To me, the Taco Bell mascot kin look like a cross between a cat and a rat–and I rank all three among undesirable house guests.
Of course, I totally respect the fact everybody has a right to have bad taste when it comes to pets.
And my deepest sympathies to fans of Gidget, the famous burrito biter who died recently.
My mother had a Lhasa Apso named Tito after an emperor. He did his best to live up to the billing and we clashed over the same territory.
I moved out, eventually, leaving the pug-nosed mop of hair to his glorious castle.
Admittedly, Thumper the five-week-old Chihuahua was a cute fur ball and I’m glad he’s been found. If you saw the video of him reuniting with his mom, even the hardest of hearts would warm up for a little while.
Thumper’s dad is what they call a stud” for breeding and the future looks bright for his progeny. There’s plenty of market for rat-and-cat-like pooches.
The smallest canine that impresses me is a Jack Russell, that’s where I draw the line. But it’s not because Nugget sports reporter Jordan Ercit has one and I depend on him for write-ups documenting Dylan’s athletic exploits.
Part of my bias favouring bigger mutts is not having to bend down to pet them, although it’s the shrill yapping smaller dogs produce that drives me batty.
High-pitched sounds bother me as much as political whining, and those little punts just never know when to stop.
On the other side of the coin, attack dogs and their owners give me the willies.
I’m in the midst of researching dog bites in the North Bay area and would like to hear from people who have had troubles in this regard.
Earlier this week, I interviewed someone bitten in the leg by a pit bull in the south end of town.
Initial research after the interview indicates he probably didn’t have to start a series of rabies shots, as his doctor advised, even though a request for a rabies vaccination certificate came up empty.
Peter Jekel, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit environmental director, told me a dog only has rabies in his saliva in the last 10 days of its life.
That’s why the owner of a dog that bit someone is advised to chain up the animal and an investigator drops by after that period to discern if it was infected or not.
If the dog dies inside that period, the head is cut off and sent for testing.
Also interesting, Jekel said a leg bite isn’t an immediate concern because it takes months for the virus to make it from an extremity to the brain in an adult.
Only bites to the neck and up are an emergency as far as human rabies vaccination goes. The virus is only deadly when it gets to the grey matter between the ears.
The focus of the story I’m working on, however, is more about how dog bite victims should go about yanking chains to get somebody to act on the situation.
So far, I’ve found out both the police and North Bay and District Humane Society have the power to launch investigations.
More to come on this subject in the future.
BYPASS BRIDGE
The walkway spanning the North Bay bypass and connecting the Frost Street residential area with Chippewa Street is a cool green colour.
People who use the Kinsmen Trail to access the Kate Pace Way along the waterfront and into West Ferris and Callander will love it.
Crossing the Highway 11-17 bypass at O’Brien Street was dangerous and bothersome.
And too many pedestrian students were jumping the fences for a shortcut between home and their favourite study hall.
Somebody e-mailed me their concern about whether the $3.7-million structure was a waste of money if the Ministry of Transportation is still thinking of rerouting the bypass in the future.
I checked the www.northbaycrossing.ca website and it says the walkway can be dismantled and moved to wherever it’s needed in the future.
Another reader wanted to know if the walkway will have camera security to protect the people using it, as well as vandalism.
The MTO said it’s not going to have camera surveillance, although the lighting system and hundreds of passing motorists peering through glass panels should help deter crime.
POSTSCRIPT
Here’s a big thank you to Rick Dagg with Mr. Seamless Eavestroughing for being the first to make a donation to the Terry Fox Foundation through my online pledge form at www.terryfoxrun.org.
I’d like to hear from other people who have decided to participate in the North Bay run, walk and roll Sept. 13 for the first time, or even if it’s the first time in a while. I want to highlight why you’re taking part and maybe a long-lost friend will see it and make you a pledge.
The more the better.
Dave Dale’s column appears Thursday and Saturday. He can be contacted at ddale@nugget.ca
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