WEBVTT - Ep. 26; The Homeless Animal Crisis with Wags & Walks Nashville Founder Kathryn

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<v Speaker 1>Personal with the Long Fieldsmen.

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<v Speaker 2>I was really excited when I started this podcast because

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<v Speaker 2>I was getting to talk about topics that I'm super

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<v Speaker 2>passionate about and share things across the board that just

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<v Speaker 2>hopefully make us feel like we're learning lessons and growing

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<v Speaker 2>as people. But this particular episode might be one of

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<v Speaker 2>my favorites because this is a topic that I am

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<v Speaker 2>above and beyond one of the most passionate things about,

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<v Speaker 2>and it is rescue animals. So this week I'm bringing

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<v Speaker 2>on one of the founders of Wags and Walks Nashville.

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<v Speaker 2>Her name is Catherine, and that's a rescue organization that's

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<v Speaker 2>here in Nashville. They're also out in Los Angeles, and

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<v Speaker 2>we're going to get into that interview here shortly, but

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<v Speaker 2>I wanted to share some backstory of why I'm such

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<v Speaker 2>a huge advocate for rescue animals. So the rescue side

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<v Speaker 2>doesn't really come into play for me until later on

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<v Speaker 2>in my life. But as a kid, I was a

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<v Speaker 2>huge animal lover. I wanted every animal you could possibly

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<v Speaker 2>have under the sun, and thankfully I had parents who

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<v Speaker 2>also loved animals. We had a farm that had four horses,

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<v Speaker 2>and we had guinea pigs and bunnies and turtles and ferrets.

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<v Speaker 2>We really truly had just about everything. Cats and dogs

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<v Speaker 2>of course too, So I grew up a very animal

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<v Speaker 2>loving girl, and enough that you know, when I turned

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<v Speaker 2>eight years old, I became a vegetarian once I learned

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<v Speaker 2>out where meat came from. So the animal loving thing

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<v Speaker 2>was part of my nature. It's always been part of

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<v Speaker 2>who I am. But until I got to college, I

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<v Speaker 2>didn't really know much about shelters beyond what everybody saw

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<v Speaker 2>on the TV was the Sarah McLachlan commercials and the

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<v Speaker 2>sadness that comes with them. And I always wanted to help,

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<v Speaker 2>but I didn't really understand. It wasn't until I was

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<v Speaker 2>in my junior year of college and one of my

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<v Speaker 2>really good friends in roommates at the time, there was

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<v Speaker 2>five of us girls living together. She suggested that we

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<v Speaker 2>all start fostering animals. Because we were college kids, we

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<v Speaker 2>couldn't own any animals, but we could help save some.

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<v Speaker 2>And there was a rescue organization in our college town

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<v Speaker 2>of Manhattan, Kansas called Purple Paws, and she had reached

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<v Speaker 2>out to him, brought a dog home, and we were

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<v Speaker 2>all sold. We're like, I don't know how we're going

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<v Speaker 2>to give this dog up, but we'll figure it out.

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<v Speaker 2>And so we started fostering. I want to say by

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<v Speaker 2>the end of our junior year, we had fostered over

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<v Speaker 2>twenty two animals, dogs and cats, and it was the

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<v Speaker 2>most rewarding year of my life. I had no idea

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<v Speaker 2>that I had the capability or the strength to help

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<v Speaker 2>in that way. I never thought that I could be

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<v Speaker 2>a foster. I had such a big heart and I

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<v Speaker 2>wanted to keep and love every animal that came into

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<v Speaker 2>my presence. But something about being part of all these

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<v Speaker 2>dog stories, when I knew in the back of my

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<v Speaker 2>head I was a college kid that couldn't have her

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<v Speaker 2>own animal at this time, allowed me to really see

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<v Speaker 2>that I could do the fostering thing give me the

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<v Speaker 2>confidence to do so. So after I graduated college and

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<v Speaker 2>we had done all this fostering, I went back home

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<v Speaker 2>and I knew immediately that what I wanted to do

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<v Speaker 2>was start volunteering at the shelter because I was missing

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<v Speaker 2>that portion of my life and what we were doing

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<v Speaker 2>with helping all of those animals. So I signed up

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<v Speaker 2>to be a dog walker volunteer at Kansas Humane Society,

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<v Speaker 2>which ironically I only lasted about two weeks because famously,

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<v Speaker 2>I then met my now dog, Remy. She came in

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<v Speaker 2>as a puppy and I had actually tried to get

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<v Speaker 2>my parents to adopt her because on her card it

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<v Speaker 2>read Maltese mix, and we had had a Maltese at home,

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<v Speaker 2>we had had a breeder dog, and I loved her.

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<v Speaker 2>I will never ever forget her. We had a beagle

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<v Speaker 2>before that, and so the beagle was named Riba, the

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<v Speaker 2>Maltese was named Bella, and we had a Siamese named Sapphire.

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<v Speaker 2>And I will never not love those animals over the

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<v Speaker 2>course of my lifetime. They were incredible animals and I

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<v Speaker 2>loved them wholeheartedly. But you know, as you grow and

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<v Speaker 2>you get older, you learn things and you do better

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<v Speaker 2>because of them. So while never take away those experiences

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<v Speaker 2>I had with any of those animals, because they allowed

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<v Speaker 2>me to learn the love that I have for animals,

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<v Speaker 2>I do know better now to now My future dogs

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<v Speaker 2>and any animals that I have post college are always

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<v Speaker 2>going to be rescue animals. So in meeting Remy at

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<v Speaker 2>the shelter at Kansas Humane and trying to bring my

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<v Speaker 2>parents in to meet her as they came in to

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<v Speaker 2>meet her. They kind of looked at me and said, Morgan,

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<v Speaker 2>that's your dog. She doesn't want anything to do with us,

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<v Speaker 2>like she kind of imprinted on you. And sure enough,

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<v Speaker 2>but again, I was a position where I just got

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<v Speaker 2>out of college, I'm living with my parents, I had

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<v Speaker 2>just started a brand new job, not in a position

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<v Speaker 2>to have a puppy. Well, I really loved her and

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<v Speaker 2>I couldn't stop thinking about her, and thankfully my parents

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<v Speaker 2>were like, you know, it's okay, you can get her

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<v Speaker 2>if you want her. And so as soon as I

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<v Speaker 2>got the green light, I called Kansas Humane. She hadn't

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<v Speaker 2>been Spade yet, so technically she wasn't up for adoption yet.

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<v Speaker 2>She was just kind of in the back waiting for

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<v Speaker 2>the Spade happened and then be put on the adoption floor.

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<v Speaker 2>So I called them before she ever made it, and

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<v Speaker 2>I said, hey, if the Spae goes great, like I

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<v Speaker 2>want her, I'm putting a hold on her. And I did,

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<v Speaker 2>and thank goodness, the Spade surgery went really well and

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<v Speaker 2>I was up there shortly after to officially adopt her.

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<v Speaker 2>She was originally named Vulpricks, which I have learned as

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<v Speaker 2>a Pokemon name. She's not at all a Vulpricks. She's

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<v Speaker 2>totally a Rimy and the rest is history. So we

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<v Speaker 2>lived in Wichita with my parents for a year in

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<v Speaker 2>the whole puppy phase, which was wildly crazy for me,

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<v Speaker 2>especially having a brand new job. It was a very

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<v Speaker 2>wild moment for me to do that, but I'm so

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<v Speaker 2>glad that I did. And then fast forward to Nashville.

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<v Speaker 2>Rimy and I have lived in Nashville together since twenty sixteen,

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<v Speaker 2>but it wasn't until February of twenty twenty three when

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<v Speaker 2>I started asking questions. Ironically, I had broken up with

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<v Speaker 2>my boyfriend that passed fall in twenty twenty two, and

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<v Speaker 2>he didn't want to ever have a cat, but I

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<v Speaker 2>had always wanted one because I grew up with one

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<v Speaker 2>that I loved, and so I had reached out to

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<v Speaker 2>Nashville Humane and said, Hey, if you guys happened to

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<v Speaker 2>get any Siamese in any kind, to let me know.

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<v Speaker 2>I would love to foster and find out if Remy's

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<v Speaker 2>even going to allow me to have another pet in

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<v Speaker 2>this house. So that's where Hazel came into the picture.

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<v Speaker 2>About a week later, I got a message and he

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<v Speaker 2>had said that they had a Siamese. She came from

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<v Speaker 2>one hundred and thirty cat hoarding situation in Mississippi and

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<v Speaker 2>they had taken in about thirty of them, and Hazel

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<v Speaker 2>was one of them. And I fostered her for about

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<v Speaker 2>two months. And that whole process of fostering and getting

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<v Speaker 2>her to get used to me, which is even more

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<v Speaker 2>difficult with cats. Cats are a little bit more untrusting

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<v Speaker 2>than dogs. But as soon as that two month threshold

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<v Speaker 2>kind of hit, she finally started to come out of

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<v Speaker 2>her shell and I said, oh, there's no way I'm

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<v Speaker 2>going to be able to give her up, and her

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<v Speaker 2>and Remy really finally started to get along, and I

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<v Speaker 2>was like, Okay, I think this will work, and I

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<v Speaker 2>called them officially went in to put in for the adoption,

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<v Speaker 2>and you'll hear as I'm talking to Catherine that I

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<v Speaker 2>didn't even know how old Hazel was until I actually

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<v Speaker 2>went in for the adoption, and at that point it

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<v Speaker 2>didn't even matter. I had already fallen in love with her.

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<v Speaker 2>So I learned that she was eight years old, which

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<v Speaker 2>ironically was also Remy's age, and they were the same coloring,

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<v Speaker 2>and she was also named Hazel, which I didn't end

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<v Speaker 2>up changing. I figured she had really kind of already

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<v Speaker 2>been through enough. But more than that, my previous cat

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<v Speaker 2>was a Siamese and her name was Safie, short for Sapphire.

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<v Speaker 2>She had bright blue eyes, and she had a color name,

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<v Speaker 2>and I felt, you know, this is just really meant

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<v Speaker 2>to be. This feels right, and it feels like Saffie

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<v Speaker 2>would approve. So that's my animal story history background. But

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<v Speaker 2>I also wanted to share this because just because I

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<v Speaker 2>grew up with breeder animals doesn't mean I don't get

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<v Speaker 2>to change and do better because I know better now,

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<v Speaker 2>and my family knows better. My sister adopted two Doberman's

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<v Speaker 2>who she both foster failed. My parents have taken in

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<v Speaker 2>three rescues since all of this. So just because you

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<v Speaker 2>might have been used to breeder dogs, because that was

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<v Speaker 2>just the norm, especially a lot of us nineties babies

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<v Speaker 2>as we were growing up and before that, just because

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<v Speaker 2>you're used to that doesn't mean that's what you have

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<v Speaker 2>to keep doing. And that's my hope with this episode

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<v Speaker 2>is that you recognize that you can have a beautiful

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<v Speaker 2>life and a beautiful family and beautiful relationships with animals

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<v Speaker 2>that are coming from shelters and rescues. So thanks for

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<v Speaker 2>listening to my personal story. But now it's time for

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<v Speaker 2>us to go over and talk to Catherine, who I

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<v Speaker 2>know you guys are just gonna love, So let's go

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<v Speaker 2>do it. Anybody who has followed me for a long

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<v Speaker 2>time is gonna be like, this is a no brainer episode.

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<v Speaker 2>I'm so excited because this week I am joined by

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<v Speaker 2>Katherine Hurley, who is one of the founders of Wags

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<v Speaker 2>and Walks, which is a huge rescue organization for animals,

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<v Speaker 2>and I'm just so excited to have this conversation. Catherine.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you for joining me. How are you.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm great, I'm so excited to be here. Thank you

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<v Speaker 3>for having us and highlighting our work.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah of course. Okay, so give me kind of the backstory.

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<v Speaker 2>How did Wags and Walks get started? Why did it

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<v Speaker 2>it started? You know, I'm super familiar with a lot

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<v Speaker 2>of rescues in shelter work, but I know this is

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<v Speaker 2>not a very common thing that people know about. So

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<v Speaker 2>break it down for us in like elementary terms.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, so Wagsmolk specifically was founded. Gosh, it's pushing fifteen

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<v Speaker 3>years now, which feels insane by our founder Leslie Bragg.

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<v Speaker 1>She did not.

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<v Speaker 3>I'm sure she would say this herself for see herself

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<v Speaker 3>getting into this field per se. When she was growing up,

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<v Speaker 3>she was like really successful in pharmaceutical sales, but she

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<v Speaker 3>met a pit bull, and I feel like that's like

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<v Speaker 3>everyone's kind of trajectory, you know, when they find the

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<v Speaker 3>dog that they really fall in love with. And she

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<v Speaker 3>decided to you know, really take it ten steps further,

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<v Speaker 3>and she realized what was going on in shelters.

