Speaker 1: Thank you. You're listening to Petlifradio dot com.
Speaker 2: Welcome to Animaltopia on pet Life Radio. I'm your host,
Robert Semro. Thank you for joining us. On today's show.
We sit down with a good friend, the incredible pet
industry expert, author and celebrity, the one and only bipetual
Sandy Robbins, and we'll also talk about a flight to
safety for forty five orphan dogs and cats. We'll be
right back with Sandy Robbins after these messages from our sponsors.
Speaker 3: Sit stay, We'll be right back after a short pause.
Well for to be exact, is the coast clear?
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Speaker 3: Let's Talk Pets on Petlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to Animaltopia on pet Life Radio. At a
recent event, I caught up with one of my favorite
experts in the industry, Sandy Robbins. We talked about a
wide range of topics, from cats to dogs to her
thoughts on different industry issues. Let's take a listen, Sandy,
Let's talk about nutritional trends in the pet world these days.
Speaker 5: Right.
Speaker 4: Well, you know, it was Adele Davis, the nutritionist back
in the sixties who coined the phrase you.
Speaker 5: Are what you eat.
Speaker 4: And back then, you know she was appeeding to a
handful of hippies who were growing their own vegetables. But
that expression has become mainstream and ever since the yet
recall of two thousand and seven, that trend now mimics
our own lifestyle trend. We are now feeding our pets
better food because they are what they eat too. And
I think people forget that if you feed a cheap
food down the line, you're going to be, you know,
incurring huge venorables when they have skin issues, internal issues,
all kinds of things that relate to good nutrition. And
it's good nutrition that's allowing our pets to live much
longer lives to.
Speaker 2: And let's talk about that. Our pets are living much longer.
There's a lot we need to do as pet owners
to prepare for that.
Speaker 4: Absolutely. You know, back in nineteen seventy five, the average
life of a cat was two to three years and
a dog was five to six. Now our cats are
well into their teens and our.
Speaker 5: Dogs are living well.
Speaker 4: Sometimes cats into their twenties, but dogs are living even
big dogs are living into their teens. So yes, we
have to make adjustments for them. And there are lots
of lifestyle adjustments that we can make. For example, if
you take your dog out and about in the car,
get a ramp so your dog can get in and
out of that car without having to jump and put
extra stress on those aging bones. Same in the house cats, dogs,
it doesn't really matter. Get some pet steps so that
your cat can access her favorite snooze zone. Raised food
bowls give an elderly pet an opportunity to sit upright
and eat better and not having to keep getting down
to the ground. So these aren't just fads and trends,
but they functional trends which basically will improve your pets
health and well being.
Speaker 2: One of the other trends that we're seeing a lot
is accommodations made for pets in the travel industry.
Speaker 5: Absolutely.
Speaker 4: I think the travel industry has realized that the doggie dollar,
as we call it, is worth big money, and if
they put out the welcome math for pets, they're going
to have far more people trail who otherwise would have
perhaps stayed at home because they didn't want to leave
Fluffy and Fido with an aunt or an uncle or
in a pet hotel. Not to knock pet hotels, I
mean some of them are five star establishments. I would
be happy to stay there, but people love to travel
with their pets and it's all that much easier these days.
Hotels have facilities, they have doggie walkers, doggy concierges with
a list of restaurants that you can go to with
your pet, where the nearest.
Speaker 5: Dog park is.
Speaker 4: Even cats are traveling more and I think you have
to realize that they don't like it as much, but
you know there are the stuff out there for them
too to make it just a little bit less stress free.
Speaker 2: And let's talk again about nutritional trends, so important and
so prevalent these days in the pet food industry right nutritional.
Speaker 4: You know, trouble is with nutrition, there are so many
trends out there. The biggest trend right now. One of
the biggest trends right now is single protein food sauces.
So instead of having a food that has got duck
and chicken and lamb and all kinds of things in it,
it will just have one protein food.
Speaker 5: Sauce in it.
