October 25, 2024 • 42 mins
What if one moment could change your entire career path? Dr. Kwane Stewart, founder of Project Street Vet, shares how a chance encounter outside a 7-Eleven transformed his life and his career as a veterinarian. Dr. Stewart found new purpose in providing medical care to the pets of unhoused individuals. Listen to learn more about Dr. Stewart's inspirational journey!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
And I still wake up some mornings and think the
coolest thing about my life isif my dog got sick, if there was
an emergency, if he, if he gothit by a car right outside my
front door, I have theexperience and knowledge to
potentially save him.
That that's still that.
That feeling, that thought Icarry around even after 27 years
of practice, is still carearound even after 27 years of
(00:29):
practice.
It still warms me.
So, yes, if you can manage theemotional part, it is to me the
best profession on the planet.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome to the Hangout Podcast.
I'm your host, david Sharetta.
Come on in and hang out.
Come on in and hang out.
In this episode, I wasprivileged and honored to sit
down for a humbling conversationwith Dr Quan Stewart.
Dr Stewart is the founder ofProject Street Vet.
(00:58):
You can find them onlineprojectstreetvetorg.
You can also find his book onAmazon and wherever you buy your
books.
It's called what it Takes toSave a Life.
Dr Stewart shares hisinspirational journey and the
transition in his life fromworking at a shelter that had a
high rate of euthanizing pets tobeginning to go through this
(01:23):
journey of supporting homelesspopulations and, in particular,
taking care of their pets.
I was humbled by ourconversation and I hope you
enjoy it as much as I did, and Istrongly encourage folks to
donate to this cause, to helpfurther this work around the
country and also to purchase DrStewart's book.
(01:46):
Welcome, dr Stewart.
It's a real pleasure to haveyou on for a little bit of a
chat today.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
I'm happy to be here.
Thank you for having me so much.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
I thought we could get started with your origin
story, where you come from, whoyou are as a person, what your
background is like, and thenwe'll kind of bring it up to the
present.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Sure, my origin story is one of my favorite tales to
share, because when I was a kid,I always wanted to be a
superhero like Batman, and I wasan avid drawer, illustrator,
colorer and I was always drawing.
You know Batman and Supermanand you could run down the list
of the Avengers.
I was always coloring anddrawing them.
(02:27):
And what's interesting about mystory?
If I could fancy myself alittle bit of wearing a cape
which is always something Iwanted to do it was either that
or be a veterinarian.
I've sort of found my place inthe street work I do, but it
found me.
I would say I didn't go outnecessarily seeking it, it
almost happened by accident.
I was a shelter veterinarian atthe time.
(02:49):
This is about 13 years ago andI was on the verge of quitting
the profession, which you know.
If a veterinarian says that toyou, that's heavy, because the
time, efforts, money, energy ittakes to become a vet is immense
.
And 13 years into it I justwanted to walk away.
(03:12):
And it was because I was ashelter vet and we had a very
high euthanasia rate at thismunicipal shelter.
I don't want to share thenumber, but some mornings before
10 am it was a lot of animalsand it was starting to destroy
my soul and question why I tookthis path.
And so, on this particular daywhich is interesting because I'm
(03:32):
not a big believer in destiny,but I'm starting to come around
on this particular day I wassitting in front of 7-Eleven and
I was rehearsing my resignationletter in my head.
I was going to go in later andsit down and have a chat and
then formally write my letter.
I walked into 7-Eleven, which ispart of my pattern either for
gas or coffee and I was walkingout and to my left I saw the Sun
House gentleman and his dog.
(03:54):
I saw his dog had some sort ofskin issue.
I could see this from afar,from about 12 feet, and I got a
little closer to him and wasable to make out more or less
what was going on with the dog.
And then I just introducedmyself.
I said I'm Kwan Stewart, I'm aveterinarian and it looks like
your dog has a skin issue.
And he said, yes, a prettyserious one.
And he was exasperated anddesperate.
(04:15):
He just said I don't knowwhat's going on with her.
I don't have any resources ormoney to get her help.
And I said well, it looks to melike it's just fleas
Surprisingly as bad as shapethis dog was in and chronic
fleas will destroy a dog's skinif they have it long enough and
this dog looked like a burnvictim.
On his hind end the hair wasgone, the skin was red and bumpy
(04:35):
, was infected.
The dog was miserable and itchy.
He was miserable, the man, andI just said to him well, if
you're here tomorrow, I'llreturn with something that
should help.
And I just said to him well, ifyou're here tomorrow, I'll
return with something thatshould help.
That took me back to the shelterthat day and the next day,
funny enough, I returned aspromised, gave the dog a $3 pill
$3 out of my pocket or, as Isay now, $3 out of the shelter's
(04:57):
pocket.
I now divulge that piece of it.
It was only $3.
It was only $3.
You won't go to prison for that.
No, I should be all right.
I treated the dog it's fivemore minutes of my time and then
I saw the same man and the samedog about a week and a half
later.
The dog was transformed.
She was wagging her tail andshe jumped up on me when I
(05:18):
approached him again and the mansitting in the same spot just
looked up at me with tears inhis eyes, and the man sitting in
the same spot just looked up atme with tears in his eyes and
he just said to me thank you fornot ignoring me.
And I got a little emotional aswell and I just kneeled down
and I made him a quiet pledgeand said I'm going to try and
find more people like you.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
And that was 13 years ago and I haven't stopped since
Wow, and, and at a certainpoint you you obviously resigned
from the shelter work.
Um, and now, as I understand it, you've expanded to multiple
cities.
How does that network begin toexpand and how do you cause?
(06:00):
This isn't a real sales jobthat you can make to vets.
That's an easy sales job, right, Like yeah, out and do this
highly lucrative work on thestreets.
So how does that work?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Yeah, it was.
It was a very, very slowprocess.
In fact, I had no intentions toto expand the work in the
beginning.
It was just, it was a passionproject.
It was a way, maybe, for me toheal.
I was, uh, you know, frustratedand, uh, maybe feeling a certain
amount of guilt for my time atthe shelter.
And, you know, I, I think, as Itell people, in the eyes of God
(06:36):
, I, I felt like I was losing,uh, because I felt as though
some of the things I was, youknow, I had to do by the nature
of the work as a shelterveterinarian.
We're not right, we're not inkeeping with with um, you know,
my oath and things I wanted todo as a vet.
So there was, there was a lotof guilt and for me, I would
just go out quietly and do thework.
(06:57):
In fact, this is the surprisingpart about the story I didn't
tell anybody about what I wasdoing for the better part of six
years.
I didn't tell anybody aboutwhat I was doing for the better
part of six years.
So this started around 2013,towards the end of 2012.
And for six years, I didn'ttell my family, I didn't tell my
mother, my partner, my children.
I went out you know freemoments after work, on weekends
(07:24):
and and find people and do this.
So there was again.
There was never really anyintent to make this a big thing,
it just it evolved to thatafter some time.
Finally, after about six years,I shared it with my brother I
have one brother, one siblingand shared it with him and he
just said why haven't you toldanybody about this?
You know what you're doing isis it's significant.
(07:46):
People should hear thesestories.
It could have an impact on them.
He gave me a social mediapresence.
I don't like social media.
I'll tell people now all daylong, despite the following I
have in the comments and posts,but he takes care of all that.
He basically built a personaaround if you want to call me
the street vet around this imagethat I now have as a street vet
(08:07):
.
And that presence on socialmedia led to other veterinarians
around the country saying Ilove this, can I do what you do
in my neighborhood or mycommunity?
And then it just sort oforganically, a vet in Atlanta
said I'm going to start a team,a street vet team here, and then
a vet in Orlando and a vet inNew York City and, yeah, so over
(08:29):
about the course of four tofive years we're now in seven
different cities.
We have a wonderful titlesponsor and Fetch Pet Insurance,
who underwrites the expansion,and Fetch has been a great
partner to all of us.
In fact, I just did, I'm onsomething right now called the
multi-city tour, so I'm visitingevery city and spending time
out in the field with theseveterinarians.
Some of these veterinariansI've never met in person.
They've, uh, we've beencommunicating through email and
(08:50):
phone and Instagram and on theirown they've just developed
their own, their own team, theirown way of doing it in their
own city.
And now I get a chance to goout.
I was just in Atlanta.
Recently I went out in Atlantawith Dr Kristen Schmidt and she
walked me through what felt likea jungle, because a lot of her
work in Atlanta you know Atlantais like a city of forests and
trees and a lot of her work isreally rural, like we were
(09:14):
hiking through an area of forestto find an encampment of
unhoused folks who have pets andtreat them.
And I work in Skid Row.
Mine is just, it's a concretejungle.
So I'm always on city streetshere in LA, but no, it was
wonderful and it's I don't know.
I never could have imagined ordreamed of this.
Obviously, when I started itjust wasn't on my radar.
(09:34):
But now I, finally, am seeinghow much good change this is
bringing about and how impactfulit is in a good way.
And beyond the people that I'mreaching in the moment, the
animals that I'm treating on astreet corner, the message of
kindness, of giving someone yourtime and energy, without agenda
(09:54):
, that is the part I'm mostproud of.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
You know, we're located just 25 blocks from
downtown San Diego, 10 blocksfrom, really, where there's a
high concentration of unhousedfolks in downtown San Diego,
like 16th 17th street.
We're on 26th, so just up thehill and so I'm passing through.
It's not on the level of SkidRow in LA, and I think you're
(10:20):
familiar with San Diego as welland you've worked here.
