8A | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS
HOLIDAYS from page 1A
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there
will be face painting with Kassy
Keppol of Dragon Art. There
will also be refreshments.
All proceeds of the Festival
of Trees go to the Oregon Coast
Military Museum.
Then, from 3 to 7 p.m., the
Port of Siuslaw Marina will be
lit by the twinkling lights of the
Light Up Your Boat Float dis-
play on the Siuslaw River. Peo-
ple are invited to call the port to
be included — all boats, canoes,
rafts and even kayaks are wel-
come. Even U.S. Coast Guard
Station Siuslaw River plans to be
involved
Light Up Your Boat Float is
sponsored by the Florence Area
Chamber of Commerce, Breen
Marine and the Port of Siuslaw.
Contact the Port of Siuslaw at
541-997-3040 to reserve a slip
for your boat.
At 3:30 p.m., Santa Claus will
officially arrive on a Siuslaw
Valley Fire and Rescue firetruck
POOCH from page 1A
Dalton’s vision was to provide
a situation where the principles
of positive reinforcement, along
with training provided by pro-
fessionals, would help establish
an empathetic bond between at-
risk youth and homeless dogs.
Project POOCH’s website
shares the stories of some its
successful graduates and offers
an inspiring forecast for those
interested in improving the lives
of participants — from both the
canine and human families.
The hope is to be able to rec-
reate the success achieved at
MacLaren Youth Correctional
Facility at Camp Florence.
Marina Lewis, shelter manag-
er at the Oregon Coast Humane
Society (OCHS) in Florence,
said her experiences working
with the young men at Camp
Florence has been very positive.
“Usually what happens is we
have a dog who we think would
benefit from going to Camp
Florence. We just call them and
say, ‘Hey, can you come and pick
this dog up?’ And we tell them
about the dog to make sure it is a
good fit,” explained Lewis, who
said the shelter has gotten pretty
good at judging what they [the
dog] can and can’t handle — and
what they would and wouldn’t
enjoy. “And we also do it to get
a better picture of who the dog
is outside of the shelter environ-
ment,” added Lewis. “The boys
are really good about telling us
specific traits about the dogs
and what they do and do not
like, and how they act in cer-
tain situations.”
One of the residents of
Camp Florence is a young
man named Frankie, who feels
the work he is doing with the
dogs from OCHS is similar to
work he has done previously
at MacLaren, with the original
Project POOCH, with similar
positive results.
in Historic Old Town, heralding
the beginning of the Florence
Holiday Festival on Bay Street.
Featuring carols, hot cocoa and
cider and hay rides, the Florence
Area Chamber of Commerce’s
family-friendly event also high-
lights Old Town merchants.
Local singers with Children’s
Repertory of Oregon Work-
shops (CROW) will perform
live music at 4:30 p.m. As a
special treat, nationally-touring
swinging crooner Ken Lavigne
will sing beginning at 5:30 p.m.
before heading to his SEAcoast
concert.
Florence Public Works and
community volunteers will fin-
ish putting up lights, evergreen
garlands and the holiday ban-
ners by this weekend. All eyes
will be on the Siuslaw River
Bridge Interpretive Center at 6
p.m., when Florence Mayor Joe
Henry flips the switch to light
the city’s 23-foot living grand
fir and the light displays in the
park.
“Our Old Town area is getting
decked-out for the holidays,”
said Chamber Executive Di-
rector Bettina Hannigan. “Last
year, the City of Florence plant-
ed a gorgeous live tree for our
town to enjoy year after year.”
Those wishing to warm up
but continue the celebration
are encouraged to attend a free
pre-concert talk with Lavigne at
6:15 p.m. at the Florence Events
Center. Tickets are still available
for his “Christmas Roadshow”
at 7 p.m.
“Come on out to be a part of
the festivities!” Hannigan said.
“What we do at Project
POOCH is honestly learn how
to work with the dogs,” Frankie
said. “We are able to apply for
certain certificates and, if we
pass, we get certified and are
able to look after dogs in a ken-
nel environment.
“We are here to rehabilitate
them and help train them.”
Frankie starts out by getting
to know the personality of the
dog he is going to work with and
also identifies medical issues,
like infections or hair loss, and
points those problems out to the
staff veterinarian for treatment.
“Before fostering a dog, we
go and actually have to visit
with the dog first, before even
bringing it to camp,” he said.
