Episode 76
SNIP in Action: Francine Guillot’s Fight to Fix Iberia Parish
Francine Guillot of the Spay Neuter Iberia Project (SNIP) joins the Animal Posse Podcast to share a raw, boots‑on‑the‑ground look at what it really takes to fight pet overpopulation in Louisiana. From reviving a dormant nonprofit to rescuing special‑needs kittens like Gump, Francine walks us through the daily challenges, emotional wins, and community gaps that shape animal welfare in New Iberia.
She breaks down how SNIP approaches TNR, works with local vets, supports elderly residents who feed but can’t afford to fix, and pushes for accessible spay/neuter options in a parish overwhelmed by stray cats and dogs. You’ll hear stories of wall‑trapped kittens, trap‑smart ferals, transport programs, and the relentless determination required to make even the smallest dent in overpopulation.
This episode is a testament to the power of volunteers, compassion, and community outreach—and a reminder that one success story can keep an entire mission moving forward.
SNIP Website: snipiberia.com
Email: snipiberia@gmail.com
About Animal Posse 🐈
Welcome to Animal Posse! We share heartwarming stories and crucial insights to make a real difference for animals in need. As a project of the Unwanted Feline Organization, we are a community of animal lovers dedicated to rescue, advocacy, and education. This podcast does not provide medical, veterinary, or professional advice.
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📌 Disclaimer
This show is for entertainment and general discussion only. The experiences, opinions, and information shared by our guests are their own, do not reflect the position of the show and are not intended as veterinary advice. This content should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis, treatment, or guidance. Always consult a licensed veterinarian regarding your pet’s health or any medical concerns.
Transcript
In this episode of Animal Posse, we're joined by Francine Gilliot.
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:She is with Spay Neuter Iberia Project
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:Scratch that.
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:Let's start over.
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:In this episode of Animal Posse,
we're joined by Francine Guilliot
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:of Spay Neuter Iberia Project.
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:Francine is going to share her journey in
animal welfare, the impact that accessible
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:spay and neuter programs have, as well as
the challenges and successes of reducing
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:the pet overpopulation in Louisiana.
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:Tune in as we discuss community
outreach rescue efforts and how
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:spay/neuter initiatives are both
changing lives for both the animals
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:and the people who care for them
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:Hi, Francine.
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:Thank you for coming on the show.
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:Francine: Thank you.
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:Dixie: I am all excited to
hear about SNIP, or the Spay
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:and Neuter Iberia Project.
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:So you are located in the New Iberia area.
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:Am I correct on that?
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:Francine: Correct.
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:Dixie: I had another guest, actually.
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:She was an independent rescuer
from New Iberia, and she actually
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:mentioned y'all once before.
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:So tell me about SNIP.
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:I know you recently took SNIP
over, so just, tell me what you
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:know about it, how it got started,
and how you came to take it over.
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:Francine: person that had it before,
she ended up having to go back to work
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:because, of course, animals, the cats,
dogs, she got fostered and adopted and
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:so forth, so on, medical, so it stayed
dormant for probably two years maybe.
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:And
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:I'd done a fundraiser back in October just
to try it out, on my own and whatever.
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:'Cause originally I was gonna start
my own, and then when I started
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:looking at the paperwork, I said,
"Oh, I don't know about all this."
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:So we had to raise much more
than I expected, to be on my own,
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:just somebody off the street,
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:so I said you know what?
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:I'm gonna take it over."
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:So I got with her and the other
board, and they were all for it.
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:I'm learning as I go.
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:I recently you could say adopted
because the little guy is mine now.
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:One of the ladies that I was starting
to do TNR, she called me Mother's Day,
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:and she was freaking out saying that
she didn't know the mama had a second
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:baby 'cause she had never seen it.
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:It fell out from somewhere, and it
was in the middle of the yard, but the
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:legs wasn't moving, so forth and so on.
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:So we headed to Lafayette
to examine, so forth, so on.
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:And come to find out it's Munich syndrome
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:So that's the thing of do I wanna do this?
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:And he's precious, full
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:alert, everything, and I said,
"I'm not putting him down."
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:And he's getting along with
the other animals that we have,
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:and what is that syndrome he has?
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:What is it called?
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:Minnik syndrome.
