November 20, 2025 • 36 mins
This is one of the most important shows you’ll ever listen to. Whitney Knowlton Lowery is the founder of Last Chance Animal Rescue and St. Francis Farm, and she is truly doing God’s work saving and giving a beautiful life to countless animals that were discarded or about to be euthanized.
EPISODE NOTES: A One-of-a-Kind Sanctuary for Animals Society Has Given Up On
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EPISODE NOTES: A One-of-a-Kind Sanctuary for Animals Society Has Given Up On
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/rappaport-to-the-rescue-on-pet-life-radio-petliferadio-com--6667849/support.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Pet Life Radio. Let's talk Pets.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Rapaport to the Rescue with award winning animal advocate, best
selling author, journalist and pet products creator Jill Rappaport.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Hi am Jill Rappafort and welcome to Rapaport to the Rescue.
My guest today is truly an angel and a lifesaver
in every sense of the word.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
She saved a dog for me, literally on the brink
of death, an animal that was going to be euthanized
in the next twenty four hours. And I was frantically
reaching out to every person I know in animal welfare,
begging and pleading. But it was a tough ask. This
is a middle aged dog, a large dog about ninety pounds,
(00:53):
who had a bite history. I had worked with this
dog for over the last two years and he never
showed me any aggression. He only showed me love. That
then it was deemed he should be euthanized and I
just couldn't allow that. I couldn't believe that that could happen,
and I was going to do anything in my power
to change that narrative for this dog. Well fast forward,
(01:17):
I reached out to my old pal Whitney Knowlton Lowry,
who I've known for decades, who is the founder and
creator of Last Chance Animal Rescue and Saint Francis Farm
Animal Sanctuary. And I told her the scenario. I told
her all about his history, and she said, we will
take him. We will pick him up and we will
(01:38):
take him. And I can't even put into words what
this means to me, knowing that this dog has a
second chance for a new life at her sanctuary. And
so far, so good. He's doing great. And when we
come back, we're going to check in with this amazing
woman who has countless animals that society gave up on,
(02:00):
but not Whitney Nolton Lowry.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Stay tuned.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
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Speaker 5 (02:44):
Let's talk pets on Petlife Radio dot Com.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Welcome back to Rappaports to the Rescue.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I'm Joe Rappafort.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
You heard in my intro I refer to this woman
as an angel, and I don't say that lightly. Whitney
Knowlton Lowry literally saved a life in the nick of time.
This was a dog that had less than the day
to live. I reached out to every person I know.
I called everybody I've ever worked with an animal rescue
and I said, look, I've got this dog. Yes, he's
(03:19):
middle aged, okay, he's big, over ninety pounds okay, and
he has a bite history. Dead air pause. Everybody said
to me, we just can't do that. It's too much
of a liability. And I understood that because most rescues shelters.
How would you take a dog like that and put
him into someone else's home. But I was hoping they
(03:40):
could say, we have a facility that we could keep him,
we have a sanctuary. I was just not getting anywhere
with anybody. And then thanks to our mutual dear friend
of ours from Pilots and Paws, the wonderful Debbie Boys,
she said, why don't you reach out to Whitney and
the light bulb moment went off and I read out.
I sent her all my information on this dog. Whitney,
(04:04):
you were a little concerned, but you came through, and
because of what you did, Austin is living his best life.
And I cannot even thank you enough. Ah well, how
do you say?
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Note in jail number one? You know she's a little
bit on the persuasive side. I'll never understand the killing
of dogs just because of a bite history. I mean,
dogs have big teeth and their animals, which somehow we're
losing the idea that these are animals. I'm not a
(04:36):
big proponent of habor then, Asia, I think it's the
easy way out. Whitney.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
You came through from me when I had no options.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Oh well, it's what I do, right. I mean, I
don't think of myself as an angel. I think of
myself as a pretty practical person and I just don't
believe in killing dogs, And quite frankly, I think most
people don't, but they'll do it because it's easier. But
for me, it's not an option. It goes against just
everything I believe. I believe dogs are so much more
(05:05):
like us, better than us in most ways. But like
with Austin or I can think of a handful of
other dogs that have what i'll call owners attached to them.
They're always asking me, well, how are you going to
fix them? They're going to fix them. They are who
they are. These animals have huge personalities, and sometimes those
huge personalities are not very attractive. But that doesn't mean
(05:27):
that they shouldn't be entitled to their life. Amen. So
you know, I feel like we need to spend more
time just getting to know them and figuring out what
their boundaries are and how to manage them best. None
of these animals are like unmanageable. If they're unmanageable, that's
a whole different story. But most of them are very
(05:48):
very manageable. You just have to know where their boundaries are.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
And you know, it's so interesting that you said this, Whitney,
because I was reaching out to shelters and the minute
they heard bite history. Mind you, this is a dog
that I've been doing videos with for two years. But
once they heard that, there was no way they could
take the dog. And I understand that I get the legalities.
I totally agreed with them that I get that you
(06:13):
can't put them up for adoption and you can't therefore
take them into your shelter. The problem is where are
our options? Because of your amazing organization, which is called
Saint Francis Farm Animal Sanctuary, you have created a safe
haven for these animals that society has given up on.
(06:35):
But you're one of the few.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
Yes, very few. I'm rebably not sure how many there are,
but I would say there's less than a dozen, less
than ten in this country. I don't understand it. I mean,
I get people, and I would have said the same
thing to you when I first got into rescue, like
who wants a dog that bites? Why would anybody keep
around a dog that bites? But I think that the
more dogs I've gotten to know, and the more I've
(06:58):
gotten to know about dogs, I realized that most of
these dogs aren't bad dogs. They just have very peculiar needs,
and most of them probably could be placed in a home,
except for we don't have enough homes with smart people right.
Most people just they can't quite figure out how to
manage a dog like this. You know, if a dog
(07:19):
doesn't like strangers, well, then you don't take it out
into public. If a dog doesn't like other dogs, then
you don't take it to dog parks. It's just management.
There's nothing more than that. It's not modification. This isn't
changing their behavior, changing the way these dogs think or
react or behave. It's literally just managing them. You know.
(07:40):
Saint Francis Farm, we have a nice setup. We're kind
of out in the middle of nowhere. We don't have
children running around. It's a nice environment where dogs can
be dogs, and I think that's important. Like I said earlier,
you know, I think we have just really forgotten that
these are animals.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
And it's more than just a nice, safe environment. You
have a beautiful facility there with rolling acres. And I
got to meet the transport team. I was blown away
by them. The dog that I was giving to you
had the whole van to himself, the air conditioning on.
They also brought him a fan. He who had two
of the kindest drivers. One was a vettech and the
(08:21):
driver that truly cared. Do you know they sent me
three videos during the course of his trip from New
York to South Carolina to update me, to show me
that this dog was doing okay. It's incredible the devotion
and the commitment your staff has and what you've created there, Whitney.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Oh thanks Jo, I appreciate that recognition. It's certainly been
a long haul. The rescue has been in operation since
I think two thousand and eight or nine, and the
sanctuary we bought in twenty thirteen, so twelve years. It's
been a long twelve years. You know, we're not a
rich organization. We don't have, you know, a wealthy philanthropist
behind it. It's me and I'm just a girl who
(09:02):
likes dogs an understatement, I don't mean really so it's rough.
