MAKE SURE TO 'REFRESH' YOUR SCREEN EACH TIME YOU VISIT THIS SITE TO BE SURE YOU HAVE THE MOST RECENT PAGES

updated 10/31/12

PROJECT TWO: SAVING ANIMALS THROUGH WRITING; DUE NOV. 8 AT 1:30 PM
SECOND DRAFT OF INSTRUCTIONS
250 POINTS OR MORE

Why this assignment? It is not only experiential and service learning, it strengthens the foundation of ethics, the sympathetic imagination,

which enhances in turn enhances the ultimate ethical virtue, compassion.

===================================================================

INITIAL BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

1. YOU MUST GET YOUR BLOG PUBLISHED ON AN ADOPTION WEBSITE OR NO POINTS

2. IF YOU DO NOT WORK WITH AUSTIN PETS ALIVE! OR CRAIG'S LIST (FOR THE AUSTIN SHELTER) YOU MUST GET A WRITTEN AGREEMENT FROM THE PLACE YOU HAVE CHOSEN STATING THAT THEY WILL PUBLISH YOUR ADOPTION AD AND SPECIFYING EXACTLY WHAT THEIR REQUIREMENTS ARE. THIS AGREEMENT MUST BE GIVEN TO THE INSTRUCTOR. WHEN YOUR BLOG IS READY YOU WILL SEND IT TO THE INSTRUCTOR WHO WILL MAKE SURE IT MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS AND ONLY THEN SEND IT ON TO YOUR ADOPTION PLACE.

 


STEP ONE: Meet with your animal and learn as much as you can about the animal's history. Look into the animal's eyes  and try to identify with it, consider what life would have been like if you had been born this animal rather than your self. In other words, try to extend your sympathetic imagination to the animal: this attempt will be the subject of the the expanded blog you post on our site, though not the bio you first write for APA or whatever. To help you remember the experience and to help the animal get adopted, make sure to take at least three photos and and at least one video of the animal.

STEP TWO: Write a "bio" of the animal according to the requirements of the animal shelter, including the images and videos in the bio. Substantial bonus points will be awarded for editing the multimedia, especially for adding music etc. (See below for some examples from this class.) For the APA cat requirements see below. The onsite counselor is the only person who can answer questions about that particular cat. The bios do not have to cover every aspect of the cat as long as his or her personality is captured. So, some of the questions/answers can be left out of the bio. If they seem important, then the student may have to do a followup visit.

STEP THREE: Send the bio to the instructor IN AN EMAIL TO bump@utexas.edu, SEND images and video AS ATTACHMENTS TO THE EMAIL. Please do NOT send a Word document with the images and video inserted. APA will not accept that.

STEP FOUR: Unless the instructor asks for revisions, you can assume that he sent the bio to the shelter's volunteers.

STEP FIVE: Keep checking the shelter's website. This may take a while because they are relying on volunteers. When the bio appears, get at least a screen shot, if not a saved web page of the bio on the site, and upload it to the P2 website. WITHOUT THIS SCREEN SHOT OR WEB PAGE YOUR POINTS FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE REMOVED AND THUS YOU WILL FAIL THE COURSE. (On the other hand, if the instructor sent your bio to the shelter and for some reason it never appeared on their website, you will not be penalized.)

STEP SIX: Because this will be a formal paper eventually, I recommend using WORD at this point. For up to thirty points, using your sympathetic imagination, expand the "bio" you wrote to about seven-hundred words from the animal's point of view. Recognize not only how the animal is similar to you, but also make sure to recognize how different s/he is from you. In other words, make sure you communicate to the reader the "otherness" of the animal's senses, point of view, perspective, etc. as well as giving it a "human" voice.

STEP SEVEN:  Add a transition from the animal's point of view to yours.( You can earn  up to ten additional points by providing a smooth transition rather than an abrupt change of subject to your point of view).

STEP EIGHT:Then, for up to thirty points, add at least another seven-hundred words of reflections about your attempts to extend the sympathetic imagination to the animal, both when meeting the animal and when writing from the animal's point of view. DO NOT just rehearse your visit, or just provide an account of it.  EVALUATE the value of trying to extend sympathetic imagination, empathy, sympathy, and/or compassion to another species and of trying to learn from other species.

STEP NINE OR EARLIER: REQUIRED: Include at least one well-integrated quotation about the sympathetic imagination, empathy, sympathy, or compassion and at least one UNIQUE well-integrated and documented quotation from the readings about cats or dogs in our anthology illustrating the sympathetic imagination (see pages 313-412 in our course anthology). DOUBLE POINTS for additional well-integrated quotations from this section or other assigned readings. SINGLE ADDITIONAL POINTS if you just use the footnote option in WORD for this.

