(scroll down for episodes).............................................Donna Hailson
On The Road with Mac and Molly
Some years back, my husband Gene and I (with our, then a toddler, Brooke in tow) took – what turned out to be – a glorious two month motor trip across Canada and Alaska – starting in Quebec and winding up in British Columbia. I still smile as I think of Gene shaving in our motor home’s rear view mirror on a cool morning by a pristine lake in Yukon Territory. I still cherish the extraordinary kindness of a farmer in Saskatchewan who rescued us from a ditch when our vehicle slid down an embankment. I still fill up with awe as I recall the staggering beauty of the Canadian Rockies. I still feel the excitement of the chuck wagon races at the Calgary Stampede, still ooh at the kick of the kitsch in Dawson’s Creek, still savor the aroma of Montreal’s culinary delights, still cherish my familial connections to Nova Scotia, still marvel at the enduring culture and artistry of the Tlingit, still delight in the metropolitan flair of Ottawa, Canada’s capitol city.
Two years prior to this journey, Gene and I made our way -- in a Chevy Blazer -- across the United States stopping to applaud the precise timing of Old Faithful at Yellowstone, to laugh at the delightful antics of the black-tailed prairie dogs near Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, to estimate the miles to the next grain silo on the Great Plains, to marvel at all the wares (a jackalope?) on offer at Wall Drug . . . another wonderful adventure!
Now we’re on the road again but -- this time, full-time – in a truck with a 37-foot fifth wheel RV in tow and our sibling pair of five-year-old Old English Sheepdogs, Mac and Molly, along for the ride. With no specific itinerary, I’m reporting from North America’s well-traveled thoroughfares and lightly-traveled lanes, seeking out fascinating places and events, creative artists, unusual hobbyists, hard workers, odd jobbers, cutting-edge technology, intriguing animals, and family-friendly, dog-friendly pleasures. In these podcasts, listeners will find the light-hearted and the serious, entertainment, information, insights, passion, a fresh eye . . . all depending on the subject matter for each particular show. So come along as we head off . . . On the Road with Mac and Molly!
Episode 28 - Carolina Tiger Rescue: Saving Wild Cats and Calling for Laws ‘With Teeth’ in the Regulation of the Exotic Pet Trade
In this episode, Donna chats with Kathryn Bertok, Curator of Animals at Carolina Tiger Rescue. The 55-acre Pittsboro, North Carolina facility has more than 70 animals in its care including tigers, binturongs, lions, cougars, bobcats, caracals, kinkajous, ocelots and servals. The organization is working toward the day when wildcats are not owned by individuals as pets; wildcats are not used for entertainment purposes; no trade exists for wildcats or their parts; and all wildcats prosper in sustainable, native habitats.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 27 - Grieving the Loss of Your Pet: How to Survive Your Journey
Donna chats with Rebecca Cagle, life coach and author of Grieving the Loss of Your Pet and Grieving the Loss of Your Horse. In this program, they discuss grieving the loss of a pet through trauma or illness; through natural causes - old age; through euthanasia; through loss in the event of theft or a pet’s wandering away or when a pet has to be given away or sold.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 26 - All Things Snoopy
In this episode of On the Road with Mac and Molly, Donna chats with Karen Johnson, Director of the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center and longtime friend of the Schulz family. We hear about the Peanuts Gang, its creator and the museum. And then we center, most especially, on all things Snoopy from his doghouse decor (a pool table, Wyeths and a Van Gogh) to his impersonations (from a moose and a pelican to Mickey Mouse); his moments at the typewriter (“It was a dark and stormy night…”); his alter-egos (who doesn’t love his WWI flying ace and his battles with the Red Baron?); his “band of brothers” (siblings Spike, Marbles, Olaf, Andy and Belle); and his connection with aviation (from NASA to the U.S. Air Force).