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<v Speaker 1>She moved from New York to la and started.

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<v Speaker 3>Visiting, getting involved and kind of understanding the footprint of

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<v Speaker 3>like what is really the crisis going on? Why are

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<v Speaker 3>so many dogs being euthanized? And decided she wanted to

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<v Speaker 3>do something about it. So she started Wags out of

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<v Speaker 3>her garage again Agent one story, Famous last Words, and

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<v Speaker 3>it kind of really just grew organically from there. She

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<v Speaker 3>got a really great group of people together that were

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<v Speaker 3>interested in helping her grow her mission. And that's really,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, the birthplace of Wags and Walks in La.

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<v Speaker 3>We And then I met her when I was really

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<v Speaker 3>early twenties. I from Michigan and knew that I wanted

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<v Speaker 3>to get involved in animal welfare. And I spent about

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<v Speaker 3>five years at the La branch and watched it grow

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<v Speaker 3>again from her garage to their very own adoption center,

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<v Speaker 3>and then I moved to Nashville six years ago where

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<v Speaker 3>we started the Wags and Hawks Nashville branch. So a

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<v Speaker 3>really organic kind of way of it growing, which I

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<v Speaker 3>feel like is the best way to make, you know,

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<v Speaker 3>the greatest impact when you really believe in what you're doing,

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<v Speaker 3>and then you're surrounding yourself, you know, with the community

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<v Speaker 3>that wants to help, and really at the root cause

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<v Speaker 3>of this, you know, comes down to overpopulation and lack

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<v Speaker 3>of education, awareness and access. And we are kind of

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<v Speaker 3>at every at all of those routes trying to address

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<v Speaker 3>it as best as we can. And you know, we

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<v Speaker 3>save thousands of dogs each and every year and continue

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<v Speaker 3>to grow our programs.

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<v Speaker 2>And I want to get into that, especially those reasons

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<v Speaker 2>and why we're here, why this is happening, especially now

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<v Speaker 2>this it feels like from an outsider's perspective, that we

0:12:35.040 --> 0:12:38.240
<v Speaker 2>are in a crisis unlike anything we've ever seen before.

0:12:39.160 --> 0:12:41.880
<v Speaker 2>For you, though, what was the reason why you wanted

0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:43.920
<v Speaker 2>to get into this and then come to a different

0:12:43.960 --> 0:12:47.920
<v Speaker 2>city and start another version kind of this organization?

0:12:49.000 --> 0:12:52.200
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, you know, I really was so inspired by my

0:12:52.960 --> 0:12:59.320
<v Speaker 3>entire experience in la and under Leslie. I think I

0:12:59.360 --> 0:13:02.240
<v Speaker 3>was told very frequently like how will you really make

0:13:02.280 --> 0:13:03.160
<v Speaker 3>this your job?

0:13:03.440 --> 0:13:04.760
<v Speaker 1>Like rescuing dogs.

0:13:04.840 --> 0:13:06.480
<v Speaker 3>I think a lot of people, you know, I get

0:13:06.520 --> 0:13:08.000
<v Speaker 3>told all the time, Oh, I just I wish I

0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:08.360
<v Speaker 3>had your job.

0:13:08.440 --> 0:13:10.160
<v Speaker 1>I wish I had your job. And I'm like, it

0:13:10.240 --> 0:13:11.360
<v Speaker 1>depends on the day, you know.

0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:13.400
<v Speaker 3>I think that people envision it being like rolling around

0:13:13.440 --> 0:13:17.080
<v Speaker 3>with puppies, and it's really anything anything but Unfortunately, but

0:13:17.200 --> 0:13:20.600
<v Speaker 3>I grew up in Michigan. I my parents had breeder dogs.

0:13:21.679 --> 0:13:24.200
<v Speaker 3>Going to a breeder was like all that I certainly

0:13:24.280 --> 0:13:28.320
<v Speaker 3>knew growing up, like white, little fluffy poodles and whatnot,

0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:31.640
<v Speaker 3>which I still old very near and dear to my heart. However,

0:13:31.720 --> 0:13:35.720
<v Speaker 3>I started visiting some shelters for a school project and

0:13:35.960 --> 0:13:38.800
<v Speaker 3>I met a pit bull and I thought it was

0:13:38.840 --> 0:13:41.040
<v Speaker 3>the coolest looking dog I'd ever seen, just like a

0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:45.120
<v Speaker 3>big chonky head and like these like little hamsammies, and

0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:48.720
<v Speaker 3>I just I was enamored. And it was he was

0:13:48.760 --> 0:13:51.600
<v Speaker 3>so wiggly and so excited to be around me. It

0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:54.079
<v Speaker 3>was just like this immediate like I like you, you

0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:58.320
<v Speaker 3>like me? Like we're good here, and my parents weren't

0:13:58.360 --> 0:14:01.080
<v Speaker 3>anti pitbull per se, but it was definitely met with

0:14:01.120 --> 0:14:04.960
<v Speaker 3>like a lot of hesitation. And at that point I

0:14:05.120 --> 0:14:08.600
<v Speaker 3>had not come into contact with like the pitfull bias

0:14:08.720 --> 0:14:12.600
<v Speaker 3>or discrimination, so it's really confusing to me. And that

0:14:12.679 --> 0:14:15.120
<v Speaker 3>just opened up a whole can of worms. And I

0:14:15.200 --> 0:14:18.520
<v Speaker 3>was like, Oh, this is very My personality is like

0:14:18.600 --> 0:14:20.600
<v Speaker 3>you say that you don't like this, I'm gonna like

0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.520
<v Speaker 3>root for the underdog. I'm a Troit Lions fan, you know,

0:14:23.560 --> 0:14:26.680
<v Speaker 3>like I always just the underdog. So I really from

0:14:26.920 --> 0:14:29.080
<v Speaker 3>high school on I decided I wanted to work in

0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:32.800
<v Speaker 3>animal welfare and advocate for pit bulls. So when I

0:14:32.880 --> 0:14:36.680
<v Speaker 3>moved to LA, I had really studied a lot of

0:14:36.800 --> 0:14:39.280
<v Speaker 3>organizations and I was like, who is doing the work,

0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:43.080
<v Speaker 3>Who's representing dogs that need it most but also making it,

0:14:44.120 --> 0:14:47.960
<v Speaker 3>for lack of a better term, like cool. I think

0:14:48.000 --> 0:14:52.240
<v Speaker 3>shelter dogs really had this stigma of like old discarded,

0:14:52.320 --> 0:14:56.120
<v Speaker 3>something's wrong with them, and that is just not at

0:14:56.120 --> 0:14:58.400
<v Speaker 3>all what's going on in shelters, And I felt like

0:14:58.480 --> 0:15:02.600
<v Speaker 3>wags just had this really fresh, fun perspective that it

0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:05.560
<v Speaker 3>does not need to always be a Sarah McLaughlin commercial

0:15:06.000 --> 0:15:08.840
<v Speaker 3>you can find your best friend, and when you make it,

0:15:08.880 --> 0:15:09.600
<v Speaker 3>I think more.

0:15:09.440 --> 0:15:10.400
<v Speaker 1>Digestible that way.

0:15:10.440 --> 0:15:13.720
<v Speaker 3>I think it makes it feel for a person who's

0:15:13.760 --> 0:15:16.720
<v Speaker 3>not super tied into animal welfare, like we have course,

0:15:16.760 --> 0:15:19.280
<v Speaker 3>I'll rescue my dog, and I think you have to

0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:21.400
<v Speaker 3>make that feel more obtainable to them than like this

0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:24.520
<v Speaker 3>big scary shelter in the metal bars and dogs looking

0:15:24.560 --> 0:15:28.400
<v Speaker 3>scared in kennels. So I just like followed Leslie around

0:15:28.520 --> 0:15:33.440
<v Speaker 3>for months. Still, she eventually hired me, and yeah, I

0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:37.360
<v Speaker 3>mean I've I've certainly made it my whole life. And

0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:41.120
<v Speaker 3>in regards to Nashville, my husband works in music, so

0:15:41.240 --> 0:15:44.640
<v Speaker 3>I was actually like devastated to leave. I had a

0:15:44.640 --> 0:15:47.320
<v Speaker 3>great group of friends in LA. He was over it,

0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:49.240
<v Speaker 3>you know, he worked in the music industry and was like,

0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:52.000
<v Speaker 3>I'd rather kind of settle it into a little bit

0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:56.480
<v Speaker 3>more of a sustainable culture. And I was working remotely

0:15:56.520 --> 0:16:00.960
<v Speaker 3>for LA and he has me my dog's playing in

0:16:00.960 --> 0:16:01.440
<v Speaker 3>the background.

0:16:02.320 --> 0:16:04.000
<v Speaker 2>That's the most accurate part of this is.

0:16:04.280 --> 0:16:05.440
<v Speaker 1>Seriously, this makes sense.

0:16:05.640 --> 0:16:07.560
<v Speaker 3>Two pipples playing on a couch, ex.

0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:09.600
<v Speaker 1>Pacha all.

0:16:11.320 --> 0:16:14.920
<v Speaker 3>That. I basically I did the exact same thing Leslie did,

0:16:14.960 --> 0:16:17.200
<v Speaker 3>and I started to get involved in shelters here and

0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:19.680
<v Speaker 3>see what was going on in Nashville, in particular, in

0:16:19.680 --> 0:16:23.720
<v Speaker 3>the South, and in particular there was a massive underrepresentation

0:16:23.880 --> 0:16:27.600
<v Speaker 3>of rescues. So I kind of pitched it to her

0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:29.960
<v Speaker 3>and said, hey, can I start my own branch And

0:16:30.000 --> 0:16:32.120
<v Speaker 3>she was like, I support you from a pop far

0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:34.720
<v Speaker 3>and but you know, it's really boots on the ground

0:16:34.720 --> 0:16:37.920
<v Speaker 3>when you talk about like building a community and finding

0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:41.600
<v Speaker 3>resources and whatnot. And we turned five this past year,

0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:46.080
<v Speaker 3>and in twenty twenty four, the national branch saved fourteen

0:16:46.160 --> 0:16:49.080
<v Speaker 3>hundred dogs LA about the same and we've been just

0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:50.160
<v Speaker 3>kind of cruising.

0:16:49.880 --> 0:16:54.320
<v Speaker 2>All you know. I do want to talk about that

0:16:54.440 --> 0:16:57.640
<v Speaker 2>stereotype of rescue animals. And I love I just love

0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:00.560
<v Speaker 2>your numbers. I follow wags and walks on Somedia, so

0:17:00.600 --> 0:17:02.240
<v Speaker 2>I always see the numbers, and I always see the

0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:06.199
<v Speaker 2>work that you guys are doing. And I think the

0:17:06.320 --> 0:17:09.160
<v Speaker 2>thing that's so alarming to me, like I look at

0:17:09.160 --> 0:17:11.960
<v Speaker 2>my dog, Remy, who has this cute, little fluffy teddy bear,

0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:15.359
<v Speaker 2>and every time I say she's a rescue dog, people

0:17:15.440 --> 0:17:18.800
<v Speaker 2>are shocked, like there's no way she's a I'm like, yes,

0:17:18.920 --> 0:17:21.760
<v Speaker 2>you can find any breed that you really want in

0:17:21.760 --> 0:17:24.919
<v Speaker 2>a shelter. Unfortunately, I wish that wasn't the case. But

0:17:25.400 --> 0:17:30.000
<v Speaker 2>there's this huge stereotype associated with shelters and rescue animals.

0:17:30.040 --> 0:17:31.479
<v Speaker 2>So can you speak on that a little bit.

0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:34.399
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I mean you said it really well in the

0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:37.399
<v Speaker 3>way that I think that most people think they're seniors,

0:17:37.720 --> 0:17:41.800
<v Speaker 3>or they've bitten somebody, or they have behavioral problems, medical problems.

