COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL March 25, 2015
7A
COMING
ATTRACTIONS
Chamber choir concert
Canadian Pet Columnist’s Pets
W
hile in Vancouver, BC, Canada, I enjoyed
reading dog trainer Joan Klucha’s weekly
“Canine Connection” pet column. She has been an
integral part of the North Shore News since 1998.
Klucha, who has always loved animals, grew up
on a lakeside farm in Ontario, Canada. Her pet
chicken lived in her bedroom for a few months, and
observing her pet rabbits rapidly multiply “... taught
me about birth control at a young age,” said Joan.
“Living isolated on a farm, I became creative, hav-
ing a pet pigeon, barn cats, a pony, horse and dogs
as my friends.
My love of pets carved my career — all by ‘acci-
dent’! Twenty years ago, I vowed that my Doberman
puppy, Alex, would be an amazing dog, nothing like
the stereotype aggressive Doberman. So, I enrolled
us both into a Human Dog Leadership course. At the
time, I was involved in personal fi tness training and
when one of my clients brought her dog to class...
he was a nightmare! I volunteered to train him and
she was pleased with his paws-itive changes. A few
weeks later, one of her friends phoned asking me to
train her dog! Just like that I was in the dog-training
business! A few years later, I approached the Van-
couver, B.C. Police K9 unit and asked if they would
like help training their dogs. The sergeant was open
to the idea! So, I began working with their upstand-
ing purrs-onal’s puppies and dogs doing quarry work
and tracking.
This is about the same way that I ended up as a
pet columnist. All of a sudden! For a few weeks, I
was helping a woman train her dog, and one day I
suggested that I submit a pet column to her newspa-
per. The editor loved the idea, and that was 20 years
ago. Like Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe”, my column
is a passion, teaching readers canine wisdom, and
thereby creating better lives for both reader and ca-
nine.
At the moment, I have three amazing dogs and a
horse that all have very different personalities and
energy levels.
Piper is a 10-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer
(my favorite breed of dog) and my Prince Charming.
He’s an easy dog to train even with his bundle of
energy. He’s a big boy at 95 pounds and very affec-
tionate. When he curls up beside me he rests his big
head on my lap like a little guy.
Zumi is a 12-year-old Czech bred German Shep-
herd. She was originally destined to be part of the
Vancouver Police Department’s K9 breeding pro-
gram, but she was rejected because of her hips, so
I was allowed to keep her. She is gorgeous – jet-
black, no tan markings and is so beautifully put to-
gether. Zumi is very protective and loyal. She would
give her life for me. It brings me to tears thinking of
her devotion to my safety. At all times, Zumi is never
more than fi ve feet away from me. She takes her job
of being my personal bodyguard very seriously.
Raider, a goof ball, is a two-year-old Border Col-
lie/Cattle dog mix that weighs 45 pounds. Compared
Courtesy Photo
to my other dogs, he is a little guy. He is an affec-
Canadian Pet Columnist Joan with her
tionate dog with a HIGH energy level. Even so, he
horse, Tex.
is very manageable because, fi rst, I was aware he
would be and, second, I know how to work with ers didn’t appreciate what they had underneath that
dogs to keep his energy in check. He is incredibly
scruffy sickly looking colt. Their loss, my gain!
smart and loves to jump. When Raider gets excited,
I don’t compete with him, so he’s my ‘get out and
he jumps straight up from the ground and back down
have fun horse’. He’s really a big dog that’s playful
like he is on an invisible trampoline.
and always looking for fun mischief. I’ve taught him
My amazing horse, Tex, is an eight-year-old quar-
to come to a whistle and his name, just like a dog,
ter horse. I’ve had him since he was a year and a half.
and posted a video of it on my k9 kinship Facebook
He is gorgeous now and he receives a lot of attention
page.
from people.
When I bought him for $500 he was an ugly duck-
Thank you for letting me share my pets in your
ling. He looked like a llama with a long ugly shaggy
column!” Joan’s website is www.k9kinship.com
white coat. He was covered in lice and had an ab-
scessed foot. I put him on the best feed I could af-
ford, gave him some kind gentle training and voila!
Eight year later he turned into another Prince Charm-
Next week’s Tips n Tales features Joan’s pet tips.
ing. Tex is gentle, kind, honest and sensitive. He’s
taught me many lessons on trust. The previous own-
TIPS
The University of Oregon Cham-
ber Choir will present a concert at St.
Andrew’s Episcopal Church on Sunday,
April 19 at 3 p.m. It will be a program of
sacred and secular music, both old and
new. The concert is free, but there will
be a free-will offering to help with the
choir’s expenses when they go to a fes-
tival in Germany. There will be a recep-
tion following in the parish hall.
Tonewood Trio
Jazz ensemble Tonewood Trio brings
its mellow tunes with reeds and tight
harmonies to the Village Green Resort
for a free show on Saturday, March 26
from 7-10 p.m. The Village Green is lo-
cated at 725 Row River Road.
Hiatt at the Opal
Center
The Opal Center announces that sing-
er-songwriter Lilly Hiatt will perform
there on Wednesday, April 1 at 8 p.m.
Hiatt is the daughter of celebrated
musician John Hiatt, whose songs have
been recorded by the likes of Bob Dylan,
Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Raitt dur-
ing the course of his 40-year career.
Lilly is supporting her second CD,
Royal Blue, with a national tour.
The Opal Center is located at 513
Main Street in downtown Cottage
Grove.
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EASTER
THANK YOU
April 5, 2015
Delight Valley Church of Christ
33087 Saginaw Road East, Cottage Grove
541-942-7711
9:30 am Breakfast in the improved
Fellowship Hall
10 am Donuts and Hot Chocolate
in the Gym
10:30 am Worship Service starts in
the Gym
11 am Kids leave for a Special
program in the Chapel
11 am One man play “Peter’s
Second Chance”
Aft er the Worship Service,
there will be a 5,000 Egg
Easter Egg Hunt!
Please join us!
The Staff and Board of Community Sharing
would like to thank the following Sponsors and
Cooks for their support in making the
2015 Helping Hands Souper a great success.
Starfire Lumber
Magnolia Gardens Assisted Living ~ Middlefield Oaks Assisted
Living ~ Betty Wright ~ Woodard Family Foundation
U.S. Bank ~ Weyerhaeuser Company ~ Pacific Yurts
Old Mill Farm ~ Emerald Peoples Utility District
South Lane School District ~ Umpqua Bank
Lane Electric Coop ~ PayneWest Insurance ~ Lane Transit District
South Lane County Fire and Rescue ~ Cottage Grove Sentinel
Healing Matrix ~ Pinocchio’s Pizza ~ Village Green Resort
Special Thanks to Meyer Media
Jerry Vaverka ~ Bruce and Wendy Kelsh ~ Judd VanGorder
Paul Eckstine ~ Beth Pool ~ Sara Meyer and Samantha Duncan
Debbie Lavios and Grandchildren ~ Gail Hoelzel
Mary McNamara and Grandchildren
Thank you for your continued support.
