a. What challenges did you overcome throughout this inquiry project? How did you go about overcoming these challenges?
My inquiry topic: Bonds with pets. One of my challenges was not being able to find the answers to more unpopular pets such as geckos. Most of the research was related to dogs as they are the most popularly owned pets. To overcome this challenge, I looked through many more resources than I had in the past. Although I was not very successful, it is still fine that it did not meet my needs since it would still be relatable to most people.
b. How did this inquiry change the way you think?
My inquiry research changed the way I think more positively. It made me realize there are a lot of different ways to bond with pets. Although I do not have an interactive pet like a dog, I think there are more ways to bond with my geckos. It made me think more positively about my pets. Although I love my current pets, I always thought they were boring and thought that they probably did not even know that I was their owner. And because I thought there were not enough interactions. It was always a sad thought, but I learned that just feeding your pet is an interaction. Of course, depending on the pet there are more interactive ones, it is based on your preferences and needs.
c. How did this investigation impact your future decisions?
This investigation will impact my future decisions on the kinds of pets I want. In the past, I have always wanted a dog to feel less lonely. But currently, I think geckos are enough for me. I also thought there were many more activities I could do with a dog like walking together. In the future, depending on my mood, I may want a livelier pet. Or I think that if I ever lived alone, I would feel lonely and would want a couple of dogs. I learned that there are way more ways to bond with pets like dogs so I may want a more interactive pet in the future.
d. What impact will this investigation have on others locally and/or globally?
Locally, I can share my investigation with those around me. Everyone in Social Responsibility has access to my research. If anyone around me is contemplating about what kind of bond they want with their pet, I can tell them. Or if anyone is wondering how they can bond more with pets, I can explain all the different ways. Globally, knowing about bonds with pets can help you decide what kind of pet you want, the different ways to bond with your pet, and understand that some pets take longer to adjust to you. And one important thing I noticed was how the animals left at the SPCA are there longer because people think they are harder to interact with. So globally and locally, I wish that people would know that some pets just take longer to adjust and that is fine. It sounds unfair that they are left in shelters just because they do not bond fast enough. Overall, reading my research can help you understand that bonding with pets can be different for everyone.
