Summary - Today’s guest is Kari, from small town Texas.  She became a bank teller while getting her MBA, and during that time she tapped into her love of rescuing and fostering; it became her passion and her dream and she became known as the town rescuer.

“The Town Rescuer” ~ Episode 7 - Show Notes and Script for the Hearing Impaired*

Summary - Today’s guest is Kari, from small town Texas.  She became a bank teller while getting her MBA, and during that time she tapped into her love of rescuing and fostering; it became her passion and her dream and she became known as the town rescuer.

*Below the Show Notes you will find a full script for the hearing impaired.

Episode Highlights/Takeaways

• Kill Shelters - (at 00:52 - 01:00) - A kill shelter is considered an “open admission” shelter. That is a shelter that accepts any and all animals regardless of owner circumstances, animal health or age. A person can come in at any hour and freely surrender an animal, usually at no charge.

• Fostering Dogs - (at 02:11 - 02:55) Article by Jane Harrell, found on petfinder.com. Why Foster A Dog and What Does It Involve? What does fostering a dog involve? When you foster, you agree to take a homeless dog into your home and give him or her love, care and attention, either for a predetermined period of time or until the dog is adopted. Why do adoption groups need foster homes? There are many reasons a dog might need foster care. Some of the most common include: - (1) A rescue group doesn’t have a physical shelter and depends on foster homes to care for dogs until suitable homes are found. (2) A puppy is too young to be adopted and needs a safe place to stay until he or she is old enough to go to a forever home. (3) A dog is recovering from surgery, illness or injury and needs a safe place to recuperate. (4) A dog is showing signs of stress such as pacing or hiding in the shelter. (5) A dog has not lived in a home before or has not had much contact with people and needs to be socialized. (6) The shelter is running out of room for adoptable dogs. Why should I foster a dog? Fostering a dog is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have (other than adopting, of course). By taking an animal in need temporarily into your home you’re: (1) Freeing up a spot so the shelter or rescue can take in another dog. (2) Giving your foster dog the time he needs to be ready for adoption. (3) Helping the shelter or rescue learn more about the dog so he can end up in the best home possible. (4) Socializing the dog to a home environment and possibly getting him used to being around other pets and different types of people.

• Ankylosing Spondylitis - (at 05:44 - 07:06) - Kari was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis, which is an inflammatory arthritis affecting the spine and large joints. The condition is more common among men and usually begins in early adulthood. Symptoms typically appear in early adulthood and include reduced flexibility in the spine. This reduced flexibility eventually results in a hunched-forward posture. Pain in the back and joints is also common. Treatment includes medication, physical therapy, and in rare cases surgery.

• Annual Check-ups - (at 06:56 - 07:06) - How Often Should Your Pet See a Veterinarian? Click the link (title) to read an article from PetsWebMD.com

• Texas A & M Veterinary Medicine - (at 07:55 - 08:11) - https://vetmed.tamu.edu

• Grapes are Dangerous for Dogs - (at 09:04 - 09:28) - According to the ASPCA, although the toxic substance within grapes and raisins is unknown, these fruits can cause kidney failure. Until more information is known about the toxic substance, it is best to avoid feeding grapes and raisins to dogs. Click the next title link to read the full article on People Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Pets.

• Dr. Rick Coufal - (at 12:26 - 12:46) - The next episode, Episode 8, also the last episode of Season One of The Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast, will feature our veterinarian Dr. Rick Coufal, of Ponderosa Veterinary Clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He will not only share his own rescue story, he’ll also share with us how he advises his patients and their families on how to make the tough decision to put a pet down. Euthanasia is difficult but Dr. Coufal has helped us make that decision more than once and his care and compassion for for us and our pets, has been invaluable during such hard circumstances.

