G-8GW6WNVDCH 2301875706914928 Willpower Transport: Vicki Johnson-Cain on Dog Rescue & Legacy - Animal Posse

Episode 60

Willpower & Freedom Rides: Honoring a Legacy with Vicki Johnson-Cain

Published on: 20th March, 2026

When Vicki Johnson-Cain lost her son, William, she turned her grief into a mission of mercy. Today, she joins Dixie to share the story of "Willpower Transport" and her life as a foster coordinator for Take Paws Rescue. From playing relaxation music for stressed pups to the "Crate Tetris" required to fit 15 dogs in one SUV, Vicki discusses the literal miles she goes to give high-kill shelter dogs their "freedom ride." Tune in to hear about the resilience of rescue animals and how one woman is honoring her son’s memory, one mile at a time.

About Animal Posse 🐈 Welcome to Animal Posse! We share heartwarming stories and crucial insights to make a real difference for animals in need. As a project of the Unwanted Feline Organization, we are a community of animal lovers dedicated to rescue, advocacy, and education. This podcast does not provide medical, veterinary, or professional advice.

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Transcript
Dixie:

Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the

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people and rescues making a

difference in the lives of animals.

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Welcome back to the show everybody.

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I am your host, Dixie, and today

we're gonna be talking about the

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literal miles people go to save lives.

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Our guest is Vicki Johnson-Cain,

a foster coordinator and the

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force behind willpower transport.

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Vicki founded this mission in memory of

her son William, and today she's sharing

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how that legacy of willpower is getting

dogs outta shelters and into loving homes.

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Vicki, it's an honor to have you here.

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. Vicki: Good to be here.

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Dixie: Tell me about yourself.

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How did you get involved in

animal rescue, and what do you do?

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Vicki: Okay.

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My career was in the marine

industry for 40 years,.

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But in 2014 I lost my son.

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He was 27 years old and we

were both avid dog lovers.

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We always had dogs.

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So when I lost him part of

the way I dealt with my grief

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was I dove into animal rescue.

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I started by helping at my local

shelter, they had a weekly dog

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run that they did, they call it.

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Rescue run club.

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So I started that and in fact it

started on his birthday, so the

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very first dog I ran with them was

on his birthday, in his memory.

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So I've just have done everything

in my son's memory to carry it on.

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So I just started out

doing that at the shelter.

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And then one thing led to

another and I started getting

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involved with different rescues.

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And then I stumbled across a friend

of mine that had, had fostered

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for take paws, rescue, so I got

involved with them pretty heavily.

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Dixie: What do you do with take paws?

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Vicki: Okay.

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At take paws.

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It started out where I just started

doing some I said I wanted to transport

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when I retired, so it was like a couple

of years before I retired from my job.

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And I worked shift work so I could,

I had one week on, one week off.

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So on my week off I would do transports.

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So that's how I got involved with take

paws, was just doing transports and then

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one thing led to another and I fostered

for them and now I'm a foster coordinator

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I've got over 30 dogs under me.

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And a group of volunteers that

that work with me , for my group.

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Dixie: I'd like to learn a little bit

more about your transports and why.

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You decided to go that route

with doing a transport.

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'cause that's a difficult thing.

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That's a lot of driving

depending on where you're going.

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And then I also would like to to talk

more about you being a foster coordinator.

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If you can start with the transports and

tell us where have you been and how many

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dogs were you transporting at one time?

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Vicki: I normally drive between here

and Franklin, Louisiana new Iberia.

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I have gone other places too,

but my weekly transport normally

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starts out of Crowley, Louisiana.

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And I have another lady

that drives with me.

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So she starts, she lives out that way

and she starts the transport and normally

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meets me around the Morgan City area.

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I live in Destrehan, Louisiana, so

I meet them in there and like I said

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we, transport for multiple rescues.

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Take paws, trampled rose, big easy rescue.

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Hail Mary, just multiple rescues, whoever.

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Everybody knows that I do this on

Mondays, so if they need a dog out of

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that area they'll call me up and ask me

to bring it back to the New Orleans area.

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But the reason I started, I

don't really know why I started,.

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There was just one day we were

talking, I said, oh, I'm off, every

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other week, so I could probably drive,

and I could probably go pick up.

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And once I did it, I got hooked.

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I really did like doing it.

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It's my main thing that I do like to do.

