S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. On today's show , we'll tell you how you can adopt a pet at the county fair. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. Get ready for funnel cake. It is that time of year. The San Diego County Fair kicks off today , and this year's theme is all about our furry friends. It's called Summer Pet Tacular. And for the first time , the San Diego Humane Society is partnering with the fair. Each day they'll be bringing animals up for adoption dogs , cats and rabbits of all ages. They'll also be giving presentations on how to care for pets. I'm joined now by Nina Thompson. She's public relations director for the San Diego Humane Society. Hello. And Juliet Nash , community animal training manager for the Humane Society. Juliette , welcome.
S2: Thank you. Great to be here.
S1: Great to have you all. And speaking of you all , we also have boy. Boy , uh , he's a pit bull terrier and Labrador mix currently up for adoption. Boy , boy , welcome to you. Get get a bark out of him maybe. I mean Nina. So this this is the first time you're partnering with the county fair. What kinds of things do you have in store for the summer ? Pet tacular.
S3: We are so excited to be a part of the summer fair this year , and it's going to be all about the human animal bond. So there's such a strong bond between us and our pets and our animals. And so this exhibit and our participation is going to be about showcasing that. You can , as you said , meets adoptable animals. You can meet our staff , our volunteers , learn about San Diego Humane Society , learn about being a good pet parent or coexisting with wildlife. Um , who are , you know , in nature and we see them every day. So we're really excited to meet more San Diegans and also have them understand the work of San Diego Humane Society.
S1: Well , one cool thing you're doing , as you mentioned , is bringing adoptable animals to the fair. Boy , boy being one of them. And he's here in studio with us.
S2: So we. I met him for the first time this morning , but he's been riding in the car like a champ. He's been greeting folks. We've had a few moments that could have been very startling for many types of dogs. People holding large bags and packages. And he has done so well through all of it. Just super calm. Super mellow. He's napping on the floor below me right now.
S1: He is. He looks more like a cat of some sort.
S2: He does. He has been given a wonderful makeover by our , um , wonderful partner Gabriel , who does celebrity grooming with dogs. He gave him a fantastic cheetah makeover and he's got these glorious , glorious cheetah spots all over his body. They'll last for about 2 to 3 months as he sheds. Oh , wow. And we highly encourage folks to take him home now so you can enjoy them for as long as possible , because he is pretty darn cute.
S1: He is , I will say. But Nina , animal shelters , you know , they're really overcrowded across the country.
S3: Well , I want to say the past two years , there's every type of pet , every age , every breed. So it doesn't really matter what you're looking for. You can actually find them at a shelter if you want. Um , you know , a quote unquote fancy breed. We actually have them. If you want a puppy , we have puppies available for adoption every single day. So there's no reason to not turn to the shelters or rescues. To make sure that these animals who need a second chance get a home. The other thing is , when you adopt , the pet has been spayed or neutered , microchipped , vaccinated. They have been behaviorally assessed by Juliet's team , medically assessed by our shelter veterinarians. And then we're also there as a partner for life of the animal. So you can always come back to the shelter and ask questions. And , you know , make sure that your bond is a success. If you purchase a puppy from an online situation , you don't know where that puppy is coming from. You don't know what mom looks like , how you know the conditions that she had to raise her puppies. And then you may actually also get a puppy who's sick when once they arrive. And it's such a disappointment. So there's so much heartbreak involved in not , um , you know , seeing the conditions where the animal come from comes from. So that's why we highly encourage going to a reputable shelter or rescue in that way. you have that guarantee for the life of the animal. Wow.
S1: Wow. Well , one thing that stuck out to me that you mentioned was having a successful bond with an animal.
S3: What kind of life do you live ? Are you active ? Do you have a lot of space ? Are you home a lot or are you not home a lot ? So just take a look at yourself of what it is that your lifestyle looks like. But then also be open minded , because so many times we see guests come in with a very specific animal in mind , and then they actually bring home a different animal because they fell in love with something completely different. We think of animals as individuals , not breed specific. You know , it depends on the socialization. It depends on where they came from. And so , so many times , people will be surprised at that human animal bond that they're able to create with , for example , a breed that they were not initially looking for.
S1: Yeah , there's a lot to consider there. Well , Juliet , at the fair , you'll be giving a presentation about how to pick a dog trainer. And I know that's something a lot of our listeners are interested in.
S2: So for us , we want to make sure that you have the education and the information that you need to make a right choice when looking for a dog trainer. So a lot of folks will just default to asking friends and neighbors and things like that. And while they all have fantastic intentions , they also may not know what makes a great trainer. So we'll be talking about what to look for in a dog trainer like education and professional affiliations and things like that. We talking about finding a trainer who has the right skills for the types of help you need. Not all trainers can cover all topics. So we want to make sure that you just have more information around how to find the right sort of support for you and your pet. And of course , at San Diego Humane Society , we have all sorts of resources to help you get started , so hopefully we'll see you at the fair. But if we miss you on that day , we have recordings about this. We have articles , we have other videos , we have so many resources. We even have a trainer directory for vetted trainers all around San Diego County and a little bit beyond to kind of help you , you know , get a starting point for that search. It's so important to do it well for you and your pets.
S1:
S2: It does not , um , all dogs , all animals , all of us learn the same way. And there's over 100 years of research supporting that statement , which is pretty cool if you're a nerd like myself and into that sort of thing. But I use the same dog training methods with any breed that I'm working with , whether they can hear or they can see or they can't , I use it with my cats at home. I've used it with all sorts of animals that I've worked with and trained over the years. Training and behavior are really , in a lot of ways , universal languages. So there are fantastic tools that we can use across the board with the animals we're working with. So if you see a trainer who is saying for this breed , you need this or for this breed you need that , they may not be aware of some of that background in research , and that's where having a trainer who's educated and certified really can make that big difference.
S1: You know , and Juliet , we talked a bit about the human and animal connection that really inspired the theme of this year's County fair.
S2: Just for example , my cats are great at cheering me up when I'm having a hard day. They make me laugh all of the time. Um , they're just , you know , someone I can bounce ideas off of and just they're in the home with me and always , always bringing joy to my world. Um , with dogs. I've owned their fantastic exercise buddies as well as great friends on the couch. When you're watching a movie. Um , there's just a whole range of things they can bring. New experiences , new information , Formation new curiosity to your world. And , I mean , I could talk about this for hours , but there's so much there.
S1:
S2: I haven't gotten to see any of the behind the scenes stuff yet , so I'm just excited to check out what that summer particular is going to look like.
S1:
S3: This is going to be something for the whole family. So we'll have , you know , um , sessions on how to greet a dog , their body language , you know , how to be a good pet parent. And then even our shelter veterinary team is going to be there to talk about pet , um , veterinary topics. And you can sort of ask the vet as well. So I'm really excited for all the presentations. And then of course , this partnership where we get to celebrate animals all summer long , it's going to be really exciting.
S1: All right.
S3: And whoever adopts him is going to be the luckiest family in San Diego. Yes.
S1: Yes. And at the moment , a good nap because he's sleeping comfortably under the table. But of course , you can check out some pictures of him and his cheetah prints at our website , KPBS. I've been speaking with Nina Thompson , public relations director for the San Diego Humane Society. Nina. Thank you.
S3: Thank you for having us.
S1: And also Juliet Nash , community animal training manager for the Humane Society. Juliet. Thank you.
S2: Thank you.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
