Adopt, Don't Shop: From Wildfire Rescue to Running a Humane Society

Cameron MainSo Kerry, it's been great to finally meet you at long last.

Kerri BurnsGood to finally meet you guys. I've heard so much and I couldn't wait to hear more about Fight a Dog. So this will be amazing.

Cameron MainYeah, your staff and everyone on site here has been incredibly complimentary. And even in the short time we've spoken before this, it's really reflected on the time we've spent with you. So it's great to be here and thank you for having us.

Kerri BurnsOh, absolutely. I've got great staff and we do great things for the animals and the community. So it's a win-win here. Yeah.

Cameron MainMaybe just quickly I'll get you to introduce who we have.

Kerri BurnsThis is the CEO.

Cameron MainOh, this is the real CEO.

Kerri BurnsThis is Bingo. Bingo came to us with three other siblings. Someone left them in a box outside the shelter. Bingo's about five weeks old. So, you know, people are like, oh, how could people do that? How could they just, you know, leave an animal... And we look at it a little bit different. At least they left the animals at our organization.

Cameron MainRight.

Kerri BurnsWe may have been closed at the time and they couldn't come in. But, you know, we found them. They're healthy now. They got their vet checks and they're going up for adoption here soon. So did you want to adopt her today?

Cameron MainI mean, I don't know how I'm allowed to say no to that or how I ever could.

Kerri BurnsYou can't.

Cameron MainJust these little eyes.

Kerri BurnsShe's sweet. She's adorable.

Cameron MainHopefully by the time we release this, she won't be here anymore.

Kerri BurnsOh, I'm sure she won't. Our average length of stay is about 10 days, and puppies go much faster.

Cameron MainWow.

Kerri BurnsYeah.

Chris NobleHave you managed to get the average time down? Because that's not long for a dog to be in a shelter.

Kerri BurnsYeah, no, it's not. It's because of the way that we run our place. We have conversations with people about what do you want, what are you looking for. We don't judge people that come in and we're like, oh, you're just not a good adopter. I mean, we have the right to say no, and we will. But when we have conversations with people, we learn more about their lifestyle, their family, and their needs, right? Because we want their next dog or cat to be part of their family for the length of their life, however long that is. And so it's done well for us, and the community trusts us. They know they can come here and find all types of dogs. We don't just have Chihuahuas and Pit Bulls, like a lot of people think, and we're not a scary place. You know, I hear all the time people say, I could never go to a shelter because I would want to cry or take them all home. We want to get rid of that. We do tours. We take people through. We show them behind the scenes. There's nothing scary here. Very transparent. And I think people would be really impressed to know what we do, especially with our dogs and cats all day. Our dogs, by the end of the day, are exhausted. They get walked three times a day. In between, they have enrichment programs. And cats have the same thing. So there's a lot.

Cameron MainI can actually testify exactly to what you're saying because even as somebody who works every day with dogs, who, you know, we have this amazing nutrition company, I find it very difficult to go into shelters because it upsets me. And even the last time we came here, it was a little bit emotional still. But when we came away, Chris and I spoke and we said, this is not a sad place.

Kerri BurnsThank you.

Cameron MainIt is not a sad place. And it's a very, it's a very... It's a warm experience. You go around and these dogs are not unhappy. It's not like they're sad in a cage just waiting for someone to hopefully, I guess, rescue them is the probably traditional word that you would use. But here you're more pairing them with a suitable home and it's just waiting for that to happen. It's almost like a matchmaking service.

Kerri BurnsIt is. It really is. And we want to be here. When people come in, from the beginning of the journey with their pet to end-of-life services, so whatever they need, whether it's food or veterinary care or dog training, we want to provide that so that your family unit, including your pets, stay together in the home, which is fantastic. We're very lucky here. We're also in Santa Barbara, California, so we have the sunshine all the time. On some enrichment days, the dogs go to the beach or they go to Lowe's or Home Depot. I just say, don't use the credit card. It's fine. But yeah, we do all kinds of fun stuff with them because that's the real world, right? The dog shouldn't just be sitting in a kennel all day. Let's get them active.

Chris NobleI imagine by having that culture, you have so many volunteers who want to come here with it being such a nice place.

Kerri BurnsWe do. Actually, we have a wait list now for the volunteers that want to come in here. Our volunteers are beautiful and amazing because they're an extension of our staff, right? So we can do that much more with the fantastic volunteers that we have, and they work side by side with our staff. And it's just so great to have so many people with such big hearts really want to come help.

Chris NobleIncredible. How did you get to this place? And I guess it'd be good to know how long have you been here and what did you see when you arrived and what changes have you made to make it such a cool shelter?

