Have you heard the stories of cats and dogs being airlifted out of the Middle East to be reunited with a service member who loves them? Well, meet the person behind those stories! Lori Kalef travels all over the world to help animals affected by war, natural disasters, the dog meat trade, and more, so they can be reunited with the people who love them. Hear her stories, what motivates her, and more in this captivating episode.
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Have you heard the stories of cats and dogs being airlifted out of the Middle East to be reunited with a service member who loves them? Well, meet the person behind those stories! Lori Kalef travels all over the world to help animals affected by war, natural disasters, the dog meat trade, and more, so they can be reunited with the people who love them. Hear her stories, what motivates her, and more in this captivating episode.
Find Human Animal Support Services Online:
Hello! Welcome to People, Pets, and Purpose, the podcast about the human-animal bond and what really matters. I'm your host, Diaz Dixon, the Maddie's Advisor for External Affairs and Partnerships for the Human Animal Support Service Project. Today we have a special guest - she is actually international. She is out of the country right now and bouncing all around. We're glad to have Lori Kalef. She's the Director of Programs for SPCA International. When you're hearing about stories of cats and dogs that are being airlifted from the Middle East to be reunited with their service members who love them - Lori is doing that type of work. That is her doing. She and her team are diving in, going all over the world - including places so sensitive, she can't even tell her family about it - to help a lot of these animals that have been impacted and affected by war and natural disasters, the dog meat trade, and more, so they can be safe and back at home with the people who love them. We are really honored here to have a superstar in Lori today to talk about her work and her life. Lori, thank you so much for being here with us today.
Lori Kalef:Oh, thank you for having me. I'm so honored and excited. And with an introduction like that, I think I just put my shoulders back and stood up taller. Thank you!
Diaz Dixon:That's good. That's good. And it's well deserved. I mean, you know, when you're talking about someone who is touching not only service members and people, but animals from all around the world, it's...it's not your everyday thing. This is something that people typically see on TV. Tell us a little bit about your path. What led you to want to rescue animals in such a wide format?
Lori Kalef:Well, I'll try to give the abbreviated version. When I was about two years old, my mother took me to a department store and she said pick out a new bath toy. And I picked out a whale and it was missing a fin and she said,"Don't get that one, it's broken!" And I said, "No, this one is perfect." And from that day on (I grew up in the Seventies in the days where parents could open up their doors in the summertime and kids could crawl around and go places on their own, and there wasn't a fear or anything like that) my parents would always find me at the neighbor's house playing with dogs or cats. Eventually, when I could do it on my own, I started bringing home cats and stray dogs and everything like that. I always knew that I had such a love for animals. I think the biggest thing is you don't ever think what you love to do, what your passion is - that you can make a career out of it and make a difference. And with this occupation, I never look at it as work, I look at it as something I get to do. Every single day since I've been with SPCA International, I wake up, sometimes I'm tired. We see a lot of atrocity and we see so much cruelty, but we see so much goodness in the world too and every life makes a difference. And to know that we get to save lives every single day that we are working at this causes is just...what a gift!
Diaz Dixon:That is awesome. And for our listeners out there, I've got the pleasure of actually seeing Lori when she's talking about her story. So what she was just saying...there is a giant grin from ear to ear, as she's talking about her story, working her way through from crawling over to the neighbor's house...you can see the passion, and I'm sure the listeners can hear it in your voice as you talk about it. And you're right- when you're doing things that you love, it's not going to work, and it's good. We're blessed to have you. I've got to ask you, though, how do these rescues typically happen? There's nothing typical about this at all. When you hear about stories and Afghanistan, pets who've been stranded, how do you put this all together? And then bring them back?