0:17:41.840 --> 0:17:44.280
<v Speaker 3>And you know, while certainly that is that is a

0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:48.080
<v Speaker 3>portion of any shelter population, it is not the vast

0:17:48.119 --> 0:17:51.879
<v Speaker 3>majority by any stretch. Stats kind of go back and forth,

0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:54.080
<v Speaker 3>but like at this point, the average age of a

0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:57.560
<v Speaker 3>shelter dog is under a year, So then you think

0:17:57.600 --> 0:18:00.119
<v Speaker 3>about what that scale of Like, it's because there's so

0:18:00.160 --> 0:18:03.080
<v Speaker 3>many litters of puppies that are unwanted that are dumped,

0:18:03.600 --> 0:18:08.440
<v Speaker 3>whether that's accidental litters, backyard breeders, hoarding cases. I mean,

0:18:08.800 --> 0:18:12.239
<v Speaker 3>it runs the whole spectrum. So you know, just at

0:18:12.280 --> 0:18:15.280
<v Speaker 3>least from my experience, when we're going to shelters, it

0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:20.119
<v Speaker 3>is tons of puppies, like I said, tons of small dogs,

0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:23.800
<v Speaker 3>tons that we call them the fluffies, fluffies galore. My

0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:27.840
<v Speaker 3>joke lately is like doodles grow on trees and That's

0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:31.080
<v Speaker 3>the thing is like you can want whatever dog you want,

0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:34.040
<v Speaker 3>Like that's okay, you just have to be patient enough

0:18:34.080 --> 0:18:38.520
<v Speaker 3>and willing to understand that when hundreds of thousands, if

0:18:38.560 --> 0:18:42.720
<v Speaker 3>not millions, of dogs are being euthanized and you say

0:18:42.720 --> 0:18:45.439
<v Speaker 3>that you care about animals and you care about the

0:18:45.480 --> 0:18:48.560
<v Speaker 3>animal welfare of dogs and the quality of life, then

0:18:48.600 --> 0:18:52.359
<v Speaker 3>you have to hold that at the front of like

0:18:52.440 --> 0:18:54.359
<v Speaker 3>what matters to you and then find that dog and

0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:58.240
<v Speaker 3>a rescue And you know, I've had tons of friends,

0:18:58.240 --> 0:19:00.400
<v Speaker 3>but I want a doodle. It's like I'll, well, I'll

0:19:00.440 --> 0:19:00.840
<v Speaker 3>find you.

0:19:00.800 --> 0:19:02.480
<v Speaker 1>A doodle, like maybe tomorrow.

0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:05.960
<v Speaker 3>So even when I say be patient, I'm not talking

0:19:06.720 --> 0:19:09.399
<v Speaker 3>years or anything like that. Like once you kind of

0:19:09.400 --> 0:19:13.840
<v Speaker 3>know what you want, and even that, it's like make

0:19:13.880 --> 0:19:17.440
<v Speaker 3>sure that you're finding dogs that match your lifestyle versus

0:19:17.560 --> 0:19:20.240
<v Speaker 3>what you idolize in your head or think a dog

0:19:20.320 --> 0:19:26.359
<v Speaker 3>is going to be. Assuming personalities, uh, and traits don't

0:19:26.440 --> 0:19:29.840
<v Speaker 3>do anyone, you know, any good deal. So it's like

0:19:29.960 --> 0:19:32.359
<v Speaker 3>learning about that dog, especially if you're looking to adopt

0:19:32.400 --> 0:19:35.520
<v Speaker 3>an adult, like be open and find a rescue that

0:19:35.560 --> 0:19:39.080
<v Speaker 3>you trust that's going to be forthcoming about you know

0:19:39.160 --> 0:19:41.800
<v Speaker 3>their personality and how they've been doing in a foster home.

0:19:42.520 --> 0:19:45.359
<v Speaker 3>That's what's great about Wags. You know, most of our

0:19:45.400 --> 0:19:47.560
<v Speaker 3>dogs spend a decent amount of time in foster home,

0:19:47.680 --> 0:19:49.680
<v Speaker 3>so we can tell you, hey, this is how they're

0:19:49.720 --> 0:19:52.920
<v Speaker 3>doing in the crate, or their body schedule, or their socialization.

0:19:53.760 --> 0:19:55.600
<v Speaker 3>This dog may or may not be great in an apartment.

0:19:55.680 --> 0:19:58.359
<v Speaker 3>This dog, you know, may or not be great with kids.

0:19:58.600 --> 0:20:00.679
<v Speaker 3>And as long as you're trans parents, so is the

0:20:00.720 --> 0:20:03.719
<v Speaker 3>rescue then like you can make, you know, incredibly wonderful matches.

0:20:03.760 --> 0:20:06.159
<v Speaker 3>What I just what I think Wags sayes really well.

0:20:07.080 --> 0:20:09.639
<v Speaker 3>But yeah, I mean, like you said, it's this this

0:20:09.760 --> 0:20:13.359
<v Speaker 3>year alone, We've had Frenchies, doodles, your keys. I just

0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:17.520
<v Speaker 3>had a whole little of Schnauzer puppies. It's like it's

0:20:17.560 --> 0:20:21.240
<v Speaker 3>it's it's sad, like you said, and I wish that

0:20:21.359 --> 0:20:24.320
<v Speaker 3>wasn't the case, but it is the reality. And so

0:20:24.400 --> 0:20:26.240
<v Speaker 3>we're doing our best to kind of make sure that

0:20:26.680 --> 0:20:29.240
<v Speaker 3>we're doing our due diligence on behalf of the dogs

0:20:29.240 --> 0:20:33.080
<v Speaker 3>in shelters to accurately represent what's going on, you know.

0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:34.919
<v Speaker 2>And there's a few things you said in there that

0:20:34.960 --> 0:20:37.040
<v Speaker 2>I definitely want to bring light to. I'm I'm a

0:20:37.200 --> 0:20:40.440
<v Speaker 2>huge advocate. Anytime somebody looks at me and they says

0:20:40.720 --> 0:20:44.760
<v Speaker 2>I would like to get an animal, I'm like, please foster. Foster.

0:20:44.880 --> 0:20:47.639
<v Speaker 2>You know why, because you may find a dog that

0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:51.440
<v Speaker 2>you didn't even realize you want it. That is how

0:20:51.480 --> 0:20:54.560
<v Speaker 2>you can understand personalities. You can fall in love with

0:20:55.119 --> 0:20:57.880
<v Speaker 2>a breed that you didn't even know existed. Foster as

0:20:57.880 --> 0:21:01.680
<v Speaker 2>you also to understand the responsibility of an animal without

0:21:01.920 --> 0:21:05.080
<v Speaker 2>the commitment and you're still saving its life. So I'm

0:21:05.080 --> 0:21:07.760
<v Speaker 2>a huge advocate for that until like if you have

0:21:07.800 --> 0:21:10.560
<v Speaker 2>any questions of like what does this mean before you

0:21:10.720 --> 0:21:12.479
<v Speaker 2>just all of a sudden have a puppy in your

0:21:12.560 --> 0:21:14.240
<v Speaker 2>lap and you're like this is great for a year

0:21:14.280 --> 0:21:15.120
<v Speaker 2>and now I'm over it.

0:21:15.960 --> 0:21:18.879
<v Speaker 3>Yeah. And I think, you know, especially like adults coming

0:21:18.960 --> 0:21:22.000
<v Speaker 3>into their own and wanting their first pet, I think

0:21:22.000 --> 0:21:24.440
<v Speaker 3>that it's romanticized a lot of like what we had

0:21:24.440 --> 0:21:28.119
<v Speaker 3>as kids. And I recently had a conversation with a

0:21:28.160 --> 0:21:31.280
<v Speaker 3>friend who like wanted a Begele and I was like, right,

0:21:31.320 --> 0:21:34.320
<v Speaker 3>but you grew up on a farm and now you

0:21:34.359 --> 0:21:36.280
<v Speaker 3>live in like a high rise, so like in your

0:21:36.320 --> 0:21:39.400
<v Speaker 3>parents realistic really right, like they took care of said

0:21:39.400 --> 0:21:42.840
<v Speaker 3>beagle who got access to outside whenever they wanted. Who

0:21:42.880 --> 0:21:45.000
<v Speaker 3>if they were barking their heads off, was fine. You know,

0:21:45.280 --> 0:21:49.600
<v Speaker 3>beagles historically are lovely, but they're vocal, they're hawn dogs,

0:21:49.760 --> 0:21:52.000
<v Speaker 3>they're little hot dogs. They've got that you know, sweet

0:21:52.000 --> 0:21:56.840
<v Speaker 3>little little howl. So yes, I think fostering, especially because

0:21:56.920 --> 0:21:59.000
<v Speaker 3>at least with at Wags, you know, we provide all

0:21:59.040 --> 0:22:02.600
<v Speaker 3>the supplies so it's cost free, and to make it

0:22:02.600 --> 0:22:05.280
<v Speaker 3>feel more digestible to people, we just say it's a

0:22:05.280 --> 0:22:08.639
<v Speaker 3>two week commitment. So I think when people hear fostering,

0:22:08.840 --> 0:22:10.720
<v Speaker 3>they're like, well, how long am I going to have

0:22:10.720 --> 0:22:11.560
<v Speaker 3>this dog in my house?

0:22:11.840 --> 0:22:12.320
<v Speaker 1>And what if?

0:22:12.359 --> 0:22:14.479
<v Speaker 3>And what if and what if? And we have answers

0:22:14.520 --> 0:22:16.320
<v Speaker 3>to all of those questions. You know, we have a

0:22:16.359 --> 0:22:18.280
<v Speaker 3>medical line that you can text and call, we have

0:22:18.320 --> 0:22:21.200
<v Speaker 3>a behavior and training line. At the end of the day,

0:22:21.840 --> 0:22:24.400
<v Speaker 3>we want the dogs to be safe and a good fit.

0:22:24.520 --> 0:22:27.800
<v Speaker 3>We want the people to feel that way, so it's

0:22:27.880 --> 0:22:30.639
<v Speaker 3>in no one's best interest to make a bad match.

0:22:30.800 --> 0:22:33.320
<v Speaker 3>So we'll be as transparent as possible and give the

0:22:33.320 --> 0:22:35.679
<v Speaker 3>people the support that they need to help. You know,

0:22:35.760 --> 0:22:39.880
<v Speaker 3>the dog's transition, which is really key in the success

0:22:39.920 --> 0:22:41.879
<v Speaker 3>of all of it and to your point, just just

0:22:41.920 --> 0:22:46.080
<v Speaker 3>being open to the dogs' personalities and judging them based

0:22:46.119 --> 0:22:47.960
<v Speaker 3>off of what they're showing you. And I think that's

0:22:47.960 --> 0:22:50.480
<v Speaker 3>how you get that's how we adopt out so many pities,

0:22:51.040 --> 0:22:53.400
<v Speaker 3>because it's like it's just fostering, it's just.

0:22:53.359 --> 0:22:54.280
<v Speaker 1>Take your home, you know.

0:22:54.400 --> 0:22:57.840
<v Speaker 3>And I can't tell you how many people we've had

0:22:57.880 --> 0:23:00.880
<v Speaker 3>foster failed. They are like I never have even really

0:23:00.880 --> 0:23:05.399
<v Speaker 3>met a pit and I did not expect to experience this.

0:23:05.600 --> 0:23:10.000
<v Speaker 3>And those are the stories that really, you know, can

0:23:10.119 --> 0:23:11.920
<v Speaker 3>can fill up your tank in terms of like it's

0:23:11.920 --> 0:23:14.760
<v Speaker 3>obviously a hard industry to work in sometimes and being

0:23:14.760 --> 0:23:17.840
<v Speaker 3>able to see, you know, we have this one story

0:23:17.880 --> 0:23:21.040
<v Speaker 3>of this dog who had he was burned and was

0:23:21.119 --> 0:23:23.399
<v Speaker 3>left in an elevator and it was just all the

0:23:23.440 --> 0:23:26.760
<v Speaker 3>horrible things you can think of. And he is like

0:23:26.800 --> 0:23:29.320
<v Speaker 3>one hundred plus pounds, just like a big old boy,

0:23:29.880 --> 0:23:33.720
<v Speaker 3>and he lives with six children and in a really

0:23:33.760 --> 0:23:36.960
<v Speaker 3>sweet neighborhood where I think, you know, a lot of

0:23:36.960 --> 0:23:39.480
<v Speaker 3>people probably looked at him like what are they doing?

0:23:39.800 --> 0:23:40.439
<v Speaker 1>Was that dog?

0:23:40.600 --> 0:23:44.080
<v Speaker 3>And that family has just done a really amazing job

0:23:44.119 --> 0:23:47.760
<v Speaker 3>advocating for him and his breed, and yeah, it's really

0:23:47.800 --> 0:23:48.840
<v Speaker 3>really special.

