1
00:00:01,639 --> 00:00:05,360
Speaker 1: Welcome to Get Connected with Nina del Rio, a weekly

2
00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:09,440
Speaker 1: conversation about fitness, health and happenings in our community on

3
00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:12,080
Speaker 1: one oh six point seven Light FM.

4
00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,200
Speaker 2: Thanks for listening to Get Connected. The first week of

5
00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:17,800
Speaker 2: November is always busy, so I wanted to make sure

6
00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:21,560
Speaker 2: we spotlight a very important event this Thursday evening, the

7
00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:26,360
Speaker 2: Humane Hero Awards supporting the Nasau County SPCA. It's a

8
00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,200
Speaker 2: reception to raise funds and recognize supporters of Nassau County's

9
00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:34,840
Speaker 2: spca's effort to rescue, care for, and place abused animals.

10
00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:38,280
Speaker 2: Our guest is Maria Mora of the Nasau County SPCA.

11
00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:39,680
Speaker 2: Thank you for being on Get Connected.

12
00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:42,720
Speaker 3: Thank you so much for having us. I really appreciate

13
00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:45,400
Speaker 3: us being able to kind of spread our message and

14
00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:48,360
Speaker 3: highlight this wonderful event the organization.

15
00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:53,160
Speaker 2: Details about the organization are at Nassau County SPCA dot org.

16
00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:55,000
Speaker 2: And I think in a large sense, this is an

17
00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,720
Speaker 2: easy conversation to have. Good people love to talk about

18
00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,240
Speaker 2: animals and how to help animals, and this is a

19
00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:02,680
Speaker 2: way to actually show up and do it. So let's

20
00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,280
Speaker 2: talk about what's going on Thursday, The Humane Hero Awards

21
00:01:06,880 --> 00:01:10,520
Speaker 2: six point thirty Hofster University Club in Hempstead. They're m

22
00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:13,759
Speaker 2: seed by our sister station colleague Marie Malido of Q

23
00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,000
Speaker 2: one oh four point three. What if you planned for

24
00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:16,399
Speaker 2: the evening?

25
00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:21,280
Speaker 3: So it's really going to be an evening of highlighting

26
00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:27,000
Speaker 3: the local businesses or anybody that is doing something wonderful

27
00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:31,480
Speaker 3: to help animals. So we have honored a few people

28
00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,560
Speaker 3: that really just go beyond to give back to animals

29
00:01:35,600 --> 00:01:39,320
Speaker 3: and support our efforts as well. So it's so important

30
00:01:39,400 --> 00:01:43,800
Speaker 3: for them to get this acknowledgment because it inspires people

31
00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,640
Speaker 3: to do the same and we cannot have enough people

32
00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,800
Speaker 3: advocating for animals, so this event is just truly important

33
00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:53,800
Speaker 3: in that sense. We want to make sure that people

34
00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,360
Speaker 3: know who are the individuals that are helping and also

35
00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,040
Speaker 3: get inspired by what they're doing.

36
00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:01,440
Speaker 2: For these kinds of events, sometimes I think people think

37
00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:03,400
Speaker 2: it's just for like the in crowd, people who are

38
00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,440
Speaker 2: already connected, but it's open to everyone.

39
00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:11,360
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's open to everyone, especially because it supports doing

40
00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,720
Speaker 3: good for animals everywhere. Right, So if you are passionate

41
00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,960
Speaker 3: about caring for animals and the well being of animals,

42
00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,880
Speaker 3: then come on down because this is one way to

43
00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:25,920
Speaker 3: be able to support that cause.

44
00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,720
Speaker 2: And it's cocktails, it's meat and greed, it's that kind

45
00:02:28,720 --> 00:02:29,160
Speaker 2: of thing.

46
00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:34,359
Speaker 3: Right, It's pretty just animal friendly, right, So everyone who

47
00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:38,360
Speaker 3: has that same passion that they share about animals is

48
00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:40,679
Speaker 3: really just going to be able to learn about the

49
00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,360
Speaker 3: people that are doing things for animals. How can you

50
00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:47,919
Speaker 3: help yourself? What ways can you contribute and just kind

51
00:02:47,919 --> 00:02:50,320
Speaker 3: of have a fun day in honor of the people

52
00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:51,560
Speaker 3: that are helping.

