WEBVTT NOTE This file was generated by Descript 00:00:00.789 --> 00:00:06.320 Welcome to the Soul Touched by Dogs Podcast, the show for dog lovers who 00:00:06.340 --> 00:00:12.000 see dogs not as toys or tools, but wise souls worth our respect and care. 00:00:12.580 --> 00:00:14.559 I'm an Herrmann, and I'm your host. 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:20.560 I talk to poor some humans, people who do great work for dogs and their people. 00:00:21.099 --> 00:00:23.360 So come and join us for today's conversation. 00:00:24.907 --> 00:00:26.127 Hello and welcome, Stef. 00:00:26.147 --> 00:00:28.427 I'm super excited to have you here with me today. 00:00:29.897 --> 00:00:30.877 Thank you very much. 00:00:31.127 --> 00:00:31.807 Can't wait. 00:00:32.077 --> 00:00:32.798 Looking forward to it myself. 00:00:32.798 --> 00:00:37.597 And I always find it funny because you're, well, I'm giving away, I always 00:00:37.617 --> 00:00:41.707 ask people where they are, but like you're sitting in Berlin and it's really 00:00:41.707 --> 00:00:44.687 funny because like, oh, you're like an hour's drive from where I grew up. 00:00:44.707 --> 00:00:48.297 I always find that, find that fascinating. 00:00:48.497 --> 00:00:51.357 So let people know where, where you're from, you know, I've given 00:00:51.357 --> 00:00:54.677 away where you're based and let us know what's your business with dogs. 00:00:54.987 --> 00:00:57.117 Well, first of all, thank you for having me. 00:00:57.137 --> 00:01:02.017 Second of all, isn't it a wonderful description of the world where I'm 00:01:02.017 --> 00:01:03.797 now an hour from where you were born. 00:01:03.847 --> 00:01:09.527 I'm Scottish living near Berlin and you were born in Leipzig, I believe. 00:01:09.907 --> 00:01:10.257 Yeah. 00:01:10.407 --> 00:01:11.637 Now living in Spain. 00:01:12.347 --> 00:01:15.847 Uh, so that's just a wonderful sign of what the world's all about. 00:01:15.997 --> 00:01:18.227 And here we are chatting together. 00:01:18.907 --> 00:01:21.852 Uh, so, uh, And what was your question? 00:01:22.712 --> 00:01:23.982 What's your business with dogs? 00:01:24.162 --> 00:01:25.102 What are we talking about? 00:01:25.932 --> 00:01:26.472 Dogs. 00:01:26.722 --> 00:01:26.962 Right. 00:01:27.322 --> 00:01:27.572 Dogs. 00:01:28.052 --> 00:01:28.422 Yes. 00:01:28.632 --> 00:01:33.102 So we had this idea, first of all I was in the British Army for 29 years and 00:01:33.752 --> 00:01:36.282 had a full and exciting and busy career. 00:01:36.542 --> 00:01:41.302 I retired at 45 and my wife and I had this plan that we were going to go to Bulgaria. 00:01:41.802 --> 00:01:42.672 We were going to live there. 00:01:42.672 --> 00:01:45.092 We're both skiers and we like the outdoors. 00:01:45.572 --> 00:01:50.002 Uh, so we were going to live in an apartment there and, you know, go in the 00:01:50.002 --> 00:01:51.522 mountains in the summer and the winter. 00:01:52.152 --> 00:01:55.672 It was then that we realized that the, the huge street dog 00:01:55.682 --> 00:01:56.852 problem that they had there. 00:01:57.932 --> 00:02:02.362 Uh, and we, we are dog lovers and we, we took our dogs with us when we went there. 00:02:02.962 --> 00:02:04.722 And we, we were faced with this dilemma. 00:02:04.732 --> 00:02:10.882 We can't, we can't have our dogs living in luxury, surrounded by all this 00:02:11.242 --> 00:02:13.102 struggle and suffering in the streets. 00:02:13.767 --> 00:02:14.977 We can't ignore it. 00:02:15.407 --> 00:02:17.197 And we, you know, we don't want to leave. 00:02:17.227 --> 00:02:18.997 So we still got an apartment over there. 00:02:19.367 --> 00:02:23.777 So we, we thought we've got to be able to do something about this. 00:02:23.897 --> 00:02:29.267 But we, the way we got into it, actually, before we made all these decisions, 00:02:29.717 --> 00:02:34.232 we Uh, I was over there for a few months and there was a building site 00:02:34.232 --> 00:02:35.502 next to where our apartments were. 00:02:35.862 --> 00:02:38.082 The guard dogs there had puppies. 00:02:38.652 --> 00:02:42.492 Every day I went past, no English, no Bulgarian, just waving to the 00:02:42.682 --> 00:02:44.752 guys there and saw the puppies there. 00:02:45.222 --> 00:02:49.962 And then I, I said to Nicole one day, my wife, who was back in Germany 00:02:49.962 --> 00:02:53.762 at the time, wouldn't it be great if we took one of these puppies and 00:02:54.032 --> 00:02:57.512 would it, would it be okay for us to possibly have one of these puppies? 00:02:58.062 --> 00:03:01.382 And I got a Bulgarian friend to ask the workmen, is it possible, 00:03:01.382 --> 00:03:02.662 and they went, sure, no problem. 00:03:03.352 --> 00:03:05.572 And I was like, oh, that's so kind, naively. 