The Current - What our relationships with our pets reveal about us

Episode Date: October 30, 2025

A new podcast, Furball Confidential, dives into one of our most intimate relationships — the ones we have with our pets. Veteran podcaster, Jen Moroz, interviews prominent actors, authors, musicians and influencers about living with their beloved animals, and speaks about what those relationships reveal about them and how they made them better humans.

This ascent isn't for everyone. You need grit to climb this high this often. You've got to be an underdog that always over-delivers. You've got to be 6,500 hospital staff, 1,000 doctors, all doing so much with so little. You've got to be Scarborough. Defined by our uphill battle and always striving towards new heights. And you can help us keep climbing.

Donate at lovescarbro.cairbo. This is a CBC podcast. Hello, I'm Matt Galloway, and this is the current podcast. Well, you might want to invite Fido into the room for this next one. There's a special bond between humans and their pets, and it can be traced back thousands of years. The idea of pets is something historian Yuval Noah Hariri tackled in response to a question from a young student in London.

Where in the human evolution? Do you think humans decided that some animals were pets and others were threats? The first pets were dogs, and they came around 15,000, 20,000 years ago, which is a long time ago, and the remarkable thing about dogs, they adopted us. We did not adopt them. Any owner of a dog or cat might tell you that's exactly how it feels, but what does our relationship with our pets reveal about us? And are there lessons to be learned from the bond that's between humans and our animals.

A new podcast called Furball Confidential dives into those very questions through interviews with prominent actors, artists, and influencers about their beloved pets. We get to know a different, more vulnerable side of those humans. Jen Morose is the podcast host and creator, and she has a rescue dog called Clutch. She's in our Toronto studio. Good morning. Good morning. So good to be here. Okay, I have no doubt that Clutch is a very good girl. But what else can you tell us about her?

You know, I've been thinking a lot about what she means to me, obviously, with this podcast coming out. But we talk a lot about, you know, people having their person. And I've certainly had a person in my life before. But clutch right now is my person. And, you know, in your intro when you were talking about dogs adopting us, I mean, they do say that. You know, dogs and cats come into your life at a certain time. for a certain reason. And I think Clutch for me was that. I went into it thinking I was going to foster a dog at the very tail end of the pandemic. And if you'll remember, you thought the pandemic

might be winding down and then Omicron hit. And that's when I decided, okay, I'm going to foster a dog, see what it's like. I had a dog when I was growing up. And then Clutch appeared into my life. And she's she's a rescue, she's from Texas, and she's a giant handful. I mean, do you remember the moment where you realized that she was your person, as you put it? You know, for me to fully admit that, it probably took a few months. Like, I fostered her for four months before I did what they call a foster fail, meaning I adopted her out of the fostering. So it was in those four months for sure.

that I think the decision was already made and I was just going through the machinations of, am I ready for a dog? Am I? And sometimes you just overthink it. And honestly, she had seizures, she had some behavioral issues. One of my good friends says to me now,

like, I thought you were crazy taking this dog on. But also, she is so full of love and she is such a grounding force. I'm in midlife and I found between midlife, the pandemic, perimenopause, all of these things amp up anxiety. And as someone who's already predisposed to anxiety, it was a rough time. And I think it was a rough time for a lot of people. And Clutch came into my life and just became this grounding force. I don't have kids. So I was not responsible as an adult for another dependent and Clutch came into my life and I had to not just care for her day to day, but really

be thinking about her because she did have these seizures and these medical issues. And I also realized I'm a very different person in my quiet moments with this dog. You know, like I think about my time as a journalist, as my, you know, being in boardrooms and who I am there. And then these quiet moments with clutch lying on the bed, like having ridiculous conversations with her, you know, but I also realized I'm not alone. There's a lot of other people out there who have this deep bond with pets and we don't talk about it. And so that's where the podcast comes in, right? You decide that you want to get more people to talk about that bond? I think so. But also as a programmer, I knew I knew there was an audience for it, right? You see it.

play out in video often because pets are obviously very visual, but also audio is the most intimate medium. And so to capture who we are with our pets through that, I just knew that there was beyond it being a personal thing for me, that there was probably an audience. And beyond that maybe a need to talk about our pets a little bit more during this time. A need. Yeah. Okay, let's listen to a little sample of what that sounds like with a voice that some listeners might find familiar.

