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I have always loved animals, but I have never had the chance to work with them. When looking into a service project, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to help animals. My sister works at Brookfield Pet Hospital Plus, so I decided to volunteer my time there. Brookfield Pet Hospital is a care center, a boarding center for animals, and also provides grooming services. The hospital takes in a variety of animals. The most common are cats and dogs but they have had squirrels, birds, turtles, and even a chicken.

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My sister is a part time worker at the pet hospital. She usually works Fridays and Saturdays but for this specific project, I worked on two Sundays and Mondays with her. She has been working there for a year and a half and was able to show me around the facility and how her everyday routine is. My sister is the one who helped me complete this project. There were six stray kittens that were brought into the hospital during my time there. I helped the three that were sick and treated them to improve their health. With the other three, I made sure to play with them in a certain way so that when they grow up they won't become mean cats. For instance, I made sure to touch their faces a lot to insure that they were used to that feeling and wouldn't become mean to their future owners. I was aiding my community by helping the kittens. I also took care of other peoples’ dogs while they were being boarded at the hospital which is also helping my community, or more specifically the owners.

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Everyday was very similar, however the morning and afternoon shift varied slightly. Here listed is a checklist of a normal morning:

1. Arrive at 8 AM and open the boarding area.

2. Take each dog and walk them around the building for a few minutes.

3. While the dog is being walked, their cage would be washed with soap spray and a power hose.

4. Then we would change out their blanket and refill their water and food bowls. It was important to give each dog their corresponding food and to not mix it up.

5. After their walk, the dogs would each be put in their cages and we would then wash their dirty dishes.

6. Next, we would move onto the cats. We had three different holding areas for the cats. Two of them, who were just being boarded, were up by the front of the hospital. One who had recent surgery, named Leo, wore a cone around his neck. He kept removing it because it irritated him. The three sick kittens were kept in cages near the dog's boarding area while the healthy ones were kept in a smaller room near Leo.

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7. We moved the cats into other cages while we cleaned theirs. This involved changing their food and water bowls, changing their blankets, and cleaning any messes they might have made. We then put the cats back.

8. We washed the cat's dirty dishes as well.

9. After that was done, we made sure all the floors were swept and everything was put back in its rightful place.

That concludes a normal morning shift and it only took about 2 hours. The afternoon shift is almost the same, however we did not clean out their cages unless they made a big mess.

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The first connection that I can make to Conor's experience was that he went to Napel not expecting to enjoy volunteering, however it became his life passion. In the quote, "I hadn't realized until that moment how much I did not want to walk through that gate. What I wanted was to tell people I had volunteered in an orphanage. Now that I was actually here, the whole idea of my volunteering in this country seemed ludicrous." (Page 16, Part1) it explains this. Conor went into the experience just for the accolades and not to actually enjoy the time he spent there. However, he ended up loving it. I am similar in a way because I went into volunteering just doing it for the project, however I ended up really enjoying this experience. "I meant it. I would be back for them." (Page 55, Part 1) is another quote that connects to my next connection. After Conor's first time being at Little Princes he wanted to come back because he loved it so much. I would love to actually work at Brookfield after my volunteering experience. In fact, I asked my sister if I could get a job interview to work there over the summer. The final connection was that after spending a little time with the kids he realized how comfortable he felt around them and how he was actually really good at this. I felt similar to the way Conor did and felt in my element around the animals.

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This project for me was genuinely a lot of fun and I enjoyed carrying it out very much. It was the perfect amount of work to where I never felt bored but not too much work to where I felt overwhelmed. Being around the animals brought me so much joy and I felt very comfortable being around them too. I chose to volunteer here because the commute was very convenient for me and having my sister there to guide me made me feel more comfortable. I really didn't experience any obstacles while volunteering. Getting approval to volunteer from my sister's boss could have caused a problem, however he was very welcoming and allowed me to volunteer. I learned from this experience that not all work has to be boring and uneventful, but instead if you participate in something you enjoy, it can be a great experience. I enjoyed this experience so much that I am considering actually working there over the summer.