Culminating Blog Reflection

          Over the course of my capstone project, I have learned a lot about dogs in general and how the environment effects them. Visiting a senior rescue dog center has changed my perspective on dogs and what i want to pursue in the future. My communications stills have improved over this semester with talking to adults to friendly neighbors around Muttville. It has been a roller-coaster with working along with senior dogs  because when i go in every week, i don't know what to expect.  Collaborating with senior dogs and other volunteers made up most of my Capstone project. My mentor leaded me along the way and taught me different tasks to accomplish everyday. I was thrilled to complete all of the tasks she told me to do and achieving it was the greatest the part. Completing all aspects of the capstone project was a big accomplishment for me and I have gained an unbelievable experience along the way.
          I have gained an insight on what i may want to pursue in the future. Personally, I was in love with the thought of taking care of dogs and all but after the capstone project, i feel that it takes a lot of work to take care of one. Although I am more focused on environmental issues, i feel that the animal field is more of what i am passionate about. Learning about the behavior of these animals makes me want to explore more on how they act and how we could improve their behavior. Socially, i learned that it takes more than just talking to animals, it's more of relating to them and how you act upon them. There has been many tasks that i was uncomfortable with doing, but i managed to succeed in accomplishing it. Intellectually, it was a great experience with the senior dogs and the bond that i have with them grew closer and closer. I never expected that these dogs could be so collaborative and loving. Because of their background and what they've been through i learned about each and every dog individually.
          One of the challenges that i have encountered was feeding the dogs with my own bare hands. I am hygrophobia  which means i am disgusted with anything that has to do with liquids of moisture. It was one of the day where i volunteered and my mentor needed help with feeding because there were more dogs than usual and i had to overcome my fear. I took the chicken dog food and put my hands out to feed a dog and it just kept licking my hand until the food was gone. Of course i was shivering after but then again after a little while i got over it and continued to feed them. The toughest situation that i went through with a dog was then i took it out for a walk and it got out of the leash. The very moment it ran off and hid under the car, i felt that my job at volunteering was over and it was all my fault. Critical thinking was used when i was getting the dog to come out of under the car. I thought of using treats and hooking on the leash with a hook that i brought with me. Muttville helped me overcome my fears and achieving challenges that i didn't expect i would do. I am proud of myself for all of the work that I've done for me senior capstone project.

Capstone Project: Day 11

Time spent: 4 hours
Total time: 29 hours

Today at Muttville, there were several dogs that were new. Most of them were friendly, but some were very nervous and always barking at each other when they didn't know what was going on. I noticed that the dogs always seek for attention and want them from volunteers, or just people in general. The minute i walked in, all of the dogs would come running to you and they're panting and jumping on you like they've known you for the longest time. I had a lot of duties today that required walking dogs, putting in laundry, folding laundry, finding harness for the dogs, feeding, and washing them. Going to Muttville makes me realize that these senior dogs that were abandoned are just regular dogs and they've been through so much. The conditions of these dogs are not bad but most of them has some sort of health issue or physically, they've been hurt. A poodle named Lucy, that i spend half of my day with didn't have a left eye. Other dogs have 2 eyes but this one wasn't the same as the others. Surprisingly, Lucy is more active and actually knows more than the other dogs. It was an interesting day playing with these dogs and also feeding them. Washing a dog is the hardest part because all they do is want to do is run out of the tub or keep moving. Next time i volunteer, i want to actually was a dog that is calm, learn more about each dog, and also make them feel like home. Also, I want to learn more about the health issues of these dogs, and see what I could do to help them recover from their past.

Capstone Project: Day 10

Time spent: 2 hours
Total time: 25 hours

Today at Muttville, I feel in love with Connor, an Eskimo mix who is at least 10 years old. Out of all of the days that i have been volunteering here, I able to spend quality time with individual dogs. Because there were only a few dogs today, it was easy spending time with them but Connor was the one dog that I couldn't put down. It wasn't the lightest dog to carry but it was a peaceful and loving dog that is very sweet. My day at Muttvile consisted of walking Connor and Colby, a Labrador retriever. Other than spending time with Connor, I was able to learn about the dogs that have been abandoned by previous owner or found on streets. A Pomeranian name Prince was found on the side of a freeway spray painted purple. Not only was it abused but it was also set on fire or fire crackers on the back. You could see only skin on the back of the dog and still some purple around the paws that couldn't be washed off fully. I felt bad for the Prince because how could someone just do that to a dog and just abandon it like that. But due to the trauma he had, Prince had to stay in a room, away from the other dogs to calm down and I couldn't play with it. After, I went to the laundry room to load up batches of blankets to wash and dry. It was my job to fold all of the laundry and take it back to the storage room to stock on the clean laundry.The next time i volunteer, i want to see how Prince is doing and work with other dogs that have been through a lot. And also to hopefully help them feel like they're home and in a safe place.