Kerri BurnsOh, my goodness. This has been a journey. So I've been in this business for close to 28 years. Before this, I was a police officer and I've been a social worker. I've done a little bit of everything. When I was little, I was like, I want to work with animals because I like animals better than people. And then I realized later in life, you really have to work with people before you can work with the animals. So I got into this, like I said, about 28 years ago. And it really kind of fell in my lap. I started working for PetSmart Charities and got to know groups across the United States and hand out funding and figure out programs. And then this wildfire broke out in northern Arizona. At the time, it was the largest wildfire in northern Arizona. And they called PetSmart Charities and got a hold of me and said, we need crates and leashes and bulls because all these animals are coming out from the fire. Being a former police officer, I knew about emergency response and logistically how to get all the information there. And so we shipped it, and it got there within 24 hours, and they said, wow, who are you? How did you know to do all this so quick? And Petsmart Charity has been great for organizations. And so then they said, you should come up and see what we're doing. And so I went up there, and because of my training, because of my passion for animals, within 24 hours I was actually behind the fire lines pulling animals out from the fire. Then I was asked to work on the team. So I spent 10 years of my life with a very elite rescue team in the United States. We were trained in swift water, rappelling, lived in an 86-foot rig, had a command center. So we went to all the different types of disasters when people needed our help. Hurricane Katrina, 9-11. I did the largest pit bullfighting ring bust with the FBI. Again, wildfires. So it really gave me... You know, an insight from a different view of what animals mean to us. Because when these people during disasters are displaced, the biggest thing they look for is their animal. That is their comfort. It's their emotional support. And it's such a part of their family to think about not just losing their property, but losing their animal. Oh my gosh, my heart just went out to all of them. And to watch them get reunited and the families are just hugging and the kids are just, they're whole again, you know, because of what they've been through with their pet. They could have lost everything else, but the family and the pet back together, that's just a beautiful sight to see. So after that, then I started working with shelters all across the US and I've also worked in Australia and Mexico and Canada. I started doing interim executive work. Right? Let's go in. Let's look at things differently. Let's make changes for the positive because everyone, you know, there's certain commercials. You see all these sad animals behind kennels. It's like, why do we do that? We don't need to. Right? Because we want people to come to us. So I started working and helped change several different organizations. And then my recruiter said, all right, where do you want to go next? And I said, all right, I'm getting older. I'm getting tired. I want a place I can make a difference that has the mountains and the ocean. Two weeks later, I end up in Santa Barbara. So it's like always put out there what you want in a positive way. And so I started here eight years ago. And my first year was, oh, it was crazy. Thank you for the kisses. So everything we did was on three-by-five index cards. Now, let me tell you this. This organization has been around since 1887. We're one of the oldest in the United States. Every single humane organization in SPCA in the United States is local to its own community. We don't receive funding. There are no national groups that connect us all. So we've been around for a long time, and it's been beautiful. So I came into a place that was still running like it was 1887, basically. It was not where it needed to be. We were doing maybe 10 adoptions a month, five to six surgeries a day. And it was just it was very backwards. Let's fast forward to eight years later, and we just surpassed our 2000th adoption for the year. Wow. Last year we performed over a hundred thousand procedures in the veterinary clinic for families and we started dog training classes and we've helped about a thousand dogs. Because what we've looked at is we said what does the community need? How can we help you keep your animal in the home? And so by providing veterinary care, dog training, support you know with adoptions and even pet food pantry, it helps keep animals in the home. And especially with the veterinary care and the medical side, we want to keep pets healthy, which is really where VitaDog steps in, right? Because we can, you know, everyone's got different diets. Oh, what about the raw diet? Or what about this diet for my dog? Or what about, and my chief veterinary officer, she's always like, oh, I hate that question. So people says, what should I feed my dog? It really depends on the dog. But just like humans, food alone, does not fulfill all of our nutritional needs. And so what you guys have developed is amazing because I don't have to walk into a store, because I have plenty of dogs in my life, and there's so many supplements to choose from, I give up. I'm like, I don't even know what I'm supposed to do. But my entire team has looked at your product. It's made in the US. It provides almost all of the nutrients that the animals need just for their daily supplement to step in for besides what we're feeding them. And what that does is it keeps the whole body healthy for a longer period of time. And I think we all wish our pets would live as long as we do. And this is just an extension. I was saying earlier, my dog passed away last year. And for me, she was that dog. If you understand that term, you know. And she had some arthritis and she had some things. And I know she was missing nutrients. I just couldn't tell exactly what they were. And I think if I would have had this product then... I might have had her for an extra year. And to me, that would have meant the world. And it's just, I think it's important that people understand the entire health component of the animals. You know, and we need to look, as humans, we need to look at our own health. You know, how can we stay stronger, longer, to support our families and our friends and ourselves, and being able to help the pets by... It's a powder. You mix in the water and you give it to them and they love it. You've got the peanut butter taste. You've got the beef taste, you know, that's coming in. And if dogs will just lap that up, it fulfills the gap that we have in the food and things we do. And I love it. So thank you for developing Bite a Dog and making it so simple. Walk in, one product, two choices, beef or peanut butter, and I get to go home.

