Speaker 1: Live. This is Pet Life Radio.
Speaker 2: Let's talk pets.
Speaker 1: Welcome to the Human Animal Connection Show, where we believe
we can communicate with all animals. Join us as we
explore the thirty three principles and healing methods of the
Human Animal Connection. As animal lovers, we know that you
share our commitment to making the world a kinder place
for all creatures. Together, let's embrace the transformative healing power
of the Human Animal Connection.
Speaker 3: Hello everyone, welcome to the Human Animal Connection Podcast. We
have a very fun show today. I have a delightful
person with me, Jordan Soccato, and she has started a
program of giving homeless doggies booties, little booties to protect
them from the heat.
Speaker 2: And from the cold.
Speaker 3: And you know and where she lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
It can get very hot on the sidewalk in the summer.
Speaker 2: And cold in the winter.
Speaker 3: And thank you so much for being here.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 3: Yeah, so tell me the name of your organization and
how you got started.
Speaker 2: So, my name of my organization is Laws for Pause, LLC.
And I started it after growing up volunteering with my
mom at animal organizations. My mom has always taken me
with her and I found a really deep connection in
love with animals, and that brought me to the side
of starting to recognize malpractices with animals. And that's when
I decided that I needed to do something to make
that change, to have better circumstances for dogs, cats, whatever
it may be. And so I founded Laws for Pause, LLC.
And we've been doing advocacy for animal welfare.
Speaker 3: That's wonderful. That's wonderful, And one of your things that
you've taken on is the notion of getting some help
for homeless dogs. We see them with people and it's
very sad, and they look kind of that so happy,
you know, standing out there in the elements, And so
what is you're doing for the dogs and how do
you do it?
Speaker 2: We established Bears Boots, and Bear's Boots is a fundraiser.
We've been raising money to get dog boots for homeless
pats on the street as long as well as care
packages for their owners. These boots are so necessary because
it is so hot and it can cause blistering and burning,
and we've seen lethal consequences for animals out on the street.
So my mom and I work with a partner organization,
Dogsdale easy, and we distribute these boots with them in
downtown Phoenix as well as my mom and I. We
go out on the streets personally and distribute care packages
and dog boots.
Speaker 3: That's so wonderful. Now you're still in high school. What
grade are you in? I have a sophomore, all right,
getting there? Yeah, well, that's really beautiful that you have
this mission. You know that you are drawn to help
and be of service to people who really need help
and to animals and the people. So that's really just
a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2: What is it?
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, you know, tell me maybe a story of
a situation where you help somebody with some booties and
kind of got to know them a little bit, and
tell us all a story about that.
Speaker 2: So I have met many people with good stories. One
of them is a dog named Rosie, and I met
her owner and we talked and she said that, you know,
it's hard for her to be out on the street.
She divorced from her husband a couple of years ago,
and it wasn't necessarily her choice to go on the street,
but she had no other option, and Rosie was her
closest companion. So you know, they live together, do they
do everything together, and when we were able to help
pro vide for Rosie, you know, the owner's face is
absolutely lit up and you can tell how much she
loves and cares for her dog.
Speaker 3: Beautiful. And how do you feel homeless dogs are doing
in general? Are they getting enough food, are they getting
enough water? What's the conditions like for them out there?
Speaker 2: Obviously it's not perfect conditions, as it isn't with any
form of living, and that's something that I would like
to help improve. But in general, I would say that
most homeless pet owners care for their pets more than
they care for them. My mom and I we've approached
people and they'll show us backpacks full of just dog
treats instead of any human food.
Speaker 3: Wonderful. Yeah, it's really beautiful. I know that a lot
of people have mixed feelings. They see homeless people, don't
give them money whatever, you know. But when I see
people with dogs, I can't help, but I can and
do you give them leashes and other things that they
might need also or just the boot us?
Speaker 2: So I do give them leashes, We give out harnesses,
water in the care packages. And then right now we're
running a drive specifically four items like that for Valentine's
Day and that'll die into Bear's boots as well throughout
the summer. That's great.
