0219: American Ninja Warrior Roo Yori

Roo Yori tells us about his journey from dog adopter to dog advocate to American Ninja Warrior. Watch him compete June 28 on NBC.

Roo’s social media:
RooYori.com
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube

Read all about Roo’s special dog  Wallace’s rise from unwanted shelter dog to champion in Jim Gorant’s book Wallace: The Underdog Who Conquered a Sport, Saved a Marriage, and Championed Pit Bulls—One Flying Disc at a Time.

Remember to watch America’s Got Talent streaming or on NBC and vote for Dog Words episode 0215 guest The Canine Stars! To vote, download the free America’s Got Talent app in the App Store or Google Play.

Celebrate 5 years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com.

Music for this episode is provided by alternative string duo, The Wires. Visit them at TheWires.info. Learn fiddle and cello-fiddle online — even if you've never played before — from Laurel Morgan Parks and Sascha Groshang at FiddleLife.com.

The transcript for this episode is available on the Dog Words Buzzsprout page: Buzzsprout.com/840565.

Make a donation at RosieFund.org or through our Facebook page. You can contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Also check out our page on BarkYours, the online mall with gifts for people who love their dogs.

Rosie Fund online:
RosieFund.org
Facebook.com/rosiefund
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YouTube.com/rosiefund

Transcript

ROO  0:02 
I wasn't a rock climber, right? So when I'm hanging by my fingertips from a ledge for a couple minutes, that's a little dicey for me.

PHIL   0:14 
I'm Phil Hatterman and this is Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Today, Roo Yori tells us his journey from dog adopter to dog advocate to American Ninja Warrior.

If you're new to his podcast in each episode we explore the world of dog care and companionship. "We save each other" is the motto of Rosie Fund, which simply means the more we do for dogs, the more they do for us. And they already do a lot.

If you love dogs, you'll love Dog Words. We welcome your comments, questions and suggestions at RosieFund.org. Celebrate five years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. You can donate on our website or Facebook page. You can also contribute by making a purchase from the store on our website or by buying a t-shirt at Bonfire.com. Links are in the description. Your donations help fund the Rosie Life Starter Kits that make sure these senior and harder to adopt dogs have some of the items they'll need in their forever home.

Follow Rosie Fund on social media, especially the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel that offers great videos of Rosie, Peaches, and shelter dogs, including some exclusive content.

Remember to watch The Canine Stars on America's Got Talent streaming on NBC. Download the America's Got Talent app to vote and help move our talented friends into the next round. Download in the App Store or Google Play. Links for all of that are in the description.Next time on Dog Words, dog trainer and behaviourist Emily Pantoja from Max Canine talks about your dog's transition to a post-pandemic world.

The mission of Rosie Fund is to provide humans with the resources and education they need to give senior and harder-to-adopt dogs a better life. We thank you for joining our mission.

Today's guest on Dog Words is dog advocate, motivational speaker and Ninja Warrior Roo Yori. Welcome to Dog Words, Roo.

ROO  2:09 
Thanks for having me. Excited.

PHIL   2:12 
Some of our listeners probably are aware of what you do if they follow Ninja Warrior at all. And it's so great the way you've used that as a platform to promote dog advocacy in general, but particularly the kind of dogs that have a stigma like shelter dogs and pit bulls. First, how did you get involved with American Ninja Warrior and my follow up obviously is going to be then how did dogs become a part of that? So if those are intertwined, feel free to weave those stories together.

ROO  2:44 
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Actually, the dog thing came first. But as many people I was watching TV on a Monday night on NBC and came across this crazy show where it had incredible obstacle courses and people trying to figure out how to make their ways through it, you know, and I've always been an athlete my whole life. And I thought it kind of fun and I always liked them and wondered if I could even do that, you know, and I thought it'd be pretty cool to get the shot.

PHIL   3:15 
The competition takes place on the kind of place that you would have imagined when you were 12 years old. When I grow up...

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  It's a giant adult playground. And they come up with the craziest obstacles that you can't even think of them half the time you walk up, you're like, "Oh, my gosh. What is that thing?" And then you see somebody do it like, "Oh, okay. That's how it works."

