Cynthia garcia
9-16-2023
English 2010
Professor Jabr
A look into shelters
Animal shelters aren't always the best thing. Although many shelters are abusive, Best
Friends Animals society is making a change in the shelter scene and growing the percentages
of “no-kill” shelters here in Utah. 81 percent of the 4.4 million cats and dogs in the US shelters
were saved in 2022.([Link] That number isn't just because of
shelters themselves, that number is because of the people who are willing and able to adopt
and volunteer at these amazing shelters, one of which is Niyana Woods.
Niyana is twenty one years old and from California and lived there most of her life.
Niyana is on the furthest right in this photo
In her free time she likes hanging out with friends, going out to new places, and playing with
animals. She moved to utah about a year ago and since then she has volunteers at 2 shelters,
and a farm. She has always loved animals and always had them around. When she moved to
Utah, she left her two dogs with her mom back home because she didn't have the space for
them. She still craved that love and affection from a cuddle buddy. She has been volunteering
ever since. “Volunteers are always needed, and I thought, I miss my dogs, there are dogs here,
I should do it.” Volunteering at a local shelter may consist of walking dogs and playing outside of
their usual kennels, petting them, giving them rewards and treats when they are being
spectacular, and feeding them or giving them water. There are also shelters where you can
bathe the animals. The goal is to make the animals feel loved and cared for. Sometimes you
can be scared of dogs and they'll surprise you. Most “Scary” dogs aren't so scary when you
meet them. Pitbulls and Rotties happen to be frequent shelter dogs because of their bad
reputation. They are stereotypically mean dogs that bite and protect the owner. In reality, they
just want to be cared for and appreciated. They are still cute and cuddly but are also amazing
guard dogs. You get the best of both worlds. more about "scary" dogs
“I dont usually like cats, but here is a cat at the shelter named percy that just loves me, and i
love him” niyana said. When you least expect it you can connect with an animal that you never
have before.
Something else Niyana volunteers for is a farm every wednesday in west jordan. When
we got into this I was even more intrigued. Farms aren't always what you think of when you
think “animal shelter”, but these animals need just as much love and attention as any other
animals. The unique thing about a farm is you get to see animals in their element.
It's not everyday you get to see cows, goats, and sheep. These animals are free to roam around
and live their everyday lives without the fear of the slaughter house. When Niyana and I were
talking about the farms, I really got into what she was saying about their treatment. “The animals
seriously live like royalty there, and as they should, they are so overlooked.'' These animals
should get the same love as others, and sometimes we forget that there are other animals to
look out for. [Link]
Lastly i wanted to ask her some “rapid fire” questions, that maybe took longer than rapid
fire but that’s okay. First question I asked was “what made you passionate about animals?”, To
which she responded “I've always loved animals, well except bugs but whatever. Dogs, cats,
horses, goats, sheep, you name it and I've probably looked into getting one before. I've just
always wanted them to live at peace and not in fear, that's really what my passion comes from”.
I think just by that response you can tell she only wants the best for these animals (except bugs
but honestly can't blame her for that one). My next question was, “At what point did you realize
shelters needed more attention?”. She said, “ I realized when I was around 8 or 9 years old, I
would see that commercial with that song “in the arms of the angels” and I always thought it
was so sad. As I got older I realized it was even worse than I thought and wanted to do more
research on it and volunteer.” my last question for Niyana was “ what is something i should ask
if i'm going to adopt from a shelter?” Niyana responded with, “ Ask about the animals
background, they might not always have an answer due to the situation of the animal, but it's
always good to find out if they have any medical history to be concerned with, or if they are
aggressive toward kids. Things like that are always good to ask.” Niyana was so helpful to me
and my research. Not only is she a saint for doing what she's doing, but you can tell she really
loves it! That's what truly matters.
Works cited
Best friends animal society [Link] Accessed September 15, 2023
“Do people think your dog looks scary”
[Link]
me-breed-stereotypes Accessed September 16, 2023
The rescue farm [Link] Accessed September 16, 2023