“We have other dogs and people
there and we get to know what
the dog’s behavior is and see if
there are any behavior issues we
can address and then we know
what to expect and to work on
— so we can decide whether it
is a good idea to foster them at
camp.”
The health aspects of the dogs
working with the Camp Flor-
ence youth are often secondary
considerations, with bad be-
havior and bad attitudes more
pressing concerns.
“The biggest challenge is the
fact that some dogs are really ag-
gressive or are deemed unadopt-
able, so that is the real issue. The
process is a bit of a guess for
a person never working with
dogs,” Frankie said. “But I come
in with the mindset that I have
to be patient and try to commu-
nicate with them, because they
can’t talk, you just have to go off
of their body language.
“That process is challenging,
but it’s not a bad part.”
Lewis is hoping to increase
the interactions between OCHS
and Camp Florence. She sees
the relationship growing in the
future.
“All of our interactions with
Camp Florence have been really
positive. …The last dog we sent
there was an elderly pit bull,”
said Lewis. “Coco just needed
some tender loving care. There
is nothing wrong with her, she
was just a house dog, she was
like 11 years old, and was used
to being in a house and she
howled the whole time. We sent
her to spend time with the boys
and after that she did great,”
Lewis said.
The experiences Frankie has
had while working with shelter
dogs has made a strong impres-
sion on him and he is pleased
that he has been able to make a
difference in a dog’s life. He has
also found a dog that he enjoyed
working with so much that he
has decided to spend a lot more
time with it.
“The most recent dog I
worked with was a dog I ended
up adopting. His name is Niko
and I got him when he was a
small little puppy,” said Frankie.
“… I went to the humane society
and they said we’ve got this dog
we want you to take a look at.
This little guy was running wild
and had no type of manners …
and I ended up adopting him.”
That scenario is the type
of outcome that the Project
POOCH founder would have
hoped for when she started the
program 25 years ago.
The sentiments expressed by
Frankie, when discussing the
positive aspects of the program,
would also make Dalton happy.
“Success to me is when I get
to see a dog have a happy home
and actually be adopted rather
than sitting in a kennel all day,”
Frankie said. “I think it is beau-
tiful to actually see them go. It’s
kind of like the before and after.
I like seeing the after because
I know that all of my efforts to
help them succeed were worth
it. That to me brings me happi-
ness and joy.”
For contact information for
the Oregon Coast Humane So-
ciety and Camp Florence, see
the groups’ respective websites.
SIUSLAW NEWS FILE PHOTO
Santa Claus will arrive in Historic Old Town Florence at 3:30
p.m. this Saturday for the Florence Holiday Festival.
A Warm Coat.
A Cozy Blanket.
For the homeless and less fortunate,
these warm items are essential
during the winter months.
As part of Windermere’s long standing commitment
to help those in need, our Florence offi ce will be
collecting gently used coats and blankets November
5th – December 19th weekdays from 9am to 4pm.
Please bring these much needed items to
our offi ce at 1625 12th Street. 541-997-5926
windermere.com
HELP US SHARE THE WARMTH THIS WINTER.
BEST WESTERN
Pier Point Inn
Thanksgiving Buffet
Serving Dinner from 2 – 7 pm
Entrées
• Garlic Rosemary Roasted Turkey
• Maple Glazed Ham
• Herb Roasted Pork Loin
Sides
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes
with Gravy
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with sausage & Granny Smith apples
Holiday Craft Sale
All handmade items
Saturday 12/1
9am-5pm
89195 Sutton Lake
Drive
(off Levage)
Mapleton Grange
Multi-Table
Rummage Sale
11/24 • 9-3
East Mapleton Road,
Follow the signs.
Fun! Food!
Come join us!
Tables available to rent.
Call 541-268-1061 msg.
• Candied Yams
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• Mixed Green Salad
• Cranberry Sauce
• Dinner Rolls
Desserts
• Pumpkin Pie
• Pecan Pie
• Apple Pie
• Assorted Cheesecakes
Buffet Price includes Coffee, Tea, Lemonade
$23 • Children 10 & under $15
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Chateau Lorane
T HANKSGIVING O PEN H O USE • Nov. 23, 24, 25 • Noon-5pm
Taste over 13 different wines along with light appetizers for a $6.00 tasting fee.We produce wines for every taste: dry, sweet, late harvest, meads (honey wines) and even a port.
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Winter Hours: Weekends noon-5pm; Mon, Wed, Fri 2-4pm (or by appt.)
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