PB2B

Part One →
For my project builder I chose two scholarly journal articles by researches in the discipline of animal behavior science that examine the positive impacts on the behavior of shelter dogs through exercise and calm interactions. The first article is titled 'Can you spare 15 min? The measurable positive impact of a 15-min petting session on shelter dog well-being' and was created through the collaboration of Ragen T.S. McGowan, Cynthia Bolte, Hallie R. Barnett, Gerardo Perez- Camargo, and François Martin. The article in which I will comparing it to is titled 'The effects of exercise and calm interactions on in-kennel behavior of shelter dogs' and the writers are Alexandra Protopopova, Hagar Hauser, Kissel J. Goldman, and Clive D.L. Wynne.

Part Two →
first, we have article number one where the researchers who conducted this experiment studied the phenomena through observation and testing. They instructed volunteers to calmly interact with the dogs while the experimenters observed the interactions from the outside of the observation room where the test subjects were located. Each session was recorded in order to have a second look for the purpose of analysis. In addition to this, they took samples of each dogs saliva before and after the sessions took place to test the change in the cortisol levels. Lastly, they also traded the cardiac activity of the dogs throughout the session to compare changes if any occurred. The only question being asked throughout this whole study is as follows: "Does one 15-min petting session make a positive difference for shelter dogs?"(McGowan 50). After the experiment had played out and analysis had been completed, the only argument stated was that "'15 min can make a difference' for many shelter dogs when that time includes close interaction with a person petting and speaking to them in a calm manner"(McGowan 53).

For article number two, these researches did a similar approach with their experiments. They; also, tested through observations. The only difference was that they did not use any testing; all their research was solely based on their observations. This article went about their experiments by specifically observing the movement of the dogs in their kennels. They recorded the activity "(e.g., time spent in the back of the kennel, facing backwards, back and forth motion, etc.)" of the dogs in their kennels before they were exposed to exercise or calm interactions and compared it to the activity in their kennels after being exposed to the experiment (Protopopova 59). After they analyzed the information they gathered, they found that certain behaviors impacted the adoptability of each dog. The only possible question that was left to be proposed challenged the results that showed dogs were even more active in their kennels after exercise. In comparison to the first article, the results matched the calm interactions part of this experiment proving that calm interactions lower the stress levels and activity of the dogs. The final argument of this article is "that providing additional exercise results in increased hyperactive behavior when a person is first seen by the dog" and, "that pairing the visual presentation of a person with calm interactions serves to increase calm, desirable behavior in these dogs"(Protopopova 58).

Part Three →
These scholarly journal articles are seen as unique due to their distinctive conventions, affordances, constraints, purpose, and primary and secondary audiences. To start off, there are many conventions but some of the first ones that I noticed are as follows: an abstract, introduction, charts, graphs, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, conflicts of interest, acknowledgments, and references. Even further, the information in the charts were similar due to the fact that they both consisted of the dogs name, breed, age, gender weight, length of time in the shelter, and the dogs general behavior change through the experiments. One affordance of these articles is that even someone who isn't exposed to the jargon of this discipline can still tell how long a dog has been in a shelter for; therefore, revealing to them the cruel life some of these animals endure and encouraging them to adopt a dog. A constraint would be that these articles only appeal to people interested in the behavior of shelter dogs and its effect on their chances of being adopted. The authors purpose for each of these articles is to educate other scholars and students in similar disciplines on the impacts that exercise and calm interactions have  on the behavior of shelter animals. There are many audiences that these articles are directed towards; including, scholars, students, shelter employees and managers, volunteers, people looking to adopt dogs, veterinarians, and possible animal rights activists. The statement in article one that explains "15 min can make a difference for many shelter dogs when that time includes close interaction with a person petting and speaking to them in a calm manner" reaches out to volunteers and workers at shelters who can change the adoption outcome of these dogs by bonding with them and mellowing out their moods (McGowan 53). In the second article directly addresses animal shelters with their conclusion by mentioning that they can may decide which behaviors they would like to see in their population of dogs and provide these enrichment strategies accordingly"(Protopopova 59). The writing style of these articles are very similar, if not identical. They are both written in a scientific sense and covered in similar jargon. They are also very detailed with explanations which is probably because of the scientific style of writing. That is also why they are organized as a science experiment journal article with labels named measures and analyses, methods, conclusions, procedure and materials and methods. They structured it this way to introduce the experiment, provide the procedure, give the results, analyze them, and then deliver the final conclusion. 

Part Four →
To me, the most important aspect of these two scholarly articles is the conclusion. Especially for the first article that states that fifteen minutes of human interaction with a shelter dog makes all the difference to them. The conclusion of these articles gives people the idea that they can help these dogs find forever homes by temporarily bonding with them. On the other hand, the most interesting aspect of these articles are their subject groups. I find it intriguing to look at the behaviors of different breeds and watch how they change with the interactions. I also find it enthralling to think about how gender, size, and time at the shelter can effect the behaviors of these dogs and why they effect them the way they do.