Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert and the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations.  He is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and has been inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in the speaking profession.

Shep works with companies and organizations who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. His articles have been read in hundreds of publications and he is the author of The Cult of the Customer among several other books.

Shep joins us today to talk about applying customer service practices in animal welfare.

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Dr. Wassif joins us today to talk about the power of human and animal connection among other psychology topics.

Dr. Wassif is licensed psychologist by the Board of Psychology (PSY 203081) in the State of Idaho.  He has over 14 years of experience working in outpatient, residential and hospital settings having treated multiple adolescents and adults in areas of depression, anxiety, personality disorders, ADHD, trauma, mood deregulation and life transitions.  In the past five years, Dr. Wassif has made a greater effort to expand his clinical specialty to family therapy to more appropriately address individual needs within a larger system.

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The Pets for Life (PFL) program reaches out to underserved communities to offer free pet care resources, services and information. PFL incorporates strategic door-to-door outreach, builds a consistent community presence and uses an extensive follow-up process to build relationships and trust within a segment of the pet-owning population that has largely gone untouched by animal service providers. PFL employs a three-pronged methodology to address the systemic challenges people and pets living in poverty face:

Direct Care – Delivers pet services and information

Mentorship and Training – Guides and supports local organizations in implementing community outreach programs

Policy and Enforcement Reform – Influences organizations to be focused more on pet owner support and less on punishment.

Jason Schipkowski from the Humane Society of the US joins the podcast today to share about the program and the benefits for everyone involved. 

Jason Schipkowski is a Program Manager for the Humane Society of the United States’ Pets for Life program. In his role, he provides in-depth guidance to organizations on how to sustain their outreach efforts in under-served communities. Incorporating a holistic approach to program sustainability, including elevating individual and organizational understanding of social justice issues, communications approaches, and fundraising best practices, he provides organizations with the tools, strategies, and confidence to nurture their pet owner support work long term.

Podcast Jason referenced:  https://onbeing.org/programs/john-lewis-love-in-action-jan2017/#transcript

Watch our Pets For Life video here: https://youtu.be/k3RaWQUdi6k

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America’s Veterinarian, Dr. Marty Becker and his wife Theresa, join Mandy in the studio to talk about Fear Free Vet and Shelter practices, vet suicide, and other animal welfare topics.

Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian,” has spent his life working toward better health for pets and the people who love them. In recent years, “taking the ‘pet’ out of ‘petrified'” and ensuring every pet and pet owner can experience a Fear Free veterinary visit has been his area of greatest commitment and dedication, culminating in the launch of Fear Free certification for veterinary and pet professionals in March of 2016. This was followed by a website for pet owners, FearFreeHappyHomes.com, and in 2019, by FearFreeShelters.com, which provides free training for all staff and volunteers of animal shelters, rescue groups, and animal welfare organizations.

Dr. Becker was the resident veterinary contributor on “Good Morning America” for 17 years. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the American Humane Association as well as its Chief Veterinary Correspondent, a founding member of Core Team Oz for “The Dr. Oz Show,” a member of the Dr. Oz Medical Advisory Panel, and a Today contributor.

An adjunct professor at the Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Colorado State University, and the University of Missouri, he has lectured at every veterinary school in the United States. He also serves on the advisory board of World Vets, an international veterinary and disaster relief programs to help animals.

A passionate advocate for the human-animal bond, Dr. Becker is as an adjunct professor at the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the University of Missouri’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

In April 2012, the World Small Animal Veterinary Association named Dr. Becker the recipient of their annual WSAVA Hill’s Excellence in Veterinary Healthcare Award (also known as the Global Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year). He has also been named Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year by the Delta Society (now Pet Partners) and the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Born in Twin Falls, Idaho, in 1954, Dr. Becker practices at North Idaho Animal Hospital because he loves veterinary medicine, pets, and the people who care for them.

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