Two weeks and still no home :(!

 Many still with no home and a few that have found homes!  

   Today was rough, considering I was out of town and I was a day or two behind in visiting the shelter. When I visited the shelter for the first time this week, I over heard that the dogs  as a whole were not doing so well.  The weather is having a great impact on the shelter, especially with the heat fluctuating. The dogs are acting according to their bowels and other symptoms. It was hard to walk on the adoption dog floor and see  them more miserable then ever today. I really hope that the shelter does something now that the heat is beginning to rise again.  

Coca
ID# 71772
5/21/12 Coca came to shelter and left that day!

  
  When I was browsing the various animals I noticed that in the past two weeks that there had been a handful or more that were still at the shelter.  I went to see the cats and there were about 6 or so cats that had been there for the past two weeks.  On the other hand the dogs, were very new. There were so many new batches of dogs and sadly still some that had been 
since last week. There were about
 three that I had see that had 
overlapped for two weeks and really 

Coca is going HOME! This women that
adopted her was so excited the
come and actually get Coca! Her and her
 sister rushed that morning to come to the shelter
 to see this particular dog!!

to find homes! I a hopeful that these wonderful animals can find homes this coming week. 

Responsible Pet Ownership

Daisy
causal as can be, so cute!

Responsible pet ownership can entail a lot. Over the past two weeks volunteering at Wake County Animal Shelter  I have noticed  how people really do treat their animals. Responsible pet ownership is taking  full care of your pet no matter what. When thinking about getting a pet weigh out the pros and cons and where you are at that time.  That includes knowing what to expect prior to getting the animal,  the expenses that go in to getting the animal, taking care of the animal ( food, vet visits, toys,etc).  I believe there are those few out there that just don't have a clue where to begin with getting a pet and the outcome is terrible. There are a handful of ones that are understandable but there are down right  those ones that are mistreated their pet across the boarder. The few that I have seen that I understand are ones that can't afford the pet, moving, or a drastic experience occurred.  Just in the past two day there have been  a couple of surrender sheets with dogs and cats that have sad reasons as to why they can't keep their animal. On the other hand there are the  are two that I would like to mention that to me have failed their responsibly of pet ownership. The first one I saw today, the dog ran away and got turned into the shelter. Kayley and Brittany were taken their photos when I stepped into the lobby where this man, not all there was trying to claim is dog back.  I over heard him say," It's him, he was even wagging his tail". The employee working with this gentleman was asking various question and the owner clearly did not care just wanted the pet back so his children would quit whinnying. He did seem thrilled that he was getting his dog back or assuring that this won't happen again. I could take it and told Kayley all about what had happen. I guess I'm still at that judging stage and need to work through it. The second incident with poor ownership would be letting or getting dogs just so they can fight. It kills me to see the dogs have abuse marking on them. I couldn't imagine beating or letting my dog fight another.

Interview with an employee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8LNqLdCc8E&feature=youtu.be

Video curtousey of me and and permission with interviewer Joanne Duna

May 24, 2012

Stella
Living  the life!

Interview with a visitor

   " Responsible pet ownership consists of an owner taking a pet into their home with the understanding and passion to support and care for the animal. A pet owner should be willing to put their  time money and effort into their pet to provide the animal with the best care to provide a safe, happy , and positive environment.  "

-Emily Stephens, May 24, 2012

Surrender Sheets

Surrendering 

Surrendering animals to the shelter consists of a number of reasons that the owner is turning them in.  Volunteering for the past two weeks I have read some pretty heart breaking stories and reasons behind giving up their animal. It is very tough  to not judge when they come in personally to the shelter and you over hear what they have to say, it's defiantly a learning process for me in this situation still.  Being in contact with the animal and knowing wht they have been through brakes my heart and puts tears in my eye.  I know I am doing the right thing to help these animals out the best I can.

Here is just a few of the many of my experience with animals that have been surrendered.

1. Felix ID# 36960

Felix is a male who is 2 1/2 years old. This little guy is quite the little character and he was surrendered to the shelter because the owner  was moving. This cat has such a great sweet personality and he is very friendly to just about anyone. Felix like to play, cuddle, and isn't shy to tell you when he wants some attention. This cat keeps makes me smile when i see him and just wants someone that really cares for him and love him the way he needs to be love. 