Speaker 4: The advantage of that is that if your dog is
allergic to chicken, or your cat is allergic to some
particular kind of fish, you know, you can bypass that
by concentrating on a single protein food sauce that is
going to give your cat or dog a better chance
of not being allergic to that particular food.
Speaker 2: And a lot of what we're feeding our pets, unfortunately,
is at least one of the problems that they're constantly
facing internally as well as externally with allergies and skin diseases.
Speaker 5: Yes, so very important.
Speaker 2: How do we address those things with food?
Speaker 4: You know, I think you have to speak to somebody
who's really knowledgeable about food. It's not a matter of
walking into a store or speaking to your veterinarian and
saying what do you recommend.
Speaker 5: The veterinarian, for.
Speaker 4: Starters, really has to assess your pet the same way
as they will do a consultation and assess their respiratory issues,
their heart rates, all those basic medical issues. They need
to address food issues as well, and based on that
they can then go and recommend food. Same with specialty
pet stores today. There's some very knowledgeable people out there,
and you know, it's more than just looking after skin
and coat. The wrong food, too many calories, not enough
exercise creates a beast pets, and it's really difficult to
slim down a dog or a cat, despite what people say,
that's a tough call, and there's no liposuction for dogs
and cats.
Speaker 2: Let's talk about the things that pet owners can do
for their senior pets.
Speaker 4: Okay, apart from things like pet steps and rams to
get in and out of cars. There's wonderful infrared massages
made specially for pets. So if your dog has circulation
issues or old joints, arthritis, those kind of things like
essential oils to rub in a special massaging unit. There
are charcoal mats that help improve circulization.
Speaker 5: Circulation.
Speaker 4: Sorry, there's a host of products out there that are
arcatering to senior pets and their general well being.
Speaker 2: Let's talk about your book, Fabulous Felines.
Speaker 4: Fabulous Felines, Health and Beauty Secrets for the Pampered Cat,
the first lifestyle.
Speaker 5: Book for cats.
Speaker 4: You know, apart from general exercise and nutrition, it talks
about shopping for shampoos and conditioners.
Speaker 5: Cats have a very different pH two dogs.
Speaker 4: You cannot grab your dog shampoo and give your cat
a bath with that, so the book goes into details
like buying the right products for your cat.
Speaker 5: It also has beauty secrets.
Speaker 4: For example, you know, people love to read about how
Jennifer Anderson keeps her hair all straight and what products
she uses. We've got the same for cats in that book.
And I'll give you a little quick tip. If your
cat suffers from a lot of electricity in her sur
take her into the shower with you in the morning,
and the moisture in the shower will calm down her hair.
So there's all kinds of healthy, fun beauty tips for
pets how they can be glamours, and they're all tips
that come from showcats and they should know.
Speaker 2: Let's talk about for the Love of Cats.
Speaker 4: But The Love of Cats is an alphabetical book for adults. Yes,
it works on a kid's level because it's got lots
of fun rhymes, but it's also got some very serious
cat information and it's just been put together from A
to Z.
Speaker 5: So it's a great coffee table book.
Speaker 4: It's a great book to introduce kids to the idea
of cat ownersh and it's just.
Speaker 5: A fun read.
Speaker 2: Are you a dogg or a cat person?
Speaker 4: I'm bipetual, as they say, okay, so.
Speaker 2: I can't even follow that one up. Let's talk about
the special bond that seems to be growing more and
more between animals and their humans.
Speaker 4: You know, I think that bond has always been there,
but I think as we were chatting a little earlier,
they people are acknowledging it and we're able to bring
it out into the open wll by the fact that
you can travel with your pets. There is state in
the art medical techniques out there to improve your pets
health and well being. Costs a lot of money, but
people prepared to do it because we are not no
longer a nation of pet owners. We are pet parents
and we have fur kids, and now there is a
whole lot of science coming out there to prove that
we are right. There's a study that says that if
you own cats, you and there's chance of having a
heart attack.
Speaker 5: The power of the per the power of the purr.
