Entry 1: Friday, January 30th My first day The first day of volunteering was quite overwhelming. A younger girl named Denver was there to train me and my friend Brianne. Our jobs for our first day was to walk the dogs. The first dog that was given to me to walk was a little Chihuahua named Marcie. She was old and gray. She trembled as I lifted her tiny body out of the crate. I carried her until I was out of the building. I was told to walk her all the way down to the cul-de-sac and back. Once her little paws hit the ground I saw a light in her eyes go off. She happily scampered herself all the way down the street and back. I scooped her back up to bring her back inside. As soon as we entered the room with all the dogs my ears were flooded with the sound of frantic barking. I brought her back to her crate and her face had a look of despair as I closed the jail like door. My heart dropped and I stuck my finger through the bars and grazed her face. The thought of her old and homeless made me want to throw her in my coat and run out the door. Unfortunately that wasnt a real option.After Marcie I continued to take dogs out a long with the other volunteers. There was over fifty dogs there that needed to be let out. Some went out in back while volunteers, like myself, walked the rest of them. After all the dogs had been taken on their walks they were able to eat. I unfolded newspapers while they ate so fresh paper could go in their crates. After enough papers were unfolded, me and Brianne washed and dried an endless pile of dog bowls. Something that surprised me was there were quite a few families that came in looking to adopt a dog. I also pictured dog shelters to be like the ones you see in movies: a dark room filled with bunch of sad old dogs in cages that would stay there for the rest of their lives. I always thought that most people got their dogs from a breeder or shop. Im not sure if any of the dogs got adopted that day but it gave me hope for all the dogs in there that there are people looking. Entry 2:The Humane society has a large variety of different dogs. Theres big, medium, small dogs. They have a wide range of breeds, and ages of each dog. All the dogs have a different story of how they got there. Some were picked up off the street, while others were adopted as puppies and given away two years later because they were too much to handle. Some dogs there have different health conditions as well. This one particular dog that caught my attention was Jessie. Jessie is a mixed dog, a medium size. Shes got short hair thats a golden yellow color. When I first met Jessie her hind legs dragged behind her as rushed over to the door of her kennel. I asked the lady in front what was wrong with her. They told me she was born with a neurological disorder that made it so she couldnt move her back legs. No one fully understands the disease but the vet worked with her for a while after she was born and she was able to walk normal for a while. Apparently when she got spayed her hind legs gave out again. Shes about seven months old and has to use a wheelchair to go to the bathroom. The humane society is trying to raise money to send her to a vet that specializes with dogs in similar conditions. I was amazed to hear about Jessies case. I always assumed that dogs with disabilities were immediately euthanized, yet this shelter goes out of their way to accommodate Jessies needs while at the same time trying to get her better. I can really see that the people at this shelter genuinely care about these dogs. The sign outside the doors says, We find pets a forever home. I truly believe thats their goal. One day I hope that a person can look pass Jessie Lynns needs but I feel like she will be at the shelter for a while. Its hard for dogs with heartworm to get adopted, so I feel that Jessie Lynn will take a long time. Even if she Jessie makes a full recovery shes always going to have the background of a disability and unfortunately most people will look at that as a main reason not to adopt her.

Entry 3: Friday, February 6th 2015My second trip to the humane society was much like the first day. Same routine, take the dogs out before they eat then wash dishes and unfold newspapers. As I was deciding who I wanted to take out first I tried to avoid the edgier looking dogs, the barkers and the ones clawing to get out of their crates. Eventually those dogs had to be let out too though. I came across this pit-bull named Karina. Everyone knows that pit-bulls are known for being aggressive and are seen as a dangerous dog. I know that a dog only acts the way it does based on how it was treated and trained. Yet this stereotype kept running through my mind as I opened her cage. I have never felt so guilty about being slightly nervous to let out a dog based on its breed. Karina was the sweetest dog I had let out all day. Her stubby tail wagged vigorously that had a ripple effect and moved her entire body with her. Her tongue wouldnt stay in her mouth either. She went full force on my face as I tried to clip the leash to her collar. I took a minute to pet her face and give her the attention she longed for. I noticed multiple bald spots all over her body and a couple of scrapes along her back. My stomach twisted as I thought about all the things that couldve happened to her. I wanted to help her, take her home with me and give her a good life. Yet all I could really do was take her on a ten minute walk.Its hard to actually see a dog that has been through something so stressful that theyre balding. I read Karinas chart and it said she was three years old. She was picked up as a stray and had had puppies somewhat recently. I truly hope that dogs finds a good home where shes treated like loyalty.

