Megan Snell at work in her office at the Bradford County Humane Society.

Two years ago, on May 24, Megan Snell was bitten by a dog. Ironically it happened during National Dog Bite Prevention Week. But it wasn’t just a little dog bite; she was attacked by a friend’s dog. It was a situation that was an accident, no one really was at fault and Snell certainly didn’t blame her friend or the dog. But it happened. The severity of her wounds put Snell through several surgeries and physical therapy to help her heal; though the most amazing healing was yet to come.

After the accident Snell naturally had some fears around dogs, but when she spent some time visiting a friend who had two pit bulls, they actually helped her get over her fear.

“They were incredibly loving to me,” said Snell. “Whenever I was at their home and came through the door they were immediately very excited to see me. It’s almost like they knew that something had happened to me. They were so caring.”

Mary Ann Mosier (left) and Megan Snell with Chickie.

Snell couldn’t say enough good about those dogs and added, “They’re such good dogs. Every time I would sit in the recliner there, they would both jump into my lap and just lay on me and show me their love.”

Ironically, Snell now works at the Bradford County Humane Society (BCHS) as community outreach coordinator and works closely with dogs every day.

“I have a really strong faith in God and I really believe that things happen for a reason; the fact that I work here after what I went through; the fact that the date of my accident happened during National Dog Bite Prevention Week two years ago. So many things by chance, but perhaps were meant to be,” said Snell. “I do believe that God saved me that day.”

Now, two years later, Snell loves working with dogs. She believes that shelter dogs and cats so often make the best pets. They so appreciate the love you give them and they have so much love to give back. This writer can vouch for that since she experiences it firsthand every day with Newton, a rescued dog who was adopted from a shelter.

“I get to see it on people’s faces,” said Snell.

According to Snell, shelter dogs have somehow gotten a bad reputation because we don’t always know their full history. People often use that as an excuse to prefer pure bred dogs.

“Oh I love him,” said Mary Garber as she held Dodger on her lap. “They’re you best friend.”

“Often people who have pure bred dogs and are irresponsible owners end up bringing their dogs to a shelter,” explained Snell. “We end up with those dogs anyway. So just come and get them from us!”

As community outreach coordinator, Snell sets up a table or a booth at different events, promoting the adoption of shelter animals. She coordinates all aspects of the event – getting volunteers, arranging which animals to take, setting up, tearing down, and talking with people.

Snell works with a great staff at BCHS, who help decide which dogs to take to which events. They work with the dogs and know them very well.

“I always say that when we get here in the morning, the animals think we just got home; that we work nights,” said Mary Anne Mosier, shelter manager.

Snell does a volunteer orientation once a month. Anyone interested in volunteering needs to fill out an application and go through the orientation. For more information on becoming a volunteer at BCHS contact Snell at (570) 888-2114.

Once a month Snell takes a cat and a dog to Petco in Elmira. This helps with socialization of the animals, as well as educating the public about the shelter and shelter animals.

She also takes dogs into schools and community centers to do presentations about the shelter and the animals.

Snell does pet therapy once a month at Bradford County Manor, Sayre House, Troy Community Hospital, and every other month at The Highlands in LaPorte. During her visit to Bradford County Manor this month, Mary Garber saw Snell arrive with Dodger, a beagle mix. Garber was so excited and wanted to pet Dodger and even hold him on her lap.

“I don’t like snakes, but I love dogs,” said Garber. “If you have a dog, you’re safe.”

Those are wise words from a very wise lady. And Snell feels the same as she promotes the message from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) about preventing dog bites.

According to the AVMA children are the most common victims of dog bites and most dog bites affecting young children occur during every day activities and while interacting with familiar dogs. Ways to avoid accidental dog bites include training and socializing your pet and educating your children on how and if they should approach a dog. It is really the responsibility of the adult in charge of young children. Many young children, especially those who aren’t used to dogs, may want to reach out to touch it.  Dogs may be afraid of something unfamiliar reaching toward them and will naturally back away. If the child’s hand keeps coming at them, dogs will react, usually by snapping at the child’s hand. An adult should never let or encourage a child to pet a dog unless they are sure the dog is friendly and used to children.

