COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL August 19, 2015
7A
Photo by Mary
Ellen “Angel
Scribe”
Bilingual Dog
P
laying the purr-verbial
puppy-rozzi at a Vancou-
ver, Canada, ‘bark park’, I found
myself in the midst of four pet
parents chatting up their ca-
nines. One of them said, “I ad-
opted my dog from the U.S.A.,”
the other three chimed in that
they had too! A lady passing us
added, “I adopted my dog from
Taiwan.”
‘Are you kidding!’ I thought.
‘Canada doesn’t have enough
adoptable dogs at shelters? Ap-
parently, their neuter/spay pro-
grams must have put a dent in
pet homelessness.
I asked Tsukasa if her cute
Rat Terrier/Chihuahua and part
wind-up-toy dog, Cooper, was
named after TV reporter Ander-
son Cooper. She smiled, and in
the loveliest Japanese accent,
said, “I’m Japanese, and ‘coo’
in our language means ‘sky’, so
I named him Cooper because of
its sound. He easily accepted this
honorable name and he’s bilin-
gual; he responds to commands
in Japanese and English.”
Now, most think that dogs just
“know” what you are saying.
But a French family’s dog can
no more understand a German
person asking it to “sit “or if it
“wants a treat” than you could.
is,’ Joe said.
The adoption agency made
sure we would be good pet par-
ents, and then we were permit-
ted to take the dog for a ‘test
run’ on the runway.
Crossing the border back into
Canada went smoothly because
we had Cooper’s necessary vac-
cination certifi cate.”
It did not take long to discov-
er Copper’s mysterious past. He
knew nothing about people or
living in a home!
“Yes, he is adorable,” said
Karen, “but he was not friendly,
or good with people, and he did
not know how to play. The fi rst
time he heard a TV he was star-
tled. We believe in letting a dog
get to know you and patiently
teaching them to become a lov-
ing pet. He quickly transformed,
and today he listens to us and is
no longer anxious. In fact, he’s
a real Californian dog who’s be-
come so relaxed and ‘cool’, that
he loves sun bathing, on his back,
on our balcony. While I practice
my fl ute, he sleeps...so he en-
joys music. He’s also learned to
play. He grabs his stuffed toys
(stuffi es), and shakes and chases
them. He’s such a nice dog now,
and we are happy that we chose
him.”
“No matter how long we walk
Cooper,” said Tsukasa, “when
Learning languages is a skill,
and Cooper has learned two!
This is amazing considering
that he was either a street dog or
a breeder’s ‘toss away,’ because
when he arrived in Tsukasa’s
home he did not have any ‘man-
ners’. He did not know how to
interact with her family or play
—typical signs of neglect and
no human interaction.
At his adoption, she learned
that Cooper’s life was one of
triumph over tragedy. He was
in a ‘high kill’ shelter from the
age of one for eight months, un-
til his miraculous ‘fl y the coop’
fl ight to Canada.
Tsuaka’s children, Karen, 15,
and Joe, 8, began looking for
another pet after the passing of
their 14-year old dog.
“It was diffi cult to fi nd a small
dog,” said Tsukasa. “We looked
on PetFinder.com for months
before a friend mentioned ‘a big
dog adoption event’ at Belling-
ham, Washington’s airport.
We drove two hours to the air-
port, where an airplane arrived
from California with 130 dogs.
The dogs were unloaded and
the chaotic race was on amongst
250 potential pet parents! The
rule was ‘fi rst one to snag a dog
— it was yours’. My son found
Cooper and it was love at fi rst
sight, ‘Mum, look how ‘cute’ he
we step back in the house, he
takes off running — as fast as
he can, like a race car! He tilts
his body for maximum speed,
and we can’t catch him! He then
jumps from bed to bed and the
couch like a ninja!”
Obviously, the minute Coo-
per walks through the door into
his ‘home,’ his heart explodes
with happiness. He can’t con-
tain himself and ‘jumps for joy’
off their fur-niture because he’s
experienced both homelessness
and the joy of a family who
loves him!
“It’s funny that during our 1-
½ mile walks or at the dog park,”
adds Karen, “Cooper doesn’t
run that fast — only at home!
Our next plan is to take him on
challenging hiking trails! I hope
we can keep up!”
Just like Anderson Cooper, we
know that Cooper’s fame from
appearing in this article won’t
go to his head. The experience
will just add another happy end-
ing to his rags to riches story.
