EAST TEXAS UNFILTERED w/J. Chad Parker: Featuring Elysia Reineck

J. Chad Parker sits down with Elysia Reineck for a heartfelt East Texas UNFILTERED conversation about the powerful bond between people and animals. Elysia shares the story behind Therapet, a Tyler-based nonprofit that brings therapy animals into hospitals, schools, rehab centers, and other places where comfort is needed most. She explains how these animals help people feel calmer, stronger, and less alone.

This episode also dives into the special work Therapet is doing across East Texas. Elysia talks about reading programs for kids, visits with patients and families in hospitals, and the careful training that helps therapy dogs serve safely and well. She also shares why not every dog is meant for this work, and why the right dog can make a life changing difference.

If you love animals, East Texas, and stories that show the good still happening in our community, this is an episode you will enjoy. Elysia also talks about rescue dogs, healing, giving back, and how local support keeps this mission going strong right here at home.  Be sure to like and subscribe for more exciting East Texas UNFILTERED Podcast episodes!

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You once you witness the magic of it and that you get to bring your best friend with you, people wanna keep doing it.

SPEAKER_06 0:06

My mother loved animals since she was born and she had everything from a peacock to a llama to uh a goat. Uh she uh she's had everything in the world, you know, her whole lot. Uh maybe more comfortable with animals than humans.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

If if that sounds No, that's that sounds I relate to that very, very well.

SPEAKER_06 0:31

You know what to expect with animals.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

I've never met a dog that I don't like.

SPEAKER_06 0:37

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:38

That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_06 0:45

Welcome to another episode of East Texas Unfiltered with J. Chad Parker. I'm your host. Today we have a guest that I think everyone who watches this podcast is gonna like. Uh, who doesn't love pets? I think everybody uh loves pets, and those that don't, uh, there's probably something wrong with them. And the great part about this guest that I have today is what she does with pets also improves the mental health and the physical well-being of other people in our community. And so today I want to welcome Alicia Reinick. Thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Thank you. That's a great introduction. I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_06 1:22

Well, uh, I'm happy to have you and learn more about what Therapet is. So let's just start in general. What is Therapet?

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Well, Therapet was founded in 1994. So we're in our 32nd year, and we're we're not a part of a national organization or a state organization. We are just here in Tyler and East Texas.

SPEAKER_06 1:43

That's what I was so curious about, whether this was some kind of franchise or or money that got sent corporately. No.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

So this is exclusively born here, um, only exists here, serves here. It's it's really incredible because it's not unusual to see an animal assistant therapy program in larger cities. I mean, if you go to Austin, DFW, sure, you're gonna find things like this. For East Texas, even though we're growing, I know we're big, but it's it's an incredible blessing for the public to have this as a resource at the facilities we serve at.

SPEAKER_06 2:16

And we're gonna go into a lot of where you serve, but let's learn a little bit more about you. The organization, since you're just local, then how is it that you're supported? How do you operate?

SPEAKER_00 2:26

We're fully donor supported. 501c3.

SPEAKER_06 2:30

Every every penny. Every penny that comes out.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Every penny.

SPEAKER_06 2:32

And these are in-kind donors, these are fundraisers, these are monthly givers or you name it, whatever works for them.

SPEAKER_00 2:39

Um, and most of the time it's somebody that's encountered us out in the community, whether it's at a hospital, maybe a family member's in the hospital, and it's one of our nights to visit, um, and they stumble upon us in some way and realize the impact that we make. And then they're in for the rest of their lives. They're committed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 2:57

Well, uh, I know y'all end up training the animals in some way so that they're certified, so that you're sure that they'll be safe, I guess, with the people that they go to. Yes. Is there a cost or do y'all have a way to, I guess, earn any income as you do that as well?

SPEAKER_00 3:11

We do. Um, we we do charge a little bit for the class. So it's$125 to take a class with us. That's the first time, and then after that, we just charge$100. So it's kind of like your first time in$125, and then thereafter it's$100. Um, so but we got to pay the trainers too.

SPEAKER_06 3:28

So Yeah, no, I'm I I don't mean that like it, you know, it's a moneymaker. I realize there's uh cost in everything. But for the person who um has their own pet and really thinks about, well, I may want to become part of therapy. Yeah. You know, how what process or how what would that look like?

SPEAKER_00 3:46

Well, you know, I often tell people if if you're sitting at home and you've got a dog on the couch next to you, think about their personality. And it really is an inherent thing for a dog to have a personality, just like we as humans do. So you may have had a dog in the past that people come over and it's lots of barking, and it's right, it's not very inviting. They don't really want to interact with your guests. And then you have the opposite. You have the dogs that jump up and you've made their day. People are coming over, they want to get petted, loved on, and and if you stop petting them, they're like, No, no, no, no. Keep going. You know, it's that personality that really just lives to meet people and be loved on. So, and ironically, neither of my dogs made it through the process. So, um it's a real process. It really is. Um, and you have to have some awareness of that. You it the dog is the one that is serving. I think a lot of times people get caught up in I'm taking my dog to do XYZ.

SPEAKER_03 4:46

Right.

SPEAKER_00 4:47

No, you're the driver. Yeah, you're the chauffeur. You're just getting your dog to facilitate it. You're getting the dog there and you're making through making sure all the things happen to facilitate that. But the dog is making the impact. So one of the really key parts that's fun for me to witness is humans will come in with, I guess, preconceived notions about where they want to volunteer, which one of our facilities they want to plug in at. And we encourage them to listen to your dog, pay attention to what your dog's enjoying, what they want to do. And often it's not what the human had intended.

SPEAKER_06 5:20

So they're not thinking about it right. They're thinking like, where do I want to go? Yes. What do I like? Really? Yes. And it's really w where does the dog best meet the needs of the people there?

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Yes, because each environment is vastly different depending on where we are and what we're doing.

SPEAKER_06 5:34

It could be some type of uh, I guess, somewhat passive physical therapy versus straight visitation.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

Mm-hmm. Exactly. And there's a difference between those. Yes.

SPEAKER_06 5:43

If I had to guess, old Louie is probably good at any spot.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

Louie just wants to be in the limelight.

SPEAKER_06 5:49

Craig, let's uh if we let's bring up let's look at Louie.

SPEAKER_00 5:52

Now we call him King Louie.

SPEAKER_06 5:53

All right, King Louie.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

And he has a baby sister, so you better be ready to show her too.

SPEAKER_06 5:58

Okay. Uh yeah. I I look through I look through for those who are listed, you can go to the therapy website, uh therapet.org. Yes. And there's a section that says therapets. And if you go there, you can see all of the animals and the and their bio. And the bio about who they are and what they're like.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 6:16

And I've chosen a few just to I'm excited to see who you chose. Um well there's there's Louie, uh King Louie, and uh I imagine people uh really probably like that dog.

SPEAKER_00 6:31

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 6:31

I mean is he dedicated to a certain facility or does he move around?

SPEAKER_00 6:36

He he jumps in and does a lot of things, but he primarily serves at Beckville ISD for their read program. Now, his sister, if we end up talking about her, she's different. And that's kind of fun too to talk about.

SPEAKER_06 6:48

She was a brown dog. Yes. I saw her at the bar.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

Let me tell you a little secret. Her her name's Coco. Um, her mom's gonna die when she listens to this, but uh oh, there we go. There's Coco. So guess where their names come from? Louis Vuitton and Coco Chanel.

SPEAKER_05 7:04

Oh, wow. Yeah, I mean, they they do look fancy.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

They're a little bit fancy. Okay. So Coco goes different places than Louis does, and a lot of times once people have a therapist with us, then they get another dog, and if if they're the right temperament, they'll train them, do all the things with us, and then that provides them two different personalities to figure out okay, this dog actually likes this, and it's vastly different from where my other dog likes to go. So it's it's neat.

SPEAKER_06 7:30

You mentioned Beckville ISD. Okay, so that's other side of Henderson, Texas. Yeah. And you mentioned a program which I didn't quite catch the name.

SPEAKER_00 7:37

It's a read program. Um, so that stands for Reading Education Assistance Dogs. It's something I'm very passionate about. Um, there's a lot of studies behind it, and so I can get into that facet of what we do if you'd like to now.

SPEAKER_06 7:51

Well, yeah, I'm just kind of curious in general what you know, how a dog uh s would be helping a a student, a child, learn to read, read better, avoid dyslexia. I'm not sure what you're about to say.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

I'm about to say too much. Okay, we'll see. Okay. So a lot of studies have been done that kiddos, and this is a hard statistic to stomach, but kiddos that are kindergarten through third grade, if they are behind on their literacy by third grade, they don't stand a good chance of catching up. I mean, process that for a moment.

SPEAKER_06 8:24

Right. I mean, it means third grade forever caught and never out of that box.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

Yes. And then the consequences of that, of never being able to catch up, obviously you maybe no high school degree. You nailed it.

SPEAKER_06 8:38

No GD.

SPEAKER_00 8:40

Maybe they never get further education. Um, it's hard to get a job after.

SPEAKER_06 8:44

Poor self-esteem?

SPEAKER_00 8:45

Oh gosh, yes. Very low self-esteem. Um simple things that we take for granted, like being able to communicate with your your medical physicians for your personal health, reading prescriptions, um, getting a job, keeping a job. The shame of being, you know, not great at reading is tremendous. So what we do is we take in that age group at the facilities that are read programs for us, we're taking kids in that range and we pull them out and have them read one-on-one with the dog. So I remember being in elementary school and I loved this part of reading because I love to read. It's a big passion of mine. But do you remember they they'd say, okay, every kid is gonna read a paragraph? Go around the room, you read this one, your neighbor reads this one.

SPEAKER_06 9:33

That's terrifying to some students.

SPEAKER_00 9:35

I loved it.

SPEAKER_06 9:35

Right?

SPEAKER_00 9:36

I mean, like, I don't and I would count, I would count around the room and and inevitably I would have a one-line paragraph. And now looking back thank you. Yeah, yeah. But looking back at through an adult perspective, think about if you're a challenged reader, you're gonna land on the long paragraph. It's inevitable. And you're reading in front of your peers, and you know that you're not great at it. They know. And the hum the anxiety, the humiliation, um wanting to shy away from something you're just not good at. That's a natural human instinct. So we're pulling those kids out, and I I'll give you some statistics. Um, our newest read program is Brownsboro Intermediate. Um, and we look at the first round of reading scores. And by the way, these children don't know that they're in a program. They don't. They just they just think it's a tool that's it's a cool reward thing and they get to read to the dogs.

SPEAKER_06 10:32

Yeah, and it's calming. Yes. It's more calming than another fellow student listening.

SPEAKER_00 10:36

100%. So, you know, we we make sure that they don't think it's a shameful, um embarrassing.

SPEAKER_06 10:42

No. Like, you know, hey, that's the special ed section or what something like that.