Speaker 3: Now, have any of your classmates joined you on this
mission or is this mostly you?
Speaker 2: Well, So, since the attention has kind of been coming
towards the organization, like getting posted on my district's like
announcements and stuff, a bunch of people have reached out
to me and they're like, I'd love to volunteer with you.
I'd love to help, so, especially for upcoming stuff I
and having support from a lot of my classmates, which
I love.
Speaker 3: That's wonderful. Yeah, and it gives them, you know, a
sense of purpose too to help and get involved. And
you know, even if they're not the kind of people
that would start their own organization, to jump on board
with another organization that's already in motion. You know, not
everybody has to start their own organization. We don't want
people that feel like they have to. There's so many
good organizations doing good work who need volunteers. So that's
really great that you can provide that opportunity for people
to give something back to the community.
Speaker 2: I'm very excited to work with them.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, if you had I mean you probably hear,
you know, about legislation that's going on. If you could
wave your wand you say laws for pause, what are
some of the laws that you would like to see
enacted that would help the situation.
Speaker 2: I would say this is kind of a touchy subject
because you can't require everyone to have dog boots out
on the street. But I would say maybe providing mandatory
things when people come into court or when people are
placed in jail and they have pets, you know, maybe
giving out a mandatory water, food, something like that that
could help improve their conditions and the pets conditions. I
would love to see a world where you know, you
would have to walk with dog boots outside on the street,
But I just I don't know if that's ever feasible,
but that's definitely a dream condition.
Speaker 3: Yeah. And what are your what's your you do you
have a career in mind? Do we love? What's your
direction that you're going to pursue as as an adult?
You doing wonderful things as a as a soft foreign
ice COVID what what what would you like to be
when you grow up?
Speaker 2: I obviously I want to continue my work with animals
for the rest of my life and I know that
set in Stone. I have always wanted to be a lawyer.
I would love to do something like criminal justice and
just advocacy for those who may not be able to
speak or you know, have a mental disability. That's also
pretty much my life's purpose, as well as advocating for animals.
So honestly, anything where I'm put in a position where
I can help others, I would happy to be a
part of.
Speaker 3: Yeah. Yeah, there's a movement trying to get animals out
of the category of property and into the notion that
animals have rights as do people. You know, have you
been following along with that.
Speaker 2: I actually did not know about that, and now that
I would love to look into that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's really rare. I think it's called the Non
Human Animal Rights Project. Yeah, they've done some really good work.
I mean, it's very slow going. It's not like they've
been able to because it's a pretty big issue to say, Yeah,
to go from the notion that we currently have that
animals are property and you know that they have no
rights independent that if they're in bad situations, you know,
just the whole notion of what if we viewed animals
as you know, beings, with rights and how would that
change the way they're treated in society. So it's a
really interesting thing to look into. So yeah, I hope
you'll you'll you'll check them out and see how you
can get involved. Yeah, there's just so much that Yeah,
there's just so much that needs to be done. But
I love the idea that you picked just something small
and manageable, you know what I mean, like getting getting
booties for dogs that don't have them, You know what
I mean. There's it's so sometimes the issues seem so
overwhelming and so big, but to break it down to say, well,
what can we do the one thing that this daily
experience of standing on the corner could How could we help? Well,
booties would help, water would help, a leash would help,
you know, to just to just look at the just
what is one thing we can do as a very
brilliant strategy. I think congratulations for maybe that, because it
can feel overwhelming for those of us who have a
heart for animals, It's like where do we start? You know,
the situation is so so drastic, you know, with with
the you know every ninety seconds and animals killed in
a shelter. You know, it just it can be really overwhelming,
But to just find one thing where you have the
passion and where you can do something and get involved,
you know, get others, because I think that's really imports
not to be a lone wolf in this process. I'm
not saying you are. You're You're obviously not doing that.
