♪ robert handa: hello and welcome to, "asian pacific america." day, we continue the campaign to clear the shelters. we are part of the nationwide campaign, led locally by nbc bay area and telemundo 48 for the big pet adoption day on august 17. this is an issue for all communities and this campaign has helped to find homes for more than 250,000 pets since 2015, and about 5,200 locally. this week, we bring you more on the clear the shelters efforts going on at humane society silicon valley and valley humane society, as well as details on spay and neuter programs, as well as international adoption, all on our show today. i've had a chance to do many stories at humane society silicone valley, and our family has adopted many pets

over the years there. it has been a driving force on this front for a long time, a model program nationally, and a crucial member of clear the shelters. joining us once again is a good friend of the show, dr. cristie kamiya. as we pointed out before, dr. kamiya is one of the very few residency-trained veterinarians in the specialized field of shelter medicine. she provides support to organizations throughout the world while overseeing both shelter and medical operations at humane society silicon valley. welcome back to the show. dr. cristie kamiya: thank you for having me. robert: and who is our special guest here? dr. kamiya: this is jeanie. she is a 14-year-old, mature girl. she's up for adoption. she was transferred from another shelter that did not have the resources to give her the medical care that she needed, got her the care, and after awhile, she's now up for adoption. she's ready for her retirement home. robert: we talked about this last week, and i've been posting about this, asking people to please consider adopting a senior dog,

what we call a senior dog, which i'm not sure exactly where that cut-off is, but you know, because there are a lot of advantages to having a senior dog, don't you think? dr. kamiya: absolutely. you know, unlike puppies where you have to put in the work for training, potty training especially, obedience training, these guys are past that. what they're really looking for, what she's looking for, jeanie's looking for, is just a lap to hang on--hang out on. and you know, she's calm, she'll go on her little walks, and she's very, very sweet. robert: i know, i really-- dr. kamiya: they're just looking for a place to hang out. robert: yeah, yeah, and again, it's so easy to think of puppies, but you know, we want people to think about senior dogs as well. give us an idea here. we have a model program really in silicon valley. how did it kinda become that way and what are some of the things about it that you want people to know about? dr. kamiya: so, we're very fortunate at silicon--in silicon valley, where we have a very, very supportive community that allows us this opportunity to pursue excellence.

and you know, through our learnings in becoming a model shelter, our intent with that is to then become a resource for other shelters that perhaps don't have the same opportunities to, or you know, don't have the same resource levels. and so, that is our goal is to share our learnings. robert: and you have your expertise there, but also it is quite a state-of-the-art facility there. dr. kamiya: it is. it is a 48,000 square feet, gold leed certified facility where we see over 7,000 animals per year. robert: cats and dogs, right? dr. kamiya: cats and dogs, rabbits, some small mammals, and many of these animals are transferred from other shelters. robert: right, and the cats and some of those are also available for adoption, right? dr. kamiya: yes, yes. robert: tell us a little bit about this year's clear the shelters program. you guys are a little bit more-- you guys do a little bit more. you're gonna be expanding.

you have expanded hours and things like that. what's going on this year? dr. kamiya: so, this year we will be open both saturday and sunday, both the 17th and 18th from 10:00 to 6:00, and we will be offering reduced price adoption. so, it'll be $40 for all of our dogs, $20 for kittens up to 6 months old, and anything over that, it's $10 for cats. and our fees, adoption fees, have been waved for rabbits, and guinea pigs, and our small mammals. robert: right, and the animals have been really examined and taken care of. people should know that. th dr. kamiya: pthey are ready to go.t. so, included in the adoption fee, they will all be spayed and neutered, and they will be up to date on all of their vaccinations. they'll have been dewormed, received a microchip with registration, and for our felines, we do offer testing. so, felv/fiv testing, all of our cats will have that as part of their adoption. robert: okay, and we'll be talking a little bit later about

the spay and neuter, but give us an idea for people to kinda keep in mind when they come to the clear the shelters day. how should people, especially maybe the people doing it for the first time, what do you want them to be thinking about when they come? dr. kamiya: so, when you're-- so, having an idea of, you know, what type of animal will fit your family. is it a cat or is it a dog? is it a type of animal that you're--a particular type of animal or breed that you're looking for, keeping that in mind. and you know, hopefully doing a little bit of research ahead of time. it'll be very crowded. there will be a lot of people, you know, who are going to be there to adopt. and so, you know, as much information as you can-- that you can gain prior to coming in would be very, very helpful. robert: and it's important to note that you guys have post-adoption services as well. dr. kamiya: we do, yes. so, we offer post-adoption services for all of our adoptions. if you need behavior assistance or medical assistance, you give us a call, we will provide that support.