Lori Kalef:Yeah, so I'm going to, once again applaud my mother, who was stubborn and raised a very stubborn woman as well. And when she says, "If there's a will, there's always a way." I think what's important to place emphasis on is that it's never one person who can do this. And no one person can know how to do everything. It's building a team across the globe because we're international. And really, it's about humans as well. Not just saving animals, but about helping humans as well. Holding hands with one strangers across the world to be able to do what we do. And that's really the premise of SPCA Internationals as well. We are a small staff, but we have so many partners in over 80 countries around the world to be able to do what we do. When there's a call-in for something like Afghanistan, we did a very large mission. We collaborated with a number of organizations last year. After the fall of Afghanistan in 2021, we brought in an organization in Afghanistan and several other on the ground in Canada and in the United States. We brought in 286 dogs and cats on a Russian military aircraft into Western Canada. We built a temporary shelter. There were 400 people were coming to walk the dogs and take care of the cats. After six months, they all were reunited with their people who had to flee Afghanistan or they got adopted. So the reason really, again - I want to stress the importance - is that no one organization, no one person can do what we do alone. And that is the same...that's indicative as as well for our Patriot Pets Program. You touched upon that at the beginning. That's the program where we rescue and reunite dogs and cats befriended by US service members, whether they're on active duty or they're veterans, we've expanded it to contractors as well, and embassy workers. You know, one dog or one cat, some people may say, "Well, you're only saving one life." But you're actually saving two lives all the time, the person who befriended that animal and, and that animal. We do it, we we figure out a way all the time. We don't give up. And I think that it's embedded in everybody at SPCA International, that it's never going to be a "No", we're always going to find a way to do it.
Diaz Dixon:What a great approach.
Lori Kalef:Thank you.
Diaz Dixon:Yeah, well, I can imagine it takes a ton of work. I would also imagine that there are a ton of barriers. Even language, right?
Lori Kalef:Yeah, thank you for bringing that up. It's a very important point. We work in, primarily...our Patriot Pets Program is primarily focused in the Middle East. Well, wherever there's a conflict in the world. It so happens to be that there are a lot of US troops in the Middle East, typically Syria and Iraq and parts of Africa as well. People tend to think,"Well, why can't you just put that dog or cat on an airplane?" The red tape that you must follow - not just with the importing country, the United States, but of course, the exporting country - you really want to make sure that you're crossing all the t's and dotting all the i's and also understanding the culture. So whenever we start to work in a new country, we don't come in there and say, "We're this North American organization, we know how to do everything." We really get to know the culture, we get to know how the government works, we get to know the attitude of the people towards animals, and who we can trust, who we can't and security on the ground and everything like that. It's a really large process. Then, of course, there's the vetting process for not just the people that we work with, but for the animals as well. They can come with diseases, they come with PTSD, they come with, you know, they're not vaccinated or not spayed or neutered. So we make sure that we form alliances with trusted veterinarians as well, so that we could get all the vaccines and all the flea and tick medication necessary. We have a mandate - we spay and neuter all our dogs and cats so that we don't add to the growing population in the United States as well. From start to finish, it could be about six or seven months before an animal comes home.
Diaz Dixon:Wow. So there's a lot of recon done in there - a heavy process. I love how you talk about diving into the culture and recognizing the importance of finding the contacts, establishing rapport. You know, oftentimes when we want to fix something, we come in as experts - we come in like a bull in a china shop. We create more enemies and allies. So the the sensitivity to that is respected. I really love how you guys are approaching that. And you're talking about doing a lot of this work overseas. Do you do the same type of work in the US? Or is this all international, and then coming back to the US and Canada?
Lori Kalef:Typically, we don't do adoptions overseas. But we work with partners who have large shelters, like Lebanon, all over the place in Egypt and whatnot. We'll help them. We're strictly program based, so we don't have a brick and mortar building a shelter in the United States. That brings me down to a drop-down menu, if you will. SPCA is an acronym, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which is well known around the world, but no SPCA is typically affiliated. You can own the acronym and most have shelters, but we are strictly program based and we'll help other SPCAs out. But when it comes to, I think your question was about bringing home animals or saving them? The one program that we do that for as Patriot Pets. Otherwise we kind of support the efforts from other organizations, like I said in other 83 countries right now.
Diaz Dixon:Eighty-three?
Lori Kalef:Yeah. Not all not all are active at the moment.
Diaz Dixon:Right. Okay.