STEP TEN: This should bring the total up to at least fourteen-hundred words (not counting quotations). Add a word count at the end of the blog, both with and without quotations. Also, if your bio and/or media have been published on the website, put the original bio in an appendix, along with the screenshot or equivalent of the shelter web page where the bio was "published." Do the same with any additional bios your produced.

STEP ELEVEN: In WORD "Save" the document as WORD document. Then use "Save as Web Page." This will make the footnotes into endnotes for the blog version, but you will still be able to print them as footnotes from the document version for the final hard copy. Post the result as if it were a blog in "Project Two " blog by  2 PM  on November 8th, including the photos and videos or video links.

STEP TWELVE: Read and make suggestions for improvement for at least five of the other students' projects by midnight November 15 [You will be assigned five.]STEP THIRTEEN: Making use of the suggestions made to you, revise your project into a polished essay and hand in the hard copy to the instructor by 2 PM on November 20. The hard copy must include the images and the URL of the video[s].

P2 HARD COPY

WHAT SHOULD BE IN THE FOLDER TO BE HANDED IN?

[1] YOUR FINAL COPY CLEARLY MARKED AS "FINAL COPY. " FORMAT: DOUBLE-SPACED, WITH A TITLE, PAGE NOS., and FOOTNOTES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGES, using the University of Chicago footnote method (See Faigley),. LAST PAGE SHOULD PROVIDE THE WORD COUNT (both with and without quotes) AND THE U.R.L. OF THE BLOG VERSION. THIS FINAL VERSION SHOULD BE PUT IN A POCKET FOLDER WITH YOUR NAME ON THE OUTSIDE OR -5. 

ALSO IN THIS FOLDER SHOULD BE these and only these related materials

 

[2] The P1 rubric evaluation form from me and the P1 final essay edited by me, with my marks on the copy or -50

 

[3] A COPY OF YOUR ORIGINAL DRAFT of P2, THE ONE YOU UPLOADED TO BLACKBOARD;

 

[4] ALL CRITIQUES YOUR COLLEAGUES MADE OF YOUR PROJECT, PUT INTO A SINGLE WORD DOCUMENT, WITH THE NAME OF THE REVIEWER and the color code AT THE TOP OF EACH CRITIQUE.

 

[5] A SECOND DRAFT WITH ALL THE CHANGES YOU MADE IN RESPONSE TO ALL THE CRITIQUES, WITH CHANGES NOW HIGHLIGHTED AND COLOR-CODED TO SHOW WHICH CHANGES WERE MADE IN RESPONSE TO TO WHICH REVIEWER, INCLUDING ANY MADE IN RESPONSE TO THE INSTRUCTOR'S CRITIQUES OF P1.

 

 Detailed criteria for your print version here (to be turned into the instructor).


Basic content requirements for Blackboard Version1.

This is not a first draft, but your best writing. It should be the result of careful proofreading, for this will be published for all to see and animal's fate depends on your writing. Instructions on how to do this are below.

2. The project you produce for the class is different from the APA or Craigslist bio. That bio is usually no longer than 300 words, but should be close to that -- at least 275 words -- and be put IN THE APPENDIX OF YOUR BLOG. Your project, however, must be at least 1400 words; at least 700 words from the animal's point of view; at least 700 words of your reflection on the experience. Must include your original videos and photos of the animal (put in appendix also if you cannot integrate them into the P2 essay itself).

 


 

AFTER YOU HAVE HAD A BLOG OFFICIALLY ACCEPTED BY APA, HOW DO YOU RE-WRITE IT FROM THE ANIMAL'S POINT OF VIEW?

You could use this approach, though not, of course, in these words:

We know _______'s history after s/he was put in the shelter, but like all (so many) of the dogs and cats who end up in the Town Lake Animal Shelter (Center) ___________'s name was put on the books there with little or no information about his/her past. __________ can not tell us what happened to him/her before the Shelter. So we will speak for him as best we can. We know that he was either homeless or rejected by his family. Let's assume he was homeless and that his story was something like this.

