Episode 24

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Published on:

2nd Sep 2023

Pet Support for Individuals Experiencing Housing Insecurity

For most families, their pets are part of the family and, when met with housing difficulties, they may face the decision of choosing a roof over their head or their pets. This is a decision no one should have to make.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, an amazing organization called Found House Interfaith Housing Network (FHIHN) provides pet support to individuals facing or experiencing homelessness. Garrett Parsons, Pet Support Director at FHIHN, shares their program, stories, goals, and how others can emulate this in their areas.

About Found House: Found House Interfaith Housing Network’s (FHIHN) mission is to provide shelter, housing, and support to families experiencing housing insecurity and to strengthen those services through interfaith and community partnerships. Found House IHN works toward the overarching goal of helping families find and retain stable housing, while keeping families together, including pets. Found House IHN recognizes that families often include four-legged members, and the Pet Support Program is designed to meet their needs. Established in 2014, the Pet Support Program is a pet shelter embedded into Found House IHN’s social service center providing a coordinated network of care for people and pets experiencing the crisis of homelessness, housing insecurity, or related crisis, with the central goal to keep people and their pets safe and together. This reduces the trauma of unnecessary pet surrenders and decreases animal shelter intake numbers. The Pet Support Program works to provide solutions for pet owners with the goal to re-unite pets with their human families upon obtaining stable, pet-friendly housing. 

Mentioned in this episode:

Keep it Humane Podcast Network

The Animal Welfare Junction is part of the Keep It Humane Podcast Network. Visit keepithumane.com/podcastnetwork to find us and our amazing animal welfare podcast partners.

Transcript
DrG:

Hi, and welcome to the Animal Welfare Junction.

DrG:

This is your host, Dr.

DrG:

G, and our music is written and produced by Mike Sullivan.

DrG:

Today we're gonna be talking about a really great program that I'm

DrG:

excited to share with everybody.

DrG:

So I'm going to start by introducing our guest, Garrett Parsons Pet

DrG:

Support Director for Found House Interfaith Housing Network.

DrG:

Thanks so much, Garrett, for being here, for joining us

DrG:

and for sharing what you do.

Garrett Parsons:

Hey, Dr.

Garrett Parsons:

G.

Garrett Parsons:

Thanks so much for having me.

Garrett Parsons:

Can't wait to be here.

DrG:

So let's start with just sharing your story because uh, I met for our listeners.

DrG:

I met Garrett a few weeks ago during an open house, and I was just

DrG:

really excited to learn about all the things that they, they offer.

DrG:

So I want him to share not just what they do, but also kind of your experiences and

DrG:

what brought you to where you're at today.

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, absolutely.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, our story is a really unique one, and I think my own personal

Garrett Parsons:

story is, is pretty unique as well.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so I'm a social worker.

Garrett Parsons:

I'm a licensed social worker.

Garrett Parsons:

Now.

Garrett Parsons:

I went to the University of Cincinnati and I got my

Garrett Parsons:

Bachelor's of social work in 2016.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, and that's when I learned about found House Interfaith Housing Network.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, at the time we had a different name.

Garrett Parsons:

We were known as, uh, Interfaith Hospitality Network of Greater Cincinnati.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we're a homeless services agency that's been in Cincinnati since 1991,

Garrett Parsons:

uh, providing emergency shelter for families in the greater Cincinnati area.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, I was an intern my final year, uh, pursuing my B S W at uc, and that's

Garrett Parsons:

when I learned about Found House.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, I had my internship here and that led me to the pet support program.

Garrett Parsons:

So I learned that, at the time, IHN had this program where if a family came to

Garrett Parsons:

our front doors, uh, seeking shelter for themselves, if they had an animal,

Garrett Parsons:

that animal could also stay with us.

Garrett Parsons:

So when I arrived on site, I saw that we had a couple dog kennels and a couple

Garrett Parsons:

cat kennels, and I learned that the program existed so that families didn't

Garrett Parsons:

have to choose between surrendering their animal and entering a shelter

Garrett Parsons:

for themselves to seek services for themselves to eventually get back on

Garrett Parsons:

their feet and be self-sufficient again.

Garrett Parsons:

So I thought that was pro, that program was really cool.

Garrett Parsons:

I, um, I hadn't heard of anything like it.

Garrett Parsons:

I have been an animal lover almost my whole life as far

Garrett Parsons:

as back as I can remember.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and I was pursuing my social work degree, so it kind of seemed like a

Garrett Parsons:

great way to combine my interests, social work and animal welfare.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so I learned a little bit about the program and I, I called

Garrett Parsons:

a lot of other shelters across the country offering a similar model

Garrett Parsons:

of sheltering animals for families that were experiencing homelessness.

Garrett Parsons:

And then eventually I graduated and it turned into a part-time job, a

Garrett Parsons:

part-time job at Found House, um, essentially expanding our program

Garrett Parsons:

to the Greater Cincinnati area.

Garrett Parsons:

So we wanted to make sure that families seeking shelter for themselves, um,

Garrett Parsons:

or pet owners, that our pet owners did not have to choose between

Garrett Parsons:

surrendering their animal to an animal shelter so they themselves could go

Garrett Parsons:

into a homeless shelter, um, or just remaining homeless because they did

Garrett Parsons:

not want to surrender their animal.

Garrett Parsons:

And I find that a lot of the times that is the case when I'm working with pet

Garrett Parsons:

owners, we didn't want that to be a barrier for pet owners, um, lower income,

Garrett Parsons:

vulnerable pet owners in our community.

Garrett Parsons:

So when I started as a part-time person, the goal was to expand, to

Garrett Parsons:

seek, um, or to serve families outside of just IHN's emergency shelter.

Garrett Parsons:

We wanted to serve pet owners seeking shelter at any of the homeless shelters

Garrett Parsons:

in the greater Cincinnati area.

Garrett Parsons:

So we learned how to run an animal shelter, and we did it really

Garrett Parsons:

slowly and it took a long time.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, fortunately we only started with a couple animals, dog,

Garrett Parsons:

two cat, two dogs, couple cats.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, I, I learned from veterinarians, from different animal welfare conferences.

Garrett Parsons:

We established partnerships with our spay neuter clinics, our vaccine clinics.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, a big one being UCAN here in Cincinnati.

Garrett Parsons:

They've been a huge partner of ours to this day.

Garrett Parsons:

Just in, in learning what was required, um, from ave a veterinary perspective,

Garrett Parsons:

a medical's perspective to to house animals in the same place, uh, in kennels.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we had to recruit a lot of volunteers and train them on how

Garrett Parsons:

to properly care for animals.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, if we're housing 10 dogs for owners who are scattered all across

Garrett Parsons:

the city, It's not feasible for them to come to our shelter every single

Garrett Parsons:

day and provide the care for 'em.

Garrett Parsons:

So we needed someone to do that, which is why we recruited so many

Garrett Parsons:

volunteers, the majority of them coming from University of Cincinnati.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we established partnerships so that we could stock our shelter.

Garrett Parsons:

So, In the span of, of, of a couple years, we were really able to grow our

Garrett Parsons:

shelter into kinda like a mini animal shelter, um, where every animal has

Garrett Parsons:

an owner out in the community that's trying to get back on their feet.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so our mantra at Found House is, is to keep families together.

Garrett Parsons:

And I think that we do that on a daily basis by making sure that families

Garrett Parsons:

don't have to surrender their pet to seek services for themselves.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and families can access services without their family being torn apart.

Garrett Parsons:

So tho that's what I'm gonna talk about a lot today, and that's the main focus

Garrett Parsons:

of, of the why, the why we do what we do.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, but we grew over the years, so I've been in this

Garrett Parsons:

role for the past seven years.

