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Pet Press KALISPELL MAY 2023
406.755.6886 WWW.KALISPELLVET.COM
A LABOR OF LOVE
Life Growing Up With My Mom
I feel incredibly blessed to have
Everyone wants a mother who will go to bat for them, and I always had one as a kid. My mom would tame any
early memories of sitting in a cold church pew, watching my mom and her students practice. Everyone thinks their mom is the best, but I’m telling the truth when I say she was an outstanding organist. I think of her anytime I hear someone playing organ
tiger to keep her boys safe. How did we thank her on Mother’s Day? With giant pink fuzzy slippers, a new pink robe, and a bottle of Chanel No. 5 every year, of course.
grown up with such a wonderful mother and to still have her in my life.
Those girly gifts conceal what a tough lady she has always been. We heated our home with wood- burning stoves for many years — it was like living in the 1800s in 1980. Considering how labor- intensive it was, we tried not to
beautifully. She doesn’t get to play any longer, but I’ve always imagined that in a different life, she became a world-renowned organist instead of raising two boys.
waste heat at night, and Mom was the one who would get up at 5 a.m. every morning to start the fires. She always wanted to ensure the house was nice and toasty for the rest of us when we got out of bed. Of course, she also ran the vacuum at 5 a.m.
Mom and I have a great relationship, even though we do butt heads a lot. She gets along better with my brother because they both pick up various emotional cues, while I can be brash and hard-headed. If Mom needs challenging, I’m the one who will do it out loud. As a result, she’ll get mad at me periodically, but it’s a testament to the strength of our bond that we can argue. I know our relationship will be fine, even if she’s angry for a day or two. I feel incredibly blessed to have grown up with such a wonderful mother and still have her in my life. I don’t take that for granted, and I hope those who have been similarly fortunate don’t either. Take a moment to thank your mom this Mother’s Day — pink slippers optional. – Dr. Jevon Clark
Mom was always up for anything. She was my den mother for Cub Scouts and planned the outings. It was the
perfect role for her because she was extremely organized. Though she didn’t shoot, Mom would always go hunting with us. She would take nice long hikes to shoo animals our way while we stalked them. She loves spending a long day in a gym watching basketball games, something I definitely share with her. Both my parents have college degrees in music, and Mom has a master’s in organ. She was a semi-professional organist for a long time, playing at our church and teaching musicians at other churches. I have many fond
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A New Lea
Hello! My name is Alba, and I’m lucky to have a lot of family members who love me. I live with my grandma, mom, and mom’s
Did you know May is Mystery Month? There are dozens of ways to celebrate this enigmatic occasion, from playing Clue to rewatching “Glass Onion” — but why not bring those experiences to life and host your own murder mystery dinner at home? Thanks to a plethora of kits on the market, doing so is easier than ever! What is a murder mystery dinner? A murder mystery dinner is essentially a real-life game of Clue. You invite friends over for dinner and turn your home into the set of “Knives Out” — without the blood, of course. Each of your friends takes on the persona of a character in the story, and when one of them is “murdered,” you compete to uncover who dunnit. Host a Murder Mystery Dinner! The Best Way to Celebrate Mystery Month
daughter, Kaeton. I also have a dog brother and sister, plus two cats who love to rub on me. I’m very glad my family adopted me from the animal shelter as a puppy 11 years ago.
I almost didn’t make it this far, and I’m here today to tell you my story because of my hero, Dr. Clark. I started feeling sick at the age of 10, and another veterinarian diagnosed me with diabetes. Grandma kept taking me in to appointments for about a year, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t get my
blood sugar under control. I felt tired and sick, and Grandma said I had a “poor quality of life.” She didn’t know if I was going to make it.
But then she found Dr. Clark. He’s a very nice man who regulated my glucose levels in a few months. I went from lying around feeling bad to running around and
playing with my brother and sister in no time. The only downside is that Grandma pricks me with a needle a lot. I always think, “Again?!” and give her a big huff. But I know Grandma’s just trying to help. Hairball Control CAT TREATS
Step 1: Pick your kit. Planning a murder mystery dinner from scratch would take the ingenuity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Luckily, you have several ready-made mysteries to choose from! You can find boxes from Masters of Mystery and My Mystery Party at your local board game store, but you can find many options available online, too. Night of Mystery (NightOfMystery.com), for example, sells both in-person and virtual kits with themes ranging from ‘80s prom to Christmas homicide. If your friends and family don’t like the idea of acting and dressing up, that’s okay — you can still solve a mystery over dinner! Look into kits available through Unsolved Case Files (UnsolvedCaseFiles.com) or Hunt A Killer (Shop.HuntAKiller. com), which involve collaborative mystery-solving without the character work.
If your feline regularly coughs up hairballs, these homemade treats may be the perfect thing to help your cat’s digestive tract. Inspired by VitaCost.com
Step 2: Curate your guest list. Most murder mystery dinners require at least four people, while some include characters for six, eight, or more! Check the number of players on your kit and invite your most creative, analytical, theatrical, and mystery-loving friends. Step 3: Decorate and plan the menu. If you choose a themed murder mystery, level up your event with a matching menu and decor! For games taking place in England, whip up a shepherd’s pie and make a cardboard cutout of Big Ben. For Havana Nights, plan a build-your-own Cubano bar and throw on an Afro-Cuban playlist. You can be as over-the-top as you like. Remember, it’s Mystery Month!
