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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2004)
Page 20 The INDEPENDENT, February 19, 2004 Puppy attends Vernonia High School Pointer, one of the friend- liest, most attentive and disci- plined students at Vernonia High School, has very little in common with his classmates. In fact, they aren’t the same species. Pointer, an eight month-old golden Labrador Re- triever, is in training under the tutelage of VHS senior Katelyn McWhirter, to become a guide dog for the blind. Each year Vernonia High School seniors must choose a project which incorporates an oral presentation, a research paper and a physical project. The physical portion of Kate- lyn’s project is training Pointer in the areas of basic obedience and socialization. An impressive element of Katelyn’s project is the level of determination and commitment that is required to make it suc- cessful. She began by contact- ing the Guide Dog School for the Blind, located in Boring. Af- ter learning about the program, she scheduled a home evalua- tion in which guide dog leaders visit the home and meet with the prospective host family, en- suring that it is a safe and healthy environment for the dog. Katelyn was accepted as a trainer, with the understanding that she must attend 4-H meet- ings three times each month. Additionally, she needs to be available to join other trainers DEADLINE 2004 DOG LICENSE Elizabeth E. Huser, Columbia County Clerk, reports that the deadline for licensing dogs in Columbia County* is MARCH 6, 2004 You may mail your rabies vaccination certificate (if not on file in our office) along with the appropriate fee to Columbia County Clerk’s Office, Courthouse, 230 Strand Street, St. Helens, OR 97051. Commercial and non-commercial kennel licenses are available. Contact Clerk’s Office for information. To All Columbia County* Dog Owners $10 Penalty after March 6, 2004 $25 Penalty after April 5, 2004 (Without Citation) $50 PENALTY IF CITATION IS ISSUED Dog License Fees are due on ALL DOGS IN THE COUNTY* with permanent teeth or that are six months of age in 2004. *Does not apply to the City of St. Helens, which will handle dog licensing for residents within the city limits. FEES ARE AS FOLLOWS: On or Before March 6, 2004 REGULAR, NOT SPAYED OR NEUTERED.........................$30.00 DOG SPAYED OR NEUTERED.............................................$12.00 SENIOR CITIZEN–DOG NOT SPAYED OR NEUTERED...$15.00 SENIOR CITIZEN–DOG SPAYED OR NEUTERED..............$5.00 (Senior Citizen is 65 Years or Older – 1 per Household) REPLACEMENT TABS.............................................................$5.00 2004 APPLICATION FOR DOG LICENSE Owner: ______________________________________________ Residential Address: ____________________________________ Mailing Address: ______________________________________ ___________________________________ Zip: _____________ 2003 License No.: ______________ Phone: _________________ Dog’s Name: __________________________________________ Breed: _______________________________________________ Sex (Check one): Male _____ Female _____ Neutered: _____ Spayed: _____ A VALID (Good through Oct. 31, 2004) Rabies Vaccination Certificate MUST accompany this application or be ON FILE in the Courthouse, along with a spayed/neutered certificate if applicable. WE WILL RETURN YOUR LICENSE AND DOG TAG TO YOU BY RETURN MAIL. ASK ABOUT OUR OPTIONAL THREE-YEAR LICENSE on weekends for outings at places such Doernbecher Chil- dren’s Hospital, sporting events and shopping malls. These outings are vital to prepare Guide Dog puppies for some of the skills they will need to master in the future. Guide dogs must be comfortable around all types of people, and stay focused while working, whether in busy cities or in the country. They must be able to travel on all types of transporta- tion, and negotiate surfaces such as stairs and elevators. They must be trained to ignore food temptations as well as dis- tractions caused by other ani- mals. Primarily, the dogs must be made to feel happy and ea- ger to please. Pointer arrived at the McWhirter home when he was about three months-old, and he will likely train with Katelyn until he is 15-18 months. The daily routine of taking Pointer to school has been challenging for Katelyn. She must attend to Pointer’s needs, pay attention to her teachers and help her peers understand the impor- tance of not “playing around” with Pointer. After his time with Katelyn, Pointer will be recalled to the guide dog campus for his formal training, which can take from six to nine months. Katelyn will graduate this year and, at some point, will have to release her student to go on to his next level of educa- tion. It will be a difficult time for both because of the heart- warming bond that they have forged. Pointer will graduate next year, and he can thank a very special mentor for provid- ing him with the some of the tools he will need to ease the burden of a blind owner for many years to come. Katelyn McWhirter with eight month-old guide dog trainee, Pointer. Pointer is being trained to be a guide dog for the blind by McWhirter as her senior project. Three VHS wrestlers will go to state AA Finals Three wrestlers from Ver- nonia High School qualified for the state AA Wrestling Finals, based on their performance at district finals last week. Representing VHS at Me- morial Coliseum, February 20- 21, will be district champion An- drew Brookins in the 275 pound class, Travis Gwin, who was runnerup at 189 pounds, and Andrew Grittman, who took V ALLEY V ETERINARY C LINIC R ABIES S PECIAL 8 $ 50 Thurs 10 am-5 pm • 58376 Nehalem Hwy. S. Vernonia F EBRUARY IS D ENTAL A WARENESS M ONTH C ALL 503-556-3084 FOR D ETAILS third place at 215 pounds. The VHS team finished sixth out of 13 teams at district, helped by strong performances from Royd Johanson, who placed fourth at 125 pounds, fifth place winner Patrick Ray- burn-Hieronimus, 112 pounds, and Christopher Richardson, a 145 pound, sixth place winner. “The whole team performed very, very well,” said a pleased Coach James Brookins. More information is available on the internet at <osaa.org>. Red Cross Blood Drive A Red Cross Blood Dri- ve will be held Wednes- day, February 25 from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Ver- nonia High School. Positive identification is required in order to do- nate.
