Mountain Views News          Saturday, August 8, 2015

JUST FOR BEST FRIENDSMountain Views-News Saturday, August 8, 2015 
LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND? 
8 
Happy Tails 

by Chris Leclerc 

As a youth, I was taught to treasure my native language,
which happened to be English. I was encouraged at avery young age to learn as many words as I could, and touse those words as properly as I knew how. In retrospect,
I realize how fortunate I was to have had parents andeducators who instilled in me a strong appreciation forthe value of the vernacular. 

This is most likely why I showed a higher aptitude forthe language arts in school, than I did for most otherdisciplines. English, reading, writing and literature 
were always among my favorite subjects. By the time Igraduated college, it was quite clear that I would be morelikely to succeed by applying my skills in communicationthan by pursuing a career in a mathematic or scientificfield of interest. 

In spite of the teachings I received as a child, torevere words and hone my grammatical skills, I recentlyrealized how rarely I question the meanings or originsof numerous phrases I’ve heard and used throughoutmy life. I’m referring to those metaphoric householdsayings that mom and dad used to throw in the middle ofa lecture, hoping to convince me to be more responsiblefor my actions.

You know, those expressions that somehow snuck inwhile the elders were sharing a wanton word of warningabout who or who not to befriend, in hopes that I’d avoid“getting in with the wrong crowd“. Somehow, withouteven asking what they meant, or even looking up thedefinitions of the phrases they used, I knew exactlywhat they were trying to convey. Their sayings were byno means conventional in terms of traditional use of the 
English language, but I understood and it wasn‘t longbefore I found myself using the same phrases to make asimilar point of my own.

Among the culturally-connected coined phrases thatwere passed down from earlier generations, many havebecome commonly used components of our modern-
day dialogue. Those less-than-conventional comments,
whether comical or corrective, somehow wiggled theirway into our vocabulary without so much as a smidgenof scrutiny.

My favorite ‘quip-quotes’ are those that involve 
animals. For example, who hasn’t heard the phrase,
“Don‘t look a gift horse in the mouth.“? Or, “It’s rainingcats and dogs!”? Or, how about, “A bird in the hand isworth two in the bush.”? The list goes on and on, ofabstract adages that possess no true literal meaning, yetthey seem to offer a potential answer to just about everychallenge in life.

I recently looked upthe meanings of someof the quips commonlyused today that includeanimals, and my findings 
were quite enlightening.
Thanks to a good groupof “e-scholars” at www. 
phrases.org.uk, I found 
lots of interesting morselsabout many metaphoric 
morals that had me 
mystified in the past.

I’ll start with “Don’t 


YOU DON’T SAY! 


Or, Do You? 

look a gift horse in the mouth”, because even thoughit‘s meaning is probably understood by most folks,
my guess is that few are aware of it‘s origin. It madeit’s first appearance in written English as part of JohnHeywood’s A dialogue conteinyng the nomber in effectof all the prouerbes in the Englishe tongue, where it read:
“No man ought to looke a geuen hors in the mouth.” Itis assumed that Heywood obtained the phrase from aLatin text of St. Jerome, The Letter to the Ephesians,
circa AD 400. The intended message is, to not questiona good thing when it happens, just as one should notcheck a horse’s teeth to determine it‘s age, if it performswell. 

One of the more satirical sort of sayings that I neverunderstood until I looked it up, is “A bird in the handis worth two in the bush”. This one refers to medieval 
falconry where a bird in the hand (the predator) was avaluable asset and worth more than two birds in a bush 
(the prey). A citation of this phrase was first printedin 1670, in John Ray’s A Hand-book of Proverbs. Thegist of this jocular jest is, it’s better to have a lesser butcertain advantage than the possibility of a greater onethat may come to nothing. Advice well taken by most,
but not what a gambler wants to hear during a weekendin Vegas!

One potentially patronizing proverb that had mepuzzled before my research, is the old saying, “Don’t buya pig in a poke”. Little did I know that this one is actuallymore literal than most. It’s a throwback from the dayswhen pigs were commonly sold in town square farmer’smarkets, and the advice offered is, don’t purchase a pigsight unseen. A poke was another word for a bag andpigs were apparently bagged before going to market,
so a smart buyer would ask the seller to expose the pigbefore making their purchase. The modern day messagebehind this strange yet savvy saying is, don’t buy into adeal before examining it closely first. Who can’t benefitfrom heeding this bountiful bit of advice?

