1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:07,599 Speaker 1: This is Pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets. Welcome to 2 00:00:07,639 --> 00:00:10,960 the Human Animal Connection Show, where we believe we can 3 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:15,160 communicate with all animals. Join us as we explore the 4 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,160 thirty three principles and healing methods of the Human Animal Connection. 5 00:00:19,719 --> 00:00:22,719 As animal lovers, we know that you share our commitment 6 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,760 to making the world a kinder place for all creatures. Together, 7 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:32,039 let's embrace the transformative healing power of the Human Animal Connection. 8 00:00:32,679 --> 00:00:36,439 Speaker 2: Hello everyone, Welcome to the Human Animal Connection. I'm your host, 9 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:39,640 Jeanie Joseph and the executive director of the Human Animal Connection. 10 00:00:40,039 --> 00:00:42,479 And today I have Bella with me and since she 11 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,119 was nine years old, she has been doing just about 12 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:49,479 anything and everything at Track Ranch. Now Track is therapy, 13 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,079 the grants for animals and Labella tell us a little 14 00:00:53,119 --> 00:00:56,159 bit about what is so exciting about working there. 15 00:00:56,520 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 3: So Therapeure Grants for Animals and Kids was founded sort 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,840 of on the basis of just having a really welcoming community. 17 00:01:03,079 --> 00:01:06,400 It accepts everyone and allows animals to build just a 18 00:01:06,439 --> 00:01:09,280 great connection with kids. You don't need to have any 19 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,239 specific needs or desires to grow coming here, but it 20 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,519 kind of the therapeutic aspect just kind of happens whether 21 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:19,000 you're planning for it or not. All of our animals 22 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:22,200 really love what they do. All of our programs, we 23 00:01:22,439 --> 00:01:25,920 very carefully pick out animals that work very well with kids. 24 00:01:25,959 --> 00:01:29,920 So we do writing lessons, we do Earthday parties, summer camps, 25 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,040 and then our therapeutic services, and then we're also five 26 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:35,480 oh one C three nonprofit, so we also take tax 27 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:36,599 deductible donations. 28 00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 2: That's excellent. Yeah, And one of the things we were 29 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,159 just talking before the show started that we're totally in 30 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,439 agreement about is that it's really important to recognize what 31 00:01:44,519 --> 00:01:47,519 animals like, you know, what their opinions are. You know, 32 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:51,079 some animals love working with small children, some animals prefer 33 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,519 working with teens and so on. They have a real 34 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,599 sense of what they want to do. And I love 35 00:01:55,640 --> 00:02:00,400 that you are really watching, observing, paying attention being Oh, 36 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:03,159 this animal really likes young kids, or this animal really 37 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:05,079 likes to be hugged by five people at once, or. 38 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 3: Apps don't want to stress out any of our animals, 39 00:02:07,519 --> 00:02:09,680 and we want them to enjoy what they do just 40 00:02:09,719 --> 00:02:12,199 as much as the kids interacting with them. So we 41 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:14,919 make sure that all of our animals genuinely enjoy the 42 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:18,240 work that they do. And are always relaxed around kids. 43 00:02:18,439 --> 00:02:21,439 Speaker 2: Great, great, Well, We're going to focus today on your 44 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:23,840 service donkeys because I think that's so exciting a lot 45 00:02:23,879 --> 00:02:27,719 of people have heard about therapy dogs or therapy horses, 46 00:02:28,159 --> 00:02:32,560 but this notion of therapy donkeys and even service donkeys 47 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:34,840 is very exciting to me, of course, because we have 48 00:02:34,879 --> 00:02:38,400 two therapy donkeys we do therapy work with, and it's 49 00:02:38,479 --> 00:02:40,439 just I really want to hear all about tell us 50 00:02:40,479 --> 00:02:43,439 about your service donkeys, how they came to you, what 51 00:02:43,599 --> 00:02:46,280 kind of service they do, and how you've trained them 52 00:02:46,319 --> 00:02:47,520 to be service donkeys. 53 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 1: Yeah. 54 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 3: Absolutely, so. We get our animals just about any possible 55 00:02:50,879 --> 00:02:54,039 way you could think of. Some are donations, some are rescues, 56 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:57,240 some are purchased. They really come from every possible way 57 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,240 you could even think of. We've had college students buy 58 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:02,439 and drop off a goat they realized would not actually 59 00:03:02,439 --> 00:03:05,039 work in their dorm room. We've had people bring over 60 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,319 their amazing horses that have been retired after a long 61 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:10,759 came of work. One of our donkeys right now, we've 62 00:03:10,759 --> 00:03:12,680 had since she was a tiny baby, and we had 63 00:03:12,719 --> 00:03:14,639 her mom here who passed quite a while ago, but 64 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,599 she lived well into her forties and then we have 65 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:21,639 a new donkey. We just actually got Betty Pisketti. She's amazing. 