That's a good one because it's true.
Speaker 8: Right.
Speaker 4: We need to remember that the cats also per when
they're in distress. And I think the more we understand
our animals and the more we build a bond, we're
learning more about them, and I think it's important to
learn more about them.
Speaker 5: Our cats.
Speaker 4: For example, people think cats like to lie around all
day manicuring their toes and sleeping. Cats actually lie around
all day manicuring their toes and sleeping because they are bored.
We need to enrich their lives, and an indoor lifestyle
is much safer. But we need to compensate with great toys,
with great furniture with kitty condos, with games. I've taught
my cat, my kitten to play fetch. I will throw
a toy for him. He will run after it, fetch
it and drop it at my feet and he goes
on forever.
Speaker 5: That brings up a.
Speaker 2: Great point there. What are the best toys for cats?
We see so many variations. Some people love lasers, some
people are against lasers. Some people love the catnip, some
people don't like the catnip. Where do you fall in
all that?
Speaker 4: You know, they're three kinds of toys, action, distraction and
comfort toys.
Speaker 5: Action toys are.
Speaker 4: For that interaction with you and your pet, and if
that's going to be the laser and your.
Speaker 5: Cat will respond to it, that's great. You can nati
task with a laser.
Speaker 4: You can read your newspaper, but drink your coffee and
play with your cat at the same time with a laser.
Catnip is very much I would say, sometimes a comfort
toy for cats and they like to keep themselves occupied.
But action toys distraction toys. Catnip is a distraction toy
along with a lot of other toys that they will
play with on their own, and cats like comfort toys too,
that something that they can sleep with at night. And
the same three types of toys belong to dogs too,
so you need to have a little bit of everything
in your toy box. And just like with kids, you've
got to change it up otherwise they get bored, so
you've got to take them out, put in new ones,
and of course if they get damage, you have to
replace them. So you need a full toy box for
your fur kid. That's the bottom line.
Speaker 2: When we come back, we'll continue our conversation with the
wonderful and always informative Sandy Robbins. We'll be right back
after these messages.
Speaker 3: Shift stay, We'll be right back after a short pause.
Well for to be exact, it's the holidays at PetSmart,
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Speaker 10: Hi, I'm Lisa Smith Putnam, the hosts of the new
and exciting show Your Pets My Dogs here on pet
Life Radio. Your Pets My Dogs will feature celebrity interviews,
we'll talk to everyday pet owners and more.
Speaker 5: Listen.
Speaker 10: I am here to entertain you each and every week
right here on pet Life Radio Again. That's Your Pets
My Dogs. I'm your host, Lisa Smith Hutnam. Let's talk past,
Let's Life Radio, Headline Radio.
Speaker 8: Petlight Radio dot Com.
Speaker 2: Welcome back to Animaltopia on pet Light Radio. Let's get
back to our conversation with the pet passionate and warm
hearted Sandy Robbins. When you notice your fur kid is
getting a bit overweight, what should you do as a
pet parent?
Speaker 4: You need to take action fast because an overweight fur
kid is going to have other problems, diabetes, kidney issues,
all kinds of other problems that are related to that
pet being fat. I think it's a matter of visiting
your vet on a regular basis. Our pets and particularly
our cats, don't get enough general wellness visits. You shouldn't
necessarily have to take your pet to the vet because
it's ill. You should be going once a year to
check because if you can catch something like that, you
can stop a host of problems down the line. And
obesity is a terrible thing for animals as it is
for people. It puts pressure on our joints. As I say, diabetes, kidney,
a host of other internal issues.
Speaker 5: And you need the right food. We're back to the nutrition.
Speaker 4: You need the right food, You need exercise to also
need professional help.
Speaker 2: Absolutely. Now where is the pet industry taking us as
pet parents in your eyes.
Speaker 5: To infinity and beyond?
