36 — Sunday, December 13. 1998 ~- North Shore News north shore news pETs Taking Fido Xmas shopping || WHEN I mention the words “car ride” to my two dogs — Alex the doberman and Harley the German shorthair pointer -— it usually sends them running around the house bark- ing and frantically look- ing for their collars and leashes, But the other morning w hen I said “Christmas shop- ping” they sat there with looks that scemed to say, “Mom have you lost your mind?” But I plopped them in the back of the van and off we went to the local per stores. Our first stop was at Natural Pius on Bridgman Avenue (formerly Paws ’n Claws). Alex immediately went to the pigs’ cars and huge stuffed toy section where he found a great squirrel! replica (his real life nemesis). Harley instinctively pointed out some groovy fridge frame magnets for about $7. } noticed a cool, well-constructed flashing col- lar, for those night walks, by Visi Tet for about $25. 1 also browsed through the book, Where To Walk Your Dog in Greater Vancouver, and decid- ed i had to have it. Ir really is a great walking guide and well worth the price tag of $18.95. Next, we went to visit Pet Food ‘n More at Park and Tilford mall. There Harley pointed out the Try Max fling thing. This simple, ‘safe, yet fun toy is a tennis balf securely attached to durable nylon JA canine connection webbing that helps vou crank the ballin the air and conve- niently keeps vour hands from touching the goopy part cov- cred in spit. Thev var in price from S8 to $12, We also found our favourite toy, the Soft Bite floppy disc. These are incredibly durable soft ving dises that really tiv! This store also has the best selection of collars and leashes | have ever seen. A few stores down trom the pet store is a store called Paper Parade, which has an outstanding selection of dog- related picture frames made of various materials ranging in Price trom $8 to $50, They also have a neat create-your- own doggie photo album kit which contains glue, a pen and stickers. A few of the books I have read, given as gifts and recom- mend to my students include: ® UC Davis Book of Dags by Mordecai Siegal. All dog own- ers should own this veterinary medical reference guide which is formatted in easy to read non-medical terminology. This book is not meant to substi- ture for professional medical advice or care, bur help you with interpretations and defini- Hons. ® Whar all Good Duns Should Kaow: The Suave Wav to Train, bv Jack Volbard and Melissa Barnet, This is an excellent, easy-to-read and understand book which answers all those training relar- ed questions sich as house breaking, crate taining ete. B Why Dens De What They Do, by Lin Dunbar, gives dog owners some insight into their dog's sometimes bizarre behaviour. Some of these books may have to be specially ordered so ask the sales staff at your favourite book store. For the computer junkies there are pvo CD ROMs which E think are great. Multimedia Dgas bv inroads interactive is an excellent overview of many dog breeds. fr also has groovy video clips of'ubedience exercises, answers some common health ques- tions and has a couple of fun dog trivia games to play. The second is Dag 2, vour virtual pet. In this CD ROM vou ean adopt virtual cartoon dogs. These dogs have to be fed, trained, groomed and exercised on a regular basis or they will run away. They bounce, bark and play across your contputer screen and actually respond to commands once trained. It is an execilent way to introduce the responsi- bilities of dog ownership to potential dog owners, especial- iy children. Whatever your choice of gift, be sure the tovs are safe and non-tosic ff the toy is edi- Christian Academy An Inter-denominational Christian School Kindergarten to Grade 7 (adding Grade 8 - Sept. '99) ¢ is fully accredited with the B.C. Ministry of Education ® has B.C. certified Christian staff who provide a quality Christian education maintains a low student-teacher ratio * teaches from a Bible-based Christian perspective using B.C. Ministry of : Education curriculum REGISTRATION: We are now accepting applications for Kindergarten 99 We accept new students for all grades at any time of the year. She students invite you to a Christmas Presentation of qhe Light In The Stapy. Tuesday December 15th, 7:00pm at Lynn Valley Full Gospel Church 1160 East 29th Street, North Vancouver School Address: 201 East 23rd Street, North Vancouver Tel: 984-8226 Protect yourséli Hire an experienced ICBC Claims Lawyer JOHN NOBLE 669-9755 Free House Calls Be. ask the statfof the pet store if it is LOO% digestible. As wellas choosing gifts for our favourite canine compan- ions, the holidays mean dog owners must attend toa few OMINL satety precautions around the house: B Be sure all electrical cords are sately tucked away. @ Glass ornaments and lyhts on trees should be placed out of Fido’s reach, § finset if ingested may become lodged in the intestines, possibly leading to surgery to remove it. Wrapping paper can have the same effect as tinsel. @ Finally, batteries trom chil- dren’s toys can be toxic if Fido finds them and chews them. Last but not least try to include your canine friend in as many holiday activities as possible, It is easy to overlook them as we rush around visit- ing friends and family. Happy Holidays! — Joan Klucha is the owner of Sierra KY Training on the North Shore. Write ta lev c/o the Novels Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave. North Vancouver, BC, VOM 2H4. QaEwn L finag Long & McQuade Sales * Rentals ¢ Repairs ¢ In Store Financing Trades * Used Instruments Bought and Sold Give the GIFT of MUSIC Jd This year from L&M Vancouver's best place to buy and rent musical instruments 3/4 size acoustic guitars Guitar straps Guitar stands lebeetereeeeed from °1Q°S Yamaha silent practice mutes Tale eeeee cere ed trom *295 Electric guitar packoges “189 “Christmas Gift Suggestions COALPORT FIGISRINES 1637 Lonsdale Ave. 1730 Marine Dr. Surrey (604) 588-9421 Vancouver (604) 734-4886 Port Coquitlam (684) 464-1011 what will you end up with? 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