Transcripts
In this episode of Animal Posse, we're joined by Francine Gilliot.
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:She is with Spay Neuter Iberia Project
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:Scratch that.
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:Let's start over.
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:In this episode of Animal Posse,
we're joined by Francine Guilliot
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:of Spay Neuter Iberia Project.
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:Francine is going to share her journey in
animal welfare, the impact that accessible
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:spay and neuter programs have, as well as
the challenges and successes of reducing
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:the pet overpopulation in Louisiana.
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:Tune in as we discuss community
outreach rescue efforts and how
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:spay/neuter initiatives are both
changing lives for both the animals
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:and the people who care for them
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:Hi, Francine.
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:Thank you for coming on the show.
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:Francine: Thank you.
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:Dixie: I am all excited to
hear about SNIP, or the Spay
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:and Neuter Iberia Project.
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:So you are located in the New Iberia area.
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:Am I correct on that?
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:Francine: Correct.
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:Dixie: I had another guest, actually.
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:She was an independent rescuer
from New Iberia, and she actually
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:mentioned y'all once before.
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:So tell me about SNIP.
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:I know you recently took SNIP
over, so just, tell me what you
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:know about it, how it got started,
and how you came to take it over.
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:Francine: person that had it before,
she ended up having to go back to work
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:because, of course, animals, the cats,
dogs, she got fostered and adopted and
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:so forth, so on, medical, so it stayed
dormant for probably two years maybe.
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:And
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:I'd done a fundraiser back in October just
to try it out, on my own and whatever.
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:'Cause originally I was gonna start
my own, and then when I started
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:looking at the paperwork, I said,
"Oh, I don't know about all this."
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:So we had to raise much more
than I expected, to be on my own,
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:just somebody off the street,
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:so I said you know what?
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:I'm gonna take it over."
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:So I got with her and the other
board, and they were all for it.
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:I'm learning as I go.
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:I recently you could say adopted
because the little guy is mine now.
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:One of the ladies that I was starting
to do TNR, she called me Mother's Day,
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:and she was freaking out saying that
she didn't know the mama had a second
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:baby 'cause she had never seen it.
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:It fell out from somewhere, and it
was in the middle of the yard, but the
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:legs wasn't moving, so forth and so on.
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:So we headed to Lafayette
to examine, so forth, so on.
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:And come to find out it's Munich syndrome
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:So that's the thing of do I wanna do this?
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:And he's precious, full
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:alert, everything, and I said,
"I'm not putting him down."
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:And he's getting along with
the other animals that we have,
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:and what is that syndrome he has?
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:What is it called?
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:Minnik syndrome.
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:Like spina bifida, which he's gonna
have a diaper the rest of his life.
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:He's in between that stage where
I can't get him into a little
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:wheelchair yet, but I'm working on it
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:Dixie: Yeah with the right therapy,
they can live really fulfilling lives,
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:and they make wonderful pets Correct.
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:Francine: Oh, and he's
a little greedy guy.
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:And my son called him Gump.
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:Forrest Gump.
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:Dixie: That's cute.
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:Francine: I decided to go ahead and
make him a mascot for spay/neuter,
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:and I'm pushing the issue and showing
pictures of, "Can you deal with this?"
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:We need to get spay and neuter, up
to par, 'cause it's terrible here.
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:It's terrible.
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:You could probably have 50 people
here doing spay and neuter and
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:it's not gonna touch, it's sad.
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:Dixie: Yeah, it's bad everywhere.
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:But I know when I spoke to Sonia
about how bad New Iberia is and your
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:parish in general, it's really sad.
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:It really is.
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:Because it's just- Yeah … you come
to that point of, what do you have
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:to do before you see a dent in it,
'cause we're all out here trying.
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:Exactly.
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:And it just- Exactly … it just seems
you take one step forward and two back,
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:Francine: 20 back is my thing.