Cameron MainAnd we're glad that you appreciate it as well. For us, longevity was always the goal. We always, you know, we know who that dog is. We've both been there. And for us, if we could have had an extra six months, let alone two or three years, we would have done anything for them, right? And it's as you say, I mean, we try to take very good care of our own health by supplementing in pretty much the exact same way. And when we would look at the market and see that more or less every single company was doing five to eight, sometimes many, many more products with crossover nutrients and God knows what else, and fillers that were not really that healthy. They're products that are very well known and very well used in the U.S. They have still today yeast and brewer's yeast and things like that inside them. It's very irritating for the gut. It causes itching. We decided that this is what we have to do. Our calling is to create something very clean, full of natural active ingredients, and that's just going to be beneficial, as you say, for the whole dog's body. And that's what our mission was, and that's why we're here today.

Kerri BurnsYeah, and you brought up a good point, is the gut health. I mean, dogs can get into everything, right? And we see it here in the shelter. And that's one of the biggest things is sometimes we have to get special food, medicated food to try to help with their stomach issues. And especially, you know, this guy, he's pretty young and we have to help develop good gut health And we see some of the biggest issues of gut sensitivity. And, I mean, you know, there's certain foods that don't do well when I eat them. And so with this, I love the fact that you made this really thinking about their whole health and what it does, especially to the gut. So thanks for throwing all that stuff in there and making it so easy. I appreciate that.

Chris NobleThere's so many visual things and visible issues and I think the gut is one of the most clear issues that a pet owner can see because they see it every single day. So we wanted to make sure firstly that was fixed but also one of the biggest things that we believe and we understand is When your dog starts to slow down, as so many people say, as they get older, or maybe they're starting to not be quite as mobile as they used to be, it's too late because all the changes inside that you can't see have already happened. And it's so much harder to fix it from that point. So we really want to take a proactive approach to animal health rather than reactive.

Kerri BurnsExactly. And that's perfect. And, you know, the sooner you start with this, and what I love about your product too is it's the basic nutrients that you need. So anybody from three months to, you know, the seniors can take this. And it's something that just really helps to put them on a level health playing field, you know, throughout the entirety of their life, which makes it nice. I have to go in and go, well, the dog's about four years old, so should I get the five-year-old stuff or should I get the puppy? Know they don't know what to do so it makes it simple and simple is good for all of us because we just sometimes we don't have time but we want to do what's best

Cameron MainAnd another another challenge which we we really noticed when we approached our mission was there are so many different types of food that are out there and no dog is exactly the same right so for some it's gonna be it's gonna be a really long time between finding the right food finding something that works on that stomach and our goal was never to say hey you must change your diet you must you must not do this you must do this instead we our entire thing is just add this and it'll make everything a lot better just add this and tomorrow will be a better day kind of thing

Kerri BurnsYeah. And, you know, the ingredients are they're simple, but they're the extra supportive nutrition that you don't always get in the food. And that's what I love about it. You know, my chief veterinary officer, she's she's research queen. And for her to say this product looks amazing is astounding because she does not say that lightly. And she'll say, you know, that dogs don't need this or why do they need this? And I love the fact that she really supported it and that, you know, we can get behind this and help families and help their dogs live longer.

Cameron MainYeah, and we're hoping that we can help you equally as well. I don't know if you know this, and I don't know if we'll include this or not, but we have been speaking to quite a lot of influencers in the dog space. And someone who's very much behind us is an account called Corgi Club Colton. I don't know if you know, it's the world's most famous corgi. And they have actually agreed to donate any proceeds of sales that they do to you guys from their account. And they have, I think, around 700,000 followers.

Kerri BurnsOh, my God.

Cameron MainSo I didn't know if you'd be knowing that or not.