“Be a responsible dog owner. Keep your dog on a leash when outside. Train your dog to obey commands. Exercise your dog appropriately and keep it healthy and vaccinated. Don’t put your dog in situations where it might be prone to bite,” advises Snell. “Teach children to be safe around dogs. Be cautious around strange dogs, and treat your own pet with respect. Teach them not to approach strange dogs or try to pet dogs through fences. Teach children to ask permission from the dog’s owner before petting the dog.”

For more information go to www.avma.org or call 1-860-434-8666 ext. 17.

When people hear Megan Snell’s story, they do a double take and say, “And you work at an animal shelter?”

Her reply is always, “Yes, and it’s very therapeutic.”

Jim Cook (left) and Andrew “Father Mulcahy” Phillips ready for a call. Happy EMS Week, folks!

This is Emergency Medical Services (EMS) week. Western Alliance Emergency Services is inviting everyone to come to their first annual open house on May 25.  Stop in at Station 16 in Troy for a free blood pressure screening and some hot dogs (they’re free too).

I was once an ambulance driver for Western Alliance Emergency Services and I can’t imagine our community without our EMS personnel. I commend every one of them for the job they do and the way they always go above and beyond, no matter what the emergency.

Although I could write about each one of them with such high praise, there is one paramedic who stands out in my mind. Jim Cook was one of my mentors when I learned to drive the ambulance. He had the patience of a saint in guiding me, as I practiced backing one of the old box type trucks into the garage. I couldn’t look back through the window; I had to use the mirrors.

He taught me how to use all the different buttons on the console, but more importantly, how not to. He explained that I didn’t need to use a siren and flashing lights unless necessary to get through traffic because those things just caused more stress on a patient in the back. It was all those little things that helped me so much. And all the knowledge in Jim Cook is what makes him the paramedic that he is.

Jim Cook is the epitome of calmness, no matter how severe the accident. I was always amazed at his demeanor, especially since I knew how much he cared about people, especially children. I knew if an accident involved a child and the outcome wasn’t good, Jim was horribly torn inside. But he didn’t show it. He did his job. And many times lives were saved.

Jim is a paramedic who treats everyone with great respect. It didn’t matter what your clothes were like or how horrible you might smell; on a gurney in the back of our ambulance, you were treated like royalty by Jim Cook.

Jim has a sense of humor too, that often came out when we weren’t exactly in an absolute emergency situation. One such incident comes to mind.

When I was learning to drive the ambulance, I had to do so many hours of driving it, but without a patient on board. This usually took place on the way back to the station after we (Jim, an EMT and myself) had transported someone to Robert Packer Hospital. I could clock in a lot of miles that way. On one particular run, I was driving along the Springfield Road, almost into Columbia Crossroads. Suddenly the tones went off. We had another call. Jim immediately told me to stop so I could get out of the driver’s seat. As soon as I stopped the three of us had a very quick “Chinese fire drill” right there in the road. You should have seen the face of the driver in the car behind us when she saw the back door of the ambulance open and someone jump out!

When Jim Cook told me about his own mentor, it made sense to me why Jim is the way he is – a caring health provider in the emergency medical field. Here are his words, a loving tribute to a great EMT:

Standing on the shoulders of Giants

By Jim Cook

After three decades in Public Service I’ve come to the conclusion that there are no accidents in this life. No one was “born” to do Emergency Street Medicine but there are many things and people that certainly nudge you, or in my case “grab” you and “fling” you into the arena. One of those local icons is Bob McClintic or Pop McClintic or Squad 3 as he was called on the H.E.A.R. System radio way back when.