It's hard to wear so many different hats all the time,
you know, trying to figure out how to pay for everything,
trying to figure out what to do about this particular
situation with this particular dog. And I mean there's just
so many different moving parts and always trying to figure
out how to make everything optimal. It can really be exhausting.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
And so expensive. I want our listeners to understand. You
said that there's probably less than ten of these sanctuaries,
and I know for a fact some of them aren't
nearly as nice as yours. You know, people really need
to understand it's not a canyon ranch SPA. You know,
a lot of these sanctuaries. You're happy that animals are living,
(09:46):
but they're not optimum always right Whitney. And so it's
really a frustrating situation when you have an animal that
might not be right for somebody's pet or to be
in a home. But you want them to live, but
we also want them to have a quality of life,
which is what you're giving them. How many animals do
you have at you're sanctuary now?
Speaker 4 (10:07):
On average, we hose about one hundred and fifty dogs,
which is probably where we sit about right now, and
then we have about seventy five cats. The dogs, they
require a lot. We obviously staff the farm twenty four
to seven. So it's you know, it's not a proposition
that you can just you can't shelve them, right. You
can't say, oh, well it's Thanksgiving, we're going to just
(10:29):
shelf everything for the day. I mean, the show goes on,
as they say, right, you have to keep things going
day in and day out, and it's expensive. I think
staffing is for sure our biggest expense. But we we
rely on staff. We can't rely on volunteers who may
or may not show up. You know, the dogs require
(10:49):
what they require, and it has to get done. So
I think staffing would be our greatest expense. Food and
medical care will probably be our second greatest expence. But
you know, when you talk about quality, there's so many
different levels to quality, and I think one thing we
I try not to do is really, you know, that
(11:10):
big old word anthropomorphosize the situation with dogs, because dogs
aren't people. So if they don't care what color the
walls are painted, they don't care if you give them
a plaid bed or a purple bed. You know, they're dogs.
They want to be outdoors, they want to run, they
want fresh air, they want food, and they want consistency.
(11:31):
And that's what we try to provide them with a clean,
safe environment where they can be dogs. We don't put
a lot of pressure on them to be a member
of a household.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah, you are very honest with me.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
Quality is subjective. I guess it is not fancy by
any stretch of the imagination. I've seen fancier places. But
I think it's clean, and I think the dogs get
what they need, and I think they're happy. Genuinely think
they're happy.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
All that you can ask for.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Yeah, it's expensive, you know, we're in one of the
cheapest areas in the country, which has always worked to
our benefit.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
And what town is, Whitney.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
We're in an area, Jill, We're in an area called Carlisle.
People always ask what city or town is and I'm like,
there is no city, there is no town. There's no
stop light, there's not even a blinking light. We're in
an area, but we're just inside the Sumter National Park.
So it's really really beautiful. It's a very very rural.
(12:30):
You know, Staffing has been difficult because of the area
that we're in, but I have a great staff right now,
which are very very grateful for. Yeah, it's awesome. I
love it.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
And in South Carolina, the good news especially for my
Doggie that I sent there, not my personal dog, but
the dog that needed to get a home because a
permanent life home. He's got great weather most of the year.
You know, you have nice winters in South Carolina.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Yeah, it is true. We have a very temperate climate.
We're in an upstate of South Carolina and it's absolutely beautiful.
I love it. I love it here. Well.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
You know, I know you're very modest and understated about
what you do, and I never realized how important the
work you do until I was in a desperate search
to save Austin and you said to me something that
really resonated, and I'll never forget you said, you don't
know what switch he has or has had in the
(13:30):
past to go off to make him do what he
did in the past. So knowing that, you said to me,
he's probably not going to be a candidate to put
in someone's home, but he will have the best home
here with me if we deem that. And I have
to say to our listeners, you sent me a video
(13:50):
and I could not believe how great Austin looked. He
lost weight, you told me, And I hope this is
still the case. Whitney, he's off all his men and
up to now and it's been four months. Can you
still tell me that he has not had a bite incident?
Speaker 4 (14:08):
No, you guys not had a bite incident, and I
don't suspect he will. He really is doing great. You know,
we're in such a low pressure environment for him. Austin
is a hound mix and I would venture to guests
before he somehow got to Southampton, he was just some
dude's dog who probably hung out in the garage or
(14:28):
the shop or around the yard, maybe in the back
of his hunting truck or you know, really, if you
think about that, it's very low pressure, right, just being
a dude. And then you take him and you try
to force him into a house maybe with kids, and
there's food everywhere, and he doesn't really know what to
do with himself. And I think now being back in
(14:50):
this environment where he can just be a dog and
hang out, he's relaxed. He was extremely overweight when he
got to us. He has lost sight. Wait, not enough,
and you know, keep going back to money. I wish
we had more money. I'd love to have more handlers.
I'd love to have more people who could come in
and do more things with these dogs. But you know,
(15:12):
we're lucky right now if we can afford the basics.
And that's a poopy place to be, honestly.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Oh pun intended, And I'll tell you Whitney. In the
six years I've been doing this podcast, it's very heavily
celebrity based and news breaking issue based. This was a
story and the first time I've ever featured a sanctuary
or even focused on just one organization. Because I believe
in you so much and I wanted our listeners to
(15:42):
understand the God's work you are doing. You and your staff.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Every dog is different. Every dog is its own dog
and has its own history. Not all of them have
bite histories. Some of them are just really high anxiety
and you know, tried the whole foster home thing and
down all the curtains in the window treatments or eight
holes in sheet rock, and you know, can't live inside
a house. There's so many different reasons. I mean I
(16:08):
could go dog by dog and explain each and every
one of them. But the important part is that we
created a solution where most rescues or shelters they don't
have the solution. The solution is euthanasia, and that's not
our solution. And while the sanctuary is a ton of
work and requires a ton of money, I think it's
(16:30):
also the thing that people who are involved with the
organization are the most proud of. It's just that thing
that separates us from the rest. I know, for me,
dealing with dogs that nobody else wants, nobody else will touch,
nobody else can handle. I mean, maybe it's just a
little boost to my ego, but it's my preference. I
(16:52):
don't want to deal with the puppies or the purebreads,
or I like the difficult ones. I like the challenge.
I like trying to under stand them and figure out
how we can all get along.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
That is so beautifully put Whitney. And you've done something
to try to get to a solution for the ones
that nobody wants, and you're doing it. You're taking them
in and you know they wouldn't be on this earth
if it wasn't for you and your organization.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
Do you know how many times I've talked to somebody
who has tried to describe a dog who has problems,
and I'm listening to them, and I'm thinking to myself, No,
it's no wonder or no wonder. This dog is so
racked up out of its mind, Like, listen to this
lady go on and on and then and then I say, well,
I'll take the dog. It's fine, let me take the dog.
