Miami Metro Zoo

So, during Spring Break I got to do something that was really exciting! My mentor, Mrs. Stoklosa, has a cousin who trains some of the wildlife at the Miami Metro Zoo, and she let me shadow her for part of the day. I was so excited to learn more about jobs working with wildlife.

When I got there, Jennifer, brought me to the section of the zoo where she is located. Since they are doing some construction in the zoo, she had to relocate to a trailer and temporary cages were built for the animals that she takes care of that are not on display, until the new building is finished. On the outside of the trailer, there was a sink and table, where they prepared the food for some of the animals. Inside the trailer, they had cages where they kept some of their parrots. The parrots were really pretty, and they were each trained for different talents, like flying or talking. I even went up to look at one, and it said hello to me.
Then, behind the trailer, was where some of the cages for the animals that Jennifer took care of were located. There were many different and beautiful animals. Jennifer even let me enter some of the cages to pet some of the animals, and take some pictures. One of the animals was a fourteen year old, female cheetah. I wasn't allowed to go all the way in her cage, but I was able to pet her and take a picture of her from the door of the cage.

After that, I went with Jennifer and her coworker to the animal clinic at the zoo. On the walls were pictures, taken during different surgeries that had been performed by the veterinarians. We then went to where some of the reptiles were kept. In there, they kept a snake that had just had surgery on its eye. it was a really big snake, about 100lbs.

When Jennifer was done, we went back to the trailer and she let me interview her. I learned a lot from the interview, especially about the types of courses I should consider taking in college if I want to have a career that involves animals. She also gave me some good advice on what to expect when having a career that involves working with animals.

Since I only shadowed Jennifer for a part of the day, when I was done, my family and I decided to enjoy the rest of the zoo, since most of us had never been there before. Since I just have a regular digital camera, my sister was able to get a lot of really good pictures of the animals with her camera. I can't wait to upload some of the pictures onto my computer, they came out really good!

Orientation update

So last weekend I went to an orientation for the Humane Society of Greater Miami. The shelter is about thirty minutes away in North Miami Beach, and the orientation lasted about ninety minutes. They gave everyone a packet that contained all the rules for the volunteers, it also contained all the jobs that a volunteer can choose from and the duties that are done for that job, along with the requirements for it. All the jobs seemed really interesting, but the ones I was most interested in were dog bathing and animal socializing. I think it would be interesting to learn the proper techniques for bathing dogs and cats, and the animal socializing seems really interesting because I know a lot of the cats and dogs get stressed out and scared of people and  other animals after being kept in cages for so long.
Now all I have to do is fill out the volunteer application and go to the training class. I am thinking of going to the training class that is scheduled on Thursday next week, and then staying there so I can volunteer right away. After the class I will have to buy a volunteer shirt that I will wear every time I go to volunteer, and I will have to buy a lead. A lead is a type of leash that also turns into a collar, it makes it easier when having to take a dog out of its cage fast, since they don't wear collars. I'm really excited to start volunteering at a new place. It looked like a really nice place when I went to the orientation.

Wise Update

So this week has been pretty good. I was able to find two new places to volunteer that take care of cats and dogs. I went to one of the orientations for those volunteer places, and I will be going to the other one soon.
I was also able to get in contact with, my mentor, Mrs. Stoklosa's cousin, who works with the big cats at the Miami Metro Zoo. She is going to allow me to shadow her for a day and interview her. I'm so excited, and can't wait! We've decided that we are going to meet in about two weeks. I'll probably be writing more about that soon.
I also went to the team meeting this week, where Coach Love told us about our third quarter exam project. We are going to make a film preview of what our project is. I'm pretty excited for it, I think it's going to be really interesting and fun to make. But I do have to get some more pictures of me working with animals, so I can include them in the film preview. So I'll probably do that next time I go volunteer.
Well, that's all I really have time to write for now, because I have a test that I really need to study for. So...i guess I'll write up another post soon.

