Bonus Episode

In this special episode of Dog Days of Murder, Paula sits down with Emily Bernie, founder of LIFE Animal Rescue. Emily shares how one pregnant dog changed the course of her life when she was just 17, leading to the creation of LIFE—Living Is For Everyone. They talk about more than three decades of animal rescue, international rescue efforts, the heartbreaking realities rescuers face, and the lives that have been changed along the way.

Visit us at our weekly adoption location at PetSmart:

PetsMart in Westlake Village, CA
Every Saturday From 10am to 5pm
5766 Lindero Canyon Rd

If you are unable to come to PetsMart, please contact us at: lifeanimalrescue@gmail.com

And you can visit lifeanimalrescue.org to see what L.I.F.E. is all about.

Who’s your pet? We’ll say hi! 🐾

Follow along and stay connected:

📸 Instagram: @dog_days_of_murder
📧 Email: dogdaysofmurder@gmail.com
TikTok: @dog.days.of.murde

If you’d like to support the show—or treat Ein to a well-earned pup cup—you can do that here:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dogdaysofmurder

www.dogdaysofmurder.com coming soon!

Music by Vibe Depot and Mircea Iancu

Hansel's life could have ended before it really began.

Seized as a puppy from an alleged dog-fighting operation in Ontario, Hansel became one of a group of pit bulls caught in a years-long fight over whether they could—or should—be saved. But when rescuers were finally given the chance to find out who these dogs really were, Hansel showed them something nobody expected.

His second chance would take him from Canada to Florida, then to New Jersey, where an unusual partnership, an extraordinary nose, and one very determined pit bull would help investigators connect a series of warehouse fires and lead to arrests .

This week, Paula is joined by Monica for the story of Hansel, the fire department K9 who went from facing an uncertain future to helping solve real crimes—and changing minds about pit bulls along the way.

And stay with us through the end of the episode, when we talk about an important effort that could change the way animal abuse follows offenders—and give the rest of us another tool to help protect animals.

Sources

• Daily Paws — Austin Cannon, “Hansel the Pit Bull Barely Escaped Euthanasia. Now, He's Investigating Arson Cases With His Partner,” October 19, 2021.
• Daily Paws Presents: Warm Fuzzies — “Hansel: The Crime-Solving Arson Dog,” interview with Millville Fire Marshal Tyler Van Leer, November 16, 2023. This was our primary source for Hansel's training, his partnership with Van Leer, and the warehouse arson investigation.
• Lower Bucks Times — June Portnoy, “Huntingdon Valley resident turns ‘Throwaway’ dogs into a national mission,” January 21, 2026. Background on Carol Skaziak and the Throw Away Dogs Project.
• CBC News — “From fighting ring to police dogs: Rescued CK pit bulls launch new lives,” January 24, 2020.
• The Canadian Press / CTV News — “Court battle brewing to save dogs seized in alleged fighting ring,” February 21, 2016.
• The Chatham Voice — reporting on the October 2015 Morris Line raid, the 31 pit bull-type dogs seized, and the criminal charges that followed.
• CBC News — reporting on the legal fight and agreement that ultimately allowed the surviving dogs to leave Ontario for rehabilitation.
• AM800 News — “Multiple Charges Dropped In Alleged Dog Fighting Case,” February 16, 2017.
• Ontario Dog Owners' Liability Act / Ontario government materials — background on Ontario's breed-specific restrictions involving pit bulls.
• Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal — “A Critical Review of Canines Used to Detect Accelerants Within an Arson Crime Scene.” Used for background on ignitable-liquid detection dogs, canine alerts, handler influence, and the need for laboratory confirmation.
• American Humane — 2021 Hero Dog Awards information on Hansel, the Law Enforcement and Detection Hero Dog of the Year, and Boone, the 2021 overall American Hero Dog.

Organizations & Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Throw Away Dogs Project
• Stand Up for Pits Foundation
• Paw Watch Registry

Who’s your pet? We’ll say hi! 🐾

Follow along and stay connected:

📸 Instagram: @dog_days_of_murder
📧 Email: dogdaysofmurder@gmail.com
TikTok: @dog.days.of.murde

If you’d like to support the show—or treat Ein to a well-earned pup cup—you can do that here:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dogdaysofmurder

www.dogdaysofmurder.com coming soon!

Music by Vibe Depot and Mircea Iancu

In January 2013, a five-year-old girl disappeared from her Philadelphia elementary school after being released to a woman claiming to be her mother.

When the child was found the next morning, she had survived an unimaginable ordeal—and remembered far more than her captor could have expected.

Among the details she gave investigators were pieces of a neighborhood, a house she couldn't see…and a talking bird.

This is the story of a remarkably brave little girl, the detectives who listened to her, and Marty, a loud blue-and-yellow macaw who became an unlikely part of a very serious investigation.

Sources

1. Associated Press / Fox News — February 2013 reporting on the arrest of Christina Regusters and the talking bird's role in the investigation. This is also where attorney Tom Kline said the bird became one of the investigation's focal points.
2. NBC10 Philadelphia — Sarah Glover and Vince Lattanzio, “Christina Regusters Found Guilty on All Counts in Child Kidnapping & Rape Trial,” September 2014.
3. The Philadelphia Inquirer — 2014 trial coverage detailing Detective Daniel O'Malley's investigation, the child's neighborhood drive, 6243 Walton Avenue, and Marty. This was our strongest source for Marty's actual investigative role.
4. The Philadelphia Inquirer — Matt Gelb, “Christina Regusters gets 40 years' prison in 'horror show',” October 5, 2015.
5. CBS News / Associated Press — “Kindergarten kidnapper says, ‘I'm not a monster,’ gets 40 years in prison,” October 6, 2015.
6. Pennsylvania Superior Court — Commonwealth v. Christina Regusters, No. 869 EDA 2016 (2017), appellate opinion.
7. 6ABC Action News — February 2013 coverage of Regusters's arrest and Animal Control's confiscation of the macaw as evidence.
8. The Philadelphia Inquirer — “Questions remain about abduction of girl, 5,” February 17, 2013; identifies Marty as a blue-and-yellow macaw and discusses the bird as evidence.
9. L.R. v. School District of Philadelphia — federal civil-rights litigation concerning Bryant Elementary's release of the child and the Third Circuit's qualified-immunity ruling.
10. Philadelphia School Reform Commission — May 17, 2018 official meeting record authorizing the $5 million settlement of the family's civil-rights litigation.

Who’s your pet? We’ll say hi! 🐾

Follow along and stay connected:

📸 Instagram: @dog_days_of_murder
📧 Email: dogdaysofmurder@gmail.com
TikTok: @dog.days.of.murde

If you’d like to support the show—or treat Ein to a well-earned pup cup—you can do that here:
☕ Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dogdaysofmurder

www.dogdaysofmurder.com coming soon!

Music by Vibe Depot and Mircea Iancu