
Episode #60
Paws, Pages & Peace: The Susan Hartzler Story
Episode Summary In this episode, host Holly B. and Rogan sit down with author and therapy dog expert Susan Hartzler to talk all things dogs — from Hollywood to healing. Susan shares hilarious behind-the-scenes stories from her years training animal talent for TV and film. She also opens up about her writing journey, including her memoir I'm Not Single, I Have a Dog: Dating Tales from the Bark Side (which took 10 years to find a publisher) and The Peace Puppy , a memoir about caregiving for her father with the help of her dog. The conversation turns heartfelt as Susan discusses her therapy dog work, the science behind why dogs calm us down, and her exclusive announcement of a brand-new project: "Sit With Me," a Substack series pairing guided meditations with your dog. Meet Our Guest Susan Hartzler is an author, therapy dog handler, former Hollywood animal talent wrangler, and Substack writer. The Dogs Susan's two Australian Shepherds: Seven (rescued off the show ring) and Paige Turner (named for her goddaughter + a drag queen — "Page Turner," get it?) Hollywood Tails Susan's late dog Bliss had an entire acting career: CSI, Scandal, commercials, music videos The best story of the episode: getting Seven to stick his head out a moving car window for a commercial — Susan ran alongside yelling "STOP!" like a lunatic to nail the shot Bliss got a farmer-dating-site commercial where the crew hired her a makeup artist ... to make her look dirty Susan got Bliss to "talk" on camera by howling along with her in front of the whole crew — standing ovation earned The Books I'm Not Single, I Have a Dog: Dating Tales from the Bark Side — first memoir, published when Susan was 62 , took 10 years to find a publisher (and only 5 days once she actually pitched it) The Peace Puppy: A Memoir of Caregiving and Canine Solace — about caring for her father through Parkinson's, with her dog by her side An upcoming book on therapy dogs , gathering stories from teams across the country Where to Find Susan Book: I'm Not Single, I Have a Dog (audiobook coming this summer) https://www.instagram.com/susanhartzlerauthor/ https://susanhartzler.com/






