Metacognitive Analyses

Metacognitive Analyses

Electronic writing is something that has been around a while now, but nothing I have ever really experienced. I have written papers using electronics but not till recently did I truly understand the meaning of electronic writing more profoundly when we started our blogs. Our blogs were just the beginning, when we were to the end of our research we had to write a hybrid essay about one important topic or argument about our blog. A hybrid essay is just a composition of writing styles put together like images and words that flow together to tell a story or make a statement. Making the hybrid essay was not an easy task it took just as much as thinking and effort as our blog.

When I first heard that we had to make a hybrid essay I automatically was not looking forward to it without knowing what it was. Just the name itself sounded terrible, when I thought hybrid I imagined a combination of things. Being that I am not a great essay writer and I had to approach something I have never done before was the challenge itself. I had to understand the meaning of hybrid essay and when I started looking at examples online it seemed much simpler. The examples were essays with a combination of pictures and sentences that told stories but were formatted in a way that they weren’t just placed randomly.  Other examples of a hybrid essay were just words without pictures but still had its own formatting which was a type of list. Even though they were all good essay I thought the essay with pictures for me was much more smother and easier to understand the point being made. It made much more sense if I was going to put different writing styles together I could use pictures to allow people to see a visual of what I was talking about.

Once I understood how a hybrid essay was composed I started to think what I wanted to concentrate on. Even though I understood the definition it was still a bit difficult to put all these ideas together and make them flow together. It was hard choosing a topic to focus on when you have done a lot of research and everything is important to know. My process in picking what I wanted to concentrate my essay on was what hit me the most while doing my research. I ultimately picked pet care, pet homelessness and puppy mills which is more than one topic, which is what could have caused me at moments to go off topic because I had three things that I wanted to expand. These three topics where related but still can be difficult to put together without sounding like your jumping from one topic to another. I also wanted to incorporate pictures that allowed people to not just read it but see it and maybe actually allow it to sink in and maybe genuinely feel bad and help out instead of reading it and forgetting it.

Writing the hybrid essay was a overall good experience just like the blog and it helped me understand electronic writing as well as different skills of writing. I learned how to put two types of writing together without sounding to much out of place. Even though I learned these skills I still need to practice them because they are not close to being perfect I still have trouble making my essay run smoothly and that was my trouble in my hybrid essay. I at moments jumped from one place to another and had to go back and change my ideas. Writing is a leaning process and there is always new ways but now its not just on paper its on the web for millions of people to see and has it own formatting and will continue to change.

Reading

Hybrid Essay

Hybrid essay

 

A blog is a web site that contains the writers own experiences, observations, opinions, and often having images, videos, and more. It is very effective because your audience is worldwide and many more people see the argument that is being made. This was my first experience doing a blog and it was actually very exciting which I did not expect. It allowed me to express myself on a topic that is close to me which is animal abuse. It was a process to produce daily or weekly post about animal abuse. It wasn't just the research that had to be done it was a very difficult topic to research let alone talk about. Not many people want to hear about these cruelties or see them they would rather think of happy puppies or animals which is not the case for MANY. I learned a lot myself while doing this not just about my own topic but how to go about making a blog. What a blog was and what it was composed of as well that you had a lot of freedom to do almost anything while trying to convey your topic.

 

 

 

When first beginning my blog is was a bit difficult because I had never done one before and I had many ideas flowing through my mind. I didn’t know where to start first what to talk about if I wanted a lot of information or more visual images. I would look at other blogs to get a sense of what I wanted mine to look like. When picking animal abuse I was not aware of what I was getting myself into. I knew it was a touchy subject but once the research started it really hit me at some points I did not even want to continue. Some images and videos were really hard to look at, you saw how cruel and evil people can be with these animals. This was part of my process when making my blog and it was a wonderful but hard experience. It made me look at electronic writing differently because even though it may seem easier because blogs are not really thought as “formal” it really takes a lot of work. You have to think of what is the consistent message you want your reader to get when they read each post. How you want them to feel and not just read it and forget about it. In my blog I would put images and videos so they could see it for themselves as well as read it. What I didn’t want was long paragraphs explaining my point or argument I was trying to make. Which was to bring awareness to different kinds of animal abuse and try to get people to want to help.  

