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A podcast focusing on the perspectives, lives, and stories of Kansans to provide greater insight into the state we all call home.
AAK_Ep38
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[00:00:00]
Experimenting with Chat GPT
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Gus Applequist: So I was experimenting with chat GPT because I, I really, I was hoping to find some, like some cool musical intros for our segments. And so I like fed it a bunch of information and, and chat generated this masterpiece.
What doesn't that just capture everything about our podcast? I'm not gonna lie, at first
Sydney Collins: I was like, why is the school bell ringing? Because it sounded like the passing Bell South. Um,
Gus Applequist: as a musician, I'm, I'm pleased with how, how terrible chat is at creating music now. I happen to know there's a lot better ones out there, but yeah.
Yeah, so that's the thing. So you can look forward to hearing. That's the thing.
Sydney Collins: I do have some pretty good chat searches if you really wanna go down this rabbit hole. Yeah, they've been pretty good lately. Mm-hmm. Um,
Gus Applequist: I'm [00:01:00] gonna have to look too.
Sydney Collins: Oh, come on. All right.
Dominoes and Random Chat GPT Searches
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Sydney Collins: I've got Domino's that size. So my husband and I play a lot of Dominoes, Uhhuh, and I.
The dominoes got out of the box. I think the kids are playing with them, so I wanted to make sure all the dominoes were there, but I don't, I couldn't remember how many dominoes are in a full domino set. Ah, it's 28, by the way. Um, and are
Gus Applequist: you, are you guys uh, Mexican train or No, we're like chicken, traditional.
Oh, snap. Okay. Um,
Sydney Collins: dominoes, like mm-hmm. Fives, um, increments, fives. You play three rounds or you play as many rounds as you get to 50 points. Nice. Um.
Gus Applequist: I, so, yeah, I'll, I'll throw it out. A moon collision prevention. Just so we prevent any potential collisions with the moon.
Sydney Collins: Um, this one, this is gonna sound really bad, so I'm gonna have to tell the story.
Asian Hygiene practices history. So my cousin [00:02:00] texted me the other day. She, her kids are in martial arts and she goes, the martial arts instructor just told my kids that the reason black belts are black belts is because back in the day, they never washed their belts. So as they did more combat, the dirtier their belts got, and so that's all blood and dirt and all that.
And so. I didn't actually fact check that, which is funny. What I fact check was like, I told her, I go, I a hundred percent believe that. And she goes, that's gross. And I go, well, if you think about hygiene practices, especially in like in cultures that are older than America. And then we started going down that bit, which is why that chat exists.
Gus Applequist: Meanwhile, I was searching, um, uh, pumpkin bread, moisture tips.
This is good. Swedish Nanobots, truth check,
Sydney Collins: history based credits. Example. Oh, we were looking at credits. Okay. History based credits, [00:03:00] examples. Um. Leopard Gecko. Cost breakdown,
Gus Applequist: tingling for finger inquiry.
Sydney Collins: Name drawing rules. Pinky toe redness. Jimmy's wife's death episode.
Gus Applequist: Living Descendants of Garfield
Sydney Collins: McAllister's de opening date.
Where
Gus Applequist: is Honey Boo Boo. I hope we haven't lost our audience. We can.
Sydney Collins: Yeah, we can stop now. But NFL Team Employment estimates. It's, that's what it's, you know,
Gus Applequist: chat has opened up whole new worlds to us.
Sydney Collins: Well, I don't Google anything anymore. Yeah. I just ask chat.
Gus Applequist: Yeah, same.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. Maybe I just need to start a chat as just of, so I select that and I go my random questions.
Mm-hmm. And then maybe at the end of the year it can gimme a summary of all the random things that I've asked it. Ooh, that would be good. That's a 2026 thing.
Welcome to Ask a Kansan Podcast
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Gus Applequist: Welcome to the podcast.[00:04:00]
Welcome to Ask a Kansan,
Sydney Collins: a podcast where we're amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas. And I am Sydnee. And I'm Gus.
Gus Applequist: And this is season two. Uh, we've survived long enough to have a second season. That's pretty, pretty cool. Cool. Which is fascinating. Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Um, so. Technically our first episode, I think, released in January, or no, sorry, February of 2025.
Yep. So it is now our very first episode of January 20, 26.
Gus Applequist: 26. Yeah. So thank you for helping make that happen. And, and, and here we are today. We have a fun lighthearted episode. Uh, we had. Living creatures in the studio again with us today, living creatures.
Sydney Collins: They were kittens.
Interview with Brandon Sokol from Prairie Paws Animal Shelter
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Sydney Collins: [00:05:00] So, um, we had the opportunity to reach out to Brandon Sokol.
He is the director of Prairie Paws Animal Shelter in Manhattan. Um, they have a couple other shelters around Kansas, so I'll let him go into detail with that. So, without any further ado, here is Brandon.
Gus Applequist: Welcome, welcome. Hi, this, this is such a treat. Oh, sorry. Here, let me
Sydney Collins: set you up.
Brandon Sokol: See, I'll give you one of these little things. Do they have
Sydney Collins: names yet?
Brandon Sokol: That one's well, I mean, yeah, we name 'em, but we don't expect them to really stick most of the time. Yeah. Um, that one's Kia. Kia. This one's Volkswagen Volts.
They're all like little car brands. They're car brands. Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Okay. I'm gonna make that. Hi. Hi Kia. They're so busy. How's it going?
Brandon Sokol: A little overwhelmed by everything. A little bit, probably. Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Um. So welcome to the podcast.
Brandon Sokol: Thanks for having me.
Sydney Collins: Um, can you introduce yourself for our audience?
Brandon Sokol: Of course. Yeah.
My name is [00:06:00] Brandon SoCal. I'm the facility director at the Prairie Paw Manhattan Animal Shelter.
Sydney Collins: And um, give us a little background on Prairie Paw. 'cause there's one in Manhattan and there's a couple other locations, right?
Brandon Sokol: Yeah. So our main campus is in Ottawa. That's where Prairie Paw started. Um, our organization actually owns that facility and they're contracted with the city of Ottawa and Franklin County, and I think some of the other small townships there to, you know, do their animal sheltering.
Mm-hmm. Um, we also contract with the city of Emporia to run their animal shelter, um, that animal shelter the city owns and then, you know, they rent to our organization and then also pay us to run it. And same thing in Manhattan. So we have a government contract to operate their facility mm-hmm. That we rent and then they pay, uh, you know, us to.
To run it.
Sydney Collins: Okay.
Challenges and Rewards of Running an Animal Shelter
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Sydney Collins: Um, what kind of got you into the animal realm?