00:03:06.322 --> 00:03:09.952 And I'd noticed that there'd been ten puppies, but now there was only six by 00:03:09.952 --> 00:03:12.152 the time we took the puppy that we did. 00:03:12.632 --> 00:03:16.772 And I said, so, so did other tourists take the other dogs? 00:03:16.772 --> 00:03:18.822 And they said, no, they just get killed on the road. 00:03:19.552 --> 00:03:21.462 And I thought, oh my goodness. 00:03:21.937 --> 00:03:26.037 I cannot phone Nicole and say, I took one of the puppies. 00:03:26.037 --> 00:03:28.057 Oh, and the other five are just going to die on the road. 00:03:28.407 --> 00:03:29.907 So I took all six puppies. 00:03:30.597 --> 00:03:34.107 Uh, and I, and I thought I'll take them and get them to the vet, get them 00:03:34.117 --> 00:03:37.717 checked out, get them all their, their vaccinations and warmed and everything. 00:03:37.967 --> 00:03:40.387 And then I'll take them to the dog shelter in Bulgaria. 00:03:41.137 --> 00:03:43.017 And that's my next life lesson is. 00:03:43.437 --> 00:03:45.317 There are no humane alternatives. 00:03:45.437 --> 00:03:46.737 Don't assume anything, right? 00:03:48.057 --> 00:03:52.797 So now I'm in my ski apartment with my two adult dogs and six puppies, with 00:03:52.857 --> 00:03:55.007 zero experience of bringing up puppies. 00:03:55.467 --> 00:03:59.157 So that was a baptism by fire, which we got through for a few months. 00:03:59.807 --> 00:04:04.497 Nicole came over for Christmas and then we both drove back together with puppies, 00:04:04.887 --> 00:04:08.697 re homed them in Germany, and we were like, great, that's a good job done. 00:04:09.132 --> 00:04:10.322 Don't want to do that again. 00:04:11.162 --> 00:04:15.522 So we were out in April and, uh, I came back in to the apartment and 00:04:15.522 --> 00:04:16.992 Nicole said, don't go in the bathroom. 00:04:17.682 --> 00:04:20.632 And I'm like, well, why would I not want to go in the bathroom? 00:04:20.902 --> 00:04:21.882 Don't go in the bathroom. 00:04:21.882 --> 00:04:24.542 So I went in there, five puppies in a box. 00:04:25.252 --> 00:04:27.002 And she said, you started it. 00:04:27.752 --> 00:04:29.182 And I was like, oh God. 00:04:29.252 --> 00:04:31.942 And I went, okay, listen, we know the routine. 00:04:32.062 --> 00:04:33.582 You've got contacts with the vets. 00:04:33.582 --> 00:04:37.822 We know how to do the paperwork, get them all vaccinated, all these kind of things. 00:04:38.282 --> 00:04:40.092 Uh, and we got them back to Germany. 00:04:40.777 --> 00:04:42.117 And we went, right, okay. 00:04:42.337 --> 00:04:45.407 So, and then we were out there in July and we're sitting at, uh, dinner. 00:04:45.697 --> 00:04:49.717 And so people come up and said, are you the people who rescue puppies? 00:04:50.767 --> 00:04:53.127 And we were like, are we? 00:04:54.067 --> 00:04:55.387 I don't think so. 00:04:55.887 --> 00:05:00.257 And that, that's when we decided, look, we actually do know what to do. 00:05:00.267 --> 00:05:02.397 So we got ourselves trained up. 00:05:02.437 --> 00:05:03.967 We got ourselves registered. 00:05:04.522 --> 00:05:11.252 And Authorized and everything like that, and that was 12 years and 1, 500 dogs ago. 00:05:11.992 --> 00:05:18.202 So, uh, and, and me being hyper sensible, I said, well, okay, we can do it. 00:05:18.552 --> 00:05:19.632 But we do it as a hobby. 00:05:20.312 --> 00:05:22.302 We won't let it take over our lives. 00:05:23.442 --> 00:05:27.312 And now, it's the best mistake I have ever made. 00:05:28.022 --> 00:05:33.362 It's a common cliché, but we don't rescue dogs, dogs rescue us. 00:05:33.502 --> 00:05:36.502 It's our whole life, our whole passion. 00:05:36.802 --> 00:05:41.702 Our daughter grew up with animals, and she even qualified this year as a vet. 00:05:42.772 --> 00:05:45.552 So, we've even got our own vet in the family. 00:05:47.412 --> 00:05:52.422 Our entire ethos and everything we do is focused around the animals and 00:05:52.602 --> 00:05:54.052 we wouldn't change it for the world. 00:05:54.542 --> 00:05:55.162 I love that. 00:05:55.542 --> 00:05:57.522 I love that so much on so many levels. 00:05:58.022 --> 00:06:02.632 And to actually even have your daughter inspired to, you know, to become a vet 00:06:02.632 --> 00:06:04.432 so she could do that professionally. 00:06:04.442 --> 00:06:05.562 I just love it. 00:06:06.242 --> 00:06:11.207 Now, There's a couple of things that I'm curious about because, you know, I live 00:06:11.207 --> 00:06:16.657 in Spain, so, you know, having dogs not treated the way, as a German, I think 00:06:16.657 --> 00:06:18.997 they should be treated is fairly common. 00:06:19.317 --> 00:06:23.787 It's one of the reasons I even started Soul Touched by Dogs because I, The 00:06:23.787 --> 00:06:25.537 narrative needs to change, right? 00:06:25.847 --> 00:06:29.527 So, but there's also, like, there's not that many, like, at least where I live 00:06:29.647 --> 00:06:35.557 or have lived along the last 20 years, it's not so much of a street dog problem. 