Steve Spiro – START Rescue

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Steve Spiro, the President, and Co-founder of START Rescue.

Steve was born and raised in London, England, but now resides in Los Angeles. In 2011, he formed Start Rescue with two other individuals, Renee Ruston, and Adam Tarshius, to rescue dogs. Steve and his wife Susannah have also done individual rescues, bringing home or placing as many dogs as possible in foster care.

He is a former boxer but now writes screenplays almost full-time. However, he also devotes much energy to Start Rescue’s mission. He has several TV and film projects in development. He attributes his wife, Susannah, to introducing him to animal rescue and veganism.

The START Rescue stands for Shelter Transport Animal Rescue Team. It was founded in 2011 by three compassionate people who set out to make a difference in the lives of needy animals.

START’s goal is to reduce the euthanasia rates of surrendered, stray, neglected, and abused animals in California and beyond. START also focuses on saving the lives of cats and dogs at high risk of death. START also focuses on saving the lives of cats and dogs at high risk of death, and their programs are all funded through donor funds.

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Lindsey Wolko – Center for Pet Safety

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with  Lindsey Wolko, founder of the Center for Pet Safety.

Lindsey is a dedicated advocate for long-term pet safety, and her mission is deeply personal to every pet owner. With her keen understanding of the pet industry, she works tirelessly to ensure the safety of pet products and the well-being of companion animals. Her work spans various areas, including authoring safety standards for pet products, independently certifying pet products, counseling pet product manufacturers globally, and leading the Center for Pet Safety research division.

The Center for Pet Safety (CPS) continues to grow and evolve. CPS has seen its vision grow and evolve to heights it could never have imagined. They look forward to a long future of faithfully serving pet owners around the globe and working to ensure the safety of their companion animals.

The Center for Pet Safety was launched because of a safety scare with Lindsey’s adopted dog, Maggie. She ran a pilot study on safety harnesses wherein the results showed a 100% failure rate on all products they crash-tested. That’s why one of the goals of CPS is to advocate for pet owners and lovers to have a safety standard that the product needs to meet.

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Dr. Jan-Harm Pol & Mrs. Diane Pol – Pol Veterinary Services

This week on All My Children Wear Fur Coats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Jan Pol & Mrs. Diane Pol of Pol Veterinary Services, located in Michigan. Dr. Pol is best known as “The Incredible Dr. Pol” where he starts in his own show on Nat Geo Wild.  

As the youngest of six children in the Netherlands, Dr. Jan Pol lived among dairy cows, sheep, pigs, chickens, geese, turkeys, rabbits, dogs, and Friesian horses. From age 12, when he helped deliver a litter of piglets on his family’s dairy farm, Jan knew he wanted to become a veterinarian. A year-long study abroad program in high school took him to Mayville, Michigan, USA. There, he met Diane, who would become his wife after years of friendship and blossoming love. The couple has now been married for over 50 years. He graduated from the prestigious Utrecht University Veterinary program in 1970 and immigrated to the United States in 1971.

Ten years into his career working with a local vet, Dr. Pol was eager to begin his practice. He moved to Weidman, Michigan, in 1981 and founded Pol Veterinary Services out of his garage with his wife, Diane. 

With a down-to-earth, practical approach to veterinary medicine, Dr. Pol grew his practice, The Pol Veterinary Services, from a humble start to one with over 25,000 clients. Thirty-eight years later, Dr. Pol and his clinic staff continue to care for their rural Michigan clientele. He specializes in large farm animals and treats horses, pigs, cows, sheep, alpacas, goats, chickens, and occasionally reindeer.

With more than 45 years of veterinarian experience, Dr. Pol pioneered his unique approach for treating animals. He is also the charismatic and world-renowned star of Nat Geo WILD’s #1 hit television series, “The Incredible Dr. Pol,” which follows the doctor on his 14-hour workdays treating pets and livestock.

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