Wayside Tails
Welcome to Wayside Tails, a podcast all about practicing compassion with people and other animals! Hosted by educator Margaret, this podcast is brought to you by Wayside Waifs, an animal shelter located in Kansas City, Missouri. Our podcast isn’t just for students, educators, and families – it’s for animal lovers everywhere who want to learn more about the importance empathy, kindness, and compassion.
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Episodes

Jan 7, 2026
Jan 7, 2026
15 min
We're excited to welcome Brett (Wayside Waifs' Canine Public Training and Behavior Manager) back to the podcast to talk about dog sports! Dog sports are a fun and unique way to exercise your pet's brain and body, strengthen your bond, and help them have fun!

Dec 17, 2025
Dec 17, 2025
24 min
In this episode of Wayside Waifs' podcast, Wayside Tails, Margaret interviews Megan, the Admissions Manager at Wayside Waifs. She spoke to Margaret about how animals come to Wayside, how we take care of them once they’re here, and about how we show them compassion!
Additional sound credit: ZapSplat

Nov 19, 2025
Nov 19, 2025
8 min
Have you ever wondered how you can help animals at an animal shelter? Have you ever wanted to visit one or hear about them from someone who works there? Today’s episode is going to provide you with the opportunity to do all those things and more! In this very episode, I’m going to tell you about all of the educational programs that we offer at Wayside Waifs. Most of these opportunities are for people currently in kindergarten and above, so adults are definitely included and encouraged to participate, with or without children!
Additional music credit to Zapsplat.com

Oct 1, 2025
Oct 1, 2025
15 min
A pet’s death is one of the most difficult parts of your life with them. Thankfully, there are wonderful people who can help pet parents navigate this chapter of a pet’s life. People like Emily Strongin, an animal end-of-life doula who provides support, encouragement, and education to the families of pets at the end of the pets’ lives. On this episode of Wayside Tails, I got to interview Emily about her work and about how we can remember our pets even after they've passed on.

Sep 2, 2025
Sep 2, 2025
24 min
On this episode of Wayside Tails, we get to explore empathy for creatures that are often misunderstood and underestimated: bugs! Our very special guest is Karen Verderame, Assistant Director for Outreach Education at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania! Karen shares her passion for bugs and discusses why and how we can show empathy and compassion to all creatures!

Aug 12, 2025
Aug 12, 2025
22 min
Listen in to learn about the amazing Gilligan, our longest-term dog here at Wayside Waifs animal shelter! Two of our dog trainers tell us all about Gilligan's history, wonderful personality, and preferences. Is he the right dog for you?

Jul 28, 2025
Jul 28, 2025
6 min
In this episode, the campers at Camp Wayside take over the podcast! Listen in to learn about our new teen camp, which we offered for the first time this year! Every summer, Wayside Waifs hosts five weeks of Camp Wayside for students going in to third through eighth grade. For the first time this summer we offered camp for ninth and tenth graders as well! For more information about Camp Wayside, follow the link here. For general information about Wayside Waifs animal shelter, click here!

Jun 5, 2025
Jun 5, 2025
16 min
On our twentieth episode, I get to talk to Molly, the Canine Public Training Coordinator at Wayside Waifs Animal Shelter, about preparing our furry family members for a newborn in the home!
The Family Paws resource that Molly mentions can be found here: https://www.familypaws.com/

May 22, 2025
May 22, 2025
12 min
Summer is almost here, so there's no better time to learn about keeping our pets cool! This episode features an interview with Dr. Andelson, one of Wayside's veterinarians. She shares tips for preventing heat stroke in pets, warning signs of overheating, and advice for when to seek medical attention.

Mar 13, 2025
Mar 13, 2025
9 min
We’ve received a lot of great questions recently from people of all ages and we answer them on this episode of Wayside Tails! If you have a question that you’d like us to answer on the podcast, please email me at margarethb@waysidewaifs.org.