I mean, on every block thereare folks with pets mostly dogs,
but sometimes other pets and soI just was wondering if you
could speak to the role thatpets have in people's lives.
I mean, we know the role thatpets have in lives of people who
have more stability and live inhomes, et cetera, but when you
(10:42):
remove that from someone's life,what's the role of the pet?
As an anchor, as a connectionto reality or comfort, or if you
could speak to that.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Yeah, I would just start by saying for all of us
that have a pet currently or inthe past, and we've loved that
pet.
The census now says that 85% ofpeople that are polled will
tell you their pet is family,it's a member of the family.
That wasn't always so.
You go back a generation.
(11:13):
That number was much lower,almost cut in half.
And you know, in the 60s and1940s you know pets, as I say, I
have this funny story thatthey've sort of migrated right
from the corner of the backyardto the porch in the 60s to
inside the home in the 80s, butstill mostly outside, and then
in the early 2000s they were notonly in the home but they're in
(11:35):
their bedroom and now they'rein our bed.
So they have had this longmigration as part of our lives
and most people consider themfamily.
So if you reflect on that for asecond and someone, just you
know, closes their eyes andthinks of what their pet means
to them, how perhaps their pethas pulled them through a
difficult time, through adivorce, you know we always talk
about pets are always there.
(11:56):
Our dog, our cat is alwaysthere.
We've lost partners, beenthrough divorce, relationships,
lost jobs, but sometimes themost stable force in our lives
is this dog you've come to loveover the past 10 years.
You take that and then you justput some jet fuel, you add
something very powerful to itexponentially, and that is what
(12:19):
you have on the streets.
That is my observation that yes, we love our pets.
Pets, we appreciate them, theybring us comfort and they have
consoled us at times.
But when you're on the streetsand you have nothing else, in a
lot of cases you have no familysupport, you have no friends,
you have no home, you'restruggling to eat.
(12:40):
Some days this pet becomes alifeline.
It literally becomes a reasonto get up and breathe the next
day, to remain hopeful, and thisplays out in this simple
example.
Oftentimes people will refusetemporary or permanent housing
if it does not allow their dogto come with them.
I don't know that I could saythat right.
(13:00):
I've never I'm so used to thelife I've had, you know, since
growing up.
Just you know, simple,middle-class family.
I've never I'm so used to thelife I've had, you know, since
growing up.
Just you know, simple,middle-class family.
I don't if I lived on thestreets for a year and someone
offered me a bed and a warmshower and a meal, but said you
can have this, you just can'tbring your dog with you.
I don't know if I would be ableto turn it down, but I hear
that time and time again that ifmy dog doesn't come, I don't go
(13:21):
.
So that shows you, or shouldillustrate, the power of the
bond between these two.
And my job, my simple job, isjust to try and keep them
together.
I'm just offering free medicalcare to try and keep these two
together.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I'd imagine that so much of your work, obviously
your work is related to pets,but it's also related to the
humans, right To the pet owners.
How have you worked throughthat trust relationship?
I'd imagine that in Skid Rowand among folks who've spent
sometimes decades on the streets, folks are on with their guard
(13:57):
up.
How do you navigate that?
And you're probably well knownnow and so when folks see you
coming but that wasn't alwaysthe case You're probably well
known now and so when folks seeyou coming, but that wasn't
always the case.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
No, that wasn't always the case and I had to
develop my own style.
I guess In this professionobviously I've had to deal with
very difficult moments withfamilies and people and had hard
conversations.
You, just over time, develop away to speak with people and get
very comfortable with that.
So in that, in that regard,it's sort of prepared me to, yes
(14:27):
, approach a total stranger onthe streets and, like that
gentleman outside of 7-Eleven,announced myself, and that's how
I usually start.
From a distance I just say thisis who I am and if, if you're
okay with it, I, I give freemedical care advice to anyone in
need of it and I'd be happy toexamine your dog, if you allow
me.
That's my opener and you know,usually within a few seconds,
(14:52):
most you know they may kind ofnod their head back and forth
and you can tell they're mullingit over quickly and they say,
sure, I wear a scrub top with myname on it Kwan Stewart, dvm.
So I look somewhat official outin the streets and I carry a
backpack full of supplies.
But the moment they kick openthat door and say, yes, it's
fine.
I just I take a knee, I takeout my stethoscope and I get to
(15:13):
work and within a moment again,wherever I am, in an alleyway or
under a traffic light, thatbecomes my clinic, my exam
office, and I just go throughthe same routine I would with
any paying client in clinic.
I listened to the heart, tellthem, heart sounds great, lungs
are clear, and I'm just doing afull, thorough exam and I'm
(15:34):
talking through it with themlike they're any other client
and then more and more, I thinkover those minutes, the trust
grows.
I'm giving advice where I canand then, yeah, it's.
I'll tell you.
There've been times where I'vespent 90 minutes with one person
and their dog and what startsout as an exam, and then maybe
some recommendations, turns intoa long conversation, sometimes
very personal.
I'll share personal thingsabout my life and usually hear
(15:56):
personal things from them andit's almost like we're two
friends at the end.
You know, often we're hugging.
When I say goodbye I giveeverybody my cell phone number,
which I've been saying for years.
I probably need to stop thatpractice because you know now
hundreds and it's fine.
You know, the reason I starteddoing that in the beginning is
when I treat a pet just like Iwould in clinic in a hospital
(16:19):
with a paying client.
I'm their resource right.
I'm their resource right Ifthere's a reaction to the
vaccines, if a recheck isnecessary, if the treatment
isn't going well, if they have aquestion about health.
I want them to know this wasn'ta one and done that.
I'm still here for you and I'myour doctor.
I'm Jinx's doctor now and youcan call me, so that's more or
(16:40):
less how it plays out.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
How have your views on the challenges of
homelessness or the experienceof being unhoused, how have
those changed or been influencedby your work?
I mean, the topic is a prettycharged one in just about every
major metropolitan area in theUS, certainly in Southern
California particularly so, butI know New York City and other
(17:03):
places.
How has your understanding ofthat grown or changed or been
informed by this work with?
Speaker 1 (17:10):
pets.
You know, in the beginning,admittedly, I had my own
prejudgments, prejudices, if youwant to say I would see.
Say, for instance, what I wouldconsider an able-bodied
30-year-old man on a streetcorner shaking a cup, just, you
know, essentially begging, andI've had the thoughts
everybody's had.
You know why?
Why can't you get a job Right?
(17:30):
You clearly look fit enough togo out and work, or so, yes,
those thoughts ran through myhead prior to doing this work
and I.
It's been a learning curve forme too, and what I have found in
spending time with many ofthese people is they really
aren't any different than me andI'm certainly no better than
them.
You know, life circumstances areeasy to judge, cast judgment or
(17:56):
shadow on somebody.
That someone has grown up infoster care or didn't have
parental support or never reallyhad a chance at an education,
their parents were on drugs andthey picked up the habit from
them, on and on and on.
I realized then that I had avery, very fortunate upbringing,
(18:16):
but also I think in momentsbecause we've all had some bad
luck bounces or moments wheremaybe we were on the ledge that
had it not been for the supportand I have a great network of
support through my family andfriends.
If it wasn't for them incertain moments, maybe maybe I
would be tumbling and maybe Iwould be.
You know, it goes from so oftenwhat I hear is it.
(18:38):
It starts as well.
I just I couldn't pay rent or Icouldn't do this and so I
decided to sleep in my car, andthe car leads to the street
corner, and then the streetcorner often can lead to drug
abuse or coping mechanisms, andthen you're out there for a long
, long time and I can't say thatI haven't been close to that
potentially happening in my life.
I was able to sleep on myfriend's couch in that moment,
(19:00):
or parents were able to wire memoney, but if you don't have
that, what happens to you?
Right?
So when you take that inconsideration and, of course,
the mental illness aspect, I'vejust abandoned judgment
altogether and it's not my jobas a practitioner or caregiver
to go in and judge somebody ortheir situation is.
(19:20):
It's to give you know, healingpractice.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yeah, it's interesting, right, because if
you are a's to give you knowhealing practice, yeah, it's
interesting, right, because ifyou were a physician treating
humans, you know you treat whatyou can in that moment and do no
harm, and so it's aninteresting dynamic to think
about, right You're you'redealing with the pet, but you're
also dealing with the humanjust as much.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yes, yeah, and I will say this because I've got this
question before just as much.
Yes, yeah, and I will say thisbecause I've got this question
before Do you ever considerremoving the pet from the person
, or does that ever becomenecessary?
Right, I'm sure that questionwas coming because it's a great
question.
It's a fair question and, yes,my veterinary oath, which I take
very seriously, says that I amthere, essentially says that I
(20:03):
am there to protect the animalfirst.
That is my obligation, that'smy responsibility.
So if an animal is in any sortof danger, it's being neglected
or abused, my job is to removethat animal from that situation,
in addition to treating andalleviate suffering.
There's some other things inour oath, but that stands out to
me, obviously in the work thatI do, because, yes, if I come
(20:24):
across a dog that I see has beenchained up, is starving, is
being neglected, then no, I willtake that dog or I will do what
I can or is necessary to removethat dog from that person.
I've had to do that in clinic,I've had to do that on the
streets.
But here's the surprising thingI've had to do that more in a
working clinic with payingclients than I have had to do in
(20:45):
the streets.
A lot of people may not believethat, but it's true.
I've had.
In my 13 years of doing thisI've had to go the course of
removing a pet from a persontwice.
On the streets that number isfar higher.
