If you haven’t noticed yet, I love animals! I love to embrace them and just shower them with love. Well, almost all of them (anything with eight legs is a no-go for me). As a pet mom, showing what a great pet can bring out in you is so important to me.
Highlighting pets and animals is such a blast, and I’ve done quite a few segments with them (including having a goat on my back while trying to do a yoga plank). Here are my most memorable animal encounters while on Live In The D.
Recommended Videos
Catfe Lounge
One of my first stories when I came to Live In The D was visiting this cool lounge that let adoptable cats roam free. The Catfe Lounge was like heaven for me for many reasons: one, I ADORE CATS! I have three of them and would have more, but I want others to enjoy their cunning personalities. Even when they bat your hand away, or walk away from you with a annoyed look, they still love you. (You have their food supply, so they better. LOL)
The second reason is because of the wonderful mission the lounge follows. The goal is to find a loving family adopt a cat, which I’m here for! I met many felines I wanted to take home, but didn’t. However, I told a couple of friends about the place, and now three cats from the lounge have been adopted into great homes.
African Wildlife Safari
This story is bittersweet for me. I found this place by accident in Ohio after taking a wrong turn heading to Cedar Point. After a few choice words to myself, I stumbled upon this haven for African animals. I just had to do a story on it! The African Wildlife Safari in Port Clinton is a drive-thru zoo where you can feed animals like giraffe, deer, and watusi. It was truly a magical experience.
Recently there was a fire that damaged the park, but the memories of driving through that park as if I was in the African Serengetti will always hold a big place in my heart.
Reptarium
Oh man, this place was... kinda unbelievable. The Reptarium in Utica houses more than 100 large snakes and reptiles. You can pet, hold, even climb in their homes. When the producers and myself first talked about going there, I was all in. One of our producers immediately got the creepy crawlies. I understood why, snakes aren’t everyone‘s bag. I was excited to hold a big snake and re-create Britney Spears’ MTV Music Award snake dance.
When I shot this, I realized there was an art to holding a snake. You have to be cool, calm, and collected, or else they get scared and wrap tightly around you. The owner said I was a natural, holding Sunny the boa constrictor. When I started doing my Britney dance, he just laughed and shook his head. Apparently I wasn’t the first to do this. It’s definitely a place worth checking out to get over your fears and embrace a an animal that is often misunderstood.
I can’t wait to have more animal encounters. It’s always fun to explore another species and appreciate the creatures we wouldn’t normally see face-to-face. It‘s the cat’s meow!