You're working when your mom, I'm with your friends and
other people are finding out about you. How can people
get in touch with you if they want to support
you in some way or another.
Speaker 2: Any way to get in touch with me and any
resources that you would need is through a website Laws
forpase dot org or on any of our social media's
which is all Laws for Pause Arizona.
Speaker 3: Okay, great, And what are some of your plans that
you'd like to do this year? Do you have any
new goals for this year?
Speaker 2: Here?
Speaker 3: We are just starting the year here.
Speaker 2: I do one of them, and this is a bigger project.
I've been working with Senator John Cavanaugh and the Animal
Defense League of Arizona for the past two years and
we are working on legislation to pass a ban on
the sale of animal cosmetically tested products within Arizona. And
this is such a big issue to me because it's
pioneering the fact that you know, no animal testing should
be anywhere, and that's what the goal with this bill is.
Along with this, we are working on a Valentine's Day
drive like I mentioned earlier, We're doing toys and then
care packages for those in the streets as well as
we will be continuing Bears Boots into the summer.
Speaker 3: Wonderful, wonderful. Yeah, the whole thing with animal research is
so horrible, you know. I mean, first of all, you know,
the animals are often kept in captivity with no contact
with their other members of their species, which is you know, torture.
I mean that like the worst thing we can do
to humans in prison, put them in solitary refinement, and
we do that to animals, so that you know, it's
just inhumane on that very most basic social level. But
then it's also inhumane of course in terms of the methods.
And what makes it even more tragic is that ninety
eight percent of the products that test safe on animals
don't end up being safe for humans. So the whole
notion is misguided. You know, we really have to educate people,
and especially now have you heard of an organization called
now as National Anti Vivissection Society, and yes, yeah, well
they have really they are like supporting graduate students who
are coming up with alternative testing methods, you know, like
computer testing methods and and other other things. So it's
not anti science. You know, we certainly want to be
able to support science and we want research. We definitely
want that, but we don't want to do it in
a way that hurts animals.
Speaker 2: And you know that.
Speaker 3: People need to be especially the cosmetic there's actually no
law that says that the cosmetics have to be tested
at all on animals.
Speaker 2: They just do it, you know, in certain countries. It's
not go in America.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, So we really have to educate people not
to you know, the consumers have to take a stand
by not buying products. You know, we need to buy
products that say not tested on animals. You know, that's
something that we need to change the culture. So when
you talk to like people your age, do they understand
these issues about animal testing. Is that something they're aware
of with cosmetics or they is it like what.
Speaker 2: I think a lot of people think animal testing is
just putting makeup on dogs and cats and like seeing
how it looks. And I have to have I've had
to like inform a bunch of people that that is
not what animal testing is. Animal testing goes so much
deeper into that. I've explained my personal research methods. I've
shown them companies that do test it and don't test
it with cruelty, the leaping bunny, with Cuilty Free International.
I have educated with a lot of people on it,
but I think that a lot of people are very
blindsided when they hear it, Like, what do you mean
it's not you know, putting mascara on a dog, and
it's injecting needles into animals.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, and just those horrible experiments with the bunnies
and the you know, trapped bunnies and you know, they're
putting things into their eyes. That it's just it's not
anything that should be done. And the sooner we can
get people to punch, you know, it has to start
with the public. It has to start. I mean, of
course we have to work at the at the level
level of legislation, but as long as the pub is
not aware and continues to buy products that use these methods,
it's never going to get anything. We have to get
people educated. So it's just wonderful that you are in
that process. And when you explain that to people, do
they say, Okay, I'm committed, I'm not going to buy
those products anymore, or do they just keep buying them?
What happens?
Speaker 2: I think a lot of people become more conscious of
the products that they're buying. I personally use all cruelty
free makeup and know a lot of my friends do
as well. But I also know a lot of my
friends that don't. So I think it's based on the
person's personal view on how big the issue is and
what they decide to do with it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, how do you talk to them? Do you
talk to them about cruelty? Do you talk to them
about ethic?
