I mentioned in an earlier post my Instagram account featuring the cats, dogs, chickens, sheep, and many more during my experience over the summer. While I will no longer be at the Humane Society every day, I make such frequent visits there to play with the cats and walk the dogs that I am going to keep the account up and running.

I am always putting myself out there to people with pets and animals letting them know about my internship, and how I am more than willing to pet-sit for them. I am also using my internship as a reference point for future jobs and educational opportunities. I am also simply using my internship as  a topic of conversation in hopes to help get more animals adopted!

I look forward to my future and what it holds for me, whether it be related to kids and animals or not, I extremely appreciate my opportunity at the Humane Society. It helped me create some friendships worth remembering, and it helped me open up to kids which is a huge stepping stone for me.

Every time I share my experience of interning at the Halifax Humane Society, almost everyone is interested and happy to chat. Animals are such an enjoyment in peoples lives, they really do become part of families and have the power to positively impact people in many ways.

One thing that always kept me happy through out my time at the Halifax Humane Society was the genuine care that everyone working at the facility had. Each staff member was always ready for another long day of dealing with the various animals, and each volunteer was happy to be there and help out in any way possible. Having a few pets, and caring for more than 50 dogs are two completely different tasks. The staff works very hard to keep the animals safe, healthy, and happy.

One person in particular works the hardest of all; Dr. Wolfe the only on staff veterinarian at the facility. She is constantly working and still has the distinct and unique love for the animals she works with. Dr. Wolfe would take the time out of her busy days to talk with the kids at camp and I was always super appreciative each and every time. She also was treating my dog this summer for heartworms which gave me another reason to really appreciate her work. She has spay and neutering surgeries on Tuesdays and Thursdays where she works on about 50 or more animals each day.

In general, all of the employees shared a common virtue and care for animals that emanates the facility with happy and caring vibes.

My other post talks about a few of the boys who stood out during camp and their behaviors towards others and myself. I also want to share my reflections of a few of the girls at camp. Since I only have a younger brother, adapting to girls this age was even harder for me.

I managed to respond very well and  tastefully when they asked questions or made remarks pertaining to their image, female image, whats stereotypes are, and other topics. A couple girls wondered why none of the officers who came in for the K-9 presentations were women, and I made it a point to have the officers explain that women CAN be officers and K-9 officers.

A lot of the girls mentioned their Instagram accounts and their social media accounts. There was a surprising amount of stories that went along with their accounts ranging from their first “boyfriend” and all the drama during the school year, to actual threats and predators. I tried my best to explain that theres a time and place for everything and that they need to be extremely cautious with what they post and who they allow to follow.

Don’t get me wrong, the boys asked for advice and interesting questions too, and I answered them with just as much advice but the girls seemed more involved online and slightly more unaware of what could potentially go wrong.

Another interesting topic both the girls and boys brought up was the breed issue of  Pit-bulls, Rottweiler’s, and other intimidatingly labeled breeds. I found bliss in the amount of kids who stated those dogs are usually “misinterpreted” and we discussed how certain dogs can be trained and raised to be aggressive or bad, whereas the same breed, even the same litter can have a different home impacting its “personality” and behavior.

Many of the kids stand out in my memory, but a couple in particular are going to stick with my memories for a very long time. Most of the kids would fade into their groups of friends without making a fuss or standing out too much, but some were uniquely memorable. One boy was somewhat difficult to handle and did not listen very well; at the end of the camp he ended up saying that he doesn’t listen to any women. This moment has been a sad memory, but also an educational one. I was proud when I could handle it completely rationally by telling him that he needs to respect women authority even if he didn’t want to, and I was happy when I didn’t get angry with the kid but I acknowledged that it had to have been something to do with how he was raised.

Another boy was slightly more concerning. This boy started to speak up by telling stories about death and morbidly sad things. He then began speaking of the afterlife and even childbirth. He had strange cuts and scars on his ankles and legs, and one day he picked a scab and began to bleed. When we asked him to clean it up he refused, in which case I had to assist him in cleaning up the blood. When we threw away the paper towel with blood on it, he insisted on keeping it. With my strongest resistance I tried to not allow it, but he grabbed it and ran. I managed to tell the person in charge of the camp, but they didn’t seem too concerned. The following days he brought in dead bugs, and was curious about executions and the death penalty. We managed to talk to the child’s grandmother, but she too didn’t seem concerned.

In either case I feel it was important for me to be exposed to such raw and uncomfortable situations in order to be prepared for anything. I am happy to say I was able to handle myself and reasonably handle the kids in each circumstance to the best of my ability as a counselor.

Looking back at the beginning of my internship, I was irrationally nervous about working with kids. Being constantly in the presence of kids and taking things into their perspective has opened up a whole new world for me. It’s almost as if I now have a kid friendly aura. Before this summer I was not considering having kids of my own, and now my entire life plans have been flipped upside-down (In a good way). I feel 100 percent more inclined to care for, and even just chat with younger children.

The daily activities of PAWS camp have encouraged me to do more volunteer work at My Angel With Paws. I am interested in the first steps of training a service dog, and specifically the weekend foster program. I don’t think I have enough time to care for a service dog full time, but a weekend responsibility is perfect. I have learned so much about general check-ups and taking care of house pets. I mentioned the outlandish idea of a veterinary degree in my earlier posts, but with some more consideration and research I might be applying to a veterinary technician program.

I am still going to apply to the masters program at Stetson; Educating for Social Justice, but I am extremely interested in both fields which poses somewhat of a dilemma so I am leaving my options open. I am so thankful for the experience at the Halifax Humane Society, I have had some unique experiences at the camp and can only benefit from all that I’ve encountered.

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I can’t believe this is the last week of completing my summer internship. This week I will be completing the invitations I have designed. This week I will also be putting together my final report! I am looking forward to meeting with you and discussing my summer internship experience. This summer went by way to fast but I have enjoyed my time at dme. I am happy that I have chosen to  intern here as I learned to grow into a wise individual. I have learned to gain more personal skills along with confidence and patience . Although I do wish I was challenged a little more I still was able to learn and make my designs stronger. At the end of the week I will post the updated invitations !