Kerri BurnsOh, I love that. No, I did not know that. Oh, I love it. See, people have such big hearts for the animals. They do, yeah. And, oh, that's amazing. That will help so many homeless pets. And especially when they... It'll help us here, right? And then help it when they go into their home and get the supplements and keep moving. And the more people that tell the stories, the more people that know. And if we continue telling the same story of why things work or why we're here as an organization to help the community and help the pets and the influencers talking about certain products that they know is good, this is what makes the world an easier place to get things and do things. So, oh, thank you. I love that

Cameron MainAny way that we can help we'd love to um and whether it's volunteering or trying to source donations we're we're here for you guys and I will say one thing which we don't do at vita dog is we've never paid an influencer to post anything and every single person who posts um generally will donate any money that they receive out of a sales commission or whatever it is to a charity and that's what we encourage so it is really good people in the world yeah it's people who believe in the mission and people who want really the best for dogs that is what we try to do

Kerri BurnsYeah. Well, I always say that animals have so much more to teach us than we'll ever learn in our lifetime because we don't pay enough attention. And if we did pay more attention, it's simple things. Every time your dog takes a deep breath, do it with them. It calms down your entire body. It calms them down, too. Of course, don't have to whine like puppies whine because that's more anxiety. But there's just simple little things that we can learn from them. And, you know, I always think about this, especially from our organization. It's been around since 1887. If you think about 1887, where were dogs? Well, they were kind of out in the fields, right? Just running around. They were like, shoo, get out of here, you know, kind of thing. And then eventually they came up closer to the homes. And then we'd toss some food out there. They'd eat whatever was in the barns or, you know, that kind of stuff. Then they came into our yards, eventually onto the porches, then into the houses. And I don't know about you guys, but my dogs are now in my bed, right? So, I mean, we've come a long way. So it's important that we take everything and we look at how far can we come and where will we go in the health of our animals moving forward. And so I love it.

Chris NobleYeah, the research is happening now and some of the stuff that we get to see as we go on this journey, because like I said earlier, our goal is dog health. This is the first product, but we are interested in all aspects of health and some of the things that people are doing in diagnostics or just understanding epigenetics of dogs and how we can change it is amazing compared to not even 100 years ago, 10 years ago or five years ago. It's incredible. We're going to see, I think, a big shift in the next two to five years in the way that people are looking at their dog's health.

Kerri BurnsWell, if you look at some of the research in the United States, they say just over 70% of households have at least one pet. Correct. Just over 40% of households have a child in the home. And, you know, people calling the pets their kids. So I think it's a trend that we're going to continue to see because, again, we know what animals do for us, especially, you know, the dogs and cats. And rabbits are the third most adoptable pet in the United States. So I'll give them a little push there, too. From an emotional, physical, and spiritual sense, they just help humans, no matter what. Think about COVID. Actually, if you look back in history, World War I, all these different wars, even during those times when the world was upside down, people took animals into their homes. No matter what type they took them in. Think about COVID. You know, if you look in the United States, people were adopting like crazy. Why? Because they couldn't get out. They were stuck in their homes and they're like, I need something that loves me unconditionally. I need something that's not going to yell at me because we're stuck together. And so they adopted, and it was absolutely beautiful and amazing. And if people would recognize more what animals bring to our lives, this is why, you know, with the right nutrition, we want to be able to extend their lives so that we can keep them longer.

Cameron MainIn your time working with dogs and animals, what have you really seen change in terms of the way that people approach health in the last 28 years, right?

Kerri BurnsYeah. You know, unfortunately here in the United States, other countries it's different. Pets are still considered property by law, right? And so there's been a lot of changes and it's moving fast. You know, we have a lot of big players, you know, UC Davis, different researchers throughout the United States. We have large corporations, which they're making billions of dollars now because of animal health. And what we're seeing and we know that people want to keep their animals healthier is, for example, right here in our own backyard. Like I said, we were only seeing a few animals at a time and now we're doing 100,000 procedures and we're going to be building a bigger space. Because we want to be able to help more animals come through. They recognize the need to keep them healthy, to get their shots, to keep them with them. And it's becoming more of a topic where before health for animals was just not a thing. It was just keep them in the home and don't let them bark and bite people and good for you. And walking your dog was a good thing, but now it truly is about health. And that's the topic of conversation. In our industry, the future of animal welfare is not about adoptions. It's about medical care, access to veterinary care, and behavior and training. And so when we talk about access to veterinary care, we're talking about the full health of the animal. And that's where the conversations are going. And that's why I think with social media and everything out there now and research being done, billion dollar industry, we're gonna have more stuff come up much quicker. And I think you're at the sweet spot right now with your product and really getting it out there because people want this. They really do. They might not know it right now, but the moment they start seeing the importance of this, and I think we're right on the cusp of furthering the health of the animals, they'll get it. They'll be doing more for them.

Chris NobleI think they do know it. You wouldn't believe the amount of people that reach out to us and even send pictures of their supplements cabinet. And I cannot believe how many things are taken, sometimes 20 products a day.

Kerri BurnsThat's crazy.

