Hillary Dye doing service learning through a love for animals!

Volunteering for the Emerald Coast Animal Allies was a great experience for me to be a part of.  After I earned my ten hours of service learning, I continued to volunteer because I enjoyed it so much.  I was able to meet new people who shared the same interest in animals as I do.  Taking care of the health of animals and being included in the adoption process has been an extraordinary experience.  Throughout this entire experience, it has made me understand the struggle that many animals have to go through.  Interacting with animals in our environment relates to several of our lessons that we discuss in class.  One of the lessons related to my volunteering experience is learning about the habitats of species.  In Chapter 8, Community Ecology, the lesson explains about the human causes of habitats and species within a community.  By being involved with animals, I realize that all animals can be disrupted by human engagement.  Many of these animals are taken from home to home.  This causes them to change environments, which is very hard to adapt.  Finding a stable home for these animals will potentially fix this issue.  The lesson also discusses the relationships of symbiosis.  For example, when a kitten gets fleas, which is very common from changing its environment constantly, the kitten is harmed.  When a kitten gets a tick, the tick is able to get its nourishment.  This is an example of parasitism.