HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1978-05-11, Page 4Page 4
Citizens News, May 11, 1978
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"Look — the first robin of spring!"
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It's a dog -gone sha
Dogs in this village are more than a nuisance.
They are a serious problem.
They run all over town. Small children cannot
go out to play in their backyards without meeting
someone's pooch at the back porch door.They dig
up flowerbeds and tear apart garbage bags, left out
for collection, spreading the contents across lawns.
They roam at night and make a neighbour's
doorstep their own. They run along main street as if
the town was theirs.
Most of the stray pooches are family pets and
do not cause anyone physical harm, but, the threat
of a serious situation is always there when a dog is
not supervised by his master.
Two rabid foxes have been seen on the northern
boundary of the village and one was seen running
with a dog. It is possible that it was the same dog
which attacked Duffy McQuillin last week and he is
sure the dog was rabid.
It could be the dog belonged to a farmer and
-was allowed to run loose on the farm before it join-
ed up with the fox and headed to town. But,i there is
the possibility that, with all the dogs that do run
loose in the village, this dog was owned by someone
in town.
Why is it that, with such an imminent threat of
rabies, people do not safeguard their family pets
and their children by keeping their dogs at home?
Rabies shots for dogs are effective but, even if it is
1
protected by a rabies immunization, why take the
chance your dog may be running at night with a
rabid animal?
Rabies shots for humans are a grisly affair and
no child should have to suffer them because he was
playing with a family pet that had -contacted rabies.
The county dog catcher works in Lucknow one
day a week but, as yet, his efforts do not seem to be
curbing the numbers of dogs running loose. It is up
to the owners to take the responsibility for owning a
dog'in town where it cannot run loose.
If you do not like to see your dog tied all the
time, you should arrange to spend time with your
pet. Perhaps you could take your pooch to a
farmer's field for a run a couple of times a week.
But, allowing a dog to run loose around town, does
nothing for the dog except make him the
neighbourhood nuisance and increase the risk of
death by being hit by a car. And now, he may be
running with a rabid animal, especially if he is left
out to roam at night.
Being tied up in the backyard all the time is a
dog's life, but, it is a decision the owner makes
when he chooses to have a dog while living in town.
The master must be prepared to take responsibility
for exercising the pet in a way that does not in-
fringe on other 's-rfghts.
Watch your watering
One of the things that most Canadians who own
homes this summer will be doing is watering and
fertilizing the lawn. Harmless, right?
Wrong, according to the Canadian Standards
Association who say that the fertilizer that was in-
tended for your iawn could end up back in your
home's water system.
In its monthly bulletin, the CSA gives the exam-
ple of the number of times that the sprinkler or
hose has paused momentarily, in the flow of water.
Either a neighbor is watering his garden or
someone in the family decides to take a shower.
When the pressure is decreased the water in the
hose returns to the home's water system along with
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Lucknow Sentinal
the chemicals that were intended for the lawn or
the garden.
There is a way of preventing this and that's by
using a "back flow preventer" which can be
purchased at any hardware or plumbing goods
store and easily attached to the faucet.
These devices prevent the flow of con-
taiminated water back into the potable water supp-
ly. They can be used on a variety of installations
such as service sinks, swimming pools, developing
tanks, laundry tubs, wash racks, dairy barns,
marinas and general outside gardening uses. Many
municipalities across the country have made their
use. law so before you buy, check the outside faucet
to see ifyoualready have one.
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Miscellaneous
Rumblings
By
TOM CREECH
The public
and
'dirty' books
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It's always reassuring to see members of the com-
munity get involved in the day to day runnings of a
government or a government body. It shows that the
people are interested in what is happening to their
community and that's a good thing.
Sometimes a problem that crops up is the timing
and method of involvement.
A little over a year ago there was considerable
discussion in Huron county about certain books that
were on the course of study of the secondary schools.
A dialogue lasting roughly one month took place with
teachers, students and parents voicing their concerns.
It was healthy for the community and everyone
benefited by the honestness shown.
Almost exactly one year to the month, the
Kingsbridge Catholic Women's League has expressed
displeasure over the presence of three books, The
Diviners by Margaret Lawrence, Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger and Of Mice and Men by John
Steinbeck that are available to teachers of senior and
intermediate English classes.
Before anybody thinks otherwise I do not object to
the League voicing objections to these books. It is a
healthy exercise and this country would be a better
place to live if we did take more of an interest in ac-
tivities that affect us.
What I am concerned about is the manner in
which the League has chosen to bring their objections
forward. A page of excerpts from the three books was
included to (I assume) show that the books cited are
not suitable for the young adults of the community,
This writer would be the first to say that these books
should not be available to secondary students if the
passages cited were representative of the books but it
is doubtful if they are an accurate synopsis.
I will be the first to admit that I have not read the
books with Catcher in the Rye being the exception.
It seems that the Women's League is operating
under the assumption that when these books are used
in English every passage is gone over with a fine
tooth comb. Such is not the case.
My feelings on this matter are mirrored accurate-
ly in the following excerpt from a story in the March 3,
1977 edition of the Times Advocate which described a
meeting between parents, students and teachers about
the use of certain English books in the school system.
"As a teacher of English I (Bruce Shaw, prin-
cipal, Seaforth District High School) see too often
`concerned citizens' attempting to project their
morality, their standards of right and wrong on the
community," the Mayor continued. "They take
quotations out of context and damn a book; they see
nudity and condemn art; they hear profanity and re-
ject life."
"In evaluating books, Shaw said two questions
had to be answered: (1) should schools reflect or lead
society? (2) do we have enough faith and confidence in
our English teachers to teach intelligently, books that
although perhaps controversial, are of literary
worth."
When dealing with education a key word is
"change." Things that were taught 10 years ago might
not be valid today. Our life style has changed and I
think that if I was a parent today, the coming to grips
with certain areas of the educational system might be
difficult but one would hope ,that I could understand
the reasoning behind the changes in the schools.
If there is one thing we don't need, that's the
overwrought verbal excess as expounded by Huron -
Bruce MPP Murray Gaunt.
Gaunt, who has never been knownfor his demure
Please turn to Page ti
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Published Each Wednesday By J.W. Eedy Publicallons Ltd.
Member:
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*CNA News Editor - Tom Creech
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