Garrett Parsons:

We've gone through a lot of different expansions.

Garrett Parsons:

In 2020, we were able to double our capacity to make sure that we were

Garrett Parsons:

able to meet the need even more.

Garrett Parsons:

But still to this day, we're not even close.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and we can talk about that a little bit later.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, in addition to serving pet owners that are, uh, without housing, that are

Garrett Parsons:

on the streets or couch surfing that are experiencing homelessness, we also

Garrett Parsons:

work with owners that are hospitalized.

Garrett Parsons:

We work with owners that are in rehabilitation programs.

Garrett Parsons:

We work with owners that are incarcerated.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so in addition to those three crises, um, homelessness kind of being the

Garrett Parsons:

fourth, we see all of those different situations as experiences that pet owners

Garrett Parsons:

go through, that people go through.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, but pet owners have the scenario that they don't have a lot of the

Garrett Parsons:

time somewhere for their animal to go.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so a lot of people won't seek medical treatment.

Garrett Parsons:

A lot of people will end up surrendering their animals in

Garrett Parsons:

order to, uh, go into the hospital.

Garrett Parsons:

Or some people don't have a choice if they're getting arrested and they're,

Garrett Parsons:

and they're not quite sure where their animal's gonna end up or if they're

Garrett Parsons:

gonna be able to get their animal back.

Garrett Parsons:

So our goal is to work with the, the most vulnerable pet owners in our area

Garrett Parsons:

to make sure that the family doesn't have to separate, um, We are at a point

Garrett Parsons:

where we're able to work with a couple hundred animals every single year, and

Garrett Parsons:

we're hoping to grow even more, but that's a little bit about what we do.

DrG:

That's amazing, and it's so important because, I'm interested in

DrG:

forensics and I deal with a lot of issues with animal cruelty and neglect.

DrG:

And one of those topics becomes around domestic violence and how individuals use

DrG:

the, the animals to control their victims.

DrG:

And it is a really sad reality that so many victims will not leave unless they

DrG:

know where they can take their pets.

DrG:

And sadly, there are so many shelters that do not provide that

DrG:

assistance for the pet owners.

DrG:

Is that something that you guys work with as far as victims of domestic

DrG:

violence within your shelter?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, I'm glad you asked.

Garrett Parsons:

'cause I did, I did not include that in that list.

Garrett Parsons:

We do work with, uh, domestic violence survivors that are pet owners, um, making

Garrett Parsons:

sure that their animals are cared for.

Garrett Parsons:

So we do take those calls.

Garrett Parsons:

We do work with those pet owners.

Garrett Parsons:

We do shelter those pets.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we're fortunate in Hamilton County, in the Cincinnati area to have one

Garrett Parsons:

domestic violence shelter in Northern Kentucky, the Ion Center, they, uh,

Garrett Parsons:

have their own pet protection program.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, they started it a couple, a handful of years ago, I think a

Garrett Parsons:

couple years after we got started.

Garrett Parsons:

So they will also shelter pets, um, not just for pet owners that are,

Garrett Parsons:

uh, experiencing domestic violence in their shelter, but, um, DV survivors

Garrett Parsons:

out in the community as well.

Garrett Parsons:

They'll work with those animals.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and then the Hamilton County Domestic Violence Shelter, which is the Y W C A

Garrett Parsons:

of Hamilton County, they are building a new facility that will be pet friendly.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so they don't have that yet, but we do have a partnership with them.

Garrett Parsons:

So we're able to make sure that the appropriate referrals come to us.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and we have, uh, partners to make sure that these

Garrett Parsons:

families don't have to separate.

DrG:

And it's great you guys being social workers that I imagine that that's very

DrG:

beneficial as far as working with these survivors and helping them move forward.

DrG:

The problems that they go through, it's not just from the mental problem,

DrG:

from being assaulted for so long, but then also trying to get them on

DrG:

their feet again, because sometimes they will be financially in need of

DrG:

the person that that is abusing them.

DrG:

So is that part of kind of like the overall program as far as helping them?

DrG:

You know, helping their animals, but then helping them get through that as well.

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Garrett Parsons:

I mean, first and foremost, their safety is the, the number

Garrett Parsons:

one priority, the safety of the person, the safety of the animal.

Garrett Parsons:

Once they're linked up with, um, a social worker at a shelter,

Garrett Parsons:

whether it's at the Y W C A or the Ion Center or any other shelter.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, yeah, safety is the priority.

Garrett Parsons:

That's the first thing that you gotta cross off the list and

Garrett Parsons:

then you kind of go from there.

Garrett Parsons:

'cause every situation is completely different.

Garrett Parsons:

Everyone has different trauma.

Garrett Parsons:

Everyone has different obstacles or barriers that they have to overcome.

Garrett Parsons:

So as social workers, we're able to, you know, identify what those

Garrett Parsons:

needs are, identify what the, the, the client's goals are to make sure

Garrett Parsons:

that, you know, what is that road to, to safety, to self-sufficiency.

Garrett Parsons:

How are they getting back on their feet?

Garrett Parsons:

And how can we best assist them in getting back on their feet?

DrG:

I was speaking the other day with Alicia Kennedy, who is a veterinarian

DrG:

from Australia, and she has a special interest in the elderly population.

DrG:

Mm-hmm.

DrG:

And I was talking to her about how sometimes these elderly people, the

DrG:

animals are their only companions, right.

DrG:

Their family have kind of, Set 'em aside and their, and their dog or

DrG:

cat, uh, or dogs and cats are the ones that are keeping them company.

DrG:

And they are often afraid to go to the doctor themselves, either

DrG:

because of the expenses, but because of nobody's gonna be there to take

DrG:

care of their, of their animals.

DrG:

Right.

DrG:

If they're, if they're gone.

DrG:

Is that something that you guys also manage?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, so we get those calls all the time and, and generally

Garrett Parsons:

the calls that we get come from the social workers or the nurses at the

Garrett Parsons:

hospital where the, the, the, the pet owner actually decided to go to the

Garrett Parsons:

hospital, um, because they needed it, you know, it might've been an emergency.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, or, uh, there was some, yeah, there was some sort of incident back at

Garrett Parsons:

home and they had, they were taken to the, the hospital in, in an ambulance.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so their animal is left at home, so a lot of the calls we get are the

Garrett Parsons:

pet owner is already at the hospital and the animal's back at home.

Garrett Parsons:

So then we have to navigate, okay, how are we getting this animal?

Garrett Parsons:

You know, are we calling the landlord?

Garrett Parsons:

How are we meeting the owner?

Garrett Parsons:

Are we going straight to the hospital?

Garrett Parsons:

I actually brought in a rabbit today.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, this is interesting timing.

Garrett Parsons:

I, I brought in a rabbit today who's owner is at the hospital because she

Garrett Parsons:

had had an accident and the rabbit was left alone in the apartment for

Garrett Parsons:

a little too long.

Garrett Parsons:

So we were able to get involved.

Garrett Parsons:

And fortunately , the rabbit's healthy and doing very well, but you know, we kind of

Garrett Parsons:

had to do just boots on the ground work.

Garrett Parsons:

We went to the hospital, we did an intake with the owner.

Garrett Parsons:

We learned about their rabbit.

Garrett Parsons:

We then went to the home.

Garrett Parsons:

We had to work with the landlord.

Garrett Parsons:

We picked up the rabbit and then we brought it back to our facilities.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, and we will continue to communicate with that owner until they go from

Garrett Parsons:

the hospital to their rehab center, and then once they get done with

Garrett Parsons:

their rehab, they go back home.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, the, the person that I picked up the rabbit for doesn't have

Garrett Parsons:

friends that can care for the rabbit.

Garrett Parsons:

They don't have family members that can care.

