To access links to resources and see some photos submitted by our storyteller, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/33.

Our storyteller for today actually reached out to me by leaving a voicemail on the website, which reminds me, have I told you guys that you can do that?! If I did it was probably ages ago, because I don’t remember it. It’s actually pretty simple, especially if you’re on your phone more often than a computer, instead of typing up an email you just visit myrescuerocks.net/contact and scroll down past the contact form and click on the big green button that says start recording. You get 90 seconds to leave me a voicemail, you can even review the message before you hit send, it’s pretty cool!

You can use this feature like today’s guest did, to give me the twitter version of your rescue story, if you’re interested in sharing it, you can also drop me a line to tell me what you think of the show, or to submit your response to any questions I put out there. You have 90 seconds, say whatever you want! If you take the time to leave me a message I’ll probably share it in a future episode! So go ahead, visit myrescuerocks.net/contact and let me listen to you for a change!

Here’s the teaser I got from today’s storyteller:

Amy’s recording transcript:

Hi Rebekah, my name is Amy Dalton and I would like to tell you the story of my 3 rescue dachshunds. I grew up with labs and golden retrievers, but one day I got a dachshund puppy, rescued one from a gentleman living in a single-wide trailer. And that first dachshund rescue led to a second one that I got from a rescue organization, which led to a third one, that is probably the best story of all. I would like to share that story with you. So if you want more information, I’m absolutely willing to write it up, or talk with you on the phone. I enjoy your podcast, thank you.

Well I cut out some of the juicier details in this clip because I didn’t want to spoil the story… but let’s just say, I was intrigued. So I immediately got in touch with her about coming on the show. This is Amy Dalton, and this is her story… 

To access links to resources and see some photos submitted by our storyteller, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/33.

Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it!

 You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!

To access links to resources, photos, and more, submitted by other listeners like you, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/32.

The Q: What do you do to de-stress from the hectic nature of rescue work?

This is the 1st Q&U episode of season 3 and I have a little surprise for you… we have a co-host for the upcoming Q&U episodes in season 3!

If you’ve been listening for awhile, you’ll recognize today’s co-host, Britney Felix, as our storyteller from episode 23, and that one’s called, Saving a Muttley Crew, when she told us all about how her favorite rescue ended up needing a rescuer! You might also remember that she was getting ready to quit her job, sell her house, and take off in an RV, on an adventure around the U.S. with her hubby and their 2 rescue dogs. Well they finally hit the road and I’ve been following the progress from the beginning on Britany’s podcast, Living Unconventionally.

I thought her perspective would bring some fun new stories to the Q&U episodes and I think you’re going to agree once you dig into our conversation.

We’re also going to be mixing it up a little bit this season, and I have a few expert interviews scheduled for October in honor of Pit Bull awareness month, so those will be going out in place of the Q&U episodes… and I might be bringing more experts on in the future, so if you have any topic requests for future expert interviews, be sure to let me know.

So today Britany and I are talking all about compassion fatigue and how to destress in the hectic world of rescue. Have you ever been overwhelmed with stress or felt lost and hopeless, and maybe felt guilty when you realize you can’t save every animal that pops into your facebook feed? You might be suffering from compassion fatigue… and if you are it’s time to pamper yourself a little bit.

Big Thanks to everyone who participated and submitted answers. I love all of your answers! Hugs and kisses to you all.

Ok, so here we go, enjoy the show!

To access links to resources, photos, and more, submitted by other listeners like you, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/32.

Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it!

You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!

To access links to resources and see some photos submitted by our storyteller, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/31.

I can’t believe it’s August already, and that means two things, 1) season 3 is here! And 2) this podcast is officially 1 year old! 

With a new year of stories ahead, My Rescue Rocks just got a new look to go with it! Have you noticed our new cover art for the show? A big thank you to Zach from podcastdesigner.com for that amazing birthday present! We’re kicking off season 3 in style!

I know I’ve mentioned it before, but one of my favorite podcasts is NPR’s Snap Judgment, and it’s in a tiny, 5-minute story I heard over there, that I discovered today’s guest.

That story was actually one of the inspirations that led me to create My Rescue Rocks; when I heard how one dog’s story actually changed laws that affected dogs across the US, I realized just how powerful stories could be.

Have you ever heard of Daniel: The Miracle Beagle? If not, you still may have heard his infamous story of survival, and you might already know how he escaped an Alabama shelter to become an ambassador for change with celebrity status.

If none of that sounds familiar, though, don’t worry, because Daniel’s dad, Joe Dwyer, is going to tell us all about it, and although the infamous “Miracle Beagle” is his most well-known rescue dog, he certainly wasn’t his first. I’m excited to be able to dig in deeper and put a spotlight on more of Joe’s story and bring to light some of the other dogs that have inspired him to help make an impact on homeless dogs all over the country. 

Joe’s love for dogs was always apparent, even in his earliest childhood memories… 

To access links to resources and see some photos submitted by our storyteller, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/31.

Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it! 

You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!

This question was shamelessly stolen from my rescue friends over on the west coast. Harold asked me this question once on his podcast and I thought it would make a fun episode… and he agreed!

To access links to all that I mentioned in this show visit http://myrescuerocks.net/30.

 Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it!

You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!

To access links to resources and see some photos submitted by our storyteller, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/29.

