Week Eight: Humane Society

It is strange to think that I have finally finished my required community service at the Humane Society. This week was interesting because I ran into another classmate that I did not even realize was volunteering there! I finished my last two hours on Tuesday evening, which I have never done. I usually go on Wednesdays, Fridays, or Saturdays (whichever I can fit in). Therefore, when I walked in, I was surprised to see Jennifer struggling to hold onto a most adorable little puppy. It was great to have a fellow Honors program volunteer to work with because we got to compare experiences. I had not been able to work with Jessica for a while, so the company was a nice change.

The Humane Society displays their mission proudly. They work “to promote the humane care and protection of all animals, especially those abandoned, neglected and abused and to prevent cruelty and suffering.” For the past eight weeks, I have witnessed many things, both good and bad. I have seen dogs get adopted, dogs get put down, sick cats, cranky workers, cruel customers, happy children, families reunited with lost pets, and anything else imaginable. Through all these things, however, the organization works hard to accomplish their mission. It is obvious that they care about each animal and do the best job they can do with their available resources. Animals get a second chance because these people are willing to put in the time to help them. I am glad I chose the Humane Society as my Service Learning organization. Even though the last week is ending, I am not through helping. Hopefully I will be able to use what I have learned through my experiences to keep volunteering and giving back in some way. I hope all of you have had an even more wonderful time than I have. I shall see you in class next week!

Week Seven: Humane Society

Today marked the end of week seven. I was able to volunteer all day today (Saturday). I worked from 10am until 3pm, when they closed. Overall, I prefer the longer days. They give me more of a chance to connect with the animals and the people and get more of an inside scoop on the organization.

Today I got to work in the back of the shelter. I did busy work for the most part, including laundry, dishes, cleaning pens, bathing dogs, exercising the animals, and other such things. During the down time, however, I was able to help with other things and witness the other side of the work these people do. I found out that it is not always pleasant. For example, today I saw an agressive dog brought in by its owner. The poor thing was scared to death, lashing out, biting, barking, growling, and trying to break free. It had to be brought in on a pole to protect the workers. It was quite possibly the saddest thing I have seen in a while. I know that the precautions had to be taken for protection, and I know the workers didn't want to have to bring the dog in the way they did. It was just sad that the situation had gotten so bad that it turned out that way.

I did, however, have some great experiences today. I helped two dogs get adopted into two seemingly great families. I know I mention this every time, but this is the best feeling in the world. Especially when it is one of the animals that I have gotten close to. I love knowing that, in a way, I have helped provide happiness for atleast one animal. I have really appreciated my experiences, and I am looking forward to next week.

Week Six: Humane Society

Here we are in week six of our service experience. So far, I have only been able to volunteer for two to three hours at a time, which does not allow much time for in-depth experiences. This week, however, I have been able to spend a full day at the Humane Society, along with my two hour days. This provided a good point for comparison.

First, I am usually assigned to the Puppy Room. I clean, feed, water, and play with the puppies. Because I was able to stay longer on Wednesday, I was asked to walk and exercise the larger dogs. This was an interesting experience in itself because I have always had small dogs at home and have always worked with puppies! Needless to say, I got a good work out. Instead of cuddling cute little pups, I was jogging around a fenced in yard, throwing balls and sticks, and wrestling beautiful grown dogs that weighed almost as much I did. I really loved being able to interact so closely with the animals and realized how important it was to them. A lot of the dogs had been brought in that very day, so they were scared and shy. Therefore, when I took them out to exercise, I helped them build trust in people and their surroundings once more. This was a great feeling.

Also, I not only got to personally interact with the animals, but I interacted more with the workers as well. Before, I was just a random volunteer. On that day, however, I became a little more. I was able to speak with the workers about their background with the organization, their background with animals, their opinions about the society, and so on. All of the people I talked to turned out to be avid cat and/ or dog lovers who couldn't turn down an animal if their life depended on it. I heard a lot of stories about dogs and cats being adopted by the workers because they were deemed "unadoptable" and were going to be put down. Furthermore, one young man told me that when he began working at the Society, he honestly did not care for animals at all. It was just a job. Now, however, he works there full time, works with animal control when he is not there, and owns several pets of his own. Atleast one he adopted under the previously mentioned conditions.

Overall, I was impressed and touched by everything I learned. This organization has begun to move itself from being a small, insignificant organization to being a growing, important addition to our society. This will definitely be a place I will return to after our week eight is finished.

Week Five: Humane Society

Well, I am now home for Spring Break after a long week of performances. Because of the Madrigal performances this week, I have been unable to volunteer. Although I have been unable to actively do anything this week, I have spoken with some people about their thoughts on volunteerism.
First, I asked a local MSSU student what her thoughts on organized volunteerism were. "I think organized volunteerism is the easiest type of service you can do," she replied. "There are a lot of people who would like to volunteer, but they find it hard to make the time. Organized volunteering allows them to do so."
Then, I explained the idea of required service not being volunteerism. She did not agree with this statement. "Although the service may be required, the group members usually know about the requirement before they join. Therefore, they really are volunteering their time by choosing to be in the organization."
This is only a short interview I had with one student from Missouri Southern. I found it to be rather interesting to hear a different opinion from someone outside the organization, and perhaps I will keep searching for more.

Humane Society: Week Four

Today was the first Saturday I have been able to volunteer thus far. It was actually quite fun. I was used to going on Fridays, and there are not many people working on Friday evenings. Today was amazingly different. I walked in this morning to find the entryway filled with workers and volunteers. It made me feel enlightened to see that there were more people there to help than I had realized.

Also, today I think I helped get a puppy adopted. It was a good feeling. I watched the bond happen between the family and the dog, and it was the most amazing thing to watch. We never take the time to watch things like this. It never really crosses our minds. Therefore, I feel pretty blessed to have witnessed it.

I am really enjoying my experience at the Humane Society. My appreciation for the organization grows every single day. I cannot wait until next week! Have a good one, everybody.