Speaker 4: I think it is bigger than toys and candy and
jewelry put together, it is almost recession proof. I think
the reason why it is so recessions proof, especially in
these really tough times, is that we may not buy
that extra fancy coffee that we enjoy. We'll take that
money and we'll spend it on our fur kids. There
are feel good thing these days. So you know, I
come to these shows and I think I've seen it all,
and then there's something more, and I think it's always
going to be like that.
Speaker 2: What has tickled you at the latest show that you've
been to? What product has just tickled you?
Speaker 4: You know, I shouldn't go there, somebody's going to see me.
There's some absurd products out there. I mean, really, do
you really expect your dog, for example, to walk around
wearing panties with a diaper built in so that when
it poops, it poops into the bag. Really, that's like
a kid running around with a full diaper.
Speaker 5: You're gonna lattin.
Speaker 4: There's some weird stuff out there, But on the plus side,
there's a lot of really really cool stuff out there.
For example, we were talking about a diabetes and that
kind of things.
Speaker 5: They're now.
Speaker 4: Meters that you can check your pets glucose and levels
the same way as a diabetic can check their own,
and that kind of state of the stuff is.
Speaker 5: That's cool, that's fantastic. What's up next for you?
Speaker 4: A host of things, a laundry list of things that
I'm going to do. But basically my goal right now
is to educate pet parents. It's sad how little people know.
They think they do, but they don't. And it's a
matter of educating people so that they don't feel they're
being lectured to. And it's a matter of explaining to
people why you have to spare neuter because every pet
deserves a loving home. And it freaks me that six
to eight million pets come into animal shelters every year
and only half of those pets get forever home. That
has to change, and we can change it.
Speaker 2: From an educational standpoint, what do you wish pet owners
understood more?
Speaker 4: They don't understand their animals. They don't understand that cats
are carnivores and that cats pounce and leap around on
prey because that's their inherent instincts. I think we have
to understand who our pets really are. We can treat
them as our fur kits. But we have to remember
who they really are. And that goes for dogs too.
I think we have to understand that they need exercise,
they need mental and physical stimulation. And you know your
dog's not happy just lying on the couch watching TV
with you. I think we have to understand who they
really are. And when we understand who they really are,
we are better pet parents and we can give them
better lives.
Speaker 2: What is your number one nugget of information to make
someone a better pet owner?
Speaker 5: For a cat?
Speaker 4: You know, when it comes to cats, I'm going to say,
Scoop that litter box cats are fastidiously clean animals and
a lazy pet parent is the cause of many many
issues because a cat won't go into a dirty box
and next minute that pet parent is saying, my cat's
going outside the litter box, and off it goes to
the shelter and.
Speaker 5: It loses its home.
Speaker 4: I think that's my number one for cats. For dogs,
I think it's exercise. Dogs really enjoy a social life.
They're very social creatures. And if you're going to go
out to work all day and leave your dog barking
in the backyard, plant a tree.
Speaker 5: That's what you need in your backyard. Your dog deserves better.
Speaker 2: Pet safety is another area we're seeing a lot of
wonderful technological advances. Let's talk about some of those that
you're seeing.
Speaker 5: Well.
Speaker 4: First and foremost, thirty years ago, people weren't putting their
kids into car seats. Now at this point in time,
we've realized that not only our kids and car seats,
but our fur kids need to be strapped in two
you know, at thirty five miles an hour, which is
really not fast. A sixty pound dog if you suddenly
break turns into a two thousand and seven hundred pound
projectile that's through the window. That's going to kill the dog.
It's probably going to kill the driver. It's probably going
to cause an accident. And the other thing is that
that pet does get out of that car, it's going
to run away because it's scared. I think we need
to really understand that pets safety is for us and
for our pets. And it's really cute to see that
dog sitting in the front seat staring out the window
or doing what I call the Britney Spears syndrome, sitting
on your lap looking out of the window as you
did with her kids back then.
Speaker 5: If your dog wants to look out of the window,
and that's what they do. Then get a dog.
Speaker 4: You boost a seat that way, your dog is raised,
it's off the air bag. It will not explode if
you are caught in a bad situation.
