Week Two- Post Four: Where the Animals Come From?

Where Do These Animals Come From?

I have volunteered for five hours during my first week at the Wake County Animal Shelter.

The most emotional place to be in the shelter is in the lobby. There is a steady flow of people surrendering their pets and stray animals being dropped off. Some animals had been confiscated  because of abuse or hoarding. These animals are coming from all over Wake County.  Having my own two dogs, I couldn't imagine why anyone would willingly surrender their pet.

While I was sitting the in lobby I listened to many story and reasons why people could no longer keep these animals. I was a very eye opening experience. I realized that many of these people did love their pets and they were just trying to do the right thing for the animal. One older man said he was having trouble taking care of himself and he wasn't able to give his dog the necessary care that he needed. A couple brought in a group of kittens that a tenant left in an apparent that the couple rented out. Another couple brought in puppies and their mother because they were not able to care about them. 

I found that I needed to be understanding and  non-judgmental because I didn't know what these people were going through and what brought them to the point that they needed to surrender their pets.

The Pictures I Am Most Proud Of....

Prestone 

Animal ID: 71054

Mahogony

Animal ID: 71133

Buddy

Animal ID: Adopted

I am most proud of these picture because I feel like captured the animals eyes and their eye's are what I am most drawn to. I think the lighting in each picture is good and shows off the animals unique coloring. I think by cropping and using the vignette application I drew the viewer in to focus on the animal. The pictures are also clear and in focus. 

We are taking these picture in hope of getting the animals adopted so we need to make sure that they pictures make the animals look calm and happy. I feel these pictures make the animals look adoptable.

Week Two- Post Three: Meta-Data

Meta-Data

Meta-data is basically information about pictures

This could include the date the picture was taken, who took the picture, where the picture was taken, or the usage rights. You can save custom made tablets.

Through photoshop we are able to save our pictures using meta-data. This helps us because we are able to save a single picture or a group of pictures using an already saved meta-data tablet. Without using meta-data we would have to go into each picture and save the basic overall information.  This is extremely time consuming. While using meta-data information about pictures can be save in seconds.

This is important to me because I would rather spend my time at the shelter cuddling, taking pictures of the animals or at home editing the photos than organizing photos and manually imputing the information into each photo. I have never heard of meta-data before but already it has saved me a ton of time. 

Information above was found at dpBestflow 

http://dpbestflow.org/node/298

Accessed May 17, 2012

Mahogony

Animal ID: 71133

Picture taken May 16, 2012

This is Mahogony a very sweet cat at the Wake County Animal Shelter. The feature I used on my camera that I had not used before this class was the ISO. Before this class I did not know what the ISO was used for. 

The shelter has poor lighting and I typically set the ISO at 800. When I was taking pictures of Mahogony I realized I needed to increase the ISO because he was in the cubby and my body was blocking the majority of light. I set the ISO at 1600 and got this shot.

Week Two- Post Two: Nova's Dog's Decoded

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

http://services.wakegov.com/adoptiongallery/

Retrieved May 16,2012

The picture above is Tigress' current picture on the WCAS website.

Below are the pictures I took today.

 My photograph brings out Tigress' pretty green eye. The photo above is washed out and hard to see the details in Tigress' markings and colors. I tried to make sure that there was enough detail in the picture someone would recognize from the website. The picture above does not show Tigress' face. I am not sure I would be able to pick her out at the shelter from that picture.

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.

Week Two: Post One Capturing Attention

Week Two: Post One



On Monday May 14, 2012 I visited the animal shelter to start practicing proper ways to take pictures of the animals to get them a home. I quickly realized it was much easier said than done. Many of the animals were so excited to have some human interaction it was difficult to take a picture of them. It took me several tries and a few hours to get five animal pictures that I was satisfied with. I understood how time consuming I was for the animal shelter to take pictures of each animal that came in.

I browsed the Wake County Animal Shelter Adoption website and realized how important it was to have good personable pictures of the animals. In many of the animal's photos the animal looked scared, their face wasn't able to be seen or there was too much going on in the background that took attention away from the animal.

I was however, inspired by the picture below.

Butterfly ID: 68922

Butterfly ID:68922

Photo Courtesy of Wake County Animal Shelter

http://services.wakegov.com/adoptiongallery/

 Photo retrieved on May 15, 2012

I was immediately drawn to the cat's eyes. The catch light in the cat's eye make them sparkle and gives the cat extra personality. I also was intrigued by the lighting because it shows all the different colors in the cat's fur. The vignette pulls your attention toward the cat's eyes and face because the background is faded out.

Prestone Animal ID:71054

Photo Courtesy of Wake County Animal Shelter

http://services.wakegov.com/adoptiongallery/

 Photo retrieved on May 15, 2012

Above is Prestones original picture from the Wake County Animal Shelter. He doesn't seem very happy and the background is distracting. For example the yellow spots in front of him. I would probably pass this picture by and look for a cat that looked more inviting.

Prestone ID:71054

The picture I took of Prestone above, makes me want to stop and actually look at him. He looks much more adoptable and the details of the picture show off his handsome charm.