TIPS
“I love Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales,”
said Brenda, a reader in Ken-
tucky, “the stories make me
smile. Also, thank you for keep-
ing readers updated on animal
safety/health. I pass the articles
Tsukasa’s
bilingual,
three-year-
old dog,
Cooper,
blows the
expression
“dumb dog”
right out of
the water!
He is smart-
er than most
of us!
on to help others.
Dogs eating jerky treats are
still dying, so I don’t feed my
dogs store-bought jerky, raw-
hide, pig’s ears or treats. They
only get homemade treats. I
eat organic food, so my motto
is, “If I won’t eat it, then neither
should my dogs!” Spending a
little more $$$ and time now,
investing in my pets’ health,
makes sense compared to spend-
ing $$$ on future health issues.
Here is a link for your readers
on jerky adversely affecting pet
health.”
http://truthaboutpetfood.com/
walmarts-private-label-jerky-
treat-linked-to-
23-sick-dogs-3-deaths/
Share your pet tips and tales.
angelscribe@msn.com
“Follow” Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on
Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/
PetTipsandTales
Adopt Loving Pets
www.PetFinder.com
Humane Society for Neuter/
Spay Assistance Program. (541)
942-2789
COMMUNITY BRIEFS
PeaceHealth Med-
ical Group to host
hiring event
www.andreasons.com
On Monday, Aug. 31, from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., PeaceHealth
Medical Group will host a hir-
ing event at PeaceHealth Sacred
Heart Medical Center at Riv-
erBend in an effort to fi ll more
than 40 Certifi ed Medical As-
sistant and Licensed Practical
Nurse (LPN) openings.
Medical Group clinic manag-
ers will be on hand to conduct
interviews with all candidates
who meet the following crite-
ria:
541- 485-6659
Small changes can lead
to big energy savings.
Current Medical Assistant
certifi cation or course of study
that would allow you to sit for
the Medical Offi ce Assistant
exam by October 2015 or a cur-
rent Oregon LPN License.
PeaceHealth said that inter-
ested applicants should note
that medical assistants are now
required to be nationally certi-
fi ed in order to meet updated
regulations related to electronic
health record management.
“This hiring event is a great
opportunity for certifi ed medi-
cal assistants and LPNs who
want to make a change from
long-term care to our new Pri-
mary Care Model,” said Charles
Norris, supervisor, PeaceHealth
Medical Group Talent Acqui-
sition. “These positions will
include both new and existing
jobs across our Eugene/Spring-
fi eld/Cottage Grove/Florence
clinics and help provide much-
needed access to primary care in
Lane County.”
The event will be held in one
of the second fl oor conference
rooms of Sacred Heart Medical
T H E
Center at RiverBend. Applicants
with questions about this event
may contact Heather Mitchell
at 360-729-1453 or at HMitch-
ell@peacehealth.org.
USS Hornet Asso-
ciation plans 67th
reunion
For those who served on the
USS Hornet (CV-8, CV-12,
CVA-12, CVS-12), the 67th Re-
union will be held Sept. 9-13,
2015 in Lexington, Kentucky.
Those seeking more information
may contact Darlene Ash in Cot-
tage Grove at 541-767-1230 or
email her at DarleneAsh1230@
msn.com with subject: Hornet
Reunion in the subject line.
2nd Infantry
Division Alumni
Sought
The 3rd Brigade of the Ar-
N A T I O N A L
MODEL TRAIN
SHOW
OFF
OFF
OFF
F F O
F F O
Portland Expo Center | Aug. 28th-30th
$
$
F F O
F F O
$
$
$
F F
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NATIONALTRAINSHOW.ORG
my’s famous 2nd Infantry Di-
vision will inactivate and be
re-designated as the 1st Brigade
in a 2 p.m. ceremony on Sept.
15, 2015 at Joint Base Lewis-
McChord, Wash. The brigade
has invited veterans of both bri-
gades to attend the ceremony
and associated events, which
include an alumni golf scramble
and reception on Sept. 14; a me-
morial service and reception on
Sept. 15 and a unit organization
day on Sept. 16. Veterans who
are interested in attending can
contact Mike Davino for more
information at 919-498-1910 or
2ida.mail@charter.net.
Veterans offered
legal help
Military veterans who fi nd
themselves facing legal issues
are invited to attend Access the
Law's Veterans Legal Clinic the
last Wednesday of each month
from 5-7 p.m. at the old federal
courthouse, located on the sec-
ond fl oor at 211 E. Seventh Ave.
in Eugene. Those interested
in scheduling an appointment
with an attorney can also call
541-242-0445. Help is available
with issues related to criminal
and civil cases, divorce, custody,
parenting time, child support,
bankruptcy, landlord/tenant and
other areas.
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