Helping Pets Means Helping People Too with Save An Angel

Dixie: 00:00:02

Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the

2

: 00:00:05

people and rescues making a

difference in the lives of animals.

3

: 00:00:09

today I am speaking with Kristie

and Jeremy from Sav-an-Angel

4

: 00:00:14

before we get started, if I could get

each of you to introduce yourselves and

5

: 00:00:19

tell me what you do for Sav-an-Angel.

6

: 00:00:22

Kristie, I'll let you go first.

7

: 00:00:24

Hello, I'm Kristie Sullens.

8

: 00:00:26

I am the co-founder of

Sav-an-Angel, and for.

9

: 00:00:32

10 years or so or more.

10

: 00:00:34

I did Sav-an-Angel full time and then

when I had my second child and moved

11

: 00:00:41

from New Orleans Sav-an-Angel, merged

with another organization that was

12

: 00:00:46

run by Jeremy Parks, who was also our

very first volunteer at Sav-an-Angel

13

: 00:00:50

when he was 12 or 13, I think.

14

: 00:00:53

13, 13.

15

: 00:00:55

13 years old.

16

: 00:00:56

Yeah.

17

: 00:00:56

And then he went off to college

and did everything and then he came

18

: 00:00:59

back and now he is our director.

19

: 00:01:01

We merged our organizations and then

he took over as director and he's

20

: 00:01:06

been in that position ever since.

21

: 00:01:07

Go ahead Jeremy.

22

: 00:01:09

Yeah, absolutely.

23

: 00:01:09

So my name is Jeremy Parks and

Kristie said, I'm the executive

24

: 00:01:13

Director of Sav-an-Angel.

25

: 00:01:14

We're a 5 0 1 C3 organization based out

of Bastrop, Texas now, and I've been

26

: 00:01:19

with the organization since I was 13,

about 15 years ago, and I transitioned

27

: 00:01:23

into a staff member on the leadership

team in: 2018

28

: 00:01:29

into the executive director role in 2019.

29

: 00:01:33

That's pretty cool.

30

: 00:01:34

And I love to hear that you started

when you were that young because I'm

31

: 00:01:38

noticing that a new trend is that it's

very difficult to get young people

32

: 00:01:42

involved with animal rescue now.

33

: 00:01:46

It is.

34

: 00:01:46

Absolutely.

35

: 00:01:49

I know Sav-an-Angel has an

interesting origin story, so can you

36

: 00:01:55

share that origin story, Kristie?

37

: 00:01:58

Yes.

38

: 00:01:58

So when Angel was five years old, we

found a lump in her abdomen when we

39

: 00:02:05

were just petting her belly and we

noticed that she was acting funny.

40

: 00:02:10

And so we took her to the doctor

and the doctor told us that she

41

: 00:02:15

had lymphoma, and that when dogs

have lymphoma, that they can't.

42

: 00:02:20

Cure them.

43

: 00:02:21

They can only treat the symptoms that they

can't give them chemotherapy like a human

44

: 00:02:25

because they take an oath to do no harm.

45

: 00:02:29

And that the only options we had

were chemotherapy and radiation.

46

: 00:02:33

And then, my husband was

Johnny, , the co-founder said

47

: 00:02:37

we can cure humans of lymphoma.

48

: 00:02:39

Why can't we cure dogs?

49

: 00:02:40

And our vet . Dr.

50

: 00:02:41

Garra went down the rabbit hole and

she ended up finding a vet in North

51

: 00:02:45

Carolina, but they were doing bone

marrow transplants with machines that

52

: 00:02:50

had been donated by the Mayo Clinic.

53

: 00:02:52

And then we found out that a hundred

percent of transplants performed on

54

: 00:02:55

humans were tested on dogs first.

55

: 00:02:57

And so we were like, okay,

how much does it cost?

56

: 00:03:00

We said it's $16,000.

57

: 00:03:01

And back then that was.

58

: 00:03:03

It's like just an unreal

amount of money for us.

59

: 00:03:07

'cause we didn't have any money really.

60

: 00:03:09

We were very young and so we

went out, we set out to raise the

61

: 00:03:13

money, and along the way we met all

kinds of people in the community.

62

: 00:03:17

And then we started to see the need

and we were just so grateful that

63

: 00:03:21

everyone was helping us to save Angel

and we just wanted to give back.

64

: 00:03:24

And then that kind of led into

rescue and everything else.

65

: 00:03:27

But ultimately angel was, I

believe maybe like the 23rd dog

66

: 00:03:32

to get a bone marrow transplant at

North Carolina State University.

67

: 00:03:35

And she was cured of her lymphoma

and she lived to be very old lady.

68

: 00:03:42

She was about 13 when she passed away.

69

: 00:03:44

Old lady warm in her bed.

70

: 00:03:46

Now Sav-an-Angels living on through

Jeremy and hopefully will live on past us.

71

: 00:03:51

And that was ultimately the goal was

that I would just continue to serve the

72

: 00:03:54

community that had given back to us.

73

: 00:03:57

What is the group, Jeremy, that you

have, that you merged with sav-an-Angel.

