Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 28, 2015

7

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 28, 2015 


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND??

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

Meet Beatrice! She is an adorable brown 
tabby with white paws. She was a bit shy 
and kept to herself when she first arrived 
in Meow Manor. She has since settled in 
nicely and shares her space with her feline 
friends and welcomes attention from staff 
and volunteers. Although she may still 
be a bit coy when she first meets you, give 
her a few minutes, introduce yourself and 
you can see she is a calm gal with easy 
going energy.

 She likes a gentle brushing and being 
scratched between her ears. She enjoys 
sitting in the window watching the birds 
in the trees and being entertained by the 
antics of her friends. She would be happy 
to have a lap to curl up in at the end of 
the day. Stop by and meet Beatrice to see 
if she would be the purrfect addition to 
your family!

 She currently resides at the San Gabriel 
Valley Humane Society located at 851 E. 
Grand Avenue in San Gabriel. We are 
located off San Gabriel Blvd., north of 
Mission and south of Las Tunas. 

 To arrange a ‘Meet and Greet’ with 
Beatrice, please stop by any time from 
10:00am to 4:30pm Tuesday thru Sunday. 

 In honor of St. Patrick, who lived to a ripe old age of 74 in 461A.D. we celebrate our senior pets for 
their wisdom, experience, adaptability, willingness to learn new tricks and for easily loving and bonding 
with us. For the month of March, the adoption fee for all ‘senior’ pets 5 years and older is only $39 for 
all adopters. This includes spay/neuter surgery, vaccinations, microchip and a free wellness exam at a 
participating veterinarian. Feel free to call us at (626) 286-1159 for more information on Beatrice. 

 

 See our website at www.sgvhumane.org for information and photos of all our wonderful pets. 


SQUIRREL SIMPLICITY

This past week in Sierra Madre was indeed a dog-
walker’s dream! The weather has been absolutely 
gorgeous, the trees are either baring succulent fruit or 
budding with a variety of brilliant colors, and there are 
countless birds flying and squirrels scampering about 
from one tree top to another nearly everywhere you 
look. Let’s face it, living in Sierra Madre - particularly 
this time of year - is like a little bit of heaven.

 With nature taking it’s course in such a gracious 
way these days, I am pleased to say that I have 
experienced a renewed awareness and appreciation for 
my surroundings and for life in general. Let me put it to 
you this way; right now it would be a tough task for me 
to find a reason to complain, and after all who wants to 
hear it any way?

 One of the things that inspired me most in a relatively 
epic way this past week, was observing a couple of 
squirrels chasing each other over the branches of the 
huge avocado tree in my front yard. The fact is, I see 
squirrels nearly every day, running to and fro over the 
massive tree canopies and gallantly scaling the power 
lines in our community. I always enjoy watching them, 
but there are times when I get so used to seeing them, 
that I must confess I take them for granted and barely 
notice they are there.

 For whatever reason, the two squirrels I saw scurrying 
about in my front yard last week reminded me of how 
fortunate I truly am and that how good life is. Those 
squirrels were having a great time. It was as though 
there was some kind of party going on in that tree, that 
only they had been invited to. They were somewhat 
startled when I emerged from the back yard gate, and 
approached their “playground“, but I stood very still 
and quiet for a moment and soon they resumed their 
raucous routine of frolicking, chattering and flicking 
their big bushy tails.

 As I stood there, spying like some kind of voyeur for 
several minutes, I thought to myself, “these little guys 
‘get it‘!” Slowly but surely, I snuck closer and sat beneath 
the tree, watching those cute little critters balance and 
bounce on the boughs above me and before I knew it, 
I noticed that I had tears running down my cheeks. 
At first I couldn’t figure out why I was 
crying, until I realized how long it had 
been since I had spent that much time 
just sitting quiet and still, observing the 
activity of nature around me.

 I spend most of my time telling 
myself to “keep moving”, and “get 
things done”, but there is always more to 
do. As I attempt to stay mobile on the 
“treadmill” of life, I end up frustrated, 
ultimately forfeiting the freedom of the 
celebration. What good is that? It is a 
human way of thinking and a human 
way of life, not to mention it is my way of 
asphyxiating on tasks that may or may 
not really matter.

That is not the way a squirrel lives it‘s life. How can I let 
myself stress out over the simplest things in life when, as 
a human I am in full control of my own schedule, I shop 
at a grocery store where my food is delivered to me, I 
don’t even have to take part in the pre-requisite farming, 
planting, slaughtering, and packaging process of what 
keeps me alive. As a human, I have more advantages 
than any other creature on earth, yet I am capable of 
fretting and worrying in lieu of really living, the way 
squirrels do!