In clinic I was also, again, acounty veterinarian back in the
(21:05):
shelter days I would get callsall the time.
This person isn't feeding theirdog, they've been chained or
tethered.
I'd go on property.
These are people in homes,right With jobs, I would assume.
Dog is tethered.
The size of the collar wasnever adjusted.
The skin is growing over thecollar.
The collar has to be peeled off.
I have to surgically repair theneck.
So all that to say that, yes,despite them being short on
(21:27):
resources, which we all know,there is no shortage of love,
loyalty, companionship, respectfor that pet and they will in
some cases give up their onlymeal of the day so their dog can
eat.
And again, I just don't observethat typically in normal daily
practice.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
It was interesting to me in one of the videos that I
watched in researching this, youtalked about the fact that 80
something percent of thesituations that you face you can
address using your bag just alittle bag, and so to me that
immediately my brain went to wow.
That speaks to the fact thatfolks are doing their best to
(22:09):
take care of their pets despitenot having the resources.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
As you said abruptly, this is just anecdotal over the
years of doing this, I thinkabout 80% of the cases the dogs
and cats I see on the streets Itreat right out of the bag.
That means it's basic care.
That's the same kind of care Igive in clinic.
It's vaccines, it's rabies,it's treating for skin ailments.
In Southern California, thebiggest ailment that I encounter
are skin issues, by far whetherI'm in the streets or I'm
(22:38):
working in a hospital.
If I saw 20 cases in a hospitaltoday hospital, if I saw 20
cases in a hospital today, 12 ofthem would be skin related.
It would be fleas, ticks.
Allergies are huge in southerncalifornia ear infections, all
dermatologic.
That's what I see.
That's what I see in thestreets too, and I can address
that out of my bag.
So, and and it's amazing what alittle shot or uh prescription,
(22:59):
antibiotics or flea treatmentcan do for a dog that's been
suffering and that's most ofwhat I do and for the remaining
20% yes, some of these dogs areolder, they've never had dental
care, they're starting to getarthritic, they have a tumor
that needs to be taken off.
I can get those into a hospitaland do diagnostics, blood work,
x-ray surgery, and we cover allthe costs for that 20% of pets
(23:23):
that go in.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
I did learn something that I think you were
explaining to one of the folkswhose dog you were treating that
fleas have evolved to liveright above the dog's tail in an
inaccessible place where thedog can't scratch.
The fleas are a few steps aheadof us.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
The fleas are definitely many steps ahead of
us.
The fleas are definitely manysteps ahead of us and it's a
really easy diagnostic tool foranyone listening right now.
If you want to diagnose ordetermine if your dog or cat has
fleas, you just simply go tothe base of the tail, the tail
head, so this is on the rump,the rear, and you just kind of,
you know, use your thumbs andpeel back the hair and if there
(24:02):
are fleas there, you'll see themjump or move.
They are photosensitive so theyhate the light, so when they're
exposed to light you'll seethem dart.
The other thing you can lookfor is what looks like sprinkled
pepper in the fur, so it'scalled flea dirt.
Flea dirt is flea poop, so thisis the digested excrement from
the flea and it looks likeliterally someone sprinkled
(24:22):
pepper on your dog's fur and ifyou're seeing that they have
fleas.
But the place you're going tofind it again to your point,
because fleas have evolved to um, to live right at that area,
because a dog it's sofrustrating for the dog, right,
if it was anywhere else the dogwould have an easier time
getting to it.
But fleas know I meaninstinctively, know, theatively.
No, they know this is wherewe're going to breed and hang
out, and so the dog can neverget there, and that's where the
(24:44):
signs are always present.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
So in those rare cases where you have to take a
dog as you describe, a pet forfurther analysis, tests removing
a tumor, et cetera, that's allsubsidized by your sponsor, the
company that sponsors you.
And then are there alsoopportunities for individual
folks to donate.
I think I noticed on yourwebsite.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Absolutely.
Yes, you know, before we tookon my sponsors, fetch in
particular, this thing was runby small donations.
You know $10 here, $20 there,and just add it up and we're a
very lean machine.
I've never paid myself fortaking a dollar for the work.
In fact, the six years prior,when I never told anybody about
the work, I funded it out of myown pocket, which was one of the
(25:30):
reasons eventually I had toform the 501c3.
After doing it for six years,there were moments, there were
months, where I would sacrificepaying my student loans to pay
for someone's pet care in ahospital.
But, yes, once we became alittle more well-known and
people started donating, yeah,it's, these are.
These are small donors acrossthe country who believe in what
(25:50):
we do and they just they go toour site and donate and this is
this is what fuels the mission.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Having lived this journey.
Now, what would your presentself tell your, let's say, 18
18-year-old recent high schoolgraduate?
I think.
If I'm not mistaken, you'refrom New Mexico and headed into
college.
The world is your oyster.
What would you tell yourself atthat point?
Oh geez, we'd have a long chat.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
I'm sure that 18-year-old wouldn't like to
hear much of what I would haveto say.
It typically goes, because Ihave a 23 year old son, I can
just imagine I've well I've hadspeeches like that with him at
that age and I'm sure I wouldhave reacted much the same way.
But you know, I think thestrongest way to get, to get a
(26:39):
message across to somebody isn'ttrying to hammer it through or
preach, but to say look, some ofthe growing pains you're going
to go through are the mostimportant pieces of your future,
and so trying to discouragesomeone from making mistakes all
the time isn't always the bestpath.
I think, had I not done some ofthe stupid things I've done in
(27:04):
my life, in my youth, I may notbe here today.
If I had lived, maybe, a moreprivileged life, maybe I
wouldn't be here today.
So you know all the things wewish for.
I wish I had more money as akid.
I wish I had a bigger house.
I wish you know, in high schoolI remember my I was the thing I
was most jealous of.
I remember was this was thepopular guy in my high school
got this brand new truck.
(27:25):
It was like that moment in Backto the Future where at the very
end, he had a truck like that.
I remember what the you know,life isn't fair and I remember
seeing that guy at my 10-yearreunion and he was working at a
gas station.
So, and I'm not saying thatbecause he had money or
privilege, that was necessarilythe case, but I just.
(27:45):
Those are moments you reflectand think.
You know I had to work veryhard for where, for what I got
and where I am, and so anyways,back to your question.
I don't know, it would, itwould probably be a very
consoling conversation if I hadmy withers about me and say look
, you're going to make somemistakes.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Would you still study to become a vet?
Some mistakes.
Would you still study to becomea vet?
Yes, if what I mean we can'tlive our lives in hindsight, but
would you still go through thatexperience of the shelter?
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Yes, yes, yes, I would and I said withers, I
meant druthers.
If I had my druthers about me,I would absolutely tell that kid
this is where I am now.
I am a veterinarian and I'mvery proud and fortunate.
And go, go, do your thingwithout giving too much
direction, right?
You don't want to exposesomeone to too much stuff in
their future.
If they could be exposed tothat, I would tell them to go
(28:34):
out and do it.
But, but, but, by all means.
This profession has its verychallenging parts.
I don't know if you know this,but we suffer from one of the
highest suicide rates of anyprofession, far higher than the
general public.
And people often ask why, ifyou're in such a wonderful
profession, something you enjoydoing, you're passionate about,
(28:55):
you've dreamed of doing sinceyou were a child.
What's going on right, andthat's a whole other
conversation.
But yes, for a lot of reasons,we've suffered that unfortunate
statistic.
Quickly, I think it's becauseyou take someone who is very
emotional, emotionally in tune,let's say, right, we talk about
this, we have your IQ, but thenthere's sort of this emotional
(29:18):
quotient, right, that we're nowmore aware of.
And I think you take someonewho's highly empathetic and
emotional and sensitive, whichseems to draw people towards
pets, right to caring forcreatures.
It's the kid who's out in hisyard trying to take care of the
bugs, or he's always looking outfor living things.
To me, children like that,people like that, are just wired
(29:39):
a little differently.
But you take this somewhatemotional person and you stick
them in a profession where theyare required on any given day to
euthanize their patients, andsometimes these patients have
become like their pets right.
I've had to euthanize pets thatare 15 years old.
I've essentially felt like I'veraised and I'm there with the
(29:59):
family and the children havingto euthanize this pet and I
grieve too.
And then there are moments, oremergency moments, you're losing
pets.
It's stressful.
You're managing all theseemotions day to day and then you
sort of look back and think incertain moments like that's when
I was seven.
I was seven when I firstrealized I wanted to be a vet,
and I was seven I just didn't.
(30:19):
Ever that that wasn't.
I wasn't aware of this piece ofit.
Again, the sensitive person isdealing with this very tough
profession and so, despite that,I went off on a tangent, but
despite that, I would say it isthe most beautiful profession to
have this knowledge, this whatI would say almost power to save
(30:40):
another living creature.
Power to save another livingcreature.
And I still wake up somemornings and think the coolest
thing about my life is if my doggot sick, if there was an
emergency, if he, if he got hitby a car right outside my front
door, I have the experience andknowledge to potentially save
him.
That, that still, that thatfeeling, that thought I carry
around even after 27 years ofpractice.
(31:02):
It still warms me.
So, yes, if you can manage theemotional part, it is to me the
best profession on the planet.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Not to probe too deeply into you personally, but
what do you do to stay renewedand positive and, knowing what
you know about your professionand the toll that it can take
emotionally?
Speaker 1 (31:28):
The best management tool for me and I think it
differs for everybody, but I do.