robert: all right, okay. well, you're gonna stay with us, right? dr. kamiya: absolutely. robert: yeah, we have a little bit more to talk about. again, the clear the shelters program at humane society silicon valley is on saturday, august 17, as well as the 18th, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the humane society silicon valley facility at 901 ames avenue in milpitas. now, stay with us because dr. kamiya is going to as well. when we come back, we talk about the all-important spay and neuter program at humane society silicon valley. that's next.

robert: now, as we talked about the upcoming clear the shelters day on august 17 by nbc bay area and telemundo 48, it's very important we also talk about spay and neuter programs. staying with us to discuss the spay and neuter program at humane society silicone valley is dr. cristie kamiya. and first of all, let's recap a little bit about what's gonna happen, and we'll let jeanie be the visual assistant here for talking about what's gonna happen on that weekend. dr. kamiya: yes, so we are open both saturday and sunday,

the 17th and 18th, from 10:00 to 6:00, and we will be offering reduced fees, reduced adoption fees. robert: and we want people to consider adopting a senior dog. and boy, jeanie is acting like a dog that really wants to be adopted, very nice. great on set. okay so, give us an idea in terms of how the spay and neuter program works at humane society silicon valley, and also because we do have a lot of people that might be coming for the first time. explain for them the basics of what we're talking about. dr. kamiya: okay, so spaying and neutering, it's a surgery that would prevent unwanted births, and it's very important for the dogs and cats that we offer this for, and there are many health benefits to that. it will prevent certain cancers. it will reduce some of the unwanted behaviors that sometimes can happen when animals are intact. and we do offer spay and neuter services to the public by appointment, mondays through saturdays,

or actually tuesdays through saturdays. and we also have some free programs for residents of certain zip codes in san jose. robert: okay, and if they've been spayed and neutered before, they still have been examined again and everything, right? dr. kamiya: if your animal has already been spayed or neutered, we also offer vaccination services on a walk-in basis during our vaccine clinic hours, and we do that tuesday through saturday as well. robert: do you have people that maybe disregard or maybe just unknowingly don't understand the importance of doing this? dr. kamiya: yes, i think there is some of that and i think people may not, perhaps, realize that there are health benefits to doing this. and it is important for your pet to have them spayed and neutered and also up to date on their vaccines. robert: is your program unique,

the way you go about doing it, or is it pretty much a standard thing at most places? dr. kamiya: it's--the difference between our clinic and, say, a private practice clinic, we do a lot of surgeries and our surgeons are very skilled in doing spay and neuter surgeries very efficiently. on a typical day, we will perform 30 or more surgeries, 30 or more spay and neuter surgeries. robert: and again, because we're talking about people who are coming for the first time, they are spayed and neutered when they come into the facility anyway, or they are spay and neutered once somebody picks them for adoption. dr. kamiya: we--for our animals going up for adoption, they are spayed and neutered before they go up to the adoption floor. robert: i see, okay, so people don't really have to worry about that too much. all right, and so a little bit more about maybeadtion day. we were talking, what, about what people should kind of keep in mind.ie more of a starting point, right? 'cause when people come in almost with this idea--i mean, i know we have heard many stories about people coming in.

they're just determined to get a certain kind of dog, and it's 'cause they saw it on game of thrones, or they saw something and there's some image they have of it. you do want them to kinda keep an open mind when they come in, right? dr. kamiya: absolutely. so, when you come in to our facility, we start with a conversation. and what we want is to learn a little bit about you and your family, your lifestyle, what you're looking for in a dog or a cat, and we try to match you with the perfect companion. robert: yeah, you do know a lot about the dogs and the pets before they are given out, right? dr. kamiya: we try to get as much information from the pets while they are in our care, and soni a lot longer than others because they may need some medical or behavior support. some of the animals that we get in are underage, so they spend time in our foster home. and in those situations, yes, we hafor adoption.nformationonp

we will provide all of the information that we have robert: for example, real quickly, what would you say about jeanie if somebody wanted to consider adoption? dr. kamiya: so jeanie, she is absolutely up for adoption. she's 14 years old. she was transferred from another shelter that did not have the resources to care for her. so, we transferred her into our program, provided some medical care, and after her recovery, she is now available. she's a very sweet girl. you can see all she wants is to sit on your lap. and she is looking for a retirement home. robert: jeanie, we're gonna do our best for you. doctor, thank you very much for coming on. we really appreciate it. and thanks for bringing such a great partner. dr. kamiya: t tok he cleare shelters efforts in the east bay with the valley humane society,