I found today’s guest, Kim Kavin, with a simple search at my local library. I searched “rescue dog” and a book popped up with the most adorable face on the cover. He had floppy ears, big brown eyes, and he was the same bluish brindle color that always fascinated me about my own dog. I checked out Little Boy Blue right away, and I knew, well before I had finished reading, that I would be getting in touch with Blue’s mom… 

When I first contacted her this past summer, I really wanted to dig into Blue’s story here on the show, but what I didn’t know was that she was already fully immersed in her newest book, The Dog Merchants, and, naturally, that’s what she wanted to talk about. At 1st I wasn’t really sure that talking about Kim’s new book was something I wanted to do here. You guys know that I like to zoom in on the individual stories of our rescue pets, and with no central fur-figure in the book, I couldn’t figure out a way to insert The Dog Merchants into the box I’d carved out for this podcast, so I almost disregarded it.

Months later, though, something reminded me to check up on Kim’s site and see what was going on with her new book, even though I was still secretly plotting out a way to convince her to come on and talk about Blue. That’s when I discovered that Kim wasn’t only about to put out a new book, but she was also in the throes of launching a website that, I think, has the potential to really make an impact on dog welfare.

I also found out that Kim had gotten inside the largest dog auction in the U.S., as well as one of the larger commercial breeding facilities, both of which were places where no other journalists had gone before. I was intrigued… I reached out to her to get my hands on a copy of the book, and once I started reading I couldn’t put it down.

Author, journalist, and rescue mom, Kim Kavin, tells us the story of what led her to writing The Dog Merchants, and how she formed the idea for a website that could really get us all on the side of the dogs! 

Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it!

You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!

I met today’s guest when I first got involved with Pets Alive. Everyone was always praising this volunteer groomer who worked wonders on the dogs and I had to find out more. She was like this mystical creature to me, because, unlike most of the volunteers there, her work was usually done in her shop and so I never had the chance to meet her in person.

So I stalked her on Facebook and asked her if I could take before and after photos of her at work, she seemed just as excited as I was, and soon enough I headed over to Flawless Paws Pet Grooming to meet her.

I got to experience her love and patience for animals first hand for several hours that day and so I’m excited to be able to bring her to your ears today.

This is Shay Roda and this is how her story began… 

To access links to resources and see some photos submitted by our storyteller, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/27.

Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it!

You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!

The Q: Who is your rescue role model?

It can be anyone from a compassionate volunteer to a celebrity animal advocate.

I was excited to ask this question, but I was even more excited when the answers started rolling in. I knew you are all great people doing wonderful things for animals, but it’s so nice to find out how supportive you are of each other!

It was a pleasure to read your stories and share your favorite rescue advocates in this episode!

To access links to all the role models we mentioned, who inspire other listeners like you, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/26.

Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it!

You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!

Guess what?! Today, we’re finally bringing cats back on the show… I hope I didn’t lose all you cat lovers out there with an overdose of dog… yeah right, that’s not even possible is it? There’s no such thing as too much dog! 

And if it weren’t for my brief time fostering for Karuna Bully rescue, which, as you may remember, is the pit bull rescue I got Gracie from, if it weren’t for Karuna Bully, I never would have had the opportunity to chat with today’s guest. Mick Teti-Beaudin was a fellow volunteer at the rescue, and I was always amused by the photos she posted on facebook. There’s Angus her pugle and Jakey, her pit bull, who Mick’s always proud to show off as an amazing advocate for his breed.

She may have posted her cats here and there, but I had no idea she was such a cat lady until she started fostering for Andy’s friends and her Facebook feed went feline. Turns out Mick was always crazy about cats, ever since she was a little girl… 

To access links to resources and see some photos submitted by our storyteller, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/25.

Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it!

You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!

The Q: What can we do to help rescue more animals?

I originally set out to come up with 101 ways to help rescue pets, but after several months my mind was coming up blank, so when I finally hit 50, I figured it’s better than nothing. A list of 50 ideas can’t help animals at all when it’s sitting all alone in my notebook, so I thought maybe you can help me grow it!

If you have any ideas that I missed, please leave me a comment on http://myrescuerocks.net/24. Help me get to 101 ideas!!! This is also where you can access links to all the resources I mentioned in this episode.

Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it!

You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!

Our guest for today’s show has a personal history that I can really relate to. Nearly everyone I’ve interviewed so far has seemed to have been born a rescuer, there was never anyone who shared their “before-I-got-into-rescue” stories, there never even seems to be a “before.” I don’t know, maybe I’m just not asking the right questions…

You might know how I was introduced into the rescue world, but I’ve never told you that my life before that was overflowing with store-bought pets, and a few that were bought from breeders. Except for the cats, of course, because of all the strays in our neighborhood… does anyone actually buy cats?

Anyway… I remember at least one dog and countless cats that were never even allowed to come inside throughout my childhood… was it my fault… no… but the memories still make me sad and for some reason, they still make me feel guilty.

So that’s why I want to give a huge thank you our amazing storyteller, Britany Felix, for telling it like it is – I appreciate it more than you know. 

In this week's rescue story, Britany Felix talks about how her soulmutts came into her life and how her favorite rescue ended up needed a rescuer themselves! 

To access links to resources and see some photos submitted by our storyteller, please visit http://myrescuerocks.net/23.

Please help us spread our rescue stories by sharing this show with a friend, PAWlease, I’d really appreciate it!

You can also help out by subscribing, and leaving a rating and review on either iTunes or Stitcher. Thanks so much for your support!