The love for dogs led a student from Haifa to design a guide that will help you decide whether it is right for you to adopt a dog • "People are afraid to adopt because they are afraid of what will happen if they get sick or want to fly abroad"

• The guide to help you decide: Should you adopt a dog?

  Photo: 

  Esti Malkovich

Esti Malkovich, a student of visual communication from the Academic Center for Design and Education WIZO Haifa, has decided to dedicate her final thesis to one of the topics that is close to her heart - her love for dogs. Esti has designed an invested website called DOG CARE GUIDE, which presents in a friendly, picturesque and charming way a detailed guide to dog care, for anyone who is undecided whether to adopt a dog and faces a lot of questions and concerns about its care.   

"Thousands of dogs are in kennels around the country, thousands of dogs are also killed every year because no home is found for them. One of the reasons for this is that many people who want to adopt are afraid of it," says Esti. "What if they did not know what to do when the dog was sick? And what if they wanted to fly abroad? These questions and more bother them and prevent them from adopting. " 

Esti has set herself a goal in designing the project, to convey the information to those who are undecided in a pleasant and accessible way, and to show surfers that it is not that scary to adopt a dog. In a conversation with "Israel Today", Esti told about the special project.   

What led you to create the site?

"When I started thinking about a topic for my final project, I wanted to address something that was very important to me personally, and one of the first thoughts that came to my mind was to do something related to my dog. From there it was a question of what need I could answer, because I wanted it to be useful. During the research I did, I found that many people want to adopt, but are afraid, because they do not know how to deal with all sorts of things that come up over the years. I heard a lot of questions like 'If I wanted to fly, what would happen to the dog?' Or 'I do not have a car, how will I travel with the dog?' ".

"I decided I needed to create one place that incorporates answers to questions in a wide range of areas, that those people can turn to and get an answer. In addition, because there is a lot of information on the site, people can also more properly assess their ability to adopt a dog, and then, maybe, They will prevent abandonment. "  

Why do you think people who take animals from adoption for example must know all this information? 

I think people do not always understand what it means to adopt a dog. Adopting a dog is an amazing thing, but it also requires effort, and unfortunately, there are very many people who do not understand this, and it happens that they get into very difficult situations - sometimes even returning the dog to an association or abandoning it on the street. I would very much like to avoid that. I think that when people have information available before adoption, they can assess their condition more correctly, and know if they are able to care for the dog or not. " 

Where is the material you collected? Have you studied the subject in depth?

The information I wrote is mostly from personal experience. Knowledge gained as a result of my partner and I dealing with all sorts of situations that have happened since we adopted our dog. In addition, I asked dog owners about their personal experiences, comparing information from various content written by professionals like veterinarians or trainers "In some areas I went directly to the source, for example, on questions about transportation I found information on the website of the Ministry of Transportation, on the subject of vacations on the website of El Al (excellent on the website). I wanted to learn as much as possible and answer as many questions." 

How was your work process on the site? What did you learn in the process?

"The process was long, but very interesting. I started it by thinking about areas that interested me personally in dog care, and I wrote questions that came to me from before the adoption and in fact, to this day. When the questions were written, I started looking for answers. Some I already had, things I learned about "Meat, and in some I had to look for more information from many sources of information. I learned mainly about technical matters I did not know, for example, on the subject of transportation I learned that you can get a report if the dog travels without a special belt, because it may interfere with the driver." 

Are you a pet lover? Do you have?

"I love animals very much, even though in the past it was mostly love from a distance - as a child I grew up without pets, and I did not feel I was missing anything. In contrast, my partner very much wanted us to adopt a dog as soon as we moved in together. We went to Animal Cruelty and saw "Our dog, we just fell in love with her right away. Now that I look back, I can not understand how I lived without her." 

"My dog's name is Joy, and like her name, she really makes me happy. When I come home after a long day and she jumps on me and kisses me, it's the most fun moment there is. She's also my inspiration. Besides this site, which was inspired by her adoption and coping. Mine with different situations in her care, I also drew a lot of drawings in her character, and even wrote during school a children's book called 'A Story of Happiness', which talks about the daily life of a little girl and her family, when it finally turns out that this girl is actually the adopted dog, an integral part From the family. "

Esti's work is presented as part of the alumni exhibition of the Academic Center for Design and Education at WIZO Haifa. This year, marking the Corona period and online studies, the display configuration includes digital presentations, alongside physical objects, using technologies and multiple screens and media. The exhibition is open to the general public until 10.8.2020 by prior arrangement, in accordance with the guidelines of the Ministry of Health. 

To enter the "Dog Care Guide" website, click here