Have a listen. Okay, we're not getting a COVID puppy. Then I'm like, that dog's sleeping in the crate. And then it was that dog's sleeping. Okay, then she broke out of the crate, got to say. Did I mention she should be called Houdini. Anyway, it's like the dog sleeps on the dog. dog bed. That dog's not sleeping on the bed. Never. So guess where the dog sleeps?

Oh, a slippery slow bed. Another one was, you know, just so you know, we're not buying Christmas presents for a dog. Guess what we do? We'll give away there. That is, of course, the former host of the current Anna Maria Tramonti. You were the executive producer of this show. When she talks about her relationship with her golden retriever, Zuzu, what do you think that reveals about her that be surprising. I think for especially for the listeners of this show who remember Anna Maria being behind this very same mic that I'm behind right now, Anna Maria has this reputation for being this really astute journalist and can ask these really hard-hitting questions.

And I think that is sort of her brand as a journalist. And one of the interesting things with this project is just realizing the multitudes of people that we are. And the version that she is with Zuzu, I can tell you, is a very different version than what we might get behind the mic here. So she is more warmth? She's putty. And Maria, if you're listening, I hopefully, I accurately explain that. But no, I mean, they have this way of bringing out this warmth, this tenderness, this silliness that other relationships in our lives can't. And so for Anna Maria to watch her with Zuzu, I got to know her behind the scenes.

You probably did too, Catherine. So you knew that there was that playfulness and that tenderness. But it just, it's like a catalyst, you know, the animal is there and it just pulls. it out of you. And it's just this wonderful thing to see. And, you know, a lot of these people that I'm talking to on this podcast have been interviewed a million times before. And, you know, to get a new way at their humanity, actually part of this origin story has to do with the current and Q, which I also ran after the, after the current, we would always be racking our brains. How are we going to ask this person something that is going to reveal something new

about them, right? Like, it's every producer's nightmare. And then I got clutch. And here I was, this middle-aged woman, like, racing my dog up the stairs with glee to jump on the bed, right? And then I thought, oh, well, I know how we get into a new side of their humanity. We ask them about their pets and just center the conversation on their pets and their relationships with their pets. And for Anna Maria, that has been, I mean, she says this in her conversation, which will air December 7th. But for her, she didn't have kids either. She's got stepkids and grandkids. But there's almost like this maternal protective tendency that we have towards these beings.

And now that I've had clutch for four years, like I feel the exact same way. Do you think that our pets change us, or is it just that they bring out something in us that is quiet otherwise? I think it's maybe a little bit of both because like if I think about clutch, she's certainly brought out a tenderness, like I said, and a silliness in me. But she's also taught me patience, right? Like as a dog who isn't always the best around other dogs, especially in enclosed spaces, you know, my clutch has some reactivity, is what I'm saying. So can bark or lunge at dogs if she feels like she's backed into a corner. And so there's patience involved in that, right? Like there's deep, deep patience involved in working with another being on.

something major like reactivity. And so for me, I did learn patience or it's cemented patients for me. I was deeply reminded that progress doesn't happen in a straight line, you know, because clutch would be good one day and then the next day not. And so I think it's both to answer your question, Catherine. I think it brought out these sides of me that I hadn't seen in a while or maybe never. and then the things that she definitely taught me. And that was one of the most beautiful questions that I asked people in this series of conversations is what pets have done for them,

taught them, changed their lives. And the answers were really quite remarkable. You know, Dean Kuntz, the author, who's like a hugely prolific author. You'll see his, you know, thrillers in every bookstore. He, like me in middle age, got his first dog as an adult, and he's co-written books with his golden retrievers. How do you co-write a book with a golden retrievers? Well, that's a really good question.

I mean, there was a few, some of them are sort of ask Anna advice from a dog on how to live a good life. I see, I see. But he also wrote an entire memoir based on his time with Trixie and how much that dog changed his life, including he used to work around the clock and when Trixie, who was trained to be a service dog and then because she had an issue, she wasn't able to continue being a service dog. And so they took her on and Trixie would come in at five o'clock when he was writing and push his hand off the keyboard. And once, you can imagine, but the dog kept doing that. to the point where this workaholic now stops working at 5 p.m. on the dot every day. And that's a, like, that's a huge life change.

