Listener Mail is super important to us. We care about what our listeners think about and what they think about us. But somehow we fell far behind. However, not to worry, in this episode we really go to town on said correspondence. We do manage to squeeze in a little MooT, life tips from a professional driver , some old Spokane TV ad jingles, the last day of Spring, and of course the Phoenix Payroll System, incorporating something about ashes. But really: it’s all about that Mail. So whether you’re out on the road, preparing dinner, on your way in to work, or using us to go to sleep, settle in for some fun!

Episode 56 is chock full of great listener mail, including a harrowing coyote story. RJ gives us a fascinating look into the origins of the Cake Walk still seen at elementary school fundraisers, but It’s not all gâteau: our testosterone flows as we take heated issue with a recent controversy in the sports world. To round things out we have a fond look back at some of the best jobs we ever had, and come out strongly in favour of dog-centric walking and dogs in general. Of course we do!

Lacrosse is Canada’s national summer game, and in Episode 55 the Dogs take issue with how it’s being marketed and presented. We also debunk the idea that taxes led to the recent jump in gas prices, report on Uber’s supposed worth, relate a harrowing taxi tale, and reflect on who is, versus ought to be, paying to fix the Notre-Dame Cathedral. And in his regular Tales from the Shuttle segment, PJ provides advice to his spellbound, that is to say locked in a moving car with him, audience on whether or not to have kids.

Did you ever listen to “Peter and the Wolf” in early life?  We did, and we talk about that, as well as about whether tomato juice eradicates skunk smell, what happens when your boss is a robot, and some of the wrinkles that kept nuclear airplanes from ever really catching on. We also get to discuss how some of our earliest attempts to become self-made Dogs panned out...or didn’t.  But this podcasting gig has changed all that, I mean, Episode 54? It’s more like Studio 54 in the shed this week!

This episode finds the so-modern Shed Dogs hearing from Special Guest Deb of Cow Bay about the long-known but little recognized healing powers of colloidal silver and comfrey root. Blue bloods as ancient as the Dogs need this knowledge as we march ourselves through US and Canadian politics and find time to consider tattoos, zoot suits, and whether criminals should fear an overweight police officer more than a fit one. All this plus KJ’s impromptu rendition of an old Girl Guide camp song.  What is not to love, we ask you?

RJ delivers his Hawaii trip report and presents souvenir Hula Men to the other Dogs. Special guests Crome and Deb also sit in on an array of topics from aging cars and pets to disposing of latex paint to the future of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. We are sad to announce the demise of champagne as a colour for PJ’s car. Nonetheless this episode is a swaying, soothing, yet not-to-be-taken-lightly road trip through a plethora of topics!

Are smart dogs as smart as big dogs? Smarter? Smart enough to do their taxes? Smart enough to lobby for complex returns? The rest of the world Eurosplains how taxes should work while we put H&R Block in the doghouse. Don’t trust the CRA Download feature. Don’t trust but verify. We’re not judging but we might have found a shortcut to deciding cases, while Rex plods along. Speaking of which, RJ endorses Global National, and we cover Rachel Maddow’s performance as fisherman. Plus bonus Brexit material!

Note: we lost some footage this episode, so please forgive a few oblique references as you listen.

Our landmark 50th episode sees the Shed Dogs enjoying Listener Mail, examining “Chinese” dance as seen lately in Vancouver, and continuing our discussion of the article on white fragility that we started in Episode 49. What this episode doesn’t see us doing is getting closure on that topic nor holding back on Tales from the Shuttle, the Internet Research Agency, or Attorney General Barr’s recent letter to Congress. Ladies and gentleman, sit back and enjoy the wonders and culture of ancient Shed Dogs.

Everything’s fine. It really is, the settlers are just a little tender at the moment. We’re swimming in the deep and troubled waters of racial fragility, and of how and when to draw ethical lines around everything from conversations to music purchases. The Dogs ponder whether people still listen to music on radio, and if so do they listen to Michael Jackson? Hip Hop? Can the hearing impaired enjoy hip hop? In this week’s Stories From the Shuttle, an Olympian ski jumper looks for gainful employment as a stuntman. It’s a frustrating world when studies conclusively prove that studies keep getting it wrong. Need to lose weight? Get a hold of RJ, he has a deal for you.

