Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 7, 2016

13

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDS

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 7, 2016 

Mountain Views-News Saturday, March 12, 2016 


Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc

KIDS AND CANINES

I always enjoy visiting my step-daughter, Miriah 
and her family at the beach in Leucadia, near 
Encinitas in San Diego County. Miriah and Dan 
have two precious little girls; 8-year-old Isla, and 
her 6-year-old little sister, Cora. It is always a 
delight for “Grampa” and “Grandy” to spend 
time with the girls, to as you can well imagine. 
I recall spending one particular Saturday with 
them back when the girls were toddlers. The guys 
spent much of the day working on one of the 
home improvement projects they had underway, 
while we 4 girls played the day away!

 The weather was gorgeous and the children 
were full of energy and entertaining antics, as 
they typically are. As we sat on the front porch, 
soaking up the sun and watching the little ones 
color beautiful works of art on construction 
paper, “Maverick”, their medium-sized black 
Lab mix wove in and out between them with 
remarkably casual nonchalance. Every now and 
then he’d stop and plant a big wet kiss on one of 
the girls’ cheeks and allow them to yank his tail 
and pull his ears with no fear or concern.

 Maverick never snaps or growls at the girls, 
and he seems to really enjoy their company. As 
I watched them interact so comfortably with 
Maverick, I realized how much they adore that 
dog. At a very early age, Cora was especially fond 
of Maverick, bursting into laughter each time 
he’d come near her, reaching out to pet him and 
calling out for his attention as he’d walk by.

 This came as no surprise to me, because both 
Isla and Cora have known Maverick since the 
day they were born. Maverick is an unusually 
sweet and friendly dog. He seems to understand 
that infants and toddlers are to be handled with 
“kid gloves”. He is careful not to be aggressive 
when he plays with the girls. When they were 
infants, he’d lay outside their bedroom while 
they napped, as if he’d appointed himself their 
personal guardian, there to protect them from 
harm‘s way. It warms my heart to know that the 
girls have learned to appreciate and respect their 
family dog to this day.

 Not all dogs are as friendly as Maverick, and not 
all are capable of interacting so gently with small 
children, but when the kid & canine relationship 
is a safe and appropriate one, I believe it can be 
an excellent and meaningful 
experience for both the child and 
the dog.

 In his article, “Introducing Dogs 
and Babies”, author Ed Frawley 
writes that many dogs can learn 
to live with babies while others 
cannot. Frawley has been raising 
German Shepherds and training 
them for law enforcement since 
1978. Although he is an expert 
dog trainer and handler, his basic 
philosophy is that “dog training 
is not rocket science, it is pretty 
much just common sense”.

 I find that refreshing and encouraging, as 
I apply the same philosophy with the dogs I 
walk and sit for my clients. On the subject of 
introducing dogs to newborns, Frawley provides 
7 tips to help parents facilitate the process in a 
safe manner.

 1 - The dog should be trained well enough that 
when you tell him to lay down, he will do so and 
stay there.

 2 - Crate train the dog before introducing 
him to the baby. The crate should not be in the 
bedroom or next to the crib where the baby 
sleeps.

 3 - Never allow the dog in the baby’s bedroom, 
even when you are present.

 4 - Do not allow the dog to be near the baby 
without supervision, even for a short time.

 5 - Before the baby comes home, wrap a doll in 
a blanket with the child‘s scent on it, and lay it on 
the floor. Correct the dog each time he attempts 
to go near the doll, even if only to smell it.

 6 - When the baby comes home from the 
hospital, mom should greet the dog first without 
the baby.

 7 - Homecoming should be a peaceful 
experience with the dog in a “down-stay” position 
several feet from where baby and mother are 
sitting.

 There are many other things to consider when 
introducing a newborn baby to the family dog, but 
these seven points are a good place to start. When 
the baby grows old enough to understand, he or 
she should be taught to approach other dogs with 
caution. They should always ask the owner before 
petting a dog they do not know. This is especially 
true when the dog is on it’s own turf, whether it be 
in the home, in the yard or in a car.

 I was raised with dogs from birth and I think that 
is why I love them so much as an adult. I am no 
expert, but I believe that small children who have 
close canine companions are more likely to develop 
healthy social skills at an early age. They also learn 
to respect animals and treat them with care as they 
grow older. These are the kinds of lessons that come 
with experience, not from textbooks or teachers. 
With proper training and careful supervision, the 
family dog can indeed play a very important part in 
the life of a young child.

FACEBOOK INSIGHTS

If you have a Facebook page, insights is a 
valuable tool that will give you statistics about 
your posts and the audience you are reaching. 

 Insights is part of your business page and 
there is no fee to use it but it won’t show up on 
your page until you have 35 “Likes” on your 
page.

Here are 3 metrics to look at in insights and 
what they will help you analyze:

 - Posts will show you what days and times 
your audience is on Facebook. This is helpful 
when you are scheduling your posts. It will also 
show you individual statistics for each post. 