You have to be more than just physically gifted. It's a mental challenge, obviously, for the endurance that it takes to get through the obstacles, but to think your way through.

ROO  3:49 
Yeah, yeah. And one of the things that makes it really challenging actually, is because A, they keep everything a secret. So we don't know what to train for. It's not like, "Oh, this is what your course is going to be. This is what you can practice." And then you show up and you like have a game plan.

PHIL   4:05 
Yeah, you have to be ready for anything. It's amazing what you guys are able to do with no specific prep, no functional training for that exact obstacle.

ROO  4:15 
Yeah, and the only chance we get is the first time we get to try it. So it's not like we get to play on the obstacles a little bit.

PHIL   4:24 
Here's your dry run.

ROO  4:25 
Yeah, like we walk up to it. They tell us what the rules are. We watch the demo person do it. And then it's go time. So you know, it makes it definitely more challenging than it would be if we could play on it a little bit and prepare and whatnot. But yeah, definitely a mental game as much as a physical one as well. Getting your game plan visualizing that your way through the obstacle course and and seeing what you're capable of. Right. So it's pretty cool. Yeah, if you haven't seen it, it's a lot of fun. Kids and adults alike. So it's a you know, it's a good family show.

PHIL   4:57 
Yeah, it's a good family friendly show.

ROO  4:59 
Yeah. Yeah, and they do a really good job. You know, when I was getting into it, it's reality TV, you know, so I'm always, "Ah, they're gonna try to make me do this and that."

PHIL   5:09 
Where's the manufactured drama?

ROO  5:12 
Yeah, exactly. You know, there's always that aspect to it. But I found that they've done a really good job. And I've really appreciated they don't want me to be anybody besides who I am, you know, and they've been really supportive of my cause, which is supporting rescue dogs of all kinds, whether they have big heads, or long fur or anything like that. So it's been a great platform. And as far as reality TV shows, you know, there's got to be drama, you know, they're trying to create an exciting show, but...

PHIL   5:39 
But they don't manufacture a rivalry.

ROO  5:41 
Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So and, you know, if they were being like, "What's this?"

I'm like, "Yeah, that's not really me."

And they're like, "Okay, don't worry about it." You know? They let me do my thing. So it's been a great experience, all in all. And...

PHIL   5:54 
So you saw that on NBC and thought, "I've got to be there. That's something I didn't know I needed."

ROO  5:58 
Yeah. Yeah. And it was like, I saw it and I thought that looked like fun, you know, and I was like, "Oh, that'd be cool to try it one day." But it didn't really like click like, I really wanted to do it. But I was very involved with dog rescue. Right? And I had a couple of well known pitbulls. A dog named Wallace who we saved from a shelter who's going to be euthanized. Found out he liked to play Frisbee and turned out he was really good at it. And we ended up becoming national and world champion frisbee dog team and him as a pitbull amongst all the Border Collies and cattle dogs was kind of unique. And, you know, he kind of created a big following because he was so unique and he was, he was cool, right? And it was just showing a positive side to pitbulls, too, because there's a lot of stuff in the media. We all know those stereotypes that surround them and, and whatnot. So I was having fun showing the different side, having Wallace speak for himself through his own actions. And it was just a lot of fun. We both enjoyed the Frisbee thing. He was an incredible athlete. I got to be included in that, as well, because you're throwing the Frisbees. Coming up with different trick throws and running around together as a team, you know, aspects. So it was a lot of fun. He retired, though. He got older. You know, dogs don't live as long as we want them to. And I was trying to figure out like kind of what to do, right. And when he passed away and I had another pitbull named Hector, who was from the Michael Vick dogfighting case, he became a certified therapy dog. And those two are kind of what I really did my advocacy through. And they both passed away within about a year and a half of each other. And then I was like, "Well, now what?" You know, besides losing my dogs, right? But it's like, "How do I have that impact now that they're not here anymore?" Because Wallace and Hector were the cool ones. I wasn't the cool one. I was just some guy...

PHIL   7:31 
They were the great ambassadors for the cause.

ROO  7:49 
Yeah!

PHIL   7:50 
You were just sort of transportation and booking and...