• Donation - (at 14:00 - 16:22) - Good Shepherd Rescued of Texas The Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast makes a donation to the rescue of choice in honor of the guest(s) we feature on each episode. Kari would like this episode’s donation to go to Good Shepherd Rescue of Texas. Founded in 1999, Good Shepherd Rescue of Texas is a volunteer group operating in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. They focus on the rescue, rehabilitation & rehoming of German Shepherd Dogs, as well as Belgian Malinois & Dutch Shepherds. All dogs in our program are in private foster homes. They provide medical care for gravely ill or injured dogs, they spay or neuter, microchip, vaccinate, deworm, heart worm test and heart worm treat if needed. Their volunteers give freely of their time, money, and affection to save these animals. You can see picture of Kari and her dogs, show notes, and an entire script for the hearing impaired on the Episode page of our website, WhoRescuedWhom.com.

• Quote - (at 17:55 - 18:06) - Kari shared a quote from author and Canine Psychologist Karen Davison. “Saving one dog will not change the world, but for that one dog, the world will change forever”.

• “Be a Guest" - (at 19:45 - 20:04) - Do you have a rescue story you’d like to share with our audience? We’d love to talk with you about being a part of our podcast. Just go to the ‘Be A Guest’ page on our website, WhoRescuedWhom.com, and fill out our ‘Future Guest Information’ form. You can also email us at info@whorescuedwhom.com, or message us through our FaceBook Page. This podcast was edited and produced by

• Mike McClellan - (at 20:13 - 20:23) - podcastps.com Mike is our editor and producer, and Mike is the composer of all the music you hear on each episode, specifically “Missy's Theme", which is the main theme for the podcast.

• SCRIPT ~ created for the hearing impaired, can be found below, or on the Episode Page of our website, WhoRescuedWhom.com (Click ‘Read More’ next to Episode 7)

WRW? Canine Rescue Tales - Episode 7 ~  “The Town Rescuer”

This script, for the hearing impaired, was created using the online platform Descript, then edited by Host Diane Thomas

“Missy’s Theme” fades in here…

Host - Diane - Hello and welcome to another episode of Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales. Today’s guest is Kari, from small town Texas.  She became a bank teller while getting her MBA, and during that time she tapped into her love of rescuing and fostering; it became her passion and her dream and she became known as the town rescuer. 

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Guest - Kari - I was a bank teller I worked part-time there. So when I wasn't working, I was fostering. I established a really great bond with the animal shelter at Sulphur Springs. Her name was Barbara. She would always message me whenever she had a dog or a cat that just wasn't getting rescued as quickly, they were unfortunately a kill shelter. So if an animal had outstayed their welcome, I suppose you could say that unfortunately was the end of that animal's life. So she would always call me before that happened. And I would always take in as many as I possibly could, which essentially leads us to my Rosie. I was known in my town as the rescuer. Everybody knew if they gave me a “I'm about to take this animal to the pound. Do you want her, do you want him?” I would take them in. A lady that owned a local sandwich shop in Sulphur Springs, Texas came in, I was very used to her coming directly to me. She said, hey, I have a German shepherd that she's just not working out for our family. She’s a really sweet dog, but we don't have a fence. We can't keep her contained. And she just, we need to give her into a new home that will actually be able to give her the attention that she needs. German shepherds are one of the easiest ones in my opinion, that you can foster and that you can re-home. So I had no intention at all of adopting. This creature. And I just knew I could absolutely find her a home quickly. I didn't want her to end up at the shelter. And I told her absolutely I'll swing by her house and pick her up that day.

Host - John - Fostering isn’t for everyone, sometimes it’s hard to let them go.  Kari made a rule for herself that helped her solve that problem.

Guest - Kari - Well I had two dogs prior to fostering. My golden number was three. I was only allowed to have three dogs at all times. I knew if I ever adopted a third dog, then that would be the end of my fostering career. Not a lot of people understand how fosters can do it because you get attached to them too easy. How do you know they're going to a better home? My thought process when I'm fostering is I'm saving more animals. It puts your mind in the right mindset of this is why you do it. I would bond with them. I would give them love. And then when we found them the correct home, it felt right. So I didn't have any remorse letting them go to their new homes.

Host - John - But then, there was Rosie. Kari tells us why her experience fostering Rosie was a bit different.

Guest - Kari - Rosie on the other hand, I adopted her out to this couple out of Dallas and they seemed great over the phone. I of course, was having that smidgen of doubt, but that was just because I'm partial to German shepherds. I met with this couple, I brought Rosie with me and it was the meeting for them to take her home. So there was essentially no backing out for me at that time. 

