COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL August 12, 2015
Surviving Together
“Kindness is the language
which the deaf can hear and
the blind can see.”
— Mark Twain
“
I have always loved ani-
mals,” said Sharon. “At
home, I gently catch insects and
release them outside. Outside, I
‘save’ worms by placing them
into a garden after heavy rain
washes them onto the sidewalk.
I am allergic to cats, but I still
have to pet them, resulting in
hives and sneezing. And I enjoy
a dog’s company more than a
human’s.
I never dreamt of marriage
or children, only a sports car,
a beautiful ocean view home...
and a dog.
As a young woman, my
roommate’s Weimaraner, Jax-
son, was gorgeous, high-strung,
and when left alone...a terrorist!
He ripped out our couch’s cush-
ions’ stuffi ng. The living room
looked like a feather bomb had
exploded! He also once dug out
all the dirt from my large pot-
ted palm trees — and rolled in it
— on our white carpeting!
I adored Jaxson, but he had the
attention span of a fl ea. While
leash walking him, he spotted a
neighbor’s dog and he ‘just had
to say hello’. He ran across the
road. I ran after him — right
into an SUV. After nearly giving
my life up for that crazy, unhurt
dog, I was discharged from the
hospital with only bumps and
bruises.
My boyfriend and I moved
in together, and we decided to
adopt a West Highland Terrier,
Westie, because they are smart,
peppy and friendly. It was ser-
endipitous timing. I was doing
a crossword and right next to it
was an ad for Westie puppies!
As we approached the pup-
pies, we heard a symphony of
eight six-week old puppies yip-
ping and yapping. They were
white and fl uffy; seven of them
fell all over themselves to greet
us. The puppy that we came for
was busy digging in the dirt with
his ball, and he was covered
from head to toe in mud! To
my surprise, when he was gen-
tly put into a sink of water, he
sat quietly, closed his eyes and
totally relaxed as warm water
sloshed around him — until he
transformed into white again.
That night, while trying to
crate-train our little Hercules, he
barked for hours. Worn out, we
relented and lifted him onto the
bed, where he promptly peed.”
Apparently, Hercules had
strong-armed the couple with
the infamous Westie stubborn-
ness, and from that night on he
has slept on a ‘big’ bed.
When Sharon’s human rela-
tionship blew apart, like one of
Jaxson’s feather cushions, she
left with little more than the
clothes on her back and Hercu-
les. They moved into a studio
apartment with nothing.
“I didn’t care,” said Sharon.
“The two of us were together
and we were starting over. With
Hercules by my side, when I
was scared, lost, alone or un-
sure, I felt comforted. When
I was happy or dreaming of a
brighter future, he was still by
my side. His company, love, de-
votion and affection guided me
through the darkest times. Even
though I was alone, I never felt
lonely. He was and is a heartbeat
at my feet.
It doesn’t matter if I am gone
for fi ve minutes or fi ve hours,
Hercules’ greeting is always an
exuberant, ‘You’re home! Thank
Goodness! I’ve been waiting
forever!!!’
When I started an interior de-
sign company, Hercules was a
staple at my side; at job sites,
furniture stores, client’s homes,
site meetings and the offi ce.
Many of my staff bring their
dogs to work too. But, Hercules
is the only dog banned from one
of the offi ces after he stole an
employee’s sandwich and took
off running — dragging the
sandwich behind him!
In his youth, Hercules swam,
surfed, rough-housed with big
dogs, chased balls, dug big holes
and charmed everyone.
Today, he is 15 years old,
so we take our time and stroll.
His ‘presents’ has introduced
us to many human and canine
friends, and our lives have come
full circle. He is deaf, so we use
sign language to communicate,
but he mostly indicates what
he wants with his deep-brown
www.shoppelocal.biz
Photo by Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe”
Sharon and Hercules have an enviable love and bond
that many never experience. Hercules, a deaf 15-year-
old West Highland White Terrier, was voted the cutest of-
fi ce dog. But the voting may have been biased, because
Hercules is the boss’s dog!
les on a wall, or slap a hand on
the steps to alert them to feeding
time, outside time, or bedtime.
expressive eyes and I hear him
with my heart.
My dreams have come true.
Today, I have a sports car, a
beautiful home with a view of
the water and a wonderful dog.”
NEW ANIMAL TV SHOW!
Kleenex warning! New TV
show builds animal shelters for
deserving communities!
https://www.facebook.com/
AnimalHouseTV
TIPS
- It is cruel to startle a pet.
Does your pet make you
laugh? Tell us!
angelscribe@msn.com
- Pets know when you mock
or laugh at them and it hurts
their feelings.
“Follow” Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on
Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/
PetTipsandTales
- Teach yourself and your pet
basic sign language. Google:
American Sign Language, ASL,
for words as; bed, car, car ride,
come, dinner, food, inside, lake,
outside, sit, stay, toy, water etc..
Adopt Loving Pets
www.PetFinder.com
- Deaf pets respond to vibra-
tion; tap out different “Morse
code-like” combinations.
For example: Tap your toes
on the fl oor, knock your knuck-
Humane Society for Neuter/
Spay Assistance Program. (541)
942-2789
Building Oregon website offers
architectural photos of Oregon
BY DANIEL MORET
For the Sentinel
A
new mobile-friendly website
developed by Oregon State
University Libraries highlights the
architecture of the Pacifi c North-
west and offers a wealth of photos
and information about historically
signifi cant buildings in Oregon.
Buildingoregon.org is a digital
library that includes a collection of
images of more than 5,000 cultural
and historic properties. The site
makes Oregon’s architectural heri-
tage accessible on smart phones and
tablets.
“This grant project is a terrifi c ex-
ample of ongoing collaboration be-
tween Oregon State University and
the University of Oregon,” said Faye
A. Chadwell, Donald and Delpha
Campbell University Librarian and
OSU Press Director. “It leverages
our respective strengths within each
library to enhance access to impor-
tant cultural content.
“I am especially pleased with
OSU’s development work on this
project as we’ve created an open
technical framework for other cul-
tural heritage entities such as muse-
ums, archives and presses to use to
reach wider audiences.”
OSU Libraries developed the
website, which makes the Univer-
sity of Oregon’s “Building Oregon:
Architecture of Oregon and the Pa-
cifi c Northwest” collection acces-
sible to users on smart phones and
other mobile devices. Building Or-
egon uses a map-based interface to
allow people to search for buildings
by location and to retrieve related
images and information.
Many photos in the collection
represent cultural heritage sites list-
ed on the National Register of His-
toric Places. The mobile website has
potential to inform and inspire edu-
cators, students, architecture buffs,
historians and tourists.
The development of the Build-
ing Oregon website was supported
in part by the Institute of Museum
and Library Services through the
Library Services Technology Act
and administered by the Oregon
State Library. The open source code
for this application is available via
GitHub.
Information about Oregon State
University Libraries and Press and
their collections can be found at
osulibrary.oregonstate.edu. More
information about the University of
Oregon Libraries and their collec-
tions can be found at library.uore-
gon.edu.
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