Service Learning Reflection

Throughout the course of this whole project, I had to write a paper on what the problem was in the community which is euthanasia in animal shelters. Euthanasia is an "assisted kill" of a person/animal that could potentially be painful or non painful. First off, I had to write a paper that consisted of the problem and possible solutions that could be helpful. After that, I went and volunteered at the Grand Strand Humane Society to help them out with the paperwork, stocking up supplies, and just general things. Whenever I see animals in a certain condition to the point where they have to be "put down", it makes feel sad knowing that this is considered the only way out for some of the animals placed in shelters. If euthanasia happens in one place, it happens across the globe so if we lower the probability of it happening in South Carolina then it could trickle to other states that have a high rate who euthanizes. I still have questions that haven't been completely answered such as "What can be done to keep animals from being placed in containers outside and disposed of in a proper place?" or "Isn't there another way to 'put down' an animal?" I can receive feedback on my service by posting my public service announcement to YouTube since everyone watches videos on there. People can go and view my video and then hopefully, it can make a minor difference.

Possible Solutions

I feel that the laws for euthanasia should be more strict and have more regulations in order to "put down" an animal. Laws in South Carolina suggest that in order for a shelter to "put down" an animal without it being considered murdered is that the animal has to be in such a terrible condition that it cannot even breathe on its own, then it would not be murdered. Anything else besides that is "aided death". I feel that if the law stated that even if the animal(s) are in such a poor condition, they still should not be euthanized. Also, if there was a person involved in the process of that animal going to be euthanized, they should be severely punished to the point that other people will not want to harm an animal to that extent. If we could get things like this patented in South Carolina, maybe it will follow in other states and things will begin to get better.

Public Service Announcement

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Interview Time!

During my visits at the shelter, I came across many people who are vital to the flourishing of the animal shelter. I felt that interviewing the operations manager and the veterinarian along with the vet. technician would help me better understand why it is needed to euthanize certain animals and not others. First I interviewed the operations manager, Rita Rhodes. She explained to me the process of having new animals come to the shelter and the responsibilities placed upon her. Say for instance a dog that has been brutally abused and on the verge of death gets placed at that shelter; it is up to her to make sure the necessities that the abused dog needs are met and taken care of completely. After interviewing her, I thought it would be handy to ask the veterinarian, Dr. Michelle Crull, a couple of questions. She said that she has seen it all from animals with chains embedded into them to limbs barely hanging on or even sometimes, missing. Her role in the shelter is vital too because without her, the animals that made it possibly couldn't not have had a chance before. Most people don't believe that a vet technician is actually as helpful as the veterinarian itself. During my visit, I met Lisa Morehead who is the vet technician. She helps out Dr. Crull when it comes time for a surgery or if the animals needs shots or any type of medical care, she's the one to do it. I feel that this pertains to the problem at hand because these ladies see what type of animals come in a decide if euthanizing is the only way for them.

This Calls For A Change

It's because of incidents like these that make euthanasia a problem.

Jan. 1999. Web. 1 May 2012. <http://www.peta.org/tv/default.aspx>.

The Grand Strand Humane Society

I volunteered at the Grand Strand Humane Society in Myrtle Beach, S.C. They are located off of Mister Joe White Avenue in a small area. At the shelter, I helped with paper work and keeping up with their web page online. Since I am 17 years old and not old enough to actually interact with most of the animals then I did mostly office help. I learned that the shelter has a multitude of duties and responsibilities placed on them that most people would just overlook. For example, every animal has to be accounted for whether the animal is alive or dead. Also, each time an animal is placed in the shelter, spaying and neutering is mandatory. Just because the animal is placed there, it is important to follow up and keep up with that animal. After going there, I will continue to help out at the shelter doing "office work" and cleaning up until I am 18 years old. Once I turn 18, I'm able to actually participate in the adoption and aid of the animals in the shelter.
http://www.grandstrandhumanesociety.com/

Problems of Euthanasia

Animal Shelter. Photograph. Web. 3 Apr. 2012. <http://tailsfromthelost.org/Puppy%20Mill-Animals%20in%20Garbage.jpg>.

In animal shelters, most animals aren't well or healthy enough to last for long after being placed in a shelter. Either they just been abused or harmed to the point of where they can no longer survive; that's when euthanasia comes into play. Based off of statistics, shelters do plenty of "aided deaths" each year and just leave the dead animals out in the open and never really dispose of the body properly. It's one thing to help kill an animal but it's another thing to not do something decent with the corpse.