Why Do Pets Matter? Hosted by Debra Hamilton, Esq.

Bestselling author of "Excellence Beyond Compliance" James Gesualdi is speaking with us again, this time we're taking a deeper dive into his "Principles of Constructive Engagement" and the "Enlightened Caregivers Creed."

You can listen to his first interview right here:

https://whydopetsmatter.podbean.com/e/introducing-the-show-why-do-pets-matter-podcast-100/

Animals matter, they are living beings that share the planet with us. Pets are an integral part of our lives, our homes, and our families.

Jim's work is featured in his monthly column "Getting Better All The Time" on the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Academy website.

https://sdzwaacademy.org/

James F. Gesualdi has been “lawyering from the heart” on animal welfare and wildlife conservation-related matters for a quarter of a century. He is dedicated to “making a difference for animals and people” through collaboration and by building consensus in constructive and innovative ways.

Jim has a B.A., magna cum laude, with highest honors in Government by the St. Lawrence University; an M.A., in Political Science by the State University of New York at Stony Brook; and a J.D. with Distinction by the Hofstra University School of Law.

He was also a recipient of both the Animals and the Law’s Exemplary Service Award in 2018 and Excellence in the Advancement of Animal Law Award in 2019.

James Gesualdi's Book: https://ExcellenceBeyondCompliance.com

Dr. Kathleen Cooney joins us for a powerful conversation about end-of-life care for your beloved companion animals during this episode of "Why Do Pets Matter?"

She talks about how to communicate with your veterinarian -- what to expect and explore when it comes to hospice care, treatment options, and the different types of euthanasia options available. She also discusses why talking about and pre-planning end-of-life care is an important part of pet ownership.

Since 2006, Kathleen's focus has been the advancement of quality end-of-life care for companion animals, and more recently, on animal welfare and the ethical approaches to pet aftercare.

In 2006, she founded (but no longer owns) the company Home to Heaven in Loveland, Colorado, where she honed skills to support patients and clients.

She is a past-President of the International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care (IAAHPC).

Through her consulting work, her mission is to provide end-of-life care training to veterinary team providers and raise awareness for this field.

Dr. Cooney has collaborated in euthanasia training for the AVMA, AAHA, IAAHPC, HABRI, the Fear Free program, and is Founder and Director of Education for the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA).

Kathleen is a well-known leader in the animal hospice movement and in the art of beautiful euthanasia experiences through the Companion Animal Euthanasia Training Academy (CAETA).

She is a strong advocate for best practices in all aspects of end-of-life care and speaks nationally and internationally on such topics.

Kathleen is working towards board certification in animal welfare and is a Certified Compassion Fatigue Provider.

https://caetainternational.com/about/our-team/

http://kathleencooneydvm.com/

Connect with Kathleen:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleencooneydvm/

[email protected]

We're talking about pets and how mediation can be exceptionally beneficial when people are in conflict over a pet, what it takes to have a successful experience with mediation, and how mediation can help people move from a right or wrong, high conflict situation to a conversation that leads them to a better resolution for their dispute while preserving their future relationship.

Gary Friedman has been practicing law as a mediator with Mediation Law Offices in Mill Valley, California since 1976.

Prior to his work as a mediator, he practiced law as a trial lawyer with Friedman and Friedman in Bridgeport, Connecticut. After several years as an advocate, he sought a new approach to resolving disputes through increasing the participation of the parties in the resolution of their differences. At that time, he and his colleague, Jack Himmelstein, began to develop the Understanding-based model that is now practiced extensively in the United States and Europe. As one of the first lawyer mediators and a primary force in the current mediation movement, he has used this model to complete over one thousand mediations in the last two decades, including numerous two-party and multi-party disputes in the commercial and non-profit realms, in the area of intellectual property, real estate, corporate, personnel, partnership formations and dissolutions, and family law.

Through the Center for Mediation in Law, Gary has trained lawyers, law professors and judges in the Center’s method of mediation and a mediative approach to lawyering and collaborative practice. Since l989, he has been training lawyers, judges and psychotherapists in the United States, Europe, and Israel. He has taught courses in negotiation and mediation at Stanford University Law School and the New College of Law and has taught at Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation and at the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva.

Gary has written extensively about mediation and conflict resolution and is the author of A Guide to Divorce Mediation, (Workman Publishing, l993) and is the co-author, with Jack Himmelstein, of Challenging Conflict: Mediation Through Understanding (published by the American Bar Association and Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, 2008).

https://understandinginconflict.org/our-teachers/gary-friedman/

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/gary-friedman/6/453/14b

High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out by Amanda Ripley

A Guide to Divorce Mediation: How to Reach a Fair, Legal Settlement at a Fraction of the Cost

Challenging Conflict: Mediation Through Understanding

Kelly Baltzell, founder of Beyond Indigo, a marketing agency that helps progressive pet service providers get the word out about their businesses "to get more tails through the door" is joining us during this episode of "Why Do Pets Matter?"

Beyond our never-ending passion for pets and the unconditional love they have for their people, we are both passionate about human communication.

The kind of communication that reflects self-awareness, honesty, accountability, responsibility, and forgiveness -- first with ourselves and then with others.

In 2020 Kelly and I hosted a highly successful workshop called "Speaking The Right Words" to help professionals navigate their way through "reactive communications" while giving them tools to converse with others in a way that wouldn't be perceived as "offensive" -- a way of having empowering and curious discussions that lead to collaborative outcomes without being quagmired in defensiveness and negativity.

