Category: Animal Behavior

A guest post by Maddie Dolan about her PSY 495 internship

Service Dog Project is a non-profit organization located in Ipswich Massachusetts that breeds, raises, trains, and donates Great Danes as mobility assistance service dogs. After volunteering there since Summer 2019, I was given the opportunity in Spring 2020 to participate in an internship.

My daily responsibilities as an intern included kennel maintenance such as cleaning kennels and doing dishes and laundry as well as general animal care such as feeding the dogs and various other farm animals on property, cleaning up after the dogs, and letting them outside to play. However, the part of my internship that was most exciting for me was the opportunity I was given to assist in the training of future service dogs.

Under the supervision and instruction of the head trainer, I was able to learn training techniques and use them to work with the three dogs that had been assigned to me. I worked with those three dogs- Elsa, Jasmine, and Cosmo (and additionally a fourth dog named Nala when the dogs needed temporary quarantine homes) on skills they will need in order to become successful service dogs in the future such as recall (the dog responds to their name and comes to you), down-stays, one-step walking (you step, the dog steps, one step at a time), look/eye contact, “get dressed” (their command to put their leash and vest on), pace (the dog walks next to you matching your pace), stairs, and under (the dog tucks underneath your legs or an object like a table).

Though I was not able to make as much progress as I may have wished with some dogs (especially since my internship was cut short with the COVID 19 pandemic), I was able to make more than I had anticipated. But either way, regardless of how much progress I made in training each of the dogs the opportunity to assist in doing so provided me not only with the opportunity to develop my own personal training skills but it also allowed me to be able to be a part of something amazing.

Since I started volunteering, I have seen 15+ dogs successfully graduate the program, become service dogs, and go on to change the lives of their handlers. Many of the individuals who are recipients of these dogs and many others who came before them often come back to volunteer at the farm which has given me the opportunity to both physically see how these dogs change peoples lives and allow them to “walk on” as SDP likes to say, as well as to speak with the recipients about their experiences having a service dog and how their dog helps them in ways that I might not be able to see.

Through my internship I have of course fallen in love with the individual dogs (there’s not much better than puppy kisses and Dane snuggles) but I have also fallen further in love with service dogs. Before beginning my internship I had long considered a career working with and possibly training service dogs, but I was never sure if it was the right path for me. This internship showed me that it is. Between the dogs themselves and the relationships I have built with them and seeing and hearing how recipients’ lives are changed when they are matched with their service dogs it has been an absolute joy and honor to have been able to be a part of something so special and life changing for so many. Nothing would make me happier than to be able to continue helping to change people’s lives using my passion for animals. My education as an Animal Behavior major at UNE along with this internship have given me the knowledge, experience and skills so that I am hopefully able to continue to do just that.

The Great Dane Service Dogs that come out of Service Dog Project are life altering for their recipients, but the experience of having been able to be a part of something so meaningful has been life changing for me as well.

Our thanks to Maddie for sharing her experience with us. All Animal Behavior majors complete at least one internship, PSY 495, as part of their degree and work closely with a faculty supervisor as part of the experience. For more information about the animal behavior major at UNE, please visit: https://www.une.edu/cas/psych/bs-animal-behavior

A guest post by Miranda Bragan about her PSY 495 internship

For my internship in Spring 2020 I decided to volunteer at the Ever After Mustang Rescue right down the road from UNE. I choose to work there because horses are my absolute passion. Chances are that if you ask someone who knows me well enough they will tell you that I prefer horses to people, which isn’t necessarily wrong. I have been around horses almost my entire life because I started riding them and taking horseback riding lessons when I was three. Horses give me a sense of comfort and being at any barn really gives me a sense of peace and calmness. Everyone has a safe space where they feel safe, and for me it’s almost any barn. Growing up I was a fairly shy kid but being around horses brought out my confidence. Horses have taught and helped me with so much growing up that I wanted a chance to return the favor. When I first heard there was a mustang rescue only a few minutes away from school I was ecstatic and I instantly knew I wanted to go there and volunteer.

The barn relies heavily on donations to keep it running because it is a nonprofit organization. The biggest goal for the people who own the rescue is to find homes for all the horses that come through their barn doors. Right before I left for the semester I was actually told that two of their newer horses had serious adopters that were very interested in adopting them. I was sad to heard that the horses were leaving but I was so excited to hear that they may be going to a good forever home.

