Sierra’s Haven is a local animal shelter in Portsmouth, Ohio. It was opened in 2006, and has since saved the lives of over 10,000 animals. In 2016 alone, they have already saved 1,156 animals. Their objectives are as follows “Sierra 's Haven is a group of volunteers working together to help find safe, loving homes for adoptable pets. In our brief existence, we have made a difference in the lives of thousands of animals. Whether they were strays or animals needing medical attention. Sierra 's treated, spayed/neutered, and found them wonderful homes (“Sierra’s Haven”).” I chose to do my service project here because of my passion for animals. The shelter seemed to be well kept, and it is run mostly by volunteers. They are constantly accepting
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Like any other crime, there needs to be a stop put to it. Even though we cannot put a stop to it entirely, we can help as many animals as we can by reporting an incident when we notice it. In order to do so, people need to know what signs to look for regarding animal abuse, and need to be informed of what we can do to stop it. One key warning sign is anyone who has undergone domestic violence. Studies show that 71% of women seeking shelter from an abusive partner reported that if they owned a pet, their partner had either threatened to or actually killed or abused one or more of their animals. One journal I found listed warning signs that are specific for veterinarians to look for, but can be identified by anyone. They are: animals with chronic or medical conditions that go untreated, other injuries on an animal that are healing in addition to a new injury, clients who use the services of various veterinarians, clients who are repeatedly bringing in new puppies or kittens, but never adults, animals who have injuries due to unknown causes, and multiple injured animals presented from the same household. When reporting abuse, discuss it with other witnesses to gain multiple opinions. Then make sure to collect a sufficient amount of evidence when reporting it (Bourazak, Lisa, Kate Creevy, and Karen Cornell 61-64). If possible, try to include photos to gain credibility. There have been problems found in the process that is used to prosecute abusers. Some examples include: on a child behavior problem checklist, it is limited to one item that addressed animal abuse, assessments do not include a definition of animal abuse, and some parents fill out the forms for their children and have underestimated the of the abuse their children have committed. There are advantages to the system, however. The most prominent advantage is reports include a free response question making abusers describe one or
Like any other crime, there needs to be a stop put to it. Even though we cannot put a stop to it entirely, we can help as many animals as we can by reporting an incident when we notice it. In order to do so, people need to know what signs to look for regarding animal abuse, and need to be informed of what we can do to stop it. One key warning sign is anyone who has undergone domestic violence. Studies show that 71% of women seeking shelter from an abusive partner reported that if they owned a pet, their partner had either threatened to or actually killed or abused one or more of their animals. One journal I found listed warning signs that are specific for veterinarians to look for, but can be identified by anyone. They are: animals with chronic or medical conditions that go untreated, other injuries on an animal that are healing in addition to a new injury, clients who use the services of various veterinarians, clients who are repeatedly bringing in new puppies or kittens, but never adults, animals who have injuries due to unknown causes, and multiple injured animals presented from the same household. When reporting abuse, discuss it with other witnesses to gain multiple opinions. Then make sure to collect a sufficient amount of evidence when reporting it (Bourazak, Lisa, Kate Creevy, and Karen Cornell 61-64). If possible, try to include photos to gain credibility. There have been problems found in the process that is used to prosecute abusers. Some examples include: on a child behavior problem checklist, it is limited to one item that addressed animal abuse, assessments do not include a definition of animal abuse, and some parents fill out the forms for their children and have underestimated the of the abuse their children have committed. There are advantages to the system, however. The most prominent advantage is reports include a free response question making abusers describe one or