Lori Kalef:When it comes to the United States, the efforts are different. We help with a lot of spay and neuter campaigns, vaccine campaigns. Unfortunately, the United States has a very high rate of euthanasia. Sadly, there's an overpopulation crowding in the shelters. We work a lot with connecting rescue organizations with shelters, ones who are able to take in more animals. We did a lot across the border prior to COVID. With Marleys Mutts, one of our bigger partners in California, who was experiencing the highest euthanasia rate in shelters in that region. In Western Canada, there were no dogs to be adopted. So we started bringing them over. We funded that project for a couple of years at least. So it looks a little bit different, but yes, we partner all around the world- not just globally, but in the United States and Canada as
Diaz Dixon:Fantastic. What a great example of helping balance well. out two different problems and solving them. That's a nice one. I think that when I read your introduction, I noticed that you are rescuing pets out of war, natural disasters and the meat trade as well. That can be a bit more harrowing than California and Canada, right? What are those like?
Lori Kalef:I would say that, for me, on a personal level (and I think a lot of us feel this way), if you look into the eyes of an animal that you just saved, it doesn't matter where they come from, you just save them.
Diaz Dixon:I love it.
Lori Kalef:Thank you. So whether they come from the dog meat trade, which is such an awful, awful..it's very difficult to speak about and I know that, with the introduction of social media - this has been going on for hundreds of years - but with the introduction of social media, I think hopefully there'll be a cultural change. And we've already seen quite a paradigm shift over the years about the approach too. It's not just dog, it's dog and the cat meat trade in Southeast Asia. But when it comes to rescuing from war torn countries, we worked everywhere. We work in primarily Iraq. That's the place where I would say that our hub is for Patriot Pets, because we get a lot of dogs and cat in from military who are deployed in Iraq and Syria. So we do have an operating kennel there. I just completely contradicted my words when I said we don't have a brick and mortar. We do rent that space in Iraq, but do not in North America.
Diaz Dixon:Gotcha. Gotcha.
Lori Kalef:Yeah, it's a scary place. And we're talking about people who, whether it's our staff, we have people in Iraq, or volunteers, or people on the ground partners that we collaborate with...people are risking their lives to help these animals. There have been instances where we've had to do middle of the night rescues because a dog or cat was about to be killed because dogs and cats are not supposed to be living on any US military instalments or bases. And you know, we've done middle the night or there's a bomb that goes off. One of our team members was in Baghdad at the time and there was a bombing about 500 feet away. We were like "Abort!" and he was like was like, "Nope, I will resign from SPCA International for two hours to get this done. But I'm not leaving these animals behind". It really takes a lot of courage and a lot of passion. But having said that, you know, it takes a lot of intelligence. And when you're transporting animals, especially from overseas, there's always going to be a hiccup. And so you have to be really quick on the draw to find solutions. And I think that's what our team is really, really...that's what we really excel in.
Diaz Dixon:Yeah. And I can imagine how scary that would be, but having to think on your feet. When you're doing these rescues, how many animals, typically, are you saving?
Lori Kalef:It depends on the program. Like last year, when we did the Afghanistan mission, that was really a one-off and was considered one of the largest evacuation of animals in history. That's not typically what we do. But when we're talking about the Patriot Pets Program, if we're doing flight volunteers, if we're going there in the into the zone and bringing them back, it's about two to three dogs per flight volunteer. If we're doing a larger shipment, if we have a better relationship with the airline and they allow us to do it, we can do up to 10 to 12 animals at a time. It's not easy because we're working with commercial airlines. The military doesn't allow dogs and cats to go on military rotators. So we're always working with commercial airlines and have to adhere to their regulations which are always changing as well.
Diaz Dixon:Yeah. Well, and how do you make the determination of which pets go first, like the order? When you've got such limited space?