And the dog is nothing as they've described. And you know,
(17:44):
so much of what I experienced with dogs is relational,
like it's my relationship with one dog is completely different
than someone else's relationship with the same dog. You know,
they see us and view us and judge us just
like we do each other. So my relationship with a
dog can be one way completely, and then somebody else
(18:08):
will say that dog is so out of control, and
I'm like, out of control. I've never seen it out
of control, But it's my energy the animals responding to.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
And that just shows you that these animals, you know,
in the right hands, they can thrive.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
Absolutely, And when you think.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Of all numbers of truly wonderful animals that don't get
a chance to live because they weren't put in the
right hands.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
They're literally judged by their worst moment in time even
and most of the time it's just one bite that's
the threshold. It's one bite, kill the dog. I can't
imagine living up to those expectations and being judged by
the worst thing you've ever done. I find it just
(18:53):
incredibly unfair. And I think people really really struggle with
the euthanasia part in these types of situations because really,
truly they know it's wrong. If it wasn't so wrong,
you wouldn't feel so bad about it.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Thanks to people like you and Whitney. Honestly, I know
you have second chance animal rescue with viable, wonderful dogs
of all ages and cats. But the fact that you
had the wherewithal to say, no, all these animals are
getting killed. I have to be able to help those
two and you opened up this one of a kind
(19:30):
sanctuary is just amazing.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
You know.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
The sanctuary was a byproduct of the adoption program, if
I'm being honest. You know, I lived in New York
and the Hampton's and had a tiny little house, in
a little postage stamp house. And when a dog got
to the end of the line and everybody said, I'm
not taking that dog, not for me, no way, not happening.
It growls when food is around, or whatever the problem is,
(19:56):
I'd have to be the one to take the dog
right the buck stops with me. And I ended up
with so many dogs that nobody would touch, and they
became my dogs, and I wouldn't ever think about killing them.
I just know how to manage their problems. And so
here I have all these dogs and I'm thinking, like,
this can't this isn't sustainable, right, These dogs aren't living
(20:19):
two years, They're living, you know, fifteen sixteen years. I've
got to figure something else out. And that's where the
sanctuary came in. And I had no money and had
to figure out, you know how I was going to
build something on the cheap and quick, and that's what
we did. I mean, we bought a fifty acre, two
(20:39):
hundred year old big farmhouse in the middle of the
Sumter National Park for one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars.
That was the initial investment. Who does that? Who can
do that?
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You just tell our listeners what people can do to
make a difference for you so you can continue your
mission of the heart to save all of these animals.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Oh well, we're you know, we're definitely in need of
funds right now. We're dry. We've fled ourself dry. And
where can people donate? You can go to our website.
It's LCA Rescue dot org. It's Last Chance Animal Rescue,
so it's LCA rescue dot org. We've got wish lists
(21:24):
on Amazon and I think even Walmart. From the beginning,
I've kind of been like a proponent of people doing
things on their own. So, you know, the Hampton's always said,
you guys are going to have a huge party at
your house this summer. Instead of it being for nothing,
why don't you make it for the rescue and invite
all your friends over for that big barbecue like you
do every July and have them bring a check for
(21:45):
fifty bucks. And that's how we started with fundraising. Now
we have, you know, one fundraiser, our golf tournament in July,
but all of our other funding really comes through social
media posts and our adoption fees. That really fuels the
costs of the sanctuary, and of course what it costs
(22:06):
is to take the dogs from unadoptable to adoptable for
the adoption program. But they can do their own canned
food drive. I mean, that's great, and we have a
van in New York a couple times a month that
picks up donations and brings it back down to us.
Blanket drive, towel drive. You're welcome. Anybody's always welcome to
(22:29):
come to the farm and see the animals. Meet the animals,
spend time with them. You'll see that they're great animals.
They just have made a mistake somewhere along the way.
We have adoption events in New York. The event calendars
on our website is also on our Facebook page. You
can get involved. You can be a volunteer, you can
help us screen applications for adopters. We do all kinds
(22:52):
of outreach and advocacy type events where you just sit
at a table and talk to people about the work
we do. And there's just a million different opportunities and
it requires a lot of people to get involved and
be excited and do something. The animals are counting on us.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Look at all these animals that are thriving now that
wouldn't be here.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
And it's only it's only about to get worse, you know,
it's really only about to get worse. The economy is
in such a bad place. People are going to lose
their benefits down here. You know, in South Carolina, people
rely on, you know, their benefits. And the first thing
that's going to start to go isn't going to be
their groceries. It's going to be the dog. You know.
My husband was driving out to the farm on Saturday
(23:34):
and he came up and went around the big turn
in the road and then it's like a straight shot
and he sees this woman get out of her maroon
minivan and push a dog out the back and get
back in and drive off. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Oh, and I know that dog is with you now.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
I'm sure, of course, of course, But he's like, you know,
what do you want me to do. I know your
intake is closed, And I said, we're not going to
leave her on the side of the road, and I'm
definitely not going to turn her in to a kill shelter,
So just take her to the farm. We'll figure it out. Like, oh, well,
just let's you know, every day you wake up and
you just think we're just gonna have to figure it out.
You know, my friend, my right hand, she says, you know,
(24:12):
the one thing I learned from you is the answer
is always you just do the next right thing right
when you don't know, you just do the next right thing.
And the right thing is the right thing. You know
it's the right thing.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
You certainly did the right thing by me and Austin.
And when look at that video, it brings me to
tears every time. And you are doing God's work and
we all need to step up to the plate to
help you.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Definitely. And it's funny you brought it up before. It
doesn't matter to most people until they're faced with this themselves. Right,
they've had a dog, they've had it a member of
the family. Right, it's on every Christmas card. The dog
is in more pictures than your own kids. And then
out of the blue, the dog bites the neighbor. Then
(25:00):
what what's the answer? Your insurance company says, the dog
has to go. Maybe your town says the dog has
to go. Your neighbors won't rest until the dog is killed,
and there's no where for you to send that dog.
I've got a poodle from Charleston. Neighbor was always drunk
coming into this lady's yard, and the dog bit the
(25:21):
neighbor one too many times while the neighbor was trespassing
and drunk, and they just didn't want to put her
to sleep. Her name is Sassy, and Sassy's twelve and
they've had her twelve years, you know, bought her from
a breeder. Great dog, but this was something that kept happening.
People like that would have never cared about my mission
until it happens to them, and it's their dog. And
(25:45):
now Sassy lives at the farm and she's happy, happy, happy.
So hopefully it never happens to you, but when it does,
you'll be grateful that you helped support a place like this.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Yeah, and I'm all about the under and I've had
a few that have quite an interesting history too, And
I'm just so blessed that I was able to keep
them to their last natural breath. But this dog that
I was just working with in hopes of getting a home,
he just got under my skin, and I said there
was a reason, despite his past, despite his history, he
(26:20):
showed me the most beautiful, loving side, And it was
as if he knew that I was there to save him.
He just knew it. And I know that sounds crazy,
but he came into my life just through these videos
at a shelter. They were going to end his life
and I was not going to let that happen. But
I don't think I would have succeeded if it wasn't
(26:41):
for you.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Whitney.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Yeah, yeah, that's that the update alone. I mean, I pray, Look,
they're animals. Anything can happen. I pray that this great
news continues. But I'll take it for now. You've given
me such hope and to know he looks great. He's
doing great. Not one bite inside. I know, and I've
always known I made the right decision, but it's just
(27:04):
so wonderful to hear it from you.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
Yeah. Yeah, I'll try to get you some more videos.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Those words are just magic to my ears and everybody
please try to help Whitney Nolton Lots and send in
your donations. You have all the information. We will also
post it on our website when we put up this show.