Speaker 5: Your dog has a view.
Speaker 4: There is a lot of wonderful gadgets out there for
pet safety, and I think pet owners need to realize that.
You know, they need to use them for their pet safety.
And if we love our pets, we don't want anything
to happen to them.
Speaker 2: Is it too easy to become a pet owner?
Speaker 4: I think it's far too easy to become a pet owner.
I think that's a really very good question. These days,
adoption societies come and do home inspections. People sometimes are
quite affronted by that, but I think it's actually really
very very necessary. I think people don't stop and think
about their lifestyles. Can I afford that pet? Can I
afford those huge vet bulls? And they're going to be
there down the line, somewhere down the line. What about
my time? I'm so busy having this great social life.
Do I have time for a pet? I've got three children,
I'm carpooling all the time, who's going to look after
the dog, who's going to feed the dog.
Speaker 5: Run the dog. You can never leave it to a kid.
Speaker 4: And I think the biggest mistake people make parents make
is the kid's nag for a pet, but that novelty
wears off. Never make a kid the director of pet
relations in the home add out responsibility and it is
far too easy. I think we've got to stop and
think about it. And I also think you have to
stop and think about what type of pet you're going
to get. You know, if you've got a border Collie
that wants to round up the family and rush around
the neighborhood, you need to be out there five times
a day giving that dog exercise.
Speaker 5: That's not the dog for you.
Speaker 4: If you don't have time to donate your valuable time
to that dog. We've got to stop and think clearly
before we take a plunge. It's a lifetime commitment, and
those pets are looking for forever homes.
Speaker 2: Thank you Sandy for spending that time with us and
sharing so much great information and passion. I want to
share with all of you a quick story about a
wonderful group of people from the Hell and Woodward Animal
Center and the efforts made by these people, some of
whom I know and greatly respect. They have once again
jumped into action to assist in need pets and worked
along with remarkable people and many companies to save some
at risk pets after the tragic events of Hurricane Sandy.
The devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy has been described by
families and homeowners on the news networks globally over the
last few weeks, and unfortunately it continues today for many.
There are those, however, who cannot share their stories orphan
dogs and cats in the shelters that are facing loss
and displacement to make room for the thousands of pets
who need shelter as a result of Hurricane Sandy. So
on Saturday, November seventeenth, forty five orphan dogs and cats
from Save a Pet on Long Island, New Jersey, and
animals from New Jersey rescued by Delco SPCA, were flown
across the country to San Diego, California via a donated
charter from Southwest Airlines. They were chaperoned by SeaWorld's animal
rescue experts. All of this just in time for a
safe and secure new home for the holidays at the
Helen Woodward Animal Center in Rancho Santa Fe. The extraordinary
rescue was made possible by Southwest Airlines, whose flight crews
donated their time, and BP who donated fuel for the flight,
along with the donated manpower of the SeaWorld experts, who
provided veterinarians and technicians to assist and chaperone the pets
across the country. SeaWorld's experts in San Diego also donated
transportation for the pets to their new home at the
Helen Woodward Animal Center after they touched Paul at Lindbergh
Field in San Diego. We're happy to report that these
animals are now available for new forever homes, just in
time for the holiday. Let's hope they find them quickly.
For more information on these adoptable animals and the incredible
Helen Woodward Animal Center, you can find information at www
dot Animalcenter dot org. Well, that'll wrap up this episode
of Animaltopia on Pet Life Radio. I want to thank
my guests, the amazing Sandy Robbins for spending time with
us and sharing her knowledge and passion for pets and
the industry. I want to thank all of those who
help the Helen Woodward Animal Center and these forty five
orphan dogs and cats, and I want to say thank
you for all that you do in the pet world.
It is appreciated for Animal Toopia, pet Life Radio, and
all of those who make this show possible. I'm your host,
Robert Simrose saying I'm proud to be an animal Topia.
Speaker 3: Let's talk pets every week on demand only on petlifradio
dot com.