Lori Kalef:Yeah, well we do it based on, I don't want to say it like this, but first come first serve. But it is a process because once they come into once a dog or cat comes into our care- and this is this is every week that they do - we have to give them a chance to decompress from the travel time. If they're coming from Syria to Iraq, it could be a three day journey. And so we give them time to decompress, so we're not exacerbating their immune systems or compromising, rather, their immune systems. Once we've found that they're okay, then we start to give them their first vaccines - they get a checkup. And so it's kind of a rolling process. I got a group of puppies the other month, and there were six puppies. So we did it all at the same time. So they were all ready to go at the same time, because the CDC in the United States instilled new regulations. And I applaud them because there was a ban for a year and no dogs were allowed in from 113 countries. But now they streamline in office and we're allowed to bring in dogs again. However, it's a little bit...it's a longer process, it's a more expensive process, because we have to wait until their last rabies vaccine. And then 45 days later, we pull a blood sample, bring it to a CDC approved lab. And then once we have the green light and it's approved, then we can bring them to the United States. It's kind of like a conveyor belt. Like step one, step two, step three, step four, and then finally, when they're ready to go home. So there's no picking and choosing, we go in order of operations.
Diaz Dixon:These dogs and cats are so lucky to have you and your team caring for them throughout each step of the process. What do you guys do...what do you do for your own self care? Because you're seeing some really difficult situations and some tough countries. What do you do to make sure that you keep yourself going and your team and you're taking care of yourself?
Lori Kalef:Yoga? Down Dog? You know, it's a really good question because there's such a high burnout rate in animal welfare. When you see...especially working on the frontlines. Most of the time I'm behind a computer and working with people around the world. I do go into conflict zones as well, like you said - and you have a good memory, thank you for reading. I never tell my family about these trips until I get home. I block all my family members from social media for a week and then I come home.
Diaz Dixon:I think I need to block my family too, but maybe for different reasons. Just kidding, just kidding.
Lori Kalef:You know, I support you.
Diaz Dixon:Is there any story that actually sticks with you that you could share with the listeners that really touches your heart? As to why you do this work?
Lori Kalef:Yes. It focus on the Patriot Pets program. That's where we rescue and reunite dogs and cats with service members. I'm going to share one story that sticks with me, from many years ago. I'm not going to name names. But there was a soldier on deployment, and he was having a very difficult time. And he rescued a dog. And I think it was...we always deal with different situations that, you know, make it more difficult to bring in animals. But we always find a way, like I said. But at this time the airspace was closed in Iraq. And it was difficult to also transport animals within the country - there was a lot of conflict. When a soldier applies or a service member applies to our program, they become part of our family and we build a relationship with them. It always has to be two way trust. It can't be just trust us, it's getting to know the individual, getting to know the animal. And this one particular man, he was on suicide ideation. And he only told me that once he got home and we reunited his dog with him and he was able to reintegrate into civilian life because of this dog. And he shared a story with me in tears saying, "If it wasn't for this dog, I wouldn't be here today". When we got to bring that dog home, I think it was at like one of the last dogs we brought home before the new year. We got to deliver this dog to him and, seeing the bond - the human and animal bond - it might sound cheesy, but it's always like who saved who? I don't think there's ever a dry eye in the house when we're getting these applications and these stories. I think that's one that will always stick with me. And even when I'm having a frustrating day and we're having trouble navigating a new country, that keeps me motivated. That keeps me pushing forward.
Diaz Dixon:That's amazing. And what a great story. We all we all need to have those type of stories in our pockets so that when we're having those tough times - which I imagine, you have a lot of those tough times- to be able to pull out and remind yourself of your purpose, and your why and what you're doing. So that's awesome. Thank you for sharing that story. What did you think the first time, and I'm not sure this is the right word, but you were deployed on a rescue. But what was it like?
Lori Kalef:I'll revert back to the Patriot Pets program, because we did other sort of rescue missions, but not typically bringing animals back. Although we did - side story again, I have many of those.
Diaz Dixon:Side stories are great.
