Payton Novak

CIS110
Wildcat Service Dogs Essay Reflection
This essay was difficult and easy for me to write at the same time. It was difficult
in the sense that I have never written a paper that was 2,400 words. This became a
struggle around 1,700 words, but I still had a lot of other information that I could still use.
Another obstacle I faced was APA style since I have never used this style before. I had to
make revisions to the essay due to this problem, but now understand my mistakes. On a
positive note, I believe I well supported my main topics regarding puppy raisers and
puppy sitters, along with what the dogs do beyond Wildcat Service Dogs, the perks of
being a trainer and member, and how Wildcat Service Dogs compares to other service
dog organizations such as 4 Paws For Ability. Another strong point of my essay was my
transitions into each paragraph. I tried very hard to connect the last sentence of each
paragraph to the first sentence of the following paragraph. I enjoyed conducting the
interviews for this first project. My first interview with the founder Katie Skarvan was
interesting as well as informal. She gave me a lot of the information I needed to use in
my essay. Near the end of my paper, I describe a particular situation between Chevy the
service dog and his forever partner Miles. The interactions between these two friends
were essential to include within my essay. I feel as though including a real life situation
makes my essay more personable. Preparing for this essay and writing it has even taught
me about a community that I was unfamiliar with, but now I feel very knowledgeable on
the topic. For future papers to come I will now know how to execute APA style including
inside references and a reference page.

Wildcat Service Dogs Speech Reflection

Initially I was nervous when I heard I would have to present a speech for Project
2. Once I started to think through an outline and create a PowerPoint presentation the bite
was not as bad as the bark. Being one of the last people to present, I had many
expectations to overcome since I was given more time to prepare. My attention getter was
one of my stronger points in my essay. Using vivid facial expressions and kissy noises I
made my peers chuckle as well as catch their attention right off the bat. This action alone
made my speech easier to present. Another strong point of my speech was my tone of
voice. I used my tone of voice in various ways throughout the presentation to make sure a
monotone voice was not being used. Changing your voice and using expressions is a
good way to keep your audience interested. Listening to someone who is passionate about
his or her subject rather than listening to someone who is only trying to fulfill the
assignment is more enjoyable. During my speech rehearsals I always met the time
requirement and sometimes went over that time. This was good practice since when I am
nervous I tend to leave out details. However, I have started to overcome this anxiety and
met the full time requirement. I obtained a steady, constant, speed throughout my speech,
which is a good communication quality. Keeping a constant speed gives the audience
time to process your words without leaving them behind when you go on to the next
topic. It also makes your speech more conversional which sounds natural. I feel as though
I also do a good job on citing external resources, given this was a flaw during the speech
rehearsals. During the speech I made the citation flow with the topic at hand. For
example I would say that so and so said this instead of quoting them directly and saying
their name. Finding an artifact for this project was a vigorous task. I searched YouTube

for a relatable video on service dogs. I finally decided to use a video that highlighted
idiomatic questions that people as service dog trainers. Using these common questions
such as Are you blind or But you dont look disabled I used them throughout my
speech nicely. I also focused on these common assumptions for a section of my speech
because it was important to settle these stereotypes. Another strong point of my speech
was talking about Miles and Chevy. The connection between this canine and human was
shown to be a topic of interest. I could see on the faces of my peers that a real story of a
service dog on the job was another one of their favorite parts. One of the common faces
would be a furrow of the eyebrows showing concern and sympathy to Miles conditions.
For me this story is beautiful and important to include so others know the dogs go on to
do extraordinary things. Preforming this speech on Wildcat Service Dogs for Project 2
has made me a stronger public speaker.