Jennifer: 0:24

Welcome to another episode of Behind the Dreamers. I'm Jennifer Loehding and we are talking to the achievers, the creators, the magic makers and the dreamers. These are our friends, these are your friends and they are living the extraordinary. I'm so excited about my guest today because I love what she is doing. She's a dedicated advocate for domestic violence survivors and their beloved pets. She's like totally speaking my language. With a background in public health and a passion for animal welfare, she has navigated the complexities of helping survivors find safe housing for their pets. Through her foundation, she provides temporary care, foster networks and support systems for both humans and animals. So we're going to be talking to her in just a few minutes, but before we do that, I do need to make a few announcements.

Jennifer: 1:09

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Jennifer: 1:57

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Jennifer: 2:28

Forward slash, jennifer. Loading. That is L-I-N-K-T-R, e-e. Forward slash, jennifer, with two Ns and then loehding is L-O-E-H-D as in-D-O-G-I-N-G. There, you can unlock your free leadership resources and take that first step to your leadership aspirations. So with all that, I'm so excited to get my guests on here. We have lots of words. We got to get out before we do all that. So Orazie Cook is the founder of Praline's Backyard Foundation. Through her dynamic leadership. Praline's Backyard Foundation has become a beacon of hope for countless families and their beloved pets. As a renowned speaker Orazie, Orazie takes her mission beyond the foundation's walls, engaging with the community and inspiring thousands to join the cause. Her dedication to fostering networks has enabled countless survivors to find peace, knowing their pets are cared for and loved. So, rosy, welcome to the show. I'm so excited to have you here today.

Orazie: 3:24

Thank you, jennifer. I appreciate the opportunity.

Jennifer: 3:26

This could be so much fun. Yes, it's going to be good. So it's funny. I think it's so great. I want to say this it's so awesome that you contacted me because, you know, I grew up and I know that you're doing kind of this really neat thing and I love what you're doing. But it's so interesting that you contacted me because I grew up in a menagerie of pets. Like my family was like the finder of pets, and what is so funny is because now in my house with my kids my kids are all grown now, my youngest is now 19. I don't know. You know, I think about this like we have a menagerie of pets in our house right now and all of our pets have pretty much been pets that we have rescued from different organizations, and so I think it's so like befitting that you have contacted me, because when I told some of my friends that they were like oh my gosh, she was meant to contact you. So I'm excited to have you here today.

Orazie: 4:16

Oh, thank you. Thank you, glad to be here. So this is fun.

Jennifer: 4:19

So tell us a little bit about the foundation I want to start there what you got going on over there and what you're doing.

Orazie: 4:25

Okay, great Praline's back to our foundation. We house pets, a domestic violence survivors, via pet boarding facilities. We have partnerships with and just pet boarding facilities, just nationally, and aiming to take away one of the barriers of survivor experiences when they're leaving an abuser, lack of housing for their pet, and so what we do like the survivor contacted me today and they were trying to leave a situation where they were being abused physically, emotionally or financially. We would provide housing. We'll say, oh, you're in immediate danger. We need to move you right now. Can we get? Let me I do know a pet boarding facility that you wanna house your pet at.

Orazie: 4:56

If so, then let us contact them and we'll pay for the boarding for seven days. During those seven days we will put out a call among our foster network to get someone to foster that pet. For the longer term We'll have we have fosters. We'll volunteer to foster with us or with other organizations and we just tap into all our foster networks to identify a foster for the survivor's pet. Once we identify a foster, we connect that foster with that survivor's pet at the pet boarding facility and then that foster will house that pet for up to six months. So we're doing that time that the foster is housing the pet, the survivors updated on that pet and they will communicate via me or the foundation in terms of how the pets are doing and just to give the survivor the assurance that pet has been taken care of, while they're having a moment of reflection and just taking care of themselves and their pet is safe.

Jennifer: 5:40

Yeah, and I could totally see how that would be kind of I mean a needed theme, because finding shelter for your pet when you're going through I thought it could be a barrier, right, like it could be a real, like you've got a pet. What do you do with it?

