1. Rabbit Habit My Time at the San Diego House Rabbit Society

2. My Experience I feel that I made a very meaningful contribution to my workplace. Every morning I would get the rabbit pellets and feed the bunnies before any other volunteers got there.

3. When some had arrived, I would help clean all the rabbit pens so that they would have a healthy environment. This includes occasionally cleaning their litter boxes. When they were all clean, I would go load up the laundry and take a lunch.

4. After my lunch, I would help some more with the laundry, set up playpens for the bunnies, do health checks and grooming on them, stock some items in the store, and tidy up their pens a bit more after they had made messes. Sometimes I would help the managers file stacks of paperwork and alphabetize things, but I tried to mainly focus on the bunnies.

5. I think that my work was meaningful to my education because now I know how a nonprofit organization is handled. They operate similarly to other businesses and organizations, but they rely entirely on volunteer hours. The amount of volunteer hours they get helps determine how much grant money they can earn. All the sales from the bunny store go towards helping the bunnies get nicer stuff.

6. In addition to these things, I feel that I have learned about responsibilities by working with these animals. Rabbits require a lot of care and attention in order for them to live a happy life. They are not throw away objects that you should buy as an Easter present. They need to be groomed almost weekly, have their litter and hay changed every two days, have their ears checked and cleaned weekly, and, most importantly, to be loved. My goal after college is to get a job at the Zoo, and these rabbits have helped open my eyes to the kind of care required with such complex animals.

7. The project I originally had in mind was to create a short film about the different rabbits at my workplace. However, due to the limited technology and internet connection at the SDHRS (and the lack of time not spent helping out around the building), I decided to take pictures of the rabbits and turn them into memes. I plan to upload these memes to the SDHRS Facebook page so that the world may bask in their shining glory. Here are a few that I’ve made.

8. <-His friend is in hiding. This one’s my favorite!->

9. I learned that I'm a lot more capable than I originally thought I was. I don't feel afraid around the territorial rabbits anymore and I genuinely feel like I'm making a difference in the world. I move a bit faster than I used to because we are always trying to complete certain tasks on time. I think this internship has helped me in more ways than one, and it has opened up many opportunities for me in my future, something that a job as a store clerk can never give me.

10. My Takeaways While working at my internship site, I developed a greater appreciation for rabbits. Who'da thunk it? This is, most likely, due to the fact that I have been around them so much for the past few weeks.

11. Originally, I thought them to be clueless dopes like rats, mice, hamsters, and other rodents. Getting to be so close to them has shown me that they are more like dogs and cats in how they act. Some even lick your hand if they like you. These floppy eared fluff balls are great pals to have.

12. The best qualities I have noticed about the people I work with are the can-do attitudes they all possess. Whatever job it is they've been assigned, they go into it happily. I always get my work done, but I'd like to be able to have an attitude like them where I go in without any doubts. If I manage to gain a similar mindset, I think it would help a lot in school. I would probably be able to get my work done faster and more efficiently if I were more positive about it.

13. To be truthful, my outlook on life didn't change much during my internship. I became much more knowledgeable, yes, but nothing really had a huge impact on me. I think this is due to the fact that I already have a job at a supermarket, which changed my outlook considerably. After I got my job, I started having to file taxes, manage a bank account, sign up for the Union, etc. Nothing like that really happened here, but I still think my time as an intern was a wholesome experience.

14. Prior to my internship, I knew I wanted to go into a field where I could spend a lot of time around animals. I thought vet work might be a good choice, but giving check-ups to the rabbits at my internship has showed me that it might not be the most suitable field for me.

15. I did, however, enjoy getting to be in the pens with the rabbits while I cleaned. This is good because I had also considered getting a job at the zoo. If I get a job at the zoo after college, I hope I can get a position similar to my one here where I can spend time with the animals while I'm cleaning or playing with them.

16. My work here has shown me that organization is an extremely important part of a job like this. Keeping track of things like when the rabbits litter boxes were changed, when they last went out to play, and when they last got a check-up are essential. There's also a lot of record keeping and filing to be done. All this organization is an important part of communication and collaboration because it helps to inform the other volunteers of what's been completed already. If we didn't keep track of this stuff, nobody would know when the correct time to do something should be.

17. Thank You! Thanks for taking the time to see my POL. I hope you enjoyed all the pictures of the cute bunnies. My experience here was fantastic, and I’m sad I’ll have to go back to school. Thanks again, everybody!

18. Questions?