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Guest - Kari - As soon as I handed that leash over my heart, just sank. And my heart was just like on the floor crumbled as they were walking away with my dog. 

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Host - Diane - Kari later found out that the adopters she’d found intended to breed Rosie.  Kari wasn’t a fan of small, backyard breeding operations.

Guest - Kari - Once I found that information out, I mean, it was probably three to four times a week I would just email them and go, hey, how's Rosie working out for you guys? Is she doing good? I'm just letting you know, if she's not going to work out for you guys just hit me up. I'll be more than happy to come and get her. Um, they of course had to pay adoption fees. I was like, I'll pay the adoption fee. I’ll reimburse it, just, you guys let me know if she doesn't work out for you. And then I never anticipated, but I had always had a hope in the back of my mind that they would eventually reach out to me. And then about a month in, they did reach out to me and they were like, hey, do you still want Rosie? She's too small of a dog to breed. We don't want her anymore and my heart, it was, very, oh my goodness, I get my dog back. So, I was like, absolutely. I will be right there.

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Host - Diane - Kari left to get Rosie, but when she arrived, she noticed something.

Guest - Kari - She was a completely different dog from when I dropped her off to when I went to go pick her up. It was, she looked, you could tell, she just wasn't happy with them. And then when she saw me, she was like, okay, a familiar face. I remember this woman. She actually did treat me nice and she loved on me and she was very excited. She jumped in my car and she never left my front seat. She was just like, let's go home. 

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Host - John - Kari told us about their special relationship.

Guest - Kari - She was my, everything. She was there for me. I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, which is an inflammation, so I'm in constant pain, and the only thing that I found helped with that pain was working out, exercising, going on walks and runs, and so she became my running buddy. We would go running throughout the town. We would do miles a day and every time I would go running with her she would just constantly look up at me with this huge smile and you could tell that being next to me, running together, was, it was her passion. She just loved being next to me at all times. She was my partner in crime. Whenever we had anybody out to either do the bug spray or whatever, she would always be right in front of me. And she would never let anybody near me, if she didn't feel comfortable with them, nobody was getting between her and I. It was just, she was my protector. And she would always sleep next to me at night. Her spot was right next to me. And I loved that. I love knowing that I was safe with her and I think she knew that she was safe with me too. So, uh, we just, we loved exploring and going out and adventuring. So, going to beavers bend and all of that fun stuff, that was our special times together.

Host - John - Being a responsible dog owner, Kari took her dogs to the vet annually for check ups.

Guest - Kari - So I bring them in for their yearly exams every year and lo and behold, Rosie got her blood work and my doctor called me and he said, hey, Rosie's blood is showing some high levels, but she's only five. These are very common to have false positives. So, whenever you guys have the chance, just swing her back by and we'll get her tested again. So, I took her in for blood work again, and they got the blood back fairly quickly, so within a day turnaround, and the levels were even higher. So I asked my doctor, what does this even mean? Why, why are her levels returning so high? He had this flush white look on his face when he told me she's in acute kidney failure. Of course when, I get bad news, I always go into fight mode. I'm like, okay, okay, so what do we do to fix this?

Host - Diane - Her vet kept her for three nights but then called and told her to take Rosie to the Texas A & M College of Veterinary Medicine in College Station, TX. According to Kari, Texas A & M is the place you go when the local vet can’t treat the problem in their office. They kept her for one full week.

Guest - Kari - Day seven they called me and they said her levels aren't getting any better. We can keep her on fluids and it keeps her levels steady, but the moment that she's off of fluids, her levels just continue to rise. So I said, what, what are my options? And they said, at this point, we give her a month. Okay. Uh, my heart just, I was on the phone, just bawling. I was like, there's nothing we can do? I can find a kidney donor. I can, I'll take her to California. I've already done. Research and knew that there were two places that could do dialysis in America and I was going to find them. And they said, I don't think that that's really going to save her at this time. And I said, she's five years old. How could this have even happened? Like what could have triggered acute kidney failure in such a healthy dog? She was fine. And they said something as simple as one grape could have done this to her.

