← Am I Doing It Wrong?
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- [00:00]
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- [01:40]
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- [02:02]
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- [02:26]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Hi, I'm Raj Panjabi Johnson, head of identity content at HuffPost.
- [02:30]
Noah Michelson
And I'm Noah Michaelson, head of HuffPost Personal.
- [02:33]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Welcome to Am I Doing It Wrong? The show that explores the all too human anxieties we have about trying to get our lives right.
- [02:38]
Noah Michelson
I feel kind of silly even asking you this because I know your answer already. But Raj, are you adopting or fostering pets? Wrong.
- [02:46]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
No, this is one. One thing I'm. I think I'm doing right because I went through it once and then I had an adopted pet before that. So I think I. It's really important to do the research, which I did. I did run into hiccups though. So I would love to learn really everything there is to learn about it because I plan on adopting at least three or four more in my life.
- [03:09]
Noah Michelson
Yeah, I think people actually maybe don't think about it before they do it or don't think about it in the way that we're gonna go through it, hopefully. And so I feel the same way. I have never adopted a pet myself. Family has. Or Benji has adopted Jumi. So I've been around adopted animals and I love them, but I think there's a lot that I just don't know.
- [03:29]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Yeah.
- [03:30]
Noah Michelson
And there's stuff that we should be considering that we might not consider. So we're going to get into it
- [03:35]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
and since there's so many more pets in our future. With us today we have Rachel Ziering. She's the founding executive director of Muddy Paws, a foster nonprofit in New York City that has helped over 10,000 puppers find their homes.
- [03:49]
Noah Michelson
And we also have Earl, who is 162 pound puppy and he's going to be running in and out of the
- [03:55]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
studio, an absolute doll.
- [03:57]
Noah Michelson
And we are obsessed with him. So get ready. Hi Rachel. Thank you for being here.
- [04:04]
Rachel Ziering
Hi. Thank you so much for having me.
- [04:06]
Noah Michelson
I think we want to start with why should someone, if they're going to get a dog or a cat, get it from an organization like yours rather than going to a breeder? A lot of people wonder about that.
- [04:15]
Rachel Ziering
So many reasons. You know, there's so many dogs who, who already exist who need homes and are sitting in shelters and, or foster homes. Right. And there's just, you know, I don't see a reason to breed more of them when you know you're, you have so many that you can go adopt. And you know, I think by, by adopting or by buying from a breeder, you know, you're kind of contributing to the overpopulation crisis. So you know, really adopting is the only way to go in my opinion.
- [04:47]
Noah Michelson
Yeah, I, I agree with that.
- [04:49]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
I do. I've adopted my guys.
- [04:50]
Noah Michelson
I know people want like particular breeds or fancy things and, and I guess I get that to, to a point. But I just think knowing what we know, these dogs need love. They need a place to go.
- [05:02]
Rachel Ziering
Well and also we have those breeds. We have.
- [05:04]
Noah Michelson
Yeah.
- [05:04]
Rachel Ziering
If you're looking, we, we posted on our social media today, I think there's this gray poodle I Think her name is Izzy, and she has this, like, frou frou, like, gray hairdo and she's ridiculous looking. Yeah, but we get poodles, we get Shih Tzus, we get multip. You know, we get all of the things. We get puppies. So it might take a little longer than just kind of buying what you, you know, whatever you're looking for. But we do get all kinds of dogs.
- [05:28]
Noah Michelson
That's a great point.
- [05:30]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
I'm curious because I'm looking at Earl, who's in studio with us today. And if anyone's not watching on YouTube and listening, I'm gonna be absolutely chaotic today. Cause I'm in love with this dog. Why do you pets end up at shelters? I think there's, like, a narrative. I'm not sure if everyone really knows
- [05:46]
Rachel Ziering
all the possible reasons you could think of. You know, people lose their housing, people can't afford them, People, their life circumstances are changing. Maybe they had a baby who's highly allergic or sometimes they just had a baby, you know, so there are dogs who, you know, don't do well in certain circumstances. Like, New York City is not a place for every dog. Right. Manhattan can be stressful, but, you know, really, it is sometimes, like, the best thing for the dog to find a new home because they're stressed out where they are.
- [06:16]
Noah Michelson
Before we go any further, we should say we do have a puppy in the studio, which is totally, like you said, Raj, chaotic and crazy. But we were, the minute you suggested bringing one, and we were like, yes. So if you're listening, you can't see him. If you're on YouTube, you can. He's kind of wandering the room. His name is Earl. Just tell us about Earl. Describe him a little bit and how he came to you.
- [06:37]
Rachel Ziering
Earl is the biggest dog that we've ever had at Monty Buzz Rescue.
- [06:40]
Noah Michelson
Huge.