Brandon Sokol: You know. I always, always kind of liked animals, you know, growing up. Mm-hmm. My cats were kind, my first best friends I think. And so I've always been a cat guy. Um, really [00:07:00] had a hard time deciding what to do with my life. Um, but you know, I knew I wanted to work with animals or enjoy that, so I, outta high school, I actually got a job at Petco and I worked there for eight years, kind of, you know, learning everything and kind of was on my way to being maybe a general mm-hmm.
Manager at one of those stores and, uh, just kinda. It kind of just kind of fell in my lap. This, this job, you know, they recruited me, or at least, you know, the director and the SL animal shelter at that point kinda tried to recruit me, but I didn't work, wanna work at the animal shelter. 'cause you know, I was like, it's just sad, you know?
No one wants to be the dog catcher. Like no one, it's, no one likes the dog catcher. Wants to be the dog catcher. Yeah. So, It took a couple times, I think, you know, of them trying to get me to come in. They're like, I think you, you know, are, are definitely thinking of how it used to be, but you should come and have an interview.
And kind of see, you know, how it's progressed and you know, how this industry is, is doing now. And, went over there, had a really good interview and they offered me the job and I, I left Petco and. A place I was comfortable and kind of You know, knew everything I felt like, at least, and was on my [00:08:00] way to growing a career there to something I hadn't, I knew nothing about.
Mm-hmm. And so the first month or two was kind of hard, like, you know, it was definitely a curve where I wasn't sure if this was the right decision. Mm-hmm. You know, we were dealing with things that were more intense For sure. Emotionally charged, you know, people, um, surrendering animals. As an animal control officer, you're showing up and enforcing ordinances and laws and that can be difficult.
So, uh, it was a, it was quite the change. Yeah. Yeah. You know, about a couple months into it, I was like, this is actually sweet. Uh, and, uh, there, there might be more advancement and more of a career here.
Sydney Collins: What's kind of the hardest part about your job?
Brandon Sokol: You know, the, the people kind of in the interaction sometimes can be the most challenging part.
You know, a lot of people say, oh, it's, it's really sad. It's gotta be so sad. Working at the animal shelter, the animals are usually really chill, you know, and when we have to make hard decisions or encounter something that is difficult or sad, uh, you know, we try and find something positive in that. Or, you know, if it's an animal that comes in in bad condition, we get it healthy and get it adopted and we hear about its success afterwards, like, that's awesome.
It's [00:09:00] when you know someone comes to us. Requesting some help. Like typically they're, they're coming to us because they are looking for a resolution to maybe a problem they have. Maybe it's something as I was driving to work and I found a stray dog, um, but maybe that stray dog didn't originate in our contracted area and now we can't, we can't give them what they're seeking, which is, Hey, I need to drop this dog off.
That I found, which is a totally valid thing to want to do, is to help that animal. We have government contracts, you know, to service certain areas, and if we are taking animals from outside those areas, like are we good? Partners mm-hmm. For those people that are contracting with us. But then also, do we have space for those animals from the communities that are supporting the animal shelter?
So it's, uh, it can be a hard no sometimes, and we really try to pivot towards other options for people and, you know, help them as much as we can. But, you know, if you're coming in there looking to leave that animal there and, and our answer is no. It can, it can, you know, become very emotional. Mm-hmm. I'm gonna let this little cat go.
Yeah, he's ready. That's a little, that one's a little bit [00:10:00] more timid than the other. So
Gus Applequist: if, if you're listening, you may be hearing news. The news, a lot of the,
Brandon Sokol: yeah.
Gus Applequist: They have, they have already been to all the corners of the mm-hmm. Of the studio studio. Of the
Brandon Sokol: studio studio. The little FEMA over there. She's definitely a little bit more outgoing.
Like she, the other one's gonna kind of follow behind her as she explores. I think
Gus Applequist: Tanner has this big camera. Yeah. His big lens out today. Um, at first the one was very scared of that big eye.
Sydney Collins: How, um, so you guys are a no kill shelter, right? Correct.
Managing Capacity and No-Kill Status
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Sydney Collins: How does that work when you guys are at capacity?
Brandon Sokol: Yeah.
Well, you know, part of capacity and managing that is, uh, allowing us to maybe schedule some of those intakes. So this should back up, you know, we, we are open emissions for the strain and abandoned animals in those communities. The animals that we're gonna make it to us through animal control and other law enforcement.
Partners that we have, um, you know, those ordinance, you know, like the, the stray dog is breaking an ordinance and it says that it gets impounded at an [00:11:00] animal shelter. And that animal shelters us, we have that license to do that. Um, so we're open emissions for animals like that for owner surrenders animals that have owners.
We, we are managed intakes, meaning that we will take an application and then we'll schedule that. Being able to have some control there allows us to, you know, prepare for when we're at our capacity. And there's also your physical capacity is how many kennels we have. There's our functional capacity, you know, we've got the space to hold, you know, 150 animals at our facility.
We only have the team to manage about 60 of them. So, you know, we try and maintain between 50 and 60 animals. And, uh, when we get. Over 60 we're, we're kind of, you know, feeling the pressure of that. So we really try and, and maintain somewhere and we have less than. 40 then we're not serving our mission as, as well.
So we really try and make sure that we're, we're pretty balanced there. Um, but if we can manage that, then it, that's what allows us to maintain that no kill status. And no kill doesn't mean we're not, you know, ending up with euthanasia at the facility. Um, it's just that we are doing [00:12:00] less than, uh, we're doing less than 10% of our population as euthanasia over time in the year.
So our live release rate for 2025 year to date is around 95%. I think it's just like. A point of a percentage under 95%. And last year we finished the year at like 96.7%. Oh wow. And you know, we're getting animals that are coming as you know, strays and abandons in really rough shape. We're getting animals that are seized by animal control and the sheriff's department for aggressive behavior, maybe inflicting serious injuries, you know, and those animals.
Something that necessarily we are, we're gonna be able to rehabilitate. And so when we're talking about euthanasias, we really are talking about what is manageable. And so we kind of have different categories like what is behaviorally manageable or what is medically manageable and that's gonna vary.
Shelter, the shelter community, the community. You know, what are the things that your community is willing to adopt and take in? Are they going to adopt a heartworm positive dog and help you through that treatment? Or is it a community that just, they're gonna pass on that that may determine whether that is a medical manageable.
Case or not. Same thing with behavioral. If [00:13:00] you have, you know, a community that will not adopt out a dog, aggressive dog, is that behaviorally manageable? Um, we typically draw the line pretty fast with animals that are dangerous. Cats or dogs. Yeah. Um, and then it, it all, it just varies by individual. Yeah. Um, it's a tough decision.
