W}TTTBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MAY 20,1987. PAGE5 What do you do with an old dog that nobody wants? He was 11 years old this spring, and once was the pride of a seven-year-old boy. So the boy grew, as boys do, fulfilling his obligations by feeding the animal every third Wednesday in months witL or without "r's"...it's not clear which But the family knew that childhood's end had been reached when the boy put his bedroom off limits to the dog during the daylight hours. The dog, he discovered, had been sleeping on his master's bed, full-length, his head comfortably embedded in his master's pillow. Just the way he had been taught. But while the boy had grown up and away, the dog had grown old, and stiffer; and when he spent afternoon hours surveying the street from a cold patio stone, he would re;join his feet with difficulty. And sometimes, in attem- pting to bound up a set of stairs, his left back leg would collapse under him, and he would painfully drag himself up, baffled by his betrayal. The new baby in the house confused him more than anything else. For months he ignored her. Then, he took to sleeping under the crib. But sthegirl learned to walk, she challenged the animal. Twice, three, times he growled his displeasure. Once, it was thought, he snapped at her. Over the years, the animal had destroyed screens, screen doors, carpets, books and plastic toys, and more than once made an unseemly deit in a living room planter. Barred from any room, be would sneak in at the first. op- portunity and mark out his territory in the best way dogs know how. When this spring the family bought a new house, it was quietly assumed that the dog would have to go. He was old; he had snapped at the baby; he had unseemly habits; and in -a two-income family, there wouldn't always be WITH OUR FEET UP by Bill Swan Our Dog someone home to care for him. So the day before moving day, a phone call was made to a nearbyvets. "Yes, we do euthenasia. Two-thirty today? Fine. Bring a sample. That'll be about $50, it depends on the size of the dog." The dog was called, his leash snapped into place. With half an hour to spare he was led for a final walk down the bicycle path. Every morning for seven years the two had walked this path, eight minutes down and seven minutes back. Still, this afternoon the dog whined and whimpered. and wouldn't heel to the leash. The dog was loaded into the station wagon. He stood ir the back, licking the right ear of the driver. The engine caught at the first flick of the key. The driver killed the motor. Fifty douars? Would they take a cheque? Try the glove compartment. No cheques. Wallet? Still none. No credit cards, either or bank book. Al at work with the boy's mother. The dog attempted to lick the driver's left ear. One more phone call. Two-thirty appointment? Could that be rescheduled for three-thirty? Four o'clock? Fine. The same. Euthanasia. A dog. Looks like a shepherd. Likes to lick ears. The dog was let out in the yard once more. He parked at the meter outside the office and strode in. He asked for her at the desk. "One moment," he was told. She appeared, her smile clouded. Moving is problems; moving is a pain. What now? "Do you have the VISA eard?" "Just get it." She disappeared, and reemerged carrying the blue and white flag with the hologrammed dove on it. "The dog?" "Don't ask." Is it..." A tear trickled. "Damned animal," he said, his chin trembling. Silence. The elevator to the ground floor was exceedingly slow. He stood in the corner and avoided all eyes. That was three weeks ago. As I write this, the dog sits by my side, rests his chin on my knee. Every morning we go for our walk in the morning cold; days he spends in the sunshine at the side of the house. Nights he sleeps in the baby's room, by her crib. In the morning she wakes and laughs at the poor old dog curled up among the pile of ted- dy bears in the corner. He loves the new house. 'Building for the Future'in downtown Whitby 'Building for the Future in i)own- town Whitby' is the theme for the next Downtown Business Im- provement Area promotion day being held Saturday, May 23. ."Since various parts of the down- town are under construction we thought we would have some fun with it," says BIA manager Georgina Phillips. Hard hats have been distributed to all downtown merchants, which they will wear during the day. The businesses wil also be of- fering hard hat specials throughout the day. Roaming around the downtown wil be 'Working Willy's' who, wearing coveralls and hard hats, will be handing out free balloons and selling hard hats for $1. Anyone seen wearing a hard hat by a secret spotter, will receive $50 to spend in any of the downtown stores. Oshawa Garden Service will provide three, one-half-hour seminars on gardening in front of the Bell Canada building on Brock St. S. The seminars will be held at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. At 3 p.m., at the four corners, The County Town Singers will be honored with an official ceremony where members of the singing troupe will lay some of the in- terlocking brick at the four corners. Whitby's Town crier, Fred Mar- tin, will be on hand to lend his voice to the festivities. Music will also be provided by the 'Elastic Band' from noon to 3 p.m. at the four corners. Whitby's newest downtown at- traction, Pearson Lanes, will be holding a replica building contest. People of all ages are invited to create a replica of Pearson Lanes from any material they choose, wood, lego, paper, etc. Over $500 in prizes will be awar- ded with first place receiving $300. Replicas have to be built on site beginning at il a.m. Judging will take place at 3:30 p.m. Participants must register by calling 668-5011 during regular business hours. May 23 is also National Missing Child Day in Canada and the Durham Chapter of Child Find, with assistance of the Whitby Kinettes, will be holding its child identification program at the Whit- by Public Library from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The library is located at the corner of Dundas West and King Street South. The fee per child is $2.00 At 1:00 p.m. approximately 2,000 balloons with attached photos of missing children i Canada will be released behind the library to highlight National Missing Child Day in Canada. Region asks for seniors'tax review Regional council has voted to throw its support behind Durham's seniors, many of whom are finding it difficult to keep up with in- creasing taxes while living on fixed incomes. In an overwhelming vote, council members agreed to ask the provin- ce to review the Ontario Tax Credit for senior citizens allowing for the rate of inflation to cover the educational portion of municipal tax bills. The tax credit presently allows seniors $500 to offset the education portion of their tax bill, but Raymond Adair, a member of Durham Sernior Citizens Council, said the current system was not good enough. The Oshawa resident explained many seniors were unable to keep up with annual tax increases because they were on fixed in- comes. He pointed out that his own taxes this year were up 8.3 per cent in Oshawa, 9.8 per cent at the regional level and nine per cent from the school board. Adair told those assembled that he and most seniors did not disa- gree with taxes, but that now their children were no longer in the school system, should not be over- burdened with excessive educational taxes. "I'm 70 years old....I've raised my family" said Adair. 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