Tonight at 8p on CBS you can watch as Justin Silver has a way of talking to Dogs in the City, New York City that is and I recently spoke to him about the show and animals.
Every Wednesday night we watch him work miracles with man’s best friend, so I wanted to know how he got started in the business. He told me, “It happened very naturally for me. I was doing stand up comedy at night and doing personal training during the day. Personal training taught me how people ticked, you are helping people get over their physical stuff. There is the emotional aspect to it too. I learned about the excuses people make and getting them over the emotional hump that will help them keep up the work and get in shape. That was the human aspect. Then I would come home at night after doing stand up and I felt a little bit of a void and feeling empty. I would watch those depressing animal commercials in the middle of the night and I was like I am going to start rescuing dogs. I started working with the independent shelters, pulled dogs off of death row and I would have them in my house, rehabilitate them. It kind of just happened, like I just had to figure it out. With these dogs, you don’t know much about their background. But they are living there in your apartment, so you’re like alright I gotta figure this out. So that is how I cut my teeth with it. I just got known in my neighborhood as the guy who would take in the dogs. Neighbors started asking me to help with their dogs. Then pet stores started referring me. Vets started referring me. One thing lead to another and I was doing it a lot.” He then added, “It all happened very organically for me and that is exactly how the show happened. I got approached by the producers. I met with them one day and they started following me around. It just sort of happened.”
Watching the show we have seen him work his miracle on these pups and he let me in what is really important for every dog everywhere. He said, “Just having them around other animals, whether it is pavement or park is going to do wonders for them for their socialization and stuff. I say get them around as many dogs as possible. Keep them outside as much as possible. If it’s cold out, throw a coat on them. My thing is exercise with other dogs is really the best thing.”
And what about that person who decides they want to bring home a puppy, here was his advice on that “The most important thing is they have to recognize it is a two-way street. A lot people think alright I am going to get the dog. They get the dog to satisfy their own needs. I’m lonely or I want someone to pet at the end of the night. But you have to realize this dog has requirements for exercise, requirements for training, requirements for socialization. You are now becoming a dog owner, so that is an aspect of your life that is going to change and you have to recognize that. If you don’t provide those things for it, you are going to have problems. Just returning it or sending it back, like that is not really an option. People have to know there is a responsibility involved with taking care of a dog. Although it is not exactly the same thing as taking care of a child, but it is a different lifestyle.”
A lifestyle for some might be a dog, but for me it is cats. So I wanted to get some tidbits on the other four-legged friend. He responded with, “I love introducing cats and dogs. It is one of my favorite things to do. When people have cats and dogs, you need to know how to train dogs on the cat terms. It is always an important thing. Dogs want to get in there and rumble around. With cats you are going to wind up with scratch marks on your nose. So it is important to teach the dogs how to respect the cat’s space. I love cats. I love all animals, with the exception of cockroaches I love all animals.” Then he added that cats are good to get rid of those nasty bugs.
We did not see him work with cats and dogs this season, but it would be something he would like to have on the next one if the show gets picked up. What else would he like for season two? These are a few of the things he would like to do, “I like working with dogs and other animals. I worked with dogs on ranches. I have gotten called to ranches to socialize the dog with other animals. I am not as familiar with other animals, and I would like to do more of that. I have worked with dogs and birds before.
“Other situations I would like to do is working with dogs with disabilities. I always like providing resources for people with that. I like making people understand that just because a dog has a disability doesn’t mean it is helpless. That is such a nice thing. I work blind dogs and deaf dogs on a daily basis. That is something I would like to do more of.
“Working with dogs around water, teach them how to swim.”
So what does he do when the cameras stop rolling, he told me about an amazing charity he started called Funny for Fido. He said, “It is comic relief for animals. We put the country’s best comedians together for a benefit and all the money goes to the rescue shelters. That is the way that I have been incorporating stand up and my love for animals for a long time. We have dogs there for adoption. The comics get really involved. I get calls from their parents who want to adopt the dogs from us and we raise a lot of money.” Knowing about my fur ball, he added that they raise money for cats too.
Between talking to Justin Silver and watching Dogs in the City I have learned so much from him about properly raising a dog. If you are a dog owner, then there is so much you can learn from him by watching the show on CBS or CBS.com.
If you need Justin to help you personally, you can find out more about his company The Language of Dogs on the website.