00:06:35.767 --> 00:06:38.067 You don't see a lot of dogs running around the street. 00:06:38.417 --> 00:06:42.497 But I've recently heard some people, some sort of dog trainers talk about 00:06:42.797 --> 00:06:49.262 that street dogs who are growing up without a family, that they're actually 00:06:49.292 --> 00:06:53.112 struggling when they come into families because they're just sort of used to 00:06:53.112 --> 00:06:55.212 having that agency of their own life. 00:06:55.592 --> 00:06:57.792 Do you have, like, what's your take on that? 00:06:58.952 --> 00:07:04.212 So it, first of all, every dog is different, you know, and the, 00:07:04.352 --> 00:07:10.092 the dogs that we tend to Uh, uh, or, or satellite charities. 00:07:10.092 --> 00:07:13.252 So just, just let me explain the, the structure that we have. 00:07:13.572 --> 00:07:17.622 So we're based in Germany and we have like a logistics hub, a baseline, 00:07:17.912 --> 00:07:22.322 baseline here, but we support the small charities in Bulgaria. 00:07:22.332 --> 00:07:22.792 We have. 00:07:23.322 --> 00:07:25.622 a small group of people who are out there doing it. 00:07:26.012 --> 00:07:29.252 So, and they tend to be finding younger dogs. 00:07:30.002 --> 00:07:34.362 Uh, so, and younger dogs are much more rehomeable. 00:07:34.852 --> 00:07:39.502 So they will keep the dogs for four months and they will be fed and vaccinated 00:07:39.502 --> 00:07:42.212 and treated, chipped and passports. 00:07:42.702 --> 00:07:45.942 And then we publish them on our Facebook page. 00:07:45.982 --> 00:07:47.572 We have 6, 000 subscribers. 00:07:47.572 --> 00:07:49.637 We have a, We have two Facebooks. 00:07:49.657 --> 00:07:53.707 We have a public one and we have a private one for all of our owners 00:07:53.757 --> 00:07:55.697 because we re home 1, 500 dogs. 00:07:56.097 --> 00:08:00.257 And we, we still consider our dogs to be our dogs. 00:08:00.457 --> 00:08:05.577 And if, if one of, if, if circumstances change with an owner, we have it in our 00:08:05.577 --> 00:08:07.757 contract that the dog comes back to us. 00:08:08.167 --> 00:08:09.627 You might see Sally in the back here. 00:08:09.627 --> 00:08:11.197 She was away for four years. 00:08:11.757 --> 00:08:15.327 Uh, and then her owner got so ill she couldn't take care of her. 00:08:15.587 --> 00:08:20.167 So we took her back and we decided we would, we, she, she's 00:08:20.167 --> 00:08:22.257 what we call a resident rescue. 00:08:22.587 --> 00:08:28.337 So we, we have six dogs, uh, who we feel, we don't feel comfortable enough 00:08:28.337 --> 00:08:32.367 with their, their past treatment and everything that they would be, we'd be 00:08:32.367 --> 00:08:37.007 comfortable putting them into a, say, a non professional household with, Young 00:08:37.007 --> 00:08:41.477 children, they're very reactive, they're Angsthunde, as we'd say in German, you 00:08:41.477 --> 00:08:44.157 know, uh, so we, we, we've got them here. 00:08:44.497 --> 00:08:50.347 So, but the main, uh, the main dogs that we transport from Bulgaria 00:08:50.377 --> 00:08:53.127 to Germany are younger dogs. 00:08:53.257 --> 00:08:58.067 So they've always grown up in a, within a few weeks, in a social environment. 00:08:58.067 --> 00:08:58.847 So we don't have that. 00:08:59.077 --> 00:09:01.177 That said, every dog is different. 00:09:02.557 --> 00:09:07.577 Occasionally we, and we have one dog in our compound here who, Fred. 00:09:07.857 --> 00:09:09.047 Fred is a street dog. 00:09:09.467 --> 00:09:10.367 Three years old. 00:09:11.097 --> 00:09:15.987 The most beautiful animal, uh, on the planet, but born for the street. 00:09:16.697 --> 00:09:20.997 Not come, you know, you can give him a warm, cosy box, he's not interested. 00:09:21.027 --> 00:09:24.747 He wants to be out and, and we're, we're blessed with having so much land. 00:09:24.747 --> 00:09:26.987 We've got 10, 000 square meters here. 00:09:27.427 --> 00:09:28.887 Uh, in Saxon Anhalt. 00:09:29.337 --> 00:09:31.917 Uh, and my dogs are about to go a bit crazy because I can 00:09:31.917 --> 00:09:33.497 see the posts turning up soon. 00:09:33.567 --> 00:09:33.737 That's alright. 00:09:34.287 --> 00:09:36.447 It's a dog podcast. 00:09:36.447 --> 00:09:39.877 So, Fred is a classic example of the kind of dog you're talking about. 00:09:40.057 --> 00:09:43.807 He's a lovely character, but he's used to having his own autonomy. 00:09:44.167 --> 00:09:45.817 So we've got a huge compound. 