COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL October 7, 2015
7A
COMMUNITY
BRIEFS
Hearing Assoc. presentation
Myrna’s Maltese Princesses
Beware of the “pup-a-razzi”. Similar to the
paparazzi, I travel with a camera in search of
a good pet article. Everyone has a story, but
we often do not realize that others are liv-
ing through the pain of grief. Following is a
touching example of what a chance meeting
exposed about the lives of Myrna and her Mal-
tese Princesses.
“My husband was hired to set up a com-
puter system 700 miles north of our home,”
said Myrna, “for a large llama ranch. When
we walked into the llama barn, I was stopped
dead in my tracks by the sight of a hairless,
one-year-old, one-pound Maltese puppy.
I asked about the skinny pup, and they said
‘...it was not trainable, so she ended up in the
barn.’
Were they crazy? It was 30 degrees below
zero outside! And here she was hairless and
malnourished, existing on llamas’ afterbirths!
She smelled as if she was sleeping curled up to
the llamas for warmth.
“I paid $1200 for that dog!” said the rancher.
“Do you want to buy her?”
I was appalled! He treated her like garbage
and then wanted money for her!
I said, “No” while tucking the shivering-
thin creature into my jacket for the rest of that
day. I fi gured one day of warmth and love was
better than none. The next day, I drove home
— alone.
We had two Persian cats, bigger than the pe-
tite pup, and we did not think that they would
get along with a canine. But’ the frigid weather
and the sweet dog haunted my spirit. So, the
next morning, I retraced the 700 miles back,
paid the extortion fee, and returned home with
the shivering, weak dog on my lap.
Our vet took one look at her and said, “I
can’t promise she’ll last a week. Don’t let her
walk because she is too weak.” So I fashioned
a T-shirt around my waist and ‘wore’ that dog
for 1-½ months. We bonded like glue, and the
only name that suited her was our little “Prin-
cess”.
Princess apparently trained through telepa-
thy. She just instinctively always knew what to
do! When I fl ew to Europe, she went with me
when he arrives home he is tired. Princess
always sleeps on his lap after his return. She
literally went from abject poverty into the lap
of luxury. When we go to bed, I lift up our
covers and she crawls in. When she gets hot,
she crawls out and sleeps on our pillows. But
we confess, we are the spoiled ones!”
Apparently, the dog door swings both ways!
During this interview, Princess barked from
their bedroom and Myrna had to leave to hand
Princess her pink-squeaky-piggy toy.
TIPS
Photo by Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe”
The pup-a-razzi captured these two
look-alike family members, Myrna and
her four-pound furry diva, Princess.
They have a tale of heartache, love and
devotion...on both sides.
and was the perfect pet. For 16 years, Princess
was more angel than dog. When she passed,
I cannot begin to describe how deep the pain
was.
My girlfriend understood my grief, so one
day she phoned and said, ‘This is an emer-
gency! Call this number! They have Maltese
puppies!’
My husband and I went to ‘just look’. He
said, ‘You don’t have to take the fi rst dog you
see.’ But when this nine-ounce puppy wiggled
over to me, I knew that if I had to rob a bank
to pay for her I would! Once I saw her, that
was it, I would have sold my soul for that little
doll-baby!
The pup was so lively. She immediately
began running our lives! She can’t speak, but
she knows exactly what and when she wants
something. Yes, this one too, is a Princess!
Our fi rst one was graceful, grateful and appre-
ciative. This one? She is demanding like a real
princess and we would not have it any other
way.
She gives us joy during diffi cult times. My
husband has dialysis, three days a week, and
“To clean stained fur around a pet’s eyes,”
suggests Myrna, “use a drop of contact lens
solution on a Q-tip.
We only use harnesses on our dogs, nev-
er a collar! Our vet said that collars hurt a
pet’s esophagus and they get “throat cancer”
from pulling on a leash. Since every dog pulls
on their leash, both large and small dogs should
have harnesses, which are now made in all siz-
es. An added benefi t for small dogs wearing a
harness is that you can quickly lift them up if a
dangerous situation presents itself.
I believe in cooking for pets. They need real
food, not something from a bag that is covered
in colorful advertising that you would not put
in your own mouth or that would make you
hiss-terical if your child ate it.