53
00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:53,840
Speaker 2: You can find out more about the event, which again

54
00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:58,720
Speaker 2: is this Thursday at Hofstra University. It is Nassau County

55
00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:03,400
Speaker 2: SPCA dot the Hofster University Club in Hempstead. So the

56
00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:07,960
Speaker 2: Nasau County SPCA, it's the only animal protection agency officially

57
00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,280
Speaker 2: designated to operate within the county's borders. What is your role?

58
00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:16,160
Speaker 3: So I am the executive director for the organization, but

59
00:03:16,160 --> 00:03:18,399
Speaker 3: that really is just a fancy title because I do

60
00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,240
Speaker 3: a little bit of everything, So from walking dogs to

61
00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:24,959
Speaker 3: meeting with potential donors, I do a little bit of all.

62
00:03:25,240 --> 00:03:29,320
Speaker 3: But the organization's role itself is really to protect NASA

63
00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,760
Speaker 3: County's animals from abuse to neglect, and the way we

64
00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,760
Speaker 3: do that is we have a twenty four hour hotline

65
00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,120
Speaker 3: with people call and report animal abuse. Once that report

66
00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,760
Speaker 3: is made, our humane officers go out and do the investigations.

67
00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,120
Speaker 3: We pull the animals, we make sure that they get

68
00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:51,040
Speaker 3: all the medical treatment needed, and then it's just about

69
00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:54,960
Speaker 3: rehabilitating that animal and putting it up for adoption. So

70
00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,360
Speaker 3: it's an organization that sets us aside from all the

71
00:03:58,440 --> 00:04:02,320
Speaker 3: other shelters in that we are able to arrest and

72
00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:05,520
Speaker 3: you know, handle animal abuse and neglect.

73
00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:08,400
Speaker 2: This is all kinds of animals. I'm assuming you're in

74
00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:10,800
Speaker 2: a room with birds behind you. I can see some giant,

75
00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:12,000
Speaker 2: beautiful birds behind you.

76
00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:17,320
Speaker 3: Yeah, So Laala and Lulu here, we're rescued a year ago,

77
00:04:17,400 --> 00:04:20,800
Speaker 3: actually October second. They were rescued from a hoarding case

78
00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:27,160
Speaker 3: and they were extremely neglected, and they're very old. They're

79
00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:31,120
Speaker 3: about sixty plus years old, so they're not very highly adoptable,

80
00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:33,479
Speaker 3: so they're still here with us. We have a couple

81
00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,160
Speaker 3: of chinchillas and some guinea pigs in the room as well.

82
00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:40,080
Speaker 3: So we do rescue anything from dogs to cats to exotics.

83
00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:42,760
Speaker 2: And at any given time, how many animals are you

84
00:04:42,839 --> 00:04:44,679
Speaker 2: caring for or are up for adoption?

85
00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:48,040
Speaker 3: So at any given time, just because we do handle

86
00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:51,160
Speaker 3: hoarding cases, for instance, the Woodberry case where the parrots

87
00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:54,400
Speaker 3: were from, that was ninety eight animals that we rescued

88
00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:59,080
Speaker 3: from one home, so it could be anything from you know,

89
00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:00,719
Speaker 3: five to one hundred.

90
00:05:01,360 --> 00:05:05,440
Speaker 2: Do you work with animal adoption agencies for cats and

91
00:05:05,480 --> 00:05:07,000
Speaker 2: dogs and those sorts of animals as well?

92
00:05:07,600 --> 00:05:10,279
Speaker 3: Well, we personally put them up for adoption, So any

93
00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:14,000
Speaker 3: animal that we rescue goes up to adoption through us,

94
00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:17,560
Speaker 3: But we do work with the local rescue shelters as well,

95
00:05:17,839 --> 00:05:20,360
Speaker 3: because sometimes we get hit with hoarding cases and that

96
00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,000
Speaker 3: can be you know, one hundred plus animals and we

97
00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:25,120
Speaker 3: just can't take that on all by ourselves.