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:I have a time job also, so I'm doing
this in between and it's driving
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:me nuts because I'm saying th- I'm
leaning toward how do I help more,
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:Dixie: so tell me what
your nonprofit does.
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:Do you hold clinics?
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:Do you do TNR?
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:Do you foster and adopt as well?
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:Francine: We do TNR.
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:We do have some that are going on went on
transport and two other kittens that are
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:going on transport in July or July 17th.
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:Going up to Colorado, To get adopted
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:Dixie: Yeah, that's awesome
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:Francine: Yeah, My thing is
the government shouldn't even
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:be in the part of the animals.
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:I hate to say it like that, but
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:more volunteers care more about
the animals than the government
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:We had an incident a good while back
where they had a pack of dogs going
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:around and they were killing cats.
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:I went ahead and I started
tracking these dogs and tracking
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:how many cats they were killing.
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:I'm over 50 and I'm saying, "Hold on."
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:And nobody wants to do nothing about
it, so I started making a stink.
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:I went to the news and
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:One pointed the finger at the other,
which my thing is if they would've
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:got together, solved the little
small problem, and be done with it.
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:Now it became the issue of they
divided the city and towers, you know
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:So more money for the city, to
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:rent, I'm gonna call it rent out
shelter space is what they doing
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:So what would you have liked
to have seen them do instead?
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:I really don't know.
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:But right at the beginning it
could've been handled different.
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:It was five dogs at first,
and then it became three
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:I don't know the whole
specifics of it, of…
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:I know they were hard to catch.
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:They were street smart.
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:Because I have some cats right now that
I'm trying to trap, and they trap smart,
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:street smart, the whole nine yards.
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:It's just one small problem
became a big problem.
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:Issue, dividing up, and
I don't believe in that.
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:Let's all work together.
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:Like I said, it takes a village
to m- make something happen.
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:City did do a $20,000 grant for
discounted spay/neuter vouchers
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:So that's that's a plus for
the, the regular residents.
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:Dixie: And how much is the discounted
spay/neuter for the residents?
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:Francine: I think it's 40
for cats and 80 for dogs
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:Dixie: How do you go about, with
the cats that you TNR, getting
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:those spayed and neutered?
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:Francine: We working
with four different vets.
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:They have to be feral.
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:They can't be, someone's pet.
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:You know
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:Which, some of the strays we have, we
had a couple of them that were, stray
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:that'll come up to your leg, rub against
your leg, but they know the trap.
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:The minute they see or
hear that trap, they gone.
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:Dixie: And that's the
same with the drop trap?
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:Francine: I haven't tried drop trap yet.
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:I ordered a drop trap, which is
gonna be coming in about two weeks
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:That's what I really need, the drop
trap, because one of these, one
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:of these residents, all of them,
the rest of them at the new clan,
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:they'll go into the trap and they
know exactly where to put their paws.
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:And they eat, and they just
come out like, "Thank you.
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:Thank you for your food."
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:It's amazing the ones that do that, right?
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:I've seen them- Yes … where they go
in there, they'll get all the food, then
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:they run out, and then they set the trap.
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:And I'm like, "How do they even do that?"
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:Francine: Exactly.
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:So what I did is I left one of the
traps and I tie-wrapped them, and I had
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:told her to start feeding in the trap.
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:These little suckers, she had told me,
she text me and she says, "They so smart.
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:They took the bowl
completely out the traps."
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:Said, "Okay then."
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:Dixie: Wow, that's crazy.
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:They're smart.
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:You gotta give it to 'em.
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:They are really slick
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:Francine: sometimes.
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:Oh, yeah.
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:They
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:are very smart
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:Dixie: How many cats do you catch
on a weekly or monthly basis?
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:Have you been keeping track of that?
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:Francine: Last month wasn't that great.
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:The month before was pretty good.
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:24, a couple hours.
