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Cliir6iiicle Avg-Ewmwr 75 King St. South, Suite 201 Waterloo, Ontario, N2) IN Phone: 886-2830 E-mail: waroagdedhertexmet . <i> tIMI a Tugs at the heart strings, doesnt it? l dont know many people that wouldnt be moved by a story about a lost little puppy, wondering the streets, alone and shiv- enng, on a frigid February night. This week, local resident Robert Cormier came upon just a sight as he drove home from work. Cormier scooped up the lorlorn wee creature and took him the the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society, which he thought would provide the dog with shelter and warmth, Tums out ll provnded neither. The Humane Society was closed, and Cormier had no choice but to leave the dog tn the facility's after-hours drop-off pen. I He left the dog there and went home. But, kind soul that he is, it didnt take long before thoughts of the conditions had left the dog in began lo gnaw at him. When Robert Cormier dropped a puppy off there this week. II was shortly after 6 pm I'm not sure what time the folks at the Humane Society start work in the morning, but I think it's a safe bet to say that poor puppy would have been forced to endure those conditions for more than 12 hours. And 12 hours is more than a few, as far as I'm concerned. Deborah '6,TttlF,1il Dr. Mike Soots, manager of the . K-W Humane Society, says the conditions at the after-hours drop-off pen are just fine, and that they're approved by the Ontario Society for the Preven- tion of Cruelty to Animals. He said they're perfectly good for what they're intended for. which is housing ammals for only a few hours Okay, Okay So the pen meets the approval of the OSPCA. But it doesnt meet my approval, animal lover that I am. Some- thing should be done to Improve those conditions. And I'm sure I'm not alone in that opinion. Now I know it's not feasible that the Humane Society have someone on duty M-hours a day to take in stray animals In the middle of the night. But the conditions in the pen could be modified in winter to provide better shelter for wayward ani- Mr. Cormier suggested it wouldn't cost much lo provide ber, ter shelter for stray animals-maybe a couple of thousand dole lam And surely the Humane Society could afford that-it has been reported by the Chronicle that the sonny has a capital surplus in the millions of dollars. What's a couple of thou. sand? When I spoke to Mr, Comm, he stressed that he wanted people to be aware of the conditions in the drop-off pen. Many people make donations to the sonny, he said, and they should be aware of how their charitable dollars are being spent-or not spent. 1mm sum Sci-l um and 0to2o010 AND MirtlElt Give 'em shelter we... The pen provided only shelter from wind, and not much shelter at that. Straw that might have pro- vided a bed in which to burrow down was old and stale. There was no food. And pails of water were frozen solid. Soon after, Cormier returned to the Humane Society, removed the puppy from the pen, and took it home. And I don't blame him a bit. I would have done the same. In fact, had it happened to me, N likely now be the reluctant owner of a German shepherd pup. I"... I' , 'p-tu, _ V L' V L. ') , iiiiii%iiii rm: EiEii 1iFikriii! 92::- IEEE, teE"'it3l,! -r'r'ilr_rL'r__ (l' 1' 'd, an..." ari'iiu. Jig...” -..- Uiiai4 'u. m; W's}- Luhsb, the area's super-sized night club, is closing April 9, and, natth. the regions anti-smoking bylaw is getting some of the blame. Yup, the way things are going, if a health food store were to close its doors, the no-smoking bylaw would get the guilt, let's blame everything on the no-smokinn bylaw Hvospital Call: Waterloo Region is set to levy a special hos- pital tax of $19 a year for six years to pay for better cardiac and mental health facilities at local hospitals. OI the $2913 million, the province will kick in 5148.6 mil- lion, the region $37.3 million, and a community campaign hopes to raise $50.4 million. P""""" " the latter that raises points to consider. A consultants' survey shows that, while the can- cer and heart centres in Kitchener drew sup- port, there was less enthusiasm about funding the psychiatric facilities in Cambridge. 'Tis a pity. You‘d have thought that a region like ours would be past attaching a stigma to mental illness. N this late date, there should be no doubt they can be as painful and as guilt- less as any other ailment. So we'd rather not think about It, out of sight, out of mind, you know. Anyhow, the Cambridge psychiatric facility IS as needed as KAhrs cancer and heart centres, so there should be no doubt of support for ll, Why there should be a stigma of any [and is hard to grasp. Maybe its the fear in most of us that we, too, may fall prey to one of the insidi- ous diseases of the mind. The answer, of course, should be a unified regional came paign pooling the resources and the needs of the entire region. - _ _ I know youll forgive the personal reference, but I can empathize with hospitals and their needs. rve been semi-ill for about two months now. I've been too strong to get sick and too weak to get well Flu Shot: Theiioe been warmngs that a big flu epidemic IS nigh. and let's not think that the Region is doing nothing, Starting a week from Monday, itll be illegal to exhale. Watir! Water! Wonder of ieonders, the" Region may be get tmg a pipeline, and 1 may owe regional staffers an apology. Wtten dldmlmdnhmkcaao puma» concern? (teg own: new Meanwhile, the Region is planning to do things In the meantime to assure a water supply, including an aquifer stor- age and recovery system, expansion of the Mannheim well, and the construction of new wells. I thought they'd cling to Mickey Mouse schemes with Grand River water, rather than show some vision and lap m to the Great lakes. And, yes, there may be a problem with approval for the lake Huron pipeline. Queen's Park may object to a lake Huron pipeline because it involves moving water from one What about the Impact on our lax bills? Well, It's not to be m place [or about 30 years so Ill not worry about n tonight tll be domg some worth- while worrying It's more proof positive Conestoga It; turmng out the stu- dents to fill skilled Jobs. workers this provmce urgently needs What a refreshing contrast to the young people who complain there are no good jobs available Like frelilng about whether regional government or the pipeline will come first. . Job Lust Let's have a up of the topper to Conestoga Col. lege. At a thumping 94 per cent, " has ontaruis best employ, mam Yup. there are no good jobs available to dropouts Nor are there ever likely lo be, And, say, there's another thing you have lo say about education: " lets you In! about everything on a more sophisticated level lake watershed to another, Most of us In the region would prefer the costlier Huron water (u tastes like cham- pagne). but if there's no prospect of a pspelme there, a pipeline to Lake Eric 15 {he fallback position, And it's fancy fallback when you thrnk of II The Erie line would be cheaper by a whopping $432 million than the lung-sized hose to Lake Huron. Still, the day the pipeline flows we can quit worrymg about a water supply For a day after forever. And we can bid farewell to the water police who lay down the dictums each sum- Waterloo Chronicle Is published every Wednesday by The Fairway Group Ir':] A division of Southam Inc, The views of our colummsls an thett own and do not necessarily represent the VIQWS of the newspaper Mailed suhsmpnnn rates S65 yearly m (Mada $90 yearly outside Canada o G S T thtett lint/WI could be m of m tasttattiw "be Chronicle