66 00:03:21,719 --> 00:03:24,159 She just came in day one. She just loved what 67 00:03:24,199 --> 00:03:27,719 we do here. And then we have two other little 68 00:03:27,840 --> 00:03:31,599 little tiny KUIs Rio and Smooch. I'm not positive on 69 00:03:31,719 --> 00:03:34,599 how they came in, but they're a huge, huge bonus 70 00:03:34,639 --> 00:03:36,919 to our program. They're kind of our little young guys 71 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:39,080 who like to run around and have a little bit 72 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:43,560 more energy. As far as training, main the main aspect 73 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:45,080 that we really look for for them, it's just that 74 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:48,560 they're calm, that they don't have any fear of people 75 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,120 of children. Every now and then there is something that 76 00:03:51,159 --> 00:03:53,479 we need to work out, but generally the animals just 77 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:57,240 provide that service on their own. They're just naturally very 78 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:01,199 very calm animals. They has very intuitive. They're very also 79 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:05,240 authentic in the reactions that they provide. So a child 80 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:08,840 comes up and is really loud and just kind of 81 00:04:08,879 --> 00:04:11,599 acting like that predator to our prey animals, that donkey 82 00:04:11,719 --> 00:04:14,280 will respond really quickly, and that child will see a 83 00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:18,079 direct correlation between his actions and the donkeys kind of 84 00:04:18,439 --> 00:04:20,959 seeing that action to them, and they get upset. They 85 00:04:21,199 --> 00:04:24,000 could get scared, they could walk away, and that's a 86 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,120 really great skill to teach that child of how to 87 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:28,600 look at their own actions and how that can affect 88 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:31,480 someone else nearby to them. So as far as training, 89 00:04:31,519 --> 00:04:34,399 they honestly do more for us think we really end 90 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:37,360 up doing with them. But there is always training to 91 00:04:37,399 --> 00:04:40,360 be done. You know, if a donkey's exhibiting science being 92 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:42,079 a little too pushy at the gate, that's something we 93 00:04:42,079 --> 00:04:44,399 can work on. But other than that, they really just 94 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:46,560 provide that service on their own just naturally. 95 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 2: Great. Now, I know you work with all kinds of animals, 96 00:04:49,519 --> 00:04:52,399 all kinds of therapeutic experiences, but what do you think 97 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,680 it is about the donkey experience that's kind of unique 98 00:04:55,759 --> 00:04:57,800 to them? Unique to donkeys. 99 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,480 Speaker 3: Yeah, so donkeys have some really crazy the attributes. They're 100 00:05:01,519 --> 00:05:04,160 just really strong and sturdy, and they're the ones that 101 00:05:04,199 --> 00:05:06,439 we have our miniature donkeys. They're a little bit smaller, 102 00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:08,560 so they're a little bit more approachable to the children. 103 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,319 They're very sure footed. They don't really get startled at 104 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:14,519 a lot of stuff, and when they do, they're a 105 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,199 little they think through it a little bit better than 106 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:17,920 some of the bigger horses who may just want to 107 00:05:17,959 --> 00:05:21,399 run away. But they are just that smaller size, and 108 00:05:21,439 --> 00:05:24,519 they're just very gentle and kind and calm in general. 109 00:05:25,079 --> 00:05:27,920 Ours especially, We've never had any issues with that. They 110 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:32,439 just genuinely are affectionate and enjoy those interactions with kids 111 00:05:32,439 --> 00:05:35,399 and adults too. Our Peekaboo are one that we've had 112 00:05:35,399 --> 00:05:37,439 since she was a baby when her mom was here. 113 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:39,480 She would rest her head in our laps when we 114 00:05:39,519 --> 00:05:41,800 would kind of sit on the rail and there during 115 00:05:41,839 --> 00:05:44,079 animal free time at her summer camp, and she would 116 00:05:44,199 --> 00:05:47,199 quite literally just snuggle up to us just because she 117 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:49,680 genuinely enjoyed that human interaction. 118 00:05:50,399 --> 00:05:53,560 Speaker 2: That's really wonderful. Yeah, and you know, I think humans, well, 119 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,560 I mean the humans wouldn't be humans without the help 120 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,040 of donkeys. I mean, for thousands of years have helped 121 00:05:59,199 --> 00:06:02,319 like on every level, you know, you know, in peace 122 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,040 and in war and in commerce and friendship. I mean, 123 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,560 there's so much donkey's done. I think, you know, we're 124 00:06:07,639 --> 00:06:11,439 really interested in helping humans understand the donkeys are really 125 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:14,360 special that they're very intuitive, they're very intelligent. You know, 126 00:06:14,439 --> 00:06:18,439 there's so many negative preconceptions, you know, like the dumbass 127 00:06:18,519 --> 00:06:21,639 or whatever. But you know, we're definitely interested in helping 128 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:24,680 people have a one on one experience, a moment where 129 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,800 they can see that the donkey really does know what's 130 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:30,199 going on with you. You know, they do feel your emotions, 131 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:34,040 your energy, your moods, and is really helpful for children 132 00:06:34,079 --> 00:06:37,120 to be able to understand that sometimes they don't recognize 133 00:06:37,160 --> 00:06:41,399 how their energy or their emotions are affecting other beings. 134 00:06:41,519 --> 00:06:44,360 And when a donkey can give them that instant feedback 135 00:06:44,399 --> 00:06:47,439 of saying, hey, you know this is too much, slow down, 136 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:51,240 you know, that's really it can help a lot of 137 00:06:51,319 --> 00:06:55,839 children recognize their own emotional states and then make choices 138 00:06:56,040 --> 00:06:58,920 about how to manage their energy and emotions. 139 00:06:59,000 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. 