 

Animal abuse is a list that just goes on and I discovered that while researching. It really has no end because there is so many types of abuse but this abuse can reduced. There is animal testing, puppy mills, dog fights, cock fights, abandoned animals, and then there is the domestic pets and how they are treated, it goes on and on. Even though there is a lot of abused animals I also found that there is a lot of organizations that help these causes of animal abuse. There is PETA, Human Society, LCA (Last Chance for Animals) and not just organizations help, blogs and website as well. Like change.org that brings awareness to a lot of animal abuse they have petitions like I said on one of my post. There is blogs on blogspot.com that as well give good information and ways of helping. There is many opportunities they just have to be taken advantage of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puppy Mills was one of the topics that really got to me and I would like to explore further. On one of my post I talked about stopping puppy mills and I gave some information and what to look out for. Like avoid at all cost shopping at small pet shops that sell puppies even if you’re just buying food. Most likely they are coming from puppy mills even if they look happy or healthy the ones that were not “chosen” to be sold are still in those horrible conditions. They live in cages they are all crammed together and live in their own feces some don’t see the day light at all or have human contact. They don’t get the right nutrients and if sick or hurt don’t get the needed medical attention and never recover. Many can’t eat properly because there tongues stick out the side of their mouth or have rotten teeth or broken jaws. This is their daily life and some will never know anything different unless rescued. On the website humanesociety.org they have a pledge that you can sign for puppy mills stating that you will not buy from any of these pet stores. After signing it they give you list of friendly pet stores that do not buy from puppy mills its very helpful. We may never stop all puppy mills but it’s a great start to stop shopping at these stores and giving them money. This will slowly make a change and give some dogs the chance to a better life.

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There were two main things that I found really interesting while researching animal abuse animal homelessness and pet care. These two interested me the most because when I think of animal abuse it is not treating or taking care of your dog properly. There is of course many types of abuse like I pointed out in the beginning. When I think of the cause of some animal abuse I realize it is because many people get a pet without knowing the responsibility.  Yet there is such a high demand for dogs and this feeds the puppy mills allowing them to be in business, and so many dogs suffer in the process. Many people want puppies because they are cute but they don’t think of all the work it’s going to be, a pet is like a child it needs everything we do but they can’t communicate. They need their specific nutrients and it’s different for puppies, adult dogs, and older dogs. This is so that they grow healthy and don’t get sick easily. If you have gone to a pet store you have seen all the products there is for dogs they have vitamins, they have pain relief capsules, and many different types of commercial food and snack all different flavors and for different things. This can be a lot for someone and it is for many that is why they either take them back to a shelter or just leave them on the streets which bring me to my next topic. Animal homelessness, I found really shocking numbers on Do Something.org it said that “5 to 7 million animal companions enter shelters each year “ and that “ 3 to 4 million dogs and cats are killed because there is not enough space in shelters”. Animals out number homeless people by 5 to 1 and it also said that the reason animals end up in shelters is because there owners give them up or they were found on the streets. These numbers will continue to rise if we don’t change anything and the only ones suffering are the animals.

 

 

 

 

 

These were the topics that stuck out to me when I did my research and it’s where I think the change needs to start to make a bigger impact. People need to start being informed completely before committing to a big responsibility. Then maybe we will start seeing a bigger change in some animal abuse and that’s a start. There is already a lot being done for these animals but they could always use more help.

