FORT LUPTON PRESS S E RV I N G T H E C O M M U N I T Y S I N C E 19 0 6
VOLUME 119
75cI
ISSUE 7
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 17, 2022
Paws to Heal
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25 , 2020
VOLUME 117
ISSUE 48
THE SEASON FOR SHARING
Therapy dogs help patients and staff with stress BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Therapy dog Sweet usually starts her day walking down the halls of Platte Valley Medical Center towards section two-west. She heads into the nurse’s stations there where a group of six nurses surrounds the pup, excited to see her. “Sweet put her head down in one lady’s lap which she’s has never done that before. The lady had been crying and asked if she could hug Sweet and mentioned she needed loving today and had a tough day, “said Cheryl Palumbo, Fort Lupton’s Anastyn Livesay, who won this quarterfinal round match at 161 pounds over Pomona’s Anastacia Fucci at the Sweet’s handler. “Dogs know when girls regional wrestling tournament at FLHS Feb. 11, placed third in her weight class and qualified for this week’s state girls people need attention.” PHOTO BY HECTOR LOPEZ tournament in Denver. Sweet, a slender and calm greyhound, is a working therapy dog with an organization called Paws to Heal. The therapy dogs go into the hospitals visiting patients and cates. the other 75% of the state living staff bringing comfort, joy and re“There’s a growing recognition without a buyout option, sponsors ducing stress. Paws to Heal started that we have to reduce the amount and environmental backers said. at Platte Valley Medical Center of irrigated turf we have, and a “No one has a picnic on the strip (PVMC) years ago when it first growing recognition that while of grass in the median at a shopopened at its location in 2007. some turf is definitely benefiping mall,” cosponsor Sen. Jeff Palumbo had not heard of the BY MICHAEL BOOTH cial – parks, sports fields, parts of Bridges, D-Greenwood Village, THE COLORADO SUN program so when she took Sweet said. With the Colorado River Basin people’s yards – we all know there’s in for a checkup one of the ladies draining in a decades-long drought, at the veterinarian office, who Colorado would expand grass turf a lot of turf that doesn’t get used,” was in the Paws to Heal group, buyouts statewide and double exist- and neighboring downriver states Berggren said. threatening legal action to get their witnessed Sweet’s interaction with ing city rip-and-replace programs House Bill 1151 is sponsored by water rights from Colorado, Bridges Bridges, Sen. Cleave Simpson, people, dogs and a cat in the waitin a bill aimed at solving misuse of said, “we need to do more to make ing area. precious water during the state’s R-Alamosa; Rep. Marc Catlin, Rsure we’re getting the most possible Montrose; and Rep. Dylan Roberts, long-term drought. “The lady told me your dog use, the most benefit, from what we The bipartisan bill would create D-Avon. would be perfect as a therapy dog have here in the state.” a $2 million to $4 million annual Bill sponsors and conservation so she told me a little about it. Conservation groups, who have pool from general fund money to supporters estimate all the buyout After six months, I took her to the pay homeowners, businesses or any long argued it’s time to trim nonnaprograms in the state currently trainer,” said Palumbo. tive grass watering that Colorado other landlords willing to replace Susan Wiant with her previous spend about $1.3 million a year, and State University experts estimate thirsty bluegrass on lawns, road lab named Avalanche also started they want to at least double that medians, highway ditches and other makes up most of the 55% of Front volunteering with Paws to Heal amount. Legislators are still negoRange urban water used on the places the decorative greens are when PVMC first opened. The ortiating on the general fund amount outdoors, hail the statewide buyout draining state reservoirs. ganization started as two separate they will ask for. idea as a great first step that they Most current turf buyout procompanies, Alliance Therapy Dogs Some southwestern cities have hope will expand. grams in Colorado pay $1 per and Pet Partners, so the organizamore aggressive buyout programs. “This is all part of a strategy to square foot to replace grass with tions renamed it Paws to Heal. Las Vegas offers $3 a square foot to make Colorado landscapes more drought-friendly alternatives, and help tear out grass and design low“We have seven actual teams and Every year before Thanksgiving, First United Methodist Church in Fort Lupton and the Fort Lupton Food and Clothingwater Bank gardens provide community water efficient. And so we think a they only cover about 25% of the and landscaping. two new teams that will be startmembers with food boxes. This will be the program’s 10th consecutive year. Above, Joe Hubert, left China Garcia and Sue Hubert with Change 4 Change, statewide turf buyback program is population. The turf buyout bill A $2 million to $4 million budget ing so we will have nine teams of one great way to do that,” said John would be tiny in the big picture – matchSee local spending to 2. dogs,” Wiant. anothersaid organization that helps with thewould food drive. more on Page Berggren, a water analyst with the increase the buyouts to $2 a square SEE DOGS, P4 SEE TURF BUYOUT, P11 nonprofit Western Resource Advofoot, and bring $1 a foot buyouts to
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Colorado could pay you $2 a square foot to rip it out
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