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NightSide News Update

Oct 01, 202437 min
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Episode description

We began the program by bringing you four news segments with different guests on the stories we think you need to know about! 

The Salvation Army in Massachusetts has deployed emergency disaster responders to Florida and Georgia in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene – Capt. Mockabee provides an on-the-ground report from Florida.

Why do parts of Massachusetts have more vibrant leaves than New Hampshire? How foliage season progresses and why? Steven Roberge, Professor of natural resources at the University of New Hampshire and a state specialist in forestry for the university’s Extension program joined Dan.

Wes Schroll, CEO of Fetch discussed the winners of the inaugural Boston young entrepreneur competition Defeat the Odds Pitch Competition  

Mike Keiley, Vice president of the MSPCA-Angell’s Animal Protection Division discusses A Special Cat Adoption Event  - There's an expected arrival of animals from Hurricane Helene impacted areas.


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Transcript

Speaker 1

It's Nightside, Dan Ray. I'm DOINGBSY Boston's Radio.

Speaker 2

Three for three in the stock market today. That's okay, better than losing. And in terms of Pete Rose, the one thing you have to say about Pete Rose is they cannot take the all time hit record away from him. I don't think there'll be any other Major League Baseball player who will ever equal or exceed that record. That's it's an astonishing record, over four thousand hits. Anyway, all right, p rest in peace, Pete Rose. Now, my name's Dan Ray.

I am still the host of Nightside. Rob Brooks is still the producer back in the broadcast central, and we are starting another week of Nightside. I will take you all the way, I promise you, if you stick, if you don't turn your radio off tonight, I will get you just to the cusp of October, which will mean that the year is seventy five percent over. Where does the time go? I don't know. It's amazing. It is just amazing how time seems to fly. Time waits for

no one. There's no doubt we have some interesting topics to talk about tonight. I'm going to talk about Boston's budget woes. Going to talk about the opening of cannabis cafes in California. You have a cannabis cafe in Boston or Massachusetts soon. I suspect we really will. I'm not necessarily thrilled at that prospect, by the way, but we'll leave that for a conversation at ten o'clock. And then

very close election. But in my opinion, my opinion, looking at a poll that I saw today, I will explain why very thorough looking at the internals of the poll at the election we're hell today. Say hello to President Harris in my opinion. We'll talk about that at eleven, But we have four guests we'd like to talk about. We're going to start off with Salvation Army Captain Jeremy maccaby. He's the incident commander for the Salvation Army response in

Florida and he is in Perry, Florida tonight. Captain maccaby, Welcome to Night's side. How are you, sir, Dan.

Speaker 3

I'm doing great. I hope you're doing all right this evening.

Speaker 2

Well, we're all doing better probably than a lot of the people who you're dealing with. Tell us what it's like on the ground there. I'm not exactly sure where Perry, Florida, Florida is. Is it up in the area of what they call the bend that really got hit by this storm the.

Speaker 3

Hardest, exactly, Dan, That's exactly where we're at. We're really right in that kind of bend where Florida comes up into the Panhandle. And unfortunately, Dan, this is about the third storm in thirteen months that these communities have had to deal with, and to say that this place is devastated would be just an absolute understatement, and in more than one way unfortunately. I mean yes, physically and that's that's difficult, but emotionally and spiritually it's it's really has

taken its toll UH on this community. But what's what's so ingreat, what's so incredible through the difficult part of this, If there's any silver lining, what's so encouraging to see Uh? Even as a Salvation Army responder here UH is? Yes, Uh Helene is a storm, but it's more a test on humanity. And every storm I've ever been on, and I've served on many storm one thing remains the same, and it's people will come together, regardless of their backgrounds.

People come together to help one another. Out to encourage one another. Uh. And and and that certainly is the case here uh in in Florida, that uh, that we're dealing with the people who have just again been devastated by this storm.

Speaker 2

Now, my understanding is that you have Salvation Army personnel from the greater Boston area, the Lynn team, the New Bedford team, the newbury Point team. Uh and this an appall team.

Speaker 3

Uh.

Speaker 2

They're all in Florida, except the Boston Lynn team is in Georgia. Yeah. How first of all, how many folks do you have on the ground from Massachusetts? And how difficult was it even to get close to where the devastation is?

Speaker 3

Yeah, it is. That is a that's a huge task for a stand I mean obviously, Uh, with the more inland you go, certainly you you you have some devastation, a lot of power outages. Uh, certainly some trees down, and some difficulty. But obviously as you move closer into the coast, it gets to a point where uh it's impassable.