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Host - John - According to the ASPCA, ingestion of grapes and raisins has been associated with acute renal failure in dogs. Because Kari is a vegetarian, she feared that perhaps a grape from a salad could have made it’s way to the floor where Rosie would have gotten to it.  Although she doesn’t know that for sure, she wants people to be aware of this potential danger. Kari knew that there was nothing else they could do.

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Guest - Kari - I said, Okay, well, I'm coming to get her because I don't want her to be in some random, strange place. If you guys are only going to give her a month, we're going to have the best month ever.

Host - Diane - For the next few weeks Kari and Rosie spent quality time together. Also during this time, she experimented with different foods to insure Rosie would eat in order to keep her strength up.  It was difficult time, all around, because Kari continued to have to go to work daily.

Guest - Kari - My heart was just telling me, you can't keep her alive because you want to be selfish. She’s at home right now and she's struggling. She has such a very low dimmer to her eyes. She doesn't have much life left in it and you can tell she's ready to go. She’s just waiting for me to be ready too. I called my vet and I was crying and they knew as soon as they answered the phone, they knew it was me and they knew what those cries were for, and they said we can be there today at 5:50. And I was like, okay, that sounds like a plan, let's make it happen. 

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Guest - Kari - I was very grateful that they would even come out to my home and let her go in peace. 

Music interlude here…

Guest - Kari - It was the worst moment of my life watching them pull into my driveway, cause I knew it was time and I'm sitting on Rosie's bed with her and she has her head in my lap and I'm looking down at her and I'm like, okay, my brother had passed away and I was like, go find my brother, he's going to take care of you because he absolutely loves, loves, loves, dogs, too. So you go up, you go to heaven and you go find him and he's going to take care of you until I can get with you again. My vet comes in and he's giving me my time to say my goodbyes to her and I'm kissing on her nose and telling her that I love her more than anything and, and that everything's going to be okay.

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Host - Diane - Kari cradled and loved on Rosie while the vet proceeded with the process of putting her to sleep. 

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Host - Diane - It was difficult but Kari knew it was the most unselfish thing she could do.

Host - John - Having experienced these losses ourselves, Diane and I, have come to the conclusion that although it may be easier to leave your pet with your vet for such a heart breaking procedure, we believe, that like Kari, sitting with your pet, loving on them and being strong for them gives them peace and provides closure for you.  

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Host - Diane - Making the decision to euthanize an animal, especially a beloved pet, can be a traumatic. In our next episode, episode 8, the final episode of season one, you will hear from our veterinarian, Dr. Rick Coufal. He will explain the process of euthanasia, and how to make that ultimate decision. Dr. Coufal will also share a special rescue story of his own.

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Host - Diane - As Kari described, losing Rosie nearly broke her, even her other dog, a Husky named Outlaw, was showing signs of sadness at Rosie’s loss.  Many people find it difficult to think of getting another dog after such a painful loss.

Guest - Kari - I don't think I ever want to go through this heartache ever again. Well, two to three weeks goes by and I'm like, okay, this isn't what Rosie would want for me. She wouldn't want me to shut my entire heart down to opening up to another love. This is not what she wants. She wants me to continue fostering, saving lives, all that good stuff. So, I told myself to get over this pain, that the years of happiness that a dog can bring you, it outweighs the pain that they leave when they leave this earth. I knew I needed another shepherd because there's something very special with German Shepherds.d They are not only protective, they're just kind and the most loyal dog you will ever find. 

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Guest - Kari - So I got online and the first place that popped up was Good Shepherd. This sounds like a great rescue to go through. They were out of Dallas and I was ready for an adventure again. So I loaded up Outlaw; he doesn't like many dogs, so we're gonna, we're gonna to give him a chance to find his friend again. They had probably a good 10, 15 dogs available. So we went through every single dog at that event and there was one little scrawny dog, long-haired German Shepherd, that was sitting in the back. She didn't want to have anything to do with anybody. She was abandoned in the heart of Dallas in a grocery cart. So we go up to her and Outlaw and her kind of sniff each other and, and then they both go back to back. Everywhere they're looking, they're growling at every dog that's walking by, but they are back to back doing this, so it's kinda like you get that side, I'll get this side, we’re going to tag team these dogs. So, I was like, okay, well, I guess they're a match made in a very strange heaven, but they, they seem to like each other.