which features some very un♪que programs. new sichuan hot chicken. for a heart breaking limited time only at panda express. program year-round, not just for its clear the shelters event, and their workers and volunteers are a crucial part of their success. with me now is the executive director of the valley humane society, malenie sadek, who many know opened the popular

murphy's paw in pleasanton in 2007 and ran it for many years.r who has spent many hours devoted to animals, especially after retiring from life in silicon valley. thank you both for being here. malenie sadek: thanks for having us. robert: give us an idea. first of all, the overview of what's gonna happen on that saturday. malenie: so, valley humane society, we're gonna waive all of our fees. you know, we really want to clear our shelter and the idea for us is that we clear it that day and it opens up more opportunities for us to go to the public shelters and pull more animals that really need help. robert: i think people don't remember that sometimes, huh, that once you do that, more opportunity for other animals as well. malenie: exactly, so our job is never done. robert: right, and in fact, leading up to that saturday, you have a special program going on oriented around cats? malenie: yes, of kitten season.now, theidt so, there's no shortage of kittens. if anyone has ever considered adopting a kitten, now is the time to do it.

our normal adoption fee on a cat is $100, and it comes with microchip, age-appropriate vaccinations, r, t whole deal. but because we know that kittens do really well when they go home in pairs, we're actually going to waive the second adoption fee is someone wants to take home two. robert: yes. randy, give me an idea for people who haven't maybe volunteered, or--is it a difficult thing to do? is it very time consuming? or what's it been like for you? randy yim: like, for valley humane society, they've been very flexible in their schedules. you're able to actually choose the shift you'd like to work. and you can work as many hours as you want per week. or if you--let's say some week you're not available, you can clear your schedule for that week. you don't need to show up for then, but other times it's very easy to come in. robert: you can always use the volunteers, right malenie? malenie: absolutely. robert: so, tell us the joys of volunteering. randy: oh, it's a great opportunity. i work with the dogs, so over four years now i've met hundreds and hundreds of dogs.

you get to meet--they're all different personalities, all different types, and we do just my little part in helping the dogs get ready to be adopted. so, that's really the nice feeling that i have inside of i'm helping them--the dogs feel comfortable so that when they meet potential adopting families, they'll show their best side to the families, and hopefully it'll be a perfect match. robert: you know, randy touches on a very important thing, which is the kind of life that they have waiting for adoption. what kind of environment, what kind of thing do you like to do for the animals as they wait for their new home? malenie: well, we're really fortunate because-- you would think that this isn't fortun we don't have a very large facility, and so the average length of stay for a dog at valley humane once they become available is only nine days. we have 500 volunteers, 200 are in our facility, and they don't have a run attached.

so, we have volunteers throughout the entire day that are taking them out to go to the bathroom, that are giving them all the love and care that they need. an, , kinda friendly environment getting them ready for their forever home. robert: i think that would make people feel really good. any separation anxiety when they get adopted? randy: that's kinda both the good and bad, right? i may see the dog one week and then by the next week they're gone, but i know they've been adopted so i know they're much happier. robert: something we talked about with our other guest as well, which is what do you wanna make sure people have in mind? what kind of perspective do you want them to have when they come to clear the shelte malenie: i think mostly people need to know that they're gonna be adding a member to their family, and so it's sometimes kinda funny because people go in thinking that they're gonna-- you know, they want this type of dog, and they always go home with something different. we think we know what we want, until we just meet this perfect animal that really wants you. and so, for us it's really about that human animal bond. like, we really wanna make sure that--we're not,

like, trying to make sure you're good enough, we wanna make sure that it's a go mix, that those two are gonna go home. and if it doesn't work out, it's all right. we want people to bring the animal back, because maybe it just didn't work. it's fine. and so, there's really not a lot of pressure. in the end, we just wanna make, you know, good, happy family mixes. so, it's very rewarding to be involved in this field. robert: and same goes for cats as well, right? malenie: same with cats, absolutely. robert: but people seem to understand dogs more. they seem to have, like, an understanding of what to expect when they come for a dog. what do you tell people who come that might be thinking about picking a cat? malenie: you know, cats have a variety of personalities, and so getting to know the cat.s people will tell you act just like a dog. and i think people know when they're adopting a cat that cats are the boss. like, if they go in your house, they're gonna tell you what they're gonna do. but you know, cats actually are a little easier to bring home than dogs.

