled M-I-C-E-T-R-O, cat and mouse maestro. Good pun. Uh, and then he has his younger brother Chaikatsky and younger sister Beenthoven. Little cat. Oh my goodness, I love it. Yeah, and then I I have two doggos, um, Pikolai, who's a husky mix, she's amazing, and I'm a sucker. So we foster failed a 95-pound epileptic German shepherd recently.

SPEAKER_04 53:50

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 53:51

Uh but he fits nicely into the household. So we got a big fur family. And I, yeah, my manager's texting me that my 11 o'clock appointment's here, so I might have to cut out your own. No, we love you. We love you. I love you guys too. Thank you so much for having me. And I'm sorry I have to cut out kind of early. But uh, I I appreciate you guys and everything you do for our for our pets. And so it's nice to meet you. Yeah, nice to meet you too, Dr. Pike. You guys have a good rest of your day. Yeah, you too. Bye. All right.

SPEAKER_02 54:25

Well, it's your turn anyway.

SPEAKER_03 54:26

So tell us about your buzzword segment.

SPEAKER_02 54:28

Uh yeah, let's see. So, how do I follow that after all the hangings Danielle was in jungle and juice? Yeah, just okay. I'll just go up from there. Yeah, right.

unknown 54:40

That's true.

SPEAKER_02 54:40

I guess I'll just start with my my pets. That's easy. So yeah, so I have two dogs and a and a kitten right now. I guess he's almost a year, so he might not be a kitten much longer. But um, yeah, so I have Odin, so he is a pity lab mix. Um, I think I mentioned maybe at the beginning, he is the host of my YouTube channel. So his backstory is he actually failed out of service dog. So like I'd mentioned that we um, or that I, sorry, that I uh trained service dogs for a little bit there. And so the the organization I trained with, we would um pull dogs from shelters and then we would assess them to see if they could be service dogs, and then you either we either adopt them out or we trained them to be service dogs, and he needed to be adopted out because he's too scared of loud noises. So um, so yeah, so I ended up adopting him and then uh trained him to do all the fun things he does on the YouTube channel. Um and then I got another dog. She is a she is funny, she is cute. Um, she is a pity chihuahua mix. So well. Super cute. She has like the she's she looks basically looks like a mini pity. Um so she's got like the the you know the one spot on the eye. Um she's about 24 pounds, but she's got like long legs. She's a weirdo, but super cute. Um, and then I got my kitten. He is a black cat with a little stub tail. Um, he was just born that way. Um, and he is a um an adventure cat in training right now. So he does he rides around in the backpack, he comes to the breweries, he does all of those things. Um, so yeah, so he is going to come to some of our conferences as well this year, probably. I love it. So that's exciting. Um, and then I like I think I mentioned I have a nine-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son. So they're both, you know, in school and all the things. Um and then just one side note, I guess, about myself is that if you can imagine, since I did work with marine mammals quite a bit, I actually have a really strong love for the ocean and scuba diving, snorkeling and all of those things. So I'm always trying to find um a way, because now I'm landlocked a way to uh go and do some kind of diving or something along those lines. So I highly recommend Bermuda if you have not been.

SPEAKER_04 56:55

Okay, I've actually been to Bermuda.

SPEAKER_02 56:57

I but I didn't dive. I went there and I did an internship at Dolphin Quest there.

SPEAKER_04 57:02

Oh, cool. That's where we saw the that's actually where we saw the little octopus guys. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 57:06

Yes, and they had I believe they had octopus the I don't I'm probably not the same one, but like they did have octopus and different things. Yeah, so uh yeah, I did an internship there.

SPEAKER_04 57:15

Oh, I love it. Yeah, yeah. Bermuda was amazing. Yeah, it's really nice there. Well, here at the Behavior Buzz, we know that you are all busy bees! Who live and die by the science like we do. So we'll put all of the references from today's show on the website. So buzz on over to the honeypot page to find those.

SPEAKER_03 57:34

And I just want to sincerely thank you, Amy and Danielle from Kong, for joining us today. We enjoyed discussing enrichment and play and how bad things are tasting and your lives and all the fun things that you guys have done. It was really, really a great episode.

SPEAKER_02 57:54

Yeah, we have a lot of fun. Thank you so much for having us. We were so excited to be here. So we appreciate you. Thanks for coming.

SPEAKER_04 58:02

Thank you to our premium sponsor, PRN PharmaCal, the makers of Reconcile. Reconcile is an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of canine separation anxiety in conjunction with the behavior modification plan. PRN PharmaCal is committed to meeting the evolving needs of modern veterinary medicine and dedicated to developing products to strengthen the bond between pets and their people. And HiveMind, we thank you especially because without listeners like you, we would have nothing to buzz on about. So grab a drink or some Behavior Buzz tea and join us next time for cocktails and conversations.

SPEAKER_03 58:40

Follow us on all our socials.

SPEAKER_04 58:43

Facebook at Behavior Buzz, Instagram at BehaviorBuzz, and our website, behaviorbuzz.com. Be positive, be informed.

SPEAKER_01 58:55

Now Buzz Awesome. Okay, if you don't like it, that's fine.

SPEAKER_05 59:02

All right.

SPEAKER_01 59:04

She got so excited that her headphones fell out.

SPEAKER_02 59:08

I got so excited that I pulled my I um my earbuds out. She's like, I don't know. I so if you guys didn't notice I talk with my hands, it's a problem. I like literally cannot keep my hands still when I talk, and I just like whipped my earbuds right out of my house.

SPEAKER_04 59:32

That was so cool.