Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 2-21-18

8 I NEWS I
February 21, 2018
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
@MIDRIVERSNEWS
MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
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Jessica Cooke [left] owner of The Yuppy Puppy, and Marcy Hammerle, head
veterinarian at The Pet Doctor, hold an 8-week-old chocolate Labrador
retriever they are donating to United Services for Children in St. Peters.
news
briefs
O’FALLON
Emergency response
training offered
The O’Fallon Police Department’s
Community Emergency Response Team
[CERT] training takes place from 6-10
p.m. on Friday, March 2, and from 8
a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, March 3 and
Sunday, March 4.
The class is free to attend, open to
residents and non-residents and covers,
among other topics:
• Assembling a disaster preparedness kit
• Hands-on basic medical assessment
and treatment for injuries, burns, etc.
• Working as a team to conduct triage,
light search and rescue, and extinguishing
small fires
“If you should ever have a home
emergency such as a fire or should our
community be impacted by a tornado,
flooding or earthquake, the information
we teach will be extremely helpful,” said
Officer Patrick Helton, who is leading
the program. “In addition, in the event
of an area-wide disaster, CERT training
can help people take care of themselves
immediately and stay calm until professional
help arrives.”
The course will be taught at the
O’Fallon Streets Department Building,
1089 Public Works Drive. For information
and applications, visit ofallon.mo.us/
PD/cert, email phelton@ofallon.mo.us or
call (636) 379-3816.
ST. PETERS
Parking to be restricted on
portion of Premier Parkway
Parking along the north and south
shoulders of a portion of Premier Parkway
near Route 370 in St. Peters is now
prohibited.
The city’s Board of Aldermen voted 7-0
to approve an ordinance at its Feb. 8 meeting
that establishes parking restrictions on
a portion of the parkway. Alderman Jerry
Hollingsworth [Ward 2] was absent.
The rationale is that the city installed
pavement markings and signs designating
bike lanes on the north and south shoulders
of Premier Parkway from Spencer
Road and Lakeside Drive. Parking within
a designated bike lane is a violation of
Missouri state statutes and presents a
safety hazard for residents.
But the rationale involves more than the
bicycle lanes. Alderman Dave Thomas
[Ward 1] brought up the parking situation
at the board’s Jan. 25 work session
saying vehicles parked on shoulders pose
not only a danger to bicyclists but other
motorists and pedestrians.
The ordinance establishes a no parking
zone at all times on the north and south
sides of the parkway from Spencer Road
to Lakeside Drive.
Before the vote, Alderman Rocky Reitmeyer
[Ward 1] asked city officials and
Police Chief Jeff Finkelstein to be lenient
toward surveying and utility work crews
if the board approved the ordinances. The
crews could be working along the parkway
and parking their vehicles along the
shoulders to deal with issues arising from
the anticipated growth and development
along that road. Reitmeyer suggested they
be “given a blessing” and allowed to get
their work done.
Service dog headed to United
Services for Children
A chocolate Labrador retriever will
soon be scurrying through the halls of
United Services for Children, a nonprofit
pediatric therapy and early intervention
center in St. Peters. The service dog, to be
named in a public contest concluding Feb.
21, will assist children with developmental
disabilities.
“This is a rare chance to make a difference
in the lives of thousands of children
for years to come,” said Dr. Marcy Hammerle,
head veterinarian at The Pet Doctor
animal clinic in O’Fallon.
Hammerle teamed up with Jessica
Cooke, owner of The Yuppy Puppy pet
spa in O’Fallon, to donate the 8-week-old
puppy to United Services for Children.
The two businesses, which share a building
on Technology Drive, will share the
expense of professionally training the
dog – a two-year process that would be
cost-prohibitive for the children’s agency.
The Pet Doctor will provide free veterinary
care. Yuppy Puppy will provide free
grooming and boarding. Both businesses
will donate food.
Denise Liebel, president and CEO of
United Services, said she is deeply grateful
for the two business leaders’ generosity
and commitment to children. She said
everyone at the agency is excitedly awaiting
the puppy’s first visit. But while the
dog is adorable, it is definitely not a pet,
she said.
“This service dog will perform a vital
role in breaking through to children who,
due to their disabilities, have become
closed to the outside world,” she said. “It
is critical that we reach these children. If
we fail, they will pay the price the rest of
their lives.”
Yuppy Puppy has a training department
with professionally certified trainers.
The puppy, specially bred for temperament,
has already begun the training that
will transform him into a therapy dog.
Throughout the process, the puppy will
make frequent visits to United Services,
becoming acclimated to the children
and the building. Once the training is
complete, the dog will be assigned to a
United Service staff member. It will work
full-time at the agency during the day,
Monday through Friday, and go home
with the staff handler every night. The
dog will return to Yuppy Puppy periodically
to reinforce and maintain its training.
Founded in 1975, United Services provides
therapy and early intervention to
approximately 75 children weekly. It also
provides support programs for parents
and siblings. The center is located at 4140
Old Mill Parkway in St. Peters.
ST. CHARLES COUNTY
County offers new
screening program
Heart disease accounts for 1 in 3 deaths,
according to American Heart Association