My favorite place within my community would have to be the small adoption center at PetSmart at Coconut Point. This adoption center is partnered with Friends of Gummi of Naples. Every Saturday and Sunday, the volunteers of Friends of Gummi help numerous cats and dogs (who are brought to the store on the weekends) get adopted. Throughout the week, the cats are held there and those who work at PetSmart get them adopted out. I started to volunteer for Friends of Gummi in June, and I do not plan on stopping anytime soon. When I graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University and find my way back home, I will continue to volunteer for an animal shelter. I truly enjoy being a part of such a gracious cause, one that unifies the community. I've met some amazing people through this organization. My favorite part about volunteering is being able to spend time with the animals, especially the kittens. Spending time with them is a very important job because it consists of socializing the animals so that they can be playful when they go to what Friends of Gummi calls their "forever home." This prevents animals from being brought back to the shelter, which is what Friends of Gummi prefers the adopters to do rather than putting the animal out on the street if the animal doesn't work out with their lifestyle. One of my other favorite things to do while volunteering is informing people about the animals. Having lived with animals for many years myself, I tend to know a lot about taking care of them, so I love to answer any questions people may have. Also, by informing people about the animals, it helps clear up any misinformation they may have heard in the past. For example, one weekend there were three Pitbull puppies looking for homes, but were slow to be adopted out because of their breed. Pitbulls have a horrible reputation because people, like Michael Vick, brought attention to the breed by having dogfights. What people don't seem to know is that Pitbulls are one of the better breeds who are great with children. What I like to tell people is that any animal can do rotten things. It just depends on their upbringing. Even a Golden Retriever, who everyone views as a family dog, can be vicious. If one withholds food and/or treats an animal badly in other ways, than of course it isn't going to be the nicest animal.
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