Service Learning Project

On September 19, 2015, I participated in the 2015 Gator Plunge. I volunteered with Alachua County Animal Services for 4 wonderful hours. Alachua County Animal Services promotes adoption, sheltering, and rescuing of animals with all sorts of backgrounds. They serve the community by encouraging the safety of the public and animals.

Furthermore, the Alachua County Animal Services are partnered with Puppy Hill Farm Animal Rescue, Pet Harbour, Paws on Parole, and other organizations in order to promote the welfare of animals. On their website, Alachua County Animal Services shows statistics from 2001 through 2011 on their animal intake, return to owners, adoptions, and euthanasias. According to the Alachua County Animal Services website, their mission is to promote public safety for the welfare of citizens and animals. Their goals include increasing the awareness of their presence and their mission. The Alachua County Animal Services encourage the adoption mostly of dogs and cats. They serve the human and animal population through their inexpensive adoption opportunities. Not only do they prepare the animals for a new home, but they also spay/neuter, microchip, basic veterinary care, rabies vaccinations, and shelter for lost animals.

On arrival, we were introduced to the volunteer supervisor, Hilary Hynes. She explained to us that Alachua County Animal Services takes in as many animals as possible and has several dogs transferred to the Paws on Paroles program for training. Many of the dogs that participate in this program find new homes quickly by getting adopted by the inmates who trained them. Mrs. Hynes continued on to explain how they are always accepting new volunteers to help out with the animals. Next she informed the group on a few basic rules for everyone to follow. Subsequently, Mrs. Hynes handed us over to Lola, one of the volunteers, who gave us a tour of the facility. We were given time to take some of the animals out of the cages and give them time out in the open yards. Many of the dogs were extremely excited to explore the yards, play with chew toys, and have time to interact with people and other dogs. There were a few dogs who were more timid but still eager to explore the yards.

One of the dogs I saw in the cages caught my eye. Not only was this dog out of place because of her breed (Pekingese, whereas the other dogs were american bulldogs, or mutts) but also because of her lack of energy. Wendy, the Pekingese, had extremely long hair and was not a puppy like her fellow canine orphans. Her black hair was covering her face and matting on her body. I immediately decided to take her out into one of the yards to give her some fresh air. Once we took her out, she started limping and Lola and I noticed how bad her hair condition appeared. Her white paws had a nuance of yellow and were turned out and she had knots on her ear, stomach, and all over her body. When Mrs. Hynes saw the condition of the Pekingese, she was delighted that I offered to help give Wendy a bath. I was allowed to help Lola groom Wendy by assisting her with a refreshing bath, quick hair cut and removal of all of her matted knots.

After Wendy was cleaned up, she looked much healthier and happier. Her mobility was increased because there were no matted knots to cause her pain. Also after her grooming, one of the female workers decided that Wendy needed a foster home. Wendy is currently residing in a foster home but she is still available for adoption. She is just one of the many animals in a foster home who is one step away from being adopted.

The root of the issue being addressed by Alachua County Animal Services is the problem of stray animals with untreated health problems without owners. This not only leaves a window open for these animals to reproduce, but also spread whatever diseases they have. The Alachua County Animal Services has shown a increase in their adoptions of dogs and cats. For example, the number of dog adoptions in 2001 was 1,071 and the number of cat adoptions in 2001 was 887. Since then the average number of dogs adopted has increased to 1,500 and the average number of cats has increased to 1,200. If Alachua County Animal Services and their partners are able to continue this increase of adoptions, there will be fewer occupied kennels and less stray animals wandering around.

In summary, by promoting adoption from places such as Alachua County Animal Services, this allows them to open up more kennels to take in more animals and reduce the amount of stray animals. Also, by encouraging donations, people can provide funding for more neuters and spays to reduce the rate of reproduction. These generous donations also pay for basic treatment for these animals including rabies treatments. This will allow the amount of strays animals to reproduce at a slower rate therefore the future population of stray animals will decrease. Ultimately, the Alachua County Animal Services is making a huge impact on the animal and human society.

#Sightseeing