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:Like spina bifida, which he's gonna
have a diaper the rest of his life.
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:He's in between that stage where
I can't get him into a little
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:wheelchair yet, but I'm working on it
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:Dixie: Yeah with the right therapy,
they can live really fulfilling lives,
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:and they make wonderful pets Correct.
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:Francine: Oh, and he's
a little greedy guy.
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:And my son called him Gump.
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:Forrest Gump.
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:Dixie: That's cute.
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:Francine: I decided to go ahead and
make him a mascot for spay/neuter,
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:and I'm pushing the issue and showing
pictures of, "Can you deal with this?"
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:We need to get spay and neuter, up
to par, 'cause it's terrible here.
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:It's terrible.
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:You could probably have 50 people
here doing spay and neuter and
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:it's not gonna touch, it's sad.
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:Dixie: Yeah, it's bad everywhere.
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:But I know when I spoke to Sonia
about how bad New Iberia is and your
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:parish in general, it's really sad.
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:It really is.
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:Because it's just- Yeah … you come
to that point of, what do you have
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:to do before you see a dent in it,
'cause we're all out here trying.
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:Exactly.
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:And it just- Exactly … it just seems
you take one step forward and two back,
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:Francine: 20 back is my thing.
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:I have a time job also, so I'm doing
this in between and it's driving
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:me nuts because I'm saying th- I'm
leaning toward how do I help more,
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:Dixie: so tell me what
your nonprofit does.
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:Do you hold clinics?
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:Do you do TNR?
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:Do you foster and adopt as well?
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:Francine: We do TNR.
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:We do have some that are going on went on
transport and two other kittens that are
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:going on transport in July or July 17th.
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:Going up to Colorado, To get adopted
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:Dixie: Yeah, that's awesome
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:Francine: Yeah, My thing is
the government shouldn't even
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:be in the part of the animals.
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:I hate to say it like that, but
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:more volunteers care more about
the animals than the government
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:We had an incident a good while back
where they had a pack of dogs going
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:around and they were killing cats.
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:I went ahead and I started
tracking these dogs and tracking
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:how many cats they were killing.
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:I'm over 50 and I'm saying, "Hold on."
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:And nobody wants to do nothing about
it, so I started making a stink.
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:I went to the news and
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:One pointed the finger at the other,
which my thing is if they would've
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:got together, solved the little
small problem, and be done with it.
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:Now it became the issue of they
divided the city and towers, you know
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:So more money for the city, to
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:rent, I'm gonna call it rent out
shelter space is what they doing
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:So what would you have liked
to have seen them do instead?
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:I really don't know.
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:But right at the beginning it
could've been handled different.
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:It was five dogs at first,
and then it became three
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:I don't know the whole
specifics of it, of…
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:I know they were hard to catch.
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:They were street smart.
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:Because I have some cats right now that
I'm trying to trap, and they trap smart,
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:street smart, the whole nine yards.
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:It's just one small problem
became a big problem.
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:Issue, dividing up, and
I don't believe in that.
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:Let's all work together.
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:Like I said, it takes a village
to m- make something happen.
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:City did do a $20,000 grant for
discounted spay/neuter vouchers
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:So that's that's a plus for
the, the regular residents.
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:Dixie: And how much is the discounted
spay/neuter for the residents?
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:Francine: I think it's 40
for cats and 80 for dogs
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:Dixie: How do you go about, with
the cats that you TNR, getting
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:those spayed and neutered?
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:Francine: We working
with four different vets.
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:They have to be feral.
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:They can't be, someone's pet.
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:You know
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:Which, some of the strays we have, we
had a couple of them that were, stray
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:that'll come up to your leg, rub against
your leg, but they know the trap.
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:The minute they see or
hear that trap, they gone.
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:Dixie: And that's the
same with the drop trap?
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:Francine: I haven't tried drop trap yet.
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:I ordered a drop trap, which is
gonna be coming in about two weeks
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:That's what I really need, the drop
trap, because one of these, one
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:of these residents, all of them,
the rest of them at the new clan,
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:they'll go into the trap and they
know exactly where to put their paws.
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:And they eat, and they just
come out like, "Thank you.
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:Thank you for your food."
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:It's amazing the ones that do that, right?
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:I've seen them- Yes … where they go
in there, they'll get all the food, then
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:they run out, and then they set the trap.
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:And I'm like, "How do they even do that?"
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:Francine: Exactly.
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:So what I did is I left one of the
traps and I tie-wrapped them, and I had
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:told her to start feeding in the trap.
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:These little suckers, she had told me,
she text me and she says, "They so smart.
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:They took the bowl
completely out the traps."
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:Said, "Okay then."
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:Dixie: Wow, that's crazy.
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:They're smart.
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:You gotta give it to 'em.
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:They are really slick
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:Francine: sometimes.
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:Oh, yeah.
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:They
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:are very smart
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:Dixie: How many cats do you catch
on a weekly or monthly basis?
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:Have you been keeping track of that?
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:Francine: Last month wasn't that great.
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:The month before was pretty good.
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:24, a couple hours.
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:Because like I hate to keep them
overnight in the trap because I've seen
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:one incident where they had kept them
overnight in the trap, to bring the next
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:morning to the vet, and the whole jaw.
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:She tried to chew out the trap.
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:Oh, wow.
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:And that's what I'm so afraid of.
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:You don't believe it until you see it.
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:And I said, "Ooh."
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:And when I volunteered with the
original spay, neuter library project,
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:we would do that, but I never seen it.
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:But this one incident just caught
me and said, "Ooh, I hate to do it."
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:And we have possums and raccoons.
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:We in the city.
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:I don't have a secured
area to keep them in,
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:Dixie: Are you just trying to trap them in
the morning and then bring them directly
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:Francine: to the appointment?
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:Correct.
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:Yes
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:which I am working on getting a secured
area, ventilation and everything
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:Dixie: How many volunteers do you
have helping you do the trapping?
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:Francine: I'm working on that right now.
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:I'm one of those that don't ask for help.
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:That's my problem.
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:I try to do it all on my own,
and I that's not working.
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:So I need to, buckle down and get,
start getting people, in line.
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:I did post on Facebook, but
I didn't get any results.
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:But I am working on something that I can't
release right now until it's official,
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:Dixie: right.
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:Francine: And hopefully
that'll transpire something,
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:Dixie: yeah.
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:It takes time.
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:How long have you officially taken over?
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:Francine: Since March.
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:March, April.
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:Dixie: And when you took over the
people who were involved before,
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:did they stay on or were they
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:Francine: already- Yeah,
the board members did.
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:Basically, She was something like me.
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:She was doing majority on her own.
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:A couple of people were volunteering
to keep overnight, it's just the
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:learning tactic, of can we do
something different, more production,
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:Dixie: The vets that you're working
with, are they in New Iberia
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:or do you have to go travel,
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:Francine: No, they are in New Iberia.
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:Dixie: Oh, that's great.
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:'Cause I know the last time I spoke
to Sonia and she's in New Iberia
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:and she said she was having to
go travel, I think it was like 40
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:minutes to get to and from the vet.
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:Francine: Yeah.
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:In fact Sonia someone had contacted
on Facebook saying that there
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:was a kitten stuck in a wall.
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:So when I got there, Sonia was there.
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:It's the first time I had met her.
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:And it was actually an office
next door to the lady's house.
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:So at first they thought, the
people that work in the office
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:thought the kitten was in the attic.
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:When I started digging around,
I'm seeing a little hole and
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:I'm seeing the breaker box.
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:And of course kittens.
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:Why is a kitten by the breaker box?
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:So when I started digging my
finger in, I'm seeing naked
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:wires so I ar- automatically
called fire, just to make sure.
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:Owner showed up.
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:Owner started cutting through and he
was joking around with us like, "I can't
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:believe I'm doing this for a kitten."
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:"Oh yeah, you're doing this for a kitten
because that kitten's still crying.
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:That kitten's coming out that wall."
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:That's all I told him.
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:So when he went through, he got
through the wall, he turned around
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:and told me, "Okay, you grab him."
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:And the kitten was like ready to
come out saying, "Ah, I'm I'm free."
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:It's amazing how those kittens get in, can
get in these little tiny spaces like that.
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:Francine: Exactly.
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:Yeah.
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:It's crazy.
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:We've had some before that we
guess the mom was, in the attic
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:or something, and then the kittens
ended up falling, down the wall.
