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Back to school

Back to school
Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — The first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School went smoothly, with teachers enthusiastically greeting the eager young students disembarking from buses. Excitement was measurable, with only a few tears from parents, but school began anyway.


Ready for her first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School, Liliana Cawley, 7, would soon join her second grade class, but first she posed for a photo to mark the occasion.Photo by Leila Hawken

Leila Hawken
schools

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Dinner with the dog

Dinner with the dog
Georgie, enjoying a late-summer “pup cup” on the porch at Grassland Dessert Cafe in Lakeville.
Natalia Zukerman

Dog owners know the dilemma: You’re out for the day with your four-legged sidekick when hunger strikes. Fortunately, a number of area restaurants, cafés and breweries welcome dogs, mostly at outdoor tables. Policies and outdoor seating can change with the season, so calling ahead is always a good idea.

The White Hart and Provisions in Salisbury is particularly pet-friendly. The inn welcomes pets on request, and its front porch and sprawling lawn make inviting places to settle in with a canine companion. They even welcome well-behaved patrons — bipedal and quadruped alike — in the cozy dining area.

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pets
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A day in the life of a rescue dog

A day in the life of a rescue dog

Marsala is eager to go home with you.

Jennifer Almquist

“It’s unbelievable that this sweet, loving boy hasn’t found his home yet,” said Tiffany Lemelin, shelter manager of The Little Guild, whose mission is to rescue, love and heal homeless cats and dogs. She smiled at the small dog wagging his tail. “This is one of the most deserving dogs you could ever meet, with so much love to give.”

Marsala is an energetic, 1-year-old, 45-pound black Labrador mix waiting to be adopted. He arrived March 25 as a stray named “Chicken” from Toccoa, Georgia.

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pets

A second chance in Wingdale

A second chance in Wingdale

Sampson, a playful and independent blind hound mix, explores the rescue’s large yard.

L. Tomaino

Meade Canine Rescue and Sanctuary is not the average rescue. Situated on a quiet dirt road on 8 acres in Wingdale, the dogs living there are, for the most part, uncaged, roaming the yard, sleeping in the house, resting in the shade of a tree or lounging in the open van that often takes them for rides.

“We go on lots of adventures,” said the rescue’s founder, Charlotte Meade.

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pets

The bear necessities of living in bear country

The bear necessities of living in bear country

A bear outside Cornwall Consolidated School in West Cornwall.

D.H. Callahan
Take down bird feeders when bears are active. Secure garbage cans left outside, and never leave pet food or trash on porches, screened-in or otherwise.

This here is bear country. In fact, Connecticut has an unusually high rate of bear home entries compared with neighboring states. So far this year, the state has documented more than 60 home entries, and bears have been spotted in all 169 towns and cities.

Bears are also part of life in neighboring Dutchess County. But don’t worry. It’s not as bad as it sounds.

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wildlife
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