When I'm giving my keynotelectures or presentations around
the country, I talk about fillyour cup Sort of a common phrase
now, but that looks differentfor everybody, but the
underlying premise is you findthat thing that just gives you
some joy, makes you smile.
Mine is rooted in exercise.
(31:48):
Uh, mine is rooted in exercise.
So actually when I thoughtabout quitting the vet
profession, I was going to gooff and be like a fitness
trainer or something.
My dad, uh, was a professionalfootball player and so he was
the athlete in the home.
My mom was the academic, but mydad sort of gave me that, uh,
the roots of working out andexercising since I was, you know
, before I had memories, I think, and so that's always been a
(32:10):
big part of my life and it'sprobably the thing that anchors
me, calms me, relaxes me is if Ijust go out and do some form of
exercise.
Sometimes it's just walking,sometimes it's stretching.
I like to cycle, but that worksfor me.
For some people who may bereading, here's the interesting
thing about having a dog realquick, and I think a lot of
people will find thisinteresting.
When you do something as simpleas stroke your dog or give them
(32:32):
a hug, or the same with yourcat, there are three active
chemicals that are released inyour body.
One is oxytocin.
We all know about this A hughormone makes you feel good.
The other is prolactin not justfor nursing mothers, but men
can release prolactin as well.
We observe that chemicalrelease when you're hugging or
petting your dog.
Prolactin as well we observethat chemical release when
(32:54):
you're hugging or petting yourdog.
It also is sort of a feel-goodchemical.
It can stave off things likedepression and PTSD.
And then phenolphthalein isanother very similar to
prolactin and we've seen thatuseful in people that do have
severe forms of PTSD or trauma.
But all three of these in thesoup.
These things are happening whenyou do something as simple as
pet your dog.
So for those of us that lovepets, remembering just, I go out
(33:17):
, sometimes in the backyard, andI just I'll give Cora a big hug
and I'll sit there for threeminutes and I'll pet her and
sometimes that's enough.
I get my dopamine release and Igo back and I get back to work.
So there are many tools, but Iwould just say, really it's just
a matter of finding time togrant or honor yourself that and
do it as you were describingthe kid in the backyard trying
(33:38):
to save the bugs, I flashed onthe books by James Herriot.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
I think he's kind of a somewhat idyllic kind of
country vet in England, but Iremember my grandfather used to
read those to me and it was thatas you described, having the
skills to be able to save ananimal's life.
That's a memory I'm going totake away from today's
conversation because those arebeautiful books.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Yeah, they are.
I love the.
Jamie Funny.
You say that I was doing aninterview earlier this morning,
a live interview on Zoom, andthey asked about my book.
So I've written a book calledwhat it Takes to Save a Life.
I have a copy here because Iwas holding it up and I know for
everyone listening they can'tsee this.
But I'm showing you now what itTakes to Save a Life and it was
(34:29):
released last year and verysimilar.
I call it sort of an urban side.
James Harriot.
He was countryside.
He was walking through farmsand ranches and people's homes.
Mine is center city.
It's walking up and downstreets, skid row and I've taken
my probably favorite 10 to 12stories on the streets and I've
stuck them in this book out ofhundreds.
(34:50):
So that was the hardest part isboiling it down to my favorite
10 to 12 stories on the streetsand I've I've stuck them in this
book out of hundreds.
So that was the hardest part isboiling it down to my favorite
10, but that that is a premiseof the book.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
And I think another parallel is that, as I recall
his, his stories were as muchabout the colorful characters
the farmers, the farmer's wives,the owner, the owners of the
pets.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Yeah, that was the best part, that's been the best
part.
The owners of the pets yeah,that was the best part, that's
been the best part for me.
And my journey is sitting andtalking and meeting and, you
know, at times it's hearingtheir struggles.
But for me, the thing I like totake away is the hope.
You know, in this world we'reall caught up in today, it's
funny how incensed we becomewhen someone just cuts us off in
(35:29):
traffic or when we go toStarbucks and our coffee isn't
made perfectly right and thatjust sends some people a
tailspin.
But then I go on the streetsand I see people who have
nothing and they are oftentimessmiling and hopeful and saying
tomorrow's going to be a betterday.
Some of these people haven'teven eaten that day and they're
telling me this.
So if there's any gift theygrant me in this sort of
(35:52):
exchange, it's that I take thathome and I'm sitting at dinner
with my kids and I just I thinkback to some of these encounters
that I'm I'm so fortunate.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
So, in terms of getting involved in supporting
project street vet, uh, as youmentioned, people can go to the
website and make a donation.
Um, yes, they can go to projectstreet vetorg.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
They can, yes, they can go to projectstreetvetorg.
And yes, there's an easy way tomake a donation.
We've now sort of broadened ourability to give and people can
do it through a living gift orstocks or estates.
So there's multiple ways togive with tax benefits.
States so there's multiple waysto give with tax benefits.
(36:35):
But yes, that is sort of thelifeblood of the mission,
because everything we do, prettymuch everything I take in
because my veterinarians acrossthe country they volunteer too
is we try and get it to the pets.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
And your book is available on Amazon.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
On Amazon.
Yeah, you can get it anywhereAmazon.
It's in some bookstores.
Yeah, available on.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Amazon, amazon, yeah, I can get anywhere.
Amazon, it's in some bookstores, yeah, fantastic.
We'll also link to that um inthe show notes and, and
certainly going to link to yourum, your sponsor, the uh fetch
pet insurance.
I think that's a very powerfulstory, um, that a company would,
would, would put themselves outthere, uh, on behalf of this
work.
Would put themselves out thereon behalf of this work.
(37:11):
Yes, yeah, you've beenextremely generous with your
time.
I have one last question foryou, but before I get there, is
there anything that I haven'tcovered that may be rattling
around in your head to share?
Speaker 1 (37:25):
No, I think we've covered most of the bases.
This is such a broad topicdepending on, as I said, if I
was touching on suicide in myveterinary profession or some of
the stories I have on thestreets, we could sit here and
do this for three hours.
I mean, even to me.
It still lights me up in a verygood way, in a very good way.
(37:52):
But no, I'm very thankful thatyou allowed me to share my story
and some of the challenges, butsome of the really the
wonderful moments, the blessingsI've received from doing this
work.
I do often like to remind peoplethat an act of kindness is a
very powerful thing and it cannot only change someone's day.
But there have been momentswhere I feel like an act of
(38:13):
kindness has changed lives,perhaps me to someone else, but
I know there are people who haveshown very random, spontaneous
acts of kindness to me that havechanged mine, and that is a
message that I like to promotevery strongly, because when you
do something for somebody elsewithout agenda, without an
(38:34):
expectation for pay for money,it's outside of your duties or
responsibilities at your work,but you're just doing something
for another human being.
There is something and I don'tquite understand it, but there's
something happening down, Ithink, to the cellular level.
Down, I think, to the cellularlevel, you know, the bones of
(38:54):
our spirit.
That is really, really special.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
And finding moments to do that more often, I think
people will find, you know, itprovides some sort of life force
and that's simple and profoundat the same time, and especially
, I think, given where we are interms of being a country so
divided on so many fronts.
You mentioned social media.
I'm also many fronts.
You mentioned social media.
I'm also a big avoider ofsocial media Any chance I get to
not read the comments.
(39:17):
But we've got a divided countryin so many different ways and
so, yeah, just that, withoutagenda, without expecting
anything.
I'm definitely going to carrythat away from today's
conversation.
So I thank you for that.
My last question is ahypothetical.
You're in LA, so we're going tochoose the 405 freeway.
You have the chance to put abillboard on the side of the 405
(39:41):
freeway with your message tothe hundreds of thousands of
commuters who drive by thereevery day.
What does your billboard say?
Hundreds of thousands ofcommuters who drive by there
every day?
What?
Speaker 1 (39:51):
does your billboard say oh, wow, I don't know.
I don't think that question hasbeen posed.
I have to answer this on thefly.
That's why I didn't tell you inadvance.
I know Now you stuck me.
That's good though.
Hey, I like it it's.
(40:12):
You know the motto.
I'll tell you our motto for themission, which I came up with.
My brother and I came up withyears ago my brother who, by the
way, helps me run this and hasbeen instrumental.
So thank you, ian.
But we came up with this mottono judgment, just help.
And you know to your point, abig part of the division, or the
big part of something thatdivides even a household, for
example, or keeps people fromshowing that act of kindness, is
(40:32):
this moment of judgment in ourhead right.
There's something that pops uplike no, you don't deserve it.
No, you're not worthy.
I'm better than you.
How did you find yourself inthis situation?
And I believe that thatjudgment unfortunately holds us
back from being the best versionof ourselves.
So maybe I would just happilystick my own motto up on the
(40:53):
billboard that says no judgment,just help, because that is,
that is the mantra that myselfand my other veterinarians live
by.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
That's a beautiful place, I think to to wrap up
today's conversation.
Dr Stewart, I very muchappreciate this conversation.
I'm humbled by your work.
I want to encourage ourlisteners to donate.
Check out the show notes.
There are going to be links tobuy Dr Stewart's book and to
(41:24):
maybe practice some unexpectedkindness today in all of our
lives.
So thank you so much for yourtime and generosity of spirit in
all that you do.
Thank you, thank you and thankyou for carrying my message
forward.
Appreciate it.
Thanks for joining us on theHangout Podcast.
You can send us an email atpodcastinfo at protonme.
(41:45):
Many thanks to my daughter,maya, for editing this episode.
I'd also like to underline thatthis podcast is entirely
separate from my day job and, assuch, all opinions expressed
herein are mine and mine alone.
Thanks for coming on in andhanging out.
