Samantha Parkman Senior Project

May 21, 2019     Today was my last day before express fest. The entirety of my day was spent thinking up ideas for my poster board and then actually finishing my poster board. I ended up printing out some of my blogs to tape to the poster and then I had printed pictures of a few of the animals and put their names on the border. Then I typed up the different trainings that volunteers can do to display on the poster. The last bit of my time was putting videos together for a slideshow. I feel really good about my project and am proud of all I competed. I spent 2 ½ hours and have in total completed 105 ½ hours of my senior project.

May 20, 2019 Written at 8PM     My last day of volunteering. It was sad walking through the doors knowing that this would be my last shift. Right away I cleaned the guinea pig cage and then helped a worker clean out a couple of the cat enclosures. I got the chance to meet and socialize with a few new cats that I hadn’t gotten to know previously. After that, I finally finished all of the summer camp registration information forms. It took me hours to get through it all, but I really took the time to finish. That took up most of my day. The last event that I chaperoned was for some little kids reading to three little puppies. I had spent lots of time with these puppies beforehand so I knew what they were like. They were running around most of the time as the kids read and enjoyed playing with them. I cleaned up the training room after and by that point it was the end of my shift. Today I spent 6 hours and have in total completed 103 hours of my senior project.

This week was more hard work rather than just animal socialization and animal cleaning. I got to be put in the shoes of the people who are always helping in the workroom. It was busy back there since they got so many new kittens and cats. It was also busy due to a lot of cats that were brought up front who were finally ready to be adopted which left their old supplies to be cleaned. Spending hours in the workroom was honestly a pain sometimes, but I was also pretty used to lots of cleaning because of my summer job working in housekeeping at Proctor.     Some fun events through the week included a trip to a retirement home, some kitten yoga, and career day at Loudon Elementary School. At the retirement home, I was able to see the joy that the animals brought them, but it was also good to get the puppies used to that many people. The kitten yoga was with Concord High School where we set six little kittens free to roam around while they did yoga. This was a good way to boost the kids m

May 17, 2019 Written at 10PM     My shift at the Pope Memorial was suddenly cancelled due to the fact that they were having a lot of septic problems so really no one could go in and work. After hearing that, I decided it would be a good opportunity to start working on my handout for express fest. I began working in Pages to create a brochure style handout about the SPCA’s mission, what they provide, what I’ve learned, and gave a little insight about two of the animals that I had gotten to know. After I worked on the handout I decided to watch a short documentary about Pit Bull dog fighting called Off The Chain. I decided to watch this one because there is a lot of stereotypes about that breed and I hear it a lot while I’m volunteering so I wanted to learn more about it. They talked about how Pit Bulls used to be a well loved dog, but then people started using them for the wrong reasons. This led to training them to use for violence and to get money. In the movie, they showed a lo

May 16, 2019 Written at 10PM     For the third day in a row, as soon as I walked through the doors I went straight to cleaning Maple, the guinea pig’s, cage. Maple is the only small animal right now so I know that it would be helpful for me to clean her space up while the other workers could get some harder jobs done. After that, a lot of the workers were bringing many new cats up front that are now ready to be adopted. Because of that there were lots of litter boxes, cat carriers, play structures, dishes, toys, etc. to wash and dry. Along with that, there were also dog supplies to clean. I was in the workroom for almost the whole morning. Once I was finally finished in there, I continued some more summer camp paperwork. I’ve been working on it off and on all week and I’m only halfway through. Today I spent another 7 ½ hours and have in total completed 94 hours of my senior project.

May 15, 2019 Written at 9PM     I began my early morning cleaning out a returned guinea pig, Maple. Right after, I helped a staff member clean the kitten’s cages. There are lots of kittens right now so getting all of that done took some time. Most of my morning after that was spent in the workroom where I continuously washed dishes and litter boxes. I also swept and mopped the workroom since it got dirty from all the trash overflowing. After I was completely done in the workroom, I went to hang out with the cats and socialize. One of the cats that I always check up on and spend time with, Bebe, came down from her enclosure which doesn’t happen often. She then cuddled and crawled on to my lap and laid there for a while. The last few hours consisted of some extra cleaning, kitten socialization with a group that isn’t too fond of humans, and some more summer camp paperwork. Today I spent 7 ½ hours and have in total completed 86 ½ hours of my senior project.