Orazie: 5:53

I don't know so, oh yeah, definitely. And we recognize that less than 20% of domestic violence shelters in the US are pet friendly. They're aiming to be 25% by 2025. However, we have a ways to go, even with that lack of access among the 75%. So I was just really leveraging our community partners to see how can we best support survivors of domestic violence.

Orazie: 6:13

Because I tell people all the time the survivors are courageous, have gone through whatever their experience is, but what happens is when they leave that situation, what resources are there for them when they do what's taking it that's available to them, and that one of the safety nets is for 's Backyard Foundation, because our goal is to not let any survivor stay in a abusive relationship do a lack of housing for their pet.

Orazie: 6:32

They may stay in a relationship for a number of reasons, but do not let it be because you're concerned about housing for your pet. We will provide you that support. So that's not the reason you're concerned. So you can really take time for yourself, be on healing and know that your pet is safe. Because we recognize, too, that 52% of survivors leave their pet behind with their abuser and what ends up happening is that abuser will try to use that pet as a means to bring them back or to threaten them that harm is gonna come to their pet, and so it automatically makes the survivor feel a moment of guilt. Just it draws them back into that cycle, and so we wanna make sure that we cut that cycle off so they only have that as an option anymore.

Jennifer: 7:11

Yeah, wow, and you were giving me chills when I was listening to you talk about that Cause, yeah, I mean, I follow a lot of shelters that are not even that Like I'm just talking about, like animal shelters, and I see these stories where you know most of these animals, they find them, right, like they get them, they're coming in off the street, but then you hear these stories where people have given their pet to one of these shelters. You know like they just moved or something, and then you wonder, is it a situation like that? You know, like I can't imagine because, like I said, we I grew up with pets and I feel like I'm, you know, I'm in my fifties now. I feel like I've had pets my whole life. I don't know that we've ever not had a pet. Like I was thinking about this now, like we have so many now and I'm like you know, do I get to a place where I'm like going to be done? And then I'm like, no, I probably will always have a pet in my house, right?

Jennifer: 7:56

But I see these stories. You know when I'm watching these shelters and I feel so bad for all these animals all the time, and so I love what you're doing, because I think that it's such a great Way to make this situation for these guys when they're in this. This is one less thing that they have to worry about and then the pet Doesn't suffer either, right, because they're the ones that end up suffering.

Orazie: 8:18

Yeah, and that's part of the reason why even established Freightlings backyard foundation. You mentioned how a lot of the over the overcrowding of our main societies now is because people are relinquishing honest for their pet For a number of different reasons. So when I was violent, the main decide that's what I would hear I would have survivors and relinquish honest for their pet because they were moving into a housing situation they did not accommodate for pets and they don't want to give their pet up, but because they were moving into this one, through this transitional phase, they didn't have housing for their pet. And so I'm on, that's a responsible thing to do as a pet owner, right, and so you want to. You want, you can't provide for them, so let me do this to the language ownership. That's responsible. However, that's not what you Sincerely want to do, and we have a budget of safety net for housing for your pet. That would be a better option for you. Then we want to be a given option to you.

Jennifer: 9:04

Yeah, that makes sense Absolutely. Oh, and I was gonna ask you what. What led to this? Like, what brought you to this place? Right, so this, yeah, doing this, because what did you? What? Now, how long is this, your foundation, been enforced and acted?

Orazie: 9:17

in three years. It's been since Kobe. I started it in the midst of Kobe because let me go back something else, because I domestic violence shelter here in Atlanta for years and I would see that happen. I would see survivors go back to an abuser and it was, and I was just learning that it's because they're pet. And I was Like I didn't have the tools out of resources, I believe, the knowledge of how to how to address that issue.

Orazie: 9:38

But then, and then I went on to the book of the main volunteer, the main society, up until Kobe. Then it was like I'm seeing the same issues people relinquish ownership. But then, mr Kobe, when I had a moment of reflection, I'm really thinking about what I want to do with my life and just like how can I meet this need? And because I we hear cases of increased domestic violence in the mr Kobe, it's like I know this is happening. So how can I meet this need? I had that, I have.

