QUÉBEC
MARIE PONTOIS
819•228•3159
pontois@infoteck.qc.ca
For animal lovers in Quebec, one of the best wishes for 2012
would be that, eventually, our companions receive better protection against abuse. After many years of petitions, and after various approaches to members of parliament urging them to act
for the well being of pets, it seems that, finally, we are starting
to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We have many years to
catch up on in Quebec and many more difficulties to face, but at
last it seems that things are moving.
Regarding my dogs and cats, I am what you could call an anxious person. The slightest sign of discomfort makes me fear the
worst. Serge, my vet, is used to it and since most of the time I
am right, he always takes my state of panic into consideration.
Lately, my 10-year-old Briard, Stella, started developing a nearly
imperceptibe, tiny mass on her gum. Serge suggested we wait
and see the evolution. As a result, I was checking every day
for changes. The point came where no one, even my skeptical
husband Paul, could argue with me, and Serge had to admit that
I was right.
Dentistry is an important medical act and we are lucky in
Quebec to have one of the best practitioners, Dr Yvan Dumais
DVM, Dip. AVDC, FAVD. He is an artist. We’ve known him for
many years; he is now working at St-Hyacinthe University. We
got an appointment quickly and the mass was removed the
same day, together with a tooth. He performed a reconstruction
of the gum mucosa in order to save a molar. Once the job was
completed, no hole and no trace could be seen, and best of all,
the following day Stella was having a normal life, was painless,
and was as happy as usual. I stress on this because this situation
made me discover that the university has made a total change, a
face-lift. It has a different approach with the patients now; more
empathy, a warmer atmosphere, not as formal as in the old days
– as professional, but friendlier.
We left the same day, with our dog. We were relieved in knowing that Stella received the best care with the maximum
safeguards. If necessary, we will not hesitate to appeal to St-Hyacinthe again.
One more thing; after the surgery, when we were sure that Stella
was fine, we went to have a bite to eat at the cafeteria. There
too, we were pleasantly surprised. The food was great, the cappuccinos excellent, and the atmosphere inviting. In spite of the
stress, we had a super experience.
Coast to Coast
A Sad Note …
Robert Brousseau, the husband of Françoise Allard (Fabert Dobermans and Miniature Pinschers), passed away in November
2011. Robert has always been a passionate competitor. He was
very proud of his wife’s accomplishments and of the quality of
their dogs. We will miss his animated discussions and his devotion to the sport. We extend our sincerest condolences to his
family.
Professional News …
Both Marie Gabrielle Turcotte and Pascal Mauve, who work at
Royal Canin, have been promoted. They now split the responsibilities and the workload of Nathalie Lachance, who started a
new career at another food company. Good luck to all of them!
Dog show terminology – have you ever sat and thought about
how much of a foreign language it is to the “non-dog” community? Quite often I update my Facebook status by using
the abbreviations that we use daily. My non-dog family usually responds with a multitude of various responses, but I get a
“huh?”, a “what?”, or a “That sounds impressive, but I have no
idea what you’re talking about. Does that mean you won?”
To the outside world all they understand is if you won or lost.
I’ve tried explaining and it usually ends with them staring
blankly, eyes glazed over. Most often if I get a ribbon, I explain
to them that I got 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th. I’ve come up with this
system; Best of Breed equals “1st”, Best of Opposite equals
“2nd”, and so on. When it comes to the group level, I explain it
to them that it’s like sprinting and the group level is the second
heat and everyone gets placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th and, finally,
the 3rd heat where Best in Show is the “gold medal”, Reserve
Best in Show is the “silver medal”, and Best Puppy in Show is
the “bronze medal”. Somehow they are able to understand this
method of thinking better and I get less “huh?” responses.
Vocabulary is completely another story and quite often, while
in the company of small children, I have to remember to refrain
from using the “female dog” term. If looks could kill I would be
dead a million times over as I have rambled on and on in the
presence of children, unaware that, to them, I was “swearing!”
To me, I was using the word in its proper context, and there was
A L B E R TA NATASHA TAPHORN 7 8 0 • 2 3 2 • 2 0 4 1 natashataphorn@yahoo.com