And I still wake up some mornings and think the
coolest thing about my life isif my dog got sick, if there was
an emergency, if he, if he gothit by a car right outside my
front door, I have theexperience and knowledge to
potentially save him.
That that's still that.
That feeling, that thought Icarry around even after 27 years
of practice, is still carearound even after 27 years of
(00:29):
practice.
It still warms me.
So, yes, if you can manage theemotional part, it is to me the
best profession on the planet.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Welcome to the Hangout Podcast.
I'm your host, david Sharetta.
Come on in and hang out.
Come on in and hang out.
In this episode, I wasprivileged and honored to sit
down for a humbling conversationwith Dr Quan Stewart.
Dr Stewart is the founder ofProject Street Vet.
(00:58):
You can find them onlineprojectstreetvetorg.
You can also find his book onAmazon and wherever you buy your
books.
It's called what it Takes toSave a Life.
Dr Stewart shares hisinspirational journey and the
transition in his life fromworking at a shelter that had a
high rate of euthanizing pets tobeginning to go through this
(01:23):
journey of supporting homelesspopulations and, in particular,
taking care of their pets.
I was humbled by ourconversation and I hope you
enjoy it as much as I did, and Istrongly encourage folks to
donate to this cause, to helpfurther this work around the
country and also to purchase DrStewart's book.
(01:46):
Welcome, dr Stewart.
It's a real pleasure to haveyou on for a little bit of a
chat today.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
I'm happy to be here.
Thank you for having me so much.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
I thought we could get started with your origin
story, where you come from, whoyou are as a person, what your
background is like, and thenwe'll kind of bring it up to the
present.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Sure, my origin story is one of my favorite tales to
share, because when I was a kid,I always wanted to be a
superhero like Batman, and I wasan avid drawer, illustrator,
colorer and I was always drawing.
You know Batman and Supermanand you could run down the list
of the Avengers.
I was always coloring anddrawing them.
(02:27):
And what's interesting about mystory?
If I could fancy myself alittle bit of wearing a cape
which is always something Iwanted to do it was either that
or be a veterinarian.
I've sort of found my place inthe street work I do, but it
found me.
I would say I didn't go outnecessarily seeking it, it
almost happened by accident.
I was a shelter veterinarian atthe time.
(02:49):
This is about 13 years ago andI was on the verge of quitting
the profession, which you know.
If a veterinarian says that toyou, that's heavy, because the
time, efforts, money, energy ittakes to become a vet is immense
.
And 13 years into it I justwanted to walk away.
(03:12):
And it was because I was ashelter vet and we had a very
high euthanasia rate at thismunicipal shelter.
I don't want to share thenumber, but some mornings before
10 am it was a lot of animalsand it was starting to destroy
my soul and question why I tookthis path.
And so, on this particular daywhich is interesting because I'm
(03:32):
not a big believer in destiny,but I'm starting to come around
on this particular day I wassitting in front of 7-Eleven and
I was rehearsing my resignationletter in my head.
I was going to go in later andsit down and have a chat and
then formally write my letter.
I walked into 7-Eleven, which ispart of my pattern either for
gas or coffee and I was walkingout and to my left I saw the Sun
House gentleman and his dog.
(03:54):
I saw his dog had some sort ofskin issue.
I could see this from afar,from about 12 feet, and I got a
little closer to him and wasable to make out more or less
what was going on with the dog.
And then I just introducedmyself.
I said I'm Kwan Stewart, I'm aveterinarian and it looks like
your dog has a skin issue.
And he said, yes, a prettyserious one.
And he was exasperated anddesperate.
(04:15):
He just said I don't knowwhat's going on with her.
I don't have any resources ormoney to get her help.
And I said well, it looks to melike it's just fleas
Surprisingly as bad as shapethis dog was in and chronic
fleas will destroy a dog's skinif they have it long enough and
this dog looked like a burnvictim.
On his hind end the hair wasgone, the skin was red and bumpy
(04:35):
, was infected.
The dog was miserable and itchy.
He was miserable, the man, andI just said to him well, if
you're here tomorrow, I'llreturn with something that
should help.
And I just said to him well, ifyou're here tomorrow, I'll
return with something thatshould help.
That took me back to the shelterthat day and the next day,
funny enough, I returned aspromised, gave the dog a $3 pill
$3 out of my pocket or, as Isay now, $3 out of the shelter's
(04:57):
pocket.
I now divulge that piece of it.
It was only $3.
It was only $3.
You won't go to prison for that.
No, I should be all right.
I treated the dog it's fivemore minutes of my time and then
I saw the same man and the samedog about a week and a half
later.
The dog was transformed.
She was wagging her tail andshe jumped up on me when I
(05:18):
approached him again and the mansitting in the same spot just
looked up at me with tears inhis eyes, and the man sitting in
the same spot just looked up atme with tears in his eyes and
he just said to me thank you fornot ignoring me.
And I got a little emotional aswell and I just kneeled down
and I made him a quiet pledgeand said I'm going to try and
find more people like you.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
And that was 13 years ago and I haven't stopped since
Wow, and, and at a certainpoint you you obviously resigned
from the shelter work.
Um, and now, as I understand it, you've expanded to multiple
cities.
How does that network begin toexpand and how do you cause?
(06:00):
This isn't a real sales jobthat you can make to vets.
That's an easy sales job, right, Like yeah, out and do this
highly lucrative work on thestreets.
So how does that work?
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Yeah, it was.
It was a very, very slowprocess.
In fact, I had no intentions toto expand the work in the
beginning.
It was just, it was a passionproject.
It was a way, maybe, for me toheal.
I was, uh, you know, frustratedand, uh, maybe feeling a certain
amount of guilt for my time atthe shelter.
And, you know, I, I think, as Itell people, in the eyes of God
(06:36):
, I, I felt like I was losing,uh, because I felt as though
some of the things I was, youknow, I had to do by the nature
of the work as a shelterveterinarian.
We're not right, we're not inkeeping with with um, you know,
my oath and things I wanted todo as a vet.
So there was, there was a lotof guilt and for me, I would
just go out quietly and do thework.
(06:57):
In fact, this is the surprisingpart about the story I didn't
tell anybody about what I wasdoing for the better part of six
years.
I didn't tell anybody aboutwhat I was doing for the better
part of six years.
So this started around 2013,towards the end of 2012.
And for six years, I didn'ttell my family, I didn't tell my
mother, my partner, my children.
I went out you know freemoments after work, on weekends
(07:24):
and and find people and do this.
So there was again.
There was never really anyintent to make this a big thing,
it just it evolved to thatafter some time.
Finally, after about six years,I shared it with my brother I
have one brother, one siblingand shared it with him and he
just said why haven't you toldanybody about this?
You know what you're doing isis it's significant.
(07:46):
People should hear thesestories.
It could have an impact on them.
He gave me a social mediapresence.
I don't like social media.
I'll tell people now all daylong, despite the following I
have in the comments and posts,but he takes care of all that.
He basically built a personaaround if you want to call me
the street vet around this imagethat I now have as a street vet
(08:07):
.
And that presence on socialmedia led to other veterinarians
around the country saying Ilove this, can I do what you do
in my neighborhood or mycommunity?
And then it just sort oforganically, a vet in Atlanta
said I'm going to start a team,a street vet team here, and then
a vet in Orlando and a vet inNew York City and, yeah, so over
(08:29):
about the course of four tofive years we're now in seven
different cities.
We have a wonderful titlesponsor and Fetch Pet Insurance,
who underwrites the expansion,and Fetch has been a great
partner to all of us.
In fact, I just did, I'm onsomething right now called the
multi-city tour, so I'm visitingevery city and spending time
out in the field with theseveterinarians.
Some of these veterinariansI've never met in person.
They've, uh, we've beencommunicating through email and
(08:50):
phone and Instagram and on theirown they've just developed
their own, their own team, theirown way of doing it in their
own city.
And now I get a chance to goout.
I was just in Atlanta.
Recently I went out in Atlantawith Dr Kristen Schmidt and she
walked me through what felt likea jungle, because a lot of her
work in Atlanta you know Atlantais like a city of forests and
trees and a lot of her work isreally rural, like we were
(09:14):
hiking through an area of forestto find an encampment of
unhoused folks who have pets andtreat them.
And I work in Skid Row.
Mine is just, it's a concretejungle.
So I'm always on city streetshere in LA, but no, it was
wonderful and it's I don't know.
I never could have imagined ordreamed of this.
Obviously, when I started itjust wasn't on my radar.
(09:34):
But now I, finally, am seeinghow much good change this is
bringing about and how impactfulit is in a good way.
And beyond the people that I'mreaching in the moment, the
animals that I'm treating on astreet corner, the message of
kindness, of giving someone yourtime and energy, without agenda
(09:54):
, that is the part I'm mostproud of.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
You know, we're located just 25 blocks from
downtown San Diego, 10 blocksfrom, really, where there's a
high concentration of unhousedfolks in downtown San Diego,
like 16th 17th street.
We're on 26th, so just up thehill and so I'm passing through.
It's not on the level of SkidRow in LA, and I think you're
(10:20):
familiar with San Diego as welland you've worked here.
I mean, on every block thereare folks with pets mostly dogs,
but sometimes other pets and soI just was wondering if you
could speak to the role thatpets have in people's lives.
I mean, we know the role thatpets have in lives of people who
have more stability and live inhomes, et cetera, but when you
(10:42):
remove that from someone's life,what's the role of the pet?
