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Show Utah Press Association 1521 East 3900 South Suite 100 Salt Lake City, UT 84124 AN E D I T I O N O F P R I D E J PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID SPANISH FORK, UTAH PERMIT NO. 2 J ish Fork News V W O C A L L Y " v O W N E D A * N D O P E R A T E D WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3,2007 500 Salem holds \\ Mallory Byrnes STAFF WRITER Salem's sixth annual Pet Fair drew people out into the rain Saturday with the chance to adopt a pet and learn more about pet health. "My goal is to get people so that I don't have to pick up their pets anymore ... [The Pet Fair] encourages people to train their dogs and to go out and do things with them. All those things make my job easier," said Salem's Officer Kirby, animal control officer and organizer of the Pet Fair since 2001. Along with kennels of adoptable dogs,-two llamas, a donkey, a horse and a cockatoo braved the rain and wind so that people could see and learn about them. "Animals should be part of everyone's life. If we separate ourselves from animals too much we'll lose touch with nature," said Vay Warden, a representative from the Krishna Lotus Temple who has been involved with the Pet Fair for three years. Warden's 15-year-old llama Dennis married threeyear-old llama Subi in a rainy ceremony officiated by Officer Kirby. "For people to have lots of love and soft-heartedness, animals are essential in their life — especially for children, but for adults, too. It's a human inspiration," Warden said. Despite the rain, several people came to the Dog Walk, getting exercise for their dog and showing off their dog's winter wear. "We teach people there's more you can do with your dog. Don't leave them tied up in the backyard," said Kirby. The Pet Fair's goals are to raise community awareness aboutadoption,andhighlight the contributions pets make to life. There's also a focus on keeping your pets healthy through spaying, neutering and shots. "For every female cat that is unspayed, it will produce 39 cats per year," said Officer Kirby. "Spaying and neutering makes them a better pet. They stay home if they're neutered and the females seem to-'be""" healthier." Though Utah has retained low instances of rabies outside of species like bats and raccoons, rabies shots for pets has become especially important because of Salem's growing population. "It's becoming more important now to vaccinate your pets with a big population," said Kirby. "We'd like to make people more aware of rabies ... We're pushing cats to get rabies shots because they're more likely to come in contact with a bat or a rabid raccoon or rat." Keeping stray animals off the streets is important, but shelters are often harmful places for animals to stay according to Ruthann Nielsen, founder of the animal rescue group Lost Paws. See SALEM • A8 Mallory Byrnes / Spanish Fork News NEITHER RAIN NOR SLEET: Foul weather was not enough to keep Hadyn Richardson and her dog, Darla, from Salem's stoh annual Pet Fair on Saturday, Sept. 29. Steue Hard man / Spanish Fork News DREAM JOB: Utah National Guard recruiter SFC Robert Conner finds great satisfaction in helping soldiers get the most out of their military experience. A quick glimpse at a local recruiter Steve Hardman EDITOR One of the things that SFC Robert Conner likes about this area is that people thank him, even at the grocery store, for his service. "People here respect the military," he said. "They are proud of those who serve — and I'm proud to serve them." Conner, a full-time recruiter for the Utah National Guard, has served in the military for over 25 years. His recruitment area includes Spanish Fork, Salem and Springville as well as Eureka and the Tintic School District. Conner graduated from high school in Nephi and enlisted in the Guard during his senior year. He joined the 1457th CE Delta Company as a combat engineer. "Even though I joined for job training and some adventure, I joined the unit in Nephi because I wanted to stay close to home," Conner said. He attended basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri. "I received excellent training — very physical. It definitely got me in shape." Conner served with the Delta Company for three and a half years, then decided to go active duty. Over the next eight years, he was stationed in Panama, Maryland and Colorado, where he met his wife, Catina. When the military offered an Early Out program, the Conner family felt it was time. For the following two years, Conner assumed a "weekend role" with the National Guard, but in 1994, he went full-time again, working at Camp Williams as a mechanic. He deployed with the 116th Engineers to Iraq in 2004, serving with Spanish Fork's local unit. Shortly after his return, he assumed the role of recruiter. "I like recruiting," he said. "I want See GUARD • A6 SFFD teaches fire prevention October is National Fire Safety month and the Spanish Fork City Fire Department will host a fire prevention evening at the fire station on Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 6-8 p.m. The station will be open to the public and children will be able to try on fire turnouts and check out the trucks. There will also be plenty of firefighterson hand to answer any safety questions you may have. With the focus on fire safety, the fire department encourages all residents to look around their homes to identify and eliminate potential fire hazards. Also, to change the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. According to Spanish Fork Fire Chief Brent Jarvis, this should be done once a year. A helpful tip, he said, is to do this on a special date, such as a birthday, daylight savings, etc. Another tip is to vacuum out the dust in the alarms as well. Dust and other Steve Hardman / Spanish Fork New$ DAMAGE CONTROL: Spanish Fork Fire Department training officer Ryan Baum supervises city employees on proper fire suppression technique during a CERT training earlier this year. The Fire Department will be hosting a fire prevention evening at the fire station on Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 6-8 p.m. debris amy cause the alarm to malfunction and could create a potential hazard. For more information on identifying and eliminating fire hazards, visit the fire station during the fire: prevention night on Oct 10. |