Therapy Gecko – “I ACCIDENTALLY ATE A DOG”

Podcast: Therapy Gecko (iHeartPodcasts)
Date: November 16, 2025
Host: Lyle (The Gecko)

Episode Overview

In this compelling episode, Lyle—an unlicensed, green lizard-psychologist—opens the phone lines to callers with stories spanning the accidentally taboo to the existentially profound. The episode’s eponymous centerpiece is a conversation with Jason, who accidentally ate dog meat during his Mormon mission in the Philippines. Subsequent calls and emails navigate through the complexities of clandestine relationships, doomer-parenting anxieties, pest control confessions, and raw narratives of addiction and recovery. Throughout, Lyle responds with empathy, curiosity, and his characteristic self-aware humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jason’s Story: "I Accidentally Ate a Dog"

(02:13 – 15:38)

• Accidental Experience: Jason recalls a pivotal moment during his Mormon mission in the Philippines when he unwittingly ate dog meat, believing it to be chicken adobo at a local family’s birthday party.
  • “She looks at the plate and she’s like, do you want to know, like, what you’re eating?...she just smiles at us and is like, no, like, that’s. That’s dog.” (Jason, 05:24)
• Cultural Shock and Guilt: Jason describes the realization, his reaction, and the cultural context. He finished the plate out of politeness, with Lyle questioning whether that was the right move.
  • “You finished it?” (Lyle, 06:08)
  • “I’m not gonna spit it out in front of them. It wasn’t bad...I wouldn’t eat it again but…it was pretty well seasoned.” (Jason, 06:14)
• Moral Reflections: Lyle ponders why eating dog is so taboo for Americans compared to other animals, leading to a philosophical conversation about the arbitrariness of food ethics.
  • “It’s so shocking that you’ve eaten a dog, right? But, like, we fuckin’ eat so many chickens and cows and pigs…no one gives a fuck about them, you know?...there’s no true, honest argument why it should be okay to eat cows and not dogs.” (Lyle, 12:38)
• Aftermath and Personal Growth: Jason reflects on life since the event—he’s graduated college, now works in corporate America, and finds relaxation in Stardew Valley rather than missions or culinary adventures.
  • “Now I'm just a project manager. I work in corporate America...just trying to find new hobbies.” (Jason, 10:37)

2. Ted’s Dilemma: Love Across Decades and the Cost of Devotion

(16:00 – 37:09)

• Age Gap Relationship: Ted, a 20-year-old, is in a secretive relationship with a 63-year-old man, struggling with the challenges of integration into his partner’s life, secrecy, and societal perceptions.
  • “He’s 63, and I’m 20, so it’s…a pretty big gap in age. So I…I get why it’s hard. It feels weird whenever it comes up with his family…” (Ted, 16:47)
• Isolation & Secrecy: Ted hasn’t revealed his sexuality to friends or family, feeling doubly isolated due to that plus the age gap.
  • “No…no one really knows that I’m…you know…that I’m like that.” (Ted, 23:52)
• Lyle’s Gentle Guidance: Lyle urges Ted to consider whether the relationship is overshadowing his own personal development.
  • “You’re very in the process still of, like, developing your life…this could take time away from that process…The danger that I would see here is that this could…take time away from that process of continuing to develop yourself and put it toward this guy and his life.” (Lyle, 28:33)
• Encouragement of Self-Reflection: Lyle stresses the importance of being intentional about what occupies our mental space, especially in young adulthood.
  • “Be really, really, really selective and really think through deeply the things that you allow to take your mental space because you’re at a really critical time in your life.” (Lyle, 30:44)

3. Carl & Existential Parenting: Preparing for the Apocalypse?

(41:23 – 57:21)

• Doomer Parenting Mindset: Carl, an expectant father, shares anxieties about the state of the world, climate change, and raising a child amidst uncertainty.
  • “If I was going to self-describe my viewpoint, it would be extremely, like, doomer black-pilled. The world is going to heat up and we’re all going to die in a war.” (Carl, 43:21)
• Lyle’s Big-Picture Philosophy: Lyle responds with historical perspective and philosophical detachment, observing that people have always felt their times were unprecedented and apocalyptic.
  • “The fact that we’re living in unprecedented times is…all times have been unprecedented...but things being unprecedented has been precedented for eternity.” (Lyle, 45:36)
• Dealing with Information Overload: They acknowledge the unique stressor of modern awareness—knowing about global problems in real time.
  • “The novel thing is that we all fucking know about all of it now…” (Carl, 46:24)
• Hope Amidst Anxiety: Carl’s wife provides a “level-headed” counterpoint, suggesting sometimes such anxiety is just the brain looking for something to worry about.

4. Dana’s Redemption: From Chaos & Addiction to Recovery

(71:17 – 85:44)

• Rock Bottom to Recovery: Dana recounts a harrowing journey from alcoholism, chaotic living (affair with her boyfriend’s brother; living in a tent; alcoholic psychosis), to three years sober, gaining a GED, and stable employment.
  • “I don’t pull Britney Spears. I don’t hide in the woods. I don’t date people’s brothers. I do still not have great relationship skills…” (Dana, 78:51)
• Honest Portrayal of Addiction’s Depths: Details include stealing, paranoia, and self-destructive behavior—yet she credits AA, a higher power, and changing her mindset for her turnaround.
  • “When you’re in the grips of addiction, it literally feels like there’s nothing—there’s no other option but suicide…But…the life that I have today I did not know was possible.” (Dana, 81:44)
• Message of Hope: Lyle underscores Dana's story as hopeful, emphasizing that one can lose everything and still recover.
  • “Any message we can send out into the universe that there’s better things to do than kill yourself, I think is good.” (Lyle, 84:44)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Jason’s Filipino Mission & Dog-Eating Story

• “I kind of finished it because it was good. But after the fact, I didn’t really feel that good.” – Jason (05:32)
• “You want to be in an executive position before you start talking about eating dogs.” – Lyle (11:41)

Lyle’s Food Ethics Philosophizing

• “There's no true, honest argument why it should be okay to eat cows and chickens and not dogs.” – Lyle (12:38)

Ted’s Isolation

• “No one really knows that I’m…that I’m like that.” – Ted (23:52)
• “Be really careful to make sure that…this thing and these conflicts are not cutting into mental energy that you should be spending on developing your own life.” – Lyle (30:44)

Carl’s Doomer Parent Fears

• “I have too much education in ecology and…the way things are going is not sustainable.” – Carl (44:10)
• “All times have been unprecedented...but things being unprecedented has been precedented for eternity.” – Lyle (45:36)

Dana’s Hope After Addiction

• “There’s nothing, there’s no other option but suicide…But…the life that I have today, I did not know was possible.” – Dana (81:44)
• “Any message we can send out into the universe that there’s better things to do than kill yourself, I think is good.” – Lyle (84:44)

Important Timestamps & Segments

• Jason’s Dog-Eating Story: 02:13 – 15:38
• Ted’s Age Gap Relationship: 16:00 – 37:09
• Carl’s Doomer Parenting Anxiety: 41:23 – 57:21
• Dana’s Redemption from Addiction: 71:17 – 85:44

Tone & Style

True to Therapy Gecko form, Lyle’s approach balances empathy with irreverence and self-effacing humor. The episode swings between surprising confessions, earnest advice, philosophical pondering, and the lighter existential absurdity that is the show’s trademark.

Final Thoughts

A classic Therapy Gecko episode: candid, weird, and affirming. Stories range from eating taboo meat to wrestling with forbidden love, future dread, and personal ruin. Through it all, Lyle listens generously and gently nudges his callers (and listeners) toward perspective, humor, and, occasionally, hope.