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I just feel like given the freedom

ride, I just think that's just

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something really good for me to do

in my son's memory that he would

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really think that was pretty cool.

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But I get a lot of joy out of it because,

they get in the car a little bit scared

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and, I play some soft music for 'em.

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They each get a new collar

when I pick them up.

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And we play the.

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Relaxation music.

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So normally my rides back to New Orleans

are pretty quiet most of the time.

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But it just, by the time we get

there, it just seems like they've

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got a big weight lifted off their

shoulder and they just seem a little

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bit calmer and they know they're safe.

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I really get a lot out of that,

it fills my heart to do that.

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Dixie: Now when you say a freedom ride,

I'm imagining because you're pulling

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out of these high kill rural shelters.

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Vicki: Yes.

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Most of the dogs are coming

out of high kill shelters.

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Most of them have been

on the euthanasia list.

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We do work with some other local

rescues out that way and get some,

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surrenders, owner surrenders.

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But primarily it is dogs that

we're pulling from the shelters

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to get off of the euthanasia list.

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Dixie: And how many do you do at one time?

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Vicki: That it just depends on the week.

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I've had up to 15 dogs in my car.

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Now I have a CX five Mazda crossover car.

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I they say I play Crate Tetris

to get all the crates in.

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So it just depends on the size

of the dogs, how many dogs I

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can actually, fit in my vehicle.

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Dixie: Yeah, you must be really good at

playing the Tetris then if you can fit 15.

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And that's a lot.

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Vicki: Yeah.

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That it is.

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Sometimes if it's a litter,

life is a life though.

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But we can put, some

in the crates together.

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But but mostly on Sunday nights

I go through the list and try

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to figure out my configuration

and, to make sure it's gonna fit.

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And sometimes . It gets close because

the dogs they say is 20 pounds is

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really 35 pounds, and that makes a big

difference in the crate, so I have had

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some oops moments where, I didn't know

if we were gonna fit everything in.

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And there's been a couple of times where.

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A dog had to , run shotgun

and sit in the passenger seat.

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And I don't like to do that too often

just because they're coming straight

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outta the shelter and you don't really,

know the temperament of the dog.

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So I like to keep 'em contained in a

kennel and not running loose in the car.

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But there have been a couple of

times we've had to pick the calmest

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dog to sit in the front seat,

because we ran outta crate space,

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Normally it works.

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Dixie: You said that you

play relaxation music.

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How did you come to start doing that?

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Did you try like different music or

was that a recommendation by somebody?

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, Vicki: In the shelter on in St.

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Charles Parish, they used to play

that in the in the kennels, and.

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While the the animals in the shelter,

it just seemed like it did calm

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'em a lot, so I just tried doing

it in the car, and it does work.

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I swear by it.

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Some people like to play other music,

but, that's what I end up playing.

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And it just seems to calm 'em down,

'cause they're a little stressed out

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when you first get 'em in the kennel.

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Dixie: It's funny that you say that

too because a while back I purchased

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this pet relaxation music device.

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It's this little thing that

you can put on the counter.

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You press it and it plays the

music , you could set it like 15

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minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes.

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It's got all the sounds on it.

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Yeah.

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Yeah.

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But and it's got like meditative

music and I got correct.

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I do the cat rescue and at the time we

had in a cat and he was very stressed.

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Sometimes when the cats get stressed,

they like to go on the floor.

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We were trying to solve

that behavior problem.

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So I said, you know what, I'm

gonna get it and I'm gonna try it.

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And it seems so stupid

at first, but it worked.

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It actually works.

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Oh, it

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Vicki: definitely does.

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People laugh at me when they

hear them, they're like, what?

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And I'm like, I'm okay.

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Try it.

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It works.

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But yeah I do that and, and we normally

end up coming back to New Orleans and,

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some people meet me in New Orleans.

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I'll stop in Metaire.

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Just various stops just depending on

what rescue I'm transporting from.

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How long, but does it like the

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Dixie: entire

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Vicki: trip

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Dixie: take.

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Vicki: The entire trip, usually I

eave my house normally around:

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AM the meetup time is usually in Morgan

City area around noon, once I get

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into Morgan City, , we don't rush it.

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We take our time , to transfer

the animals from one crate to

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another, and we like to take their

picture and give 'em a new collar.

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When we do all that and get

'em loaded up in my car.

