October 3, 2025 • 43 mins
Host Dixie visits Mark's Animal Rescue to speak with Dr. Mark, an animal advocate and author. Dr. Mark shares his journey, driven by the realization that animals are often neglected and viewed only as property.
A veteran rescuer who has saved over 2,000 animals on rural Louisiana roads, Dr. Mark discusses his three core issues: ineffective local government, the low priority given to animals by law enforcement, and the lack of compassion he sees in many churches.
The conversation focuses on his book, Soul of the Silent, a "heartfelt" deep dive into how our treatment of the vulnerable reflects our own humanity. Dr. Mark urges listeners to look at animals as sentient beings and offers concrete, actionable steps to truly help animals.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dixie (00:02):
Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the
people and rescues making adifference in the lives of animals.
today I am visiting with Dr.
Mark, animal advocate,and published author.
I am actually out at Mark'sAnimal Rescue, and you could just
hear the dog in the background.
(00:23):
How you doing today, mark?
Mark (00:25):
I'm doing fine.
He's a little rescue.
I got about a year ago, somebody
didn't want him.
So anyway, I he's been part ofmy family for about a year now.
Dixie (00:33):
You were episode one and you are of course a rescuer, a published author,
an advocate, and a former deputy sheriff.
So, for all of our new listeners, let'sjust share your journey a little bit
about how you got into animal advocacy.
Mark (00:50):
As a young child, I always loved animals, always had animals
from the age of six years oldand I kinda grew up with animals.
I guess where I really became astrong advocate was during my time,
my early years, I was in my twenties,just made 21, went to work for the
(01:14):
east Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.
During my tenure there as a sheriff deputywe went to during that period of time, and
I'm sure it still happens now, but I'vebeen outta that business for a long time.
But there were a lot of family fights.
We would go there and try toresolve family fights or take
(01:36):
care of whatever was going on.
But one thing I did notice as an animalperson, that even the people that
I rode with, 'cause I was a junior.
Man in the car.
That means I had really no say so.
The senior man really hadthe say so in the car.
But one of the things I noticedwas every time that we would get
involved in a family issue andsomebody went to jail, the bottom
(01:59):
line is what happens to the animal?
'cause most people did have animals,whether they got treated good or not.
But the point is that when weleft there, there was no one
to take care of the animal.
Nobody cared.
So way back in 19 69, 70, 71 animals.
(02:19):
Even back then, people just did not care.
And I had this soft spot foranimals and always have, and
it's been part of who I am.
And I was always amazedto see how people just.
Does not look at animalsas a living being.
They look at them.
I can't even describe it,but it doesn't matter.
(02:42):
They're just an animal.
We've all heard that term.
They're just animals.
They're not just animals.
They're sent with beings.
They, they do express that any anybody'sbeen around an animal, they express fear.
One of the biggest things they,they're great at loving people.
They're very devoted.
They present all of those things that Iwish we as a human being would possess.
(03:07):
But unfortunately I'm don't find that inin a lot of , my interaction with people.
We've gotten so coldhearted thatthings have changed, especially as
today, I'm 79 years old, soon be 80.
I've seen such a change in peopleover the many years that, I've grown
(03:27):
up and been a part of this world.
But anyway the animals did not gettreated well back then, and it's not
much different in all these years.
Animals are still considered property,and I don't know if people know that
or how many people know that, butanimals are considered property.
They're not part of your family.
(03:48):
They're just an animal.
They are property.
And when, anytime you have any legalissues you're going through a divorce or
you're going through whatever you're goingthrough, animals are still considered
property and nothing more than that.
But when you consider animal property andnot as a sentient being, then it's very
(04:11):
difficult to, just be around those typeof people because I don't share a lot
of the things that I think people justabout animals that they just don't care.
They're just there.
Anyway and the other thing thatI've seen as a deputy, and that's
unfortunate 'cause I've got a lot of.
Not so good stories as a deputy withanimals is that I've seen many animals
(04:36):
that are forgotten in backyards.
They're locked up in houses afterevictions, they're left on parish roads.
Now to this day, I live in a rural parish.
I live in Mount Herman,Louisiana, Washington Parish.
I've been here oh six, almost seven years.
In that amount of time, I have savedover 2000 plus animals on the parish
(05:03):
roads here in Washington Parish.
But anyway, I got carriedaway with that, that answer.
But anyway, that was one of thereasons that inspired me between
being a rescuer of 10 years, a deputysheriff I became a strong animal
advocate, and that is my passion.
So that's probably the, one of thebiggest reasons is because I've seen
(05:27):
so much neglect and just outright abuseby people that I had to do something.
So anyway, that's, this is what Ido every day, seven days a week,
I work as an animal advocate.
Dixie (05:42):
How many books have you written about animal advocacy?
Mark (05:46):
21 books.
Dixie (05:47):
Today, one of the books that I wanted to specifically discuss is one of
your newer ones called Soul of the Silent.
Now I really like the title of thattoo, because you touched on this a
little bit about how people treatanimals and people almost treat
animals as if they do not have souls.
Mark (06:06):
That's right.
Dixie (06:06):
And of course I do not believe that at all.
Animals definitely have souls.
You can look in their eyes and youcan tell, you can see a lot about
'em just by looking in their eyes.
So I wanted to talk about Soul ofthe Silent today and let me know what
inspired you to write Soul of the Silent.
Mark (06:25):
When I say how we treat animals, it really reflects who we are.
I mean our actions toward.
The most vulnerable.
Those who have no voice there'sno defense, no standing.
In society, it reveals thetrue state of our own hearts.
(06:46):
If we respond with compassion, it showsthat kindness and empathy guide us.
But if we can ignore suffering inan animal, it says something about
the limits of our own humanity.
And it's unfortunate and it really isunfortunate because being in the rescue
(07:07):
business for 10 years, working as asheriff deputy for seven years and and
just being around people and talkingto people and even those with animals
today who have animals it doesn'tmean that they come from a good home.
That animal is staying in a good home.
Because many people have this idea that.
(07:27):
If animals, oh, they have a home.
What kind of home is that?
What kind of home arethey being raised into?
Because how many times have I seen andgone out to a home that the dog is chained
up in the backyard a lot of times don'teven have shelter, no food, no water.
And if they do have water, it'sdirty and it may, and who knows
(07:49):
when the last time they ate.
It's just so unbelievable to me.
People can truly ignorewhat God has gave us.
God said, and I don't quote theBible, but I do have some idea of
the things because I do refer tothe Bible a lot in terms of animals,
(08:10):
but you know what God made was good.
It was in Genesis, Godmade everything good.
He made animals, but , peopledon't look at animals as something
that, that we should respect.
We have any kind of love for, it'slike there it goes, back to the saying,
it's just an animal, it's property.
(08:31):
And what really and truly concerns me,and I know I get off on tangents about
this, but one of the things that Ifind is that my three core things that
I do as an animal advocate, and I'llget off on that, is that number one
is I'm always going after government.
Local government.
I'm going after law enforcement,I'm going after churches, and
(08:56):
let's take government first.
Local government, for the most partnot all of them, but for the ones
that I've seen in my opinion, is thatthere's a lot of parishes, particularly
in south I don't wanna say SouthLouisiana, but that's not what I mean.
South United States, in thesouthern part of the United States.
(09:17):
It's a lot different how animals gettreated than the animals get treated
up in the northern part of the country.
And I'm not north south, I'm notgetting into that, but it's just
what I've seen as a military person.
I've stationed all over the world,but in the north I find that animals
got a little bit better treatment.
(09:38):
They had, the laws were more enforced.
And that doesn't refer to every state, buta lot of the states that I happen to be
stationed, that I saw some good things.
I come south and just for example,in the deep South where I live at, an
animal for the most part is a yard dog.
They're just yard dogs.
(09:59):
Or it could be a cat or anything.
They're just thrown out into the yard.
There's no care, there's no vet care,there's no interacting with the animal.
They're just there.
And that, I find that justso difficult to believe.
And what happens is our own localgovernment, and I don't mean where
(10:19):
I live at or anything like that,this could refer to many parishes or
counties who suffer the same thing.
They don't have animal ordinances,.