Chris NobleAnd they're like, I've been looking for something, but I care about my dog so much. This means the world to me. Please, can you tell me, does what you're doing match up to all of these supplements? And we do the research, we take it away, and we go through every single one and we say, yes, or maybe this is where the gap is, or this is how much of this it fills in. But people are desperate for something that's easy. And people we find as well start to do the research. When we do events, they come and tell us, oh, well, we saw this, we saw this, we saw this, but we didn't really know. And now I guess we're in the position where we can say, well, we've done the work for you.

Kerri BurnsYeah. And that's, here's the other thing that I love about this product is I know I've tried to do it. I know how much my staff has tried to do it and putting a pill in a dog's mouth. Um, you know, you try to hide it in cream cheese and you're like, they spit it out or you try to hide it in something. It's like, ah, I'm going to get this, you know, and this is easy. It's, it's a powder, you know, it's like a little protein shake and they can just lap it up and it tastes good. And you know, they go from there. So I appreciate you doing it this way.

Cameron MainOn the bottom of our every single bag, it says exactly this, dog health made easy. Yes. And that is something that we really, really try to embody and just, I guess, facilitate. It's not that one size fits all, but it's definitely that this size is going to help a lot more than not having it.

Kerri BurnsYeah, yeah, because the whole putting a pill down a dog's throat is not fun.

Chris NobleThe funny thing about this, when we started the journey and we started to go into manufacturing and we started to talk to people in the industry, people were telling us about what, well, manufacturers were telling us what trends they were seeing. And they said, hey, with the rise, a lot more people are taking supplements. So we've actually seen an increase in pill wraps. Why are you fixing that? Fix the supplement and do it a different way.

Kerri BurnsExactly.

Chris NobleMake it nice, make it tasty for the dog.

Kerri BurnsYeah.

Chris NobleThat was one of the funny things that we discovered on the journey. We were like, okay, now you're adding even more products on top of the supplements.

Kerri BurnsI can't tell you how many different things we have in our refrigerators to try to get shelter dogs to take their medications. Right. I mean, you name it, you know, pumpkin and cream cheese and, you know, peanut butter and pill pockets and, you know, lettuce, if that works. Whatever works to get them to take it. Well, you know, I don't. Like you said, when there's a pill in anything, I think they go, you know.

Chris NobleThey don't.

Kerri BurnsAnd then you find it later. You're like, oh, I thought you ate that this morning. Yeah. Or if you have multiple dogs in your home, you put a pill in their food and you think, got him. And then the other dog comes and eats it and you're like, no. So at least this way, it's anybody in the household, any of the dogs in the household can take this.

Chris NobleYeah, they should all take it.

Kerri BurnsYeah, yeah, yeah. Well, let's get every household to have a bag of this.

Chris NobleThat's the goal because that'll help us take the next step and do even more. We've got big plans coming for the future of VitaDog

Kerri BurnsBig plans. Yep. Start young, start soon, and keep them healthy. And, you know, get their vet checks, make sure that they have a great baseline to start from, and maintain this. And I think with the VitaDog supplement, making it so easy, so easy on the stomach, and giving them that, you know, the nutrients they lack, it's just, it's a win-win. So keep our dogs longer. I would love to have had my Callie an extra year.

Chris NobleYeah. I think a lot of people know how that feels. Yeah. Every person we've spoken to has the same story and it's not, it's not a story they should have.

Kerri BurnsYeah. And it's, you know, it's always, well, could I have done this or could I have done that? And it's like if, you know, especially with the supplement, at least, you know, you're, you're filling a gap of basic needs. And so it's not something I would have questioned if I would have had this before.

Cameron MainIt's exactly what you've just said. And I don't think I've ever thought about it in such a way. The question is always, could I have done it? I have never heard someone say, would I have done this? Because every single person would have done it. It's just, it's about education and knowledge.

Kerri BurnsYeah. And with something so simple, why would you say no? Why would you say my dog doesn't need it? And then down the road, that's where you would go into the, oh, I should have. Yeah.

Cameron MainSo, one thing I do want to ask you is you talk about being proactive rather than reactive. This is, I think, a bit of a famous one for you to have said.