 - Also under posts, you will find out how many 
people were reached and how they engaged with 
each post and type of content (video, photo, 
link). You can also find out if anyone hid your 
post, reported it as spam or unliked your page. 
This is valuable information as you develop 
content. Make sure to click on the name of the 
post so you can dig deeper into the analytics.

 - Actions on page will help you measure your 
calls to action: website clicks, phone number 
clicks etc. You can even measure these clicks by 
age, gender country, city and type of device. 

 

 About MJ: MJ and her brother David own 
HUTdogs, a creative services and digital 
marketing business. “Like” them on Facebook at 
www.facebook.com/hutdogs. Sign up for their 
upcoming workshops at: www.hutdogs.com/
workshops/schedule 

FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


PRINCE’S DEATH HOLDS 
VALUABLE ESTATE 
PLANNING LESSONS

The untimely death of superstar Prince has brought 
an important issue to American living rooms: estate 
planning. If current reports are correct that Prince 
died without a will, state law and the Court system 
will dictate who controls and inherits his sizeable 
estate. It is also likely that taxing entities will take 
a bigger bite out of his estate - costing his family 
millions, unnecessarily -- before anyone inherits 
anything. All of this could have been avoided, 
however, and that’s an important lesson for you and 
your family.

 Prince died on Thursday, April 21, at the age of 
57, in Carver County, Minnesota. He is survived by 
a sister, Tyka Nelson, and six half-siblings. Prince 
was predeceased by both of his parents and two of 
his half-siblings. He was divorced twice and had no 
living children.

 Ms. Nelson recently filed documents with 
the Carver County probate court, asserting that 
she believed that her brother died without a 
will. She also asked the court to appoint a special 
administrator to handle Prince’s affairs until a 
personal administrator could be appointed. In 
response, a judge appointed a banking affiliate to 
serve as a temporary administrator.

 When someone passes away without a will, 
they are said to have died “intestate.” When this 
happens, state law directs the distribution of the 
person’s property, known as the “estate” through a 
process called probate. And, it’s up to the Court to 
decide who controls the estate.

 If Prince indeed died without a will or a trust, 
Minnesota statutes will result in his siblings 
dividing his estate, including his half-siblings. This 
may or may not be what Prince would have wanted, 
had he made provisions himself. But of course we 
will never know what he would have wanted. And, 
his estate is likely to be overseen by a paid executor, 
instead of a family member or friend he could have 
chosen.

 So, what does this mean for you? 

 Just like Prince, if you do not get your estate 
planning handled, your family will get stuck in 
Court and could very well end up in conflict as 
well. It’s an unnecessary expense to your family, 
causes additional heartache and grief, and drags 
out for a long time. The good news is that it’s totally 
avoidable.

 Let Prince’s death be an inspiration to you to 
leave your loved ones with a legacy of love, not a big 
mess to clean up. 

 Dedicated to your family’s health, wealth, and 
happiness,

 A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on a 
mission to help parents protect what they love most. 
His office is located at 49 S. Baldwin Ave., Ste. G, 
Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an appointment 
to sit down and talk about ensuring a legacy of love 
and financial security for your family by calling 
626.587.3058 or visit www.GarlettLaw.com for more 
information.


LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?

Looking for a Best Friend - Vander

 Vander is a handsome Pomeranian-Chihuahua 
mix dog that looks like a golden fox. Vander was 
found by a Good Samaritan after being hit by a 
car. After he was treated at a local animal hospital, 
he was brought to San Gabriel Valley Humane 
Society so he could find his forever home.

 Vander is 4-years old, weighs 
11 pounds and has a beautiful 
medium length coat of varying 
shades of tan and gold. He 
has bright brown eyes and a 
perpetual smile on his face. 
Vander is a friendly boy who 
seems to love people. He and 
his kennel mate get along quite 
well with each other, and he 
seems to like the company of 
other dogs as well.

 Vander is easy to harness 
and take on a walk, strolling 
along at a good pace without 
pulling. He enjoys sniffing and 
exploring his surroundings, but 
his real pleasure is spending 
quality time getting lots of 
petting. Vander loves all kinds of physical contact 
– massages, belly rubs, cuddles and brushing. He 
will lie still for a very long time while he gets that 
kind of attention. See Vander getting a belly rub 
from a volunteer here https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=dtc3_qiKAQs Vander also seems to be a 
smart boy who knows how to sit for treats, and if 
coaxed, will offer his paw to shake. 

 Vander would make a wonderful companion 
to someone who wants an affectionate pet to 
nurture. He is looking for a safe, comfortable 
home where he gets a lot of love. Come meet 
Vander soon – he is waiting for you! His adoption 
fee is $130 and includes 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 
Vander. He 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 Drive. To arrange a 
‘Meet and Greet’ with Vander, 
please stop by any time from 
10:30am to 4:30pm Tuesday 
through Sunday. Website: www.
sgvhumane.org 

 We are always looking for 
hard working, dedicated animal lovers to join our 
team to fulfill our goal of ‘Putting People and Pets 
Together’. If you have what it takes to succeed in 
our life-saving work, we want to meet you! Check 
out our employment opportunities at http://www.
sgvhumane.org/career-opportunities/


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