Sunday, February 12, 2012
the beginning...
Well I have successfully neglected to start this blog, which isn't a good thing. Ive done 3 weeks and about 15 hours of volunteering already but Im not sure about this whole blogging thing. Through volunteering I came up with a lot of problems I want to solve before I grow old, but I know who I am and I know I will make a difference any many ways that I can not even dream of right now. I am the type of person who is very passionate about everything I do, and this volunteer opportunity is no exception. I am working with Crystal Creek Animal Shelter/North Central Indiana Spay and Neuter. I have always loved volunteering in places like these because the feeling of accomplishment is indescribable. In this short time I have been put totally in charge of getting all the cats available for adoption onto Petfinder, this has proved a little challenging and very time consuming, but I love it when I can take 5-10 cats off the site every two days because they found homes. I also am a very hands on person so I have also been working with each dog individually on basic training and doggy "etiquette", which sounds simple but a majority of these dogs have had slim to none training or even human interaction. I LOVE the challenge of taking a totally crazy hyper dog and working with it day by day and seeing the improvement I have made to this dogs life. What most people don't know is that dogs are built to please, so when they receive that treat and hear my tone of voice change to happiness it is rewarding to them. It is ultimately a win-win scenario because it makes both human and animal happy and hopefully it will help that animal find a forever home which is the goal everyday I walk in there. Working with animals also helps me get away from the everyday stresses of being here at Purdue which I love. It gives me happiness and a feeling of accomplishment when I know I have made a difference.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
That’s amazing what you’re doing for the Crystal Creek Animal Shelter. I don’t think I could ever have enough patience to constantly go through every cat that is up for adoption and update a website, but then I often find that I’m somewhat technologically deficient so that could be a large part of it. Do you ever get to spend time working with the cats? I realize that it is important to train the dogs with, as you put it “doggy ‘etiquette’”, but what about the cats? Is it possible to help them adjust to being with humans? I realize that their nature is more solitary than dogs, yet there is still a large population of pet owners and would-be pet owners who profess to being cat people. Is anything done to help the cats adjust to being handled by humans, making it more likely for them to be adopted?
ReplyDeleteYou’re lucky to have found such a wonderful service organization to work with. I love what I’m working on, but there’s something really amazing about knowing that because of your influence an animal found a loving home and family.
Good questions! I love answering questions, so keep them coming! Cats have a very different personality and demeanor then dogs. You have to be very patient with them. To help them adjust to situations or people we will put them with those things that might make them uncomfortable for awhile, but not for more then a few minutes. Its a very slow process, but that is how they learn that it is ok to be around that uncomfortableness.
DeleteI thought about doing service at an animal shelter as well, but I was worried I would become attached to the animals XD But it's good you found something you love and can be passionate about! I'm jealous, I'm still trying to find a good service site, well, I have the Y, but it's not my first choice :\ And I understand about the blogging, but it will help us reflect on what we are doing and make the service have a bigger image on us, or something like that. But your volunteer site sounds like a lot of fun and I hope it continues to be rewarding! :D
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you have found a service partner with whom you can share you passion. I absolutely love dogs, so I would probably have a difficult time in your position because I would want to bring every single one home with me! Though I am not a huge cat fan, I find it so amazing that you are so incredibly patient with the them and, well, all the animals in general. Just from working with my own pets, I have learned that working with animals can oftentimes be very frustrating because they just do not always seem to do what you want them to, sort of like little kids. On a side note, what is your major here at Purdue? Do you have plans to work with animals in your future career because you really seem to have a passion for them! Well, keep up the good work and I am glad you really love your service activity!
ReplyDeleteThanks! And yes, I am an Animal Science Pre-Vet major, animals will be in my life everyday. :)
DeleteAs a fellow animal lover I really appreciate what you're doing. I know some people really have a negative view on animals in shelters, although all they really require is some human attention and love. That is great that you have helped find all these animals homes, and by the sound of it, you're really good at it. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDelete