At the beginning of my CAS project, I hoped I would have a deeper understanding of the importance of doing things out of compassion as opposed to doing things in exchange of receiving a reward.  I also was very curious to see how significant the power of one really is.  I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and make my CAS hours matter.  I wanted to learn new things, things that I can’t learn in a classroom and get a new perspective as to how my community operates or should operate.  I choose to volunteer at the Dumb Friends League for my project because I wanted to be a part of the animal welfare movement.  My I share a similar philosophy as many animal rights, liberation and welfare groups.  I believe that animals have intrinsic rights, which should be guaranteed just as humans are.  Animals should not be forced to work or produce for our benefit, we should try to eliminate all types of animal use and abuse.  There are many welfare agencies, however, I decided to volunteer at the Dumb Friends League because they are working towards a better solution to the pet overpopulation problem.  Their response to this problem is to educate the public on responsible pet care, focusing on spaying and neutering all animals adopted, before leaving the shelter.  I thought that the Dumb Friends League’s philosophy and solutions were the most compatible to my beliefs.  With this project, I hoped to be able to serve as an advocate for some animals because they don’t have a voice of their own.   By doing so, I wanted to be able to improve their lives.  

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At the Dumb Friends League, I worked in the enrichment programs.  I worked with the rabbits and the dogs and my job was to give them human interaction by playing with them and giving them exercise.  The purpose of this job was to keep the animals healthy, happy and more acceptable in the attempt to get them adopted.  I believe my actions were successful because I wanted to improve the lives of the animals in the shelter and I did so by giving them my love, warmth, attention, and care.  However, I was not able to play an important role ...

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