Yeah. You know? This ascent isn't for everyone. You need grit to climb this high this often. You've got to be an underdog that always over delivers. You've got to be 6,500 hospital staff, 1,000 doctors all do. doing so much with so little. You've got to be Scarborough.

Defined by our uphill battle and always striving towards new heights. And you can help us keep climbing. Donate at lovescarbro.cairot. The headlines never stop and it's harder than ever to tell what's real, what matters, and what's just noise. That's where POTSafe America comes in. I'm Tommy Vitor and every week I'm joined by fellow

former Obama aides John Favro, John Lovett, and Dan Pfeiffer to break down the biggest stories, unpack what they mean for the future of our democracy. democracy and add just enough humor to stay sane along the way. You'll also hear honest, in-depth conversations with big voices in politics, media, and culture like Rachel Maddo, Gavin Newsom, and Mark Cuban that you won't find anywhere else. New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday with deep dives every other weekend. Listen wherever you get your podcast, watch on YouTube, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts for ad-free episodes.

So, listen, the dogs are getting all the airtime here, Jen. And we're going to get letters. You do interview some cat owners, too. I do. I do. comedian Carolyn Taylor from the Baroness Bond sketch show, I don't know, is it okay to ask a dog person what they learned about cat people? I'm going to do it. What did you learn about cat people? And the nature of that relationship. Because, you know, cats are not the same as dogs and they do bring out something different in us, I think. No, they definitely do. And I think we have, in some of these conversations, we get into the whole dog v. cat. And I'll put it in quotation marks as like fight. But, I think in terms of the cat owners who have been on the show, and there are a few of them. So Havaya Mighty, the rapper, has, I mean, she just has the most incredible, deep, reflective origin story with her cat 13. I think what you find what we can say maybe about cat owners, and we had a discussion about this in the Carolyn Taylor episode, is that they tend to maybe like to be on their own a little bit more. spend a little bit more time outdoors, or indoors, whereas dog owners are maybe a little bit more

outgoing and outdoorsy. Now, listen, I'm not going to paint with a broad brush, so I'm just going to say to all of the cat and dog owners out there. If I've misrepresented, I'm so sorry. But I think also what you find is the core bond, even though cats and dogs are very different. Cats tend to be a little bit, you know, come here, go away. But I think the bond is just as deep. And I, you know, you mentioned Carolyn, who have known for a very long time. And listening to her reflect on her relationship with her, let's say, longest adult cat as an adult Eve,

is just this, this beautiful well of feeling that I think we don't actually. that often, right? I don't know if I answered your question super well of cats versus dogs, but I think the core of it is they all ground us. And they all, you know, and especially at times like this, again, where we are in this incredibly polarized world, I think they are carrying the collective mental health of everyone. So they are real touchstones.

Wow. I want to play a clip from another one of your conversations with the Los Angeles vet and author, Dr. Gwan Stewart. He provides pet care for some homeless people. Let's listen. You're going to have moments throughout your life where you feel abandoned by the people closest to you or distant or a lack of support. These could be your parents. It could be your partner. It could be a very close friend. Human relationships are complicated. You don't experience that with your favorite. pet, really ever. They're always there waiting for you. They're loyal, they're loving, they're supportive. And here's something that I think people forget at times that definitely makes pets

rise above people. They are forgiving. You know, I did a story like 15 years ago in Montreal where I talked to homeless youth and their pets and the vets that cared for them. And those young people, a lot of them, did not come from loving, stable, households and they would feed their pets before they'd feed themselves. The love was incredible. I know that's something that Kwan talks about as well in his conversation with you. What lesson can we take from the unconditional love of these pets that they show us, that we show them into our relationships with people? You know, Rose Cousins, if folks haven't heard her work, she's a beautiful singer songwriter from Halifax. Yeah, from Halifax. And she talked.

about this so beautifully as well, and we circle around it all through these conversations. But you think about human love and it is conditional, you know, in a lot of places except for, you know, maybe a dependent, a child or whatever, but an animal isn't going to judge you. I mean, clutch will give me a good side eye here and there, but don't get me wrong. But do you know what I mean? Like at the end of the day, they're not judging you. I think it's something, and Rose talks about this too, of like, it can, it can almost, they can prep you, right?

