BLOG 18: 2-Hour Meeting Answer #3

1. What is the best way to reduce the overpopulation of animals in animal control?

2. Permitting humane euthanizations in animal shelters as long as the animal is under severe health obstructions or cannot be helped by a veterinarian. 

3. Details:
-According to PETA, an animal organization, an animal may be permitted to be euthanized humanely only if the animal is aged, sick, injured, dying or too aggressive. 
- According to the ASPCA, they say an animal has the right to be released from suffering if such cruelties like malnutrition, disease or trauma have been encountered by the animal. 
-According to the AHC, or Animal Healthcare Center, euthanasia is a pain-free and stress- free experience for an animal in a shelter. 

4. An article I found by PETA, one of the most extreme animal rights groups titled, "Why We Euthanize" lay over the extreme conditions in which they euthanize animals. They say, if only an animal is dying, severely injured, too aggressive shall it be put to sleep humanely. Even though many see euthanizations as an inhumane act, even PETA consider euthanizing at the worst possible consequences, which does reduce overpopulation. There are so many injured dogs that come into shelters that are either too injured to help, or the costs are too high to risk, so by humanely euthanizing, this will reduce that strain of overpopulation. 

5. I plan next to look into other well know animal organizations and see their point of views on euthanizing, how many euthanizations they produce and look into kill shelters on why they do not euthanizing humanely. 

BLOG 17: Fourth Interview Questions

Questions:

1. What is the best way to reduce the overpopulation of animals in animal control?
2. Why do you think adoption rates in shelters are so low?
3. Why do you think animal overpopulation in the last 5 years has increased?
4. What is the best way to increase adoption rates in shelters?
5. What is the largest animal organization that you know of, who have influential impacts on reducing the overpopulation in animal control?
6. How do you think budget cuts on animal control facilities impact/effect adoptions and rescuing animals?
7. How many adoptions did Glendora Animal Control have in 2012? Compared to the total amount of dogs in 2012?
8. Why do pet owners choose not to adopt and instead buy from breeders and or, pet stores?
9. How do puppy mill businesses effect animal shelter and rescue adoptions?
10. What is the best solution to reducing or illegalizing puppy mills?
11. Even though puppy mills are legal, what is your take on pet stores selling puppy mill dogs?
12. How many encounters have you personally had with puppy mill investigations?
13. What is spay/neutering your cats and dogs so important to reducing overpopulation?
14. Why does it cost more for a pet owners to register/license their dog if the dog is not spay/neutered?
15. How helpful are donations to animal control facilities?
16. What are the requirements or "condition" an animal has to be in to get euthanized?
17. How many euthanizations have you done in total for 2012?
18. How does spay/ neutering keep your dog and cats healthier?
19. How big of a part do pet owners have in animal shelter overpopulation?
20. What is the biggest risk for pet owners when adoption a dog?

BLOG 16: 2-Hour Meeting Answer #2

1. My essential question is, 'What is the best way to reduce the overpopulation of animals in animal control?'
2. My second answer to my essential is question is, we need to increase the adoption rates in shelters, rescues and animal control centers  throughout the United States.
3. Details:

 -According to the American Humane Society, only 3.5 million people or 20% of pet owners in the U.S. adopt from shelters.
 -According the the ASPCA, there are approximately 5000 animal shelters in the United States that have over 5 million dogs  come in every year and typically 3.5 million of the dogs are euthanized or never adopted out.
- According to my mentor, Jolean Miller, an animal control officer at Glendora PD, the biggest reason for why people do not adopt dogs is because of their age, typically shelter dogs are over the age of 2 and when people get a new dog they want it to be a puppy or young. 

     4. Some sources that helped me prove that this answer was justified was organizations such as PETA, the ASPCA and the Humane Society because they have graphs/facts/statistics on overpopulation problems in shelters and rescues that show why people aren't adopting and what we can do to improve adoption rates. 
     5. For my second answer I plan on working with my mentor at the Glendora animal control department to see how overpopulated the facility is and also, see how many dogs she picks up and takes to the kill shelter, which is also overpopulated and low on adoptions. 

BLOG 15: Independent Component 2 Plan Approval

1. For my second independent study component I plan on continuing my mentorship with the Glendora Police Station, in the animal control department. Since I am working directly in animal control, and that being my topic, it works out well. 
2. My plan will meet the 30 hours required because typical I go in to do my mentorship twice a week for 1 to 3 hours, it is right across the street so there is no excuse for not getting there. When I go in, I am able to do the paperwork required for officers, then go on calls for animals and hopefully, I can go with them to drop off the animals at the Humane Society to see the shelter side of the job. So, In 2 months i'll be able to get to 30 hours with my mentorship. 
3. My independent study component relates to my working EQ because the overpopulation in animal control is what in focusing on, and by working with animal control directly, you can see, hands on the overpopulation problem. Also, I can see how my answers to my working EQ are put into play because my mentor knows a lot about puppy mills and she works with multiple shelters/rescues.