- [06:41]
Rachel Ziering
He is 160. He's basically a small lion. He is my foster. I've had him for a couple of weeks now. He came from Manhattan animal care centers, so he's from New York. He was found tied up to a pole or a tree or something like that. And then the cops came and brought him into the shelter. At the shelter, the email that I got from the rescue partner team was kind of like, we have this giant teddy bear who just wants to give you his paw. And it's just like, pictures of him with his paw up on people. I saw the email and I just. I love the big dogs, and I'm not usually a fan of, like, the fur. Like, I Love the big pities with like the short hair usually, but. And Earl does shed quite a lot, but I couldn't turn down a chance to have the biggest dog we've ever had. Previous to this, I think it was 142 pounds or something like that. So it's a good 20 pounds more. That was also my foster. But no, Earl is wonderful. He's. I have four dogs at home. He's great with them. He's been to our adoption events. Loves saying hi to everyone, which is good because everybody wants to say hi to him. He's really chill. He'll have his bursts of Zoomy, I mean, 162 pound dog, Zoomy Energy. But for the most part, he just kind of lazes around. He's a pretty lazy, typical big dog.
- [08:05]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Can you tell us a little bit more about the types of shelters, like city versus private groups, just in case we're in the market?
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Rachel Ziering
There are private shelters, there are public shelters, like with city contracts, there are municipal shelters, and then there are also foster based rescue groups. So Muddy Paws is a foster based rescue group. And we usually have anywhere from 80 to 100 dogs in our care at any given time. And we are, we are dogs only. But there are also groups out there that are cats only groups that do both. So, yeah, there's a lot of ways you can go about it. You can either head to a shelter, see what they have there, because we don't have a physical location where the dogs live. They all live in foster care. We usually have people register online ahead of time and that way they're good to go whenever they kind of see a dog that suits what they're looking for. So our with us, your registration is good for a year and then you can kind of, you know, shop around, like look for what the right match
- [08:59]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
would be for for people who don't have their eye on a certain type of dog and really kind of just want to help. What's the one shelter that you might want to reach out to first to be like, oh, they're inundated and maybe I can help by adopting or fostering.
- [09:13]
Rachel Ziering
I mean, honestly, any shelter, everyone is inundated right now in New York City. I would definitely say New York City animal care centers. You know, they are the city shelter. There's a location in Staten Island. There's one in Queens now. And then there's one in Manhattan. It's on East 110th and first they've got endless dogs and cats and sometimes random other animals as well. But yeah, that's definitely, you know, where I would start. Okay.
- [09:41]
Noah Michelson
Will you bust some of the myths about shelters? And I think shelter animals, I think sometimes, I mean, I was reading online before we came in here, like, people think, oh, they're unhealthy, they can't be trained, that's why they're there.
- [09:52]
Rachel Ziering
Sure.
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Noah Michelson
Just sort of speak to that.
- [09:54]
Rachel Ziering
We talk a lot in foster care about the decompression period. And when dogs enter foster care, what you see in their behavior might not be the behavior that you're going to see a few months later because they're stressed. Right. Their nervous systems are like super amplified and they're kind of in like survival Mode. We've almost 10,000 dogs come through our care over the last 10 years now. And most of them are perfectly normal, healthy dogs. You know, we, we do take a lot of seniors and sometimes seniors will have more health issues just based on, you know, when you're older, you have more health issues, aging. We try to give a lot of information about the dogs in our care, which we can do because they're in foster care. So if you adopt from a foster based group, you're generally going to get to know, you know, what's the dog like in a home ahead of time versus a shelter. So there's one reason for kind of doing a foster based adoption.
- [10:43]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Again, say we're in the market, what should we think about and consider about our lifestyles before we even walk into a shelter?
- [10:51]
Noah Michelson
Good question.
- [10:52]
Rachel Ziering
I like to say that there's a dog for every person and a person for every dog. Unless you're allergic, I guess, which would be really sad.
- [10:59]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Take the pills, get the shot.
- [11:03]
Rachel Ziering
We talk a lot about, like matchmaking at Money Paws where we collect a lot of information from people about what your lifestyle is like. And it's not so that we can judge it. It's so that we can, you know, hopefully match you with a dog that is going to fit your lifestyle. So things to consider would be, you know, are you out of the house all day? And that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a dog. It just means maybe you want an older dog or a lazier dog. You super active. If you want to be super active, a dog is probably not going to make you super active. You know, like, if you thinking it's going to make you run marathons, it's probably not. I've tried also, just like, you know, who else is in your house if you have kids, if you have other animals, you know, we have project dogs. If you're looking for a project dog or do you kind of want like a turnkey, you know, easier quote unquote, you know, addition to your house?
- [11:48]
Noah Michelson
I would add two things to that. So my boyfriend has a dog. Yeah, my husband. We just got married. I keep forgetting that.
- [11:55]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
It's gonna take a little bit.
- [11:56]
Noah Michelson
Yeah. I did not want to date someone with a dog because they're a lot of work. And now I love Jumi more than anything. I love him more than my husband, maybe. You know what I mean? But dogs are a lot of work.
- [12:08]
Rachel Ziering
They are.
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Noah Michelson
And you have to have your eyes open when you go into that. And it's not just something to, like, think it's just gonna be a fun thing or, you know, you have to be committed to it.
- [12:17]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah.