Orazie: 9:58

I'm older now, but I'm more than I'm older. We get older every day. So I'm older, I'm a, more experienced and I and I had the resources and the means to do some and I had the support and I had a and I had an idea of how to make this work, and so that's what I ended up doing. Is, because of that, seeing that increase like, let me do something. And this is how my response to Kobe's establishing a nonprofit Because I thought this is a need that I recognize is there, and and initially I wanted to build a building here at the house Pet, because this is where I live in Atlanta and I wanted to build something here. But then I thought, because of my experience in public health, I recognize that we tend to Bring people in from other places to establish programs when there are people already here that can do with themselves.

Orazie: 10:41

Right, right, me building a building Definitely amable, and that's commanding anybody for doing that is great. But how well? How can I work in partnership with other people, other pet boarding facilities, other pet fosters to make it bigger than Georgia? Because you recognize the message violence and the issue with pets is broader than Georgia. It happens in every state, at town, every community in this country, no matter what the social or economic demographic is. It happens in every neighborhood. And so, recognizing that, how can I work in partnership and that will make the message of Freightland's background foundation get even bigger by working in partnership with other organizations, because Other pet boarding facilities they already know how to handle pets right, right, how can I work in partnership with them to house a survivors pet?

Orazie: 11:20

And we have pet fossils everywhere, like you mentioned, how you rescue your family's rescued pets all your life, right. So there are people and families out there that love to rescue pets. I love to foster pets and people love to be able to meet someone in their moment of need and meet in helping us survive in their Moment of need. And you can provide housing to their pet and provide love and comfort and security to a survivor who's really struggling with making an adjustment because, and most. Most oftentimes, a survivor still loves abuse just because she left us. I mean, she stopped loving that person the moment she left. She's having a lot of heat or she is having a lot of emotional turmoil with that, so how can we support them best to do that?

Jennifer: 11:56

Yeah, I like it. I like it, my sister does. She's in my lovin in Dallas area. My sister, my folks all raised down in Houston, they're south, but my sister does some foster stuff too, has or has done some fostering before. I mean we don't have any room to put any more in here to do that, because I don't know if we've heard even put them anymore. I mean, like I had cats and dogs and rabbit, we got this and that my, we can't even put them all in the same room. You know, yeah, I tell you, but I think people that like pets, like pets and I love that. Did you say you were you worked in shelters and stuff, did you? Where? Did you have another career before you did all this? Because you started this during COVID. So were you doing like another? Well, another different type of thing.

Orazie: 12:37

Well, I have a dog, a dog walking business. Okay, I work, working.

Jennifer: 12:41

probably hell, I've worked in over 20 years and so that's like my.

Orazie: 12:45

I have a doctor in public health. I've been doing that for a while. I've always volunteer like in a moment. I was in high school. My mom always gave us the Initiative to give back to our community and one thing we used to make sandwiches for the homeless and take them down on the weekends and so, and when I went on the college I worked at a helpline and so we just always been a part of my life of giving. But because I didn't volunteer, because I have to Terminal appearance at the time, and so it's like I couldn't necessarily expose them to that, so I say I didn't really volunteer doing that time, but I did. I could create this and I could volunteer from my computer and just make phone calls and really connect with different people, and so that's how I started the foundation for you.

Jennifer: 13:20

That's so awesome, and I know a lot of people that have started Foundations, different types like. I interviewed a young girl one day that started one like her. I think her senior year of high school. She was a three-time cancer survivor and so she started this Organization called Lea's kids really neat girl. She's now in college she's actually first grade teacher now but she had a type of eye cancer and she survived and so she created this foundation to go into Play, help families that were dealing with cancer, to provide them necessities, things that the they don't get like, just you know, tools and things like maybe they need toothbrushes or something like that.

Jennifer: 13:58

And she has this word princess thing that comes in, like they dress up as a princess and they go visit the kid and that's, you know, the child that's dealing with the cancer and stuff. So I know I met so many amazing people that have created different types of foundation and I know that's not an easy thing to do, especially if you've never done that right. Like I've had people ask me before, like what do you do to start a foundation? Like I'm like I don't know, I've never done what, but I would love to know from your perspective. Like maybe one of the Because I always say we do real talk here, we talk about all the things with this, and but maybe one of the things that you felt like was a hurdle you had to get over to get this going.

