Payton Mack
7/10/14, 3:00-6:00pm
Irvington Pet Hospital
Dr. Deborah Rue D.V.M.
irvingtonvet@irvingtonpethospital.coms
This is the second day that I volunteered at Irvington Pet Hospital. I learned a lot about the importance of seeing veterinarians regularly especially for puppies and kittens. The technicians told me about the many diseases that are hard to detect and can be overlooked. When learning this, I immediately thought of the many abused or neglected animals that don’t receive regular medical care. When I took my dogs to the vet, most of the appointments were check-ups and didn’t seem that important. But after witnessing all the procedures and learning the importance behind each one, I feel more passionately about making sure that all animals receive medical care.
Before I began volunteering, I thought that I would be much more behind the scenes helping out mostly by cleaning the facility and caring for the animals, but Dr. Rue and the technicians trusted me to help them with some of the procedures. After helping the doctor, I did feel as though I had made an impact on the animal’s life, although they didn’t quite know it. I felt a particular connection to one cat at the hospital. Her name was Ivy and she lives at the hospital because she used to be a blood donor. I helped the hospital by changing her blankets, refilling her food and water, and giving her medication. She was very sweet and would always follow me around the hospital.
This day overall opened my eyes to the important of caring for animals. I am now more passionate about helping to end animal abuse and I hope to one day volunteer at an animal shelter. Irvington Pet Hospital showed me a brighter side to animal care that was very educational, but now I want to impact the life of an animal that has already experienced neglect or abuse. I believe the experience that I gained from volunteering at a pet hospital will aid me in future volunteering.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Volunteering at Irvington Pet Hospital
Payton Mack
7/8/14, 3:00-6:00pm
Irvington Pet Hospital
Dr. Deborah Rue D.V.M.
irvingtonvet@irvingtonpethospital.com
Before beginning my PACT, the idea of volunteering at a pet hospital made me very nervous. I imagined an extremely sterile environment and strict staff. I knew I would have a rewarding experience, but also very serious. I also believed that most of the animals that went to pet hospitals had life-threatening injuries or experienced abuse. However, when I first visited the hospital to sign up as a volunteer, the environment was very warm and the staff were very friendly. The receptionist Mary was very kind and challenged my preconception that all the staff were going to be strict. Although the environment needs to be kept clean, I was given a guided tour of the facility which I did not expect considering I was in a hospital. After my tour of the facility, I learned that the staff and the environment was much more easy-going than I previously had thought, but I was still worried about participating in actual medical procedures. The second time I went I followed various technicians and helped them with some tasks. With each task they would walk me through each step and help me understand each medical procedure. I originally thought that the medical procedures would be very hard to understand and the data collected would be easy to mess up, but my technician walked me through each process and eased the preconceptions I had of this.
I did not discover anything new about myself through my service work. I have a strong love for animals and I have known this my entire life. However, working at the hospital was still a very emotional experience. Throughout my volunteer work, I witnessed the vet euthanize two animals. Both had serious medical issues and putting them down was the right decision, but it was emotional for me because the deaths of two animals reminded me of the deaths of my own pets Ruff and Tumble. It has been about five years since my pets died, but I can still relate to the families that lost their pets. Losing a pet for any reason is a sad experience, but I learned that euthanasia help the animal by putting an end to its suffering.
I do not believe I had an impact on stopping animal abuse, however, I had an impact at Irvington Pet Hospital. Because they are a small facility, they benefit greatly from the help of volunteers. For example, on this day, I folded clean blankets and towels and prepared cages for the dogs and cats to stay in. This allowed the other technicians to focus on caring for the animals and helping the doctore with medical procedures. The goal of my PACT project, in the end, was to work with animals and gain knowledge of how to care for them. Working at Irvington Pet Hospital accomplished my goal as well as gave me medical insight on animal care.
7/8/14, 3:00-6:00pm
Irvington Pet Hospital
Dr. Deborah Rue D.V.M.
irvingtonvet@irvingtonpethospital.com
Before beginning my PACT, the idea of volunteering at a pet hospital made me very nervous. I imagined an extremely sterile environment and strict staff. I knew I would have a rewarding experience, but also very serious. I also believed that most of the animals that went to pet hospitals had life-threatening injuries or experienced abuse. However, when I first visited the hospital to sign up as a volunteer, the environment was very warm and the staff were very friendly. The receptionist Mary was very kind and challenged my preconception that all the staff were going to be strict. Although the environment needs to be kept clean, I was given a guided tour of the facility which I did not expect considering I was in a hospital. After my tour of the facility, I learned that the staff and the environment was much more easy-going than I previously had thought, but I was still worried about participating in actual medical procedures. The second time I went I followed various technicians and helped them with some tasks. With each task they would walk me through each step and help me understand each medical procedure. I originally thought that the medical procedures would be very hard to understand and the data collected would be easy to mess up, but my technician walked me through each process and eased the preconceptions I had of this.
I did not discover anything new about myself through my service work. I have a strong love for animals and I have known this my entire life. However, working at the hospital was still a very emotional experience. Throughout my volunteer work, I witnessed the vet euthanize two animals. Both had serious medical issues and putting them down was the right decision, but it was emotional for me because the deaths of two animals reminded me of the deaths of my own pets Ruff and Tumble. It has been about five years since my pets died, but I can still relate to the families that lost their pets. Losing a pet for any reason is a sad experience, but I learned that euthanasia help the animal by putting an end to its suffering.
I do not believe I had an impact on stopping animal abuse, however, I had an impact at Irvington Pet Hospital. Because they are a small facility, they benefit greatly from the help of volunteers. For example, on this day, I folded clean blankets and towels and prepared cages for the dogs and cats to stay in. This allowed the other technicians to focus on caring for the animals and helping the doctore with medical procedures. The goal of my PACT project, in the end, was to work with animals and gain knowledge of how to care for them. Working at Irvington Pet Hospital accomplished my goal as well as gave me medical insight on animal care.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Blog Instructions
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR PACT ENTRIES
In lieu of writing one journal entry per PACT visit, you will write TWO blog entries (approx. 250 words each) about your PACT service work. You will write one entry after you’ve completed your first THREE visits to your site and the other entry after you’ve completed all FIVE visits. Post your entries to your advocacy’s blog so that your peers can see and comment on what you’ve done.
ENTRY CONTENT
1. Do not waste your 250 words describing how you got to the site or listing inconsequential details about every action you performed while there. Give us the information that matters. Analyze what was going on below the surface of your actions or interactions. Keep in mind the social issue(s) you are trying to solve. Surface-level entries will not receive full credit.
2. Consider incorporating answers to the following questions:
- Before beginning your PACT, you probably had preconceptions about your organization, your issue, and/or the population you were going to serve. What were they, and how did your PACT work challenge those preconceptions?
- Did you discover anything about yourself through your service work? Were you at all surprised by your emotional reactions over the course of your service?
- Do you believe you had an impact through your service? If so, what did you accomplish?
ENTRY FORMAT
At the top of each entry, list the following information. Then, skip a space and begin writing.
Your Name
Date and Time of PACT Visit
Organization Name
Supervisor’s Name
Supervisor’s Contact Information
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