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 25 - The Pawsitive Partners Prison Program
In this week's episode, the focus is on the Pawsitive Partners Prison Program, which is operated under the umbrella of Monty's Home, a North Carolina-based organization that was inspired into being by the love and generous spirit of Monty, a dearly loved therapy dog and canine star who brought sunshine into the lives of many. After Monty succumbed to cancer, his human companion, Barb Raab, created an organization in his memory and today, through Monty's Home, sunshine continues to be shed on dogs and human beings through efforts like the Pawsitive Partners Prison Program.
We learn how dogs are selected from kill shelters to undergo training in preparation for adoption into permanent homes. We hear how, after passing through a 19-test evaluation, each new "class" of dogs moves into the Pender Correctional Institution in Burgaw where they are trained by specially-screened inmates over a period of eight weeks. Upon graduation, the dogs go home to their adoptive families. Pawsitive Partners is credited with not only saving the lives of canines but saving the lives of humans as well.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 24 - Comfort Dogs Bring Peace and Healing to the Grieving in Boston and Texas
After ministering to those shaken by the bombings along the route of the Boston Marathon, specially trained therapy dogs have been deployed to help those struggling to recover from the fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas. The dogs and their handlers are members of the Lutheran Church Charities K-9 Parish Comfort Dog team that is headquartered just outside of Chicago.
Donna speaks with Tim Hetzner, who is leading the team in West, Texas and who was also on the team deployed to Boston. Tim shares stories from the ministry in these cities and recounts how the dogs have been able to break through to help people move toward healing.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 23 - Allergies and the CritterZone
In this episode, Donna adds a third installment to her occasional series on Threats to Pets. In earlier episodes, we heard from veterinary
toxicologist Sharon Gwaltney-Brant and San Antonio veterinarian Rae Dishinger about dangers associated with external and internal parasites; infectious diseases; insects, wildlife; plants; and toxins.
Donna's guest today is Bill Converse, founder of Air Restore, Inc. and inventor of the Critter Zone Air Purifier. Bill's invention was recently awarded a first place among new products at the Super Zoo National Show for Pet Retailers held in Las Vegas.
Use Promo Code PETLIFERADIO and get $10 off of a CritterZone at http://www.critterzoneusa.com/shop/
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 22 - The Wild Life: Surprise Encounters in the Natural World
In this episode, The Wild Life: Surprise Encounters, Donna, author of the forthcoming book, Rubber Hobos, shares stories from some of her adventures with wild animals. She takes you from a watering hole and savanna in Zimbabwe to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, from the pine flatwoods and forested wetlands of Florida to the middle of Death Valley. In this program are stories about warthogs and wildebeest, a band of beggin' burros, white-tailed deer at the post office, and prairie dogs with the bubonic plague.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 21 - On the Road with Best Friends
Of the 56,000 animals that came into city shelters in Los Angeles last year, 17,000 were killed. A newly-formed coalition, led by the Best Friends Animal Society wants to reduce that number – within the next five years - to zero.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 20 - Hand in Paw: HIP Healing & Art-Making
In this episode Donna visits with Kitty Terry, Executive Director of the internationally-known, Birmingham, Alabama-based animal-assisted therapy organization, Hand in Paw. HIP, founded in 1996, provides professionally trained animal-assisted therapy teams to help people heal physically and emotionally. These 120+ teams (which are made up entirely of volunteers) address abuse, disabilities, illiteracy, and chronic and terminal illness, through more than 50,000 visits a year in more than 50 facilities in the state of Alabama.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 19 - Fur in My Paint: Art-making Animals from Rhinos to Rottweilers
In the second episode of a multi-part series on animals and art-making, Donna visits with Tifane Grayce, author of Fur in My Paint. Pictured and profiled in this full-color, hardcover, high-gloss coffee table book is the work of art-making creatures from scorpions to beaded lizards, from macaws to elephants, from rhinos to gorillas, from sea lions to white tigers. Donna explores with Tifane how the Fur in My Paint project came to fruition. The two also explore questions related to animal creativity and aesthetic sensibilities. From Tifane, we learn about some of the animal parks and conservation centers across the country that are offering art in the "curricula” for their charges. We hear how animals are trained in art and how human/animal relationships have been enhanced or changed through these interactions.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 18 - With Flipper and Brush: The Oregon Coast Aquarium's Sea Lion Artists
In this episode, Donna launches into a new series on animals and art-making. Her first chat is with Ken Lytwyn, Curator of Marine Mammals at the Oregon Coast Aquarium Their focus: Lea, Max and Quill, the facility’s resident sea lion artists that paint on canvases using their flippers and mouth-held brushes. Ken describes each one's temperaments and talents and details what made these sea lions good candidates for art-making. We hear how they were trained and how they are rewarded for their efforts and we consider what we can know or, perhaps at best, surmise about sea lions from their art-making. Ken also addresses these questions: Do sea lions attach any meaning to their artwork? Do they appreciate beauty? Do they have fun when they engage in these activities? How do sea lions learn and can we relate their learning processes to the ways in which human beings learn? Could a sea lion teach another sea lion to paint?