[his or her story as you imagine it up to and including his being put in the shelter]. Then, you tell the animal's story from is point of view, knowing that, like all of the dogs and cats who end up in the shelter, the animal suffered the trauma of the long wait to be adopted, then the short death-row wait to be killed, then ecstasy of escape from death at the last minute, the joy of meeting up with the APA rescuers, then the loving kindness of the APA! drivers, doctors, foster parents, volunteers at the adoption locations, etc. Then he or she experienced the wait with the foster parents, the wait at the Petsmart and other street adoption sites, perhaps picking up a few diseases along the way, like ring worm, Feline Herpes Virus, etc. Finally, s/he experiences confinement in that small space while waiting for someone to adopt him and take him to his/her forever home.
HOW DO YOU ADD AT LEAST SEVEN-HUNDRED WORDS OF REFLECTION ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE MAINTAIN SOME UNITY IN THE COMBINED ESSAY? [SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS TO BE SUPPLIED LATER] When I tried to extend the sympathetic imagination to the cat and/or I tried to feel empathy or sympathy or compassion for the cat. I felt I succeeded to some extent in that I....and/or I felt I failed in that I ...... Then compare the result to the anthology materials or .... . [Inserting quotations whenever appropriate] etc. etc. That's not the best way, but is better than no unity at all, I think.
Finally, you can write your blog as if you were doing a blog post, including pictures and videos inserted in the best possible places. When you are done,  add the word count at the bottom, with and without quotes. The put the actual bios and the screen shots of the webpages inserted as appendices at the end. (Or you can use a your regular blog site. Then copy the full URL at the top bar of your browser.Then post the link to your blog in the P2 Blog on BLACKBOARD .)

Examples of the first half of the assignment from last semester's freshman seminar

(their second half of the assignment was different):

Smokie

Peter and Gustav

Delilah

Tigre

Molly and Prudence

Oprah

Jessica Rabbit

Teddy and Rhiannon

Burgundy and Julie

Simba and Rossi

_

NEWS STORIES ABOUT LAST YEAR'S ASSIGNMENTS

Jan. 21 article by Rose Cahalan in KNOW, pub. By U.T. Office of Public Affairs http://www.utexas.edu/know/2011/01/21/apa_cat/

Jan. 28 Service Learning Course is a Win-Win for Students, Rescued AnimalsÓ College of Liberal Arts website http://www.la.utexas.edu/users/bump/a/UT%20College%20of%20Liberal%20Arts.html

Mar. 16 Homework That Saves AnimalsÓ by Suyun Hong appears on ABC News website; 18 comments by Apr. 1

http://blogs.abcnews.com/campuschatter/2011/03/homework-that-saves-animals.html

April 27 Article by Amanda Chappel in Uweekly Austin 5 comments http://uweeklyaustin.com/article/i-can-haz-shelter-1434/

July 4 Article by Huma Munir: "Recent report criticizes efficiency of UT faculty" http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2011/07/04/recent-report-criticizes-efficiency-of-ut-faculty

JUly 18 article in English Dept. newsletter "Sympathetic Imagination" http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/english/news/4045

===================================================================

 


honi soit motto

 


APA CAT LIST just about every cat TLAC (1156 W Cesar Chavez) needs bios and videos (cell phone quality OK), send your results to me (not to them):

1156 West Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX 78703 Phone: 512-961-6519 weekday hours usually noon to 7 PM?

TLAC

  • AVAILABLE CATS

    • Domestic Shorthair
      2y 3m 11d
      Brown/White
      A14905264
      Dawson

      Domestic Shorthair
      9y 10m 26d
      Charcoal/Rust
      A15584011
      Zelda

      Siamese
      2y 4m 11d
      White/Lynx
      A16029755
      Leroy


      11y 8d
      White/Blue
    • A16368459
      June
    • Domestic Shorthair
      6m 0d
      Brown
      A16503471
      Fatima
  • Domestic Shorthair
    3m 6d
    Black
    A16961217
    Ferdinand
  • Domestic Shorthair
    3m 6d
    Black
    A16997762
    Bianca
  • Domestic Shorthair
    5y 2m 9d
    Black
    A17017082
    Major
  • Domestic Shorthair
    3y 2m 13d
    Brown
    A17092866
    Zoe
  • Domestic Shorthair
    2m 27d
    Blue
    A17092873
    ZooZoo
  • Domestic Shorthair
    2m 19d
    Black
    A17092877
    Zuri
    • Domestic Shorthair
      4m 18d
      Brown
      A16543461
      Starry
    • Domestic Shorthair
      4m 7d
      Brown
      A16577967
      Mama
    • Domestic Shorthair
      2y 3m 21d
      Black
      A16617805
      Minnie
    • Domestic Shorthair
      4m 13d
      Orange
      A16649825
      Aqua Man
    • Domestic Shorthair
      4m 13d
      White
      A16776176
      June
    • Domestic Shorthair
      3y 3m 4d
      Black
      A16960899
      Fawn
    • Domestic Shorthair
      5y 4m 18d
      Black
      A17074460
      Yorla
    • Domestic Shorthair
      4y 5m 12d
      Black
      A17101899
      Jimmy

