This week’s Mystery Photo
Where is this?
Can you tell us where this is located? Drop us a line at mail@sjindy.com.
803 N. Mead St.
Cynthia LaChappelle Sweeney writes: I believe it is 803 N. Mead St. My parents built this home in 1960 and sold it in 1986.
The current owner is Carol Riggle Trust. Previous owners include Robert LaChappelle, Theodore and Dina Silvestri, Kevin and Karla Bradley, Tiara Brya and Jeffrey Baert, and Aaron Bradley.
A Look Back – Clinton County Clerk Passes Away in 1968
by Barry Clark Bauer
Velma Beaufore, Clinton County Treasurer, unidentified, and Paul Wakefield, Clinton County Clerk.
Funeral services were held last Friday afternoon for Clinton County Clerk Paul Wakefield, who died unexpectedly late last Tuesday evening from pneumonia. He was 62 years old. Mr. Wakefield had been county clerk for 22 years, having been elected to the position in 1945. For 14 years prior to that he was deputy clerk for Clinton County. As county clerk he acted as clerk for the Clinton County Circuit Court, board of supervisors, plat board, canvassing board, tax allocation board, election commission and the gun licensing board.
He served as president of the Michigan Clerk’s Assn. from September 1965 to September 1966 and was vice president of the organization the year before that. He was a member of the executive committee of the Clinton County Republican Party.
Mr. Wakefield’s death followed an illness of only two days. He was taken to Clinton Memorial Hospital late Christmas Eve following a family party at the Wakefield home at 807 E. Baldwin Street and died about 10 p.m. Dec. 26. Funeral services were at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Osgood Funeral Home, with the Rev Gerald Churchill, minister of the First Congregational Church, officiating. Burial was in Eureka Cemetery.
He was born In Gratiot County March 31, 1905, the son of Elmer and Katherine Dyer Wakefield. He graduated from Eureka School and St. Johns High School and lived all his adult life in St. Johns. He married Cressie Matthews in St. Johns, June 16, 1927. She survives, as do two sons, Dean of New York City and David of Adrian, and four grandchildren.
Benny and Jessie’s Pet Info – Aggressive Behavior in Dogs (and Cats)
Aggressive behavior in dogs (and cats) can, unfortunately, be a source of conflict for humans. A certain percentage of pets will display aggressive behavior toward their owners/caretakers or other humans.
In the canine the fear and aggression occasionally seems to “come on out of the blue” but more often is triggered by getting into the dog’s “space” or protective territory. This unsocial behavior, while it may be “normal” if the dog (or cat) were interacting with another animal to defend territory or signal “leave me alone”, can be dangerous to people. Cats in this fear/aggression mode will bite and scratch…sometimes really terrorizing the owners. And dogs, with eyes glazed, teeth bared and with fearful barking and growling, will back owners into a corner or up onto a kitchen counter! In dogs this is often referred to as rage syndrome and can be a very shocking event for the owner (and I suspect, for the dog as well).
In the feline the aggressive mode may come upon the cat for unknown reasons. The cat will seem to be in a play mode, then the playing turns to more serious stalking, with ears held back and back arched, and often they will growl softly. You can see the fear/anger in their eyes. Or the behavior starts out while the cat is being gently stroked by the owner and the cat begins to become annoyed, then more defensive, then outright aggressive to the innocent owner.
The only way I know to defuse the aggression is to leave the pet’s area — just get out of eyesight. Trying to calm the dog (or cat), or restraining and disciplining him will simply make your pet even more fearful and aggressive.
What is the cause of this aggressive/anger state? It probably stems from very early personality/behavioral development experiences in the pet’s life. Events such as deliberate abuse, accidental trauma from objects falling on the pet, scary stimuli such as thunder and lightning, or other animals frightening the puppy (or kitty) may make a permanent impression on it regarding the world around it.
More aggressive litter mates can have detrimental effects too. The critical age range that these events permanently make their impressions generally is from about four to twelve weeks of age; whatever is programmed into the brain’s “personality structure” during that time span will then be set for life.
As we all know, there are humans with personality disorders — and outright sociopaths who are a danger to others. So it is in the dog and cat world. And as difficult as it is to “pacify” the behavior of maladjusted humans who have the benefit of counseling, therapy and medications, and the love and sympathy of family and friends, much more so is the difficulty in modifying the behavior of dogs and cats who pose a threat to their caretakers.