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So it normally takes about

an hour for us to do that.

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And then I head back to New Orleans.

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But after I'll usually stay at,

take paws and help with the intake

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of the dogs that I get for them.

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I help with , the vaccinations

and, holding the dogs and

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getting 'em all settled.

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And then a lot of times if I'm bringing

any dogs back to my area for fosters, then

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I end up bringing the dogs to the foster.

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Meeting doing the introductions with

their animals if they have dogs.

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So sometimes, my day doesn't end until

six o'clock and I've had even days where

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I didn't even end until eight o'clock, and

then I've gotta unload my car, disinfect

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the crates, and wash all the linens.

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So it's a whole day affair every Monday.

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Dixie: How is it that you went

from doing the transports to

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being a foster coordinator?

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Vicki: There was this one

dog named Neo that was at St.

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Mary's Shelter.

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And when I would come on my transport

each week, I would see the same dog with

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a little bandana on just staring at me

in the kennel when I would walk through

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to see if there were any dogs that.

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The take paws might be interested in.

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And this one dog just kept staring at me.

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He was a little, bully

mix and I'm a bully lover.

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And he was a little brindle bully and

he just kept looking at me and I'm

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just like, we need to save this dog.

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We gotta save this dog.

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And so finally it was it was

like a Christmas Eve and I said,

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look if we don't get a foster for

this dog, I'm pulling this dog.

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I'm gonna foster it.

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So I did and I failed.

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So Neo is mine, but that's

how I started fostering.

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. At that time, that gave me four dogs, and

I'm like I don't think I can handle it.

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Fostering a dog with four pit

bulls already in my house.

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I started by helping that applications

and, helping another coordinator.

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And then again, one thing led to another

and it's why don't you just, just try

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to take a couple of dogs and it started

out where I was not gonna have any more

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than 10 dogs, and now I have 25 to 30, so

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Dixie: Wow.

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That's a lot.

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Vicki: Yeah it is a lot.

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We have multiple coordinators and,

it's just times are really, it's crazy.

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It's just never ending right now.

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And every one of us have about that many.

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It's just crazy.

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But, the dogs are all in foster homes and

trying to look for their forever homes.

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And, I stay pretty involved with

my fosters and try to go over there

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and take pictures and, we have some

outings together to make it like a

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group and, just to try to make it fun.

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'cause it, it can be.

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Hard on your heart.

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Some days, you get so attached

to these dogs and you wanna

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see them get a good home.

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And some days you think you

found that home and only to

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find out that it really wasn't.

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And then you've gotta keep on looking.

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But that's how I did.

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But , it's a tough one

because, there's just a lot of.

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Of pieces to the foster coordinating.

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You're not only just working, you're

finding the dogs, you're finding a

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foster father, the dog, you're going

over all the applications for that dog.

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And once the dog does get adopted,

you're really not finished because.

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If it's a puppy, then you gotta follow

it through, until it gets spayed or

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neutered when they're six months old.

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Pretty much, it's a six

month commitment whenever you

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Foster coordinate for puppies.

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And if anybody has an issue with their

dog after it's been adopted, they

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come back to the foster coordinator.

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So it's a lot of responsibility.

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Dixie: With doing the foster coordinating,

you said that you review the application,

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so , are you the one that actually

approves the adoption applications?

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Vicki: We have a lot to do with it.

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The director of the rescue has say

so in things too, but we do have a

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lot to do with it because we know

the dogs, I get my fosters involved

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heavily in, all the process because

they know the dog better than I do.

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So once I do the vet checks and.

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Do the home checks and kind of

talk, talk to the applicant.

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Then the next step is I have the foster

call them and let them talk about the dog

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to make sure this is gonna be a good fit.

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And then we set up a meet and

greet and that's all done by

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the foster most of the time.

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And then.

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Then we either get an adoption

or we keep on looking.

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So how many

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Dixie: fosters are under you?

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Vicki: I guess I have probably about 20

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that at any given time.

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I guess right now I've got 25

because each one has one, one dog.

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. I live Destrehan and St.

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Charles Parish, so most of my

fosters all lived out this way.

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And it's funny I'm a pitbull girl

and I love pit bulls, but most of my

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fosters are all little dog people.

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So most of the dogs I'm pulling under me

are small dogs, which I think is funny.

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Dixie: When you pull the dogs are you

primarily looking then in these like

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rural shelters that you transport from?