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:Because like I hate to keep them
overnight in the trap because I've seen
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:one incident where they had kept them
overnight in the trap, to bring the next
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:morning to the vet, and the whole jaw.
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:She tried to chew out the trap.
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:Oh, wow.
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:And that's what I'm so afraid of.
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:You don't believe it until you see it.
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:And I said, "Ooh."
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:And when I volunteered with the
original spay, neuter library project,
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:we would do that, but I never seen it.
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:But this one incident just caught
me and said, "Ooh, I hate to do it."
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:And we have possums and raccoons.
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:We in the city.
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:I don't have a secured
area to keep them in,
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:Dixie: Are you just trying to trap them in
the morning and then bring them directly
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:Francine: to the appointment?
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:Correct.
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:Yes
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:which I am working on getting a secured
area, ventilation and everything
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:Dixie: How many volunteers do you
have helping you do the trapping?
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:Francine: I'm working on that right now.
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:I'm one of those that don't ask for help.
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:That's my problem.
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:I try to do it all on my own,
and I that's not working.
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:So I need to, buckle down and get,
start getting people, in line.
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:I did post on Facebook, but
I didn't get any results.
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:But I am working on something that I can't
release right now until it's official,
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:Dixie: right.
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:Francine: And hopefully
that'll transpire something,
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:Dixie: yeah.
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:It takes time.
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:How long have you officially taken over?
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:Francine: Since March.
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:March, April.
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:Dixie: And when you took over the
people who were involved before,
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:did they stay on or were they
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:Francine: already- Yeah,
the board members did.
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:Basically, She was something like me.
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:She was doing majority on her own.
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:A couple of people were volunteering
to keep overnight, it's just the
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:learning tactic, of can we do
something different, more production,
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:Dixie: The vets that you're working
with, are they in New Iberia
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:or do you have to go travel,
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:Francine: No, they are in New Iberia.
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:Dixie: Oh, that's great.
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:'Cause I know the last time I spoke
to Sonia and she's in New Iberia
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:and she said she was having to
go travel, I think it was like 40
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:minutes to get to and from the vet.
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:Francine: Yeah.
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:In fact Sonia someone had contacted
on Facebook saying that there
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:was a kitten stuck in a wall.
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:So when I got there, Sonia was there.
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:It's the first time I had met her.
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:And it was actually an office
next door to the lady's house.
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:So at first they thought, the
people that work in the office
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:thought the kitten was in the attic.
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:When I started digging around,
I'm seeing a little hole and
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:I'm seeing the breaker box.
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:And of course kittens.
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:Why is a kitten by the breaker box?
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:So when I started digging my
finger in, I'm seeing naked
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:wires so I ar- automatically
called fire, just to make sure.
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:Owner showed up.
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:Owner started cutting through and he
was joking around with us like, "I can't
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:believe I'm doing this for a kitten."
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:"Oh yeah, you're doing this for a kitten
because that kitten's still crying.
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:That kitten's coming out that wall."
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:That's all I told him.
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:So when he went through, he got
through the wall, he turned around
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:and told me, "Okay, you grab him."
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:And the kitten was like ready to
come out saying, "Ah, I'm I'm free."
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:It's amazing how those kittens get in, can
get in these little tiny spaces like that.
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:Francine: Exactly.
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:Yeah.
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:It's crazy.
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:We've had some before that we
guess the mom was, in the attic
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:or something, and then the kittens
ended up falling, down the wall.
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:So we- had a situation where there were
kittens that were taken out of the wall.
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:At that point it was, like, four of
them, and I had to bottle feed them.
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:And then recently we had one, we
actually didn't think she was gonna
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:make it because of where she was.
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:She fell in a pipe that was part
of an old electrical conduit.
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:So she was actually, Oh,
goodness … underground.
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:Yeah.
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:Oh my goodness.
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:Yeah.
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:When we went out to go get her we did
not think we were gonna be leaving
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:with the kitten, but it was a miracle.
