My name is Euneca Forney but please feel free to call me Nika. There's alot I could tell you about myself, but I'll stick to the basics. I am a senior at UNC Charlotte, majoring in Sociology and minoring in American Studies. I have a two year old son who keeps me very busy, a pitbull, and three kitties that round out my family. For the purpose of my blog I will focus on my professional background, which has been working as a veterinary technician for the past twenty years. I have worked with animals in various capacities, including rescue and adoption, small animal veterinary practice and emergency and critical care situations. It has always been my dream to become a veterinarian, but life sometimes has a way of taking you down another path. While animals are still my passion, my focus has redirected a bit.
I have always had a soft spot for homeless or abused animals, and have helped many pets find their forever homes. About eight years ago I became a pit bull owner (totally by accident) and have been in love with the breed ever since. Over the years I have learned quite a bit about the breed, as well as how many great dogs there are out there that need forever homes to call their own. I have come to realize that the best way to help these animals find homes is through educating the public about the breed and by making people aware of just how many great dogs across the country need homes.
It is no secret that social media is a powerful tool, and this is what led me to create this blog. I chose this platform because it is a great way to reach people and it allows me the freedom to post the information that I feel is important. I spoke to several other bloggers before creating this blog, and was told that this was a very user-friendly site with different options available for me to utilize.
So you may be asking yourself what does social media have to do with finding animals homes? Well, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow people to share photos, videos, and general information about homeless animals with anyone anywhere in the world. I belong to several online rescue groups, and on average I probably see 20-30 dogs a day that are in need of rescue or foster placement.
Each pet on my blog can be presented as a case study. Every dog's situation is different. They may have been abused, abandoned, part of a legal case, or even surrendered by their owners to a shelter. There is then a course of action taken on behalf of the pet. This may include a rescue effort if needed, placement in a foster home, or possibly even a quarantine in some cases. Many animals are also taken to adoption events or featured on various internet sites to gain exposure. During this time any necessary veterinary care will be obtained. The desired result in every case is always to find the pet their forever home. In each case there will always be something learned by the rescue agency, foster parent, or even the eventual adopter. This learning could entail learning something new about the pet, about how to handle certain rescue or adoption situations, or even better ways to gain exposure for these pets to help maximize adoption rates. Ultimately at the end of the day we all learn something about ourselves every time we interact with an animal. If there is one thing I have learned in all my years of working with animals, it is that we need them as much as they need us.
I hope that you will follow me on my journey as I continue to advocate for the thousands of homeless pets in this world, especially my beloved pit bulls (a.k.a. pibbles, or pitties)!
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