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MEET CLIENT SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE JUANA VASQUEZ A DAY IN THE LIFE
ash on Life
WHY ALBA’S WAGGING HER TAIL AGAIN
I can’t see anymore, but I still love to play. I was shy until Kaeton got a Rottweiler puppy named Tiger almost five years ago. It turned out I just needed a friend!
Tiger wasn’t very good at behaving at first, but I loved him right away. Willow is a German shepherd mix puppy who only came to live with us a few months ago, but she fit in immediately. She’s about my size and looks up to me as her big sister. My cat friends, Baby and Angel, are great, too.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to work in a veterinary office? Our new “A Day in the Life” series will give you a peek behind the curtain as we share the average workday for each department. Our front desk team is up first, as told by client service representative Juana Vasquez. My name is Juana Vasquez, and I’ve worked as a client service representative at the Animal Clinic of Kalispell for about a year. I’d never worked
Being blind has challenges, but I can work through them. The other day, Grandma put a bowl of water up on a stool so I could drink easier. I went to play with Tiger and Willow for a while, and when I came back for a drink, I ended up just licking the stool. What a mean trick, Grandma! I knew where she was, so I turned around and gave her a “look” until she put the water back.
in a veterinary office before coming here, but I’ve always loved interacting with animals — probably more than people! I love seeing our patients come in every day. My workday starts bright and early, around 7 a.m. There are usually 2–3 of us here in the morning, and we begin our work by checking our emails and phones for any new messages. Next, we review the appointments for the day and ensure we’ve confirmed all of them. The doctors see a lot of patients, so we help them by making travel sheets. A travel sheet shows a list of all the patients, what time their appointment is, and the room they’ll be in. Having the information in one document prevents the doctors from getting confused so they can move quickly from patient to patient. Surgery drop-offs begin at 7:30 a.m., and we might have anywhere between 2–8, depending on the day. We check the animals in and get them settled. Appointments start at 8 a.m., and the work is nonstop after that. We spend the day greeting clients, checking them out, answering phone calls and emails, and scheduling appointments. We must also confirm the next day’s appointments and help clean rooms between patients.
But the good news is
that I feel like a real
dog again! Life is so much better than it was before. I owe it all to Dr. Clark and the Animal Clinic of Kalispell staff. Thanks for saving me — my whole family appreciates it!
Ingredients
• • •
1 1/4 cups brown rice flour 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• • •
3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp water
1 egg
1 tbsp catnip (optional)
•
3 tbsp flaxseed, ground
Directions
We discharge our surgery patients and ensure the clinic is clean and tidy before closing at 6 p.m. It’s a long day, but I work four 10-hour shifts a week and have a
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet. 2. In a medium bowl, mix together all of the ingredients. 3. Once evenly mixed, place the dough in plastic wrap for 5 minutes. 4. On parchment paper, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough into narrow strips, and place strips onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. 5. Remove from oven, then use a spatula to break treats into bite-size pieces. Bake for 10–15 more minutes. 6. Once treats are cool, place them in an airtight container or serve to your feline friends.
three-day weekend. The fast pace of the office and awesome coworkers make the work go by quickly — everyone at the office feels like family to me. Every night, I go home to my English bulldog, Valentine, and my Australian shepherd mix, Winston. I can always count on them to greet me at the door and show me their favorite toys. After a day of caring for other people’s pets, it’s nice to spend some time with my own.
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406.755.6886 WWW.KALISPELLVET.COM 1408 AIRPORT ROAD KALISPELL, MT 59901
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
Inside
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Dr. Clark Honors His Mom
2 Host an Unforgettable Murder Mystery Dinner
2 Hairball Control Cat Treats
3 A Peek Behind Our Front Desk
3 A New Leash on Life
4 Potbellied Pig Terrifies Burglars
A Ham- Fisted Attempt at Robbery
On the night of New Year’s Eve in 2014, a group of burglars experienced the fright of a lifetime. Expecting to rob a quiet home in Derby, England, the intruders instead came face to snout with Ludwig, a 240-pound potbellied pig. Abandoning all thoughts of crime once they spotted the pig, the burglars instantly fled the scene and ran for their lives. The “hero ham” had already become a popular figure in his town and was well-loved for his gentle demeanor. In fact, Michael Maughan, Ludwig’s owner, is confident that Ludwig wouldn’t have harmed the intruders, even if he does look quite intimidating. Local officers believe the robbers must have heard Ludwig’s Rottweiler-like “growl” and immediately hit the road, leaving the door wide open behind them. The story of this heroic potbellied pig became a sensation throughout Europe. Countless fans have applauded the Canadian-born hog for his loyalty to his owners. But the owners want to ensure people understand that Ludwig would never hurt anyone. Some fabricated web stories made Ludwig sound more dangerous than he is, so Maughan spoke to the Toronto Star to dispute any defamations against Ludwig’s kindness.
“He’s being painted as a vicious creature when he’s actually quite a sweet animal,” he explained. “He didn’t exactly bare his tusks and charge, I don’t think. I think he got absolutely, ‘Arrgh,’ and they just ran for it.” In fact, Maughan detailed that after a two-month separation during their move to England, the pig shed tears during their reunion. Adorable and affectionate, Ludwig would have probably become friends with the intruders in no time. Even if his “bark” is worse than his bite, Ludwig succeeded in keeping his owners safe while also protecting their home. This 240-pound potbellied pig continues to enjoy his comfortable home in Derby and is considered a town hero. Anyone looking for a guard dog may want to consider a hefty hog instead!
INTRUDERS FLEE FROM LUDWIG THE PIG
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