140 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:02,319 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a huge aspect of our animal assisted life 141 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:05,759 skills and equan assisted learning of having kids to see 142 00:07:05,759 --> 00:07:08,399 how their actions are reflected in that animal, and even 143 00:07:08,439 --> 00:07:11,079 some that may come from a place of fear. Those 144 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:14,120 donkeys are generally very calm and they're gonna stand pretty still, 145 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:17,120 and they're smaller size than the larger horses, so that 146 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:19,680 may be a great introduction to those larger horses and 147 00:07:19,759 --> 00:07:22,480 kind of getting over some of that fear of interacting 148 00:07:22,519 --> 00:07:23,519 with our animals. 149 00:07:23,920 --> 00:07:25,959 Speaker 2: That's really you know, that's a really great point, you 150 00:07:26,040 --> 00:07:28,360 know that to be kind of to have a being 151 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:31,680 be still and present in the face of your fear, 152 00:07:32,959 --> 00:07:35,680 gives you a chance to let it dissolve. Let the 153 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:37,680 fear dissolve, you know what I mean, kind of in 154 00:07:37,720 --> 00:07:39,800 your own pace. And do you have any stories of 155 00:07:39,879 --> 00:07:43,600 kids who who've come and kind of been transformed just 156 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:44,879 from interacting with donkeys. 157 00:07:45,399 --> 00:07:48,759 Speaker 3: I mean, honestly too many to count personally. As a kid, 158 00:07:48,800 --> 00:07:50,480 I would get a little bit anxious with some of 159 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:54,480 the larger horses and competing and going faster on the horses. 160 00:07:54,120 --> 00:07:56,040 Speaker 2: And and. 161 00:07:54,879 --> 00:07:56,680 Speaker 3: There there have been a couple times when I was 162 00:07:56,720 --> 00:07:59,399 pretty young and I had just gotten a little overwhelmed 163 00:07:59,439 --> 00:08:02,360 that I would be and the donkeys, almost like dogs, 164 00:08:02,399 --> 00:08:06,680 would quite literally just snuggle up and just really understand 165 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:08,920 that someone was going through something, and they just want 166 00:08:08,920 --> 00:08:12,040 to be near them and comfort them. So they're just 167 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:16,560 naturally very comforting animals. So yeah, happen many many times. 168 00:08:17,439 --> 00:08:20,120 Very small children are often really scared of the large horses. 169 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:23,519 So I've seen that happen pretty much weakly, where they 170 00:08:23,600 --> 00:08:25,439 run right up to the donkeys and they want to 171 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:27,120 go in and they want to go hang out with them, 172 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:29,600 and they don't really have that fear and they go 173 00:08:29,639 --> 00:08:31,720 to the larger horses, and I mean rightfully. So for 174 00:08:31,759 --> 00:08:34,360 a young child has never interacted with the horse, they 175 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:36,039 have a little bit more fear. So they're able to 176 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,440 kind of learn in a safer, calmer, slower environment. So 177 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:42,639 maybe horse rules of you know, don't run up behind them, 178 00:08:43,279 --> 00:08:46,559 how to approach them appropriately looking at their blind spots. 179 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:48,159 You know, you want to approach them to their shoulder, 180 00:08:48,279 --> 00:08:51,840 not directly behind them, not directly on their forehead, things 181 00:08:51,919 --> 00:08:55,080 like that. So it can teach them really really helpful 182 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:57,960 skills and how they could apply those to larger animals. 183 00:08:58,240 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 2: Definitely the larger animals and also people. You know, the 184 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:05,159 awareness of how your you know, your body language or 185 00:09:05,159 --> 00:09:08,720 your speed, your emotion is affecting another being, whether that 186 00:09:08,799 --> 00:09:11,639 be animal or human, I think is a really really 187 00:09:11,759 --> 00:09:15,200 useful lesson. Some kids are, of course more tuned to 188 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:18,600 that than others, but all kids can learn to improve 189 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:23,320 their awareness of, you know, spatial relations, because you can 190 00:09:23,399 --> 00:09:25,639 rub people the wrong way by getting too closer, by 191 00:09:25,679 --> 00:09:28,279 being too far, people can think you're too aloof or whatever. 192 00:09:28,799 --> 00:09:31,919 You know, the donkey kind of gives you instant feedback, 193 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,919 you know, as to how you're projecting yourself into the world. 194 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:40,639 So that's a wonderful experience. Yeah, and so what is 195 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:43,679 it you know about animals that were you always from 196 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:46,399 birth interested in animals or how did you get started 197 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:47,159 on your journey? 198 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 3: Yeah? When I was a kid, I always wanted to 199 00:09:49,159 --> 00:09:51,879 ride horses. I always wanted to take lessons, and in 200 00:09:51,919 --> 00:09:53,960 two thousand and nine, my parents brought me over to 201 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,320 track at our old location on Craycroft and sign me 202 00:09:56,399 --> 00:09:59,840 up for horseback riding lessons. My first lesson included no 203 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:02,600 horseback riding, just learning all the basics on the ground, 204 00:10:02,639 --> 00:10:05,320 and we had our little reins that used to control 205 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:07,639 the horse tied to my brother and I are waists, 206 00:10:07,679 --> 00:10:09,919 and we had to pretend that each other were the 207 00:10:09,919 --> 00:10:12,960 horses to learn those basic skills. So that's a really 208 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,360 fun memory that I have. And after that, I just 209 00:10:15,440 --> 00:10:18,440 took lessons weekly for years and years, and then we 210 00:10:18,519 --> 00:10:21,720 did some Jim Connor clubs, some little little tiny kid 211 00:10:21,799 --> 00:10:25,159 barrel racing things like that, and eventually I started volunteering 212 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,720 and doing summer camps, and then I was hired in 213 00:10:27,759 --> 00:10:31,120 twenty seventeen and have worked here pretty much ever. 214 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,639 Speaker 2: Six that's an amazing record. That's an amazing record. I 215 00:10:34,639 --> 00:10:36,840 know tracks started I think in two thousand and seven, 216 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:38,879 Is that right? Do you want to tell us a 217 00:10:38,919 --> 00:10:42,399 little bit about the origin story and Scott and his 218 00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:43,600 wife Liz was it. 219 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:46,919 Speaker 3: I think Scott and Jill are our founders. Scott is 220 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:50,399 still heavily involved. He you know, he's here every single 221 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,159 day working really hard. You know, this is his dream. 