1. Abby ID# 71472



Abby is a year old lab hound mix.  She was surrendered to the shelter May of last week due to her loving owner getting too old to take care of. Her owner adored Abby and had lots of great things to say about her.  Abby is some what house trained, she does well with cats and other dogs too.  She is filled with personality and she knows how to sit and is still working on shaking.  She is going to be a great addition to any family, even with other animals. 

2. Mini ID# 71430

 Mini is an 11 month old female cat.  She was surrendered to the shelter  May of last week due to her owner was loosing his or her job and had to move from a house to an apartment.  Mini is a cat that just wants to cuddle up next to and and get some attention.  She is super young and just wants the right family to scoop her home and treat her right. 

Turn-Over

There are a few observations that I have made about animal turn-over at the shelter.  I notice today that when taking note of all the dogs on the adoption floor and  there was a number of over lapping. I had seen a handful of dogs that I had seen last week.  Out of the dogs in each of the room I spotted about twelve from last week the were turned-over and about eight fresh one's for this week so far. The room that had one of the dogs I had photographed from last week had six that had been overlapped. No, this does not surprise me that there was that much of a turn-over. I think the reason that there are turn-overs is because the dog is not feeling well, in surgery, resting for the day, and in foster & has come back. On the other hand, yes, I am surprised that animals are being over lapped.  I think the volunteers and people who work there can spice things up for the animals as much as they can if possible. To do so, getting them healthy, clean, put back in place and them looking 100% the best that they can be.

Abby

Id# 71472

 Sweet Abby here is filled with energy and is super cute. I believe that she
  her potential reason for  her overlapping is because of where she is being placed and that people probably think she is too wild. She isn't wild she is just eager to have attention and be loved. 

Critique: Strengths & Improvement

This photo was in the first batch of photos that I took. This photo was not on the top of my list of being the best but it is suitable for the job. There are a few strengths that bring out the picture and there are defiantly areas of improvement they could be done.

Strengths are very  important to the photos, really shows off the animal. The positive sides to this photo are key  to what sells the animal so that they can be adopted. People are attracted to the ups of the photo.   The three strengths that stand out to me the most  are  the amount of light, eyes, and how the dog doesn't look miserable.   The first  one, the amount of light is key because its brings out the color and there are a lot of color . Light  is also a strength because it livens  the animal , rather them be in total darkness and can't really notice them. The second  strength are the eyes. I think that I capture the spark;e in both of the eyes at Baylee is  looking at me.  The last strength is how Baylee does not look miserable. She is so sweet , cuddling,  and just looks so happy with he r little tongue sticking out.

There is also areas of improvement in this picture of Baylee. The three improvements are background,  more  of the dog, and expression. The background needs much improvement, I should of done a better job cropping more of my partner out. The background is distracting in a way that takes away from the main image. The next improvement would be to see more of this dog. I should of gotten a full shot of Baylee standing and more of her body should of been visible. Finally the last area of improvement would be the dogs expression. Getting the dog to focus is hard enough and to capture them to get an impression is even more of a struggle. They are just so excited to get attention and love that capturing that one moment is tough. 

Baylee
Id #70974

Where do they come from?

        Like many of us in our class volunteering at Wake County Animal shelter from the past two weeks, I have began to take in, that these animals come from all over the county. The animals are spotted on the streets, neighborhood, or near complexes. People in the county bring in animals for a number of reasons. They simply are unable to care for their pets. Animal shelter and some organizations that partner with the shelter come across animals and bring them to shelter. Some people bring in the animals in because there are moving and their animals aren't allowed where their going or unable to take care of. There were a few times within the two weeks they we started at the shelter that two families had two give up animals because of them moving. Lastly and the one that breaks my heart the most is the ones that just don't want the animal at all.  Whatever the issue maybe the animals come to Wake County Animal Shelter.  I know seeing first hand how many animals come in daily, is mind blowing. I talk to my mom on the phone and it hard for her to understand why I see day to day.  I also never really new just how many people really come to the shelter to give or hand over animals.  Another part that got to me was that the ones who are attached to their animals that have to give them up. Its so hard to watch a family go through, this is defiantly an emotional process as well. Going through the main entrance and being in the lobby is a whole different world. The looks that people have on their faces is so tough to watch.  The sights that I have seen I defiantly question,"How could someone get rid of  their animal,its part of the family." It blows my mind , but since attending the shelter I have to be more open about the choice make. Me and Kayley go together and we talk about how truly hard this is to experience and watch.  Deep down this  something that means the world to me and I know that I am doing the right thing. It's a struggle not to cry and get upset but at the end of the day I feel great because I have helped in some kind in the step process to get the animal out.