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Noah Michelson
And also it can be a lot of money, too. It can be depending on the dog. I mean, our dog needed to get his ACL or the equivalent repaired. He lost a tooth. We had to go to the dentist. He's on Prozac because he's anxious. Like, sure things can happen. And so it doesn't mean your dog is going to have any of that, but just know you have to spend some money when you have a pet.
- [12:37]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Yeah, yeah. You want to think about your travel lifestyle as well. Like, I have two cats and we thought long and hard about getting a kitten because that's like a different kind of thing than our 10 year old who can like stay while we're at work, et cetera. And we really took a lot of time to think about it because ultimately you want to give your baby, like the best possible life ever. That's just like my wake up and that's my goal. Like, there's a reason you're here with me, and I want to make sure you're happy and comfortable, you know absolutely.
- [13:07]
Rachel Ziering
Well. And I'll add also that, you know, if. If you don't feel like you're in a good place to give a dog a forever home or a cat foster, because that's. We need fosters more than anything. We can't take dogs from shelters unless we know that we have a foster home for them. Even if you can only foster on weekends, you know, we have foster parents need coverage on weekends because they go away a lot, but they keep the dog longer term otherwise. And so sometimes we kind of pair people up and the dog goes back and forth. And, you know, in an ideal situation, the dog would stay in one home until adopted, but that's not the reality for most people, especially you do what you can?
- [13:40]
Noah Michelson
Yeah, yeah. What is an organization like yours gonna want to see from a potential person who wants to foster or adopt? What makes someone a good candidate for that being alive?
- [13:50]
Rachel Ziering
Honestly, we try very hard not to be judgmental about people's lifestyles or say, you know, this isn't going to be a good dog for you or you shouldn't have a dog. If you want a dog, we're going to try to find you one that works for your lifestyle.
- [14:06]
Noah Michelson
What about when we're going to come visit you? What are questions that we should be asking the organization or the shelter about the pet? What are some good. Just baseline things to know?
- [14:14]
Rachel Ziering
Sure. Yeah. I mean, I think have you seen the dog with other dogs? Have you seen the dog with cats? And usually the answer is no there. But in a foster based rescue, sometimes the answer is yes. It depends on where you live. Right. If you live in Manhattan, you're really going to need a dog who can kind of tolerate the streets of Manhattan and getting around. If you live in a suburb and you have a fenced in yard and I don't recommend just using the fenced in yard, I recommend walking the dog as well. But you know, you might have different concerns. I mean, temperament is, for me, temperament is number one and I would definitely ask about that. And then in terms of medical, you know, you're going to want to make sure the dog has all of its basic vaccines and testing and alter and all of that stuff, which, you know, any reputable group is going to be doing.
- [14:58]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Okay, should we, if we're in the market to adopt a dog or a cat, should there be multiple visits? Like should we go in and hang with the pet, potential pet a few times? I know when I went to get my kitten, it was like love at first sight. And he crawled into my arms and I was like, I'm running away with you. After I, after I got interviewed, like very intensely. Yeah.
- [15:19]
Rachel Ziering
Because we only have a set number of foster homes and every dog that we have is kind of holding a spot. That means we can't take another dog yet from the shelter. We don't generally do that unless it's a dog who is very like stranger danger or we know they're going to take a couple of times to like warm up to somebody. When people do their adoption meetings with us, we'll have them do their meeting and then we will take the dog back from them and have them sort of step away and talk about it on their own without the dog in their arms. Because it can be Yeah, I know
- [15:51]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
there are some dogs that are traumatized from something. If you're a person who wants to adopt and wants to give so much love, how, how do you make that dog feel more comfortable?
- [16:01]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah, I mean, I think that it really just talk to the, talk to the shelter, talk to the rescue, see what has worked for the dog, see what they suggest, recommend work with the trainer. It's really, it's different really for every
- [16:12]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
dog, but really like listening and it's like kind of personal to each dog.
- [16:16]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah, yeah. I mean, I think depending, I personally, I love the scared dogs. I love like the ones that are really in their shell and you kind of have to draw them out. And by that I mean basically do nothing until they come out. Right. Which is a lot of people are always like, well, how can I? You know, I'm going over and I'm petting the dog and he doesn't want anything to do with me and I'm like, well, stop petting the dog. Right.
- [16:35]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
That's how you learn boundaries. Yeah, I love learning boundaries.
- [16:39]
Rachel Ziering
Let it do its thing. It'll come to you when it's ready, you know, and oh, it hasn't eaten in two days. Okay. Okay. Well, unless, obviously, unless there's something wrong with it medically, that's fine. It's gonna live, it'll eat when it's hungry. You know, there's a lot of rescue is honestly just waiting and giving them time and space.
- [16:54]
Noah Michelson
Yeah, I love watching those TikTok videos where it's like the shy dog or the, you know, and then by the end of the video they're like cuddly. So cuddly. That's all I want to watch.
- [17:04]
Rachel Ziering
That's my favorite type.
