After first entering animal welfare in the late 1990s, Kristen left the field due to the trauma of working in shelters with extremely high euthanasia rates. Years later, she returned with a new mission: changing the system from within.
When people think about animal welfare, they often focus on adoption, fostering, or rescue. But there’s another side of animal welfare that’s just as important:
Helping people keep the pets they already love.
Every year, countless individuals facing addiction treatment are forced to make an impossible choice: seek help or keep their pet.
For many, that pet is their only source of companionship, stability, and unconditional love.
In this episode of the Top Dog Podcast, Stephen Knight, Founding Executive Director of Dogs Matter, shares how one dog’s story inspired a groundbreaking program that helps people enter treatment without losing their pets. What began as an act of kindness has grown into a lifesaving model that supports both humans and animals through crisis.
For organizations, fosters, and Dooberteers, this episode offers a powerful lesson about the role pets play in recovery, resilience, and second chances.
One of the most surprising insights from Stephen’s story is that many people delay or avoid treatment because they don’t know what will happen to their animals.
“Most of the time, as an addict, we ruin all our relationships and it ends up just being you and your pet.”
For someone struggling with addiction, surrendering a beloved dog may feel impossible.
Without alternatives, many people face choices like:
Dogs Matter was created to remove that barrier.
By providing temporary foster care during treatment, the organization gives people the opportunity to focus on recovery while knowing their pet is safe.
Stephen’s own recovery journey helped inspire the program.
After entering treatment himself, he found purpose through a dog named Jade.
“The second I had Jade, I had purpose.”
That experience shaped his understanding of the human-animal bond.
Pets provide:
For many people in recovery, these factors can become critical components of long-term success.
Most foster programs focus on helping animals.
Dogs Matter focuses on helping both.
Their model temporarily places pets in foster homes while owners complete drug and alcohol treatment programs.
But unlike many emergency foster programs, their support doesn’t end at reunification.
“We’re not just about saying, ‘Here’s your dog back.'”
Instead, Dogs Matter continues supporting clients for up to a year or longer after treatment.
That includes:
For organizations, this demonstrates how fostering can become part of a larger support system.
One of the biggest shifts happening in animal welfare is moving from crisis response to prevention.
Instead of asking:
“How do we rehome this animal?”
Organizations increasingly ask:
“How do we keep this family together?”
Dogs Matter embodies that philosophy.
By helping owners navigate difficult periods, they prevent:
This approach benefits everyone involved.
Many Dogs Matter clients deeply love their pets but may not have had access to basic pet care education.
Stephen explains that some clients are learning:
“Some of them don’t know how to be pet owners.”
Rather than judging, the organization focuses on teaching.
For Dooberteers and rescue organizations, this is an important reminder:
Education is often one of the most powerful forms of support.
One of the most compelling parts of the episode is the data.
According to Stephen, Dogs Matter clients who are reunited with their pets show significantly higher long-term sobriety rates than national averages.
Why?
Because recovery isn’t just about avoiding substances.
It’s about creating:
For many people, a beloved pet provides all four.
Another important lesson from Dogs Matter is the value of community.
The program relies heavily on:
No single person solves the problem alone.
“I had to create a community where I got the support I needed.”
That’s true for recovery.
It’s also true for animal welfare.
The strongest programs are often built through collaboration.
One of the reasons Dogs Matter has been so successful is its nonjudgmental approach.
People seeking help may be:
Instead of focusing on past mistakes, the organization focuses on future possibilities.
“We want to be the safety net.”
That mindset reflects a growing movement across animal welfare:
Supporting people is often part of helping animals.
Whether you’re a foster, transporter, volunteer, or shelter partner, Stephen’s story offers an important reminder:
Sometimes the best way to save an animal is to support the person who loves them.
You can help by:
Every effort helps keep pets and people together during difficult times.
Want to hear Stephen Knight’s incredible story and learn more about how Dogs Matter is helping people and pets stay together through recovery?
Watch on YouTube:
If you’re passionate about helping animals, join the Doobert community where volunteers, fosters, transporters, and animal organizations work together to save lives every day.