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Vicki: Yes.

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We, we just look at the Facebook all

the time just different posts from

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from the different shelters, from

different sites, different pages of

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people looking to rehome their dogs.

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, If I've got an available foster and I

see a dog that looks like their type,

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then, that's what I'm gonna try to

pull, just because I know that I've got

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somebody that'll take that type of dog.

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I wouldn't pull a bunch of pit bulls

and then i've got Chihuahua fosters.

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So it just depends on what

we see and, who's available

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of what dog we have room for.

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If we see a few dogs that we don't

have a foster far, then we've got a

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foster page for take, paws, and we'll

post it on there looking for a foster

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and, sometimes that's how you get

a new foster on your board then is,

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once they say, I'll take that dog.

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And then it's we can only take it if we

have a foster coordinator to handle it.

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So then that way that's how

you end up getting new fosters.

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Dixie: Yeah, and I know finding

fosters can be quite challenging.

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Vicki: It is.

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It's quite challenging.

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Just the same as just

finding people, to adopt.

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It's the whole process is challenging,

but we desperately need more fosters, we

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need more people to help these animals

it's just the numbers are growing,

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and , even now it just seems like there's

a lot of, people that are possibly

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leaving the country and they're having

to get rid of their animals before

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they head back to their home country.

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And we've seen an upswing in that as well,

but it's just the owner surrenders are.

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Unbelievable.

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It's just unbelievable since

COVID, everybody got dogs when

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they couldn't go anywhere.

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And now that, things opened up,

it just seems oh we're too busy.

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My job has me too busy and we can't

give time to the dog, I'm having a baby.

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I'm moving.

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Can't take the dog.

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It's just never ending.

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Dixie: What do you think is the most

successful way to find a new foster?

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Vicki: I use social media a lot,

since I've been transporting.

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A lot of people have started following

my page and so sometimes I'll put

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it out on my personal page and I'll

get, some people that I didn't even

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know were following me, actually.

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And they'll reach out

and say they wanna help.

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And so I use social media a lot

and, just word of mouth too.

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A a lot of my friends are, dog lovers.

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That's how I've managed

to build up my team.

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Dixie: What are you doing to primarily get

'em adopted or get seen to get adopted?

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Do you do like adoption events

or Primarily social media.

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Vicki: Both, we have

numerous adoption events.

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In fact, this week I

think we have five events.

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And then sometimes I'll even get my

fosters together and we'll go to a local

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dog friendly bar and just have a little

get together and we'll bring our dogs.

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I take a lot of pictures.

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I post a lot of pictures of

the dogs that I'm fostering.

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I don't foster too often just because

, I'm usually on the road and it's hard.

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But I lost a couple of my dogs

this year, so , I have taken

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in three puppies since then.

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But normally I don't.

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Foster too much, but the need is there.

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And I felt like I had a little

space in my home that I could try.

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But yeah, we use a lot of social

media though, and it's getting hard.

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I'm having some trouble on my social media

right now, just like trying to tag people.

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I'm running into some issues, so it's

getting it's getting hard to, to spread

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the word, because I was in Facebook

jail there last week for a while.

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In fact, I still can't tag companies.

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It won't let me do it.

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So I don't know, I

guess I'm still in jail.

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Dixie: Do you have any incredible

foster success stories of a dog

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that maybe came from a really bad

situation and got the perfect home?

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Vicki: Oh I just had one.

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It was awesome.

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There was this little.

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Scruffy dog I saw advertised on,

that somebody had found in the

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sugar cane fields in New Iberia.

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And I looked at this dog and I'm

like, oh my gosh, this dog is crazy.

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He was I don't think I've ever seen a

dog that looked like him, he looked like.

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A ewok.

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And so I said, I've got to have this dog.

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He's just so ugly.

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He's cute, and so we

found a foster for him.

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And we named him Wicket.

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And he just turned out

to be the coolest dog.

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But he got adopted by, in January.

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He got adopted in

January by a couple that.

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Lives in Long Island, New

York, and they also have a home

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here in the French Quarter.

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But Wicket was just a little

bit too big to put on the plane.

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He's 25 pounds or 27 pounds.

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So he is a little bit too big.

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He's too big to fit under the seat.

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We had to look for ground

transport to get him up there.

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We had it scheduled for him to leave.