They're just no animal ordinances.
And if they do have animal ordinances, youget into this with the law enforcement.
And as a law enforcement officer,I can tell you firsthand that
(10:40):
it has not changed very much.
It's not that they can't doit, it's that animals are not a
priority , for law enforcement,it's just not because they are.
And the first things I hear aboutis we don't have the resources.
We don't have the manpower.
Those are the things I hearall the time, and I'll get off
on this tangent a little bit.
(11:01):
As far as law enforcement is concernedand being a former deputy sheriff,
there are ways and there are people whoare willing to volunteer to do things.
We have a lot of throughout thecountry we have a lot of reserve
deputies that work, a lot of reserveofficers that want to do the job.
They don't get paid.
They're volunteers.
(11:22):
They're volunteer reserveofficers in the law enforcement.
You can take a volunteer deputy reservedeputy and put him into a program that
gives him some training in animal abuse.
You can take an administrativedeputy where people say what
is an administrative deputy's?
(11:42):
The deputy who.
Is not a trained officer.
In other words, they don't go to thelaw enforcement training academy.
They can be hired as a deputyand they call 'em admin deputies.
They have no rights of arrest, butthey do represent the sheriff's office.
They can, if the sheriff allows.
(12:04):
They can write tickets, they can writecitations for people who don't do
what's right when it comes to animals.
So if you take, say three, three to fiveadmin deputies, train them properly, and
animal care and animal abuse, they cando a great job for a parish or a county.
(12:29):
They can do a really good job.
And the thing about it is,what does it cost the sheriff?
Actually it cost the sheriff alot of times, and I'm thinking in
this, in the, in this parish andother parishes that these people
can get, they give 'em insurance.
It's a like a $10,000 life insurance forthem, but they don't pay 'em anything.
(12:50):
My suggestion is you divide one vehicle.
If you say you don't have alot of resources, one vehicle.
You always have one personon duty for if someone has an
animal issue, they can call.
If you have like one person's representingyour animal services well that one
(13:11):
person's not gonna be around all the time.
And so you call and say our animalservices to person is not available.
I've got this dog out here that'sbeen thrown out in the roadway.
And you mean you'vegot nobody to come out?
The answer is no.
For the most part, they do not.
And that's unfortunate.
And it happens all throughout the country.
(13:33):
It's just not locally, say where I live,but it happens all throughout the country.
But it's an easy fix.
It's just not a priority formost leaders in law enforcement.
And I don't know if it ever will be.
And that's an unfortunate thing.
That's my thing with law enforcement.
They could do a much better job at nocost to them, very little cost to them
(13:58):
and really and truly help animals.
My third point is churches.
I have a real thing about churchesand people have gotten really upset
with me because I don't attend church.
Like I used to.
I was a big church goer.
I grew up in the church.
I.
Grew up in the Baptist religion andin even way back then, I never ever
(14:23):
heard any preacher that I can remember,ever say a prayer for one animal.
Not the blessing, not anything.
Pray for animals, do.
That has not changed in all theyears that I have gone to church.
And believe me I've attended manydifferent types of churches all over the
(14:43):
country, and I have yet to hear a pastorget up in front of his congregation
and say, let's pray for the animals.
I've never heard it to this day, andthat bothers me a whole lot because
even our pastors that who represent.
I'm trying to think ofwhat I wanna say here.
Anyway, they're the leaders inour religious society, supposedly.
(15:06):
We look up to them.
for different things.
They're not there.
They're just not there.
They don't say anything.
My, my suggestion is, 'causeI wrote another book, but
I won't get into that book.
But anyway, my suggestion to churches isthat you go to church you sit in a pew.
You give an offering, yousing a few songs, listen to
(15:28):
the preacher, you go home.
But you know what, everything isinside those four walls of that church.
But as soon as you walk outtathose four walls, what do you see?
I'll tell you what abused animals.
Animals thrown away, right?
Could be right outside the church door.
And what does people do?
Walk on by Not my problem.
(15:50):
It's not my problem.
You know what?
And that really bothers me, thatyou can go to church and maybe call
yourself a Christian, but yet you donothing outside of those four walls.
My suggestion was that peopletake at least one Sunday,
let's say every six weeks.
Become a part of the community that,when I say that is take two miles,
(16:13):
it's just two miles around your church.
And you find out, and I don't meanjust animals, people too, you find
out do those people around yourchurch have do they need anything?
Are they have, do they have any issuesthat we as a church can help them with?
Take one Sunday instead of inside the fourwalls, you go out outside the four walls
(16:37):
and you help people in your community.
You wouldn't believe what a differenceit would make in a community if people
would just do that, but they don't.
It's like a ritual.
You go to church every Sunday, yougo inside the four walls, you do
your cultural thing, and then youleave and nothing else happens.
And I've gone to churches with meetingpeople who, and I've seen firsthand
(17:01):
how people just ignore animals.
It doesn't matter.
And people too.
My thing, of course, my passion isanimals and I get on these long rants.
But anyway, go ahead Dixie.
You want to ask me something?
I'm sorry..
I'll, I just talk forever sometimes
Dixie (17:15):
That's quite all right.
I did wanna touch on that too,what you said about churches.
'cause actually there's some situationsthat I have recently seen on social media.
Mark (17:23):
Okay.
Dixie (17:23):
And one was, there was this cat that showed up at this church
and the priest just wants it gone.
And the priest isn't willing to work witha trapper to have a trapper come just.
Humanely remove the cat, orbetter yet just TNR, the trap
neuter and release the cat.
Instead, the priest is actuallythreatening to take it upon
(17:47):
himself to trap the cat and justgo dump the cat somewhere else.
Mark (17:52):
I can give you a lot of stories exactly like that.
Just within the six years I've been here,I've had three rescue incidents here
that, persons from the church, they werecalled saying, we got animals over here.
Somebody needs to come get 'em.
We don't want 'em here.
One of 'em was a preacher.
(18:12):
We don't want that animal here.
I don't even know what to sayor how to answer that here.
You are a leader of your church.
You know a man of God.
Animals are mentioned in the Biblefrom Genesis to Revelations all
throughout the Bible, God basicallysays throughout the Bible that he
(18:33):
gave us animals that whatever hiscreatures he gave us are good.
Everything he gave us was good.
He gave it to us for a reason.
But we as humanity, we abuse that.
We absolutely abuse it.
And for me, and I don't havea good answer for you, Dixie.
I don't understand that mindset thatreligious leaders, particularly religious
(18:56):
leaders you, go in church every Sundayand give you a verse after verse and tell
you all about this verse and the love ofGod and the love of this, and the love of,
but yet you never hear it about animals.
Dixie (19:10):
It's true.
It's funny because I have some familythat is highly religious go to church
every Sunday, and they had some catsshow up by them and one of 'em was
actually threatening harm to, and it'slike, I just don't understand that I
have respect for all creatures Now.
I don't consider myself religious.
(19:32):
I'm spiritual, but not religious.
I don't really follow an organizedreligion, but at the same time, I
could never do that to an animal,instead of finding somebody to help.
And there are plenty of peoplewho are willing to help animals.
What role does your faithplay in your advocacy?
Mark (19:52):
I'm like you, I'm the same thing.
I am not a religious person.
I really stop going in inside churches'cause the churches need to change
the way they are today because I thinkreligion today has become a ritual
and that's pretty much what it is.
My faith is more spiritual and Iwish I knew the psychology of man,
(20:15):
and how sometimes we think, butI don't, and I say that because
I grew up with a giving heart.
I grew up with compassion.
It's not something I had to learn.
I never had to learn compassion.
I just did not, and I don't evenknow if it's a learned thing or not.
(20:36):
Mine just comes with me.
I was like that as a child.
I've been like that as a youngadult and as an older male.
Now, I have never changed.
I look at things and I just, it meltsmy heart if I see something that just.
Particularly animals.
They're so innocent.
But yet people just don't care.
So I gotta wonder, what makesthem, how are they different?
(21:00):
Why are they different than me?
Don't they see the same thing I see?
Don't they see that animal as suffering?
Do, they just don't care?
What kind of heart, what kindof soul do they actually have?
