Community Service Description

Name of Student participating in the Community

Service: Cambria Smith
Agency/Site Name: Priceless Pets
Contact Person: NA
Title: NA
Address: 665 E. Foothill Blvd. Unit E & F
Claremont, CA 91711
Phone Number: (909)203-3695
Hours of Agency operation: Wed. Sat. : 12PM-7PM
Sun. : 12PM-4PM
Description/Purpose of Agency: They are a no-kill
animal shelter that saves dogs and cats off of the
streets and tries to find their forever home.
Description of duties to be completed:
Clean kennels and do laundry, walk dogs, play with
dogs and cats, feed and take care of dogs and
cats
Additional Information about the community service
project:
NA

October 11th, 2016

7:00AM-9:00AM
Dear Journal,
Today was my first day volunteering at Priceless
Pets. I arrived at 7AM and they showed me how to leash
and walk the dogs. That only took about five minutes and
then I was off walking dogs. The very first dog I walked
was named Clyde (see picture above on the right). They
wanted to start me out with a small dog which was
understandable. I walked four bother dogs that morning. I
loved feeling the cool morning air as traveled around with
each dog. The sun was coming up and it was so beautiful
and peaceful. I felt like a wonderful start to my
morning. I felt good for helping out the dogs and for
being active in the morning and getting an early start
to my day!

October 19th, 2016

12:00PM-2:00PM
October 12th, 2016
7:00AM-9:00AM

Dear Journal,
I volunteered at the early morning time again the
following day. The head volunteer said I could start
walking whichever dog I would like, so I started walking
some of the bigger German Shepard mixes since I did not
get to walk them last time. One of them was named,
Tabitha. She was young still so she had tons of energy
and pulled me with the leash while we walked. I felt bad
because I know she shouldnt be cooped up all day and I
can only walk her for twenty minutes but that is not
enough to get her energy out. I had an idea though! After
twenty minutes I brought her back and walked a couple
other dogs. At that point, every dog had been walked and
so we walked the bigger dogs again since they are more
active. I got Tabitha and went up to the head volunteer
and asked if it was okay if a ran her since she has so
much energy. She said that would be good, so I took off
with her by my side. It was a good work out and I was
happy that I tired her out!

Dear Journal,
Today I worked an afternoon shift instead of the
morning shift because I noticed there were no volunteers
signed up for this time
slot. I wanted to make
sure the dogs got the walks
and care they need so I
went at noon. This is when
the store opens and
people come in to adopt
so I took all the dogsgout
for a quick bathroom break
so they would not have
accidents while people were
looking at them and adopting. After I did that, I was
then able to walk to dogs as I pleased. Since I was the
only person walking the dogs though, I did not get to all
of them. I decided to walk the bigger dogs first and see
how many I could get through. There were many new dogs I
did not recognize and some that had disappeared. I knew
some probably were adopted and others may have moved
to Priceless Pets other location in Chino. There was one
new dog that really stood out to me named, Espi. Espi was
found on the streets of Mexico and needed surgery on
her eyes and lost her vision. I thought she was especially
cute and I was amazed when walking her. I have never
walked a blind dog but she was pretty good about figuring
out where things were. The only problem I noticed was when
we would cross a street, she would struggle knowing where
the curb was and when to step up. I thought it was so
cute every time she heard a car because her ears would
pop up and she acted so curious about the noise. Her
learning must be amazing. Ive heard when you lose one
sense, your other senses get stronger. I wonder if she has
like super-sonic hearing!

October 25th, 2016

7:00AM-9:00AM

November 3rd, 2016

7:00AM-9:00AM

Dear Journal,

Dear Journal,

Today I did the morning walks with the dogs again.

I feel like I have really gotten the hang of things. There
was a new girl working with me today and I got to show
her the ropes. I talked a lot with her and got to know
her which was pretty cool! Today, I also got to play with
this new dog! His name is Marco and hes blind, just like
Espi. I sat in a small room with him and he kept running
into me and trying to feel where I was. It was the
cutest thing! Seeing all these dogs is really a bittersweet
thing. They are all so adorable and I love them, but it
makes me sad to think of what they went through and
how they still dont have a home. One day, I hope to
adopt a dog out of a shelter Ive decided. If I could
take one now, I would, but I have three dogs at home
already. I just hope they all can find their forever homes.