Kerri BurnsYeah, it's, I think especially in shelters, too many shelters are reactive in their work. Like, oh, dogs are coming in, strays are coming in, you know, we gotta, we gotta, we gotta, we gotta, right? What I love about my staff and how we do things here is we actually take a breath and we just say, how can we help you? What do you need? How do we get to yes? Because it's really gonna be better for us to spend 20 minutes up front having a conversation with you, whether it's about the health, whether it's about relinquishment, whatever that is, it's easier for us to have a conversation up front and be proactive to find out what is really the bottom line issue than just to take a dog in. Which is why, you know, for everything that we do, Most people can't afford veterinary care, or they're moving, or they don't have time. Those are the top three reasons that people turn in animals into shelters. So with our veterinary care, we can help them out because as a 501c3, all of our money comes in from our donors and our community. And so we're able to say, if you can't pay for it, guess what? Our donors and our community have given us the money to pay for it. And you can take your animal home. And people come in here and, you know, there was this one gentleman. He came in, big guy, got out of his pickup truck and he had two big dogs. And he walked up and the dogs loved him. They were jumping on him and everything. And we're like, we have training for that. But anyways, he came up to the staff and he said, I need to turn in one of my dogs. And my staff said, tell us more. Because most shelters would be like, okay, yep, what's your name? And my staff was talking to him. And they're like, just tell us, why do you need to turn in one dog? And he just kept saying, I just need to turn in one dog. Because most men... In a lot of countries, they don't talk about what they need or what they feel. And women are that way too, right? And it's a guilt thing, especially with your animals. It was about 30 minutes later that the guy finally admitted to my staff, I can't afford food for two dogs. I've lost my job. And we said, you know what? We're going to give you as much food as you need. You go home with your two dogs, and if you need anything else from us, you come back and ask. That's what makes us a great resource. And to watch him go home with his two dogs, that's what we want to do. We want to create safety net programs that help pets stay in homes. And I think we've been able to divert, if I had to guess, probably 40 to 50% of the animals have been able to go back in their home because people don't know the resources and the options that they have. Now, unfortunately, not every community has this. They can offer these resources, but people forget to ask. Here's what I need for my pet. Can you help me? And again, our philosophy is how do we get to yes? And if it's not us that can help, we have partners in the community. And it really makes it a win-win. If we could do this in every community... It would be amazing for the pets, especially those in our shelters.

Cameron MainAnd I'm sure when somebody arrives at a decision like that, they're probably in somewhat a level of despair. That's not something that you can just, I mean, even have clear thoughts about. You don't think rationally when you're doing something like that. So to be able to have your staff come out and have a... A reasonable conversation and break those barriers down to then arrive at that outcome.

Kerri BurnsYeah.

Cameron MainIt's just so much more intelligent.

Kerri BurnsYeah.

Cameron MainAnd it works. That man must have left just, I can't even imagine the emotions he would have gone through that day.

Kerri BurnsHe was in tears leaving. So it's a beautiful sight that we can do that. And again, with the biggest thing being health, right? People will bring their animals in and say, I can't afford this surgery. I can't afford that. And we're like, we got you covered, okay? You come back and you pick up your dog whatever time. They don't know they have the resources unless they ask, right? So it's about education, like you talked about. How can we educate everybody that there are resources out there? Sometimes you just have to ask or find it. I mean, we're so fortunate that because we're not full of animals, like some shelters, we actually transfer in animals from Northern California and we transfer in cats from Los Angeles. And it's like, how can we help our other shelters too? Because we are in a very nice place here in Santa Barbara, and I took a risk saying, it's kind of like, if you build it, they will come, kind of thing. And I said, if we start these programs and get the word out, people will start utilizing it. And now we've outgrown our britches, so to speak, and we've got to build a bigger place to help everybody. And we have people coming from other counties, and we've even had a few people come from out of state to come here. And I am so fortunate to work with a great community and with great staff that will go along with my kind of forward-thinking ideas. It's like, come on, guys, let's just do this. And as a nonprofit, that's the great thing. We can say, how can we help the community? And we look at it as a team and we say, all right, let's do it tomorrow. You know, it's not the government bureaucracy that some organizations have to go through.

Chris NobleIt's amazing. And you might just get your first two out-of-country adopters from us, too, because I know that we love it here.

Kerri BurnsOh, my gosh. Let's see. We've got one for each of you. Yes, we can arrange that on the way home. Sure. I would love it.

Chris NobleYeah, I think us, too. But I think that's so incredible. One of the things I wanted to ask you, though, because you've built up all these resources that people can use here and obviously put a lot of resources into being able to give people food or vet services or healthcare. What advice would you give to people who are in that position and don't really know where to look next? Where would the first place to look be?

Kerri BurnsSure. You know, with the different resources, and especially if it's a health, right, ask your local veterinarian. Don't think that because an animal's hit by a car, it just has to be euthanized or something. I mean, there's options out there. A lot of SPCAs or humane organizations will have resources to help pay for things. You have to just ask. You know, your dog is driving you crazy because it just barks all the time or it's leash reactive. There are plenty of great trainers out there. You know, you want positive reward trainers so you're not training with something negative like, you know, shock collars and stuff like that because then you're creating more issues. But they're out there. So talk to your local humane organization or talk to your local veterinarian and see there's plenty of resources. It might not be right in your own backyard, but it might be close. So those are the two places that I would start.

Chris NobleAmazing. And what about shelters? Because there are so many shelters. You can learn a lot from what you've done here.