Garrett Parsons:

The landlord's certainly not gonna go in once, twice a day and provide

Garrett Parsons:

the care that that rabbit needs.

Garrett Parsons:

So we, I don't know what would've happened had our program not been able to step in.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, it could have ended up at an animal shelter.

Garrett Parsons:

Or, you know, if the hospital didn't know about our resource, that rabbit

Garrett Parsons:

might have just stayed there, um, which could have had a bad outcome.

Garrett Parsons:

So too often do we get those calls, and those calls have only really

Garrett Parsons:

started coming in, in the last year.

Garrett Parsons:

As more and more hospitals and more and more social work departments

Garrett Parsons:

at the hospitals know about our resource for their, their patients.

DrG:

I'm glad that you brought up rabbits because most people just

DrG:

think about dogs and cats, right?

DrG:

And from our tour I learned that you guys do more than dogs and cats.

DrG:

So you wanna tell our listeners about the interesting other,

DrG:

yeah, species that you see?

Garrett Parsons:

And I think that surprises some people because yeah, dogs

Garrett Parsons:

and cats are primarily the main form of, you know, pet that we see in this country.

Garrett Parsons:

I mean, of course we know other pets exist, but you don't really

Garrett Parsons:

think about those pets when you're thinking about these types of, of

Garrett Parsons:

crises that people find themselves in.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, which is why we take those pets in.

Garrett Parsons:

So over the years we've had.

Garrett Parsons:

Bearded dragons.

Garrett Parsons:

We've had turtles, we've had fish, we've had parakeets, cockatiels.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we have five, uh, reptiles right now in our facilities.

Garrett Parsons:

We've got a ball python, we have a couple orange snakes, a couple leopard geckos,

Garrett Parsons:

um, you know, rabbits, Guinea pigs.

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, the list kind of goes on.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, any pet that someone is, is able to have, we're gonna be able to make

Garrett Parsons:

sure that that family stays together.

DrG:

And then another vulnerable group would be, I would think, like the single

DrG:

parent with children that unfortunately sometimes has to make the decision

DrG:

of getting rid of a dog or living in a car with their, with their kids.

DrG:

Mm-hmm.

DrG:

And I know that while we were there, there was a lady that shared her

DrG:

story, uh, and it was really heart wrenching, and I would like, you know,

DrG:

if you know her much better than, than I do, I just listened to her story.

DrG:

But I would like for people to, to listen to that story because, I think

DrG:

there's a lot of judgment against people that sometimes that experience

DrG:

homelessness or that are not working.

DrG:

People don't think about the reasons why and the, and what happens to people

DrG:

that gets them into those positions, and then the needs that they get into.

DrG:

So if you, uh, wouldn't mind sharing her story and kind of

DrG:

how you guys helped her out.

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, certainly.

Garrett Parsons:

And I, I think I'll preface, you know, by speaking to.

Garrett Parsons:

You know what I've, what I've, I've observed over the years is there's a lot

Garrett Parsons:

of reasons that people lose their housing.

Garrett Parsons:

There's a lot of, um, reasons and situations that lead someone to,

Garrett Parsons:

to be homeless and have to enter a shelter or need a new place to live.

Garrett Parsons:

And I think so often people don't realize, one, I mean, affordable

Garrett Parsons:

housing is really hard to come by.

Garrett Parsons:

There, there are so many people, not just pet owners, but people in general that are

Garrett Parsons:

paying for apartments, uh, rentals that are just too expensive for them to afford.

Garrett Parsons:

It's, I've seen so many people who are paying, whose, whose rent

Garrett Parsons:

is more than 50% of their income, which that's not affordable.

Garrett Parsons:

That's not maintainable.

Garrett Parsons:

So you hear people say they're, they're one paycheck away from

Garrett Parsons:

losing their housing, they're one paycheck away from being homeless.

Garrett Parsons:

That, that's certainly true.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, I think a lot of times in my experience too, is that there are so

Garrett Parsons:

many , there are so many renters out there that get taken advantage of by landlords.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, there are so many people that don't know landlord tenant laws.

Garrett Parsons:

They don't know as a tenant what their right is, what their rights

Garrett Parsons:

are, what, what the laws state.

Garrett Parsons:

So a lot of people get taken advantage of.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, you know, crises happen.

Garrett Parsons:

Covid has certainly shown us that, uh, People can lose their housing.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, there's a death in the family or there's a loss of employment.

Garrett Parsons:

So there's a lot of reasons why that happens.

Garrett Parsons:

But the family that we met at the, um, event and that we've been working with,

Garrett Parsons:

um, yeah, they, I mean, they fall into that category, um, could not make ends

Garrett Parsons:

meet, eventually lost their housing.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, it's a mother, three children and the dog.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and they did enter shelter here in Hamilton County and unfortunately,

Garrett Parsons:

um, they did surrender their dog.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, this dog was like a sibling to the kids, like a child to the mom.

Garrett Parsons:

And I mean, she, when she told her story, she was in tears, which I think

Garrett Parsons:

shows just how much of a bond they had, how important this animal was.

Garrett Parsons:

I mean, the animal was a family member that was very evident.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, they were not notified about our program and there's a lot

Garrett Parsons:

of reasons why that happens.

Garrett Parsons:

So no one's necessarily pointing fingers, but it was unfortunate that

Garrett Parsons:

they did surrender the, the dog.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, they did learn that the dog was adopted really quickly and

Garrett Parsons:

weirdly enough, the owner kind of.

Garrett Parsons:

It takes a little bit of joy in that one, knowing that the dog wasn't in the,

Garrett Parsons:

in the animal shelter for that long.

Garrett Parsons:

And, and two just, I think is a testament to how good of an owner she was.

Garrett Parsons:

But the dog was super socialized, super friendly, um, super adoptable.

Garrett Parsons:

So that dog is doing well as far as we know.

Garrett Parsons:

But this family did lose that relationship.

Garrett Parsons:

They did experience that trauma of losing that family member.

Garrett Parsons:

So they entered shelter, um, and they did find housing.

Garrett Parsons:

And they found housing through our housing project that we, that we own and operate.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and as soon as they were housed, they knew they needed another dog.

Garrett Parsons:

'cause I mean, it's just kind of part of their identity.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, you have people out there that just have grown up with animals.

Garrett Parsons:

They always have an animal.

Garrett Parsons:

They want to have an animal and per, and have that, that love and

Garrett Parsons:

provide that support to something.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so they got a wonderful dog, um, who we've been able to meet and

Garrett Parsons:

yeah, they're housed, they're happy.

Garrett Parsons:

They are kind of starting fresh and, and getting their feet under them.

Garrett Parsons:

And, um, we're able to support them with any struggles they have, not just with

Garrett Parsons:

their needs in general or their goals, but anything related to their animal.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we're able to assist them to make sure that they're able to, to keep their animal

Garrett Parsons:

in their housing, their animals healthy.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, yeah, so her, her story is one of many that we've observed over the years.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, that I think is a true testament to the human animal bond, but also the,

Garrett Parsons:

the trauma that pet owners experience when they do lose their housing.

DrG:

Yes.

DrG:

You know, it, it hit me because I have a 17 year old, right?

DrG:

And I put myself in her shoes.

DrG:

What if I had to make that decision?

DrG:

And I know how upset I would be, how upset my son would be if, you know,

DrG:

we had to, if we had to do that.

DrG:

And the other thing is, you know, as a mom, especially,

DrG:

like she had three boys, right?

DrG:

So as a mom of boys, you kind of wanna be strong for them.

DrG:

And the last thing that you wanna do is come home and cry to your

DrG:

kids about how hard life is.

DrG:

And that dog is there for that, right?

DrG:

That's that emotional support.

DrG:

She said something about like, her kids go to bed and then it's just

DrG:

her and the dog, and she can talk to the dog and she can cry with the dog.