Speaker 1: Like?
Speaker 3: What's your angle to get people who are not aware
to be aware?
Speaker 2: I come from more of a moral angle, you know.
Do you have pets? Can you imagine this happening to
your pet? I also explain I try to stay logical
with it, and I kind of explain, this is what
it is, this is what can be done to stop it,
and this is a substitute for it as well as
the you know, you know it's coming from a place
of your heart, that's why you need to change this
and so I kind of like to cater to my
audience if I have a friend who's more based on
logic more a friend who's based more on emotion, or
someone who's both.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's very good because you know, you want to
be able to adjust the message in a way that's
going to land, you know, because there's no more It
isn't one size fits all when it comes to messaging,
and so it's wonderful that you're aware of that. And
some people will, you know, just show them the picture
of that bunny and that horrible contraption they put them in,
or the chimpanzees, you know, the ugh, you know, and
that's enough. But other people need to really understand the basics.
And I think when you tell people that ninety eight
percent of the tests are don't prove anything anyway, and
all these animals have been subjected to it for no
good reason, that's not science to me. I mean like that,
you know, science should be like, Okay, this isn't working,
Let's try something else, you know what I mean. So, yeah, well,
I'm so glad you're doing this work. We need to
take a really short love break when we come back.
I want to hear some more of the stories that
have really keep your heart pumping when you're doing this
pretty difficult work. So we'll be right back in just
a moment.
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Speaker 1: Hey Friends. If you like what you're hearing and want
to learn more, check out doctor Joseph's book The Human
Animal Connection, Deepening Relationships with Animals and ourselves, or visit
the website The Humananimalconnection dot org to book an online consultation.
Thank you for loving animals. Now back to the show.
Speaker 5: Let's talk pets on Petlifradio dot com.
Speaker 3: Welcome back to the Human Animal Connection. I'm your host,
Genie Joseph, and I'm speaking with Jordan's soccato, and she
is a sophomore in high school, and she's created her
own organization, laws for Pause, and she's doing all kinds
of wonderfuful, wonderful advocacy work for not only pets, but
the people who have them, especially people who are homeless
and with homeless animals. So sometimes I would imagine that
you approach someone and they're not sure, you know, like
you know, I'm sure they get approached by people who
want something. You know, I don't know, they just maybe
don't trust anybody that comes. So tell us a story
of how somebody that initially didn't trust you and that
grew to trust you.
Speaker 2: I have met people where they will walk away, they
will shut off, they will be terrified because or they
will ask me straight up, are you going to take
my pet? And that is the reason why they're so terrified,
because they think that we are there to, you know,
remove this pet from them, when in reality, we are
here to help their pet. So I have built connections
with many homeless people just kind of by talking explaining
what I do with my mom and with partner organizations,
and I've watched I can't even count the amount of
people's faces go from absolutely dull and lifeless with you know,
no flu on what's going to happen next, to just
absolutely glowing and grateful. And that is one of my
favorite things to see on people, when you see the
true gratefulness in their face once we give them the
care that they need, because that opens them up to
starting to ask other resources. Some will ask can you
help with medical care? Can you help with rehoming? And
that's where we can go further on.
Speaker 3: That's wonderful. Do you have like a little shirt you
wear or something they know that you're not like ane
laws for pause? Yeah, that's great. And does that happen
to homeless people that their animals are taken from them?
Speaker 2: It does a lot. Most of the time people will
find animals and keep them and then they'll wake up
and they're stolen or someone has confiscated it. And it's
very scary having a pet that you just now found,
or maybe a longtime companion be torn away from you
not knowing what happens to them.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that is just awful. That is awful to think about. Well,
how do you stay happy, you know, given you know
when you're when you're in the presence of such suffering,
and you know you can't just wave your wand and
fix it all. But what keeps you going? What keeps
you from taking taking, you know, like taking it so
to heart that your heart gets strained? How do you stay?