We do, we take, we put a lot of, um, effort and honor into making that, you know what I mean? It's, it's a, it's a very emotionally charged thing, especially, you know, for us, for the team. You know, back in the day, 20 years ago, we didn't have, you know, no kill animal shelters. You just showed up there with an animal whether you found it or it was yours and you left it there.
And you know, if you're taking in animals like that. What choice do you have then, you know, than to say you're out of time outta space for You know, another animal. And then when next week comes around and you have no more animals, that that animal that took another animal space is also out of time outta space.
so we're not, our mission isn't to call animals from the environment. but you know, that that was kind of the model [00:14:00] 30, 40 years ago for sure. You know, and it's progressed a lot here in just the last decade. but you know, how do you retain the people you want in that industry? When they have to face euthanizing all the animals, they're caring for it.
It's really challenging. So, you know, we have a great team now. Um, really proud to work with those guys and, um, I've assembled them, so I'm really proud of that too. But, uh, yeah, we're crushing it. I love it.
Gus Applequist: Ask a Kansan is sponsored by Cohort Digital, your partner in media strategy and advertising placement.
From social media search and streaming video to billboards, magazines and broadcast tv, the experts at Cohort can help you navigate the ever-changing advertising landscape with more than 75 years of combined experience. They'll build a custom media campaign to get your message seen in all the right places by your target audience.
Learn more at Cohort Digital. So Cindy, we've used Cohort for several different projects. Yes. Uh, for, for Fey, and it's been very successful and really pleased with the information. Yeah. [00:15:00] Liz does a great job.
Sydney Collins: Yeah. Both Fey. Um, and as Kanon, we've used both. Um, basically we give them the creative and they really hone in on getting it seen by people.
And the best part is, is. You get the results in front of you. Mm-hmm. Um, like we got an email from Alyssa and her team yesterday. Yeah. And it was like, Hey, this is what's performing. This is what's not performing. These are the changes we suggest. And like, it's really like, oh yeah. They take the work out of the data piece that some people don't really get.
And it's, it's great.
Gus Applequist: And I love, uh. Like there's a lot of of organizations in this space doing this kind of work mm-hmm. That are just kind of checking a box. Yep. But that's not cohort. They're always bringing their creativity to the task and, and surprising us in the ways that they find opportunity for our marketing dollars online.
Sydney Collins: Yep. So make sure to go to the website cohort digital. There's no.com, it's just cohort digital, [00:16:00] um, and learn more.
Gus Applequist: So cats, dogs, any other animals?
Brandon Sokol: We, we pretty much draw the line at those. Um, there are other, um, animals that in need for sure in our community and sometimes we'll end up with like a ferret on our doorstep.
And, you know, then we're, we're, we're gonna have take care of it, of course. Mm-hmm. Um, but, you know, there's pets, pet stores mm-hmm. And other places that are actually importing them to the communities, right? Mm-hmm. They ha kind of have, I think, some stake in the game when it comes to managing what happens to them after that.
Mm-hmm. Um, so a lot of those stores like Petco, Petmart, they're really good at. Taking those animals and helping adopt them out. So like the Salina Petco, um, the Manhattan Petco I've, I've worked with, and they've been great partners for helping find those Guinea pigs, hamsters. Mm-hmm. Ferrets new homes. And, and you know, they're, well, they're better equipped than for that.
They have the supplies. We don't necessarily have the space or the supplies. And then you also want to, you know, manage stress. If we don't have a area that's dedicated specifically to small animals away from their predators, cats and dogs, they're. So they're gonna be feeling that, you know, so like, uh, our animal shelter has a full separate building [00:17:00] for cats and, and dogs.
Oh, really? Yeah. Mm-hmm. We call it the cattery.
Sydney Collins: The cattery. Yeah. That is funny. Now for some reason I really want a Guinea pig building just to be, I don't know, the Guinea build or something you seen like on, on Instagram. They're, they're awesome.
Brandon Sokol: They all come out like a
line and they're eating their food.
Yeah. I,
Sydney Collins: I, so we just got a Guinea pig last Christmas, so we've had Ollie for a year now. Cute. I keep trying to push for another one, but my husband says, no. But it's fine. They like, they're good in pairs They're good in pairs but we, we get Ollie out and snuggle with him and, and socialize with him quite a bit.
And the cats will come say hi to his cage every once in a while and Nala will sit on top of the cage and just look down at him out of pure curiosity. She's kind a predator, huh? She, yeah. Yeah. She's our mouse. Yeah. Simba. As of our orange fat one, she's
Gus Applequist: like, that's a big
Sydney Collins: mouse. There's a big mouse. Yeah.
Yeah. Uh, she's the one that will bring in, uh, birds and mice for us. Mm-hmm.
Brandon Sokol: Um, she loves you.
Sydney Collins: [00:18:00] Yeah. Oh, she loves me enough to bring them in live too. I remember when she actually
Brandon Sokol: showed up at the salon Animal shelter. Yeah. Oh, that's right. Adopt. Was she, I, I adopt from you. Some people I needed help. They were overwhelmed with the amount of cats that they had, and I was able to help facilitate that surrender.
And then you guys were looking for a cat. We came in and adopted, yeah.
Sydney Collins: I forgot. We did get, so sim our cat was a porch kitty. Yep. Um, he was underneath, um, uh, Tanner Tanner's brother's, Tanner's brother's porch. Um, and then, yeah, we did get, um, Nala from the animal shelter. I forgot about that.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. So like, it, it astounds me that your memory is that good that you can remember a specific animal.
Yeah. That was a long time ago. Um, are, could you, could you tell us the story of an animal that stuck with you, if there is one?
Brandon Sokol: There's a ton and I mean. Just off the top of my head, I'm thinking of a dog that we had recently named Moose. Moose came in with another dog from the county. And it's hard to say sometimes when animals show up, whether the person that brought them in is really found that [00:19:00] dog, or if you know, however they acquired it.
Now they just need to get rid of it. And for us, especially if it's a surrender, you know, we're gonna say, here's an application, please help us manage that intake. Um, you know, there's ways around that. Of course, you can't really do anything about that. And really in emergency situations. We will pivot. You know, one of the things that about managing that, um, is we're we have the space to make emergency surrenders.
And so, you know, we, we definitely try to be reasonable and accommodate, you know, the people in our community for the service that they're paying for. Um, but this dog Moose came in, um, probably was a stray dog. Whether he was dumped or just wandering and got lost, he was with this other little dog and they're both super underweight, like, you know, uh, parasites.
