Speaker 1: This is Pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets.
Speaker 2: Welcome to this week's episode of Loving Animals. I'm your host,
doctor Robin Ganser, animal lover and the President and CEO
of American Humane, our country's first national humane organization. This week,
we revisit a very special episode with a friend. You
may know, leading health and wellness expert, Julian Michaels. You've
seen her on our hit TV shows, including the Biggest Loser,
and you know her from her successful fitness DVDs and
best selling books, but you may not know of her
other passion, animal rescue. Coming up after this quick break,
you'll hear Julian describe this seventy acre farm that she's
converted into an animal refuge, and.
Speaker 3: Out about the animals she's taken under her wing.
Speaker 2: Stay tuned and thanks for tuning into this week's episode
of Loving Animals. We'll be right back with Jillian Michaels.
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Speaker 5: Let's talk pets on Petlife Radio dot com.
Speaker 2: Well, welcome to Love Animals Where so it's real to
welcome Jillian Michaels to the show. Jillian, thanks so much
for joining us. We all know you and love you
from the Biggest Loser on NBC and you're truly one
of the leading health and wellness experts in our country.
But most of all, we're just so thrilled that you
love animals as much.
Speaker 3: As we do.
Speaker 6: Thank you so much for having.
Speaker 3: Me absolutely Well, tell us a little bit about the
animals in your life and what rescue means to you.
Speaker 6: Yeah, of course.
Speaker 7: Well I think you know, Look, anybody who's listening to
your podcast is going to relate to that fantasy as
a kid that I think so many of us had
where we're like, oh, I just want to get a
giant property and take them all. Yes, And you know
I was very effectuate enough to be able to grow
up and do just that. And so we now live
on a seven acre farm and it's a sanctuary for rescues,
and they sort of come into our lives in a
variety of ways. We get calls from different rescue work
for everything from.
Speaker 6: Real cap to podbelly pigs that need to.
Speaker 7: Be rehome, to saltcottage tortoises that need to be rehome.
It's ridiculous. But you know, for me personally, I grew
up for most of my childhood as an only child
until I was like fifty and a half, and you know,
animals were my best friend my parents were divorced. I was,
you know, kind of the bullied kid that picked on kid.
And they they're just unconditional, as we all know. And
there's something that's, in my opinion, a gift from God,
and I try to pay that back. And that's what
rescue means to me, is paying that back, that unconditional love.
Speaker 3: Oh my goodness, how beautifully stated, paying it back. And
I think these rescue animals especially make us better humans,
don't you.
Speaker 7: Think, Oh?
Speaker 6: Absolutely, without a doubt.
Speaker 3: Was there growing up? Was there that one special animal
that you still think about in your life.
Speaker 7: Gosh, you know, there have been many. I mean, if
I was to say that there was one favorite little creature,
it would be when I was actually a little bit older,
in my early twenties and really just trying to find
myself and going through a hard time in life. And
it was a little Chuahua named Baxter. Baxter, and that
dog had been with me through just about everything, being
a STU could change up out of the couch to
pay for gas in the studio apartment, to you know,
buying my first house, and it was like me and
my little buddy, and that I would say, I've had
dogs my entire life. Cats are all different kinds of
little creatures, but he was definitely my little pupp and
soulmate for sure. And I think that there's something magical
about certain times in our lives where you know, you
might not have kids, or you might not have a
significant other, and it's kind of like you and your
you know, your little creature against the world.
Speaker 6: And he was that.
Speaker 8: Dog for me.
Speaker 3: Baxter. I love that. Where did you find Baxter?
Speaker 6: He was being rehomed.
Speaker 7: A woman had bought him for her daughter's birthday, I guess,
and the dead honest with you. I was like twenty five,
so I don't fully remember why they were giving them off.
But for some reason then they couldn't have a dog.
And she was a client at a gym I was
working at, and she had brought them in to see
if anybody wanted him, and she was going to take
him to the shelter, and I was like, you know, what,
do you like your mind? And I ended up taking
them and that was that Wow.
Speaker 3: And then all those years together with Baxter. How special
is that? You never know how animals are going to
enter our lives?
Speaker 6: You know, no, you never do know, that's for sure.
Speaker 3: Mm hmm.
Speaker 2: Wow.
Speaker 3: You know one thing that I read that I think
was so great was you're living on this farm. You've
got a beautiful family. How are your kiddos? How are
their lives difference? Being raised with so many animals then
years was growing up.
Speaker 7: You know what's kind of interesting is they don't have
and I you know, I'm just being transparent.
Speaker 6: They don't have a.
Speaker 7: Deep, kindred spirit love of animals in the way that
I do. And I think part of that, quite honestly,
is because my kids are very very close. They have
each other, you know, they have myself. They have my part.
They had their grandparents, their aunts, their uncles, their teachers,
friends of the family, and they're very connected with people,
which I can't say that I had that much as
a child. I had my mom always very close with them.
When I was thirteen, I had my karate teacher. But
you know, so they they love the animals. They think
they're cool, but the animals don't sleep in their room.
Speaker 6: You know.
Speaker 7: In some cases they find the animals to be kind
of tiring because they have to feed them and take
care of them and the chores. They eat their crant,
you know, the pig eats their crands, and so you know,
they're like, okay, you know, and it's just for them,
it's totally normal that breakfast with three dogs, a parrot,
a pig, a rabbit, a bait of fish. You know,
they're just that life for them, ducks, chickens. They kind
of just don't know anything different.
Speaker 3: That's wonderful, And I know there is a deep connection.