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:We looked for a plumber to come
out with an inspection camera.
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:So we got a plumber.
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:We had an electrician come out
and help us, 'cause even though
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:all the power was cut, we're not
familiar with an electrical conduit.
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:Francine: Correct
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:… Dixie: so he came out, and
the plumber put the the camera
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:through the pipe, and we seen her.
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:And I thought from the camera,
she looked like maybe five weeks
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:old, she didn't look that tiny.
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:The cameras- Yes … makes
you, makes it look bigger.
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:It does make it look bigger.
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:So what we, what he did was he actually
took the camera, and he pushed her
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:probably about 15 feet to another
opening in the conduit We couldn't
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:grab her 'cause she was too far down.
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:It was still probably about eight
feet down, so nobody could stick
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:their hand down there and grab her.
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:We had nothing to grab her with.
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:So we took a towel.
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:We cut it into strips.
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:I had Churu in the car, so we smeared
Churu all up and down the towel.
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:We dropped it down, and I don't
e- even know how he saw her, but
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:the electrician saw her grab onto
the towel, and he pulled her up.
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:And when he pulls her up, she is this
tiny little thing, like three weeks old.
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:Francine: Wow.
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:Dixie: I was amazed.
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:I don't even know how she
grabbed onto the towel.
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:She was that small.
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:'Cause the she's at that point where
she's not even really moving around
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:and walking good at three weeks old.
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:Yeah,
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:Francine: exactly
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:Dixie: But yeah, it was amazing.
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:We were not very optimistic, but
we ended up getting her, and then
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:we actually went back to the area a
week later and we found the siblings.
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:Francine: Oh, wow.
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:So she's got her her two sisters
and her brother with her now.
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:And,
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:Francine: Awesome
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:… Dixie: we- since she was in a pipe,
we named them all after Super Mario.
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:So
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:Francine: This is actually
what my son did whenever…
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:Named Gump.
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:I said the owner already named it."
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:"I don't care what the owner named it.
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:It's Gump."
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:Yeah.
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:Because the legs don't work.
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:The paw is gump.
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:I said, "Okay.
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:All right, Gump."
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:And he's alert.
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:He's just awesome.
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:It's really amazing how the
disabled ones can compensate too.
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:I have a blind one.
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:She was born without eyes.
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:And- Oh, wow … she does
everything the other cats do.
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:She doesn't miss a thing.
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:Even taking her to a new a new room
she learns it- Almo- they're almost
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:Francine: like a bully,
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:Dixie: yeah.
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:Yeah, but it's absolutely amazing
the things that she can do.
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:It doesn't stop her from doing anything.
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:And I know- Yeah … like a lot of
times people are open to adopting
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:the cats that might have one eye
or the cats that might be like a
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:tripod and have one leg amputated.
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:But when- … it comes to the ones
that are more special needs you
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:find a lot of people aren't as
open to them, but they're- Correct
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:They really do adapt, and
they really do acclimate.
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:They're wonderful pets.
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:I wish more people would
give them a chance.
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:Francine: Oh, yeah.
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:That's…
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:and you see that's the one thing it wasn't
said, but I could read the body language.
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:It was almost like
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:They probably was accustomed of
putting this type of kitten down, which
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:When I saw the movement and, you
know, the muscular in the front end
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:and the alertness, I said, "Oh, no."
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:The lady was like in tears and
I said, "Oh no, I got this."
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:And that, I've done bottle feeding.
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:In fact, one of the hurricanes named after
me, one of the fellows that would come
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:around here had actually brought me her
babies and I freaked out because I had
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:the little cheapo bottle from Walmart.
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:One of the volunteers that used
to be with SNIP said, "Hold
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:on, I have the Miracle Nipple."
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:When they named that nipple,
it is a Miracle Nipple.
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:It was phenomenal.
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:They more expensive, but they a- they
actually work, yeah, they are amazing.
