My interview with Carol Mithers, author of Rethinking Rescue
It's finally live! An in-depth conversation about the ties between human and domestic animal welfare
Last fall I had the privilege of interviewing journalist, author, and all-around impressive human Carol Mithers about her newest book: Rethinking Rescue: Dog Lady and The Story of America’s Forgotten People and Pets.
This week our conversation went live for the world to hear!
Listen on Spotify, Apple, or your other go-to podcast platform.
Who is Carol Mithers?
Carol is a journalist with a passion for telling women’s stories. She’s written three other books: Therapy Gone Mad about radical California psychotherapy, Mighty Be Our Powers with Leymah Gbowee, and Final Gifts about caring for aging parents. She also contributes to publications like the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post. I first discovered her work through some op-eds shared in my online dog community.
Who am I, again?
For my part, I’m a freelancer writer, longtime dog nerd, and occasional podcast host. The Juniper Podcast started as my client Allison’s brainchild. Over the months she’s gone from client to friend—and the pod has gone from “let’s just experiment with this?” to more focused interviews.
Candidly, I did not feel ready to talk with Carol Mithers. I never would have reached out for a conversation without Allison’s push and Juniper’s backing! (The morning of our interview, sitting in our campground at Canyonlands National Park, I was laced with anxiety about losing internet or stumbling over my words or a series of increasingly improbable mishaps.) But it went well. I’m thankful for the reminder that putting myself out there is basically always good.
My initial reflections on Rethinking Rescue ★5
You can read my notes on Carol’s book in this longer post. Top takeaways include:
Human and nonhuman animal welfare are inextricably linked
Veterinary care (particularly spay/neuter procedures) and housing play a huge role in reducing shelter euthanasia rates
A situation must be truly dire for a dog to be better off in a new home than with their existing person
We need to abandon the rescue “savior” mindset
Ethical breeders and rescues working together is not some rosy fantasy
Dogs are individuals
Questions Carol and I discuss in our interview
Allow me a humble confident-because-I-worked-hard-on-this-and-am-proud brag: At the end of our recording, Carol told me my questions were “up there as some of the most thoughtful and informed” she’s been asked throughout her years as an author. (Cue urge to cry.)
Rethinking Rescue is your first book centered on nonhuman animals. What's your own pet-lover origin story?
If you could make sure every reader took one thing away from this book, what would it be?
In your opinion, what's the biggest barrier to responsible pet ownership in the United States?
Can you talk more about media representations of "rescue"—foster dogs' massive Tik Tok followings, big-name celebrities sharing their adoptees' backstories, sensationalized features on The Dodo—and the narrative of saviorism?
Your book shares stories of dogs who fully transcend their past (like Lori's Clancy) and dogs who are unable to adjust (like Bandit and others noted as bite risks throughout). How do you think we can responsibly strike the balance of not seeing rescues as inherently "damaged" while also understanding genetics and past experiences do affect our pets?
In an ideal world, do you think there's an ethical place for dog breeders?
Did your research offer any insights as to how rescues and breeders could work together?
What's your best advice for sharing other people's stories in a way that humanizes—inspires empathy—instead of furthering stereotypes and division?
What was the most challenging part of this project?
What was the most rewarding?
And one we ran out of time for that I’m still pondering myself:
It's difficult for many of us to imagine free roaming pets, but some domestic dogs still live that way across the world. It's often not sustainable in modern urban environments, but I'm curious: Did Lori's experiences with her Downtown Dog Rescue community change your thoughts on this at all?
With the welfare of all creatures in mind
If you’re an animal lover, rescue worker, social justice advocate, or just someone interested in powerful stories, I hope you find the time to listen to the podcast and (even better) read Carol’s whole book.