They just might not be expressing it, you know, because
I think sometimes especially if they're just surrounded with all
these animals, I know there's they have a favorite one
or two and they probably have stories about that favorite one,
maybe that favorite duck, or were that favorite cat running
in and out?
Speaker 7: They yeah, they My son has a chicken that loved
him beyond, a little black shelty and uh so he's
he's Beyonce is very attached to my son. And we
have a rabbit who is like part swimish giant. He's huge,
named Phil, and Phil is very fond of my.
Speaker 6: Daughter Lou, I know.
Speaker 7: But the dogs are very you know, the dogs are
they love the kids, but their dogs are more.
Speaker 6: Bonded with us.
Speaker 7: I think, you know, they've been with us their entire lives.
Speaker 6: They sleep in our room.
Speaker 7: You know.
Speaker 6: The bird's a little bit afraid of them.
Speaker 7: The pig is just starting to really feel safe around
my daughter because she's seven now and sees her and
scratches her belly. They have a pony named Joey, and
they ride with me my horse Buzz, who's a premer
and rescue. So they do for sure, but it's you know,
it's my dream not there. You know, to them, they're like, ugh,
I gotta feed the koi and the this and the
that and the this and that's okay.
Speaker 6: Teaches something to be responsible, you.
Speaker 3: Know, what I mean, right absolutely, And I know when
they grow up they're going to have animals around them.
Speaker 2: I just know they that's what's going to happen. So
I can already see that because they wouldn't know life without.
Speaker 6: Them, No, they would not, that's for sure.
Speaker 3: And I wanted to make sure the chicken is named Beyonce.
Speaker 7: We have quite a few chickens, but this one is
named Beyonce.
Speaker 6: Okay.
Speaker 1: I just wanted to make sure I heard that right.
I love that.
Speaker 3: I love that who gets to name them? Who gets
to name them?
Speaker 7: The chickens are very a very big part of the
family and they if they make themselves comfortable in the house.
Outside of the a house, they're all over the place,
logs all of them.
Speaker 3: They're just Oh, that's great, that's great, Gillie. One thing
I was so impressed was your commitment to fighting puppy meals.
I seem to be such a great personal passion of
yours is to you know, eliminate puppy meals. Can you
share with our listeners a little bit about your work
on that effort.
Speaker 7: Well, for me, my work has more been about well Pete.
I work with PETA as one of the organizations and
they have specifically it's very interesting they have specifically put
in animals and entertainment. They're really efficient at using our spokespeople.
So I've worked on elephants in the circus freaking dig
alligator bags or crocodile bags, and air mes. God, I'm
trying to think of carriage horses in New York workers
Sea World. And then I've also worked obviously with the
Humane citing the ASPCA on rescue stuff for animals. So
it's a lot about adoptions, and I've never actually been
given an opportunity to have a very specific campaign against.
Speaker 9: Puppy mills, but I've been very vocal about them. And
of course I always adopt don't shelf, and you know,
I would welcome any opportunity to do that, and that
I mean, dogs are my favorite animal. I mean, I
just you know, I don't go.
Speaker 6: For the exotic.
Speaker 7: I go for the loyal. And I've had dogs my
entire life. I have three right now, and cats. I've
had a few cats, but I am predominantly a dog person.
So obviously we do not support puppy mills in our household.
Speaker 6: We're very vocal about not supporting probably though it's good.
Speaker 2: A lot of people just don't understand that they even exist.
So to have someone with your platform to you know,
to campaign against that's so powerful because we can really
eliminate a lot of abuse with with more educational, more
knowledge crazy you.
Speaker 7: Know, like and it's like, I see so many people
with these pure bred dogs and I just think, like really,
and you know, some of them you come from reputable readers.
Of course, you know, it's like why and the dog
will looks a certain way, like really, but you know,
I mean, dude, people have different values and ethics and awareness.
So I try to like educate without being judgmental or preachy.
And God knows, you know, I have my work to
do in many other areas, so you know, I take
it one day at a time.
Speaker 3: That's great, don't we all, especially in the animal space.
You know, all we can do is take things one
day at time and try to make the world a
little bit better every single day that we're here. I'd
love to know the names of your three dogs. What
have you named them?
Speaker 6: We have a bull like shepherd mixed name.
Speaker 7: Oh yeah, but Yula named Richard Off Richard Richard. And
we have like a greyhound chia make up named seven.
Speaker 3: Oh wonderful. It's so much fun to name them, isn't it?
And part of their personalities come.
Speaker 6: Through im, that's for sure asolutely.
Speaker 3: That's great. Well, Jilly and I know we're under a
tight time frame with you. I want to thank you
so much for all you do for animals and invite
you to join us for the Hero Dog Awards this September.
We'd be honored to have you on stage presenting the top.
Speaker 1: Dog with his or her top fries.
Speaker 6: Yeah, of course, thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 2: We'll be right back after this brief message.
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Speaker 2: Frands, thanks so much for tuning into this week to
Loving Animals. What a treat for us to hear from
Jillian about her incredible efforts to build a better life
for animals and need. It's animal lovers and supporters like
her that allow all of us at American Remain to
do our work on behalf.
Speaker 3: Of the special creatures of the world.
Speaker 2: Jillian is certainly loving animals and I am to.
Speaker 3: I hope you'll.
Speaker 2: Tune in next week for another episode of the podcast
Loving Animals with yours Truly, we'll be joined by another
very shotcast see you next week.
Speaker 5: Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on Patlightradio
dot com.