Maddox
ID# 71558

There was a few pictures that were good but this one was top of my list. Fabulous shot of this little guy! Maddox, he is so sweet and just wants to be loved. This was the first cat that I did not need some sort of assistance with getting his attention.  I did it by myself, and he is all curled up and ready to be cuddled with. Maddox is full of personality and ready for a home!  I am thrilled with this picture of him because of the lighting and hes looking at me. He got his fair sure of cuddling and is want more!

What in The World? Meta-Data

This is a whole new world for me!

A picture is worth a thousand words and spicing the picture up can go a long way.Using different programs can help spice and enhance that photo.

Meta-Data
This tool seems very useful and opens the door to so many paths, that you lead you to vvarious options you can do with your photos. Metadata is important key for making the best out of the photo.Without metadata it seems that the original image is nothing and isn't the best quality.  

In-Class

 Taken this class this I think that Meta-Data will help me in the class organizing my photos. The organization can consist or mundane. That allows me to then illustrate my picture with various characteristics. The tools especially the organizing tool is going to be my best friend. There is a lot more to meta data and I think that there is more to it that will not only help me but everyone in our class in some way shape or form.

Little Man
Id#70509
May 17, 2012

In this photo to the left,I took this with my camera on a special affect that allowed me to change the background.I think this featured helped slightly, in that it brightened up the colors and really popped the need areas. The eyes really got the since of color popping and twinkle in the eye effect too.

For more information please see the following websites

1. Summary/Overview 2. Link Applications  

3. Creating Template

1.http://dpbestflow.org/node/298

2. http://dpbestflow.org/node/331

3. http://vimeo.com/7542614

Nova's Dog Decoded

Watching Nova's Dog Decoded, I was really intrigued throughout the video and what they had to say about dogs.  I learned, but was not expecting the researchers findings to be the way they were. The dogs were scene as a mixture of a wolf and fox. The findings lead more towards dogs coming from wolfs, but seems to have taken a new direction now.  I did know that dogs sort of originated from wolfs and they cross breaded some how. I didn't really put to two and two together.  But researchers are still trying to figure out how the dogs went from being a lot  like the wolf and having those traits , to switching gears and  coming from other traits.
The video was put together made it seem like dogs were this wild diseased creature that just came to life out of the blew. This does not change my view about the shelter at all. The dogs in the shelter just want to have a loving home, they are not disease. The shelter tries to prevent any kind of disease and provides the best care for the animals as they can. I think that the animals that are in the shelter are viewed by the public as having issues that need to be taken care of and now they are left hopelessly to fend from themselves. Fend from themselves is that the animal has to go through a series of tests, put in a small cage, having countless people walk by it a day awaiting that time they pick you to take home. All of this takes a toll on the animal, they are all eager, have hope that today is their day for adopting.

WANT A BEST FRIEND

Been in the shelter for quite sometime !

String Bean
ID#67267
Date in shelter  2/3/2012
Date available= NOW
May 16, 2012 - May 17, 2012

String Bean
The sweat little girl ever, she is 4 years old and is
very lovable and ready for a home.
May 16, 2012 - May 17, 20

Capture My Attention

      Getting my Attention ... SO easy to do!
            This past Monday May 14, 2012,  I went to the animal shelter to begin taken pictures and getting some  practice with my camera. It clicked quickly how much easier done then said these tasks were going to be.  I struggled on this day getting my new camera orientated and handling the animals, mainly the dogs. A majority of the animals were so eager to have human interaction, it was hard to walk away. This was so tough to get their attention and snap a that one shot. After the first real interaction with the animals, I left with stories to tell my friends and family. I was very excited about what I was doing and it meant a lot to me. 
             When I got home,  I was eager to look on the Wake County Animal Shelter Adoption site and sort of compare what animals I had seen and the many others that were on the site.. When I was glancing at the adoption list, I realized just how important that one photo can be and can really make a difference. The photos really need to be focused on the animal its self and to block out the background.  On the website there were various pictures that got my attention, such as this one.