222 00:10:53,200 --> 00:10:55,480 This is something that's really important to him and his 223 00:10:55,519 --> 00:10:58,679 wife Jill. But when they founded it, you know, they 224 00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:00,639 may tell it a little bit better, but just from 225 00:11:00,679 --> 00:11:02,799 my perspective at least, I think that they just really 226 00:11:02,840 --> 00:11:05,840 wanted to create that community in Tucson where animals and 227 00:11:05,919 --> 00:11:08,840 children could interact in a really just great setting and 228 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:11,879 create that community where everyone is accepted. I know Jill 229 00:11:11,919 --> 00:11:15,320 has a history with special education and Scott has a 230 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:17,919 history with horses, and they really wanted to bring those 231 00:11:17,919 --> 00:11:21,120 two things together and just create this really really kind 232 00:11:21,159 --> 00:11:25,720 of specific community where we provide the education and that 233 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:29,159 experience to farm life ranch life that kids may not 234 00:11:29,279 --> 00:11:32,840 really have experience with, and we really really talk a 235 00:11:32,840 --> 00:11:37,320 lot about just respect of each other, just having really 236 00:11:37,360 --> 00:11:40,159 great boundaries and using those animals to teach those So 237 00:11:40,480 --> 00:11:43,840 they just really wanted that great community in Tucson to 238 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:49,080 and then serve our community with bringing animals to elementary schools, 239 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:53,279 to dementia facilities, to places all around Tucson to share 240 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:56,919 that same experience so people can enjoy that as well. 241 00:11:57,360 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, I know, we're going to meet four of your 242 00:11:59,360 --> 00:12:01,440 donkeys and going to meet two of ours on World 243 00:12:01,519 --> 00:12:05,279 Donkey Day, which is May eighth, twenty twenty five, if 244 00:12:05,279 --> 00:12:08,919 you're listening to this now. In this we really want 245 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:11,799 to celebrate that. And I think it's so important for kids. 246 00:12:12,159 --> 00:12:15,240 You know, go back, let's say our grandparents' generation or 247 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,600 whatever it was. You know, animals were part of growing up. 248 00:12:18,639 --> 00:12:22,519 But in today's world, kids are are sort of separated 249 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:27,679 from the wild side. And there's really something wonderful about 250 00:12:27,799 --> 00:12:31,320 kids having an experience of beings that are not you know, 251 00:12:31,759 --> 00:12:35,440 on the screen and you know, actually have instant reactions 252 00:12:35,519 --> 00:12:38,360 and like that. What have you seen in terms of 253 00:12:38,399 --> 00:12:40,759 the benefits in your own life or the other kids 254 00:12:40,799 --> 00:12:43,159 you've worked with by just being able to get a 255 00:12:43,159 --> 00:12:46,120 little touch. I mean, obviously not wild like wild tigers, 256 00:12:46,159 --> 00:12:48,879 but you know, animals are still animals. 257 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:51,120 Speaker 3: What's that like? I mean, they do have a lot 258 00:12:51,159 --> 00:12:53,679 to teach and you already touched on it. That just 259 00:12:53,879 --> 00:12:56,559 kind of age of everyone has an electronic device in 260 00:12:56,600 --> 00:13:00,720 their hand. We very much enforce the no phone zone 261 00:13:00,759 --> 00:13:03,519 around here, so we'll have families come in, you know, 262 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,320 parents and little kids that maybe don't really get enough 263 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:08,120 one on one time where they can look each other 264 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:10,679 in the eye and have a mutual experience that doesn't 265 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:14,399 involve a TV. I mean, that's that's just something that's happening, 266 00:13:14,440 --> 00:13:16,879 whether whether they're trying to or not. So this provides 267 00:13:16,919 --> 00:13:21,759 a really great escape for just families as a whole, grandparents, aunts, uncles, 268 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,960 cousins to just come in and have those really unique 269 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,720 experiences together as a family without those distractions that are 270 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:30,960 pulling their attention away from the kids. And they can 271 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,720 also have those learning and teaching experiences as well with 272 00:13:33,799 --> 00:13:36,240 the kids where they can, you know, maybe watch dad 273 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:38,759 pick up a chicken for the first time and laugh 274 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:40,720 if he if he gets a little startled if it 275 00:13:40,759 --> 00:13:43,159 tries to flap away. And so I've seen some little 276 00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:45,519 kids teach their parents the appropriate way to handle a 277 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:47,960 chicken or how to walk behind a horse if they've 278 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,519 never done that. So it's just a really great experience 279 00:13:50,559 --> 00:13:52,519 to get to see these families come in and just 280 00:13:52,600 --> 00:13:56,879 have that moment of joy getting to have some family 281 00:13:56,960 --> 00:14:01,120 time with any of our animals really not just on Yeah. 282 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:03,519 Speaker 2: Great, So tell us a little bit of a what 283 00:14:03,639 --> 00:14:05,519 all animals do you have there? Besites the donkeys and 284 00:14:05,519 --> 00:14:06,840 the horses, what else do you have? 285 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, so we have a bunny and chicken coop. They 286 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,519 are separated down the middle between favoral levels, so we 287 00:14:12,639 --> 00:14:14,600 just make sure all of our little guys are very safe. 288 00:14:14,799 --> 00:14:17,440 They have an outdoor portion as well. And then we 289 00:14:17,519 --> 00:14:20,320 have our goat pen and personally, I think we have 290 00:14:20,399 --> 00:14:22,879 some of the more calmer goats I've seen. They do 291 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,080 really enjoy kids and not too jumpy on them, so 292 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:28,200 that is more of a safe place so we can 293 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:30,919 have some kids play around with them. And then we 294 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,919 have our three pot belly pigs, and then our donkeys. 