ROO  7:55 
Yep, exactly. I was the other end of the leash, you know. When we went to an event it was like, "Here's Wallace. Here's Hector." The real diehard fans like respected what I did, but you know, it was all about the dogs. And it should have been and that's what I wanted it to be. But then when they passed away, then it's like, how do I continue that right? And I thought back to Ninja Warrior. And I was like, well, that has a huge following now. I noticed that there weren't anybody that was really doing the kind of a dog story angle, right? And I thought, you know, I always wanted to try it. What the heck, what if, what if I throw my name in the ring, get picked, and get a shot. And that's actually exactly what happened. I utilized Wallace and Hector's story in my application video. And I got chosen for season eight of American Ninja Warrior. And it was crazy. I was excited to know what the obstacles were gonna be. Didn't know if I was even ready. But had a really good first year. And they've been inviting me back every season since and this will be my sixth season on the show. Dream come true. They've done a number of feature segments on me encouraging dog adoption. And it's been awesome. So it's really helped kind of fill that hole, if you will, and given me another platform that I can continue to spread the word with a different audience, right? Because when you're on Facebook and whatnot I had my following for Wallace and Hector but I always feel like I'm preaching to the same people or...

PHIL   9:23 
People follow you because they're interested in pitbulls. They're interested in dogs. They're interested in shelters and adoption and rescue.

ROO  9:30 
Yeah.

PHIL   9:30 
American Ninja Warrior, these are people who are interested in reality TV, sports, or they just happen to turn on the TV that evening.

ROO  9:40 
Yep. Yeah.

PHIL   9:42 
I want to talk more about dogs because this is Dog Words.

ROO  9:44 
Yeah.

PHIL   9:44 
But I do want to ask you a couple things about American Ninja Warrior, specifically your experience. You say this is your sixth season?

ROO  9:52 
Yep.

PHIL   9:53 
And you have to train to be ready for anything.

ROO  9:56 
Yep.

PHIL   9:56 
What is your offseason? Do you have an offseason?

ROO  10:00 
Yeah, you know, I don't have much of an offseason. They film typically in the spring through the summer, right? It airs through the summer. They film it ahead of time. And then they do all the editing and all that kind of stuff. Sometimes, you know, late summer, you can kind of take it off after everything's all said and done. But then for sure, towards the end of the year, when your submission video needs to be in, and you know that the course is going to be, you know, right around the corner from the beginning of spring...

PHIL   10:32 
You can't have a dad bod in your submission video.

ROO  10:34 
Yeah, well, you can if that's your thing. Maybe that's your story, right?

PHIL   10:38 
Lean into it. Okay! Good luck with that.

You know, you need all different kinds, right? So you need the moms, the dads, the teenagers. Now they're dropping the ages. So all the kids that were watching the show growing up on it are getting the chance to compete. And they're amazing, because that's what they've trained for. So it's been pretty cool watching that. But yeah, and then you need the dog people. You need all those different kinds of stories.

Yeah, the producers want to have different storylines. You said you were an athlete and you saw this as something intriguing. What kind of athlete were you? What were your sports. Because I wasn't a high level athlete but I played basketball. I ran track. Was good at things like racquetball. But I wouldn't necessarily see how those would translate other than the endurance aspect of it. Did you have anything that you were able to look at and go, "Okay, I can translate that into — that's a transferable skill."

ROO  11:37 
A little bit. I was a soccer player. That was my main thing.

PHIL   11:40 
Okay.

ROO  11:40 
So everybody, all the ninjas get worried about the balance. And even with soccer, you know, quick feet, it helps. But you don't know how fast those things are gonna spin or twirl or anything until you're on it. And then if you guess wrong, it's kind of too late anyway. So I do think the soccer skills of quick feet.

PHIL   12:01 
Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm a certified yoga instructor and Human Performance for Athletes certified. So I kind of get the biomechanics. And if you're an elite level soccer player, like someone who could play varsity at a decent high school, let alone someone who played in college, you've got to have the quick feet, you've got to have the balance. But I think most importantly — and of course, endurance — you've got core strength. If you don't have core strength as a soccer player, all that change of direction that you have to be able to execute and the blows that you have to absorb. You've got that going for you.