74

: 00:04:03

Yeah, so I co-founded Bastrop Animal

Rescue, which was a foster based animal

75

: 00:04:07

rescue organization here in Texas.

76

: 00:04:09

And the stars aligned at the

right time for both Kristie and I.

77

: 00:04:13

And everything just fell into

place for us to really be able

78

: 00:04:16

to consolidate the resources for

both entities to create and even.

79

: 00:04:20

More impactful and powerful entity.

80

: 00:04:22

And by consolidating all of that under

Sav-an-Angel and that the victory

81

: 00:04:27

of Sav-an-Angel really sparked the

movement that introduced all of us to

82

: 00:04:30

the wider animal welfare community.

83

: 00:04:32

And that kind of became the foundation

of Sav-an-Angel and who we are.

84

: 00:04:35

In our early years, we

operated as a rescue.

85

: 00:04:38

We pulled animals from shelters,

we placed them into foster homes.

86

: 00:04:41

Rehabilitated them medically

if they needed that.

87

: 00:04:43

And we found them loving forever homes.

88

: 00:04:45

But no matter how many lives we saved,

the kennels just filled up again at

89

: 00:04:49

the local shelter the very next day.

90

: 00:04:51

And so we realized that while rescue

was essential, it was still reactive.

91

: 00:04:55

And to create real lasting

change, we had to shift upstream

92

: 00:04:58

and address the root causes.

93

: 00:05:00

And so today we operate as a

proactive, community centered

94

: 00:05:04

nonprofit, really focused on prevention

and affordable access to care.

95

: 00:05:09

Programs that we build hand in

hand with the people we serve.

96

: 00:05:12

Our mission has evolved a lot over

the years and, we went from saving one

97

: 00:05:17

dog angel to building a sustainable

solution that really keeps pets

98

: 00:05:20

healthy and families together and

makes our entire community stronger.

99

: 00:05:24

I would like to hear more about the

proactive measures that you're taking

100

: 00:05:29

because I'm noticing the same thing.

101

: 00:05:31

It just seems that people.

102

: 00:05:34

Who don't necessarily need what we

would consider rescue, try to always

103

: 00:05:39

get rescues to take their animals.

104

: 00:05:41

And it always seems to

overload the system.

105

: 00:05:43

Because people don't wanna say no.

106

: 00:05:45

So what are some of these measures that

you are doing to combat that problem?

107

: 00:05:51

Yeah, absolutely.

108

: 00:05:52

Really for us it's helping

pets, means helping people too.

109

: 00:05:55

That's really at the core of our mission.

110

: 00:05:56

And when we talk about solving animal

welfare at its root, we have to

111

: 00:06:00

start with access to care and cost.

112

: 00:06:02

And that's really the number one

issues that we see that families face.

113

: 00:06:05

And the market sector of the veterinary

world is able to service, greater than

114

: 00:06:09

about 50, maybe 60% of the community.

115

: 00:06:12

But that other 40, maybe 50% of

people truly with the economy, the

116

: 00:06:17

way that it is creates a struggle.

117

: 00:06:19

And a lot of folks have to

choose between, providing food

118

: 00:06:22

on the table for their children.

119

: 00:06:24

Or getting access to care and

veterinary care for their pet.

120

: 00:06:26

And for us, we really wanted to bridge

that gap and access to not just spay and

121

: 00:06:31

neuter, which reduces pet overpopulation

and ends that cycle of breeding.

122

: 00:06:36

But just the most basic of

vaccinations and dewormer.

123

: 00:06:39

Heartworm testing and preventative

care and things like that.

124

: 00:06:42

And what we see a lot of is very

basic health issues that could be

125

: 00:06:46

addressed early on, like an ear

infection or a skin condition.

126

: 00:06:50

They're left untreated and it becomes

a chronic, painful, expensive case

127

: 00:06:54

that turns into an emergency sometimes.

128

: 00:06:56

And at that point it becomes a life

or death decision for the pet parent

129

: 00:07:00

because they don't have the means to.

130

: 00:07:01

Treat the issue the chronic

condition that's developed.

131

: 00:07:04

And so for us, we want to be a part

of that pet's life, its entire life.

132

: 00:07:09

We want to be available as a resource for

its annual visits, it's vaccinations, it's

133

: 00:07:14

dewormer, it's prevention every month.

134

: 00:07:16

And we're able to help

families along the way.

135

: 00:07:19

Currently we don't offer emergency care.

136

: 00:07:22

But it is something that we're able

to connect with folks on a case by

137

: 00:07:25

case basis and really give them the

resources that we might not necessarily

138

: 00:07:29

have available but connecting them with

another entity or an organization that

139

: 00:07:33

has those resources available to prevent

them from having to either euthanize the

140

: 00:07:37

pet or surrender it to a local shelter.

141

: 00:07:40

And what qualifications do you have

for people to use your program?

142

: 00:07:45

So we actually, we don't qualify anyone

ultimately if a pet parent feels that

143

: 00:07:49

they need that resource we're available

to anyone and everyone who might need us.