Kerri BurnsYeah, I think, I forget the number. It was like 4,000 shelters, you know, just out there, brick and mortar, larger. It's hard because so many shelters are actually understaffed. And they don't, a lot of them just feel like they can't slow down enough. Every place that I've worked, there's a lot of wonderful progressive leaders out there that are getting into the industry and understanding there's now a different way to run our business. I mean, at the end of the day, we're a business, you know, and so many people come to work for shelters because they're like, ah, I don't like people. I just want to work with the animals. And the truth is, if we don't work with the people, we can't help the animals. And so you have to be willing to have conversations. And it's so it's hard. I think it's it's a slow roll. In our industry, but we'll get there in understanding that yes, if you take a moment, you look at the right things, provide what the community wants instead of what you think you should do all the time, that changes, even small changes, can be made that will help out. So, you know, I talked earlier and we've been around since 1887. We've actually been this facility since the 1960s. And as cute as this building looks, you know, and I'm thankful we're in California, but most of these buildings, we don't have air conditioning, we don't have heat. And people don't think about it, but it does get hot and it does get cold here. And, you know, these kennels are just old. They're concrete. They're the metal fencing. It can look sad, you know, but what we do with the animals is completely different. So it's time for us to step into the future. And so we are building a state of the art, and we're not calling it a shelter, it's a campus. Because a campus is a place that you come and learn. And we want to share everything that we know with the community, and we want the community to know about all the services that we offer. So, as we know, the future of animal welfare is access to veterinary care, behavior and training, and we still will be here, obviously, for the homeless animals that need to find a new home. So, our dog kennels, our cat area, our veterinary clinic is going to be four times the size so we can help even more with more training centers. We'll have an intake center so that we can spend those individual times in the different buildings with the individual emotions that come in and the needs that come in. But what we're doing with our facility that's going to make it so unique is we're building this from the paws up. So many people build buildings because, oh my God, that's pretty, or that would look great, or yes, I think I would. It's not about us as humans. It's about the time that the animals spend here, and we want them to be, you know, have... Be as stress-free as possible when they come here. I don't know about you, but most people, they try to take their animal to the vet and it's like, you know, they just don't want to go. They're not going to budge. We want to make it a very welcoming environment. So we're looking at the whole compassion component, right? So building it from the paws up, we look at the animals, what they think, what they feel, what they hear, what they see. And we look at the human aspect. How do you feel when you come here? We're also taking it a step further and looking at the environment. Everything that we're building is going to be as green as possible because compassion is about treating our entire earth in a kind manner. That's what makes a difference as we move forward into the future. And so we're really looking at that every detail that we've put into this new building, which we've just started construction. It's a $64 million project. And for some people that might sound like a lot, but we're not the highest and not the lowest being built in California. And it's going to create a future that will last hopefully another 100 years. And the buildings are built to morph into the future. So let's say that we only have in the future 10 animals coming in a year that need to find new homes. Great. We can transition those spaces that we have into something that's needed into the future. So we've really thought forward as much as possible. And this community is going to be so proud of what we've built for them and by them. That's the only way this new campus gets built. We love our animals and everyone wants to help them. And being able to do this, this is once in a multi-generational gift that you can help to leave your legacy. And we love it. People can go on our website. It's really easy. It's sbhumane.org. Look at what we're doing. Look at our capital campaign. Look at how it's growing. And come talk to us. Anybody can come here and do a tour and see where we are now and what the future looks like and be part of that. And as a local nonprofit, every little bit helps. So our community is really stepping up to make this happen.

Cameron MainI think it's very important that people understand that if you are to leave something like a legacy gift, you're not just giving however much you're giving. Or even if it's a donation, you're not just funding a shelter. The word campus that you use is absolutely right. This is going to be... Real health center it's going to be a hub not just for Santa Barbara but also for a lot of you're going to be supporting a lot of outside communities and outside shelters and you're gonna be a resource it's much more than that so it's important for people to understand that this is not just a large amount of money required for a small shelter it's this is another level

Kerri BurnsYeah. Yeah. And you're absolutely right. Right. It's not about a building. It's about think about your legacy and you love animals. And even when you're gone, you will be helping thousands of animals and families year after year after year. I mean that just has to feel so good knowing that your gift keeps on giving and and I just I love that people want to do that and they will do that this will happen this will be done we're hoping to do it in the next three years so we'll see where it goes

Cameron MainAnd I'd actually, I'd like to challenge anyone who's considering this. I'd like them, before they come here, I'd like them to write a number on a piece of paper that they think that they'd like to donate. I'd like them to come here and do a tour. And if they don't want to double it by the end of the visit that they've done, I'd be very, very surprised. Because that's for sure the way that we felt after our first time here. And the second and the third time, nothing changes. It just continues to be a project that we want to get behind every single day.