00:09:46.337 --> 00:09:51.407 And he's out all day, you know, patrolling the limits, sniffing, lying around, 00:09:51.747 --> 00:09:56.547 and, and where we are located, we get, we get various different birds and 00:09:56.547 --> 00:10:01.827 pheasants and deer coming by, so he's getting stimulation and, and we walk 00:10:01.837 --> 00:10:07.057 him every day and, and all that, but he, he's never going to be a house dog. 00:10:07.557 --> 00:10:11.417 Because he, he just pees where he wants to pee, you know? 00:10:12.147 --> 00:10:16.537 And, and he doesn't, but, you know, there's, there's some dogs, and I always 00:10:16.537 --> 00:10:20.727 make a promise, I know I'm going off on tangents right here right now, but there's 00:10:20.727 --> 00:10:23.407 some dogs who are designed for sofas. 00:10:24.252 --> 00:10:28.122 You know, they need cuddles, they need warmth, they need the easy life. 00:10:28.732 --> 00:10:34.602 And our most recent dog was a dog called Alice, who was rescued by a friend of mine 00:10:34.602 --> 00:10:36.442 who's a member of my coaching community. 00:10:36.662 --> 00:10:40.532 He lives in the Pyrenees, and he drove all the way to Berlin. 00:10:41.317 --> 00:10:45.187 to pick up Alice and the two of them are like soul mates. 00:10:45.457 --> 00:10:48.947 He's such a kind, gentle soul, lives on his own in the 00:10:48.947 --> 00:10:50.397 Pyrenees in a little village. 00:10:50.677 --> 00:10:54.287 And Alice was, I always promised Alice in the mornings when we went 00:10:54.287 --> 00:10:57.667 to the compound, you're going to spend the winter on a sofa in front 00:10:57.667 --> 00:11:00.207 of a log fire, just getting cuddles. 00:11:00.757 --> 00:11:02.447 You know, she's that dog. 00:11:02.717 --> 00:11:08.212 And it's my favorite story in the world, because, We now get regular updates of 00:11:08.592 --> 00:11:14.722 Alice and Jason on the sofa in front of the log fire in the mountains. 00:11:15.132 --> 00:11:17.582 And he sent a video yesterday of her playing in the snow 00:11:17.582 --> 00:11:18.422 and all that kind of thing. 00:11:18.432 --> 00:11:24.212 So we take each dog as an individual and we re home that dog as is. 00:11:24.452 --> 00:11:26.802 But Fred isn't going anywhere. 00:11:26.802 --> 00:11:31.602 The most domesticated he would go to would be probably a farm. 00:11:32.262 --> 00:11:34.877 You know, somewhere where he has his, you know, outdoor. 00:11:34.877 --> 00:11:39.187 He's, he's got really thick fur, beautiful kind of English setter, 00:11:39.327 --> 00:11:41.657 speckled, ginger and white. 00:11:42.087 --> 00:11:47.427 Uh, and he's, he'll never be happy inside of four walls, you know? 00:11:47.497 --> 00:11:52.377 So the short answer to your question is, we will take the dog and give 00:11:52.397 --> 00:11:54.777 the dog the needs that that dog has. 00:11:55.387 --> 00:11:55.887 I love that. 00:11:56.137 --> 00:11:57.417 A sofa or free range. 00:11:59.137 --> 00:12:00.367 Well, that's, I love that. 00:12:00.367 --> 00:12:00.757 I love that. 00:12:01.067 --> 00:12:06.157 And so, do you find Um, do you find it hard because like, so here there's 00:12:06.187 --> 00:12:10.867 often this, you know, dogs that get rescued here quite often get sent over 00:12:10.907 --> 00:12:16.277 to Germany, to, to England because it's just easier to find homes for them there. 00:12:16.557 --> 00:12:21.457 Because here, I remember a friend of mine who, like a neighbor who had, well, 00:12:21.487 --> 00:12:27.047 there was a litter, you know, and they really struggled, you know, to, to find. 00:12:27.577 --> 00:12:28.377 Good homes. 00:12:28.507 --> 00:12:31.007 There'd be plenty of people like, oh yeah, I'll have the dog, you know, 00:12:31.007 --> 00:12:34.587 but then they just have them chained up in some courtyard somewhere. 00:12:34.777 --> 00:12:39.097 So if you want to make sure they have a good home, it's not that easy, right? 00:12:39.297 --> 00:12:44.607 So do you ever find if you bring dogs back in Germany, is that 00:12:44.617 --> 00:12:46.157 hard or is it easy to follow? 00:12:46.157 --> 00:12:49.177 Do you have a wait list for people to, to adopt the dogs? 00:12:49.177 --> 00:12:50.537 Like what's the situation? 00:12:50.967 --> 00:12:57.407 So what we have is a very active community of, like I say, 1500 dogs rescued. 00:12:57.772 --> 00:13:03.472 We, we, it's written into the contract that that dog still, unless it stays 00:13:03.472 --> 00:13:05.392 with you, it has to come back to us. 00:13:05.932 --> 00:13:10.312 Uh, and we also, cause we do this for a passion. 00:13:10.312 --> 00:13:11.532 We love our dogs. 00:13:11.582 --> 00:13:12.822 They become our dogs. 00:13:13.062 --> 00:13:15.132 So we have a community of owners. 00:13:15.662 --> 00:13:19.822 Uh, and so we've got a kind of closed Facebook page of owners who are 00:13:19.822 --> 00:13:21.352 also members of the public group. 00:13:22.062 --> 00:13:25.062 And they understand the passion that Nicole and I have. 00:13:25.062 --> 00:13:28.352 They know that we, we run it efficiently. 