When I first started volunteering at the rescue I was fairly shy because it was a new place with new rules and new people. In the beginning I pretty much kept to myself and did what I was asked and when I was done I asked what they needed help getting done next. It took me a while to warm up to some of the other people volunteering at the rescue but they are all such nice people. They were all so welcoming and were happy to have a me volunteering with them. I think I became fairly close with them. We all loved the horses and working there and I was able to build several personal relationships while I was there. Being there reminded me of home and to me all of us working there became a part of a family.

When I started at the rescue I also didn’t know how much hands on work to expect to be doing with the horses since I was new there but I’m so glad that I was able to get the kind of experience I got while I was there. My supervisor knew that I had experience with horses so when I started doing even just the small stuff like letting them out to their pens in the morning, it was one of those feel good moments for me because I know they don’t let everyone take the horses out. I felt like I was a trusted person at the barn who knew how to act around horses, even though I made mistakes every now and then just like any human being does. Another feel good moment I had was when my supervisor asked me if I would be willing to feed the horses their hay in the morning when I was the first one there because not everyone at the rescue gets to do that. Some of the horses even have special hay that I had to give them.

My usual morning routine consisted with always getting there early, so usually I would have a chance to feed the horses. Then I would go through the outside pens and fill up the water buckets. Once my supervisor got there she would also have me put hay in all the outside pens then when I was done I would usually get to help her feed grain to all the horses. All the horses receive different amounts of grain and other supplements. Once they had eaten their grain I would put all the horses outside for the day. One of the horses that I would let out every morning. His name was Justin and there were a lot of things that spooked him like loud noises. It took a while for him to get use to me taking him out in the morning but when he started showing  that he was less scared of me, it felt like big win more me. Then I went to cleaning stalls, filling water buckets and putting hay and grain in the stalls so the horses would be all set when they were brought in for the night. Before we left the barn we almost always threw hay down from the loft and stacked it up below. Once I was getting the hang of things at the rescue my supervisor started having me work with the horses. There were two horses that I worked with for most of the time, Remington and Aeries. I was able to ride Remington once and spent most of my time working with him by lunging him, which was once of my biggest challenges at the rescue. When I worked with him my supervisor helped me a lot by showing me what to do and by talking me through it, giving me a lot of help. With Aeries, we worked mostly on a lot of groundwork with him through long lining, lunging, grooming, and taking him through obstacles. I also worked with another horse at the rescue a time or two named Sterling, with him I also took him through different obstacles. All of the horses at the barn have their own personalities which made working with them more enjoyable but I had to use different skills with different horses. When I was working with the horses I was able to apply a lot of what I had learned in several of my classes this year as well as my previous experience.

Through working at the rescue I used a lot of different personal and professional skills. My communication skills without a doubt grew and became stronger while I was working there. I was able to develop more than just professional relationships with the people I worked with. I created deeper and meaningful personal relationships because like I said earlier they became a family to me. I developed professional skills by always showing up on time and if there was a day I couldn’t come in because of a snow day, I would let my supervisor know first thing in the morning. When I went home on some weekends I would let my supervisor know in advance because it meant that I would not be there for one of my days of working, that way we could choose another day for earlier in the week for me to go in and work to make up my hours.

If there is anything that this experience has shown me, it is that without a doubt in my mind that I want to work with horses when I am done with school. Personally knowing what horses can do for people and seeing it, I want to be able to give those experiences to other people who could greatly benefit from it. These are all reason why I would like to be able to go into equine-assisted therapy because I know there is a great need for it back home where I live. For anyone who is looking for an internship, volunteer, work or just loves horses I would strongly recommend the Ever After Mustang Rescue. I cannot thank them enough for everything they have done for me over the semester.

Our thanks to Miranda for sharing her experience with us. All Animal Behavior majors complete at least one internship, PSY 495, as part of their degree and work closely with a faculty supervisor as part of the experience. For more information about the animal behavior major at UNE, please visit: https://www.une.edu/cas/psych/bs-animal-behavior

A guest post by Ryann O’Carroll about her PSY 495 internship

After ‘completing’ my internship at Saco River Wildlife Center (SRWC), I reflected back on the “Student Learning Contract” I made at the beginning of the semester. The goals I outlined for myself focused on the job duties, expectations, what I hoped to gain, and how I would accomplish these goals throughout my internship. The following is what I conducted at my internship:

This position allowed for me to explore areas that concern wildlife and wildlife rehabilitation. I also had the opportunity to learn more about various scientific fields, including wildlife biology, animal behavior, wildlife ecology, animal husbandry, and veterinary science. I gained more experience in these fields by handling and coming in close proximity with wildlife species, such as raccoons, opossums, foxes, bats, squirrels, and much more. I also gained more knowledge about the various species’ diets, habitats, and conservation needs. Daily duties included hand-feeding baby mammals, monitoring animal conditions, habitat maintenance, administering medications (if needed), preparing food, laundry, and cleaning.