295 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:38,399 We have fourign totally have Peekaboo, Betty, Pischetti, Smooch, and Rio. 296 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:42,039 And then we have our three miniature horses as well, 297 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:45,399 and then we have around twenty six full sized horses 298 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,600 twenty to twenty six to Penning, you're kind of those 299 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,360 little guys as well, but all of them are used 300 00:14:51,399 --> 00:14:53,399 in a lot of our programs. We don't ride a 301 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:56,080 Hayman miniature horses. We just drive the larger horses. But 302 00:14:56,879 --> 00:14:59,200 every single animal except for the pigs, they don't travel 303 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,360 very well. We'll go go out to petting zoos around 304 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,679 our community and kind of share that experience with them. 305 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,039 Speaker 2: Well, is absolutely fabulous. We're going to take a short 306 00:15:08,039 --> 00:15:09,639 little break. When I come back, we're going to be 307 00:15:09,679 --> 00:15:12,399 speaking more with Bella from Track about some of the 308 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:16,559 experiences that she's witnessed of transformation with children and animals. 309 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:18,440 Will be right back. Don't go anywhere. 310 00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,799 Speaker 1: Hey, friends. If you like what you're hearing and want 311 00:15:24,799 --> 00:15:28,679 to learn more, check out doctor Joseph's book The Human 312 00:15:28,879 --> 00:15:35,080 Animal Connection, Deepening Relationships with Animals and Ourselves, or visit 313 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:40,879 the website The Humananimalconnection dot org to book an online consultation. 314 00:15:41,679 --> 00:15:45,039 Thank you for loving animals. Now back to the show. 315 00:15:51,639 --> 00:15:54,399 Speaker 2: Welcome back to The Human Animal Connection. I'm speaking with 316 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:57,120 Bella and she's been working at TRACK. There are few 317 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,440 brands for animals and kids and every day, hey, you 318 00:16:00,559 --> 00:16:03,240 come in and have wonderful experience, So just give me 319 00:16:03,440 --> 00:16:05,600 an everyday story that really touches your heart. 320 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:10,000 Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely, So my personal favorite one is every day 321 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,240 I get to see kids, you know, start when there 322 00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:15,480 may be four years old and progress to where they're 323 00:16:15,559 --> 00:16:18,600 pretty much teenagers, right along with me as I grew 324 00:16:18,639 --> 00:16:20,240 up here. But one of my favorite ones there was 325 00:16:20,279 --> 00:16:22,679 this little girl who was just so sweet, and she 326 00:16:22,759 --> 00:16:25,799 was just really hesitant. She hadn't really had much experience 327 00:16:25,879 --> 00:16:28,840 with talking to strangers at all, just with her own 328 00:16:28,879 --> 00:16:32,519 family history, and she came in and was really really nervous. 329 00:16:32,559 --> 00:16:34,679 And I have a personal policy where I'm never gonna 330 00:16:34,679 --> 00:16:36,360 play a kid on a horse who's crying. You know, 331 00:16:36,399 --> 00:16:38,440 I'm gonna let them tell me, okay, I'm ready to ride. 332 00:16:38,519 --> 00:16:40,960 Even if they're sad or scared, that's okay, but they 333 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,440 need to be a little vocalized. Then she calmed down 334 00:16:43,519 --> 00:16:45,080 right when we put her on the horse, and as 335 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,840 we're walking around, she just starts to get this huge 336 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:50,200 smile on her face. And she was young enough I 337 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,360 had to be standing right next to her, but you 338 00:16:52,399 --> 00:16:54,600 could just see her completely open up. While she was 339 00:16:54,639 --> 00:16:56,799 on that horse. She started grinning from ear to ear. 340 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:00,200 She was listening to everything she needed to do. She 341 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:02,639 was just doing everything that you'd think that a kid 342 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:04,880 had been writing for years and years was doing she 343 00:17:05,079 --> 00:17:07,920 just really really took to it, and when she got off, 344 00:17:08,160 --> 00:17:09,799 she came around and gave me a hug around my 345 00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:12,079 leg and just said thank you. That was really fun. 346 00:17:12,079 --> 00:17:14,079 And her parents were just absolutely shocked that when she 347 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:16,799 was speaking to a stranger too, that she had just 348 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:19,759 even gotten on that horse. So I see things like 349 00:17:19,759 --> 00:17:22,519 that all the time, and luckily for her, I got 350 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,400 to watch her progress through a writing program for years 351 00:17:25,400 --> 00:17:27,359 and years and years, all the way up to where 352 00:17:27,400 --> 00:17:29,960 she was loping on a horse, so she was basically running. 353 00:17:30,559 --> 00:17:32,119 She went from me a little kid who was even 354 00:17:32,160 --> 00:17:34,240 too young to be allowed to do that, all the 355 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:37,200 way to being a really successful student. So we see 356 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,039 stuff like that all the time. Kids. I've grown up 357 00:17:40,079 --> 00:17:42,240 with kids that came in here when I was young, 358 00:17:42,319 --> 00:17:45,000 just watching them succeed and really do well and learn 359 00:17:45,039 --> 00:17:47,759 those really basic life skills that are sometimes a little 360 00:17:47,799 --> 00:17:49,720 bit more difficult to teach in school. But they get 361 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,839 to see that through that hard work from our volunteering program. 