You could tell that they were eating whatever they could find. 'cause as soon as they came in, we gave 'em dewormer and actual food. They were like. Oh yeah. Already got like pieces of a bird. Like, I, I clean that up. It was really, really, really gross. Yeah. And I usually don't get, like, my stomach's fine. Like I've gotten really, uh, hardened at, you know, dealing with bodily fluids mm-hmm.
And other things at the [00:20:00] shelter. But that one had me, that was tough, you know, and then I was interested, so I'm like, what is it, you know,
Sydney Collins: instantly turned into the kid in the sandbox, like, is cat poop? Is ACEC chocolate?
Brandon Sokol: And anyway, so, um, and moose, you, I just know just like. At first he was kind of weary, you know, not sure about this dog, and he was a mix, you know, he might have been like a ker mix and, um, just overlooked for like a month or two.
Um, but I could just, I just knew he was an awesome dog. You could tell he had just a pu bunch of experience. Mm-hmm. Very smart. If I was ready for a dog, like an heartbeat, I would adopt this dog. But for whatever reason, he just overlooked for a, a couple months, I wanna say, and he's like our best dog. And some people, you know, they come in, they're looking for a dog.
I think they maybe had adopted one. It didn't work out 'cause they had another smaller dog that was timid and, and they're just not sure. And they're maybe looking at another dog when they came in. And I just said, you guys should really meet Moose, spend some time with them. And they're a little bit reluctant, but they're, you know, all right.
So I let them take him [00:21:00] on a walk and we're interacting and, and. You know, I think they decided on him and yeah, reaching back out, they're like, he was, he is the most perfect dog. And so, I mean, that's just, that's an easy one. I mean, we get a lot of really difficult ones, you know, dogs that come in way more emaciated, um, sores, I mean, all kinds of conditions.
And to watch them flourish. Um, and a lot of times it's like, man, you know, I don't know, the dog won't eat. And it's like, well, it eats with us. You know? So I don't know. Um, but then to just to see the success there is awesome.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. Do you have a picture of moose you could share with us?
Brandon Sokol: I'm, I'll pull one up.
Yeah, for sure. Sure. I'd have to get, get into the software and find it, but yeah, absolutely. We love, he's a cute dude. I still, it's like, I think I even may have almost got choked up when he left or when they told me that he was doing well. 'cause I was like, I wanted that dog.
Gus Applequist: How do, how do you manage? Like, oh wow, there's a lot of noise going, what you do don't get bit tanner.
Tanner. How do you, do you have to. Have you had to change your emotional reaction to animals to do your [00:22:00] job?
Brandon Sokol: Uh, yeah. You know, I've, I've definitely gotten a little harder. Um, over the years, or I, I think, uh, resilient maybe is the better word, um, to, to those situations kind of compartmentalize them. Mm-hmm.
Um, you know, you've gotta also relax when you're not at work. Like, I really try and help the team, like, you know, when you're off work, don't worry about work. Like, you just can't, like, you need your time away from it. Mm-hmm. And, um, some people don't adjust, you know, um, sometimes it, it is just too much. And, uh, yeah, I, I mean, it's something that you either are good at immediately or have to grow into or.
Determine whether it's the right fit for you. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Volunteer Contributions and Dog Day Outs
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Sydney Collins: Um, how much of your organization is employee versus volunteer? Or do you have a volunteer? We've got a pretty
Brandon Sokol: small, like employee team.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Brandon Sokol: It's me, um, five full-time employees, and we have one part-time employee right now. Okay. And then we have I think like 200.
11, maybe 220 active volunteers.
Sydney Collins: Wow.
Brandon Sokol: I've got like [00:23:00] 500 volunteers in our system. But, but active. But active, yeah.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Brandon Sokol: Wow. Um, and managing and training and dealing with volunteers is, is a whole other. Mm-hmm. I mean, it's a whole thing in itself. Um, and we don't have a person at our facility that's dedicated to that.
I try and I do that. I have a, a, a, a supervisor that I have that does orientations and helps with that as well. It can be a lot. Um, and so. I mean, there's certainly more volunteers. Mm-hmm. But you know, it varies on how many you have during the day. Um, right now, especially during the school year when we got K State students mm-hmm.
We get a lot of dog walkers, um, students that come in and take dogs for walks, dog day outs. Um, dog day outs is one of my favorite things that we've kind of established over the last couple years with Prairie Paws. It's like you kind of, as a volunteer, you can check the dog out. For a couple hours and take it, you know, to the park.
You can take it on a hike. You know, we have some, some rules around that. Mm-hmm. But you know, we want that animal to get outta the shelter, especially like a dog that's a stray dog we don't know anything about. Now, this person took it. On a field trip for a couple hours, we get to learn how that dog does in a vehicle, [00:24:00] how it does on walks when someone, you know, walks by with their dog or a bicyclist.
You know, these are really important things for us to know, but then also can communicate to potential adopters about how this dog does. If you want a dog that's gonna go on road trips with you all the time, you probably don't want so-and-so who throws up
Sydney Collins: every five minutes in the car? Yeah.
Brandon Sokol: Yeah. So we get to learn a lot through those dog day outs and that little report card that we ask them to do.
Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Hmm.
Gus Applequist: Imagine with three locations, a lot of your time is now away from the animals just dealing with the, you know, the, the management of everything. Do, do you still make time to spend with the animals every day that kind of fill your sales or?
Brandon Sokol: For sure. You know, and I am fortunate to work at a facility that's the size of.
That it is, you know, if it was bigger, like, you know, a facility that does maybe 3000 plus intakes a year, you know, my position as an administrator probably is very far from interacting with the animals. Um, I never really imagined being in a desk job. Mm-hmm. And so I, I get restless and, uh, I, [00:25:00] I definitely still take a break from that.
You know, if I get my goals done for the day, like yeah, I will go. I'll do dishes. I like cleaning dog kennels. There's something about just like spraying some poop off the floor with a, with a power washer. That's really satisfying. I wish it wasn't poop, but it's like just cleaning that off and you just like
Sydney Collins: use the power washer is what you're saying.
Yeah,
Brandon Sokol: for sure. But, uh, you know, it's kinda meditative I guess with therapeutic, you know, I get out there and do that stuff. Um, interacting. We all kind of drop anything for an adoption council, um, or to help, you know, an animal get adopted. Um, I can be kind of a stickler on the other end if someone comes in and I'm like, are you really here to adopt?
No, I just wanna hang out. And I'm like. Here's the card, sign up as a volunteer. I don't have time to do that. Neither does a team if you're not there to adopt. And it's like, not that we don't want to help people interact with the animals. Yeah. And ultimately the time out of a kennel with a person is like the highlight of a day for a shelter dog.