00:13:28.767 --> 00:13:34.992 Uh, with business processes to make sure that everything is uh, accounted for and 00:13:35.002 --> 00:13:37.362 all the processes are followed correctly. 00:13:37.652 --> 00:13:41.002 So they enjoy being part of our community. 00:13:41.352 --> 00:13:47.242 So when we post something into our Facebook group saying we've got new dogs, 00:13:47.472 --> 00:13:50.822 then they work as an exponential network. 00:13:50.932 --> 00:13:55.237 So they will, They will reach out to their family and friends, and we have what we 00:13:55.237 --> 00:14:01.357 call, uh, repeat offenders, and failed fosterers, all those kind of people. 00:14:01.677 --> 00:14:05.337 You know, the ones who say, oh, I can look after her for a few months, and 00:14:05.337 --> 00:14:06.747 we're like, okay, can we have her back? 00:14:06.797 --> 00:14:08.067 And they're like, no. 00:14:08.882 --> 00:14:11.472 She's going to have to stay, you know, that kind of thing. 00:14:11.472 --> 00:14:16.512 So we, we have our own community and 6, 000 people who are only, 00:14:16.522 --> 00:14:21.382 who are already dog people who are only interested in recommending to 00:14:21.382 --> 00:14:24.982 family and friends and people that they would trust as well, you know? 00:14:25.062 --> 00:14:30.182 So it's a kind of mutually supportive environment where we, we very 00:14:30.182 --> 00:14:36.012 rarely have actual issues with, and we do for controllers, we do a 00:14:36.022 --> 00:14:37.862 home inspection, we do contracts. 00:14:38.347 --> 00:14:41.487 We do meet the dogs if they've got other dogs and they've got children, see. 00:14:42.027 --> 00:14:45.717 They have to come to us and we, we watch their interaction. 00:14:46.557 --> 00:14:50.887 They think, they think they're choosing the dog, but we're actually doing a 00:14:50.887 --> 00:14:54.857 kind of an assessment of actually, you know, I don't want one of our 00:14:54.857 --> 00:14:56.207 dogs to be living with those people. 00:14:56.207 --> 00:14:57.877 We trust you with our dogs, right? 00:14:58.577 --> 00:15:03.337 Precisely, you know, so, so we have that whole atmosphere about how we do things. 00:15:03.397 --> 00:15:07.717 And over the years, over 12 years, we've built, as I say, 6, 00:15:07.717 --> 00:15:12.212 000, Uh, 6, 000 followers, and they're, they're very active. 00:15:12.472 --> 00:15:15.352 You know, if you go onto the Facebook group, you can see we, we're running a 00:15:15.382 --> 00:15:19.982 Christmas, uh, sponsorship program at the moment for the dogs in Bulgaria, 00:15:20.402 --> 00:15:23.872 because we've got small satellite charities looking after them, and this 00:15:23.872 --> 00:15:27.092 is like expats living there, and they're, they've got their house, and they've got 00:15:27.092 --> 00:15:31.207 a yard, They've got some puppies there, and they live domestically in the house, 00:15:31.207 --> 00:15:35.547 and the people that we work with, we've vetted them, we've been there, you know, 00:15:35.547 --> 00:15:40.057 they're friends of ours, you know, we support them, so what we do is we offer 00:15:40.057 --> 00:15:45.217 a certificate program where you can sponsor for 20 euros a month, you get a 00:15:45.217 --> 00:15:48.427 certificate so that you, for Christmas, you could give that gift to someone. 00:15:49.452 --> 00:15:51.912 You know, you know, we buy presents because we have to 00:15:51.952 --> 00:15:53.722 and everyone's got everything. 00:15:53.752 --> 00:15:57.532 So it's such a unique, beautiful thing to get a certificate to say, 00:15:57.742 --> 00:15:59.262 you're going to support Little Lily. 00:15:59.272 --> 00:16:00.492 Here's some pictures of her. 00:16:00.957 --> 00:16:04.867 Uh, for the winter, and that's a massive boost for our people in 00:16:04.867 --> 00:16:09.847 Bulgaria, because we can say to them, your, your winter fuel bills, your 00:16:09.847 --> 00:16:14.017 winter food bills, any veterinary bills, they're covered for the winter. 00:16:14.327 --> 00:16:17.857 Because a lot of them are working on passion, enthusiasm, they're, 00:16:18.087 --> 00:16:21.317 they're retired people, you know, so they don't have a huge budget. 00:16:21.387 --> 00:16:25.017 So, uh, that, that's something that can be seen on our Facebook as well. 00:16:25.017 --> 00:16:26.177 You'll see the certificates. 00:16:26.257 --> 00:16:28.807 So our, our community is incredibly active. 00:16:28.807 --> 00:16:33.757 For I love that because it's always about trust, you know, I think that's 00:16:33.757 --> 00:16:39.217 the on both sides, you know, so it's like, because I remember when I 00:16:39.237 --> 00:16:43.097 had, you know, like I had my little, little hustle there that, that, 00:16:43.147 --> 00:16:45.427 uh, and I had all these shelters. 