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4 - 'Orono Weekly finies^ Wednesday, January 14, 2004 il I : ^n , ï ïiUiuttiûiui: lipœi**"---*-"" L jH ■ '-'i ill ill ; "Æ l il tiüiî : F i|| 1 v .Il 1 il iiiiiiiHiüimiiiiiü South of 49° by Jeanne Burnside AU washed up! As one of nine children my mother tried to exercise some control by limiting the number of pets in the house. Fish, turtles turtles and hamsters were acceptable acceptable due to their confined environments, although escapees escapees were a common occurrence. occurrence. Most of us tried to smuggle in a stray kitten or dog at one point in our youth only to be disappointed when it was moved to another home, usually with a lot less children. children. While living in the city I got a beautiful kitten from a shelter only to find out that I had a severe allergic reaction. A dog was out of the question due to my hectic work and travel schedule. So it was at the ripe old age of 43 that I got my first puppy. He earned his name the evening I brought him home. A neighbor came by to meet him and While snuggling the little ball of fur lost an earring. Hence the name 'Raffles' after the famous British jewel thief. Over the years he has perfected perfected his thievery by removing his Vet's watch and stealing a wad of cash from a contractor who had foolishly left it in his shirt pocket while petting the pooch. Invisible fencing became a must after I learned about how keen their sense of smell really really is. Another neighbor has cattle about ten acres away from us. Although my property property is completely enclosed with farm fence the smell of cow patties will not be stopped. As a young pup Raffles decided rolling in them was fun and a daily trip to pick him up at the neighbor's had to be stopped. Cleaning him off was another story that thankfully is a vague memory. His convenient dog-door gives him first access to anyone anyone arriving at the house. The little ball of fur has grown into a seventy-five pound majestic Airedale - the 'king of terriers'. Friends now know to expect him but newcomers especially unannounced are taken by surprise surprise and he has been known to make them get back in their cars/trucks and leave. This can be a good thing when you are not expecting company or solicitations. Little do they know his true mission is to kill them with kisses! As a terrier he is prone to digging and. I have several small craters on the property to prove it. It seems they like to dig holes in the summer to .iiiiiii . .ïi .. Hiiii III! 1 TTtîH! ;• " Orono Pathfinders were on hand to serve at Orono Horticultural Society's Pot Luck Dinner. reach cooler earth to sit in. Witnessing a dig is quite an experience. He seems to get quite frenzied and will dig out a hole that measures about three feet in diameter, then lays peacefully in it for hours. Not recommended for those with limited property but luckily luckily he has the space here and tends to put them away from the house. The one very unusual thing Raffles does is .eat his water. Initially, I didn't think much about it because I never had a dog before. But it seems that he missed the class on lapping water. He was bom in the winter in Wasaga Beach and I think his breeder let the pups eat snow for their water. When spring arrived, I remember thinking that he was just a sloppy drinker but I informed by friends and visitors visitors that they had never seen that before. To help with the mess I have purchased one of those raised eating and drinking, drinking, dishes that keep the water mess to a minimum. Tragically, Raffles was very ill a couple of years ago New Employment Insurance Compassionate Care Benefit If you must be absent from work to care for a dying family member, maybe we can help. The Government of Canada is introducing Compassionate Care, a new special Benefit available to Employment Insurance eligible workers who must be absent from work to provide support to a family member who is gravely ill with a serious risk of death. Important facts: □ Beginning January 4 th , 2004, six weeks of Compassionate Care Benefits will be available to those who are eligible and provide the required medical certificate. a The Benefit can be used by one individual or shared with eligible family members to care for a child, parent, spouse oi common-law partner who is gravely ill with a serious risk of death. dHt. ' • .V > ■ ■ ,-'X ' h For more information about the Compassionate Care Benefit, call I 800 O-Canada (I 800 622-6232), I 800 465-7735 (TTY) or visit www.canada.gc.ca. Government Gouvernement of Canada du Canada Canada 1 1 ! f i i ' I ' ' I . i. i and needed to be treated at Guelph University. The good news is he recovered and seems to be doing very well. He did become an instant celebrity there with his water consumption. While visiting one day they put out his water dish that I had brought form home because they only had small bowls there. They put in on the floor and all of a sudden sudden there were, several people 'iiUviluiU -"-.U'-i ;i.' j standing around, .ft seems that the entire staff came to see Raffles at drinking time. Luckily they also brought the mop and pail. My initial embarrassment went away as I saw all the people laughing heartily and I realized how much joy my Raffles brings to me and others. I tell most people people that Raffles learned his ' drinking habits from his dad, my husband. Coffee continued from front travelled months," he said. As those figures were not available available at Monday's meetihg Schell said, "I'm not going to oppose the motion, I am concerned, concerned, are we throwing more money away." He went on to say, as its a small enough amount it's not a huge concern' concern' "The public have embraced the service,stated the Mayor, once you've introduced the service it's very difficult to eliminate it." Store continued from front ing the day he closed," said Bowers. "They all call him Cliffy." After 38 years behind the counter, " Cliffy who is in his "70'th year, plans to take it easy. B