0:23:49.240 --> 0:23:51.480
<v Speaker 2>And because we're talking about this because right after I

0:23:51.520 --> 0:23:53.359
<v Speaker 2>do want to, I really would love to talk about

0:23:53.440 --> 0:23:56.760
<v Speaker 2>the shelter crisis because I as much as we highlight

0:23:56.840 --> 0:23:59.080
<v Speaker 2>the good and all of the amazing things, there is

0:23:59.160 --> 0:24:02.320
<v Speaker 2>a very and horrible side of this that I want

0:24:02.320 --> 0:24:05.960
<v Speaker 2>people to recognize, just for the emphasis of how important

0:24:06.000 --> 0:24:10.320
<v Speaker 2>this is. Yeah, but I do also the I think

0:24:10.359 --> 0:24:12.919
<v Speaker 2>another thing that's so important when you were looking at

0:24:13.000 --> 0:24:16.679
<v Speaker 2>rescue animals. I remember this when I was volunteering out

0:24:16.680 --> 0:24:19.320
<v Speaker 2>of shelter because I would always convey this information. It

0:24:19.359 --> 0:24:22.480
<v Speaker 2>was the three day, three weeks, three months rule. Can

0:24:22.520 --> 0:24:24.680
<v Speaker 2>you share that with everybody? What that means?

0:24:25.040 --> 0:24:27.440
<v Speaker 1>We love the three three three heroags.

0:24:28.080 --> 0:24:31.120
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, so three days, three weeks, three months, and that

0:24:31.200 --> 0:24:34.440
<v Speaker 3>really talks about the expectations of a dog coming into

0:24:34.440 --> 0:24:37.199
<v Speaker 3>your home and what those transitional periods look like.

0:24:37.960 --> 0:24:40.400
<v Speaker 1>So how I explain it.

0:24:40.359 --> 0:24:43.600
<v Speaker 3>To people that aren't in this world often is by

0:24:43.640 --> 0:24:46.679
<v Speaker 3>the time a dog is coming to you, there is

0:24:46.960 --> 0:24:50.679
<v Speaker 3>usually a minimum of four to five transitions. So you

0:24:50.800 --> 0:24:53.320
<v Speaker 3>have step one, where was this dog before the shelter?

0:24:53.520 --> 0:24:56.000
<v Speaker 3>We don't know in someone's house, how long were you astray?

0:24:56.880 --> 0:24:59.960
<v Speaker 3>At this point, most dogs are entering shelters as stray

0:25:00.680 --> 0:25:02.520
<v Speaker 3>because they're so backed up they.

0:25:02.440 --> 0:25:03.960
<v Speaker 1>Won't take owner surrenders.

0:25:04.280 --> 0:25:08.320
<v Speaker 3>So then what happens then people dump them, so wherever

0:25:08.359 --> 0:25:10.520
<v Speaker 3>they were before, and that dog might have then been

0:25:10.560 --> 0:25:13.359
<v Speaker 3>in multiple homes before that bounced around on Craigslist like

0:25:13.359 --> 0:25:15.359
<v Speaker 3>you know, you never know, and then you're gonna be

0:25:15.359 --> 0:25:18.760
<v Speaker 3>in the shelter. So that's drop number two. How long

0:25:18.800 --> 0:25:21.280
<v Speaker 3>were you in that shelter? How stressful was that shelter?

0:25:22.280 --> 0:25:24.919
<v Speaker 3>So you think about dogs who did come from families

0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:28.720
<v Speaker 3>and how horribly terrifying it must be to have lived

0:25:28.760 --> 0:25:31.840
<v Speaker 3>in someone's house for however long, and now you're in

0:25:31.920 --> 0:25:35.919
<v Speaker 3>a kennel. For this range is obviously for like the

0:25:35.920 --> 0:25:40.520
<v Speaker 3>staffing of shelters, but across the board, shelters are incredibly

0:25:40.560 --> 0:25:41.879
<v Speaker 3>understaffed and underfunded.

0:25:42.280 --> 0:25:43.480
<v Speaker 1>So like here in.

0:25:43.600 --> 0:25:48.840
<v Speaker 3>Nashville and LA, honestly, dogs are maybe let out once

0:25:48.840 --> 0:25:52.520
<v Speaker 3>a day, so like you're spending twenty three plus hours

0:25:52.520 --> 0:25:55.720
<v Speaker 3>in a kennel, and imagine doing that as a human, right,

0:25:55.840 --> 0:25:58.600
<v Speaker 3>like you'd go insane. Like they call it solitary confinement

0:25:58.640 --> 0:26:01.080
<v Speaker 3>for a reason, and people lose it. And then so

0:26:01.200 --> 0:26:04.320
<v Speaker 3>after the shelter, then you're going to at least with

0:26:04.359 --> 0:26:06.439
<v Speaker 3>a rescue. Now you're going to the rescue. Does that

0:26:06.480 --> 0:26:09.280
<v Speaker 3>rescue have a facility? A lot of them do yes.

0:26:09.359 --> 0:26:11.359
<v Speaker 3>So even for us, even if we're gonna send that

0:26:11.400 --> 0:26:13.639
<v Speaker 3>dog to shelter, they still have to then spend a

0:26:13.640 --> 0:26:16.320
<v Speaker 3>couple of days with us at the building. Then they're

0:26:16.359 --> 0:26:18.480
<v Speaker 3>going to a foster, and then they're going to you.

0:26:19.760 --> 0:26:21.800
<v Speaker 3>But even then they might have gone through two foster

0:26:21.880 --> 0:26:23.960
<v Speaker 3>homes because they took a couple months to get adopted.

0:26:23.960 --> 0:26:26.480
<v Speaker 3>They might have been through four foster homes because maybe,

0:26:27.000 --> 0:26:28.760
<v Speaker 3>you know, if they had separation anxiety and they took

0:26:28.800 --> 0:26:31.640
<v Speaker 3>a couple fosters to like work through it, so by

0:26:31.680 --> 0:26:33.679
<v Speaker 3>the time they're landing and what it should be and

0:26:33.720 --> 0:26:37.080
<v Speaker 3>hopefully is their forever home, they've been through it. They

0:26:37.080 --> 0:26:40.120
<v Speaker 3>have absolutely no consistency, They have no routine, and they

0:26:40.160 --> 0:26:42.280
<v Speaker 3>don't even know who you are. Right Like, you're like,

0:26:42.320 --> 0:26:44.320
<v Speaker 3>oh my god, I love you so much, You're my

0:26:44.400 --> 0:26:46.800
<v Speaker 3>forever dog, You're my little baby, and I want to

0:26:46.840 --> 0:26:47.399
<v Speaker 3>take care of you.

0:26:47.440 --> 0:26:49.280
<v Speaker 1>And they're like, I.

0:26:48.760 --> 0:26:53.000
<v Speaker 3>Don't know, have no relationship with you whatsoever. So that

0:26:53.200 --> 0:26:56.719
<v Speaker 3>three days we really really really try to hone in on,

0:26:58.040 --> 0:27:01.959
<v Speaker 3>keep their world small, do very routine things do not

0:27:02.000 --> 0:27:03.160
<v Speaker 3>bring them new places.

0:27:03.600 --> 0:27:04.399
<v Speaker 1>Get to know.

0:27:04.440 --> 0:27:09.160
<v Speaker 3>Your house, your schedule, your block, or your backyard, whoever

0:27:09.280 --> 0:27:11.320
<v Speaker 3>is going to live in that house and be that

0:27:11.400 --> 0:27:14.119
<v Speaker 3>nuclear family is really all that dog should be exposed to.

0:27:15.400 --> 0:27:17.040
<v Speaker 3>You know, people want to go bring their dogs over

0:27:17.080 --> 0:27:19.800
<v Speaker 3>to doggie play dates with the new friends, like absolutely not.

0:27:20.240 --> 0:27:23.040
<v Speaker 3>This is setting nobody up for a success. And then

0:27:23.040 --> 0:27:25.639
<v Speaker 3>that really does extend to most of that three weeks,

0:27:26.040 --> 0:27:29.000
<v Speaker 3>so you know, going on some walks, going you know,

0:27:29.040 --> 0:27:32.240
<v Speaker 3>and exploring a little bit more shore, but focusing on

0:27:32.280 --> 0:27:35.919
<v Speaker 3>what is that routine giving them that stability. You know,

0:27:35.960 --> 0:27:38.440
<v Speaker 3>we promote things like hand feeding to like build that

0:27:38.560 --> 0:27:40.080
<v Speaker 3>relationships with your dogs.

0:27:41.080 --> 0:27:41.680
<v Speaker 1>Great time.

0:27:42.840 --> 0:27:45.600
<v Speaker 3>People are the hot it's a hot take sometimes which

0:27:45.680 --> 0:27:48.600
<v Speaker 3>doesn't make any sense to me. Providing a crate for

0:27:48.680 --> 0:27:50.520
<v Speaker 3>a dog is one of the best things that you

0:27:50.560 --> 0:27:53.080
<v Speaker 3>can do for them because it provides a safe space.

0:27:53.640 --> 0:27:57.720
<v Speaker 3>It's like again, I say, think about coming home from

0:27:57.720 --> 0:27:58.280
<v Speaker 3>a long day.

0:27:58.359 --> 0:27:59.000
<v Speaker 1>What do you want to do.

0:27:59.240 --> 0:28:00.480
<v Speaker 3>I want to take a shower, and you want to

0:28:00.480 --> 0:28:02.880
<v Speaker 3>get into bed and you want to feel like your comfort,

0:28:03.000 --> 0:28:05.639
<v Speaker 3>Like that is their create If you are creating that

0:28:05.720 --> 0:28:08.880
<v Speaker 3>space for them, and then the more and more they're

0:28:08.880 --> 0:28:11.240
<v Speaker 3>they're coming into their own. You are going to see

0:28:11.240 --> 0:28:13.960
<v Speaker 3>new personality things. You might see some regressions, right Like

0:28:14.000 --> 0:28:16.800
<v Speaker 3>maybe they were terrified the first three three days or

0:28:16.880 --> 0:28:19.400
<v Speaker 3>week and now they're like, oh wait, this is kind

0:28:19.400 --> 0:28:22.840
<v Speaker 3>of fun, and keeping that consistency is what will help

0:28:22.920 --> 0:28:26.120
<v Speaker 3>through kind of that adjustment period. And then that takes

0:28:26.160 --> 0:28:28.520
<v Speaker 3>you kind of to your three month three month mark

0:28:28.560 --> 0:28:31.200
<v Speaker 3>of really kind of seeing who is my dog. We've

0:28:31.240 --> 0:28:34.000
<v Speaker 3>built this relationship. They trust me to not put them

0:28:34.040 --> 0:28:37.520
<v Speaker 3>in bad situations. I trust this dog too, write like,

0:28:37.560 --> 0:28:39.360
<v Speaker 3>I can trust you too. If you don't want to

0:28:39.400 --> 0:28:41.240
<v Speaker 3>create your dog's long term I can trust you to,

0:28:41.240 --> 0:28:44.000
<v Speaker 3>you know, be outside at the grocery store, or I

0:28:44.000 --> 0:28:45.640
<v Speaker 3>can trust you to, you know, go on a hike

0:28:45.720 --> 0:28:47.360
<v Speaker 3>with me and my friend and their dog and do

0:28:47.400 --> 0:28:51.640
<v Speaker 3>a proper introduction. You know, we are not fans of

0:28:51.680 --> 0:28:53.800
<v Speaker 3>dog parks. Again, maybe a little bit of a hot take,

0:28:53.920 --> 0:28:56.440
<v Speaker 3>but like it just doesn't it's more for the people

0:28:56.480 --> 0:28:59.160
<v Speaker 3>realistically that it is for the dogs. When we're talking

0:28:59.160 --> 0:29:02.600
<v Speaker 3>about trying to keep everybody safe and socialize them in

0:29:02.640 --> 0:29:05.720
<v Speaker 3>a way that won't have repercusions down the line.

0:29:06.760 --> 0:29:08.360
<v Speaker 1>So yeah, we preach it.

0:29:08.360 --> 0:29:10.960
<v Speaker 3>It's on all of our adoption room walls and it

0:29:11.040 --> 0:29:13.800
<v Speaker 3>works like it works, It works, it works.

0:29:14.040 --> 0:29:17.040
<v Speaker 2>You know, it's funny. I've had experience as a foster

0:29:17.160 --> 0:29:20.800
<v Speaker 2>in multiple different variations. My friends and I in college

0:29:20.800 --> 0:29:25.200
<v Speaker 2>were fosters for twenty two different dogs collectively because we

0:29:25.240 --> 0:29:26.840
<v Speaker 2>knew we were college girls, and we were like, we

0:29:26.840 --> 0:29:29.440
<v Speaker 2>can't own a dog, but we can help some animals.