Orazie: 14:37

I guess a personal hurdle was because probably I wasn't so into social media.

Orazie: 14:41

I got on Facebook in college, like when Facebook first started, and I dabbled in it for a second but got off of it. And so in the midst of me coming up with the foundation, if people say, get on social media, you know, tell them the story and people will donate and do all that. And so I initially did that and I did it just as a means of just doing it because people said do it. But then he was like, oh, get a 501c3. And I thought, well, I don't know, that seems like difficult, I don't know. But then I ended up doing it and it wasn't that bad. It was easy Because I'm a researcher by nature and obviously I love books, so it's like I can do this. So I did it and then I got the 501c3. People flooded me, they continued to support us and I appreciate that.

Orazie: 15:19

So I guess probably my own hurdle was me being the face of the foundation. Like I'm on social media, like my face is out there like three or four times a week and like, and when I see people like, pose, like thousand people that don't even know what my face looked, like, like and because I live in Atlanta and I have a high presence on social media, people see me in Atlanta when I go to doggy bits. People know who I am and it's like Starling the same. Oh, you're Orisie. I'm like oh, freyling's back here. Oh, ok, so people know me. So that's probably like getting over myself is probably the biggest thing I've had to do. But, but knowing that I'm reaching people and raising awareness, if I can be the face of the foundation of every survivor who struggles with leaving an abuser because of the pet, then I don't mind. My face can help someone else make a decision to better their lives and the lives of their pet. That don't mind, and that's probably just my own issues of being getting over myself to help other people.

Jennifer: 16:09

Well, and that's a common thing, and I could probably share some of that with you too, because I've, you know, having a podcast, right, obviously, I am the face, my face is out there, right. But you know, it's funny because I wrestle with social media like all the time, like I have to be there, but I hate it at the same time. Like I hate, I really like, when I even I talk about this, when I do the podcast, what I love is this the conversations. I love having the conversations and learning about people and sharing the stories and inspiring.

Jennifer: 16:36

But I could care less about all of the aspects of posting and getting it all Like. I just want to like put it out there, and it's like I was telling somebody that they have my. I just have the person that can like whip all that up, like just let me find the people do the interviews, engage in the conversations, record. I can do all that. I love it. But, like you, somebody else, do all that other stuff, but don't charge me a fortune to do it either, cause that's a podcast.

Orazie: 16:57

Well, you know, you know what I mean Exactly.

Jennifer: 16:59

It's a podcast, you know, and I have fun with it and I love the conversations, but I have wrestled with that too In different aspects of you know how to really put yourself out there and be the face, and you do. You have to get over some of that. In fact, it's funny. Yesterday I was looking at one of the clips that I put in on YouTube. I did a short from the last episode I put out. Great episode. She's a world record holder. She's a mama seven.

Jennifer: 17:22

I was in a terrible car accident and then decided to climb mountains so she went on Mount Everest and then she got this world record doing the seven seconds silence, Amazing. So I put this small clip, a short, about her talking about how the principal called her to report about her son. But then he was shocked because she was excited to talk to him. And the reason she was excited was not because he called about the kid, but because she wasn't supposed to be alive and that she was actually getting to have this conversation. And so I put this short up. Well, for whatever reason, I just pegged it, cause like people are looking at it and so I'm kind of excited. People are actually looking at it. But the funny thing is is that behind that, like you have to take all the garbage that comes with it too, like the dumb comments that come in right, the negative, the haters, stuff, and I'm like you know what I'm like delete, delete, delete. That's a part because we don't want to be faced with all that.

Jennifer: 18:13

Right, like we don't want to deal, we just want to do what we love to do, inspire and help people, and you know, but it's part of it. We have. We learn that doing what we're doing, we have to take some of those things and go and get the trolls and all the mean people.

Orazie: 18:24

Yeah.

Jennifer: 18:24

And, like you said, be okay with saying I really don't like being in the face, but if it helps somebody and I get to do what I love doing, then I'll sacrifice and be the face. You know what I mean. Like I'll be out there, yeah, definitely.