Visit Doobert.com to get involved, volunteer, foster, or transport animals in need.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Top Dog Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.
In this episode of the Top Dog Podcast, Rachel Ide, Animal Services Director at Young-Williams Animal Center, shares how community-focused programs and compassionate leadership are transforming animal welfare in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In animal welfare, we often talk about rescue, adoption, fostering, and veterinary care. But whether you’re caring for a shelter dog, a community cat, or a horse, one principle remains the same:
The animal’s wellbeing must come before our expectations.
In this episode of the Top Dog Podcast, Caroline Hegarty, CEO of Equitopia International, shares how her passion for horses led her to challenge traditional thinking, question long-held assumptions, and create a global educational platform focused on evidence-based horse welfare.
While the conversation centers on horses, the lessons extend far beyond the equine world. For organizations, fosters, and Dooberteers, Caroline’s message is a powerful reminder that true animal advocacy starts with listening to the animals themselves.
Many people enter animal welfare because they love animals.
Caroline certainly did.
She fell in love with horses as a child and spent years riding and caring for them. But when she eventually became responsible for her own horses, she discovered something surprising:
“Love is not enough. You can love a horse and still cause unintentional harm.”
That realization changed everything.
Instead of blindly accepting traditional advice, she began asking questions:
When many professionals couldn’t answer those questions, Caroline started searching for answers herself.
One of the strongest themes throughout the episode is that owners must become advocates.
Whether you’re caring for:
You are often the person who sees that animal every day.
That means you’re also the first person likely to notice:
“The owner has to be that advocate.”
For Dooberteers, this lesson applies directly to fostering and rescue work.
Animals communicate constantly. The challenge is learning how to listen.
Caroline’s journey began with a simple habit: questioning assumptions.
Instead of accepting “that’s how it’s always been done,” she wanted evidence.
That mindset eventually became the foundation of Equitopia, an educational platform designed to help horse owners make informed decisions based on:
“People start asking better questions.”
This idea is valuable across animal welfare.
Organizations often face questions such as:
Better questions often lead to better solutions.
One of the most compelling parts of the conversation centers on trust.
Horses are prey animals. Their instincts are built around safety, awareness, and survival.
Yet humans often ask them to:
Caroline believes the foundation for all of this must be trust.
“The horse feels safe.”
This principle applies to every species.
Whether it’s:
Trust creates the foundation for progress.
Without trust, behavior becomes compliance.
With trust, behavior becomes partnership.
One concept Caroline repeatedly discusses is the animal’s “lived experience.”
In other words:
What is life actually like for the animal?
This perspective shifts the focus from human goals to animal wellbeing.
For example:
Instead of asking:
We ask:
This is a powerful mindset for shelters, rescues, and foster homes alike.
One of the most thought-provoking quotes from the episode comes near the end:
“Let’s let go of the entitlement and focus on the responsibility.”
Caroline believes animal ownership should be viewed less as a privilege and more as a commitment.
Animals depend on us for:
That responsibility doesn’t disappear when things become difficult.
For fosters and adopters, this means recognizing that animals are not temporary hobbies—they are living beings with needs, preferences, and emotions.
Another lesson that resonates beyond the horse world is the importance of recognizing individuality.
Caroline explains that horses:
The same is true for dogs and cats.
Animals are not interchangeable.
Every foster placement, adoption, transport, or relocation affects them differently.
Understanding this helps organizations:
Equitopia was launched in 2016 with a goal of helping horse owners access reliable educational resources.
Nearly a decade later, the platform has helped thousands of people learn more about horse welfare, management, and training.
But Caroline acknowledges that changing culture is difficult.
“I fall down, I get up again, and I keep going.”
That persistence is something many animal welfare leaders understand.
Whether you’re:
Meaningful change rarely happens overnight.
Even if you’ve never owned a horse, Caroline’s message applies to every corner of animal welfare.
Animals need advocates who:
Sometimes the best thing we can do for animals is simply slow down and pay attention to what they’re trying to tell us.
