6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL NOVEMBER 29, 2017
PHOTO BY MARY ELLEN ANGEL SCRIBE/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
Rossi, with her rescues. Teeger, 10-year-old, looks and acts like a pup, and
Peanut, 9-year-old, acts like Teeger's mother.
W
hen Rossi worked at a pet store, she purr-posely broke
the rules.
"It hurt seeing caged puppies," said Rossi, "who
had never walked on grass. So after our boss left, the staff took the
pups outside for a walk. The pups' happiness was contagious and
it sped adoptions."
Rossi, witnessing the horrors of the pet industry through the pet
store, encouraged her to enroll in fi lm school and to gear projects
towards dog rescue and not buying from stores.
For her second dog, she searched for one with emotional scars.
She did not care about the size, age or breed, she wanted one who
had lived a hard life, to heal its heart and teach it that life can be
beautiful. Rossi found Peanut, a nine-year-old, Dachshund mix
with sad eyes refl ecting years of hardships.
The small dog was rescued from "death row" as she had yet
another huge belly full of puppies. Peanut had been tied to a fence
for eight years, where any roving dog could impregnate her. She
had birthed eight large litters. When Peanut was expecting again,
her family drove her to a shelter. Once the puppies were weaned,
Rossi and her other dog, Teeger, a 10-year-old Chiwennie, adopted
an exhausted Peanut.
"When Peanut arrived," said Rossi, "she was scared and con-
fused. She did not realize she was fi nally 'home'. She kept trying
to run away to 'nowhere', so I never let her off leash. On car rides,
Peanut's eyes refl ected fear, and she'd shake from head to toe think-
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ing that I was driving her back to the shelter."
Thankfully, after a month of love and routine, Rossi's magic be-
gan working! The dog realized that Rossi was her "mother" and that
Teeger was her brother. Peanut relaxed for the fi rst time in her life.
Teeger loves Peanut and understands that she needs him to teach
her how to be a dog. He takes his brother role seriously and shows
his sister the ropes by teaching her how to play.
"She was never walked," said Rossi, "or played with. Today,
she LOVES walks but NOT on rainy days! After having so many
puppies, her hips give out, so we often use a pet stroller. She loves
the freedom to explore the world rolling along, a few feet higher,
safe and in comfort."
When they bought Peanut her fi rst squeaky toy, she didn't know
what to do with it! She watched Teeger attack and run around the
house with the toy. Then several months later, everything changed.
She is happy, her eyes no longer refl ect sadness, her tale wags, she
is protective of Teeger, shares her bed with him, and washes him
like one of her babies. She carries her toy everywhere, squeaking it
the entire time, and insists on bringing it on walks.
"When my niece and nephew come over," said Rossi, "we play
Hide and Seek. I always get caught because Peanut follows me,
exposing my hiding spot! The children quickly learned to look for
Peanut to fi nd me!"
Rossi has friends who purchased high-priced puppies from breed-
ers/pet stores. Their dogs are so ill-behaved that they are banned
from doggy daycares. Her friends cannot believe how well-man-
nered and loving Peanut is, learning that a rescued pet knows where
it has been verses where it is now, and they try to please their rescu-
er. Adopt, don't shop! It is rewarding on so many levels.
TIPS
"Cesar Milan's TV show," suggests Rossi, "teaches wonderful
dog tips. Dogs need daily exercise and if their bodies are not able,
then an animal stroller is a blessing. We found so many benefi ts
using a stroller. It is easier to use on excursions, because all dogs
are like us, even when old we still want to see and smell nature!
All minds need stimulation; and after a walk, the dogs are happy,
energized, and so am I."
Rossi's inspiring/heartwarming animal shelter commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5cKw9QXMhM&fea-
ture=youtu.be
Teeger and Peanut's Instagram account - TotallyTeeger
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
South Lane Physical Therapy LLC
Did you know?
W. STU HOGG
PT, OCS, COMT
Orthopedic • Sport • Spine
MARIE WILLIAMSON
PTA
Family owned and operated for over 47 years.
ZADA MARTIN
Zada Martin has worked hard
to produce quality work and
continually strives to improve.
Cottage-Grove-Sentinel
The City of Cottage Grove Public Works Department will be
conducting its annual Leaf Pickup during the following weeks:
November 13 th -17 th • December 4 th - 8 th • December 18 th -22 nd
Tips for Leaf Placement in Street
✓ Only piles of loose leaves will be picked up
✓ Pile leaves on the street surface near the gutter, keeping gutter
and catch basins free of leaves so storm water is not obstructed
✓ On streets without curbs and gutter, pile the leaves near the street
surface away from ditches
✓ Stack the leaves so that they don’t block bike and traffi c lanes
✓ Leaves should be piled in rows so they do not block the fl ow of
water along the curb and do not encroach on the traffi c lane
✓Do not place leaves in the streets where curbside parking does
not exist. You may bring those leaves to the designated area
outside the Row River Water Treatment Plant at 3300 Row
River Road
✓ Do not place your leaves in plastic bags
✓ Branches will not be picked up
✓ Shrub prunings and blackberry vines will not be picked up
✓ Do not include rocks, metal or other debris in your leaf pile
✓ Lawn clippings will not be picked up
For more information please contact the Public Works
Department at (541)767-4100 during working hours
of Monday through Friday, 8:00AM to 5:00PM.
303 Main Street, Cottage Grove OR
Phone: 541.942.6482
Fax: 541.942.6483
LARGEST SELECTION OF NUTS & BOLTS
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NORTH DOUGLAS E/MS
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
EVELYN
CHRISTENSEN
Evelyn Christensen is a
fi rst grade student at North
Douglas Elementary/Middle
School. She is a very respon-
sible student who always does
her best work on every task.
Evelyn’s behavior is an ex-
ample to
others on
how
to
be a re-
spectful
and kind
classmate.
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