Pop McClintic was the founding member of the Franklindale Quick Response Squad (QRS) and one of the leaders of Towanda Ambulance Association in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. As an EMT, EMT instructor, Captain of the QRS and mentor to many, (including “yours truly”) the QRS was really a family affair. That’s not a stretch because they were mostly named McClintic or related to one; or in my case, adopted into the clan.

Carrying pagers every day and responding to every imaginable tragic event one could imagine, from horrendous car crashes to gunshot wounds, and searches and rescues, Pop always led with a calm, purposeful swagger that comes from the “Been there, done that; Get it done and done right” techniques that are often copied in our field, but remain a little less than the original.

It’s EMS Week again and I’m a firm believer that you cannot move forward without glancing back to the origins of who we are and how we got here. As I said, I stood and continue to stand on the shoulders of Giants.

I asked Donna McClintic for a little background story on her Dad. It’s the perfect story and oh so typical of that family.

Donna wrote back, “Dad was active in the Franklin Township Fire Department and became interested in EMS. In 1980 he took his first EMT course and immediately on passing, took the instructor course in both EMT and CPR. In 1984 he was one of the founders of the Franklin Township QRS, which included his wife, son Jim, Harry Johnson, me, and of course, you. Eventually it also included Tinker, Alice, and Wendy. For seven years he continued as an instructor and also was squad chief, county radiological officer, and Franklin Township EMA coordinator. Funny thing, one holiday, I remember we were all at Mom and Dad’s for dinner. The fire and ambulance tones dropped and almost the entire family had to leave for the call. We left Debi guarding the dinner!”

The current scoop on “Pa McClintic” from Donna, “He spends his winters in Florida playing bluegrass with his friends. He and Mom have made several CDs. Dad’s locally famous for his rendition of ‘I just don’t look good naked anymore.’ Several local doctors are fans, including Dr. Mikaya, who can be heard humming the song from time to time. In the summer they still live in Franklindale in the same house that they raised six kids in. They have lots of grandchildren and great grandchildren.”

Thanks Pop! Happy EMS Week 2013!

As fate would have it, Jim Cook does come from a long line of those in the medical field. His mother was a registered nurse. Both his father and grandfather were the fire chiefs of Franklin Engine Company in Towanda. He has two sons who somewhat followed in his footsteps. Chance is currently a full time student and took an EMT class for his high school senior project. Eric took an EMT class for his high school junior year community service project. He is employed at Cargill and is on their emergency response team. These two young men are “a chip off the old block,” or as they say: “like father, like son.”

Chelsea Wagner and Newton take a break in the Adoption Reunion Tent. Chelsea adopted Newton from ACS in East Smithfield in February, 2012.

Animal Care Sanctuary’s (ACS) 3rd annual Mutt Strut is fast approaching and with it comes great anticipation for the adoption reunion tent! The Mutt Strut will be held this Saturday, May 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Animal Care Sanctuary in East Smithfield, Pa.

Each year ACS invites their adoptive families back for a day of fun where they can be reunited with the dogs that were adopted from ACS. This is a wonderful opportunity for the canine care team to see how their hard work and dedication pays off in their work to prepare animals for placement into loving homes.

ACS cannot express how happy it makes the staff to see adopted dogs thrive in their new homes. The Mutt Strut adoption reunion tent seems to become a bigger hit every year with more and more attendees. With the support of Dunkin Donuts in Sayre, Hurley’s in Towanda, Strickland Beverage, Cafe Too, Tops in Sayre, and the Flying Cow Bakery, ACS is able to provide the families with refreshments. Even the pups will have a tasty homemade snack!

Join ACS in welcoming their adopted dogs back for a day of fun! You can register online at www.animalcaresanctuary.org or call (570) 596-2200.

Members of LeRoy Heritage Museum learn about the Civilian Conservation Corps camp at Laquin during the spring walking tour held April 27.

The LeRoy Heritage Museum recently held its annual Barclay Mountain Walking Tour on Saturday, April 27. For eight years, walking tours of various locations on Barclay Mountain have been conducted for members of the museum.