Max and Lea are featured in the full-color book, Fur in My Paint that shows wild animals – from scorpions to beaded lizards, macaws to elephants, and white tigers to gorillas – all creating art. Next up in this series is Donna’s conversation with the book's author, Tifane Grayce, who shares ideas on teaching our pets to paint.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 17 - Mystery Making in the National Parks
In this episode Donna visits with Nevada Barr, New York Times Bestselling Author of the Anna Pigeon mystery series.
The Rope, Nevada's 17th book featuring the crime-solving park ranger, Anna, has just been released. The New York Times has called the Pigeon series, "Thrilling!" USA Today has deemed Nevada's books, "Extraordinary!" And the Boston Globe raves: “Nevada Barr is one of the best!”
Each book in the series is set in one of the National Parks. The first of the 17, The Track of the Cat, was released in 1993 and was honored with both the Agatha and Anthony awards for best first mystery. Nevada's latest is a prequel set in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area that surrounds Lake Powell and lower Cataract Canyon in Utah and Arizona. In this book, we’re provided with the previously untold story of Anna’s first foray into the wild and the case that helped shape her into the ranger she became.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 16 - Passion and Compassion with Catherine Powers
In this episode, Donna visits with Catherine Powers, Animal Control Officer for Curry County on the southern coast of Oregon. From a heart filled with passion and compassion, Catherine tells us how she was drawn into this work. We hear about the wide range of responsibilities that rest on the shoulders of animal control officers. Catherine’s duties include responding to emergency calls; rescuing the endangered; attending to dog licensing; providing health-building food, clean shelter and loving care for abandoned animals; seeking safe and permanent homes for the same; overseeing volunteers and much more. Each day brings its own special challenges.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 15 - Jerry's Jet Boats on the Rugged Rogue River
In this episode, Donna visits Gold Beach, Oregon to take a 104-mile jet boat trip on the rugged Rogue River. She learns that the company serving up the adventure -- Jerry’s Rogue Jets -- now Oregon’s only mail boat outfit, has come a long way since the days of pike poles and sails. Jerry’s shallow-draft, jet-propelled vessels can carry 38 to 65 passengers and are able to navigate in depths of as little as eight inches of water. From Nic McNair, who owns the company with his brother Scott, mother Cherie, and father Bill, we learn how jet boats operate over the recreational, scenic and wilderness sections of the Rogue. We hear about some of the boatmen who have grown up alongside these waters and we marvel at the wildlife (from black bears to bald eagles to playful otters) that can be seen along the banks and in the river. Donna shares from her own experience of the “Wilderness Whitewater Adventure” that takes folks up to Blossom Bar Rapid, which is as far as is navigable by jet boat. The show ends with a note about Jerry’s mascot – the border collie Rogue and other “river dogs.”
