HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-05-15, Page 13For the dogs
Yvonne Passmore of Brussels has recently begun
Hotdawgs, a dog training business that offers one-on-one
in-home weekly sessions, consultations and phone and
intemet support. (Sandra Nicholson photo)
NOTICE
HURON COUNTY HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT proposes to apply the herbicide
"DIPHENOPROP BK 700" Reg. No. 16724 under the Pest Control Products Acts
(Canada) on County Road No's. 4, 7, 12, 16, 19, 25, 28, 30, 86, AND 87
right-of-ways for control of noxious weeds as listed under the Weed Control Act.
Application time to be the weeks of June 3rd to June 21st, 2002, weather
permitting. There will be no spraying done in built up areas.
For further information and for the location of the roads to be sprayed, contact
Sandra Lawson, Huron County Weed Inspector at (519) 524-7412. Collect calls
will be accepted.
Make your family part of history
Tell your family's history as part of The Citizen's salute to Blyth's 125th anniversary.
In the July 31 issue, prior to the homecoming celebrations from August 2-4, The Citizen will
be publishing a special Commemorative edition with an extra 1,000 copies.
Included will be pages of family histories.
You can tell your family's history for as little as $50 for one-eighth of a page (with enough
space for a brief synopsis and small photo of someone from your family's history).
Or by purchasing a one-quarter page, for $100 or one-half page for $200,
you can give a more complete history.
Just bring in your family story and photograph(s).
We'll quickly scan your precious photos and return them to you.
Deadline for submission is Friday, July 19.
The Citizen
(519) 523-4792 Fax (519) 523-9140
`~ (If anyone can help us 1.D. the above picture, please call our Blyth Office) v..%
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2002. PAGE 13.
New Brussels-based business gone to the dogs
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
If business has gone to the dogs,
most people would rather not talk
about it. In the case of Yvonne
Passmore, however, that's just what
she has in mind.
Hotdawgs which officially opened
earlier this year, provides dog
obedience training through in-home
programs, consultations and phone
and internet support.
The idea was born, Passmore says,
about eight years ago when she
decided she wanted a dog of her
own. "I wanted one that was actually
trained, not like the ones we had as
The Avon Maitland District School
Board officially opened its newest
community partnership project on
May 13 at the Listowel District
Secondary School (LDSS). The
project is a state-of-the-art
electronics laboratory known as
elab.
The facility grew out of Lab 2000
a previous community partnership at
the school. Lab 2000 is a modern
computer training facility featuring
up-to-date computer hardware and
software.
Steve Howe, . a spokesperson for
the board said that. Blair McKay, a
teacher at LDSS was the driving
force behind tab 2000 and elab.
When Lab 2000 was officially
opened McKay had invited Mike
Lazardis, President of Research in
Motion to tour the project.
At that time Lazaradis had
suggested a desire to work with the
board and others to improve the
electronics 'shops' at this and other
schools. In January 2001 Lazardis
made a financial contribution to the
new project which allowed it to
proceed.
The facility is designed to help
deliver hi-tech courses in electronics
and computer engineering. It
features purpose- designed work
areas each providing two students
with a work bench, desk, computer
work station and secure storage.
Howe -.says the ergonomicaly
designed learning centres will allow
students to interact easily with
teachers and peers.
Lazardis was recently quoted in
The Kitchener Waterloo Record
explaining his interest in innovative
educational projects. He said, "We
need to change our culture so that
kids," she says. To that end, she and
her dog attended obedience classes
and "basically got hooked."
"I wanted to look into more and
more, into training, into how a dog's
mind works. I had a keen interest."
To help develop that, Passmore
began taking in other people's dogs
— those of breeders, friends and
what she referred to as throwaways.
"I put the basics on them," so they
could return to their owners, or
become adoptable.
Passmore then added to her own
collection of pooches, with one she
refers to as "the problem child".
"We knew this one was going to
be more of a challenge, and training
science and technology are seen to
be the 'in" things, ... We need them
(children) to aspire to be scientists,
engineers and technologists."
The cost of the elab project was
about $450,000 of which over
$300,000 was raised through
businesses and individuals providing
cash or gift-in-kind donations. The
list of partners cites 28 individuals,
organizations and businesses which
made the project possible.
Vehicle
damaged
in
Bluevale
On May 9 at 8:15 a.m. a resident
from George Street in Bluevale
reported damage done to his vehicle.
The victim told police that
sometime overnight a person
damaged a white 1993 Chev Geo
which was left parked on the front
lawn. The tire was flattened, the door
on the driver's side was scratched
with a sharp object, then someone
threw a liquid over a large portion of
the vehicle.
Damage will be in the $1,000
range, police said.
Anyone who can assist the OPP in
solving this case is asked to call the
local OPP or Crime Stoppers.
kabi Please Recycle
Tim* This Newspaper
him basically sealed it. I knew I
could do this."
Passmore started seriously
researching, dog training, attending
seminars and classes. • Discovering
she knew "just as much or more"
than many of the trainers, she
decided the time had come to take
the dog ,by the leash and "just go for
it."
The idea of an in-home training
school came first because of a lack
of facility, but also because training
a dog in the owner's home makes
good sense. "People want a dog to
have good manners. This has to be
dealt with at home rather than in a
classroom setting."
Also, it is more convenient for
people and as the sessions are one-
on-one there is more that can be
accomplished in one hour.
"People can learn better how to
deal with their dog, deal with their
dog in the house and deal with their
dog within the family."
''Passmore's philosophy is to make
training fun for the dog and fun for
the owner, to work with the dog
rather than against it by using
positive enforcement methods. "We
get the dog to work for us becau'se it
wants to, not because it has to."
Ideally, Passmore likes to begin
training when a dog is young.
However this has generally not been
the case. "Most of the dogs I've
worked with are older because
people think the bad habits their pup
has will get better when it matures,
then call me when they realize the
problems don't get better with age."
With the one-on-one sessions,
Passmore says she can usually
manage 'the job.in less time than the
standard obedience class of eight to
10 weeks. Fees therefore are a little
higherbut she feels people get more
bang for their buck. A one-hour
session within a 30 km radius of
Brussels is $20, while outside that is
$25.
Two lessons are covered in that
session so it typically takes about
four weeks to train the dog.
If the owner runs into a problem at
any time, Passmore encourages them
to contact her by phone or e-mail.
"I'd rather find out the prbblem right
away rather than let days go by
before I can try to fix it."
Passmore will also do
consultations for basic behaviors
issues. "This is a one-shot deal
where the dog doesn't really need
obedience training, but the owner
might. have a concern about a
particular thing."
One thing she won't do is train a
dog for the owner. "I'll come and
show you what to do. The klog has no
reason to listen to me, no reason to
respect me."
Respect is the most important
thing for the dog to learn; says
Passmore. "The dog needs to know
its place in the hoUse."
Anyone interested in finding out
more about Hotdawgs can contact
Passmore at 887-6090 or e-mail her
at hogdawgs@ezlink.on.ca
LDSS gets elab