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About Cannon Beach gazette. (Cannon Beach, Or.) 1977-current | View Entire Issue (July 3, 2015)
4A • July 3, 2015 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com Meet Gunner, the city’s K-9 goodwill ambassador G unner, the Cannon Beach K-9, made a public ap- pearance Tuesday, June 16, and demonstrated why he is so valuable to local law enforce- ment. The 2-year-old, 75-pound chocolate Labrador retriever is specially trained to sniff out methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, and in the future there are plans for him to receive training in search and rescue. With these skills, Gunner could prove an as- set to police rescuing lost hikers, children or older adults who go missing. The police department’s K-9 program aims to deter crime, locate lost or injured people, lo- cate and seize illegal narcotics, and perform positive community relations through canine demon- strations, like this one. A display of Gunner’s training FDPH DW WKH &DQQRQ %HDFK ¿UH KRXVH DV WKH ¿QDOH WR WKH &DQ non Beach police department event, “Burger With a Cop.” Chief Jason Schermerhorn per- sonally manned the grill. Guests then strolled from Cannon Beach 9DFDWLRQ5HQWDOVRYHUWRWKH¿UH house, where in the driveway and secluded in a police vehicle, Gunner was being kept quiet, in preparation for the demo. Chief Schermerhorn intro- GXFHG*XQQHU¶VKDQGOHU2I¿FHU Josh Gregory, while the dog re- mained offstage. Gregory thanked the crowd and those who assisted with training and donations. Consid- ered the Cannon Beach Police 'HSDUWPHQW¶V ³QLQWK RI¿FHU´ Gunner has been trained to identify and locate metham- phetamine, heroin, and cocaine. Gregory spoke to the audience YHU\VSHFL¿FDOO\DERXW*XQQHU¶V training. “No marijuana,” he said. “We saw that coming down the pipeline just as everybody did. We said ‘Hey, we don’t need to do that.’ He’d get retired ear- ly.” Gregory said Gunner has what is called a “passive alert.” “Some dogs have an ag- gressive alert,” Gregory said. “They’ll go scratch at the odor, and usually the dog’s going to pick what he’s going to do. Gun- ner will go up to the odor, he’ll source the odor, and you can watch where he’ll bracket back C ANNON S HOTS By R.J. MARX Along with drug searches, Gunner will be trained for search and rescue operations. and forth. He’s in odor, then he’s out of it. He stiffens up, he takes different breaths, becomes more active, and works toward the source. and then will very excit- edly say, ‘Look, it’s right here, Dad!’ True to form, Gunner’s move- ments traced a path around the ¿UHKRXVH DUHD VQLI¿QJ IURP place to place as he sought out the hidden cache of drugs, plant- ed for the demonstration. As he ]HURHG LQ RQ KLV ¿QG ² LQ OHVV WKDQDPLQXWH²*XQQHUZDVUH warded with his favorite doggie toy. He executed this training not once, but twice. While the toy is satisfying for Gunner, Gregory said it’s praise that really motivates his partner. “He wants to know he is accepted by me and he has made me happy; as any dog owner knows, I’ll just get down there and love on him, and he’s excited about that. That’s more his reward than the toy.” *XQQHU ZDV RI¿FLDOO\ FHUWL ¿HG WKURXJK WKH 3DFL¿F 1RUWK west Police Detection Dog As- sociation March 3. Gregory said the association focuses specif- ically on drug searches, rather than patrolling or tracking. The learning never stops. Gregory continues to receive advancedtraining through the Pacific Northwest Police Detec- tion Dog Association. “Maybe I’m having an issue with Gun- ner,” Gregory said. “Maybe he’s Uncorked Ramblings R.J. MARX PHOTO Offi cer Josh Gregory demonstrates the skills of his K-9 partner Gunner, Tuesday, June 16 at the fi rehouse. doing something unusual. I can call somebody on the phone and say, ‘Hey this is what my dog’s doing? Have you ever faced this situation?’ And they’ll be right on top of it. Someone’s going to have experienced that situation as well, and this is how they fixed it.” Along with drug search- es, Gunner will be trained for search and rescue operations. “If there’s a missing person, an Alz- heimer’s patient or an overdue hiker at Ecola, we’re going to be DUHVRXUFHWR¿QGWKRVHSHRSOH´ Gregory said. “That’s our future. First we want to get a good year of drug work together, get over some of those bumps, those hic- cups that might occur. Gregory said he anticipates ¿YH WR VHYHQ \HDUV ZLWK *XQQHU “before he retires out and gets to be lazy all day.” “I’m proud of this and I hope everyone else is,” Gregory said. ‘We work as a great team. I know what I’m doing and he knows what he’s doing. That is everything we want from our dog. He just makes me look good.’ Offi cer Josh Gregory “The interagency development that’s going on together all the way to Astoria is huge here. Ev- eryone works so well together, and it’s great for the community. We work as a great team. I know what I’m doing and he knows what he’s doing. That is every- thing we want from our dog. He just makes me look good.” The community was urged to keep the program properly funded. Implementing a police canine into the program can cost approximately $25,000, which covers the cost of the dog, train- ing, veterinary care, food, hous- ing, a police canine kit, handler XQLIRUP DQG SDWURO FDU PRGL¿ cations for the canine. All dona- tions are tax deductible and are accepted at the Cannon Beach Police Department and Cannon Beach City Hall. For more in- formation, contact Chief Jason 6FKHUPHUKRUQ 2I¿FHU 'HYRQ (GZDUGVRU2I¿FHU-RVK*UHJR ry at 503-436-2811. At the close of the event, Gun- ner, his work over for the eve- ning, interacted with the public. Everyone wanted to talk to him and pet him. Gunner is turning RXWQRWMXVWWREHDFHVDW¿QGLQJ drugs, but is also fast becoming one of the city’s most inviting goodwill ambassadors. STEVEN SINKLER Crisp whites, rosés and bubbly to enhance the summer Sunny days and busy streets tell me that sum- mer has arrived in Cannon Beach. This is my favorite time of the year as Maryann and I sit on our deck almost every evening and enjoy fresh fruit and greens from the Farmers Market with something off the grill. And wine of course! As the days get warmer, my wine picks tend to get lighter. So much is made about pairing the proper wine with your food that we of- ten forget that the wine has to pair with the temperature as well. If it’s 90 degrees outside and you’re already sweating, a big glass of cabernet sauvignon will only contribute to your dis- comfort. Instead, a crisp, cool glass of white wine or rosé is refreshing. But, as I write these words, I can almost feel them ricochet off the foreheads of readers who proudly exclaim they only drink red wine. Here are a couple of local wines to get you and your friends happily through summer. You know I like spar- kling wine! What better way to say hello to sunny skies or a beautiful sunset than a crisp, cold glass of bub- bly? Oregon wineries are VWDUWLQJWR¿JXUHRXW0RWK er Nature has blessed them with perfect conditions to make sparkling wine. Sokol Blosser Sparkling Evolution is a Wine Shack favorite and a bottle of this should al- ways be in your collection. 7KLVZLQHRIIHUV\RXÀDYRUV of apricot, apple and pear. Made from Sokol Blosser White Evolution wine, this sparkler goes nicely with VKHOO¿VK D FKHHVH SODWH desserts and a sunny beach. Personally, I chill sparkling wine as cold as I can get it. Also, the new thing for spar- kling wine is to ditch the WDOO VOHQGHU ZLQH ÀXWH DQG instead, enjoy the bubbly in Boac’s Bird Notes IHFWPDWFKZLWK¿VKWDFRV My next summer pick is a rosé. This should come as no surprise if you’ve read this column over the past three years. “Drink Pink” is one of my summer mottos and I real- ly try to live up to this. When it comes to rosé, my pick this VXPPHU LV 3XI¿Q URVp <HV I know this is a shameless KRPHU SLFN EXW 3XI¿Q 5RVp STEVEN SINKLER wine has won gold med- als at both the Oregon Wine a regular wine glass. Which- Awards and Savor Northwest ever glass you use, bubbly is Wine Competitions this year. always welcome! 