A Day with Lovely Animals

 By Ally Kim

“When I look into the eyes of an animal, I do not see an animal. I see a living being. I see a friend. I see a soul,” said Anthony Douglas Williams, an animal rights activist. Over the 17^th and 18^th of October, Dalat high schoolers had an opportunity to serve animals. Seventy students signed up for this animal service, which far exceeded the expected number.

There were two separate programs – one cat focused (at Cat Beach), and one dog focused (at 4PAWS Dog Shelter). Each student was given a chance to choose between the two based on their preference and experience. Despite its distant location and quite inconvenient transportation, many students were more than willing to spend their last two days of fall break on this animal service.

The main tasks for both projects were washing, walking, and playing with the animals. There were over one hundred cats and about six hundred dogs in the centers. Many of them had uncomfortable legs and poor visions. Some cats only had half of their tails, and some dogs had their ears half cut. All animals there were wounded deeply both inside and out.

To cure and show love to the animals, Dalat students devoted all their heart and energy to them. Students gave the animals warm hugs and sweet smiles. Although washing many dogs and cats at once and cleaning their shelter were laborious, they never lost their happy smiles and caring hearts for the animals.

Ji  Choi (12), who served in the cat program, said, “I never knew there was such shelter for cats in Penang. Although washing the cats was not an easy experience, they were all so cute that I could not feel tired. I was a little scared at first, but they were so adorable. I feel like they healed my soul and definitely made my day.”

Erica Jang (12), who worked with the dogs, said, “The dogs were so active and loving. Their positive energy lightened up my mood!”

This Animal Service had become a memorable experience for the students who participated, and they are excited for the next opportunity to see the animals again. Animal Service is a student-led service run by the student impact club that provides students with opportunities to serve animals. This week was a successful start on the program that will continue throughout the year.