May 14, 2019 Written at 9PM The morning was pretty typical. I began by cleaning the gerbil’s cage again. After that routine, I went into the office to do some more summer camp paperwork for Shannon. I was able to get a lot more done than the first day because I had gotten used to how to do it. Then some kids from Concord High School came to do some kitten yoga. This is when a group does some yoga in the training room and we let some kittens free to run around them and play with them. This is a good way to boost the kids motivation and to help the kittens socialize. As soon as that hour was up, Shannon and I immediately got ready to bring those same kittens to Loudon Elementary School for their career day. When we were there, Shannon spoke about the importance of animal care and how to approach the animals. We had set up a playpen for the kittens and me and another SPCA worker would take a couple kittens out for the kids to pet. Then I just drove back the kittens and the suppli

May 13, 2019 Written at 9PM Today I got to clean my first small animal cage for a gerbil. It was an easier task than the cats and dogs, but was fun to do. After that I got to clean the cages of several new kitten and cat additions that came from down south. It was fun being able to hold the kittens and getting to know their personalities. Then I spent a lot of my free time afterwards in the workroom. I cleaned many dishes, toys, and litter boxes for a while. It is kind of slow on Mondays since the SPCA isn’t open to the public for that day. I helped printing out some information for summer camp kids soon after. That wasn’t as fun, but I got through it. Finally, at the end of the day, I got to go with two other girls to a retirement home nearby to do some pet therapy with puppies. I absolutely loved doing that and seeing the people so happy. Today I spent 7 ½ hours and have in total completed 71 ½ hours of my senior project.

    This week I felt a lot more confident in my ability to help. Last week I had gotten the hang of things around the SPCA, but this week I really opened up. Starting with the brunch on Sunday, I got to interact with adults and the different committee and board members that contribute to the cause everyday. Then at the end of the week I got to help at NHTI with eighth graders who were learning about budgeting and expenses that adults face everyday.     This week I’ve learned about the importance of donations and taking part in activities to better educate the next generation. Donations play most of the role in keeping the SPCA going and the facilities they have. Without fundraiser events, which they put tons of hours into getting perfect, they wouldn’t be able to have a lot of the things they have now like space, cages, and any other kind of equipment. Another influential experience I had this week was working with the eighth graders. I was a part of the pet table where kids would

May 10, 2019 Written at 10PM     For the second day of the fair, I was still at the same table, doing the same job, with the same lady. I wasn’t complaining though. I really enjoyed the fair. The kids came in like they did last time and walked around getting their houses and everything they needed for the real life world. This time around, I found myself acting more confident in my ability to help and connect with the students who seemed very excited about the project. This day felt shorter than the first and it was probably because I knew what to expect and felt better about doing it. The last group that came through for the day had these two boys who had come over to the pet table. They were both obsessed with having as many ferrets as possible, but at first they only got a couple. Then at the end when they were having their reflection time, one of the boys stood up and said, “Thanks to the pet table, I got three hundred ferrets and still have money leftover!” It was by far one

May 9, 2019 Written at 8PM     I went into the reality fair at NHTI blind. I had no idea what the fair was and what I would be participating in while I was there. When I first walked through the doors to the wellness center, I was greeted by two older women who then explained what the fair was about. Two eighth grade classes from two different schools have been working on a career of their choice and learning about budgeting with that career. In the fair, there are different tables set up where each kid will rent an apartment, figure out costs of utilities, transportation, etc. My table that I was set up at was for pets. If a kid wanted to buy a pet, I would give them the monthly cost, since that’s what they are going by for the rest of the tables. Then I just had to sign off on their papers. If they didn’t want a pet then I would still have to sign anyway. The second day with the second school is tomorrow which I will also be attending. It was cool learning about the different

May 8, 2019 Written at 7PM     I started my morning with some dog walking and enrichment. I took three dogs out for either long walks or property walks and then came back to do some cuddling and training with them. After walking the dogs, a group of preschool students from Concord Christian Academy scheduled a visit to get a tour. Shannon, my mentor, and I helped lead them around and watched them enjoy the animals. It was really cool getting to see the interaction between the little kids and the animals because it reminded me of when I was little. Then I did some filing for summer camp paperwork and people that would be involved. After my lunch break, some senior citizens also scheduled a visit to get in some pet therapy time. My day ended with editing print outs at the front desk. Today I spent 7 ½ hours and in total have spent 52 ½ hours on my senior project.

