So You Want to Run a Dog Rescue? A Podcast

10/21/2025

Sometimes you think you’ve got the perfect plan… and then your foster goes and adopts a dog and you have flex, stat.

This week on the podcast, we talk about Rico — the quirks, the yeast, and the art of pivoting when rescue doesn’t go the way you hoped.

🎧 So You Want to Run a Dog Rescue — 3.3 Dog Detective available now 👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3bhe2Vr719wiyj14lYOZTP?si=h1yQxiJnSFifsWADUddzUQ

10/21/2025

Your turn. Ready, go!

09/30/2025

Another day, another dog in need because their owner passed. 💔

This is one reason why rescues hesitate with senior adopters. Not because we don’t *want* seniors to have dogs. Not because we don’t value the love they give. But because when the inevitable happens, the dog is left behind — and the cycle starts all over again.

Episode 3.2: **Senior Adopters **
We don’t sugarcoat it. We talk about when it works, when it doesn’t, and why rescues are programmed to think twice.

🎧 Listen here --> https://open.spotify.com/episode/23LSz4dIKtQjEyyAJT2qXh?si=1urf-9NnSh6dSh16C83jqA

09/25/2025

🚨 NEW EPISODE DROP 🚨

Episode 3.2: Senior Adopters 👵🐶

Adopting to seniors can be tricky… sometimes wonderful… other times, not so much.

Case in point: a “GSD experienced” retiree named Sue who foster-failed Gina (now Zarya). A year later she emailed saying Zarya had “serious brain function problems” because she would “forget her training” when other dogs appeared.
Quote: “Each day is a start over day re behavior/commands. More evidence of brain damage as I see it.” 💀

She even asked about euthanasia 💀 Talk about a red flag 🚩

I picked her up, and my suspicions were confirmed. Turns out, not a brain-damaged dog — just an old lady who forgot a lot about GSDs. Maybe Sue was the one needing the neuro eval...

Zarya? Rock solid. Stable. Loving. Now living her best life with Sami Garza (Nirvana K9 Training) as a support + decoy/demo dog, helping reactive dogs chill the hell out.

“Brain Damaged TBH” has since become a full-on rescue meme. 😂

🎧 Listen now: https://open.spotify.com/episode/23LSz4dIKtQjEyyAJT2qXh?si=MfZtdOCgTBGWbca47QLM1Q

09/17/2025

When fan girling pays dividends! In cased you missed it, there's a *very big* announcement in Episode 3.1. We're a little bit excited.

Listen here --> https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/dgs-podcast/episodes/3-1---Spay-Aborts-The-No-Brainer-No-Kill-Cant-Handle-e38144e/a-ac59ner

09/10/2025

We’re kicking off the season with a hot-button topic everyone pretends is complicated: spay aborts. Spoiler: it’s a no-brainer…unless you’re drinking the Austin Pets Alive Kool-Aid. Yep, we said it. Dirty-deleted videos, twisted “No Kill” logic, and all—the truth needs saying, and we’re here for it.

Also on the docket:
🐾 Not Your 9 to 5: Strep Zoo (add it to the growing list of rescue risks) + a 3 a.m. VEG adventure with a happy ending.
📂 Crazy Folder: Tammy vs. Juliana. Ashlyn puts on her HR hat to kindly tell Tammy to f**k off.

🎧 Listen here:

Season Three, LFG! In episode 1, hosts Jenny Nordin and Ashlyn Kauh dive straight into a hot-button topic: spay aborts. Why so controversial? In today’s rescue climate, it should be a no-brainer. But with big names like No-Kill Austin Pets Alive pushing a twisted, delusional narrative (and dirty-d...

09/02/2025

Kissy Küsse is out. Ringworm Sally is in.
Season 3 Episode 1 will be dropping in the next 48 hrs. LFG!!!

08/28/2025

We 👏 are 👏 back 👏
Tonight we hit the record button and we can't wait to catch y'all up on all the CRAZY.

08/25/2025

🚨 We’ve really missed the podcast, and SO MUCH has happened since the last season. Honestly, we don’t even know where to start. But buckle up—Season 3 Episode 1 is coming very soon! 🎙️🐾

Just a few ramblings while we get ready to hit record:
👉 It’s been a few years since I’ve been bit, and while this little Level 2 chomp is nothing compared to what some of the big dogs handed me back in the day (whenever this happens I hear Jonathan saying "you’re not supposed to get bit" 🙃), it’s a good reminder that even a cute 10lb scruffy can pack a punch.
👉 We added 9 chickens to the rescue pack 🐓 Shadowfax is rocking it 👊
👉 Ran our first Barnhunt at the community center (shoutout to Monty and Margot!) 🐀
👉 Survived Vegas in August with 3 kids for SuperZoo 😅

We’ve got a ton of topics lined up, but we’d love your input—what should we tackle first?

1️⃣ Controversial spay/abort shelter & rescue policies
2️⃣ Navigating adoptions with elderly folks
3️⃣ Ringworm (and why it’s really not a BFD)
4️⃣ Current behavioral euthanasia considerations
5️⃣ Why the “No Kill” movement needs to be dismantled & rethought

Or… something else you’re dying to hear us dig into? Drop your vote below ⬇️

08/20/2025

Today we officially registered the microchip for Koda (aka Captain Destructo) — our husky with (GASP!) separation and containment anxiety, plus some truly next-level determination. I mean, let’s give him some credit: he destroyed a stationary Impact Crate. Skills!

We always hold off 30 days before finalizing an adoption and registering the chip, since that first month is often the hardest. If a dog is going to bounce back, it usually happens then — especially with dogs like Koda. No matter how much we prep adopters, the transition can be rough, and it takes a special kind of human to stick it out.

With Koda, we were cautiously hopeful. His new person even went out and invested in a High Anxiety Impact Crate right after adoption (serious commitment 👏). Still, we were a little butt-puckered through that first month.

But here we are: Koda made it past the 30-day mark! He’s still with his awesome adopter, rocking a fully color-coordinated Fort Knox setup. We’d say Koda hit the jackpot — let’s celebrate this happy ending! 🎉🐾

In case you missed it, listen to Koda's story, plus learn all about Megaesophagus, on Episode 2.28:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3KAelUNeYn3fIpdHdi4gA4?si=XjiMwRKaQVqr58yPhj6GSg

08/19/2025

Imagine you take in a large male dog to foster and he doesn't know you from Adam, when suddenly - scrotal hematoma! - and you are responsible for icing his giant swollen empty ball sack around the clock. This is just another day in the life, and we're here for it!

Hear all about it in the Season 2 Finale and let us know what you think in the comments!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0e12gA0fzhqeY3kIhFdlJF?si=io6Z459NQ6eFHoHo7EFOAA

07/21/2025

In 2.27 we finally let Jonathan Nordin on the podcast. (There was a probationary period after the whole Sinister filter fiasco). We sort of regret asking him about his least favorite foster, and he had a lot to say -- about Brigid.

But we want to know: Is she actually ugly? Or was it just the trauma memory from thousands of dollars in destruction, saintly nurse care, dog aggression and separation anxiety that rivaled Rolex? You be the judge.

Full episode here --> https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/CH9rBPsv7Ub