And and what we're finding out, uh, and what we're going to find out over the next several days, are there there are communities, There are these little pockets if you will, that people are still trying to get to uh in the Salvation Army is hard at work with our community partners UH to to try to get to

those people to meet those needs. So what we're finding is some of those roads and some of those avenues are getting open, uh slowly but consistently so that we can meet the need of those people in the community. But the devastation, again near the coast, is so difficult to respond to. But again, the Savage Army is hard

at work. And yes, getting people down from your area is incredibly helpful and they just are eager to serve and the people in Flora On Florida, the Floridians are just here with their arms wide open, ready to receive and gracious for the help that they are giving.

Speaker 2

So you folks are all from Massachusetts who are down there. So when you say your area, you meet our area.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Speaker 3

Well yeah, well we're down right. Yeah. I'm from Lakeland, Florida. So the Savage Army will will deploy. Uh, It's all okay.

Speaker 2

So do you do you know how many Salvation Army members from Massachusetts. I have the names of some. I'm not sure if there's a larger group from Massachusetts than is represented.

Speaker 3

I'm not sure the I know there are things Massachusetts, but.

Speaker 2

I'm not sure the precise number is fine. And I also I assumed you were from Massachusetts, so I apologize for that.

Speaker 3

Yeah, no, no worry, no worries. Well, that's the thing about this Batist and Army is we're all one big, happy family, and and we do encourage one another. And certainly the Floridians have participated in in uh uh the conversations.

Speaker 2

You know, if you know, Jeremy, how are the folks from Massachusetts. We're a Boston radio station. Yeah, correct, right over the country. How are the folks from Massachusetts doing? Your folks from mass have you? Have you met any of them yet?

Speaker 3

Yes? I have. They are doing well, they we One of the first things we want to make sure is that those folks get settled, that they understand their role, the capacity in which they are being asked to serve in uh. And some of that is physical labor, and some of that is what we call emotional and spiritual care. To come alongside people who are in a difficult situation.

Speaker 2

It's devastating. I mean, I've seen the pictures. I've seen the pictures in Georgia's seen the pictures in North Carolina and some of the remote areas that we're now beginning to see the amount of the devastation and people who literally lost everything everything, And yeah, again, you folks truly are doing God's work. We appreciate the Salvation Army. What can people do who are listening tonight, who would like to help you? I assume the best thing is a.

Speaker 3

Donation, Yeah, absolutely, And that's what's great about the Salvation Army is Yes, obviously a monetary gift is always helpful, but if that's not possible, you know, a case of what we're going to do the most good with whatever is forwarded to us. Anything that people can do certainly is helpful for the Salvation Army and whatever that may be. But we are always looking for donations so that we can help those people in need.

Speaker 2

Okay, and so the as I understand, if they want to donate by phone, they can call one eight hundred sal for Salvation Army ar M Y one eight hundred SA l ar M Y. If they'd like to donate by mail, they can send a check to the Salvation Army Post Office Box nineteen fifty nine, UH in Atlanta, Georgia three zero three zero one, and I guess designate

disaster relief Hurricane Helene on any of the checks. Again, the eight hundred number is one eight hundred s al hyphen ar m y. Numerically that's one eight hundred seven two five two seven six nine. I repeat that, one eight hundred seven two five two seven sixty nine. Or if they want to send a check by mail, simply make it out to the Salvation Army. Designate Disaster relief or Hurricane Helene on any checks Peelbox nineteen fifty nine,

nineteen fifty nine, Atlanta, Georgia, GA three oh three oh one. Uh. Captain maccabee, thank you very much for your time tonight. Hopefully we've spread the word for you a little bit and there'll be some more help on the way from some of my listeners.

Speaker 3

Dan, thank you so much. And just one more avenue, it's help Salvation Army dot org. Help Salvation Army dot org. That's another way that they can give online if they search you. Dan. Yeah, yeah, thank you so much. Dan, I really appreciate the opportunity you welcome.

Speaker 2

Jeremy, thank you very much. When we get back, we're going to talk about fall foliage with a state specialist in forestry, a professor of natural resources up at the University of New Hampshire. This is a I think it's going to be interesting because you want to get up to New Hampshire and when the foliage is peak, and we'll get some I got a lot of questions, believe me. We'll talk with Professor Robers. I hope I pronounce his name.