00:16:45.582 --> 00:16:49.132 And it was just like, yeah, here are pictures of misery and the PayPal link, 00:16:49.152 --> 00:16:51.162 you know, so where there is just that. 00:16:51.392 --> 00:16:54.142 So you managed to really build a community around it. 00:16:54.152 --> 00:16:56.832 So where you know, there's, there's people you can trust, 00:16:56.852 --> 00:16:58.262 they know they can trust you. 00:16:58.512 --> 00:17:00.252 So it's transparent and open. 00:17:00.252 --> 00:17:01.492 And I just, I just love that. 00:17:03.082 --> 00:17:06.702 That's why we don't actually advertise because we, we, we don't 00:17:06.702 --> 00:17:09.207 want to compete with the RSPCA ones. 00:17:09.207 --> 00:17:15.032 And like it is, it's misery because we, we want people to do it for the love. 00:17:15.477 --> 00:17:21.007 Not out of the pity, you know, so and as we say we've built an organic community 00:17:21.007 --> 00:17:25.107 of dog lovers So we don't we don't pump out ads and everything like that. 00:17:25.107 --> 00:17:29.627 The community is kind of self supported We're always more interested in other 00:17:29.627 --> 00:17:33.867 people coming in but but they come into the community We don't just 00:17:33.867 --> 00:17:39.847 want faceless donors putting money into an account It's about, hey, you 00:17:39.847 --> 00:17:42.657 can see your, your money being used. 00:17:42.657 --> 00:17:44.327 Just go in the group every, every day. 00:17:44.327 --> 00:17:47.437 There's new posts going up of people sharing pictures of the 00:17:47.437 --> 00:17:48.977 dogs walking and stuff like that. 00:17:48.977 --> 00:17:50.827 So it's a, it's a beautiful space. 00:17:51.227 --> 00:17:51.507 I love that. 00:17:52.117 --> 00:17:56.017 So something that we touched on in the conversation we had before 00:17:56.017 --> 00:17:58.567 this, that I'm curious about. 00:17:59.187 --> 00:18:05.677 Because most of the time what I see here is that, you know, people who rescue dogs, 00:18:05.857 --> 00:18:09.717 yeah, they're just kind of like passion and I don't know, like, you know, just 00:18:10.317 --> 00:18:16.107 trying to sort of wing it, whereas yours is so well organized and you said it 00:18:16.107 --> 00:18:17.977 before, like you run it like a business. 00:18:17.977 --> 00:18:23.892 Is there, is there a tip or like, is there somewhere where, you know, What 00:18:23.892 --> 00:18:28.102 would you say to somebody who goes, look, you know, I would really love to 00:18:28.102 --> 00:18:30.352 start rescuing dogs, where do I start? 00:18:31.652 --> 00:18:33.732 So, great point. 00:18:34.332 --> 00:18:35.202 Absolutely right. 00:18:35.202 --> 00:18:38.802 And the reason why, first of all, Nicole and I are both business coaches in 00:18:38.802 --> 00:18:44.752 the first instance, but we'd also seen people whose lives have been destroyed 00:18:44.832 --> 00:18:51.922 purely by leading from passion, because passion will, will destroy you in 00:18:51.922 --> 00:18:54.192 the end if you don't have process. 00:18:54.572 --> 00:18:55.712 and boundaries. 00:18:56.432 --> 00:18:57.672 And that's what we learned. 00:18:58.222 --> 00:19:03.342 And very, very early on, Nicole and I, as a kind of protective measure 00:19:03.352 --> 00:19:08.002 for ourselves, for our own mental well being, we said, right, we are 00:19:08.002 --> 00:19:10.222 going to help dogs in this area. 00:19:11.242 --> 00:19:13.272 And those are the only dogs we're going to look at. 00:19:13.282 --> 00:19:18.552 We don't look at web pages from Spain, from Serbia, from Albania. 00:19:18.902 --> 00:19:21.052 We, we, we block ourselves off to that. 00:19:21.192 --> 00:19:25.652 That's not that we don't care about them, but we cannot do anything about them. 00:19:26.227 --> 00:19:30.997 So we keep all of our emotional energy and physical effort in the 00:19:30.997 --> 00:19:35.487 zones where we are, and we will, we will help the dogs that we can help. 00:19:36.327 --> 00:19:41.917 And, and the other thing is we, we have set up, uh, the, the financial model 00:19:42.597 --> 00:19:46.837 is that every dog that comes through from being found in the street to, 00:19:47.037 --> 00:19:52.557 in Bulgaria, being cared for, for up to four or five months, transported 00:19:52.627 --> 00:19:55.227 on a, a, a professional trusted. 00:19:56.347 --> 00:19:58.567 Transporter that we've been working with for years. 00:19:59.207 --> 00:20:04.157 love the animals as much as we do and they get taken from the door of our people 00:20:04.367 --> 00:20:09.017 and delivered to our compound personally and we track them on the journey. 00:20:09.617 --> 00:20:12.937 They turn up with us and then they'll stay with us until 00:20:12.937 --> 00:20:14.207 such times as they're rehomed. 00:20:14.207 --> 00:20:17.397 But when they're rehomed we take a fee. 00:20:18.427 --> 00:20:23.567 That fee covers the costs of the next dog coming through. 