- [17:05]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Yeah, hi, this is Raj from HuffPost's Am I Doing it Wrong podcast. Noah and I have discovered so much from hosting this podcast and we really believe that learning is a lifelong journey. That's why I'm so excited to share that this episode is sponsored by Study.com Study.com offers over 220 online college courses that help students make progress toward finishing a college degree in a flexible and more affordable way. This includes general education courses such as English, math and history. Study.com is fully online and self paced and courses transfer to over 2000 colleges and universities. The best part, study.com is accessible from your phone or computer and it costs just $95 a month. Study.com helps students of any age or any phase in life finish their college degree faster and save money by earning college credit. On their own schedule. Go to study.com podcast to browse courses and get 10% off your first month when you sign up. That's study.com podcast.
- [18:08]
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- [18:39]
Rachel Ziering
hey,
- [18:39]
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- [19:23]
Noah Michelson
What should we be thinking about if we already have another pet at home?
- [19:26]
Rachel Ziering
For the most part, it's like, go slow, take your time. Really, you know, give them a chance to. Don't throw them in the same room and expect them to be fine. Right. They've never met. They may not have even. Like, if you're an indoor cat, maybe you've never even seen a dog. Right. I guess if you already have a dog, I would say the first question is, does your dog want to live with another dog? Because sometimes people want two dogs for themselves. But the dog you already have might not be thrilled about that idea.
- [19:51]
Noah Michelson
I think that that's so important. Like, put your dog's needs ahead of your desire. Absolutely. Yeah. Because people are selfish.
- [19:58]
Rachel Ziering
You know, have a friend over who has a dog. See how your dog reacts. Your dog might do great at the dog park. Your dog might love dogs on the street, but in its house, in its own home, it might be different, sharing resources and everything. Exactly. Yeah. So, I mean, really, I would also say foster is the answer for this as well, because it's a temporary, you know, it's not a permanent solution that you're bringing the animal Home and then it's yours no matter what. But if you foster, not only can you kind of see how your resident pet does with the dog or the cat, but, you know, you may also just find the perfect match that way and then it might end up never leaving.
- [20:30]
Noah Michelson
We're so worried. Jumi is so obsessed with squirrels and rats that we're afraid that he's gonna think a cat is that and he'll just eat it.
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Rachel Ziering
Yeah.
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Noah Michelson
But when he sees cats and bodegas, he's afraid of them.
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Raj Panjabi Johnson
Yeah. And.
- [20:46]
Noah Michelson
And they. And they, you know, rule the roost. Like they're not afraid to tell him.
- [20:50]
Rachel Ziering
Usually win over dogs. Yeah. Some dogs have really strong prey drive, and that is something that is really hard to kind of get past with a cat in the home. But score. And, you know, squirrels and rats in New York, we have a lot of those. It's usually they're okay indicators, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're gonna be bad with cats. Because a squirrel's gonna run.
- [21:13]
Noah Michelson
Right.
- [21:14]
Rachel Ziering
A cat might jump up high and just watch or give her a swat. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yeah. My dog. You know, I have one dog who would absolutely murder a cat, which is why I don't have any. But I have other dogs who would run from a cat. You know, it's a sight of it. I think Earl would be petrified of a cat.
- [21:32]
Noah Michelson
I will say Jimmy too is. We once were walking by a stoop and there was an American girl doll that someone had left out. He was terrified. And we're like, you were such an idiot. I think he could probably. I think a cat could handle him because he just. Personality.
- [21:47]
Rachel Ziering
Some cats will pick up and run and some cats are, you know, will sit there and that's less of like a prey drive thing for a dog. If it's running, they're going to want to chase it.
- [21:56]
Noah Michelson
Yeah.
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Rachel Ziering
If it's calm and just kind of existing, that's. That's less likely to be a problem.
- [22:00]
Noah Michelson
So that makes total sense.
- [22:02]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
I know that I would love at some point to adopt a senior dog. I mean, it's just my dream. Just senior pets in general, like, want to give them their best, you know, last few years of their lives. What should we know about that if we want to adopt a senior dog or cat?
- [22:17]
Rachel Ziering
Senior dogs just give you so much that a puppy might not. And the dog has developed. The dog knows who it is. You know who the dog is. You know, if you adopt a 10 week old puppy, it may have a one personality and then when it hits adolescence, right. When it's six months to a year and a half or so, it could change completely. Right. Dogs have. That's when dogs really hit their. Like, puberty basically is, you know, and they become who they're really going to be. As a senior, you know what you're getting, especially if it's been in a foster home and you know what it's going to be like in a home. Senior dogs are my, like bread and butter when it comes to fostering. Earl is, like, so much younger than most dogs I foster. Normally I take like, the decrepit, you know, 10 year olds with, like, all the issues and like the arthritis and the Cushings and the. All of the things. But watching those dogs, like, go from, you know, petrified, scared shelter dogs to, oh, like, this is, you know, this is actually a pretty great life. Like, it's just. It's like there's nothing like it.
- [23:21]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
So I can imagine. It sounds wonderful.
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Rachel Ziering
Yeah.
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Raj Panjabi Johnson
Is there anything that we should know about whether it's an elder dog or a younger dog with some disabilities that might come along with aging that we can adjust in our home, or behaviors that might be helpful?