Stephen Roberge will figure that pronunciation out right after this.

Speaker 1

Now back to Dan Ray Mine from the Window World night Side Studios on w b Z, the news radio.

Speaker 2

I want to welcome Professor Stephen Roberge. He's a professor of Natural Resources at the University of New Hampshire, Hoping Durham. I iso, professor, how are you tonight? Oh?

Speaker 5

Well, how good to be here.

Speaker 4

Thanks.

Speaker 2

How's everything in Durham tonight? I hope it's nice up there as we end the month of September.

Speaker 5

Oh, beautiful, beautiful September night.

Speaker 4

Indeed.

Speaker 5

Yeah.

Speaker 2

Now you are also a State Specialist in forestry, forestry for the University's extension program, so we're about deer enter the fall foliage season. I think most people understand why leaves turn color. But for those who don't, let's have it, why the leaves turn color?

Speaker 4

Yeah?

Speaker 5

Sure, So you know what we're seeing with fall foliage, is it really the trees shutting now for the season.

And so most of our broad leaf trees deciduous are hardwood as are sometimes called, are trees that will grow leaves in the spring, do their work, produce sugars and store up all the all those carbohydrates that they have and grow during the growing season, and then in the fall they shed those leaves in a way just to get rid of them and in a strategy not to store or try to preserve or actually hold on to

those those structures throughout the winter. And so when the longer nights come and the cooler temperatures come to New England and the northeast, that triggers the trees to essentially stop producing chlorophyll, which is that green pigment that we

see out there in the summer time. And chlorophylls slowly is produced less and less, and then all of a sudden not at all, and behind that chlorophyll masks underneath that chlorophyll are some of the fall pigments that we see that are in the leaf throughout the whole growing season, but they're just covered up by that chlorophyll, so we see that changing of color. It's really the changing of chlorophyll production that we're seeing in the unveiling of those other pigments.

Speaker 2

That the colors, brilliant colors, the reds, the oranges, and all of those brilliant colors that we see in the fall, they've been there since maybe May or June, but it's the chlorophylls covered them up definitely.

Speaker 5

Part yeah, for the most part. So when we think of the yellows, oranges, and browns of fall, those are made by carotenoids, and those are those are the same pigments that we'd find in carrots or corn and daffodils, for example. Carotenoids are always there, They're always in the leaf,

and again they're being covered up. When we think about those really brilliant oranges or really brilliant reds, or even purples we see purples and fall sometimes too, those are those are anthocyanins, which are actually produced during the fall season, and it's these really bright sunny days and then cool fall nights that actually produces that anti cyan and pigment that that rears its head in the in the fall season.

So in some cases the pigments are always there. Uh, in some cases the weather during the fall season produces that pigment.

Speaker 2

Okay, so half and half. So of course, all of us who watched the local weather forecasts, all of us know that the foliage has already started to reach peak up in northern New England. I assume that it's probably past peak in southern Canada. Or does Cannon have its own deal going on up there?

Speaker 4

Yeah?

Speaker 5

Yeah, I tried. I tried to pay attention across the border. But but yeah, certainly Canada. Yeah, the past peak. When I think of kind of peak in northern New England, it's yeah, I would say it's the end of It would be like the last week September into the first week of October.

Speaker 2

Well, it makes sense because those crazy Canadians they celebrate Thanksgiving in October.

Speaker 5

There was there always one step ahead of us, I guess a DC.

Speaker 2

To be anyway. So now the question, of course, the ultimate question, and I hesitate to ask this of a un age professor, but who has better fall foliage? The great state of New Hampshire, which I love by the way, I love New Hampshire or Massachusetts where a lot of my audience lives, and so is there a substantial difference other than that, I mean our advantages we have the foliage later in the year, I guess as it moves south.

Speaker 5

But is there any.

Speaker 2

Difference in the brilliance of the leaves in New Hampshire leaves versus Massachusetts leaves.

Speaker 5

Yeah, you know, I'm contractually obligated to say New Hampshire is.

Speaker 2

Better, but no, Christina will be really upset about both you and to be go ahead.

Speaker 5

Yeah, but the reality of the foliage season is that it's probably a two month long season, regardless of what state you're in. If you're in Connecutt or northern Maine, that can last, you know, four to eight weeks in length.