Orazie: 18:36

Because I was like, even with, my goal has always been from the beginning, because each year in the United States we have 10 million cases of domestic violence. Those are documented cases. We recognize that. Everybody is documented. However, my goal is to.

Orazie: 18:48

My goal at the beginning of this was to educate 10 million people and to create a community of 10 million advocates for every survivor right. And so my naive goal, in the sense of like, let me get 10 million followers. I don't like followers because I'm not Jesus or God, anything of physical sense, but I want to just be a community of 10 million people. And so it's like I think, when I see stuff that goes viral stupid stuff I'm sure you've seen it I'm like this is stupid, this is craziness. If stupidness can get viral, why can't like raising awareness about an important issue get viral as well? What's wrong with our society If stupidness can get viral and I cannot tell you about the issues or the barriers that survivors of domestic violence experience can't go viral.

Orazie: 19:28

Let's go viral with education. Let's go viral with something positive or something that's helping somebody else, because I always tell people I woke up this morning with a purpose. It wasn't just for me to be beautiful, which I am, but just like or to be whatever. My purpose is to help somebody else on this earth, because that's my purpose. If I have not done that, but I know that I am, I'm meant to do something. We woke up every day we're meant to help somebody's life in a positive way, and so I just want to. Every day, I want to be able to do that for someone, and so you can do that. Everyone listening to this podcast right now can do that for someone as well by liking, following, sharing, talking to your local pet boarding facility, fostering a survivor's pet, doing whatever is in your realm of comfortability within your community to help somebody else.

Jennifer: 20:11

I agree, I agree, thank you, yep, yep. And it is you have to. You have to get to a place where, yeah, you get to be okay with all of the stuff that comes with it, right, it just you just do it, yeah. So, because we love what we do, and that's a thing I mean, I feel like you know, we're all trying, most of us are trying to do something that we feel is going to do some kind of good, right, and it may come in the form of what you're doing with your foundation mind. I try to spread positivity and show these great stories and put things out there. You know, and I do it through my voice and the things that I do on my show, and so we're all doing, I think, these different things and using just different methods to get our voice and our passion and purpose and whatever it is we're trying to do, out there.

Orazie: 20:49

So it's good, aren't you Love it? I love it Well and the question.

Jennifer: 20:52

You answered another one of my questions. So I was going to ask you, like what's the reports, like how many of these domestic you know violence cases are out there, and how many dogs are our pets are you guys taking or like placing, you know, within a certain time frame, like a month or so, what are y'all looking at?

Orazie: 21:06

Okay, so on average. My dog just walked in here, sorry, it's okay, I got some.

Orazie: 21:11

Yeah, so on average we are providing housing boarding rather for about 50 pets a month and then we're supporting about 40 falses. On average, people move in and out of the fostering and pet boarding. So that's the average right now and that's our capacity, because recently I had to, I haven't done this. I need to do this on our website to limit the pets that we can support, for a person is four because it was getting like people have five or six and like that. That's like every pet is about $500 for seven days of boarding.

Orazie: 21:38

And that depends on where you are from Alabama to California, the price ranges from $25 to $60 a night, and you know they.

Orazie: 21:44

When you have a pet on board as your pet, you know that the board of the facility puts all these add-ons like take the dog for a walk, for food, because most time survivors didn't bring food with them when they dropped their pet on and so all of those different things add on to the cost. That's what we're averaging right now and we recognize to just yes about the numbers, about one in three households owns a pet right, and so, with that in mind, the amount of survivors you know they're just like any males in the population, and so that. But also we get phone calls from people that may not directly assist, Like I might get a call from a survivor today. He or she may not be ready to leave. However, what they're doing is investigating what's available to them when they do leave, and so that part of that is just educating them Like I've worked with survivors for over a couple of months before they're ready to leave.

Orazie: 22:30

They just want to get all the pieces in place before they leave, to know that they can be able to leave and not go back. That's one of the things that happens as well.

Jennifer: 22:39

Wow, it's awesome, awesome, awesome. All right, so I want to ask you kind of a personal question about you, because I'm all about the journey of the entrepreneur and what we learn in this. You know this process. I would love to know what you've learned, I guess, maybe about yourself and doing this, because this is kind of taken. You know, it's something different.