SPEAKER_00 10:47

No, that would defeat the purpose of it. But so we're looking at those that first round of reading scores, and then they kind of figure out, okay, these are the kids making sure we get permissions and all of that. And then they come out and every other week they spend 20 minutes with one of our read dogs. Um, of course, the dog's human is there with them too, and so they're kind of taking notes and helping them because maybe if they stumble on a word, the human is there to correct them. Um, but there's no pressure with that, there's no judgment from the dog. Half the time the dog falls asleep. And so sometimes the kiddo will say, Well, you know, biscuit stopped listening to me. And biscuit's mama will say, No, she's listening. Her eyes are just closed. Don't you ever just listen with your eyes closed? And they're like, Okay, yeah. And they'll keep reading. So last year we we looked at and analyzed the scores for the final reading uh test of the year, so May. And all but one of those kids improved by multiple grade levels. So it's it's I mean, it's it's it's moving, it's shifting it, it's moving them closer to future success for sure. And they're proud of it.

SPEAKER_06 11:53

Well, it's it's certainly um it's definitely thinking outside the box from what many educators, people have always thought. And you sound like in addition to the experience and the skill, you have a passion for animal participation in many aspects of humans' life for many different reasons. Am I right?

SPEAKER_00 12:14

Absolutely. I I firmly believe that on so many levels, we as humans just can't reach each other. There's there's too many, too many roadblocks.

SPEAKER_06 12:26

Animals are unconditional love.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

They are. And I mean, for example, when when I've how many times have I been into a hospital room with, you know, visitation with patients? And you know, as humans, you walk into a hospital room, you're you're going to start having judgments. You can't help it. Um, maybe it smells bad, first off.

SPEAKER_06 12:46

Um why are you there?

SPEAKER_00 12:48

Do you you but a dog can't tell your your economic level, what's in your bank account. They don't care about sexual orientation, they don't care if you're red or blue. Right. Um, they just don't care. All they do is sense this person needs me and I'm about to help them. And if they smell bad, maybe that's cool, you know, to a dog. Um, so they go in and they're able to reach people on an emotional level and a physical level. I mean, there's a lot of science behind it, but they're able to reach them in a way that if you walked in and you said, Hey, nice to meet you, I just want to do a little visit, probably wouldn't get very far with them. I don't know, you might.

SPEAKER_06 13:26

I mean, but I know what you're saying. I mean, there's a different level of um emotional well-being and and feeling that come from uh just the attention of an animal.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

Yes. And their intuition is remarkable. I mean, the the things that they can pick up in a crowd of people, even that person needs me. I mean, uh of of stories about that where, you know, we'll we'll have people actually at the business expo, which is happening. We've got dogs over there. Um, last year, it's a very crowded, busy environment, and we have dogs there. One of our dogs human said, I mean, she just focused on this person. And she's learned to follow her lead. And so she walked over to this gentleman and he immediately melted to the floor and started crying. And he said he just lost his dog.

SPEAKER_03 14:18

Huh.

SPEAKER_00 14:18

She picked him out. How? I don't know. She picked him out of a crowd.

SPEAKER_06 14:24

Some type of sense of some kind. Well, you know, people don't know this. We've just learned, uh, first of all, that this organization serves uh only us. That is East Texas.

SPEAKER_05 14:35

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 14:35

And so that would bring people to wonder about your passion. And from what you've told me, you are born and raised here in Tyler.

SPEAKER_00 14:43

I'm from Tyler.

SPEAKER_06 14:44

You went to Romney League, went to Baylor.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

I did. I I joked, um, you know, in high school, and probably a lot of people feel this way about their hometown. I'm never gonna go back to the city. Never coming back.

SPEAKER_06 14:56

There's nothing to do here.

SPEAKER_00 14:57

Nothing to do here. But um, you know, I a lot of doors opened and closed um and led me back here, kind of kicking and screaming, but I can see I can see the why behind all of that now. And as an adult, I love Tyler.

SPEAKER_06 15:13

Yeah, it's it's good. So let's, you know, for people probably w wonder how does a person and who is the person and what is their education training, how do they get to something like Therapet in the end?

SPEAKER_00 15:26

You know, again, it's kind of just you look back and it all makes sense. But um, I majored in business, um, focus in human resources. So get out and do the human resources thing, and nothing's ever quite like it's presented in college. You have to get that real world experience to understand. Wait a second. Wait, yes, you know about that. So, you know, I I just as a naive young person thought human resources, I'm gonna help people. HR is the first line of defense for an employer, you know. And but it's but it's it's a it's a balance. There's a lot of legalities behind it, and it is exhausting. Um, it it just wore me plum out.

SPEAKER_06 16:09

So yeah, and and if society is not as honest, no, doesn't work as hard, that would make a human resource job, I would think, more difficult.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Very challenging. And I'm the type of personality that I just if I'm gonna do something, I'm gonna do it exceedingly well, and I'm gonna wake up in the middle of the night thinking about the things that I can change and do better, and it just it it gets to you.

SPEAKER_06 16:31

So but you remind me of my wife.

SPEAKER_00 16:33

Really?

SPEAKER_06 16:34

You just described her almost to a T.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

Yeah, it's hard.

SPEAKER_06 16:39

But those people are very productive at what they do.

SPEAKER_00 16:42

Yes, yes. Sometimes at your own expense, but but it's worth it. So um during my time in HR um for a local hospital, I also in my spare time was the liaison for a therapist to come in and bring the dogs and go into the patient rooms. So my team of employees would be the ones to help facilitate those visits and go into the patient rooms. Um, I never had a dog until I was 33 years old.

SPEAKER_06 17:09

But how did who introduced you or where did this connection come for you to liaison these dogs into the hospital you were working?

SPEAKER_00 17:16

The hospital approached therapy and said, Can we get on your list? Can we can we be one of your partnering facilities that you regularly serve? And therapist said yes. And that was probably in 2005 or six.

SPEAKER_06 17:29

Was that a visionary type person at the hospital that thought we should try this in Jacksonville too?

SPEAKER_00 17:34

It was an employee who so we had already been serving um ETMC, now UT, and Tyler for a while and the North facility, um, UT North, that is now a part of everything. But she had been at Tyler with her husband who was in the hospital, and therapet dropped by to visit him. And she loved dogs, and that's where the match was struck. She was like, Well, can we can we also have it at the hospital in Jacksonville? And it worked out.

SPEAKER_06 18:01

And that's where you worked at the time.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

That's where I was.

SPEAKER_06 18:04

And okay, and so you saw it happening, I guess, from that point forward.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

Yes. And so I I really had not been around dogs that much ever. Um, and then my husband and I got married when I was 33, and then shortly after it was like, what do you do first? You get a dog. So we got Gertrude. And um, she's still with us, she's about to turn 14. But it the love, and I look back and I cannot believe I spent all those years without a dog in my life. I will never, if God willing, I will never not have a dog. Um, so I fell in love with it just through the experience of watching what it does for patients to have that that quick visit. They're on some of the hardest days of their lives. I mean, they're dealing with decisions that are beyond comprehension, nobody should have to make. Maybe they're alone. Maybe they don't have a single family member in town or family just doesn't care.

SPEAKER_06 19:00

They're visiting very sparse, right? They're not there very much. And so they're by themselves watching TV.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Yes. Maybe they have a dog at home and of course they're missing. Right.

SPEAKER_06 19:09

That would be very uh that would bother me if you had a dog and you couldn't see it.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

Well, my husband knows you have to sneak our dogs in. Yeah. That's just what's gonna have to happen. But um, so you go in and you say, and the affect on people's faces when they're in a hospital bed is so similar to one another. It's just this downcast, you can see the worry. I don't want to be here. Um, I don't know what's going on. I'm not sure if I'm if I'm being taken care of. I don't know what the scans are about to tell me. I can't eat right now. I mean, think of all the worries that they're dealing with. Also, the family members, half the time the visit is for the family because the family's dealing with their own share of issues with this hospital stay. So you go in and you say, Hey, we've got a surprise tonight. We've got the therapeut dogs here. Would you like a visit? Of course, some people say, No, I'm I'm good. Cool, have a good night. Others, the face, the demeanor, I mean, it just completely changes. Um, there's a lightness that comes over them. It's almost like they glow a little bit. And then depending on how many dogs we have have there that night, it could be anywhere from two to six. Um, they're about to get to meet these amazing animals and the dogs love it. So they're getting to pet. And if they're small, um, we'll lay down a towel and they lie down on the towel next to the patient so they can pet them very if they're a big dog, we'll put them in a chair next to the bedside, um, or they can pause up on the bed and get pets. So what's really cool is within moments of petting an animal, there's an automatic relaxation response. And this is proven. They've hooked people up to, you know, blood pressure cuffs and heart rate monitors and really studied what are what are the physicalities of what they're enduring right now before. And then when a dog comes in and they start interacting with them, heart rate calms, blood pressure lowers, um, your positive hormones go up, your negative ones go down.

SPEAKER_06 21:04

I mean, it's it helps with people's most common symptom, which is depression.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Depression and anxiety.

SPEAKER_06 21:11

Right. Being in the hospital, people don't feel good. They're gloomy. They may not be clinically depressed, but they don't, they're not upbeat and this changes when these dogs come in, right? At least for the time that that they get to spend with them.

SPEAKER_00 21:25

It's just a little momentary vacation or reprieve from what they're experiencing.

SPEAKER_06 21:31

And I wonder if that has positive uh impacts on whatever needs to heal or what they're being treated for.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Well, it can.

SPEAKER_06 21:39

I mean, I would see I've read things that, you know, state of mind, frame of mind has something to do with how you respond to illness and injury.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

You're right. It's I mean, the mental affects the physical, the physical affects the mental. It's so intertangled. Um, but I mean, just with it with procedures being done, we've seen remarkable things like There was one night we were at an emergency room. Um, we just kind of drop by, depending on what's going on with the rest of the floor. So we drop by an ER and there's a child who is diabetic, having to get stuck for the millionth time, does not want the needle. I mean, it's just like dead focused on the arm. And we brought a dog in and shift the perspective to this side of the body. Nurse gets it in. Kid didn't even realize it. And then the parent later ran into that same volunteer. I don't know if it was a couple months later, and she said, all of a sudden, there's just a difference. I mean, the needles were always the bad, bad thing, the IVs, all the things. And ever since that, there's just an awareness with the child that it's okay, I can do this. But a lot of it's smoke and mirrors and just kind of shifting the perspective sometimes. But how cool is that for a mom to get to see a kid, you know, be treated and improve on that level, just because a dog got to come and shift the focus.

SPEAKER_06 23:01

Well, we all, you know, those that have kids know that story at some point. You know, a shot, the needle, the blood draw, and uh, you know, it's very uncomfortable for the parent. And that's just another non-traditional remedy, if you will, uh that probably needs to be more available if it can be. Yes. Right? Yes. It's not as easy as just getting some dogs and someone and going to a facility, which is kind of what we're going to talk about here in a second. Um your program and you get there, as I understand from talking to you, right at or before COVID to therapet.

SPEAKER_00 23:39

I did, yes. Uh so March of 2020. Nothing was going on.