      Maine Coon
      5y 5m 4d
      Brown
      A17189620
      Lizzie

      Domestic Shorthair
      2y 3m 3d
      Brown
      A17244861
      Claudia

      Domestic Shorthair
      3y 1m 6d
      Brown
      A17254731
      Cheetah

        Domestic Shorthair
        5y 7m 2d
        Blue
        A17308964
        Jeffery

        Domestic Shorthair
        4m 28d
        Black
        A17419408
        Cattra

        Domestic Longhair
        1m 28d
        Black
        A17419414
        Cats Maru

        Domestic Medium Hair
        1m 28d
        Black
        A17455658
        Thalmor

        Domestic Shorthair
        3m 0d
        Brown
        A17455669
        Stormcloak

        Domestic Shorthair
        3m 0d
        Brown
        A17455816
        Prince Charming

          Domestic Shorthair
          2m 17d
          Brown
          A17455819
          Claudia

           

        • Domestic Shorthair
          9y 2m 5d
          Brown
          A17244781
          Lucy

          Domestic Shorthair
          2m 17d
          Tan
          A17455829
          Edward

          Domestic Shorthair
          2m 17d
          Orange
          A17473841

          Domestic Shorthair
          2y 19d
          Black
          A17482213
          Tiny

          Domestic Shorthair
          2m 24d
          White

CATS ALREADY CHOSEN

Domestic Shorthair
10y 3m 8d
Blue
A13601895
Felicity-Dragonfly

 

Domestic Shorthair
2m 17d
Brown
A17455821
Katie-Dragonfly

A12829986
Skyla-SS Turtle

Domestic Shorthair
5y 6m 22d
Brown/Tan
A13548061
Cleo-Hoot Owl

Domestic Shorthair
1y 9m 25d
Brown
A14905444
Tina-Doe

Domestic Shorthair
5y 7m 9d
Charcoal/Orange
A15861972
Smooch-Hoot Owl

Domestic Shorthair
6m 17d
Black
A16064935
Mr. Bob-Doe

Domestic Shorthair
4m 19d
White
A16513241
Jory-Panther

Domestic Medium Hair
2y 3m 16d
White/Black
A16649820
Captain America-SS Turtle

Domestic Shorthair
4m 12d
Brown
A16841721

Dolly-Panda

Domestic Shorthair
3m 6d
Blue
A16961215
Franz-Panther

  • Domestic Shorthair
    2m 19d
    Blue
    A17287568
    Pepper-Squirrel
  • Domestic Shorthair
    3m 15d
    Black
    A17142585
    Forrest - Black Tail Deer
  • Domestic Shorthair
    6y 2m 29d
    Black
    A17341215
    Virginia-Black Bear
  • Domestic Shorthair
    2y 3m 12d
    Black
    A16844933
    Joe-Sea Turtle
  • Domestic Medium Hair
    2y 5m 3d
    Black
    A17092903
    Finch-    BUTTERFLY
  • Domestic Shorthair
    9y 2m 10d
    Brown
    A17101897
    Assata--BUTTERFLY
  • Domestic Shorthair
    3y 2m 7d
    Brown
    A17287661
    Lewis-Mouse

    Domestic Shorthair
    1m 28d
    Blue
    A17419412
    Liono-Lion

    Domestic Shorthair
    2m 17d
    Orange
    A17455818
    Samantha-Dolphin

    Domestic Shorthair
    2m 17d
    Tan
    A17455825
    Jewel-Dolphin

    Domestic Shorthair
    3m 21d
    Blue
    A17482426
    Oxana-Lion

    Domestic Longhair
    11y 1m 7d
    White
    A16957815
    Logan- Sea Turtle

     

      Domestic Shorthair
      2m 8d
      White
      A17428969
      Sam-Panda

      Domestic Shorthair
      6m 15d
      Brown
      A17429005
      Willy- Squirrel

    ====================================================

     


    TO GET STARTED, EXPLORE THE WEBSITES: http://www.austinpetsalive.org  (cats only) or,

    in Seguin, http://www.sarasanctuary.org/  

    (images of SARA)   (SARA movie)

