Personal Narrative: In-Home Animal Welfare Audit

If I were going to be giving an in-home animal welfare audit on the following animals: large and small dog, 3 cats, 2 hamsters, and a goldfish, I would first start off my audit by examining the home and the surroundings of the animals. This would be my first and most obvious observation that would give me a great deal of insight as to if this is going to be a good or a bad audit. I would look at the condition of the floors, the walls, stairs, cabinets, doors, and the overall infrastructure. If there were scratch marks on doors, cabinets, defecation stains in the carpet, or other unordinary signs, I would begin digging deeper into things. I would also examine the outside condition of the house. I would look at what the backyard looked like, if there were outdoor cages/pens, if the grass was missing from parts of the yard that could indicate neglect from being tied outside for too long, and look to see if the outdoor area is maintained properly meaning fencing and landscape. Next I would look into each animal closer. Lets start with the dogs. I would examine them for any malnutrition

The structure of the cage is important since they live their majority of their life. If the cage is rusted, has cracks or holes, or is falling apart them I would begin to question how well these animals are cared for. Next I would look at the bedding. If the bedding is not changed often enough, the animals can get sores or sleep in their our fecal content. I would ask the owners how often they changed the bedding. I would also ask the owners to see if the hamsters ever see the vet, or how the make sure they are healthy. The health of these pets is critical. I would ask the owners how often they bathe the hamsters, or if they do at all. People may not think animals need to be groomed, but they do just like humans do. I would ask about exercise for these hamsters. If there is a spinning wheel inside that