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.
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