 

 

11 Facts About Animal Homelessness." Do Something. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.

 

"Dog Care." ASPCA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

                                   
It is not the end of this blog but the research portion has come to an end for now. I hope the posts I have put up cause some of you to be aware of the abuse there is on this earth towards animals. Change has began but there is always need for more help to make a greater difference but it starts off step by step and I hope some of you will be part of that. Hope you enjoyed my blog!

||||\|| LCA

Last Chance For Animals 

This organization, Last Chance For Animals fights for the lives of many animals. Some of their campaigns are vivisection/animal testing, ban live export and puppy mills. Vivisection is when they cut into live animals its commonly called "animal research". On their web page they have pictures of many of these animals being mistreated as well as videos. They also make a very valid point in where we think of animals as if they feel no pain. When in reality there nervous system is quite similar to ours so they feel pain just as we do. There are many differences as well and many of the diseases humans get do not naturally occur in these animals they have to be induced with the disease to get "accurate" results. The side affects that happen to these animals does not mean it will happen to humans because they are quite different in many ways but not when it comes to feeling pain. These are some of the examples given to us on there webpage:

• Sheep can swallow enormous quantities of arsenic and remain healthy.
• Morphine calms and anesthetizes man but causes maniacal excitement in cats and mice.
• Fialuridine does not harm dogs and monkeys but often proves fatal to humans.
• Almonds can kill foxes.
• Parsley is poisonous to parrots.
• Penicillin is fatal to guinea pigs.
• Chocolate can kill dogs. 

(Copyright © 2013 Last Chance for Animals. All Rights Reserved.) (Last Chance for Animals) 


They talk about puppy mills they give facts , which you guys know a little about from one of my posts. They have Puppy Mill Awareness Day, "Every September (since 2004), LCA and Paws of Austin host the annual Puppy Mill Awareness Day (PMAD) to raise awareness of the brutal realities of puppy mills. The event began in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and has evolved to include Los Angeles, CA and Austin, TX. Each year, attendance increases at PMAD as more and more people become educated about puppy mills." (Last Chance For Animals) They do a lot for these animals and you can become a member and donate monthly or even just once. I will later on my next post go into more detail on animal testing. You can go to there website to find out more information about what they do and how you can help.



http://www.lcanimal.org/index.php/campaigns/class-b-dealers-and-pet-theft/vivisectionanimals-in-research?gclid=CLvD-6TCorYCFSHZQgodVlsAZQ

Homeless

Will you Help?

This image shows three dogs that have no home and are on the streets. Truth is there is a lot MORE dogs that are homeless but this does not just affect dogs. Other animals are affected as well these are some facts I found on (dosomething.org) about animal homelessness. 

• 5 to 7 million companion animals enter animal shelters nationwide every year.
• 3 to 4 million dogs and cats are killed every year because shelters are too full and there aren't enough adoptive homes.
• Homeless animals outnumber homeless people 5 to 1.
• Only 1 out of every 10 dogs born will find a permanent home.
• The main reasons animals are in shelters: owners give them up, or animal control finds them on the street.
• According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP), less than 2 percent of cats and only 15 to 20 percent of dogs are returned to their owners.
• 25 percent of dogs that enter local shelters are purebred.
• Over 20 percent of people who leave dogs in shelters adopted them from a shelter.
• It’s impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the U.S. Estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.
• Only 10 percent of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. Overpopulation, due to owners letting their pets accidentally or intentionally reproduce, sees millions of these “excess” animals killed annually.
• Many strays are lost pets that were not kept properly indoors or provided with identification.

(http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-animal-homelessness)

United States Facts & Figures 

I found more interesting facts about animal homelessness:

• Number of cats and dogs born every day in the U.S.: 70,000 (nearly 3,000 born every hour or 50 born every minute) 
• Number of stray cats and dogs living in the U.S.: 70 million
• Number of animals in the U.S. that die each year from cruelty, neglect, and exploitation: 30 million
• Number of animal shelters in the U.S.: 4,000 – 6,000
• Number of cats and dogs entering U.S. shelters each year: 6 – 8 million
• Number of cats and dogs euthanized by U.S. shelters each year: 3 – 4 million (nearly 10,000 animals killed every day)
• Number of cats and dogs adopted by U.S. shelters each year: 3 – 4 million
• Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from U. S. shelters each year: 600,000-750,000 (10% of total entering shelters – 15–30% of dogs and 2–5% of cats)
• Yearly cost to U.S. taxpayers to impound, shelter, euthanize, and dispose of homeless animals: $2 billion
• Percentage of dogs in U.S. shelters which are purebred: 25 – 30 %
• Average age of animals entering U.S. shelters: under 18 months old 
• Percentage of animals entering U.S. shelters that are healthy and adoptable: 90% 
• Percentage of owned dogs that were adopted from an animal shelter: 18%
• Percentage of owned cats that were adopted from an animal shelter: 16% 
• Percentage of animals entering animal shelters by animal control authorities: 42.5%
• Percentage of animals entering animal shelters that were surrendered by their owners: 30% 
• Percentage of people who acquire animals that end up giving them away, abandoning them, or taking them to shelters: 70%
• Percentage of animals surrendered to an animal shelter that were originally adopted from an animal shelter: 20% 
• Percentage of animals received by animal shelters that have been spayed or neutered: 10%

