Thanksgiving Tips

By ANDY HUTCHISON

Published: Nov 28, 2008 12:00 am

Doggone Etiquette â

Thanksgiving Tips

By Bardi McLennan

A Word to the Dog:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

This is a Big Weekend for most of you dogs. Itâs the first one of those several family-and-friends gatherings weâve been talking about. And Iâve been warning you about. Be on your very best behavior when it comes to the food. If dinner is at home, do not beg. (Only naughty puppies do that.) And definitely do not steal. The food may smell fabulous, but some things that smell good can make you sick. So, keep your paws and jaws off!Â Â

If everyone in your family goes out for the Big Dinner and you have to stay home, be very, very good and keep your paws crossed for something special you may not know about. Itâs called a âdoggy bagâ which is a bag (or a dish, or a container) full of food that your nice, thoughtful people couldnât manage to eat, so theyâre bringing it home for you. You may not get all of it, but thatâs okay because there may be things â like onions or olives â that you wouldnât like anyhow. No matter where it takes place, have a Happy (and delicious) Thanksgiving!

A Word to the Dogâs Owners:

Weâve been building up to this event in several previous columns, and now the first of the big holiday weekends is actually here! Whether you are entertaining family or friends, or going elsewhere to celebrate, be sure Rufus is safe. Too often itâs during holidays that dogs slip through open doors only to become lost. Donât think for one minute that you are being bossy when you warn all the visitors about this. A hand on the dogâs collar before the door opens is not too much to ask.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

The other safety precaution has to do with food. You no doubt have food for the occasion that is not your normal fare. A firm âLeave it!â to your adorable dog about to swipe a mouthful of hors dâoeuvres may save you a trip to the vetâs office as well as the unnecessary expense. Just be sure someone keeps an eagle eye on the would-be thief.Â Turkey is fine for Fido, but watch out for bones. ALL bones from fish or fowl are dangerous for dogs. One more thing to be sure everyone in the house over the holiday knows about, so there are no accidents.

Kids are notorious for being âgenerousâ in sharing tidbits with the dog (even if he is only recently their âfavoriteâ dog). Those goodie hand outs, or bits of food stolen from the hands of the kids need a little supervision. A stolen half a cookie is not likely to be a problem, but a piece of chocolate, or an unfinished bit of turkey leg deposited where Rufus can swipe it, most certainly is dangerous.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

All this simply boils down to including your dog (or dogs) as special members of the family, not to be ignored during people party-time. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and if you are going shopping for pre-Christmas bargains â donât forget to shop for Rufus!

Until next time - Be Good!

-Â Bardi

Bardi McLennan bred, trained and showed Welsh Terriers for 30 years during which time she wrote a monthly column on canine behavior in Dog fancy Magazine. In addition to contributing to numerous dog publications, she has written 15 books on dogs, the latest being Rescue Me! which received the ASPCA Humane Issues Award this year.

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It seems a lot of the discussion around the flagpole focuses on vilifying drivers who pass on the right, but the real issue is being overlooked. If Chapter 248 Section 14-251 were enforced, we wouldn’t see this problem to begin with. That statute prohibits stopping in the middle of a roadway to yield to cross traffic—as so often happens with cars waiting to turn from Church Hill. When vehicles stop illegally in the travel lane, they effectively create a blockage. Other drivers then either sit through unnecessary delays or carefully pass around them on the right, which is fully permitted when the vehicle ahead is “illegally parked” in the roadway. Instead of punishing drivers reacting to the obstruction, enforcement should focus on the cause: vehicles unlawfully stopping and backing up traffic in the first place. If that behavior were addressed, the need to “go around” would largely disappear.

Borough Board of Burgesses Continues Traffic Safety Discussion

John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious. But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines. At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.

Late Night Prank Gone Wrong

First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd. Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let's not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word "ordinance" or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it "The Alex Villamil Ordinance" if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn't be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.

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A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.

You’re absolutely right — no one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. Being startled awake by violent banging at your door late at night is no joke, and it’s a stark reminder that danger can come without warning. That’s why I’m thankful for the right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. In a moment like that, you don’t get a second chance to call for help before you act — you have to be prepared. Our homes should be a place of peace, not fear, and the ability to defend them is a right worth safeguarding.

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