144

: 00:07:53

And so we currently do about 4,000

spay neuter surgeries a year.

145

: 00:07:57

And we do about 9,000 wellness

appointments a year out of our clinic.

146

: 00:08:00

We have one clinic location here in

Bastrop, Texas, and then we run a mobile

147

: 00:08:04

program which brings access to care and

free vaccines and veterinary care out

148

: 00:08:09

into the communities who need it most.

149

: 00:08:11

And so we really do try to target the

communities that we know whether it's

150

: 00:08:15

the highest intake stray numbers through

data from the local animal shelter.

151

: 00:08:19

Or it's just case by case that we just

are aware of situations in the community

152

: 00:08:23

that might need us more than others.

153

: 00:08:25

We try to target those individuals

and those communities the most

154

: 00:08:28

to really empower them with the

tools and resources that they need.

155

: 00:08:30

But at the end of the day if you

have a pet and you need, access

156

: 00:08:34

to care, we're here for you.

157

: 00:08:36

Can you walk us through how you

actually got this clinic up and running?

158

: 00:08:42

Yeah, absolutely.

159

: 00:08:43

It was a monumental effort.

160

: 00:08:45

And it was a very much a situation where

we had a partnership with the local

161

: 00:08:50

animal shelter and they had a situation

where they had a building that was

162

: 00:08:54

destroyed and a storm, and they were

able to leverage the insurance money

163

: 00:08:59

that they received from that building to

create and build a brand new building.

164

: 00:09:03

Part of that building was a medical

suite and they knew that they were only

165

: 00:09:07

gonna be able to utilize that suite

one or two days a week for shelter

166

: 00:09:11

animals, which left the building

unoccupied five other days of the week.

167

: 00:09:15

And so we, with the shelter director

at the time who was very passionate

168

: 00:09:19

about, really being progressive and

proactive in outreach asked us if we

169

: 00:09:23

would be interested in partnering with

her to really create that solution.

170

: 00:09:27

We had identified it but we

struggled to really implement.

171

: 00:09:31

And so with those two forces

combined, we were able to just

172

: 00:09:35

get this clinic off the ground.

173

: 00:09:36

We piloted it in December of

: 2019

174

: 00:09:41

a month, and then in May of 2020.

175

: 00:09:44

We open the clinic full time and

so today, we now offer operate four

176

: 00:09:49

or five days every single week.

177

: 00:09:51

That's quite an accomplishment.

178

: 00:09:53

How did you go about finding veterinarians

who would work with you with this?

179

: 00:09:59

So we started with volunteer veterinarians

just veterinarians that we had

180

: 00:10:03

connected with in the local community.

181

: 00:10:05

And they volunteered.

182

: 00:10:07

Some of them we paid to come in

on like a contract or relief basis

183

: 00:10:10

just to get the clinic started.

184

: 00:10:11

And then by, once we had piloted

the program, we knew that it worked.

185

: 00:10:15

We knew that it was gonna be successful.

186

: 00:10:17

We opened a full-time veterinarian

position and we were able to

187

: 00:10:20

hire a veterinarian that has

about 30 years of experience.

188

: 00:10:23

And so she's done high volumes spay

and neuter for the last 10 years

189

: 00:10:27

and we were able to get her on board

and she's now our full-time medical

190

: 00:10:30

director and does the vast majority

of the surgeries that we offer.

191

: 00:10:34

Can you walk us through all the

programs that you have today?

192

: 00:10:37

Sure.

193

: 00:10:38

Absolutely.

194

: 00:10:39

So we are, the core of what we offer

is low cost and free veterinary care.

195

: 00:10:43

Addition to that is our

mobile outreach team.

196

: 00:10:46

So we go out into the community, we

provide pet parents with anything

197

: 00:10:49

that they might need, whether that's

education, that's tools, that's resource.

198

: 00:10:53

We have a pet food pantry

callers, leashes ID tags.

199

: 00:10:57

Anything that on a case by case basis,

that one individual family may need to

200

: 00:11:02

be able to better care for their pet.

201

: 00:11:04

We're there and we're available as a

resource to, to get them what they need.

202

: 00:11:08

And outreach and education

are really one of the.

203

: 00:11:11

The core pillars of how we operate.

204

: 00:11:14

For us early on doing rescue we found

ourselves telling people like, oh, you

205

: 00:11:18

need to get your pet spayed and neutered.

206

: 00:11:19

You need to get your

pets spayed a neutered.

207

: 00:11:21

But then we realized that there was no

resource available to connect them with,

208

: 00:11:24

to get their pet spayed and neutered.

209

: 00:11:26

And so that's what really motivated

us to create our own model and our

210

: 00:11:30

own clinic to be able to say, Hey.

211

: 00:11:33

You need to get your pet spayed

and neutered and we can do it

212

: 00:11:35

for you and we can help you.

213

: 00:11:36

And costs should never be a factor.

214

: 00:11:38

And so we operate with a low cost model.

215

: 00:11:40

But really it, it is a

pay what you can model.

