Episode 44: Kristi and her Mission to Fund Canine Protectors

Liss’N Kristi

After serving on more than a dozen non-profit boards, all overseeing important charitable causes, Kristi became frustrated about the red tape involved in getting funding donations to the sources of the problems.
Then one night she saw a TV news show about a law enforcement officer in Houston who lost his service dog to violence.
She devoted much of her subsequent philanthropy to launching a new non-profit: "K9s4COPS" which places working dogs in schools, law enforcement organizations, and local communities.
In this episode of Liss'N Kristi, she tells Alissa how it all came about, and why it is increasingly important for local communities, and for her legacy.
00:00 - Start
00:15 - Introducing Kristi's passion: K9s4cops and K9s4kids
01:15 - "14 years ago, sitting on a dozen boards, I didn't feel fulfilled"
02:04 - "everything from the arts, to hospitals, I gave it my all"
02:38 - "Watching TV, I saw this beautiful dog, with his officer"
04:07 - "I'll guess they'll just give him another dog"
05:12 - "He had to go home to his kids without the dog"
06:20 - "I'm sitting on the ballet board"
06:50 - How do you get past all the red tape?
07:14 - Having your name on the side of a building
07:50 - "How does somebody give $20 towards that dog who protects their children?"
10:02 - "This county has been ten years raising the funds for one dog"
10:35 - A dog's nose is 500 times stronger than a person
11:02 - "They don't call in sick"
12:03 - The first fundraiser at Kristi's house: "That dog does tricks"
13:45 - "That dog can run 35 miles an hour"
14:45 - "Probable Cause"
15:30 - $130-million dollars worth of Fentanol
16:30 - K9s4Cops.org
18:00 - Only funded by private donors
19:20 - https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/
22:01 - "Politicians - I'm still waiting"
22:35 - "You can no longer fund this project on your own"
23:37 - A really amazing phone call - Canines in hospitals
27:05 - Every child deserves a safe place to be: K9s4KIDS
29:20 - Dogs are quicker
30:31 - "They get to bathe Lucy that week"
32:10 - Second Amendment Rights - Let's work on an alternative
33:25 - "You want to give a teacher a gun, and you want her to save the day?"
34:45 - European dogs have better hips
37:41 - These officers are so excited to get a dog
39:20 - Our oldest dog working was 14
40:15 - "We want to see the dog retire with its handler"
44:10 - How to give back by funding the dogs