How do you manage that?
Speaker 2: I view this as one of those things where if
I'm not going to do it, who else will? And
I think that being able to withstand the suffering and
see the conditions that these people are in, it grows
my heart to help more because I know that I
have the ability, because I'm so blessed with this organization,
to help them. And that is exactly what I believe
my purpose is to do. It's wonderful, it's really terrific,
it's really terrific, excellent. And so when when you when
you find people with you know there some of them
took their pets with and they left maybe a situation
of domestic violence or something situation it was dangerous. And
I know one of the big challenges is that shelters,
most of the shelters will not take people with pets.
So people with pets, if they have to leave a
dangerous situation, they have to just take their pet. Yeah,
what can they do to make life on the streets
easier while having a pet? How can they how can
they do better? I mean just one thing? What else
could they do? What else do they need? So there
are countless organizations that we work with that are willing
to help with nail clippings. They'll neuter and spay your pet.
There's trimmings dogs down a z I know does nail
clipping specifically. I just thought of that. People will set
up feed stations where you can receive food and supplies
for you and your pets, you know, toothbrushes. I know
that there are some places that have free showers and bathrooms.
Taking the opportunity to take advantage of that is going
to be the best bet, as well as reaching out
to organizations that you may think can help. You know,
I need supplies this way, you know, can you send
someone over to me? Things like that will make your
life much easier.
Speaker 3: And you mentioned you. I mean that's a big part
of it is just letting people know that resources are there.
They may not know, you know, so if you can
just say, hey, you know, go here, you need this,
you need that, and get other other organizations involved. Have
other organizations taken you seriously and.
Speaker 2: Helped you or yes, I was surprised about this because
I thought that nobody would take me seriously because of
my age. But within the nonprofit animal nonprofit community, everyone
has been so welcoming and they are gracious to accept
donations and to help us and give us donations and
you know, feed supplies to someone on the streets that
might need it. And I am just eternally grateful for
everyone that has been so nice about it.
Speaker 3: Yeah, well, it's just it really looks like a win
win all the way around. Well, I want, is there
one story you want to leave us with that really
touched your heart, That an experience of working with someone
out there on the street with an animal, and how
you were able to turn things around in some way
for them.
Speaker 2: So I've met people that are so incredibly down that
they are considering, you know, maybe ending their life or
you know, committing some form of harm that might not
be good to them or their pet. And my mom
and I personally, we have been able to talk to
people like that and go, okay, well we have resources
for you and options for you to make this a
better situation. And then when people take those resources and
you can see that they're making a genuine change. That's
probably one of the most touching things I've been able
to see, seeing someone's perspective on life change just by
knowing that there is help out there.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's beautiful. Has anyone ever said to you please
take my pet? I can't manage it.
Speaker 2: Yes, we have people reach out to us all the time.
We have rescued pets, but we can't obviously intake pets
constantly because I do work out of my house with
my mom. So we will get in touch with other
shelters or fosters and find resources for that person to
get the pet rehomes.
Speaker 3: Yeah, great, excellent. Well, how can people get a hold
of you and find you and help you.
Speaker 2: You can reach out to us at lawsfopause dot org,
or you can reach out to us on any of
our social media's and they're all laws for Pause Arizona.
Our primary social media is our Facebook and Instagram.
Speaker 3: Great, so that's laws laws four Pause Ye, Laws four
Pause fowr Yes spilled out. Well, I wish you the
best of luck. It is beautiful work. That you're doing.
You're truly an inspiration and I know that you're helping
other people find their pathway to a sense of purpose too.
So thank you for everything that you're doing, and thank
you for being a guest on The Human Animal Connection.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much.
Speaker 3: All Right, we'll say bye for now and we'll see
you in the next episode.
Speaker 1: Okay, thank you for tuning in to The Human Animal
Connection Show. Please visit our website, The Humananimalconnection dot org.
There you can sign up for our free email newsletter,
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