As an anchor, as a connectionto reality or comfort, or if you
could speak to that.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
Yeah, I would just start by saying for all of us
that have a pet currently or inthe past, and we've loved that
pet.
The census now says that 85% ofpeople that are polled will
tell you their pet is family,it's a member of the family.
That wasn't always so.
You go back a generation.
(11:13):
That number was much lower,almost cut in half.
And you know, in the 60s and1940s you know pets, as I say, I
have this funny story thatthey've sort of migrated right
from the corner of the backyardto the porch in the 60s to
inside the home in the 80s, butstill mostly outside, and then
in the early 2000s they were notonly in the home but they're in
(11:35):
their bedroom and now they'rein our bed.
So they have had this longmigration as part of our lives
and most people consider themfamily.
So if you reflect on that for asecond and someone, just you
know, closes their eyes andthinks of what their pet means
to them, how perhaps their pethas pulled them through a
difficult time, through adivorce, you know we always talk
about pets are always there.
(11:56):
Our dog, our cat is alwaysthere.
We've lost partners, beenthrough divorce, relationships,
lost jobs, but sometimes themost stable force in our lives
is this dog you've come to loveover the past 10 years.
You take that and then you justput some jet fuel, you add
something very powerful to itexponentially, and that is what
(12:19):
you have on the streets.
That is my observation that yes, we love our pets.
Pets, we appreciate them, theybring us comfort and they have
consoled us at times.
But when you're on the streetsand you have nothing else, in a
lot of cases you have no familysupport, you have no friends,
you have no home, you'restruggling to eat.
(12:40):
Some days this pet becomes alifeline.
It literally becomes a reasonto get up and breathe the next
day, to remain hopeful, and thisplays out in this simple
example.
Oftentimes people will refusetemporary or permanent housing
if it does not allow their dogto come with them.
I don't know that I could saythat right.
(13:00):
I've never I'm so used to thelife I've had, you know, since
growing up.
Just you know, simple,middle-class family.
I've never I'm so used to thelife I've had, you know, since
growing up.
Just you know, simple,middle-class family.
I don't if I lived on thestreets for a year and someone
offered me a bed and a warmshower and a meal, but said you
can have this, you just can'tbring your dog with you.
I don't know if I would be ableto turn it down, but I hear
that time and time again that ifmy dog doesn't come, I don't go
(13:21):
.
So that shows you, or shouldillustrate, the power of the
bond between these two.
And my job, my simple job, isjust to try and keep them
together.
I'm just offering free medicalcare to try and keep these two
together.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
I'd imagine that so much of your work, obviously
your work is related to pets,but it's also related to the
humans, right To the pet owners.
How have you worked throughthat trust relationship?
I'd imagine that in Skid Rowand among folks who've spent
sometimes decades on the streets, folks are on with their guard
(13:57):
up.
How do you navigate that?
And you're probably well knownnow and so when folks see you
coming but that wasn't alwaysthe case You're probably well
known now and so when folks seeyou coming, but that wasn't
always the case.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
No, that wasn't always the case and I had to
develop my own style.
I guess In this professionobviously I've had to deal with
very difficult moments withfamilies and people and had hard
conversations.
You, just over time, develop away to speak with people and get
very comfortable with that.
So in that, in that regard,it's sort of prepared me to, yes
(14:27):
, approach a total stranger onthe streets and, like that
gentleman outside of 7-Eleven,announced myself, and that's how
I usually start.
From a distance I just say thisis who I am and if, if you're
okay with it, I, I give freemedical care advice to anyone in
need of it and I'd be happy toexamine your dog, if you allow
me.
That's my opener and you know,usually within a few seconds,
(14:52):
most you know they may kind ofnod their head back and forth
and you can tell they're mullingit over quickly and they say,
sure, I wear a scrub top with myname on it Kwan Stewart, dvm.
So I look somewhat official outin the streets and I carry a
backpack full of supplies.
But the moment they kick openthat door and say, yes, it's
fine.
I just I take a knee, I takeout my stethoscope and I get to
(15:13):
work and within a moment again,wherever I am, in an alleyway or
under a traffic light, thatbecomes my clinic, my exam
office, and I just go throughthe same routine I would with
any paying client in clinic.
I listened to the heart, tellthem, heart sounds great, lungs
are clear, and I'm just doing afull, thorough exam and I'm
(15:34):
talking through it with themlike they're any other client
and then more and more, I thinkover those minutes, the trust
grows.
I'm giving advice where I canand then, yeah, it's.
I'll tell you.
There've been times where I'vespent 90 minutes with one person
and their dog and what startsout as an exam, and then maybe
some recommendations, turns intoa long conversation, sometimes
very personal.
I'll share personal thingsabout my life and usually hear
(15:56):
personal things from them andit's almost like we're two
friends at the end.
You know, often we're hugging.
When I say goodbye I giveeverybody my cell phone number,
which I've been saying for years.
I probably need to stop thatpractice because you know now
hundreds and it's fine.
You know, the reason I starteddoing that in the beginning is
when I treat a pet just like Iwould in clinic in a hospital
(16:19):
with a paying client.
I'm their resource right.
I'm their resource right Ifthere's a reaction to the
vaccines, if a recheck isnecessary, if the treatment
isn't going well, if they have aquestion about health.
I want them to know this wasn'ta one and done that.
I'm still here for you and I'myour doctor.
I'm Jinx's doctor now and youcan call me, so that's more or
(16:40):
less how it plays out.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
How have your views on the challenges of
homelessness or the experienceof being unhoused, how have
those changed or been influencedby your work?
I mean, the topic is a prettycharged one in just about every
major metropolitan area in theUS, certainly in Southern
California particularly so, butI know New York City and other
(17:03):
places.
How has your understanding ofthat grown or changed or been
informed by this work with?
Speaker 1 (17:10):
pets.
You know, in the beginning,admittedly, I had my own
prejudgments, prejudices, if youwant to say I would see.
Say, for instance, what I wouldconsider an able-bodied
30-year-old man on a streetcorner shaking a cup, just, you
know, essentially begging, andI've had the thoughts
everybody's had.
You know why?
Why can't you get a job Right?
(17:30):
You clearly look fit enough togo out and work, or so, yes,
those thoughts ran through myhead prior to doing this work
and I.
It's been a learning curve forme too, and what I have found in
spending time with many ofthese people is they really
aren't any different than me andI'm certainly no better than
them.
You know, life circumstances areeasy to judge, cast judgment or
(17:56):
shadow on somebody.
That someone has grown up infoster care or didn't have
parental support or never reallyhad a chance at an education,
their parents were on drugs andthey picked up the habit from
them, on and on and on.
I realized then that I had avery, very fortunate upbringing,
(18:16):
but also I think in momentsbecause we've all had some bad
luck bounces or moments wheremaybe we were on the ledge that
had it not been for the supportand I have a great network of
support through my family andfriends.
If it wasn't for them incertain moments, maybe maybe I
would be tumbling and maybe Iwould be.
You know, it goes from so oftenwhat I hear is it.
(18:38):
It starts as well.
I just I couldn't pay rent or Icouldn't do this and so I
decided to sleep in my car, andthe car leads to the street
corner, and then the streetcorner often can lead to drug
abuse or coping mechanisms, andthen you're out there for a long
, long time and I can't say thatI haven't been close to that
potentially happening in my life.
I was able to sleep on myfriend's couch in that moment,
(19:00):
or parents were able to wire memoney, but if you don't have
that, what happens to you?
Right?
So when you take that inconsideration and, of course,
the mental illness aspect, I'vejust abandoned judgment
altogether and it's not my jobas a practitioner or caregiver
to go in and judge somebody ortheir situation is.
(19:20):
It's to give you know, healingpractice.
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Yeah, it's interesting, right, because if
you are a's to give you knowhealing practice, yeah, it's
interesting, right, because ifyou were a physician treating
humans, you know you treat whatyou can in that moment and do no
harm, and so it's aninteresting dynamic to think
about, right You're you'redealing with the pet, but you're
also dealing with the humanjust as much.
Speaker 1 (19:40):
Yes, yeah, and I will say this because I've got this
question before just as much.
Yes, yeah, and I will say thisbecause I've got this question
before Do you ever considerremoving the pet from the person
, or does that ever becomenecessary?
Right, I'm sure that questionwas coming because it's a great
question.
It's a fair question and, yes,my veterinary oath, which I take
very seriously, says that I amthere, essentially says that I
(20:03):
am there to protect the animalfirst.
That is my obligation, that'smy responsibility.
So if an animal is in any sortof danger, it's being neglected
or abused, my job is to removethat animal from that situation,
in addition to treating andalleviate suffering.
There's some other things inour oath, but that stands out to
me, obviously in the work thatI do, because, yes, if I come
(20:24):
across a dog that I see has beenchained up, is starving, is
being neglected, then no, I willtake that dog or I will do what
I can or is necessary to removethat dog from that person.
I've had to do that in clinic,I've had to do that on the
streets.
But here's the surprising thingI've had to do that more in a
working clinic with payingclients than I have had to do in
(20:45):
the streets.
A lot of people may not believethat, but it's true.
I've had.
In my 13 years of doing thisI've had to go the course of
removing a pet from a persontwice.
On the streets that number isfar higher.
In clinic I was also, again, acounty veterinarian back in the
(21:05):
shelter days I would get callsall the time.
This person isn't feeding theirdog, they've been chained or
tethered.
I'd go on property.
These are people in homes,right With jobs, I would assume.
Dog is tethered.
The size of the collar wasnever adjusted.
The skin is growing over thecollar.