98
00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:28,840
Speaker 2: Our guest is Maria Mora. She's executive director of Nassau

99
00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,839
Speaker 2: County's SPCA. The Humane Hero Awards are coming up this Thursday,

100
00:05:32,880 --> 00:05:35,719
Speaker 2: November sixth. You can find out more at Nasau County

101
00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,520
Speaker 2: SPCA dot org, where you can also find out about

102
00:05:38,560 --> 00:05:40,600
Speaker 2: all the work that they do. You're listening to get

103
00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:43,279
Speaker 2: connected on one six point seven light FM. I'm Mina

104
00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:48,200
Speaker 2: del Rio. Let's talk a little bit about adoption. Well,

105
00:05:48,240 --> 00:05:50,960
Speaker 2: let's talk about the hoarding cases actually first. So often

106
00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:55,400
Speaker 2: people end up in those situations. How do you help

107
00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:57,640
Speaker 2: those people and how do they end up in those

108
00:05:57,880 --> 00:05:59,120
Speaker 2: situations in the first place.

109
00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:04,000
Speaker 3: Yeah, So hoarding cases are some of our most challenging cases,

110
00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:07,600
Speaker 3: not only because there is a large amount of animals,

111
00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:12,760
Speaker 3: but it is very difficult to convince somebody that they

112
00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:16,080
Speaker 3: need to let go of their animals because they don't

113
00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:19,520
Speaker 3: see themselves as doing anything wrong, you know. And most

114
00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:25,440
Speaker 3: of these cases it's just people starting out with good intentions, right,

115
00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:27,920
Speaker 3: they want to help an animal out. Then they won't.

116
00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:31,400
Speaker 3: They take on too many animals and it becomes overwhelming

117
00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:34,760
Speaker 3: and more than they can handle. So it's a very

118
00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:40,039
Speaker 3: difficult situation to navigate, but it's definitely one that is

119
00:06:40,160 --> 00:06:42,359
Speaker 3: very present, especially on the island.

120
00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,480
Speaker 2: There's also the other side of the coin where sometimes

121
00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,040
Speaker 2: otherwise well meaning people will abandon their animal, They drop

122
00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,239
Speaker 2: them off somewhere, or they surrender them when they can't

123
00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:54,200
Speaker 2: care for them or feel like it's too much. They

124
00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,039
Speaker 2: don't know how to deal with behavior issues. How do

125
00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:57,640
Speaker 2: you help pet owners in those cases?

126
00:06:58,279 --> 00:07:02,800
Speaker 3: So we are an organization that doesn't take owner surrenders.

127
00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,520
Speaker 3: We only rescue animals from abuse in neglack situations, but

128
00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:09,359
Speaker 3: we do get those calls very often and we're able

129
00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:13,520
Speaker 3: to resource them out to local organizations that might be

130
00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,200
Speaker 3: able to take on like an owner's surrender, or sometimes

131
00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:21,280
Speaker 3: it's a matter of just providing help with whether they

132
00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:23,440
Speaker 3: need help with food and that's why they're giving up

133
00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:25,880
Speaker 3: their pet. Maybe they lost their job and they just

134
00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:28,360
Speaker 3: need help to get on their feet, or the pet

135
00:07:28,440 --> 00:07:31,440
Speaker 3: needs medical care that they can't afford. So in those

136
00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,720
Speaker 3: certain cases we do help ourselves. But if it's an

137
00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,800
Speaker 3: animal that they just can no longer keep, usually we

138
00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:41,280
Speaker 3: source them out to the local shelter.

139
00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,920
Speaker 2: The NASA County SPCA is a nonprofit and all the

140
00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,480
Speaker 2: things you're talking about cost money. How are you funded?

141
00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:49,920
Speaker 2: Do you receive any public funding from taxpayers?

142
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,840
Speaker 3: So this is such an important topic for us because

143
00:07:54,760 --> 00:08:00,360
Speaker 3: it's very challenging for us to get this public funded right.

144
00:08:00,720 --> 00:08:04,320
Speaker 3: A lot of people confuse us with the ASPCA, and

145
00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:08,200
Speaker 3: they think that, you know, we are part of the ASPCA,

146
00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:11,240
Speaker 3: and donations that they give to the ASPCA trickle down

147
00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:15,240
Speaker 3: to us. Unfortunately, that's not true. We are our own organization.

