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Page 6A The Braselton News Wednesday, December 26, 2007 Social Cookie sale begins Jan. 4 With the new year on the hori zon, the Girl Scouts of America say it’s time to start thinking about Thin Mints, Tagalongs, Do Si Dos and all the other varieties of Girl Scout Cookies. America’s favorite fund-raiser begins Jan. 4, when Girl Scouts and Brownies will go door-to-door taking advance orders for cookies and moms will start bringing the order forms to work so co-workers can plan to break their New Year’s resolutions related to dieting. The sale is billed as “an integral part of Girl Scouting’s Business and Economic Literacy initiative” because it provides real life expe rience in finance, marketing and public speaking and gives Scouts experiences that help build self- confidence. The girls learn to manage inven tory, set goals, manage money and develop marketing skills. Essentially, they operate their own business. The entire troop sets a goal and follows a plan leading toward fulfillment of that goal. Many successful women have credited their business skills to their days of selling Girl Scout Cookies. For the rest of us, it’s about the cookies — the Samoas, Tagalongs, All Abouts, Trefoils (the original Girl Scout cookie), Do-Si-Dos, Thin Mints (the most popular), Lemon Chalet (a former regular returned to the lineup) and — new this year — Sugar-Free Chocolate Chip. The fact that they have no trans fats is beside the point, which is that they’re delicious and support a good cause. Cookies cost $3.50 per box. They will arrive the week of Valentine’s Day, and during February Scouts will sell cookies from booths at various locations. The troops will also offer patrons a chance to donate cookies to a local nonprofit agency that will be determined by local Scouts. The Girl Scouts of Northeast Georgia serves more than 7,000 girls and adults in 25 counties. Mobile veterinarian claims pets are happier with house calls VET SERVICES ON WHEELS Dr. Becky Shelton (left) calms golden lab puppy, “Sawyer,” prior to routine shots and surgery in her mobile clinic parked at the home of Jimmy Smith, Flowery Branch. She is assisted by Jacki Flores. Though I can't say I have walked a mile in their paws, I can easily imagine how traumatic it must be for pets when their owners take them to veterinary clinics for routine medical atten tion. The strange medicinal scents and the echoes of yelping dogs and meowing cats has to be any thing but soothing to their keen senses of smell and hearing. Such an experience can prove similarly stressful for the people who bring them there. And it’s not always pleasant for the doc tors who must treat them in such a state of anxiety, either. “I would rather stick my hand in a buzz-saw than remove a ter rified feline from a cat carrier,” said local veterinarian Becky L. Shelton. “When it comes to basic medi cal attention like shots, neuter ing, and the treatment of most common ailments, pets are much happier when treated in familiar surroundings,” she explained. That is precisely why Dr. Shelton decided to gear her veterinary practice exclusively to house calls throughout Hall County, the Braselton area, and neighboring communities. And to facilitate this, she drives a state-of-the-art animal clinic on wheels to wherever her services are requested. Although her Shelton Mobile Veterinary Service has been in practice since 1998, she didn’t pursue a career in veterinary medicine until almost 10 years after graduating from high school in Lilburn. Instead, Shelton first joined the Air Force and remained in that military service for nine and a half years. “But when I was about to be transferred from Warner Robbins A.F.B. to Korea, I didn’t want to go there and decided to resign,” she said. Shelton, then, went back to In Focus with Fil Fil Jessee filwrites@aol.com school under G.I. Bill benefits, and graduated with a B.A. degree in business administration. Soon thereafter, she entered the University of Georgia School of Veterinary Medicine, and gradu ated there in 1994. After assisting Dr. Jane White at the Murrayville Veterinary Clinic until 1998, Shelton opted to do something on her own. She worked as a nighttime emergen cy vet for Pets Are People Too, a 24-hour animal hospital system based in Atlanta, and began her own business by making house calls from her car during the day. Shelton acquired her mobile clinic that same year from Dogen Industries, Humbolt, Iowa, a well-known specialist in the manufacture of mobile labs and medical rescue vehicles. And although this company offered several standard designs suitable for her business, she had the option of customizing some of the equipment to fit her special needs. Consequently, her unit is well-equipped for minor surgery with the latest in anesthesia and a pulse oximeter, which monitors heart rate and the percentage of oxygen in the blood. “The oximeter is pretty impor tant because it lets me know how an animal is doing under anesthesia. And because ani mals still can’t talk when they’re awake, our ability to do blood work on the spot gives us a lot of essential information quickly,” she explained. Some serious pet injuries and life-threatening medical prob lems require Shelton to refer patients to animal hospitals bet ter equipped to handle these and to board the animals where their recovery can be closely moni tored for an extended period. But aside from such critical care needs, her mobile services can easily address a broad range of animal health, first aid and dental needs. In addition, her assistant, Jackie Flores, handles pet grooming requirements under the separate trade name “Road Clips.” In addition to dogs and cats, Dr. Shelton