    SARA animals at Pet Finders

    or consider Craigslist ads for the The Austin Animal Shelter

    or check out some of the organizations here (you will have to make your own arrangements for website adoption ads at these places)

    For Austin sites, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A CAR, http://www.capmetro.org/planner/


    DO NOT GO TO A  BIG SHELTER ANNOUNCING THAT YOU ARE THERE TO WRITE A BIO: Other than the cat workers at APA, the volunteers at the shelters are not aware of any arrangements we have made and may well only be irritated by you making their jobs  more difficult (as they see it). The first rule of service learning (as in Medicine) is "DO NO HARM."  Before you go, you MUST view the latest APA updated list of cats' needs. THAT LIST IS BELOW. If you know which cats you want to work with, check out their listing on the APA site to make sure they need bios and videos. Take your laptop with you to APA or at least take a copy of the list when you go to the APA sites.

    •  

    SARA in Seguin. They have some bios on their own site and others at petfinder (you will have to put our bio here probably)


    ____

    examples of good, bonus-point, edited videos

    Animato.com is preferred by APA because it produces small files but good effects:

    Using animato.com with music, animated background, slide show, and "adopt me": Oprah, by Manatee

    Using animato.com with music, slide show: Maggie, by Manatee

    ___________________________________________________________________________

    Windows Movie Maker is also excellent, though it requires   32-bit plug-in on a Mac:

    Using Windows Movie Maker for high-quality big screens mixing music, video, stills, and excellent opening and closing screens: Molly, and Prudence, by Hummingbird

    __________________________________________________________________________________

    BONUS POINTS (added to project total score).

    1. Number of points added if satisfactory version is published on the shelter website and posted on Blackboard P2 Blog on the following dates. However, points will be removed if the "bio" appears and the screen shot of it from the shelter website is not added to the project.

    Oct. 23= 26 pts.; Oct. 25 =21 PTS. ; Oct. 30= 15 PTS;; Nov. 1 = 11 PTS; Nov. 6 = 5 PTS.

    2. Twenty to thirty bonus points will also be added if you write bios for two animals. Maximum points will be awarded if the writing is good and there is a video and at least three images for the second bio as well as the first.

    (The second bio, like the first, must be published on the website. The second bio and its website screen shot must be included in the appendix of the blog, along with those of the first bio.)

    3. Fifteen bonus points for a cat with no previous bio, photos, or video; Ten bonus points for a cat missing two out of these three: previous bio, photos, or video; Five bonus points for a cat missing one of these three: previous bio, photos, or video;

    3. Points will be subtracted if you do not have three photos and a video for each cat.

    ===================================================================

    CHECK  http://www.austinpetsalive.org/events/daily-cat-locations/  DAILY TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE AT THESE LOCATIONS:

    ===================

    =============================================================================

      HERE IS THE INFORMATION THEY NEED FROM YOU:

     

    The Basics

    Cat Name :*

    Animal ID:

    Age:

    Color:

    Color Pattern:

    Gender Male/Female:

    The onsite counselor is the only person who can answer the following questions. The bios do not have to cover every aspect of the cat as long as his or her personality is captured. So, some of the questions/answers can be left out of the bio. If they seem important, then the student may have to do a followup visit.

    Good with other cats? 1 - not good; 2; 3; 4; 5 - great!

    Details about how cat is with other cats:

    Good with dogs? 1 - not good; 2; 3; 4; 5 - great!

    Details about how cat is with dogs:

    Good with kids? 1 - not good; 2; 3; 4; 5 - great!

    Details about how cat is with kids:

    Vocal? 1 - not at all; 2; 3; 4; 5 - very!

    Details about how vocal cat is:

    What do you know about cat's history?

     

    This Cat's Characteristics

    Please provide as much detail as possible. Specific behavior examples / experiences that illustrate their qualities are a big help!

     

    3 adjectives to describe cat:

    (www.thesaurus.comcan be a helpful source for adjectives.)

    How cuddly is this cat? 1 - not at all; 2; 3; 4; 5 – total lap cat!

    Describe cuddling behavior/affection Level:

    How playful is this cat? 1 - not at all; 2; 3; 4; 5 – extremely!

    Describe play behavior and favorite toys:

    How active is this cat? 1 - not at all; 2; 3; 4; 5 – extremely!

    Describe activity level:

    What are your favorite things about this cat? Cute behaviors?

     

    What is/are your favorite physical characteristic(s) of this cat?

     

    What would the ideal home look like for this cat?

     

    Anything else that would make this cat stand out to an adopter?