And the good thing is that.
At least I do know peoplethat feel the same way I do.
I've talked to 'em, I've been around them.
(21:20):
We share the same compassion, thesame love for animals and, but there's
many more that do not even ask you.
Again, I hate to use that termagain, but it's just an animal.
People don't get it.
I just don't think they get it.
It's not just an animal.
It's God's creation.
We're all God's creations.
(21:41):
That's why I say I'm not religious,but I'm extremely spiritual.
Dixie (21:46):
I see what you're talking about too.
It's a lack of compassion.
And also I find it even with a lotof people who want a pet when I have
animals that are up for adoption, Iam very picky with who they go to.
And the reason that I am is because I'mgonna put all of my time and love and
effort and dedication into those animals.
(22:06):
To make sure that they'rewell taken care of.
And I don't wanna turn aroundand adopt 'em to somebody
who isn't gonna do the same.
I don't wanna adopt them tosomebody who just wants a pet.
I wanted to adopt them to somebodywho wants a family member.
Mark (22:20):
I totally agree.
Let me ask you a question.
'cause we talking about compassion becausecan you remember a time that you weren't.
Like you are today to say,did you come up like, I did?
Did you come up with love and compassionand it was just part of who you are?
Dixie (22:34):
Yes.
Yes.
I've always been that way around animalsfrom the, youngest I can remember, I
have always been involved with animals.
And I've grown up with the importanceof spay and neuter, which is weird
too, because I have heard otherpeople, other lists, other guests.
Who are from the North say thatthere is a huge culture shock in the
(22:55):
South when they come to the South andthey experience animal rescue here.
And it's weird 'causethis is what I'm used to.
This is what I've grown up with'cause I've always been in the south.
But again, I've always beena spay neuter advocate from
the time that I can remember.
Growing up in the eighties, if I hada pet, they were spayed or neutered.
So I always bring that up, whatdo you think the difference is?
(23:19):
'cause they say that in the north peoplejust treat the animals totally different.
They treat 'em more aslike a family member.
And here we just don't do that.
A lot of people, like yousaid, they just don't care.
Mark (23:32):
I don't know if it's the mentality or not.
I actually was born inBaton Rouge, Louisiana.
For the most part, I left Louisianawhen I was about 25 years old, 26 years
old, and I never came back south again.
I've been back now about six years, andso a better part of my life I've spent in
(23:56):
the military traveling and when I was inthe north their local government there.
, They had ordinances and people wererequired to have their animals license.
They were required to have spayand neuter, and you actually
had to address those issues.
Coming south here and being a rescuehere in south Louisiana it's atrocious
(24:21):
what I've seen here in how peopletreat animals and the reality is
that, a lot of people just don't care.
And this a Louisiana's, I'm not ahunter, so I'm not saying anything about
hunters or what have you, but it's adifferent world than what I'm used to.
And it has taken me a while and I stillhave not gotten used to how people
(24:43):
can just go out and kill animals.
They think nothing about it.
Abuse animals here, throwanimals on the roadside.
I just rescued threepuppies not too long ago.
We have a busy highway here calledLA 38 in Mount Herman, Louisiana.
I was just coming home doing, just on myway home from the store, there's three
(25:04):
little puppies on the side of the road.
I almost ran over.
One of them stopped.
I'm one of those personswho are not going to leave
an animal and particularlypuppies on the side of a road.
I'm gonna tell you their lifethere is going is gonna be death
and they're gonna get run over.
(25:25):
And the other thing is, and peoplesay somebody ask me, say, why are you
always seeing puppies on the road?
Let me tell you the biggestreason why people don't know this.
You know why you find dogs andstuff on the side of the road?
You see 'em a lot.
I'll tell you why.
Because when the owner dropped themoff, those dogs, those same dogs,
think that owner's coming back.
(25:45):
So they stay there.
They will stay there weeks at a timeunless something happens to 'em.
And that's why you find many dogsout on the roadway because if they're
dropped, discarded, dumped, whateverwords you want to use, that's where
they stay because they, in theirmind that person who dropped them
(26:07):
off is coming back to get them.
If dogs don't go strayingoff in the way back up in the
woods, they're on the roadway.
And when you see all these animalsthat have been killed and people
call road kill, it's a horribleterm as far as I'm concerned.
But animals killed on theroad, particularly lot of dogs.
And he cats as well.
You just can't get away from it, isthat the fact is they don't leave
(26:31):
the roadway and they stay there.
And that's why they wind upbeing killed on the highway.
Dixie (26:37):
Yeah, it's a sad situation.
We just got a kitten that wasactually dumped in a swamp, and you
could tell when we got the kittenhome that the kitten had been eaten
mud, swamp mud, trying to survive.
Very emaciated thin.
So we got the kitten in, got 'emdewormed, got rid of the fleas on 'em.
(26:57):
It's finally starting to gain some weight.
Very sweet kitten.
So this was not a feral kittenthat grew up in the swamp.
Somebody had to go dump the kitten there.
Mark (27:06):
Yeah, they went and dumped
them.
Oh, absolutely.
They dump, like I said it may even bemore, but since I started counting the
animals I rescued it's been 2000 plus.
I just dumped on the side ofthe road about three months
ago, maybe four months ago.
And I've said this story many times.
I do a lot of YouTube stuff.
(27:27):
I have two YouTube channels and one of'em is called Heart to Heart with Dr.
Mark.
But on that YouTube channel I'm alwayscurious, I'm very curious person in terms
of when I was coming home there were manybuzzards flying and it looked like from
where I was, it was flying over my house.
I always worried 'cause I got a biganimal rescue here and something happened.
(27:50):
It wasn't my house, so I followedwhere those buzzards were.
Make a long story short is thosebuzzards were hanging right over
and they were already on the ground.
There were six puppies, about sixto eight weeks old that somebody had
discarded on one of the country roads.
(28:10):
And it was sickening.
It was absolutely sickening.
I could not let that go,and I'm glad to this day.
Fortunately for me, they all got homes.
I got 'em homes.
But to this day, how does somebodygo out and dump six little puppies?
On the side of a country road,there's no houses, there's no nothing.
(28:31):
And those buzzards were about 10feet away waiting for 'em to die.
So fortunately I followed my instinctsand went and I picked up all six puppies.
But the point is i'll never know.
I hear this question asked allthe time, how can people do this?
How can they I don't know how.
I don't have the answer.
I just don't.
, Dixie (28:53):
Another trend too that I tend to see is a lot of people who may see a
situation where an animal does need help,but rather than step up and help or do
something to actually physically help,they'll just go post it on social media.
Like, oh, hey, this animalneeds help over there.
And so it's like, how do youeven get people like that
(29:15):
even more involved to help?
'cause they're in thesituation where they can help,
Mark (29:19):
that's another whole issue with me.
I've done so many books and sometimesI go into one book and another.
But one of the books I wrotetoo was Silent Stewards.
There's the other one.
Let me turn around here for a minute.
'cause I got so many the otherone's called Bystander Nation.
If your audience ever gets anopportunity, just go to Amazon, Dr.
(29:40):
Mark Mc Morris, Jr.
No, I'm not here to sell my books, but ifyou're interested in getting 'em, because
if you are interested in being an animaladvocate and really want to learn about.
You know what it's liketo be an animal advocate.
I have several great books that you canget that will give you that information.
All of that information.
(30:00):
It truly will educate you if you'reinterested in helping animals.
But the question and Igot off on a tangent.
Refresh my memory here
Dixie (30:09):
so was talking about the people who, will go post looking for
help, but without actually helping.
Yes.
Now, the only positive thing thatI can say about that is there are a
lot of individuals who will go help.
It's frustrating sometimes that they'rein that situation where the animal needs
the help immediately, and they wouldjust rather post it than just help.
(30:32):
Fortunately, sometimes it does getthe animals the help that they need.
Mark (30:36):
Let me address that though.
Sure.
Let me tell you how people canhelp, and they really should start
doing this because I'm on a caseright now that I'm working that.
And it had to do with these puppiesthat were abandoned on this highway.
Let me tell you what you can do.
If anybody's listening you, let'ssay maybe I can't, keep the dog
(30:57):
or the cat or what have you.