This year’s tour was held in the western half of the valley of Laquin and participants learned about the Pennsylvania Stave Company, the Barclay Chemical Company, the immigrant population of the town, and other details about west Laquin. The work of the Civilian Conservation Corps was also discussed.

Forty people participated in the tour and enjoyed the beautiful spring weather. LeRoy Heritage Museum walking tours are four-hour-long walks that include numerous stops, photographs, and stories. These tours provide a unique experience for participants as they cover the history of the mountain in great detail while visiting important historical sites in order to understand how those sites fit into the overall story.

At the conclusion of the tour, members enjoyed refreshments before departing for home.

Participation in a LeRoy Heritage Museum walking tour is a benefit of membership in the organization. Only members receive an invitation to the spring tour each year. Membership is affordable and includes several other benefits aside from the walking tours. The museum now offers the option to pay membership dues and become a member through its website. The museum website also has photos of past walking tours including this year’s event.

LeRoy Heritage Museum is located at 257 Mill St., off Route 414 in LeRoy, Pa. For more information, visit the museum website at www.leroyheritage.org or visit the museum Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LeRoyHeritageMuseum. The LeRoy Heritage Museum is a recipient agency of the Bradford County United Way.

The weekend will feature the opportunity to meet new president and fellow alumni Fran Hendricks ’79, as well as the chance to renew acquaintances, make news ones, tour campus and take part in other activities.

The Alumni Golf Tournament will be held on Friday, June 7 at Corey Creek Golf Club. For more information, call (570) 662-4636 or 4466 or email rmaisner@mansfield.edu or kdecker@mansfield.edu

On campus Friday there will be tours of campus, including the new residence halls, the “Lobsterfest” dinner and musical entertainment by Joe Callahan ’05.

Members of the Class of 1963, celebrating their 50th anniversary, will be this year’s honored guests for Alumni Weekend.

The Class of ’63, along with this year’s Society of Honors award winners; Barbara Alspach Baylor ’67, Dr. John “Jack” McInroy ’58, Jewel Bittner Griffith ’64 and Keith Palmer ’96, classes ending in three and eight and retired faculty and staff will be honored at a luncheon on Saturday.

Also on Saturday, campus tours will continue and a workshop on nature photography and a Zumbathon will be held, along with other activities.

For a full weekend schedule and more information on Alumni Weekend 2013, or to register online, go to www.alumni.mansfield.edu/AW2013.

You can also call 1-888-305-6505 or (570) 662-4390 or email alumni2@mansfield.edu for information.

Deadline for registration is May 31.

Hannah Gilliland, age 12 of Canton, Pa., is pictured with her 900 lb. Buffalo. Hannah took part in a hunting trip to Hughsville, Pa. with North Mountain Outfitters on Sunday, April 28. She used a cross bow.

Zeke Gilliland, age 9 of Canton, Pa., is pictured with his Exotic Ram. Zeke took part in a hunting trip to Hughsville, Pa. with North Mountain Outfitters on Sunday, April 28. He used a cross bow.

Ty Gilliland, age 7 of Troy, Pa., is pictured with his Exotic Ram. Ty took part in a hunting trip to Hughsville, Pa. with North Mountain Outfitters on Sunday, April 28. He used a cross bow.

Pictured with Macy is Jeff Russell, Memorial Hospital director of marketing.

Five-year old Macy Shults of Standing Stone was the delighted winner of the new 20-inch Huffy bicycle that was raffled free of charge in front of the Rainbow’s End Thrift Shop during the recent First Friday festivities. Macy was very excited to win the bike. She said she loved the new red bike because red is her very favorite color.

The bike was generously donated by the hospital’s Home Health and Hospice Agency. According to Russell, there were 194 tickets filled out representing visitors from Towanda, Ulster, Canton, Wellsburg, Wyalusing, Wysox, Granville Summit, LeRoy, Troy, Burlington, French Asylum, Rome, Monroeton, Liberty Corners, Athens and Standing Stone.

