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THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 1998 THE NEW TANNER GRAP Hq VIN By yy Bottoms up! Armed with their secret recipe and a thirst for gold, three Acton stu- dents compete tomorrow (Friday) in the Ultimate Mix High School Chal- lenge Championship mix off in Hamilton. The non-alcoholic drink concocted by Crystal and Rachel Wooldridge and Heather Viet, called a "Rassie" for it's raspberry colour and taste, won second place in the Acton High competition and will be judged with entries from nine other schools in Halton, Hamilton Wentworth and Haldimand-Norfolk. Among the sponsors are drug, alcohol, and trauma prevention groups and the Canadian Automo- bile Association, all of which want to help teens come up with other options to drinking alcohol. Java joy There will a lot of happy camp- ers this summer thanks to Tim Hortons Camp Day. Money donated and raised through the sale of coffee last Wednesday - $2,443.26 in Acton --will pay for under priviledged kids to attend one of the four Tim Hortons camps in Canada this summer. The children are flown, all expenses paid, to a camp outside of their province for a couple of weeks of summer fun. Several Acton children have made summer memories ofa lifetime at the éamps in the past five years Jaywalkers All of the results aren't in but a survey of use at the Mill Street pe- destrian crosswalk last Thursday showed a lot of room for safety im- provements. In one five-minute period a mom with two children crossed twice, both times without pushing the button for the overhead Reoning light. An eld- erly man stepped out into busy traf- fic not 20 feet from the crossing and a teen went past the crossing to dart between moving traffic to catch up with friends. Many of those who did use cross- ing didn't push the button to acti- vate the overhead light or stick out an arm, but just stepped out, assum- ing that traffic would stop. The sur- vey was conducted as part of this week's Halton Hills Road Safety Challenge. Moveable feast Sweet Dreams co-owner Pat Lee is relieved to have her café and bak- ery under one roof. She and partner Carmela Zenga closed their baked goods store at 45 Mill Street East and now offer their delectable treats four doors away at the 35 Mill Street café. "The ovens are at the café so every day we had to load 30 to 40 trays of goodies and 10 trays of bread into a van and drive it four stores away to sell at the bakery," Lee said, adding that closing the bakery will allow them to focus on the catering part of their business which has begun to take off with both corporate and pri- vate clients. Should non-Acton residents have equal opportunity for ice time at the new Acton Arena? Acton. No. The fundraising was done in Acton. Acton residents should have first 'dibs'. Jennifer Allonby, Marsville That's tough with two towns trying to stay together. No, I'm sorry, but I was born and raised in Acton and my first thoughts are to Murray Harrison, Acton Yes, because it's a better oppor- tunity for the arena to make money. They might not have as good of facilities out of town. Brittany Mattson, Acton What's wrong with their own? They should use their own arenas. Michelle Hillier, Acton v3 ee Ps Shirley Somerville, right, enjoys the Knox Ladies' Aid Tea with three of her granddaughters, Rachelle, Melissa and Kim. -- Ellen Piehl photo As everyone knows, there have been several serious incidents in- volving dog attacks on people over the past several weeks. Tragically in one attack, a little girl was killed by a family pet which had no pre- vious history of violent behaviour. In all these cases the "experts" advise that dogs, no matter how well the owner thinks they know them, are by nature unpredictable. In spite of all the publicity, 1 still see many people out walking their dogs without a leash. Why? Now before ail the dog lovers jump all over me, I know that your little foo-foo, or whatever, would never hurt a flea. [ also realize that 1 pooch is so well trained that leash or no plete voice control over the ani- mal. Funny, but all the owners of the dogs involved in the recent at- tacks said much the same thing. The bottom line seems to be that any number of unforeseen cir- cumstances can turn a previously docile pet into a vicious one. Dog trainers have been quoted saying it is the owner's responsibility to have their ahimals under control when out. This includes having the dog on a leash. It's not just the large breeds which should be on a leash. I get very annoyed when I'm out for a walk and some ankle-biter comes yapping at my heels. I am not com- forted by the owner assuring me that "Poopsie won't bite." Sure, Poopsie is drooling over my calf like a fresh steak. The problem is that the dog doesn't know he/she/ it isn't supposed to chow down on passing pedestrians. I saw a woman out for a walk the other night with two kids and the family pooch. The dog was romping along free as a bird. But what would have happened if some other animal had come charging out of a garage? Or if some young \ ile had raced around the corner leash you have com--- The Way I See It with Mike O'Leary of the house screeching and laugh- ing at play? If her dog had perceived a threat to it's family it might attack. Don't tell me a voice command will stop that dog in such a circumstance. Naturally, the dog owners first reac- tion would be to protect her own chil- dren, but what about the poor kid her dog might go after? ~~ # There is no doubt that most folks love their dog and see them as an integral part of the family. Fair enough, as long as the animal is on your property; in a fenced yard, it can roam to your heart's content. But once it's out where it can go after other animals or people it's your re- sponsibility to have it on a lead. There is a leash bylaw in town. If the prospect ofa fine isn't a concern, you might want to consider the pros- pect of a substantial civil suit should your pet unexpectedly attack. If any serious injury results you could face financial ruin. In addition, the pet you care for could end up being put down. The fact of the matter is that larger dogs need to run. Fine, we're surrounded by countryside. Bundle Rover up and take him out to the country. It was, after all, your deci- sion to have a big dog in town. It is, therefore, your responsibility to take the pet to an area where it can run to its heart content in safety. Local school yards or parks are not a vi- able alternative unless deserted. On more than one occasion, dur- ing soccer games, I have become concerned about free ranging dogs. The kids are running and yelling. A ball is bouncing. Who can blame the 'Leash the dog & muzzle Mel animal for getting excited? I don't blame the dog , but I do resent lame brain owners who set the dog free in such circumstances. Before we have a serious incident here, please, leash your dog. It's the law. Kk KK IK Is it just me or are you sick and tired of hearing Mel Lastman whine? Man-o-man, seems like every day Mel is on the radio moaning about this or that. The latest tirade is just too much to stomach. Mel figures all the folks taking the GO Train into the city are "freeloaders." He is threatening to withhold Toronto's contribution to GO Train funding. -a pile of horse droppings. Perhaps our council should take out an ad suggesting that a few downtown companies should move out here so we "freeloaders" wouldn't have to travel down- town. Most commuters would be willing to sacrifice their trip so the good people of Toronto aren't dis- turbed by our comings and goings. Perhaps Ted Chudleigh would sponsor a bill to make sure that no more sports facilities or facto- ries be built in Toronto. After all, we want to be good neighbours. We wouldn't want to be a bother. Next time you are planning a dinner and a show you might con- sider staying around town. Heck, it doesn't take as long to get there and you don't need a gold card to pay for parking. Many of us moved out here to escape the loony politicians and their spendthrift ways which drove Toronto taxes through the roof. And now when we go to To- ronto for work or play, and spend our dollars, the Mayor calls us freeloaders. Indeed! Put a sock in it Mel -- or wear a muzzle. 'Cause you know who cares about your verbal diarrhea? NOOOOOOOBODY! ap droppi a, VT 4 June ri DENTURE SPECIALIST iis? EH. JUREVICIUS D.D. 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