Cat's Meow & Dog's Bark

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Week 4 Post 2

Little Critters!


Kyle ID#69020 ADOPTED

Big Ole Boy ID#72081

When I talk to people about how today I photographed a bunny or hamster at the shelter they are always amazed. People always assume for some reason the shelter just has dogs or cats no one expects that there are bunnies, hamsters, snakes, lizards, and other small critter like that. The shelter also sometimes has farm animals up for adoption for example right now they have two Fowls for adoption. Theses animals Come in to the shelter in many ways rather someone finds them, they are surrendered, or animal control obtains them. These small critters seem like they would be easy to photograph but they are a lot harder to control than a dog or cat. These animals don't know commands like sit, stay, or no bite; they are threatened by us humans an want to defend themselves so it can be hard to get them to be still so you can take pictures of them. But once you get these little critters calm they can be just as loving as a dog or cat for example the shelter has a bunny named Big Ole Boy right now and I was photographing him the other day, at first e was so scared but once I started petting him and got him calmed down he loved me and want me to hold and love on him. These animals need good homes just as much as the dogs and cats do.

Spot ***ADOPTED***

Stan ID# 69018

Kenny ***ADOPTED***

Piggly ID#72280

Cosma ID#72101

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Week 4 Day 1

This little guy got adopted last week by this nice gentleman!

While I have been volunteering at the shelter these past three weeks I have seen almost four animals get adopted, three go to foster homes, and I have heard of other animals getting adopted while I haven't been at the shelter. It is the most rewarding feeling when you see an animal get adopted! There is the moment of such joy when you here the words the animal has been adopted, it is like that feeling you got when you were a little kid on Christmas and Santa has brought you a bunch of presents. It is so special to see the new owners and their animal interacting with each other before they leave the shelter. You can tell how happy the animals are to be going home with someone; their tails are wagging, they have a little pep in their step, and they are smiling. Most of the animals I have seen get adopted have been at the shelter for a couple of days to two weeks or more but one time there was a dog that was there for only 30 minutes! The shelter has a great and pretty fast turn over rate with the animals, they do a great job at getting these animals homes!

Coca got adopted with in 30 mins of being at the shelter!

This puppy was going to foster care with this lovely lady whose husband works at the shelter!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Week 3 Day 4

This is Alfie getting loved on by one of the volunteers at the shelter.

What is "responsible pet ownership"? That is a good question I was asked by my professor in class; to me responsible pet ownership is when one can provide the necessary needs for their animal, loves the animal, when the person makes responsible decisions when it comes to the animal and can be a responsible adult and afford the animal. A responsible owner needs to be able to spend time with their animal and be able to take good care of the animal. The owner also needs to be able to afford the animal so that is has everything it will need and the owner needs to be able to make the decision if the animal they want is a right fit for them. At the shelter I have witnessed a women coming to adopt a dog and she was a responsible owner because she knew she couldn't handle a younger dog so she wanted a older one and she would get in the kennel with the dog to make sure her and the dog were a perfect match together. Also I have seen my cousin be a responsible owner when it comes to her boxer; when looking for a dog she researched breeds that would be right for her and she did her budget to make sure she could afford her dog which she could so she adopted a beautiful boxer named Bella. I wanted to get others opinions about what they thought the answer to that question was and here is the answer i got from a visitor to the shelter: A responsible pet owner is one who treats their pet like they are one of the family members. Anything you would do for a family member or anyway you would treat a family member you should treat a pet with the same respect.-Brett Banford. Myself and friends Bailey and Brittany interviewed Joanne Duda the foster/rescue coordinator at the shelter the same question and this was her response in the video below.

When adopting a pet people just need to be smart and make responsible decisions about what they can handle with an animal and what they can provide that animal.

Week 3 Day 3

At the shelter many of the animals are brought in by their owners or as the shelter calls it "surrenders" for many different reasons. The animals could be a stray, someone doesn't have the funds to take of the animal anymore, or they just do not want the responsibility anymore. While photographing a dog named Abby I read her surrender card and it said her owner surrendered her because that person was to old to take care of a puppy; which it was a very wise decision to make to bring it to the shelter so she has a better chance to find a good home instead of neglecting her like some many others do to these animals. I also saw one for a dog whose family had the house burn down and because of the fire they could no longer house her or afford her vet bill because she was injured in the fire ( I was not able to photograph this animal because she was injured). I also read on for a dog whose owner did not have enough yard for the dog to run around in. It is sad to see these animals that get surrendered but I'm glad they come to the shelter instead of being put on to the streets. The shelter has a better chance of helping these animals in the long run than what would happen to them if they were not surrendered. Being at the shelter I have learned you cannot judge why the person is surrendering the animal you just need to focus on the animal and how to help it.


Abby ID# 71472

Harper ID# 71626

Week 3 Day 2

This week at the shelter I have noticed that there is a good turn-over rate with the animals getting home but I have also noticed it depends on what kind of animal it is. I have noticed that the little critters like rabbits, hamsters, and other small animals like that find home pretty fast. When it comes to cats, the kittens find home right away before the adult cats do. Now with dogs it really depends on the breed of the dog or if it is a puppy. The puppies at the shelter hardly last a week before they are adopted but with the grown dogs it depends on the breed. For example if you have a Pitt Bull versus a Black Lab, the Lab will find a home before the Pitt Bull because of the Pitt Bull breed bad rep. Or if it is any breed of dog that has a bad rep it takes them a little longer than a "sweet" breed to get adopted. I do not think it is fair to the dogs to be judged by their breed and not their personality; the shelter does a great job at finding the "rougher" breeds a home and making sure people judge the dog on who the dog is not their breed. This week I counted about 8 news dogs in one of the dog rooms I was photographing in. It doesn't really surprise me that I saw that many new dogs because the shelter gets so many animals in a week. I actually find it sad that people are not more responsible with their animals and don't see them as nothing more than just property instead of a living thing that just like us needs love and care.

This is Lady ID# 71625. She is a 2 year old Blue Healer mix. She has been at the shelter since 5-17-2012 and has not found a home yet. One reason she could still be at the shelter is because she is not fixed yet or because lots of people come in to the shelter looking for puppies and over look all the wonderful adult dogs there are at the shelter. Lady is a very good and sweet dog, there really is not a good reason why she is still at the shelter. People just seem to over look great dogs because of the reason I stated earlier about everyone just wanting a puppy.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Week 3 Day 1

The Improvements I need to make

This is a image I took of a wonderful cat name Shadow ID# 69779. His picture I took is step up from the picture he has on the website but there are some things I could improve with my image. For example even though his face is the focus of the image, he isn't in focus. The image in a little blurry and the background is more clear than he is. I could work on making sure I have my camera completely focused when I am shooting the animals. I do think I did a good job of brightening his eyes and playing up his catch lights in his eyes, but I do think I could have brightened his ears up some more using the dodge tool. I could have also added more of a vignette on the edges so you can focus more on his face. I think I did a good job of catch him looking directly at me. Overall I think I did a good job with my image but there are some improvements I could make and I will keep working on what needs to be improved with my images and my blog.

Featured Animals Looking For a Home!

All these animals are looking for a good, loving, caring home to go to. They are all for adoption at the Wake County Animal Shelter as well as many other animals. You can find them all at this link or just go in to the shelter. If you go in to the shelter make sure you have the animals ID# so it will be easier for you to find that animal. Please help me find these animals a good home!

Kimberly ID# 71191. She is a sweet kitten who needs a energetic family that will play with her constantly. She loves to cuddle up in your arms. She is one of many kittens at the shelter.