When looking at an animal what do you see? Are you able to feel their pain, happiness, or doubts? Spending time at my local animal shelter opened my eyes to the emotions these animals were feeling. Being kept in a cage not knowing where you are and that you are not with your family is scary. What do we expect these animals to do besides sit in the corner and cower? Not only was I able to connect on such an emotional level with them but I felt I was able to show them a little love as well. Walking into the building caused my palms to sweat, knees weak, and made my heart feel like it was going to beat out of my chest. Not knowing what to expect was extremely unnerving, and that was an understatement. Crystal, the manager of Manteca Animal Shelter, greeted me at the door. She gave me a brief tour while walking to the back of the building and seeing one word made my stomach leap up into my throat, Euthanasia. Biting back the tears we continued on to where the dogs were kept. She explained to me what I would be doing for the next four hours, which was basically cleaning the kennels and walking the dogs. Using a pressure washer was a new …show more content…
experience; it was as if I was holding on for dear life every time I held down the trigger. Spraying down and disinfecting the kennels was the easy part. The smells that hit my nose was a mixture of a hospital and fecal matter, it made me shiver. The hard part was knowing that these beautiful animals had no choice but to be in this place. Having to live in these conditions until being adopted or put down had my chest hurting as if my heart was physically breaking. Reminding myself that I could not change their fate was proving to be difficult. Most of my time was spent making sure that the dogs were as comfortable as possible. Trying not to become attached to them was inevitable. I worked alongside with three other volunteers and got some insight on all the animals in the shelter. When it came time to take the dogs out to get a little exercise my heart rate increased and I was not able to contain the smile on my face. Finally some one on one time with each one of them. Of course this would not benefit me in any way due to the fact that I know deep down in my heart I could not bring another animal home. If it were possible I would adopt every single dog in that shelter, but sadly it is not. I found myself physically drawn to this gorgeous Border collie. Black and white colored fur that was long, freckled snout, a white tipped tail and these sad, deep golden brown eyes. She had no name but the piece of paper that was attached to her kennel said that she was vicious. Understanding that she was in an unfamiliar place I reached out to her. Sitting on the ground talking to her made her tail wag and eyes light up like a Christmas tree. Deep down I knew that she was petrified and somehow I was the highlight of her day. Everyone else warned me saying that she was mean and not to get too close but I could not help myself. All she wanted was love and I was ready and willing to give it to her. Deciding to take a chance I pressed my hand against her cage, letting her know that I wanted to be friends. She accepted this by giving my hand a quick, soft lick and then leaned up against the cage so that I could pet her. Everyone else was astonished by how quickly she let me touch her, I was not. Growing up I always had an emotional connection with animals and I proved this to the other volunteers quickly. They were surprised with how fast each dog took a liking to me. They came when I called them, rolled over when I wanted to pet them, and even sat when I attached the leash to them. This natural talent was finally proving to be useful. After experiencing something so touching to me, I had then realized actually how tough this job could be. As much as I love animals, I could easily see not only the hardships of the job, but exactly how much this career can pull on one’s heart strings. Stated from the Career Information Center on Animal Caretakers, it states that “Witnessing abused animals or having to put to death old or sick animals can be emotionally stressful” (Bonk). Seeing this happening right before my eyes was tragic. My only wish was that I could take them all home with me and show them what love truly is. Although I do have the property for it, but sadly I am unable to provide food and shelter and that would cost a lot of money. Not only would that cost money but it is also against the law to have more than three dogs on your property. With all that being said, I can see how all this would be emotionally stressful. When taking the dogs out for quality time and exercise, it was difficult for me not to want to hold them and plant kisses all over their faces. Another volunteer that took me under his wing and showed me the ropes was amazed with how the dogs responded to my affections. Anthony gave the idea that he had never seen the dogs take a liking to someone so quickly. Deep down I knew the answer to why they were able to like me so fast, it was due to the fact that my intentions were purely about giving them love. Before my day was over I witnessed a horrific event.
