Civic Responsibility Project

I chose to interview the SPCA of Wake County (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Wake County). The SPCA was founded in 1971, to take animals from high kill shelters. But they did not run as an effective shelter during this time. In 2003 they opened their adoption center, which is known for having a much better quality of care than most shelters, and the animals are housed very uniquely, with open rooms instead of cages for the cats and dogs. The mission of the SPCA is “To protect, shelter and promote the adoption of homeless animals; to provide education about responsible pet ownership and to reduce pet overpopulation through spay/neuter programs.” The SPCA offers adoption programs, volunteering, affordable food, vet care;

Pet Hotel is a learned job. You will not be expected to be able to perform any of the following job duties without first going through a training period. In addition, we are all always learning from each other and from the dogs, and experiencing daycare first-hand is the best way to learn dog behavior and to become comfortable with acceptable types of play. You will never be asked or expected to do anything for which you are not fully trained and comfortable. As a part of our team here at Pet Hotel, you will be responsible for supervising play in our busy doggie daycare program. Much of the job involves monitoring play while being aware of various play styles and ensuring that all dogs are safe, stress-free, and having fun. You will also be

“Approximately 7.6 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.9 million are dogs and 3.4 million are cats” (Pet Statistics). Many animals are rescued and taken to shelters all around the United States. These shelters provide all the resources and take care of the animals until they are well or adopted. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, is a non-profitable organization that is dedicated to preventing animal cruelty. You should donate money to the ASPCA or even adopt a pet if able to because it provides money to the animals to give them the necessities they need, it supports the animals that have been poorly treated, and it helps get animals out of poor

Imagine walking into an animal shelter, seeing the dogs and cats locked up behind bars wanting to be adopted. At an animal shelter, homeless animals are continuously looking for a home everywhere. An animal shelter in Ohio is CHA animal shelter, they are a nonprofit organization. They provide temporary care and shelter for cats and dogs and try their best to find them a loving home. Also, they provide surgery to spay or neuter the animal, and give the animal it’s required shots. Adding to, they provide an implanted microchip so the owner can track their animal if it is ever lost. CHA animal shelter has also provided a public website to view pictures of the cats and dogs and a brief background on the animal. They also have an option for donations for emergency situations, food, and supply, etc. The fact that they offer donations is remarkable because some individuals do not want to adopt a pet, but want to be apart of promoting adoption and give support to the organization. Not only does the organization try to make the pet’s life the best at the animal shelter, but CHA also hosts events to get people’s interest and gives the animals time out of the cage. I have adopted a dog from an animal shelter and it has been the best decision ever. Knowing I saved animals live brought more joy and love into my life, and nevertheless, he is the best little jack russel ever. Although I could have got a puppy from Petland, the choice of adopting a dog not only saved me money but also allowed me to save his life as well and improve his quality of life. An individual who adopts a pet is rescuing it from neglect and is giving that precise animal a second chance. In conclusion, I believe that CHA animal shelter is the best place to adopt a pet because it is less expensive than buying an animal from a pet store, it decreases puppy mills, and the individual can pick a dog or cat of any age.

The director of this animal shelter, Kelly Goedel, says that the cause of animal homelessness is primarily the lack of spaying and neutering along with the lack of commitment that pet owners have to their companion (Goedel). Spaying and neutering is sometimes avoided by pet owners because it is an extra expense or they may feel as if it is unnecessary. This challenge leads to an excess in animal populations without there necessarily being and increase in homes for these animals. The challenge of overcoming pet overpopulation becomes even more difficult because of a lack of funding. According to the Humane Society of the Ohio Valley, only about 20 percent of their funding comes from local government (Goedel). Therefore, they are very reliant on donors and community funds to help finance their organization. The funding issue circles back to complicate the process of getting homeless pets spayed and neutered to attempt to solve the root cause of animal overpopulation.

I fed and watered the animals as well as cleaned litter boxes and stocked supplies. The Town and Country Animal Shelter runs mainly off of donations. They are always in need of laundry detergent, dish soap, blankets for use as bedding in the dog kennels, towels for cat bedding, and dog baths, pet foods, and animal safe toys. Some locals and businesses drop off donations so keeping the stock shed organized was helpful when taking inventory of the supplies. This allows for products to be used before they

At first they would only take out specific breeds, but after the success they had the animal shelter, ask them if they could take other dogs that did not have luck at the shelter. Another thing that Adopt a Rescue Pet does is that they find a foster home for the dogs. The reason they started fostering the dogs is because one day someone came to them while they were at the adoption site and ask them what did they do with the dogs that did not get adopted that they. The responded that they would take them back to the shelter, the lady said “well, if you guys do not mind, I could take one dog home and I would bring it back next week when you guys set up for adoption”, and that’s how they started the fostering program for homeless dogs.