SPEAKER_06 23:44

You're hired as the CEO.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

E. D. Executive Director, yes.

SPEAKER_06 23:48

Now are you okay, you're it's CEO sounds very fancy. I know some of them call each other CEOs. Um of them don't, you know. Okay, executive director. There you are.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

I I get hired and it was such I was ready for a career change, and it was such a perfect transition because of what we already talked about, just my passion and getting to witness what we do. I already believed in it, and that's so much. You can't do you cannot work for a nonprofit if you don't believe in it. In the cause, right. I do. So I start, and I think it was truly 10 days later that we get the the lockdown notice. And okay, well, think about how that affected us. Our clients are hospitals, they're all in facilities, schools. I mean, everything just came to a damn pause. And it's like, okay, well, we've got to keep fundraising. And our community here in Tyler is so generous. People were ready to jump in and help. So um what could have been a very scary time, and it was just worked out perfectly because of people's generosity. Um, and we pivoted and we were, we were creative with different fundraising efforts. But um, yeah, and so then as things changed, I believe it was Christ's hospital, was one of the first that we were like, okay, we can come back in, but these are the requirements for our volunteers. And every facility that we serve, there's 14, um, had different requirements for our volunteers. And so that's hard because every volunteer has their own free will and what they're willing to do. Right. Um, some facilities required vaccination, others didn't. Some required masks and face shields. Well, when we started that, we realized, well, that's a challenge. You've now got a mask on and a face shield. And the biggest responsibility you had been out.

SPEAKER_06 25:33

I know. Well, I would have been out out on therapy at that point.

SPEAKER_00 25:36

A lot of people did. And that that was hard because I I mean I could see forward that there was going to be, we were gonna come out of it.

SPEAKER_05 25:44

Of course.

SPEAKER_00 25:45

You know, but it was just that we're having to follow requirements of the world.

SPEAKER_05 25:49

It was just very difficult. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

So we pivoted and we're like, okay, well, now you can't see your dog. That's your whole responsibility. And so we added that to our skills checkoff to make sure how our dogs adjusting with masks, they were fine. But we just didn't know. So we added that to our skills checkoff. And then one by one, as we kind of came through that season, facilities, our facilities said, come back, come back. And now we're crazy busier than ever.

SPEAKER_06 26:14

You're lucky that your organization was in Smith County, Texas. I know. Because if you had been somewhere else, um the limited options and we look back and we say, for what, right? I mean, how was it any different uh f for us than it was some other place? And it really wasn't, but at least our people, yeah, our people here were able to experience the positive benefits of the animals much sooner. Right?

SPEAKER_00 26:38

I would think so for sure. I mean Um and ironically, that was a time when people needed us more than ever. And we felt Because they were alone. We felt a little bit paralyzed, like we've got a resource here, and we just there's only so much we can do with it.

SPEAKER_06 26:53

How many animals when you take the helm? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:56

Oh, how many questions?

SPEAKER_06 26:58

How many animals do we have at Therapet to go out and serve the community?

SPEAKER_00 27:02

When I came in, I think it was at 96.

SPEAKER_06 27:04

All right. So we got less now.

SPEAKER_00 27:07

So after COVID, after it really kind of calmed down, we had about 68.

SPEAKER_06 27:12

All right.

SPEAKER_00 27:13

It's not the dog, it's the human that's like right.

SPEAKER_06 27:16

It's the driver.

SPEAKER_00 27:16

It's the driver.

SPEAKER_06 27:17

It's the person with the personality that doesn't like certain things, that gets upset about this, that, or the other, right?

SPEAKER_00 27:22

It's yeah.

SPEAKER_06 27:23

Old Louie's at home saying, Hey, why can't I go to therapist?

SPEAKER_00 27:26

Louie's ready all the time. So it, you know, it was and I understood some of our volunteers are are older and have health challenges that it was a scary day.

SPEAKER_06 27:37

It was probably scary for them, right?

SPEAKER_00 27:38

It was terrifying. And you don't know what you don't know. And so, do you want to go to the hospital and see people?

SPEAKER_06 27:43

No, that's where all the sick people are. I don't want to go there.

SPEAKER_00 27:46

I mean so I mean it had inherent challenges that, you know, we just had to we just had to kind of baby step through. Um, but it it worked out. It's just that the numbers dropped significantly.

SPEAKER_06 27:59

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 27:59

I mean and so our I mean, our we're you're building back. Our big thing is we've got to get more dogs. And unfortunately, we go into every year knowing we're gonna lose more. They're either gonna get old and it's time for them to just hang out after age out and be an old dog. There's not a retirement age, right?

SPEAKER_06 28:17

But just the physical moving around.

SPEAKER_00 28:20

The parents gonna start looking at their hips. Maybe it's hard for them to walk on those slick hospital floors. Um, you know, and is there a place to plug in with us that looks a little different? A lot of times there is, but then we we lost a lot of them passed away last year, just random cancers and and things like that. And so every year there's loss, and it is devastating. That's one thing I could not have prepared for with this, is I fall in love with all of them, with every single one of them.

SPEAKER_05 28:47

That's tough.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

And when when their humans call me, I mean, I've had the privilege of being able to go and I'm not gonna cry, but go say goodbye to some of them.

SPEAKER_06 28:56

Yeah, no, that's uh that's I mean I didn't even want to see my wife took our dog. Yeah. I didn't even I just I'm the kind of person who likes to pretend that, you know, maybe they just went somewhere else uh because I don't think I could be there, honestly.

SPEAKER_03 29:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 29:11

So I can only imagine a family of dogs where some of them are are dropping out e each year. But, you know, let's talk about support for Therapet. Now they can always people can go if they like what they're hearing, and they can't be they can't bring you a pet, but they can go to the website and they can go to uh therapet.org and they can donate and that money helps you guys, you know, build this organization. Right? Yes. Now, we just talked about losing dogs. Yes. Uh and I'm assuming that Therapet wants more people with dogs. We do. And so you tell them, you know, if somebody's listening and they thought, you know what, I've I've I've often wanted to volunteer like that with my dog, you you let them know right this minute what they should do next.

SPEAKER_00 30:00

Okay. Well, first off, call us. Um 903-535-2125. We would love to talk to you and we'd love to meet your dog. Um, go into it with an awareness that not all dogs are supposed to do this, but you will never regret taking a class with your dog. It's a bonding experience. You will grow as a team, even if it doesn't work out. Like I said, neither am I. Made it through. We're skills class drops out dropouts, both of us. So there's a couple of different classes we offer, but the formal process is you've got to have your canine good citizens certificate. So we say CGC is what that stands for. It's an AKC standard. So if you're curious about what that entails, you can go to akc.org, search CGC in their engine, and it's gonna pull up what it is.

SPEAKER_06 30:44

But this AKC and this CGC, what do they stand for for people that don't know anything about the dog world?

SPEAKER_00 30:50

Okay, so American Kennel Club. I know you've seen the dog shows on TV.

SPEAKER_06 30:56

I know that now that you said it.

SPEAKER_00 30:57

AKC, and I mean it's it's a huge organization and you know, different breeds and stuff. So then CGC is canine good citizen. That is a certification that is an AKC standard. Um, so lots of facilities in this area. We recommend PetSmart because our two trainers happen to be PetSmart trainers. And so it's a very fluid conversation. If you go in to start your classes, CGC requires typically, if you got them as a puppy, go take puppy class, beginner, intermediate, advanced.

SPEAKER_06 31:27

These classes are at PetSmart. And so when you said earlier,$125, you're paying someone there for each of the classes.

SPEAKER_00 31:35

Yes, and their classes are are a little bit higher than ours. All right.

SPEAKER_06 31:38

And how many total do you need, or how long does it take for your pet to be ready to go?

SPEAKER_00 31:42

It's totally variable. So I will say going through the CGC process with our two dogs, I mean, we were committed. We and I was gonna do that with the code.

SPEAKER_06 31:52

You're a good candidate. So if yours didn't make it, I mean, that's something wrong with the dog.

SPEAKER_00 31:56

Yes. I mean, so but that's what my mom would say about me.

SPEAKER_06 32:01

Chad just doesn't have the right temperament. He's just not right for this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:05

I'm sure she said that a few times. Um, but yeah, so it's it's just a cool thing to go in and take. And I think it's important because it shows the dog how you're supposed to behave in public. So if you're planning to go to restaurant patios and eat with your dog and just make sure they're a well-behaved member of society. Getting the CGC makes sense. Why wouldn't you? I always laugh. Would you have a baby or adopt a toddler and think that you never have to offer it any training or guidance? But people get dogs and they're like, well, it's not doing what I thought it was gonna do. It's a creature, it's intelligent. You've gotta teach it.

SPEAKER_06 32:41

That's a misconception, I think. I think it is. I mean, even me, I'm thinking, well, this dog is just good. Why isn't it potty trained? That dog will just sit there and by the table while I'm at the outdoor patio and he's good.

SPEAKER_00 32:55

Probably not.

SPEAKER_06 32:56

You know, and this one's bad.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

You know, I mean But there there it's not a bad dog, it's an untrained dog.

SPEAKER_06 33:02

I'm too soft hearted. I always think about obedience training as being something harsh and harmful and scary for the dog and isolating.

SPEAKER_00 33:10

And I was like, oh no, they have a blast. It's treat-driven. I mean, you offer a treat to a dog, and we we always used high-value treats. So you chop you chop up some hot dogs, something that they don't get on a regular day, um, or some grilled chicken or something like that, rotisserie chicken, they will do anything you ask them to do if it's a high value treat like that. And so we would always bring hot dogs or something like that into our Pet Smart classes for our CGC dogs. Um, so we only took each of those once. I mean, we we graduated, but we worked hard with them. And I remember every night we would leave class. I think it's a seven-week class there. I would turn to my husband and say, Ain't no way we're gonna get this dog to do it.

SPEAKER_06 33:51

What was it? What is it that really separates the ones that make it from the good dogs that are obedient that doesn't that don't make it?

SPEAKER_00 33:58

CGC is really not complicated, kind of canine good citizen requirements. So the very last night of the advanced class there, you take the CGC test. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 34:07

Is that you the human or you the dog?

SPEAKER_00 34:09

Both of you. Okay. Both of you.

SPEAKER_06 34:11

What's the human doing? What's the dog's doing?

SPEAKER_00 34:13

So a lot of it is um, you know, there will be a sit, just teaching a dog to sit. Sit on command, down, stay. Um, being able to walk away from that dog 30 feet in a crowded environment. Yeah, stay. And if you if you give them treats and train them, they will do it. It's amazing. Um, and then out of sight stay is I think the thing that scares the most people.

SPEAKER_06 34:39

You walk around the corner.

SPEAKER_00 34:40

So yeah, you have to, and this is if it makes sense. If you're somewhere and let's say you've got to go to the restroom and it's a busy environment and you say, Hey, bud, you know, your friends with you. Hey, Joe, can you watch my dog while I go to the restroom? You need to be able to know that you can say, give the command, hand the leash, stay, and the dog's gonna stay for. And it's just a three minute that three minutes when you're doing that test feels like 30, but they do it. I mean, it's it's the coolest thing.

SPEAKER_06 35:10

Well, you s I mean, I can tell you're a big fan of this, and what I hear you saying that we haven't said out loud is that a lot of people who have pets that they love should take them to this anyway.