216

: 00:11:43

And so we have a base rate of

what we charge in an ideal world

217

: 00:11:47

to be able to sustain the clinic.

218

: 00:11:48

But we know that a lot of pet parents

don't necessarily have the means

219

: 00:11:51

to even afford the low cost fees.

220

: 00:11:54

So we are able to work with them

on that individual basis and

221

: 00:11:57

say, Hey, what can you afford?

222

: 00:11:58

And if that's 30 bucks, we'll

work with them, we'll get them

223

: 00:12:01

subsidized to a voucher program.

224

: 00:12:03

And then we get their pet spayed anyway

225

: 00:12:05

so if they feel that they couldn't afford

anything, then you would just go ahead and

226

: 00:12:09

offer them the free care at that point.

227

: 00:12:12

Yep, absolutely.

228

: 00:12:13

So about 65 to 70% of

our costs to operate.

229

: 00:12:17

Our clinic is covered by the

fees that we are able to collect.

230

: 00:12:20

The other 30 to 35% is what we

subsidize through fundraising

231

: 00:12:24

and donations and grants.

232

: 00:12:25

And so we're very active in going

out and not just outreach to

233

: 00:12:30

the community who needs us, but

reaching out to the community to.

234

: 00:12:33

Garner larger amounts of support

to be able to never say no.

235

: 00:12:37

That's always our goal is we don't

ever want to turn a pet parent

236

: 00:12:39

away because we don't have the

means or the resources to do it.

237

: 00:12:42

We'll go above and beyond every

single time to try and really

238

: 00:12:45

gather the resources that we need

to be able to always say yes.

239

: 00:12:49

That's amazing.

240

: 00:12:52

With your spay and neuter clinic

why was that a crucial addition

241

: 00:12:57

to the central Texas area?

242

: 00:13:00

Spay and neuter.

243

: 00:13:01

At the end of the day, we believe is

the solution to pet overpopulation.

244

: 00:13:05

And so it really comes back to that

kind of preaching of we really and

245

: 00:13:10

truly believe that is one of the most

powerful ways to end pet over population.

246

: 00:13:15

And encouraging and.

247

: 00:13:17

Really advocating for pet

parents to get their pets fixed.

248

: 00:13:19

We needed to be able to connect

them with that resource to know that

249

: 00:13:23

they were getting their pets fixed.

250

: 00:13:24

And the only way that we found to be

able to do that in our community, we're

251

: 00:13:28

about 45 miles east of Austin, Texas.

252

: 00:13:30

They have a large, not on nonprofit

there that provides access in

253

: 00:13:35

three low cost spay and neuter.

254

: 00:13:36

And it's an amazing

organization in Austin.

255

: 00:13:39

But what we found is there wasn't

enough resources available for the rural

256

: 00:13:43

communities on the outskirts of town.

257

: 00:13:45

And for us, it, it was just the need

and identifying the problem, creating

258

: 00:13:49

the solution and we had a clinic.

259

: 00:13:52

Do you also do the cats

with the TNR program?

260

: 00:13:57

We do, we partner with a local

organization called Bastrop Cats.

261

: 00:14:01

And we do several hundred surgeries

for them throughout the year.

262

: 00:14:05

They work with a network of several

clinics and we're one of those clinics

263

: 00:14:08

that provides them at a subsidized rate

to get pets to get cats community and

264

: 00:14:12

free roaming cats to come in and get

them fixed in ear tip to vaccinated and

265

: 00:14:15

return back to their trapped location.

266

: 00:14:18

And has that had any kind of effect on

the pet overpopulation in that area?

267

: 00:14:23

It has the organization that

we work with is Bastrop Cats.

268

: 00:14:26

They've been around for many years now.

269

: 00:14:28

And we were actually just looking

at some of that data the other day

270

: 00:14:31

and we're able to see a noticeable

difference in stray animal intake

271

: 00:14:35

from the areas that they have really

worked hard in t and r and every cat.

272

: 00:14:40

Possibly trap and we're able to

see the first few years it was hard

273

: 00:14:44

to see in kind of a tangible set

of data whether or not there was

274

: 00:14:48

gonna be a significant difference.

275

: 00:14:50

But now, five, six, seven years later,

we're really able to start to see those

276

: 00:14:54

lines drop on the chart knowing that

what we're doing is making a difference.

277

: 00:14:57

And it's reducing intakes

at the local shelter.

278

: 00:15:00

Even though the community

that we are in is.

279

: 00:15:02

Is rapidly growing.

280

: 00:15:03

And as the community grows, the needs

grows and so we have to grow with it.

281

: 00:15:07

How does the mobile clinic work?

282

: 00:15:09

So we have a mobile veterinary trailer,

and we set it up in communities that

283

: 00:15:13

we identify who need the most the

greatest need, the most assistance.

284

: 00:15:17

And we set the trailer up.

285

: 00:15:18

It's essentially a veterinary

exam room on wheels.

286

: 00:15:21

It's climate control that has computers

and everything that we would need to

287

: 00:15:24

be able to provide service and care.