I promise you that every dollar you give, literally will
go back into saving an animal's life. This isn't just
(27:32):
to pay salaries or to fix a broken tractor. This
is going into the animal's mouth, into their well being,
into their care. So you know, when you write that
check or you donate your time, you're doing it for
the right reasons and it's going to the right place.
So Whitney Notton Lowry, thank you so much. Continue to
make me work. You're my hero.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Thank you, Thank you, Jill, thank you for all the
work that you do. You know, putting a voice to
the voiceless is so important, and you know, being in
this industry can seem overwhelming, daunting and be very lonely.
So knowing there's people like you, really, I don't know,
it just makes you feel like you have some support
(28:17):
behind you and I appreciate that more than you know.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Whitney, thank you, and I wish you a happy holiday season.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
And I can't wait to.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Get those updated videos on my little Austin, my big Austin.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
I'll get it too soon, I promise.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Okay, much love, thank you, And when we come back,
we will be checking in with our correspondent, Deborah Cribs,
who has a really wonderful story.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
Just in time for the holidays.
Speaker 6 (28:46):
This is your official gift wrapping Agnoxi Decorating station.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
Pet Life Radio, Let's Talk Pets, Let's talk.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Past, Let's done.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
Petal Headline Radio Atlightradio dot com.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Sli Cat Chat with Deborah Cribbs, founder of the Give
Them Ten Movements.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Welcome back to Rappaport to the Rescue.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
I'm so excited to have my cat correspondent with me today,
Deborah Cribs.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
And Deborah, this is really.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Exciting to have you on location at the Kittenwing of
the spcaight in Cincinnati. Tell us about this place. It
looks like so much fun.
Speaker 6 (29:36):
It really is. And I have to tell you, Jill,
it's so hard to come into a kitten nursery and
not take home everybody. But I am on lockdown from
my husband. No more kittens are allowed coming into our house.
I know that he knows how everybody in this room
knows that. I'm not sure the kittens do though, because
they look super cute. They are talking to me, so
(29:58):
I hope they're talking to you.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
Well.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
It is such a beautiful facility. From what I can see,
these kittens and cats have a really great life until,
of course, hopefully they get there forever home. But this
is certainly a great layover.
Speaker 6 (30:12):
It really is. This is a really progressive shelter that
we partner with down here in Cincinnati, and this kitten
nursery is super specialized, so we may have bottle babies
that come in here and there are specialized folks in
the shelter who can help with that, and that really
is a burden and a joy, I have to say,
(30:32):
because that's a twenty four to seven kind of thing.
But it's a great way to have all the kittens
in the same place so that specialists can care for
them until they're ready for their adoption time.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
And I don't think there's many facilities in this country
that offer this service the way this particular shelter does.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
Probably not.
Speaker 6 (30:54):
Again, it's a little bit more progressive, and you know,
I think what people don't realize is that, first of all,
if you see a mama and kittens don't separate them.
If you can take care of them yourself, take care
of them, because kittens are always best with mama kitty.
But if they're not in a safe place and you
can't offer them a safe place, if they could land
(31:17):
someplace like here, they are the lucky ones for sure.
And you know what we do here is that when
they are two pounds or probably about four months if
not earlier, but two pounds, they will get spainootered and
they will be put on the adoption floor here at
the SPCA. And you know, kittens are much easier to
(31:39):
adopt from a shelter standpoint than the adult kitties, So
don't forget about the adult kitties because they need homes
to And.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You know, I'm all about the seniors and the older
animals for sure, because they are the last to get adopted.
And let's not as you mentioned, Deborah, we can't forget
about the moms and pops that are sitting there waiting
so patiently for a home.
Speaker 6 (32:01):
So patiently, and sometimes they're the best companions to have
in your home. But gosh, this time of year, it
is great to have kittens on the floor ready to
go to their forever homes. I'm sure these little guys
behind me who are singing in my ear right now,
I'm sure they'll have homes in no time.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
And have to see adaption process work there when they
are ready to go home with someone.
Speaker 4 (32:27):
That's a great question.
Speaker 6 (32:28):
This is, as I said, a really progressive place, so
they don't put as many barriers in front of adopters
as a lot of other places. They're open really long
hours and on weekends, and when people come in with
an interest in adopting, I mean, they do have to
fill out a form. We do have to know that
they're legitimate adopters, but for a very low fee. As
(32:52):
a matter of fact, there's a Black Friday sale coming
up in Cincinnati and you can get your cats or
kits for a super low price. But basically, I like
to think of it, the price that you pay in
an adoption center is really a donation. And the cats
and kittens have been fully vaccinated, they've been chipped, and
(33:13):
they've been most importantly spainootered, and there's a cost to that,
but it's.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Very minimal considering everything they provide.
Speaker 6 (33:21):
Absolutely, I've yet to see a shelter, a good one anyway,
that charges anywhere close to what it actually costs them,
especially if they come in like these, these are little
kittens behind me.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Well, you know, it's so amazing, Debor. I was driving
down the street the other day and I literally saw
a cat and a kitten dart into the woods and
it just broke my heart, freaked me out. I pulled
my car over to the side of the road, like
you know, making sounds, purring, trying to get their attention,
trying to rescue them. What should people do when they
come across the situation and possibly see a cat or
(33:56):
a kitten in need?
Speaker 4 (33:58):
Really good question.
Speaker 6 (33:59):
Again, If you see a mama cat and kittens that
are actually someplace safe, especially if there's someplace safe that
you could keep an eye on them and feed mama.
If mama is healthy, babies are going to be healthy,
leave them there. But for gosh sake, don't separate the
kittens from the mama. If you have to move them,
(34:20):
move them to someplace safe where you can care for them,
or take them to a shelter that's willing to take
them all together. If you just see a cat running
around going into the woods, if possible, if you see
that that cat has a little notch out of its ear.
That means that cat is spade or neutered. So somebody
(34:41):
has already taken their trouble to say this kitty wants
to live outside. And as long as the kitty looks healthy,
go ahead and let the kitty be where the kitty's
going to be. But if the cat looks to be
in peril, by all means, try to help the cat
by as you said, capturing. And you can always try
(35:01):
to find a shelter that's willing to help.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
And you know, it's amazing this organization and just looking
at the environment behind you, it's a rarefied existence, indeed.
But what can people do to support programs like this
in their own town?
Speaker 6 (35:17):
The most important question. You can always give money, but
if you don't have money, see if you can give time.
Be a foster family for kittens that's fun, that's a
lot of fun, or puppies, or if you happen to
have Usually in shelters, they're willing to take things like towels, blankets,
maybe some food that you have that's enclosed that hasn't
(35:40):
been opened. I mean, chuck with your local shelters, but
do whatever you can to help.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
You have back any way you can, because they need
it now more than ever. Yes, Oh, Deborah Cribs again,
amazing information, just in time for the holidays. Thank you
so much and we will be checking in with you
every week to have you on Rapaport to the Rescue
and happy and healthy thanksgiving to.
Speaker 4 (36:04):
You and to you Jill.
Speaker 6 (36:06):
Thank you very much for having us.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
And thank you all for joining us today in this
very special edition of Rapaport to the Rescue.
Speaker 5 (36:15):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on Petlife
Radio dot com.
This is Pet Life Radio. Let's talk Pets.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Rapaport to the Rescue with award winning animal advocate, best
selling author, journalist and pet products creator Jill Rappaport.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
Hi am Jill Rappafort and welcome to Rapaport to the Rescue.