- [23:36]
Rachel Ziering
I would always recommend a crate. Having a crate.
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Raj Panjabi Johnson
Okay.
- [23:39]
Rachel Ziering
Senior may or may not want it, and they will probably. I'm not gonna guarantee anything, but they would probably be fine without one. Right. They aren't the ones who are gonna chew on your tables and. Well, hopefully the ones who are gonna chew on your tables and, you know, knock your trash over and all of those things. So a senior, I would say, requires. I mean, maybe some depending on the dog, but I have, like, stairs to get to my bed for the dog.
- [24:02]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Love those. Yeah.
- [24:03]
Noah Michelson
I just. I'm such a proud dog dad that I can't stop telling stories.
- [24:06]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
But I want you to.
- [24:08]
Noah Michelson
When I first started dating Benji, Jumi was a puppy.
- [24:11]
Rachel Ziering
Yep.
- [24:11]
Noah Michelson
And we came home one night and he had gotten a bag of rice open and he ate half a bag of uncooked rice. And we were just like, okay, I guess we'll just see what happens. And the next day, Benji was walking me home and Jumi went to the bathroom. And I will never forget the sight of the uncooked rice spewing.
- [24:32]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Never had rice since then.
- [24:33]
Rachel Ziering
Yup. We had a dog recently. Ate a whole pound.
- [24:36]
Noah Michelson
Yeah. And it is a sight. It's like a horror movie.
- [24:39]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah.
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Noah Michelson
And I will never forget that.
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Raj Panjabi Johnson
That's. I've heard so many of these stories, and I do feel like young pets are crazy.
- [24:45]
Noah Michelson
They're insane.
- [24:47]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
I have. We call my kitten a dog because when he was super little, he jumped on the counter and ate half a zucchini. And I was like, pan. We came home and there were like, bite marks.
- [24:57]
Rachel Ziering
Usually afraid of, oh, it's cucumbers.
- [24:59]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Cucumbers. He's afraid of the zucchini. He's crazy. But puppies and kittens, y' all heed warning. Like, don't just go get a young animal and be like, yo, that's the ones you need. I mean, tell us for puppies, like, what do you need to do to your house? You need to do stuff.
- [25:13]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah. And I mean, honestly, I am like, I will tell you what I know, but I do not foster puppies because. Because they're babies, essentially. There's a nice.
- [25:22]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
That comes with that adorable tininess.
- [25:24]
Rachel Ziering
There is.
- [25:25]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Yes.
- [25:25]
Rachel Ziering
And I don't personally, I don't have the patience. I, you know, I think a lot of people do, and that's great. We need those people who do. And if you're listening, please, foster puppies. But I think, you know, to. To prep for a puppy, you're going to want to set up barriers. You're going to want to have a puppy pen, you're going to want to have puppy pads that they're going to go through, light diapers. You know, you're going to want shoes to keep them entertained because they're teething and, you know, otherwise they are going barking. You might want to, you know, watch for cables that are running along the floor. Make sure your trash isn't accessible. Even if you really think it's okay, triple check it, because it might not be. Dogs are, you know, smart. Yeah. So there's just a lot more preparation, really, that has to go into the babies.
- [26:05]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Yeah.
- [26:07]
Noah Michelson
Once we get the pet home, what should we expect? I heard there was something called the three, three, three rule. Yeah, what is that?
- [26:15]
Rachel Ziering
So the three, three, three rule basically says that you're going to be see different dog three days in three weeks, in three months, in.
- [26:23]
Noah Michelson
Okay.
- [26:23]
Rachel Ziering
It's a pretty generic, you know, average kind of rule. I. I don't usually use it because then people kind of, you know, talk about it, because then people expect, like, this is what they're going to see at three weeks. And again, it's going to be very individual based on the dog. So what should you expect when you bring a dog home? Not much. We talk a lot, like I said, about decompression with our fosters. And, you know, these dogs are. Well, a lot of them at least have Come from shelters where, you know, it's non stop noise, right. That's just barking all day long every day. And there's dogs walking in front of them all day long and there's, when they're walking, they're seeing other dogs and people all day long and they don't have a chance to just relax. So it really actually affects their stress levels, like their cortisol levels. And it physically takes time for that to, you know, kind of get back to baseline. So really expect to need to give them patience and time. Right.
- [27:24]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
How should we be talking to them if we want them to feel happy? Is it like I heard like higher pitch or like just like a baby, but is that true or did they just love your voice?
- [27:34]
Rachel Ziering
I think it depends on the dog and the situation. I actually, I mean, baby talk is like, I sound so stupid when I'm talking to my pets. And you know, we have of course have voices for each of the dogs at home and like full conversations back and forth. But you know, it's funny, in a medical setting, I was just saying to our vet that, you know, one of our dogs, I think like had a, had a behavior issue and I was saying, you know, and he spoke to him in a high pitch and did all the things my vet was like, actually, no, don't do that. In Fear Free vet care, which is a fear free is a certification that vets can get. They actually talk a lot about like low tones and like calming tones and kind of just keeping things chill. You know, in training, I've found, especially if you're working with like a fearful dog, keeping a high pitched sound can be really helpful to them because then they think, oh, like you're fine. You know, why am I worried? Yeah, I mean, they're going to kind of mirror what you're doing. Okay. Right. So if you're walking down the street and you're like, oh, there's a dog over there, we have to avoid that, we have to avoid this and we have to go this way and they're going to be like, whoa, what are you doing? You know, but if you're, if you're confident, I always kind of say like, you have to find a good mix of confidence and caution. Right. Because you do want to be looking out for other things that might be coming your way. But you know, just be a, be a strong presence for them and they're probably going to, you know, take that from you.