     

    Good litter manners? Yes/no

    Notes on litter manners:

    Good scratching behavior? Yes/no

    Notes on scratching behavior:

    Medical/Behavior Issues

     

    Any other special concerns?

    Any notes you'd like to leave for the marketing team?

    Photos

    Please put 3 of your best pictures in the email to the instructor. Suggestions for getting great photos:

     

    1. An action shot of cat playing – these can be hard to take, but they're

    worth gold!

    2. A picture of the cat cuddling or interacting in some way with a person.

    3. A photo to illustrate your description, ie: good with dogs, loves other cats,

    great with kids, etc.

    4. Put on a cute collar or ribbon/bow/bandana to help the cat stand out.

    Black cats photograph well in front of windows with natural light, and on a solid background, such as a blanket.

     

    If you need help getting pictures please e-mail cat.marketing@austinpetsalive.org.

     

    Videos

    There are 3 ways that you can submit a video for your pet to us:

    1. For small videos, send them through email to the instructor.

    2. For larger videos, send them to cat.marketing@austinpetsalive.orgby using this tool: http://www.sendspace.com .

    3. This option is not preferred, but is acceptable: Upload the video toyour personal youtube account and submit the link.

     

     

    Kitty Bio Tips [Feel free to be creative! ]

    Title

          Use three adjectives used to describe the kitty, such as Tidy – Hilarious – Companion.

          You can use a thesaurus for alternatives to commonly-used adjectives (sweet, lovable, cuddly, cute, and so on).

    Body

          Use third person voice.

          Try to make it fun and entertaining, but also give basic information.

          If the kitty has a compelling story/history, include it.

          Use examples rather than adjectives. For example, instead of describing a kitty as affectionate, give an example of affection, such as, he loves to crawl into your lap and fall asleep or she rubs her back against you every time she walks by.

          If known, include whether the cat is good/not good with other cats, kids, and/or dogs.

          Each bio should include at least three full sentences.

    Closing (See Boilerplate Text on page 2 for referenced paragraphs)

          Add the pre-adopt, FIV+, and/or FeLV+ standard paragraphs, as required.

          End with the two standard closing paragraphs.

     

    Sample Bio

    Affectionate - Social - Playful

    Ava is a gorgeous, fluffy orange and white kitty that is looking for a loving home to call her own. She gets very bonded with people and follows her foster all over the house. She just wants to be where her foster is, even if that means just sleeping at her feet. Ava loves to have her head scratched and will thank you with little love kisses, and sometimes will gently grab your hand as you pull it away to let you know she's not quite done getting attention.

    Ava does great with the resident big goofy dog and would love to have a safe place to spend a little time outdoors (so probably a home on a busy street or greenbelt wouldn't be a good idea). She doesn't really care for the resident cats and would be much happier with someone that only wants one cat. Although she is fluffy, she doesn't shed a lot and is easy to care for. Ava is a very sweet kitty, but sometimes she likes to give little love bites, so kids are probably not the best option for her either. She would be perfect for someone looking for a best friend that will always be at your side.

    All APA! foster kittens/cats are litter box trained, tested for FeLV/FIV, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, treated for worms/fleas, microchipped and come with a 30-day health insurance plan.

    If you have additional questions about Ava, please send an email to adopt@austinpetsalive.org.

     

    Boilerplate Text – placed in bio, as required

    [If kitty is FIV+, place/integrate this paragraph in the appropriate place in the body of the bio] Although KITTY is FIV+, please don't let that stop you from adopting him/her! Cats with this condition can live perfectly long, happy, healthy lives. FIV is passed through blood transfusions and through serious, penetrating bite wounds; for more information, visit http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/fiv.html

     

    [If the kitty is available only for pre-adoption, place/integrate this paragraph before the two closing paragraphs] KITTY needs to stay in his/her foster home until he/she is 8 weeks old, but he/she can be pre-adopted – and when he/she is old enough, you can take him/her home!

    [NOTE: When a kitten turns 6 weeks, the med techs will change their status to Available after they get their vaccines.]

     

    [These are the two closing paragraphs] All APA! foster kittens/cats are litter box trained, tested for FeLV/FIV, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, treated for worms/fleas, microchipped and come with a 30-day health insurance plan.

    If you have additional questions about KITTY, please send an email to adopt@austinpetsalive.org.