Mr. Wellington 

id#70133

Mr. Wellington id:70133Photo Courtesy of Wake County Animal Shelter http://services.wakegov.com/adoptiongallery/
May 16, 2012 
viewed and accessed 

This photo really caught my attention by the way Mr. Wellingtons faces is. The photo captures the sparkle in the eyes and makes you focus in on them .   This photo also capture my attention because of the lighting and the different colors. The background defiantly helps bring out Mr. Wellington's coat.  This photo also as you can see came with a video,  this also caught my attention and immediately had to watch it. I thought to my self for a second, "It's a bigger basset hound"! 


String Bean
id#67267

As you can see in this it really doesn't capture String Bean at all. She a, isn't looking a the camera, b there is background distractions, c the lighting seems a little off. This photo doesn't show of the best of the sweet dog.

This is another photo of String mean that is two times as better that the first one. This get the snap shot head on and really brings out the best in her. The lighting it bright which brings out the colors in her fur and also you get the twinkle, sparkle in the eyes. So, in all this is the better of the two because she is actually looking at the camera, less of a distraction, and the lighting is on point.

    

                                    

   

To give away or reunite or find a friend!

ADOPT ADOPT ...HELP HELP

My heart could just melt, this face
 to precious, Take Me Home!
May 16 viewed  & received
http://services.wakegov.com/adoptiongallery/

To find a friend, adopt a pet,  there are different fees that apply to different situations. There are general pet fees for dogs , cats, and other animals, but  it also depends if the animals have been fixed. 

ADOPTION

Dog Adoption                              $45

Dog Spay/Neuter Fee                $50

Cat Adoption                                $15

Cat Spay/Neuter Fee                 $30

Bird                                           $20

Ferret                                        $45

Guinea Pig                               $15

Reptile                                      $30

Rodent                                     $
Rabbit                                       $20

     

The Wake County Animal Shelter is open 24/7 taken in all different types of animals. It is not however open at all hours to see the pets, see site for details.The shelter can not just hand out the animals right away, the animals have to be properly treated and then they are allowed to be taken. However it would be nice becasue they found a home and it would be bad because the animal needs the proper care first hand.

Interviews

Why do you think they don't just give the homeless pets away for free?What would be the pros/cons?

 Kayley and I interviewed employee, Ricky the volunteer coordinator, at Wake County Animal shelter

May 17, 2012

I also interviewed a visitor at the shelter and he said, " The pros would be that you are getting a new pet an addition to the family they we are so excited to welcome into our household. The cons would be the cost of the animal, all that is  included, and the wait if the procedures haven't been done. 

For more information and where I got most of this please visit http://www.wakegov.com/pets/adoptions/default.htm

What a face!
Taken May 14 and post May16

First Visit and Orientation

First Visit , 
                 Wake County Animal Shelter 

photo courtesy of Mary Shannon Johnstone ©2012
Taken on May 9, 2012- accessed May10, 2012

    I road with Kayley, who is also in the class, and as we got off the high way and made our way to the shelter. The road there didn't have the most pleasing scenery and I wasn't too sure where we were going to end up.. Rough sites included  boring, off the main street, and a number of warehouses. Things for sure out side did not look so welcoming along the way. 
Immediately,walking up to the building you could smell that distinctive dog smell and defiantly a mixture of the animals when entering the building in the lobby.When we finally reached Wake County Animal Shelter and began our orientation introduction.  
               The orientation process gave me a better understanding of what  happens in the animal shelter and exactly the shelter does. The shelter provides, treats, loves, euthanasia, adoption, foster, and the list goes on. I really had a hard time understanding what was going on behind the scenes of getting rid of the animals, because as we know rumors do spread. As a result however, I am now aware of what happens, can accept it, even though it brakes my heart.  

         After the orientation came the tour of the facility, where we saw a majority of the entire place. The place is big and it all goes in circles it seemed like, I know I'm going to get a little confused. There is a lot to be aware of and defiantly need to pay close attention to.  
        The many smells were odd and  unpleasant in some areas. The mixture of food, laundry, bathroom, food, all mixed together and some stronger in various areas. The smell that go me was especially  bad on the dog adoption floors. 
        When it cam to seeing the sights, they  hard to walk past all the ones we saw were so cute but so heart breaking.  The cats were trying their hardest to get out or either terrified in the back or all curled up. On the other hand the dogs to me was the toughest. They were jumping, shaking, and curled up like they didn't know what was going on.  
       The sounds were even hard for me to hear. Just the consisting barking and crying was eating me up inside, just know that all of them need a loving home.  They all looked hopeless and as we walked by there looked at you with that look, like take me home.

