FURRY RESIDENCE
Getting Closer To Your Mega Project Problem
ANIMAL SHELTER
It is difficult to identify a problem, especially if it is so clearly in front of you. like those keys you put on your bedside and end up looking for it all over the house except that one place. The first step in solving a problem is to recognize and identify that it exists.
My father loves animals, be it dogs, cats or birds. So it was inevitable for it to not be passed on to me (Except I absorbed every bit of it and it never reached my other siblings). My mom is generally afraid of every one of them. So it can be seen why only I turned out to be such a fanatic for them. That is the very reason why when my group member told us about this idea which was also her SMART goal, we all decided we would work for it. And since this has been something I have wanted to do for so long, why not.
It is funny that how before this mega project I would feel bad about the cruelty and inhumane treatment animals are getting. Someday, I would just feel bad, wanting to do something, anything, but never knew what or how. Someday I would just look away. but after our one and a half-hour discussion on our MP topic (Yes it was that long and zoom wasn’t happy with us), I started looking at the same scenarios differently. Noticing things and perceiving them differently. And that is what my idea became;
Problem Statement
Due to high euthanasia rates, and increased cases of abandoned animals who are dying due to disease, thirst and hunger, animals are being treated badly and they are a serious problem that needs a better solution
Impact
This issue affects the public especially when people are looking to adopt or find dogs. People can make a difference by adopting or simply saving a life. It can help to overcome the stray dog problem and animal overpopulation crisis.
Interviews
We had scheduled interviews with two people who were most affected and closely related to this cause. They are both vet care personnel. Before the interview, during the casual conversation regarding this topic of concern, she told us that empathy is the first thing that is needed for a welfare project like this. She gave us some tips and that as a vet care personnel she felt this was one thing that could change the way things are going now. Since the interviews are scheduled for next week, there isn’t much we could talk about. But out of what we discussed, it is high time to foster these animals to save the tiniest scarred feline souls. Animals are non-human citizens and even they need justice.
Problem Identification
It has been on the news and social media so many times, yet, this problem didn’t receive the highlight it should have. “Karachi and Lahore have the highest rate of dog killings each year with over 20,000 dogs killed in these two cities alone” This was the first thing I saw one morning while scrolling on my Instagram. It caught my interest and what I saw shook me. Every year about 50,000 stray dogs were being culled in Karachi, according to a source. A report dated March 30, 2021, reported that about 25,000 dogs were expected to be killed in the next few weeks. The reason was the overpopulation of stray dogs and the cases of rabies that had increased over the past. But was this a reason enough to resort to killing animals? Maybe. Well, No. There is always a choice and a better option.
These animals were abandoned, left, lost and as animal behaviour suggests, they bite when provoked and scared. They could have been vaccinated or taken somewhere else. There is also the method of spaying and neutering them. The community could have been educated regarding pacific coexistence with animals. Resorting this inhumane way was never the only solution to this problem. Hence, the need for an animal shelter.
^The first step we took towards this was to research as much as we could. We talked to a professional vet about the possibilities and explored various options. We decided to only take dogs, cats and birds into consideration.
This helped us to grasp the actuality of our problem and tips to tackle this problem. The researches we came across helped us to understand what our business plan could include. It sharpened some edges off for us to be able to see where we were lacking. The planning phase got easier after we were able to analyze those researches we came across. But still, a lot of thing needs to be taken into consideration.
^The second step was to formulate a plan of action. Our immediate step would be to reach out to professionals to understand and learn the needs and pain points. To identify what we will be needing as of right now, we are soldiers who don’t know how to wield a knife, let alone guns.
^ The third step would be to volunteer and help the organization of the people we decided to interview. It was to train and learn how to care for these lost feline souls.
^Then would be the time to start our set-up and work on our own at a small scale as a start. We could go guns blazing later.
Solution
An animal shelter is a haven for lost, abused, injured or unwanted animals. Animals will be provided with a home, veterinary care and medical assistance.
We are working on it from scratch and in an ideal situation, we would have a shelter where lost, injured, abandoned and retired animals would find their home. There would be a dedicated staff to take care of them, feed them, pamper them. Veterinary care and medical assistance would be provided. People like me, would come and spend their time with their favourite animals.
Maybe, they would end up adopting them too. Furry life companion. It is an ideal situation for a reason, as this is still a vision my team has. Only time will tell how much we can achieve.