Want to hear Caroline Hegarty’s full story and learn more about evidence-based animal care, horse welfare, and building stronger human-animal partnerships?
Watch on YouTube:
If you’re passionate about helping animals, join the Doobert community where volunteers, fosters, transporters, and animal organizations work together to save lives every day.
Visit Doobert.com to get involved, volunteer, foster, or transport animals in need.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Top Dog Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.
In this episode of the Top Dog Podcast, Stephen Knight, Founding Executive Director of Dogs Matter, shares how his personal journey through addiction inspired him to create a one-of-a-kind program helping people enter treatment without losing their pets.
Dogs Matter provides temporary foster care for pets while their owners attend drug and alcohol rehab — removing one of the biggest barriers preventing many people from seeking help.
“The last thing you want to give up is your pet.”
What started with one dog named Jade became a life-changing mission that has now helped more than 2,500 pets and their owners stay together through crisis and recovery.
“She gave me purpose.”
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is the power of the human-animal bond in healing and recovery. Stephen explains that pets provide motivation, stability, and emotional support during some of life’s hardest moments.
“A healthy dog and a healthy human.”
Dogs Matter doesn’t just foster pets — they continue supporting clients after treatment through counseling, resources, and community support to help them rebuild their lives.
“We stay with them.”
Stephen also emphasizes the importance of compassion, second chances, and creating systems that support both people and animals together.
“We’re changing lives.”
At its core, this episode is about hope, recovery, and the belief that keeping pets and people together can transform lives in powerful ways.
That mission will also be celebrated at Dogs Matter’s upcoming Tails of Triumph: A New Era event on June 11, 2026, in Dallas, Texas — an evening focused on storytelling, recovery, second chances, and the incredible journeys of the people and pets impacted by the program.
This message is especially important for Dooberteers, fosters, and volunteers. Every foster home and every act of compassion can help create another chance for both animals and the people who love them.
If you’re passionate about helping animals, join the Doobert community where volunteers, fosters, transporters, and organizations work together to save lives every day. Visit Doobert.com to get involved.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Top Dog Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.
Do you know any Top Dogs we should interview? We’re always looking for amazing people in animal welfare to feature on the podcast. Send us an email at tdp@doobert.com.
Animal rescue often begins with a single moment—a dog on the side of the road, a stray kitten in need, or a chance encounter that changes everything.
For Melissa Giordano, that moment happened on a beach in Puerto Rico.
What started with two stray dogs following her and her husband during a vacation eventually turned into years of rescue work, thousands of animals helped, and a mission to support shelters, rescues, and fosters through innovative technology and partnerships.
In this episode of the Top Dog Podcast, Melissa shares lessons from her rescue journey, her work with Puerto Rican rescue organizations, and how simple tools can make a lifesaving difference.
For organizations, fosters, and Dooberteers, her story highlights one of the most important truths in animal welfare: compassion and preparation save lives.
Many people enter animal welfare because of a single animal.
For Melissa, it was two stray dogs she met while vacationing in Puerto Rico.
“By the end of the week, we were running to the vet, getting health certificates, and flying them home.”
Those dogs opened her eyes to the challenges facing homeless animals on the island and inspired years of involvement with rescue organizations transporting dogs to homes on the mainland.
What started as one rescue became a lifelong commitment.
It’s a reminder that you never know which animal will change your life.
Throughout the conversation, Melissa repeatedly returns to the value of fostering.
She has fostered:
And despite the challenges, her message is clear:
“I just wish everybody would give it a chance.”
Many people assume fostering requires:
But fostering often means simply providing a safe space where an animal can decompress and reveal who they truly are.
For shelters, fostering:
For Dooberteers, fostering remains one of the most direct ways to save lives.
One of the most valuable lessons Melissa shared is something every rescue organization should hear.
“Be more compassionate.”
Over the years, she learned that when adopters return animals or fosters struggle with a placement, judgment doesn’t help.
Many returns happen because:
Instead of assigning blame, Melissa encourages organizations to focus on solutions.
“There’s always someone else that will be a better fit for that animal.”
For shelters and rescues, this mindset creates stronger relationships and ultimately better outcomes for animals.