But here's what you can do and you shoulddo is call your local law enforcement.
By law is, particularly in Louisianaand many states, at least 30 states.
There are dumping animals is a felony.
It's a crime.
(31:18):
So what you can do is you stay there.
Make sure that animal that's beendumped, that you stay there and make
sure you can see what you can doto help protect or what have you.
Call your local law enforcement andtell them where you are, who you are.
And get all that information.
(31:39):
Take pictures, take videos, documenteverything that you see and please,
I hope if those who are listening tothis, please do this because this is a
big thing that I'm working on right nowwith my videos is document everything.
Stop document.
Try to help as best youcan, call law enforcement.
(32:03):
Get a case number whenyou call the dispatch.
Wherever law enforcement at, whereveryou live at, you'll get dispatch.
You ask dispatch for a case number.
That is extremely importantbecause that case number actually
presents that these law enforcementofficers have to make a report.
(32:27):
That's the way you follow up on whetheror not that law enforcement agency, what
they did, if they did anything, if theydidn't do anything, you got a case number.
And you can with that case number,follow up with that complaint.
Now, I know this takes a lot of work,but truly this is important because
(32:51):
this will begin to start changinghow law enforcement starts to act.
But we have to do something first.
So you run across an abandoned animal.
You get video, you get pictures, youcall law enforcement, you have 'em come
out, you get a case number from dispatchagain, I repeat, that's important.
(33:13):
Now, law enforcement might not show up.
They say we don't have anybody to comeor what have you know what you pull that
case number, find out what happened.
Nothing happened.
Then you go to the chieflaw enforcement officer.
That may be the sheriff,that may be his chief deputy.
But you go and make the complaintand you do it in writing.
(33:34):
You do it in writing because Iwill tell you just to talk or
communicate without writing.
Things just go by thewayside when it's in writing.
You have a paper trail starta paper trail if you really,
truly want to help that animal.
You start a paper trail andthat's the first thing you do.
(33:55):
Like I've sent out a coupleof certified letters.
Now I've got certifiedletters out about things.
Let's say the chief law enforcementdoesn't do anything about it.
Your second step is thedistrict attorney's office.
That is your second stepthat you write a letter.
Again, paper trail.
Paper trail.
Alright.
The district attorney.
And then they may do something.
(34:15):
You may have an action.
At least do something.
Let's say they just ignore you.
Nobody does anything.
Your next step is your state police,your crime department, you call them.
There's always some way.
The point is, there's always someonethat you can go above to get something
done about animals that are being dumped.
(34:37):
Again, I repeat that is a crime andlaw enforcement should investigate it.
I get carried away.
You notice that?
Dixie (34:45):
That's quite all right.
It's good to be passionate about animals.
Do you have that in Soul of the Silentfor listeners who care, but feel
powerless what they can actually do?
Does the book go over that as well?
Mark (34:58):
Yes, I do.
I have a lot of books.
Soul of the Silence kind of isabout who we are as a person.
You read this book and it's gonnatell you really seriously about how
you are, your feelings and otherpeople's feelings and what you look
(35:19):
for and what you look for in yourself.
It's like looking into a mirror.
If you would read this book, it'slike looking in a mirror at yourself.
That's exactly what it's like it'sgoing to tell you exactly what kind
of person that you may or may not be.
It's a kind of a deepinsight about who you are
Dixie (35:37):
and what do you hope people will take away after reading Soul as a silent,
Mark (35:46):
One thing that I hope they take away from it is that they develop, and I don't
know if that's a good word or not, butthey look at animals in a different light.
Instead of looking at them as propertyor looking at them as a non sentient
being, they're gonna see animalsthat are in a different perspective.
(36:08):
That's what I was hoping to get outof this book, is that when people read
it, they'll actually see what animalsand truly how animals feel and how
you feel as a person and what may bethings that you can do to change the
way your compassion and your heart is.
So I love that book.
It's one of my better books becauseit's a book that was taken from
(36:32):
a lot of years on this earth anddealing with people and animals.
So it's a heart wrenchingbook that I had put together.
Unlike my other books, some of theother books are factual in nature.
This is a heartfelt looking.
Yourself and animals.
Dixie (36:51):
And then I think one thing too about the book is even if you are a
compassionate person, and even if youare an animal lover like us and don't
look at animals as property I refer tothe animals in my house almost as people.
Mark (37:07):
I got one on my lap, I should have called him Velcro.
Dixie (37:11):
But one thing that I would like to say is whether or not you are already
an animal lover, compassionate likeus, this is still a really good read.
It's a good reference for you to useto tell other people that, maybe will
help change people's perspectiveson how they look at animals.
Mark (37:29):
I hope I, I really do because if they'll take the book seriously,
if they'll buy the book and take itseriously and really read through it,
then I'm hoping that something willcause a change in you because we need
so many more people to help animals.
'cause right now, from the earlyyears of my life till now, animals
(37:50):
have come up on the shortt stick.
Short end of everything.
They're still abused verybadly, particularly now.
I think you brought this point up.
This is a really bad time.
People are trying to rehomeanimals or try to adopt animals.
Our local government, and I go back tomy number one issue, our local government
should have laws that tell, you know what,when you get an animal, that animal should
(38:14):
be licensed, it should be health checked,and it should be spay or neutered.
Unless you have a particular license.
If you are a breeder, , and you have abonafide breeding farm, that's different.
But if you are a person who islooking for a pet, or you know
what spay neuter should be done,licensing of an animal should be done.
(38:35):
Health certificate shouldbe done to let you know.
And not only does that protect you andyour family, but it protects others.
It protects the animals.
And then we wouldn't have theproblem of euthanasia because that's
another big issue that I'm writingabout right now is euthanasia.
Millions of animals are being euthanizedhealthy animals, because our local
(38:57):
government, for the most part, and I don'tmean where I live at, just in general,
local government will not do their job.
Law enforcement will not do their job.
And that again, I referenced that with.
There are good law enforcement agencies,there are good local governments
that take animal life serious.
But again, I have to look at thegeneralization of what I see.
(39:20):
And in my opinion, there aremany people that needs to change.
Dixie (39:24):
Thank you for sitting down with me today to talk about your book.
Mark (39:28):
I was happy to do it.
Dixie (39:29):
And before we end this episode, is there anything else
that you would like to add?
Mark (39:34):
I would appreciate if you're a person that is looking
to help animals and truly helpanimals I got some great books.
I put a lot of in into those books,and one of 'em is animal advocacy,
how to be an animal advocate.
I've got how to investigate animal abuse.
There's a number ofbooks that you can get.
That I put my heart and soul into thesebooks, and I think you'll find that.
(39:57):
And so if you're interested in workingwith animals, then I suggest that
you would go to Amazon under Dr.
Mark mc Morris, Jr.
Not that I'm plugging my book, but I am.
And so anyway, that's theonly thing I had to say.
Dixie (40:12):
All right.
Thank you for letting me come outand tour Mark's Animal Rescue.
I had a really good timespeaking with you today.
Mark (40:18):
Thank you.
I'm glad y'all came
appreciate it.
Dixie (40:20):
Alright, thanks.
That's all the time that wehave for today's episode.
Thank you for listening andwe hope you join us next week.
If you know somebody that loves animalsas much as I do, please send 'em our way.
We would love to talk to 'em.
If you are enjoying our show, pleaseconsider leaving us a donation.
A hundred percent goes to our animals.
(40:44):
Paws in
the night Claws in thefight Whiskers twitch and
tails
take flight
They’re calling in Stories to spinFrom the wild to the heart within
(41:11):
Broken wings and hopeful springsWe’re the voices for these things
animal posse hear the call.
We stand together.
Big and small Rescue tales We’vegot it all Animal posse Saving
(41:39):
them
all
The vet’s got tips The rescuer’sgrit The foster homes where love
won’t quit From a pup in the rain toa bird in pain , Every soul’s worth
(42:07):
the
strain
Animal posse
Hear the call
We stand together Big
(42:32):
and small Rescue tales We’ve gotit all Animal posse Saving them all
Every caller tells a tale, everyhowl a whispered wail, we rise up.