Theme in 1984

A theme in 1984 is "Too much authority causes people to revolt, too little causes chaos". This theme exists because it causes the up rise of Winston trying to rebel against authority and he is revolting against it. ”He had given a quick glance up and down the street and then had slipped inside and bought the book for two dollars fifty. At the time he was not conscious of wanting it for any particular purpose. He had carried it guiltily home in his briefcase." This shows the theme because Winston enjoys small acts of rebellion to begin with, as he frequents ordinary shops in the parole district and purchases items from the past. The second quotation, “And what he wanted, more even than to be loved, was to break down that wall of virtue, even if it were only once in his whole life. The sexual act, successfully performed, was rebellion. Desire was thought crime”. This quotation is basically stating that Winston views sex as an essentially politically rebellious act. The authority that is being used in 1984 reflects on how the actions of Winston and Julia take, causing them to revolt and too little to cause chaos is nothing is being done. 

Capstone Project: Day 9

Time spent: 4 hours 

Total time: 23 hours

Today at Muttville, there were so many dogs with different sizes and all very excited. The first thing that i notice when i see the dogs are the conditions that they're in. For instance, there was one dog named Gigi, a spaniel mix has a huge cut on the face, reason of that is because she was found on the side of the road. And also a Pomeranian Mia, only has one eye and i wasn't able to find out the reason behind it. But of all the dogs, they're not in the best condition. I walked Kevin, a Dachshund and all it wanted to do was play with the rubber light bulb. I have never played with a dog at Muttville that is so obedient and energetic. Usually the most energy that i get from a dog is the minute i walk in and when a dog wants attention. But Kevin was different, all he wanted was to play fetch with the toy and run back to you after. Kevin might be the sweetest dog but when it came to playing with the other dogs, he wasn't the nicest. Majority of the day, i had to split him with up with the rest of the dogs because he kept barking and starting fights with the others. At around 5, it was dinner time with the dogs and i got to feed the dogs and split up the dogs by what they eat. Lisa, the one who is in charge of Muttville that day taught me how to was a dog. It was very interesting watching it because i always wondered how to and the outcome of washing the dog was seeing the dirty water and how much dogs don't like being washed. It took a lot of work, from warming the water up, to rinsing the dog, putting shampoo, cleaning, then taking it to the fan room and then brushing it till it was dry. I look forward to learning more about the dogs health next time i go there and meeting the veterinarian that is in charge every Saturday. 

Capstone Project: Day 8

Time spent: 3 Hours
Total time: 19 Hours

Today at Muttville, there were a lot of new dogs that were mostly small and medium sized. The loft that the dogs are in is starting to change because many supplies have been brought in and also the layout of the loft looks different from the first time i went there. I feel that every time i go to Muttville, i get attached to a dog easily and I have one dog in particular that i spend my hours with. Blarney is a terrier mix that is 14 years old. He is such a sweet and welcoming dog, I walked in and Blarney ran to me and started jumping and whimpering when he saw me. I automatically knew that this was the dog that i had to take for a walk and get to know more. Blarney is a fast runner and likes to keep at a steady pace when he walks. It wasn't as difficult as walking this other dogs because he doesn't tug or walk really slow. After walking Blarney I washed the water bowls and refilled them with clean water. There is a room full of harness's that needs to be sorted out so i spend a rough 30 minutes sorting it out. Lastly, i went down to the laundry room, took out the clean blankets and loaded another batch of blankets. Muttville only gets the laundry room on Wednesday because they share it with the Family rescue dog center and the ASPCA. I look forward to learning more about the adoption part of Muttville and seeing more dogs come in. It is fascinating to learn about the history of the dogs, so I would like to learn more about the background of a dog next time. 

Capstone Project: Day 7

Time spent: 3 Hr 15 min
Total time:  16 Hours

It has been over a week since I have visited Muttville. When to Muttville on Wednesday and yesterday as well to visit the dogs. On Wednesday, there were so many dogs that you couldn't even walk around the place without being licked or jumped on by the dogs. Usually, more dogs mean that we have more cleaning and walking to do. It was interesting to see that a lot of dogs were just neutered or just came back from being shaved down. It makes me sad sometimes when i see a dog with stitches on  the bottom of the stomach and the dogs with cones around the neck so that they can't lick themselves after the surgery. Dogs like that can't be carried or touched because they are in a fragile stage and it isn't comfortable for them to be held around with. I walked a dog named Maxwell and I can say that this is the most obedient, caring, and sweetest dog that i ever encountered. Putting on a harness was so easy and Maxwell stood still, even when other dogs were barking and calling for attention, he didn't seem to mind. Taking Maxwell on walks along Alabama street was wonderful, he is indeed friendly and such a good dog overall. I had a great time walking Maxwell and taking care of it the whole day. After walking dogs, I went to an cleaned the dog bowls that were just fed to the dogs for dinner time. Changing the water of the mop is part of out duty too and it is part of the Muttville volunteering process to do so.