My guest today is truly an angel and a lifesaver
in every sense of the word.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
She saved a dog for me, literally on the brink
of death, an animal that was going to be euthanized
in the next twenty four hours. And I was frantically
reaching out to every person I know in animal welfare,
begging and pleading. But it was a tough ask. This
is a middle aged dog, a large dog about ninety pounds,
(00:53):
who had a bite history. I had worked with this
dog for over the last two years and he never
showed me any aggression. He only showed me love. That
then it was deemed he should be euthanized and I
just couldn't allow that. I couldn't believe that that could happen,
and I was going to do anything in my power
to change that narrative for this dog. Well fast forward,
(01:17):
I reached out to my old pal Whitney Knowlton Lowry,
who I've known for decades, who is the founder and
creator of Last Chance Animal Rescue and Saint Francis Farm
Animal Sanctuary. And I told her the scenario. I told
her all about his history, and she said, we will
take him. We will pick him up and we will
(01:38):
take him. And I can't even put into words what
this means to me, knowing that this dog has a
second chance for a new life at her sanctuary. And
so far, so good. He's doing great. And when we
come back, we're going to check in with this amazing
woman who has countless animals that society gave up on,
(02:00):
but not Whitney Nolton Lowry.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Stay tuned.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
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the neutered cat at give them ten dot org. That's
give them ten dot org.
Speaker 5 (02:44):
Let's talk pets on Petlife Radio dot Com.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Welcome back to Rappaports to the Rescue.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
I'm Joe Rappafort.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
You heard in my intro I refer to this woman
as an angel, and I don't say that lightly. Whitney
Knowlton Lowry literally saved a life in the nick of time.
This was a dog that had less than the day
to live. I reached out to every person I know.
I called everybody I've ever worked with an animal rescue
and I said, look, I've got this dog. Yes, he's
(03:19):
middle aged, okay, he's big, over ninety pounds okay, and
he has a bite history. Dead air pause. Everybody said
to me, we just can't do that. It's too much
of a liability. And I understood that because most rescues shelters.
How would you take a dog like that and put
him into someone else's home. But I was hoping they
(03:40):
could say, we have a facility that we could keep him,
we have a sanctuary. I was just not getting anywhere
with anybody. And then thanks to our mutual dear friend
of ours from Pilots and Paws, the wonderful Debbie Boys,
she said, why don't you reach out to Whitney and
the light bulb moment went off and I read out.
I sent her all my information on this dog. Whitney,
(04:04):
you were a little concerned, but you came through, and
because of what you did, Austin is living his best life.
And I cannot even thank you enough. Ah well, how
do you say?
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Note in jail number one? You know she's a little
bit on the persuasive side. I'll never understand the killing
of dogs just because of a bite history. I mean,
dogs have big teeth and their animals, which somehow we're
losing the idea that these are animals. I'm not a
(04:36):
big proponent of habor then, Asia, I think it's the
easy way out. Whitney.
Speaker 1 (04:41):
You came through from me when I had no options.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
Oh well, it's what I do, right. I mean, I
don't think of myself as an angel. I think of
myself as a pretty practical person and I just don't
believe in killing dogs, And quite frankly, I think most
people don't, but they'll do it because it's easier. But
for me, it's not an option. It goes against just
everything I believe. I believe dogs are so much more
(05:05):
like us, better than us in most ways. But like
with Austin or I can think of a handful of
other dogs that have what i'll call owners attached to them.
They're always asking me, well, how are you going to
fix them? They're going to fix them. They are who
they are. These animals have huge personalities, and sometimes those
huge personalities are not very attractive. But that doesn't mean
(05:27):
that they shouldn't be entitled to their life. Amen. So
you know, I feel like we need to spend more
time just getting to know them and figuring out what
their boundaries are and how to manage them best. None
of these animals are like unmanageable. If they're unmanageable, that's
a whole different story. But most of them are very
(05:48):
very manageable. You just have to know where their boundaries are.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
And you know, it's so interesting that you said this, Whitney,
because I was reaching out to shelters and the minute
they heard bite history. Mind you, this is a dog
that I've been doing videos with for two years. But
once they heard that, there was no way they could
take the dog. And I understand that I get the legalities.
I totally agreed with them that I get that you
(06:13):
can't put them up for adoption and you can't therefore
take them into your shelter. The problem is where are
our options? Because of your amazing organization, which is called
Saint Francis Farm Animal Sanctuary, you have created a safe
haven for these animals that society has given up on.
(06:35):
But you're one of the few.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
Yes, very few. I'm rebably not sure how many there are,
but I would say there's less than a dozen, less
than ten in this country. I don't understand it. I mean,
I get people, and I would have said the same
thing to you when I first got into rescue, like
who wants a dog that bites? Why would anybody keep
around a dog that bites? But I think that the
more dogs I've gotten to know, and the more I've
(06:58):
gotten to know about dogs, I realized that most of
these dogs aren't bad dogs. They just have very peculiar needs,
and most of them probably could be placed in a home,
except for we don't have enough homes with smart people right.
Most people just they can't quite figure out how to
manage a dog like this. You know, if a dog
(07:19):
doesn't like strangers, well, then you don't take it out
into public. If a dog doesn't like other dogs, then
you don't take it to dog parks. It's just management.
There's nothing more than that. It's not modification. This isn't
changing their behavior, changing the way these dogs think or
react or behave. It's literally just managing them. You know.
(07:40):
Saint Francis Farm, we have a nice setup. We're kind
of out in the middle of nowhere. We don't have
children running around. It's a nice environment where dogs can
be dogs, and I think that's important. Like I said earlier,
you know, I think we have just really forgotten that
these are animals.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
And it's more than just a nice, safe environment. You
have a beautiful facility there with rolling acres. And I
got to meet the transport team. I was blown away
by them. The dog that I was giving to you
had the whole van to himself, the air conditioning on.
They also brought him a fan. He who had two
of the kindest drivers. One was a vettech and the
(08:21):
driver that truly cared. Do you know they sent me
three videos during the course of his trip from New
York to South Carolina to update me, to show me
that this dog was doing okay. It's incredible the devotion
and the commitment your staff has and what you've created there, Whitney.
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Oh thanks Jo, I appreciate that recognition. It's certainly been
a long haul. The rescue has been in operation since
I think two thousand and eight or nine, and the
sanctuary we bought in twenty thirteen, so twelve years. It's
been a long twelve years. You know, we're not a
rich organization. We don't have, you know, a wealthy philanthropist
behind it. It's me and I'm just a girl who
(09:02):
likes dogs an understatement, I don't mean really so it's rough.
It's hard to wear so many different hats all the time,
you know, trying to figure out how to pay for everything,
trying to figure out what to do about this particular
situation with this particular dog. And I mean there's just
so many different moving parts and always trying to figure
out how to make everything optimal. It can really be exhausting.
Speaker 1 (09:26):
And so expensive. I want our listeners to understand. You
said that there's probably less than ten of these sanctuaries,
and I know for a fact some of them aren't
nearly as nice as yours. You know, people really need
to understand it's not a canyon ranch SPA. You know,
a lot of these sanctuaries. You're happy that animals are living,
(09:46):
but they're not optimum always right Whitney. And so it's
really a frustrating situation when you have an animal that
might not be right for somebody's pet or to be
in a home. But you want them to live, but
we also want them to have a quality of life,
which is what you're giving them. How many animals do
you have at you're sanctuary now?