Kelly is President and CEO of the Beyond Indigo family of companies, which she founded in 1997. Under her leadership, Beyond Indigo companies have developed all types of veterinary websites (small animal, exotic, specialty, equine, mixed animal) that now reach millions of people each year in multiple countries.

As of 2013, Beyond Indigo Pets has worked closely with AAHA as a preferred provider, and in 2015 took part in their new Member Value Program for websites and marketing.

Since 2015, Beyond Indigo has been a certified Google AdWords Partner, and works directly with Google.

Additionally, Kelly has been a monthly columnist for AAHA Marketlink since 2011. She has also spoken and been published in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK.

Kelly speaks frequently about marketing trends and website design at national and international conventions and private functions. Her goal is to keep people up-to-date with the latest information on digital marketing in an easy-to-understand manner. Kelly’s 20-years of experience, passion, and visionary approach to the industry make her an unparalleled leader in internet marketing.

Kelly graduated from George Washington University with a degree in international affairs and economics and received her master’s degree in counseling and psychology from St. Mary’s. Kelly is a proud parent, currently living with her family in Minnesota.

http://www.beyondindigopets.com/
https://www.facebook.com/beyondindigopets
https://www.instagram.com/beyondindigopets/
https://www.youtube.com/user/beyondindigopets
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellybaltzell/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/beyond-indigo-pets

I can't wait for you to listen to this podcast with Suzanne Cannon co-founder of VetBilling.com.

She has created an amazing service that can help every pet owner figure out a way to pay for their pet's veterinary care.

VetBilling's flexible, client-friendly payment solutions allow veterinarian teams to deliver affordable relationship-centered care when a client may have otherwise been forced to make a different choice.

Quite frankly, it blows my mind that every veterinary clinic in the country isn't using the VetBilling.com service. So, if your veterinarian isn't offering this as a payment option, we're going to tell you how to get Suzanne's information to them during the show.

Why are pets important to Suzanne? In her own words -- Pets are the one way we experience unconditional love while we are alive on Earth.

"I have loved animals probably since I took my first breath! Which was interesting to my parents who raised me in Los Angeles, with very few animals around our neighborhood and none in our household. But if animals were around anywhere, I'd find them and befriend them.

From the time I was 3, I was obsessed with horses; I rode my first horse at 4; started taking lessons at age 6, and by then I'd gotten my first cat and dog. My connection to animals is not something I can logically explain, but they matter deeply to me as sentient beings who enrich our lives enormously, model unconditional love and acceptance, and call us to be better versions of our human selves.

I cannot imagine my life without companion animals in it.

I'm also an introvert, and it's often easier for me to feel more comfortable with animals than people. I feel a deep spiritual connection with animals, and I hold them in reverence as sacred beings."

More about Suzanne Cannon:

Suzanne co-founded VetBilling® in 2014, after a $ 4,000 emergency vet bill awakened her to the realization that too many pet owners lack accessible options for financing the cost of veterinary care. VetBilling’s mission is to keep pets and their families together, by reducing economic euthanasia and surrenders driven by lack of access to the credit and cash reserves necessary for managing unexpected veterinary expenses.

Suzanne has presented on the topic of financial access to care for Maddie’s Fund, the Access to Veterinary Care Coalition, Cornell University’s Center for Veterinary Business and Entrepreneurship, VetPartners, and the Veterinary Science Technology Program at SUNY-Delhi. She has also created two RACE-approved CE courses on managing client financial constraints in the veterinary clinical setting.

Suzanne holds an M.S. in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University of Maryland and an M.A. in Jewish Studies from Baltimore Hebrew University. With a prior professional background in pastoral counseling, Suzanne is passionate about helping veterinarians and pet owners identify financial solutions in a collaborative atmosphere of emotional safety.

Suzanne lives on 4 acres in the rolling countryside of Carroll County, Maryland along with her partner in life and in business, Tony Ferraro. Together they share 3 dogs - an Otterhound, Scout; a miniature schnauzer, Finch; and Sophie, a Maltese that was inherited from a relative who recently passed away. Suzanne also owns Chase, a Clydesdale/Thoroughbred cross, who is retired from foxhunting and dressage and now enjoys hacking out on wooded trails as often as possible.

Resources Mentioned During The Show:

Link to credit article Suzanne mentioned during our conversation:

https://vetbilling.com/excellent-credit-score-declined-for-credit-yes-it-happens-to-your-veterinary-clients/

VetBilling Info and Website:
https://www.vetbilling.com

The business Suzanne co-founded with her partner 10 years ago, VetBilling, is one solution for mitigating the cost barrier to care.

VetBilling’s mission is to keep pets and their families together, by reducing economic euthanasia and surrenders driven by lack of access to the credit and cash reserves necessary for managing unexpected veterinary expenses.

VetBilling equips veterinary practices with a cloud-based payment management platform that allows veterinarians to confidently offer in-house payment and budgeting plans to the 60% of clients who are ineligible for conventional credit-based financing.

Open Door Veterinary Collective:

https://www.opendoorconsults.org

This nonprofit organization teaches veterinary practices how to sustainably expand access to veterinary care while remaining profitable and financially healthy.

Frontiers in Veterinary Science, brief research report: "Payment...