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Host - Diane - The Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast makes a donation to the rescue of choice in honor of the guest(s) we feature on each episode. Kari would like this episode’s donation to go to Good Shepherd Rescue of Texas.   Founded in 1999, Good Shepherd Rescue of Texas is a volunteer group operating in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. They focus on the rescue, rehabilitation & rehoming of German Shepherd Dogs, as well as Belgian Malinois & Dutch Shepherds. All dogs in our program are in private foster homes. They provide medical care for gravely ill or injured dogs, they spay or neuter, microchip, vaccinate, deworm, heart worm test and heart worm treat if needed. Their volunteers give freely of their time, money, and affection to save these animals. You can find a link to Good Shepherd Rescue of Texas, along with pictures of Kari and her dogs, show notes, and an entire script for the hearing impaired on the Episode page of our website, WhoRescuedWhom.com.

Host - John - Kari said that Hope, now re-named Lexie, was doing many of the same things that Rosie did and she took this as a sign from Rosie that she had found Lexie for her.

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Guest - Kari - I have never, ever, ever found a dog that clicked with me so quickly as Lexi did, for me, she's incredible. I now have Lexi doing everything that Rosie had done. Rosie is trying to tell me that she's okay, and that she wants me to be okay, too.

Host - John - Just as we do in all of our episodes, we asked Kari, of her dogs, Who Rescued Whom?

Guest - Kari - Oh, they 100% rescued me. They have been through some of the biggest life changes in my life, and if it wasn't for them, I don't know if I wouldn't necessarily be the person I am today.

Host - John - Because Kari has fostered and rescued many animals, we asked her to give our audience a word of encouragement about rescuing.

Guest - Kari - There will never be a more grateful creature in your life than a rescue. They have seen things that we can only imagine. They've either been abused, they have been starved to death. They know what it's like to be in a horrible situation. So when you adopt a creature that has been in such a horrible situation and you give them a beautiful home filled with love, they will give that back to you tenfold.

Host - John - Kari shared a quote from author and Canine Psychologist Karen Davison.

Guest - Kari - One of my favorite quotes is “saving one dog will not change the world, but for that one dog, the world will change forever”. And that is something that I absolutely live by. It's very difficult knowing how many dogs in this world are alone, they don't have a family and you want to rescue everybody and you can’t because it's not feasible, it’s not possible. But, if you can open up your family to one dog, I can promise you, you will have a best friend forever.

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Host - Diane - Our dogs, Missy, Stormy, Jake, Cody, and now Rex and Zoey, have brought John and I nothing but joy in the 14 years we have been rescuing these precious dogs.  Yes, there is heartache when we lose one of them, but the renewed joy with each new rescue makes it all worth it. And even though they can’t ‘tell’ us, we know from the wag of their tail, or simply the look in their eyes upon seeing us first thing in the morning, that they have received an equal measure of joy from the fact they have been given a real home, a second, or in some cases perhaps even a third chance, at a great life, in a loving family.

Host - John - As we said earlier, out next episode, that will post on July 25th, will be the final episode of this first season of the Who Rescued Whom? Canine Rescue Tales Podcast.  We will be back in the fall with more rescue stories. If you have missed any of our previous episodes, you can find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.  You can download all Season one stories and enjoy them while on vacation, or even while walking you dog.

Host - Diane - Do you have a rescue story you’d like to share with our audience? We’d love to talk with you about being a part of our podcast. Just go to the ‘Be A Guest’ page on our website, WhoRescuedWhom.com, and fill out our ‘Future Guest Information’ form. You can also email us at info@whorescuedwhom.com, or message us through our FaceBook Page. This podcast was edited and produced by Mike McClellan at podcastps.com. Mike also wrote, performed and produced all the music that you heard on this episode.

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