- [29:02]
Noah Michelson
What are some common mistakes you see people make when they are fostering or adopting? Is there Anything that comes to mind.
- [29:08]
Rachel Ziering
You know, we've had a foster who. We require that everybody crate their dogs, their foster dogs, unless they are, like, crate anxious or, you know, confinement anxiety, that kind of a thing. But we have just found that it is. It's good structure for them. It's good. It's safer for the dog, and they like it.
- [29:26]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Sometimes their belongings.
- [29:27]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah, yeah. A lot of dogs like their, like, safe space.
- [29:29]
Noah Michelson
Right.
- [29:30]
Rachel Ziering
But, you know, some fosters are like, well, I'm just gonna run to the corner. You know, it'll be five minutes, I'll be right back. And then they come back and their apartment is destroyed.
- [29:37]
Mom (Verizon Ad Caller)
Right.
- [29:38]
Rachel Ziering
And so, I mean, not trusting the crate is one. I would definitely recommend that for everyone knowing. I keep mentioning, like, the trash can, like, triple checking that your dog can't get into things that they're not supposed to get into, whether it's like, food or medication or trash. I have seen dogs jump four paws on the table, on the counter. Right. Big dog to get what they want. So making sure that, you know, you don't leave the lasagna sitting out on the stove or. My sister called me the other day. She's had her dog for, like, two years now, and she's like, cece ate half a carrot cake. Is she gonna die? And I was like, no, she's gonna be fine.
- [30:20]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
But how did she get half a.
- [30:22]
Rachel Ziering
You know, and she's like, well, I don't know. It was on the counter, and I came out of the bathroom and it was gone. You know, And I was like, she's gonna be fine. She made us some dairy. She may be a little sugar high, but, you know. But yeah, just, you know, learning. You learn things along the way, and, you know, if you make a mistake, then you're probably never gonna do it again.
- [30:39]
Noah Michelson
Yeah, I don't think it hurts to do a little bit of research, too. I mean, I was just looking at really dumb stuff. Like, I didn't know dogs shouldn't eat onions. You know, like, if you just do a little bit of research before. And I like the thing you said about just like, it's almost like baby proofing your house, too. I was with my friends in Nashville, and my friend had brought weed with him and edibles and her Chihuahua, who weighed like three pounds, he got 150 milligrams of weed. I mean, we thought he was gonna die. And this is so much more common now, too, where people, you know, so common.
- [31:13]
Rachel Ziering
I see a lot of places are
- [31:14]
Noah Michelson
legal everywhere and, you know, so yeah. Make sure your edibles are locked up or put away.
- [31:19]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
And was your friend's dog okay just high for a while?
- [31:22]
Noah Michelson
It was high for 24 hours.
- [31:24]
Rachel Ziering
I mean, they have, like, the best. The best time of their lives.
- [31:25]
Noah Michelson
Yeah. He was just drooling on the couch, but we were terrified.
- [31:28]
Rachel Ziering
It happens all the time. We have an emergency line that fosters can call for, like, medical problems, like, at least five times in the last couple of years. You know, we get the foster. Poor foster called sobbing. You know, the dog won't. The dog can't stand up. The dog is, like, dribbling urine. The dog is. And I'm like, oh, the dog is high.
- [31:45]
Noah Michelson
Right.
- [31:46]
Rachel Ziering
I know what this is. You know, they're like, well, I don't. I don't keep any of that in my house. I don't know how it would have happened. And I'm like, well, it's New York. It's Manhattan. They probably just ate something off the street.
- [31:56]
Noah Michelson
Yeah.
- [31:56]
Rachel Ziering
And they just kind of rushed him to the vet, and that's what it was. The dog was high, and it was a bigger dog. It was just kind of, like, waited out. But, no, that's definitely something that.
- [32:04]
Noah Michelson
If you can avoid it, you know, put your. Put your edibles away.
- [32:07]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah.
- [32:08]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
That's really good advice.
- [32:09]
Noah Michelson
It's a different. A different world once you have a dog.
- [32:11]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah. You can get your own, you know, CBD oil for your dog.
- [32:15]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Yeah. Anything else we should be proofing in our house? I know my kitten fell in our toilet when he was really little, and he's totally fine. He just, like, got scared and hopped out. But, like, should we be, like, making sure the toilet lid is shut? Like, what? Just things people might not know when you bring a pet home.
