Sara Richardson

A Practical Proposal
R. Andrew Brown
UWRT 1103-022
2/3/15

Proposal Workshop
1. Who will be involved? You and...
a. Jenni Watson and I will be the two prominent figures in this practicum.
b. Jenni will allow me to interact with other staff, trainers, dogs, and clients.
2. What is the main action youll be performing, observing or shadowing, or is something else
planned?
a. I will primarily be watching Jenni train dogs. She works hard to create specialized plans
for each dogs success, so I will watch each step of the process from start to finish. This
will include watching brain storms in Jennis office, meeting with pet owners, and
assisting in training.
b. I will be allowed to follow instructions and help train dogs so long as they are not
aggressive. In addition, I will be allowed to interact with all the dogs that are being
groomed or housed.
3. Where will this take place?
a. All of my Shadowing hours will take place at the Swiftdogz facility in Concord, North
Carolina. In particular, I will spend a great deal of time in Jennis office and in the
training rooms.
4. When will this take place? Please include how many visits are planned, and over what period.
a. I will begin my hours on February 12th. I will spend approximately two hours every
Thursday and Friday at the facility through February 27th. This will total twelve hours
over six visits. At times, however, I will need to spend a few more minutes with Jenni due
to a particular project. At the end of the time period, I predict that I will have spent
around fifteen hours at Swiftdogz.
5. Why does this particular subject appeal to you?
a. I am interested in animals because of my own dog, Lassie. She had many diseases as a
puppy that her veterinarian was able to cure. However, her strange actions and fears
related to her life before I adopted her are still issues. I hope that I can learn from Jenni
how to reach out to my own dog. In addition, it is important to me that I shadow someone
who values the lives of animals as highly as I do. Jenni is ideal for this as she has devoted
her life to improving the mental state of dogs, which in turn helps their owners.
6. How will address the need for a secondary, alternative topic, if your primary is not accepted?
a. If I am unable to shadow Jenni, I wish to shadow a veterinarian in my hometown. Donna
McLamb is my dog, Lassies, veterinarian. She has shown great compassion for Lassie
and every other animal I have seen her come into contact with. I also have knowledge
that Donna saves the lives of pets and wild animals that do not have owners to pay their
bills. She takes this money from her own paycheck because she cares deeply for all
animals.

Sara Richardson
A Practical Proposal
R. Andrew Brown
UWRT 1103-022
2/3/15

A Practical Proposal
I have selected Swiftdogz Canine Services as the location of my mini-practicum. In particular, the
owner of Swiftdogz, Jenni Watson, is an excellent example of a human being. Though I will be
interacting with other staff, trainers, dogs, and clients, Jenni and I will be the two prominent figures in my
practicum. I chose Jenni because of my interest in animals due to my own dog, Lassie. She had many
diseases as a puppy that her veterinarian was able to cure. However, her strange actions and fears related
to her life before I adopted her are still issues. I hope that I can learn from Jenni how to reach out to
Lassie. In addition, it is important to me that I shadow someone who values the lives of animals as highly
as I do. Jenni is ideal for this as she has devoted her life to Swiftdogz, an organization that works to create
a space that improves the mental and physical wellbeing of dogs. This includes basic needs, such as food
and water, as well as complicated needs, such as Behavioral Assessments and Technical Action Plans
towards improving a dogs behavior. In exchange, owners of dogs also have the opportunity to reconnect
with their pets as they would have before the bad-behavior began. Animals that would otherwise be
euthanized due to behavioral issues are saved and returned to their loving homes. As the founder of such
an organization, Jenni is a role to me. I admire her efforts to better the lives of animals in such a way that
avoids punishment and pain. I believe this practical proposal should be approved because of Jennis
ability to inspire me to become a better human being, particularly towards animals.
I will work with Jenni at her facility in Concord, North Carolina. In particular, I will spend a great
deal of time in Jennis office and in the training rooms. The specific dates and times in which I spend in
each environment will depend upon what Jenni has scheduled. I will begin my hours on February 12th. I
will spend approximately two hours every Thursday and Friday at the facility through February 27 th. This
will total twelve hours over six visits. At times, however, I will need to spend a few more minutes with
Jenni due to a particular project. At the end of the time period, I predict that I will have spent around
fifteen hours at Swiftdogz.
Jenni has twenty years of experience in the business. She started working with dogs when she
was just twelve years old. As a result, she knows that there is a proper way to dress and act in her
environment. I am expected to wear nursing scrubs, preferably with designs. This will be a comfortable
outfit to work in while still appearing professional. In addition, she also has great experience concerning
inexperienced individuals interacting with animals. I will primarily be watching Jenni train dogs. She
works hard to create specialized plans for each dogs success, so I will watch each step of the process
from start to finish. This will include watching brain storms in Jennis office, meeting with pet owners,
and assisting in training of non-aggressive animals. As time passes, I will be allowed to follow
instructions and help train dogs so long as they are not aggressive. I will also be allowed to pet, feed, and
play with all dogs that are being groomed or housed.
If I am unable to work with Jenni at Swiftdogz, I plan to shadow Donna McLamb. She is my dog,
Lassies, veterinarian. Donna is an extremely talented animal doctor who goes out of her way to save the
life of any animal in need. She has shown great compassion for Lassie and every other animal I have seen
her come into contact with. I also have knowledge that Donna saves the lives of pets and wild animals
that do not have owners to pay their bills. She takes this money from her own paycheck because she cares
deeply for all animals.