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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2021)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | DECEMBER 9, 2021 | 5A Pet Tips‘n’ Tales: A “Precious” Miracle By Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe” When Heather’s mar- riage ended, she declared to God, “Phooey! I am done with men! Send me a dog!” Shortly after, at a Christ- mas gathering, she met an Australian Shepherd and fell in love with the breed. She put a photo of herself with the Aussie on her car’s sun visor and asked in prayer for one. She volunteered at the SPCA and saw hundreds of dogs. Inexplicably, she never saw one with a pinch of Aussie in it. She also scanned newspaper ads and the Internet for “Her dog”. She wondered, “What is up?!” Because she never saw “her” Aussie rescue. After two years, she looked at the faded pho- to on her visor, removed it and angrily tore it up. As she tossed the remains into the air, she looked heavenward and de- clared, “Phooey on you, too! Two years I’ve been waiting! Praying! And nothing!” For the first time in her life, she be- gan doubting her faith. A few days later while on the phone with her friend, Heather told Kim about the faded pho- to incident. Kim declared, “We’ve been looking for a home for an Aussie, Pre- cious, for months now! She’s been breaking into our yard! My husband was incensed at watching our vicious neighbor beating Precious; so one day, he marched over to the abuser and demanded, ‘I am sick of you beating your dog in front of us. Give it to me now.’ The abuser threw the dog and her leash at him.” Heather hung up and drove to Kim’s home for “her” dog. A few months later, Heather’s new cleaning lady, June, asked, “Where did you get that dog? She sure looks like the dog I rescued in Tampa before we moved here to Key West.” The next week, June ar- rived with Heather’s dog’s baby photos! How was this possible? June had moved from 450 miles away! Ex- plain that! Im-paws-ible! No one can! What mira- cle led June to walk into the very home, in a city of 27,000 people and she was the one who had also res- cued the puppy! “I was driving in Tampa and saw a nasty bugger, in a pickup truck, toss a puppy out onto the six- lane freeway,” said June. “I slammed on my breaks, ran over, and rescued the animal.” June named the injured baby, Precious. After a hur- ricane forced her family to move, her new landlord would not let them keep the dog. Sadly, unknow- ingly, in her innocence she gave the young dog to the abuser. What is lacking in some- one’s mind and heart to beat and terrorize sweet innocence? The puppy, now grown, still cowers when she rides in Heath- er’s pickup truck but not in her car. Heather eventually moved to Canada and Pre- cious, who was born on the east coast, did what most people never do. She had lived in two countries and swam in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. found her true love! TIPS Animals are not dumb. Treat their spirits, hearts and bodies with respect. They have feelings and feel physical pain just like us. Never underestimate a dog’s intelligence or depth of their heart and under- standing of humans. Precious knew com- mands in English, Ger- man, French and Italian. Even though she held memories of her early abuse, her forgiveness and love for others left over 1,000 people mourning her upon her passing. Very few humans leave a legacy like Precious a three-time rescued dog! In her honor, COURTESY PHOTO It is a miracle to be rescued once, but Heather’s dog, consider having your pet become a service animal. Precious, was rescued three times. Precious trained and became an amazing ther- apy dog. She uplifted children at elementary schools while they read and offered compassion and comfort to seniors in care homes. She loved people and they loved her. She earned medals for her hours of volunteering dedication and received a letter of acknowledgment Wastewise Holidays: Make Memories Not Waste Contributed by WasteWise Lane County According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the United States creates 5.8 million more tons of waste in December than in any other month of the year. That’s equivalent to 28,713 Boeing 747 airplanes. Spend more time with loved ones this holiday season by getting crafty and using recyclable materials to create festive holiday decorations and giftwrap can help reduce the environmental impact of your holiday while creating fun new memories. “One of the most effective ways to reduce the carbon footprint of your holiday – aside from reducing food waste – is to focus on reusing materials you already have on hand to create decorations and gifts,” said Lane County Master Recycler Program Coordinator Kelly Bell. “Do-it-yourself ideas are easy to find on websites like Pinterest or SimplifyTheHolidays.org.” Give DIY a try: • Use old greeting cards or used wrapping paper to make wreaths, tree ornaments, gift