0:29:29.800 --> 0:29:32.160
<v Speaker 2>So US four took on the responsibility one at a

0:29:32.200 --> 0:29:34.640
<v Speaker 2>time and we helped so many dogs and that was

0:29:34.640 --> 0:29:39.040
<v Speaker 2>a cool experience. And then into my adult life, I've

0:29:39.240 --> 0:29:43.040
<v Speaker 2>fostered with rescues here in town and had a variety

0:29:43.080 --> 0:29:45.719
<v Speaker 2>of different experiences and different dogs that have come in

0:29:45.840 --> 0:29:50.760
<v Speaker 2>and some will adjust quickly, some will adjust in weeks.

0:29:51.040 --> 0:29:54.400
<v Speaker 2>Some come in and have all kinds of medical things

0:29:54.440 --> 0:29:57.760
<v Speaker 2>that they need time before they can get adopted out,

0:29:57.800 --> 0:29:59.600
<v Speaker 2>and you have to be that safe space for them.

0:30:00.320 --> 0:30:02.760
<v Speaker 2>I'm really glad that you shared that, and also I

0:30:02.800 --> 0:30:06.560
<v Speaker 2>know you guys do all dogs. But one of the

0:30:06.600 --> 0:30:09.680
<v Speaker 2>foster situations that I had is my now cat Hazel,

0:30:10.280 --> 0:30:13.120
<v Speaker 2>which it's on all fronts here right. So I had

0:30:13.120 --> 0:30:15.760
<v Speaker 2>been looking for a Siamese. That's what I wanted, that's

0:30:15.760 --> 0:30:18.000
<v Speaker 2>what I grew up with, and I just had told

0:30:18.080 --> 0:30:20.880
<v Speaker 2>the Nashville Humane here in town, a guy that I

0:30:20.960 --> 0:30:22.440
<v Speaker 2>knew that worked there. I was like, if if one

0:30:22.480 --> 0:30:24.800
<v Speaker 2>ever comes in, let me know and I'll do a

0:30:24.840 --> 0:30:27.200
<v Speaker 2>foster situation because I have zero idea if my dog

0:30:27.280 --> 0:30:31.120
<v Speaker 2>is gonna even like this situation. Yeah, And sure enough,

0:30:31.160 --> 0:30:32.800
<v Speaker 2>like a week later, he goes, we just took in

0:30:32.880 --> 0:30:35.480
<v Speaker 2>thirty cats from one hundred and thirty cat hoarding situation.

0:30:36.000 --> 0:30:38.400
<v Speaker 2>One of them's a Siamese. I'm like, cool, I'll come

0:30:38.440 --> 0:30:42.920
<v Speaker 2>grab her and brought her in for for two months,

0:30:42.960 --> 0:30:45.400
<v Speaker 2>I fostered her and she stayed under the bed of

0:30:45.440 --> 0:30:47.640
<v Speaker 2>one room. She stayed in there the whole time, just

0:30:47.840 --> 0:30:51.600
<v Speaker 2>unsure of what anything was. And it wasn't even until

0:30:51.600 --> 0:30:54.280
<v Speaker 2>about three weeks that I finally allowed my dog to

0:30:54.320 --> 0:30:57.160
<v Speaker 2>go in there to see if they would even get along. Yeah,

0:30:57.200 --> 0:30:59.600
<v Speaker 2>And when they did, it was like a both of

0:30:59.600 --> 0:31:04.320
<v Speaker 2>them were like, what is happening for you? And then

0:31:05.440 --> 0:31:08.440
<v Speaker 2>she became obviously a foster Phille She's now mine. But

0:31:08.960 --> 0:31:11.280
<v Speaker 2>I didn't also even find out how old she was

0:31:11.360 --> 0:31:13.239
<v Speaker 2>until the day of her adoption. They're like, she's eight

0:31:13.320 --> 0:31:15.160
<v Speaker 2>years old. I'm like, well, I'm lady in love with her.

0:31:15.200 --> 0:31:17.120
<v Speaker 2>So it is what it is.

0:31:16.520 --> 0:31:18.720
<v Speaker 3>What it is. Sign me up, sign the papers.

0:31:19.000 --> 0:31:21.560
<v Speaker 2>Yeah. So all that to say, there are so many

0:31:21.640 --> 0:31:26.160
<v Speaker 2>variations of that, and I've seen so many of them

0:31:26.200 --> 0:31:28.440
<v Speaker 2>on a personal level. So all the things that you're

0:31:28.440 --> 0:31:31.640
<v Speaker 2>talking about I can test to and verify as just

0:31:31.640 --> 0:31:34.600
<v Speaker 2>a normal human being, not even somebody who's involved in

0:31:34.720 --> 0:31:40.560
<v Speaker 2>a rescue. Now turning to that really big crisis that

0:31:40.600 --> 0:31:43.040
<v Speaker 2>we are in right now, Yeah, I've seen it. I

0:31:43.080 --> 0:31:45.880
<v Speaker 2>mean I'm on so many different Facebook pages. It's all

0:31:45.920 --> 0:31:50.600
<v Speaker 2>over my feeds of just the abandonment that's happening, the

0:31:50.640 --> 0:31:56.040
<v Speaker 2>breeder crisis, the lack of resources, everything, what is going

0:31:56.080 --> 0:31:59.360
<v Speaker 2>on right now, like this huge crisis that is happening,

0:32:00.600 --> 0:32:03.920
<v Speaker 2>And what are some things that people, just a normal

0:32:03.960 --> 0:32:05.720
<v Speaker 2>person like me can do to help.

0:32:06.320 --> 0:32:09.320
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, it's certainly overwhelming.

0:32:09.400 --> 0:32:09.560
<v Speaker 1>You know.

0:32:09.600 --> 0:32:12.760
<v Speaker 3>I've been doing this since I got out of college,

0:32:12.840 --> 0:32:17.440
<v Speaker 3>so like twelve years, and there was a really short

0:32:17.480 --> 0:32:21.160
<v Speaker 3>window before COVID where like we saw some numbers improving

0:32:21.920 --> 0:32:26.600
<v Speaker 3>and COVID just took us back so far. You know,

0:32:26.680 --> 0:32:29.320
<v Speaker 3>there are so many different factors on the why behind it.

0:32:30.440 --> 0:32:31.920
<v Speaker 3>You know, I think a lot of it is like

0:32:32.160 --> 0:32:35.400
<v Speaker 3>people are struggling financially, so you have a whole sect

0:32:35.400 --> 0:32:37.640
<v Speaker 3>of people that like probably would keep their dogs, but

0:32:37.720 --> 0:32:40.280
<v Speaker 3>feel like their back is against the wall. And then

0:32:40.320 --> 0:32:42.640
<v Speaker 3>because there's like a lack of resources to meet them,

0:32:42.840 --> 0:32:47.760
<v Speaker 3>that's where you see abandonment, dogs being dumped. I mean

0:32:47.800 --> 0:32:49.760
<v Speaker 3>just the amount of dogs are like literally like left

0:32:49.800 --> 0:32:52.920
<v Speaker 3>in apartments because people are like I'm moving, the amount

0:32:52.960 --> 0:32:55.840
<v Speaker 3>of emails I get and it's hard, right to balance

0:32:56.120 --> 0:32:59.520
<v Speaker 3>empathy for people because you have to have it, Because

0:32:59.560 --> 0:33:01.440
<v Speaker 3>you don't, you will be jaded and at the end

0:33:01.440 --> 0:33:03.560
<v Speaker 3>of the day, like we have to work together to

0:33:03.600 --> 0:33:05.720
<v Speaker 3>get through the problems. But then on the other hand,

0:33:05.760 --> 0:33:07.360
<v Speaker 3>you get some of these emails or you see these

0:33:07.360 --> 0:33:11.440
<v Speaker 3>scenarios and you're like how how like how is this

0:33:11.480 --> 0:33:14.920
<v Speaker 3>what the decision that you made, like to literally lock

0:33:15.000 --> 0:33:17.520
<v Speaker 3>the door leave and like your dog is still inside

0:33:17.520 --> 0:33:19.000
<v Speaker 3>and who did you think was going to help you?

0:33:20.120 --> 0:33:23.000
<v Speaker 3>And that's not even going into the realm of abuse

0:33:23.320 --> 0:33:26.560
<v Speaker 3>and the horrible scenarios that can also be the case

0:33:26.560 --> 0:33:29.040
<v Speaker 3>of it. So as a rescue, it's like you've got

0:33:29.040 --> 0:33:31.560
<v Speaker 3>this reason and this reason and this reason, so it's like, okay.

0:33:31.360 --> 0:33:32.240
<v Speaker 1>Well what can we do?

0:33:33.200 --> 0:33:37.400
<v Speaker 3>You know, So going into shelters, it's and again you

0:33:37.960 --> 0:33:40.360
<v Speaker 3>it's hard because you want to balance the ge, like

0:33:40.400 --> 0:33:43.360
<v Speaker 3>I said earlier the Sarah Malachlin commercial, and not trying

0:33:43.400 --> 0:33:45.719
<v Speaker 3>to be that, but also trying to be very honest

0:33:45.720 --> 0:33:48.400
<v Speaker 3>of what's going on. Is like I go into shelters

0:33:48.480 --> 0:33:51.200
<v Speaker 3>every single week and I see dogs marked up on

0:33:51.240 --> 0:33:55.640
<v Speaker 3>their kennels, and I'm like, you're dying today, And it

0:33:55.680 --> 0:33:57.800
<v Speaker 3>does not matter how many dogs that we can try

0:33:57.840 --> 0:34:00.480
<v Speaker 3>and save every single week, there's the next there's going

0:34:00.520 --> 0:34:03.200
<v Speaker 3>to be dogs that have to be euthanized. And there's

0:34:04.440 --> 0:34:09.680
<v Speaker 3>a massive misconception surrounding shelters and high kill shelters and

0:34:09.719 --> 0:34:14.719
<v Speaker 3>always that to kill shelter. And when you have a

0:34:16.080 --> 0:34:18.600
<v Speaker 3>shelter that is one hundred and fifty kennels and one

0:34:18.680 --> 0:34:22.279
<v Speaker 3>hundred and ninety dogs come in, what do you think

0:34:22.320 --> 0:34:23.880
<v Speaker 3>is going to happen? You know? So I try to

0:34:23.880 --> 0:34:25.560
<v Speaker 3>tell people it's at the end of the day, it's

0:34:25.560 --> 0:34:30.120
<v Speaker 3>a community problem. And you cannot blame shelter workers who

0:34:31.120 --> 0:34:33.160
<v Speaker 3>do what you and I can't even do, Like I

0:34:33.160 --> 0:34:35.600
<v Speaker 3>couldn't show up to work every day and take care

0:34:35.640 --> 0:34:38.480
<v Speaker 3>of dogs that are there for whatever rhyme or reason

0:34:38.520 --> 0:34:42.120
<v Speaker 3>and then euthanize them because no one wants them. Like

0:34:42.200 --> 0:34:44.800
<v Speaker 3>that is a gut wrenching pill to have to swallow

0:34:45.440 --> 0:34:47.040
<v Speaker 3>and then go up and do it the next day.

0:34:47.160 --> 0:34:48.960
<v Speaker 1>So I'm like, I'm so thankful.

0:34:48.560 --> 0:34:50.960
<v Speaker 3>To people that work in shelters because at least being

0:34:50.960 --> 0:34:53.880
<v Speaker 3>on the rescue side, we lose dogs. I have to

0:34:53.920 --> 0:34:55.680
<v Speaker 3>see really sad things. I have to be a part

0:34:55.680 --> 0:34:57.839
<v Speaker 3>of really sad things. But I still get to go

0:34:58.280 --> 0:35:01.480
<v Speaker 3>I'm helping. I'm making a difference. They of course are

0:35:01.520 --> 0:35:03.640
<v Speaker 3>as well. But when then you're having to be the

0:35:03.640 --> 0:35:05.520
<v Speaker 3>one that, like, is the last person to see a

0:35:05.520 --> 0:35:07.000
<v Speaker 3>healthy dog get put to sleep?

0:35:07.480 --> 0:35:08.520
<v Speaker 1>I mean I I don't.

0:35:08.719 --> 0:35:12.760
<v Speaker 3>It's hard to envision, you know, a more heart wrenching job.

0:35:13.440 --> 0:35:18.120
<v Speaker 3>So they're a very real crisis going on that like,

0:35:18.120 --> 0:35:20.239
<v Speaker 3>and it's not it's not just the old dogs. It's

0:35:20.239 --> 0:35:23.239
<v Speaker 3>not dogs of behavior problems. We have taken in so

0:35:23.400 --> 0:35:26.200
<v Speaker 3>many puppies this year that they're like no one wants them.