Melissa’s experience with organizations like The Sato Project and Upshot Dog Rescue taught her the importance of collaboration.
No single rescue can solve every problem.
Successful animal welfare depends on:
And often, the difference between success and failure is simply having enough people willing to help.
For organizations, this is a reminder that building partnerships can be just as important as saving individual animals.
One of the most memorable stories from the episode involves a foster dog that escaped shortly after transport and disappeared for 30 days in the middle of winter.
The experience was stressful, exhausting, and emotionally draining.
“That was the worst 30 days of my life.”
Eventually, the dog was recovered, but the situation revealed an important gap in rescue operations: tracking lost animals.
That experience ultimately led Melissa to Fi, where she now oversees rescue partnerships that provide GPS tracking collars and microchips to shelters and rescues.
Lost dogs are one of the most common challenges shelters and rescues face.
Even when organizations follow best practices:
Accidents still happen.
GPS tracking and microchipping create an additional layer of protection that can dramatically improve recovery outcomes.
Melissa shared multiple examples where tracking technology helped locate dogs that otherwise may never have been found.
For organizations, prevention often saves time, resources, and lives.
One of Melissa’s favorite foster stories involved dogs that had been overlooked for months—or even years.
One shelter dog had received almost no adoption interest despite being a wonderful companion.
After taking the dog to a community event, everything changed.
“It had three applications after that one event.”
Sometimes animals simply need the opportunity to be seen outside the shelter environment.
This is another reason foster homes and community outings matter:
They allow people to see the animal, not the kennel.
Perhaps the most powerful lesson from the episode came when Melissa discussed avoiding burnout.
Animal welfare can feel overwhelming because the need is so great.
But instead of focusing on every animal that needs help, she encourages people to focus on the one they can help right now.
“You don’t have to save every animal to make it matter.”
For fosters, volunteers, and rescue teams, this perspective can make the work sustainable.
Every animal matters to the animal you’re helping.
Melissa’s story is a reminder that helping animals doesn’t require perfection.
You can make a difference by:
Small actions create life-changing outcomes.
And sometimes, those outcomes begin with a single animal crossing your path.
Want to hear Melissa Giordano’s full story and learn more about fostering, rescue partnerships, lost dog prevention, and lifesaving innovation?
Watch on YouTube:
If you’re passionate about helping animals, join the Doobert community where volunteers, fosters, transporters, and animal organizations work together to save lives every day.
Visit Doobert.com to get involved, volunteer, foster, or transport animals in need.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Top Dog Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.
In this episode of the Top Dog Podcast, Caroline Hegarty, founder of Equitopia, shares her mission to improve horse welfare through education, research, and responsible ownership.
After years of working with horses, Caroline began questioning traditional training methods and mainstream horse culture — especially when she saw horses showing signs of stress, discomfort, and fear.
“I never wanted to ride horses at the expense of their welfare.”
That passion led her to create Equitopia, a global educational platform focused on evidence-based horse care, training, and advocacy.
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is the importance of understanding horses as prey animals — recognizing their emotional needs, body language, and trust-based relationships with humans.
“Love is not enough.”
Caroline emphasizes that responsible horse ownership requires ongoing education, critical thinking, and a willingness to challenge outdated traditions.
“We control their destiny.”
She also highlights the dangers of dominance-based training methods and the growing concerns around horse welfare in competitive industries.
“It has become less about the horses.”
At its core, this episode is about shifting from entitlement to responsibility — creating a culture where horses are treated as partners, not tools for performance.
“What can we do for our horses?”
This message is especially important for animal advocates, horse owners, and anyone passionate about ethical animal care. Real change begins when education, compassion, and accountability work together.
If you’re passionate about helping animals, join the Doobert community where volunteers, fosters, transporters, and organizations work together to save lives every day. Visit Doobert.com to get involved.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Top Dog Podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.
Do you know any Top Dogs we should interview? We’re always looking for amazing people in animal welfare to feature on the podcast. Send us an email at tdp@doobert.com.