also attends birds, rabbits, ferrets, and other caged pets. However, she does not cater to farm animals or, as a rule, confined wild animals. But Dr. Shelton does respond to occasional calls from the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Dahlonega. There, her most memorable assignment was patching up the injured paw of a full-grown African lion. “I had to close a cut after the animal was tranquilized with a dart, and just prayed that he wouldn’t wake up until I was through,” she said. Because Shelton charges $60 for a trip fee but nothing for a basic exam, her services are especially economical for people with several pets or for neighbors who want to share the cost of a house call for annual inoculations and routine check ups. And her visits also provide a convenient alternative for the elderly or people with several small children who find it more difficult to transport pets to stan dard animal clinics. When I asked Dr. Shelton what she enjoyed most about her work, she said: “I like what I’m doing because I have always loved animals. My job would just be perfect if I never had to deal with some of the people who own them.” I’m guessing that some of the more difficult pet owners who prompted that comment are the impatient types who don’t always understand why she can’t attend to their needs within an hour or two of their calls. It usually takes at least a week before Dr. Shelton can fill an appointment request, sometimes longer during the busy summer months. But as the saying goes, “good things come to those who wait.” And where mobile veteri nary care is concerned, there’s no doubt that these words fit “those” with four legs as well. Shelton Mobile Veterinary Service can be reached by phone at 770-538-0743, but be pre pared to leave a message. The doctor generally returns calls in the evening, following her daily round of appointments. Fil Jessee lives in Braselton, where he works as a freelance journalist. He can be reached at filwrites@aol.com. birth announcements Gavin Peyton Welchel Anthony and Amanda Welchel of Commerce announce the birth of a son, Gavan Peyton Welchel, on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007, at St. Mary’s Hospital, Athens. He weighed seven pounds, one ounce and was 19 inches long. He joins a sister, Macey, 7. Grandparents are Michael and Darlene Thornhill, Hoschton; the late Van Welchel, formerly of Hoschton; and Jimmy and Doris Stevens, Pell City, AL. WELCHEL Great-grandparents are Ruby Thornhill, Hoschton; the late M.J. Thornhill, and the late Tommy and Sue Shipman, all formerly of Hoschton. r“7 HOSCHTON MEDICAL, PC Board Certified - Family Medicine Is now open at Hoschton Towne Center Specializing In: Complete Family Care ~ Sports Medicine Call for appointment! 706-658-2452 115 Towne Center Pkwy., Suite 113, Hoschton, GA 30548 Leslie David, M.D. HOURS: Mon. & Wed. 9 a.m. - 5p.m. • Tues. 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Thurs. 8 a.m. - 5p.m. • Fri. 8 a.m. - 2p.m. To place a classified ad, call 706-367-5233 j & j FLEA MARKET I 11661 HWY.441 N. • ATHENS, GA 30607 ■ 706-613-2410 www.jandjfleamarket.com Thanks for making us Georgia's Biggest REAL Flea Market! MAKING Lire lOLOVU TOR 125-YU AH D. I in(T-rhr.itK-in r ■'■rnvrn ry ::oIk nylrij :h . .iH'o ; p^rkipsciyj rierciff x; necH^ j fuee ccinriimpi/' nvh i- av 1 Benjamin Moore The L-zorder In Pant 1 Cctar" r a Hz? Superior Paint & Decorating 115 Towne Center Parkway Hoschton, GA 30548 706-824-1800 PL'u-TUI L rn r HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Loves Essential Flooring, Inc. Family Owned & Operated • Hardwood • Vinyl • Tile • Bound Rugs \J36 College Street»Jefferson, GA 30549»www.lovesessentialflooring.com J 706-367-4884 Carpet Laminate Gifts/Home Decor Featuring local artists Free Estimates FOR ONLY $5 PER MONTH, YOU CAN LIST YOUR GROUP'S MEETINGS! Let your members know when your group is meeting! Call (706) 367-5233 to advertise your meeting time, place and date in... • The Jackson Herald • The Commerce News • The Braselton News • The Banks County News • The Madison County Journal ft UNITY LODGE F & A.M. No. 36, Jefferson, GA 1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m. A. Ben Wurtz • 706-367-1400 Borders St. behind Tabo’s 260 JEFFERSON ROTARY CLUB Meets Tuesdays Jefferson City Clubhouse 12:30 p.m. • (706) 654-2237 Clay Eubanks, President 260 COMMERCE ^AMERICAN LEGION Commerce Rec. Dept. Post 93 Carson Street - 1st Mon. night Each Month, 7:30 p.m. 335-6400 BANKS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INC. meets first Monday each month 7:00 p.m. in the Banks Co. Historial Courthouse at 105 U.S. Hwy. 441 North in Homer pd.-2/2008 JEFFERSON ^AMERICAN LEGION Albert Gordon Post 56 Each 3rd Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. Harvie Lance, Commander Phone (706) 654-1274 310 ■ Georgia Real Estate Investors Association, Inc. - Athens Meets the third Thursday each month 7:00 pm at the Holiday Inn 197 East Broad St, Athens, GA 30601 Tom Hewlett - Chapter President mailto: the wlett 1 @charter.net website: www.gareia.org pj jo/07 The Jackson Co. Republican Party Would like you to meet us for breakfast the second Sat. of each month, 8:00 at The Jefferson House. For more information, call 706-652-2967 or email fishyglass@yahoo.com Pd.os/os BANKS COUNTY EgS AMERICAN LEGION Post 215 Meets each 3rd Thursday, 7 p.m. In Homer, GA at the American Legion Building on Historic Highway 441 pd,06/os VETERANS OF ‘W FOREIGN WARS Post 4872, Hurricane Shoals Convention Ctr. Each 4th Monday, 7:00 p.m. Mike Buffington, Commander Phone 706-335-6532 263 JEFFERSON LIONS CLUB Meets 2nd & 4th Monday Jefferson City Clubhouse 6:30 p.m. • (706) 367-1400 Mark Bradley, President 260