0:35:26.200 --> 0:35:28.560
<v Speaker 3>It's a litter of black puppies, Like they're gonna get euthanized.

0:35:28.600 --> 0:35:31.279
<v Speaker 3>Can you take them today? And I think people think

0:35:31.320 --> 0:35:35.640
<v Speaker 3>that's like clickbait or like fake information, and it is

0:35:35.760 --> 0:35:40.680
<v Speaker 3>not in LA in the South, Uh, you know, Tennessee's

0:35:40.680 --> 0:35:45.560
<v Speaker 3>horrible Texas is horrible. It's everywhere and it's it's brutal.

0:35:45.640 --> 0:35:49.360
<v Speaker 3>You know, we've seen domestic violence went up in COVID,

0:35:49.600 --> 0:35:53.680
<v Speaker 3>so did animal abuse, hoarding. You know, you have people

0:35:53.719 --> 0:35:57.279
<v Speaker 3>struggling financially, mental health, all of it. I mean, we

0:35:57.320 --> 0:36:01.279
<v Speaker 3>went to so many hoarding cases this year, properties where

0:36:01.280 --> 0:36:04.240
<v Speaker 3>I'm like, there's literally just dead dogs just on the ground,

0:36:04.840 --> 0:36:07.680
<v Speaker 3>and you disassociate in the moment, but I mean, like

0:36:07.680 --> 0:36:11.200
<v Speaker 3>that's something that like that stays with you as a person,

0:36:11.480 --> 0:36:14.520
<v Speaker 3>and so I say to my husband all the time,

0:36:15.440 --> 0:36:17.640
<v Speaker 3>but if they had to go through it and we

0:36:17.760 --> 0:36:20.160
<v Speaker 3>had to see it, it is my job to make

0:36:20.160 --> 0:36:23.160
<v Speaker 3>sure people hear it, because I think then if you don't,

0:36:23.200 --> 0:36:28.600
<v Speaker 3>it's very easy to justify buying your dog or breeding

0:36:28.640 --> 0:36:31.320
<v Speaker 3>your dog, or you know, it's like if it's a

0:36:31.360 --> 0:36:34.439
<v Speaker 3>supply and demand and you're somebody that's choosing to financially

0:36:34.520 --> 0:36:37.160
<v Speaker 3>benefit off of the breeding of animals knowing there's an

0:36:37.160 --> 0:36:39.839
<v Speaker 3>overpopulation issue, I think that at that point it becomes

0:36:39.880 --> 0:36:43.920
<v Speaker 3>a morality question. How you sit on that side of

0:36:43.960 --> 0:36:45.960
<v Speaker 3>it or how you value it is I guess very

0:36:45.960 --> 0:36:50.160
<v Speaker 3>personal decision, but certainly from where I'm sitting, I'm like

0:36:50.160 --> 0:36:53.239
<v Speaker 3>I don't know how someone does that and can go

0:36:53.400 --> 0:36:55.279
<v Speaker 3>to bed feeling good about themselves.

0:36:55.880 --> 0:36:59.200
<v Speaker 2>You know, I often tell people when especially like the

0:36:59.520 --> 0:37:03.200
<v Speaker 2>conversation of abandonment comes up, it's it's obviously a thing

0:37:03.239 --> 0:37:06.920
<v Speaker 2>that is a very controversial to say. You know, I

0:37:07.560 --> 0:37:10.400
<v Speaker 2>there's not a lot of excuses that I believe in

0:37:10.560 --> 0:37:13.600
<v Speaker 2>to abandon your animal. There's really not to me. And

0:37:14.160 --> 0:37:16.440
<v Speaker 2>I know that's a really strong opinion. And I also

0:37:16.480 --> 0:37:20.279
<v Speaker 2>am somebody who is a I am an empathy, like

0:37:20.560 --> 0:37:23.120
<v Speaker 2>huge empathy. My heart is as big as it can

0:37:23.160 --> 0:37:27.759
<v Speaker 2>possibly get. But there are so many ways to go

0:37:27.840 --> 0:37:30.239
<v Speaker 2>about that, and there are so many ways to do

0:37:30.280 --> 0:37:34.680
<v Speaker 2>something then abandoning or knowing that when you're surrendering your

0:37:34.760 --> 0:37:37.879
<v Speaker 2>animal to a shelter, it is going to die. And

0:37:38.719 --> 0:37:41.400
<v Speaker 2>one of my strongest things that I say that often

0:37:41.520 --> 0:37:44.560
<v Speaker 2>makes people, you know, stop kind of in their tracks,

0:37:44.719 --> 0:37:50.840
<v Speaker 2>is you won't want to abandon your animal or surrender

0:37:50.880 --> 0:37:53.600
<v Speaker 2>them or get a breeder dog. If you have watched

0:37:53.920 --> 0:37:58.720
<v Speaker 2>an animal happy getting out of their shelter, walking thinking

0:37:58.719 --> 0:38:01.080
<v Speaker 2>they're about to have the best day ever, and they're

0:38:01.120 --> 0:38:03.320
<v Speaker 2>walking into a room and they don't come out.

0:38:03.480 --> 0:38:06.640
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's horrible.

0:38:07.239 --> 0:38:11.200
<v Speaker 2>It Once you have ever experienced that or witnessed that

0:38:12.080 --> 0:38:13.919
<v Speaker 2>nothing will ever make sense to you in the way

0:38:13.960 --> 0:38:18.080
<v Speaker 2>of abandonment. And so what you're saying, I'm you know,

0:38:18.120 --> 0:38:20.439
<v Speaker 2>it's it's so important to hear. Is it hard to hear?

0:38:20.480 --> 0:38:22.840
<v Speaker 2>And is it it makes me want to, you know,

0:38:22.960 --> 0:38:25.360
<v Speaker 2>cry and and sit in a corner and not do anything.

0:38:25.360 --> 0:38:27.719
<v Speaker 2>But it's also why I wanted to have this conversation

0:38:27.920 --> 0:38:33.320
<v Speaker 2>because I think it's really easy to look the other way, incredibly,

0:38:34.600 --> 0:38:36.520
<v Speaker 2>and especially when we're you know, we live in a

0:38:36.560 --> 0:38:39.880
<v Speaker 2>world of social media, and aesthetics are important to people,

0:38:39.880 --> 0:38:43.000
<v Speaker 2>and they think I need this animal or I need

0:38:43.320 --> 0:38:46.920
<v Speaker 2>to have this look, and I'm like, guys, these are

0:38:47.000 --> 0:38:49.399
<v Speaker 2>living beings. Just because they can't talk and they don't

0:38:49.400 --> 0:38:51.880
<v Speaker 2>look like us, it doesn't mean we should be treating

0:38:51.920 --> 0:38:56.880
<v Speaker 2>them this way just because of an aesthetic. And so

0:38:57.560 --> 0:38:59.520
<v Speaker 2>thank you for sharing. And I also know that's hard.

0:38:59.560 --> 0:39:01.880
<v Speaker 2>That's also hard to put yourself in a place to

0:39:01.920 --> 0:39:05.560
<v Speaker 2>constantly be sharing something that is so emotional and so

0:39:05.880 --> 0:39:08.120
<v Speaker 2>dark when all you want to do is help every

0:39:08.120 --> 0:39:12.239
<v Speaker 2>single one. So thank you for that, and thank you

0:39:12.280 --> 0:39:18.160
<v Speaker 2>for the work that you're doing. So looking at someone

0:39:18.239 --> 0:39:21.040
<v Speaker 2>like me or the people that are listening what are

0:39:21.320 --> 0:39:25.719
<v Speaker 2>the most beneficial ways that we can help an organization

0:39:25.800 --> 0:39:28.920
<v Speaker 2>like yours or shelters or anything, or just get involved

0:39:28.920 --> 0:39:32.280
<v Speaker 2>in our community. Even like give me some basic levels,

0:39:32.360 --> 0:39:34.759
<v Speaker 2>the easiest ways, and then maybe some more advance if

0:39:34.760 --> 0:39:36.479
<v Speaker 2>people really want to dive deep.

0:39:37.080 --> 0:39:39.520
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, I think on the most basic level, I think

0:39:39.520 --> 0:39:43.279
<v Speaker 3>it's having conversations, and it's doing your own research and

0:39:43.320 --> 0:39:47.480
<v Speaker 3>being curious about what's going on. If you've purchased your

0:39:47.520 --> 0:39:51.959
<v Speaker 3>dog and you maybe don't want to purchase your second dog,

0:39:52.160 --> 0:39:54.440
<v Speaker 3>or you've got a little bit of guilt about purchasing

0:39:54.440 --> 0:39:56.680
<v Speaker 3>your first dog, and so you just want to pretend

0:39:56.680 --> 0:40:00.400
<v Speaker 3>like it doesn't exist or it didn't happen. Lot of

0:40:00.400 --> 0:40:02.799
<v Speaker 3>friends that have bought their dogs that I've had incredibly

0:40:02.880 --> 0:40:06.319
<v Speaker 3>meaningful conversations with that I know that they now think

0:40:06.360 --> 0:40:09.080
<v Speaker 3>of it differently, So like it's it's never too late

0:40:09.200 --> 0:40:11.360
<v Speaker 3>kind of a thing to be an advocate. And just

0:40:11.360 --> 0:40:13.160
<v Speaker 3>because you maybe bought a dog does not mean that

0:40:13.160 --> 0:40:15.120
<v Speaker 3>you can't now be a voice. It is not one

0:40:15.239 --> 0:40:17.920
<v Speaker 3>or the other. I will take anyone at any time

0:40:18.200 --> 0:40:19.719
<v Speaker 3>that is willing to kind of like come to the

0:40:19.719 --> 0:40:23.640
<v Speaker 3>other side of animal rescue and to make it, you know,

0:40:23.800 --> 0:40:27.799
<v Speaker 3>not a judgmental place. So it's it's having conversations, being curious,

0:40:28.200 --> 0:40:29.600
<v Speaker 3>and then I think you know if that, if that

0:40:29.680 --> 0:40:32.160
<v Speaker 3>speaks to you, it's then then you be that boy.

0:40:32.360 --> 0:40:37.320
<v Speaker 3>So that's getting involved in social media is like truly

0:40:37.400 --> 0:40:39.080
<v Speaker 3>the most impactful way.

0:40:39.080 --> 0:40:40.080
<v Speaker 1>It's how Wags grew.

0:40:40.280 --> 0:40:42.360
<v Speaker 3>I mean like when I started here, I was just like,

0:40:43.640 --> 0:40:46.320
<v Speaker 3>I'm going to make this Instagram handle and pull my

0:40:46.360 --> 0:40:48.960
<v Speaker 3>friends to follow it, and you know, here we are

0:40:49.080 --> 0:40:52.720
<v Speaker 3>five years later with you know, a ton of people

0:40:52.800 --> 0:40:56.040
<v Speaker 3>in that community. So when you share things on social media,

0:40:56.080 --> 0:40:57.840
<v Speaker 3>when you see a dog that needs a home or

0:40:57.880 --> 0:41:01.680
<v Speaker 3>a fundraiser, I mean that one button spend. Collectively, everyone

0:41:01.719 --> 0:41:04.120
<v Speaker 3>spends I think too much time on their phone. But

0:41:04.160 --> 0:41:06.520
<v Speaker 3>if you're gonna spend time on your phone, like do it,

0:41:06.800 --> 0:41:11.040
<v Speaker 3>you know, supporting you know, voices and rescues and shelters

0:41:11.080 --> 0:41:12.279
<v Speaker 3>that that need the.

0:41:14.320 --> 0:41:15.720
<v Speaker 1>Need the word spread.

0:41:16.960 --> 0:41:19.279
<v Speaker 3>And then if you are so inclined, I think that

0:41:19.400 --> 0:41:24.640
<v Speaker 3>you know, the three kind of areas are volunteerism, fostering, which.

0:41:24.480 --> 0:41:25.600
<v Speaker 1>Go kind of hand in hand.

0:41:25.640 --> 0:41:27.760
<v Speaker 3>But I think for people who aren't interested in fostering,

0:41:27.760 --> 0:41:31.000
<v Speaker 3>there's still just an entire world of volunteering, whether it's events,

0:41:31.080 --> 0:41:34.640
<v Speaker 3>or transporting dogs that we have that you can you

0:41:34.640 --> 0:41:39.600
<v Speaker 3>can come volunteer and get hands on with the dogs fostering.

