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Between You and Me> By RUTH COLES A few weeks ago we saw a huge, beautiful fox on the front lawn. He was magnificent, darkish in color and he sported a large bushy tail. He just stood very quietly and looked around until be ambled across the grass, through the bushes and out of sight. He returned in short order, walked around the house, through the back garden and into the woods. Others saw him too and wondered at his behaviour which was so akin to a dog; but one thing he did not do was to run up and wag his tail. I was reminded of a time about twenty years ago when I heard the most awful, hideous screaming in the middle of the night. Before I could collect my sense there were two terrible bangs against the house, not the windows thank God or I would have had the animal in the house with me. For some strange reason I knew it was a fox, and the only thought I had was that somehow its eyes had been torn out. I couldn't think of anything else which could cause such pain and terror. At that moment rabies did not occur tome. Recently I read an article by a woman who had experienced thessame sound, screaming, the most inhuman sound imaginable and in this case it was a fox about to die. In both cases the bodies were found, tested and dispensed with. Not so long ago I listened to an expert explaining about this dreadful disease and why it was becoming epidemic. Not long after birth, a fox star- ts to travel. Up and away he goes often far from home. When he sleeps it is generally in another fox's den. The rabies bacteria is not killed by severe weather but lies dormant until spring. In many cases the warmth of the fox's body might activate it and infect the fox. So, from den to den across the country the rabies virus is carried, hence epidemics. I think there are two types of rabies, the very ac- tive and the passive, but this may be determined by time. It is not worth taking chances and endanger- ing your life. Sam, our very tiny dog, did not see the fox but was aware of trouble. As soon as he went out he sniffed about and quickly ran back to the house. For quite some time he refused to stay out more than a minute and even then looked uneasy. He no doubt realized the scent was unfamiliar, but how? He has never had an encounter with a wild animal in his life. On the other hand he is so wise he may have un- derstood our conversation. We have even on oc- casion tried spelling the odd word but as yet we can't fool him. Recently he has been making odd sounds as though he's trying to talk and he often smiles, a wide grin and sometimes we think he cries. Recently my grandson went into my bank to. cash a cheque. He had forgotten to take his I.D. He told Barbara, one of the girls I deal with, that he was my grandson so to identify him she said, "what is the dog's name?" and the immediate reply was, "Sam". Needless to say he got his money. Clever of her! I rarely take him into the bank now but I used to, and Barbara would lift him off the counter and cud- dle him. This is what he loves, hugs and kisses from his friends. They tell me that foxes, and no doubt other wild animals, are displaced when iew buildings go up in rural areas. This is why they are seen more often in rural residerfial parts of the country. This applies to rodents, especially rats, and probably skunks too. I phoned the Humane Society to see if they did anything when a passive fox was seen, but they said no unless it was endangering someone or something to that effect. How can you prove that? Later in the daylI saw the O.H.S. van so they must bave given it some thought. Later ini the week someone said the police were looking too, but as of nlow we think tbe beast is dead. Someone shot at it at dusk one even- ing but as yet the carcass bas not been found. Better to die by a gun rather than a bad case of rabies. Volunteers needed The Victim-Offender Reconciliation Program of Ajax-Pickering is seeking volunteers to mediate between vic- tims and offenders in property offenses. The progran, spon- sored by the Social Planning Council of Ajax-Pickering and funded by the United Way and the Ministry of Correctional Services, began accepting referr- als in April, 1982. Volun- teers will learn skills required in mediating in a series of training sess- ions scheduled for November and Decem- ber. Volunteers wil be asked to take on one or two referrals a month, spending about three hours on each one. Volunteers will require a car, and will be reim- bursed for travel expen- ses. For more informa- tion, please cal Helen Pugliese at683-0373. WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 10>1982, PAGE 9 Police offer $10,000 reward Durham Regional Po- lice are offering a $10,000 reward for infor- mation leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the mur- der of Walter Clark Major of R.R. 1, Brook- lin last August. Major, 52, suffered fatal injuries while trying to stop a speeding van from leaving his property with stolen tires August 7. He was attempting to remove the keys from the van when he was either thr- own, or fell, from the speeding van. The Police Commis- sion decided last Thurs- day to offer the reward. Inspector Doug Bul- loch said police evaluate the nature of a crime to determine whether a reward will be offered. 'In this case, he was just an average citizen trying to protect his property,'" Bulloch said. The suspect is des- cribed as a white male, 20 to 25 years old, with reddish shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. He is believed to have a slim face and pointed nose, and a thin reddish beard. His complexion is fair, with high cheek bones, a thin neck and upper body, and no marks on his face. At the time of the of- fence, he was wearing a vertically striped T- shirt with red, white, blue or black stripes. The stripes on the shirt were in the shape of a V, and the neckline on the shirt was round. Police describe the vehicle as a late model (1979 or 80) blue Chevro- let van with a white cur- tain or divider behind the driver's seat. The seat is a captain's type chair (possibly crushed velvet), and the dash- board is blue, uncovered and in good condition. The vehicle has a clear windshield, and a rounded blue hood that sticks out in front. The front grill has a 3-foot wide chrome grid and a Chevrolet sign on the front, and the bumper is descrlbed as a flat grey color. The sides of the van are straight and plain and the rear licence plate may have 003 as the last three numbers. Any persons who have information should call Durham Regional Police at (416) 579-1520 (lons distance enlls enl- lect) and submit their claim in writing. The reward is payable in Canadian funds, and expires December 31, 1983. Police are asking the co-operation of ail citi. zens and police in bring- ing about the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for this murder. TYPEWRITERS ADDING MAGUNES • CALQULATORS SALES • SERVICE • RENTALS "lt's a poor day when we haven'i helped a customer" your kds ur place It's always been a good idea. Now it's the law. Infants born on or after Nov. 1, 1982, must be secured in an appropriate rear-facing carrier when travelling in a motor vehicle. These infants, as they grow into the toddler stage of between 9 and 18 kilograms (20 and 40 pounds), must be properly secured in an appropriate child seat. Ail pre-schoolers, between 18 and 23 kilo- grams (40 and 50 pounds), must be secured in a lap belt. Children over 23 kilograms (50 pounds) must wear the full seat belt assembly. Bucide them n. Ministry of Transportation and Communications © Ontario James Snow, Minister William Davis, Premier Whitby Alummnum