Nova's Dog's Decoded
While watching Nova's Dog's Decoded I was surprised at how much research was being done on dogs.I was not aware that there was technology to do eye tracking on dogs. I think it is amazing that dogs can read our faces. I know from personal experience that my dogs can tell my moods and expression. If I walk into the house in a great happy mood they are jumping, happy and excited. If I walk into the house in an upset or angry mood they are more mellow and nudge my hand as if asking, "Are you okay?"
I was also surprised that there had been testing don't on the different frequency of dog's barks. I did not know that dogs had evolved to have elaborate vocal repertoire. It is nice to think that my dogs are trying to communicate with me. Dog's also understand far more than most people think. I am not surprised that a dog can learn 300 different words for objects. When I think about what my own dogs know it really is amazing. I took my rottie mix, Lucy, to an agility training course a few years ago. At the end of the six week course I could stand in the corner of the arena and call out where I wanted her to go next and she would follow my directions.
I also learned that dogs are more like us than we might think. Dog's and infants have similar characteristics. I am a child development major at Meredith College and I do see some similarities in dogs and babies. I also see similarities in how people raise dogs and babies.
The video reinforce my beliefs on dogs. I think they are incredibly smart animals and we have a lot to learn about them as well as from them. I hope the research will be beneficial and allow us to explore and understand the dog's mind.
Second Day at Wake County Animal Shelter
Today was an amazing day at the shelter. I felt like I had a purpose and I felt comfortable with my skills. It also helped that I had a great partner, Brittany, to help me out! Brittany and I cruised through the cages getting great photo's of the animals.
My favorite part of today was with Buddy, Animal ID: 70976.
Brittany and I were in his cage giving him some cuddle time and taking pictures. Both of us fell in love with him. He was so sweet and loving. We both got amazing picture of him and were excited to get them edited and on the WCAS website so he could find a home. While we were in cage two guys came up and were interested in Buddy. We talked to them and told them we thought he was a great dog. The guys said they were going to sleep on it and walked to the lobby. I felt sad watching them walk away because I wanted Buddy to find a good home. Brittany and I moved on to take pictures of a few more animals. A little while later we were informed that Buddy had been adopted and he was on his way to his new home. I was so happy and it was a bit of an emotional moment for me. Helping Buddy find a home put me on cloud 9. I was proud to be a part of Wake County Animal Shelter and I know this will be an experience that I will never forget.
Good Luck At Your Forever Home Buddy!
Tigress Animal ID: 70163
Tigress, Animal ID: 70163 was the animal I found that had been at the shelter for about a month.
Photo Courtesy of Wake County Animal Shelter
Retrieved May 16,2012
The picture above is Tigress' current picture on the WCAS website.
Below are the pictures I took today.
In this photograph I tried to replicate the photo that was taken at WCAS. I made sure I was still capturing Tigress' eye even though she was flipped over in a playful fun position.
I think you did a very good job of using the techniques we learned in class to brighten your new image of the cat. You have done a good job of really making his eyes pop they really draw you in to his cute face. You picture is definitely a improvement from the original photograph. I'm so excited that Buddy got adopted!!! I think you have also done a very good job with capturing the sweet emotions of the animals you are posting.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kayley! Tigress was a very silly cat and she was rolling all over the place which made it hard to get a good shot! I'm glad you enjoyed them!
DeleteLauren, it was very nice to work with you and I could tell that we had improved greatly since Monday! We were able to photograph more animals and it took less time! I like that you included Buddy's story in your blog as these adoption stories are important. I feel as though all too often people only focus on negatives of centers for animals and these success stories need to be shared with the public. The photograph you redid of Tigress is much better than the one on the site. For example, Tigress' eyes appear lighter, Tigress looks more adoptable, and more playful. Most importantly, Tigress' expression appears to say, "Adopt me." This picture made me say, "Aww!"
ReplyDeleteIt was great working with you too. I was amazing at how many animals we got picture of... much better than my experience on Monday!
DeleteThe last picture of Tigress is amazing. The catch lights and her playful appearance makes her appear to be very adoptable. Buddy's picture is also a good picture for the site because he is calm and allowing you to capture a great picture of him and his perky ears are appealing to the eye as well. The pictures focus greatly on the animals, I didn't even notice anything that was going on in the background!
ReplyDeleteThank you Brittany! I really enjoyed editing these pictures. I was able to show more of their personalities that the camera wasn't able to get.
DeleteWonderful thorough post. I am so glad to hear you are learning so much. I love the connections you made to your major. Fascinating! Please keep this up—it is good cross disciplinary critical thinking.
ReplyDeleteThat is absolutely exciting about Buddy finding a home within the time you were there at the shelter! That's awesome! :D Cudos to you for taking such a great picture of him too! Also, I love the pictures of Tigress that you re-took, he looks much more adoptable and happy.
ReplyDelete