- [32:30]
Rachel Ziering
But the toilet. I mean, I would have never even. I have a friend who has cats, and when I go to her house, I always forget to close the toilet seat, and she always yells at me because their cats are gonna go in and, like, drink the water or whatever. So, you know, if it's a dog, put a baby gate with, you know, on the room where you really don't want the dog in. Or, you know, we also recommend, like, starting small. Like, give them one room that they can be in and then expanding that space slowly over time. Sometimes too much space, like, freaks them out. Like, I don't know what to do. You know, dogs can open doors sometimes. You know, it's terrifying. And especially if you have, like, a lever handle, A dog will jump on that and just put, you know, the dog, the door just opens. And in Manhattan, we've had more than. More than a few fosters, like, get out of their foster's apartment entirely.
- [33:16]
Noah Michelson
Wow.
- [33:17]
Rachel Ziering
And luckily, you know, they're usually on, like, the fifth floor or something, so they can't get to the street. But it's happened where, you know, some dogs have made it through multiple doors out into the world.
- [33:27]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
So scary.
- [33:28]
Rachel Ziering
So scary. Yeah. Or we'll get a call from, you know, we have the. Our dog's number or our number on all of our tags. So I got a call. You know, hey, I had this dog. It has your tag on it. I'm in a stairwell in a building, and I'm like, okay, we didn't even know we had a missing dog. And then I called the foster, and she's like, what do you mean he's not in the crate? You know, she had no idea. She just left the house 10 minutes earlier. And so things you would never. If you have a yard, you want to, like, quadruple check your fence, because I guarantee you there are spots that your dog will fit through. And if it's a cat, cats can squeeze through, like, the tiniest holes. So dogs can dig right under the fence. Or you just want to, like, reinforce everything you can.
- [34:14]
Noah Michelson
Yeah.
- [34:14]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
I love that idea of kind of putting yourself in a dog's house, cosplaying a dog, and you're just, like, crawling around your apartment being like, what can I get into?
- [34:22]
Noah Michelson
Right. Is there a cable here that they might chew? Like, things like that. It's so smart.
- [34:26]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah. Even, like, you know, leaving. I mean, a dog like Earl is gonna, like, He's. His head is counter level, so we can't leave anything on the counters. He's very good. He won't jump. But, you know, we've had other dogs who. They will. They won't think twice about popping their paws on the counter and just grabbing whatever's up there. So counter surfing. That's another one to look out for.
- [34:47]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
I love that.
- [34:48]
Noah Michelson
I love that.
- [34:48]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Prepare for the worst.
- [34:50]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah. Then you can only be happy when it doesn't happen.
- [34:53]
Noah Michelson
Yeah. Lastly, just in general, what is one thing that's gonna make fostering or adopting successful in your mind, what's the one thing people should be thinking about fostering?
- [35:05]
Rachel Ziering
We call it a foster fail. If you end up keeping the dog. If you're looking to adopt, great. Good for you. If you're looking to foster and not adopt, I really recommend fostering a dog that you would never want to adopt. So, for example, if you hate Chihuahuas, foster a Chihuahua. If you, you know, love big dogs, maybe you foster a 20 pound dog because you're less likely to keep it. And then, you know, you can foster and save more, I think, for adopting. You know, that's why I always recommend fostering before adopting. But really kind of just making sure that the dog is going to fit the lifestyle that you already lead. If you want to become a marathon runner, like getting a dog is probably not the way to do that. It's probably not going to.
- [35:44]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
And that's putting a lot of pressure on the dog. I get what you're saying. Yeah.
- [35:48]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah.
- [35:49]
Noah Michelson
Well, I mean, I don't want this to be over because I don't want Earl to leave.
- [35:53]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
No, I do, because I want to go play with Earl right now. Unfettered.
- [35:56]
Noah Michelson
Yeah.
- [35:57]
Rachel Ziering
He's literally just been. He hasn't moved this entire time.
- [35:59]
Noah Michelson
He hasn't. He seems so happy. But thank you, Rachel for coming and thank you for bringing Earl.
- [36:04]
Rachel Ziering
Of course. Thank you for having us.
- [36:10]
Mom (Verizon Ad Caller)
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- [36:31]
Verizon Network Announcer
America's best network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance. US second half 2025 four new lines and unlimited welcome and autopay. See verizon.com for details.
- [36:40]
Capital One Bank Announcer
With no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking with Capital One. If he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how most Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends it's pretty much all he talks about. In a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC
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Mom (Verizon Ad Caller)
this
- [37:11]
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- [37:50]
Noah Michelson
All right, you guys, it's time for Better in Five. These are our top five takeaways from this episode.
- [37:54]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Okay, number one, just because you get a dog from a shelter doesn't mean that they're going to be more trouble or more challenging to raise.
- [38:01]
Noah Michelson
Number two, before you even walk into that shelter, spend a little time thinking about what kind of dog you think would be best for your life or if you're even ready to have a dog in the first place.
- [38:11]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
And number three, fostering is actually a great way to test out your pet parenting abilities.
- [38:17]
Noah Michelson
Number four. Okay, you've decided to get your dog. Now. Do a little puppy cosplay. Get down on the ground, paw around, see what you see. Get rid of your cables. Basically pet proof your place.