Let’s face it, these dogs (and cats) cannot help being who they are; their impressions of the world have been shaped by events not of their choosing. (Can we say the same for human behavior?) Nevertheless when living and closely interacting with humans (and innocent children) daily, any behavior that endangers human health and safety is unacceptable.
My experience during thirty years of working with dogs and cats has taught me that many well-intentioned people, certain that their gentle and loving ways will modify the behavior of the fearful/aggressive dog or cat, have learned a hard lesson in animal behavior.
Often the “saviors” of these animals have been injured and even psychologically harmed when they learn that all their love and understanding will not correct the aggressive animal’s behavior.
I am not saying that all dogs and cats with fear/aggression are lost causes; I am saying that a great percentage of them will continue to be a danger to human health and safety no matter who or what attempts to modify the behavior.
So what is an owner to do? Consult with your DVM, breeders, and animal shelter personnel about your particular dog (or cat), maybe even spend a little money on consultation with a professional animal behaviorist about your pet.
If you choose to keep the pet and attempt behavior modification, be prepared for the experience to dominate your entire home life. Every family member will have to contribute to the plan of action and it will be a 24 hour-a-day experience; that dog or cat will be the focal point of your thoughts and activities.
Are you willing to do that? Should you do that? I have witnessed many sincere and vigorous attempts to modify fear/aggression in dogs and cats that have left the animal’s caretakers frustrated, demoralized and injured in their failed attempts to pacify the pet.
At the heart of the problem is the fact that the animal can’t help being who s/he is! S/He can’t reason that the owners do not represent a threat or that the stimulus triggering the fear/aggression is not a real danger … he simply acts and responds as ordered to by a brain that was imprinted with certain directions that the animal will never be able to modify.
Many, many times I have been a part of counseling owners about this fear/aggression problem. If we can rule out and are certain that the animal does not have anything physically wrong that may be triggering pain or discomfort, such as bladder stones, gastrointestinal foreign bodies, tumors or infections, and we are certain that the behavior is personality based, the choice may be to euthanize the unfortunate pet.
Even if the pet is “OK most of the time” and only a threat two per cent of the time…is that an acceptable risk for the family to take? If the cat only scratches someone’s eye occasionally or only bites severely once in a while, is that acceptable? If the dog only attacks “certain” people or gets frightened only by small children necessitating the continuous separation of small children from the dog … is that an acceptable risk to have living in your home all the time?
Regrettably, I have seen far too many empathetic and sincerely-intentioned pet owners make excuses for their dog or cat’s harmful behavior. I have seen children scarred from dog bites that have occurred well after the dog has bitten the child or others in the past. Some pet owners really go too far in excusing the dangerous behavior of their dog or cat, blaming everything but the dog or cat, and these owners fail to see the improper and dangerous priorities they have set.
In the case of a dog or cat being a real threat to human safety, you must set aside emotional attachment and look at the situation objectively. You must ask “No matter how much I love this animal, is it a danger to human health? Am I, as the caretaker and person responsible for this animal, willing to gamble that it won’t ever tear out someone’s eye, bite off someone’s nose, scar someone’s face…or even worse?” You be the judge … and then you live with the consequences of your choices.
I have had entire families come with their pet to my animal hospital where everyone is crying and completely emotionally drained by the absolute necessity of euthanizing their pet simply because the dog or cat has demonstrated itself to be a danger to them and others. Nobody wins in these situations…not the family members, not the pet, not the veterinarian. Simply put, the animal cannot help being who it is. Unfortunately, who it is can be a danger to human health. It’s a no win situation for all involved.
And to give away a pet with fear/aggression personality traits to someone else is not a solution. The innate tendencies of the animal evolved from genetic predispositions and early brain/sensory inputs. You can’t help that — and neither can the dog (or cat).
– T. J. Dunn, Jr., DVM
Maralyn’s Did You Know – Mars Petcare announces voluntary recall
Mars Petcare US announced a voluntary recall of a limited number of CESAR® Classics Filet Mignon Flavor product due to a potential choking risk from hard white pieces of plastic which entered the food during the production process. CESAR® Classics Filet Mignon can be purchased individually, as well as, in flavor variety multipacks. The Lot Codes listed below are the only affected products. All other CESAR® products can be safely consumed.
We encourage consumers who have purchased affected product to discard the food or return it to the retailer for a full refund or exchange. While a small number of consumers have reported finding the plastic pieces, to date, we have not received any reports of injury or illness associated with the affected product. The lot codes indicated below should not be sold or consumed.
