Doggone All That Constant Barking

I love dogs. What I do not love is waking up several times a night because their repetitious barks echo throughout the otherwise peaceful night, nor do I adore attempting to concentrate on penning this column while listening to their never-ending cries. The dogs I refer to spend the entirety of their lives confined to a backyard and are used strictly for breeding purposes, so I can’t blame them for their restlessness. According to a new county bill, however, dog owners may need to begin taking more responsibility for these kinds of disturbances. The bill seeks to educate owners in an effort to decrease repetitive barking, as well as fine those who neglect to take the recommended actions. Kauai Humane Society (KHS) will be integral in implementing this new law, and as soon as more people hear about it, I imagine it will keep the society quite busy …

Also keeping KHS busy is its new Blooming Tails Thrift Store. The business has changed locations in Lihue, from 3-3310 Kuhio Hwy. (across from McDonald’s) to 3178 Kuhio Hwy. (in the Shell Station complex across from Pizza Hut). Hours of operation are still Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. …

The Omidyar Fellows program is seeking new recruitments for its third cohort. The program is designed to help develop emerging leaders in hope of creating a brighter future for the Islands. Marissa Sandblom, vice president of Grove Farm Company, was part of the island’s first cohort, and Scott McFarland, acting chief executive officer of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation for the Kauai region, was part of the second cohort.

Applications for the next group of Omidyar Fellows are due June 30. Visit omidyarfellows.org/apply to applyIf you haven’t already done so, consider stopping by National Tropical Botanical Garden’s Juliet Wichman Botanical Research Center at its headquarters in Kalaheo to enjoy an exhibit of 30 rarely seen hand-colored botanical prints by British botanist Sir Joseph Banks, who accompanied Capt. James Cook on his first Pacific voyage. The display, “Voyage of Discovery Art Exhibition,” will be open through May 30 and admission is free …

Justice Funamura-Sasil recently was awarded the grand prize for the 15th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Poetry Awards. The Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School seventh-grader was one of some 425 Kauai students who participated in the competition, which was organized by the International Peace Poem Project. Funamura-Sasil’s five-verse poem is titled Press On, and according to Melinda Gohn, “provides a sizzling journey from American emancipation to today’s desire for peace in the Middle East and envisions a journey to a peaceful world.” The competition is intended to honor Dr. King and his efforts to promote civil rights through nonviolence …

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