the humane society of the united states

Even though I am researching the Humane Society of Monroe County, I also did a little research on the Humane Society of the United States.  Obviously, there is a big difference of their websites.  The Humane Society of the United States’ website includes things, such as:  news, videos, animals, and issues dealing with animals.  One of the biggest stories they have is about the issue currently happening in Missouri—puppy mills.  A puppy mill, sometimes known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility that is operated with an emphasis upon profits above animal welfare and are often substandard conditions regarding the well being of dogs in their care.  The term “puppy mill” can be applied to situations where dogs are being bred for profit.  There are also “kitty mills”.  Missouri has more puppy mills than any other state.  Puppy mills in Missouri have harsh conditions.  Dogs are exposed to extremes of heat and cold, have no veterinary assistance of any kind, and usually have no kind of exercise or human affection "Facts." YES! on Prop B. 08 Nov. 2010. Web. 08 Nov. 2010. <http://yesonpropb.com/facts>.  Needless to say Prop B, the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act, has officially been approved with the help of Missouri citizens, businesses, and animal protection charities.   

picture of a kitten

This is a picture of a kitten that I got to visit with the other day!

my visit to the humane society

Today, I got to visit with Sara Gottman who works at the Humane Society of Monroe County.  I also got to visit with the dogs and cats there too.  As of right now, they have 14 dogs and about 20 cats!  Most of the dogs are bigger; the cats on the other hand, are of both sizes.  They have some full grown cats and even little kittens.  Sara was very helpful and also friendly.  She answered any question I had and went even further into depth.  Later, I even found out we went to the same high school, which made it even easier to talk to her.  She took me on a tour and showed me everything!  I got to talk to some volunteers, who come every Tuesday and Thursday.  When they volunteer, they socialize with the animals, play fetch, feed and water them, clean their cages, and even groom them.  They can basically do anything besides medicate the animals.  I found it interesting, that on the outside of the pens there were dry erase boards that included their name, their age, their type of breed, and a number and color.  I didn’t understand what the number and color meant so I asked Sara.  On each harness, there is a corresponding number that matches the number on the dry erase board that is each custom fitted for the certain dog.  I found this interesting.  Overall, my visit was very helpful and interesting.  I plan on going back to volunteer some of my time since I like animals so much anyways.

update

The past week I would have to say went very well.  Besides work, we went to visit Brett's mom in the hospital for most of the week.  She is doing very well, but had to have another surgery because her pancreas is still leaking toxic fluids into her body.  She also had internal bleeding, but the time they read the cat scan it had already stopped bleeding.  She is now sedated and has to have a breathing ventilator till at least Tuesday morning.  As of right now, they think all the bleeding has stopped.  Good news, Brett’s brother, Chris, is coming home from Texas, where he is stationed at Fort Hood.  We’re a little worried that Chris might scare Leigh Ann, but I’m sure she will be excited to see him.  The doctor saw her this morning and said she is doing very well and did not have to do anymore surgeries this morning. 

"the kong"

When I first typed in "kong" in the google search engine, pictures of king kong showed up.  A kong resembles a snowman-like structure.  A kong is one of the first original dog toys around the world.  This particular toy is used by many professionals to train dogs.  The kong is also able to handle several different kinds of treats.  The kong is made to be hollow in the middle so people can stuff treats inside of them made for the dogs to get out.  Not only is it used for treats, it offers durability for dogs to chew on, it helps aid in cleaning of teeth and gums.  Kongs are usually made of all natural rubber.  It helps trains your dog and keep them from being bored at the same time.  The kong also comes in different colors for different sizes of dogs:  red for average chewers, pink or blue for puppies, purple for "seniors", and black for "tough chewers".  The toys were originally made by the Kong Company in Colorado.  The company owner, Joe Markham, orginially made the kong in the 1970's.

talk about a rough couple of weeks

Not to be a complainer, but it seems as if every single bad thing that could possibly happen to me has these past couple of weeks! One Sunday morning I wake up sick and not even an hour later I found out one of my cousins had passed away. Then, what I thought was a change in luck, me and my fiancee found a small house to rent in Burksville. Not even a day later, we found out my fiancee's mother has cancer in her pancreas. The doctors said it's a type of cancer that will hopefully be easy to get rid of. They are planning surgery for next week sometime, where they will hopefully be able to get rid of the cancer by surgery. On a good note, we are planning to rent the small house and plan on moving in this Friday! We are both extremely excited, but a little nervous at the same time. Since we already have most of the things we need, we feel a little more comfortable. We are hoping it will only take a day to get everything all moved in, then were planning on spending the next week re-arranging things like we want them. Like I said, it was a rough couple of weeks, but I'm hoping my luck might change this week!

permission letter

Dear Mr. Nadziejko and classmates,
      I would like to request permission to interview, observe, and write about the Monroe County Humane Society. The reason why I chose this particular group was mainly because I’ve always loved animals. By researching and interviewing this particular group, I will be able to volunteer my time to help my understanding of what other volunteers have experienced throughout the period of time they were there and also learn more details about the shelter itself.

      This organization has a great, but also very detailed website which will assist in my research about this group. If I get the chance to research this group, I will be observing things such as: how volunteers interact with the animals, how they are taken care of, how the adoption process works, and what it takes to be able to adopt, and also observe the kind of people that drop off animals. The organization I will be researching is a non-profit, charitable organization that is supported entirely by donations only.

      Another subject I can research is what kind of fundraisers or projects that this organization participates in. There are numerous amounts of information I can gather about this organization and would love to be able to research this particular group.


Michelle Unterseh

about me

My name is Michelle Unterseh. As most people know, I was adopted from Seoul, South Korea when I was 6 months old. I am now 19 years old and live in Maeystown, Illinois, with my mother, father, and brother. I attended Valmeyer from Kindergarten through my senior year and now I am currently attending Southwestern Illinois College for my second year of college and I am working on a degree in Associate of Science. I am not sure about what I want to do yet, therefore have not picked a major. I currently work at JFires’ Market Bistro and have been employed there for a year now. I started out as a hostess, and then moved up to a back server, and now I am currently working as a waitress. In my free time, I like to play volleyball, hang out with my friends and family, and last but not least, my fiancée, Brett. We got engaged in Corpus Christi, Texas, while we were visiting Brett’s older brother, Chris, while he was home from Iraq. We have not decided when we actually want to get married, but both agreed on waiting until both of us were out of school and had steady jobs. Brett also went to Valmeyer and attended Southwestern Illinois College for welding. He has already graduated from the welding program and now has a job at Cablofil in Mascoutah, Illinois. After I graduate from college, we plan on staying in the Maeystown area, where we are close to our family and friends.