Kerri BurnsI love that challenge. Thank you. And, and you're right when people come here and they see what we do and how we do it in the space that we even currently have. And then we actually show them the future of what it'll look like and what else we can do for hundreds of years or at least a hundred years. Um, it's, it's incredible. So I love that challenge. Yes, I will second that.

Cameron MainOkay, let's do it. And there's, tell us about the blue helmets.

Kerri BurnsOur blue helmets. You mean the ones that mess up our hair? Makes us look like. So yeah, we have our hard hats, right? So anytime we go back into the construction area, we've got our little blue helmets that we put on. It's got our logo and it's beautiful because when you put that on and you walk back there, you are stepping on the future. You know and you realize what you can make happen you know when you come here so we every time we put those on we know we've it's just like we've just stepped through a new doorway and and really creating that future

Cameron MainIs there not something like if you want to have one of those you must donate a certain amount of money

Kerri BurnsOh, sure, I can make that happen. Yes, absolutely. You know, we're talking probably a million. You can have a hat.

Cameron MainOkay. So I think if you see someone... Yeah, the Ferrari's not cool anymore. It's the blue hard hats.

Kerri BurnsYes, absolutely.

Cameron MainLet's set the trend.

Kerri BurnsCome on, let's do it. Bring people in here and, you know, we will absolutely, when you step in here... We can talk about the blue hat, and you would be an elite group of people to have those. I'll even donate my blue hat to the right person.

Cameron MainWow, okay.

Kerri BurnsYeah.

Chris NobleThat one's going to have a bigger place tag.

Kerri BurnsOf course it will. Of course. I mean, look at this, you know?

Cameron MainIs there a way that people can help potentially that maybe don't have the means to donate lots of things?

Chris NobleMm-hmm.

Kerri BurnsYou know, we've been talking about money and talking about our future and really stepping up to give. And some people just don't have that capacity. And we get that. But they're like, I want to help. I want to do something. And there are still plenty of ways to do that. Again, we have volunteer opportunities. We open those up every so often. So you can always sign up to be a volunteer. And this goes with any humane or SPCA organization across the US. Ask them what they need. Go on their website. You can donate things to us. We have lists of things that we always need. Or maybe you have a leftover nice crate or a bed. Our dogs and cats, Sometimes I think there's more spoiled than some humans. Because we even have, we have little round beds for the little tiny Chihuahua types of dogs that like to curl up. For the larger breeds, we have bigger beds. And for the senior dogs that we have in, we have actually orthopedic beds that we give them. So towels and blankets and different types of food to help give back to the community for those that need food. There's all different types of ways to help. So we just talked about ways to help Santa Barbara Humane, and there's an additional way. And we've been talking about health and keeping our pets healthy and our dogs as they age, no matter what level. And here's another great recycling program. I'll call it that, right? Because when people give, it just keeps giving. And VitaDog has been so gracious that every time that you purchase the supplement, this nutritional component that will help the health of your animal, you're also giving back to help an animal in a shelter. And that will go directly to us. So if you sign up for a subscription, because you'll want to keep going to keep the health of your pet where it needs to be, then we keep getting the money at Santa Barbara Humane, and it goes back to help another animal that needs the care. So this is a win-win. It's a great product, and it's a great way to just keep giving, not only to your own pet, but to others in need. So please, buy the VitaDog. It's great stuff. It's a powder. It's easy to use. And really, you've only got two selections. Do you want peanut butter, or do you want beef? It's so simple. So when you buy this, you're giving back at the same time. Thank you.

Cameron MainI think all we can do is really shake your hand and say thank you for today.

Kerri BurnsOh God, you guys are incredible.

Cameron MainYeah, that's been...

Kerri BurnsI love you, I love the product, I love what you're doing. I can't wait to see you when I come over.

Chris NobleWe love working with you guys so much. We're so grateful for the time that you've given and that everyone else on the team has given to talk about dogs, talk about health, talk about everything you're doing.

Kerri BurnsIt's an easy topic to talk about. And when you're talking about something great and you put the two of us together, this is an easy conversation to have. And it's beautiful and it's lovely. And what you told me earlier that I love even more about your company, is that you don't just take any investor. You look at people that will support your mission and that love the dogs. Because there's a lot of people out there that just want to get in the business, right? But you take it a step further and you actually say no if it's not a right fit and it's not the folks that really just love the dogs. And I appreciate that from you so much. So I hope the company just explodes all over the world and that every animal gets the nutritional health that they need, including the VitaDog supplement.

Chris NobleThank you.

Cameron MainThank you so much. That means a lot.

Kerri BurnsSure.

Transcript edited lightly for readability. Timestamps and captions will follow with the video release.