SPEAKER_00 35:21

They should. You're getting it. Um, why wouldn't you? Go have an experience with your dog. They want to learn, they're smart, they're little sponges. And I promise you, you'll be amazed at the things you can teach them to do. And if you're not interested in CGC, there's a trick classes there. If you just want to have fun and not work on obedience so much, there's a ton of different things.

SPEAKER_06 35:40

But it's something to do with your dog. Yes. Making your dog, you know, maybe a little more disciplined. Yes. And at the same time, if you were interested in being a therapist animal, you're kind of that's the first step. You can get past that and then decide if your dog, I guess, is able to pass the the uh the temperament.

SPEAKER_00 35:59

Get the CGC, get the CGC. And what's cool there with the two trainers is you can say, you know, I know about therapy. I'm kind of curious if my dog could do it. And so they're gonna watch and they're gonna kind of help facilitate that. And they may be blunt and say, your dog does not just stop. You know, don't go to the next leg of things. But so in answer to your question, when they get their CGC certificate, that now qualifies them to come take the formal therapeuts class. We are not teaching obedience in that class. We need you to already have that down.

SPEAKER_01 36:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 36:29

So when they come into the therapeut skills class, we're gonna start introducing therapy equipment, hospital equipment. Um, you know, when you walk into a hospital room, there's a lot of IVs and different machines, noises, things that you don't you don't blink at.

SPEAKER_06 36:43

Is this environmental that you're conditioning the animals for?

SPEAKER_00 36:46

You're introducing all of those things to do.

SPEAKER_06 36:48

Things that they're gonna be around.

SPEAKER_00 36:49

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_06 36:50

It's not per se the animal-assisted therapy.

SPEAKER_00 36:53

It's so that's a part of it. So we have a rehab table in that class, an actual rehab table like we use at Encompass Health. And so Monday through Friday, three hours a day, we're at Encompass Health, helping with physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology. We can get into all that too. But so the dog has to be able to get up on that table, settle, relax. And then part of that is they're gonna bring patients in there to work on just their mobility, their tactile, just maybe they've had a stroke and they're needing to do something. Rehab hospitals. Rehab, it is a rehab hospital in Compass Health.

SPEAKER_03 37:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 37:27

So, you know, you may think, oh, getting my dog to get up on a table is no big deal. Oh no, it is. You have to train them to do that. It's a scary thing, it can be a scary thing.

SPEAKER_06 37:36

Now, some dogs are if it was a bed, you wouldn't have to train them. No, because you can't keep them from jumping up on and trying to sleep with you.

SPEAKER_00 37:43

You're exactly right. But something about that table and kind of going up the steps and learning how to be safe and get them to settle and just relax into it, you have to train that. And then getting into tight spaces next to a hospital bed, they've got to be able to back. So training them to back up instead of because they may not have room to turn around and exit. Um, I mean, that's just a couple of examples. How to walk very slowly next to a walker or a wheelchair when they're at Encompass Health.

SPEAKER_06 38:10

Um, that's not an 'cause the people are moving slower than a normal walk.

SPEAKER_00 38:14

So slow. And it's a it's a weird device next to them, a walker, clunk, clunk, you know, and they have to go really slow next to them. So those little things that may not seem like a big deal, you've got to get the dog in the groove of it. Um so it's not unusual to have to take more than one round of skills class with us. Somebody told me that the first night I took Gertrude in and it calmed my nerves because I thought, I mean, I'm a test taker. I'm I'm gonna do it and get it done the first time. But I was worried in the back of my head, this, you know, what if I fail?

SPEAKER_06 38:45

You or your dog?

SPEAKER_00 38:46

M mostly me.

SPEAKER_05 38:48

Okay. Well, I mean, how can you fail?

SPEAKER_00 38:50

Well, a lot of times the human is the roadblock with the dog. Um, you've got to make sure that I mean my dogs will do anything I ask them to do, but it may be with some hesitancy. And that's a leadership issue on my part with the dogs because they're my babies and I baby talk them. Now my husband can give the same command. It's different. They respond immediately.

SPEAKER_06 39:17

So I think it's just the la I think it's the the stern voice.

SPEAKER_00 39:21

It could be.

SPEAKER_06 39:22

Right, like it could be. I mean, a stern voice goes a long way, it seems like with a dog.

SPEAKER_00 39:26

It well, I know in I know with my experience with ours, like this is so random, but I opened the back door one night, I heard a ruckus, and Gertrude was just standing there proud with an armadella in her mouth, and I lost my mind screaming. And Ryan jumps up and I was saying, Leave it, drop it, leave it, drop it. All the commands she knows. She's just like, What? Ryan gets up and he says, Drop it once, and she was like bloop.

SPEAKER_06 39:53

Because there might be a lot of diseases or something with the armadilla. Yes. You know. Yeah. And sometimes the sternness is not meant to be punishment, but it's dangerous. It's for their safety. There's a car coming. Yes. You know, something like that.

SPEAKER_00 40:06

Um, you know, and that makes me think too, you know, the leave it command. Um, you walk into a hospital and there's a lot of smells, and there could be food on the floor, there could be pills on the floor.

SPEAKER_06 40:15

Yeah, late. I didn't even think about that. Yeah. And so they would go up there and eat them.

SPEAKER_00 40:18

They have to they have to follow the leave it command. Um, and it's for their protection. Um, they're not supposed to lick. If they lick a patient, well, they're they could be on a lot of medications, they probably are. Some of that can leach out of their skin. So a lot of health things that just aren't thought about until you're in the weeds of it.

SPEAKER_06 40:38

Aaron Powell Well, that sounds like you guys. I mean, um y'all thought of almost everything. And what I wanna I want to pivot back to the visitation for just a moment. You've mentioned 14 institutions, facilities that y'all go into. What are those fourteen places that you take these dogs?

SPEAKER_00 40:55

Yeah, so they're they're pretty different categories. Um so I'll talk about health care first.

SPEAKER_06 41:01

I mean, but you don't have to mention every single one if some of them are all the same.

SPEAKER_00 41:05

So health care is definitely a huge facet, and I would say that's the foundation and will always be the foundation of what we do. Um we are we are a facet of patient care.

SPEAKER_06 41:15

Aaron Powell Do the hospitals donate, do they support Therapet at all?

SPEAKER_00 41:19

They're yes, they do support us um in different ways, like with our gala that we're gonna talk about. So they sponsor that, but we are not paid for our work by any of the facilities that we visit.

SPEAKER_06 41:30

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 41:31

It's fully donor supported.

SPEAKER_06 41:32

Right. You don't have insurance money, you don't have hospital or institutions paying you to come. This is solely you guys raising your own money, training your own animals, and then making a decision on where to go with them.

SPEAKER_00 41:47

Yes, yes. So we have a long waiting list too.

SPEAKER_06 41:50

I was about to say, can you meet the need that exists right now?

SPEAKER_00 41:53

Not right now, no. My my big belief, um, just kind of getting through COVID and the loss of so many animals and just building back up. We're at about 72 right now.

SPEAKER_06 42:03

Um which is what about the cockatoo?

SPEAKER_00 42:06

Oh, well, cuddles is amazing.

SPEAKER_06 42:08

I mean, do you really have a cockatoo?

SPEAKER_00 42:09

We do. She's incredible. You've got to meet her. I need to get her over here.

SPEAKER_06 42:12

That's different training, though, than a yes, and it's unusual.

SPEAKER_00 42:15

If you're sitting at home and you have a bird, please just don't calm down. Don't call me.

SPEAKER_05 42:20

Hamsters, guinea pigs.

SPEAKER_00 42:21

I'm not I'm not equipped to handle that right now. I'm not equipped to handle that. We do have a cat and we have an umbrella cockatoo. Cuddles is the cockatoo, she's 21 years old.

SPEAKER_06 42:30

And I guess they have a lot long lifespans.

SPEAKER_00 42:33

Very long. In fact, don't just randomly get a bird because a lot of times it it could live longer than you at this point, depending on your age. So it's not a it's not a little quick decision you need to make.

SPEAKER_06 42:45

Don't worry. I'm not making any any rash decisions on animals.

SPEAKER_00 42:48

Your wife's gonna be like, where'd this bird come from?

SPEAKER_06 42:50

I mean, you know, we lost our dog, you know, in the last six months, and uh, you know, I always battle with, well, you know, they it they become so part of the family. I mean, my dog Blackie, uh, she came here every day to work.

SPEAKER_00 43:06

Uh I think I met her last year.

SPEAKER_06 43:08

You did? I did. She went uh everywhere we traveled, but you know, you always say, well, when she's gone, I just don't know, you know, if I wanna because they're a lot of work at the end of their life. Right? Mm-hmm. I mean I mean it's it's a shame that people just jump off and get dogs and then don't take care of them and and drop them on the side of the road or do whatever they do, right?

SPEAKER_00 43:29

Do not get me started.

SPEAKER_06 43:30

I know.

SPEAKER_00 43:31

Yeah. Um But ironically, or maybe not ironically, but well over half of our dogs are rescues.

SPEAKER_06 43:37

Right. I mean, I d I assume that without asking.

SPEAKER_00 43:40

Yeah. No, that's a great lead into it. So I mean, we even get calls sometimes, uh you just people saying, I really, really want to get involved with you guys. I'm gonna go get I'm gonna go get a dog soon. What breed should I get? And I always say, you don't need to worry about breeds. It's it's a temperament thing. Um And you can't predict that, but go check out the local rescues here. They probably have the dog for you. Is it meant to be a therapist? We can't know.

SPEAKER_06 44:10

But if you go in with the intention of, I'm gonna get this breed, I'm gonna make it be that's the owner again, thinking of themselves instead of the pet for therapist, right? Yes. Because my dog was a stray and probably could have w glided right into therapeutic. She'd never growled in her life.

SPEAKER_00 44:28

She loved people.

SPEAKER_06 44:29

She had yeah, I mean it was lived to be petit. And there was no training.

SPEAKER_00 44:38

Yeah. You lucked out.

SPEAKER_06 44:39

I think the stray just felt thankful.

SPEAKER_00 44:43

Well, I do believe that.

SPEAKER_06 44:45

You know, just to be in a home instead of running the the the woods, which she probably did when we found her.

SPEAKER_00 44:50

Or untold things like that. Right, right.

SPEAKER_06 44:53

She was so she would cower over the l smallest things. I mean, for instance, if if I mean if somebody had something out, um it wouldn't be threatening, but she would see it as threatening.

SPEAKER_00 45:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 45:08

I mean, of several things. But you know, that's uh I mean, where are the therapy dogs? Are they more likely at a rescue or at a pound or at the SBCA or wherever they are?

SPEAKER_00 45:21

Could be at any of those. I mean I mean they are they are covered up in dogs that just need a chance. And then, you know, I think a lot of times people not only just getting a puppy and thinking, well, why isn't it potty trained? Why isn't it this? You know, well did would you bring a three-year-old in the house and not have a diaper on it? Probably not.

SPEAKER_06 45:41

No, but I wouldn't know how to potty train a dog, I don't think.

SPEAKER_00 45:44

Well, you can create train them and you can you it's doable.

SPEAKER_06 45:47

I mean, I'd have to YouTube it.

SPEAKER_00 45:50

You can do that. You know about successful YouTube channels.

