Keep Her Dream Alive Scholarship

Ever since I was a kid, I found sanctuary in animals. My parents were abusive drug addicts, and dragged me around people as such. Unfortunately, this need to me not believing in people. I hated being around others, and found safety in animals. The moment I knew I wanted to make a difference in the animal world was when my pit bull, Roscoe, was taken from me. He was a big sweet baby who had been through unfortunate circumstances, just like myself. He struggled with trusting others because of what he had been through, and acted out of fear. Sounds like someone I know. Somehow, we had an understanding of each other and he learned to trust me almost immediately. I would spend my afternoons laying with him in the sun, looking at clouds trying to point them out as objects and animals like he could understand me. The loyalty of a dog is unmatched. I’m not sure if my dad was jealous, or if he just needed another living thing to take his anger out on, but he would hit Roscoe. Sometimes he would start to go for me, but Roscoe would step in-front like he was my war shield, ready for battle. He never attacked my dad, just took the heat. Once my dad left, there wasn’t really anything to shield me from. My grandpa lived with us, and he didn’t really like Roscoe either. He would smack him if he got in the way, or scream in his face for existing. I knew it wasn’t fair for Roscoe, but I didn’t expect what happened next. I think Roscoe knew I was safe, at least I like to think so, so he attempted to run away. His journey was cut very short. All Roscoe had ever known besides my love was abuse from all other humans he met. When he jumped the fence, the neighbors were out playing. They tried to stop Roscoe and restrain him, so Roscoe bit one of the kids. In consequence, they threatened to call animal control if we didn’t take him to the pound. I figured this meant we would stop leaving him outside all day in the heat as an “outside dog” and take him in. I thought he would finally get to know what air conditioning was like, he would be able to feel where I slept every night. But this was not the case. I came back from school one day, and I went out to the back to look at clouds with Roscoe like I always did. He was not there, nor was his house. He was gone. They had taken him to the pound. My sanctuary was gone. Roscoe was one of the greatest losses I have ever experienced. I am forever grateful for the loyalty and love he taught me that all animals have the capability of doing. Roscoe showed me what my true calling in life is, and I have not let anything stop me from being able to reach that goal, the goal of rehabilitating and being able to re-connect abused animals to the possible love of humans.

First and foremost, learning about the story of Jackie Cazares broke my heart. I have always felt the pain deep in my soul when I hear about the wrongful things that should never even happen in this day and age, and I extend my condolences. In addition, Jackie's big dreams remind me of myself, a Puerto Rican girl who has always felt a special connection with animals and is still dreaming of becoming a veterinarian who will own an extensive and successful animal sanctuary in the far future. I have always found that it is my purpose to care for animals who do not have caregivers, such as homeless or elderly pets, because if we don't care for them, then who will? It's a sad reality that they can't constantly fend for themself. Back when I was a little kid, I couldn't wrap my head around the idea of why there were so many homeless animals on the streets of Puerto Rico. I always wanted to adopt one of the homeless dogs as a child, but we could only afford to house our cat, Mimi, in our tiny apartment. Now, as an adult, I can see that many of those animals were either abandoned or born into homelessness, and an even more significant portion of them were likely very sick. And even with the kindness of Puerto Ricans, who always put out food for these animals daily, it can never be enough. There are still so many animals around the world in need of care, and I know it is our responsibility to advocate for these creatures and speak for them when they need our help. If there is one significant detail I must include to wrap up my experience with this topic, it would be how I discovered that showing kindness to everything affects animals in the long run. Throughout my life, I learned from my mentors that acts of kindness can lead to significant change in the world. Then, I realized how it can spread, so I significantly increased how I showed compassion to people, animals, and even objects. Generosity like this will positively impact society, causing hundreds, even thousands, of people to learn and perform acts of kindness daily. In the end, these wholesome acts of service are the sole reason why there are so many wonderful people around the world who will support animals. This is my experience and an explanation of why I know pursuing veterinary science is my purpose, I will aid so many helpless animals with this education.

I have wanted to be a Veterinarian for as long as I can remember. As I have grown older my dream to help animals has become stronger. In the last two years I have gotten to experience what it would be like in the Vet field. Two years ago I was gifted a Dalmatian puppy for Christmas. I had her for about two months when out of the blue she stopped eating. At first I thought she was just being picky but she just kept getting worse. She was diagnosed with kidney failure when we took her in to the Vets office. I was told that she had a little chance of life and that her levels were extremely off and that she should have already died. I took the risk of leaving her there to try and allow her to get better. They ran so many tests. She was kept on an IV because the main cause of death when animals are in kidney failure is dehydration. The Vet ran every test she could think of until she thought about a rare disease called Addison’s Disease. Addison’s is when a dog cannot produce their hormones by them self. Without the production of hormones a dog cannot regulate their body temperature, their organs, and they don’t adapt to stress and change well. My dog was diagnosed with Addison’s a week after we found out she was in kidney failure. Addison’s is a hard disease to diagnose due to it mimicking other sicknesses. The way you treat this is every month you have to give the dog a hormone shot. This medicine is called Percorten-V. I have been giving my dog this shot. It is pretty easy to administer the shot. You calculate the proper dosage by dividing the weight of the animal by the ml in the bottle. For example my dog weighs about 30 pounds and there is 25 ml in the bottle. So you would take 30 divided by 25 which will give you 1.2. So the dosage for my dog would be 1.2 ml. I would give this dosage in the gluteal muscle as directed by my Veterinarian. My dog is now two years old and is happy and healthy. I have also tube fed a calf that could not latch on to his mother and didn’t know how to suck on a bottle. Tube feeding is a difficult task and you have to be very careful. When you tube feed a calf you have to feed a tube down their throat into their stomach so the calf can get the nutrients it needs. When you tube feed you put the tube down the left side of the calf’s mouth. This is the part you have to be careful with because if you feed the tube down the wrong way it goes into their lungs which will kill them instantly. There have been many other experiences I have had because I have grown up with livestock. I wouldn’t want to change any of these experiences and it has grown my love for animals. There’s nothing I want more then to help these beautiful creations. Animals are a important aspect to the world and I can’t wait to help them be healthy.