We never
(42:52):
fail.
This
is
the
bond
The holy grail
(43:13):
Animal posse Hear the call We standtogether Big and small Rescue tales We’ve
got it all Animal posse Saving them all
(43:37):
Every caller tells a tale Every howla whispered wail We rise up We never
fail This is the bond The holy grail.
Song by Suno.ai
Welcome to Animal Posse, the podcast dedicated to the
people and rescues making adifference in the lives of animals.
today I am visiting with Dr.
Mark, animal advocate,and published author.
I am actually out at Mark'sAnimal Rescue, and you could just
hear the dog in the background.
(00:23):
How you doing today, mark?
Mark (00:25):
I'm doing fine.
He's a little rescue.
I got about a year ago, somebody
didn't want him.
So anyway, I he's been part ofmy family for about a year now.
Dixie (00:33):
You were episode one and you are of course a rescuer, a published author,
an advocate, and a former deputy sheriff.
So, for all of our new listeners, let'sjust share your journey a little bit
about how you got into animal advocacy.
Mark (00:50):
As a young child, I always loved animals, always had animals
from the age of six years oldand I kinda grew up with animals.
I guess where I really became astrong advocate was during my time,
my early years, I was in my twenties,just made 21, went to work for the
(01:14):
east Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office.
During my tenure there as a sheriff deputywe went to during that period of time, and
I'm sure it still happens now, but I'vebeen outta that business for a long time.
But there were a lot of family fights.
We would go there and try toresolve family fights or take
(01:36):
care of whatever was going on.
But one thing I did notice as an animalperson, that even the people that
I rode with, 'cause I was a junior.
Man in the car.
That means I had really no say so.
The senior man really hadthe say so in the car.
But one of the things I noticedwas every time that we would get
involved in a family issue andsomebody went to jail, the bottom
(01:59):
line is what happens to the animal?
'cause most people did have animals,whether they got treated good or not.
But the point is that when weleft there, there was no one
to take care of the animal.
Nobody cared.
So way back in 19 69, 70, 71 animals.
(02:19):
Even back then, people just did not care.
And I had this soft spot foranimals and always have, and
it's been part of who I am.
And I was always amazedto see how people just.
Does not look at animalsas a living being.
They look at them.
I can't even describe it,but it doesn't matter.
(02:42):
They're just an animal.
We've all heard that term.
They're just animals.
They're not just animals.
They're sent with beings.
They, they do express that any anybody'sbeen around an animal, they express fear.
One of the biggest things they,they're great at loving people.
They're very devoted.
They present all of those things that Iwish we as a human being would possess.
(03:07):
But unfortunately I'm don't find that inin a lot of , my interaction with people.
We've gotten so coldhearted thatthings have changed, especially as
today, I'm 79 years old, soon be 80.
I've seen such a change in peopleover the many years that, I've grown
(03:27):
up and been a part of this world.
But anyway the animals did not gettreated well back then, and it's not
much different in all these years.
Animals are still considered property,and I don't know if people know that
or how many people know that, butanimals are considered property.
They're not part of your family.
(03:48):
They're just an animal.
They are property.
And when, anytime you have any legalissues you're going through a divorce or
you're going through whatever you're goingthrough, animals are still considered
property and nothing more than that.
But when you consider animal property andnot as a sentient being, then it's very
(04:11):
difficult to, just be around those typeof people because I don't share a lot
of the things that I think people justabout animals that they just don't care.
They're just there.
Anyway and the other thing thatI've seen as a deputy, and that's
unfortunate 'cause I've got a lot of.
Not so good stories as a deputy withanimals is that I've seen many animals
(04:36):
that are forgotten in backyards.
They're locked up in houses afterevictions, they're left on parish roads.
Now to this day, I live in a rural parish.
I live in Mount Herman,Louisiana, Washington Parish.
I've been here oh six, almost seven years.
In that amount of time, I have savedover 2000 plus animals on the parish
(05:03):
roads here in Washington Parish.
But anyway, I got carriedaway with that, that answer.
But anyway, that was one of thereasons that inspired me between
being a rescuer of 10 years, a deputysheriff I became a strong animal
advocate, and that is my passion.
So that's probably the, one of thebiggest reasons is because I've seen
(05:27):
so much neglect and just outright abuseby people that I had to do something.
So anyway, that's, this is what Ido every day, seven days a week,
I work as an animal advocate.
Dixie (05:42):
How many books have you written about animal advocacy?
Mark (05:46):
21 books.
Dixie (05:47):
Today, one of the books that I wanted to specifically discuss is one of
your newer ones called Soul of the Silent.
Now I really like the title of thattoo, because you touched on this a
little bit about how people treatanimals and people almost treat
animals as if they do not have souls.
Mark (06:06):
That's right.
Dixie (06:06):
And of course I do not believe that at all.
Animals definitely have souls.
You can look in their eyes and youcan tell, you can see a lot about
'em just by looking in their eyes.
So I wanted to talk about Soul ofthe Silent today and let me know what
inspired you to write Soul of the Silent.
Mark (06:25):
When I say how we treat animals, it really reflects who we are.
I mean our actions toward.
The most vulnerable.
Those who have no voice there'sno defense, no standing.
In society, it reveals thetrue state of our own hearts.
(06:46):
If we respond with compassion, it showsthat kindness and empathy guide us.
But if we can ignore suffering inan animal, it says something about
the limits of our own humanity.
And it's unfortunate and it really isunfortunate because being in the rescue
(07:07):
business for 10 years, working as asheriff deputy for seven years and and
just being around people and talkingto people and even those with animals
today who have animals it doesn'tmean that they come from a good home.
That animal is staying in a good home.
Because many people have this idea that.
(07:27):
If animals, oh, they have a home.
What kind of home is that?
What kind of home arethey being raised into?
Because how many times have I seen andgone out to a home that the dog is chained
up in the backyard a lot of times don'teven have shelter, no food, no water.
And if they do have water, it'sdirty and it may, and who knows
(07:49):
when the last time they ate.
It's just so unbelievable to me.
People can truly ignorewhat God has gave us.
God said, and I don't quote theBible, but I do have some idea of
the things because I do refer tothe Bible a lot in terms of animals,
(08:10):
but you know what God made was good.
It was in Genesis, Godmade everything good.
He made animals, but , peopledon't look at animals as something
that, that we should respect.
We have any kind of love for, it'slike there it goes, back to the saying,
it's just an animal, it's property.
(08:31):
And what really and truly concerns me,and I know I get off on tangents about
this, but one of the things that Ifind is that my three core things that
I do as an animal advocate, and I'llget off on that, is that number one
is I'm always going after government.
Local government.
I'm going after law enforcement,I'm going after churches, and
(08:56):
let's take government first.
Local government, for the most partnot all of them, but for the ones
that I've seen in my opinion, is thatthere's a lot of parishes, particularly
in south I don't wanna say SouthLouisiana, but that's not what I mean.
South United States, in thesouthern part of the United States.
(09:17):
It's a lot different how animals gettreated than the animals get treated
up in the northern part of the country.
And I'm not north south, I'm notgetting into that, but it's just
what I've seen as a military person.
I've stationed all over the world,but in the north I find that animals
got a little bit better treatment.
(09:38):
They had, the laws were more enforced.
And that doesn't refer to every state, buta lot of the states that I happen to be
stationed, that I saw some good things.
I come south and just for example,in the deep South where I live at, an
animal for the most part is a yard dog.
They're just yard dogs.
(09:59):
Or it could be a cat or anything.
They're just thrown out into the yard.
There's no care, there's no vet care,there's no interacting with the animal.
They're just there.
And that, I find that justso difficult to believe.
And what happens is our own localgovernment, and I don't mean where
(10:19):
I live at or anything like that,this could refer to many parishes or
counties who suffer the same thing.
They don't have animal ordinances,.
They're just no animal ordinances.
And if they do have animal ordinances, youget into this with the law enforcement.
And as a law enforcement officer,I can tell you firsthand that
(10:40):
it has not changed very much.
It's not that they can't doit, it's that animals are not a
priority , for law enforcement,it's just not because they are.
And the first things I hear aboutis we don't have the resources.