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:So we- had a situation where there were
kittens that were taken out of the wall.
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:At that point it was, like, four of
them, and I had to bottle feed them.
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:And then recently we had one, we
actually didn't think she was gonna
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:make it because of where she was.
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:She fell in a pipe that was part
of an old electrical conduit.
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:So she was actually, Oh,
goodness … underground.
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:Yeah.
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:Oh my goodness.
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:Yeah.
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:When we went out to go get her we did
not think we were gonna be leaving
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:with the kitten, but it was a miracle.
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:We looked for a plumber to come
out with an inspection camera.
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:So we got a plumber.
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:We had an electrician come out
and help us, 'cause even though
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:all the power was cut, we're not
familiar with an electrical conduit.
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:Francine: Correct
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:… Dixie: so he came out, and
the plumber put the the camera
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:through the pipe, and we seen her.
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:And I thought from the camera,
she looked like maybe five weeks
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:old, she didn't look that tiny.
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:The cameras- Yes … makes
you, makes it look bigger.
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:It does make it look bigger.
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:So what we, what he did was he actually
took the camera, and he pushed her
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:probably about 15 feet to another
opening in the conduit We couldn't
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:grab her 'cause she was too far down.
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:It was still probably about eight
feet down, so nobody could stick
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:their hand down there and grab her.
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:We had nothing to grab her with.
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:So we took a towel.
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:We cut it into strips.
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:I had Churu in the car, so we smeared
Churu all up and down the towel.
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:We dropped it down, and I don't
e- even know how he saw her, but
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:the electrician saw her grab onto
the towel, and he pulled her up.
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:And when he pulls her up, she is this
tiny little thing, like three weeks old.
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:Francine: Wow.
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:Dixie: I was amazed.
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:I don't even know how she
grabbed onto the towel.
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:She was that small.
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:'Cause the she's at that point where
she's not even really moving around
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:and walking good at three weeks old.
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:Yeah,
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:Francine: exactly
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:Dixie: But yeah, it was amazing.
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:We were not very optimistic, but
we ended up getting her, and then
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:we actually went back to the area a
week later and we found the siblings.
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:Francine: Oh, wow.
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:So she's got her her two sisters
and her brother with her now.
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:And,
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:Francine: Awesome
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:… Dixie: we- since she was in a pipe,
we named them all after Super Mario.
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:So
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:Francine: This is actually
what my son did whenever…
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:Named Gump.
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:I said the owner already named it."
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:"I don't care what the owner named it.
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:It's Gump."
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:Yeah.
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:Because the legs don't work.
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:The paw is gump.
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:I said, "Okay.
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:All right, Gump."
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:And he's alert.
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:He's just awesome.
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:Dixie: Yeah.
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:It's really amazing how the
disabled ones can compensate too.
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:I have a blind one.
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:She was born without eyes.
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:And- Oh, wow … she does
everything the other cats do.
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:She doesn't miss a thing.
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:Even taking her to a new a new room
she learns it- Almo- they're almost
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:Francine: like a bully,
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:Dixie: yeah.
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:Yeah, but it's absolutely amazing
the things that she can do.
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:It doesn't stop her from doing anything.
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:And I know- Yeah … like a lot of
times people are open to adopting
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:the cats that might have one eye
or the cats that might be like a
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:tripod and have one leg amputated.
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:But when- … it comes to the ones
that are more special needs you
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:find a lot of people aren't as
open to them, but they're- Correct
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:They really do adapt, and
they really do acclimate.
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:They're wonderful pets.
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:I wish more people would
give them a chance.
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:Francine: Oh, yeah.
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:That's…
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:and you see that's the one thing it wasn't
said, but I could read the body language.
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:It was almost like
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:They probably was accustomed of
putting this type of kitten down, which
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:When I saw the movement and, you
know, the muscular in the front end
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:and the alertness, I said, "Oh, no."
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:The lady was like in tears and
I said, "Oh no, I got this."
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:And that, I've done bottle feeding.
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:In fact, one of the hurricanes named after
me, one of the fellows that would come
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:around here had actually brought me her
babies and I freaked out because I had
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:the little cheapo bottle from Walmart.