And it really begins with the red maples in the swamps or low lying areas that tend to turn red in August, and I know in central New Hampshire we'll see that that color coming early to mid August, and then we have the foliage developing throughout from then on and then into late October, some of the oak species will start to turn that brilliant russet or even bright yellow color, and in some cases some of these oaks will go into a purple type of color and as well,

so you get from mid August to late October where there's some sort of brilliant folio that's happening. And that's kind of a neat thing about foliage season is it doesn't happen, you know, all in one day. There's no such thing as like one peak day. It really depends upon where you are, the type of forest that you're

looking at, and in what the weather has been. And the cool thing about in Hampshire is that we start at the sea coast and go all way up to Mount Washington or the tree line just above the peak of Mount Washington, and that foliage will turn at different times of the the season. And in between the sea coast and the White Mountains are a mosaic of forest types that exist too. Those forest types all react and

displayed differently throughout the season as well. The same thing goes with Massachusetts, and I would kind of think about going from say the Boston area over to the Berkshires, so kind of cruising up I ninety across by ninety where you would actually, you know, see different forest types, you get, you're in different elevations, and with that is going to be different foliage experiences as well.

Speaker 2

So okay, let me ask you this is this is not a loaded question, but it's an obvious question. Are the you know, the old days Many of us would say, oh, when the snowstorms were when I was a kid, the snowstorms are like six feet high because they when you were a kid, you're only about four feet high. So it only looks has foliage, either the timing or the brilliance of the foliage changed over the last few years.

We hear a lot of talk about climate change and whether you're climate change person or I don't hope no one's a denial but someone who's skeptical and maybe still trying to figure it out. Has that been a factor? Is there any evidence that we can look at and say, hey, these trees are turning brilliant colors earlier or later? Are they pretty much on nature's timetable?

Speaker 5

It's yeah, it's tough to tell. A lot of a lot of foliage is dictated. Well, it's dictated by weather that's happened right at the season, and weather is so variable. But obviously when we talk about climate, that's a collection of historic weather over a very long time. But the follies that we see today or like you know, during like this week, is the impact of the weather that's happening right now. And so so the weather can impact fall foliage in a couple of ways. One and the

biggest driver is is the cold temperatures at night. And so the cooler it is at night, the more brilliant of reds and and those purples and oranges that we can see. And that's that's the development of the mental cyan and pigments that again are related to the weather conditions. So bright sunny days is just like today followed by a nice, cool, crisp night, that's going to develop those

red colors pretty pretty quickly in that setting. So if we have very warm nights stretch of weather that is you know, it's above sixty at night for a very long time, you may not get that brilliant red developing across the landscape. That can happen this year, it can happen twenty years from now, probably happened twenty years ago, and so those things, you know, that weather is very variable in that setting kind of thing too. That puts

a huge role in the foliage experience too. Is just is rain rain can you know, you know, we don't have the sun, it doesn't look as brilliant, But it also knocks the leaves off a lot earlier too, So that can really reduce or contract the length of this season. The thing that we can't change and what really cues the fall foliage season is the length of the day.

And I'm sure if you remember, you know, two months from now when we're doing the show, at this time, the sun, you know, the sun may be just setting.

Speaker 2

But yeah, if anybody didn't realize that, they're not paying attention.

Speaker 5

Yeah, right, exactly, so, and the trees, the trees certainly do pay attention to that, and that that is one of the first things that triggers uh fall foliage response is the shortening of day of day time or day sunlight essentially, and that is queuing the trees to say, winter is coming, we need to stop producing more chlorophyll, and we need to you know, essentially sucking all those

materials from the leaf back to the tree. So that's something you know, regardless of climate change or you know, any any any shifting, what we're seeing across the landscape. You know we're still seeing the same pattern in daylights, and that that is a que that the trees are paying attention to.

Speaker 2

Professor a great, great explainer, which means you're probably great in the classroom. I thank you so much. Love to have you back, Professor Stephen or Berges, Professor of Natural Resources at you and H and Durham, New Hampshire. Thank you very much, professor.

Speaker 5

Great looking forward to seeing the after this fall. Take care, I'll be there.

Speaker 2

I'll be there at some point, that's for sure. Thanks very much. When we get back, we're go to talk with the CEO of a very interesting website called Fetch. I think I know what fetches, and he's going to talk about a program of young entrepreneurial competition. We'll explain it all right after the news at the bottom of the hour.

Speaker 1

Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.

Speaker 2

All right, delighted to be joined by Wes Scroll. I'm hope I'm pronouncing that right.