We don't have the manpower.
Those are the things I hearall the time, and I'll get off
on this tangent a little bit.
(11:01):
As far as law enforcement is concernedand being a former deputy sheriff,
there are ways and there are people whoare willing to volunteer to do things.
We have a lot of throughout thecountry we have a lot of reserve
deputies that work, a lot of reserveofficers that want to do the job.
They don't get paid.
They're volunteers.
(11:22):
They're volunteer reserveofficers in the law enforcement.
You can take a volunteer deputy reservedeputy and put him into a program that
gives him some training in animal abuse.
You can take an administrativedeputy where people say what
is an administrative deputy's?
(11:42):
The deputy who.
Is not a trained officer.
In other words, they don't go to thelaw enforcement training academy.
They can be hired as a deputyand they call 'em admin deputies.
They have no rights of arrest, butthey do represent the sheriff's office.
They can, if the sheriff allows.
(12:04):
They can write tickets, they can writecitations for people who don't do
what's right when it comes to animals.
So if you take, say three, three to fiveadmin deputies, train them properly, and
animal care and animal abuse, they cando a great job for a parish or a county.
(12:29):
They can do a really good job.
And the thing about it is,what does it cost the sheriff?
Actually it cost the sheriff alot of times, and I'm thinking in
this, in the, in this parish andother parishes that these people
can get, they give 'em insurance.
It's a like a $10,000 life insurance forthem, but they don't pay 'em anything.
(12:50):
My suggestion is you divide one vehicle.
If you say you don't have alot of resources, one vehicle.
You always have one personon duty for if someone has an
animal issue, they can call.
If you have like one person's representingyour animal services well that one
(13:11):
person's not gonna be around all the time.
And so you call and say our animalservices to person is not available.
I've got this dog out here that'sbeen thrown out in the roadway.
And you mean you'vegot nobody to come out?
The answer is no.
For the most part, they do not.
And that's unfortunate.
And it happens all throughout the country.
(13:33):
It's just not locally, say where I live,but it happens all throughout the country.
But it's an easy fix.
It's just not a priority formost leaders in law enforcement.
And I don't know if it ever will be.
And that's an unfortunate thing.
That's my thing with law enforcement.
They could do a much better job at nocost to them, very little cost to them
(13:58):
and really and truly help animals.
My third point is churches.
I have a real thing about churchesand people have gotten really upset
with me because I don't attend church.
Like I used to.
I was a big church goer.
I grew up in the church.
I.
Grew up in the Baptist religion andin even way back then, I never ever
(14:23):
heard any preacher that I can remember,ever say a prayer for one animal.
Not the blessing, not anything.
Pray for animals, do.
That has not changed in all theyears that I have gone to church.
And believe me I've attended manydifferent types of churches all over the
(14:43):
country, and I have yet to hear a pastorget up in front of his congregation
and say, let's pray for the animals.
I've never heard it to this day, andthat bothers me a whole lot because
even our pastors that who represent.
I'm trying to think ofwhat I wanna say here.
Anyway, they're the leaders inour religious society, supposedly.
(15:06):
We look up to them.
for different things.
They're not there.
They're just not there.
They don't say anything.
My, my suggestion is, 'causeI wrote another book, but
I won't get into that book.
But anyway, my suggestion to churches isthat you go to church you sit in a pew.
You give an offering, yousing a few songs, listen to
(15:28):
the preacher, you go home.
But you know what, everything isinside those four walls of that church.
But as soon as you walk outtathose four walls, what do you see?
I'll tell you what abused animals.
Animals thrown away, right?
Could be right outside the church door.
And what does people do?
Walk on by Not my problem.
(15:50):
It's not my problem.
You know what?
And that really bothers me, thatyou can go to church and maybe call
yourself a Christian, but yet you donothing outside of those four walls.
My suggestion was that peopletake at least one Sunday,
let's say every six weeks.
Become a part of the community that,when I say that is take two miles,
(16:13):
it's just two miles around your church.
And you find out, and I don't meanjust animals, people too, you find
out do those people around yourchurch have do they need anything?
Are they have, do they have any issuesthat we as a church can help them with?
Take one Sunday instead of inside the fourwalls, you go out outside the four walls
(16:37):
and you help people in your community.
You wouldn't believe what a differenceit would make in a community if people
would just do that, but they don't.
It's like a ritual.
You go to church every Sunday, yougo inside the four walls, you do
your cultural thing, and then youleave and nothing else happens.
And I've gone to churches with meetingpeople who, and I've seen firsthand
(17:01):
how people just ignore animals.
It doesn't matter.
And people too.
My thing, of course, my passion isanimals and I get on these long rants.
But anyway, go ahead Dixie.
You want to ask me something?
I'm sorry..
I'll, I just talk forever sometimes
Dixie (17:15):
That's quite all right.
I did wanna touch on that too,what you said about churches.
'cause actually there's some situationsthat I have recently seen on social media.
Mark (17:23):
Okay.
Dixie (17:23):
And one was, there was this cat that showed up at this church
and the priest just wants it gone.
And the priest isn't willing to work witha trapper to have a trapper come just.
Humanely remove the cat, orbetter yet just TNR, the trap
neuter and release the cat.
Instead, the priest is actuallythreatening to take it upon
(17:47):
himself to trap the cat and justgo dump the cat somewhere else.
Mark (17:52):
I can give you a lot of stories exactly like that.
Just within the six years I've been here,I've had three rescue incidents here
that, persons from the church, they werecalled saying, we got animals over here.
Somebody needs to come get 'em.
We don't want 'em here.
One of 'em was a preacher.
(18:12):
We don't want that animal here.
I don't even know what to sayor how to answer that here.
You are a leader of your church.
You know a man of God.
Animals are mentioned in the Biblefrom Genesis to Revelations all
throughout the Bible, God basicallysays throughout the Bible that he
(18:33):
gave us animals that whatever hiscreatures he gave us are good.
Everything he gave us was good.
He gave it to us for a reason.
But we as humanity, we abuse that.
We absolutely abuse it.
And for me, and I don't havea good answer for you, Dixie.
I don't understand that mindset thatreligious leaders, particularly religious
(18:56):
leaders you, go in church every Sundayand give you a verse after verse and tell
you all about this verse and the love ofGod and the love of this, and the love of,
but yet you never hear it about animals.
Dixie (19:10):
It's true.
It's funny because I have some familythat is highly religious go to church
every Sunday, and they had some catsshow up by them and one of 'em was
actually threatening harm to, and it'slike, I just don't understand that I
have respect for all creatures Now.
I don't consider myself religious.
(19:32):
I'm spiritual, but not religious.
I don't really follow an organizedreligion, but at the same time, I
could never do that to an animal,instead of finding somebody to help.
And there are plenty of peoplewho are willing to help animals.
What role does your faithplay in your advocacy?
Mark (19:52):
I'm like you, I'm the same thing.
I am not a religious person.
I really stop going in inside churches'cause the churches need to change
the way they are today because I thinkreligion today has become a ritual
and that's pretty much what it is.
My faith is more spiritual and Iwish I knew the psychology of man,
(20:15):
and how sometimes we think, butI don't, and I say that because
I grew up with a giving heart.
I grew up with compassion.
It's not something I had to learn.
I never had to learn compassion.
I just did not, and I don't evenknow if it's a learned thing or not.
(20:36):
Mine just comes with me.
I was like that as a child.
I've been like that as a youngadult and as an older male.
Now, I have never changed.
I look at things and I just, it meltsmy heart if I see something that just.
Particularly animals.
They're so innocent.
But yet people just don't care.
So I gotta wonder, what makesthem, how are they different?
(21:00):
Why are they different than me?
Don't they see the same thing I see?
Don't they see that animal as suffering?
Do, they just don't care?
What kind of heart, what kindof soul do they actually have?
And the good thing is that.
At least I do know peoplethat feel the same way I do.
I've talked to 'em, I've been around them.
(21:20):
We share the same compassion, thesame love for animals and, but there's
many more that do not even ask you.
Again, I hate to use that termagain, but it's just an animal.
People don't get it.
I just don't think they get it.
It's not just an animal.
It's God's creation.