Orazie: 22:58

Yeah, I don't know. I I wouldn't see this in myself Like you could have. I couldn't tell me five years ago that I would own my own dog walking company, be leading a nonprofit, I'm like no.

Orazie: 23:11

I don't want to do that much work, like I just wouldn't have thought that of myself, not that I'm not capable, but just because it wasn't even an interest of mine. I had worked, like I mentioned, in public health. I have a doctorate in public health, I'm a master in public health, I've done all these steps to work in public health, to work at the CDC, and so it was like I've done all that. But now you want to give all that up and be a dog walker or lead a dog and then when I help domestic violence survivors' house or a pet like I mean, there is probably health involved in supporting domestic violence survivors. Really you didn't get a doctorate to do that. You got a doctorate to, like you know, change the world or do this that changed the world, but in terms of change how policies are done around public health, and I have done that and I'm proud of the work that I've done.

Orazie: 23:51

But at this point in my life it's like I want to do something different, and that different is walking dogs Because, as you probably know, there's a level of comfort, meditation, relaxation that happens when you go outside and you walk your dog. That's a I'm a nature person, so I just love being outside, being in nature and just letting my dog enjoy nature. That's therapeutic for me. And so, in addition to that, I recognize that when a survivor struggles with leaving an abuser, their pet is therapeutic for them, and so my goal is for them to continue to have that therapy, with the assurance that their pet is in care of.

Orazie: 24:24

Because what happens when a survivor goes into a shelter and they've left their pet behind with their abuser, they're not healing because they're still mentally concerned about their pet. It's just like, and that really hinders their progress. Because I can tell you I get stories all the time In the comments. I'll say I wish you were available for me when I left five years ago or even last year. I wish I knew. Things like you existed, Because they didn't know and they left their pet behind, something bad happened or they don't know what happened. That unknowing is really a part of it, has to become part of their therapy, part of their recovery.

Orazie: 24:57

And it's like that hinders their own growth, and so that's what I really. So I just I wouldn't have saw this in me. I wouldn't have saw me being entrepreneur, being an organization, like I said, being the face of an organization on social media, people knowing what I looked like. Yeah, I wouldn't have never saw that in me.

Jennifer: 25:14

I think what's neat about that, though and that's one of my favorite questions to ask, because it's kind of a personal question, right, like it's not about the company, where it comes more about you, the human being, right. And I think what's neat is when you listen to, like, what you just said. Even though these things are different than what you did, in a sense they are. In a sense they're not because you're still helping humanity in some way, like you're still there's a part of you that's still finding this way to make a difference, and I think that's what's so neat about.

Jennifer: 25:41

When you look at, like, people's journeys, it's so fun because the things, if you were to go from the beginning, right, like when you started in public health, and you were to look at where you are now, there'd probably be some gaps in it and you'd be like, okay, how did I go from here to here? But there's always, if you look through the progression, there are pieces, right, like there are pieces that lead you to this, and I was talking about it's like funny, you go back and you talk about your dog walking. That was kind of this segue to this next piece that you were doing, and so I think it's funny. How, and I don't know, did you grow up with pets, like, did you have pets when you were young?

Orazie: 26:14

Okay, let's see, exactly, I think the only time I didn't have a pet was when I was in college. I guess I was in the dorm, yeah.

Jennifer: 26:20

So you see, so you've been exposed to that, so it wouldn't be totally far out there for you to be in this right. And that's why I look at this too, because I also I do. It's funny because I do entrepreneurial coaching and then I'm a podcaster, but then I also do pets sitting on the side for some, and I have like repeat clients that come to me.

Jennifer: 26:36

They pay me well. Most of them I just drop in. I have a couple that I stay over, sometimes overnight, but they're like my repeat clients. I get five stars every time I watch their pets. They watch it, oh yeah. And so if I had never had pets in my life, that would probably be a weird thing, right? But I've been caretaking for pets since I was a child, Like you know, and I joke that we're like a menagerie. My kids do the same thing. They've got pets, you know. So I think it's neat to find out these journeys, and that's what I love about. That question is just like, what have you learned in this? Because when people really start reflecting, they look and they go back and they'll go. Now it really makes sense why I am kind of doing this now, because if I look back at everything I've done in my life, all the little, the journey's there, it's all along the way.