Lori Kalef:We worked in the Chernobyl nuclear zone for three years, spaying and neutering back - we weren't living there -
Diaz Dixon:Well, that is beautiful. You know, Lori, but going back and forth for three years. And the program still exists, spaying and neutering the descendants of the dogs and cats left behind after the 1986 disaster. Very, very, very humbling place to visit. I think that was, you know, to be able to walk into a piece of untouched history...and when you're walking through homes, and apartments and old classrooms, and cafeterias and restaurants that are untouched, and it's so quiet, you can almost hear people talking. You can hear the wind blowing. You can...the books are still there, the newspapers are still on the floor, because you can't move any articles, because then it lifts the radiation and contaminates the air. So I think to be able to walk into an untouched piece of history and know what the people and the animals went through in that period of time - and still ongoing - was one of the most humbling experiences. Going into the Middle East, I loved the Middle East. Since I was little, you're touching on something that I tell people all the time I always felt that I'm going to quote John Lennon here, "There's no room for fear and love at the same time." And when you love to do something, and you have a fear, you walk towards that fear and unravel that fear to figure it out. And I'm not saying that we're silly, or we don't examine all the possibilities. And if it's not secure to go into the zones that we're going to at the time, we won't do it, we'll find other ways. But when you truly love something, the fear takes a backseat. Going to Iraq for the first time was landing in Erbil, where our operations our northern Kurdistan, was just such an incredible feeling to be a minority. It was amazing to understand the culture to be immersed in the culture, and the people are so beautiful, and the food and the smells and understanding what they're up- one of the greatest experiences you can have is against. It's just, to me, that is the greatest gift I'll always take with me when I get to do these rescue missions, and learn about other people. And of course, obviously, saving the animal is the biggest part. being in an area or in a place where you're the only person that looks like you. And being a minority, it stretches us so much so that we can try to understand the weak. We have greater empathy and understanding for other people's stories when we're put in those those situations. I'm glad you touched on that, because that wasn't part of what I thought would be a part of the show today. But that's pretty deep. I absolutely love everything that you're doing and I love how you're able to take this and illustrate it. Because, as you're talking and you're telling us your stories, our listeners can walk with you. I'm walking with you and picturing this. You do such a fantastic job with that. When you're immersed in these communities, is it really hard for you to leave?
Lori Kalef:It's difficult to leave. Because I think that, obviously mainstream media portrays a certain depiction of what these areas of the world are. You know, there's movies made about these places in the world. And of course, they don't come from nowhere. But when you're there, it's a completely different feeling. I've traveled to so many different countries in the world. But I'm going to go back to Iraq. When I go there, I feel so incredibly welcome. And I feel like people want to know about me as much as I want to know about them. And I think that there's a lot of awful things going on in the world, especially right now, but when you get to be on these rescue missions - and maybe I'll hit you up after if you want to want to be a flight volunteer...
Diaz Dixon:Okay, put me on your list!
Lori Kalef:It dispels many myths, and it makes the world a kinder place and a more understanding place. And it reminds you that there's actually more good than bad in this world.
Diaz Dixon:Nice, and we certainly need to be seeing that because, if we rely on our media sources, we're not seeing a lot of good. So I love to hear that. And as for you, when you're doing all these good things, and focusing on that, are there people that are naysayers and asking you, "Why are you doing this for animals?" Do you have any difficulty with that?
Lori Kalef:Oh yes, absolutely. No, people are always saying,"Well, you know, so many people need help. Why aren't you helping the people and the animals?" My response is always the same, "Thank goodness, there are so many different kinds of people in this world, that help animals and that help people." And like I said, when you're helping animals, you're not just helping animals, you're helping people as well. So, you know, this happens to be my passion. Other people have different passions. But I think that's a wonderful thing to celebrate, instead of saying we're all supposed to be the same way and fighting for the same cause. I think there's so many, so many incredible causes - both human animal and animal, humanitarian and animal - to work towards and we can all do our part in every way. You follow what your heart is speaking.
Diaz Dixon:Right, right. Well, and oftentimes, we are taught not to follow our heart. You know, we followed when we're kids, and then we get to a certain age and there's these regimented expectations and preconceived notions which is a lot of what you're talking about. I've got a question for you that's not as serious, but I really want to know. How do you pack with a trip like this?
Lori Kalef:Oh, my goodness. That is...I feel like we know each other because that is the absolute best question. And even though I've been with SPCA International for 12 years and been traveling, sometimes on an airplane every six weeks, people make fun of me all the time. I'm literally the worst packer in the entire world.
Diaz Dixon:No way. No way. So you'd like the plumber with the leaky faucet. You're doing all this travel, and you are not good at it. So you find yourself in places missing stuff all the time?
