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g:;sonabfe native of Scotland who loves dogs and has a kground in "logistics planning". When he observed volunteers at an Oakville Humane Society charity dog . wash bending and straining and ending up with sore _ . backs, and subsequently saw how an acquaintance had to struggle to lift a large German Shepherd into a bathtub, a lightbulb . went on â€" why not open a shop to make this chore as easy as . ssible for pet owners? ’ ' x 0 he did. He rolled up his sleeves to renovate Unit 12 at 1428 Speers Road and opened up The Dirty Dog in December. > The shop has six washing stalls and 11 drying and grooming stalls. Nicholl charges a flat fee of $14 for use of the washing stall, which _ includes shampoo, wash brushes, towels and restraining leashes if needed, and for the driers and hair brushes. Flea treatment is no extra charge, and, notes, Nicholl, "we‘ll even lend you the nail clippers if . s Klou're brave enough to try. icholl has hired two trained groomers, one of whom is on the _ . premises at all times. Customers can opt for a vafietgoof grooming _ services if they wish, including nail clipping for $6.50, ear cleaning for $5.60 and $8.50 for a coat trim. s eaven on Earth Patisserie at 106 Reynolds Street is taking downtown Oakville by storm, attracting _ _ hundreds of diners and dessert lovers who make it a practice of telling owners Gary and Nina Milling how grateful they are that such a great dessert café has . opened. * Ifiga tells stories of how customers laughingly compete with each other to see how many friends they can bring to the place. One women, a regular who comes for lunch at least once a week, has introduced 14 different people to Heaven on Earth. _ _ , Nina Milling works side by side with her husband Gary in the kitchen preparing fresh soups, salads, quiche and sandwiches made from _ _ freshly roasted turkey, chicken or roast beef . The prices are excellent â€" $3:50 for a fresh turkey sandwich â€" and customers have their choice of one of 35 or so figunnet desserts brought in from the finest Toronto dessert houses. There are eight specialty teas on hand as well as coffees, hot chocolate and cappuccino. : There seems to have been good wordâ€"ofâ€"mouth publicity for the restaurant since it opened last September â€" Heaven on Earth caters to a busy lunch crowd, then an afternoon tea sinintg followed b{ an evening crowd after dinner. Nina says they are frequently told that the café has a BuroBean flair. Hours of operation are Monday to Wednesday 9:30 to 6, Thursday 9:30 to 9, Friday and Saturday 9:30 to midnight and Sunday 11:30 to 5. Call 845â€"2928 for more information. 4 9. Pst ncoming Ca, , he brains behind the new Dirty Dog Doâ€"Itâ€"Yourself Pet Grooming Centre belong to George Nicholl, a _ _ 106 Reynolds (at Lakeshore) Patisserie Ltd 1428 SPEERS RD. UNIT 12 _ g25â€"2117 es Howard is committed to making a difference in . le‘s lives. His photogmphs capture their emouons rom the romance of new zweds on their wedding day . to the tears and laughter of children at %lgyand families _ together to the special bond. tha! : between people mdwmauimigsdo w d eddmgs His portrait . in an clients mclude fmnifiw mothers and babxes, children, teens ggd . business pe?le. One recent F’”fi ct required photographing publicity fgurcspnt loors for a popular band. _ _ _ . ul ; prefers to photograph people on location, either at their home or . business or in an outdoor environmental setting. This relaxes them and allows a more creative approach to the portrait session. The . pictures mean more to clients than a studio setting. _ _ . A fine portrait requires a creative pme:mbem ' 2 photographer and his subject. Les meets with them for a planning _ session where they determine the type and style of portrait. He takes the time to educate his clients about what goes into making a fine portrait and even includes a mini art lesson.. Clients select their | portraits by previewing the images in wall size as projected transparencies instead of using tiny paper proofs. _ _ . . Les is a member of the Professional Photographers of America and Wedding Photo%ghers International. He trained at the Winona _ International School of Professioinal Photography. . _ he Ontario Centre for Martial Arts at 481 North Service Road in Oakville is a martial arts instruction