Speaker 4

Stroll, you got it?

Speaker 2

Okay, got it all Shroll, you're the CEO of Fetch. Now. I have on my phone an app from Fetch which I use when I'm in the gym, and and I want to listen to the audio on the TV sets. Is that the same fetch that we're talking.

Speaker 4

About, different fetch?

Speaker 2

So that okay? So you guys, so okay, So I've cleared that up. So you are gonna tell us about the winners of an inaugural Boston Young Entrepreneur competition entitled Defeat the Odds Pitch Competition. And they these three students from Acting Boxboro Regional High School. And excuse me, strike that you're a graduate of Acting Boxboro Regional High School.

Speaker 4

Correct and believe it or not, the winners after we're after they won, I found out we're also going to school at Acting Boxboro.

Speaker 2

Oh now, wait a second, hold on, wait a second.

Speaker 4

The competition.

Speaker 2

I'm throwing the flag here. Well, in addition, my son in law, who's a brilliant young guy, uh is a graduate of act in Voxburg Regional High School. You guys, I don't know what's in the water up there, but you got some smart, smart people. So this group, this group of students, Vannie if I thought scroll scroll was hard, Vinnie Mittal, Sareda Coopana and deepiuk Bashois, three sixteen year old high school students from Sharon Mass I thought they

were from Acting. I'm confused now, totally confused.

Speaker 4

Two of them went to school at acton the other one from Sharon.

Speaker 2

Okay, well the press release, fine, okay, good enough. They designed something called telepark, which is an app that transforms urban driving. Can you explain it in a way in which I will understand?

Speaker 4

Yeah? Absolutely, I'm sure you have experienced, as with many, when you go downtown for dinner, to go shopping, whatever the case is, and you're driving around the block over and over again, trying to file a metered spot for our hours.

Speaker 2

Absolutely, you eventually drive to McDonald's and think you had dinner downtown.

Speaker 4

Go ahead, I'm sorry, Yeah, exactly, and it still counts. But somehow or another, these three sixteen year olds were able to talk with the City of Boston and get access to real time data of the parking monitors or of each of those different spots, so that they can tell which ones are open. So when you open the app, you plug in where you're going and it will show you multiple nearby spots that are open and available for you.

Speaker 2

Very cool, very cool, And this app is now available.

Speaker 4

They do have a live prototype that is out there actually working, and they're working on finishing and putting on the finishing touches before they make it public to everyone.

Speaker 2

Okay, so will they make it, Will they be a charge associated with this or no?

Speaker 4

So it is just like you'd have to pay for the meter. It's three dollars per hour, and it's that's all it is for you to be able to get it and reserve it ahead of time.

Speaker 2

And so they must make a little money on this, which I have no problem with. If the meter prices have gone up. If you if you fire quarters into a parking meter in Boston, do you don't how many minutes you get for a quarter? Now? Oh?

Speaker 4

I don't even know it? Is it three?

Speaker 2

Four? Four minutes?

Speaker 3

Four?

Speaker 2

If you got a load like I don't know what that would be, you know, fifteen quarters into a meter and me you might drop a couple and they have to pick it up. By time you hit sixty, you've already used one quarter. It's ridiculous. It's totally ridiculous. But that's not a beef with your with your students. So they have come up with this. Tell me about the company, your company which sponsors this of this program because I you explained it so efficiently. What do Fetch for Business?

That's your company, Fetch for Business, Greg.

Speaker 4

Yeah, So I'm the founder and CEO of Fetch, and we launched the business about eleven years ago, actually back in twenty thirteen, and we run an app that is totally free for you to be able to download, and you earn points by taking pictures of receipts or shopping through the app, and then you can redeem those points for gift cards like a Visa gift card or a Starbucks gift card. So the company is now about nine hundred people and about one in ten households in the US use it every single month.

Speaker 2

Okay, so way six, we're going to help you out here. So if I go, doesn't matter where I go, whether I go to grocery store, sporting goods store, restaurant, everything. Wherever I use a credit card.

Speaker 4

You can do cash, You can do anything anywhere you get a receipt work.

Speaker 2

Okay, So I get a receipt and I take a picture of it with my phone and I download it to my account. I got to have an account with this.

Speaker 4

Yep, So you've already downloaded Fetch totally free, create an account, and then you can start taking pictures of any of your receipts and you'll earn points. Really simple.