Orazie: 27:23

Yeah definitely.

Jennifer: 27:25

I think it's fun. I think it's fun, so any this is another fun question I wanna ask, and I love this one too. It's any like maybe inspiring words or maybe advice that you would give to somebody. Maybe that somebody new starting something, whether it be their own 501C3, or maybe they're just gonna embark on a new adventure and they have no idea what to do, like as this new budding creator, entrepreneur, cheever, whatever, Okay, well, there's a book by Dr Seuss that I love and I have a number of copies.

Orazie: 27:54

It's like my normal gift giving gift. It's all the places you'll go.

Jennifer: 27:58

I love that book.

Orazie: 27:59

It is my gift, for any graduation is my gift, and so it's just like all the places you'll go, like you'll go. It may not turn out the way you think, but it all turn around and just like. You'll go lots of different places, and it won't be all exciting all the time, like sometimes you'll get a bump in your head. No-transcript. I know the book by heart, actually, but I can't think of it in this moment. But it's a great book. So just read that book, get that book and whenever you have a moment, up or down, when you're high, when you're low, whatever read this book and it will just give you such inspiration and just remind you of reality and what your purpose is.

Jennifer: 28:31

I had a teacher my senior year that introduced that book to us. I think I've actually given that book to one of my kids. I think I might have gave that to my middle when she went to college. I love that book as well and it's funny because I think I've done post, even wrapped around that book for certain things. You know I love Dr C stuff anyways, but that book is. Yes, I love that book. So thank you for sharing. So if our audience wants to get in touch with you, maybe we have somebody out there that hears this and they know somebody, or they're in that position, or maybe they just want to find out what you're doing and a little bit more about your organization. Where would you like us to send them?

Orazie: 29:04

Definitely go to Praline's BackyardFoundationorg Praline, p-r-a-l-i-n-e-s Backyard BackyardFoundationorg. On that page you can learn about all the things you can learn about If you need your survivor and you need assistance housing your pet. There's a link that says for survivors. If you are a pet foster, you want to be a foster? You go to where it says a map of our coverage area on that page. Let's become a foster. If you are a pet boarding facility, I'll work at a pet boarding facility and you think your pet boarding facility would like to be one of our partners in terms of housing a survivor's pet for free, discount it or just being a location that I can call on when I need a survivor's pet. Reach out to us and fill out that post, that link that says partner with us as a pet boarding facility. If you want to donate, there's a button on there that says donate.

Orazie: 29:45

But everyone that's listening to this do me a huge favor. Take you like five seconds. Go on your phone right now. Go to Instagram, tiktok, threats, youtube what is it? Facebook, instagram, all of them, all the social media. Praline underscore backyard follow, like and share. So definitely every follow helps us raise awareness. Think about if you follow, one of your friends will follow and we can just spread a little. You know, make it go, because we want to reach 10 million people. We're about 50 now, 50,000, excuse me. So definitely we want to reach a million. I would love to, oh, 10 million, but if we can just double it because of all of you, I would greatly appreciate it. We want to raise awareness. We want to get 10 million people in our community to represent the 10 million people who experienced domestic violence in this country each year.

Jennifer: 30:27

So awesome good for you. I love it. So keep doing what you're doing. It's good stuff. So thank you for being on the show, thank you for sharing with us and telling us a little bit about your journey and what you're doing, and it'll be fun to see. You know how this keeps kind of growing for you and the you know the awareness that you're bringing out there to the world.

Orazie: 30:45

So thank you so much.

Jennifer: 30:46

Yep, All right. Of course we do want to say to our listeners if you enjoy the show, do all those things she said, go check her stuff out, but do the same over here. Go check us out on Apple, give us a review over there, hit that subscribe button on YouTube so we can keep sharing all these great stories. And as I always say to you, in order to live the extraordinary, you must start, and every start begins with a decision. You guys, take care, be safe, be kind to one another. We will see you next time.