centre with a . difference. Owners David Coules, Richard Dewey and _ Sean Stewart have taken the traditional art of Juiâ€"Jitsu _ and transformed it by ting a method of instruction that is less militaristic and more personal, It‘s still Juiâ€" _ . fitso, says Stewart, with the same techniques, but the _ _ students are more receptive because the instruction is more userâ€"friendly.. Judging by the registration numbers, the centre is a phenomenal success. . The Centre, with its stateâ€"ofâ€"the art training equipment and enormous dojo. (the main workout room) opened only seven months ago but ; afready there are hundreds of members. Coules and Dewey are local . school teachers with an interest in martial arts, and Stewart is a threeâ€" _ time World Champion in Juiâ€"Jitsu. We took the traditional philosophy of Juiâ€"Jitsu and added the teacher‘s input," Stewart explained. We are interested in producing good people, _n%ttfiood fighters." In fact, those who join because they want to beat up other people are told they are in . the wrong place. y s 4 ‘The focus is on Juiâ€"Jitsu, the most flexible of all martial arts. "Unlike the others, Juiâ€"Jitsu has few set patterns and lots of room for personal _ expression," said Stewart. The OCMA approach is produci hundreds of selfâ€"confident, selfâ€" motivated, better coordinated young Oakville _ residents who are learning the importance of completing tasks. Many are recruiting other family members â€"â€" father, mothers, sisters, brothers. "We are making better citizens," says Stewart. Ontario Centes For Martiar Arts 461 NORTH SERVICE RD. UNIT 45 825â€"4223 Prevention the best medicine to avoid flu illness By SHELLY SANDERS GREER Special to the Beaver | attempt to avoid this condition, . more than 40,000 people in Halton Region received the flu vacâ€" cine since the fall, which is an increase from last year. E' t‘s flu season again, and in an According to the Ministry of Health, about 300 people die each year in Ontario from influenzaâ€" related illnesses. The majority â€" 85% â€" are over 65. In addition, the flu puts 25,000 people in the hospiâ€" tal every year and costs millions of dollars. Influenza can be a serious illâ€" ness, causing a fever, coughing, headaches, muscle aches, a stuffy nose and a sore throat. It can lead to pneumonia and make other illnesses worse, especially chronic illnesses affecting the heart and lungs. Prevention is the best medicine which, in this case, means getting a flu vaccination. However, even this does not guarantee you will avoid the flu. "The vaccination is not 100% effective," explains Mary Anne Carson, communicable disease proâ€" gram supervisor for the Halton Region Health Department. "But it may prevent or at least lessen the severity of the symptoms." For people in a "highâ€"risk" group for flu, the flu shot is free. Highâ€"risk groups include people over 65, those who have a serious heart, lung or kidney disease, diabetes or canâ€" cer, are infected with HIV, or have other serious conditions. Also conâ€" sidered at high risk are residents in nursing homes, homes for the aged and chronic care facilities. "While the majority of seniors in institutions are vaccinated, the same is not true for seniors living at home," says Dr. Monika Naus, a senior medical consultant with the Ministry of Health. "We are quite concerned that only about 50% of seniors living at home get flu shots. We would like to increase this to 80% to provide as much protection as possible." The flu season typically runs from October to March, but the best time to get your flu shot is from September to November. A flu shot is needed every year because differâ€" ent types of flu viruses appear each year. Therefore, the vaccine is changed annually to protect against the strains expected to be circulatâ€" ing. "Because the flu vaccine does not contain live germs, it can‘t give you the flu," says Naus. "The most common side effect is soreness at the site of the injection. This usually lasts only one or two days. And surâ€" prisingly, these symptoms appear less often in older people." The flu vaccine poses no risk to pregnant women or the fetus. However, anyone who has a severe allergy to eggs should not get a flu shot since the vaccine contains a trace of egg protein. If you have any questions about influenza or the vaccine, talk to your family physician.