Introduction for the Berkeley Animal Shelter
I have always had a strong liking toward dogs. Their love and affection are what made me happy to have them as pets, and so when it came to the opportunity to help animals as an intern I was eager to go. The place I was an intern is located at Berkeley near freeway 580. There I was assisting Carla Orozco, my boss. She was considered to be called the Volunteer Coordinator or otherwise known as the head leader of managing interns. She and others asked me to do simple tasks that I could easily do. Most of the work required little help with animals and although I did little to do with helping the animal I was able to help in other forms. Organizing, cleaning, and rearranging was most of the things I did. Other things were tiny requests such as finding pencils, throwing away trash, or walking Carla’s dog. For the time that I spent there, I enjoyed my work as an intern.
Log #1: 3/23
For the first internship, I was kind of nervous. I have never actually done anything like this before. I knew little about this place, and the only information I knew was told by my mother who knew the basics. During the beginning of the day, I talked to Carla and asked what I should do as an intern. I assumed as an intern I would do more learning than working, but the first task that she asked was to mop up the floors in the dog room that was connected to an outside area separated a garage door. I use mops, a sweeper, and towels to clean up the whole area to throw away the dog smell. Later, I was tasked to wash the dog of hers and would be paid five bucks but I quickly declined the offer stating that I would do it for free. Carla would seem very happy about this replying that I was awesome. The day was great, I learned new names and walked her dog multiple times. I felt that this job would be easy and good for my health as an adult.
Hours Worked: 4
Log #2: 3/30
From the first experience at the shelter, I was told that people would bring food and snacks for the staff as a gift in the morning. As a way to express my appreciation for them having me here with them, I decide to buy some donuts. Carla showed appreciation by saying thanks and I quickly walked inside. This time I was not tasked to mop the floors, but instead organizes the papers inside the cabinets. I was efficient in this task and Carla praised me for it. I was then later asked to do another task that I quickly failed at doing proper. The request was very simple, grab pens. Instead of grabbing pens, I grab markers, sharpies, and everything else. The lack of coffee was my excuse. I was able to finish my test early and decided to walk Steve early. Steve is Carla’s and the early walk seemed to work for my stupid mistake. For the time being, I was requested to stay a little longer so that she could make me do other tasks. so instead of staying at 12:00 pm I stayed at 2:00 pm earning myself 6 hours. She would then later asks if I would be available Sunday for a special occasion. I said I would Overall I felt like I did a good job even though I messed up during one stupid task.
Hours Worked: 6
Log #3: 4/6
Instead of coming on Sunday and not Saturday I decide to come on both days. I was at the usual spot in the parking lot. Carla was surprised to see me but no less happy to and start the day as usual. After these past days, I started to analyze whether my boss was a good boss. From what I could hear from the staff there were some bad tones about her. People were not so enthusiastic about seeing her and the little conversation was happening with her. From what I can tell she seems like an okay boss just not the best. The day was simple, I walk Steve on his 15-minute walks as requested. more organization preceded the day with Carla trying to be inconspicuous with rearranging. Other side things were done but were indifferent. Before the end of the day, Carla asked me to listen to an orientation about volunteering. Orientation was useful. I learned new information like how red dots on the collar ID of the animal's tag means need work or help. conclusion today was in a unique day
Hours Worked: 4
Log #4: 4/7
What was said before, Sunday was not a normal day I come in. It was a special request that I should come in for. The reason why the day was a special day was that there was going to be a fundraiser or special gathering for providing care to cats. my assistance was requested in case there was any help needed. It wasn't anything new. I did a little here and there, but nothing important. the only part that was interesting was that I learn something new about Carla's personality. The news media came to watch the presentation of the discussion of the cat's care. As soon as one of the cameramen was requesting Carla's represent, she resorted to hiding instead. Media does not seem like it's her forté.
Hours Worked: 4
Log #5: 4/13
Today was technically my last day as an intern, but I'm going to stay a little bit longer as a way to build up my charisma if you will. Last time I saw her, she was so pleased with my work as an intern that she didn’t mind if my brother came to work here. After thinking about it, I thought it would be a good idea to bring him along so he can get his bearings. so as if anyone could have guessed, I had to mop the floors with my brother and decorate a board to thank all volunteers who have volunteer these past days. Filing I was a struggle. My brother and I were both tasked for this and it was a major issue at the time. I was later asked to do an important task to help bring down the pizza and a cake for our celebration. As I was doing that Song, on the other hand, had to deal with the kitten that he had to supervise. He would later express the about pain he had to deal with that cat. Most of what we did, later on, was very simple jobs request as always. The day would end with us eating cake and having our last day with the staff. It was an interesting experience to say the less. I have shown my capabilities as an intern and have shown my incredible skill to execute the task at hand. I really enjoyed working at the Berkeley pet shelter.
Hours Worked: 5
Closing Report
After working as an intern for the Berkeley animal community shelter I have not only learned from the staff work habits but myself as well. My abilities to work efficiently and figure out how to work out effectively are key components that had me stand out from the rest of the interns. From the information that Carla has told me, she has worked with 10 internships before. Many of them seem to not meet the expectations that she was asking for. Her first impressions of me had low expectations. Her first thoughts were that I was another lazy drop whom she would have to look over from time and time. However, my work capabilities prove my worth as an intern. Efficiency, effectiveness and the results of my work were all part of my ability as a strong worker. Moving on the daily duties were pretty simple and basic sometimes they would change over time but were mostly the same. The beginning of the day would always normally start with mopping the floors of the dog room. Next, it would probably be rearranging or organizing areas. sometimes I would walk Steve twice or three times during the daily route. Most of the time there will be a special occasion where I would help set up chair and such. Little of my job would have to do with the dogs or animals but nonetheless done. Most of what I have learned was how the place functions and how others function too. I learned more about the place, where things were, and how to get them. The one obstacle that I face had to do with filing, and that's because it took a very long time and needed extreme amounts of patience. Otherwise, besides that, there wasn’t anything that was a challenge. my initial thoughts about the place were entirely different from what I had expected. For one thing, I thought I would be working on more dogs than anything, but I worked on more paperwork instead. I also didn't expect to socialize with my boss so much. I didn't really socialize with her that much but still was enough to notice. Lastly, I didn't expect the workloads to be so simple. It wasn’t really a struggle actually, but normal request than anything. It was always funny when I took a task Carla would make me feel demeaning. She would dumb the work down for me as if I couldn’t do it when I was actuality clearly qualified to do so. It always odd why she would do that. Nevertheless, it was still a fun experience as an internship. I learned a lot and I’m motivated to do more work in the future.