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And with all these weather

systems that we had recently the

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transport kept getting delayed.

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So wicket went through four different

fosters to keep him here safe while he

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was waiting to get to his real family.

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And, finally after two months

we got him there last week.

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We got him there last week.

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And this dog is living the life now.

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They're sending pictures.

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He's on the beach roaming

the beach and he's got furry

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friends and they just love him.

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I guess it was worth the wait.

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So he's gonna be one of my favorites and,

there was another dog, his name was Chico,

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and he was found I think like around

right around Christmas time and it was

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another new Iberia dog and he was found.

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Running with a female dog and

they were about like a year old.

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And the female dog got adopted real

quick and then Chico, he was a mountain

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cur mix and he was the funnest.

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He was just crazy.

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He would just make you

smile to look at him.

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And we.

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Tried and tried to get this dog

a home and it just took forever.

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And finally after about two years,

he was wild hard to walk with.

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And I always said that he needed somebody

very active or like a runner and.

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Finally one of the girls that volunteers

with us asked if she could go pick up

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Chico and start taking him for this

run club that she was belonged to.

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And I'm like, oh, that's great.

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I think that's perfect.

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She started running with him

and she ended up adopted him.

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And this dog is just as happy as can

be and he's running in the run club.

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They all love him There.

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And, he ended up exactly where

he was supposed to be, but he

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was one of my favorite dogs.

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And we had just a hard time,

keeping him on with a volunteer.

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He went through a couple of volunteers.

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We even tried him in boarding where

I could, get to him and take him

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out on more outings to get him seen.

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And finally he landed the home

that, that he really needed.

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And so he's another one of my favorites.

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Dixie: That's amazing and that's

great too, that it was a volunteer

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'cause, I know with a volunteer

you'll be able to see 'em.

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You'll be able to get the updates,

even though you're getting the

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:

updates from the other one too.

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It just still makes it a

little bit more special.

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Vicki: Oh, absolutely.

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I get to see him all the time, I

think if I didn't have four dogs,

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I would've adopted it myself.

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'cause I just love this dog.

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And sometimes he even comes to some

of our events and we have this bond.

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'cause I used to take him out a lot

and they remember . Like even with the

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transports, I see dogs after a transport

and I really do think they remember you.

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They remember that you saved them,

that you gave them that ride.

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Dixie: I have to ask, with you being

so close to some of these dogs, are you

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:

picky about selecting an adopter for 'em?

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Vicki: I think so.

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I think I am I know their story

and, we don't wanna fail them again.

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:

And that reminds me of another one

that I'm struggling with right now.

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:

And in fact I was part of a rescue.

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:

A week ago with a hoarding case and

with Alyssa Muse, and I know you've had

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:

her on your show with , it was like a

chihuahua hoarding case and cruelty case.

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:

And one of the dogs that I got

from that, that I had tagged we

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:

had named her lavender and she

was totally emaciated and scared.

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Scared.

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:

And I had a.

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:

Approved adopter in mind for

her that was looking for.

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:

Exactly.

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A dog that looked like her.

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:

And I felt this was a calm home.

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It was a, single lady that

would be a good fit for her.

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:

'Cause she didn't need a, a home

that has a lot of traffic going

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:

through, just coming from the

situation that she came from.

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:

You want a little calmer

atmosphere for them to.

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:

Decompress and learn to trust again.

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:

And she was doing really

good in her foster home.

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:

We was putting some weight on her.

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:

Just in a week's time.

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:

She made a transformation

you wouldn't believe.

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:

And the lady that I had in

mind did want to adopt her.

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:

So we got her there.

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:

Got her to the lady and, not even

an hour after she had her, I was

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:

getting a phone call that they didn't

feel they were ready to adopt yet.

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:

And I just was crushed because I thought

this was the perfect home, for this dog.

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:

And now she's coming back and I just

felt like, she's been failed again.

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:

So I think, the next home will

I be a little bit pickier.

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:

Probably just because I feel I owe it

to this dog, if that makes any sense.

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:

But,, I felt bad that , she

went through this temporary.

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:

Journey, and then ended up coming back.

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:

But thankfully she came back to the foster

that she was starting to grow comfortable

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:

with and so it didn't seem to phase her.

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:

And dogs are amazing how they

adjust much better than people do.

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:

We hold grudges and dogs

just are so forgiving.