Mm-hmm. Um, but you know, let us come in as a volunteer. Once you get trained, you can show up on your own time whenever we're open and do exactly what you [00:26:00] want to do. Without having the wait around for me. Mm-hmm. You know, um, so I, I really try and get people to, to do that.
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Odd Animal Drop-offs and Final Thoughts
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Sydney Collins: This is probably an out there question, but what is probably the oddest animal someone has tried to. Drop off because I know you said you only do cats and dogs, but probably not everyone knows that
Brandon Sokol: we've ended up with like a pig, like a potbelly pig.
Yes. Um, hedgehogs, um, hedgehogs.
Hedgehogs and Other Unusual Pets
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Brandon Sokol: Okay. We had a hedgehog or two. They're usually kinda. Kind of aggressive really. A little bit. [00:27:00] Yeah. And then they're pokey, so it's, if I was that pokey,
Sydney Collins: I'd probably be a little, yeah, they bark. They kinda like,
Brandon Sokol: they bark and bounce. Really? They kind of funny. Yeah. So we've had a couple hedgehogs.
Those are, those are fun. The pig was really interesting. Um. I, we really don't want those animals anymore. Yeah. You know, and there's other resources for them.
Animal Control and Shelter Operations
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Brandon Sokol: Um, you know, sometimes animal control will end up with like a, a stray chicken. Mm-hmm. Um, or like a stray goat when they worked out of our facility.
So before Prairie P took over the, the Manhattan Animal Shelter, I was a director there. I also oversaw animal control. So I had three animal patrol officers in our facility as well, and that's where they were doing everything out of. Um, and we have a side yard that we still call the goat yard because when we had animal control, we'd end up with a stray goat or mini horse or something like, that's where it hung out.
That
Sydney Collins: is such a Kansas thing, I feel like. Yeah. So it's just such a Midwest rural, and Manhattan has
Brandon Sokol: some, some weird ordinances around those types of animals. Yeah. Because of the school, I think. Yeah. And so it's like, Salinas like, don't, you can't have a pig in town. No, but in Manhattan. You can. So [00:28:00]
Aggressive Dog Ordinances
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Gus Applequist: I, I never really thought about like animal control officers and how they're basically law enforcement.
Mm-hmm. Um, uh, I'm just curious, you know, in the communities in which you work are, are there any rules that, that you feel are restrictive mm-hmm. Or rule changes that you'd like to see, or new roles you'd like to? Have implemented. Is
Brandon Sokol: this a, is there something you're, you're getting at there? Uh, you know, locally have the brief, we have the broadband.
Yeah. Yeah, we have theand. Honestly, I'm not that on either side of that particular,
Gus Applequist: I'm just curious.
Brandon Sokol: Um, I'm giving you a hard time. The, uh, that ordinance particularly is, is hard to enforce as an officer, in my opinion. Um. I think cities and, and counties and and areas have their rights to choose the laws they want, you know, and, and you, you know, hopefully can, can move out of those, those areas if you can't, if you, if you don't like those laws.
But, um, for that, for, for like a breed band specifically, it's challenging and I think there are more progressive ways of managing. Aggressive [00:29:00] dogs. Um, I really like our aggressive dog ordinance in Manhattan. Um, so coming from Salina as animal controlled to Manhattan, it was one that I really appreciated.
It. It's, it's well written and thorough and it basically says if you have like a dozen types of like one of a, a dozen breeds of dog, German shepherds, pit bulls, dobermans, I mean some, any of these larger kind. Um, dogs that could inflict real injuries. We're just saying that you can't have it, but you be aware that, you know, you need to be responsible for this animal, and we're gonna kind of hold you to a higher standard.
So it doesn't matter if that dog injures somebody, but if it presents as it's going to, we may go ahead and make you have these reg, these extra regulations to prevent something like that. Or like if it does have an injury, like it's gonna be deemed dangerous. And then you have all these rules. And regulations that you have to abide by or it needs to go?
Um, uh, I think the municipal court's pretty generous with people in how much they're going to enforce, or I guess what the punishment's going to be. You know, we, we definitely aren't in the business of [00:30:00] taking in euthanizing dogs. Um, that's, that's, that's not what we wanna do at all. But we also can't have aggressive dogs in the community, um, that aren't well taken care of with a responsible owner.
Um, it's just hard, you know. Um. Pet ownership is a huge responsibility, and in no situation that I can think of or have ever encountered where the animal was responsible. Like it's the owner that's responsible. Even if you, oh, someone else is supposed to watch the dog. You are the owner of that animal. And if you, you know, ask someone to watch it and they f they failed to do that, well, like, maybe you, you chose the wrong person.
Like, we can always kind of bring that back to, you know, who is making decisions for this. And you know, we get a lot of animals that are kind of at. A line of bad decisions. Mm. And so then we have to be responsible. And, you know, that's where like maybe we do end up with an aggressive dog that we have to have a negative outcome with.
We're, we're going to be responsible. So, I mean, ordinances, you know, there's, there's all different levels, right? So you got your federal laws, your state laws, then you have your, your city laws, then your county [00:31:00] laws and resolutions and ordinances. And you know, we can only do what those laws say as well.
Feral Cats and Trap-Neuter-Return Programs
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Brandon Sokol: So we get a lot of requests for impounding, stray cats.
There's not a law in Manhattan that says we can impound that cat unless it's a nuisance. I mean, it's kind of, you know, people, oh, it's digging in my garden. If it's not a cat digging your garden, it's gonna be a possum or something else. You know what I mean? Mm-hmm. Um, but. We don't really have the authority to just impound them.
Um, we do make exceptions for sick and injured animals that are cats that are declawed. 'cause we can make the, uh, I guess, reasonable assumption that, that cat's not supposed to be outside. Yeah. Certainly not gonna survive outside. Mm-hmm. Um, cats that are like exotic breeds or have, you know, real matted long hair, things like that.
Like we, we do impound those animals, but for feral cats, um, you know, the solution really isn't removing them. It's, it's the trap neuter, or trap, you know, spay neuter. Return them to the, to the area. 'cause otherwise, you know, we, we have a hard time getting rid of them. I've got two really good barn cats right now, um, that are like, I mean, [00:32:00] pretty feral.
I can get real close to one of them and give it treats. Mm-hmm. It definitely doesn't want me to touch it. I've got, I almost touched it actually. I did touch it today. I probably should't tell you about that. I'd scratch this little head. I didn't like it, but I'm, I'm getting closer. But it's like, you know, if someone gets that cat for that.