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:One of the volunteers that used
to be with SNIP said, "Hold
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:on, I have the Miracle Nipple."
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:When they named that nipple,
it is a Miracle Nipple.
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:It was phenomenal.
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:They more expensive, but they a- they
actually work, yeah, they are amazing.
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:They do make life a lot easier.
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:And I bottle fed
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:About 10 in my lifetime.
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:But as I get older, the nerves get
a little worse, and so I'm like,
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:"Oh, I gotta back up from this.
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:Nope."
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:Now, if I would have to do it,
life-saving measures, yeah, I'll do it.
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:I'll do anything for animals
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:Dixie: What future plans do
you have in store for SNIP?
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:Francine: What I really wanna
see happen is community outreach.
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:That's some of the stuff I'm also
working on because I'm seeing
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:more and more, like more elderly
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:Like they say about this,
if you feed, fix them.
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:Some of these elderly, that's
how much of a problem it is.
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:A lot of the elderly is able to feed
on their little Social Security,
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:but they're not able to spay and
neuter, which I've helped, many.
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:I've helped with food also.
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:That's what I really wanna push more
into of more like a socializing of I
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:was here to help you spay and neuter.
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:I'ma be here for you,
through the hard times
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:Dixie: Right.
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:That's great.
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:Yeah, I know that's one thing I always
say, too, when it comes to people that
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:are feeding and not fixing, is just
to reach out and ask somebody for help
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:but if you step out and you just ask
for help, you're gonna find somebody
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:like you or like me that will- Yeah
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:gladly help to take care of the problem.
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:Francine: And that's what I think
'cause a lot of people, as long as, Spay
371
:Neuter Library Project's been
around, a lot of them still didn't
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:know about, this organization
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:So I'm pushing it more.
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:Of course, back in the day, Facebook
wasn't, a thing and whatever, and I'm
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:trying to push it as much as I can.
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:Fundraising-wise, we're
doing a fundraiser in July.
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:In fact, July 17th, the day of the
transport with the brown bag lunch.
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:And then in October,
I'm having another one.
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:That's gonna be an actual plate
lunch on the National Feral Day
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:Which I think is October 16th.
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:I don't have my calendar in front of me
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:Dixie: Yeah, I'm not sure
what day that is either.
383
:That's something I should
know though, right?
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:Francine: But
385
:Again, when you start reading
more in detail, I'm more watch
386
:out for your laws and whatever.
387
:And like the other day,
I had came across…
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:Okay, so it…
389
:You still have to send out a
form to the tax, the state tax,
390
:to, for them to approve but not
taxing, and I forgot the form.
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:I forgot exactly the form.
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:So I did that.
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:I did that for both of the fundraisers,
And I'm saying that's a waste of time.
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:Be nonprofit already, but you
wanna make sure, I don't know
395
:what the idea behind it is,
396
:it's more paperwork.
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:A lot of paperwork.
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:Dixie: Yeah, absolutely.
399
:I hope you have a lot of success with
your fundraisers that are coming up.
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:Francine: Yeah
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:I'm pushing.
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:That's all we can do.
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:Dixie: You just
404
:Francine: gotta keep trying.
405
:And like I said, it's…
406
:Exactly.
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:And one, one success story, that's
what keeps on pushing everybody,
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:Dixie: yes, definitely.
409
:It was great speaking with you, and I
wish you a lot of success with SNIP.
410
:And I hope that you're able to get a lot
more cats help and spayed and neutered.
411
:And hopefully you'll be able to
grow the organization, quickly
412
:since you've taken it over.
413
:Francine: Oh, yeah, I'm trying
414
:And thanks for all you do
415
:Dixie: How can people find out
about you so I could include
416
:your links in the show notes?
417
:Francine: I have a website.
418
:We have a website, snipiberia.com,
419
:and email is
420
:snipiberia@gmail.com
421
:Dixie: All right, great.
422
:I'm gonna include those in the show notes.
423
:And do you have any final
message before we end the call?
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:Francine: Just spay and neuter.
425
:Dixie: Absolutely.
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:Francine: And if you can't
afford it, reach out to someone
427
:Dixie: Yeah, definitely.
428
:That is a great message because there
are so many of us that wanna help.
429
:Francine: Okay.
430
:Thank you, ma'am.