Speaker 4 (10:07):
On average, we hose about one hundred and fifty dogs,
which is probably where we sit about right now, and
then we have about seventy five cats. The dogs, they
require a lot. We obviously staff the farm twenty four
to seven. So it's you know, it's not a proposition
that you can just you can't shelve them, right. You
can't say, oh, well it's Thanksgiving, we're going to just
(10:29):
shelf everything for the day. I mean, the show goes on,
as they say, right, you have to keep things going
day in and day out, and it's expensive. I think
staffing is for sure our biggest expense. But we we
rely on staff. We can't rely on volunteers who may
or may not show up. You know, the dogs require
(10:49):
what they require, and it has to get done. So
I think staffing would be our greatest expense. Food and
medical care will probably be our second greatest expence. But
you know, when you talk about quality, there's so many
different levels to quality, and I think one thing we
I try not to do is really, you know, that
(11:10):
big old word anthropomorphosize the situation with dogs, because dogs
aren't people. So if they don't care what color the
walls are painted, they don't care if you give them
a plaid bed or a purple bed. You know, they're dogs.
They want to be outdoors, they want to run, they
want fresh air, they want food, and they want consistency.
(11:31):
And that's what we try to provide them with a clean,
safe environment where they can be dogs. We don't put
a lot of pressure on them to be a member
of a household.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Yeah, you are very honest with me.
Speaker 4 (11:44):
Quality is subjective. I guess it is not fancy by
any stretch of the imagination. I've seen fancier places. But
I think it's clean, and I think the dogs get
what they need, and I think they're happy. Genuinely think
they're happy.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
All that you can ask for.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
Yeah, it's expensive, you know, we're in one of the
cheapest areas in the country, which has always worked to
our benefit.
Speaker 1 (12:08):
And what town is, Whitney.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
We're in an area, Jill, We're in an area called Carlisle.
People always ask what city or town is and I'm like,
there is no city, there is no town. There's no
stop light, there's not even a blinking light. We're in
an area, but we're just inside the Sumter National Park.
So it's really really beautiful. It's a very very rural.
(12:30):
You know, Staffing has been difficult because of the area
that we're in, but I have a great staff right now,
which are very very grateful for. Yeah, it's awesome. I
love it.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
And in South Carolina, the good news especially for my
Doggie that I sent there, not my personal dog, but
the dog that needed to get a home because a
permanent life home. He's got great weather most of the year.
You know, you have nice winters in South Carolina.
Speaker 4 (13:00):
Yeah, it is true. We have a very temperate climate.
We're in an upstate of South Carolina and it's absolutely beautiful.
I love it. I love it here. Well.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
You know, I know you're very modest and understated about
what you do, and I never realized how important the
work you do until I was in a desperate search
to save Austin and you said to me something that
really resonated, and I'll never forget you said, you don't
know what switch he has or has had in the
(13:30):
past to go off to make him do what he
did in the past. So knowing that, you said to me,
he's probably not going to be a candidate to put
in someone's home, but he will have the best home
here with me if we deem that. And I have
to say to our listeners, you sent me a video
(13:50):
and I could not believe how great Austin looked. He
lost weight, you told me, And I hope this is
still the case. Whitney, he's off all his men and
up to now and it's been four months. Can you
still tell me that he has not had a bite incident?
Speaker 4 (14:08):
No, you guys not had a bite incident, and I
don't suspect he will. He really is doing great. You know,
we're in such a low pressure environment for him. Austin
is a hound mix and I would venture to guests
before he somehow got to Southampton, he was just some
dude's dog who probably hung out in the garage or
(14:28):
the shop or around the yard, maybe in the back
of his hunting truck or you know, really, if you
think about that, it's very low pressure, right, just being
a dude. And then you take him and you try
to force him into a house maybe with kids, and
there's food everywhere, and he doesn't really know what to
do with himself. And I think now being back in
(14:50):
this environment where he can just be a dog and
hang out, he's relaxed. He was extremely overweight when he
got to us. He has lost sight. Wait, not enough,
and you know, keep going back to money. I wish
we had more money. I'd love to have more handlers.
I'd love to have more people who could come in
and do more things with these dogs. But you know,
(15:12):
we're lucky right now if we can afford the basics.
And that's a poopy place to be, honestly.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Oh pun intended, And I'll tell you Whitney. In the
six years I've been doing this podcast, it's very heavily
celebrity based and news breaking issue based. This was a
story and the first time I've ever featured a sanctuary
or even focused on just one organization. Because I believe
in you so much and I wanted our listeners to
(15:42):
understand the God's work you are doing. You and your staff.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Every dog is different. Every dog is its own dog
and has its own history. Not all of them have
bite histories. Some of them are just really high anxiety
and you know, tried the whole foster home thing and
down all the curtains in the window treatments or eight
holes in sheet rock, and you know, can't live inside
a house. There's so many different reasons. I mean I
(16:08):
could go dog by dog and explain each and every
one of them. But the important part is that we
created a solution where most rescues or shelters they don't
have the solution. The solution is euthanasia, and that's not
our solution. And while the sanctuary is a ton of
work and requires a ton of money, I think it's
(16:30):
also the thing that people who are involved with the
organization are the most proud of. It's just that thing
that separates us from the rest. I know, for me,
dealing with dogs that nobody else wants, nobody else will touch,
nobody else can handle. I mean, maybe it's just a
little boost to my ego, but it's my preference. I
(16:52):
don't want to deal with the puppies or the purebreads,
or I like the difficult ones. I like the challenge.
I like trying to under stand them and figure out
how we can all get along.
Speaker 1 (17:04):
That is so beautifully put Whitney. And you've done something
to try to get to a solution for the ones
that nobody wants, and you're doing it. You're taking them
in and you know they wouldn't be on this earth
if it wasn't for you and your organization.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
Do you know how many times I've talked to somebody
who has tried to describe a dog who has problems,
and I'm listening to them, and I'm thinking to myself, No,
it's no wonder or no wonder. This dog is so
racked up out of its mind, Like, listen to this
lady go on and on and then and then I say, well,
I'll take the dog. It's fine, let me take the dog.
And the dog is nothing as they've described. And you know,
(17:44):
so much of what I experienced with dogs is relational,
like it's my relationship with one dog is completely different
than someone else's relationship with the same dog. You know,
they see us and view us and judge us just
like we do each other. So my relationship with a
dog can be one way completely, and then somebody else
(18:08):
will say that dog is so out of control, and
I'm like, out of control. I've never seen it out
of control, But it's my energy the animals responding to.
Speaker 1 (18:16):
And that just shows you that these animals, you know,
in the right hands, they can thrive.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
Absolutely, And when you think.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Of all numbers of truly wonderful animals that don't get
a chance to live because they weren't put in the
right hands.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
They're literally judged by their worst moment in time even
and most of the time it's just one bite that's
the threshold. It's one bite, kill the dog. I can't
imagine living up to those expectations and being judged by
the worst thing you've ever done. I find it just
(18:53):
incredibly unfair. And I think people really really struggle with
the euthanasia part in these types of situations because really,
truly they know it's wrong. If it wasn't so wrong,
you wouldn't feel so bad about it.