After a couple months in its shop, it's probably gonna be a, a pet.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Brandon Sokol: But you know, it would be a good mouser, you know, we basically give them away. Mm-hmm. But I can't give these cats away right now. They're fully vetted. They, they just need to go into a barn or a shop or somewhere. Mm-hmm. Where they can be mousers and they can come around, um, with a patient person.
But, you know, if we were taking in just feral cats and pounding feral cats, we can't get rid of 'em fast enough. Yeah. We have to then call them off and it's just not what we do.
Sydney Collins: Mm-hmm.
Gus Applequist: Do
Personal Pet Stories
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Brandon Sokol: you have pets? I have a cat. Yeah.
Sydney Collins: So you work at, you only have one cat?
Brandon Sokol: I do. Yeah. That's amazing. It kind of helps me not get more animals because I've had Smoot since day one.
She was born at my house like a cat, a stray cat showed up my first house I ever lived in, you know, on my own. I was like 21 years old and this cat shows up at the [00:33:00] back door and I'm like, I know better than to feed this cat. It'll never leave, but maybe I can give it water, you know? So I gave it some water 'cause it was like 102 degrees outside in like June.
And I was like, man, this cat might be pregnant. And so anyways, it came back the next day and I'm like, I'll give you some more water. And then I was like, I think this cat's really pregnant. And I brought her inside. She had kittens that night.
Sydney Collins: Oh my gosh. Yeah.
Brandon Sokol: One of those kittens is, is my cat now. Smoots.
Sydney Collins: Oh, huh.
Brandon Sokol: Yeah. Yeah. But she's my number one man. You know, it's like I, I've been committed to Smoots, you know, for now 15 years. And so if I, I know 15 years. I know she's not, she's not. Great with dogs, like, you know, yeah, I foster dogs and cats and kittens and she'll tolerate the kittens, but she does kind of gimme this like side eye, like kind of stares at me, like, dude, come on.
And so. If I was gonna bring home another animal, I really have to consider, you know, how that's gonna affect Smoots. I really, I, she's really happy right now and I'm in just an apartment, so I don't necessarily have the space for a dog and her, 'cause she would need her own kind of space from them. So, you know, when I see an animal, certainly, you know, I like, oh, you should take it home.
I'm like, well, I [00:34:00] can't. I just know, I just, I can't tell, you know? Mm-hmm. I have another chapter with pets. Yeah.
Gus Applequist: How'd you pick the name? Smoot. I'm just curious. Is that a specific thing? I don't know. Can I
Brandon Sokol: say and
Gus Applequist: can,
Brandon Sokol: can people, can you cuss on this show? Probably not. Probably
Sydney Collins: not, probably not. It kind of was just, you know, a bunch of
Brandon Sokol: nicknames for these little kittens that I had.
Fair enough. Yeah. And, uh, and uh, fair enough. It just morphed into Smoot. Oh my gosh. That's, and then I learned that SA Smoot is like kind of an obscure length of measurement. There's like, maybe before they standardize measurements, you know, they're kind of using whatever they had. And there's, this guy's a last name, s Smoots, maybe at some, I wanna say like maybe Pennsylvania or somewhere.
There's a university, this guy's last name, Smoots, he was building stuff. There's a, there's maybe a couple bridges there that are measured in Smoots. So it's a, okay, that's funny. An adorable little cat or an obscure length of measurement.
Gus Applequist: I learned so much today,
Sydney Collins: so much. See, we have a menagerie at our house is what the Well, that's what the vet calls it.
'cause we have the cane corso. We have [00:35:00] a German Shepherd Greyhound mix. We have Simba, Nala, the cats, we have Ollie, the Guinea pig. We have August, who's the lost hamster? And then because every family has a lost, lost hamster, I feel like that's, we're not giving up
Brandon Sokol: hope.
Sydney Collins: We're not giving up hope. It's been like four years, but August the hamster and then a snake that we had a week that got out in the
Brandon Sokol: garage.
Sure, sure. But we're not getting, we're not hopeful. He's coming back. Coming back. Well, yeah.
Sydney Collins: He was a baby python, so, oh
Brandon Sokol: man. Yeah, man. We had a baby anymore. I talked my mom into getting gerbils one time when I was a kid and they were supposed to be male and female, or no, excuse me, two girls. Two, two girls.
And of course they weren't.
Sydney Collins: Yeah.
Brandon Sokol: And
so it's like we end up with 14 of them and they all escaped one night. All of 'em. My mom was so mad. I mean, again, if I could cuss on this show, I'd be telling you what she said, but she was so mad. And then we had this other cat, Dootsie We love weird. We love weird names.
Yeah. Smoots and Dootsie Smoots. Yeah. And Dootsie Dootsie was such a good little cat and just a tremendous hunter. also like yeah, just [00:36:00] would bring all kinds of animals to the, to the doorstep and stuff. She got stuff. She dur
Sydney Collins: didn't she?
Brandon Sokol: She got 'em all. Yeah. All but one. I think one died up.
Behind the refrigerator and we had to get a new fridge. Like again, not mom was not happy, Uhhuh, but she was, I remember cheering her, cheering Do on Get Them TURs. And I'm like, no, they're my TURs. And mom was like, I don't care. And this, and then she'd wake you up in the middle of the night like crying, like, I got you something.
And people in my dead TURs, oh no, that's like 11. In this episode of
Sydney Collins: Hanson, we learn about Brandon's childhood trauma. Yeah.
Brandon Sokol: Oh, that starts young.
Sydney Collins: Well,
Gus Applequist: I have, I have a last question. Okay, good. Okay. Um, um, okay. This, this is a little more of a deep question. Oh, good. Sorry.
Community Support for Animal Shelters
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Gus Applequist: Um, what does it say about a community, how it takes care of its pets?
Brandon Sokol: Man, I want to give you like a real [00:37:00] elegant, like, response to that. I'm probably not gonna hit the mark, but totally fine. It, uh, it, it's compassion. You know, people that care about animals are, are compassionate about, you know, others that, you know, can't do things for themselves or maybe are, you know, needing that help and that assistance.
Um, I, I'm really fortunate to work. In this industry, in a community that does value pet ownership. I mean, certainly we've got, you know, the KK state, you know, veterinary college there. Um, it's inspiring to see the support that we get, um, especially when we have like a need or an ask and watch the city, uh, community rally around that.
Um, we're actually getting ready to renovate our dog kennels. It's, it's a half a million dollar project. Wow. And we were able. It's to fundraise for, for that, you know, and the city is, uh, gracious enough to help us with part of that, you know, but part of that facility, you know, like in that contract is, you know, that we're going to help.