288

: 00:15:27

And we work with a veterinarian,

whether it's one of our staff

289

: 00:15:29

veterinarians or a contract veterinarian.

290

: 00:15:32

And we set up in a

parking lot and we just.

291

: 00:15:34

Do a drive-through model.

292

: 00:15:35

And our most recent clinic that we did

about a hundred free rabies vaccines

293

: 00:15:39

in about three and a half hours.

294

: 00:15:41

Oh, that's awesome.

295

: 00:15:43

So your pet resource center focuses

on keeping pets with their families.

296

: 00:15:47

What essential resources or

services does the center provide

297

: 00:15:51

to prevent owner surrenders?

298

: 00:15:54

Yeah.

299

: 00:15:54

Food's the number one we probably

give out about two to three pallets of

300

: 00:15:58

dog and cat food every single month.

301

: 00:15:59

In addition to that, sometimes it's

for pets that live primarily outdoors.

302

: 00:16:03

It's dog houses, it's

harnesses, it's dog sweaters.

303

: 00:16:06

It's anything that a pet parent might

need that is preventing them from

304

: 00:16:12

providing their pet with the level of

care that they think that they need.

305

: 00:16:15

We're really there to try and help them

and connect them with those resources.

306

: 00:16:18

The, for example, the other day a pet

parent came in and they thought that their

307

: 00:16:21

pet was really struggling with the heat

outside, but their landlord did not allow

308

: 00:16:25

them to bring the pet inside the home.

309

: 00:16:27

And so she was looking to see if we

had a little baby pool or a puppy pool.

310

: 00:16:31

And we had a little plastic pool

available and we just got a picture back

311

: 00:16:34

today of the dog playing in the pool.

312

: 00:16:37

And just little things like that

to where if a pet parent feels

313

: 00:16:39

like there's something that

they're missing that could really.

314

: 00:16:42

Provide that pet with the next level

of care to make them comfortable and

315

: 00:16:45

happy and prevent them from the owner

having a concern that they might not

316

: 00:16:49

be able to properly care for the pet.

317

: 00:16:51

We're there're

318

: 00:16:52

yeah, I love hearing little

stories like that too.

319

: 00:16:54

Just that something like that can

make such a difference to an animal.

320

: 00:16:59

Absolutely.

321

: 00:17:00

Do you do any kind of adoptions as well?

322

: 00:17:05

We do, we still operate a rescue program.

323

: 00:17:07

We've significantly downsized that

program to be able to focus on

324

: 00:17:12

outreach and education and really what

we've defined as being the solution

325

: 00:17:16

towards what we're working towards.

326

: 00:17:18

But inevitably along the way, pets

still cross our paths that need our

327

: 00:17:21

assistance and so we will take them in.

328

: 00:17:24

We have a small network of foster

homes and we're able to get those

329

: 00:17:26

pets vetted through our own clinic

internally get them rehabilitated

330

: 00:17:30

and then placed up for adoption.

331

: 00:17:31

So we have a couple of dogs and a cat

or two in foster care right now that

332

: 00:17:35

are looking for their forever homes.

333

: 00:17:38

When you're doing your adoptions, do

you do that like mainly word of mouth

334

: 00:17:42

or online, or do you actually have a

facility that you would take them to?

335

: 00:17:47

So we're all foster based

for our rescue program.

336

: 00:17:49

And so all of our marketing

usually takes place online.

337

: 00:17:51

We utilize the standard pet finder

and adopt a pet and things like that.

338

: 00:17:55

And that's where a lot of

our applicants come from.

339

: 00:17:57

But we also do events locally.

340

: 00:17:59

We'll set up at local

coffee shops or breweries.

341

: 00:18:01

And we've met several of our

recent adoption pet parents through

342

: 00:18:04

those types of events as well.

343

: 00:18:06

Has the mission changed since

you've merged the Bastrop

344

: 00:18:11

animal Rescue with Sav-an-Angel?

345

: 00:18:13

Or is the overall mission the same?

346

: 00:18:17

I think the core of always wanting to

be there , to support pets and really be

347

: 00:18:23

just a resource for animals and empowering

pet parents has always been there.

348

: 00:18:27

I think the shift in what we used

to do was majority was rescue and.

349

: 00:18:32

Of the outreach and the

education and I think we've just

350

: 00:18:35

completely flipped that script.

351

: 00:18:37

And I would say 75 to 80% of what

we do now is really honing in

352

: 00:18:42

on access to care and education

and outreach and less rescue.

353

: 00:18:47

'cause at the end of the day, rescuing

one animal changes the life for

354

: 00:18:51

that animal, which is incredible.

355

: 00:18:53

And we love being a part of those stories.

356

: 00:18:55

It's not going to solve the

bigger problem that we face.

357

: 00:18:59

And so for us as an organization,

it was really sitting down and

358

: 00:19:02

identifying what are the barriers?

359

: 00:19:04

Why are pets ending up in the shelter?

360

: 00:19:06

What causes the spike in intake?

361

: 00:19:08

And once we identified those, then

it came to creating the solutions.