Speaker 2

That almost sounds too good to be true, Wes, but I'm sure it's true. So you don't have to use a credit card. You could use cash obviously I would understand it for credit card. And you said that one out of ten households in America are now using this was that the.

Speaker 4

Figure every single month? Yeah, that is where.

Speaker 2

Ten households in America, So they have to be like, I'm guessing what eighty one hundred, one hundred million households. What's the number of households in America?

Speaker 4

About one hundred and twenty and we have twelve million of them.

Speaker 2

Wow. Wow, I'm going to check this out, Wes. This is very cool. And so you've done this to help entrepreneurs. You're an entrepreneur, right, I assume, Well, obviously, which I am.

Speaker 4

You go to business school, so this is why we're actually, you know, hosting this competition nowadays. I was going to school at University of Wisconsin, Madison, and in between my freshmen and sophomore year, came up with the idea for Fetch and I didn't know how to get started. So I actually found that my school was hosting a business plan competition. But I called friends from high school and found out that their schools were also hosting business plan competition.

So I flew around the country. Boston College, University Massachusetts, sam Hurst University Wisconsin competed in those one one hundred and eighty thousand dollars, and I started the company and dropped out with that money. So business plank competitions are close to my heart.

Speaker 2

So so you didn't you never went to business school.

Speaker 4

Per se, I didn't finish it. I made it through my sophomore year and then I stopped.

Speaker 2

Okay, that's okay. At you were a badger at the University Wisconsin. This is really interesting. It just shows how great a system economic system we have that if someone has an idea, you can not only help yourself, but you can employ other people and in your case, you can inspire young people to follow in your footsteps. This is a tremendous, tremendous program that you're running. And I'll tell you it's capitalism in the best form because it's ideas.

It's filling spaces that people need some help. How can people follow your company a little bit, because I'm sure that this will not be the only great idea you're going to come up with.

Speaker 4

Yeah, so you can check us out at fetch dot com and you can learn all about the app that we have there. You can learn more about the company, my journey, all of those good things if you have any interest. And then we're going to continue hosting the Defeat the Odds Pitch competition, which is what the folks over at Telepark one next year, and we're going to expand it to five cities, but Boston will have a chance to come out strong again, higher prize dollars and everything.

We love doing it this year and we're gonna we're gonna run it back next year.

Speaker 2

It's unbelievable and I truly mean this. There are very few countries around the world that basically, and thank god we live in America where people can come up with ideas, and maybe through this great invention of these three sixteen year old high school students, I'll be able to find a parking space the next time I try to count to Boston.

Speaker 4

This absolutely what a world to be living in. I love it.

Speaker 2

I hate to put it on such a personal level. But that's wild, that's wild, Wes. I really enjoyed this conversation. And there is a company called Fetch. Are you familiar with them? I use their app. It's just Fetch when you're in the gym and you're working out and you.

Speaker 4

I've heard of it. Now, now you plug it.

Speaker 2

I can't have used that though, No, no, no, but I'm saying, you plug into your phone. Okay, you know, dude, there's a bank of you know, twelve uh, you know twelve or twenty TVs up there, and you can, you know, you pick up the audio, which I guess is Wi Fi into your phone of whatever you want to watch. If you want to watch a basketball game or a hockey game, or a movie or whatever's up on the screen, and it's it's this. It's called Fetch f E t H.

Speaker 4

So hey, so if you want to save money, download my fetch and if you want to be able to you know, hear the TV. That sounds like another great company. I love it.

Speaker 2

Yeah, they they're great companies. They So your company is, how do how do we download your company? Give it? Give it to the website one more time.

Speaker 4

Yeah, go to fetch dot com or search on the App Store just for Fetch. You'll see Thatch or Fetch Awards and you'll be able to download it right from there.

Speaker 2

Very cool, very cool. Uh really enjoyed the conversation. Weskroll, thanks for having me effetched, Thank you much, Thank you much. When we get back, we're going to talk about a real need with all the problems that are going down South, is going to be probably a lot of adoptions available. We're also going to talk about something called black cat adoptions and the myths surrounding Halloween and all of that.

We got a great guest coming up, Mike Kelly, VP, Vice President of MSPCA Vice Mike Kylie, I'm sorry, thank you, Rob. Mike Kyleie, I got to read what's in front of me, VP of MSPCA Angels Animal Protection Division. We'll be back with Mike Kylie right after this.

Speaker 1

Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.

