I’ve been around companion animals ever since I was born. When my dad was in college, he brought home a little kitten to his and my mom’s apartment. It was winter time and he found her next to a dumpster with bloody paws, shivering in the snow. She was a calico he named Patches.

            I didn’t understand at the time, but later on I realized that there are a lot of animals like Patches left to fend for themselves on the streets. This didn’t sit well with me as I believe in the inherent goodness of these animals. I grew up watching Animal Planet, and shows like Animal Cops showed me the cruelty some animals had to endure. They didn’t know what was happening, just that for some reason the people who were supposed to care for them instead abused them. I also was horrified to learn about how many animals are put down every year. It’s around two and a half million.  And that’s just the number of animals in good health. If I could be part of the solution in finding companion animals loving homes and reducing shelter euthanasia, I would like to be.

            Currently, I volunteer with SAAP (Stray Animal Adoption Program). They find foster homes for strays and then have the foster parents bring the animals to adoption events on the weekend. I help to care for the dogs and cats and answer questions at these events. In the coming year, I would like to keep working with this organization. This helps me give back at the local animal and I really enjoy finding homes for these animals who have had a rough time in life. I love talking to the families about the different dogs, especially the little kids who are so excited to be there. I also love cuddling the animals at times when the event hits slow hours. I would also be interested in organizing fundraising or other special events. I could develop my leadership skills through this and maybe work at the campus level to get other students involved. At some point, I would like to travel and help with organizations that save strays. I don’t know if this is feasible in the coming year, but it is something I would be interested in doing at the international level.

            In regard to my strengths, I think that I could find ways to move outside of my comfort zone and develop them through this issue. Positivity would help me get people on board with my ideas and encourage others even when things aren’t working quite how wanted, which even though I am a positive person is still something I could work on. I also would like to further develop my restorative strength by critically thinking about all the complex things that go into a large population of animals without homes and the threat of being put down over their heads. I would be able to work on my problem-solving abilities and think through a problem that has many layers to it. I have been brainstorming ways to solve this problem ever since my junior year composition class when I wrote a proposal paper outlining potential solutions to reduce animal shelter euthanasia. I could challenge myself to go more in depth with my ideas, instead of letting them sit stagnant in an old Google document. They are by no means comprehensive or fool proof, but I think with some revising and guidance from people working towards solving the same problem as me, there could be some merit to these ideas.

            I think in order to better address this problem, though, I should do my research. I need to learn more about the problems animal shelters and programs like SAAP face. Also, more about the causes behind high rates of euthanasia. Once I have more of this information I can more effectively identify potential solutions. I also need to get more experience working with organizations like SAAP to get an insiders perspective on how they are working towards a solution.  

            The gateway course has already given me a good base to build off of when it comes to solving complex problems. I have learned about the power of reflection and I think this would be very useful in identifying ways to improve both personally and with the solutions I am working with. For me, writing down my reflections helps me to find flaws in my thinking and holes in my work. I have also learned that there are a wide range of strengths that people possess that are manifested in a multitude of ways. This means that by cooperating with others, there will not only be a wider range of perspectives, but also different strengths to utilize. I want to use the things I have learned in this class to help me address important issues, such as the number of strays, in today’s world.