She’s back!

Invermere’s beloved dog control officer is back on the job.

Carol Dobson and her husband, John, moved from Invermere to the Coast two years ago, when they decided they needed a new adventure in their lives. But the old saying that there’s no place like home, was proven true and they soon realized that their hearts were here among family and friends. They returned to Invermere early this month, bringing along with them a menagerie of dogs, a goat, a pig and a flock of chickens!

Luckily, Carol was able to move back into her old position of canine control right away and we are so happy to see her smiling face once again. [Read more]

Sunshine in the autumn years — East Kootenay Seniors Coalition

I had the ‘pleasure’ recently of spending the afternoon on stretcher #4 in our local emergency room. And before I go further, I want to say that the nurses and doctors on duty were wonderful. They were very busy, and yet they had the time and professionalism to be kind and gentle with me. The lab tech who took my blood was slow and patient, even taking the time to comment on the funny tan lines on my feet (Birkenstocks). I almost didn’t notice the needle going into my arm!

While what I had turned out not to be a serious condition, I did spend a fair bit of time wondering what was going to happen with me and, consequently, with my life. I thought of my kids, my dog, my friends, my house. I had a pretty good idea what my symptoms might be suggesting and that was a pretty scary thought. The outcome could be life altering and I wondered what other people (seniors in particular) must think if and when they find themselves in the same or a similar situation. I myself am one of the ‘baby boomer’ generation who is just beginning to join the ranks of the senior citizens. This is unknown territory. I am feeling my way as I go. I’m not sure what lies ahead. There is fear …. but there is also trust. In the meantime … I’m on stretcher #4… [Read more]

ICAN sets up long term shelter facility

As we all know, when a group of women get together with a goal in mind, things begin to happen! Such is the case of the Invermere Companion Animal Network (ICAN).

In the Spring of 2007 a group of local women said, ‘Ok, we will take in this one cat and find a new home for it’.. and things just grew from there. They saw a need and took it upon themselves to do something about it. From the outset, they were blessed with numerous supporters and volunteers willing to donate time, money, space and love. It didn’t take long, however, before they had more animals than they alone could deal with. So they began a system of fostering. [Read more]

Retooling for hard times

A REAL humanistic story –

These are really tough times, at least for some of us. I wonder how many people are feeling it at a very deep and scary level. How many people are wondering how they are going to get to the next payday. There are bills to pay, groceries to buy, and always that inevitable time when the dog swallows something that he shouldn’t have.

What do you do? You start lining up your priorities. You look at what HAS to be done NOW. i.e. get the dog to the vet. And once you get there — and that’s if you have enough gas in the tank to do that — you cajole or do whatever you have to, to get your beloved animal saved. Later you’ll worry about whether or not you have to give up your first born, or just mow someone’s lawn for the next year…or two…or four!

It’s amazing what people can come up with when they have to. Financial crises hit different people in different ways. I remember when my sister was having ‘financial difficulties’ and they couldn’t build their swimming pool to Olympic dimensions… they had to cut it back by 5 feet. Whoopee… .I couldn’t pay my rent that month! [Read more]