they take good care of themselves. they're not as reliant on us, and so for somebody who maybe works but they really want a companion and they don't know that they can make the dog commitment, they can find a great cat that will love them forever. robert: good insight for cats and dogs. thank you very much being here. malenie: thanks for having us. robert: all right, well again, the valley humane society will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on saturday, august 17. and they are at 3670 nevada street in pleasanton. next, we're going to talk international adoption, and with a pet owner and his pet, so don't miss it.

pacific america," we've been focusing on clear the shelters, and we have talked about some of the animals who have been rescued, including many from foreign countries where animals are not always as treasured or valued as here.l is bill naylor, who is here with the family dog, moonshine, a new family member who came from taiwan. welcome to the show.

bill naylor: great to be here. robert: should i ask how moonshine got its name? bill: well, he was sunny when we got him, and somehow it didn't work for us, and we let the name kinda evolve. and he's just such a happy, personable kinda dog, and moonshine seemed to work. robert: okay, and how did moonshine come to be a part of your family? bill: well, i was online dating for dogs, and i was like, "oh my gosh, that guy is so cute." d and i pursued that, and one thing led to another, and they sent out representatives to the house, and it was a very, very thorough vetting, and we got lucky. they let us have the dog. robert: yeah, love and second chances, they do a good job, don't they? bill: phenomenal. i felt like i was trying to get into harvard. i mean, it was like-- it was a very, very thorough review. robert: what's it been like for moonshine to get acclimated to the home? bill: it--well, he is so happy now. in the beginning, he was really, truly terrified.

he had been in the belly of a 777 coming from taipei, 14 hours, hungry, thirsty, scared. nothing here is like what it was there. and we just--i just spent a lot of time with him one-on-one, and slowly but surely he got acclimated and wasn't afraid of the hardwood floor anymore. you know, things like that. it's the little things you gotta get over. and he's really, really doing great. robert: that's something to be considered really, because what they've gone through before really makes it even more gratifying that you could make them happy now, huh? bill: yes, absolutely. i feel so good to give him a good home. and he gives back, that's what's so wonderful. i mean, we have such a great relationship. but he went from a very, very scared dog to he owns the town in which we live now. we walk around, he knows where all the cookie stops are, and people know him. "hey moonshine, how you doing?" robert: i don't think it would've been the same if it was sunny. i think moonshine works. bill: it's a fun name. robert: now, we were talking about how great love and second chances is, but what would you want people to kind of expect if they wanted to go through the process?

what should they understand? bill: well, first of all, they're very kind and very thorough, and there's a lot of paperwork that we filled out. and i don't say that in a negative way. i am very proud of the fact that they take such care in choosing the people that adopt their dogs. just be aware that you're gonna have to make yourself available to do all that, and for an inspection of your home, and make sure that there's no way the dog can get out of your property. and they just wanna know about you, so just be ready for that. it's not invasive, it's just very good headwork for them. robert: yeah, when you said you came across it through online dating, looking for a dog. bill: yeah, my wife knew about it. robert: right, okay. how should people go about maybe that initial step? what would you think they should do? bill: well, i would just go to their website, which is lovesecondchances.org i believe. i don't think it's .com. i actually was on another site that they--it wasn't love and second chances, and there are other, i guess, adoption agencies that use this one i was looking at

as kind of an umbrella, and they are in there. so, just start searching, i guess, you know, and put in parameters for the dog that you want. and much like was mentioned earlier when you go to a shelter, know what you want and know that there's a really good chance you're gonna walk out of there with something different. 'cause i was not looking for a moonshine, and i'm so glad i got him. robert: thank you very much for coming here and thanks for bringi m robert: congratulations. bill: thank you so much. robert: i'm so glad it worked out. bill: it really did. robert: okay well, you can find out more about international and local adoption programs for clear the shelters on our website, nbcbayarea.com. and we are also on social media, facebook and twitter. and you can follow me on twitter, @rhandanbc. so, clear the shelters, coming to many bay area sites on saturday, august 17. so, think about whether your home could be a home for another family member.to mat an inexpensive as possible on that day. we wanna thank all of our guests, human and canine who came on to talk about clear the shelters the past two weeks. "asian pacific america" will be back next week, so we will see you then.

thank so much for watching. ♪

when they leave, they may not come back. >> you are not going to get away with this. you will be found. good morning welcome to "sunday today" on this august 11th, i am willie geist, questions are swirling around the death of jeffery epstein with victims and prosecutors and the united states attorney general asking how on earth such a high-profile closely watched inmate can