Have you ever been watching tv and the ASPCA commercial comes on, you know the one that has the song “Arms of an Angle.” The commercial makes you feel super sad for the poor animals that have been abused and victimized because of cruel behavior. They ask you to donate money to help these animals recover. What if when these animals do recover they were turned into Service animals. This is a matter of great concern in our community because we could help get most, if not all the animals adopted into a loving home. In order to understand the issue more completely, I looked at turning shelter animals into service animals. Other members of my Group project are looking at TNR/Euthanasia, Physiological aspects of owning a shelter animal, and Worldwide

When deciding what topic I wanted to write for my Civic Engagement Project, I already had in mind that I wanted something that most of us are not use to seeing nowadays. Many of us compare courts with punishment, but what if there was a court that did the opposite? When I was starting my research on the different courts we have here in Florida, I came across Drug Courts. The more I read up on drug courts, the more I became fascinated and intrigued. Drug courts do not aim to "PUNISH”, but yet to provide treatment to drug abusers. This kind of court believes that everyone deserves a second chance, that extra push. During my research, I was interested in learning a few things. Such things I 'd like to learn about this kind of

Anyone who is capable and willing can make donations to Peaceful Pets at the facility or at one of our monthly adoptions. All donations go towards bedding and food for the animals as wells as the cost to have them spayed and neutered. Monthly adoptions are held on the second Saturday of every month and are held at our facility, these adoptions will allow our program to bring in more pets since people will be adopting. At the adoptions, the Peaceful Paws volunteers sell baked goods and other things such as treats, collars, and tags as a way to raise money for the upkeep of the facility. Anyone in the community who is over the age of sixteen and has a love for animals can volunteer at Peaceful Paws. We highly recommend those who are in school for any type of Veterinarian Medicine or Zoology degree to volunteer since it is a great glimpse into what they may be doing in the future. When the volunteers graduate from college having the Peaceful Paws program on their resume can help them get good

Maria Proto, a long-time Weston resident started the campaign for the dog park. She has a lot to say. When I spoke to her last week, she said, “One of the benefits that a lot of people don’t realize when they don’t go to dog parks regularly is that it is not just socialization for your animals. So that's one of the benefits for your animals get socialized well and well socialized dogs are usually less aggressive towards other dogs but is also a way for people to go out and meet each other … I would love to meet my fellow Westonites who have dogs. I have also been told by some people that it is very hard to meet people in our town because there aren’t many events in Weston to go to.”

In separate area in the RSPCA there is a vet to help the sick and hurt ones and a puppy school to train your puppies. RSPCA needs money once and while to help animals to do things like feeding them, buying new equipment

Imagine being a staff member or a volunteer at an animal shelter. Imagine watching day in and day out as animals passed through your doors, the unmistakeable scent of desolation and grief filling the room like a tidal wave. Imagine standing in front of the donation jar, counting the measly offerings, and hoping they added up to at least five dollars. Ravalli County should do more to encourage adoption of impounded animals, and supply more resources for, the Bitterroot Humane Association. The BItterroot Humane Association is our local “pound” that takes in lost, abandoned, abused, or unwanted companions. They provide pet owners with an outlet should they ever not be able to take care of their animals. Then, these pets are placed back into loving homes, making everyone happy. With a limited budget, they have to care for many, many animals. The Bitterroot Humane Association does not give animals a “time limit” for being put down. Some shelters in Missoula, for example, euthanize their residents if they do not find homes soon enough. Many animals at the kill shelters are very loving and sweet, and deserve a little more time to adjust. At no kill shelters, such as the Bitterroot Humane Association, they are not put down. Several of the dogs and cats have been there for a long time, which is definitely hard on them. Finally, the humane association also helps other animals in

You should know how to report animal abuse, and how to take care of their pets. Volunteers can help develop presentation and educational materials or launched their own education drives in their community and schools.

I know that you have the Mayor’s Alliance in place and that agency has made noble progress in the savings of our cities animals. I have been in touch with Francesca Carson, the director of development for Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals. She informed me that the Mayor’s Alliance now saves 87% of all the animals that enter their care. She can see the numbers reach at 90% by years end. These numbers are impressive, however, some of your partner shelters have not able to reach such success! These are in need of shelter reform. Until that is addressed our companion animals will continue to die unnecessarily! Sadly, many healthy animals have fallen ill within our broken system. This, I’m sure is the result of overcrowding in shelters! While I do note your efforts in treating these animals! It does not change the fact that their illnesses have made them less adoptable. Many people don’t want to welcome a sick animal in their homes. As a result these animals are killed more