They're, we're gonna help each other. Mm-hmm. Um, with, uh, facility improvements and, you know, managing the facility. And so we're going to really increase the, the capacity for caring for dogs [00:38:00] there. Um. Also gonna be safer and more efficient. I mean, there's a lot of big improvements to that facility. And I mean, we can't do that without the community, without the dinner, the, the donations, um, you know, there, there's definitely places that just don't have that support.
And you see that and you know how, uh, you know how they're either the veterinary office that's contracted to do animal sheltering or you know, this organizations there, you see, you see that welfare. To me it's, it's, it's really inspiring. It's kind of what keeps me like going some days when it is tough or I have a really hard day.
I mean, it's like, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm here for the, the community. You know, they've invested in us to, to do that, that role. And yeah, we, I think, uh, I'm really proud of our team. They do a great job. Hm. I'm proud of our community, man. I mean, yeah, it's, uh, it's crazy how far pet ownership has gone, you know, in just the 10 years that I've been in this industry.
I'm sure 10 years before that it was totally different and, you know, again, just, you know, probably just, just less and less investment into it. So kinda got into it at a good time. [00:39:00]
Sydney Collins: Wow. Brilliant.
Gus Applequist: Is there anything, uh, you'd like the public to know? Ways that can support you or, or just animals in general?
Brandon Sokol: Yeah. Um, you know. Your, your local animal shelter needs your support. they need you to come see them when you're interested in getting an animal. You know, donations are great, but ultimately adopting a cat or a dog, frees up space for another animal that we can serve. And so that, that has a huge impact.
if you're wanting to help animals is to, you know, start at the animal shelter. Maybe we don't have what you're looking for. But you know, we can point you in the right direction. We can help you find one that is up for adoption somewhere there's some really good resources online. Adopt a pet.com. our website, prairie paws.org You know, we really are trying to find animal's home. Um, if you need, you know, if you, if you live an area that doesn't have an animal shelter, our website under the re home, a pet's tab also has a link that says, list my pet for private adoption. There's a lot of areas in Kansas that don't have. To services to support an owner surrender.
Um, and it's a valid thing to need. You know, I remind [00:40:00] myself and the team all the time, like we are, we are in this role, we are hired into this role. So yeah, we're going to experience these situations where someone has to get rid of an animal, whether for better or for worse, or a good or wrong reason, like that's what we're there to do.
And so we can't be frustrated by that. You know, we kind of have to be compassionate and understanding in those situations and offer that, that support and advice and find that solution, but that, you know, rehome up. PET tab has that list. My pet for private adoption. So if you don't have an animal shelter, you can use that.
We have a promo code that that makes it free. Um, it, it's only like 10 bucks, but I mean, you can list them on there for an adoption fee so you can help kind of vet your animal to where it's going. Um, but, but that, that can be really useful for, for some people. Also, you know, low cost bay neuter clinics. Um, we have one that we operate, um, again through our website, Prairie pause.org.
You can find that low cost bay neuter tab. And we're renewing 'em right now out of our Manhattan facility and also the Ottawa facility. And we're, we just built a mobile unit, so we're gonna be taking that to the areas in the state that don't have. Those [00:41:00] services. Brilliant. We're gonna be partnering with animal shelters, you know, so basically those animal shelters will provide a space.
Mm-hmm. We're gonna ask them to provide a place to plug in. Um, we're going to spay and neuter animals in their community at low cost, but we're also going to spay and neuter the animals at their facility. For free.
Gus Applequist: Wow.
Brandon Sokol: Essentially, they provide the space, they provide the plugin, allow us u use that we're gonna spay and neu to their animals.
'cause one of the barriers for, for some of those facilities is, you know, the access to vetting. You know, it's like may maybe adopt out more dogs if all those dogs were spayed or neutered first. Um. When they can afford that. You know, 'cause some places are probably paying full price at, you know, a local veterinary clinic to get that done.
Um, we wanna make sure that it, it gets done. We save more animals. So trying to make, you know, a, a, a statewide impact.
Sydney Collins: Hmm.
Brandon Sokol: Yeah.
Sydney Collins: Right. Wow.
Gus Applequist: Well, thanks for coming on asking him. Thank you. Pleasure. This was really quickly. Yeah. I appreciate you guys. Yeah. Appreciate it. It was so fun to see how the, I, I guess the cat energy curve is just consistent.
There's, there's no [00:42:00] dip. They've just been running the entire time. Hopefully they'll sleep on the way home. They were pretty loud
Brandon Sokol: on the way here. Oh, I'm sure. And like crying kittens kind of. I don't know. It's just something about how this makes me a little on edge. Like it's just stressful. It's everything's fine.
Gus Applequist: That is fair. Well, thank you so much. Thank you guys. Appreciate
Sydney Collins: it. Want to spread your organization's message across Kansas? Consider becoming a sponsor. Ask A Kansan has a unique focus on Kansas and its people by sponsoring our podcast, your organization can reach people from Cando to Kansas City, Wichita, Washington, and all the great places in between.
We have a variety of sponsorship packages available To fit your budget and needs for more information, visit ask aan.com/sponsorships. Or call us at (785) 571-9507. Well, I hope
Gus Applequist: you enjoyed that interview with Brandon. Uh, I, I really don't know much about. Animal shelters and all of that. So it was just a fun chance to, to kinda hear and, and, uh, interesting to understand like the, [00:43:00] they're an independent nonprofit it seems like.
Mm-hmm. I guess we didn't really dive into it, but, and then they're contracting out with cities, is that right?
Sydney Collins: Right. So they contract with the city and some other organizations to help with funding and then have partnerships with, um, the different entities in, in those cities. And I, I actually really like the.
Dynamic of having a nonprofit organization. Mm-hmm. That's not directly with a city municipality, because I feel like there's a lot more flexibility in what they can do and what they can't do. And it takes the politics out of it. And I feel like sometimes that may, that can kind of get in the way it, yeah.
To me, I kind of, I'm going now, I'm really going off the rails here. Um, I've kind of. Just had this realization, like right now, as, as I'm talking of animal shelters and healthcare, like if you imagine having [00:44:00] all your vet and animal, animal like health be controlled by the government, you know what I mean?
Hmm. Hmm. For some I not, there's not entirely, but not entirely, but like, there's a weird connection there in my brain, but that's what I, I don't know. Yeah. There you go. Yeah. I think Sydney's a randomness for today. There's
Gus Applequist: things that, that government is, is good at or halfway good at, and then there's things that they're not, and, um, you know, animals might be one of those things that a partnership is necessary.
Yeah. Yeah. And so, so bravo to bravo everything you're doing. Bravo. It seems like a cool, cool formula. Mm-hmm. So, uh. I have a segment for you if, if you're ready for it. Sure. Okay.
Who's That Kansan? Game
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Gus Applequist: Welcome back to who's that? Kansan, uh, the game where the silhouettes are mysterious. The clues are questionable. And the Kansans, well, today they're a little off their rocker.
Uh, go ahead and make that full screen if you could please. Yeah, he's working on it. Sweet. Okay. Uh, Kansas has produced some incredible people, but it has also produced a few [00:45:00] legends whose hobbies included, let's call it enthusiastic behavior
Sydney Collins: off their rocker. Yes. Okay. So, so
Gus Applequist: our theme is off their rocker.
I've got three silhouettes ready to go. Your job is to guess which notable, but maybe a little bit unhinged Kansan you're looking at. Okay. Okay. Alright, ready for our first one? Uh, silhouette number one. This kansan was intense, like start a movement, carry the weight of justice on their back and absolutely will not be chill about anything intense.
Born in the early 18 hundreds, this figure became known nationwide for their, let's call them passionate interventions. Some called them a hero, some called them a madman. Everyone agreed they had the energy of someone who drank a Pohto of coffee before bed. This person is deeply tied to Kansas history, especially during a certain heated period.
Think fiery speeches, bold actions, and absolutely no patience for compromise. And I can give you some hints 'cause I'm not totally,
Sydney Collins: I have no idea.
Gus Applequist: Okay. [00:46:00] Um, there's a color in this person's name. Uh, this person, uh, is memorialized within the Kansas Capitol Building and this person was hung. After a raid at a ferry,
Sydney Collins: I have no idea.
You'll,
Gus Applequist: you'll know him once you hear him. Um, uh, the Tanner's gotta guess. Tanner,
Sydney Collins: what is it?
Gus Applequist: Oh, John Brown. John Brown is correct. John Brown. Oh, I should have known that. Uh, here's, here's John Brown. So, uh, the man, the myth, I should known that myth, the beard that could block out the sun. Um, he, he's an icon.
J. Brown, sorry. John Brown was a fierce abolitionist who believed slavery would only end through decisive, even violent resistance. His actions during bleeding Kansas intensified national tensions and helped push the country toward the Civil War. Whether seen as a martyr or a radical, he remains one of the most influential and controversial figures in Kansas history, and so So do you think he looks better with the beard or without it?
That's the [00:47:00] question.
Sydney Collins: Uh, I don't know. I couldn't tell you. It's got a good widow's feet going on though.
Gus Applequist: Yeah. Yeah. No joke. And, and quite the square forehead. Yeah. Okay. Moving on. Our silhouette number two. This kansan wielded a very simple tool, but used it with a level of enthusiasm, rarely seen outside of rodeo clowns, and people who find snakes in their garages.
This person traveled across the Midwest, making sudden, um, decorating decisions in bars, saloons, and establishments. Oh. That they felt were leading society astray. Their preferred method was, let's call it impactful. Mm-hmm. They were deeply religious, deeply committed, and deeply unconcerned about anyone thought of them when they walked in swinging.
Mm-hmm. Sydnee, who's at Kansan?
Sydney Collins: It was an ex, wasn't it
Gus Applequist: good? Yep. Yep.
Sydney Collins: She's from Medicine Lodge area.
Gus Applequist: Yep. Oh man.
Sydney Collins: Ah,
she was, I know it. You could say she was
Gus Applequist: known across the nation.
Sydney Collins: [00:48:00] Yeah. Carrie Nation.
Gus Applequist: Good job. Carrie Nation is correct. Um, yeah, if, if you have not, yeah. Uh, read up on wait. Rodeo Clowns, use Axis. I get, I'm gonna not, I used chat for a little bit of this and yeah, that was a little carried away, I will admit.
Um, just, yeah, just a little bit about Care Nation. She was a leader in the Temperance Movement, became famous for her agitations, where she smashed up saloons in protest of alcohol consumption. Yep. She saw herself as a dev as divinely inspired and became a national celebrity touring the country with her smashed.
Bar room souvenirs, whether applauded or feared. She was one of the most unforgettable activists to come out of Kansas. And now our final, uh. One of these for the day. Uh, captain Zer. This Kansan is an old west legend, a showman, a gunman, a lawman, and occasionally a very bad man. Depending on which historian you ask, I'm terrible at.
This person was known for [00:49:00] their wild hair, wilder outfits, and even wilder adventures. They served as a scout, a gunfighter, and a peace officer. Even though they didn't always bring much peace, their charisma was so strong, they nearly became a myth while they were still alive. Picture long coats, long hair, mustaches that could quantify his livestock.
And a life story that reads like a Hollywood script. Do you need some hints?
Sydney Collins: It's a wild bill Hickok.
Gus Applequist: Oh, you nailed it. First try. Well, you kept
Sydney Collins: saying wild over and over and over again, so I was like, that's gotta be a hint.
Gus Applequist: Yeah, wild Bill Hickok. Uh, so Hickok was a Frontier scout, a lawman gambler, actor, and gunslinger whose exploits made him a living legend.
His shootouts and adventures were so sensational that newspapers wrote about him constantly blending fact and fiction into a single myth persona. He spent formative, he spent his formula, I'm gonna just start that over. He spent formative years in Kansas towns like Abilene shaping our state's. Classic wild west identity.
So not too bad. Sydnee, you did good today. [00:50:00] Uh, hope you enjoyed, you have to see this last slide. I've known John Brown. Yeah. So that was off the rocker edition. Who's that? Kansan? Yeah. Yeah. So, uh, I think that's pretty much it for today. Yeah. Anything else? Do
New Year's Resolutions and Closing Remarks
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Sydney Collins: you have any, uh, new Year's resolutions?
Gus Applequist: Oh, right, 'cause 'cause it is 2026 after all.
Um, good question. Well, I, I'm hoping to finish our documentary.
Sydney Collins: Yeah, that's a good one. Mm-hmm. You. Clean my office.
Gus Applequist: Oh yeah. I think we would all appreciate that. Yeah. I think everyone would appreciate that. Cindy's, Cindy does business development work for her and for us, and which
Sydney Collins: means all the marketing stuff lands in my office, Uhhuh, and in the off season it's.
Is in the basement of our building, but in the on season it just is piled in my office so we don't have to keep dragging it up the stairs. Mm-hmm. Yep. Good times.
Gus Applequist: Well, we'd love to hear your New Year's resolutions for yourself or for [00:51:00] the state or for whatever thing you're into. So please comment that below.
And as always, like, subscribe, uh, leaving us Review is a awesome way to let others what you think about the podcast and hopefully direct more people to us. Um, anything
Sydney Collins: else? No, that's it. Awesome. See you later. Thanks
Gus Applequist: for tuning in.