Suggesting how grocery stores should be organized, opining (omapling?) on a high school unfinished woodwork master(chess)piece, KIR (keepin’ it real) on texting slang and abbreviations, blocking calls, sharing Netflix recommendations, and remembering old TV theme music: these are what retirement is made of, and consequently they’re also what Episode 48 of our podcast is about. Shout out to Cranbrook!

In this episode, the doggies continue to question the Crome dog. Why was he there? What was his purpose? Was he a bad influence on the Pinewood boys? Answers to these and many more questions in this episode! Also covered: Bears and wine don't mix, Asian movies, Finnish crashes, preserving bodies, Kiss Me, Marshrat clears a stump. See inside for a Contest!!!

Cromer of Cow Bay, the fourth Dog, joins us in the Shed for the first time since appearing in our group picture a year ago. We go over elementary school days, collect some bottles (empty and full), opine on the correct employment tenure at Cominco, and marvel at both the luxury of the (relatively) new Kokanee Glacier Cabin at Kaslo Lake and the use of tension/resolution in the new Ray Romano special. We share our vast and well-earned pinball experience in discussing our all-time favourite machines, yet remain current with a conversation about the Canucks and when you should really care about that darned Check Engine light.

This week the Shed Dogs explore human composting, mausolea, being grateful for one particular political cretin, and the Grammy awards, in particular how much Diana Ross appreciates JLo. Continuing PJ’s PSA series, he metareviews Yelp for Chinese cuisine, which triggers reliving an enjoyable Thai food experience in Alturas, California.

In the Shed Dogs’ first annual Anniversary Episode we quietly celebrate a year of podcasting fun. We begin with a sparsely edited behind-the-scenes discussion of what happens after Episode 50, as well as providing public service announcements about oil change scams, coyote pee, and a spectacular hike coming this summer that you’re all invited to (see inside). We settle down beside the fire with several pieces of much appreciated Listener Mail, as we do. Finally, for those paying attention to our recent spate of band names, we hereby add Thieving Grizzlies to our offerings.

In this episode, the Dogs come out strongly in favour of Roma and then stick it to Guillermo and critics who don’t like what we like. There’s a lesson offered to writers of series (Don’t consummate that relationship! Ever!), and some caustic remarks about the state of copyright law in North America. We also explore tips and tricks for buyers and sellers of door-to-door goods, and pass along essential tips for traffic navigation and control. All this and the Canucks’ playoff chances!

In Episode 42 the Shed Dogs revisit their really old friend Rex Morgan, M.D., and try to sort out just who’s reading this strip, anyway? And why? We look at Listener Mail and touch upon what that bottom stove drawer is for and what to look at and maintain in range hoods. It will be no surprise to read that talking about those tricky “inheritance” conversations follows naturally from all that.

The Shed Dogs wander even more than usual today, from favourite (and in one case totalled) cars to expensive audio gear to the state of the world to highway marking to being survey participants, and more! Somebody put a fence around this episode.

Our favourite cars were often hot because they were on fire, for real. In this episode we're joined by special guest Sue of Burnaby as we gleefully tar and feather all drivers of certain vehicles. Without giving it away, we’re talking white vans, Ford Fx50s, BMWs, Volkswagens, and Mustangs. We get to hear about RJ’s experience at a historical lecture on the old Penthouse Night Club, which leads us naturally to instructions on how to redact a PDF document. Oh, and we become mildly obsessed with the Telus Holiday Fire channel. Flame on, Johnny!

It’s time that those of you in Dog Nation heard a few hard truths: RJ was an online gaming clan member and server admin and PJ regularly dukes it out against 13-year-olds in online game environments. There, we said it. As you’ll also hear in this episode, though, we can appreciate Broadway productions, we love our pets, and we enjoy real-world sports, like the World Juniors. Go Denmark!