We're all God's creations.
(21:41):
That's why I say I'm not religious,but I'm extremely spiritual.
Dixie (21:46):
I see what you're talking about too.
It's a lack of compassion.
And also I find it even with a lotof people who want a pet when I have
animals that are up for adoption, Iam very picky with who they go to.
And the reason that I am is because I'mgonna put all of my time and love and
effort and dedication into those animals.
(22:06):
To make sure that they'rewell taken care of.
And I don't wanna turn aroundand adopt 'em to somebody
who isn't gonna do the same.
I don't wanna adopt them tosomebody who just wants a pet.
I wanted to adopt them to somebodywho wants a family member.
Mark (22:20):
I totally agree.
Let me ask you a question.
'cause we talking about compassion becausecan you remember a time that you weren't.
Like you are today to say,did you come up like, I did?
Did you come up with love and compassionand it was just part of who you are?
Dixie (22:34):
Yes.
Yes.
I've always been that way around animalsfrom the, youngest I can remember, I
have always been involved with animals.
And I've grown up with the importanceof spay and neuter, which is weird
too, because I have heard otherpeople, other lists, other guests.
Who are from the North say thatthere is a huge culture shock in the
(22:55):
South when they come to the South andthey experience animal rescue here.
And it's weird 'causethis is what I'm used to.
This is what I've grown up with'cause I've always been in the south.
But again, I've always beena spay neuter advocate from
the time that I can remember.
Growing up in the eighties, if I hada pet, they were spayed or neutered.
So I always bring that up, whatdo you think the difference is?
(23:19):
'cause they say that in the north peoplejust treat the animals totally different.
They treat 'em more aslike a family member.
And here we just don't do that.
A lot of people, like yousaid, they just don't care.
Mark (23:32):
I don't know if it's the mentality or not.
I actually was born inBaton Rouge, Louisiana.
For the most part, I left Louisianawhen I was about 25 years old, 26 years
old, and I never came back south again.
I've been back now about six years, andso a better part of my life I've spent in
(23:56):
the military traveling and when I was inthe north their local government there.
, They had ordinances and people wererequired to have their animals license.
They were required to have spayand neuter, and you actually
had to address those issues.
Coming south here and being a rescuehere in south Louisiana it's atrocious
(24:21):
what I've seen here in how peopletreat animals and the reality is
that, a lot of people just don't care.
And this a Louisiana's, I'm not ahunter, so I'm not saying anything about
hunters or what have you, but it's adifferent world than what I'm used to.
And it has taken me a while and I stillhave not gotten used to how people
(24:43):
can just go out and kill animals.
They think nothing about it.
Abuse animals here, throwanimals on the roadside.
I just rescued threepuppies not too long ago.
We have a busy highway here calledLA 38 in Mount Herman, Louisiana.
I was just coming home doing, just on myway home from the store, there's three
(25:04):
little puppies on the side of the road.
I almost ran over.
One of them stopped.
I'm one of those personswho are not going to leave
an animal and particularlypuppies on the side of a road.
I'm gonna tell you their lifethere is going is gonna be death
and they're gonna get run over.
(25:25):
And the other thing is, and peoplesay somebody ask me, say, why are you
always seeing puppies on the road?
Let me tell you the biggestreason why people don't know this.
You know why you find dogs andstuff on the side of the road?
You see 'em a lot.
I'll tell you why.
Because when the owner dropped themoff, those dogs, those same dogs,
think that owner's coming back.
(25:45):
So they stay there.
They will stay there weeks at a timeunless something happens to 'em.
And that's why you find many dogsout on the roadway because if they're
dropped, discarded, dumped, whateverwords you want to use, that's where
they stay because they, in theirmind that person who dropped them
(26:07):
off is coming back to get them.
If dogs don't go strayingoff in the way back up in the
woods, they're on the roadway.
And when you see all these animalsthat have been killed and people
call road kill, it's a horribleterm as far as I'm concerned.
But animals killed on theroad, particularly lot of dogs.
And he cats as well.
You just can't get away from it, isthat the fact is they don't leave
(26:31):
the roadway and they stay there.
And that's why they wind upbeing killed on the highway.
Dixie (26:37):
Yeah, it's a sad situation.
We just got a kitten that wasactually dumped in a swamp, and you
could tell when we got the kittenhome that the kitten had been eaten
mud, swamp mud, trying to survive.
Very emaciated thin.
So we got the kitten in, got 'emdewormed, got rid of the fleas on 'em.
(26:57):
It's finally starting to gain some weight.
Very sweet kitten.
So this was not a feral kittenthat grew up in the swamp.
Somebody had to go dump the kitten there.
Mark (27:06):
Yeah, they went and dumped
them.
Oh, absolutely.
They dump, like I said it may even bemore, but since I started counting the
animals I rescued it's been 2000 plus.
I just dumped on the side ofthe road about three months
ago, maybe four months ago.
And I've said this story many times.
I do a lot of YouTube stuff.
(27:27):
I have two YouTube channels and one of'em is called Heart to Heart with Dr.
Mark.
But on that YouTube channel I'm alwayscurious, I'm very curious person in terms
of when I was coming home there were manybuzzards flying and it looked like from
where I was, it was flying over my house.
I always worried 'cause I got a biganimal rescue here and something happened.
(27:50):
It wasn't my house, so I followedwhere those buzzards were.
Make a long story short is thosebuzzards were hanging right over
and they were already on the ground.
There were six puppies, about sixto eight weeks old that somebody had
discarded on one of the country roads.
(28:10):
And it was sickening.
It was absolutely sickening.
I could not let that go,and I'm glad to this day.
Fortunately for me, they all got homes.
I got 'em homes.
But to this day, how does somebodygo out and dump six little puppies?
On the side of a country road,there's no houses, there's no nothing.
(28:31):
And those buzzards were about 10feet away waiting for 'em to die.
So fortunately I followed my instinctsand went and I picked up all six puppies.
But the point is i'll never know.
I hear this question asked allthe time, how can people do this?
How can they I don't know how.
I don't have the answer.
I just don't.
, Dixie (28:53):
Another trend too that I tend to see is a lot of people who may see a
situation where an animal does need help,but rather than step up and help or do
something to actually physically help,they'll just go post it on social media.
Like, oh, hey, this animalneeds help over there.
And so it's like, how do youeven get people like that
(29:15):
even more involved to help?
'cause they're in thesituation where they can help,
Mark (29:19):
that's another whole issue with me.
I've done so many books and sometimesI go into one book and another.
But one of the books I wrotetoo was Silent Stewards.
There's the other one.
Let me turn around here for a minute.
'cause I got so many the otherone's called Bystander Nation.
If your audience ever gets anopportunity, just go to Amazon, Dr.
(29:40):
Mark Mc Morris, Jr.
No, I'm not here to sell my books, but ifyou're interested in getting 'em, because
if you are interested in being an animaladvocate and really want to learn about.
You know what it's liketo be an animal advocate.
I have several great books that you canget that will give you that information.
All of that information.
(30:00):
It truly will educate you if you'reinterested in helping animals.
But the question and Igot off on a tangent.
Refresh my memory here
Dixie (30:09):
so was talking about the people who, will go post looking for
help, but without actually helping.
Yes.
Now, the only positive thing thatI can say about that is there are a
lot of individuals who will go help.
It's frustrating sometimes that they'rein that situation where the animal needs
the help immediately, and they wouldjust rather post it than just help.
(30:32):
Fortunately, sometimes it does getthe animals the help that they need.
Mark (30:36):
Let me address that though.
Sure.
Let me tell you how people canhelp, and they really should start
doing this because I'm on a caseright now that I'm working that.
And it had to do with these puppiesthat were abandoned on this highway.
Let me tell you what you can do.
If anybody's listening you, let'ssay maybe I can't, keep the dog
(30:57):
or the cat or what have you.
But here's what you can do and you shoulddo is call your local law enforcement.
By law is, particularly in Louisianaand many states, at least 30 states.
There are dumping animals is a felony.
It's a crime.
(31:18):
So what you can do is you stay there.
Make sure that animal that's beendumped, that you stay there and make
sure you can see what you can doto help protect or what have you.