148
00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:20,680
Speaker 3: We are not. We don't receive taxpayer money. We are

149
00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:23,280
Speaker 3: not part of the county even though we service the county.

150
00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:26,960
Speaker 3: So it confuses people and we try to spread the

151
00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,840
Speaker 3: message that if you want to donate to help the

152
00:08:29,920 --> 00:08:33,400
Speaker 3: animals in your local community, you know, donate locals. So

153
00:08:34,200 --> 00:08:38,720
Speaker 3: we try and tell people that we are desperately in

154
00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:42,520
Speaker 3: need of funding and we rely on public donations.

155
00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:46,000
Speaker 2: And those donations they also cover your office, your veterinary staff,

156
00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:49,040
Speaker 2: medical equipment, facilities, pet food, so many things.

157
00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:52,240
Speaker 3: So the wonderful thing about this organization, which I love

158
00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:56,000
Speaker 3: to brag about, is that we are ninety nine percent volunteer.

159
00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:00,040
Speaker 3: So what does that mean. Means that the donations that

160
00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,520
Speaker 3: come in literally go to the animals and the programs

161
00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,720
Speaker 3: that help save them. We are our foster base. We

162
00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:10,560
Speaker 3: have a small little office where we do admin work

163
00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:14,600
Speaker 3: so it keeps cross down, which means that every penny

164
00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,960
Speaker 3: that comes through literally goes to the animals and the

165
00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,000
Speaker 3: programs that help save them. Even our humane officers are volunteers.

166
00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:24,480
Speaker 3: They're retired police officers, So a lot of people don't

167
00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:28,960
Speaker 3: know that. You know, we're much different from these larger organizations.

168
00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,360
Speaker 3: We do the same amount, if not more, but we

169
00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:34,760
Speaker 3: operate in a very volunteer way.

170
00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:38,199
Speaker 2: Volunteering is great, especially for people who maybe you can't

171
00:09:38,200 --> 00:09:40,120
Speaker 2: have a pet right now, you're too busy or something

172
00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:42,679
Speaker 2: like that. Can you talk about the work of your volunteers,

173
00:09:42,679 --> 00:09:43,480
Speaker 2: what would you be doing?

174
00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,600
Speaker 3: So, like I said, we are ninety nine percent volunteers.

175
00:09:47,679 --> 00:09:52,560
Speaker 3: So volunteers help us with just about everything from animal

176
00:09:52,640 --> 00:10:00,200
Speaker 3: care to admin to events, fundraising, socializing the animal We

177
00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:03,360
Speaker 3: have a great group of foster volunteers. We're always looking

178
00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:05,880
Speaker 3: for more fosters. That's how we can do what we do.

179
00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:11,200
Speaker 3: So you can volunteer from anything from animal care to

180
00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:15,240
Speaker 3: administrative so there's a little bit of everything. So we

181
00:10:15,400 --> 00:10:19,319
Speaker 3: love to welcome people's passions and talent to help our

182
00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:21,280
Speaker 3: organization be better.

183
00:10:21,720 --> 00:10:24,240
Speaker 2: I do know, I'm sure a lot of people listening

184
00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:26,920
Speaker 2: know folks who really got into fostering during the pandemic

185
00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,280
Speaker 2: because you were home all the time, and then they

186
00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:31,520
Speaker 2: became foster fails because they just kept the pet, you know,

187
00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:34,440
Speaker 2: they love the pet and couldn't give them up. Unfortunately,

188
00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:36,400
Speaker 2: it also meant maybe they weren't able to foster again.

189
00:10:36,679 --> 00:10:38,640
Speaker 2: Can you talk about fostering and how to make that

190
00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:39,720
Speaker 2: work for the long term.