0:41:39.600 --> 0:41:42.560
<v Speaker 3>Like I said, we talked about adopting obviously, so when

0:41:42.600 --> 0:41:44.719
<v Speaker 3>you are in the market for getting your first dog,

0:41:44.800 --> 0:41:48.719
<v Speaker 3>second dog, whatever, making sure that you're adopting and then donating.

0:41:48.880 --> 0:41:52.719
<v Speaker 3>You know, I think I tell people a lot that

0:41:52.840 --> 0:41:55.320
<v Speaker 3>I think people think, well, what's five bucks or what's

0:41:55.560 --> 0:41:56.280
<v Speaker 3>ten bucks?

0:41:56.400 --> 0:41:56.959
<v Speaker 1>It's a lot.

0:41:57.080 --> 0:42:00.520
<v Speaker 3>It adds up, especially like speaking from WHA being like

0:42:00.560 --> 0:42:05.680
<v Speaker 3>so grassroots. We had one of our most like recent fundraisers.

0:42:05.880 --> 0:42:09.200
<v Speaker 3>We needed to raise like seven thousand, seven thousand dollars

0:42:09.200 --> 0:42:12.719
<v Speaker 3>for like her emergency hospitalization, her surgery, et cetera. And

0:42:12.760 --> 0:42:15.440
<v Speaker 3>then I ended up dividing to seven thousand we raised

0:42:15.480 --> 0:42:19.000
<v Speaker 3>by the amount of donors. The average donation was seventeen dollars.

0:42:19.680 --> 0:42:22.279
<v Speaker 3>So it's like half of those people decided, what's my

0:42:22.400 --> 0:42:26.000
<v Speaker 3>seventeen dollars, Like I wouldn't have raised enough. You know,

0:42:26.320 --> 0:42:28.680
<v Speaker 3>have monthly donors for a pop club at ten bucks

0:42:28.719 --> 0:42:32.319
<v Speaker 3>a month, and you know, I can absolutely appreciate that,

0:42:32.360 --> 0:42:35.240
<v Speaker 3>Like people are struggling right now, but for the people

0:42:35.280 --> 0:42:38.040
<v Speaker 3>that you know are still getting you know, our Starbucks

0:42:38.080 --> 0:42:41.759
<v Speaker 3>and our fancy coffees and whatnot. That like what's ten

0:42:41.840 --> 0:42:44.359
<v Speaker 3>bucks a month? You know, like when all of that

0:42:44.440 --> 0:42:48.279
<v Speaker 3>adds up to making a true impact, it goes a

0:42:48.320 --> 0:42:49.320
<v Speaker 3>long way.

0:42:49.960 --> 0:42:51.759
<v Speaker 2>Thank you for sharing that. You know, there was a

0:42:51.920 --> 0:42:53.440
<v Speaker 2>there's a saying, and I'll pas say it at the

0:42:53.520 --> 0:42:56.600
<v Speaker 2>end of this again to whenever I'm sharing stuff on

0:42:57.040 --> 0:42:59.960
<v Speaker 2>rescue animals or dogs or trying to get animals adopt.

0:43:00.080 --> 0:43:02.440
<v Speaker 2>Did one of my things that I always write and

0:43:02.480 --> 0:43:04.000
<v Speaker 2>I don't even know where I saw it. I'm sure

0:43:04.000 --> 0:43:06.719
<v Speaker 2>it was on a rescue or shelter somewhere, but it

0:43:06.800 --> 0:43:09.840
<v Speaker 2>was if you adopt. If you can't adopt, foster, if

0:43:09.880 --> 0:43:13.360
<v Speaker 2>you can't foster, volunteer. If you can't volunteer, then donate.

0:43:13.400 --> 0:43:16.400
<v Speaker 2>If you can't donate, then share, like there's always something

0:43:16.440 --> 0:43:19.960
<v Speaker 2>you can be doing. And so I'll leave that there

0:43:20.000 --> 0:43:24.239
<v Speaker 2>with what you just shared, So thank you. I also

0:43:24.280 --> 0:43:28.279
<v Speaker 2>want to talk about it's happening so hard, and I

0:43:28.320 --> 0:43:31.640
<v Speaker 2>know that it's also probably really difficult for you to see.

0:43:31.680 --> 0:43:35.719
<v Speaker 2>And I'm sure that you guys are involved the wildfires

0:43:35.760 --> 0:43:39.799
<v Speaker 2>out in California, and I have so much empathy for

0:43:40.280 --> 0:43:42.520
<v Speaker 2>everybody that is going through this. I also have so

0:43:42.640 --> 0:43:46.280
<v Speaker 2>much empathy for the animals and the wildlife and how

0:43:46.400 --> 0:43:50.160
<v Speaker 2>drastically everything is being impacted out there. So are you

0:43:50.200 --> 0:43:52.839
<v Speaker 2>guys doing stuff to involve that that maybe other people

0:43:52.880 --> 0:43:54.799
<v Speaker 2>can also help in that way, like what's going on

0:43:54.840 --> 0:43:57.640
<v Speaker 2>out there? Because you guys do have the Los Angeles

0:43:57.960 --> 0:43:58.840
<v Speaker 2>Wags and walks.

0:43:59.440 --> 0:44:04.719
<v Speaker 3>Yes, it's been horrible being in Nashville and having lived

0:44:04.760 --> 0:44:08.319
<v Speaker 3>there and having friends and one of our own WAG

0:44:08.360 --> 0:44:11.520
<v Speaker 3>staff members lost her home and she's like weeks away

0:44:11.520 --> 0:44:15.960
<v Speaker 3>from giving birth and has little ones and it's it's overwhelming.

0:44:16.440 --> 0:44:19.759
<v Speaker 3>But I think this is what like what kind of

0:44:19.760 --> 0:44:25.160
<v Speaker 3>Wags is about. It's just like when things go crazy,

0:44:25.400 --> 0:44:27.320
<v Speaker 3>I think we go, okay, like how can we help?

0:44:28.320 --> 0:44:30.840
<v Speaker 3>I call it controlled fury. It's like when just things

0:44:30.880 --> 0:44:33.239
<v Speaker 3>are going crazy, how can we like hone in and

0:44:33.280 --> 0:44:36.000
<v Speaker 3>like do what we do best, so we didn't want

0:44:36.000 --> 0:44:38.920
<v Speaker 3>to be adding to the noise, like right when it started.

0:44:39.040 --> 0:44:43.080
<v Speaker 3>It's like, Okay, let's like figure out which large organizations

0:44:43.120 --> 0:44:45.040
<v Speaker 3>are like getting boots on the ground, where can we

0:44:45.080 --> 0:44:49.080
<v Speaker 3>fit in and like be the most impactful. So one

0:44:49.160 --> 0:44:52.879
<v Speaker 3>is obviously saving dogs. So in the last week they

0:44:52.920 --> 0:44:56.240
<v Speaker 3>have saved over sixty five dogs. They're going to different

0:44:56.280 --> 0:44:59.320
<v Speaker 3>shelters every single day, and kind of what's happening with

0:44:59.360 --> 0:45:03.480
<v Speaker 3>the wildfire. There's so many displaced animals that the shelters

0:45:03.520 --> 0:45:07.040
<v Speaker 3>want to create space for them to be reunited.

0:45:06.560 --> 0:45:07.400
<v Speaker 1>With their families.

0:45:07.920 --> 0:45:10.399
<v Speaker 3>And while it might be easy to assume, oh well,

0:45:10.400 --> 0:45:13.680
<v Speaker 3>that should not take that long, a like dogs have traveled.

0:45:13.719 --> 0:45:16.040
<v Speaker 3>There's so many shelters in LA. If the dog is

0:45:16.040 --> 0:45:18.200
<v Speaker 3>not microchip, it's like figuring out where that dog is.

0:45:18.719 --> 0:45:20.600
<v Speaker 3>And then even if they found out where their dog is,

0:45:20.640 --> 0:45:22.440
<v Speaker 3>do they have somewhere to bring the dog back to.

0:45:23.200 --> 0:45:26.960
<v Speaker 3>We know how many, like you know, landlords, leasing companies

0:45:27.000 --> 0:45:30.920
<v Speaker 3>do not allow for tests, which I've seen some like

0:45:30.960 --> 0:45:33.439
<v Speaker 3>lifting their restrictions and things like that, especially for short

0:45:33.480 --> 0:45:35.880
<v Speaker 3>term rentals for you know, to be able to accommodate

0:45:35.880 --> 0:45:39.640
<v Speaker 3>families that have pets. So shelters are giving people longer

0:45:40.640 --> 0:45:42.480
<v Speaker 3>to claim their dogs. I think most shelters have been

0:45:42.520 --> 0:45:45.480
<v Speaker 3>like twenty one days. That is a death sentence for

0:45:45.560 --> 0:45:48.399
<v Speaker 3>the dogs that have already been there. Those are dogs

0:45:48.440 --> 0:45:51.160
<v Speaker 3>we already know don't have homes. So WAGS is going

0:45:51.160 --> 0:45:54.000
<v Speaker 3>to those shelters. The first day we got there, we

0:45:54.239 --> 0:45:56.200
<v Speaker 3>met the longest term resident and they're like yep, you're

0:45:56.200 --> 0:45:59.520
<v Speaker 3>coming with us, get in the van. So in some

0:45:59.560 --> 0:46:03.600
<v Speaker 3>ways it's been so impactful for the dogs that have

0:46:03.680 --> 0:46:06.080
<v Speaker 3>been there for so long because I think rescues are going, okay,

0:46:06.080 --> 0:46:08.720
<v Speaker 3>like this is this is where we are actually needed.

0:46:09.440 --> 0:46:11.440
<v Speaker 3>You know, it's not taking the cute, little fluffy dog,

0:46:11.440 --> 0:46:14.080
<v Speaker 3>it's who needs it and who can we help, So

0:46:14.160 --> 0:46:16.279
<v Speaker 3>going to tons of shelters for the rest of this week,

0:46:16.239 --> 0:46:18.520
<v Speaker 3>they would be going, and they're in communication daily with

0:46:18.640 --> 0:46:22.319
<v Speaker 3>like who needs the most help. Two is their supply drive.

0:46:23.120 --> 0:46:26.000
<v Speaker 3>Though we knew we hey, we have a building, our building,

0:46:26.000 --> 0:46:29.399
<v Speaker 3>a stake, we've got the room, it exploded, and they

0:46:29.400 --> 0:46:32.440
<v Speaker 3>have so much supplies. So at this point we're kind

0:46:32.480 --> 0:46:35.160
<v Speaker 3>of distributing it two different ways. So one is like

0:46:35.239 --> 0:46:37.759
<v Speaker 3>show up tour at option center. It Option center is

0:46:37.760 --> 0:46:40.480
<v Speaker 3>in West LA. It's like no questions asked, like take

0:46:40.520 --> 0:46:43.440
<v Speaker 3>what you need. It's obviously like you know, pet supplies,

0:46:43.440 --> 0:46:46.480
<v Speaker 3>but there's cat and dogs and I honestly probably some

0:46:46.520 --> 0:46:48.799
<v Speaker 3>other smaller animals, rabbits, things like that.

0:46:49.200 --> 0:46:49.279
<v Speaker 2>That.

0:46:49.280 --> 0:46:52.080
<v Speaker 3>If you need supplies, show up, if you know people

0:46:52.160 --> 0:46:54.719
<v Speaker 3>tell people to go there. We're open every single day.

0:46:55.719 --> 0:46:57.400
<v Speaker 3>And then we're also having we have a sign up

0:46:57.440 --> 0:47:00.920
<v Speaker 3>sheet so people can say, hey, I need supplies, I

0:47:01.000 --> 0:47:03.440
<v Speaker 3>can't come to you, and then we have volunteers driving

0:47:03.480 --> 0:47:06.720
<v Speaker 3>the supplies. We have plenty of volunteers and plenty of drivers.

0:47:06.960 --> 0:47:09.480
<v Speaker 3>So same thing simple as just fill out this quick form,

0:47:09.560 --> 0:47:11.640
<v Speaker 3>let us know what you need, be specific because we

0:47:11.719 --> 0:47:13.480
<v Speaker 3>probably have it and we'll.

0:47:13.320 --> 0:47:13.839
<v Speaker 1>Get it to you.

0:47:14.400 --> 0:47:19.280
<v Speaker 3>And then three is our grand program that we've just launched.