The collar has to be peeled off.
I have to surgically repair theneck.
So all that to say that, yes,despite them being short on
(21:27):
resources, which we all know,there is no shortage of love,
loyalty, companionship, respectfor that pet and they will in
some cases give up their onlymeal of the day so their dog can
eat.
And again, I just don't observethat typically in normal daily
practice.
Speaker 2 (21:48):
It was interesting to me in one of the videos that I
watched in researching this, youtalked about the fact that 80
something percent of thesituations that you face you can
address using your bag just alittle bag, and so to me that
immediately my brain went to wow.
That speaks to the fact thatfolks are doing their best to
(22:09):
take care of their pets despitenot having the resources.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
As you said abruptly, this is just anecdotal over the
years of doing this, I thinkabout 80% of the cases the dogs
and cats I see on the streets Itreat right out of the bag.
That means it's basic care.
That's the same kind of care Igive in clinic.
It's vaccines, it's rabies,it's treating for skin ailments.
In Southern California, thebiggest ailment that I encounter
are skin issues, by far whetherI'm in the streets or I'm
(22:38):
working in a hospital.
If I saw 20 cases in a hospitaltoday hospital, if I saw 20
cases in a hospital today, 12 ofthem would be skin related.
It would be fleas, ticks.
Allergies are huge in southerncalifornia ear infections, all
dermatologic.
That's what I see.
That's what I see in thestreets too, and I can address
that out of my bag.
So, and and it's amazing what alittle shot or uh prescription,
(22:59):
antibiotics or flea treatmentcan do for a dog that's been
suffering and that's most ofwhat I do and for the remaining
20% yes, some of these dogs areolder, they've never had dental
care, they're starting to getarthritic, they have a tumor
that needs to be taken off.
I can get those into a hospitaland do diagnostics, blood work,
x-ray surgery, and we cover allthe costs for that 20% of pets
(23:23):
that go in.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
I did learn something that I think you were
explaining to one of the folkswhose dog you were treating that
fleas have evolved to liveright above the dog's tail in an
inaccessible place where thedog can't scratch.
The fleas are a few steps aheadof us.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
The fleas are definitely many steps ahead of
us.
The fleas are definitely manysteps ahead of us and it's a
really easy diagnostic tool foranyone listening right now.
If you want to diagnose ordetermine if your dog or cat has
fleas, you just simply go tothe base of the tail, the tail
head, so this is on the rump,the rear, and you just kind of,
you know, use your thumbs andpeel back the hair and if there
(24:02):
are fleas there, you'll see themjump or move.
They are photosensitive so theyhate the light, so when they're
exposed to light you'll seethem dart.
The other thing you can lookfor is what looks like sprinkled
pepper in the fur, so it'scalled flea dirt.
Flea dirt is flea poop, so thisis the digested excrement from
the flea and it looks likeliterally someone sprinkled
(24:22):
pepper on your dog's fur and ifyou're seeing that they have
fleas.
But the place you're going tofind it again to your point,
because fleas have evolved to um, to live right at that area,
because a dog it's sofrustrating for the dog, right,
if it was anywhere else the dogwould have an easier time
getting to it.
But fleas know I meaninstinctively, know, theatively.
No, they know this is wherewe're going to breed and hang
out, and so the dog can neverget there, and that's where the
(24:44):
signs are always present.
Speaker 2 (24:47):
So in those rare cases where you have to take a
dog as you describe, a pet forfurther analysis, tests removing
a tumor, et cetera, that's allsubsidized by your sponsor, the
company that sponsors you.
And then are there alsoopportunities for individual
folks to donate.
I think I noticed on yourwebsite.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Absolutely.
Yes, you know, before we tookon my sponsors, fetch in
particular, this thing was runby small donations.
You know $10 here, $20 there,and just add it up and we're a
very lean machine.
I've never paid myself fortaking a dollar for the work.
In fact, the six years prior,when I never told anybody about
the work, I funded it out of myown pocket, which was one of the
(25:30):
reasons eventually I had toform the 501c3.
After doing it for six years,there were moments, there were
months, where I would sacrificepaying my student loans to pay
for someone's pet care in ahospital.
But, yes, once we became alittle more well-known and
people started donating, yeah,it's, these are.
These are small donors acrossthe country who believe in what
(25:50):
we do and they just they go toour site and donate and this is
this is what fuels the mission.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Having lived this journey.
Now, what would your presentself tell your, let's say, 18
18-year-old recent high schoolgraduate?
I think.
If I'm not mistaken, you'refrom New Mexico and headed into
college.
The world is your oyster.
What would you tell yourself atthat point?
Oh geez, we'd have a long chat.
Speaker 1 (26:19):
I'm sure that 18-year-old wouldn't like to
hear much of what I would haveto say.
It typically goes, because Ihave a 23 year old son, I can
just imagine I've well I've hadspeeches like that with him at
that age and I'm sure I wouldhave reacted much the same way.
But you know, I think thestrongest way to get, to get a
(26:39):
message across to somebody isn'ttrying to hammer it through or
preach, but to say look, some ofthe growing pains you're going
to go through are the mostimportant pieces of your future,
and so trying to discouragesomeone from making mistakes all
the time isn't always the bestpath.
I think, had I not done some ofthe stupid things I've done in
(27:04):
my life, in my youth, I may notbe here today.
If I had lived, maybe, a moreprivileged life, maybe I
wouldn't be here today.
So you know all the things wewish for.
I wish I had more money as akid.
I wish I had a bigger house.
I wish you know, in high schoolI remember my I was the thing I
was most jealous of.
I remember was this was thepopular guy in my high school
got this brand new truck.
(27:25):
It was like that moment in Backto the Future where at the very
end, he had a truck like that.
I remember what the you know,life isn't fair and I remember
seeing that guy at my 10-yearreunion and he was working at a
gas station.
So, and I'm not saying thatbecause he had money or
privilege, that was necessarilythe case, but I just.
(27:45):
Those are moments you reflectand think.
You know I had to work veryhard for where, for what I got
and where I am, and so anyways,back to your question.
I don't know, it would, itwould probably be a very
consoling conversation if I hadmy withers about me and say look
, you're going to make somemistakes.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
Would you still study to become a vet?
Some mistakes.
Would you still study to becomea vet?
Yes, if what I mean we can'tlive our lives in hindsight, but
would you still go through thatexperience of the shelter?
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Yes, yes, yes, I would and I said withers, I
meant druthers.
If I had my druthers about me,I would absolutely tell that kid
this is where I am now.
I am a veterinarian and I'mvery proud and fortunate.
And go, go, do your thingwithout giving too much
direction, right?
You don't want to exposesomeone to too much stuff in
their future.
If they could be exposed tothat, I would tell them to go
(28:34):
out and do it.
But, but, but, by all means.
This profession has its verychallenging parts.
I don't know if you know this,but we suffer from one of the
highest suicide rates of anyprofession, far higher than the
general public.
And people often ask why, ifyou're in such a wonderful
profession, something you enjoydoing, you're passionate about,
(28:55):
you've dreamed of doing sinceyou were a child.
What's going on right, andthat's a whole other
conversation.
But yes, for a lot of reasons,we've suffered that unfortunate
statistic.
Quickly, I think it's becauseyou take someone who is very
emotional, emotionally in tune,let's say, right, we talk about
this, we have your IQ, but thenthere's sort of this emotional
(29:18):
quotient, right, that we're nowmore aware of.
And I think you take someonewho's highly empathetic and
emotional and sensitive, whichseems to draw people towards
pets, right to caring forcreatures.
It's the kid who's out in hisyard trying to take care of the
bugs, or he's always looking outfor living things.
To me, children like that,people like that, are just wired
(29:39):
a little differently.
But you take this somewhatemotional person and you stick
them in a profession where theyare required on any given day to
euthanize their patients, andsometimes these patients have
become like their pets right.
I've had to euthanize pets thatare 15 years old.
I've essentially felt like I'veraised and I'm there with the
(29:59):
family and the children havingto euthanize this pet and I
grieve too.
And then there are moments, oremergency moments, you're losing
pets.
It's stressful.
You're managing all theseemotions day to day and then you
sort of look back and think incertain moments like that's when
I was seven.
I was seven when I firstrealized I wanted to be a vet,
and I was seven I just didn't.
(30:19):
Ever that that wasn't.
I wasn't aware of this piece ofit.
Again, the sensitive person isdealing with this very tough
profession and so, despite that,I went off on a tangent, but
despite that, I would say it isthe most beautiful profession to
have this knowledge, this whatI would say almost power to save
(30:40):
another living creature.
Power to save another livingcreature.
And I still wake up somemornings and think the coolest
thing about my life is if my doggot sick, if there was an
emergency, if he, if he got hitby a car right outside my front
door, I have the experience andknowledge to potentially save
him.
That, that still, that thatfeeling, that thought I carry
around even after 27 years ofpractice.
(31:02):
It still warms me.
So, yes, if you can manage theemotional part, it is to me the
best profession on the planet.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Not to probe too deeply into you personally, but
what do you do to stay renewedand positive and, knowing what
you know about your professionand the toll that it can take
emotionally?
Speaker 1 (31:28):
The best management tool for me and I think it
differs for everybody, but I do.
When I'm giving my keynotelectures or presentations around
the country, I talk about fillyour cup Sort of a common phrase
now, but that looks differentfor everybody, but the
underlying premise is you findthat thing that just gives you
some joy, makes you smile.
Mine is rooted in exercise.
(31:48):
Uh, mine is rooted in exercise.
