in other words
october11
2011
Creature Comforts: Caring for Your Best Friends
By Michal Smith
First, I’d like to mention and give
credit to Victoria Guerrero, Creatures Pet
Store’s own Animal Health Consultant
and Groomer. She, not I, wrote last
month’s very informative article about
the relationship between fleas and the
healthy animal. Thank you Victoria,
your expertise is a wonderful addition to
our staff!
Now that fall is here we don’t
want to lose focus on our pets health,
sooo... how about a pedicure!? Not for
you, but for your pet! With the weather
starting to turn wet and cool, our pets
natural outdoor terrain, which acts as a
natural nail buffer when they are outside
playing and exercising, will soften and
become ineffective at keeping their
nails a healthy and comfortable length.
Owners will need to begin monitoring
the length of the nails and overall
condition and health of the feet. This
includes brushing out or cutting out hair
mats or mud balls in between the toes,
monitoring the pads for any cracks, as
well as trimming the nails.
How do you know if your pets’
nails need trimming? If you can hear
your dog’s nails clicking on the floor
when they walk; if your cats nails are
getting caught in the carpet or rug as they
walk across it; if the animal is chewing
at their nails, it’s time begin trimming.
Many animals are extremely
resistant to having their nails trimmed.
They may squirm a lot and make this
a very difficult task for the owner.
Veterinarians and Groomers are good
alternatives for owners to utilize for nail
trimming on all kinds of pets from birds,
guinea pigs, rabbits, cats and dogs and
everything in between. Touch your pets
feet regularly to get them used to being
handled as early in their life as possible.
This can be done during play and in
rewarding moments. Regular grooming
throughout your pet’s life can also help
avoid problems from occurring.
If your pet gets really stressed
out during nail trimming, there are a
variety of natural calming supplements
that can help your pet relax.
For the nail trimming do-it-
yourselfers, make sure your tools are
sharp so you can make a swift clip and
have on hand a styptic powder in case
you do cut the quick and it begins to
bleed. The quick contains nerves and
blood vessels that can bleed and is
painful when cut.
It is much easier to safely trim
a light colored nail than a darker one.
That’s because, with a light colored nail,
the quick is easy to see, therefore you
know exactly how far down to trim. This
is not the case with dark nails. Since the
quick is not visible through darker nails,
Bull Stories: Bow Hunting for Elk
By Don Webb
I had some good hunts using the
Bow. That was before so many hunters
got into it. I could get the bulls mad and
upset. I only got one bull and lost one
before I went back to the rifle.
My Only Bull With the Bow-
-It was getting late in the day and I was
out on a lookout point seeing if I could
spot some feeding and locate some for
tomorrow. I left my fanny pack in the
pickup, which turned out to be a dumb
move. I thought there might be some
in the flats below me that I couldn’t see
into. Sure enough I got into some feed-
ing--I got within twenty yards of a small
bull and thought this would be a good
eater and put a shot behind the shoulders.
He ran down through a beaver pond and
up into a grassy flat and lay down. It
took me a little while to get to him and
when I found him I got one more shot
and missed. He jumped up and ran for
the timber.
Now I know you should let them
lay awhile but it was getting dark and I
didn’t have a light with me, thanks to
the dumb fanny pack in the pickup. If
I didn’t get him tonight he would sour
in the warm weather by morning. He
traveled a game trail into the timber for
about a hundred yards before I found
him again, laying down and breathing
real hard and fast. I knew he was hit
hard so I stood about a hundred feet from
him for a while, but it was getting dark
real fast in the timber so I broke a small
limb and his head didn’t move. I broke
a larger stick that made a lot of noise and
his head still didn’t move so I moved
up and got about ten feet from him. I
couldn’t see my pins on my bow and
used all of my last three arrows to finish
him off. It was getting real dark by this
time and I thought I better tag him but
I couldn’t even see the date on my tag,
(dumb flashlight in my fanny pack). I
dressed this bull in total dark--I couldn’t
see my hand in front of my face. I also
knew there was a Brodhead in him and
didn’t relish getting hold of it--I found it
the next day, under the shoulder blade.
The next problem was getting
back to the truck. It wouldn’t be smart
to go back the way I came because of the
beaver ponds and the drop-offs. I decid-
ed the best route would be to go uphill
through the timber until I found the old
rail road grade and then follow it to my
13
it’s much easier to cut too far. To avoid
this, trim in several small cuts. For dogs,
the dew claw is easy to overlook since it
is located higher up on the dogs leg but
it must be trimmed as well or it can grow
right into the skin and cause infection.
Nail trims for any pet and/or small
animal can be scheduled at Creatures
Pet Store with a quick phone call at 503-
429-PETS!
When it comes to inclement
weather, paw pads need a little TLC
too. Extreme cold, salt and ice-melting
chemicals can do damage to doggie
feet, not to mention what muddy terrain
contributes to the post-walk cleanup.
Inspect feet for cuts and scrapes that
may need attention or consider investing
in some protective boots which are
available in all sizes and several styles.
Footnote: At Creatures we are always
able to special order.
pickup. I put one hand over my eyes so
as not to get poked with a limb and held
one hand out in front of me to feel the
trees. This was slow going, you put one
foot out and feel for solid footing before
taking the next step.
I made it to the pickup in about
an hour and got on the radio to tell my
partners I had a bull. My son Dale and
nephew Steve Weller were just getting
ready to go out and look for me. I made
it home a little after eleven. My other
nephew Dennis Weller helped me pack
it out the next day.
Vernonia Students of the Month
September 2011
Cooper Morrison ,
Grade 5
Cooper is kind to everyone in his class regardless
of who they are. He does an extra good job on
assignments by taking his time and doing his best
work. He is also an amazing artist! Cooper enjoys
playing sports and participates in football, basket-
ball and baseball. He says he is really into skate-
boarding and practices almost everyday and his
favorite subject in school is art.
Jake Harbour ,
Grade 8
Jake has demonstrated good study habits and
improvement in behavior within the classroom and
instructional times. There has been a notable
maturity in Jake, as he daily shows the qualities of
Responsible, Respectful, and Safe. Jake gives a
helping hand whenever asked, offering to help
whenever he sees a need. Many staff members have
noticed and commented on the positive changes in
Jake. Jake says he likes to skateboard and hang out
with friends. He plays football, baseball and runs
track. Jake says his favorite subject is Math.
Shylo Dooley ,
Grade 12
Shylo comes to class every day with a positive
attitude. He is active in sports while keeping grades
up and never uses football or practice as an excuse
for not being prepared for class. He is respectful of
his teachers and insists his classmates do the same.
Shylo is an All-District Wrestler, is playing football
this season and may play baseball in the spring. He
works part time at Meyer's Auto Body, helps out at
school as an aid to the Athletic Director and enjoys
hunting and driving his truck.
Sponsored by Senator Betsy Johnson