0:47:20.480 --> 0:47:23.560
<v Speaker 3>We've never done anything like this. I'm super proud of

0:47:23.600 --> 0:47:27.240
<v Speaker 3>the team for being as creative as possible. I think

0:47:27.640 --> 0:47:31.080
<v Speaker 3>WAGS has such trust in the community that when people

0:47:31.120 --> 0:47:34.600
<v Speaker 3>are donating their money to our wild Life Wildlife, our

0:47:34.640 --> 0:47:41.160
<v Speaker 3>wildfire Fund, we are trusted to make make the most

0:47:41.200 --> 0:47:47.080
<v Speaker 3>of their donations. And we had in enormous amount of

0:47:47.120 --> 0:47:50.239
<v Speaker 3>support or this fund that we were like, Okay, yes,

0:47:50.320 --> 0:47:52.839
<v Speaker 3>we've saved sixty five dogs. We're doing all the supply driver,

0:47:52.880 --> 0:47:55.239
<v Speaker 3>we're doing all this work, but at the end of

0:47:55.280 --> 0:47:58.839
<v Speaker 3>the day, like this, these dollars should go as far

0:47:58.840 --> 0:48:00.759
<v Speaker 3>as they can, and we want to make sure that

0:48:00.960 --> 0:48:04.440
<v Speaker 3>we're not just keeping that for our own dogs outside

0:48:04.440 --> 0:48:07.000
<v Speaker 3>of what's going on right now, So we're actually giving

0:48:07.040 --> 0:48:12.120
<v Speaker 3>away funding to both families and other animal well for organizations.

0:48:12.600 --> 0:48:18.319
<v Speaker 3>So we are starting with twenty thousand dollars of that

0:48:18.400 --> 0:48:21.920
<v Speaker 3>we're giving away of funds, but we're having other partners

0:48:22.040 --> 0:48:24.080
<v Speaker 3>show interest in this, so the more matches we can

0:48:24.120 --> 0:48:25.840
<v Speaker 3>get to this, the more that we can give away.

0:48:26.960 --> 0:48:29.920
<v Speaker 3>It's a really simple process. It's on our website. You

0:48:30.040 --> 0:48:32.200
<v Speaker 3>have to just say if you're an individual, if you're

0:48:32.239 --> 0:48:34.160
<v Speaker 3>applying on behalf of somebody else, or if you're an

0:48:34.160 --> 0:48:37.239
<v Speaker 3>animal weal for organization and what you're seeking funding for.

0:48:37.680 --> 0:48:40.200
<v Speaker 3>So this could be boarding and the costs of Hey,

0:48:40.239 --> 0:48:41.680
<v Speaker 3>I got to go get my dog in the shelter,

0:48:41.840 --> 0:48:43.440
<v Speaker 3>or I need to go say with family and I

0:48:43.440 --> 0:48:47.319
<v Speaker 3>need to put my pet and boarding right now, we're

0:48:47.320 --> 0:48:50.200
<v Speaker 3>an animal for organization and we had damage to our building,

0:48:50.800 --> 0:48:54.480
<v Speaker 3>or hey I just need costs of betinary care because

0:48:54.480 --> 0:48:57.000
<v Speaker 3>my pet was injured. There's so many dogs who have

0:48:57.080 --> 0:49:00.239
<v Speaker 3>had burns, who got hit by cars, who you know,

0:49:00.800 --> 0:49:05.000
<v Speaker 3>the whole runs, the whole gamut. So we are processing

0:49:05.000 --> 0:49:07.640
<v Speaker 3>applications pretty much as we speak and trying to get

0:49:07.640 --> 0:49:09.279
<v Speaker 3>those funds distributed.

0:49:08.800 --> 0:49:09.800
<v Speaker 1>As soon as possible.

0:49:10.239 --> 0:49:12.759
<v Speaker 3>And all of these programs right now are ongoing. So

0:49:13.040 --> 0:49:15.440
<v Speaker 3>as long as we're receiving a support and we're seeing

0:49:15.440 --> 0:49:19.440
<v Speaker 3>the need. We're gonna keep on doing our best to

0:49:19.480 --> 0:49:21.200
<v Speaker 3>help as many people and dogs as we can.

0:49:22.000 --> 0:49:25.080
<v Speaker 2>Wow, it's amazing what you guys are doing, not just

0:49:25.400 --> 0:49:27.880
<v Speaker 2>you know, in Nashville, in LA and with the wildfires,

0:49:27.920 --> 0:49:30.799
<v Speaker 2>but just across the board, and the fact that you

0:49:30.840 --> 0:49:34.920
<v Speaker 2>guys are constantly trying to find new ways to do so. Like,

0:49:35.760 --> 0:49:38.760
<v Speaker 2>I'm sure that there are people that tell you often,

0:49:38.840 --> 0:49:40.680
<v Speaker 2>but I want to be another one who just says

0:49:40.719 --> 0:49:43.120
<v Speaker 2>thank you, like thank you for everything you're doing, thank

0:49:43.160 --> 0:49:45.400
<v Speaker 2>you for who you are as a person who wants

0:49:45.440 --> 0:49:47.879
<v Speaker 2>to do this and do that work. I think it's

0:49:47.920 --> 0:49:50.960
<v Speaker 2>really special and the stuff that you're doing doesn't go unnoticed,

0:49:51.080 --> 0:49:55.479
<v Speaker 2>especially to somebody like me. So just thanks to you,

0:49:55.480 --> 0:49:57.919
<v Speaker 2>your whole team, everyone who's doing all of that, and

0:49:58.640 --> 0:50:01.399
<v Speaker 2>you know, you guys share this. Hopefully they can get

0:50:01.400 --> 0:50:04.600
<v Speaker 2>even more donations and stuff to help those grants and

0:50:04.640 --> 0:50:08.120
<v Speaker 2>help more families and stuff. Because I've seen so many

0:50:08.200 --> 0:50:12.080
<v Speaker 2>videos and I you know, I keep watching them waiting

0:50:12.120 --> 0:50:13.920
<v Speaker 2>for ways to help, and now we have one, and

0:50:13.960 --> 0:50:17.160
<v Speaker 2>this is a trusted way to help. So let's do it,

0:50:17.239 --> 0:50:20.320
<v Speaker 2>and let's all go in together and find ways to

0:50:20.360 --> 0:50:23.560
<v Speaker 2>help these families and their pets. So thank you and

0:50:23.600 --> 0:50:26.120
<v Speaker 2>thank you for coming on like to talk about all

0:50:26.160 --> 0:50:30.719
<v Speaker 2>of this, and again just being who you are so.

0:50:29.880 --> 0:50:31.920
<v Speaker 3>Likewise, and you know, I think that I am not

0:50:32.560 --> 0:50:35.640
<v Speaker 3>in your position to give, you know, people the opportunity

0:50:35.680 --> 0:50:37.680
<v Speaker 3>to talk about what they're doing. So your work is

0:50:37.719 --> 0:50:40.280
<v Speaker 3>super important and I appreciate you reaching out and wanting

0:50:40.280 --> 0:50:43.640
<v Speaker 3>to highlight the cause in and of itself and also

0:50:43.719 --> 0:50:46.399
<v Speaker 3>what's going on in LA or anyone that does listen

0:50:46.400 --> 0:50:48.759
<v Speaker 3>to this and wants to get involved. I think I

0:50:48.800 --> 0:50:50.719
<v Speaker 3>mentioned this, but everything can be found at wags and

0:50:50.760 --> 0:50:54.000
<v Speaker 3>walks dot org. It's all across the banners, whether you

0:50:54.040 --> 0:50:57.480
<v Speaker 3>are looking for the supply information or the grants. And

0:50:57.760 --> 0:51:02.239
<v Speaker 3>also we're super active on social waxmox waxmox Nashville and

0:51:02.640 --> 0:51:05.560
<v Speaker 3>our social team is they're working over.

0:51:05.480 --> 0:51:06.080
<v Speaker 1>Time right now.

0:51:06.800 --> 0:51:08.960
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, they do amazing stuff. That's how I always see

0:51:08.960 --> 0:51:10.440
<v Speaker 2>what you guys are up to. I you know, I

0:51:10.480 --> 0:51:14.200
<v Speaker 2>follow it myself and I've been fortunate to help you

0:51:14.200 --> 0:51:16.239
<v Speaker 2>guys in a lot of different ways and I will

0:51:16.239 --> 0:51:18.600
<v Speaker 2>continue to do so. Just again because of the work

0:51:18.600 --> 0:51:21.400
<v Speaker 2>that you guys are doing is amazing. So and also

0:51:21.480 --> 0:51:22.920
<v Speaker 2>if you know you're like I really want to get

0:51:23.800 --> 0:51:27.960
<v Speaker 2>involved locally, there's so many wonderful organizations like Wags and Walks.

0:51:28.120 --> 0:51:29.839
<v Speaker 2>If you don't live in Nashville and you don't live

0:51:29.880 --> 0:51:33.479
<v Speaker 2>in LA, there are rescue groups everywhere. You can search

0:51:33.640 --> 0:51:36.640
<v Speaker 2>on Facebook and say rescue group, and I promise you

0:51:36.640 --> 0:51:39.440
<v Speaker 2>you will find one. So if this is you know

0:51:39.520 --> 0:51:42.080
<v Speaker 2>you want to get really hands on involved locally, there's

0:51:42.120 --> 0:51:45.160
<v Speaker 2>that way too. So again, thank you Catherine, thanks for

0:51:45.200 --> 0:51:46.640
<v Speaker 2>being here and everything.

0:51:47.200 --> 0:51:48.680
<v Speaker 3>Yeah, thank you so much for having me.

0:51:56.840 --> 0:51:58.200
<v Speaker 2>I just want to think all of you guys too,

0:51:58.280 --> 0:52:01.000
<v Speaker 2>because if you've followed me on instead and now you

0:52:01.080 --> 0:52:05.040
<v Speaker 2>listen to this podcast, you guys also support this work.

0:52:05.120 --> 0:52:07.840
<v Speaker 2>You guys cheer me on in this and you guys

0:52:07.880 --> 0:52:10.920
<v Speaker 2>help support and share. And I've seen so much social

0:52:10.960 --> 0:52:16.720
<v Speaker 2>engagement over animals I've posted and rescue stories. So thank you, guys,

0:52:16.760 --> 0:52:18.680
<v Speaker 2>and thank you to all the people out there who

0:52:18.760 --> 0:52:22.279
<v Speaker 2>are big advocates also for Adopt Don't Shop. I hope

0:52:22.280 --> 0:52:24.960
<v Speaker 2>you enjoyed this episode, and if you know you're new

0:52:25.000 --> 0:52:28.200
<v Speaker 2>to this world, then I welcome you wholeheartedly and I'm

0:52:28.239 --> 0:52:31.480
<v Speaker 2>really glad that you're here. So again, go check out

0:52:31.480 --> 0:52:35.200
<v Speaker 2>Wags and Walks dot org if you want to help

0:52:35.320 --> 0:52:39.520
<v Speaker 2>locally just in general with rescue or if you want

0:52:39.520 --> 0:52:42.880
<v Speaker 2>to help with what's happening in the wildfires out in California.

0:52:43.000 --> 0:52:46.000
<v Speaker 2>But even more than that, I encourage you once again,

0:52:46.200 --> 0:52:50.600
<v Speaker 2>please adopt. And if you can't adopt, foster, and if

0:52:50.640 --> 0:52:53.960
<v Speaker 2>you can't foster, then volunteer. And if you can't volunteer,

0:52:54.000 --> 0:52:56.640
<v Speaker 2>then donate. And if you can't donate, then share on

0:52:56.680 --> 0:53:00.479
<v Speaker 2>social media. There is always a way that you're able

0:53:00.480 --> 0:53:03.920
<v Speaker 2>to help in this space, and more importantly, you're needed

0:53:03.960 --> 0:53:07.000
<v Speaker 2>in this help. These animals need us. We are their

0:53:07.080 --> 0:53:10.480
<v Speaker 2>voice and we have domesticated these animals, so it is

0:53:10.600 --> 0:53:13.920
<v Speaker 2>up to us to help through this crisis as a

0:53:13.960 --> 0:53:17.600
<v Speaker 2>community across the entire country. And I think we can

0:53:17.640 --> 0:53:20.560
<v Speaker 2>do it. And you know, one day, I hope that

0:53:20.640 --> 0:53:24.080
<v Speaker 2>I can pull an Elwoods and be on the doorstep

0:53:24.440 --> 0:53:30.000
<v Speaker 2>of legalizing stricter breeding laws and other ways to help animals.

0:53:30.560 --> 0:53:33.000
<v Speaker 2>But until then, I'm going to keep doing this and

0:53:33.520 --> 0:53:35.080
<v Speaker 2>thank you for allowing me to do so.