ROO  12:39 
Yeah, yeah, for sure. And I played soccer from I think, when I was four or five years old, all the way through college. And actually wanting to go beyond college but tore my ACL and then played even after college in the city leagues and that kind of stuff. So you know, it was fun. But my weakness is I wasn't a rock climber, right? So when I'm hanging by my fingertips from a ledge for a couple minutes, that's a little dicey for me. Whereas some of those guys are just like swinging through like nothing.

PHIL   13:07 
Yeah.

ROO  13:07 
So there's lots of strengths you can draw from depending on what the obstacle is. And you just hope you can draw an obstacle that feeds into your strengths. But it's definitely a guessing game, I guess.

PHIL   13:18 
Well, what reaction have you gotten from the general public as the dog advocate on American Ninja Warrior? You're the dog guy. Do people recognize you in public? Or do people contact you and say, "I adopted a pitbull because of you?" Or, "I went to a shelter instead of a breeder because of you?"

ROO  13:36 
Yeah, I have gotten those emails. And that's what makes it worth it, right? You know, that's why I'm out there. And everybody loves dogs. But a lot of people just don't think about the dogs in the shelter, right? You know, and I run into a lot of people where they're like, "Yeah, I just bought a dog off of Craigslist, because I didn't really think about it." So at least I'm trying to have the conversation to if you're gonna add a dog to your family do it responsibly, right? If you're gonna go to a breeder go to a breeder that actually guarantees their dog and takes responsibility for their dogs if it doesn't work out, and all that kind of stuff. But I'm promoting rescue dogs because all of my dogs have been rescued dogs. I know that there are tons of dogs in the shelter. They're not there because they're bad dogs or anything like that. They're there because their situation was unfortunate, right? And that's where they ended up. And they're good dogs and they need a chance, they deserve a chance. And so to have the opportunity to spread that message and get those emails and say, "Yeah, you know, I saw Wallace and so I adopt a dog." Or, you know, "I had this dog and we kind of struggled a little bit." Because Wallace was a challenging dog, right? And so there's a whole book about it, about the challenges that we went through, right? And when they hear our story it kind of gives them hope that maybe if they keep at it or they get some help or talk to a trainer or that kind of stuff that maybe they can make it work out. It's been great. I get recognized here in Rochester, Minnesota every now and then. Where I'm from, you know, I'm known as the the Ninja Warrior around town.

PHIL   15:09 
As you go swinging by from tree to tree and hurdling fences. Like, "I think that's the American Ninja Warrior guy."

ROO  15:15 
Yeah. Yeah, there's no like paparazzi or anything. But, you know, it's pretty fun.

PHIL   15:20 
The shelter dogs, especially the ones that languish in a shelter, like the pit bulls, and Rosie Fund, our foundation that features senior and harder-to-adopt dogs, the harder-to-adopt dog category, the majority of those are pitbulls. And it's the way they look. And it's the way they often present in a shelter. Because dogs are very intuitive. As they're getting passed over, they realize no one's stopping to play with me. They may not be doing the math of, "I can go home and sleep in a comfy bed and get to play with someone and go with long walks." They're not doing that math. But they are doing the math of, "I'm being ignored." And that's gonna stress them out. Which means the next person that walks by is going to see a stressed out dog. And just more people coming to look at dogs even if you don't adopt it. If you give it a chance, if you're the person who says, "I want to see that dog" and that gets it out of the kennel for an hour for a meet-and-greet, that's gonna help make it more adoptable for the next person. And certainly being a volunteer going to a shelter and just giving those dogs enrichment experiences is going to make them more adoptable. But, yeah, just raising their profile through being an ambassador on American Ninja Warrior and promoting your book Wallace, which I'll have a link in our website in the description for this episode for the book Wallace and for your website. Any ways that your life has changed from before Ninja Warrior, pre official dog advocate?

ROO  17:00 
Yeah.

PHIL   17:01 
It's one thing to say, "I'm a dog advocate. I go volunteer at the shelter." But when you're someone that other people recognize as a dog advocate, that they see you on TV, you're the dog advocate or you're recognized in Rochester or around the clinic.