362

: 00:19:12

And that's how we've

gotten where we are today.

363

: 00:19:16

Just on that same note.

364

: 00:19:18

Our mission will continue to evolve,

and so as we, work with pet parents and

365

: 00:19:22

manage cases on a case by case basis

on an individual family or household

366

: 00:19:26

level every single day, our staff and

our team is what can we do better?

367

: 00:19:30

What can we do to address.

368

: 00:19:32

A trending issue that we keep seeing.

369

: 00:19:35

And so I think who we are

as an organization is always

370

: 00:19:39

going to be centered on pets.

371

: 00:19:42

I think more recently, we, over the

last four or five years have really

372

: 00:19:46

honed in on the people aspect too.

373

: 00:19:48

And like I said in the beginning,

helping pets means helping people too.

374

: 00:19:52

Yeah.

375

: 00:19:52

So is your motto pets,

people, and purpose?

376

: 00:19:56

Yes, it's, so that was something

that we adopted at the very beginning

377

: 00:20:00

of kind of the consolidating of the

resources with the two entities.

378

: 00:20:04

And we sat down and identified the

barriers and what were the most

379

: 00:20:08

common things that we kept seeing.

380

: 00:20:10

And at the end of the day, it was a

pet parents were the ones struggling,

381

: 00:20:14

and pet parents were the ones that

needed the resources, but they did

382

: 00:20:16

not have them available to them.

383

: 00:20:18

And for us it was really sitting down and

listening to them and gathering feedback.

384

: 00:20:22

And actually, we've adopted what

we call a feedback to action loop.

385

: 00:20:26

And so every day we work with our

clients and in the rooms, the exam

386

: 00:20:29

rooms, we hear stories and we see things.

387

: 00:20:31

And as we mentally take note of what

we're seeing or what we're hearing.

388

: 00:20:35

We actually gather that data.

389

: 00:20:37

We notate what client it was

that told us that feedback or

390

: 00:20:41

what resource they might need.

391

: 00:20:43

And then once we've strategized and we've

implemented a solution to what that common

392

: 00:20:47

item is, we then reach back out to them.

393

: 00:20:50

To give them the feedback

that says, Hey, thank you.

394

: 00:20:52

This is the action that we're taking

and . If you still need that assistance,

395

: 00:20:55

we wanna provide you with that assistance

first to pilot that program to see,

396

: 00:20:59

what we can do to make it better.

397

: 00:21:01

That's great.

398

: 00:21:02

That's wonderful that you listen

to your clients so you know exactly

399

: 00:21:05

what they need because there's so

many things that can go on that you

400

: 00:21:08

don't know what their situation is.

401

: 00:21:11

And when you find that out and if you find

a solution, then it's helping everybody.

402

: 00:21:15

Now, I know a lot of rescues

right now are struggling because

403

: 00:21:19

we are going through what they're

calling an animal welfare crisis.

404

: 00:21:23

And then on top of that, we have this,

financial crisis going on as well.

405

: 00:21:27

So is any of that affecting you?

406

: 00:21:30

It certainly is.

407

: 00:21:30

We've definitely seen on the fundraising

side of things, we donors that

408

: 00:21:35

historically have given us, a larger

portion of money this year, they're not

409

: 00:21:39

able to necessarily allocate that amount

of funds to us to be able to donate.

410

: 00:21:43

And they still wanna support us.

411

: 00:21:44

They still believe in what we do, but.

412

: 00:21:46

And financially, they just don't

necessarily have the means to

413

: 00:21:48

make the commitment that they

have made in previous years.

414

: 00:21:50

And so we've had to really get creative

and go back to more of the grassroots

415

: 00:21:54

style fundraising where, we're doing

planning yard sales and bake sales

416

: 00:21:58

and fundraisers and things that we

had grown out of for a little while.

417

: 00:22:02

But we're right back to it and kind.

418

: 00:22:04

Feet on the ground, boots on the

ground, trying to identify ways

419

: 00:22:07

that we can fill that gap and

continue to be able to say yes.

420

: 00:22:11

And that really what motivates our staff

and our volunteers every single day is,

421

: 00:22:15

what do we have to do to be able to say

yes and continue to help every single

422

: 00:22:19

pet parent that walks through our door.

423

: 00:22:21

So it's definitely been a struggle

financially just to be able to

424

: 00:22:25

sustain, operations and continue

to empower every pet parent.

425

: 00:22:28

And not to mention, rising

cost of everything as well.

426

: 00:22:31

Through our clinic we are seeing that

a lot of the cost of medical supplies

427

: 00:22:34

and even the cost of insurance and just

overall operating expenses and overhead

428

: 00:22:39

it is climbing significantly this year.

429

: 00:22:41

Now it seems too for that

very reason, a lot of people

430

: 00:22:44

aren't able to keep their pets.

431

: 00:22:46

So they are trying to

surrender their pets.

432

: 00:22:49

So are you seeing an uptick in the

services too that you're offering

433

: 00:22:54

. We have seen an influx in the

demand for our the programming

434

: 00:22:57

and the resources that we offer.