SPEAKER_06 45:53

I mean, I like I said, I uh I just thought maybe they just kind of became potty trained over time.

SPEAKER_00 45:59

They do not, J Chad. They do not. You have to train them.

SPEAKER_06 46:02

All right.

SPEAKER_00 46:02

Um but so there's there's just I don't know. I I really think that you don't need to worry about breeding so much as who cares?

SPEAKER_06 46:12

They all look cool and in a lot of people.

SPEAKER_00 46:14

They do. I love their originality and their different personalities, and it just they're gonna be able to serve how they're supposed to serve if they they make it through.

SPEAKER_06 46:23

Chris, put up pepper and uh waver. Let's go back to back because these remind me of rescue type dogs. Okay. I don't know if that's true.

SPEAKER_00 46:30

Pepper's a rescue.

SPEAKER_06 46:31

I look at that dog and I say, you know, I bet you that dog was in some bad circumstances and then somehow got out of it.

SPEAKER_00 46:37

Pepper's a rescue. And Pepper is actually uh one of our founding volunteers therapists. So we still have 32 years later, three of our founding volunteers are still plugged in and we're that is the human. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_06 46:50

All right.

SPEAKER_00 46:50

What about not the dog, I wish, but yes, the human.

SPEAKER_06 46:53

Waverly. Uh do we have okay Waverly. Some people depending on the temperate of these dogs, they seem scary to people sometimes when you look at them, right? If they were growling, you would say that one and pepper look like a junkyard dog or something, right?

SPEAKER_00 47:09

I just can't even envision that description because I know these dogs so well.

SPEAKER_06 47:13

No, but I mean some people when you see them behind a chain leak fence and they're barking, you're like, uh, I hope he doesn't get loose.

SPEAKER_00 47:19

Yeah. But uh But okay, think about this too. Um when when they're working, and our humans will tell you through our grooming process that's required, they have to be bathed and nails trimmed, all of those requirements within 36 hours of volunteering somewhere with us. And many of them will say, When it's bath time, they get in the zone. They're like it. I'm about to get to go see people. My parents are about to go. Yes. Or some have said that when they pull their therapeut volunteer t-shirt out, the dog's like, oh my gosh, it's about to happen.

SPEAKER_06 47:55

So they I guess they enjoy that.

SPEAKER_00 47:57

They learn, they learn your rhythms and your patterns. I mean, think about your dog. Oh my gosh. She knew your patterns and your habits.

SPEAKER_06 48:05

There's one for sure. Every single time, I mean, every time we got out of suitcase, oh, she would not watch out. She would get by the door, she would make sure there's no way that we were leaving and she wasn't going. I mean, we couldn't even sneak a bag out. We almost felt bad.

SPEAKER_00 48:21

Sorry, you're not going to Fiji. She needs you to stay in the city.

SPEAKER_06 48:23

We felt terrible. I mean, that's that's the one thing I didn't like because I could never go anywhere.

SPEAKER_00 48:29

I feel that deeply.

SPEAKER_06 48:30

But you know, they're they're like uh seasoning for life. They make everything's a lot better.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

They do. They improve everything on every level. They do. Um, but when they're at home, they're just dogs. You know, they're I think people think, well, my dog couldn't do this, my dog has this, this, and this trait. Well, they're at home, they're just a pet. They're gonna have their own zone and things that they do there, but through the training process, through the getting ready process, they do learn that habit and then they get pumped to get to go see people.

SPEAKER_06 49:04

You know, just the more we talk, the more ideas, the more questions come into my head. Is there any intersection between people that generally rescue dogs, you know, in volume or more than just one, and be trying to become therapists? Or is that an introduction that needs to be made on this show?

SPEAKER_00 49:22

I think I think it's well, people need to think about it more. Um, you know, that don't don't try to pigeonhole your dog based on what you think it went through in its life prior to you. Um, I think what dogs experience can make them much more intuitive to be able to reach people going forward. Some dogs are so traumatized by what they've been through, that's not a good idea.

SPEAKER_06 49:47

But what about the training? Yeah. Does it for a dog that's been traumatized, the courses that we talked about earlier, would those be helpful or would those be harmful in a way? I mean, what do you think?

SPEAKER_00 49:57

I think it depends on the dog, but it's not uh I mean, I would lean toward just personally giving it a shot because, you know, let's say you get the dog into part of the track for CGC training and the dog's just stressed and it's not working. Okay, well do a private class. Do one-on-one with the trainer.

SPEAKER_06 50:16

But it's it's treat-based, so it's it should be pleasant.

SPEAKER_00 50:19

Yeah, yeah. It depends though. Think about it. Sometimes you've had such a bad day that any treat's not gonna really fix it. So I I think it depends on the dog.

SPEAKER_06 50:30

All right. So there's no dog in particular, breed or otherwise, that you say, hey, this is the standard therapist that always has the right temperament that always ends up working with us.

SPEAKER_00 50:39

No.

SPEAKER_06 50:40

All right. So, but there's gotta be a more um, I guess, a vaguer description of those that generally become therapist. Is there a way to for you to articulate a description of who those are?

SPEAKER_00 50:54

I think it's it's truly think about when you have guests over, you know, because that's their environment. And if they're welcoming people in to, oh my gosh, come into my house.

SPEAKER_06 51:06

Extroverts.

SPEAKER_00 51:07

They're extroverts. Yeah, I mean, gosh, I'm thinking about several of our dogs right now who I mean, they are persistent social butterflies in getting pets.

SPEAKER_06 51:14

They love to go around.

SPEAKER_00 51:15

I mean, they're gonna, they're gonna, they're gonna look at you if you stop petting and like lean back in, like, okay, you've got a hand, keep doing this. Like, don't stop. Um and that they just they they relax into it, they soak into that moment of interacting with a human. You know if you've got a dog like that.

SPEAKER_06 51:33

I know I've got to insert this right now, but I know my mother will be watching this. Yeah. And I know that Buddy J Chad's mom. I know that Buddy would probably be an awesome therapeut, and uh, Buddy was a stray that she took in that wouldn't come to us for months. Only lurked about and stayed out and s and never would come up, and then eventually started coming up.

SPEAKER_00 51:58

Baby steps of trust.

SPEAKER_06 51:59

Wouldn't even let anybody but my mother touch him. And then now he comes up to me and I pet him, stop petting. He does exactly what you just said. So I guess that's the kind of dog you think about. And it had been probably traumatized.

SPEAKER_00 52:17

A decent chance. Um you just have to think, well, you're you're kind of in that circle of his, so that's safe. Yeah. Um and and would a stranger coming in have the same experience.

SPEAKER_06 52:29

That's what you have to see.

SPEAKER_00 52:30

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 52:31

Because, you know I know me, and I'm assuming dogs could be similar. You know, I'm good in a lot of situations, but sometimes under a stressful situation, I'm not as good as I'd like to be.

SPEAKER_00 52:44

I am the same. Imagine that.

SPEAKER_06 52:46

And and you know, and I've seen people that are in the same stressful situation much better than me. Yeah. And I'm imagining that this is kind of what you're looking for for the temperament of some of these therapeuts.

SPEAKER_03 52:58

Mm-hmm. Right?

SPEAKER_06 52:59

Because there could be something uh, you know, uh unseen that happens while they're in the environment, right?

SPEAKER_00 53:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 53:06

A loud noise.

SPEAKER_00 53:07

That you're you're on the right track. So let me give the example of um we visit Bouchir's, which is a part of TISD, special needs environment. A lot of these children are severely challenged.

SPEAKER_06 53:20

Um They could grab them and you know They do. Right? Yes. And that could be startling and that is a part of temperament.

SPEAKER_00 53:27

Your dog has to be able to roll with that. Right.

SPEAKER_06 53:30

Now without biting them.

SPEAKER_00 53:32

Yeah. The human is there to m to make sure nothing like that escalates. But I mean, I've I've heard our volunteers say before when something like that happens, or if the child throws something down really loud next to the dog's head and it's like jarring, the dog will just look to their human and be like, Am I okay? It's that it's that relationship. Are we good? Humans reassuring them, they're good. Um so those are challenges that happen in that environment every week that we're there. So the dog has to be able to handle it.

SPEAKER_06 54:04

And that and that's the reason. Uh if people have tried or heard about it, if they say, well, it's frustratingly difficult to get a dog, I want to serve, but there are reasons, real-world reasons, why that has to be done. Trevor Burrus, Jr.: 100%. And is there any liability, insurance behind this stuff that you know, you worry about or or have that's one of our expenses.

SPEAKER_00 54:29

We we have I mean any business does, but we have to have special insurance to make sure that we're protecting ourselves just on the off chance that something escalates.

SPEAKER_06 54:39

Well, uh you know, I would help you if that happened. We'll say that I would come I would come to the other side. I would come to the defense side for only this one time. Just once to the uh I appreciate that. You know, uh in Texas they have this they it's generally referred to as the one bite rule, right? It basically means uh if your dog uh, you know, showed dangerous propensities or bit somebody before, then you're kind of on notice. Yeah. I would think that you guys would be solely insulated from this because of the training and the process and and going out to these places where that's never happened before, I would think you would have almost a a complete hundred percent defense against that worry.

SPEAKER_00 55:18

We we have so many steps in place to make sure um that we're we're in the right lane, that we're doing what we need to do, that the dogs are vaccinated, trained. We do skills checkoffs annually. So once you're in, it doesn't mean you just we never see you again. You just go volunteer. We're doing annual skills checkoffs to make sure those skills are still intact um and that nothing's changed.

SPEAKER_06 55:42

Um where does this all take place, Alicia? Well, you you say, um we're doing this, we're doing that. No, and then we're doing all the things. I mean, I've seen you at a I've seen you at a you know a strip center over here on Amherst.

SPEAKER_00 55:54

That's where we were. We're not there anymore.

SPEAKER_06 55:56

No, I didn't it look like the place had vacated.

SPEAKER_00 55:59

It has. So we we've had some changes. We we're in a very exciting season of growth. Um, so we had rented for years. Um therapy had slow growth, which I think is healthy. So did not hire, it was fully volunteer run until about 2012. That's when they hired their very first employee, operations. 2015, so three years later, another leap of faith hired an ED. Um, and then in 23, we added our third employee, a marketing and development director. So slow growth.

SPEAKER_06 56:33

That's how what's what you have now? Three.

SPEAKER_00 56:35

We have two and a half, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 56:36

Okay, two and a half for the people that wonder uh about uh you know charity scores, four-star charity, how they handle the money that's given to them.

SPEAKER_00 56:46

If you if you go to the candid website, that's a great great place to go um search nonprofits and just see how they score. We're platinum, which is the highest. So uh it just means we're doing all the things that we're supposed to do to make sure we're wise with our resources. Um so we were we were renting from this space that's in on AMH from 2015 until November. Um, but we just closed on a building yesterday.

SPEAKER_06 57:13

Well, that's gotta be exciting. Um I don't know that it matters how big the building is. I'm just curious what happens in the building. Why would you need a different place or more space?

SPEAKER_00 57:24

You're you're so good.