Speaker 1 (19:09):
Thanks to people like you and Whitney. Honestly, I know
you have second chance animal rescue with viable, wonderful dogs
of all ages and cats. But the fact that you
had the wherewithal to say, no, all these animals are
getting killed. I have to be able to help those
two and you opened up this one of a kind
(19:30):
sanctuary is just amazing.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
You know.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
The sanctuary was a byproduct of the adoption program, if
I'm being honest. You know, I lived in New York
and the Hampton's and had a tiny little house, in
a little postage stamp house. And when a dog got
to the end of the line and everybody said, I'm
not taking that dog, not for me, no way, not happening.
It growls when food is around, or whatever the problem is,
(19:56):
I'd have to be the one to take the dog
right the buck stops with me. And I ended up
with so many dogs that nobody would touch, and they
became my dogs, and I wouldn't ever think about killing them.
I just know how to manage their problems. And so
here I have all these dogs and I'm thinking, like,
this can't this isn't sustainable, right, These dogs aren't living
(20:19):
two years, They're living, you know, fifteen sixteen years. I've
got to figure something else out. And that's where the
sanctuary came in. And I had no money and had
to figure out, you know how I was going to
build something on the cheap and quick, and that's what
we did. I mean, we bought a fifty acre, two
(20:39):
hundred year old big farmhouse in the middle of the
Sumter National Park for one hundred and twenty five thousand dollars.
That was the initial investment. Who does that? Who can
do that?
Speaker 1 (20:50):
You just tell our listeners what people can do to
make a difference for you so you can continue your
mission of the heart to save all of these animals.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Oh well, we're you know, we're definitely in need of
funds right now. We're dry. We've fled ourself dry. And
where can people donate? You can go to our website.
It's LCA Rescue dot org. It's Last Chance Animal Rescue,
so it's LCA rescue dot org. We've got wish lists
(21:24):
on Amazon and I think even Walmart. From the beginning,
I've kind of been like a proponent of people doing
things on their own. So, you know, the Hampton's always said,
you guys are going to have a huge party at
your house this summer. Instead of it being for nothing,
why don't you make it for the rescue and invite
all your friends over for that big barbecue like you
do every July and have them bring a check for
(21:45):
fifty bucks. And that's how we started with fundraising. Now
we have, you know, one fundraiser, our golf tournament in July,
but all of our other funding really comes through social
media posts and our adoption fees. That really fuels the
costs of the sanctuary, and of course what it costs
(22:06):
is to take the dogs from unadoptable to adoptable for
the adoption program. But they can do their own canned
food drive. I mean, that's great, and we have a
van in New York a couple times a month that
picks up donations and brings it back down to us.
Blanket drive, towel drive. You're welcome. Anybody's always welcome to
(22:29):
come to the farm and see the animals. Meet the animals,
spend time with them. You'll see that they're great animals.
They just have made a mistake somewhere along the way.
We have adoption events in New York. The event calendars
on our website is also on our Facebook page. You
can get involved. You can be a volunteer, you can
help us screen applications for adopters. We do all kinds
(22:52):
of outreach and advocacy type events where you just sit
at a table and talk to people about the work
we do. And there's just a million different opportunities and
it requires a lot of people to get involved and
be excited and do something. The animals are counting on us.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Look at all these animals that are thriving now that
wouldn't be here.
Speaker 4 (23:13):
And it's only it's only about to get worse, you know,
it's really only about to get worse. The economy is
in such a bad place. People are going to lose
their benefits down here. You know, in South Carolina, people
rely on, you know, their benefits. And the first thing
that's going to start to go isn't going to be
their groceries. It's going to be the dog. You know.
My husband was driving out to the farm on Saturday
(23:34):
and he came up and went around the big turn
in the road and then it's like a straight shot
and he sees this woman get out of her maroon
minivan and push a dog out the back and get
back in and drive off. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:47):
Oh, and I know that dog is with you now.
Speaker 4 (23:49):
I'm sure, of course, of course, But he's like, you know,
what do you want me to do. I know your
intake is closed, And I said, we're not going to
leave her on the side of the road, and I'm
definitely not going to turn her in to a kill shelter,
So just take her to the farm. We'll figure it out. Like, oh, well,
just let's you know, every day you wake up and
you just think we're just gonna have to figure it out.
You know, my friend, my right hand, she says, you know,
(24:12):
the one thing I learned from you is the answer
is always you just do the next right thing right
when you don't know, you just do the next right thing.
And the right thing is the right thing. You know
it's the right thing.
Speaker 1 (24:24):
You certainly did the right thing by me and Austin.
And when look at that video, it brings me to
tears every time. And you are doing God's work and
we all need to step up to the plate to
help you.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Definitely. And it's funny you brought it up before. It
doesn't matter to most people until they're faced with this themselves. Right,
they've had a dog, they've had it a member of
the family. Right, it's on every Christmas card. The dog
is in more pictures than your own kids. And then
out of the blue, the dog bites the neighbor. Then
(25:00):
what what's the answer? Your insurance company says, the dog
has to go. Maybe your town says the dog has
to go. Your neighbors won't rest until the dog is killed,
and there's no where for you to send that dog.
I've got a poodle from Charleston. Neighbor was always drunk
coming into this lady's yard, and the dog bit the
(25:21):
neighbor one too many times while the neighbor was trespassing
and drunk, and they just didn't want to put her
to sleep. Her name is Sassy, and Sassy's twelve and
they've had her twelve years, you know, bought her from
a breeder. Great dog, but this was something that kept happening.
People like that would have never cared about my mission
until it happens to them, and it's their dog. And
(25:45):
now Sassy lives at the farm and she's happy, happy, happy.
So hopefully it never happens to you, but when it does,
you'll be grateful that you helped support a place like this.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Yeah, and I'm all about the under and I've had
a few that have quite an interesting history too, And
I'm just so blessed that I was able to keep
them to their last natural breath. But this dog that
I was just working with in hopes of getting a home,
he just got under my skin, and I said there
was a reason, despite his past, despite his history, he
(26:20):
showed me the most beautiful, loving side, And it was
as if he knew that I was there to save him.
He just knew it. And I know that sounds crazy,
but he came into my life just through these videos
at a shelter. They were going to end his life
and I was not going to let that happen. But
I don't think I would have succeeded if it wasn't
(26:41):
for you.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Whitney.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Yeah, yeah, that's that the update alone. I mean, I pray, Look,
they're animals. Anything can happen. I pray that this great
news continues. But I'll take it for now. You've given
me such hope and to know he looks great. He's
doing great. Not one bite inside. I know, and I've
always known I made the right decision, but it's just
(27:04):
so wonderful to hear it from you.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
Yeah. Yeah, I'll try to get you some more videos.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Those words are just magic to my ears and everybody
please try to help Whitney Nolton Lots and send in
your donations. You have all the information. We will also
post it on our website when we put up this show.
I promise you that every dollar you give, literally will
go back into saving an animal's life. This isn't just
(27:32):
to pay salaries or to fix a broken tractor. This
is going into the animal's mouth, into their well being,
into their care. So you know, when you write that
check or you donate your time, you're doing it for
the right reasons and it's going to the right place.
