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
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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.