SPEAKER_06 57:25

This is it's a well that's what I told my wife, and she doesn't always agree. Uh she doesn't even watch my shows, I don't think.

SPEAKER_00 57:33

She has to keep you humble. That's okay. Um but so that space that we were in was about 2,600 square foot and included our training space. And so we don't have more than eight dogs in a class, but sometimes the class is full of big dogs, others it's mixed, and you know, but we were just out of space. Um the the things that we're having the dogs do in the class, we just need more space. It was about a 1,500 square foot training space within the 2600. So this building is 5,000 square feet and it's very unique. The whole exterior is offices, and then the entire center is just an open space, right? It really is on so many levels.

SPEAKER_06 58:16

I can tell with the first time you told me about it, I could tell that you felt like you'd found something that was meant to be for therapy.

SPEAKER_00 58:22

And we have looked and looked and looked. I mean, it's been an exhausting process of do we want to build? What what is this piece of land? Is it conducive to what we would need? Looking at this building, could we transform it? I mean, it's been one thing after another. And then, you know, this one, there just weren't any doors slamming. A hurdle isn't a door slamming, you know, um, it's just a challenge. And so any any building or facility or period of growth like this is gonna have challenges, but it's move in ready. So I'm planning within the next 30 days for us to be in there and now we can transition to classes in that open space and just have more room for the dogs to maneuver. We can have prior to that on our Amherst address, the hospital room space and the rehab table space was a part of that main training. We've got enough rooms that we can have a dedicated hospital room where we can outfit it exactly like a hospital room and have the anti-back on the wall, walk in. You know, anti-back, do the bedside visitation with the bed that we'll have in there, um, curtains, noises, things like that that they would encounter, and then they come out of the hospital room.

SPEAKER_06 59:30

I mean, simply put, it's just going to be more conducive to more efficient training for the animals. Yes. Right?

SPEAKER_00 59:36

I mean we we only um are as good as the the dogs that we have. Um and I'm not intent on adding a bunch of facilities from our waiting list to our active list until we have till we have more dogs because we're committed to serve those 14 facilities the best we can and be dependent.

SPEAKER_06 59:59

Do you just stay with those 14?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:00

Mm-hmm. We do events and stuff too. So we do we do take event requests and special requests.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:05

All right. Because it sounds like your program is in demand for the 14 facilities and pretty much locked in.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:13

We stay busy.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:14

So the only other thing would be an event if someone wanted to have something that was not regularly scheduled.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:21

Yes. So example Friday before last we did a night to shine, which is special needs prom and had some dogs there.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:28

Um was that for kids that were in high school that had special needs?

SPEAKER_00 1:00:33

Mm-hmm. And so we had dogs there just and Coco was there.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:36

She's part of the the the fun night.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:39

Yeah, just to get loved on. Um Royal Family Kids Camp. You may have heard of that. It's coming up, I think, in June. And so we always get asked by them and we're happy to go. So it that's a that's a week where foster kids are brought in to go experience camp. Um, they don't know anybody's it's just it's a lot of challenges. Yeah, it's just I hated camping.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:00

It's part of the it's part of the ugliness of the world that you know you don't really want you don't like to focus on because it's not pleasant.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:07

But but you're helping. But Royal Family Kids Camp is an incredible week for the kids, and so much can happen in one week. But we have dogs there to greet them the first day, and then when they finish the last day, we have dogs there too to kind of bookend the week. So those are just a couple of examples of the the event requests that we do. And we have a form on the website, and so uh we just ask that people fill it out, submit it, and then I have to review it, look at our calendar, and just see does does this work?

SPEAKER_06 1:01:38

And when you when you consider them, uh the two that you've told me about seem to be really more service for people who are less fortunate or um maybe need some kind of bridge between something new and what environment they're going in. It's not like me calling up saying, hey, I'm throwing a big party at my house and I'd like to have a few dogs over at the party.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:00

I'm glad you said that. I'm sure you're not gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:02

Because all these people would start calling if I did not clarify.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:04

No, it's thank you for doing that. It's not a it's not a party. Um although I know Louie and Coco would love to go to a party with somebody.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:12

You can see people that have money. They would probably say, Hey, can we get uh a bunch of dogs over here at my daughter's fifth birthday?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:19

Yeah. But these these animals and their humans have spent so much time with their training. This isn't just a fun, like, you know, no, it's serious.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:27

It's like they go out to accomplish a mission, which is to improve somebody's life in the moment.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:33

Yes, it is goal-oriented on a lot of levels. And so, um, you know, we go to Skyview Prison every other month down in Turkey County, and it is also a goal-based visit. So we see anywhere between probably 120, 150 inmates during that visit. And they have to earn that visit. There's a long list of things that if they're not checking that box, even the morning of the visit, if they screw up, what facility is this? Skyview prison. Down in down in Russ.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:05

Okay, it's a actual it's a prison prison, not a mental health prison. It's mental health. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:10

Yeah, but it's but it is a prison. Um, and so, you know, it's it's goal-based. You've got to see these boxes. Yeah. And so if they if they mess up even the day of, they don't get to go see the dogs. Right. Um I mean, I'm gonna I'm gonna do what it takes to see the dogs, you know.

SPEAKER_06 1:03:29

Yeah, I mean, again, that it's universal how uplifting animals are. Yes. Otherwise, people like that were incarcerated might say, Well, I I don't care about seeing those dogs.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:40

No, but we um we had a um gentleman um a few months ago that when one the first dog got to visit him, I th it might have been Pepper, I can't remember, but Pepper does like to go to Skype. Um, so he just tears, tears. I mean, he he fell apart and he said, I haven't touched a dog in 15 years. And dogs were a part of my life up until I messed up.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:05

Um so you know, things like that, but then it encompassed health, absolutely goal-driven treatment sessions. Um, you know, maybe somebody's had, I mean, I give the example, maybe you've had arm surgery stroke, arm surgery, whatever, and your PT says, I can't do it while I'm sitting here, but they say maybe do 10 10 rotations.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:25

And people that uh at these places don't want to do the therapy that they're asked to do.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:30

You know why? Because it hurts.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:31

Right. And and they just don't want to do it, and it's just easier to be like they are. And and so these animals are seem to be helpful in getting them to even make the smallest of motions that are leading to you know better.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:43

Ultimately healing and discharge from the hospital, which is the goal.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:46

Which is the goal of the rehab hospital, because I've been in there with my mother. They are trying to get you out.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:50

Yes. They want to get you back on your feet and back home. Everybody wants that.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:54

Out of that bed, especially your mom. Out of that bed because Medicare won't pay for more than X dollars.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:58

You know, there's a lot of complications. Uh but yeah, you you say, okay, well, PT wants me to do 10 rotations with my arm, well, it hurts. They might get one or two out. But if we put a dog at the end of the hallway and give the patient a ball, it's the same motion and they will do it 100% of the time. They're gonna meet their goal.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:19

We're gonna end later on on uh on the fundraising, because we're gonna talk about the capital campaign, we're gonna talk about the new building. But what I want to know is, you know, people know thus far that they can go to therapet.org and donate to help if they can't do anything else. Um we've talked about the dog and maybe uh their dog being a candidate and what can be done. What about general volunteers? Does Therapet have the need for just general volunteers that people that love animals?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:45

We do. Tell us what that is. Volunteers without animals, there's a place to plug in. Um it it's a little bit challenging because you have to experiment a little bit and and I was talking to a new person this week. It's like you're gonna have to kind of do some trial and error. You're welcome. We've got eight Committees. So there's a place to plug in on a committee level and help. And then when just for example, when we go to UT Health for visitation, um hospital visitation, there's so many moving parts to that visit. We've got to have clean linens that we take in, put down on the hospital bed. So there's a barrier between the patient's linens and the dog.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:22

Because people forget. I mean, we get to talking and we look at these pictures of cute old Louie and Coco. And we never think about hygiene in a hospital.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:06:32

And and that seems to be something that has to be thought about.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:36

So the sanitization process, anti-back, I mean, this sounds like overkill a little bit, but this is hospital policy. You've got it when you go into a patient room, you hit the scrub in, g get in, have the visit. When you walk out, you gotta do it again, even though you're about to walk into another patient room and do it in that room. So it's just it's tedious. It is. It's it's part of it though, and it's all for the protection and benefit of the patient. That's why we're there.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:03

The humans have to be of the right temperament.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:06

You are right.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:07

Uh I just listening to you so far. I mean, I could see my my dog being great and me being the problem.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:13

It that can be the case. It has been the case before. You do. It is um our volunteers are the most giving, compassionate, selfless people. I mean, the work that the work that they put in to get their dogs ready to go somewhere behind the scenes, nobody ever sees that. Um it takes time. And then the drive, they're leaving work, they're stressed. Oh, I've got to rush home, get my dog, go to this next thing. But they have a passion for it and they've seen the results and they believe in it. So it keeps them going. And then once they have a dog, they're like, Well, I gotta get my next dog. So a lot of our volunteers have more than one dog with us.

SPEAKER_06 1:07:55

Okay. I was gonna a misconception might be that these are older retired people that are the humans instead of people with jobs and lives that are actually sacrificing their time to help other people.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:06

A lot of I think it's a wonderful place to plug in as a retiree. Um, we'll keep you busy and you'll have a blast with your dog. Um, but I'm thinking of one volunteer in particular. I mean, she's PhD level, crazy uh busy with her career, um, very talented with what she does. And she's one of our most active people. Because she believes in it. And she says she loves to go to UT Health for patient visitation. She says, this is my therapy. Um like I'm getting to get out and see people that are less fortunate.

SPEAKER_06 1:08:39

It's better to give than to receive. Didn't we always learn that? I think we've heard that before. As a kid. Yes. Hey, your parents, your your Sunday school teacher, whatever. I always said it's better to give than to receive. And it sounds like that people that experience this actually are confirming that that's true to them.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:56

You can't feel you cannot feel sorry for yourself.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:00

When you look around at other people and compare that to what you have.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:03

You can't.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:04

Oh. You just And this is not financial, it's physical well-being and mental well-being that you guys are are looking at.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:12

Absolutely. I mean think okay, so think about we go to East Texas Crisis Center, that's one of our facilities where we're talking about.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:18

People that have been abused.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:19

Abused. They are obviously seeking shelter and these are mostly women with mostly women and often with kids. Um and they may have had to leave a dog at home.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:30

Yeah, I mean there's escape. Terrible choices you don't even think about when life is ugly.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:35

Can't fathom. And then so we come in for our visits there and it's just a chance for them to be like, oh my gosh, dogs here kind of feels like home for us.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:44

I guess that's why people have more than one dog, because when they get into it, they they kind of it's it's easier. They know how to do it again and and they see all the people and they're getting this personal benefit from it, and it's almost like a it's an addiction. It's relaxation, it's calming, it's meditation, it's prayer, it's everything all wound up together.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:05

It is. It's like an addiction to good deeds. It's I mean, you once you witness the magic of it and that you get to bring your best friend with you, uh, people want to keep doing it. They do.