Call your local law enforcement andtell them where you are, who you are.
And get all that information.
(31:39):
Take pictures, take videos, documenteverything that you see and please,
I hope if those who are listening tothis, please do this because this is a
big thing that I'm working on right nowwith my videos is document everything.
Stop document.
Try to help as best youcan, call law enforcement.
(32:03):
Get a case number whenyou call the dispatch.
Wherever law enforcement at, whereveryou live at, you'll get dispatch.
You ask dispatch for a case number.
That is extremely importantbecause that case number actually
presents that these law enforcementofficers have to make a report.
(32:27):
That's the way you follow up on whetheror not that law enforcement agency, what
they did, if they did anything, if theydidn't do anything, you got a case number.
And you can with that case number,follow up with that complaint.
Now, I know this takes a lot of work,but truly this is important because
(32:51):
this will begin to start changinghow law enforcement starts to act.
But we have to do something first.
So you run across an abandoned animal.
You get video, you get pictures, youcall law enforcement, you have 'em come
out, you get a case number from dispatchagain, I repeat, that's important.
(33:13):
Now, law enforcement might not show up.
They say we don't have anybody to comeor what have you know what you pull that
case number, find out what happened.
Nothing happened.
Then you go to the chieflaw enforcement officer.
That may be the sheriff,that may be his chief deputy.
But you go and make the complaintand you do it in writing.
(33:34):
You do it in writing because Iwill tell you just to talk or
communicate without writing.
Things just go by thewayside when it's in writing.
You have a paper trail starta paper trail if you really,
truly want to help that animal.
You start a paper trail andthat's the first thing you do.
(33:55):
Like I've sent out a coupleof certified letters.
Now I've got certifiedletters out about things.
Let's say the chief law enforcementdoesn't do anything about it.
Your second step is thedistrict attorney's office.
That is your second stepthat you write a letter.
Again, paper trail.
Paper trail.
Alright.
The district attorney.
And then they may do something.
(34:15):
You may have an action.
At least do something.
Let's say they just ignore you.
Nobody does anything.
Your next step is your state police,your crime department, you call them.
There's always some way.
The point is, there's always someonethat you can go above to get something
done about animals that are being dumped.
(34:37):
Again, I repeat that is a crime andlaw enforcement should investigate it.
I get carried away.
You notice that?
Dixie (34:45):
That's quite all right.
It's good to be passionate about animals.
Do you have that in Soul of the Silentfor listeners who care, but feel
powerless what they can actually do?
Does the book go over that as well?
Mark (34:58):
Yes, I do.
I have a lot of books.
Soul of the Silence kind of isabout who we are as a person.
You read this book and it's gonnatell you really seriously about how
you are, your feelings and otherpeople's feelings and what you look
(35:19):
for and what you look for in yourself.
It's like looking into a mirror.
If you would read this book, it'slike looking in a mirror at yourself.
That's exactly what it's like it'sgoing to tell you exactly what kind
of person that you may or may not be.
It's a kind of a deepinsight about who you are
Dixie (35:37):
and what do you hope people will take away after reading Soul as a silent,
Mark (35:46):
One thing that I hope they take away from it is that they develop, and I don't
know if that's a good word or not, butthey look at animals in a different light.
Instead of looking at them as propertyor looking at them as a non sentient
being, they're gonna see animalsthat are in a different perspective.
(36:08):
That's what I was hoping to get outof this book, is that when people read
it, they'll actually see what animalsand truly how animals feel and how
you feel as a person and what may bethings that you can do to change the
way your compassion and your heart is.
So I love that book.
It's one of my better books becauseit's a book that was taken from
(36:32):
a lot of years on this earth anddealing with people and animals.
So it's a heart wrenchingbook that I had put together.
Unlike my other books, some of theother books are factual in nature.
This is a heartfelt looking.
Yourself and animals.
Dixie (36:51):
And then I think one thing too about the book is even if you are a
compassionate person, and even if youare an animal lover like us and don't
look at animals as property I refer tothe animals in my house almost as people.
Mark (37:07):
I got one on my lap, I should have called him Velcro.
Dixie (37:11):
But one thing that I would like to say is whether or not you are already
an animal lover, compassionate likeus, this is still a really good read.
It's a good reference for you to useto tell other people that, maybe will
help change people's perspectiveson how they look at animals.
Mark (37:29):
I hope I, I really do because if they'll take the book seriously,
if they'll buy the book and take itseriously and really read through it,
then I'm hoping that something willcause a change in you because we need
so many more people to help animals.
'cause right now, from the earlyyears of my life till now, animals
(37:50):
have come up on the shortt stick.
Short end of everything.
They're still abused verybadly, particularly now.
I think you brought this point up.
This is a really bad time.
People are trying to rehomeanimals or try to adopt animals.
Our local government, and I go back tomy number one issue, our local government
should have laws that tell, you know what,when you get an animal, that animal should
(38:14):
be licensed, it should be health checked,and it should be spay or neutered.
Unless you have a particular license.
If you are a breeder, , and you have abonafide breeding farm, that's different.
But if you are a person who islooking for a pet, or you know
what spay neuter should be done,licensing of an animal should be done.
(38:35):
Health certificate shouldbe done to let you know.
And not only does that protect you andyour family, but it protects others.
It protects the animals.
And then we wouldn't have theproblem of euthanasia because that's
another big issue that I'm writingabout right now is euthanasia.
Millions of animals are being euthanizedhealthy animals, because our local
(38:57):
government, for the most part, and I don'tmean where I live at, just in general,
local government will not do their job.
Law enforcement will not do their job.
And that again, I referenced that with.
There are good law enforcement agencies,there are good local governments
that take animal life serious.
But again, I have to look at thegeneralization of what I see.
(39:20):
And in my opinion, there aremany people that needs to change.
Dixie (39:24):
Thank you for sitting down with me today to talk about your book.
Mark (39:28):
I was happy to do it.
Dixie (39:29):
And before we end this episode, is there anything else
that you would like to add?
Mark (39:34):
I would appreciate if you're a person that is looking
to help animals and truly helpanimals I got some great books.
I put a lot of in into those books,and one of 'em is animal advocacy,
how to be an animal advocate.
I've got how to investigate animal abuse.
There's a number ofbooks that you can get.
That I put my heart and soul into thesebooks, and I think you'll find that.
(39:57):
And so if you're interested in workingwith animals, then I suggest that
you would go to Amazon under Dr.
Mark mc Morris, Jr.
Not that I'm plugging my book, but I am.
And so anyway, that's theonly thing I had to say.
Dixie (40:12):
All right.
Thank you for letting me come outand tour Mark's Animal Rescue.
I had a really good timespeaking with you today.
Mark (40:18):
Thank you.
I'm glad y'all came
appreciate it.
Dixie (40:20):
Alright, thanks.
That's all the time that wehave for today's episode.
Thank you for listening andwe hope you join us next week.
If you know somebody that loves animalsas much as I do, please send 'em our way.
We would love to talk to 'em.
If you are enjoying our show, pleaseconsider leaving us a donation.
A hundred percent goes to our animals.
(40:44):
Paws in
the night Claws in thefight Whiskers twitch and
tails
take flight
They’re calling in Stories to spinFrom the wild to the heart within
(41:11):
Broken wings and hopeful springsWe’re the voices for these things
animal posse hear the call.
We stand together.
Big and small Rescue tales We’vegot it all Animal posse Saving
(41:39):
them
all
The vet’s got tips The rescuer’sgrit The foster homes where love
won’t quit From a pup in the rain toa bird in pain , Every soul’s worth
(42:07):
the
strain
Animal posse
Hear the call
We stand together Big
(42:32):
and small Rescue tales We’ve gotit all Animal posse Saving them all
Every caller tells a tale, everyhowl a whispered wail, we rise up.
We never
(42:52):
fail.
This
is
the
bond
The holy grail
(43:13):
Animal posse Hear the call We standtogether Big and small Rescue tales We’ve
got it all Animal posse Saving them all
(43:37):
Every caller tells a tale Every howla whispered wail We rise up We never
fail This is the bond The holy grail.
Song by Suno.ai
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