     

     


    honi soit motto

    honi soit mottohoni soit motto


    There are two kinds of blogs you can do: APA blogs and Craigslist blogs for those not rescued by APA. First we will discuss the Craigslist blogs, then the APA cat blogs.



    honi soit mottohoni soit motto

    Craigslist ads, by Patty Alexander

    When an animal is brought into Town Lake we let all the other rescues go out first and pull whatever animals they want into their own rescue programs. Whatever animals are left are the ones slated to be euthanized so we pull only from that list. We go out to the shelter every evening and they hand us the list of animals that are to be killed so we spend time with those dogs and evaluate them. If we feel a dog will work okay in our program (not aggressive, no other issues that would impede a fairly prompt adoption) we pull that dog out of the shelter. If we don?t have room for some of the dogs (not enough fosters, not enough room at our own shelter buildings) or if the dog is still okay but not quite suitable for our program then those are the dogs I take photos and videos of and put on Craigslist and facebook in hope of finding them a home before they are put to sleep. We can usually put a hold on that dog to give me time to do ads and postings but I still normally only have about 24/48 hours to pull it off and sometimes if the shelter is full and they need space I don't get any time at all. But once we do pull an animal from Town Lake they are with us until adopted. We are a No Kill organization and we are working hard to make Austin a No Kill city. By no kill I mean our goal is that only 10% of the animals going into the shelter will lose their life. That 10% will be the ones that are either too aggressive to put into a home or so ill that the only humane thing to do is euthanize.

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    Here is a Craigslist blog by Marinda which saved a dog's life. (She had to write a second version of the ad because Craigslist will not allow the same ad to be used again.)

    Ad #1: Due to recent hospitalization of his owner, Jeremiah was placed at the town lake animal shelter...but he is running out of time! Jeremiah is incredibly gentle and sweet! He is great with adults, kids, and other dogs, but not so friendly with cats. He passed all of the shelters evaluations and we have witnessed for ourselves his sweet disposition! Poor Jeremiah has been put on the kill list due to circumstances that he cannot control! Jeremiah is a gorgeous dog and he is just in need of a little grooming! No one took the time to take care of his fur so he has very painful looking mats in it. Someone needs to come rescue this poor dog! Only one year old, he is an awesome dog and doesn't deserve to die because of his owner's hospitalization! If you want to adopt Jeremiah you MUST come to Town Lake Animal Center by 6:30pm Wednesday! He is in Kennel 243 A585166. There will be a medical eval done before adoption can be confirmed. Town Lake is open 11:30-7 weekdays and 11:30-5 weekends. link: https://accounts.craigslist.org/post/shwpst?pii=1979017244&db=lv

    Ad #2: Quick look here! Jeremiah the chow put on kill list! Jeremiah, a beautiful chow dog, has been put on the kill list! He was given up by his owner because he was permanently hospitalized and no one was able to take care of him! The fact that he has to die because of this is so unfair! He passed all of the shelter's evaluation tests and is a super sweet and lovable dog! We have played with him and he is definitely a gentle dog. The only problem is that he is not very well groomed. He has mats in his fur because no one took the time to groom him! Please come rescue him! He doesn't deserve to die because of his owners hospitalization! He is great with adults and kids as well. He also gets along with other dogs but not other cats. Hurry and come adopt Jeremiah! He needs your help! link:https://accounts.craigslist.org/post/shwpst?pii=1979789930&db=lv

    * A lot of the basic info is the same in each ad because it is the info Patty said was required to include. She said the point was to make them short and sweet but a little dramatic to help the dog get adopted. I am happy to report though that after my first craigslist posting Tuesday night I had a response from someone who said they were adopting the dog today. Patty told me that the craigslist ads work most of the time! That is such an encouragement! It definitely makes me want to keep doing this! - Marinda


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     The rest of this site concerns the APA CAT bios.

    [1] First of all, you will need to learn how to identify a cat that is available and needs a website blog. The list of available CATS IS UP ABOVE. 

    If you want to see what the website looks like it, it is

    http://www.austinpetsalive.org/adopt/cats/

    By selecting the picture of the dog or cat you will find out if there is a blog or not for that dog or cat. When you have a list of possible cats you need to identify their locations and then a day or so before they are going to that site. This process may take a while because you have trouble with transportation, or because the cat or dog you get at first may have ringworm or be suddenly unavailable for some other reason, or someone else may have suddenly  turned in a blog, or ........

    [2] Then you will need to travel to that dog or cat, shoot some video and some photos, and prepare an APA blog (around 300 words) according to the specific instructions which appear above.

