Brad Likes Worms

It was Gandhi who said "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." Our RESCUE ME episodes may be one of my favorite parts of the entire Creature Preacher operation. Full disclosure, I did not come up with this concept. It's all John Perotti .

The idea was to ask our host Nancy Mello to do short readings with animals who are up for adoption. Instead of asking a human "what kind of animal do you want? Small? Large? Loud? Active?" we ask the animal, what kind of home are you looking for? Our first episode headed to Ohio's Rescue Village to meet Mr. Phillip the pig and Brad, the chicken. The team made an awesome Instagram post with all of Brad's "Green Flags."

Nancy only needs to see the eyes of the animal to be able to give us a better understanding of what they hope for in their forever home. Each week, we'll bring you adoptable animals from around the country (or even the world). This week we featured Haven, a sweet cat from the MSPCA-Angell in Salem, Massachusetts. Nancy says that Haven is a "young twelve [year old]" and certified couch potato. She "would have been the type of girl to eat lunch alone in the library not because she hates other people but because she prefers quiet."

Then there's Hvaldimir, the beluga whale who escaped captivity and quickly became a global phenomenon. He is now roaming free (and maybe not so calm about it?) Nancy works with him to find his safe space. Seriously don't miss this episode. I asked producer Catherine Fenollosa to give us a bit of background on how these episodes are made.

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1. What did you think when we asked you to work on an animal communication project?

CF: I was intrigued. I’m kind of spooked by the supernatural. I’m the person who is always afraid of going to a fortune teller or palm reader even though I’m dying to know what they’d tell me. But the idea of someone who can communicate with animals?! That feels way less scary. Plus, I’d love to know what my dog is thinking.?

2. Talk to us about the RESCUE ME episodes.? How do you go about producing them?

CF: We try to vary the kinds of animals featured, from pigs to birds, bunnies to cats - and from all over the country. Young, old, cranky looking, spirited! We select four animals and share their photos with Nancy and she looks into their eyes and she goes with whomever starts talking to her first.?

3. What has surprised you the most about these sessions?

CF: I wasn’t a total believer to start. But after a few of Nancy’s readings, I’m fascinated. For the rescued animals, we only share a photo of the animal with Nancy. No other information. And she doesn’t have time to do any research before we start the session. But as producers, we know a little more information that the shelter has provided, such as Philip the pig is suffering from arthritis. Or Rupert the bunny is shy and follows his sister Penny around. Again, we don’t share any of that with Nancy. But during the reading, she immediately picks up on all of it! Like, ALL OF IT.?

4. What has surprised you the most about rescues/shelters across the country?

CF: I didn’t realize how many shelters have animals beyond cats and dogs. There are lizards, snakes, chickens. The list is endless. I also hadn’t realized how many animals end up in shelters after a natural disaster.?

6. What do you hope people get from these episodes??

CF: I hope people realize that the number of animals looking for a home is enormous. And while it’s a great service to give an animal a home, I think we humans benefit more. Growing up, my family adopted 4 dogs - a Dalmatian, a Chesapeake Retriever, a Beagle, and a Lab. Now, with my own kids, we’ve adopted Poppy, a yellow Lab mix. She came to us skinny and scared. It didn't take long for her to settle in and become the family member in the house the kids gravitate to when they’re sad, happy, tired or playful. She’s the ultimate comfort. So I hope that by listening to these episodes, you’ll realize that there are so many options out there for you. Young dogs, older cats, energetic gerbils, and mellow pigs. And they’re all cute (minus the snakes, IMHO.)