In the upcoming 2013-14 school year, the Wyalusing Area School District is facing severe budget constraints.  As a result, the school board must make difficult decisions to cut funding from many areas within the budget for next school year.  Teaching positions in both the music and art departments are on the chopping block.

One position within the music department was cut in March and another position is expected to be cut soon, reducing the teaching staff from five to three next year.  These three teachers will be responsible for covering curriculum standards for 1,342 students from kindergarten through grade 12 in voice, band and orchestra.  But the dedicated teachers of the Wyalusing Music Department reach beyond the classroom and provide tremendous afterschool support of in school music programs including: marching band, concerts, festivals, high school spring musical and hours spent repairing school instruments (saving the districts thousands in unbudgeted dollars – which means our students have instruments to play and district is not burdened with a discarded pile of unplayable instruments).

Wyalusing’s music program is stellar, appreciated by the local community and known throughout the county and state as top notch. This reduction in staff will have an impact on the music program in the Wyalusing school district. With the planned 40 percent reduction in staff, Wyalusing students will not receive the level of instruction and dedication upon which this stellar program was built.

Likewise, the high school art department is facing a 50 percent reduction in staff that will leave one teacher to serve all of the high school students. As a result, students will be underserved and the highs school’s beautiful new art facility will be greatly underutilized. Educational quality will be affected by these cuts.

Arts-in-education is an important component of education; it is essential in creating a well-rounded, high-quality education for all students. Arts education provides students with the skills needed in the 21st century workplace: flexibility, the ability to solve problems and communicate, the ability to master new skills, to be creative and innovative, and the desire to strive for excellence.

The Wyalusing Area Friends of the Arts is committed to raising funds to keep our music and art teachers working in our school district. They are asking you today to please support this important cause and make a donation to help preserve music and art education in their school district.

Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.  All checks should be made payable to the Wyalusing Area Education Foundation, and mailed to Wyalusing Area Friends of the Arts, 4610 Route 220, New Albany, Pa. 18833.  Please specify on your check that the funds are to be used for the Wyalusing Area Friends of the Arts Teacher Fund.

Pictured are committee members, from left, Dolores Baron, Joanadele Collins, Bonnie Haight, Shirley Grantier, Jane Kittle and Ellen Herrington.

The members of the Troy Community Hospital Auxiliary cookbook committee are busy finalizing the cookbook project and are thrilled with the many wonderful submissions by our area cooks. This cookbook will be a gem as it not only includes tried and true recipes from local cooking and baking veterans, but also photographs and an interesting history of our Troy Community Hospital.

Publication and availability of the cookbooks will coincide with the opening of the new Troy Community Hospital this fall.

Pictured, from left, is Rosie Harkness, RN; Trudy Ventello, social worker; Rev. Richard Davis, hospice chaplain; Disa DeLauro, RN, administrator; Tina Route, RN; Carole Gehring, LPN; Diana Robbins-Smith, RN; Susan Black, MSW; Mindy Coates, OT/R; Jannette Killian, RN; Lisa Ceraolo, MD, hospice medical director; Regina Yates, certified hospice and palliative care aide; Sharon Cullen, RN; and Linda Werner, office manager. Not pictured: Corrine Tucci, RN; Jamelle Hartman, RN; Kathy Morrison, RN; Hilary Dorazio, aide; Sharon Cobb, PT; Jamie Patrick, PT; and Carrie Grohol, SLP.

Memorial Hospital’s Home Health and Hospice Agency recently purchased two new automobiles for staff to use when traveling to homes throughout the region to provide professional health care services in people’s homes. The 2013 Ford Focus was purchased through Fitzpatrick and Lambert, Inc., Dushore and the 2013 Toyota Corolla from Williams Toyota, Sayre. The automobiles where purchased as a result of generous donations from the community over the years.

For more information about Memorial Hospital’s Home Health and Hospice services, please log on to www.memorialhospital.org or call (570) 265-4877.