Sue Martino—executive director of The Pet Project for Pets, a Fort Lauderdale-based nonprofit that helps enable pet owners who are living with HIV/AIDS, have a terminal illness, are disabled or the elderly, to keep and continue to care for their animals—discusses the history and evolution of the organization. 
Founded in 2002 to help those with HIV/AIDS—where the financial strain often meant relinquishing their pets—Martino recounts how The Pet Project For Pets widened out to serve a broader constituency. She also explains the scientific and other virtues to enabling people contending with an array of disabilities, often-terminal diseases and other conditions to continue to live with and care for their pets. Martino outlines the services The Pet Project offers—the 
organization is currently assisting 869 clients with 1001 pets– including a food bank providing monthly allotments of pet food, low-cost veterinary care, short-term foster care to pets when owners need to go into the hospital, etc. She recalls some specific examples of clients they’ve served whose situations Martino found particularly memorable for one reason or another. Martino acknowledges The Pet Project for Pets maintains a desire to extend the geographic scope of its operation– not only more broadly in Florida, but nationally as well—but lacks the funding at the moment to do so. (www.petprojectforpets.org, www.facebook.com/petprojectforpets)
ALSO: We spoke briefly with Kira Barrera, a leader of a junior Girl Scout 
troop in St. Petersburg that has decided in pursuit of their Bronze Award (the highest honor a junior Girl Scout can achieve) to conduct a project dealing with animal neglect. The troop is seeking chances to volunteer at shelters and events and other learning opportunities by way of executing their project—and would welcome hearing about such opportunities, as well as other ideas & suggestions at: [email protected]
COMEDY CORNER: Mike Birbiglia’s “Arctic Fox, It’s A Setup” (portion) (http://birbigs.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Pete Seeger’s “Old Grey Mule,” (RIP, Pete), instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Genesis “The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway”
AUDIO ARCHIVE:
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