A woman walks into the shelter with two small dogs attached to leashes and a river of tears streaming down her face. I knew right then what she was doing; she was surrendering her rights to the dogs. She was not able to keep them because her landlord did not allow dogs in the apartment, even though they barely weighed ten pounds each. I shared her pain and wished that I could be the one to take in her dogs and be able to give her peace of mind with knowing that her babies went to a loving home. Sadly I could not, but the one thing I could do was show them as much love as possible while I was there. I was happy to hear that these beautiful dogs were being transferred to an organization that helped place animals into loving homes verses being put down after a period of
time. In the time spent at the shelter I was able to learn many things about it. Not only were the animals treated well, they were also very loveable. You could tell by the wagging of tails and many kisses that they were shown a great deal of attention. When I first walked in I did not know what to think, did they kill the animals right away, did they get abused, or were they neglected? All those questions were deleted from my brain quickly. Every single animal in that shelter was well taken care of, from full bellies to faces that literally seemed to smile. The one thing that I learned that made my heart sore with happiness is that the manager is trying with every fiber of her being to turn this place into a no-kill shelter. With their ideas, worries, and their plethora of plans that are wanted towards the future of the animals sheltered, these caretakers have a lot on their plate. Kim Masters Evans of Animal Rights understood this and gave an idea of why people would still take all of these priorities on their shoulders. She stated that “Many get into the line of work because they care about animals but become frustrated by the public's seeming lack of concern for the tragic fate of many millions of unwanted pets” (Evans). For me, with my small experience alone, if I had ever wanted to become an Animal Caretaker for a shelter, I would do it to maintain animal rights. Thomas Regan, an American Philosopher shared an idea commonly viewed as the basis of Animal Rights, saying that “every individual animal has an inherent value and thus has moral rights that should not be violated even if to do so benefits society “ (Regan). These animals have rights to live a good life, a life that I wished I could give them but cannot. With that being said, if taking care of them at a shelter helps them in any shape or form, then it is worth it. I hope I had helped them for the day that I volunteered there, and hopefully I find myself giving whatever I can in the future to help the cause for them to have a better life!
In the article “A change of heart about animals” author Jeremy Rifkin uses rhetorical appeals such as ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade humanity in a desperate attempt to at the very least have empathy for “our fellow creatures” on account of the numerous research done in pursuit of animal rights. Rifkin explains here that animals are more like us than we imagined, that we are not the only creatures that experience complex emotions, and that we are not the only ones who deserve empathy.
And do you remember the story that I started with about the little girl and Mom purchasing that cute little brown Cocker Spaniel? Well the Mom soon realized that the little puppy was too much to handle. So the Mom took the puppy to local animal shelter and gave up her rights. The puppy was sad, but was excited of the opportunity of a forever home. Unfortunately, days, weeks, months past and no other family came around. Soon the shelter was at its max and since the puppy had been there the longest; she had to endure the same fate as many animals in the animal shelter do. That of a perfectly healthy innocent puppy has to be
For eight months I have been volunteering on weekends at Horse Sense Wirral, a horse rescue sanctuary, where aside from routine stable work I have been involved in the rehabilitation and treatment of sick and abused horses. This has taken a certain level of personal strength, but has helped me to become all the more determined to dedicate my life to alleviating animal suffering. I have also spent two weeks working at two different kennels and
Four journalists named Helen Jones, Larry Andrews, Marcia Glaser, and Fred Myers thought it would be a good idea to create a nonprofit organization to help animals that have are treated cruelly by either abuse or when they are left alone. The Humane Society has been helping animals since November 24, 1954(2). Their mission since the beginning has been celebrating animals and confronting cruelty. There are a great number of things that the Humane Society has been doing for the animals, like saving them from people who want to harm them. The list of animals that the Humane Society helps is very long, because they don’t just help the household pets that you might have thought. The conditions of the Humane Society change due to the types of animals
Nationally, roughly four million animals are killed in shelters every year. Of these, roughly 95% of all shelter animals are healthy and treatable. (No Kill Advocacy Center). No animal should have to ever be a part of these awful statistics. What will it take to help save these innocent animals from being killed senselessly? Animal kill shelters are horrible, inhumane, and overall completely unnecessary for multiple reasons: No Kill shelters improve adoption rates, all animals lives are valuable, and No Kill shelters save more money than other shelters.
The community needs animals for comfort. When someone is sad or angry the can get comfort from their animal. Animals help calm people down which is why they should be in the the community. Even though the community has feelings that are very confined compared to ours, but they could still use a animal to cuddle with. For example when Jonas gained the memory of warfare he was very upset and when he watched the release of the twins he was upset, so during these times Jonas
Animals are precious, loving, and sweet creatures but many are having their lives cut short. Did you know that 7.6 million animals enter shelters every year? Of those animals, thirty one percent of dogs are euthanized and forty one percent of cats are euthanized. If you do the math, that is 2.4 million dogs and 3.1 million cats. Why are we doing this to our animals? They're living creatures just like us, even if they can't tell us. As you read this paper, you'll learn about what euthanization is, learn the reasons for shelters killing our furry friends, and get an inside look at the terrible practice of euthanization.