362 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:55,119 They get to learn what it's like to, you know, 363 00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,880 do jobs that may not be your favorite job, and 364 00:17:58,079 --> 00:18:00,400 they can actually turn that around and then turn that 365 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:03,559 into really great you know, resume keywords and end up 366 00:18:03,599 --> 00:18:06,359 getting full time careers based off of the skills that 367 00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:08,359 they learned just right here in our programs. 368 00:18:08,759 --> 00:18:10,839 Speaker 2: That's so great. I mean, I think it's so wonderful 369 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:13,240 that an animal can help a child blossom in a 370 00:18:13,279 --> 00:18:16,160 way that maybe other methods haven't. I mean, you know, 371 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:18,920 all methods are good if they're helpful, but I think 372 00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:23,759 there's something unique about what animals bring to the experience, 373 00:18:23,839 --> 00:18:27,119 you know, just that sort of like a horse can understand, Okay, 374 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:30,880 this child is a little frightened, no nervous, but the 375 00:18:31,079 --> 00:18:33,359 horse sees the sweetness, you know what I mean, Like 376 00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:35,559 the horse doesn't. I mean, I think the horse sees 377 00:18:35,559 --> 00:18:37,839 the fear, but is not stopped by the fear, you 378 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:40,440 know what I mean Like that, that's not the final answer. 379 00:18:40,559 --> 00:18:43,960 It's like, Okay, the child is scared, and how can 380 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:46,119 I give this child a beautiful experience? How can I 381 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:49,920 help this child feel safe? You know with me? And 382 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:54,079 I think that that generosity of spirit that animals that 383 00:18:54,079 --> 00:18:56,839 are especially therapy animals. You know, obviously not every animal, 384 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:00,440 but you know, animals whose purposes this is I think 385 00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:02,960 you probably see in your own life that there are 386 00:19:03,279 --> 00:19:06,559 some animals out in other circumstances, maybe that would never be, 387 00:19:07,039 --> 00:19:09,680 you know, a tract ranch animal. That's just not their destiny. 388 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,200 It doesn't mean they're bad animals, but that's not their 389 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,920 purpose in life, you know what I mean. So I 390 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,440 think that's great that you have assembled quite a crew 391 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:21,400 of animals that this is like, Yeah, this is what 392 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:23,559 I'm here to do. I'm here to make people feel 393 00:19:23,599 --> 00:19:26,599 good and to help them feel safe. Yeah. 394 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:31,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, absolutely, Especially with our horses and our horseback riding program, 395 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:33,759 they give meet some of the annoying, the most annoying 396 00:19:33,799 --> 00:19:35,720 horses ever to the kids. Because if the kid is 397 00:19:35,759 --> 00:19:37,200 having an issue, and we can see that from a 398 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:39,759 crossby areen, if they're pulling too hard on their face 399 00:19:39,799 --> 00:19:41,759 when they should be having loose reins and they should 400 00:19:41,799 --> 00:19:44,160 be kicking instead. We can see those little things and 401 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:45,920 sometimes we let them work it out, but that horse 402 00:19:45,960 --> 00:19:50,119 will just completely stop and wait, and sometimes they'll actually 403 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:52,599 deliver that child to us. They'll walk over to an 404 00:19:52,599 --> 00:19:54,480 instructor while the child's trying to get them to go 405 00:19:54,519 --> 00:19:57,079 the other way and say, hey, fix this. But they 406 00:19:57,119 --> 00:19:59,000 just do it in such a kind and calm way. 407 00:19:59,039 --> 00:20:01,920 And obviously we we have horses that can go along 408 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:04,079 with a child as they progress. So we don't just 409 00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:06,440 have those horses. We do have horses that are for 410 00:20:06,519 --> 00:20:08,759 the more advanced student that needs a little bit more 411 00:20:09,119 --> 00:20:12,519 training and experience in order to handle them appropriately, but 412 00:20:12,599 --> 00:20:15,440 we do that on purpose. So when kids first come in, 413 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:17,759 we put them on a horse that is really calm, 414 00:20:17,799 --> 00:20:20,039 and we call them like our teacher horses or our 415 00:20:20,039 --> 00:20:23,640 babysitter horses, who just genuinely get it. They just understand 416 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:25,680 what their role is and they understand their job is 417 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,400 to keep that child safe. Even on the windiest day, 418 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:31,400 you know, they're not even glancing at anything blowing by them. 419 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,200 They understand what their role is that day, and they're 420 00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:37,319 just very quietly and calmly fulfilling that role. And then 421 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:39,279 we have those horses that can take that kid to 422 00:20:39,319 --> 00:20:42,200 the next level who's progressed really well through our program 423 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:45,680 and is ready for that real challenge and has the 424 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:48,680 skills to do that really safely and effectively. So we 425 00:20:48,759 --> 00:20:51,319 have pretty much every range of that you can think of. 426 00:20:51,359 --> 00:20:53,400 And that girl I was speaking about previously, she did 427 00:20:53,519 --> 00:20:56,680 end up riding one of our more spirited horses who 428 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:59,960 had been pretty spirited in the past, and once we start, 429 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:01,960 I started seeing that he was really calming down and 430 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,880 getting a little older. We started kind of working on 431 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,880 him with younger kids and just watching his entire body 432 00:21:07,960 --> 00:21:10,640 just calm down. He just really settled the second we 433 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:12,720 put a younger kid on him, and he just told 434 00:21:12,799 --> 00:21:15,000 us that was his purpose. And I think I genuinely 435 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:17,960 think he enjoys those younger kids just walking around with 436 00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,759 them a lot more than he ever enjoyed going fast, 437 00:21:20,799 --> 00:21:22,799 which was a shock to all of us because we 438 00:21:22,839 --> 00:21:24,519 thought he just wanted to run and run. But I 439 00:21:24,519 --> 00:21:28,440 think he just genuinely enjoys younger children and he enjoys 440 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:31,039 just a slower pace. So we see things like that 441 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:31,880 all the time though. 