It can open parts of, of your heart to allow that sort of relationship with another human when the time, if when the time comes. And in many ways, that comes up quite a bit of how they teach us to prepare for human life. Like Sabrina Jalise, the comedian, um, talks about how getting her dog cowboy, who she considers her first child and now she has three children, including two humans, but how cowboy prepped her for being a baba. And so their ability to love us unconditionally and be the same being every time we come home. And I'm talking about, dogs right now, you know, because they tend to greet us. But even with cats, they are not going to

necessarily change their behavior because of something we said or did. And I think in a world that is filled sometimes with fear, having that safe place to retreat to is so important. Well, I know with kids, I mean, I think one of the things I think about is that it is this space in your life for love. Yes. And especially being in the news business right there. Yeah. But as you say, the tumultuous world, to have that time and space in your day that is about love is a very powerful thing. And that's what I hear you talking about. A hundred percent. And then if there kids, and this comes up more than I'd like in these conversations, but if kids are bullied, the pets become the place that they can come home to and like snuggle up with and feel safe.

And I think that's, I don't know, I think part of this podcast is me all of a sudden realizing in midlife, like the appreciation we should be showing for this bond because I think it does for us, does for us much more than we say it out loud a lot. It's really beautiful. I wonder, not everyone, though, is going to be convinced, Jen, right? There are people who hear people talk about their fur babies. And they roll their eyes and they say like it's too much time and investment in a pet. You know, you're putting too much energy into it. What would you say to people who are skeptical of the value that you're describing? Well, I mean, I guess I would say don't knock it before you try it.

But I also would say, you know, maybe it's not, maybe it isn't for everyone. And I would say don't go out and get a pet if you don't know what's involved in getting a pet, but I can tell you, and this is from someone who has gone through a lot with my dog in terms of training and, you know, medical issues and everything, despite all of that, still like this being is so filled with love. I guess I can't convince anyone to go out and get a pet. All I can say is, as someone who has been on this earth for about. of decades and has seen a lot. I was blown away by how much this animal brought to my life. And you know, you see the same things in conversations with like Rose Cousins and Dean Coons getting

pets later on in life, having this transformative moment. Do you wish that you had embraced your inner dog person sooner or did Clutch just come along at the right time? You know, it's interesting. I mean, in some ways, yes, I do wish I had embraced it sooner. Although, you know, they do say dogs, cats, animals come into your life for a reason at the right time. And as you said, again, at the beginning of this conversation, like, they kind of adopt you. I did a lot of great things before I got clutch and I traveled and I still do, but it's harder to do that stuff now. I'm just glad it happened. I'm glad I'm glad she came into my life and I'm glad she prompted me to do this project because going back to your question of does she just bring out things in you or does she teach you

things? I mean, the fact that she got me to do this podcast, this was scary for me. I've done a ton of things behind the scenes, built shows, run shows. I've not hosted. And so, you know, I've done voice work here and there. But the point is, is I've not been the front and center, and it was very vulnerable. I mean, I ran the current. Here's a hard swing from the current to for ball confidential. And so she helped me break through that fear. Who else are you going to have on the show, Jen? We've got, oh, it's been so much fun and such great guess. So we've got Dean Coontz, the author. We've got Adrian Seymour, who was on pretty hard cases and also orange is the new black. We've got Anna Maria.

If you are big into, no, this is my revelation, I follow way too many pet influencers, one of whom is the Siberian Derskies. And so the guy behind Siberian Derskies, Jonathan Brinksman, super funny, deep, thoughtful guy is going to be on as well. I think that's it. It sounds like a real adventure and clutch sounds like some real inspiration. Please do give her a pet for us and tell her she's a very good girl. Okay. Thanks so much.

And thank you so much for having me. This has been so much fun. Thanks, Catherine. I've enjoyed our conversation. Take care. Jen Marose is the host and creator of the podcast Furball Confidential. New episodes drop every Saturday morning and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. You've been listening to the current podcast.

My name is Matt Galloway. Thanks for listening. I'll talk to you soon. For more CBC podcasts, go to cbc.ca.