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 14 - Wolf Hollow – A Howling Success
The North American Gray Wolf has been protected by the Endangered Species Act since shortly after the law was passed in 1973. But now, in an unprecedented move, Congress has delisted the Gray Wolf in Idaho, Montana and parts of three other states. The action is being challenged in court by environmental groups but, at this moment, wolf hunting seasons have been authorized for the fall and the plan is to reduce the population -- currently estimated at 1,700 -- to 150.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 13 - Perfectly Goode: Pet Life and Wildlife Artist Debbie Goode
In this episode of On the Road with Mac and Molly, Donna chats with artist and full-time RVer Debra Goode. The two discuss what it’s like spending all your days on the road, what inspires the artwork, and what makes a good subject for an artistic rendering. Debbie explains why her focus is on pets and wildlife and details how she sees and how she conveys what she sees to her canvases. All that and more on the next On the Road with Mac and Molly.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 12 - Threats to Pets Part 2
Donna visits with San Antonio, Texas Veterinarian Dr. Rae Dishinger, of the Alamo Dog and Cat Hospital, who shares some of the “Threats to Pets” specific to the American Southwest. As Donna and her husband Gene have been moving about the country with Mac and Molly, they have had to be on guard against potential perils all along the way. In the West, they’ve been on the look out for rattlers and copperheads, coyotes and bobcats, feral hogs and even birds of prey. On occasion, they’ve been too late to keep Mac from rolling in burro poop and to keep Molly from eating cow pies. Donna chats with Rae about these concerns and asks what toxic plants may be encountered in the Southwest. Rae also offers advice on dealing with climatic changes when traveling with pets and shares the story of how her own beloved dog succumbed to the bite of a rattler.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 11 - Threats to Pets
Donna launches into a multi-part series entitled, “Threats to Pets.” As she and her husband have been traveling about the country with their two Old English Sheepdogs Mac and Molly, they have encountered potential perils all along the way. Speaking just of wildlife: in Louisiana, they were warned to take care walking near a lake because the denizens therein – the alligators – had developed a special appreciation for “dog.” In Colorado, the concerns were over bears and mountain lions. In South Dakota: prairie dogs carrying the bubonic plague. In Texas: rattlesnakes.
Featured in the opening episode will be veterinary toxicology consultant Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, former Vice President of the ASPCA’s Poison Control Center who will identify some of the toxins and poisons commonly found in and around our homes and at stops on the road. She’ll offer suggestions on what to pack for our pets when we take them traveling with us and what we ought to be certain to keep away from our pets (in the way of medicines and more).
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 10 - Hank the Cowdog
In this episode, Donna chats with John Erickson, author of the Hank the Cowdog series of humorous mystery books for children. More than 7.5 million copies of Erickson’s books have been sold since 1983. His 57th volume – The Disappearance of Drover -- was just released as was the audio version of the book. (Hank holds the title for the "Longest-Running Children's Audiobook Series".) John speaks to us from his home in Perryton, Texas where, at the time of the interview, he was teaching a class on writing to a group of homeschooled junior high and high school students who’d been raised on Hank the Cowdog stories. Also on the show will be Phil and Amy Kruse, owners of the Circle View Ranch in Interior, South Dakota who share how they were inspired by John’s books to name their own border collie “Hank the Cowdog.”
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 9 - Doggy Suites and Kitty Condos: Pet Vacations in Orlando
In this episode we'll be visiting Orlando, Florida and searching out some of what's on offer for pet accommodations. With the exception of service dogs, pets are not permitted in the area’s major theme parks so, if you're planning to bring your dog, cat, or pocket pet on vacation with you, they'll need a place to romp, revel and rest while you're doing the same at one of the area’s people-pleasing playgrounds.
Best Friends Pet Care opened a facility recently at Walt Disney World and the center's managers Jennifer Kratzer and Amanda Burris will tell us about the amenities of and activities at this Disney-themed pet palace. In this episode, I'll also fill you in on some options for pet care at or near SeaWorld and Universal Studios. And I'll tell you what hotel has a VIP (Very Important Pets) program of pampering that includes toys and treats and special room service selections.
