B14 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 2, 2000

Dog team encounters;
what to do and why

BY EILEEN PUGE
As a musher I have come to
the conclusion a lot of
people do not know what to
do when confronted with a
team of dogs and-their dri-
ver. Therefore, I] thought I
would let you know what to
expect.

First, not all dog teams
are well trained. They can
cross the road at any given
time and will expect you to
get out of their way.

Rookie leaders (the dogs
in the front of the team) are
in training, which means
they are learning which side
of the road to travel on and
they are learning the dri-
ver’s voice commands.

It takes a lot of time and
hard work to train a dog to
tun on the right side of the
road and not get upset when
cars go by. They are under a
lot of pressure from the rest
of the team and the driver.
So when you come across a
dog teams do not presume it
is a well-trained team, slow
down and give them room.

I have had dogs that
were great leaders rnined by
cars that go by too fast and
close. A school bus once
flew past us and a rock hit
one of the dogs hard enough
to leave a bruise. That dog
how tries to run into the
ditch when it sees a bus or
big truck passing by us. |
cannat really blame him, |
myself have ducked large
flying rocks and pieces of
ice when on the sled ar cart.

Stopping to talk to the
musher can also lead to pro-
blems. The dogs becomes
impatient causing the mush-
er to lose control of the
team and the sled.

You are best off to just
wave and let the team go.
When out walking your dog
and you sce a team coming
at you, the best thing to do

Eileen Puge photo

WHAT A WAY TO SPEND THE WINTER: Eileen Puge and her dog team prac-
tice on the roads and mountains near Terrace.

is to get off the trail and
take your dog with you. If
you have a small dog, put it
in your arms and turn your
back to the team. If you
have an aggressive dog,
hold it close to you and
keep your eye on the team
coming toward you,

If a team is coming at
your dog, ward them off
with your arm and they will
keep going. The trick seems
to be if the team keeps their
momentum going then
chances are, they will fly
past you. Mast teams will

can-usually get between the
dog and team with the sled.
However, once you get two
or more dogs chasing the
team, it is usually no fun at
all. They will go on either
side of the team and try to
bile the team members.

Do not forget the team is
tied ta one another and they
cannot protect themselves,
Therefore, they find them-
selves under attack with no
way of defending them-
selves. [ cannot jump off the
sled and protect them as we
are usually.going to fast and

Chances are you will never see a dog team but
if you do then you will be prepared.

ignore you and your dog,

_ but it is safer to just step ont

of their way and take your
dog with you.

Teams must also put up
with dogs that are allowed
to run loose. At first, loose
dogs will be confused by a
string of dogs going by
them and their driveway.

. By the third time you go

past the loose dog or dogs,
they become braver and
start to chase the team.

One dog chasing the
team is no real problem; I

it is simply impossible to do
anything.

When the team has been
chased just one too many
times, they get tired of the
hassle so when they come
up to the driveway they go
on the defensive, usually
chasing the dogs down the
driveway right up to the
person’s front door. Believe
me, it is no joy for the
team’s driver, the chances
of getting hurt are really
good, not to mention that it
takes weeks to train the

dogs to go past the drive-
way and not into it at high
speed. |

If you have dogs al home
and you know a dog team
uses the road to run on, con-
sider penning your dog.
There is no need to have |
your dogs running loose,
they can cause a lot of dam-
age 10 the team, the musher
or even to themselves.

T have watched dogs
coming out of their drive-
way to chase the team and
they run right into an on-
coming car.

Once when I was run-
ning my team down a snow-
covered road, we came
across a vehicle that had the
back door open. Well my
leaders saw that and thought
they were mean! to jump
into it. Can you imagine the
shocked look on the guy
who was loading his skis
into the back of his vehicle
and coming straight at him
were eight dogs.

They got really close to
that vehicle and at the last
moment, I managed to
change their minds. So be
careful or you could end up>
with a dog team in the back
of your vehicle.

Senior athletes meet to prepare for
B.C. Senior Games in Kelowna

THE B.C. Senior Games
Zone 10 regular monthly
meeting will be held Sa-
turday, Feb. 12 at 2 p.m. at
the Happy Gang Centre.

This year’s games will
be held Sept. 6-9 in Ke-
lowna.

those interested in partici-
pating are badminton,
bridge, carpet bowling,
cribbage, cycling, darts,
five-pin bowling, floor cur-
ling, golf, horse shoes, slo-
pitch, swimming, table
tennis, tennis and track
and field.

The 15 core sports for

James W.

RADELET & COMPANY borristers & Solicitors

Tax Law ¢ Trusts © Corporate & Commercial
1330 - 1075 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, B.C, V6E 3C9
-Phone: 604-689-0878.

Radelet

Fax: 604-689-1386

3083 River Dr

Terrace, BC

SORRY...

We're closed for

February...

For your convenience, we'll
be open by appointment
Ph: (250) 638-7252

OR (250) 635-1753

We are moving... watch for our new location

community recreation to:
Steve Scot

3215 Eby Street
Terrace, 8.C,
VBG 2X8

February 15, 2000.