DrG:

Yeah.

DrG:

And then, you know, she, she gets it from that, uh, Again, with people

DrG:

that are judgmental, people think, well, if you're in that situation,

DrG:

you shouldn't have an animal.

DrG:

You don't understand the importance for at-risk individuals to

DrG:

have that emotional support.

DrG:

If anything, they need those animals more than us as pets, right?

DrG:

Mm-hmm.

DrG:

Um, would you say that that's kind of like, well, I guess what

DrG:

is your overall take as far as animals says emotional support?

Garrett Parsons:

I mean, I think every animal is, is a

Garrett Parsons:

source of emotional support.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, I have seen, I.

Garrett Parsons:

I've observed so many, you know, pet owner to pet or relationships over

Garrett Parsons:

the, the last seven years, and I think what I've really noticed, what, what

Garrett Parsons:

a huge takeaway has been is that.

Garrett Parsons:

Like 98% of these, of these animals, um, come from amazing homes.

Garrett Parsons:

They're super well socialized, they're super loved.

Garrett Parsons:

The owner wants nothing but the best for them, you know, we'll, we'll

Garrett Parsons:

do our intake with them and we'll learn about the animals' interests

Garrett Parsons:

and their likes and their dislikes and, and maybe their allergies or,

Garrett Parsons:

or what are their triggers are.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, because we wanna be able to provide the best care we can for these animals

Garrett Parsons:

while they're with us, while they're not with their owner temporarily.

Garrett Parsons:

And we learn just how much they care for them.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so I mean, it's staggering to see, you know, we also ask them, you

Garrett Parsons:

know, what does your pet mean to you?

Garrett Parsons:

Why are you seeking our services?

Garrett Parsons:

And I.

Garrett Parsons:

Almost all the time.

Garrett Parsons:

They say, well, they're my family.

Garrett Parsons:

Like, it's almost like we're asking a stupid question like

Garrett Parsons:

they're my family member.

Garrett Parsons:

That's why they're important to me.

Garrett Parsons:

Or like, that's why we're seeking services because we don't, we don't envision a

Garrett Parsons:

world where they're not in our family.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we can't fathom what that would look like.

DrG:

How do you obtain like the, the supplies and like the food and that kind

DrG:

of stuff to help these people, uh, meet the needs of the animals in their care.

Garrett Parsons:

We, um, we're lucky to have a partner here in Hamilton County.

Garrett Parsons:

There's a nonprofit called United Pet Fund.

Garrett Parsons:

They provide a lot of support to a lot of small animal rescues, animal

Garrett Parsons:

shelters that, uh, so, so they, they're kind of like a, a food bank of sorts.

Garrett Parsons:

They help out with supplies.

Garrett Parsons:

We get a lot of food that way.

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We got a lot of cat litter.

Garrett Parsons:

We got a lit, a lot of crates, a lot of other items like that.

Garrett Parsons:

We rely on a lot of people just donating, um, out of the goodness of their

Garrett Parsons:

heart that wanna support our shelter.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, the work that we're doing, um, every now and then we have to use, you know,

Garrett Parsons:

grant funding to get certain supplies, but, um, majority of the stuff comes

Garrett Parsons:

from our good partners out there.

DrG:

And in addition to providing with the pet food and the essentials, you

DrG:

also talked about providing training assistance and behavior assistance.

DrG:

Um, so for those, those pets that may not, may need a little bit of extra, an

DrG:

extra hand with knowing how to behave.

DrG:

So you wanna talk about that a bit?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, absolutely.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and then that's a little bit more new territory.

Garrett Parsons:

It's kind of been like that last frontier that we're really trying to make sure we,

Garrett Parsons:

we cover all the bases and, and behavior.

Garrett Parsons:

It's definitely one of them.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, again, we haven't had too many behavior issues over the years, which

Garrett Parsons:

is a testament to how amazing these pet owners are that we're working with.

Garrett Parsons:

But, um, I'm lucky to have just hired a social worker who's also a

Garrett Parsons:

dog trainer, so that covers a lot of ground as far as the, you know, the

Garrett Parsons:

dogs that come into our program that might be a bit more reactive, being put

Garrett Parsons:

in a cage or a kennel, um, crate, um, dogs that might not be as socialized.

Garrett Parsons:

A lot of the behavior that we encounter definitely comes from sheltering dogs.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, cats like to hide a lot and we just provide them their space

Garrett Parsons:

and, and give them their space and their time to kind of transition.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, but a big issue we're also seeing is I dogs and cats that are out in the

Garrett Parsons:

community that belong to pet owners, that are struggling to make sure that

Garrett Parsons:

their animal behaves, um, so that the landlord doesn't get upset so that

Garrett Parsons:

they're, they're not, um, they're not going against what the lease requirements

Garrett Parsons:

are to, to make sure that they have a handle on their animals, that,

Garrett Parsons:

that their animal is a safety risk.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so we have started to venture into supporting the community as,

Garrett Parsons:

you know, our animal shelters here in town also provide support like this.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, just keeping animals in the homes that they're already there.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we have been working with a cool company called Good Pup.

Garrett Parsons:

They offer virtual dog training, so we're experimenting with, um, providing

Garrett Parsons:

some financial assistance to pet owners to make sure that they have access to

Garrett Parsons:

virtual dog training, um, that they can work on things like, uh, like loose

Garrett Parsons:

leash, walking and, and, um, maybe barking inside the apartment or the home.

Garrett Parsons:

, We have only started that recently.

Garrett Parsons:

We've had some limited success, and I think it's something

Garrett Parsons:

that we're gonna definitely put more effort to in the future.

DrG:

You started, uh, offering just the service, right?

DrG:

to the people that were in your shelter, in your program, and

DrG:

then you guys have expanded.

DrG:

So over how long a period of time did that take to happen and what was the

DrG:

reason be behind the need to expand?

Garrett Parsons:

So, I mean, the need to expand stems from

Garrett Parsons:

how many calls we get in a day.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and we're nowhere near able to compete with just how many calls we get.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we actually struggle with just getting back to everybody, which it, which is,

Garrett Parsons:

it's quite, it's quite awful just how many pet owners there are that are in

Garrett Parsons:

the midst of a crisis and they, they need assistance, you know, immediately.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so, you know, we started in the very beginning just offering shelter,

Garrett Parsons:

uh, to pets for owners that were experiencing homelessness across the city.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, in a couple years, we were able to expand to other crises, and that's because

Garrett Parsons:

we got calls from different pet owners experiencing these different situations.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we, we had our expansion in 2020, so that would've been four years

Garrett Parsons:

of operating at a smaller capacity, and that, that's when we expanded.

Garrett Parsons:

And the real reason that we started expanding to support pet owners out in

Garrett Parsons:

the community, so their animals not in our shelter, but they're just, you know,

Garrett Parsons:

they might, they might live down the road.

Garrett Parsons:

They might live 20 minutes away.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, they might need, uh, help with supplies, food, veterinary needs.

Garrett Parsons:

They might have veterinary needs.

Garrett Parsons:

They might have a need for a pet, pet deposit for their, for their apartment.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, Or behavior needs.

Garrett Parsons:

We started working with those really slowly and gradually.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and that's simply because we had the supplies, we had the donations

Garrett Parsons:

that were able to go to more than just the pets that were here.

Garrett Parsons:

We had the time.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, you know, we only have so much of the capacity in our shelter, but we do have

Garrett Parsons:

the time to go out and meet a pet owner.

Garrett Parsons:

To prevent that animal from needing to come into our building in the first place.