May 7, 2019 Written at 8PM     It was a day for spring cleaning. I spent most of the morning washing windows, changing the sign lettering and washing the old letters, and completely cleaning the small animals room. Though these weren’t the most enjoyable tasks, I was still content and happy to be busy. In between my cleaning, when I had spare time, I got to spend some time cat socializing. Today two new cats came in that were now adoptable. They were both strays that have been loved unconditionally by the workers in the back rooms so they would soon be adoptable. Towards the end of the day, I just helped do some inventory counting, packing for a new event, and typing up the silent auction information from Sunday’s brunch. Today I spent 7 ½ hours and I have in total completed 45 hours of my senior project

May 6, 2019 Written at 8PM     Today I had a another day off. To make up for having the day free, I went to the brunch fundraiser on Sunday. I figured since I just had a weekly reflection due on the weekend that I would discuss in more depth what I did on Sunday for this blog. So beginning at seven thirty on Sunday morning, I helped fill out names for people entering the raffle. Then I continued to help set up tables and decorations while the other volunteers figured out the silent auction set up and prizes. The guests got there at nine so I greeted and showed them where to register for a while. After that, I mostly figured out the raffle winners and cleaned up while the guests were listening to the entertainment. Once the guests began to leave, I stood at the door saying goodbye and thank you for coming. Then I helped pack things up and the fundraiser was finished. I spent 6 hours on Sunday and 0 hours today. I have in total completed 37 ½ hours of my senior project.

May 4, 2019 This first week of senior project was nothing like I was expecting. In the beginning of the week, I was nervous about making mistakes and just letting people down. My fears instantly washed away as I began to get busy, started to get used to the schedule, and figured out the way things work. This week I’ve learned about how important spending time with the animals is so they can have better socialization skills which can lead to a higher probability of getting adopted. I’ve also learned about how much work goes into different fundraisers and events. Seeing my mentor and many others work tirelessly to get everything perfect for these events just made me want to strive for that perfection as I helped them.     Everyday, so far, I have enjoyed the tasks I’ve had to help with. I’ve gotten the chance to be near kids, be near the animals, and even the paperwork wasn’t too stressful. After doing the paperwork, I realized that I’m very good at organizing which has been a usefu

May 3, 2019 Written at 9 PM The day started out with finishing paperwork for the brunch on Sunday. I had to go through and double check everything with another volunteer, Linda. We both worked together for a couple of hours to finish the stressful work so it would be done in time. Next came puppy socialization. I played around and gave attention to Marvin who is a ten week old puppy. He was the only one not adopted from his litter and needed as much love and human interaction as he could get. As I played with him, an older couple came in and saw me playing with him. They instantly feel in love and decided to adopt Marvin that day! I was so happy that Marvin was able to get his forever home. After helping with Marvin, I did some cat and kitten socialization. I spent a little time with each of the cats which was much needed since they had been trapped in their cages most of the day. For the remaining time I had left, I just cleaned the lobby. I learned how important spending tim

May 2, 2019 Written at 8PM My morning started off with a rainy walk with my favorite dog, Wilson. I walked him around the property and then we hung out in a training room together for forty five minutes. During that time, I helped him improve on his commands such as sit and paw and I would reward him with a treat. After spending that time with him, I put him back in his kennel and headed to the workroom. While I was in there I washed, dried, and put away dishes and toys. These were just some of the small things I did compared to what I spent most of my time focusing on; the brunch. Pope Memorial is hosting a brunch this Sunday that I will also be taking a part in setting up and greeting. Preparing for this brunch consumed most of my day. I had to label folders, label registration sheets, create little packets for each person, and then put everything in alphabetical order in the files. There is over one hundred people attending and the preparation is very tedious. In between th

May 1 Written at 8PM     Today was amazing. On top of it being my birthday, I got to hang out with some kittens and a very cute puppy. My day started with walking some dogs. My first dog to walk was Wilson who I had never met before. He was sweet and very calm compared to some other dogs I had seen there previously. After I had walked him, I walked two Chihuahuas named Bella and Happy. They didn’t like long walks and were more timid compared to Wilson. I then played with the Chihuahuas in the training room where they enjoyed treats and lots of space to run around. Soon enough it was eleven and I was packing to get ready for a trip to NHTI where a dorm was doing some pet therapy before their exam week next week. For that, I brought Milo who is a fourteen week old puppy. I had no idea who Milo was and no idea that he was one of the cutest puppies I’ve seen in a while. I stayed at the college for two hours along with another volunteer. This taught me how nervous a puppy can be bec