ROO  17:14 
Yeah, the ironic thing is that I think actually I train my dogs less now that I'm training for American Ninja Warrior, right? So when I was with Wallace and Hector and really doing that, you know, it was about them. And Wallace and I were training, right? We were going to competitions and I trained Hector to be a certified therapy dog. And now I have Johnny and Juju. Johnny's a pit bull. He was rescued from a dog fighting situation. Juju's a three-legged Corgi mix that was hit by a car and had to get a leg amputated. But the owner was looking for somebody to shoot her instead of getting the medical attention so rescue stepped in and we were able to adopt her. But I'm just kind of enjoying them as my pet dogs now, right? So we're not going to competitions. We're cuddling on the couch watching TV, you know. And so it's definitely a change as far as our relationships, I guess. There's still that strong bond, that relationship, but we're just not necessarily competing with each other type of thing. But instead, I'm out in the backyard and they actually love it when I go in the backyard. I'm building a backyard ninja rig, because we don't have a place to train in Rochester right now.

PHIL   18:22 
There's not a ninja gym in your neighborhood? Oh, that's a shame.

ROO  18:25 
No, there is no ninja gym. There's a lot of them around now. But there's not one here yet. And I finally broke down and I'm building one in the backyard. Because I couldn't get into the gyms as much with the pandemic and everything going on. So the dogs love it out there. I'm swinging around and trying to make sure that I'm not gonna land on 'em or anything but they're jumping around chasing each other. So...

PHIL   18:30 
That has to be very entertaining for them.

ROO  18:49 
Oh, yeah. Yeah. And I just put a rope on my rig and I'm trying to get Johnny not to think it's his tug toy, you know?

PHIL   18:56 
Good luck!

ROO  18:57 
Yeah. So first day's okay. We'll see if that lasts though.

PHIL   19:00 
Well, I think that's also a lesson for our listeners out there who are thinking, "Well, that's great that he did Frisbee competitions with his dog but I don't have that kind of energy or that kind of time." You have time to give your dog attention. And it doesn't have to be traveling all over the country to competitions. It can be a couple walks a day, hanging out in the backyard, engaging with them when you're in the house, and they'll be just as happy. They're very adaptable.

ROO  19:30 
And every dog is different, right? So each one's an individual. I've always tried to be true to who that dog is, right? So I don't see Johnny as a competitive Frisbee dog. I didn't realize Wallace was gonna be. I didn't even know Frisbee stuff existed with dogs, which I was like, "Oh, okay, I guess there are competitions...

PHIL   19:47 
You were adaptive, too. Dogs are adaptable. Humans are adaptable. But be realistic when you adopt a dog and also fulfill your responsibility to get to know the dog. So that's what you've done with your dogs. And there are breed tendencies. So if you adopt a Rhodesian Ridgeback prepare to go out for 20 miles a day and get its miles in and burn calories. Otherwise it will destroy your house. But pitbulls there's so much variety. There are some that are just snuggle bugs and a clown and others that are just high energy. And adopting from a shelter helps you identify what kind of dog am I getting. Because the staff and volunteers can tell you, this one's gonna challenge you all the time. If you're not up for that if you're not looking for a dog that's going to push you. Well, here we have a starter kit dog.

ROO  20:41 
Yep. Absolutely. Absolutely. I always adopted adult dogs, too. You know, a lot of people like puppies. I always advocate for adult dogs 'cause you know what you're getting, you know?

PHIL   20:51 
Yes.

ROO  20:53 
And puppies are cute, but they're a lot of work. And you know, they usually go pretty quick in the shelter. So...

PHIL   20:58 
Yeah, you're not really helping the shelter. They're gonna get them out of there. Well, with KC Pet Project, there's been times where puppies have come into the shelter and the staff that posts the bios of the dogs on the website is not even done listing all the puppies and they're gone.

ROO  21:19 
Sure. Yeah.

PHIL   21:20 
Which is great for those puppies. But then you'll have a sweet, old mama pitbull that just wants someplace where she can take a nap and give you all her love. who's been sitting in there for months.

ROO  21:33 
Yeah.

PHIL   21:34 
And regular listeners have heard me say countless times my experience with the young couple that comes in that's had their first child and they want to start the family with the dog that the baby is going to grow up with. And they want to get a puppy. It's like, "You've already got something that's going to get you out of bed every two hours."

ROO  21:50 
Yeah. Yeah.