Speaker 2

Wan to welcome Mike Collie, VP of MSPCA Angels Animal Protection Division. And you got a big special It's called per Normal Credativity, a special cat adoption event coming up in anticipation of not only Halloween, Mike, but also as a consequence of what has happened down south in the last few days, a lot of animal is going to be coming up north here. Tell us about it.

Speaker 6

Yeah, it's been a really devastating storm, as you know, and it's really impacted areas that we didn't anticipate being hit, like Asheville, North Carolina. So you know, right now there's just finally rescue workers getting to some of the areas that have been inaccessible because of road closures and you know,

other issues. So luckily we're starting to get some information from the ground, and unfortunately the devastation is quite bad, and we're really hopeful that the event that we had already had planned this week for cat adoptions will go off well so that we can welcome as many animals that need to get out of the disaster area into our adoption centers and eventually into new homes.

Speaker 2

I was talking to my daughter tonight. She actually is out in San Francisco and she's a big animal lover. As matter of fact, she took a beautiful Corki dog called Mustard from the Situate Animal shelter. So she's a big advocate of adoption She told me that she saw a statistic that said if six percent of the people who purchase animals from breeders, six percent chose to adopt animals, there would be no need for any more shelters. That's kind of an amazing figure when you think about it.

Speaker 4

Yeah.

Speaker 6

Absolutely, I mean, I think we are always encouraging people to consider adopting rather than supporting inhumane type of breeding situations like puppy mills. And you know, we're one of the only businesses out there that says we're the business that's trying to put ourselves out of business. So she's absolutely right. People are able to adopt all the homeless animals. It would be great if there is one day in our future home where an animal never has to enter and animal shelter.

Speaker 2

Well as Elvis Presley saying, we can only dream. So tell me about the event. Where will it be held this weekend? It's you're going to be all four of your adoption centers from tomorrow, October first through this Friday. Again specific emphasis on black cats because there were so many misconceptions about black cats, particularly in relation to Halloween. Black cats can be a lot of fun and cute

and playful and wonderful. So where can people go? How can they get more information if they want to participate or at least stop buying and meet some of the animals.

Speaker 6

Yeah, well, certainly people can go right to our website at MSPCA dot org, backslash adopt a cat if you're looking for cats, or you can just look around and see all that there are various different things that we have on our website and animals available for adoption and coming during our normal adoption hours at any one of our locations. You can also check out which cats on our website that are going to be fee waved for

this weekend. And we're focusing on cats that are being overlooked, and we've seen a number of cats coming through our doors that need special homes. Many of these are coming from large surrender situations. In one situation that many of our cats are from was forty five cats living in one home. So they need a special person that's going

to turn their life into something wonderful. And ever since we emerged with Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Mass I've always wanted to focus on busting the myths of black cats that so many people in animal welfare think that bad people come in and adopt black cats during Halloween, and we're here to say that if you can, If we can wave fees during an adoption event in Salem, Massachusetts, then anyone can and this myth has to go.

Speaker 2

So again you have the head quotas did you make a plane in Boston, Methuin, Yes, Salem and also down on the Cape Centerville in exact, the easiest wave of people to get specific information. You said it was weekend, but I'm reading the press release says Tuesday through Friday. Is it extending through the weekend as well?

Speaker 6

I'm sorry if I said weekend, I meant weekday. So yes, it's going to be the weekday and then.

Speaker 2

Tomorrow through Friday through Friday, October fourth. So they just go to MSPCA dot org and all the information is there on adopting a black cat or maybe a different animal of their choice.

Speaker 6

Absolutely really right now with this devastating hurricane, any animal that we can get into a permanent home or a foster home means that we're going to free up a kennel for another animal that needs to be relocated to Massachusetts. And really important to note here that when we do relocation from disaster zones, we never take animals that are displaced during the storm. It's always animals that were already in animal shelters that we're looking for homes that we

move so they can clear space than those shelters. We never want to take someone's pet away from where they could reclaim them from.

Speaker 2

Absolutely, Ye of the MSPCA, remember this, Mike, All dogs, all cats, all pets go to heaven. That's how I end my show every night, and I'll mention it in the context of our interview. And you're doing God's work for us here. So thank you very much.

Speaker 4

Well, thanks so much for having me. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2

Really welcome, good night, good night. When we get back, we're going to talk about Boston's budget woes with the executive director of a new group, the Boston Policy Institute. We'll be back on Nightside right after the nine o'clock news

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