    If you do not follow the instructions carefully your bio will probably not be accepted. When you have prepared your blog, you need to revise and proofread this carefully to make it your best writing. Send a copy of your finished blog to the instructor: bump@utexas.edu

    [3] Thirdly, you need to find your blog on the APA website and save that page or that part of the page for your own website and your portfolio. Finally, send a copy of the page to the instructor:bump@utexas.edu

     

    Can we find out what information was written down about the animals when they entered the shelter?

    Patty (Craigslist ads):

    Sometimes we don't know much about the dogs. If the dog is surrendered by an owner there are usually notes on why the person gave up the dog but after doing some investigating I have discovered some of the reasons they give are entirely false. When I go out to the shelter I take what I can from the notes and take the rest from the dog's attitude and demeanor. If it's an older dog and it was given up by its owner, I play on that. If a dog loves to give kisses or has any cute habits I use those in my postings. Sometimes I write the ad or facebook posting as myself and sometimes I write as the dog --it all depends.

    Courtenay:

    Unfortunately most of the time we have very limited information. I don?t have the breakdown off the top of my head for the percentage that are owner-surrendered versus strays. Many times owners don't want to admit that they are turning in their own animal so they will say it is a stray as well and not provide any information.


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    From Judy Racino.

    HOW TO CHOOSE A CAT from the list.From Judy: "It's going to be much riskier for students to write about young cats, rather than the adult cats, as kittens tend to get adopted more quickly. Black cats/kittens tend to take longer to get adopted. So, please encourage your students to check the APA web site to see what, if any, bio and photos already exist. (Use browser Find function, type in cat's name (case-sensitive), then click on her/his photo or name.)) b) Pick an older cat. c) Pick a black cat (or kitten 4+ months), if available."

    Getting information about the cat's history: "sometimes Adoption Counselors or volunteers at the catteries (not PetSmart employees) may have additional information on cats residing there."

    Remember to include if possible: how are they thought to be with other dogs/cats, how are they with dogs/cats (opposite species), how are they with kids? What is their activity level like? What is their affection level like? What are some physical characteristics that make them stand out? What feelings / sensations/ touch? do they evoke in you when you spend time with them?

    Photos and Videos: Take plenty, but check to see if the cat is already on the website: http://www.austinpetsalive.org/adopt/cats/ "Photos and video can be checked in advance by going to our web site and searching for the cat's name:" , remember: "we are limited to three photos -- it's a function of the backend system we use." If there are three already there, the photos you take can be used for your P1 essay. If there are less than three, they may be able to use one or more of yours. In any case, "Most cats do not have video... If a student wants to take video and submit it or a YouTube link, that would work." You send the files as attachments to your emails, not embedded in a document.

    "Bios or profiles appear on the APA web site for each cat. (See http://www.austinpetsalive.org/adopt/cats/ for examples. The dog bios, tend to be more descriptive for obvious reasons, so it takes a bit more creativity to write a cat bio. )... The bios are also often used as the basis for ads on craigslist.org and other web sites. Blog articles appear on the APA blog (http://www.austinpetsalive.org/blog/) and are also often published to the APA Facebook page. 700 words would be more than sufficient for either the blog articles or the bios. In fact, if students wrote longer bios, we might actually repurpose them into blog articles, in addition to using them for cats' profiles on the APA web site.

    Most of the cats in our rescue program reside with foster parents. Though the APA building does provide shelter (similar to the APA catteries at select PetSmart locations), we certainly don't want to position it as similar to TLAC. Cats (& dogs) stay in our program until they are adopted -- they are not euthanized by APA nor returned by APA to TLAC. Chiky is our longest resident foster cat, having been in our cat program almost since the beginning. I can provide the (mostly) scant information provided to TLAC when a cat is surrendered... many of them were strays.

    We also post blog articles on our featured cats. If one of these kitties is adopted, I'll let you know as soon as I know, so your student can either change the focus of the article or turn it into a "success story." Unfortunately, we do not have a search function on our web site. So, to read an existing profile of a cat, go to the APA web site, select Adopt A Pet>>Available Cats from the top menu (http://www.austinpetsalive.org/adopt/cats/), then use the Find function in your browser and type in the cat's name (case-sensitive) to find him/her.

     

    If student does not choose a cat on their own, they may able to work with a cat's foster parent. "Students would not have to meet with fosters. I would prefer that they call the foster to conduct short phone interviews to get sufficient information to write a bio. The other option is to find out from the foster when their cat will be at a cat adoption event, which take place at one of the PetSmart locations, the APA cat trailer on SoCo, or at our new facility on S. Lamar. Then, if the student wanted to meet the foster and the foster cat together, he/she could do that. I can provide some guidelines for the students to use in contacting the fosters."

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