Animal Soulmates
In today’s society, animals are so much more than simply “pets”. Many consider their animal to be their very best friend, their constant companion, helping them navigate the world when life gets tough. Animals are now members of the family, who have birthday parties, argyle sweaters, and a stocking with their name embroidered, which is hung by the fireplace during the holidays. In some cases, animals may even be considered soulmates. And while the deep connection between people and animals is undeniable, the immense grief associated with losing a furry best friend, a feathered family member, or an animal soulmate is rarely discussed.
Dr. Abbie Viscardi, an animal welfare scientist, had an animal soulmate. She came in the form of a black lab named Amira. When Dr. Abbie lost her beloved dog after 13.5 years together, she was broken, and found minimal institutional and social support for pet parents suffering such a profound loss. Why is losing an animal soulmate viewed so differently from losing a human soulmate? Why are people not able to grieve the loss of a pet the way they are able to grieve the loss of a family member? How do other pet parents feel about their animals and can these stories bring awareness to the impact animals have on people, in life and in death?
In this podcast, Dr. Abbie chats with scientists, veterinarians, and fellow pet parents, to honour the stories of their animal soulmates and to uncover the true power of the human-animal bond!
Animal Soulmates
Ep 13: Puppy Mills with Dr. Karen Fine
In this bonus episode, I chat again with Dr. Karen Fine, a holistic veterinarian and our guest featured in Ep 10, about the issues with puppy mills and how you can avoid them. We talk about some red flags to look out for and how to make sure you are purchasing a puppy from an ethical breeder. With an estimated 7,000 puppy mills currently operating in the United States, this is such an important topic that Dr. Fine and I barely scratched the surface of.
Resources:
Animal adoption through petfinder: https://www.petfinder.com/
Stopping Puppy Mills (article by the Humane Society of the US): https://www.humanesociety.org/all-our-fights/stopping-puppy-mills
7 Ways to Find a Responsible Dog Breeder (article discussed in the episode outro): https://www.dailypaws.com/living-with-pets/pet-compatibility/how-to-find-a-responsible-dog-breeder
Link to purchase Rory Kress’s book on Amazon: The Doggie in the Window
Link to purchase Dr. Karen Fine’s book on Amazon: The Other Family Doctor
Guest Info
Instagram: @karenfinedvm
Website: https://karenfinedvm.com/ (check out Resources for information relevant to today’s discussion)
Contact us
Podcast Instagram and TikTok: @animalsoulmatespod
Podcast email: animalsoulmatespod@outlook.com
Credits
Host & Executive Producer: Dr. Abbie Viscardi
Production Team: Citizens of Sound, https://www.citizensofsound.com/