00:20:24.707 --> 00:20:30.292 So we never find ourselves in a situation where We have like a hundred dogs 00:20:30.292 --> 00:20:32.022 to care for and no money coming in. 00:20:32.042 --> 00:20:37.472 We, we, we have a kind of throttle, you know, where we control the dogs go 00:20:37.472 --> 00:20:42.612 through and then we can take more dogs in, you know, uh, don't get me wrong. 00:20:42.692 --> 00:20:46.562 It's running hot at the front end and there's some heartbreaking stories 00:20:46.562 --> 00:20:53.812 there, but we, we have to, we have to understand that over the next 10 00:20:53.822 --> 00:20:59.942 years, We will rescue a lot more dogs than if we just went and picked up 00:20:59.962 --> 00:21:03.317 every dog that we saw and just Gathered them and loved them and hugged them 00:21:03.317 --> 00:21:04.937 and gave them the love they deserve. 00:21:05.147 --> 00:21:09.647 Don't get me wrong, but as a process, you have to say, right, this is our 00:21:09.647 --> 00:21:13.897 capability, this is our capacity, this is how we're gonna do it. 00:21:14.417 --> 00:21:20.697 And, and we've, we've kind of found this sweet spot where the, the, the kind of. 00:21:21.622 --> 00:21:25.532 process takes the dogs through as the other dogs are turning up now. 00:21:25.982 --> 00:21:27.472 And that, that's the only way you can do it. 00:21:27.512 --> 00:21:28.692 You run it as a business. 00:21:28.692 --> 00:21:29.662 It's not for profit. 00:21:30.022 --> 00:21:31.472 We take no money out. 00:21:31.732 --> 00:21:36.552 In fact, Nicole and I put all of our income in, you know, I even paid all 00:21:36.552 --> 00:21:41.772 my Daughter's education for her to become a vet because, A, because she 00:21:41.772 --> 00:21:45.382 loves animals and she loves being a vet but, you know, a great investment 00:21:45.392 --> 00:21:48.442 to have your own vet in the family. 00:21:48.442 --> 00:21:49.712 Well that's the ultimate, yeah. 00:21:50.262 --> 00:21:54.902 Nicole and I are just so passionate about animals that we, we willingly give 00:21:54.902 --> 00:21:59.202 up our entire lives to it and it's not a sacrifice, you know, but we're also 00:21:59.352 --> 00:22:03.322 using all of our income that we can get to build our centre here so that we 00:22:03.322 --> 00:22:05.472 have greater capacity to do more dogs. 00:22:05.802 --> 00:22:07.802 But we will not eat more dogs. 00:22:08.132 --> 00:22:09.992 Until we have the capacity to do so. 00:22:10.302 --> 00:22:15.772 That's the kind of business process that has to be the overriding factor, you know? 00:22:15.882 --> 00:22:18.242 So that's, that's my, my advice. 00:22:18.782 --> 00:22:21.952 I love that because it's, it's, because that's the thing is like, if you just 00:22:21.952 --> 00:22:25.702 kind of overload yourself and then it all goes well, you know, if you 00:22:25.702 --> 00:22:28.452 break down, you help no dogs, right? 00:22:28.452 --> 00:22:28.902 So. 00:22:28.962 --> 00:22:29.512 Precisely. 00:22:29.522 --> 00:22:33.712 And we've seen wonderful people lose everything because 00:22:33.742 --> 00:22:35.042 they just led with the heart. 00:22:36.202 --> 00:22:39.182 And didn't use the brain, you know. 00:22:39.202 --> 00:22:39.402 Yeah. 00:22:39.942 --> 00:22:40.242 Yeah. 00:22:40.752 --> 00:22:41.562 Love that so much. 00:22:41.812 --> 00:22:44.182 So where can people find the Facebook group? 00:22:44.382 --> 00:22:45.922 Where can people connect with you? 00:22:46.082 --> 00:22:48.792 Where can people maybe sponsor a dog like that? 00:22:49.052 --> 00:22:50.992 You know, what's the best place to send them? 00:22:51.742 --> 00:22:52.312 Okay. 00:22:52.372 --> 00:22:56.082 First, I have to tell you the story of why we're called Rila's Dream. 00:22:56.422 --> 00:22:57.492 Oh, yes. 00:22:57.692 --> 00:23:02.272 So if I take you right back to the beginning, the first puppy that I rescued, 00:23:02.972 --> 00:23:08.982 it was the 3rd of November in Bulgaria, in the mountains, The Reeler Mountains 00:23:08.982 --> 00:23:13.102 was the name of the mountains, and there was a bunch of puppies lying in the 00:23:13.102 --> 00:23:15.152 frosted grass, no blanket or anything. 00:23:15.552 --> 00:23:18.162 And then there was a little black and white one lying on her own. 00:23:18.992 --> 00:23:22.412 So my first thoughts were, well, if I'm taking one, it's her. 00:23:22.482 --> 00:23:24.202 She's the, the runt of the litter. 00:23:24.772 --> 00:23:28.902 And so she was forlorn and freezing and shivering and everything. 00:23:28.922 --> 00:23:31.002 I picked her up, put her in my jacket. 00:23:31.142 --> 00:23:33.332 And I thought, right, that's that done and dusted. 00:23:33.582 --> 00:23:34.742 She is my baby. 00:23:34.892 --> 00:23:35.402 That's it. 00:23:36.102 --> 00:23:37.862 We thought of a name for her. 00:23:37.912 --> 00:23:40.452 And it was really the mountains that we were in. 00:23:41.182 --> 00:23:46.372 When I had her in the apartment, uh, she would lay in the sun, sunbeams. 