TERRACE ADVISORY PARKS &
RECREATION COMMISSION

REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS

The City of Terrace is seeking volunteers to sit'on the
Terrace Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission.
The Commission meets monthly from September to
June. Interested individuals are requested to forward a
letter briefly describing their interest or experience in

Superintendent of Parks and Recreation

letter of interest should be received no later than

The Kelowna event also
features five optional
sports: bocce, lawn bowl-
ing, whist, ice curling and
one-act plays.

Membership chairper-
son May MacFarland will
take memberships before
the meeting at 1:30.

Call May at 635-2875
or Maxine at 638-8648 for
more information.

The Seniors 400-Club
winners for December are’
Prince Rupert’s Butch
Currie (ticket 095), and
that city’s Bingo 50/50
Club #7 (ticket 043),

Thursday, Feb. 3rd -

Lift & rental discounts;
raffle & special lunch

Ladies’ Day

February 5 & 6 -
Beginners Avalanche Course

Call 638-0828 to register

Sat. & Sun.
With Rod Gee

Sunday, Feb. 13: 4pm -

Shames Liftees challenge
everybody In the region to a bed race on
skis or snowboards, 1 brakeman, 3 rid-
ers. Design your own, enter for prizes for
best bed & best costume. See Shames
lift operators for more details.

All Day Feb. 13th

Vertical Challenge
Pledge forms are avaliable from ski club
members. Get your pledges organized &
see how much ground you can ski/board
that day, Proceeds for prizes & ski club

For updates & snow conditions call 638-8754
Toll-free: 1-877-898-4754

Website: wwwshames.8m.com

CRIME all
STOPPERS

PS

Registered Retirement Savings Plans:
More Than Just A Tax Break

Usually we connect RRSP’s
with an immediate tax
deduction, but the long-term
benefits of accumulating assets
in a tax-sheltared plan may be
just as great as the short-term
deduction.

Your annual RRSP
contribution is based on: your
previous year’s earned income
minus a pension adjusiment for
any benelits your accumulated
in a pension plan or deferred
profit sharing plan .from your
employer. . Your RASP
deduction limit is on the
Revenue Canada Nolice of
Assessment you received
following your last year's tax
return.

“When you contribute to an
RRSP you.can claim an
equivalent deduction fram your
incame before calculating your
tax payable. This immediate
deduction is very worlh-while,
especially if you use the tax
saved lo make an RASP
contribution for next year or pay
off after-tax debt such as your
mortgage.

However, RASP investments
also accumulate within the plan
tax-free. The longer your money
stays sheltered from the
taxman, the grealer the earning
power of your investment. The
most powerful benefit of an
RASP is this tax-free
accumulation.

Compare taxed and tax-free
investment returns. Investors
having a marginal tax rate of
40% who invest $1000 per year
for the next 30 years at an
average 10 per cent annual
return, and pay tax as the
profits are earned, will
accumulate $79,080.

If the same investor
contributes $1000 per year lo an
ARSP for the next 30 years and
earns an average 10 per cent
return, $164,490 will be

Regional Vice President
Primerica Financial
Services In Terrace

accumulated. The investment has

more than daubled when the
income was tax-sheitered in an
RRSP.

The real power of an RASP is
its compounding effect over a
long period of time. Without the
tax in the example above, it's like
adding 4% ta your average
annual rate of return, certainly
nothing to sneeze at. With a high
rate of return, RRSP
contributions early in your life can
go a long way toward providing
for your retirement.

At any age, RASP
contributions are one of the very
best investment strategies. You
always get the tax deduction, and
you always have your investment
compounding tax-free.

Another good strategy is
making “spousal” RASP
contributions. The higher-income
spouse contributes to the lower-
income spouse’s RRSP. The

higher-income spouse receives
the RRSP tax deduction,
However, when it’s time to draw
the. RRSP contributions out,
they go to the lower income
spouse at a lower fax rate. This
is one of the few allowable
ways to split income and is
highly recommended.

Your RASP rale of return is
vary important in determining
the final value of your
investment. Going back to our
example, 6 per cent per year
for 30 years makes you about
$79,000 while 10 per cent per
year earns $164,000. Thal 4%
difference really adds up.

Mutual funds specify
objectives in their prospectus to
investors, Some aim for growth,
some for steady income, some
for preservation of capital. You
can talk to me about your
investment objectives and
capacily for risk. | can help you
find the RRSP investment fund
that is right for you,

But remember, start today.
The sooner you contribute, the
sooner you will lower today's
taxes and begin accumulating
your invesiment tax-free.

important information about any
mutual fund is contained in its
simplified prospectus, Unit value’s
& invesimant returns will fluctuate.
Read your prospectus carefully
before investing, Peler Arcadi is an
Independent Contractor with
Primerica Financial Services,

For question on this or
other financial topics call
Peter at:

635-7800 or

1-800-295-7676
arcadipfs @kermode.net

T

4 bey
tect

ARCTIC CAT

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