In this episode of the Top Dog Podcast, Melissa Giordano shares her journey from rescuing two stray dogs in Puerto Rico to becoming a powerful advocate for fostering, transport rescue, and pet safety.
What started as a vacation quickly became a lifelong mission.
“I could never look away.”
Animal rescue is often what people first think about when they imagine helping animals. But according to Animal rescue is often what people first think about when they imagine helping animals. But according to Natalie Ahwesh of Humane Action Pennsylvania, some of the most impactful work happens long before an animal ever enters a shelter.
In this episode of the Top Dog Podcast, Natalie shares how policy reform, community education, and creative coalition-building are helping create long-term change for animals across Pennsylvania. From domestic violence protections to wildlife education campaigns, her work proves that saving animals is not always about direct rescue—it’s also about changing systems.
For organizations, fosters, and Dooberteers, this episode offers a powerful reminder that advocacy and education can protect thousands of animals for years to come.
Natalie began her animal welfare journey as a volunteer walking dogs and helping at shelters while working professionally as a mathematics instructor.
But after joining what would become Humane Action Pennsylvania, she realized something important:
“If I can work to pass a law, I could help hundreds or maybe even thousands of dogs.”
That realization shifted her focus from individual rescue to systemic change.
Over the past 11 years, Humane Action Pennsylvania has helped pass nearly 30 animal welfare laws through:
And unlike temporary solutions, policy changes can create lasting protection for animals for years or even decades.
One of the biggest lessons Natalie shares is that policy work requires persistence.
Some campaigns move quickly. Others take years.
“Policy work is definitely not for people who need instant gratification.”
One Pittsburgh ordinance banning retail sales of commercially bred dogs, cats, and rabbits moved through city council in just weeks.
Another campaign to eliminate animal circuses took nearly three years.
For organizations and advocates, this is an important takeaway:
Meaningful change often happens slowly—but that doesn’t make it less impactful.
One of the most unique aspects of Humane Action Pennsylvania’s work is its focus on interconnected social issues.
Their campaigns extend beyond traditional animal advocacy into areas like:
Natalie explained that animal welfare doesn’t exist in isolation.
“We look at animal welfare through the lens of how it’s connected with other social issues.”
This broader approach helps bring in supporters who may not initially identify as “animal people” but still care deeply about:
One of the most valuable lessons from this episode is the importance of coalition-building.
Rather than working alone, Humane Action Pennsylvania partners with:
One major success involved passing legislation allowing pets to be included in protection-from-abuse orders for domestic violence survivors.
To make that happen, they partnered with:
“When lawmakers are getting calls from the president of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs Association, they’re listening.”
For animal organizations, this is a critical insight:
Progress often happens faster when you find common ground with unexpected partners.
Not every issue can be solved through legislation.
Sometimes education creates the greatest impact.
One example is Humane Action Pennsylvania’s “Love Your Wild Neighbor” campaign, which helps communities coexist more humanely with urban wildlife like raccoons.
Instead of focusing only on enforcement or trapping, the organization created:
“We want people to start seeing them as neighbors instead of nuisances.”
These projects not only educate the public—they also beautify communities and create conversations around compassion and coexistence.
One of the most refreshing parts of Natalie’s leadership philosophy is her openness to adapting.
Unlike organizations that rely heavily on rigid long-term planning, Humane Action Pennsylvania stays flexible.
“Almost everything we’ve accomplished has been because the stars aligned and an opportunity presented itself.”
That flexibility allows the organization to:
For nonprofits and rescue groups, this is an important reminder:
Sometimes adaptability is more valuable than perfection.
Natalie’s team also understands the importance of making advocacy approachable.
One example is Pittsburgh’s Vegan Restaurant Week, designed to:
They’ve also explored:
These campaigns help expand the “circle of compassion” by making animal advocacy accessible to broader audiences.
One of the most inspiring aspects of Natalie’s story is that she didn’t begin in politics or nonprofit leadership.
She started as:
That eventually grew into statewide advocacy work influencing legislation and public policy.
For Dooberteers, this is an important reminder:
You do not need the perfect background to create meaningful change.