435

: 00:22:59

And for us, , we are in a community that

Bastrop County is immediately adjacent

436

: 00:23:04

to Travis County, which is Austin.

437

: 00:23:06

And we have Elon Musk here who has Quar.

438

: 00:23:10

Twitter and which is now known as X

and the Boring Company and starlink.

439

: 00:23:14

And so we've also seen a tremendous amount

of just growth overall for our community.

440

: 00:23:19

And so for us it's hard to really

evaluate whether or not it's just

441

: 00:23:23

the population growth and, or is

it, the, economic uncertainty.

442

: 00:23:28

But there's definitely been a significant

increase in the need for pet food and

443

: 00:23:33

access to care and, bridging, whatever gap

may come up along the way for pet parents.

444

: 00:23:39

And more recently we've been seeing

a lot of folks reaching out asking

445

: 00:23:42

about assistance for like pet deposits.

446

: 00:23:44

And they're moving and they're trying

to find somewhere cheaper to live.

447

: 00:23:47

But in the course of moving and the

cost of moving, they don't have the four

448

: 00:23:51

or $500 to put down as a pet deposit.

449

: 00:23:53

And historically, that's not

something that we have ever done.

450

: 00:23:56

But it is something that has

recently been a trending need

451

: 00:23:59

that we are, we're looking into.

452

: 00:24:01

I was just gonna ask you that.

453

: 00:24:02

So do you have more people coming up

looking for the medical care or more

454

: 00:24:05

people looking actually for the food?

455

: 00:24:08

That's actually a very

interesting question.

456

: 00:24:10

There's kind of two sides to that

where they either come to us looking

457

: 00:24:15

for food and they're not necessarily

aware that we offer medical care,

458

: 00:24:18

and so we're able to connect.

459

: 00:24:19

Them through that entire route

of programming that we offer.

460

: 00:24:23

Or they're coming to us for medical care

and in the course of conversation in the

461

: 00:24:27

exam room, we find out that they might

be struggling or they're unable to afford

462

: 00:24:31

groceries for themselves this month.

463

: 00:24:33

So then we loop them into the fact

that we do offer pet food assistance.

464

: 00:24:37

Many of our clients are mutual

clients of both programs.

465

: 00:24:41

Looking ahead, what is the next major

goal or initiative for Sav-an-Angel?

466

: 00:24:46

And are there any new programs

or services in the works?

467

: 00:24:49

Right now we're really just, honing in

on perfecting the model that we have

468

: 00:24:53

created here in, in Bastrop County and

in the community that we're serving.

469

: 00:24:57

And then vision down the road would

be ultimately to really be able

470

: 00:25:01

to replicate this programming in

another community, another rural

471

: 00:25:04

community that needs our assistance.

472

: 00:25:06

Right now it's, economic

uncertainty and fundraising.

473

: 00:25:09

We're really just focused on

sustainability for our current

474

: 00:25:12

programmings and meeting the needs

of the community that we're in.

475

: 00:25:14

But here within the next few years

it's on our map of things to look

476

: 00:25:19

at is expanding and sharing the

knowledge and the resources that we've

477

: 00:25:22

gathered throughout the course of

what we've done as an organization.

478

: 00:25:26

And moving and introducing ourselves

into the next community that needs us.

479

: 00:25:30

So I do have another question to ask you,

Jeremy, since you were so young when you

480

: 00:25:34

started volunteering, what do you think

can be done to encourage more new, younger

481

: 00:25:41

people to start volunteering as well?

482

: 00:25:45

Yeah I get this question a lot for me,

it was definitely something that I've

483

: 00:25:49

always been driven to, to solve problems.

484

: 00:25:52

And I was passionate about animals.

485

: 00:25:54

I've loved animals my entire life,

and just realizing the sheer need of

486

: 00:25:59

help that was needed within the animal

welfare community is what motivated

487

: 00:26:03

me along the way to just continue to

take on more and to do more and to

488

: 00:26:08

step up and to take a bigger role.

489

: 00:26:10

And , we've started doing some

programming here locally just to get

490

: 00:26:13

feedback from the younger generations

to see what is it that would motivate

491

: 00:26:17

them to really step up and into a role.

492

: 00:26:20

And , a lot of the feedback

that we get is they're unable

493

: 00:26:23

to identify what help is needed.

494

: 00:26:25

They know that.

495

: 00:26:26

Animals are suffering.

496

: 00:26:27

They know that animals need help.

497

: 00:26:28

They know that, there's an issue.

498

: 00:26:30

They struggle to identify where

they fit into that puzzle.

499

: 00:26:35

And so a lot of our messaging

for volunteering here locally,

500

: 00:26:38

especially trying to target some

of the younger generation has

501

: 00:26:41

been very specific marketing to,

we need you to help with this.

502

: 00:26:46

This is what you can do.

503

: 00:26:47

And just recently, we had in the

last week we've had 11 volunteer

504

: 00:26:50

applications come in all of which

are within that younger generation.