SPEAKER_06 1:10:16

Well, y I mean, you're you're such a good ambassador for this group, you know, and and uh other than just a donation in the past, you know, I r I knew very little about it, other than my mother uh loved animals since she was born, and she had everything from a peacock to a llama to a goat, uh sheep. Uh she's had everything in the world, you know, her whole life. She's always been uh maybe more comfortable with animals than humans, if if that sounds No, that's that sounds I relate to that very, very well. I mean, you know, you know what to expect with animals.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:55

I've never met a dog that I don't like, but I've met a few people I don't like.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:00

I mean, that's what I'm saying. I'm saying some people, some of us, uh it's uh they're just more animals are more pleasant, and then you know, the ugly side, can you imagine people uh that intentionally harm animals? Oh. I mean, because I imagine I'm talking to the people.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:17

Don't make me say things that you're gonna have to edit out.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:20

No, I know. I imagine that your group and your and your people and SPCA people, I mean, you know, mistreatment of animals after what we've just talked about, it it's almost, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:34

It's unfathomable.

SPEAKER_06 1:11:36

Right. It's it's said I I think, you know, I when I was growing up, you know, I remember the line was blurrier between animals and humans, and it seems like it's sharpened where people are recognizing that animals have real value and they can't just be treated however without consequences.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:53

No. Right. No, no, and they're they're sentient beings. They they feel things, they experience things, they their bodies remember things. Um I mean, think about you've probably seen some videos before where pets get lost and then they're reunited with their human, you know, a year, two years, three years later. And that that reunion says everything. You know, they they never forgot and they're like, you're my person. It's like we're we're we're connected on an indescribable, unseeable way.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:24

Aaron Powell I mean, you know, losing a child would be number one. But I you know, if you had a pet that you love and you lost them, you know, and then you put up some posters, you know, uh they're missing and you never got anything back. I mean, you know, I think you have to think about that when you think about, you know, what's you know, what's tolerable to what you could do to an animal, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:46

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:47

Because people on a jury that loved animals, they would they would hang the person. You know, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:12:53

Again, I'm gonna like yeah. Yes. We can we we could have a whole other conversation.

SPEAKER_06 1:12:58

But the county and the city have I think they've they've improved in laws and things where they have to have some kind of shelter.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:05

It sounds like incredible strides are being made. And you know, it's not a competition between those groups. At the heart of it, we've got to take care of these animals that other people have not. And you know what the key to this is spay and neutering.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:18

Right.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:18

Um, so don't be trivial about that. I know like my grandparents, great-grandparents, you didn't spay and neuter animals. They were just like farm critters that, you know, they just didn't do that. But it's for the the betterment of our society that things like that are done. And a dog can have a litter so fast that could be 12 puppies, and then those puppies are gonna have puppies. It's an impossible situation to get a get control of unless people are spaying a new rent.

SPEAKER_06 1:13:47

Because all these animals end up at, you know, dumped, and then Nicholas Pet Haven, uh SPCA Pets for People, Pets for People.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:58

Angel Paws. There's so many.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:00

I mean, is there even a a quote when I was a kid they said they're going to the dog pound.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:05

Is there a dog pound anymore?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:06

Well, I mean, uh yeah, I mean you could say that, but I I think the goal of of these groups here, and they're really trying to to I I it sounds like get united about that is you know, if this if this group can handle this dog and this one can grab this dog and get them into homes and whether it's foster or or whatever, um, I I think that's the key. If you're really thinking about getting a pet, why don't you go check that out? Why would you and I I love specific breeds. I I love that too. I I do believe you've got to keep those breeds going just because it's it's so neat to have them. French Bulldog? We have several. We do. We have this.

SPEAKER_06 1:14:48

French Bulldogs looks kind of funny and cute.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:50

They are they're a nice combo. They're kind of clownish and they snort. They're very loud. But we we have one of our awesome volunteers, she only has French Bulldogs. And man, they they one in particular, Esther, she loves Skyview Prison. She is in her happy place when she gets to go visit the inmates there. So just a snorty little cream colored French Bulldog.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:12

Let's circle back to, you know, we were talking in general there about love of dogs and, you know, the resources that this community in these groups have put to caring and not just discarding the all these animals, right? And your focus has been on, you know, finding these animals in the community that then can become therapists. Yes. Improve the human's life. And in order to keep doing that, you guys have to raise money every year.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:40

We do.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:41

We do. You know, you've got people that are probably consistent donors, but then I'm assuming you have some kind of annual uh fundraising events throughout the year.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:50

We do. We do.

SPEAKER_06 1:15:51

We have kind of give us your calendar and we'll you know, we'll kind of get to the end when you have your gala, your big thing. We'll talk about that last.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:58

Yes. Um, you know, I think I think one of the key components of our mission is um, you know, there's there's so many incredible nonprofits in East Texas.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:08

I think there's more per capita here than there's way too much competition um in a good way.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:14

Well, it it does feel like that sometimes because if there's a dollar on the table.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:18

I can't even go out in public.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:19

I know you can't. We need to get a wig for you or something.

SPEAKER_06 1:16:22

There must be some list that somebody's uh, you know, passing around because Well, your name and your image are everywhere. So people mail stuff all the time. Oh, yeah. Right? I mean, it's hard to break through the noise. I mean I know. I think this is the only reason you agreed to come on the show is to get a face-to-face with me. No, I well now you're hitting me up for the capital campaign before I'm gonna go.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:43

Well, get ready. It's gonna happen. But no, I think it it does feel like a competition, but every dollar that you can put on the table is needed by somebody in this town. And you have to figure out where your heart is. And that's difficult because my heart gets split in a lot of different ways.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:02

My heart's in more places than there's money to give.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:05

Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:06

But this is a therapy focus today.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:09

Yes. And so, you know, all of these facilities we serve, I think it's it's easy to it's easier sometimes to get donors for those specific organizations. So if you've got a child who's been through horrible trauma and is now um in care and going through therapy and learning to tell their story, and we bring a dog in, the urgency feels like it's at that facility. The urgency feels like it's at, you know, the facility that we're partnering with, but we're donor funded too, and we can't go there to be a part of that care and treatment unless we're supported also. Um, so I think that's my constant fight is just don't forget about us. And if you ever witness what we're capable of, you're gonna believe in it for the rest of your life.

SPEAKER_06 1:17:56

Hospitals, though, I would think that all of the hospitals and facilities that you went to would just donate. I mean, not paying you for service, but just in appreciation that they helped keep this organization running every year.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:09

And they do they they do. Our local hospitals that we serve are amazing, uh specifically for Unleashed, our gala. Um so we can talk about the gala.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:19

You got to meet the donors. Hang on, this is my my favorite part. You gotta meet the donors where they are. That must be reflect on society here in Smith County. Stock the bar.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:28

Okay. Stock the bar.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:29

How is that so popular that everybody wants to donate to draw to be able to get a bunch of liquor to put in their bar?

SPEAKER_00 1:18:35

I don't know, but that's it. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:36

So the junior league did that at mistletoe. Yeah. So everybody's adopting this.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:40

Yes, I feel like maybe we were the first one.

SPEAKER_06 1:18:43

We're gonna give you credit. Okay, thank you. Stock the bar. Stock the bar. Tell us about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:47

Yeah, so I think this is our tenth year to do it. I think we still have a lot of things. Oh, yeah, you're definitely way in front of them. We're in it. Um and it's grown. So it's it's our our board-supported fundraiser, so they stock the bar. Um, it's with I just tell them, bring what you like. Bring what what you like to drink.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:02

But usually there's a uh a financial amount that you need to bring.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:06

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:06

You can't bring mad dog 2020.

unknown 1:19:09

No.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:09

It's gotta be. It's gotta be something.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:13

I'd rather it not be in a plastic jug, if you know what I mean. So you know, let's let's go for the glass bottles. If you wouldn't drink it, please don't donate it.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:22

How does that generate a donation or revenue for uh therapet?

SPEAKER_00 1:19:27

So it's pure money because all of the product that's going into stocking the bar is donated.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:34

Okay, but I mean it's liquor, it's not money.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:36

No, but we're getting money for the the raffle ticket sales. So we're selling raffle tickets. Um one, and we haven't launched it yet, it'll kick off the bigger. People are giving you the liquor for free. Yeah, yeah. So our board members, our volunteers, they stock the bar. They give us the liquor. Um, if they don't believe in alcohol, then they can they can donate accessories.

SPEAKER_06 1:19:57

Yeah, six-pack of O'Dules beer.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:59

Yes, cocktail napkins, little swizzle sticks, um, fun pool floaties that hold drinks, I mean margarita machines. It it can be accessories too. And so once we get that stock, then we've been able to divide it into three packages. And each package is um close to a thousand dollars, if not.

SPEAKER_06 1:20:16

And so you're buying these raffle tickets for one of those three packages.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:19

Yes, and it's a drawing. So it's one ticket is 20 or a six-pack of tickets for a hundred. But let me tell you about something crazy fun we threw in last year, and we're gonna do it again this year. Uh, we threw out this new concept called the passport, like a passport, but it's the passport. So you buy a passport and it took you on a tour of Tyler. So we had five different restaurants that participated, and you went in with your passport. We had a special stamp made, and you could go to the bar or table when you're dining and have it stamped and get that cocktail. So each restaurant had one specific cocktail that was showcased in the passport.

SPEAKER_05 1:20:58

So you sold those.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:59

We sold those.

SPEAKER_05 1:21:00

And so Was it was it good? Did it work out well?

SPEAKER_00 1:21:03

It bumped our effort up by six thousand dollars, more than what we made the year before, which was huge for us. Um and I think it'll keep growing. Um I had a blast with it, and a lot of people had fun. I was like, this is it's just the cutest little thing, and you get to go support all these amazing local restaurants.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:19

I mean, that is smart, you know.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:21

Support Nobody steal it. Are you hearing me?

SPEAKER_06 1:21:24

Support our restaurants and people that support the therapy.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:28

And two, two, two of which, and I I hope that they do it again with us. But downtown is real challenged right now. You probably know about that. Prime 102 was one of our restaurants.

SPEAKER_06 1:21:39

I had Steve on the podcast already.

SPEAKER_00 1:21:41

Okay, well, cool. So Prime 102 and then Heritage Culture was one too for plaid rabbit back in the back in the back, if you haven't been to the speakeasy area. Um, so those were two of the five restaurants that that we had showcased, and we're gonna do it again. So we're trying to expand and kind of um get creative with that particular fundraiser and make it a little bit more fun.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:02

Your big fundraiser is it always the gala, gala? Yes, it is. All right, Chris, put up our uh put up our uh totally unleashed is the theme for this year, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:22:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:12

And October 24th, 2026.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:15

It's October 24th, WT Brookshire Conference Center. This is our 15th year.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:20

How can someone go if they if they're not a sponsor and if they don't know anybody, but they just like to go to the party and meet people and see people how would they go?

SPEAKER_00 1:22:29

Well, first off, I would encourage you to to do that. Just buy a ticket. So$150 for a ticket.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:34

What does it get you? People always want to know.

SPEAKER_00 1:22:36

I know. You get in the door, open bar. We have an incredible bartending team. Um we have signature drinks that are created and named to go with the theme each year.