- [38:29]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
And number five, consider adopting an older dog because they're less chaotic than puppies and they have a lot to offer.
- [38:35]
Noah Michelson
Amen.
- [38:36]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Okay. Noah.
- [38:37]
Noah Michelson
Yeah.
- [38:38]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Were you adopting pets? Wrong.
- [38:41]
Noah Michelson
No. Because I haven't done it.
- [38:43]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
You would never adopt a pet. Wrong.
- [38:44]
Noah Michelson
Anyway, I like to think not. But I did learn a lot. And I think the thing that I'm just taking away from this is that it's a big deal to adopt a pet. It's not something, you know, you think about. When I was growing up, you know, people would get a puppy, like, in a box at Christmas.
- [38:58]
Rachel Ziering
Yeah.
- [38:59]
Noah Michelson
And they'd open it up and the puppy would pop out. And then maybe the family hadn't thought about, like, how much work it was to have a puppy.
- [39:06]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Yeah.
- [39:06]
Noah Michelson
And so I loved Rachel saying, you know, think about what are your desires versus what this dog is gonna need. And it's not just a vanity project. Don't go into this flippantly.
- [39:16]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Right.
- [39:16]
Noah Michelson
Really think about how your life is gonna change and if you can give that dog everything it needs.
- [39:21]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
That's the whole point.
- [39:22]
Noah Michelson
Yeah. What about you? What did you learn?
- [39:24]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Well, I was being a little bit smug at the be. I was doing it a little bit. Right. But I definitely learned a lot more. And I want to take that with me when I walk into a shelter the next time. Or try to adopt Earl, because I think I'm in love with him.
- [39:40]
Noah Michelson
I'm sorry, but your husband will murder you.
- [39:41]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Oh, my God. If you came in New York City apartment.
- [39:45]
Noah Michelson
No, I can't.
- [39:46]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
160 pound dog. Yeah, I'm a work on it. I'm a work on it.
- [39:49]
Noah Michelson
I support you. I would love for you to have Earl, but I don't think it's going to happen.
- [39:53]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
I would never be sad again, but
- [39:55]
Noah Michelson
someone will and I'm excited. We will actually update listeners about what we hear about Earl. Yeah, I think he's gonna go quick.
- [40:01]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
I hope he ends up with one of you guys.
- [40:02]
Noah Michelson
He's such a sweetheart. And also, put your edibles away. That's the other thing I learned. You know, if you're gonna do it, God bless you, but don't let your dog eat it.
- [40:10]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
That's right.
- [40:11]
Noah Michelson
Anyway, until next time. As long as there are things to get wrong, we're gonna be right here to help you do them better.
- [40:17]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Love you guys. Am I doing it Wrong Is a co production between HuffPost and Acast.
- [40:24]
Noah Michelson
Our producers are Eve Bishop, Carmen Borca, Carillo and Malia Agadello.
- [40:28]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Our executive producers are Jenny Kaplan and Emily Rutter.
- [40:31]
Noah Michelson
Special thanks to HuffPost's head of audience, Abby Williams.
- [40:35]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Head of video Will Took, as well
- [40:37]
Noah Michelson
as Kate Palmer, Marta Rodriguez and Terry d'. Angelo.
- [40:40]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
And we're your hosts, Raj Panjabi Johnson and Noah Michelson.
- [40:51]
Mom (Verizon Ad Caller)
Hey, honey, it's Mom. Did you know if we switch to Verizon, we can get four phones for $0 plus four lines for $25 a line? Call me back. Me again. That's just $100 a month for four lines on unlimited welcome. Plus four phones. No trade in needed. Call me. It's Mom. America's best network. Verizon. That's the one we're talking about. I'll send you text.
- [41:12]
Verizon Network Announcer
America's best network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance. US second half 2025 four new lines and unlimited welcome and autopay. See verizon.com for details.
- [41:21]
Capital One Bank Announcer
With no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking with Capital One. If he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also talk about how most Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends, it's pretty much all he talks about. In a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC.
- [41:52]
Rachel Ziering
Have you looked at your utility bill recently and thought, how is it this high? You're not the only one.
- [41:59]
Raj Panjabi Johnson
Something that we would hear often was I couldn't pay my power bill.
- [42:04]
Rachel Ziering
I'm no longer turning on my ac. Rising energy costs can feel inevitable, but voters have more power than they think. Listen to good things from lemonada Media to hear how communities are fighting back for energy affordability.
- [42:20]
I
Hi, I'm Liv Perez from the let's Get Dressed podcast and this episode is presented to you by Depop. If you've been meaning to clean out your closet, but it feels so overwhelming, my best piece of advice for you as a fashion expert is to start with one Depop. Depop makes it so simple to give your pieces a new home. Just snap a photo and their AI powered listings. Fill in all the details for you. And here's the best part. Make money easily with no selling fees on Depop, no seller fees means that you earn exactly what is yours. Another perk. There is someone out there who's going to love that piece the way that you did, and who doesn't love making room for something new too. Download the Depop app and list your first item today.