Lori Kalef:Well I'm never missing anything. I have too much!
Diaz Dixon:Oh, you're on the other side. So you need a Sherpa. You need a Sherpa with
Lori Kalef:I am the person who goes to the airport - everyone I'm strong, it's okay. says, "Well, you probably got it down pat to a carry on." I'm
Diaz Dixon:Very good. What is the most rewarding part? If you like, "No, of course, I have a carry on, but I have check-in luggage as well." I'm the person who tries to tip the scale over so that it might not look like it's nearing 50 pounds. you, basically. could pick one thing that is the most rewarding part of what you do, what is it?
Lori Kalef:Knowing that we saved one life. Knowing that that animal gets to go to a great home, or that animal gets to be saved from a terrible situation. Knowing that that animal is going into treatment and no longer has to suffer. Knowing that that animal...sorry. Knowing that that animal is going to find love and seeing the change. And you know, I think with animals - and children at the same time - they don't ask for much. You give them love, you give them food, you give them care, and fresh air. And everything above that is a gift. I try to use that as my mantra every single day where you know, you don't need a lot in this world. Everything else above love and health and care is a gift.
Diaz Dixon:That's beautiful. That is really beautiful. And for our listeners out there, we're sitting here listening to someone who is leading with love, but making a significant change and saving lives. It's not often that I get a chance to sit down and talk to someone who's doing something so heroic. I know you wouldn't look at it that way because it is what you're passionate about. What you're doing in so many different places...thank you. A huge thank you.
Lori Kalef:Thank you.
Diaz Dixon:Thank you for sharing yourself too. It's wonderful having you on here Lori, as we as we get a little deep. I got another question for you. So with SPCA International assisting all over the world, are you doing things in Ukraine?
Lori Kalef:We are.
Diaz Dixon:Are you there as well?
Lori Kalef:Yeah.
Diaz Dixon:Okay. Because I imagine that some dangerous places there. What's that like?
Lori Kalef:Isn't it interesting that people are not talking about their Ukraine and Russian wars much anymore? But still, it's still terrible. Well, at the moment, we are working...again, the way that we're able to be so strong and do the work that we do is to build partnerships. So we're working with an organization in the United States called Street Dog Coalition, as well as an organization based out of UK called Worldwide Vets through our Shelter Support program, which helps with grants, so funding and resources, advocacy, humane education. We were able to help them repurpose an old trailer. And we sponsored it for a year, we delivered a grant of$100,000 and of course, other resources like supplies and whatnot. And so they, seven days a week, are in the field with different veterinarians, and they are traveling across Ukraine all the time helping animals that were abandoned by people who had to flee the war, as well as existing shelters who stick around and need extra care. So we're doing it that way. We also support another organization, based out of Germany. I've never pronounced this correctly, and Marcus on the hill, if you're listening, I apologize to your whole life, and their wonderful organization who are helping us right now with a US soldier who is deployed in Ukraine, and he rescued a dog. And we're, at the moment, working on getting the dog vetted and quarantined and able to bring him to United States, slowly. And then we also are still working with our partners in Chernobyl, who, even throughout the war, you know, they're on 18 hour trains from Poland to get to Chernobyl now, because you can't take...it's not drivable anymore. They're still treating the dogs and the cats left behind after the after the disaster and making sure that the stray population stays spayed, neutered, healthy, and vaccinated. They're really well looked after by the workers at the plant as well. So, you know, once you do a project, there's always maintenance. So it's it's always, always ongoing. But yeah, Ukraine is very near and dear to our hearts.
Diaz Dixon:Yeah, I can imagine. You're right. There hasn't been much talk about Ukraine anymore, and it's still, nothing has changed. There's still great difficulties over there. So I'm glad that we've got boots on the ground with SPCA International doing some work and helping out those people and pets. How can people get involved? Like, how can we learn more about you and what you're doing and support SPCA International?
