SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2021
THE OBSERVER — 5A
TAXES
MOLLY
Continued from Page 1A
Continued from Page 1A
additional $103 million this
year, and $9 million next
year, from taxes generated
by that stimulus money.
That’s 3.6% of the $3.1 bil-
lion in stimulus money that
Oregonians received.
That tax hike won’t hit
everyone, though. Low-in-
come Oregonians with no
federal tax liability won’t
pay more in state taxes, and
some high-income residents
with large federal tax bills
won’t pay, either.
The more people earn,
generally speaking, the
more they will owe — but
even some Oregonians
earning under $50,000 a
year will owe $100 in addi-
tional taxes. That’s a hefty
chunk of their stimulus
payments.
While stimulus payments
from 2008 had a similar
effect on Oregonians’ taxes,
few people anticipated the
pandemic relief payments
would generate additional
costs. And few people
appear to have set aside
money to cover the costs.
Congress intended
the stimulus payments to
be tax free, according to
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio,
D-Springfi eld.
“It is unconscionable to
ask those working fami-
lies who have struggled the
most during this crisis to
bear the weight of the state’s
budget shortfall,” DeFazio
wrote in a letter to Gov.
Kate Brown and legislative
leaders last week. He asked
them to relieve Oregonians
of those higher taxes.
Oregon State Sen. Dick
Anderson, R-Lincoln City,
plans to introduce a bill to
protect Oregonians’ stim-
ulus checks from state tax
implications.
“The sole purpose of
federal stimulus checks was
to give people help when
they needed it the most,”
Anderson said in a state-
ment last week. “There is
no justifi cation for the state
to be taking some off the
top. Helping people get
back on their feet means
helping them keep more
money in their pockets.”
Sen. Bill Hansell,
R-Athena, said he does not
think it’s right for the state
to tax the stimulus pay-
ments, and there seems to
be support on both sides of
the political isle to tackle
the matter. He said Ander-
son’s bill is under review
and likely to drop no later
than early next week. The
thrust of the proposal, he
said, would give refunds on
next year’s taxes.
Gov. Kate Brown’s offi ce
said she is interested in
an “overall conversation”
about the effects of stim-
ulus programs on Oregon
taxes. Spokeswoman Liz
Merah said the governor
wants to consider the ques-
tion of stimulus taxes in the
broader context of how fed-
eral relief programs have
impacted Oregon’s budget.
Other elements of
the programs, she said,
have reduced Oregon’s
tax revenues and more
changes could be coming
with a new relief bill
now before Congress.
Jensen booked a
fl ight to California with
McGlothin to Jurupa
Valley, home to dog
training school Adler-
horst International. Sev-
eral other law enforce-
ment agencies were there,
each wanting to select a
dog for their unit. Among
the 70 dogs available,
many departments wanted
Molly, the only Dutch
shepherd, and the smallest
dog at the kennel.
“They’re rare,” Jensen
said of the breed.
When they announced
Molly was headed for
La Grande, Jensen was
ecstatic — and nervous.
Molly now was his com-
panion for life.
First days
Though small, Molly
is not to be trifl ed with.
For the fl edgling handler,
it was time to learn the
ropes and take the leash.
While Jensen said he had
an idea what he was get-
ting into, he didn’t know
what to expect.
“She wanted to play —
I know now she wanted
to play — but she scared
me,” he said about his
fi rst days back at home
with Molly. “She had
me backed in the corner,
jumping up, barking at
me. I was like, ‘I don’t
know what to do! I’m
stuck in the corner!’ So I
got her calmed down and
in the kennel and I called
Erik.”
It would take time to
build a bond between the
two. The fi rst time Molly
needed a bath, Jensen was
hesitant.
“I got her in the
bathtub and she gave me
this look that said, ‘No, I
don’t think we’ll do that,’”
he said. “So I ended up
paying $50 to have her
bathed.”
While he spoke about
their early days together,
Molly rested her head on
the laptop in the police
vehicle as he scratched her
head.
“It’s a bond that most
won’t understand and only
few will know, and that’s
the bond between a han-
dler and their K-9,” Jensen
said. “We protect each
other.”
While Molly is capable
of being an attack dog,
that’s a big misconception
about K-9s, according to
her handler.
“She’s not an attack
dog, she’s not a bite dog,”
he said. “Sure, she does
bite, but really she’s a
patrol dog. Maybe the
misconception is part of
the culture that people
grew up with.”
Part of the pack
K-9s such as Molly
aren’t just working dogs.
For their handlers, they’re
part of the family.
Jensen, who has
another dog at home, said
as soon as he dons his uni-
form, Molly won’t leave
his side.
“You’re with the dog
24/7. You form this really
special bond,” he said.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Union County sheriff’s deputy Dane Jensen reaches for a roll of carpet he uses for training K-9 unit Molly on Wednes-
day, Feb. 24, 2021. While the toy helps with training, Jensen says the main reward for Molly is the attention and affec-
tion she receives for following orders.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Union County sheriff’s deputy Dane Jensen and K-9 unit Molly walk through an abandoned building in La Grande
during training on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021.
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
K-9 unit Molly rests on a laptop Wednesday, Feb. 24,
2021, inside Union County sheriff’s deputy Jensen’s ve-
hicle as the sun sets along Highway 203 near La Grande.
“We went on vacation for
10 days. That was the lon-
gest I’ve been away from
her. The guy who was
taking care of her said,
‘She looks for you every
day.’”
The bond goes both
ways, and Jensen’s com-
mitment to the dog is evi-
dent. He sells challenge
coins and stuffed “Molly”
dolls and the proceeds go
entirely back into funding
training and equipment
for Molly, from ballistic
Robert “Bob” Goss
96
th
Happy 96th
Birthday
Robert “Bob” Goss
... keep on kicking
your heels up and
throwing out the
bait ... have fun!!
Love Lisa , Delorris,
Cheryl, Family and Friends
vests to dog earmuffs for
live-fi re training.
The community also
has welcomed Molly as a
member of its larger family.
Jensen said the com-
munity support for Molly
has been tremendous.
Employees at Walmart
pitched in $900 to the
program as a Christmas
gift. Jensen was lost for
words because of the gen-
erosity, and he was able
to buy the special ear-
muffs for her.
Locals aren’t the
only ones keeping up on
Molly. Her Instagram
page, which Jensen runs,
boasts nearly 2,000 fol-
lowers, some as far-fl ung
as Germany, Australia
and Portugal. He mostly
post snippets of the K-9’s
daily life — one video
shows Molly barking to
the chorus of Hanson’s
“MMMBop.”
Molly also has had a
positive effect on Jensen,
who said becoming her
handler changed his life.
“When I got Molly,
it was like a recharge,”
Jenson said. “I love
coming to work. I love it
when my phone rings and
it’s dispatch. Whether it’s
1 or 3 in the morning, it
doesn’t matter, I’m like,
‘This is go time.’”
And that is just what
they train for.
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