Orientation

I'm very excited for this weekend! Earlier this week I was able to find another place to volunteer, It's at the Humane Society of Greater Miami, but I first have to attend a mandatory orientation for it, to learn about all the rules, different volunteer duties to choose from, and to get the volunteer application. I'm really happy I found this place, because they not only have cats, but they have dogs too, and I haven't really been able to volunteer with dogs, because the place where I usually volunteer at only has cats, and I really want to get more experience working with dogs.
I also can't wait for another orientation that is coming up soon. It's another place I found this week, that looks like it will be a good and fun experience. There is only one problem that I am having, which is figuring out what day to go to the orientation. They have an orientation in about two weeks, but I already have something planned for the whole day, and if I miss that orientation, which is on the weekend, I would have to wait another two weeks...so I've been trying to schedule going to the orientation on a Thursday, but I have to make sure it will be a good day for my mom to go, because that place requires all volunteers under the age of 18 to volunteer with a parent or legal guardian. And of course, my 18th birthday isn't until the end of May. =(
Oh well, hopefully my mom will be able to make some free time and go to the orientation with me.

Hypothyroidism For Dogs



My dogs, Mia on the left and Oso on the right.



So today, I'm doing my post on hypothyroidism in dogs. About a year ago,my family noticed that my older dog, Oso, had become very quiet, less active, and had gained a lot of weight. He just seemed really depressed. At first, because my dog is on the older side, my family thought he was like that from old age. But then, one day when we took him to the veterinarian for his yearly check-up. After telling the vet about all his symptoms, she ran some test on him. When we got the results back, we found out that he had a problem with his thyroid gland, which, just like in humans, regulates metabolic rate.

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland becomes under active and not enough hormones are produced. It can be caused by an auto-immune response, that is when the body will not recognized its own cells and will created antibodies to destroy the cells. This disease can be easily diagnosed with a blood test that checks the thyroid hormone levels in a dog.

Hypothyroidism developes in mostly medium to large dog breeds, ages four to ten years old. Some of the symptoms are lethargy, hair loss, weight gain, dry skin, bacterial skin infections, ear infections, skin discoloration, and depression.
To treat this disease, the dog will be placed on a daily dose of a synthetic thyroid hormone called thyroxine, which will be taken for the rest of the dogs life. Periodic blood samples will be drawn to check the dosage and be corrected if necessary. After the treatment is started, symptoms should go away.

ASPCA

One of the most well known, and probably the most famous animal organizations in the U.S. is the ASPCA, or the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This is a non-profit organization, that is dedicated to preventing cruelty towards animals and informing the public of the inportance of spaying/neutering, and properly caring for all animals.
This organization was started on April 10, 1866, by Henry Bergh. On his way to America, was the first time Bergh took action against the cruelty towards animals. In London, he took notes on Earl of Harrowby, president of England's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Because of him, about nine days later an anti-cruelty law was passed, and the ASPCA was granted the right to enforce the law.
Although the ASPCA originally focused mainly on horses and livestock, it has spread to focusing on all other animlas as well. Since it was first started, the ASPCA has been very successful in educating the public on the proper ways of caring for all animals, as well as traing all types of animals. They have also been successful in preventing cruelty to animals, by informing people about the horrors of dog fighting, puppy mills, dog racing, animal neglect, and more. It is definitely safe to say that the ASPCA will be here for a long time, defending all animals.
For more information about the ASPCA, visit their site: http://www.aspca.org/

Hollydogs

About two weeks ago, I decided to volunteer on Saturday, when I usually volunteer on Sundays. Well, as I arrived, I found out that on Saturdays another organization is there. They are called HollyDogs. They are an organization that specializes in adoptions for greyhounds. Although they have a variety of ages, many of their dogs are retired racing dogs.

Hollydogs is a non-profit organization relying soley on volunteers and donations. They are dedicated to saving greyhounds that would otherwise be euthanized because they are no longer fit for racing and educating the public on caring for greyhounds, as well as the importance of spayinng and neutering animals, to prevent over population. They have a greyhound sanctuary, located in Bonita springs, FL, and their main adoption center is located in Hollywood, FL.

Hollydogs' dedication for their dogs is shown in the adoption process. To make sure that their animals will be in a safe and loving home, all future adopters must fill out an application, agree to a home visit, and have their applications approved. As I was looking through the Hollydogs website, I could definately tell how dedicated they were to finding loving homes for their dogs and educating the public about the breed.