PHIL   21:51 
"And now you're going to house train a puppy, and keep it from chewing on things."

ROO  21:55 
Yep.

PHIL   21:56 
Maybe get a dog that's a little more experienced. And whether you get a puppy or a senior dog, it's not going to be around when your kid gets married.

ROO  22:08 
Right.

PHIL   22:09 
You're gonna cycle through a few dogs anyway. So make each cycle in that wonderful progression the best possible experience and best relationship it can be, instead of you being a bad dog owner. Because you're gonna have to choose between the kid and the dog.

ROO  22:24 
Sure.

PHIL   22:24 
What's gonna to get all your attention. And you're probably not going to be able to train them both the way they need to. Because that's why I look at parenting is training. It's the same thing. I don't need an email straightening me out on that. So, yeah, be realistic out there.

ROO  22:40 
Yep. There's only so many hours in a day. So...

PHIL   22:43 
Yeah, understand your limited resources and apply them effectively. So going forward, obviously, you're going to do more American Ninja Warrior, you're going to be on the next season, you're building your setup in the backyard.

ROO  22:57 
Yep.

PHIL   22:57 
What is next for dog advocacy? What are your plans for promoting the dogs?

ROO  23:04 
It's kind of intertwined a little bit, trying to just use that platform to continue to spread the word, right? I know that the better I do on the show the more chance I have of getting shown. Because not everybody that runs the course makes the TV show. Not everybody that runs the course gets their whole run shown, just kind of maybe a quick snippet. And so I'm really trying to make sure that I continue to stay in shape for those courses so that when I compete I have a chance of actually hitting the buzzer and moving on to the next stage and the next stage. And I've also been utilizing that platform to raise funds. So I started a nonprofit Wallace the Pit Bull Foundation in Wallace's honor, and I use this as kind of our main fundraiser throughout the year. So people can pledge per obstacle that I complete on the show, right. And so a little bit extra motivation for myself to really dig down and try to finish that course and get through as many obstacles as I can. And you know, with that money we've been able to support a number of programs and we just bought a transport van. So with the pandemic, there actually a lot of shelters got emptied out, which was good. And in my area, I'm up north, upper Midwest and Minnesota, there's actually a lot of rescues that are getting more applications than they have dogs, whereas down in the southern states, that's not necessarily the case, depending on where you are.

PHIL   24:34 
Yeah. Yeah. Anyone who's been involved with the transport network, they tend to flow from south to north.

ROO  24:40 
Yep, yep. Yeah.

PHIL   24:41 
And whether you're involved with Roo's network or any other network that is invaluable for shelters to be able to get the dogs where there's space. And also to move dogs from kill shelters to no kill shelters to buy those dogs much needed time. Transport doesn't mean you have to drive from Texas to Minnesota. That transport can be you take one leg of that or it can be where they overnight you can help meet the van and walk the dogs and feed the dogs and maybe provide a hot meal for the drivers.

ROO  25:24 
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And it's been great. The one that comes through Rochester happens every other week. And like you said, we just take a leg. It's a huge network of volunteers that take the dogs from Missouri and just kind of hand it on up. They hand it off to the next leg to the next leg to the next leg. And then there's usually enough dogs where it needed a couple drivers, like two to three drivers to handle the amount of dogs that are coming up. And I noticed this van that was for sale, and I was like, "I could probably get a lot of candles in that van." And then you know, if it's a big transport, then maybe we only need one driver or we can have less vehicles, you know, because if you don't have the vehicles you don't have the drivers those dogs can't move, right? And so it's been great. We've been doing it since about October, I think. September, October. And help transport around 200 dogs so far, and we're just getting going. So it's been a great experience. So I'm actually heading on one this weekend. It's a big one, too. So ideally, hopefully, we won't have to do it one day, because that means the dogs will be in homes and don't need a place to go. But until then we're going to keep hitting the road.

PHIL   26:30 
Well, what gets us there is more people doing what you do, which is advocating for the dogs, adopting shelter dogs, and just doing your small part contributes to the larger whole. Obviously, you have a lot more visibility with what you're doing. But just volunteering at a shelter. And I've said this before on the show people will tell me, "Well, I couldn't go on a regular schedule. I could only get to the shelter maybe once or twice a month." Well, if you go once or twice a month, and that's two hours that otherwise would not have been covered as far as dog walking. The shelter's not gonna turn you away.