Article 4: January 30th February 14th 2015The more I visit the humane society the closer I become with all the dogs. You get to know their personalities and theyre all so unique. Of course there are certain dogs you get attached to over others. I met this one dog named Kirmir who was a beagle mix. When I went into the room to let out the dogs he seemed so eager to get out of his crate. I decided to let him out first.As the little dog scrambled to get out he acted as though there was a deadly gas in the cage and he barely escaped. I clipped his leash fast and scooted him outside the door as all the dogs barked at him. They seemed envious of him. Getting him outside took a lot as he help back because he wanted to smell everything. When we got outside and made it to the grass he took his sweet time walking. Trying to savor the walk. Every time hed stop to smell something Id kneel to the ground and hed run over to me and rest his head on my knees. It was hard for me to get back up, I just wanted to stay petting his silky hair. We continued the walk and every now and again Id squat down so hed rest his head on me. Bringing him back to his crate broke my heart. Hed did everything in his power to not go inside. I lifted him up and shut the door quickly. This dog made me think about how all the dogs at the shelter were homeless. They spent the majority of their time in a cage, not getting the exercise or attention they need and deserve. They sit there and wait for someone just to take notice of them. They dont have anyone they can truly trust or count on. Christina, a worker at the shelter, told me that some of the dogs have been there since she started working there a year and a half ago. She told me it was mostly the big dogs in the back. The next visit I had at the shelter Kirmir was gone. A shellfish part of me missed him, but I was so glad he got out. He had a real home now and hopefully never had to be stuck in a cage ever again. Knowing he didnt have to be stuck an orphan gave me hope for all the dogs in the shelter. They all have a chance to be loved, just like Kirmir.

Entry 5: Saturday, February 14th 2015The first time I visited the Humane Society on a Saturday was the first time Id ever seen the place crazy busy. Not only were their tons of volunteers, but there was so many people coming in looking to adopt a dog. Mike, the shelter manager, had told me that Saturdays were the busiest days, but that fact slipped my mind as we walked into the madness. We immediately went to the leashes and started walking all the dogs that hadnt been out. When I came back from letting out this small Chihuahua named Shultz, another volunteer, named Denver told me someone was put a dog in the wrong cage and then another dogs cage wasnt closed all the way and was running around foot loose and fancy free. All that happened in the fifteen minutes while I was gone.Then a new dog was there, he was small and very scared. I could see the outline of his ribs on his little body. We were told that he needed to be let out. Another volunteered offered to do it, she was a couple years younger and seemed excited. Me and Brianne sat down near the cage and tried to get the little dog to come out. He just shook in the back of the cage. We called him in high pitched voices and eventually he made it out the door. He was collarless so we had to find one that fit him right. He resisted as we clipped it on him. Brianne and went outside to play with a puppy named Misha as the other girl walked the frightened dog. As we were throwing a ball to her we heard a scream. The dog had gotten loose and ran away. The girl was frantic. We went inside and got a worker to go help them. Twenty minutes later the dog was found and everything was normal again. There was so much craziness that went on in just two hours of being there on a Saturday. It made me see some of the struggles the workers and volunteers go through.Entry 6:Today at the shelter I was unfolding newspapers while waiting for the dogs to finish eating so I could help clean up their cages when I saw Christina and Heidi talking intensely. Heidi and Christina are two of the few paid workers that take care of the dogs. As they were speaking I see Christina start to tear up and they both leave the room.Later that day I hear what had happened. Apparently the two Chihuahua puppies had fallen out of their cage and they were with the vet all day. The cages have a little door on them that were left unhinged and the puppies fell through because they have no real sense of space. Their cage was on top of another cage, so it was a good five foot drop. The puppies are about the size of my palm and thats a pretty big drop for them to face. After hearing this the looks on Christinas face made sense. The two seemed frantic all day but the puppies are going to be okay. They both have a broken leg and will need a little extra care. I never really thought about a dog getting hurt at the shelter itself. It makes sense because theres so many dogs there and only a handful of people to care for them. Someone is bound to make a mistake. It makes me cringe to think about the little puppies falling from so high but at least theyre going to be okay.Mike, the shelter manager, is talking about getting rid of the stacked cages in the puppy room. Theyre too dangerous for the little guys. Accidents happen, Im just grateful it wasnt worse than that. The look on Christinas face was pure horror. Usually puppies get adopted pretty quickly at the shelter. Christina says theyre usually gone within a week or two. I wonder if since theyre hurt the Chihuahua puppies wont go as easily. The dogs with heart warm dont normally get adopted either and thats curable, just like a broken bone. Most of the dogs with heart warm are older, around 1 to 3 years old. I wonder how much harder it is to care for a puppy with a broken leg. Maybe since the puppies are really cute their disabilities wont get in the way of their adoption too much.

