Update

I visited my fieldsite again on Friday October 25, at around 2:30. I didn't think there would be very many people around at this time but there was surprisingly a lot going on! One thing I noticed in particular was a woman with a small poodle accompanied by a man who appeared to be her son. From my observations I gathered that they were at the RISPCA to see the veterinarian. When the woman was checking out with the receptionist, she commented that she didn't want anymore dogs after their current ones had passed, and the receptionist expressed a similar sentiment. I was surprised to hear this from people associated with the subculture at the RISPCA, as one would assume that they are animal lovers who have lots of pets like previous volunteers I've spoken too. This interaction made me think about some other possibilities. Maybe some people choose to work or volunteer at the RISPCA because they like animals but don't want the responsibility for caring for their own or can't have one at the moment for whatever reason. I noticed that the woman expressed this idea when she was checking out and presumably paying for the cost of the dog's visit and medication. This made me start to think about what sort of effect the economic climate has on animal adoption. Is the adoption rate dropping? Do more people adopt from shelters or buy from breeders? What is the adoption rate as compared to 10, 20, 30 years ago? Are more expensive animals like dogs less likely to be adopted than low maintenance animals like cats and rodents? I feel like the answers to these questions could generate an interesting discussion and help me uncover some tensions within this particular subculture. At this point in my study, I am beginning to schedule some formal interviews. Perhaps these interviews can help shed some light on my questions.

On an unrelated note, I managed to spend a decent amount of time in the dog room on my last visit. There were a lot more people at my fieldsite this time, and having other people in the room with me put me a little more at ease. There was an elderly couple looking at dogs while I was taking my notes and I was surprised to notice that they seemed completely unfazed by the barking. Maybe I'm just overly skittish? I was also at my best friend's house today and I took a picture of her two german shepherds. I figured I'd post it here seeing as I mentioned them in a previous post.

Daisy and Luther

I feel like I'm starting to get more comfortable with fieldwork. Hopefully my formal interviews go well!