I tried to capture the same personality in Prestone's eyes by increasing the catch light. I made sure that I was positioned in a stop with the maximum amount of lighting so I could bring out the beautiful orange on his forehead and mustache. I also made a vignette to draw the potential adopters to his face.

Week One- Post Four: Adoption Fees

Adoption Fees

There are many reasons why someone would want to adopt a pet. 

At Wake County Animal Shelter there are adoption fees.

Dog & Cat Adoption Fees

Dog Adoption	$ 45
Dog Spay/Neuter Fee	$ 50
Cat Adoption	$ 15
Cat Spay/Neuter Fee	$ 30

Little Critter & Exotic Animals Adoption Fees

Bird.............................................	$ 20
Ferret..........................................	$ 45
Guinea Pig...................................	$ 15
Reptile.........................................	$ 30
Rodent.........................................	$ 10
Rabbit..........................................	$ 20

 The Wake County Animal shelter states the reasons for these fees

"The adoption fees include the pet's first series of shots (DA2PPV or FVRCP), a general dewormer, a heartworm test for dogs, a FIV/FELU test for cats, a topical flea and tick treatment, a microchip and a rabies vaccine. If the animal is under the age of four months at the time of adoption, it will be considered too young to receive its rabies vaccination. The adopter can return with the pet once it reaches four months of age to receive its rabies inoculation."

The shelter also requires that the animal be spayed or neutered before going to their Forever Home. 

If the animal cannot be surgically altered due to young age or health conditions, the animal can be temporarily fostered through the Foster-To-Adopt program. The family will pay a $200 deposit and will get the animal spayed or neutered when they are old enough or well enough. Once the surgery is complete the difference between the adoption fee and the deposit is giving back to the adopter.

I think the shelter doesn't give homeless pets away for free because they want to make sure the pets are going home with responsible pet owners. If the person can't afford to pay $95 to adopt a puppy, how will that person afford the necessary basics like dog food, health care, lease, collar, and toys? I think the shelter also has adoption fees because they need some source of income to provide the animals at the shelter and in foster care with basic needs. Also to help prevent the spread of disease.

The pros of having an adoption fee are:

• The animals will more likely go to a home that can financially support them
• May prevent the animal from going to a home of abuse or hoarding
• There is money coming in to provide basic needs for the animals in the shelter 
• There is money coming in to provide supplies for animals in foster care

The cons of having an adoption fee are:

• Not as many animals will be adopted
• More animals will have to be euthanized

The shelter wants to make sure that the animals are going to go to good homes. Homes where the families can financially support the animal and it is free from abuse or neglect. They also want to make sure that the animal is going to their Forever Home and won't return to the shelter. The adoption fee gives the adopter a reason to make sure they are financially ready for an animal.

 For more information about the shelter, adoption, or adoption fees can be found at the Wake County Animal Shelter website. 

Information above courtesy of Wake County Animal Shelter 

http://www.wakegov.com/pets/shelter/default.htm
Accessed May 13th, 2012

Week One- Post Three: First Visit

My First Visit To Wake County Animal Shelter

On May 9th 2012 I visited the Wake County Animal Shelter. Some key words I smelled, saw, and heard during my visit.

Smells: Cleaning supplies, kitty litter, dog food, stinky dogs as well as clean ones

Sights: Kittens, cats, puppies, dogs, workers, volunteers, paper work, visitors, animal food, love

Sounds: Quiet meowing in the cat room, "ooo's and aww's", loud in the dog rooms, barking, jumping, shaking 

I imagine some of the animals feel scared, overwhelmed, aggressive or submissive. I think they my feel trapped or abandoned. I'm sure it is a scary feelng to go into a situation where you are in a cage with a room full of noisy dogs with people walking by constantly. I imagine for other animals they my feel relieved or safe because they came from awful living situations of abuse or hoarding.

I feel like I have a better understanding of what the Wake County Animal Shelter does and how much time, effort and love they put in each day.

Below is the first photo I corrected. I was not able to take any picutres of the animals at the shelter but I did take a picture of my dog Lucy on my bed. I lightened her eyes and ears and made the background darker in hopes that her face would stand out. I thought the process was fairly simple but I do need to continue to practice my photoshop skills more.

Week One- Post Two: About My Camera

I will be using Canon PowerShot SX20IS.

Some of the Pro’s of this camera are:

• I will be able to control the depth of field because there is an option of AV aperture priority

This is beneficial because I will better be able to focus on the animal instead of the surroundings.

• My camera as a better IOS

This is better for low light conditions and the kennel will have lower lighting.

• My camera also has a higher quality lens

This is beneficial because it will take sharper pictures that will bring out the animals colors 

and distinguishing features.

Some of the Con’s of this camera are:

• It is bigger and bulkier than a point and shoot camera

This may cause a problem because it might scare the animals and it might be a little more difficult to handle if the animals are jumping on me

• It is more expensive and my be at risk of damage

This is a negative because it is not my camera; it is one of my friend’s camera and I need to be careful while taking pictures of the animals.