442 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,839 Speaker 2: Yeah, and that's really beautiful that the notion that the 443 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:40,119 animal can be involved in a healing self discovery process, 444 00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:44,319 you know, process of really finding their true heart space, 445 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:47,240 you know what I mean. Like that horse that you 446 00:21:47,279 --> 00:21:49,119 thought was just wanted to run and be wild, and 447 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:52,400 maybe that was true at a time, but there's something 448 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:56,680 else for him, which is the slowness, the gentleness, and 449 00:21:56,799 --> 00:21:59,359 that can be very rewarding. So I mean, I think 450 00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:04,440 that's an idea animal therapy human interaction situation when when 451 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:07,160 both sides are growing, when both sides are learning, when 452 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:10,640 both sides are enriching their heart and expanding their potential 453 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:13,759 for who they really are, and to discover that in 454 00:22:13,839 --> 00:22:16,400 animals where we think, Okay, this horse is for this group, 455 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,279 but then we find out, no, you know what, it's 456 00:22:18,319 --> 00:22:22,480 really this other group that the horse is really brings 457 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:26,720 out that horse's true heart. You know that's really awesome 458 00:22:27,039 --> 00:22:30,119 to witness that. Wow. Okay, well, do you have like 459 00:22:30,319 --> 00:22:32,359 some favorite animals at the ranch? I know you love 460 00:22:32,400 --> 00:22:35,319 them all equally, but I did you have some favorites? 461 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:36,400 Speaker 4: Right? 462 00:22:36,519 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 3: My absolute all time favorite is that horse that was 463 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,240 really spirited and then he got to calm down a lot. 464 00:22:41,279 --> 00:22:43,960 His name's man Yo Soo. We call him Yosi, but 465 00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:47,200 he used to be quite a fast spirited horse and 466 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,079 he calmed down a lot. So I got to experience 467 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:51,559 him when I was ready to progress to a faster 468 00:22:51,640 --> 00:22:53,519 horse when I was a kid, and then I got 469 00:22:53,519 --> 00:22:56,000 to experience him when I was teaching and putting smaller 470 00:22:56,079 --> 00:22:59,039 kids on his back as see him really calmed down. 471 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,720 And his mom is actually part of our program as well. 472 00:23:02,279 --> 00:23:04,599 She's aged out of any of our riding stuff, but 473 00:23:05,079 --> 00:23:07,279 she's just very happy here living out the rest of 474 00:23:07,279 --> 00:23:11,039 her days, just providing, you know, that sweet little she'll 475 00:23:11,079 --> 00:23:13,440 she'll nuzzle your hand when you walk by, and she's 476 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:15,640 just very affectionate and just likes to kind of say 477 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:17,720 hi to people. But we're not using her for any 478 00:23:17,759 --> 00:23:20,279 of our programs anymore. And that's another thing I really 479 00:23:20,319 --> 00:23:22,720 love here is we're not ever getting rid of horses 480 00:23:22,759 --> 00:23:25,359 because they're too old for a program or anything like that. 481 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,039 If that horse has shown us that they enjoy kids 482 00:23:28,079 --> 00:23:32,039 and they're just happy being here, we're keeping them. Even 483 00:23:32,079 --> 00:23:35,119 if all they can provide is just hanging out and 484 00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:38,599 meeting her guests. That's more than enough for us. So 485 00:23:38,960 --> 00:23:40,599 we like to say we have kind of a collection 486 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:44,039 of some elderly animals sometimes, but that's a good thing, 487 00:23:44,079 --> 00:23:46,480 and we really we really kind of like that aspect. 488 00:23:46,519 --> 00:23:48,880 You know, those some places will have like baby goat yoga, 489 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:53,079 but we're not just primarily kind of using those young, 490 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,839 cute baby animals. We're also using our really kind and 491 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,000 gentle older animals that have worked a really long time 492 00:23:59,039 --> 00:24:01,480 and just have that really great understanding of how to 493 00:24:01,519 --> 00:24:03,759 work with people. So I think that's kind of special 494 00:24:03,759 --> 00:24:04,880 about our program as well. 495 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:07,920 Speaker 2: That is definitely very special. You know, the older animals 496 00:24:08,240 --> 00:24:12,119 bring a kind of quality of wisdom and gentleness and slowness, 497 00:24:12,559 --> 00:24:14,640 and some people really need that, you know, they need 498 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:18,079 to just have a slow interaction. I mean not to 499 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:21,559 say that a fast interaction isn't wonderful, but but the 500 00:24:22,119 --> 00:24:25,480 value of a slow ambassador, a horse ambassador, you know that. 501 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:28,279 I think it's wonderful that you that you have that 502 00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:32,200 perspective of the value of an elderly animal. Yeah. 503 00:24:32,960 --> 00:24:35,119 Speaker 3: Absolutely, and that's even more helpful. We have our summer 504 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:37,839 camps going all summer. We have our spring break and 505 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:39,880 winter break camp. So when we have a you know 506 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,240 a large number of kids that have maybe never interacted 507 