L-R : Brittnay, Kayley, Bailey
We waled past this dog who didn't know what was
going on.. He kind of paused in his tracks and still had that look his
eyes they were were going to take him out.
photo courtesy of Mary Shannon Johnstone ©2012
Taken on May 9, 2012 - accessed May 1o, 2012

Point-Shoot Camera Information

SMILE
SAY, "CHEESE"!!
The kind of camera I got was a Canon PowerShot A40000 IS. This is catagogized as a point and shoot camera. Its just that it focuses on what you want to capture and the press of a button the picture is taken. I just recently bought this camera, today actually and was really excited to get my hands on an actual camera since my dog ate the last and I have been using my phone which  also works wonders !

Pros: durable, small, east to carry 
and travel with, and simple to use.

Front of the camera

The PowerShot is durable because it can handle rough and wouldn't get damaged or broken.  The point and shoot cameras are little compact devices that you could take with you everywhere you go. It is also good for traveling, easy to put in a pocket,  purse, or    luggage bag as well. I love this about these types of cameras because they 

don't take that much room up.This point and shoot camera suits the job that needs to be done and that is capturing the moments.

Back of the camera  

Cons: lack of options, doesn't hold a lot memory, poor quality

The PowerShot does had a lack of options, meaning you can't do various things to the picture and  the settings. This camera can't hold but maybe max of 60 pictures depending on how much memory space you have, so this does lack the amount of memory and how much 

can be held on it. Poor quality if the third con and that is because some of the picture are going to be fuzzy and just not a good picture.   

CAN'T WAIT!

Intoduction

Riley

Bailey Redmond,Fashion Merchandising-2013

Puck

When it comes to animals, dogs are number one for me. I have four dogs, three female basset hounds and a male black lab, their names are Riley, Puck, Stella, and Matilda. Riley is the youngest,  is the biggest lush, center of attention, diva, and so lovable. We got her even with her deformity, has a problem with her foot, but my family looked passed that and she is a great addition to our family. 

Puck, is the man of the house, we rescued puck and my mom gave him to my dad for an anniversary present a few years ago. Puck is full of energy and dominate , he is also a mamma's boy.  Stella, our red basset, we got her when my health status was not the greats. She is the biggest sweet heart and brings smiles to our faces constantly, she also howls, like the rest but it comes out as I love you! Lastly of the four and the oldest is Matilda. Tilly for short, is getting old but inside she is still that little puppy. I have also had my fair share of having, turtles, guanine pigs, hamsters, bunnies, and the list goes on, except cats. 

Stella

When I heard about this class,it instantly sparked my attention because if you could really tell I love animals. I was also interest in this whole blogging world and thought that it could be really useful for my major.Blogging seems to be a new addition in the fashion world, it allows designers to show their work and people to show what they are interested and want. Here and there I found myself going to fashion blogs and realizing that it might be a fun way of getting my self into fashion just a tad more. 

Matilda 

With taking this class I hope to get a better understanding of how to blog, connect this tool to my major, and apply the photo techniques when taking all kinds of pictures. Blogging so far, has been sort of a struggle to learn how to blog, but once on track, I think I will have fun.  I want as I said before to defiantly apply to my major fashion. Photo techniques will also come in handy, because I want the best quality shots. I think that working with Wake County Animal Shelter also allows me to help out the best I can in the community and really make a difference to the people but mostly to the animals.

I really don't think there is anything that is really in the way that's intimidating, just taken this blogging process one day at a time. Taken this class I do understand that, you have to go with the flow, reliable, and is time consuming. Yes, This is my first online class and I am ready, everyone talks about how laid back they are but you have to be on top of what is needed to be done and turned in. I am  looking forward to getting the balling rolling, taken pictures, and interacting with the animals.  Interacting with animals dogs mainly just brings smiles and laughter to my face as you see bellow.

Finally, my expectations of an online hybrid class are that is is flexible and that is really nice. The work is a little intense but its manageable, and commitment should not be an issue seems like both portions should be fun . I can't wait to work with these creatures it means a lok to me!