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PELHAM’S INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE FROM THE HEART OF NIAGARA Vol.20 No.12
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Wednesday May 25, 2016
Renowned Pelham trainer houses Fort McMurray sniffer dogs Close-knit training community comes together for canine refugees BY ZACH JUNKIN
The VOICE
Pelham’s Sid Murray is a world-renowned dog trainer and detection dog expert. He has worked around the globe, training police and military dogs for a number of institutions, as well as working with bomb-sniffing dogs to detect and remove land mines in places like Kosovo, Beirut, and Croatia. He also does extensive work with explosive and accelerant detection dogs for a fire investigation company in Ancaster. Though all of this keeps Murray busy, he didn’t have to think twice when Alberta’s Pike Security asked him to take in Bella and Alice, two drug-sniffing dogs left
homeless by the fires ravaging Fort McMurray. The detection dog training community is close-knit, and Murray was eager to help his fellow trainers in any way he could. “The house was levelled, the kennel was levelled, all their vehicles were levelled, and they got out just in time with the motorhome,” explained Murray. “They left and went south and now they are just surviving.” After some hasty arrangements, which included a free flight for the animals courtesy of Westjet, the dogs arrived safely in Ontario a week and a half ago. “I picked them up Saturday and here they are,” Murray said. Bella and Alice will be in good company at Murray’s
Sid Murray and detection dog, Bella. Sid is temporarily caring for Bella and Alice, two detection dogs whose homes were destroyed in the Fort McMurray fire. VOICE PHOTO home with his own two canines- a veteran accelerant detection dog and a younger
one in training. It is important that the animals are kept in good
See DOGS Page 8
Glenn A. Green students take gold Pelham boy remains in intensive care The girls attended the National Tournament with their travel club, the Niag-
We really gelled as a team and peaked at the right time
Emma Hilts and Hannah Holmwood.
VOICE PHOTO
BY VOICE STAFF Two Glenn A. Green students are basking in the glow of gold medals this week after their team won the 14u division at Volleyball Canada’s National Tournament on May 8th.
Hannah Holmwood and Emma Hilts are eighth grade students at the school. They are avid volleyball players, having competed for a number of years on school teams and in competitive local leagues.
ara Rapids. The three-day event was held at Carleton University in Ottawa. “We only lost two out of nine,” said Holmwood. “We played The Hamilton Hurricanes in a championship game near the end of day on Sunday. We took them in two sets,” said Hilts. That was a welcome change from their results at the provincial tournament in Kitchener last month, where the team had seen their record reversed to 2-9. The girls, however, did not let that result shake them. “Maybe we weren’t as
confident as we could have been, but we really gelled as a team and peaked at the right time,” said Hilts. Hilts was a big part of the National Championship game, and was named the MVP of the match. At just 5 feet tall, the 13-year-old brings a lot of grit and determination to the court. “I’m a setter,” she explained. “I have to bring my strength and speed to the game, I’ve got to be tough.” At 5’9, the taller Holmwood says she has much different responsibilities: “I’m a blocker, so I have to stuff the ball back at them.” With the season finished for the year, Hilts plans to play beach volleyball, while Holmwood will be doing a lot of horseback riding. Both girls will be ready when the season starts up again, though with Holmwood planning to attend Notre Dame, they may be facing each other as school rivals. Either way, they plan to enjoy themselves. “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” they said.
BY VOICE STAFF A young Pelham boy remains in intensive care after a lawnmower accident last week in rural Pelham. On Thursday, May 19th, Police, Emergency Medical Services, and volunteer firefighters responded to reports of a 3-year-old boy being run over by a riding lawn mower on the family’s residential property in North Pelham. According to police, the boy’s father had been cutting grass on a riding lawn mower. The toddler had previously gone into the house, but unbeknownst to his father had come back outside. As the man cut the front lawn, the boy followed behind the mower. At some point, the man reversed the machine and it struck the See ACCIDENT Page 5