Entry 7: Tuesday, March 3rd, Paintball There are many different dogs at Ruths Memorial Shelter and they all have their own unique personality. Some are just dopey, while others you can tell might explode from all the energy theyre trying to contain. As some dogs seem ready to cuddle in your arms or by your couch, others have a more rigid energy coming from them. One dog Ive met while volunteering is Paintball.Paintball looks like the Target mascot with the addition of brown spots. Hes a Bull Terrier mix and hes got one eye thats green and other eye thats blue. Hes a beautiful dog. When he has a food bowl in his cage he turns into a beastly thing. He bares his teeth at you and growls furiously. Even when the bowls completely empty. The first time I met him he had his bowl in the cage and I swear he wanted to have me for dinner too the way he growled at me as I walked by. Everytime I went in I always stayed away from paintball because of my first encounter with him. During my fifth visit at the shelter me and Brianne were the only volunteers that particular day along with two workers. Judy told me Paintball needed to be taken out. Brianne was terrified so I said I would do it. There was no food bowl in his cage and he just sat quietly in his cage. His blue and green eyes fixated on me as I went to open the cage. He didnt snarl at me once and I clipped his colar with ease. I walked him and he behaved himself very well. He didnt pull, just pranced down the road happy to be alive. When we got back to the shelter, before I opened he door, he put his two front legs on my stomach and I petted him. It made me sad how well behaved and sweet he was but most people dont see this side to him.If a person comes in and sees Paintball sharp teeth baring with drool splattering as he barks at them theyre not going to want to adopt him. Hes just very protective of his food and probably for a good reason. Dogs are only mean if theyre taught to be mean. After walking Paintball I knew he only acted like that because thats how he was taught to eat. If he didnt protect his food someone or something else would take it. If Paintball found a home and wasnt stuck eating in a cage surrounded by fifty other dogs Im sure he would be as mean about his food.

Entry 8: Friday, March 20th 2015Another Friday in March me and Brianne drive down to the shelter. As we get out of the car we see a tall skinny blond lady with a black Border Collie mix standing in the grass. At first we just thought she was another volunteer but as we got closer neither of us recongnized the woman. We shrugged it off and went inside to start working.The first dog I walked was Boone. I could tell he was not use to a lease because he was doing a strange crawling motion every couple steps he made. So we took our time walking down the street. We walked past the lady and the black dog still in the same place. Again not thinking much of it.As we turned back around after the cold-de-sac I see the lady let the dog go and run around. I thought maybe it was her dog because who in the right mind would just let the dog run around freely. Me and Boone continued walking and the lady was just standing in place, she was much farther down the road, closer to the building. I then see Brianne walking Bogie, an older beagle. She starts running toward the black dog. She stops and gives the lady Bogie. She runs past me and says we need to go get that dog, he ran away. I turn Boone around but hes still doing his weird walk crawl. Our other friend Henry was walking another dog, closer to where the black collie had ran off to. Brianne takes his dog and tells him to go get the Collie. He ran up to him quickley and grabbed the leash hanging off his collar and all was okay again.I later found out that the lady was about to adopt the dog, but he bit her and thats why she let go of the leash. She brought Bogie back and stormed to her car angerly. I felt awful because that dog was so close to having a home. He didnt know any better. He didnt bite her out of anger or aggression, he was just playing. How will he ever learn not to do that if no one is willing to train him. I understand why the lady didnt adopt him after that but I still wish she wouldnt give up so easily. She odviously felt a connection to the dog and just gave up on him.

Entry 9: Wednesday, March 25th 3:00-5:30 Learning about Animal ControlThis week I decided to go to the shelter on a Wednesday. I had had a rough weekend and whenever Im at the shelter my mind is so focused on all the work I barely have a chance to think about myself. Anyway they hired a new girl to start working named Liz. She was very friendly and while I washed the dogs dishes she was preparing their food right next to me. We got to talking and she told me shed just got laid off and that she used to work for animal control. She told me a lot of interesting things like they had all kinds of animals that came in cats, dogs, birds, even a raccoon. She told me that it wasnt very hands on there, workers werent supposed to interact with the animals if they didnt have to. She also said the animals were a lot less stressed at this shelter than the ones at animal control. She mentioned that a lot of animals had to be euthanized because there wasnt enough room there and they didnt have enough money or resources to provide for all the animals that came in. I never realized how big this issue was. How a stray dog could lose his life within weeks just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.The thing that really gets to me is the fact that these animals dont do anything wrong to end up in a shelter. Theyre just living and one day a person comes in takes them in or a family doesnt want the responsibility of a dog anymore so they give them up and then bam, life as they knew it is gone. Their fates rest in the hands of people looking for a dog. The sad part is most them spend a great deal of their lives in cages if theyre not adopted or in other cases theyre killed because they couldnt find a home in time. I really appreciate the fact that Ruths Memorial Shelter doesnt euthanize any dogs. Its still sad that they spend a great deal of time behind bars but theyre treated right, theyre safe, and the possibility of a home is always an option for them. Its not an ideal life for anyone but its better than having no chance at all. I understand why shelters euthanize, but at the same time I am hopeful to think maybe a better solution to this issue is out there.