(http://www.oxfordpets.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61)

All these facts about animal homelessness is sad but eye opening , people who adopt animals sometimes end up taking them back. It is much better to take them back then to leave them on the streets all alone. Even then this brings up a much more serious matter of nurturing our pets. If we don't want thousands of animals to end up homeless or worse put to death. Many people don't do it for many reasons whether its because they don't have time, money, think it animal cruelty, or haven't gotten to it. Whether they are reasonable or not they should think of all the dogs that don't have homes. Nurturing our dogs would decrees these numbers but I am sure i'm mot the first to think of this. Not much can be done when people don't act on it all we can do is inform. 

Pet Care

Pet Care 
(These steps can be found on their website ASPCA)

• Dog Care:

       -Grooming:


 It should be a regular routine to brush your dogs fur at least once a week depending on your dog. If your dog has smooth fur brushing it once a week is fine, you are going to want to use a rubber brush first to loosen up any dirt, dead skin and hair.Then use a bristle brush to remove the dead hair and polish after to give the fur a shine. If your dog has short hair then its a weekly routine about 2 or more days a week.You will use a smother brush for dogs with short hair to remove any knots in their fur. Then you will use the bristle brush to remove the dead hair. If your dog has long hair then you should brush their fur daily to remove the tangles and with a slick brush tease out the mats out and use the bristle brush to remove the dead hair. When it comes to bathing your dog you are going to want to do it every 3 months & around summer time more often if your pet is outdoors a lot. These are simple steps that you can follow:

- First, give your pet a good brushing to remove all dead hair and mats. 
- Place a rubber bath mat in the bathtub to provide secure footing, and fill the tub with about 3 to 4 inches of lukewarm water. 
- Use a spray hose to thoroughly wet your pet, taking care not to spray directly in her ears, eyes or nose. If you don’t have a spray hose, a large plastic pitcher or unbreakable cup will do. 
- Gently massage in shampoo, working from head to tail. 
- Thoroughly rinse with a spray hose or pitcher; again, avoid the ears, eyes and nose. 
- Check the ears for any foul odors or excessive debris; if you choose to use a cleansing solution on a cotton ball, take care not to insert it into the ear canal. 
- Dry your pet with a large towel or blow dryer, but carefully monitor the level of heat.
(© 2013 ASPCA. All Rights Reserved.)

Nail clipping can be a bit difficult because some dogs are not use to getting there paws touched. They can react defensively, its a good idea to slowly get them use to you touching there paws you can rub there paws and apply pressure on each toe. It may take a week or two for them to slowly warm up to it but every dog is different while massaging their paws daily remember to give them treats. Follow these steps: 

 - Begin by spreading each of your dog’s feet to inspect for dirt and debris. 
- Use sharp, guillotine-type nail clippers to cut off the tip of each nail at a slight angle, just before the point where it begins to curve. 
- Take care to avoid the quick, a vein that runs into the nail. This pink area can be seen through the nail. If your dog has black nails, however, the quick will not be as easily discernible, so be extra careful. 
- If you do accidentally cut into the quick, it may bleed, in which case you can apply some styptic powder to stop the bleeding. 
- Once the nails have been cut, use an emery board to smooth any rough edges.
(© 2013 ASPCA. All Rights Reserved.)


http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/dog-care/dog-care-groom-your-dog.aspx