Reflecting back on this, this internship allowed me to handle (most species) and work in close proximity with raccoons, skunks, porcupines, opossums, woodchucks, fisher cats, foxes, coyotes, bats, squirrels, chipmunks, etc. It also allowed me to explore the field of wildlife rehabilitation much more closely. I found that as I progressed through my internship and I made more connections with the people working there, such as my supervisors – Beth Brown and Kevin Peterson – and two other volunteers, I was able to gain more knowledge in different fields, such as the behavioral aspects of the species I am working with, the ecological backgrounds of each species, how to care for each of these species individually, and how release techniques work for each species (I have not helped release an animal yet). While at the internship I was able to learn more about each species individual diet and the appropriate nutrition they need, how to clean each enclosure, clean dishes, do laundry, and monitor the species’ conditions.

This is what I was fully expecting to do at the beginning of this internship, and I was very pleased with how much hands-on experience I got to have at this internship as well with the various species we had. I also expected to gain more knowledge and experience within the field of wildlife rehabilitation, and this is exactly what my internship did for me. From this internship, my goal was to gain more experience and knowledge as I have just stated previously, and to work hands-on with different species to expand my experience even more.  I was able to accomplish these goals by being responsible, reliable, efficient, passionate, and dedicated to going to my internship each week, excited to learn and work more each time I went. This internship provided me with an opportunity I will never forget, something I will carry with me as I continue working towards my career goals and aspirations.

Skills I had hoped to learn at this internship were assessing incoming animals for injury, diseases, and dietary needs based off their age, properly cleaning and sterilizing equipment, toys, laundry, and dishes, feeding animals based off of their dietary needs, cleaning both inside and outside enclosures, providing enrichment for animals to aid in their release, and using proper PPE and safety equipment for my own, other’s, and the animal’s safety. These skills are all ones I have gained and worked on effectively throughout my time at my internship, being able to work closely with each species and giving them specific nourishment, enrichment, and care. Some of these skills are ones I already had due to working with so many different animals since being in high school, and others are ones I was able to easily pick up on. The skills I brought to this internship were sticking with a task until it’s done (persistence), thinking before I act, listening with understanding and empathy, thinking flexibly, good communication skills, working well and thoroughly with others and individually, being determined and motivated to accomplish the job asked of me, being responsible and accountable, and being able to apply my past experiences and knowledge to strengthen my passion, desire, and expertise for this field. With the skills I brought to this internship, along with the ones I had learned, I feel these skills were all accomplished and what made this internship such a great experience for me. Working in an environment that is always busy and has a variety of people coming in is a lot to walk into, especially when you do not know anyone else. Despite this, I was able to use these skills and learn others as I went along to accomplish what was asked of me at this internship and to make connections with others while working there.

I had planned to work at SRWC for the whole spring semester. Due to COVID-19, my internship was cut short. SRWC was a place I found to be de-stressing, relaxing, and enjoyable for me to go to as it is doing something I love and am passionate about. Once COVID-19 is over with, I am hoping to go and visit at SRWC because of the great connections and experiences I received from there. All in all, I would say the Student Learning Contract I created at the beginning of this internship was thoroughly fulfilled by meeting the goals, skills, and timeline I had addressed in it.

Having done this internship, I am going to continue with my future career goals and aspirations by starting a new internship at Maine Wildlife Park for the summer of 2020, which will focus on me developing novel enrichment techniques for the species at the park. I will also get to work in close proximity and have some hands-on experience with species there as well, which will in turn enhance my experience and expertise in the field of wildlife rehabilitation and conservation. I am hoping to discuss a possible job position with the supervisor at Maine Wildlife Park as I have a good connection with them as well from interning at SRWC; both of supervisors have brought animals needing rehabilitation to and from one another and have known one another for years. This internship turned into something much more than just an internship. SRWC is a place I was able to learn and gain more experience, enhance my expertise in the field, form strong connections and relationships with people there, and broaden my horizons to new work or internship opportunities I had not thought about before.

Our thanks to Ryann for sharing her experience with us. All Animal Behavior majors complete at least one internship, PSY 495, as part of their degree and work closely with a faculty supervisor as part of the experience. For more information about the animal behavior major at UNE, please visit: https://www.une.edu/cas/psych/bs-animal-behavior