Affected product was distributed to retail customers throughout the United States. Mars Petcare US is working with all of our distributors and retailers to ensure that the recalled products are no longer sold and are removed from inventory.
Recalled Pet Food
Two lot codes of CESAR® Classics Filet Mignon Flavor wet dog food with the production codes shown below are included in this voluntary recall. Each product will have a lot code printed on side of the tray that begins with 631FKKC, 631GKKC. A Best Before date 080418 (August 4, 2018) and 080518 (August 5, 2018). https://www.cesar.com/notice
Maralyn’s Pet Corner – Seizures and Convulsions in Cats
It can be very upsetting to see your cat have a seizure. Fortunately a single seizure is usually of short duration, and your cat is unconscious while convulsing. Seizures happen when abnormal electrochemical activity occurs in the brain. They can occur as a single event, as a cluster of seizures over a short period, or on a recurring basis every few weeks or months.
What to Watch For
A seizure usually starts by the cat collapsing onto the ground, going stiff, and then going into convulsions — uncontrolled muscle contractions, which may make your cat look like he’s jerking his body, paddling his feet, snapping his jaw, and similar movements. Your cat may even empty his bowels and bladder during the seizure. Typically, a seizure only lasts a minute or two.
Sometimes a cat will exhibit behavior changes shortly before a seizure (called an aura or pre-ictal behavior), such as pacing, circling, yowling or vomiting. After the seizure (post-ictal), your cat will be disoriented, may show temporary paralysis in one or more legs, seem blind, vomit, or show other behavior changes. These changes are usually short-lived, although it may take several days before your cat seems completely “normal” again.
Primary Cause
Most seizures in cats are the result of previous damage to the brain, from which the cat has recovered and often has no other symptoms. Some seizures seem to occur spontaneously with no discernible cause. These are both forms of epilepsy.
Immediate Care
When your cat has a seizure, your primary goal is to keep him from hurting himself. Most seizures last only a few minutes at most, which means he will probably be over the seizure before you can get him to your car, let alone your veterinarian. Even so, he should still be taken to the vet. You can do the following to help your cat:
– Remain calm.
– Remember your cat is unconscious and making uncontrolled movements, including snapping his jaw. Be very careful not to get bit or scratched.
– If possible, move your cat to a safe place, away from stairs, furniture, etc. Sometimes other animals in the house will attack a seizuring animal; they will certainly be curious or upset, so keep them away for everyone’s safety.
– When the seizure stops, your cat will be disoriented and may not recognize you. This could result in your cat attacking you or running away.
– If the seizure doesn’t stop, or he’s having cluster seizures, your cat needs to go to your veterinarian as soon as possible for treatment to stop the seizures.
Veterinary Care
Diagnosis
If your cat is seizuring when you bring him in, he will be given injectable diazepam, or possibly phenobarbital, to stop the seizure before any examination. Diagnosis is primarily based on the information that you provide, plus direct observation of the seizure.
Most diagnostic tests are to determine the cause of the seizure. These would include blood and urine tests and possibly X-rays. Testing the cerebrospinal fluid or performing MRI imaging may also be recommended. Electroencephalograms (EEG) are rarely done.
Treatment
If your cat seizures while at your veterinarian’s office, he will be given injectable diazepam or phenobarbital. If seizures are severe enough, general anesthesia may be needed. If something other than epilepsy is determined to be the cause of the seizure, that underlying cause will be treated.
A single seizure of less than 5 minutes duration that is determined to be epilepsy is usually not treated beyond stopping the initial seizure. Long-lasting seizures, cluster seizures, or seizures that recur every 2 months (or less) are usually treated long term or even life-long with anticonvulsants. The most common medication for this is phenobarbital. If this is not providing sufficient control, another medication, like diazepam or gabapentin, is added on to the treatment plan.
Other Causes
Hypoglycemia, kidney disease, liver disease, meningitis, tumors and various infections can all potentially cause seizures.
Living and Management
In most cases, if a cat has one seizure he is likely to have another eventually. However, not every cat that has recurring seizures will be put on long-term medication. Because of the stress on the liver that long term anticonvulsant use can cause, the medicine is usually not given to cats whose seizures are more than two months apart.
If your cat is on long-term medication, he will need regular checkups and blood tests to ensure the medications are not causing other health problems.
Prevention
Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent your cat from developing epilepsy. And even if your cat has been diagnosed with epilepsy and is on medication, that may not completely eliminate seizures. Sometimes the best that can be done is to minimize their severity and try to limit them to a predictable schedule.