There are so many inspiring stories in the world of animal rescue! None more than the incredible one about a dog named "Joey" who was found on the side of a road with both of his hind legs missing due to abuse but who luckily found his way into a loving rescue and eventually a perfect home. Joey's plight then took on a whole new meaning when his owners decided to start "Joey's Prosthetics And Wheels" which is a not for profit that donates these items to animals in need all over the country!
One of the recipients is a miracle dog named "Boone" who also lost two legs because of an abuser and who is now a celebrity therapy dog (our first celebrity on the show!) Boone was just named "American Humane Therapy Dog" at the 11th annual "Hero Dog Awards" and continues to win over the hearts of countless animal lovers.
Join us as we speak with Tanya Diable. If you love dogs, you don't want to miss this show!!!
Tune in for this heart-felt conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.
Segment 1
Ensure your pets are secured for Halloween and make sure chocolate is not within reach of the canines. Tanya and Charlie Diable are today's guests! Tanya describes how she and Charlie came to own Joey. Joey had his rear legs intentionally cut off, and he was left on the side of the road at six weeks old. Joey's P.A.W is the organization that the Diable's started. Joey's P.A.W. stands for prosthetics and wheels for dogs, and now they have given cats, guinea pigs, pigs, a turkey, a cow, a donkey, an iguana, etc., the help as well. Although they have branched out to other animals, their focus is on dogs in rescues and shelters so that they may get adopted. They have found that by providing these adoptable dogs with prosthetics and wheelchairs, they get adopted. It lifts the financial burden off of the person wanting to adopt the dog.
They raise the money for each animal; they have general fundraisers, but it is all individualized. They try to raise the exact amount of money they may need, and if they raise more, those funds go to the next dog.
Today marks the day that they have helped 1,000 dogs! They received their first donation on August 26th, 2017, from a guy named David, who gave them $50.
The average cost for a wheelchair is $300-400 depending and the prosthetic can be $900 for one device.
They can do the castings themselves, but Tanya recommends that people go to the vet; sometimes, the dog may need drugs to relax them. For a prosthetic, what happens is they begin with a request, then Tanya sends pictures to their prosthetic maker (Petstetics in Florida), then the maker will say yes or no if he can make a prosthetic. If the maker says yes, then the following process is to fundraise for the product. Then the client and the maker work together to get the molding, and finally, the prosthetic.
Segment 2
Val starts the segment by highlighting the ripple effect that animal lovers have amongst each other and strangers. Specifically, Val refers to the Diable's getting Joey from Regina (PALS first guest) and then starting the initiative to create Joey's P.A.W. Boone; their other dog has won best therapy dog by the American Hero Award!
The Boone dog book is available via Amazon, and 100% of the proceeds go to Joey's P.A.W. Boone works at the airport, the only place that he can work right now because of CoVid-19, and he lights up all peoples' faces.
Charlie says that the only difference between "disabled dogs" and regular dogs is time management. He believes that all people have to do is shift how they do things and give the disabled dog a lot of love.
Segment 3
The Diable's will be hosting a fundraiser, their first one since CoVid started. They are going to have about 100 people, and all the money will go towards dogs. With every fundraiser, they can usually help 16 dogs.
A couple of dogs are waiting for their prosthetics, they have about 13 people on a list right now, and they also have a loaner program. Generally, they just need people to share and donate. Val mentions that she has heard that other charities have had success in fundraising by reaching out to local businesses. Joey's P.A.W. has a brewery tour in which they go to a lot of dog-friendly microbreweries around the Pittsburgh region. Funny enough, they also have a kissing booth to help fundraise.
Many places they try to work with are tricky because they are not a shelter, or a rescue, so they don't quite fit into the "box" that many grants are geared tow, or
Segment 4
A typical grant can be a challenge because they don't fit the typical organization description.
Tommy has a roundtable that helps non-profit organizations with many complexities; strategic planning and growth planning.
Tanya is an author, and she has self-published her work. Opening up her publishing company stemmed from the need to make sure that the proceeds she collected would go towards Joey's P.A.W. Publishing would get them pennies to the dollar, but with self-publishing, they would get about $5 a book--which for their cause is what they need. She said it was challenging to get into Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local bookstores because they don't really want self-published authors. Val compliments Tanya because she said that Tanya really does see her ideas through, for example, the Bow Tie Boone and Bow Tie Boone Coloring Book. Both books are available on Amazon.
