‘Newnan Notes’

By Gina L. Snider

City of Newnan Public Information Officer

January 4, 2010

The Carnegie would like to remind everyone that ‘PreschoolStory Time’ resumes Thursday, January 7^th at 10 a.m. Please call770-683-1347 to reserve your spot.

There were two new tax occupational licensesissued by the city. The business names are Classic Café of Coweta, Inc. andSenior Care, LLC.

With 2010 knocking at the door Keep NewnanBeautiful has a few simple tips for being eco-friendly this New Year: 1) Takeadvantage of online newsletters. If you have an organic product or brand thatyou love – go online and sign up for their newsletters. 2) Clean green – it isnot hard or complicated. Make your own cleaners or switch to eco-friendlyalternatives.  3) Start thinking about toys that don’t need batteries,those made with recycled plastic and FSC certified wood. Check the recall listsand be more on your toes as a consumer. 4) Say “no” to bottled water. With mosttap water being as safe or safer than bottled waters – save money and don’twaste it on buying water in plastic bottles that just end up in our landfillsand oceans. Happy 2010!

TheCity of Newnan Engineering Department would like to remind everyone that duringthis time of year, when all the leaves are falling, it is important to bag yourleaves and not pile the leaves on the road or on the storm drains. By baggingyour leaves you can help prevent clogging our storm drains, prevent flooding,prevent harming the aquatic and biological life and keep our streetsclean.  For more information, go to www.cleanwatercampaign.com.   To report any illegal dumping please callthe City of Newnan Environmental Hotline at 770-253-1823.

The city of Newnan Animal Control Officer Cyndi Hoffman offers tips onhow children are naturally interested ininteracting with—and getting a reaction from—the family pet. It’s not uncommonfor them to hide food, play a little too rough, play dress up with the pet orput makeup and hair products on her. In these situations, parental guidance isneeded, as a pet may feel uncomfortable or suffer harm if dangerous substancesare ingested.

More serious, however, is when a child intends to hurt ananimal. Whether the cause is peer pressure or a cry for help, true maliciousanimal cruelty is not a behavior that children outgrow by themselves.Professional intervention may be needed to prevent behavior problems that canstay with a child into adulthood, and even be acted out on other human beings.

The following behaviors may indicate that intervention isneeded to guide your child away from cruel behaviors toward animals:

• Chasing a fleeing pet
• Locking a pet in a closet
• Feeding human medications that are dangerous to pets to see what effect the pills will have
• Putting a small animal in a washing machine, microwave or other appliance
• Staging fights between dogs or letting one animal chase another
• Deriving pleasure from seeing a frightened or suffering pet
• Responding to adult reprimands by engaging in secretive, hostile acts toward the pet
• Burning an animal
• Teasing an animal with firecrackers
• Repeatedly showing off the inhumane handling of a pet to others
• Putting an animal in dangerous situations, such as dangling her outside a window or bringing her into the road

Taking Action

If you discover your child repeatedly putting an animalinto dangerous situations, act swiftly to teach him that these behaviors arenot acceptable. The following guidelines may help:

• Do not ignore or dismiss pet-unfriendly actions. Most children, when dealt with as though they’ve committed a serious offense, will think twice before repeating the behavior.
• Use the same serious tone of voice that you would use if you saw your child running across the street without stopping to look for oncoming traffic.
• A simple, clear statement such as, “We don’t hurt animals” is far more effective than lecturing.
• If your child persists in hitting, kicking, pinching or teasing your pet in spite of your repeated corrections, consult with your pediatrician or an expert in child development.
• You set the example. Never hit, shake, jerk or yell at your family pet—your child may imitate you and go too far.
• If you overreact in anger toward your pet, show your child that it’s all right to apologize to the pet, just as you would apologize to a person.
• If your teenager involves the family dog in high-risk activities such as dog fighting, not only should you intervene, but check in to see if your child is being influenced by alcohol, drugs, gambling or other unhealthy behaviors that involve peer pressure. This is also against the law.
• Remember that for most children, learning empathy and respect toward animals is part of the normal socialization process. These values are instilled the same way as learning not to hit friends or tease mercilessly.

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