SPEAKER_06 1:22:48

Of dogs, probably of some kind. But it also it supports your your organization from just going to this event, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:22:57

Yes. Um one really fun part that I think a lot of gayas are missing out on. They just can't do it, but we can. We have therapists there. So the therapist are the real VIPs that night.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:07

Wait, I said I wanted to have a party earlier, and you said I couldn't have the dogs.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:10

You can't have that. So, but the therapists are at our party. It's not your party, it's our party. And so it's fun for guests to be able to mingle and meet some of our dogs and just ask because their human is with them and say, where does where does cocoa serve? Where does biscuit serve? Tell me about the journey and what you like to do with this animal of yours. Um, so open bar, silent auction, live auction. If you are a local business and have a silent auction item, uh especially I'm wanting to get more things this year that uh men are interested in. I think a lot of times it's it's you know, women's stuff.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:48

Give us an example because you know, I see that all the time. It says silent and live auction.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:23:52

And then um sometimes I see people have a apartment or a condo somewhere. Lakehouse. You know, and that's kind of in one area and the other. What do you suggest that you know people have around here that they could put in?

SPEAKER_00 1:24:06

Okay, I I think experiences are really fun because it's a good excuse to treat yourself.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:11

Podcast guest.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:12

Yeah. Could do that. You I you want to be a therapist. You want to?

SPEAKER_06 1:24:17

Uh I'll I'll talk to But no, I mean I mean, sure, of course, I would have someone uh on a show and make a show out of them for you for the for the thing.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:28

That'd be cool. See, and that could be a live auction thing.

SPEAKER_06 1:24:30

So And I just thought of that. I didn't plan that coming in because you're just so creative.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:34

Look at that. Yeah. So no, but that's that's a perfect idea. So get creative. You just proved that what's what's your your thing that you do?

SPEAKER_06 1:24:44

Okay, that's my contribution to the capital campaign. Thank you very much. No, sir.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:48

We're not done talking. We're not done talking. Uh the conversation has to continue. Um I'm like a bulldog. Um so but no, they they gale us, so you come in, you have we had 70 items on silent auction last year. Huge, amazing. People say our silent auction is just okay.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:04

What's it what kind of thing?

SPEAKER_00 1:25:05

So think about putting together um, you know, like sweet gourmet always donates to us. They're awesome.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:11

So they put she's gone.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:12

I know, but they're still there's awesome. They're they're gonna keep the torch going. And I mean, if you if you love food and cooking, go in there. But fun gift basket. A lot of times I am. Yeah, no, she's cool.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:25

Um she was my babysitter when I was growing up.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:28

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:29

And uh, we she I hope she doesn't hear this, but uh she always tells stories about how how bad I was a bad, you know, uh babysitting person.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:38

I'm shocked.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:39

Anyway, moving away from Pam.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:41

She survived though, to tell the tale.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:43

Yes. Moving away from Pam back to the silent auction.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:46

But yeah, so um, like Bed Bath and Bones, they always put together an amazing package. So um, I'm just giving it to you.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:52

I'm just giving people that don't know. Yeah, I'm just gonna go.

SPEAKER_00 1:25:56

Couple of local examples.

SPEAKER_06 1:25:57

Do you like them?

SPEAKER_00 1:25:58

I yeah. I mean, I I personally have uh a pet sitter that comes into my home just because I liked I like them to be in their home.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:06

I don't want cocoa boxed up for a weekend.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:09

Yeah, but go tour these places and they'll show you what the dog experience is there if you need to board them. Um, but so they'll put together a big boarding package with toys and stuff in a basket, and then you know, any sort of, you know, women love Botox, women love fillers, all that stuff. So, you know, if you own an establishment like that, you could donate a package for that. And I think of it as it's a good way to get your name out there and also a way for a brand new customer to experience your product.

SPEAKER_06 1:26:38

Like Dolce Vita, a a package to go get your hair colored and cut. Sure. I mean, I don't know. Is that sure? Well you said woman things.

SPEAKER_00 1:26:46

Yeah. You know, yes, you could do that. I think probably most women have their tried and true person, and so they may not be so willing to experiment. That's risky. Um, we're not gonna take risks with our appearances. Let's not. But the men, the men like that. Yeah, maybe they don't care.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:06

Maybe use it once.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:07

Yeah, one time. How long you have to grow it out before you need that?

SPEAKER_06 1:27:11

Uh maybe six to eight months.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:12

Yeah, that's a that's a commitment.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:14

Um look like some guy who is, you know, a castaway on a desert island.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:20

They're like, have y'all seen Jay Chad lately?

SPEAKER_06 1:27:22

I do my own.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:22

Yeah. Uh but you know, if you have a local business, think about what you do, what you offer, and can you put a sampling basket together that's an experience to or a service for like air conditioning to come out and service your unit, just anything like that.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:27:38

So think about things that people have to spend money on. They'd they'd rather give us a nonprofit the money to get a new set of tires than just hand right. You know, and that's just that's just human science. Well, that's good.

SPEAKER_06 1:27:51

I mean, for the dog lovers and the therapist supporters that listen to this, yes, hopefully they will spring into action in more ways than

SPEAKER_00 1:28:00

Yes, yes. So, you know, you can attend, just buy a ticket. I promise you you'll have a good time. People tell me all the time, it's one of the most laid-back galas that you can go to because we're dog people and we just we just want to fund the mission that night and be able to keep going. Um, so you get to come in, there's no judgment, nobody cares. Like we do have themes, and it's fun to get into those themes, but you don't have to. You can wear date night attire. It's pretty casual overall. Other people go full out and get into the theme. We've had some amazing fun costumes over the years. But Fund the Mission happens that night. That's its own segment. Live auction, you know, like you mentioned, if you've got a beautiful lake home that you could donate, maybe you've got it on VRBO or Airbnb and you'd be willing to donate, you know, four-night stay to something like that. Those things do really well in silent or live auction. Um, and it's experiences. People want those. And I think too, we're seeing more people want to be able to travel closer to home. Lately, the past couple of years, we've offered some long distance trips that don't always do well. Um, I think people want more control and they want to be able to get back home and just drive. So think about that too. Um, but it's it's a blast. Now you can also sponsor. Thank you for your sponsorship.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:17

You're welcome. We I mean we appreciate it. I do that so my mother uh will still love me.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:22

Well, you do what you gotta do. Do what you gotta do.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:25

No, that's really I'm happy to do it. I I think it's I think it's good. I mean, the podcast is about uh it tries to be about what you're about, which is to highlight people that are doing things for other people and things that are positive for other people. Because the world seems to get uh well poorer, uh you know, harder, and people are unhealthier sometimes.

SPEAKER_00 1:29:47

It's e I think it's easy to be selfish and uh unhealthy these days, but um this fights that we're going to be positive forces here in Smith County.

SPEAKER_06 1:29:59

That's our goal, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:30:00

And I I think that's one of the beautiful things about Tyler in East Texas is um just the compassion that you see in people, the generosity. There's a lot of success here. People work hard for that success, but they don't want to harbor it.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:15

And they're very generous, too.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:17

So generous. And um, I think they really they really see that, okay, for us, for example, I promise you, if you end up in the hospital or a family member does, you're gonna hope it's a night that we're scheduled to come visit. Um, I know you think that's not gonna happen to you, but it could. And you know, even a 10-minute visit with one of our dogs is it's gonna change your perspective. Um I mean, I'll just I'll tell you one quick story. I know you don't want 30 stories, but one.

SPEAKER_05 1:30:48

I guess I'll take one more.

SPEAKER_00 1:30:49

Okay, just buckle up, deal with it. I don't think this will make you cry. I s I'm not a weepy person, but I'm not.

SPEAKER_06 1:30:57

I mean, I can't watch movies. My wife's always looking at me going, are you crying? I'm like, no, I'm not crying.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:02

Sliffly, but you are crying, aren't you?

SPEAKER_06 1:31:03

I'm soft on the inside, hard on the outside.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:05

Okay, good to know. I just don't like to cry. It's just not my not my jam. But um, we had we had a dog uh going in to just see different patients, and one night knocked on the door and came into the room and the family was there. It was in probably the last 24 to 48 hours of life. And so they said, We're so we're so sad that dad can't interact with the dog. He loved dogs, and she was like, Well, that's okay, I'm here for you too. I'll come on in and y'all can experience it and get to love on the dog. Comes in, family time, you know, everybody's kind of smiling, having that moment of just relief from from waiting for losing their father and their husband. And so she's like, Well, okay, we're gonna head to the next room. And he put on the brakes, like locked his legs and would not budge to the point where, you know, it gets kind of awkward. He didn't want to leave the not want to leave the room, and you know, you're like, Well, my dog's supposed to be obedient. Um, this is kind of awkward. And so pull sort of pulled her towards the bedside, and she's just trying to follow the lead here. And the dad, I mean, he's unresponsive, but his hand was on the bed open, and our dog walked up to him, put his head in the man's hand, and just we don't know what was going on in that moment, but there was a connection that needed to be made, but the dog knew it. The human trusted her dog and just sat there for a couple of minutes and then lifted his head and was like, okay, I'm ready to go. Did what I needed to do. That goes back to the intuition I'm talking about. So, you know, it's so easy as humans to be like, oh, this person doesn't need me. This feels awkward. Should I do XYZ?

SPEAKER_06 1:33:11

Well, you I mean, you describe so many things. I'm sure there are thousands of stories of meaningful interaction uh because of what you do. Um, you know, we've mentioned this and we're gonna mention it as we end the show. We want people to support you because we want it to be easier for you to make people's lives better. And that means, you know, helping support the new building that's been bought, looking for the capital campaign that's gonna be launched, going to the gala, doing what you can. Yeah. Right? Yeah. And all of that can be found at therapet.org.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:45

Yes. And if if you have questions about, you know, where the need is, if you've got if you've got a dollar to spend on this, um, I'm happy to talk to you or meet with you.

SPEAKER_05 1:33:55

Just call the office.

SPEAKER_00 1:33:56

Call the office and um, you know, we can have a chat about how to plug you in or get your dollar to go towards X, Y, or Z, whatever you feel led to. You can make donations in memory of a person or an animal that you've lost, or just in honor of someone that maybe still exists with you, whether it's an animal or a human. Um, there's just a lot of ways to tribute that. And when we get donations like that, maybe in memory of a dog, we'll send a little card to their human and say, you know, Jane made a donation to therapy in memory of Scruffy. And, you know, we can put a little message on there. There's a lot of ways that we can um try to help you reach people.

SPEAKER_06 1:34:37

Well, Lisha, I want to thank you for being here today. Um this has been been good. You know, you are you are better in person. Um Watch yourself.

SPEAKER_00 1:34:47

What are you gonna say? Than I anticipated.

SPEAKER_06 1:34:49

I mean, certainly you have a um, you know, a radiance about you uh when you talk about pets. And so I think people are uh are gonna be excited to watch this. And I think uh we're lucky to have captured this. And I I appreciate you being on the show again.

SPEAKER_00 1:35:05

Well, I I can't thank you enough. I think it's a blessing that you have this platform and an audience that uh tunes in so consistently. And I bet some people learned things today that they didn't know and probably have not heard about us, and that's huge for us. So I can't thank you enough for just allowing me to be here.