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:

It's just amazing.

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:

Dixie: Yeah at least they thought that

it wasn't gonna work out and they did

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:

return her back, and that's good that

she was able to go back with her foster.

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:

But I totally understand that because

I think what a lot of people don't

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:

understand when they're going to

adopt an animal, specifically from a

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:

foster based rescue, is how much time

fosters put in with these animals.

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:

You know when these

animals Oh, absolutely.

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:

Are when they're sick, they're

up all night with them.

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:

They're worrying about them, and

so you wanna make sure that they

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:

are gonna go to a home that gives

them the same amount of care,

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:

Vicki: oh, absolutely.

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:

We've taken them from a bad situation.

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:

We don't want them to

return to a situation.

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:

I know people have said,

oh, there's so many animals.

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:

Why are you being so picky?

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:

That's exactly why we're being

so picky, because, they've been

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:

failed before, and and they've been

mistreated and they deserve better.

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:

Dixie: Before we end the call, do you

have any final message for our audience?

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:

Vicki: Open our hearts to

help an animal in need.

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:

And sometimes, I guess what I said

the other day is . It hurts sometimes.

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:

It's hard to to give

up time for an animal.

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:

It hurts our heart to see them

suffer, but sometimes I think we

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:

have to go through that pain and

being a little bit uncomfortable.

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:

To see these animals

blossom into what they can.

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:

And once you do that it's so

fulfilling I know some people

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:

have said, oh, it's too soon.

461

:

I just lost my dog our dogs

would want us to help another

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:

dog, and I truly believe that.

463

:

Or I wouldn't have been able to take in

three puppies after I lost two of my own.

464

:

And was it easy?

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:

No, it wasn't.

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:

And, but I think that's what they

would want me to do, and that's

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:

what my son would want me to do.

468

:

It's just for us to open up our homes

and our hearts to help these dogs

469

:

because there's too many of 'em.

470

:

And and to help spread the word

about spaying, neuter and, keeping

471

:

your dogs on heartworm prevention

because , there's too many animals.

472

:

And if we don't do better with spay

and neuter and come up with a solution.

473

:

To have less unwanted litters.

474

:

We're just never gonna catch

up, it's just a vicious cycle.

475

:

Dixie: Yeah, it definitely is.

476

:

And I think that's a

great final message too.

477

:

I couldn't agree more with that.

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:

I wanna thank you for coming on

today and it's amazing the amount of

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:

work that you're doing to get these

dogs into home with the transports

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:

and the foster coordinating.

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:

So thank you

482

:

. Vicki: Oh, my pleasure.

483

:

And like I said, it's what I

wanted to do in retirement and

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:

it's definitely what I'm doing.

485

:

Dixie: Yep.

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:

It sounds like you're very involved.

487

:

So I'm glad that these dogs have you.

488

:

Vicki: Oh, thank you.

489

:

Thank you.

490

:

Thank you for having me on the show.

491

:

And I've listened to several of your

podcasts and thank you for doing this.

492

:

Dixie: All right.

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:

Thank you and I'm glad you're listening.

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:

That's it for today's

episode of Animal Posse.

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:

If you love what we're doing,

please consider becoming a member.

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:

Your support directly helps us continue

highlighting the people and stories

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:

that save lives across the country.

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:

Just a quick reminder, the views

and opinions expressed by our

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:

guests are theirs alone and are

provided for entertainment purposes.

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:

They don't necessarily.

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:

reflect the official position of the show,

and this information should never replace

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:

the advice of your own veterinarian.

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:

Thanks for listening, and

we'll see you next time.

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About the Podcast

Animal Posse
A look inside the world of animal rescue
Dive deep into the world of animal rescue with heartwarming stories, expert interviews, and behind-the-scenes insights. From heartwarming adoptions to daring rescues, we'll explore the incredible bond between humans and animals.
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About your host

Profile picture for DIXIE LOUVIERE

DIXIE LOUVIERE

My love for animals has driven me to dedicate the last 20 years to rescue. In 2024, we established a 501c3 nonprofit Unwanted Feline Organization Inc. and are thrilled to be building a cat sanctuary in Washington Parish, Louisiana, where we can offer a haven for cats in need. I thought it would be great for the rescue to have a podcast so Animal Posse was started with the hope of bringing rescues together, getting them more exposure, and finding more animals
homes.