The Citizen, 2005-10-13, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2005. PAGE 11.
Huskies love taking these guys for a ride
Puppy power
Charlie Thomas, right, takes Jim Smith for a tour around town in his originally-designed rig
that’s powered by his Siberian huskies, Steve, left, and Ruby. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
At the age of 96 Jim Smith of
Brussels thought he’d pretty much
travelled by every conveyance
known to man.
That is until Friday when he
traversed across town under the
power of two Siberian huskies
named Ruby and Steve.
Though the dogs’ owner Charlie
Thomas had once owned German
shepherds it had been many years
since he’d had a dog. “I was
watching dog races so kind of
thought I’d like a husky.”
His wife, Marguerite, is not,
however, a “dog person” he said, so
she was initially less than
enthusiastic. Thomas laughs when
he talks about the turnaround. It
began when having met Steve,
Thomas said he “took a shine” to the
dog.
“I have high blood pressure, but
the next day it was lower. I told
Marguerite the dog was good for me,
but she wasn't buying it.”
However, when Thomas told his
doctor, a fellow dog lover, she
jokingly wrote out a prescription for
a dog.
Though the dog was categorized
as difficult to train, Thomas said “I
had him about a week and he was
mine."
“And you're a kid again,” said
Smith, whom Thomas takes to the
coffee shop five days a week from
his home at Huronlea. “I buy the
coffee so he’s happy and so am I,”
said Smith.
Though the trip is usually made by
vehicle, Friday Smith got a treat.
Having seen attachments for
scooters and bicycles that allowed
children to exercise their dogs,
Thomas got the idea to design
something a little safer to enjoy with
his pets. Using a computer-assisted
design program he came up with an
idea that he and Don McNeil of
Brussels worked on through the
summer.
The two dogs are strapped to the
side of what is somewhat like a two-
seater bicycle with extensions on the
side to which the dogs are harnessed.
The mode of transportation has
brakes on the front wheel and power
to help the dogs pull from time to
time, Though huskies rarely need to
help. “These dogs love to pull,” he
said adding that they could go about
16 miles an hour.
Thomas has trained the dogs to
stop and start. “They aren’t long
learning that.” The biggest discipline
issue is to teach them not to be
distracted by outside influences such
as other dogs, people or squirrels.
While Thomas's plan to have
Smith ‘ride’ with him and his dogs in
the fall fair parade didn’t happen,
Smith enjoyed the trip on Friday. “It
was good, smooth. The little dog’s
the hardest worker, though.”
With a bit of irony the alpha dog of
the team is Ruby, the youngest. Also
somewhat ironic, Thomas says with
a grin, is that Ruby is “Marguerite’s
dog.”
“ I wanted to get a dog as company
for Steve. Knowing it would be a
tough sell, Thomas said he put the
two-week-old Ruby in his wife’s
hands and asked her how she'd like
that one. “You have better luck with
a pup than a dog,” he chuckles.
Smith smiles too as he tells a
passer-by about the experience.
“They only thing left for me is a bull
ride.”
Alzheimer’s
disease:
Signs to look
out for
(NC)-Do any of the following
behaviours seem familiar?
• Forgetting things more and
more
• Asking the same question over
and over
• Having increasing trouble with
language
• Difficulty performing familiar
tasks
• Disorientation of time and place
• Poor or decreased judgment
• Problems with abstract thinking
• Misplacing things
• Mood or behaviour change
• Changes in personality
• Loss of initiative
If you or someone close to you is
experiencing some of the signs
and symptoms above, it could be
Alzheimer’s disease. You should
speak to your physician soon.
Further information can be
obtained by calling l-888-370-
6444 to speak to a registered
nurse.
- News Canada
www. safe water, ene. gov. on. ca
When it comes to water,
the expectations are clear.
If your drinking water is meant for public use,
you must know for certain that it’s safe.
Owners and operators of certain drinking water systems must now
comply with the requirements outlined in Ontario’s drinking water
systems regulation (Reg. 252/05, June 2005).
If the general public has access to your drinking water, whether it’s via
taps, washrooms, drinking water fountains or showers, this regulation
affects you. Some establishments included are restaurants, service
stations, churches, arenas and seasonal residences (such as campgrounds
and communal cottage developments).
Clean, safe drinking water is vital to our health. Do your part to protect
the quality of drinking water in your community.
Tap into drinking water systems Regulation 252/05
for complete information.
Protecting our environment. ® Ontario
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