Whether you foster, volunteer, advocate, transport, or educate others, you are helping create a more compassionate future for animals.
Natalie’s story shows that impact can happen through:
Sometimes helping animals means changing the systems around them.
Want to hear the full conversation with Natalie Ahwesh and learn more about policy advocacy, coalition-building, and innovative animal welfare campaigns?
Watch on YouTube:
If you’re passionate about helping animals, join the Doobert community where volunteers, fosters, transporters, and animal organizations work together to save lives every day.
Visit Doobert.com to get involved, volunteer, foster, or transport animals in need.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Top Dog Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.
Every year, millions of cats enter shelters across the United States—and among them, neonatal kittens remain the most vulnerable.
They are tiny, fragile, and often require specialized care that many shelters simply don’t have the resources to provide. But according to Marnie Russ, founder of National Kitten Coalition and Kitten College, the problem isn’t impossible to solve.
In this episode of the Top Dog Podcast, Marnie shares how education, foster flexibility, and modern neonatal kitten protocols are helping shelters and rescues save more lives than ever before.
For organizations, fosters, and Dooberteers, this conversation is a powerful reminder that sometimes the smallest animals can inspire the biggest innovations.
One of the most shocking realities Marnie discusses is this:
“They are the most euthanized animals in shelters across America.”
Why?
Because neonatal kittens require:
Many shelters simply don’t have the staffing or resources to provide that level of care internally.
But there’s another side to the story:
“They are the most adoptable.”
That’s what makes neonatal kitten rescue so impactful.
Unlike harder-to-place populations, healthy kittens often find homes quickly once they reach adoption age.
Before animal welfare, Marnie worked as an international aerospace lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
Her path into rescue started with a single orange tabby kitten named Tigger.
“He was the one who changed my life.”
Tigger became more than a pet—he became the connection that shifted her perspective entirely.
Years later, while volunteering at a shelter and fostering kittens herself, Marnie realized there was a major gap in neonatal kitten education and support.
That realization eventually led to the creation of:
One of the biggest takeaways from this episode is simple:
Foster homes save neonatal kittens.
And according to Marnie, fostering kittens is often much more manageable than people think.
“When kittens are first born, all they need is a small carrier.”
For many weeks, neonatal kittens:
This makes kitten fostering more accessible for:
One of the biggest barriers to fostering neonatal kittens is fear.
Many people assume:
But Marnie emphasizes that much of this information is outdated or oversimplified.
“We have made the process of saving them so much harder than it needs to be.”
That’s why Kitten College focuses heavily on:
The goal is not just to recruit fosters—but to support them.
One of the most innovative aspects of Kitten College is its foster structure.
Instead of treating every foster the same, they categorize experience levels:
This allows fosters to choose the level of care they’re comfortable with.
For example:
This system:
And perhaps most importantly:
It makes fostering feel achievable.
One of the reasons Kitten College has grown so quickly is because the program is scalable.
It works for:
“We still have resources for you. You’re doing the same work.”
That mindset is critical in animal welfare.
Not every organization has:
But education and community support can still dramatically improve outcomes.
Marnie also discussed how modern tools are making fostering more accessible than ever.
These include:
Instead of requiring lengthy in-person classes, fosters can now access guidance quickly and conveniently.
That flexibility matters because many people want to help—they just need confidence and support.
One of the most important messages Marnie shares is this:
“A foster that has a kitten has 100% saved the life of that kitten.”
Even when outcomes are difficult, fosters provide:
And for neonatal kittens, sometimes that chance is everything.
If you’ve ever considered fostering kittens, this episode is your reminder that:
You simply need willingness, support, and compassion.
By fostering neonatal kittens, you directly help:
Want to hear the full conversation with Marnie Russ and learn more about neonatal kitten care, foster innovation, and lifesaving education programs?
Watch on YouTube:
If you’re passionate about helping animals, join the Doobert community where volunteers, fosters, transporters, and animal organizations work together to save lives every day.
Visit Doobert.com to get involved, volunteer, foster, or transport animals in need.
And don’t forget to subscribe to the Top Dog Podcast on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.
