6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL FEBRUARY 28, 2018
Sol to soul
N
ate named his Mexi-
can-mutt rescue "Sol",
because the "sun" of their love
rises and sets on each others
"souls".
Sol's mother was homeless,
hungry and pregnant when she
sought refuge in a Colima gar-
den. Hoping that she had found
a safe place, she dug a hole un-
der a wall and delivered nine
bouncing babies.
As fate would have it, the
family that owned the garden
fell in love with her. They
took her in, named her Negra
and once weaned, brought the
puppies to the Baja Dog Res-
cue. (http://bajadogslapaz.org).
Their kindness saved Negra and
her puppies from a hard life of
worms, mange, starvation, or
injuries from cars, people and
other dogs.
At the time, Nate, a music
therapist who works with chil-
dren with special needs, lived
3,000 miles away, and was
searching for a dog to work at
his side, one that would be ben-
efi cial for his clients.
"Dogs have a way of sup-
porting people that nothing else
can," said Nate. "When I saw
Sol's picture online I knew he
was my partner. He is an abso-
lute dream of a dog. He's calm,
gentle and patient with a beau-
tiful spirit of love and kind-
ness. He accompanies me to
children's sessions because he
loves them and has an amazing
ability to bring joy, safety, and
comfort to them. One of 'our'
clients arrived extremely shy
but immediately upon seeing
Sol, smiled and opened up. She
and Sol spent the entire session
snuggled up together.
Sol is naturally gentle, com-
passionate, quiet, and patient
with the special needs children;
but he has all the goofi ness and
joy of a puppy to make every-
one laugh."
Nate's furry companion en-
joys hiking, kayaking, camping
and daily walks to the ocean
with his best buddy.
"I am lucky and forever
grateful having such a special
charismatic dog to share this
beautiful world," said Nate.
"We have forests, mountains,
oceans and streams to play in.
He's introduced me to people
that I would never have met.
He's my partner, best friend,
and companion that I love with
all my heart. He has gone from
homeless to healer of the heart
and I can't imagine life without
him."
Sol's siblings were adopt-
ed from Seattle's airport into
neighboring states and Canada!
Last month, Nate and Sol joined
everyone in Seattle to celebrate
the pups' fi rst birthday. It was a
wild party! The dogs remem-
bered each other and played into
exhaustion!
TIPS
When 95-year-old Tips 'n'
Tales reader Bea was a child,
her mother did not allow cats in
the house. Bea loved kitties so
at night time, she let her favor-
ite cat, Topsy, inside, and hid it
in her bed. Her bed's mattress
had a hole, and the kitty knew
to crawl into it and hide until
Bea's mother did a fi nal check
of the room for a cat. Her sus-
picious mother looked under the
bed, never realizing that Topsy
had out smarted her. After her
mother left, Topsy emerged
and snuggled with Bea. Where
there is a loving heart - there is
a way!
Is your pet feeling sickly?
Pet food activist Susan Thixton
said, "After the recent hurri-
canes, many areas went with-
out power. We conservatively
estimated that grocery stores
lost 15 million pounds of meat
and groceries. Guess where all
that spoiled meat goes? To a
landfi ll? No. The spoiled meat
is purchased by meat salvage
companies and is converted into
your pets' food.
Spoiled frozen foods and
dairy products will be diverted
to livestock feed. Sometimes
the paper, plastic and Styrofoam
packaging will be removed,
sometimes it won't. When your
pet refuses to eat a food, or
appears ill or vomits always
question the food they are eat-
ing." Unbelievable! Pentobar-
bital found in pet food. Huge
pet food recalls! Is your pet ill?
Check FDA webpage (www.
FDA.gov) for your pet's food
brand.
VIDEO: Polite Canadian ask-
ing bears to leave his yard.
https://www.kelownacap-
news.com/news/video-b-c-
mans-polite-encounter-with-
bears-praised-for-being-so-ca-
nadian/
What is your fur-avorite pet
memory/adventure?
angelscribe@msn.com
"Follow" Pet Tips 'n' Tales on
Facebook. www.facebook.com/
PetTipsandTales. Adopt Loving
Pets atwww.PetFinder.com
Humane Society for Neuter/
Spay Assistance Program. (541)
942-2789.
n Flowers, Herbs,
& Shrubs
Family owned and operated for over 47 years.
LANDSCAPE AND
BUILDING MATERIALS
Open 7 days a week!
79149 N. River Road
n Fruit Trees
Healthy teeth start early
Do you know the most common chronic disease
that faces young children today?
It’s not asthma or hay fever. It’s actually cavities
in children’s teeth, according to the American
Academy of Pediatrics.
Fortunately, this common health problem can
be corrected if it’s caught early enough and good
habits are taught from a young age.
CRITICAL TO HEALTH
For children, cavities are about more than mouth
pain. Th ey can distract students from learning or
keep them home from school, which can have a
big impact on their educational goals. It’s tough
for a child to “be himself” when he is distracted
by tooth pain, aft er all.
To keep your child’s teeth in tip-top shape,
experts recommend they see a dentist for a
checkup by their fi rst birthday, or shortly aft er
their fi rst teeth appear. Th at’s an early visit —
and one too many parents skip — but it can help
catch oral health problems quickly and also set
the stage for a lifetime of healthy teeth.
GOOD HABITS
One of the most important aspects of good oral
health is maintaining good habits, and that’s
especially true for children.
It’s another reason why regular dental visits are
so important for young people.
WE HAVE SANDBAGS!
n The Northwest’s
Finest Gardening Seed
n Vegetable Transplants
Love Tips 'n' Tales? Read it every week
online at cgsentinel.com and catch-up
on old favorites in our archive.
A dog with a job! Nate's rescue, Sol, takes his job of helping children seri-
ously and with a wagging tale!
20 Palmer Ave. n Cottage Grove n (541) 942-0510
When children go to the dentist, they’re not only
getting work done on their teeth. Th ey’re also
learning lessons about oral hygiene that can last a
lifetime.
Ideally, you’ll want to fi nd a dentist who is good
at teaching children how to take care of their
teeth properly. If the dentist can make it fun for
the child — and show them how important it is
to take care of their oral health — they’ll be much
better off later in life.
Aft er all, the habits they pick up now will likely
stick with them for a long time.
BABY TEETH
Some parents may wonder why they need to pay
so much attention to their children’s baby teeth
when they won’t last through adulthood anyway.
But the truth is that the health of their gums and
teeth as children can impact their smile as an
adult.
Experts at the American Academy of Pediatric
Dentistry say that baby teeth play three big roles:
— Maintaining good nutrition by permitting
your child to chew properly.
— Play a part in speech development.
— Help the permanent teeth by saving space for
them.
In the end, having healthy teeth is also an
important part of having a healthy body. Th ey
will help your child eat right, learn to speak and
smile with confi dence.
541-942-4664
Brent Bitner, DDS
Dentistry with Family in Mind
C ALL U S T ODAY !
541.942.7934
350 E. W ASHINGTON A VENUE • C OTTAGE G ROVE
WWW.CGSMILES.COM
Douglas G. Maddess, DMD
Brightening Lives
One Smile at a Time
914 South 4th St. • CG • 541-942-1559
douglasgmaddessdmd.com