I could go on forever talking about animal-themedadages, but due to space restraints I must limit my list,
so here are 3 more, along with a brief description of theirorigins and meanings. Enjoy!

“A leopard cannot change it’s spots.” - Jeremiah 13:23

- a being cannot change it’s innate nature.
“A fly in the ointment” - Ecclesiastes 10:1 - a smallirritating flaw with the potential to spoil the whole.
“A fish out of water” - Samuel Purchas’s Pilgrimage,
1613 - Being in a situation that one is unsuited for.
And last but not least, here’s a rather corny quip ofmy own, which came to mind while I was sweeping mykitchen floor; “Oh the rugs I could weave, with the hairI just retrieved!” It seems the heat has my pup sheddingbuckets these days, bless her hairy little heart! 

PET OF THE WEEK CHATA: ANIMAL ID #A4856271 


Looking for a petite and adorable little buddy? Look no 
further and meet Chata! Chata (A4856271) is soulful6-year-old golden spayed female Chihuahua mix whoseowner left her at the Baldwin Park Animal Care Center 
on July 16th along with her brothers, Gordo [A4856272]
and Lobo [A4325392] because theowner said the dogs required too 
much attention. Weighing 8 lbs, thispetite chi is sensitive to the stress of theshelter environment and is tentative 
when meeting new people. With apatient approach she warms up andallows people to pick her up and carryher. Because of this, we are confident 
that once she is in a home environment 
and has time to decompress, she willblossom into a steadfast companionwith a medium-energy level. Chatagets along well with other small dogs,
and is particularly good friends with Lobo. While sheseems to be more familiar with a lap than a leash right now,
she is sure to pick up canine obedience basics quickly witha little guidance and positive reinforcement. Chata willthrive as a loyal best friend in calm home with adults andolder, respectful children. Give Chata a second chance! 

She really deserves one and will pay you back in love andkisses. To watch a video of Chata, please visit the followinglink: https://youtu.be/zSMRC0mfOB4

To meet Chata in person, please see her at the Baldwin

Park Shelter, located at 4275 N. Elton, Baldwin Park, 
CA 91706 (Phone: 626-962-3577).
She is currently available now. For 
any inquiries about Chata, pleasereference her animal ID number: 
A4856271. The shelter is open sevendays 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 Chata 
or the adoption process, contactUnited Hope for Animals VolunteerAdoption Coordinator Samantha atSamantha@hope4animals.org. To 

learn more about United Hope for Animals’ partnershipwith the Baldwin Park Shelter through its ShelterSupport 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/. 

Meet Ditty the Kitty! 
Ditty is a beautiful 
domestic short hair 
kitty, 3 months old and 
weighing around 2.3 
pounds. She has a soft 
silky short black coat 
and beautiful green eyes. 

Like most kittens, she 
is curious and wants to 
explore when she gets 
out of her cage. Ditty has 
a calm energy level and a 
mellow disposition.
She gets along well with 
her kitten friends and is 
very social with people. 
This playful girl has 
a lifetime of love and 
affection to share and 
would be a great addition 
to a lucky family.

She was a treat 
to photograph - showing us so many cute 
expressions; it was hard to choose just one! 
Please come in to meet Ditty the kitty and her 
friends in person. They will charm you with 
their kitty antics and love of life. If a kitty is part 
of your future, you won’t want to miss this cutie. 
Its kitten season and they won’t last long! 

Her adoption fee is $99 
which includes her spay 
surgery, a microchip, 
first vaccinations and 
a free wellness checkup 
at a participating 
veterinarian. 

She currently resides 
at the San Gabriel Valley 
Humane Society locatedat 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 Ditty, 
please stop by any time 
from 10:00am to 4:30pm 
Tuesday thru Sunday. 
If you are interested in 
meeting Ditty or any 
of the other available 

animals at the shelter, visit the San Gabriel 

Valley Humane Society at 851 E. Grand Ave., 

San Gabriel, Calif. 91776. It is open 10:00am 

to 4:30pm Tuesday thru Sunday. For more 

information, call (626) 286-1159. See our website 

at www.sgvhumane.org for information and 

photos of all our wonderful pets. 

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