00:23:47.207 --> 00:23:48.337 from coming through the window. 00:23:48.777 --> 00:23:51.987 And when the sunbeam moved, she would get up and move and lie in the sunbeam. 00:23:52.537 --> 00:23:55.997 And it was like, when she was lying in the grass that 3rd of November, 00:23:56.267 --> 00:24:00.657 she was dreaming about being warm, having a full belly, having 00:24:00.657 --> 00:24:02.227 love, all of that kind of thing. 00:24:02.867 --> 00:24:04.067 And she got all that. 00:24:04.087 --> 00:24:05.337 She's passed now, sadly. 00:24:05.337 --> 00:24:06.717 She's gone over the Rainbow Bridge. 00:24:07.097 --> 00:24:12.187 But, uh, I, when Nicole and I were like, what, what can we call our charity? 00:24:12.187 --> 00:24:16.017 And I said, well, this all began with Rila dreaming about 00:24:16.807 --> 00:24:19.117 having a home and a full belly. 00:24:19.617 --> 00:24:23.847 So let's bring that dream to every other dog that we can do, 00:24:24.127 --> 00:24:26.547 but let's name it after Rila. 00:24:26.567 --> 00:24:28.987 So our charity is called Rila's Dream. 00:24:29.657 --> 00:24:34.287 And you'll find us on, uh, Facebook, I can drop the link in here. 00:24:34.817 --> 00:24:38.057 Uh, you'll see a full and active community and all our, all our 00:24:38.057 --> 00:24:39.657 dog owners who are in there. 00:24:40.027 --> 00:24:42.777 Uh, you asked about how could people sponsor us? 00:24:43.627 --> 00:24:49.247 A lot of people want to send us blankets and food and everything, and we love the 00:24:49.257 --> 00:24:56.727 generosity, but to send it to us here in Germany, it's actually, it does more 00:24:56.727 --> 00:25:01.062 harm than good because then we've got to transport that to Bulgaria and it's It's 00:25:01.062 --> 00:25:06.462 2, 000 kilometers to where we're, we're going almost, you know, 1, 500 at least. 00:25:06.992 --> 00:25:16.342 Uh, so what we have is we have a Facebook, uh, PayPal account there, and the thing 00:25:16.342 --> 00:25:19.862 that works best for us, although we, we will take anything that people can give 00:25:19.862 --> 00:25:26.442 us, But what helps us is just a small monthly subscription, donation kind of 00:25:26.442 --> 00:25:28.972 thing, 10 bucks, 20 bucks, whatever it is. 00:25:29.232 --> 00:25:34.422 Because that then allows us to plan, and we can then, we know that that's 00:25:34.422 --> 00:25:38.662 coming in over a longer term, so we can, like for the winter sponsorship 00:25:38.662 --> 00:25:42.212 program, we can forecast and say, right, we're going to send you all of this, 00:25:42.212 --> 00:25:43.242 we're going to send you all of that. 00:25:43.632 --> 00:25:45.162 And I understand that. 00:25:45.557 --> 00:25:49.437 The trust difficulties because there are so many people out there who 00:25:49.437 --> 00:25:54.397 are just using dogs and people's hearts, uh, to exploit them. 00:25:55.097 --> 00:25:58.277 If you go on our Facebook group, you will see we are the real deal. 00:25:58.287 --> 00:26:01.027 We are living and breathing dog rescue. 00:26:01.277 --> 00:26:04.687 And you'll see all of our community and all of the testimonials. 00:26:04.877 --> 00:26:08.907 So if someone's looking for a safe place to put a very small amount of money 00:26:08.907 --> 00:26:13.667 every month and see it all go to the dogs, 100 percent of it goes to the dogs. 00:26:14.042 --> 00:26:17.722 Then Realist Dream PayPal is the place to make that donation. 00:26:18.272 --> 00:26:18.762 I love that. 00:26:18.772 --> 00:26:19.942 Thank you so much. 00:26:20.252 --> 00:26:23.402 This was really refreshing and heartwarming. 00:26:23.422 --> 00:26:25.982 And so thank you so much for coming and I'm going to join 00:26:25.982 --> 00:26:27.002 that Facebook group right now. 00:26:27.922 --> 00:26:28.582 Wonderful. 00:26:28.862 --> 00:26:29.499 Thank you very much. 00:26:29.499 --> 00:26:30.888 I look forward to seeing you again. 00:26:30.888 --> 00:26:32.742 You take care. 00:26:33.582 --> 00:26:34.002 Take care. 00:26:34.888 --> 00:26:36.118 Thanks so much for listening. 00:26:36.638 --> 00:26:40.938 If you enjoyed the episode, don't forget to subscribe, and leave a review so 00:26:41.038 --> 00:26:42.818 other dog lovers can find the show. 00:26:43.608 --> 00:26:47.098 If you haven't already, head over to soul touched by dogs. 00:26:47.528 --> 00:26:53.098 com and sign up for weekly doggy cuteness tips, recommendations, and personal 00:26:53.198 --> 00:26:55.568 stories to warm your dog loving heart. 00:26:55.568 --> 00:26:59.298 And if you know a pawsome human you think I should interview, 00:26:59.718 --> 00:27:00.858 I'd love an introduction. 00:27:01.338 --> 00:27:03.168 Email me at Anke. 00:27:03.438 --> 00:27:07.673 That's A N k E at Soul touched by dogs.com.