3XI¿QURVpZDVQDPHG³%HVW I know that pinot gris is of Class” at Savor Northwest a great summer wine, but and was just named a “Top I’m choosing a pinot blanc Rosé” pick by the Ore- instead. J Scott pinot blanc JRQ:LQH3UHVV3XI¿Q GHOLYHUV ÀDYRUV RI SLQHDS Rosé delivers delicious ple and pear, with a crisp strawberry, citrus and minerality that has more UKXEDUE ÀDYRUV ZLWK structure than its pinot gris a crisp acidity. Rosé relative. Made by Jonathan is a crowd pleaser Oberlander in Eugene, this and pairs with wine is a favorite of mine a wide va- and is a perfect seafood/ riety of VKHOO¿VKZLQH36-6FRWW f o o d , pinot blanc would be a per- f r o m salads and tacos to burgers and salmon. My summer pinot noir pick is White Rose “Black Thorn.” White Rose, in the Dundee Hills, has established LWVHOIDVRQHRIWKH¿QHVWSLQRW noir producers in the state. Black Thorn, made from estate fruit, is a new release from White Rose. This me- dium-bodied wine is packed with cherry and black pepper ÀDYRUV ,I \RX HQMR\ JULOOHG salmon or grilled pizza, this is a great wine for you. My last summer wine pick is a red from Pudding River Wine Cellars in Salem. Sean Driggers is one of my favorite Oregon wine- makers and The Wine Shack car- ries every wine we can get from Pud- ding River. If you enjoy a nice grilled rib eye, then Pudding River malbec is right for you. Re- leased about a month ago, this malbec offers notes of blue- berry, plum and pepper, with an earthiness that makes it a great wine for grilled foods, including barbecue. My em- ployee, Lee Roberts, gave me WKH ¿UVW UHYLHZ RQ WKLV ZLQH and told me that we had to put this wine on the shelves. He was right. So there you go. Your summer wine list is set and all of the bases are covered. <RX FDQ ¿QG DOO RI WKHVH wines (and many more) at The Wine Shack. And, while you’re at The Shack, don’t forget to wander over to our new store, Provisions 124 to pick up a bottle of Joe’s Bigfoot Barbecue Sauce. This will spice up your pulled pork or your grilled chicken. If you’re really brave, try Joe’s Mari- onberry/Habanero sauce. Have a great summer and drink responsibly. SUSAN BOAC Th e sounds of the season: Baby birds are everywhere Babies, babies, babies! Are you enjoying the baby birds as much as I am this season? It’s not hard to enjoy the sights and sounds of the parenting process. On my deck in the morning, I ZDWFKDVWKHVSDUURZVÀXW ter their wings and appear to shake all over as a sig- nal to the parent that they are hungry and ready to eat! On a sunny Sunday morning, I witnessed a Steller’s jay in the back- yard tree answer the yearn- ings of its offspring from the neighbor’s tree. Then, in swooped the youngster for a transfer of food. Of- ten the young look larger than the parent as was the case in this scene. Everywhere, I also see busy parents collect- ing food for nestlings DQG ÀHGJOLQJV 7KH KHURQ rookery across the creek is busy with adults coming and going with food for the fast maturing broods. Neal Maine dropped off some pictures of the nests and one has three babies in it! We have lots of goslings and ducklings in the creek. We have tree swallows in a birdhouse for the third year straight. Chestnut-backed chickadees have taken up residence in the bluebird house we put up across the creek. And watching the SUSAN BOAC red-tail hawks teaching their youngsters how to hunt from the power poles is hours of entertainment as well. I was walking around the Cannon Beach Lagoon Trail last week and I saw the most adorable fami- several days on the ground EHIRUH WKH\ À\ DQG WKHUH fore make easy marks for our domestic hunters. Please consider this for May through July. Susan has spent her life enjoying the great out- doors from the lakes and woods of northern Minne- sota, Mt. Adams in Wash- ington and now the Ore- gon beach environs. After SUSAN BOAC PHOTO spending many pleasur- Red-breasted mergansers taking a swim. able hours driving her avid birder parents around, she ly. These are red-breasted SUHHQLQJ²JRWWDWDNHFDUH has taken up birding as a passion, to the mixed emo- mergansers. I watched as of those feathers! they tootled around the Reminder: This is the tions of her husband Scott. pond. Their polka dots time of year that keeping The Boacs reside on the are just so cute! Then the cats indoors would help Neawanna Creek in Sea- whole family got out of the bird population im- side where their backyard the water and did a little mensely. Fledglings spend is a birder’s paradise.