Entry 10: Friday March 27th 3:30-6:30This Friday was my ninth visit at the shelter, and I realize that I knew the personalities of most of the dogs that have been here since January. Im familiar with the staff, I know how to do any job they throw at me, from walking the dogs, to cleaning the cages, to scooping poop outside. Ive seen tons of dogs come and go but the ones that really impact me are the ones that have been there longer than I have.A couple of months spending every day in a cage would drive any person insane, I can only imagine the impact it has on some of those dogs. Christina had told me that some of these dogs have been there since she was working there, and shes been working there for a year and a half. What kind of life is that? Why dont people want to adopt an already trained, friendly, older dog? I understand people like puppies because theyre cute and you get to raise the dog but an older dog is such a better fit for a lot of people and they dont even realize it.Older big dogs have the toughest time getting adopted. The smaller dogs usually arent there for long. Puppies are gone within days. No one wants a big dog which is really sad because theyre built to be outside, moving around, exploring. Not stuck in a cube that reeks of urine and dog food. The scent in the area where the big dogs are is awful. That would turn any person off. Yet if you get passed the smell and see the faces of the big dogs, the longing in their eyes and the need to be outside its really hard to understand why more people dont give them a chance. I hope that every single dog in the shelter finds a home soon, but I know this is very unrealistic. People bring in dogs left and right because of various reasons. I think theyre all excuses and if they shouldnt have ever gotten a dog in the first place. I guess it doesnt matter what I think though.

Entry 11: Friday, April 17th, My last DayAfter volunteering at Ruths Memorial shelter for about three months Id grown much attached to all the dogs. Every Friday when I go in my head gets flooded with the sound barks and screeches from every direction. When I first started I thought Id leave the shelter deaf, but on my last day I found it comforting and I walked in and did my rounds to greet all the dogs. There were a ton of new puppies that day and one looked like a teddy bear. I knew they wouldnt be there long because theyre young.Brianne and I went right into unfolding newspapers because they were almost out and those newspapers are crucial to cleaning the cages. Majority of the dogs sleep on top of the newspapers, only a small handful get a blanket or bed. We had gotten there before all the workers and when they came they had to prepare all the food so we spent a good forty-five minutes unfolding. My fingers looked like Id just got printed. As me and Brianne finished Judy came in with this weasel looking puppy. She had a short black coat and a narrow face. She looked maybe four months old. Her legs were so long and her tail had been cut off so just had a little stub. She looked so lost and confused. Judy said they found her running around Copper Field, a busy street in Concord. I went over to her cage and it was as if she forgot she was in a new strange place, she came up to the door of the crate with so much excitement in her. She licked my hand through the bars.About a half hour later as I was washing dishes, Christina was trying to convince this medium sized poodle to come through the door. The dog resisted as long as he could. He was white with fluffy tangled curls all over. It looked like someone super glued mud to all his feet. How someone could let a dog be in that condition is inconceivable. Christina finally got him to go in and he just whined and barked the rest of the day. Seeing dogs come in to Ruths Memorial Shelter makes me feel angry, and sad for the dog, but on another level I know this shelter is a place where most their dogs get adopted and its the dogs best shot at finding a home.

Entry 12: April 17th, 2015 Last Day Continued As my last day of volunteering came to an end I told everyone goodbye and everyone said the same thing, thank you so much, you really have no idea how much we appreciate your help. They tell us that every time we leave, but this was the last time hearing it. Everyone there is just so grateful because without volunteers it would take the workers hours to clean up and feed the dogs by themselves. It also gives some of the dogs a chance to go for a walk and every dog there deserves a long walk every day. Unfortunately not every dog gets a chance to be walked every day. Theres just not enough time or people to provide that.I really enjoyed walking the dogs, every time Id take one out theyd just be so excited to be outside. Theyll sniff the ground vigorously as if it would vanish any second. Which I guess isnt far from the truth, once their walk is over they go back to newspapers and bars. Being the one to provide them with a few minutes of freedom always made me feel like I was making some sort of improvement on their lives. I know its not much but, its something.Volunteering let me see a dog shelter from every angle. I really never knew how they worked. I pictured it to be a dark place with old sad dogs sleeping. I learned thats not what it is at all. Lady and the Tramp gave me a dark image. Maybe its not the happiest place for a dog, but it provides them with a chance. The amount of effort I see Judy and Mike put into getting the dogs a forever home is remarkable. They want them to leave as soon as possible. Its sad that some dogs are there for months or even years but it shows that no ones giving up on them.

20