tags, snowflakes, gar- lands, bunting or other cheerful holiday decorations. • Have a gift-making get together and create soup mix- es, hot chocolate kits, bath products, or other crafts to give as gifts during the holiday season. Many ingredients can be purchased in bulk, which saves on cost and sin- gle-use packaging. • Decorate cereal or shoe boxes to use as gift boxes, and 6-day weather forecast FRIDAY SATURDAY 46° | 39° 46° | 38° AM Showers Rain SUNDAY MONDAY 43° | 37° 43° | 34° use comics, maps, calendars or fabric in place of wrap- ping paper. A 2019 poll from the Center for a New American Dream found that three out of four Americans wish that holidays were less materialistic. Creating DIY decora- tions and gifts is one way to prioritize making lasting hol- iday memories with children and loved ones that enrich the holiday experience, save money and reduce waste. WasteWise Lane County offers education, tools and re- sources that residents, schools, and businesses can use to reduce waste, conserve resources and live more sustain- ably. Visit www.LaneCountyOR.gov/wastewise to learn more. from Queen Elizabeth in gratitude for her services. “Precious taught many of us about love, patience, faith, trust, friendship, faith in a higher Power and in life’s amazing coinci- dences,” said Heather. Who was luckier for finding each other? Heath- er or Precious? Paws-ibly Heather, because after she divorced a “dog” and Tell us your fun/amazing/ crazing pet tips and tales. angelscribe@msn.com Pet Tips ‘n’ Tales on Face- book. www.facebook.com/Pet- TipsandTales Adopt Loving Pets www.PetFinder.com Humane Society for Neuter/Spay Assistance Program 541-942-2789 Samaritan’s Purse seeks church aid for Afghans Tens of thousands of Afghans who support- ed and saved the lives of American troops are now in holding camps at U.S. military bases. They need places to live and help plugging into local com- munities. Samaritan’s Purse, a pro- gram of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, seeks churches willing to care for these families who fled from terror under the Taliban regime and left ev- erything behind. This would be a signif- icant commitment, and Samaritan’s Purse is com- mitted to working along- side churches who answer this call. Additional information on how a church can sup- port a family transitioning into American life is at www.samaritanspurse.org LORANE COUNTRY NEWS Contributed by Lil Thompson for The Sentinel • Crow Middle/High School Food Drive has arrived. They’re collecting only non-perishables, non-expired foods. The food drive ends on Dec. 13. Let’s support our community. • On a similar note, there are two drive-by food do- nation days to help those less fortunate have a great Christmas. The first to help those in Lorane on Sat- urday, Dec. 11 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in front of the Lorane Deli. The second will help those in Crow on Sunday, Dec. 12 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Crow Grange parking lot. Santa will be present again this year at both sites. Donations are also accepted. Con- tact John Long at 785-806-5262 for more information. • There are boxes to accept food non-perishables at the Lorane Family Store and the Lorane Post Office. • The Angel Tree is up in the Lorane Family Store and Crow High School Gym. Pick an Angel ornament, purchase a gift, and return unopened to the tree. If you are unable to make it to the tree, call Marissa 541- 517-6608 or Paula May 541-729-3999. Monetary do- nations will also be accepted if you are unable to shop. • Class of 2022 Fundraiser is Candy Cane Sleighs. You may purchase them from Dec. 6 – Dec. 16 for only $5 loaded with one Kit Kat candy cane and 10 variety pack of mini-Hershey bars. Contact the Crow M/H office to order for a senior. • Come on down to the Grower’s Market in front of the Lorane Deli. You will find beautiful Noble Fir green swags ready for you to pick up. Your donations for them will go towards the Christmas Food Baskets and Angel Tree Program. • Lorane Fire Department and the Fire Board will enjoy their Christmas gathering on Monday, Dec. 13 at Lorane Grange. DID YOU KNOW? You can listen to all of your favorite Light Rain Rain TUESDAY WEDNESDAY 43° | 34° Music – Programs – Sports on our FM Translator 99.7 44° | 36° 24 hours a day Rain/Snow Showers Showers Find us on your 60 % of small businesses close within 6 months of a cyber-attack. FM dial at 99.7FM LASIK, Laser Cataract Removal, Diabetic Eye Exams, and Glaucoma Comprehensive Eye Care including Youth and Optical Services Th ank you for listening! Call 541-942-5000 (541) 942-0555 321 Main Street Cottage Grove, OR 97424 Lobby Phone: 541.942.2468 Studio Line: 541.942.5548 Online requests: request@knnd.com 257 N. 8th St. • www.pcvi.com Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm Official LASIK and Eye Doctors of the Oregon Ducks and Eugene Emeralds 257 N. 8th St. • Cottage Grove