Show #5: Wildlife and Basement snakes!

This Friday Steve and I did our second sort-of live show, it was very nervewracking for me (and not Steve, of course) as it was my first time using the mixer and more than 10 buttons on a machine sort of scare me.

Today's show revolves around wildlife: what do you do if you encounter woodland critters sitting on your couch and chillaxin'? You call the Toronto Wildlife centre, that's what. Of course, the types of measures taken vary, depending on the situation, wildlife species, and how comfortable you are with dealing with the special guest. I talk to Nathalie Karvonen, the executive director of TWC about this. Their website is http://torontowildlifecentre.com

I also talk to Lauren Nurse (http://laurennurse.com), a visual artist and gardener, about her experience with having basement snakes. Very Indiana Jones-esque, she describes.

We also share a bit of information gathered from the Toronto Zoo's website on how to build a hibernaculum (if you, like Lauren, have special guests in your basement!)http://www.torontozoo.com/adoptapond/snakehibernacula.asp

Photograph titled "George retreats" by Lauren (love it.)

Photograph titled "Baby boy"

Show #4: Pet loss

Today on Hands & Tails we talk about different ways to commemorate a lost pet.

Steve and I talked to Paul Boddum, a Toronto based artist who does paintings of pets in memoriam (he does paintings of living dogs and cats, too!) We talked about "Pampered Puppy" in our segment, and how it is important to not only grieve, but to celebrate the life of animal who has moved on.

Another way to grieve is to talk to someone, and Dr Michael Meehan’s Pet Loss support hotline offers that type of resource for pet owners who want to remain anonymous, but have their feelings heard and legitimized. You can find the website here: http://www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/petloss/

Lastly, Steve heads over to Cedar Down farm to talk to a couple on their story of acquiring a new pup after the loss of their older mutt… and how she’s training to become mega-mutt-ground-hog-killer. Here is their website: http://cedardownfarm.ca/blog

Show #3: Taxidermy and taxidermy things

What an interesting show (our first show that was aired live!) with Jenny Mitchell (Guelph musician aka "Jenny Omnichord") who is an appreciator and collector of taxidermy items, and Jessica Lee, a taxidermist/artist based out of Brantford.

We talked about the taxidermy process, taxidermy squirrels on swings, Jenny's own ideas on what she thinks would make awesome pieces on set and how both Jessica and Jenny's new family have impacted their work and also taxidermy....again.

Jessica's facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/j-lee-Taxidermy/73218598826

Show #2: Versatility of the goat

On this show we have Gabriel from the CFRU news team sharing her story on being chased by a hungry goat, Lauren and Donna from Wellington Fibres and OVC’s Dr Paula Menzies, a small ruminant (sheep and goat) veterinarian. I also share my story on raising 2 West African dwarf goats during my time in Ghana - Noma (which means "love" in Waali their local language) and Princess Mackerel (a canned dish everyone likes snacking on).

Wellington Fibres: http://wellingtonfibres.on.ca/

OMAFRA (Goat nutrition): http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/goat/facts/goatnutrition.htm

Ontario Goat: http://www.ontariodairygoat.com/

Songs in this show include:

• Eminem - G.O.A.T
• Bleating Hearts - Sand in Our Pocket
• The Mountain Goats (various songs)

* I couldn't find a picture of Princess Mackerel on the interweb, so this one will do for now.

Show #1: Imagery of a bear

Steve and I (Dor!) are hosts of “Hands & Tails” - a radio talk program that discusses arts, animals and everything under the sun. It's on air every Friday 10:00 to 11:00 AM at CFRU 93.3 FM (Guelph campus/community radio station)

This week we discuss about the imagery of a bear. We first hear from the perspective of a Metis artist Nathalie Bertin about her respect for the bear, and also the story of her first time hunting in her home of Muskoka. Steve talks to a honey bee farmer from Board's Honey about the difficulties faced when trying to get black bears from encroaching the farm land. Lastly, we talk to Guelph’s MSAC (Macdonald Stewart Art centre) art/education coordinator Aidan Ware on her stories with the Begging Bear statue (located at College Ave and Gordon St)

Nathalie's art works can be found here

Board's Honey farm (I bought their creamed cinnamon honey at Fair November and it is incredibly delicious.)

And Macdonald Stewart Art centre

Shown here is Nathalie's "The Big Caboose" which we have discussed about in our segment.

© ”The Big Caboose”, 2009, by Nathalie Bertin, www.nathaliebertin.com

Next week, we will be talking about the versatility of the goat as a meat, dairy and fibre producer, as well as a companion. We’ll also share a story of a girl being chased by goats. Dr Paula Menzies will share her own experiences so stay tuned!