ROO  27:12 
Yeah.

PHIL   27:10 
If enough people give one or two hours a month, one or two hours a week. And you might find doing it one or two hours a month that, "I kind of like the way I feel when I'm here. I kind of like the way I feel when I see a dog get adopted. I think maybe I could do a couple hours a week."

ROO  27:10 
Yeah.

PHIL   26:30 
So that's your warning you might get hooked.

ROO  27:32 
Yeah. And you know, to that dog, he spent what they don't care that you didn't come those other days, they care that you came that day. Right, you know, and they care that they got time out of their kennel. And yeah, a little bit of stress relief. So do what you can. That's very, very important. I agree.

PHIL   27:49 
Well, again, I'm going to put links in the episode description for your book, Wallace, and the website. And as I go through your website, anything that I think needs a direct link, I'm gonna add that to the scription and there'll be of course links to all of Roo's social media so that you can follow what he's doing with dog rescue when the transport but I'm sure you provide updates on American Ninja Warrior so it will be easy for people to follow your progress there. Anything else we need to promote, Roo, before we wrap this up?

ROO  28:26 
I don't think so. Just, you know, adopt your next dog. That's what I'm all about. So...

PHIL   28:30 
Yes, adopt a dog. And, and I got to see Roo there. You don't. And he's wearing some merch. I just record the audio, Roo. I should have told you that up front.

ROO  28:40 
Yeah, all good.

PHIL   28:42 
You did all the hair and makeup for nothing. But you're a TV star so you're used to that.

ROO  28:46 
Did my hair off pretty for ya. So, yeah, no, you know, next time you're thinking about adding a dog to your home, go shelter rescue, you know, I appreciate that. And then I think my episode will be I think June 28 coming up here this summer. So you can tune in, check it out. Otherwise catch me on line and keep you up to date there.

PHIL   29:06 
I'll remind our listeners of those dates as they approach. Roo, thank you for taking time, for everything you do for dogs, and for joining us from Rochester, Minnesota.

ROO  29:18 
Thanks for having me.

PHIL   29:27 
I'm Phil Hatterman and he's been listening to Dog Words presented by Rosie Fund.

Thank you to Roo Yori for joining us today. Links to his website, social media, and Jim Gorant's book Wallace: The Underdog Who Conquered a Sport, Saved a Marriage and Championed to Pit Bulls—One Flying Disc at a Time are all in the description. There's also a link to NBC's American Ninja Warrior page. And remember to watch our friends The Canine Stars on America's Got Talent streaming or on NBC. Download the America's Got Talent app to vote and help move our talented friends into the next round. Download in the App Store or Google Play. Links for all of that are in the description.

Next time on Dog Words we'll meet dog trainer and behaviourist Emily Pantoja from Max Canine

Thank you to alternative string duo The Wires featuring cellist Sascha Groshang and violinist Laurel Morgan Parks for playing the wonderful music you've heard on today's and previous episodes of Dog Words. Supporting The Wires supports our mission. Learn more about The Wires at TheWires.info and download their music on iTunes. Check out FiddleLife.com and learn to play fiddle and cellofiddle online from Laurel and Sasha even if you've never played before.

Celebrate five years of Rosie Fund by supporting our campaign to sponsor 50 dogs. Donate on our website, Facebook page, or making a purchase@bonfire.com. Links are in the description. Your donations help fund the Rosie Life Starter Kits for senior and harder-to-adopt dogs.

As always, please download, follow, rate, and share Dog Words. This helps us with sponsorships then Rosie Fund can help more dogs. Support Rosie Fund by following us on social media and please subscribe to the free Rosie Fund YouTube channel. Send us your comments, questions and suggestions at RosieFund.org. And let us know if you would like to be a sponsor of Dog Words or a guest.

Thank you for listening and remember, we save each other.

DISCLAIMER: This document is a transcription obtained through a third party. There is no claim to accuracy on the content provided in this document and divergence from the audio file is to be expected. Some content may be omitted, particularly when there is crosstalk

Transcribed by https://otter.ai