Tale of Fresca, the friendly dog
Corrie Valdez/The Madera Tribune Fresca, a Labradoodle, at the Tribune office. Her real name is Molly.
It’s raining dogs and cats. Last week, Tribune advertising representative Corrie Valdez spotted a small gray dog shivering in terror in the middle of Granada Drive. Being a pushover for dogs and cats, Corrie stopped her car and coaxed the dog, which she immediately named “Fresca,” into the vehicle and brought it to The Tribune.
The Tribune people immediately fell in love with Fresca, who turned out to be a sweet and friendly dog named Molly.
Fresca immediately found a home underneath one of the desks in the front office. She settled down and closed her eyes.
Corrie knew the dog, which turned out to be a gray Labradoodle, would have some humans somewhere who would be getting worried about her. So, she put a photo of Fresca online, along with a phone number, and it wasn’t long before the pooch’s owners called.
Soon, a mom with a couple of kids came by the office, and Fresca wagged her tail profusely with joy at seeing them. While she was getting good treatment and kibble at the Trib, there was no doubt she wanted to go home with her family.
Meanwhile, I have been nursing a big bruise and a bunch of scrapes on my right arm, where Big Cat decided to chomp down on me when I didn’t feed him fast enough.
Big Cat is a stray ragamuffin that hangs out in our neighborhood and enjoys frightening people.
The cat is about the size and temperament of a starving grizzly bear. He roams at night, sneaking up on humans when they least expect it, hissing at them and biting their ankles.
At first, he was friendly, but that changed. He was not there to make friends, or to get petted. He just wanted kibble, and lots of it.
One recent night I was feeding him his nightly kibble, and I put a scoop of it in the bowl just as he lunged in for his first bite. He got me instead of the kibble.
If you happen to run into that cat, watch out.
• • •
We have been noticing that certain issues of The Madera Tribune have been disappearing without payment from certain coin-operated vending machines around town, and those issues all have one thing in common: They contain stories about the effort of a group of Maderans to recall the mayor, and the response the mayor has had to this effort.
It could be that those helping themselves to those newspapers sans payment want to read about the recall, but can’t afford the 50 cents. Or it could be that the papers are being stolen to keep others from reading them.
Here is something to consider: One who is caught stealing newspapers, for whatever reason, can be charged with a crime, and often is. Even the theft of free newspapers is considered a crime under California law.
And naturally, newspaper publishers have no qualms about printing the names of those who are caught and convicted.
Just so you know it, The Madera Tribune has taken no position on the recall, but because it is an important story, regardless of which side you happen to be on, you can expect to see the facts of the story followed to its conclusion, regardless of what that conclusion is.