505

: 00:26:54

Helping them identify where they

fit into that puzzle seems to be

506

: 00:26:59

very successful for us currently.

507

: 00:27:01

That's interesting.

508

: 00:27:02

I never thought about it like that.

509

: 00:27:04

For our listeners who are inspired

by your work and what you do, what is

510

: 00:27:08

the best way that they can help you?

511

: 00:27:12

Donations.

512

: 00:27:13

We always need support financially

to be able to do what we do.

513

: 00:27:16

And we have a fund called the Spay it

Forward Fund, and that is for folks

514

: 00:27:21

that financially are able to provide

the care that they need for their pets

515

: 00:27:24

without having any form of subsidy.

516

: 00:27:26

They're able to make a donation

that is specifically into a fund

517

: 00:27:30

that our team is able to utilize

on a daily basis at the clinic.

518

: 00:27:33

If a pet parent is unable

to afford a rabies vaccine.

519

: 00:27:36

or they need a heartworm test

for their pet, but they don't

520

: 00:27:38

have the means to do it today.

521

: 00:27:40

Our team with that fund has the

ability to say, Hey, we're gonna

522

: 00:27:43

take care of that for you today.

523

: 00:27:44

And so the spay it Forward

fund for us is truly essential.

524

: 00:27:48

We could not operate without it.

525

: 00:27:50

And the donations that come into that

fund to, to make our work possible.

526

: 00:27:53

And then we always need volunteers.

527

: 00:27:55

And volunteers don't have to be local.

528

: 00:27:57

They can live anywhere

in the United States.

529

: 00:27:59

They can help with social

media and online newsletters.

530

: 00:28:02

There's all sorts of digital

volunteer opportunities that

531

: 00:28:05

we can loop folks into as well.

532

: 00:28:07

That's awesome.

533

: 00:28:08

Before we end the call, do you have

any final message for our listeners?

534

: 00:28:12

Absolutely.

535

: 00:28:13

I think for us it's at the end of the

day, animal welfare is people welfare.

536

: 00:28:17

And when families are

supported, pets are supported.

537

: 00:28:20

When pets are healthy,

families are healthier.

538

: 00:28:22

It's not just about the

animals, it's about compassion.

539

: 00:28:25

Equity community resilience and

the future of animal welfare for

540

: 00:28:29

us is proactive, progressive.

541

: 00:28:32

And I really encourage folks within

the animal welfare community to

542

: 00:28:35

root what they are doing in the

understanding that pets and people

543

: 00:28:38

thrive together and incorporate people

into the programming and what they do.

544

: 00:28:43

Thank you so much for joining me.

545

: 00:28:45

I really appreciated

speaking with you today.

546

: 00:28:48

Yeah, absolutely.

547

: 00:28:49

Thank you for the opportunity.

548

: 00:28:50

We love to talk about pets and people.

549

: 00:28:53

Yep.

550

: 00:28:53

It's the best thing to talk about

551

: 00:28:56

Dixie: That's all the time that

we have for today's episode.

552

: 00:28:59

Thank you for listening and

we hope you join us next week.

553

: 00:29:02

If you know somebody that loves animals

as much as I do, please send 'em our way.

554

: 00:29:05

We would love to talk to 'em.

555

: 00:29:07

Please consider leaving us a donation.

556

: 00:29:09

A hundred percent goes to our animals.

557

: 00:29:15

Paws in

558

: 00:29:20

the night Claws in the

fight Whiskers twitch and

559

: 00:29:31

tails

560

: 00:29:34

take flight

561

: 00:29:35

They’re calling in Stories to spin

From the wild to the heart within

562

: 00:29:42

Broken wings and hopeful springs

We’re the voices for these things

563

: 00:29:48

animal posse hear the call.

564

: 00:29:53

We stand together.

565

: 00:29:56

Big and small Rescue tales We’ve

got it all Animal posse Saving

566

: 00:30:10

them

567

: 00:30:16

all

568

: 00:30:17

The vet’s got tips The rescuer’s

grit The foster homes where love

569

: 00:30:23

won’t quit From a pup in the rain to

a bird in pain , Every soul’s worth

570

: 00:30:38

the

571

: 00:30:40

strain

572

: 00:30:42

Animal posse

573

: 00:30:50

Hear the call

574

: 00:30:57

We stand together Big

575

: 00:31:03

and small Rescue tales We’ve got

it all Animal posse Saving them all

576

: 00:31:12

Every caller tells a tale, every

howl a whispered wail, we rise up.

577

: 00:31:18

We never

578

: 00:31:23

fail.

579

: 00:31:26

This

580

: 00:31:29

is

581

: 00:31:31

the

582

: 00:31:37

bond

583

: 00:31:42

The holy grail

584

: 00:31:44

Animal posse Hear the call We stand

together Big and small Rescue tales We’ve

585

: 00:31:59

got it all Animal posse Saving them all

586

: 00:32:08

Every caller tells a tale Every howl

a whispered wail We rise up We never

587

: 00:32:16

fail This is the bond The holy grail.

588

: 00:32:20

Song by Suno.ai