Cristina Shields

For my third service-learning project, I decided to go again to the Athens Area Humane Society. I greeted the dogs that were there, kept them company, and walked them. Compared to the last month, there were none of the same dogs this time except one. The two main dogs I spent time with was Mr. Squidward and Piper on this visit. They both were super sweet and loved cuddling up close. The dogs are always easy to handle and so loving. This experience made me feel really happy knowing the dogs are in good hands, but also I really want them to find a good home.
Based on this visit, I could have done better by asking more often if there was anything they needed. They were very busy when I went. I could have been more involved by placing myself in their vision line, but I was mostly in the dogs' personal rooms hanging out with them.
From this experience, I have learned that the people working at the Athens Area Humane Society work so hard. They are running around to make sure the dogs and cats in here are fed, healthy, and happy. Hopefully some of the dogs I met today like Rocko, Shadow, Mr. Squidward, and Piper get adopted soon. They are all the sweetest dogs and so playful. This experience has influenced me to encourage others if they are looking for a dog to come here or another humane society to look for a dog.

On October 25th, I went to the Athens Area Humane Society and volunteered as a canine companion. While I was there I got to hang out, walk, and learn about some of the dogs that reside there while they are waiting to be adopted. All of the dogs that I met (Oso, Sasha, Ripley, Holly, and Darling) were super friendly and sweet. I walked Oso around the trail that one of the technicians spent 8 hours clearing in the back area of the facility for the dogs to walk along. At the end of the trail, there is a deer skull to signify the end of the trail which was neat to see. Overall, the time spent was hanging out with the dogs and meeting some of the puppies there, and learning about their background.

This experience made me feel a mix of happy and sad because I was happy to hang out with dogs and play with them. I have my own dogs back at home and have not seen them in a while, so playing with the dogs and giving them attention made me happy. The sad part was hearing some of the rough backgrounds some of these dogs have experienced. For example, one of the dogs, Holly, is not a huge fan of men at first and it takes her a while to get comfortable because of her previous experience. It breaks my heart that people can be so mean to a living animal with feelings. Also, I want all of the dogs I met to be adopted and want them to find a home ASAP because they were all so sweet and playful. The whole experience went well and I really enjoyed my time here.

In regards to what I could have done better during this experience since it was my first time volunteering here, I hung out with the dogs and played with them. Normally, volunteers help out replacing the newspaper in the puppies area so they have a fresh newspaper to use the bathroom on. Next time, I am going to help out with that and also walk more than one dog because I just walked Oso while I was there. I wish I could have been a feline companion too along with being a canine companion, but I am allergic to cats but all the cats I saw were very cute.

I learned that recently the Athens Area Humane Society recently moved to this location about 2 months ago near Mitchell Bridge Road and it is a five-minute walk from where I live. It is super easy to get to for me and I really enjoyed my time with the dogs. I loved volunteering at this location and the staff was super on top of taking care and showing people around. This experience has influenced me to come in again soon to come to see all of the dogs again. Hopefully coming in weekly, I can see some of the dogs being adopted over time.