The second installment of the DDR Youth Matter section of PITStop bring us two awesome sister siblings Carly: age 17, Senior (12th Grade) at San Dimas High School Katie: age 14, Freshman (9th Grade) at San Dimas High School!
They are part of our dedicated volunteer PETCO Show Team that come every Saturday to highlight our dogs to interested visitors! Having them there brings a youthful vibe that’s just plain fun for everyone involved! They are intelligent young women with definite opinions and viewpoints! Bravo!
We hope that they will continue to come back even when their school project is over!!!!! Thank you ladies for all your great work!
Carly & Katie
1)How did you hear about Downtown Dog Rescue?
Carly:I heard about Downtown Dog Rescue from our Dad, who first heard about this dog rescue from his parent’s neighbor, Celeste, a friend of Sandy’s (and her husband).
Katie: I heard about it from my sister Carly, who heard it from our Dad, who heard it from Celeste (a friend of Sandy and her husband).
2)What is this project you’re involved with and what is the purpose of the project? How long is the project supposed to run?
Carly:The project I am involved in is the San Dimas High School Senior Connection Project or SCP for short. The purpose of this project is unknown to me. I enjoy volunteering, but presenting it in front of a panel of teacher judges, and writing a research paper is a complete waist of my time. I started this project my Junior year of high school and it goes until May 26, 2010 (the day I present my project to the teachers).
Katie:The project I am involved in is the San Dimas High School Connection Project. There is not a specific purpose to this project. The project is going to run through my four years of high school.
Katie with Cosmo
3)What were your perceptions of pitbulls before volunteering at DDR? Has it changed?
Carly:Before I started volunteering with Downtown Dog Rescue, I was not a fan of pitbulls. I was always taught to be very cautious of pitbulls and what they are known for. Today I am still very cautious around the pitbulls we are around while volunteering. We are in a very controlled situation, and these dogs have been hand picked and screened for behavior.
Katie: My perception of pits has not 100% changed since volunteering. I was never really allowed to go near or around pitbulls before volunteering because of their statistics and backgrounds. But I have trusted that the pitbulls chosen to be put up for adoption have been carefully screened and observed for safety, therefore I am somewhat more confident with myself to be around the pitbulls up for adoption.
4)What do you think about the fear people have of pitbulls?
Carly: I think the people that fear pitbulls most certainly have the right to fear them, as they have the right to fear any other dog. Pitbulls are ranked as the number one most vicious dog. It is all in the way people raise and train their pitbull. Any dog can be just as dangerous as a pitbull, if it was raised and trained to be violent. And in the other hand pitbulls can be just as sweet and loving as any other dog, if it is properly socialized, raised, and trained.
Katie: I think all people have a right to be fearful of pitbulls just because of what they have been known for. This is not the pitbulls fault for being this way it is just the way they were brought up. Any other dog could be just the same as a pitbull, but the pitbull is just most known for the harm.
Carly & Katie made this wonderful sign for us!
We premiered it at our Blue Collar Satellite adoption event!
5)What kind of pets do you have?
Carly: I have three dogs: a Golden Retriever, a Yellow Labrador Retriever, and a Dalmatian. I also have a Guinea Pig, an English Budgie, an African Dwarf Freshwater Frog, 7 Zebra Finch, and 25 Freshwater Tropical Fish.
Katie:I have had many pets! I currently have a Golden Retriever, Yellow Labrador Retriever, and a Dalmatian. I also have a guinea pig, an English Budgie, a frog, 7 Zebra Finch, and 25 tropical fish.
6)What have you learned about dogs, people, etc. volunteering for DDR?
Carly:I have learned that all dogs, no matter what breed have a chance of being rescued and adopted out to loving families. I have learned that there are many people who want to give all of the Downtown Dog Rescue dogs a second chance in life, and they will love and take care of them until they find a permanent loving home and family. I have also learned that trying to find a dog a home takes a while and it takes patients, but in the end it is worth it!
Katie: I have learned that the people trying to adopt the dogs are very generous with giving the stray or abandon dogs a permanent place to live their lives to the rightfully deserved fullness.
7) Any fun or memorable stories about your DDR experiences so far?Carly: Everyday I volunteer with Downtown Dog Rescue is a new, exciting, fun, and memorable story for me. My most memorable story would be working with all of the dogs. I love them all (if I had a huge farm and if I won the lottery, I would adopt all of the dogs from Downtown Dog Rescue in a heartbeat!), and I hope they can all find homes with people who love them as much as I do.
Katie: The only thing that has happened to me so far during volunteering is having the biggest dog there just come and sit right in my lap. It was the cutest thing I have experienced and I felt that the dog and I have a much better relationship. One other thing that has happened to me is after walking back from the bathroom with a dog bowl full of water to give to the dogs, they all just came and crowded around me causing the water to spill and go all over the ground.