191
00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:44,240
Speaker 3: Yeah, so we do have foster failures, which we love

192
00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:48,520
Speaker 3: because obviously we want the animal that's been in the

193
00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:51,200
Speaker 3: foster home and gotten used to everybody to you know,

194
00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:54,880
Speaker 3: always be able to have the best home. But we

195
00:10:55,000 --> 00:11:00,680
Speaker 3: do have fosters that tend to just keep fostering, keep fostering,

196
00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:04,400
Speaker 3: and the idea of helping more and more animals is

197
00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,480
Speaker 3: something that's very rewarding to the foster volunteer. Of course,

198
00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:10,440
Speaker 3: we don't blame them. I mean it's hard not to

199
00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:13,800
Speaker 3: fall in love, especially the type of rescues that we have,

200
00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,679
Speaker 3: which you know usually have some type of trauma, and

201
00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:19,959
Speaker 3: you're nursing these animals back to health. It's really hard

202
00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:24,200
Speaker 3: not to feel connected and bonded. But a lot of

203
00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:27,840
Speaker 3: our foster failures also end up fostering again, and with

204
00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:31,000
Speaker 3: help and training, we're able to be We're able to

205
00:11:31,040 --> 00:11:35,559
Speaker 3: allow that animal to be entering another home with another animal.

206
00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:37,439
Speaker 3: So it can be a little bit tricky, but we

207
00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:39,160
Speaker 3: have the resources to help that through.

208
00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,280
Speaker 2: Because so much of your work is rescuing animals, I

209
00:11:42,320 --> 00:11:44,120
Speaker 2: feel like we have to ask, you know, if you

210
00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:46,280
Speaker 2: feel like an animal is being abused or living in

211
00:11:46,280 --> 00:11:48,439
Speaker 2: a hoarding situation, what should you do.

212
00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:53,080
Speaker 3: We can only do this if the public call and

213
00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:56,600
Speaker 3: report animal abuse. Right, So, if you think that some

214
00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,880
Speaker 3: animal is in danger, or you think that something's not right,

215
00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,720
Speaker 3: even if you're on the fence, call us at five

216
00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:08,079
Speaker 3: one six the SPCA and let us know. Let us

217
00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:11,120
Speaker 3: be the ones to investigate even if you're not sure.

218
00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,679
Speaker 3: You could also go on the website and report online,

219
00:12:15,160 --> 00:12:18,000
Speaker 3: but we definitely rely on the public to make those

220
00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:21,240
Speaker 3: reports so that we can go ahead and rescue animals

221
00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:22,480
Speaker 3: from abuse or anyway.

222
00:12:22,559 --> 00:12:25,160
Speaker 2: Can you talk about a couple of success stories that

223
00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:27,160
Speaker 2: have really stuck with you? This work is something that

224
00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:28,360
Speaker 2: would you would really take to heart.

225
00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:32,840
Speaker 3: I think, yeah, So it's hard to just pick one

226
00:12:32,960 --> 00:12:37,600
Speaker 3: or two because there's been so many. But I must

227
00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:42,120
Speaker 3: say that when we get our senior dogs, that really

228
00:12:42,160 --> 00:12:47,199
Speaker 3: touches us because they tend to get neglected because they're

229
00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:51,840
Speaker 3: no longer wanted. They're not doing what they used to

230
00:12:51,960 --> 00:12:55,200
Speaker 3: do as a puppy. So it hurts us, you know,

231
00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:58,360
Speaker 3: when we see them neglected at that age, because this

232
00:12:58,480 --> 00:13:02,040
Speaker 3: is when they should be just comfortable and enjoying their life.

233
00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:05,560
Speaker 3: So the senior rescues are ones that really get to us.

234
00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:09,240
Speaker 3: And for me personally, I've really grown attached to our

235
00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:13,880
Speaker 3: reptile rescues because a lot of people think of reptiles

236
00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:18,199
Speaker 3: not having feelings or emotions, So those guys get abused

237
00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:19,240
Speaker 3: and neglected a lot.

238
00:13:19,440 --> 00:13:19,679
Speaker 2: You know.

239
00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:25,240
Speaker 3: So when we get these snakes or iguanas or bearded

240
00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:29,720
Speaker 3: dragons come in in such terrible state and then we

241
00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:33,559
Speaker 3: nurture them and see that just with a little bit

242
00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:37,960
Speaker 3: of help from the proper environment or the proper food

243
00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:42,520
Speaker 3: and lighting, how they flourish and they are pretty thankful.

244
00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:45,880
Speaker 3: And I don't know, I feel like that really touches

245
00:13:45,960 --> 00:13:49,960
Speaker 3: us to see, you know, those types of animals respond

246
00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:51,920
Speaker 3: to the proper care.