Countless lives locked away in cages and forgotten about have overwhelmed our society, it has left blood stains on our history as a species and if history has taught us anything, it’s that we have a choice to change our ways of adjusting to situations. A war which was fought in pursuit of ending such criminal means, yet we as human beings do little to nothing to end the horrific crimes of animal deaths in shelters. It is no secret that this world has become infused with problems that have extended from one side of the globe to the other. Amongst these problems lies a terrible truth: nearly every year, sums of almost eight million cats and dogs have been placed in shelters around the world. Out of these vast numbers, half will be euthanized; that equals to one animal being put down every 8 seconds. Animals that are not adopted are kept in shelters until they find a home. Most of these shelters do not have enough space or resources to care for the animal. Only 15% of dogs and 2% of cats that enter animal shelters are reunited with their owners. The majority of pets are obtained from acquaintances and family members. Twenty-six percent of dogs are purchased from breeders, 20 to 30 percent of cats and dogs are adopted from shelters and rescues, and 2 to 10 percent are purchased from pet shops. In addition, only 56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter animal shelters are euthanized. The 10% of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered, while 78 percent of dogs and 88 percent of cats are not spayed or neutered, in 2009 Statistics from animal shelters in 55 counties in WV (West Virginia) shows that nearly 54% of all animals entering shelters are euthanized, The euthanasia rates ranged from the lowest at 5% to the highe...
When I came into the clinic in the afternoon I was asked to clean out a cage for a patient that had recently left home. I previously discuss how I clean cages in journal 12. I didn’t have to set up the cage since patient had already left.
Do you ever wonder how many animals become stray, how many wild animals have been kept captive for years, or have been abused ? According to “11 Facts About Animal Homelessness” here are approximately 7.6 million companion animals that enter animal shelters nationwide every year,Thankfully there are many activists who fought for animal abandonment and helped stray animals find shelter.
It was not until a few years later where I volunteered on a farm that took in uncared for animals in which I understood the abuse and cruelty; we, as a whole human race put animals through. Over the next four years at Arizona State University, I hope to use my passion for animal protection to gain an understanding of their well-being to teach new ways to inhabit these animals for their safety.
If you think about it, there are a lot of stray animals. Have you ever thought about what happens to them when they are taken to a shelter or when they are left on the streets starving, cold, and lonely? Many of them are taken to a shelter and are killed after staying for about one week. Instead of buying a pet from a store, you can go to the nearest shelter and adopt one. By adopting one, there are so many benefits that you can get out of it.
God was so interest in the welfare of the animals that He commanded Noah to build an Ark big enough to hold two of each kind of animal. In Genesis 1:26 God entrusted us to care for these beautiful creations. Taking care of your pet entails going to the vet, a balanced and nutritious diet, and plenty of exercise. So if you heart goes out the animals that are bred in cramped quarters and exploited for profit. If you cry at pictures and stories of abused animals, then you are an animal lover at heart. You know the importance of taking on the responsibility of caring for a pet. Pass the wisdom on to your children, friends, and neighbors. Everyone should treat animals with care. Animal abuse is a crime; people need to be educated in the responsibility of taking care of their pets.
Within a few minutes of my arrival, I was told that my task at the shelter would be to converse with the residents. This delighted me, for I believed it could be the perfect opportunity to interact with people who came from very different backgrounds than my own. For the next four months, I met with those same men, women and children that I had seen on my first day at the shelter. I listened to their stories and I shared my
All in all, emotional pain, physical pain, or the extent of the abuse, is mistreatment towards any animal and should not be tolerated but instead be brought awareness to. It is our job to be the voice for the creatures who cannot speak up for themselves. Followed by the empathy of humans, especially that of children, I believe that by bringing awareness to this social injustice will result in a more thoughtful and compassionate community who will have the power and responsibility to make choices in the best interest of animals. It will give the community a sense of pride to stand up for something so important to society. Finally, the actions that we can take in order to bring about the awareness of animal cruelty will have a significance to ensuring the safety of pets and other animals across the globe.