 The squirrel must forage for his own food, and when 
he is not foraging or hiding is bounty away for a later 
season, he is protecting the nest that he made of sticks 
and leaves, from predators and strong winds, yet he still 
finds time to celebrate life! The squirrel keeps it simple! 

 My dad was a missionary who held numerous 
speaking engagements throughout the southeast region 
of the US. As the youngest of 7 children, I got to travel 
with him quite a lot while my siblings were in school 
or working. I remember one of the acronyms dad used 
in many of his presentations; it was “K.I.S.S”, which 
stood for “Keep it simple, stupid!“ Although that may 
seem less than user-friendly or conventional in terms of 
semantics for a speech, the meaning is definitely clear. 
That silly sounding acronym somehow came to mind 
during my epiphany beneath tree and it was a very 
humbling moment for me.

 I believe that God speaks to us through His 
creatures and creations, and boy did He ever deliver 
a message to me that day! We all have responsibilities 
and commitments that may seem overwhelming at 
times, and we all have different ways of dealing with 
stress, but I feel it is important to take the time to be 
silent and observant, and enjoy the therapeutic virtues 
of nature.

 While the squirrel may seem like a pest to some, 
because it steals fruit from the tree, to me the squirrel 
acts as a messenger, delivering a very important lesson 
from the Maker, teaching those of us who need to re-
learn how to appreciate and enjoy life, simply like a 
squirrel! Enjoy the wonders of nature that surround you 
- love and let live.


DogWalking & Sitting ServicesSierraMadre, Californiawww.canyoncanine.comchris@canyoncanine.comChris LeclercCanyonCanine626-355-8333 626-533-9536CCConCaCanyonCanineCanineeeieCCChris LeclercChris Leclercae,
chris@canyoncanine.com.canyoncanine.comwwwnCaSierraMadrare, CaliforCaalking&SonDogWWalking & Sitting ServicesonCa626-355-8333 62onCayeclercinnia6-533-95362eclerccanine.comanine.comani,CaliforirnanineSittingServiceseaninee
PET OF THE WEEK Money: Animal ID #A4808062


Lookin’ for an awesome pup? 
Meet Money (A4808062)! 
Money is a cute-as-a-button 
8-year-old tan female 
Chihuahua mix who came 
to the Baldwin Park Animal 
Care Center as an owner 
surrender on March 13th 
with Bear [A4808059] for no 
known reason. Weighing 7 lbs, 
Money is an affectionate and 
classically adorable Chi (with 
a few precious quirks up her 
sleeve)! She has bright, lively eyes and sweet, perky 
ears that give her a definitively puppyish look. She 
loves being held and cuddled in your arms just like 
a baby, too! Money arrived at the shelter with what 
we think is her brother. Though they don’t really 
look much alike, they are the same age and they also 
have a similar distinguishing feature/talent: Their 
tongues are quite long and curly. So much so, that 
they can both touch their noses with them! Money 
and Bear are a very bonded pair. Unfortunately, they 
are in separate kennels here (because they divide the 
dogs by sex at the shelter). When Money is in her 
kennel, she is terrified. When taken out alone, she 
walks very slowly and prefers to be carried, but when 
we bring Bear to her for a visit, she instantly lights 
up and becomes a sweet and affectionate lap dog! 
Clearly she is her best doggie self when she is around 
her brother, so we would love to see the pair leave 
the shelter together as a duo. 
In any case, we know that 
Money will make an adorable 
and adoring lap companion 
for just about anyone around. 
To see Money in action, 
please visit the following link 
for a video: https://youtu.
be/32nsMGYYL5M

 To meet Money in person, 
please see her at the Baldwin 
Park Shelter, located at 4275 
N. Elton, Baldwin Park, CA 
91706 (Phone: 626-430-2378 or 626-962-3577). She 
is available now. For any inquiries about Money, 
please reference her animal ID number: A4808062. 
The shelter is open seven days a week, 12 pm-7 pm 
Monday-Thursday and 10am-5pm Friday-Sunday. 
This is a high-intake shelter with a great need for 
adoptions. 

For more information about Money or the adoption 
process, contact United Hope for Animals Volunteer 
Adoption Coordinator Samantha at Samantha@
hope4animals.org. To learn more about United 
Hope for Animals’ partnership with the Baldwin 
Park Shelter through its Shelter Support Program, 
as well as the many dogs of all breeds, ages, and 
sizes available for adoption in local shelters, visit 
http://www.unitedhope4animals.org/about-us/
shelter-support-program/.


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com