We’ll wrap it all up with info on our favorite off-leash dog parks and another on-leash -- but still delightful park – that pets and their pet parents might enjoy while visiting Orlando.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 8 - Sparky and the Fire Museum
This year marks the 60th birthday of Sparky the Fire Dog, the cartoon Dalmatian mascot of the National Fire Protection Association. Celebrations have been and will be held this year at sites all around the country.
In the first half of our program, we’ll hear about some of these events and we’ll learn more about Sparky. Filling us in on Sparky’s life and the work of the organization he represents will be Massachusetts-based Lorraine Carli, Vice President of Communications for the NFPA.
In the second half of the program, we’ll visit the city of Beaumont, site of the Fire Museum of Texas. In the plaza adjacent to the museum sits the largest working fire hydrant in the country (and perhaps in the world). From Carol Gary, the museum’s Executive Director, we’ll hear how that multi-story fire hydrant came to sit where it does.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 7 - Forever Florida
In this episode, we’ll visit St. Cloud’s 4,700-acre eco-ranch and wildlife conservation area Forever Florida, home of Florida EcoSafaris, where – in two and half hours and via seven ziplines and nine towers -- we’ll be ziplining and sky-bridging over Pine Flatwoods and forested wetlands. This site boasts nine distinct Florida eco-systems and is home to alligators, black bears, nearly two hundred species of birds, and the endangered Florida panther.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 6 - Dog Mountain
In this episode, we visit Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury, Vermont where internationally-known artist and author Stephen Huneck built what has become one of the most unique tourist destinations in New England: the Dog Chapel. We tour the chapel, romp with Mac and Molly on the hillside, take a peak at what’s on offer in Huneck’s adjacent art gallery, and wrap it all up in an interview with Huneck’s widow Gwen.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 5 - Getting on the Road with Canine Companions
In this episode, host Donna Hailson reviews the initial challenges faced by those who decide to take their dogs with them when they move from living in an attached-to-the-land home to living nomadically, in a not-attached-to-the-land home. Donna offers a look at self-service dog washes and considers ten reasons your professional pet grooming costs more than your own haircut. In this episode as well: helps on staving off dog motion sickness and advice on what you'll need from your veterinarian before you hit the road. Also: what should be included in a dog first aid kit, what you’ll need at border crossings between the United States and Canada and what resources online and in print are especially helpful in locating dog parks and dog-friendly campgrounds.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Also, check out the On The Road with Mac & Molly BLOG!
Episode 4 - Life in the North Country
In this episode, Donna will be sharing three stories of life in the North Country – the North Country that encompassesthe uppermost reaches of upstate New York. She’ll greet the Canadian Pacific Railways Holiday Train and look at the transformation taking place in the border village of Rouses Point. Then she'll wrap up with The Dirty Life, the story of the two love affairs that interrupted the trajectory of a young woman’s life: one love affair with farming and the other with a complicated and exasperating force of nature, the first generation farmer who would become her husband.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Episode 3 - The Auction
In this episode, host Donna Hailson describes some of what went into the auctioning of her home in Pennsylvania and how she, her husband and their Old English Sheepdogs Mac and Molly have been adjusting to their initial days as nomads. Donna shares what it's like to bring your home and much of what you've collected -- over a lifetime -- before bidders. She and Gene followed this path so they could head out "On the Road with Mac and Molly."
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Episode 2 - Itches and Inspirations
In this episode, the focus is on some of the itches and inspirations -- from wanderlust to Steinbeck's Travels with Charley to Mr. Toad and his caravan -- that moved Gene and Donna to auction their home and a good bit of its contents so they could head out on the open road with their sibling pair of four-year-old Old English Sheepdogs. The show concludes with an introduction to the range of options -- from motorized to towable RVs -- available to those who are eager to chase ever-changing horizons.
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.
Episode 1 - Introduction
Welcome to On The Road with Mac and Molly! Listeners may expect the light-hearted and the serious, entertainment, information, insights, passion, a fresh eye . . . all depending on the subject matter for each particular show. So come along as we head off . . . On the Road with Mac and Molly!
Questions or Comments? Send them to: donna@petliferadio.com.