Lori Kalef:Thank you very much. And with that question, you're already helping us, because you're interested to know what we're doing. I think just by being a voice, and it's possible to be a voice in so many different ways. I'm always approached for, "How can I get into this field? How can I work in this field? How can I volunteer?" And, you know, I'm very lucky to be in the position that I'm in. I will say that until I am no longer. But even being a voice to share our stories to follow us on social media or SPCA International Twitter, now called X. Try to follow the side of the times! But Instagram, Facebook TikTok, and of course our website, SPCAI.org. And you can follow the work that we're doing in collaboration with our wonderful partners around the world. And of course, we're a nonprofit. So being a donor is always what we hope. But if you can't be a donor, share, talk about...you can always be an advocate for animals in so many different ways. If you're able to open up your home to foster care, that is such a wonderful opportunity for a dog or cat not to be euthanized in an overcrowded shelter. And so you're able to save more lives that way. So it's not about always reaching into your pockets. There are so many ways to be able to help.
Diaz Dixon:Yes, I love that. I love that. Many ways that we can all find ways to chip in and be supportive, whether we're doing in our own communities or helping out SPCA International. And if you can write a check that is always helpful as well! I'm gonna circle around this is my last question - which, is this is my favorite part of the interview because I love love, love hearing people's stories - tell us a little bit about the animals in your life who you've loved, and have inspired you.
Lori Kalef:Oh, this is the best question ever. Your questions are amazing, by the way.
Diaz Dixon:Thanks, Lori. Well, and my staff, I got a great staff. So they helped me out. They helped me out.
Lori Kalef:Same thing. You know, we were holding hands with each other to be able to do the work we do in any field.
Diaz Dixon:Yes.
Lori Kalef:You know, I think, if I have to think back, I would say that my dog Maggie - my first dog ever - still has imprints in the past that I take. She was a dog that was rescued at the very last minute from euthanasia and a shelter in Quebec. This is one back in the days in university. I think I was going through a difficult time. And she showed me unconditional love and strength, and gave me so much courage because I never felt alone. And she empowered me in so many different ways. She came with me everywhere I went, and I knew that she would always be there and always protect me as well. And so, she kind of paved the path and these invisible paw prints. And, you know, all my animals have always been rescue animals. Every single day, they teach me something new about this life, that...I don't think that we're unlayered enough to understand as humans in the same way that animals do. Going back to that philosophy of show me love, show me fresh air, food and health and everything else above that as a gift. So the three dogs that I have right now, one jumped into my car, when I was working in Romania, his name is Ducky. He's hilarious. And the joy that he brings, every single person that meets him is just, so uplifting to me. I have another dog named Tabby, who was rescued at the last minute from a shelter in California, and a dog named Bojangles, who picked me from the Afghanistan mission. And the three of them together, you know, they saved my soul. When you're talking back, when you're asking that first question about"What do you do to help yourself every single day?" My dogs do. They bring me out into fresh air, they connect me with other people. I think all my animals in my life have always been inspiring, including the ones that I never got to claim as my own that we've rescued. But knowing that they've gone to a good life and what they do for for humans, what they do for them every single day.
Diaz Dixon:I love it.
Lori Kalef:The language and the communication is not always in words. It's felt.
Diaz Dixon:Love it. I'm picturing your international crew of pups. And actually just listening to you inspires me to make sure that as soon as I get off this podcast, I'm gonna go hug my own pups. Love it, it is great. Lori, it has been an absolute joy to sit here and chat with you this morning. You are inspirational, you are doing fantastic work. And you are the epitome of People, Pets and Purpose. Thank you for coming on.
Lori Kalef:Thank you so much for having me. It's been such a delight and so much fun. I really appreciate you listening to my stories and about our organization and the work that we do. And what you're doing for us and spreading the word and enabling our cause and helping us grow further and more expansive. So I really, really appreciate you.
Diaz Dixon:No, thank you. Thank you, and likewise. And for those of you guys out there listening, go check out Lori Kalef's LinkedIn, you can find out more about her as well as the fact that she's a yoga instructor. But dig on in with SPCA International as well, get involved. We know that we need to continue to promote human kindness because we need more of both human and kindness, as well as animal kindness and pet kindness. The world needs both - all of them. So until next time, find something positive to do, lead with love, and lead with your purpose. Take care.