Today I brought in some doggie bags to donate to

the shelter because they said they were running low and
picking up after the dogs on the walks is important!
After I put the doggie bags where they go, I grabbed a
leash and started my walking. There were several new
faces as usual, but also some that have been there since I
began volunteering. The lady supervising told me they have
a new dog named Marbles who is very shy. She said she
remembered I was good with the dogs and asked if I would
try to walk him. It made me feel good that she asked me
over the other volunteers there. When I walked Marbles he
didnt even seem that shy. I knelt down and pet him and
he instantly was overjoyed. I like doing that with some of
the dogs when I walk them. I take a minute to pet them
and love them because I feel like they do not get that
enough. It is the sweetest thing to see them light up and
get happy because they get love and attention. I dont
want to just get stuck going through the motions of
walking them and putting them back in their kennels. I
want them to feel loved.

November 9th, 2016

12:00PM-3:00PM

November 26th, 2016

2:00PM-5:00PM

Dear Journal,

Dear Journal,

I came in at the afternoon time again because

there were no volunteers scheduled for this time slot. I
have been trying to chose times that work better for the
shop rather than what is necessarily my first choice
because I want to make sure the dogs get walked and
taken care of throughout the day. I did my usual duties
again of taking them out to go to the bathroom, walking,
and cleaning here and there, Espi was still there so I
played with her a bit because shes my favorite and I
definitely feel myself getting attached to her. The
volunteers who have been there for a while said that will
happen with some of the animals. I would take her home
if I could but I have nowhere to keep her since I live on
campus. It makes me so sad to see these dogs, like her,
without homes. It makes me wonder what happened to
cause the owners to abandon them. People need to better
understand the responsibilities to taking care of pets.
They are part of a family and cannot just be
abandoned when they become an inconvenience.

Today it rained! It was kind of fun walking the

dogs in the rain. It was interesting seeing many of them
enjoy it while others cowards from it. I noticed some of
the smaller dogs had appeared more afraid to go outside
because it was windy and stormy. Even though I got wet,
it was worth it. The dogs would not have gotten a walk if
I did not take them out in it because other volunteers
did not want to weather the storm. There was also a new
dog named Cody. He is a husky so he will probably get
adopted soon. However, he is extremely shy. He cowers from
everything and everyone. I believe it is because he was
attacked by a coyote before he was brought in. It is kind
of sad but I am hoping to see him become more active
and less afraid.

December 6th, 2016

7:00PM-9:00AM

December 9th, 2016

7:30PM-9:30PM

Dear Journal,

Dear Journal,

It was only me and one other volunteer today, so I

first took all the dogs out to pee before their long walks.
This way, we can avoid more accidents in their kennels. I
walked the dogs as usual afterwards. Once all the dogs
were walked, I then got to clean up washing dishes. I had
not washed dishes before there so I had to learn how they
wanted them done. It is fun to learn new chores there
because it means I know what to do for the next time it
needs to be done. I can just jump in and do whatever
needs to be done. I like learning new responsibilities at
the shelter because I feel like there is a lot to get done
and not enough volunteers. Yes, they do have a lot of
help, but they need help almost 24/7. They do not have a
paid staff, so they have issues making sure they get
enough help.

There were a lot of volunteers helping out today. I

am starting to feel like a veteran as more and more new
volunteers come in. It was nice having a lot of people
there because all dogs got two walks and we still had extra
time. I ran all of my dogs and they were pooped
afterwards! I swept the floor after their walks and then
with the remaining hour, I got to cuddle dogs! I went into
Espis kennel and played with her. Then, I cuddled a beagle
named Thor and tried to get Cody to be less shy. Lastly,
I spent time with another beagle named Grady. It was
nice having some time to just give the dogs some love. It
makes me sad thinking they wont have homes for
Christmas this year. I know I have gotten very attached
to Espi, so I have been trying to convince my parents
to let me adopt her and bring her home. It is a work in
progress, but the problem is that we already have three
dogs at home, so they are not looking for another. I
hope the shelter thinks to put on some sort of event to
try to get the dogs adopted for Christmas. It would be a
great way to engage the community and give these
animals loving homes in time for the holidays.