Garrett Parsons:

That's kind of another way that we see it is, it's, it's prevention in a sense

Garrett Parsons:

that we're, we're assisting the families to stay together, um, to hopefully

Garrett Parsons:

prevent if they're at risk, especially the need for the animal to come into

Garrett Parsons:

the building at all the need for the owner to access a homeless shelter.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, anything we can do.

Garrett Parsons:

Really, it boils down to anything we can do to keep the family together, um,

Garrett Parsons:

and happy and healthy and efficient.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, we're, we're gonna do that.

DrG:

And that would include, I imagine, assisting people when they're

DrG:

having landlord disputes or landlord problems and that kinda stuff, right?

DrG:

Oh.

DrG:

Because I know that there are people that, that find themselves, they've

DrG:

had a dog, they're living in that place, and all of a sudden they tell

DrG:

'em that they cannot have that dog or that breed, or they sign a lease and

DrG:

then when they move in, they tell 'em that they can't have a, a certain dog.

DrG:

So how can you guys provide assistance with that?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah.

Garrett Parsons:

And the, all those things are case by case, you know?

Garrett Parsons:

We'll, if a pet owner calls us and, and talks about those types

Garrett Parsons:

of issues, we'll explore it.

Garrett Parsons:

We'll ask questions.

Garrett Parsons:

We'll, like at the end of the day, we'll listen to them.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, because I think just providing validation and, and listening to

Garrett Parsons:

someone can, can do a lot, uh, for that person's kind of mentality.

Garrett Parsons:

But, um, we also, you know, as social workers, we know about the resources

Garrett Parsons:

in our community and we'll provide referrals when, when appropriate.

Garrett Parsons:

So, Um, in these types of instances, we make a lot of referrals to, uh, an

Garrett Parsons:

agency called Housing Opportunities Made Equal who they are experts in

Garrett Parsons:

navigating landlord tenant law and knowing what rights tenants have.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so if there are ever disputes that are a little above

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our heads, um, home is super.

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah.

Garrett Parsons:

I mean, they are pet inclusive in that they advocate for clients all

Garrett Parsons:

the time, and a lot of their clients have pet issues are pet owners.

Garrett Parsons:

So we'll refer to the appropriate agency when we can.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we do a lot of advocacy with our landlords who aren't, uh, willing to

Garrett Parsons:

accept pets or maybe the, the dog in question is a little bit too heavy or

Garrett Parsons:

might look like a certain breed, and we all know that how just inefficient that.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, that process can be.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so we advocate for 'em, you know, we know the animal a lot of the times

Garrett Parsons:

will, will fight for the owner to make sure that that animal's allowed.

Garrett Parsons:

And that's one of the big reasons why we have funding to pay for pet deposits.

Garrett Parsons:

'cause paying a pet deposit can be an incentive for a landlord.

Garrett Parsons:

, But everything, every, every case is definitely case by case.

Garrett Parsons:

And I think at the end of the day, you know, we'll listen to

Garrett Parsons:

pet owners and their struggles.

Garrett Parsons:

We'll advocate, advocate for them when we can, um, and then we'll refer

Garrett Parsons:

them to the appropriate resource if we can't handle something.

DrG:

We work with through our rascal unit clinics, we work with a group that

DrG:

does a lot with individuals experiencing financial difficulties and they do a

DrG:

lot of stuff with homeless individuals.

DrG:

And the other day they were talking to me about, they had this idea about having

DrG:

something like a day shelter and they're trying to explore it and I was like,

DrG:

you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

DrG:

I saw that already.

DrG:

So, uh, do you wanna explain how your day shelter works?

Garrett Parsons:

The day shelter for our families.

Garrett Parsons:

Yes.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, yeah, absolutely.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, the, the model of sheltering our families is a little bit different

Garrett Parsons:

than a typical homeless shelter.

Garrett Parsons:

We follow a model, an interfaith model, which is why interfaith is in our title.

Garrett Parsons:

We utilize the faith community here in greater Cincinnati, um, to host

Garrett Parsons:

our families for us, so we don't have beds for the families in our

Garrett Parsons:

emergency shelter at our day center.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we call it our day center, because the families, quite literally,

Garrett Parsons:

they spend the day with us, uh, and they do not spend the night.

Garrett Parsons:

They will make sure that, usually we'll bus them to a different congregation

Garrett Parsons:

where they'll spend the night once a week.

Garrett Parsons:

And then we rely on the volunteers at that congregation to provide dinner,

Garrett Parsons:

to provide, um, activities for the kids to, to provide, um, all, all

Garrett Parsons:

types of activities, um, and, and provide hospitality, quite honestly,

Garrett Parsons:

to the families in our program.

Garrett Parsons:

In the morning, they, they get breakfast, they get, uh, a packed lunch.

Garrett Parsons:

They can pack their own lunch if they so choose.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and then they are, um, taken back to our day center.

Garrett Parsons:

So that's the model of sheltering that we kind of prescribed to,

Garrett Parsons:

um, and have prescribed to since, you know, the early nineties.

DrG:

And then some of these individuals have their animals that

DrG:

are staying at your shelter, right?

Garrett Parsons:

Yes.

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah.

Garrett Parsons:

And it wasn't quite feasible for every single congregation we partner with

Garrett Parsons:

to allow the animals to come to that building or to wherever that facility was.

Garrett Parsons:

And that's, that was really the reason that we had kennels installed

Garrett Parsons:

on site because they couldn't go to the churches at night.

Garrett Parsons:

Best case scenario in a shelter setting.

Garrett Parsons:

I mean, you want to prescribe to a cos sheltering model as much as you can.

Garrett Parsons:

You want the animal to be with the owner because that takes less staff.

Garrett Parsons:

It takes less volunteers if, if they don't have to provide the care for the animal.

Garrett Parsons:

The families should be able to do that, and because of our unique

Garrett Parsons:

circumstances, that wasn't quite possible.

Garrett Parsons:

Families can definitely care for their animal during the day, but

Garrett Parsons:

at night they need somewhere to be, which is where our kennels came from.

DrG:

You've mentioned a few times as far as helping the, the

DrG:

families through transitions.

DrG:

So how does, how does that, process work.

DrG:

And then how do you make it so that the people and their animals can go

DrG:

through the, the transition successfully?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, and like I said earlier, working with,

Garrett Parsons:

um, working with clients that are experiencing homelessness, we, you

Garrett Parsons:

know, we provide case management.

Garrett Parsons:

We ask them, I mean, the goal is obviously housing.

Garrett Parsons:

That's the first goal.

Garrett Parsons:

We'll also ask, you know, what other needs are, what other goals they have

Garrett Parsons:

are, whether it be to find employment, to enroll their kid in school, to, um, to

Garrett Parsons:

get set up with food stamps or other types of benefits that they might qualify for.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so our social workers work with our families on all of those things.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and we're lucky to employ social workers that do a really good job at that.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, we have housing specialists to help navigate the affordable

Garrett Parsons:

housing that is out in the community.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, you know, being in a shelter, a lot of our families are eligible for certain

Garrett Parsons:

types of housing programs, which only expedites the process into housing.

Garrett Parsons:

So every single family's journey into housing looks a little bit different, but

Garrett Parsons:

it's only really possible because of the, the social workers that are able to make

Garrett Parsons:

that process go more seamlessly, and more efficiently, just to help search for it,

Garrett Parsons:

to secure it to, you know, talk with the landlords and do those types of things.

Garrett Parsons:

When it comes to the animal, our biggest approach to not just the case managers

Garrett Parsons:

that work at Found House, but any pet owner that we're working with at any other

Garrett Parsons:

shelter, what we're really interested in is making sure that the housing plan

Garrett Parsons:

that that pet owner has is pet inclusive.