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:They do make life a lot easier.
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:And I bottle fed
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:About 10 in my lifetime.
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:But as I get older, the nerves get
a little worse, and so I'm like,
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:"Oh, I gotta back up from this.
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:Nope."
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:Now, if I would have to do it,
life-saving measures, yeah, I'll do it.
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:I'll do anything for animals
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:Dixie: What future plans do
you have in store for SNIP?
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:Francine: What I really wanna
see happen is community outreach.
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:That's some of the stuff I'm also
working on because I'm seeing
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:more and more, like more elderly
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:Like they say about this,
if you feed, fix them.
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:Some of these elderly, that's
how much of a problem it is.
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:A lot of the elderly is able to feed
on their little Social Security,
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:but they're not able to spay and
neuter, which I've helped, many.
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:I've helped with food also.
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:That's what I really wanna push more
into of more like a socializing of I
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:was here to help you spay and neuter.
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:I'ma be here for you,
through the hard times
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:Dixie: Right.
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:That's great.
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:Yeah, I know that's one thing I always
say, too, when it comes to people that
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:are feeding and not fixing, is just
to reach out and ask somebody for help
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:but if you step out and you just ask
for help, you're gonna find somebody
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:like you or like me that will- Yeah
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:gladly help to take care of the problem.
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:Francine: And that's what I think
'cause a lot of people, as long as, Spay
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:Neuter Library Project's been
around, a lot of them still didn't
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:know about, this organization
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:So I'm pushing it more.
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:Of course, back in the day, Facebook
wasn't, a thing and whatever, and I'm
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:trying to push it as much as I can.
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:Fundraising-wise, we're
doing a fundraiser in July.
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:In fact, July 17th, the day of the
transport with the brown bag lunch.
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:And then in October,
I'm having another one.
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:That's gonna be an actual plate
lunch on the National Feral Day
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:Which I think is October 16th.
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:I don't have my calendar in front of me
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:Dixie: Yeah, I'm not sure
what day that is either.
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:That's something I should
know though, right?
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:Francine: But
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:Again, when you start reading
more in detail, I'm more watch
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:out for your laws and whatever.
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:And like the other day,
I had came across…
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:Okay, so it…
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:You still have to send out a
form to the tax, the state tax,
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:to, for them to approve but not
taxing, and I forgot the form.
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:I forgot exactly the form.
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:So I did that.
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:I did that for both of the fundraisers,
And I'm saying that's a waste of time.
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:Be nonprofit already, but you
wanna make sure, I don't know
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:what the idea behind it is,
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:it's more paperwork.
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:A lot of paperwork.
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:Dixie: Yeah, absolutely.
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:I hope you have a lot of success with
your fundraisers that are coming up.
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:Francine: Yeah
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:I'm pushing.
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:That's all we can do.
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:Dixie: You just
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:Francine: gotta keep trying.
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:And like I said, it's…
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:Exactly.
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:And one, one success story, that's
what keeps on pushing everybody,
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:Dixie: yes, definitely.
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:It was great speaking with you, and I
wish you a lot of success with SNIP.
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:And I hope that you're able to get a lot
more cats help and spayed and neutered.
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:And hopefully you'll be able to
grow the organization, quickly
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:since you've taken it over.
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:Francine: Oh, yeah, I'm trying
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:And thanks for all you do
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:Dixie: How can people find out
about you so I could include
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:your links in the show notes?
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:Francine: I have a website.
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:We have a website, snipiberia.com,
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:and email is
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:
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:Dixie: All right, great.
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:I'm gonna include those in the show notes.
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:And do you have any final
message before we end the call?
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:Francine: Just spay and neuter.
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:Dixie: Absolutely.
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:Francine: And if you can't
afford it, reach out to someone
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:Dixie: Yeah, definitely.
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:That is a great message because there
are so many of us that wanna help.
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:Francine: Okay.
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:Thank you, ma'am.