Princess loves her ABC veggies: aspara-
gus, broccoli, carrots, caulifl ower, celery and
apples. If I am hungry, and there is nothing
to eat in the house, I know I can eat her food
(I don’t) and nothing bad will happen to me
— or her.
Ask your vet, a pet nutritionalist, or check
the Internet for nutritional pet food informa-
tion.
No dog should be left home alone all day.
Ask a neighbor to walk them or take them
to a doggy ‘Bark Park’. Hopefully you can
get home at lunch to take them outside for a
walk.”
$ PUUBHF ( SPWF
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NEWSPAPER MEDIA
HAS THE POWER TO
INFORM, ENTERTAIN
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When you hold your local newspaper
in your hands – whether in print or on
a mobile device – you hold a powerful
tool to inform and inspire.
For centuries in towns and cities
across North America, local newspa-
pers have served as watchdogs for
the public good and as a powerful
connection between citizens and the
communities around them.
On the 75th Anniversary of National
Newspaper Week, we salute the men
and women who work hard to bring
you the news.
In this digital age, the newspaper au-
dience has never been greater, with
millions reading in print, online or via
mobile. No matter the medium, those
millions of readers have come to rely
on The Power of the Press.
McRae at the Fiddle
Kelly McRae kicks off a fall tour in support of her new
album at the Axe & Fiddle Pub on Wednesday, Oct. 14
at 8:30 p.m.
McRae grew up in Mississippi but called Brooklyn
home before teaming up with guitarist Matt Castelein
in 2011. Drawing comparisons to Lucinda Williams and
Gillian Welch, the duo’s music is wide-ranging, compris-
ing haunting ballads, tender love songs,and energetic gui-
tar driven songs full of hope.
Genealogy help
Those who are having trouble navigating the Family
Search/Family Tree website can bring their laptop and
pedigree chart to the Cottage Grove Genealogy Society
on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 11 a.m. for one-on-one, hands-
on instruction. The Genealogy Society is located at the
Community Center, 700 E. Gibbs Ave. The public is wel-
come and there is no charge.
LWV to meet
Those who would like to be an active and informed
participant in government and increase their understand-
ing of major policy issues are welcome to attend the local
League of Women Voters chapter on Wednesday, Oct. 14
at 2:30 p.m. in Room 110 at the Cottage Grove campus
of Lane Community College, located at 1275 S. River
Rd. The topic will be “Constitutional Conventions”.
Printmaking for young people
An afternoon workshop taught by Michele Rose of
the Crafty Mercantile aims to introduce students to the
graphic art of linocut, one of the simplest of all printmak-
ing methods. The workshop costs $10 and takes place
Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 3:30-5 p.m.
Tell us about your talkative pet!
angelscribe@msn.com
since 1889
On Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, the Hearing Loss Associa-
tion of Lane County will host a presentation by Laura
Hurn, an audiologist at Oregon Medical Group. Hurn will
speak about how to get the most out of audiology testing
and therefore get the best hearing device and program-
ming. A question-and-answer period will follow her pre-
sentation, which will be at the Hilyard Community Cen-
ter, 2580 Hilyard Street in Eugene from 7-8 p.m.
Controlled burn planned
The BLM is planning controlled burns on approximate-
ly 300 acres within the North Bank Habitat Management
Area, approximately three miles southeast of Sutherlin,
Oregon, off North Bank Road, beginning Oct. 6 and end-
ing by Saturday, Oct. 10. The primary objectives for the
controlled burn are to increase the quantity and quality of
forage available and restore oak/madrone woodlands.
ALL SEASONS
BAZAAR
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Catholic Church
1025 N. 19th Cottage Grove, OR
October 16 ~~~10 am to 3 pm
October 17 ~~~10 am to 3 pm
Raffle, Baked Goods, Books, Crafts,
Harvest, Jams, Jellies, etc.
Homemade soup & dessert
lunch served all day.
(We also serve to go)
National Newspaper Week | 75th ANNIVERSARY | Oct. 4-10, 2015
SAGINAW VINEYARD
LIVE MUSIC EVERY FRIDAY
NO COVER CHARGE 6-9pm
Fri, October 9 ................................... Fiddlin’ Sue - suegrass
Fri, October 16 .... Richie G & MA Beat - country and folk
Fri, October 23 ................ Big Mountain Country - country
Fri, October 30 .................... Blue Valentines - rock and roll
Open daily 11 am for
complimentary tasting.
942-1364 • www.saginawvineyard.com