Garrett Parsons:

That in that takes into consideration the entire family, which includes the pet.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, because too often do we see, um, uh, a family whose animals in our shelter

Garrett Parsons:

and the family , the family might be at another homeless shelter in town or

Garrett Parsons:

across the river in Northern Kentucky, and the people that are working to help

Garrett Parsons:

this family, secure housing, forget about the pet, or they forget to mention that

Garrett Parsons:

the pet is a part of the family, they forget to mention it to the landlord.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so at the end of the day, a lot of the times is, you know, they'll report,

Garrett Parsons:

Hey, you know, we secured this apartment.

Garrett Parsons:

Do you want to come see it?

Garrett Parsons:

It doesn't allow pets.

Garrett Parsons:

Those are the instances when families that do have pets have to think,

Garrett Parsons:

you know, am I gonna say no to this apartment that I could move into, you

Garrett Parsons:

know, by the end of the week or tomorrow even, um, and get rid of the dog.

Garrett Parsons:

Or do I stay homeless longer?

Garrett Parsons:

Do I stay in the shelter longer because I want to find housing with my animal?

Garrett Parsons:

And I think for a lot of families, especially with children, that's a really

Garrett Parsons:

hard choice that they have to make because they also need to think about their kids.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, It's an impossible choice that someone shouldn't have to

Garrett Parsons:

make, but people do all the time.

Garrett Parsons:

So kind of rewinding back to what I started with is we are really

Garrett Parsons:

interested in making sure that the whole entire family stays together.

Garrett Parsons:

So we're not just talking with landlords, we're talking with all of the service

Garrett Parsons:

providers that our families are engaged with, whether that's at our

Garrett Parsons:

shelter, Found House, or any of the other types of programs in the city.

Garrett Parsons:

Helping to, to get people, uh, to get families back on their feet.

DrG:

And when you end up having to house these animals, you know,

DrG:

while people are, um, securing a place and that kind of stuff.

DrG:

On average, about how long do these animals stay with you guys?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, our average length of stay varies, but typically

Garrett Parsons:

it's within the 90 to 120 day realm.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, some years it's been closer to 90 some one 20.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, I think it's directly linked.

Garrett Parsons:

There's a direct correlation to our length of stay with the length of stay of all of

Garrett Parsons:

the different homeless shelters in town.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, what can bring that length of stay down is we don't have

Garrett Parsons:

it, you know, a length of stay for pet owners that are homeless.

Garrett Parsons:

A length of stay for pet owners that are hospitalized.

Garrett Parsons:

It's right, right now it's all grouped together, but there definitely is, you

Garrett Parsons:

know, the animal is here as long as it takes for the owner to get back on their

Garrett Parsons:

feet, and sometimes that's a couple weeks, sometimes it's a couple months, sometimes

Garrett Parsons:

it's longer, which I think just is so.

Garrett Parsons:

Scary that someone could be experiencing homelessness for a year say, or six

Garrett Parsons:

months or nine months, whatever it is.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and with that we also, there's another number that we track and

Garrett Parsons:

that's just our return to owner rate.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, how many animals actually get to go home?

Garrett Parsons:

And it's about 80%, which lines up with other programs around the country

Garrett Parsons:

that are offering a similar type of service to pet owners that are

Garrett Parsons:

experiencing these different transitions.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, Not every animal goes back to their owner.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, very, very rarely do owners just not come back and we call that,

Garrett Parsons:

you know, just being abandoned.

Garrett Parsons:

That happens very rarely.

Garrett Parsons:

One of the years, I think it was 2019, it happened 3% of the time.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, out of all of the return to owners.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, sometimes families do have those incredibly hard choices of,

Garrett Parsons:

you know, do I get housed at this apartment this week or

Garrett Parsons:

do I stay homeless longer?

Garrett Parsons:

Even though this housing doesn't allow the pet, that's a reason why

Garrett Parsons:

animals don't go back to their owners.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, fortunately we are able to rehome that animal and find homes for those

Garrett Parsons:

animals, um, which I think gives pet owners a lot of peace of mind.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, but I think the fact that so many return to their owners just tells

Garrett Parsons:

you how many animals aren't ending up at our animal shelters that would

Garrett Parsons:

have had our program not existed.

DrG:

Those are really amazing numbers.

DrG:

And one of the things too though, is gonna be, I'm sure that there are people

DrG:

that, you know, kind of get back on their feet and are doing okay for a

DrG:

bit and then start struggling again.

DrG:

So do you guys see that?

DrG:

And do you welcome those people back through your program?

Garrett Parsons:

We definitely welcome it back.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, we, we welcome them back to the program.

Garrett Parsons:

Just because someone finds housing doesn't mean that all of their problems are gone.

Garrett Parsons:

It doesn't mean that all of their struggles are gone.

Garrett Parsons:

Usually housing is just the beginning.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, we, we get our clients housed and then that's when they're

Garrett Parsons:

able to, you know, start saving, start learning, budgeting, start figuring

Garrett Parsons:

out how to navigate, you know, their new neighborhood and, and their

Garrett Parsons:

new job, you know, whatever it is.

Garrett Parsons:

Housing is really just the beginning.

Garrett Parsons:

And yeah, a lot of times we do work with pet owners that, um, you

Garrett Parsons:

know, what we call recidivism, um, pet owners that recidivate that

Garrett Parsons:

they come back into homelessness.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and maybe that's because the apartment wasn't a good fit or the

Garrett Parsons:

landlord wasn't a good fit, or you know, they had another crisis that was

Garrett Parsons:

completely unrelated to the reason they became homeless in the, the first time.

Garrett Parsons:

So we welcome them back and the benefit to working with them

Garrett Parsons:

is that we already know them.

Garrett Parsons:

We have a, a relationship with them.

Garrett Parsons:

We have a relationship with their animal, so we're generally able

Garrett Parsons:

to pretty efficiently work with them because we've done it before.

DrG:

If there are other groups, uh, as I mentioned before, you know, like

DrG:

when, when something is successful, you don't wanna reinvent the wheel.

DrG:

Mm-hmm.

DrG:

So if there are other groups in other places that listen to this

DrG:

and wanna do something similar to your program, what can they do?

DrG:

What advice would you have for them?

Garrett Parsons:

My advice is just to, to keep in mind the goal,

Garrett Parsons:

which is to keep families together, which is to keep animals out of

Garrett Parsons:

animal shelters to prevent trauma.

Garrett Parsons:

I mean, you have to think about the why that you're doing this in the first place.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and, you know, also to check any, you know, biases that you might

Garrett Parsons:

have or preconceived, you know, any judgements that you might have.

Garrett Parsons:

Any notions about pet owners that are homeless or lower income.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, check those at the door.

Garrett Parsons:

'cause, you know, they don't, um, they don't hold weight really.

Garrett Parsons:

How, how a program or how someone could start to do this work is,

Garrett Parsons:

is gonna look really different.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, yeah, I'm definitely not a fan of reinventing the wheel, but I

Garrett Parsons:

also think that someone needs to utilize the resources that exist

Garrett Parsons:

in their community to begin with.

Garrett Parsons:

So if that means, you know, if you're a social worker, you definitely wanna make

Garrett Parsons:

sure that you have some animal welfare professionals on board because you don't

Garrett Parsons:

wanna, you know, have to learn something that someone could share with you.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and then vice versa, if you're in animal welfare, if you're at a shelter,

Garrett Parsons:

You know, hire a social worker that can help you design a program that isn't just

Garrett Parsons:

animal centered, but people centered.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, you wanna make sure that you are equally working with the

Garrett Parsons:

animal, um, but also working with the person and their struggles and their

Garrett Parsons:

goals because, um, you know, that relationship is the most important part.

Garrett Parsons:

So you can't.

Garrett Parsons:

Work with the animal, forget about the owner, or vice versa.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, you really have to consider the entire family in order to do this work.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, yeah, there are so many different ways that people can do this work.