00:24:42,279 --> 00:24:45,160 with a horse, we have those really great calm animals 508 00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:47,440 that can kind of help a child along in that 509 00:24:47,559 --> 00:24:49,839 journey of just meeting a horse for the first time. 510 00:24:50,359 --> 00:24:52,599 Speaker 2: So great, Bella. How can people get involved if they 511 00:24:52,599 --> 00:24:56,400 want to volunteer or support or just have an experience, 512 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:58,359 how can they get connected to you? 513 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,200 Speaker 3: Yeah? So our webs it has all of our stuff 514 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:03,640 on that. If you just google track Ranch too, saw, 515 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:06,160 that'll take you right to it. We have all of 516 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:08,200 our tabs for all of our programs. We love our 517 00:25:08,279 --> 00:25:11,039 volunteers to sign up for that. You would just go 518 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,000 register and then sign up for next upcoming volunteer orientation 519 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:18,160 and that will get you in to help feed the animals, 520 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,720 help care for them, help give them water, clean up 521 00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:22,519 after them, and it teaches some of those skills I 522 00:25:22,559 --> 00:25:24,680 was talking about before that are so lacking right now. 523 00:25:24,680 --> 00:25:27,960 Those just really basic life skills of learning how to 524 00:25:28,559 --> 00:25:31,440 do a chore and see that immediate reaction to the animals, 525 00:25:31,440 --> 00:25:34,319 seeing their nice clean stall. For our summer camp is 526 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,079 now enrolling, and that's a really great wave to get 527 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:39,759 children involved who have never really been part of our 528 00:25:39,799 --> 00:25:43,200 program before. We take them really slowly through the rules 529 00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:45,200 and we have a bunch of really fun activities. They 530 00:25:45,240 --> 00:25:47,599 get to ride a horse. It is really hot, but 531 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:49,720 we make it work for the summer. We have some 532 00:25:49,839 --> 00:25:52,279 water flurry, we hoose our horses down to help them 533 00:25:52,279 --> 00:25:54,519 with the summer as well, so it doesn't end up 534 00:25:54,559 --> 00:25:58,160 being too bad. But we always have pretty much always 535 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:00,119 have a wait list for a horsemanship riding less and 536 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:02,839 so someone is interested in that could always go on 537 00:26:02,839 --> 00:26:04,680 our website and find out how to get involved with that. 538 00:26:04,799 --> 00:26:07,960 Or shoot doesn't enough if you have any questions. But honestly, 539 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:09,960 my favorite part about what we do here is we 540 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:13,599 have our family Membership, which allows the entire family for 541 00:26:13,680 --> 00:26:16,240 the whole year to come in and just really experience 542 00:26:16,319 --> 00:26:19,359 those animals without how to be a part of a program. 543 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:21,640 They just come in during our members hours which are 544 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,400 posted and they just get to hang out. They get 545 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:26,799 to pet our animals, they get to just say hi 546 00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:30,200 to their favorite animal, and that's really all that there 547 00:26:30,279 --> 00:26:32,400 is to it, So that one is a great way 548 00:26:32,440 --> 00:26:33,680 to get involved personally. 549 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:34,519 Speaker 2: Family. 550 00:26:34,559 --> 00:26:37,640 Speaker 3: Also, we're five on one C three, so a lot 551 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:41,480 of people really like doing tax deductible donations are not 552 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:44,079 on tax season, so if you're not really interested in 553 00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:46,920 necessarily coming out here, it's a little too far. When 554 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:49,839 we are located at River and Alvernon. That is another 555 00:26:49,839 --> 00:26:52,079 great way to have people get involved because that goes 556 00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:54,480 directly to our animals and helps us give them the 557 00:26:54,519 --> 00:26:55,480 best care possible. 558 00:26:55,799 --> 00:26:57,680 Speaker 2: Give us your website so people get in touch. 559 00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:00,599 Speaker 3: Yeah, that is just track tuson dot com and that 560 00:27:00,720 --> 00:27:04,960 is TRAK that stands for a Therapeutic Branch for animals 561 00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:08,160 and kids. We also have all of our social media 562 00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:11,359 under the same name, just Track Ranch Touson. I mean, 563 00:27:11,359 --> 00:27:13,160 if you ever forget it, you can always just type 564 00:27:13,440 --> 00:27:17,480 trk Ranch Tucson into Google. That should be the first 565 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:18,319 one that pops up. 566 00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:20,640 Speaker 2: Well, thank you so much, Bella. We look forward to 567 00:27:20,640 --> 00:27:23,720 meeting your four wonderful donkeys. I can't wait to meet them. 568 00:27:24,079 --> 00:27:26,119 And thank you for all the great work at you're 569 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:30,440 doing in Congratulations on such wonderful yourself of having such 570 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:31,559 a wonderful career. 571 00:27:31,319 --> 00:27:34,799 Speaker 3: With Track the problem. Thank you all right, bye for now. 572 00:27:35,279 --> 00:27:38,240 Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in to The Human Animal Connection Show. 573 00:27:38,559 --> 00:27:43,680 Please visit our website, the Humananimalconnection dot org. There you 574 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,680 can sign up for our free email newsletter, book. 575 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:50,279 Speaker 4: A consultation, or check out our blogs and resources. Our 576 00:27:50,319 --> 00:27:54,759 best selling book, The Human Animal Connection is available on Amazon, 577 00:27:55,119 --> 00:27:58,960 and your donation of any announce keeps our nonprofit organization 578 00:27:59,119 --> 00:28:04,480 providing light changing surfaces. Let's Talk Pets every week on 579 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:19,279 demand only on Petlike Radio dot com.