Wednesday, January 11, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Ex-football
coach pleads
no contest in
hazing case
CORVALLIS (AP) — A
22-year-old former volunteer
high school football coach has
entered a no-contest plea in
connection to an Oregon haz-
ing incident.
Cooper Kikuta on
Thursday pleaded no contest
to the misdemeanor charge
of criminal mistreatment and
was sentenced to 60 hours
of community service at the
Children’s Farm Home and
12 months probation, The
Corvallis Gazette-Times
reported. The sentence does
not require any jail time.
The former assistant volun-
teer coach for Philomath High
School was charged along
with senior members of the
football team for a July haz-
ing initiation in which young
members of the team had
intimate parts of their bodies
targeted at a summer training
camp. According to prosecu-
tors the contact was not skin-
to-skin and the victim was
wearing clothing at the time.
According to court docu-
ments, the incident took
place between July 9 and 13
during an off-season con-
ditioning camp attended by
35 Philomath High School
football players and several
coaches at Camp Rilea, a
training facility operated by
the Oregon National Guard.
Prosecutors argue Kikuta
didn’t provide adequate care
for the players who were
under his supervision.
The juveniles cited in the
case have admitted to the alle-
gations against them.
The Philomath school
board canceled the school’s
varsity football season in the
wake of the criminal investiga-
tion into the hazing incidents.
Paw
Prints
Jodi Schneider McNamee
Columnist
Keep your dog
active indoors
during severe
weather
Sisters has been hit with
an arctic blast that brought
ice-cold temperatures, snow,
and freezing rain.
It’s cold outside, and
even though playing in the
snow can be great fun for
you and your dog, keep in
mind that frigid cold can
also be dangerous for your
furry friend!
A pooch who gets too
cold could develop hypo-
thermia; a condition that
occurs when a dog’s body
temperature falls below
normal. If his temperature
continues to fall, the mus-
cles stiffen, his breathing
and heart rates slow, and he
could potentially die. And
although frostbite is less
common, it can still hap-
pen. Your dog’s ears, tail
and especially paws are the
most susceptible to frostbite
damage.
Generally, dogs with a
short coat (and no under-
coat) will NOT cope well
with frigid temperatures.
Short-legged or toy breeds
who have to wade or jump
through deep snow will get
chilled and tired quickly.
Puppies, elderly dogs, and
dogs with health condi-
tions will also feel the cold
quickly.
The breeds of dogs bred
to live in colder climates
— Alaskan Malamutes,
Siberian huskies, Samoyeds,
and other larger breeds are
generally going to have
fewer problems with cold
weather if they normally live
in it.
But sometimes it’s sim-
ply too cold for pets to be
outside, regardless of their
breed. When it’s frigid out,
turn to indoor activities that
encourage movement and
stimulation.
On days when bad
weather makes walks
impractical, you can still
give your furry friend the
exercise he needs indoors.
Your dog needs daily
physical activity every day
or else he’s at risk of becom-
ing stressed, depressed,
under-stimulated and over-
weight. Although your dog
may look comfortable sleep-
ing by the fire like a hiber-
nating bear, he would rather
be engaged in some fun
activity with you!
Here are a few examples
of indoor games that will
give Rover some exercise
during bad weather:
If you have a long enough
hallway you can clear out,
use it for a game of fetch
or tug-of-war. You can also
play “find-it” by hiding
small treats or dog kibble
around the house for Rover
to locate with his nose.
Most dogs love playing
hide-and-seek, and it’s a
wonderful way to get your
furry friend up and mov-
ing and mentally engaged.
You can hide a treat or his
favorite toy, but it’s better
to make Rover come find
you. Start by throwing a
treat to get him to go away
from you, and then hide in
another part of the house.
This game can really tire
your pooch out as he rushes
around searching, and it’s
good for reinforcing the
15
PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER MCNAMEE
With freezing temps Ollie, a small dog with a short coat, cannot stay
outdoors for more than 5 minutes without wanting back inside.
“come” command. Chasing
games are popular with most
dogs. Try pulling his favor-
ite stuffed toy attached to a
rope to get your dog into a
prey-chasing mode.
Since dogs have incred-
ibly powerful scenting abili-
ties, exercises that require
Rover to use his nose are
especially stimulating.
Make him work for his din-
ner by creating an obstacle
course he has to get through
to find his dinner. Or hide
your dog’s meal in a Kong
Wobbler or a Buster Ball.
Set up a makeshift agil-
ity course in your house
with things like chairs and
broom poles (jumps), a mat
(for a makeshift pause table)
cones or boxes (weave
poles), and blankets over
the space between the couch
and coffee table (tunnel).
Or you can buy an indoor
agility set. Either way,
it’s good exercise for your
dog.
There are now treadmills
on the market designed spe-
cifically for dogs. Or you
can use a human treadmill
— using the right precau-
tions. Spend a few days
familiarizing your dog with
how it works. Use a slow
speed and stand in front of
the treadmill with a treat.
Over three to four days,
slowly increase the speed
and the amount of time your
pooch spends on the tread-
mill. Then work up the same
amount of time you nor-
mally spend on walks.
Using the stairs is another
great way to tire out your
dog. The steps add an addi-
tional challenge to a dog’s
workout, as they engage dif-
ferent muscles than those
used on a regular walk and
add an extra level of dif-
ficulty with the change in
elevation. Stand at the top
of the stairs and throw a toy
down to your dog. When he
grabs the toy, call his name,
and have him bring the toy
to you.
Another way to keep
Rover warm and exercised is
to sign him up for an indoor
agility or training class.
Stay warm, stay safe —
and stay active!