Garrett Parsons:

I, I, hear about programs across the country all the time.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, whether they're social workers or a social services agency, or an animal

Garrett Parsons:

welfare agency, an animal shelter, all of them do it a little bit differently.

Garrett Parsons:

But I think, um, there's so much overlap.

Garrett Parsons:

So, I certainly welcome phone calls if people are curious about how

Garrett Parsons:

to get this set up, um, and just explore what their options are.

DrG:

And I think another part would be potentially kind of like

DrG:

starting with one part of the process and then growing, right?

DrG:

Like you had said that you are continuously expanding and,

DrG:

and growing, not trying to do everything all at once.

DrG:

Yep.

DrG:

Because I mean that, that gets you nowhere.

DrG:

So with as much as you have grown, what's next

DrG:

? Garrett Parsons: So, I mean,

DrG:

maximizing the space that we have.

DrG:

We still have to grow in our kennel sizes.

DrG:

Um, so that's just a matter of funding.

DrG:

When the funding's there, we'll be able to install more

DrG:

dog kennels, more cat kennels.

DrG:

We're in the process right now of adding an additional, um, space outside for

DrG:

our dogs where volunteers take them out.

DrG:

They can use the bathroom, they can provide enrichment.

DrG:

Um, historically we've just had one yard.

DrG:

Um, having two will improve just the efficiency of caring

DrG:

for all of our animals.

DrG:

We'd love to, uh, grow our foster program.

DrG:

We'd love to grow just our hold in the community, making sure that more agencies

DrG:

know about the work that we're doing.

DrG:

Um, more agencies are following a kind of a more pet inclusive approach.

DrG:

We wanna make sure that we're out there, that we're training social

DrG:

workers, we're training animal welfare professionals on how best to do this

DrG:

type of work, um, locally because that, at the end of the day, makes our program

DrG:

more successful, um, and prevents animals from entering our program.

DrG:

Um, we wanna keep strengthening all of the different resources that we're offering.

DrG:

Um, I don't, can't remember if I mentioned adding staff.

DrG:

Um, Adding interns, adding volunteers, um, just doing more and doing it better.

DrG:

We've, we're definitely a program with a lot of, um, you know, learning from

DrG:

our past mistakes, our past successes, um, always constantly striving

DrG:

to just improve what we're doing.

DrG:

You just mentioned about fosters, and I think that that's something

DrG:

that people don't, don't think about.

DrG:

'cause when we think about fosters for, for animals, we think about

DrG:

shelters having a foster until that animal gets adopted, not a

DrG:

foster to give an animal back.

DrG:

Mm-hmm.

DrG:

So that is actually a really interesting concept.

DrG:

So how does that work and do you ever have a, an issue where somebody, uh,

DrG:

how you say you have to work with the fosters to make them understand

DrG:

that they do have to give the animals back to where they came from?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah.

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, working with fosters in our program is, is very similar to

Garrett Parsons:

working with fosters at an animal shelter with some key differences.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, you know, the similarities are, you know, we're providing supplies,

Garrett Parsons:

we're providing the, the, the support that the foster needs to provide the

Garrett Parsons:

best care for the animal possible.

Garrett Parsons:

I think one of the big pros of fostering for our program is

Garrett Parsons:

that you can't be a foster fail.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, that at least not in the beginning.

Garrett Parsons:

Of course, it happens if it's an animal that can't return home, but I think that

Garrett Parsons:

that could be a big draw to fosters that want to provide support to animals or

Garrett Parsons:

people out there that have animals, um, but can't permanently take in animals.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, they want it to just be temporary.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we do have to work with fosters a lot that might not underst understand

Garrett Parsons:

where the animal's coming from, you know, based on their judgments or their biases.

Garrett Parsons:

So, We do communicate with fosters a lot.

Garrett Parsons:

And to their credit, there are a lot of fosters that really believe

Garrett Parsons:

in the mission of what we're doing.

Garrett Parsons:

And they have their own boundaries and, and they keep everything really in check.

Garrett Parsons:

And then as soon as the animal gets to go home, of course it's sad, uh, for

Garrett Parsons:

them because they have a relationship with this animal, but they also know

Garrett Parsons:

that the animal is gonna be, be okay 'cause it's, it gets to go back home.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, but yeah, you have to work with the foster, uh, just like you have

Garrett Parsons:

to work with the volunteer, just like you work with the pet owner.

Garrett Parsons:

Doing this type of work is not for people that just like animals.

Garrett Parsons:

You have to, you have to love people as much as you love

Garrett Parsons:

animals to to do it right.

DrG:

I love that you say that because too many people get

DrG:

into animal business, right?

DrG:

Because they don't like people, and then there are people

DrG:

that don't care about animals.

DrG:

You watch percent say that, right?

DrG:

Yeah, exactly.

DrG:

I mean, I, I do have a, a, a shirt that says veterinary medicine

DrG:

because people are gross, right?

DrG:

Sure, sure, sure, sure.

DrG:

But, but the reality of it is that they are, like Dr.

DrG:

Kennedy said the other day, uh, they are a unit.

DrG:

You have to see them as a family unit, and you cannot treat the people without

DrG:

their animals, and you cannot treat the animals without their people.

DrG:

And even if you are not an animal lover, you have to understand the

DrG:

importance of that relationship.

DrG:

So if you care about the person, you have to care about the animal.

DrG:

And people that don't like animals still don't necessarily wanna see them hurt.

DrG:

So just because somebody's not an animal lover doesn't mean that

DrG:

they, they want something, you know, not okay to happen to them.

DrG:

Um, so I know that you offer help and support and resources for people with like

DrG:

spay and neuter and that kind of stuff.

DrG:

So how do you work with individuals for those kind of resources?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, I mean, like I said, I'll, I'll give a huge, um, shout

Garrett Parsons:

out to UCAN, um, the United Coalition for Animals here in Cincinnati, they

Garrett Parsons:

do amazing work operating a spay, neuter and vaccine clinic too.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, that's affordable.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, they have a huge need, so it can be hard to just as a lay person,

Garrett Parsons:

just schedule an appointment.

Garrett Parsons:

They're booked out quite far.

Garrett Parsons:

Which I think just shows how big of a need for spay neuter and there still is,

Garrett Parsons:

but, um, we have a relationship with them.

Garrett Parsons:

We've worked with them for years.

Garrett Parsons:

We're able to, um, ensure that if we have a pet owner that's wanting

Garrett Parsons:

their animal fixed, um, and then on top of that, they're lower income,

Garrett Parsons:

they're, they're working with all of these different struggles, um,

Garrett Parsons:

we work with UCAN to, to get them into their, uh, their clinic and

Garrett Parsons:

make sure that that animal is fixed.

Garrett Parsons:

A lot of the times we'll offer transportation ourselves.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so.

Garrett Parsons:

We need, we need, uh, that's kind of an example of something we wanna do better,

Garrett Parsons:

is we wanna have more transportation opportunities, um, and resources.

Garrett Parsons:

Because a lot of the pet owners we work with don't have access to transportation.

Garrett Parsons:

They can't bring their animal on the bus.

Garrett Parsons:

A lot of Ubers and Lyfts and, you know, ride shares don't allow animals

Garrett Parsons:

or it's a little bit harder to access.

Garrett Parsons:

So just getting to the clinic can be a really big difficulty.

Garrett Parsons:

So that's kind of one of the big struggles we have to overcome working

Garrett Parsons:

with pet owners out in the community.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, but we do offer a lot of transportation.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, we work with the spay neuter clinics, um, to make sure that,

Garrett Parsons:

you know, everything is done.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, that yeah, we communicate properly.

Garrett Parsons:

So it's really that simple.