So actually when I thoughtabout quitting the vet
profession, I was going to gooff and be like a fitness
trainer or something.
My dad, uh, was a professionalfootball player and so he was
the athlete in the home.
My mom was the academic, but mydad sort of gave me that, uh,
the roots of working out andexercising since I was, you know
, before I had memories, I think, and so that's always been a
(32:10):
big part of my life and it'sprobably the thing that anchors
me, calms me, relaxes me is if Ijust go out and do some form of
exercise.
Sometimes it's just walking,sometimes it's stretching.
I like to cycle, but that worksfor me.
For some people who may bereading, here's the interesting
thing about having a dog realquick, and I think a lot of
people will find thisinteresting.
When you do something as simpleas stroke your dog or give them
(32:32):
a hug, or the same with yourcat, there are three active
chemicals that are released inyour body.
One is oxytocin.
We all know about this A hughormone makes you feel good.
The other is prolactin not justfor nursing mothers, but men
can release prolactin as well.
We observe that chemicalrelease when you're hugging or
petting your dog.
Prolactin as well we observethat chemical release when
(32:54):
you're hugging or petting yourdog.
It also is sort of a feel-goodchemical.
It can stave off things likedepression and PTSD.
And then phenolphthalein isanother very similar to
prolactin and we've seen thatuseful in people that do have
severe forms of PTSD or trauma.
But all three of these in thesoup.
These things are happening whenyou do something as simple as
pet your dog.
So for those of us that lovepets, remembering just, I go out
(33:17):
, sometimes in the backyard, andI just I'll give Cora a big hug
and I'll sit there for threeminutes and I'll pet her and
sometimes that's enough.
I get my dopamine release and Igo back and I get back to work.
So there are many tools, but Iwould just say, really it's just
a matter of finding time togrant or honor yourself that and
do it as you were describingthe kid in the backyard trying
(33:38):
to save the bugs, I flashed onthe books by James Herriot.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
I think he's kind of a somewhat idyllic kind of
country vet in England, but Iremember my grandfather used to
read those to me and it was thatas you described, having the
skills to be able to save ananimal's life.
That's a memory I'm going totake away from today's
conversation because those arebeautiful books.
Speaker 1 (34:06):
Yeah, they are.
I love the.
Jamie Funny.
You say that I was doing aninterview earlier this morning,
a live interview on Zoom, andthey asked about my book.
So I've written a book calledwhat it Takes to Save a Life.
I have a copy here because Iwas holding it up and I know for
everyone listening they can'tsee this.
But I'm showing you now what itTakes to Save a Life and it was
(34:29):
released last year and verysimilar.
I call it sort of an urban side.
James Harriot.
He was countryside.
He was walking through farmsand ranches and people's homes.
Mine is center city.
It's walking up and downstreets, skid row and I've taken
my probably favorite 10 to 12stories on the streets and I've
stuck them in this book out ofhundreds.
(34:50):
So that was the hardest part isboiling it down to my favorite
10 to 12 stories on the streetsand I've I've stuck them in this
book out of hundreds.
So that was the hardest part isboiling it down to my favorite
10, but that that is a premiseof the book.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
And I think another parallel is that, as I recall
his, his stories were as muchabout the colorful characters
the farmers, the farmer's wives,the owner, the owners of the
pets.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Yeah, that was the best part, that's been the best
part.
The owners of the pets yeah,that was the best part, that's
been the best part for me.
And my journey is sitting andtalking and meeting and, you
know, at times it's hearingtheir struggles.
But for me, the thing I like totake away is the hope.
You know, in this world we'reall caught up in today, it's
funny how incensed we becomewhen someone just cuts us off in
(35:29):
traffic or when we go toStarbucks and our coffee isn't
made perfectly right and thatjust sends some people a
tailspin.
But then I go on the streetsand I see people who have
nothing and they are oftentimessmiling and hopeful and saying
tomorrow's going to be a betterday.
Some of these people haven'teven eaten that day and they're
telling me this.
So if there's any gift theygrant me in this sort of
(35:52):
exchange, it's that I take thathome and I'm sitting at dinner
with my kids and I just I thinkback to some of these encounters
that I'm I'm so fortunate.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
So, in terms of getting involved in supporting
project street vet, uh, as youmentioned, people can go to the
website and make a donation.
Um, yes, they can go to projectstreet vetorg.
Speaker 1 (36:10):
They can, yes, they can go to projectstreetvetorg.
And yes, there's an easy way tomake a donation.
We've now sort of broadened ourability to give and people can
do it through a living gift orstocks or estates.
So there's multiple ways togive with tax benefits.
States so there's multiple waysto give with tax benefits.
(36:35):
But yes, that is sort of thelifeblood of the mission,
because everything we do, prettymuch everything I take in
because my veterinarians acrossthe country they volunteer too
is we try and get it to the pets.
Speaker 2 (36:45):
And your book is available on Amazon.
Speaker 1 (36:47):
On Amazon.
Yeah, you can get it anywhereAmazon.
It's in some bookstores.
Yeah, available on.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Amazon, amazon, yeah, I can get anywhere.
Amazon, it's in some bookstores, yeah, fantastic.
We'll also link to that um inthe show notes and, and
certainly going to link to yourum, your sponsor, the uh fetch
pet insurance.
I think that's a very powerfulstory, um, that a company would,
would, would put themselves outthere, uh, on behalf of this
work.
Would put themselves out thereon behalf of this work.
(37:11):
Yes, yeah, you've beenextremely generous with your
time.
I have one last question foryou, but before I get there, is
there anything that I haven'tcovered that may be rattling
around in your head to share?
Speaker 1 (37:25):
No, I think we've covered most of the bases.
This is such a broad topicdepending on, as I said, if I
was touching on suicide in myveterinary profession or some of
the stories I have on thestreets, we could sit here and
do this for three hours.
I mean, even to me.
It still lights me up in a verygood way, in a very good way.
(37:52):
But no, I'm very thankful thatyou allowed me to share my story
and some of the challenges, butsome of the really the
wonderful moments, the blessingsI've received from doing this
work.
I do often like to remind peoplethat an act of kindness is a
very powerful thing and it cannot only change someone's day.
But there have been momentswhere I feel like an act of
(38:13):
kindness has changed lives,perhaps me to someone else, but
I know there are people who haveshown very random, spontaneous
acts of kindness to me that havechanged mine, and that is a
message that I like to promotevery strongly, because when you
do something for somebody elsewithout agenda, without an
(38:34):
expectation for pay for money,it's outside of your duties or
responsibilities at your work,but you're just doing something
for another human being.
There is something and I don'tquite understand it, but there's
something happening down, Ithink, to the cellular level.
Down, I think, to the cellularlevel, you know, the bones of
(38:54):
our spirit.
That is really, really special.
Speaker 2 (38:55):
And finding moments to do that more often, I think
people will find, you know, itprovides some sort of life force
and that's simple and profoundat the same time, and especially
, I think, given where we are interms of being a country so
divided on so many fronts.
You mentioned social media.
I'm also many fronts.
You mentioned social media.
I'm also a big avoider ofsocial media Any chance I get to
not read the comments.
(39:17):
But we've got a divided countryin so many different ways and
so, yeah, just that, withoutagenda, without expecting
anything.
I'm definitely going to carrythat away from today's
conversation.
So I thank you for that.
My last question is ahypothetical.
You're in LA, so we're going tochoose the 405 freeway.
You have the chance to put abillboard on the side of the 405
(39:41):
freeway with your message tothe hundreds of thousands of
commuters who drive by thereevery day.
What does your billboard say?
Hundreds of thousands ofcommuters who drive by there
every day?
What?
Speaker 1 (39:51):
does your billboard say oh, wow, I don't know.
I don't think that question hasbeen posed.
I have to answer this on thefly.
That's why I didn't tell you inadvance.
I know Now you stuck me.
That's good though.
Hey, I like it it's.
(40:12):
You know the motto.
I'll tell you our motto for themission, which I came up with.
My brother and I came up withyears ago my brother who, by the
way, helps me run this and hasbeen instrumental.
So thank you, ian.
But we came up with this mottono judgment, just help.
And you know to your point, abig part of the division, or the
big part of something thatdivides even a household, for
example, or keeps people fromshowing that act of kindness, is
(40:32):
this moment of judgment in ourhead right.
There's something that pops uplike no, you don't deserve it.
No, you're not worthy.
I'm better than you.
How did you find yourself inthis situation?
And I believe that thatjudgment unfortunately holds us
back from being the best versionof ourselves.
So maybe I would just happilystick my own motto up on the
(40:53):
billboard that says no judgment,just help, because that is,
that is the mantra that myselfand my other veterinarians live
by.
Speaker 2 (41:03):
That's a beautiful place, I think to to wrap up
today's conversation.
Dr Stewart, I very muchappreciate this conversation.
I'm humbled by your work.
I want to encourage ourlisteners to donate.
Check out the show notes.
There are going to be links tobuy Dr Stewart's book and to
(41:24):
maybe practice some unexpectedkindness today in all of our
lives.
So thank you so much for yourtime and generosity of spirit in
all that you do.
Thank you, thank you and thankyou for carrying my message
forward.
Appreciate it.
Thanks for joining us on theHangout Podcast.
You can send us an email atpodcastinfo at protonme.
(41:45):
Many thanks to my daughter,maya, for editing this episode.
I'd also like to underline thatthis podcast is entirely
separate from my day job and, assuch, all opinions expressed
herein are mine and mine alone.
Thanks for coming on in andhanging out.
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