So Whitney Notton Lowry, thank you so much. Continue to
make me work. You're my hero.
Speaker 4 (27:54):
Thank you, Thank you, Jill, thank you for all the
work that you do. You know, putting a voice to
the voiceless is so important, and you know, being in
this industry can seem overwhelming, daunting and be very lonely.
So knowing there's people like you, really, I don't know,
it just makes you feel like you have some support
(28:17):
behind you and I appreciate that more than you know.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
Whitney, thank you, and I wish you a happy holiday season.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
And I can't wait to.
Speaker 1 (28:25):
Get those updated videos on my little Austin, my big Austin.
Speaker 4 (28:29):
I'll get it too soon, I promise.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Okay, much love, thank you, And when we come back,
we will be checking in with our correspondent, Deborah Cribs,
who has a really wonderful story.
Speaker 4 (28:41):
Just in time for the holidays.
Speaker 6 (28:46):
This is your official gift wrapping Agnoxi Decorating station.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
Pet Life Radio, Let's Talk Pets, Let's talk.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Past, Let's done.
Speaker 5 (28:58):
Petal Headline Radio Atlightradio dot com.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
Sli Cat Chat with Deborah Cribbs, founder of the Give
Them Ten Movements.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Welcome back to Rappaport to the Rescue.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
I'm so excited to have my cat correspondent with me today,
Deborah Cribs.
Speaker 4 (29:25):
And Deborah, this is really.
Speaker 1 (29:27):
Exciting to have you on location at the Kittenwing of
the spcaight in Cincinnati. Tell us about this place. It
looks like so much fun.
Speaker 6 (29:36):
It really is. And I have to tell you, Jill,
it's so hard to come into a kitten nursery and
not take home everybody. But I am on lockdown from
my husband. No more kittens are allowed coming into our house.
I know that he knows how everybody in this room
knows that. I'm not sure the kittens do though, because
they look super cute. They are talking to me, so
(29:58):
I hope they're talking to you.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
Well.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
It is such a beautiful facility. From what I can see,
these kittens and cats have a really great life until,
of course, hopefully they get there forever home. But this
is certainly a great layover.
Speaker 6 (30:12):
It really is. This is a really progressive shelter that
we partner with down here in Cincinnati, and this kitten
nursery is super specialized, so we may have bottle babies
that come in here and there are specialized folks in
the shelter who can help with that, and that really
is a burden and a joy, I have to say,
(30:32):
because that's a twenty four to seven kind of thing.
But it's a great way to have all the kittens
in the same place so that specialists can care for
them until they're ready for their adoption time.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
And I don't think there's many facilities in this country
that offer this service the way this particular shelter does.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
Probably not.
Speaker 6 (30:54):
Again, it's a little bit more progressive, and you know,
I think what people don't realize is that, first of all,
if you see a mama and kittens don't separate them.
If you can take care of them yourself, take care
of them, because kittens are always best with mama kitty.
But if they're not in a safe place and you
can't offer them a safe place, if they could land
(31:17):
someplace like here, they are the lucky ones for sure.
And you know what we do here is that when
they are two pounds or probably about four months if
not earlier, but two pounds, they will get spainootered and
they will be put on the adoption floor here at
the SPCA. And you know, kittens are much easier to
(31:39):
adopt from a shelter standpoint than the adult kitties, So
don't forget about the adult kitties because they need homes
to And.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
You know, I'm all about the seniors and the older
animals for sure, because they are the last to get adopted.
And let's not as you mentioned, Deborah, we can't forget
about the moms and pops that are sitting there waiting
so patiently for a home.
Speaker 6 (32:01):
So patiently, and sometimes they're the best companions to have
in your home. But gosh, this time of year, it
is great to have kittens on the floor ready to
go to their forever homes. I'm sure these little guys
behind me who are singing in my ear right now,
I'm sure they'll have homes in no time.
Speaker 1 (32:21):
And have to see adaption process work there when they
are ready to go home with someone.
Speaker 4 (32:27):
That's a great question.
Speaker 6 (32:28):
This is, as I said, a really progressive place, so
they don't put as many barriers in front of adopters
as a lot of other places. They're open really long
hours and on weekends, and when people come in with
an interest in adopting, I mean, they do have to
fill out a form. We do have to know that
they're legitimate adopters, but for a very low fee. As
(32:52):
a matter of fact, there's a Black Friday sale coming
up in Cincinnati and you can get your cats or
kits for a super low price. But basically, I like
to think of it, the price that you pay in
an adoption center is really a donation. And the cats
and kittens have been fully vaccinated, they've been chipped, and
(33:13):
they've been most importantly spainootered, and there's a cost to that,
but it's.
Speaker 1 (33:18):
Very minimal considering everything they provide.
Speaker 6 (33:21):
Absolutely, I've yet to see a shelter, a good one anyway,
that charges anywhere close to what it actually costs them,
especially if they come in like these, these are little
kittens behind me.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Well, you know, it's so amazing, Debor. I was driving
down the street the other day and I literally saw
a cat and a kitten dart into the woods and
it just broke my heart, freaked me out. I pulled
my car over to the side of the road, like
you know, making sounds, purring, trying to get their attention,
trying to rescue them. What should people do when they
come across the situation and possibly see a cat or
(33:56):
a kitten in need?
Speaker 4 (33:58):
Really good question.
Speaker 6 (33:59):
Again, If you see a mama cat and kittens that
are actually someplace safe, especially if there's someplace safe that
you could keep an eye on them and feed mama.
If mama is healthy, babies are going to be healthy,
leave them there. But for gosh sake, don't separate the
kittens from the mama. If you have to move them,
(34:20):
move them to someplace safe where you can care for them,
or take them to a shelter that's willing to take
them all together. If you just see a cat running
around going into the woods, if possible, if you see
that that cat has a little notch out of its ear.
That means that cat is spade or neutered. So somebody
(34:41):
has already taken their trouble to say this kitty wants
to live outside. And as long as the kitty looks healthy,
go ahead and let the kitty be where the kitty's
going to be. But if the cat looks to be
in peril, by all means, try to help the cat
by as you said, capturing. And you can always try
(35:01):
to find a shelter that's willing to help.
Speaker 1 (35:03):
And you know, it's amazing this organization and just looking
at the environment behind you, it's a rarefied existence, indeed.
But what can people do to support programs like this
in their own town?
Speaker 6 (35:17):
The most important question. You can always give money, but
if you don't have money, see if you can give time.
Be a foster family for kittens that's fun, that's a
lot of fun, or puppies, or if you happen to
have Usually in shelters, they're willing to take things like towels, blankets,
maybe some food that you have that's enclosed that hasn't
(35:40):
been opened. I mean, chuck with your local shelters, but
do whatever you can to help.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
You have back any way you can, because they need
it now more than ever. Yes, Oh, Deborah Cribs again,
amazing information, just in time for the holidays. Thank you
so much and we will be checking in with you
every week to have you on Rapaport to the Rescue
and happy and healthy thanksgiving to.
Speaker 4 (36:04):
You and to you Jill.
Speaker 6 (36:06):
Thank you very much for having us.
Speaker 3 (36:08):
And thank you all for joining us today in this
very special edition of Rapaport to the Rescue.
Speaker 5 (36:15):
Let's Talk Pets every week on demand only on Petlife
Radio dot com.
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