DrG:

Throughout the years that you have worked there, do you have a success

DrG:

story that has meant a lot to you that you would wanna share with us?

Garrett Parsons:

Oh boy.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, I know I have a lot because at the end of the day, It's hard work and you

Garrett Parsons:

know, it can be really stressful, but seeing an animal reunite with their

Garrett Parsons:

owner can, I mean, makes it all worth it.

Garrett Parsons:

It's why we do this job.

Garrett Parsons:

I've had one owner that I've worked with since I started that I still

Garrett Parsons:

communicate with this to, with, to this day, um, who has experienced homelessness

Garrett Parsons:

in her lifetime, 5, 6, 7 times.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and that's just because of how many barriers she's had, the lack of support

Garrett Parsons:

that she has from family or from friends.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, there are a lot of reasons that attribute to that.

Garrett Parsons:

But she has a cat and now today she has two, and I've worked with

Garrett Parsons:

her a couple of times through her experience with homelessness.

Garrett Parsons:

We've sheltered the cat a couple different times.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and I can say pretty confidently that she is housed right now and

Garrett Parsons:

she's providing care for her animals.

Garrett Parsons:

She is figuring out all of the different things that she needs to

Garrett Parsons:

get done to just be, you know, uh, a contributing member of society.

Garrett Parsons:

And she's doing it really well.

Garrett Parsons:

She's had a lot of obstacles that she's had to overcome.

Garrett Parsons:

I visit her, uh, sometimes it's, you know, every couple

Garrett Parsons:

weeks if she has a higher need.

Garrett Parsons:

Sometimes it's every couple months, sometimes I don't, I, I don't talk to her

Garrett Parsons:

for a while, but, um, the, the love that she has for her animals and the animal's

Garrett Parsons:

love for her is, it constantly amazes me.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and just how hard she works, um, in the, in the hand that she's been dealt.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, it's, it's amazing.

Garrett Parsons:

So I, I feel very grateful to be working with her still to this day and just

Garrett Parsons:

check in on her from time to time.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and I have so many other pet owners that I've worked with that, there's

Garrett Parsons:

so much overlap with that story.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so many amazing pet owners out there, so many amazing reunifications

Garrett Parsons:

where dogs just go absolutely ballistic when they see their owner.

Garrett Parsons:

And it's like, you almost know that.

Garrett Parsons:

You almost think that they know they're going home, um, that they,

Garrett Parsons:

that they're going back to, to, to being a family unit again.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, seeing that impact.

Garrett Parsons:

Really on a weekly basis, we're seeing animals go home to their owners just

Garrett Parsons:

because of, you know, how often we bring in animals, how often they leave.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, it fuels us.

Garrett Parsons:

It keeps us going 'cause we get to see how important it's.

DrG:

it's such a great feeling.

DrG:

My, myself and my staff, we're always really tired at the end of our

DrG:

days, but we feel emotionally like.

DrG:

Super high, right?

DrG:

'cause we're helping people, we're helping animals.

DrG:

So I imagine that it's very similar for you and it's, it

DrG:

just, I mean, you can't beat that.

DrG:

You, it's, it becomes not a job, right?

DrG:

It's like

Garrett Parsons:

Absolutely.

Garrett Parsons:

Right.

DrG:

If somebody is interested in doing this and would like guidance , is

DrG:

that something that you can provide?

DrG:

And if so, how can people get ahold of you for that?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, we, we love to set up like Zoom calls or, or even just

Garrett Parsons:

communicate via email or on the phone.

Garrett Parsons:

Just kind of that initial, you know, what, what, what do you wanna do?

Garrett Parsons:

What is your, what is your agency doing?

Garrett Parsons:

What does your community look like?

Garrett Parsons:

Um, how can we best support you?

Garrett Parsons:

We will definitely spend an hour to do that.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and then anything more intensive, you know, is case by case.

Garrett Parsons:

But, um, emailing me is the best way to do that.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, my email address is g Parsons, p a r s o n s, at found house.org.

Garrett Parsons:

That's f o u n D as in dog, h o u s e.org.

Garrett Parsons:

Uh, send me an email, let me know, uh, you know, what you wanna do and

Garrett Parsons:

how we might be able to support you.

DrG:

Thank you so much for sharing all this information and thank

DrG:

you so much for everything that you're doing for the community.

DrG:

Uh, in closing, is there anything that you wanna leave our listeners with?

Garrett Parsons:

Yeah, I think that, you know, while programs like this

Garrett Parsons:

are popping up all over the place and they're still seen as so unique,

Garrett Parsons:

I mean, they're also no-brainers.

Garrett Parsons:

You know, we want to keep families together.

Garrett Parsons:

We don't want people to have to surrender animals.

Garrett Parsons:

We don't want animals to have to enter animal shelters 'cause we

Garrett Parsons:

know how, how many animals, how, how overwhelmed animal shelters

Garrett Parsons:

are right now in this day and age.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, this is a no-brainer.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, and it can be hard to navigate, but I think once you have the

Garrett Parsons:

the right mission and the right goals, it can be pretty clear cut.

Garrett Parsons:

Um, so yeah, at the end of the day, just keeping the family together is how we're

Garrett Parsons:

gonna really have a huge impact, I think, in animal welfare and human welfare.

DrG:

And if anybody listening to us is in need of your services,

DrG:

what is gonna be the best way for them to find other resources?

Garrett Parsons:

If they have access to email, they can send me an email, um, or

Garrett Parsons:

they can, uh, call us at our agency line.

Garrett Parsons:

(513) 471-1100.

Garrett Parsons:

My, uh, my phone is extension one two five.

DrG:

Well, thank you so very much again for everything that you're doing.

DrG:

For everybody that's out there, there are resources to help you if

DrG:

you're experiencing any problems.

DrG:

If you're a victim of domestic violence, there are groups like this and other

DrG:

people that can help you, so you don't have to stay in situations that

DrG:

you're at risk, that you are unsafe.

DrG:

Uh, you can find safety for yourself and for your animals.

DrG:

So, um, thank you for everybody that's listening and thank you for everybody

DrG:

that cares so much about the animals.

DrG:

And thank you for taking the time and for listening and for sharing.

Garrett Parsons:

Thanks so much for having me.

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About the Podcast

The Animal Welfare Junction
Veterinary Forensics
The Animal Welfare Junction is a podcast developed to bring awareness to different topics in animal welfare. The host, Michelle Gonzalez (Dr. G) is a veterinarian who provides affordable veterinary care in the State of Ohio, and also a Forensic Veterinarian helping with the investigation and prosecution of cases of animal cruelty and neglect.
The topics presented are based on the experiences of Dr. G and our guests and include discussions about real cases, humane projects, and legal issues that affect animals and the community. Due to the nature of the discussion, listener discretion is advised as some topics may be too strong for some listeners.

About your host

Profile picture for Alba Gonzalez

Alba Gonzalez

Michelle González (DrG) was born and raised in Puerto Rico. Her passion growing up was to become a veterinarian. She obtained a B.S. in Zoology at Michigan State University and the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at The Ohio State University, followed by a 1-yr Internship in Medicine, Surgery, Emergency and Critical Care at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In 2006 she founded the Rascal Unit, a mobile clinic offering accesible and affordable sterilization, and wellness services throughout the State of Ohio.
Dr. G is involved in many aspects of companion veterinary medicine including education, shelter assistance and help to animals that are victims of cruelty and neglect.
DrG completed a Master’s degree in Veterinary Forensics from the University of Florida and a Master’s in Forensic Psychology from Southern New Hampshire University. She is currently enrolled at the University of Florida Forensic Science program. She assists Humane organizations and animal control officers in the investigation, evaluation, and prosecution of cases of animal cruelty and neglect.