247
00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:54,440
Speaker 2: Before we get back to talking about the event, are

248
00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:57,280
Speaker 2: there any other services that you'd like people to be

249
00:13:57,360 --> 00:13:57,920
Speaker 2: more aware of.

250
00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:04,680
Speaker 3: Yeah, So we have a disaster response team, which a

251
00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:08,720
Speaker 3: lot of people may not know, but we take on

252
00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:13,080
Speaker 3: animals your pets if you have to evacuate. So let's

253
00:14:13,080 --> 00:14:17,520
Speaker 3: say there's a storm and you're supposed to evacuate your home,

254
00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:20,840
Speaker 3: if you enter the Red Cross shelter, we will take

255
00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:23,640
Speaker 3: on your animals and we'll take them on until you

256
00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:28,080
Speaker 3: are secured a new safe place to go back to.

257
00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:31,800
Speaker 3: So that's a really important program that we have, and

258
00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,280
Speaker 3: we try to let the public know to kind of

259
00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:38,560
Speaker 3: prepare themselves for things like that and understand that there

260
00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:40,720
Speaker 3: is a place for your pets in case you have

261
00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:43,320
Speaker 3: to evacuate, so nobody should be leaving their pets behind.

262
00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:46,160
Speaker 2: You can find out more about that and the event

263
00:14:46,200 --> 00:14:49,880
Speaker 2: coming up on the sixth at Nassau County SPCA dot org.

264
00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:53,520
Speaker 2: The sixth this Thursday is the Humane Hero Awards supporting

265
00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:57,040
Speaker 2: the Nassau County SPCA. Again, what will the evening entail?

266
00:14:57,080 --> 00:14:57,640
Speaker 2: What's going on?

267
00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:01,960
Speaker 3: So the evening is really good to be highlighting some

268
00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:04,920
Speaker 3: of our local people that are doing amazing things in

269
00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:09,480
Speaker 3: animal welfare, whether it's helping pets stay in their homes

270
00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:15,440
Speaker 3: by providing medical care and finances, whether it's bringing awareness

271
00:15:16,080 --> 00:15:23,000
Speaker 3: to the animal needs, and also just some veterinarians that

272
00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:27,640
Speaker 3: are going beyond to help us with taking care of

273
00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:30,560
Speaker 3: these animals. Like I said, we get some really big cases,

274
00:15:30,680 --> 00:15:34,240
Speaker 3: maybe thirty plus animals at a time that need medical attention,

275
00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:37,760
Speaker 3: and without the support of these people, we just wouldn't

276
00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:39,320
Speaker 3: be able to do what we do.

277
00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:41,880
Speaker 2: How much are tickets and where do the funds go?

278
00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:46,200
Speaker 3: So tickets are one hundred dollars per person and the

279
00:15:46,240 --> 00:15:49,040
Speaker 3: funds are going to go straight back to the program

280
00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:53,760
Speaker 3: to help continue our efforts in rescuing animals. From abuse neglect.

281
00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:56,640
Speaker 2: It sounds like an amazing evening again, hosted by our

282
00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:59,320
Speaker 2: colleague Maria Malito of Q one oh four point three

283
00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,600
Speaker 2: day at the Hofstra University Club in Hemstead. Our guest

284
00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,640
Speaker 2: has been executive Director Maria Mora of the NASA County

285
00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,160
Speaker 2: SPCA and you can find out all about their work

286
00:16:09,200 --> 00:16:13,560
Speaker 2: and volunteering and adopting and more at NASA County SPCA

287
00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:15,680
Speaker 2: dot org. Maria Mora, thank you for being going to

288
00:16:15,720 --> 00:16:16,280
Speaker 2: get connected.

289
00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:18,080
Speaker 3: Thank you for having us.

290
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,960
Speaker 1: This has been Get Connected with Nina del Rio on

291
00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,760
Speaker 1: one oh six point seven light Fm. The views and

292
00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:27,480
Speaker 1: opinions of our guests do not necessarily reflect the views

293
00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:29,600
Speaker 1: of the station. If you missed any part of our

294
00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:32,000
Speaker 1: show or want to share it, visit our website for

295
00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:35,080
Speaker 1: downloads and podcasts at one oh six to seven lightfm

296
00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:37,200
Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks for listening.