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A face only an owner could love
Merlin the English bulldog makes Holbrook family complete
page 8
Change clocks Saturday night
Special Pet Edition
$1.50
March 2023 | Vol. 4 Iss. 10
REP. PAUL CUTLER sits on the House floor during the 2023 Legislative Session. This was Cutler’s first term as a legislator.
Photo by Roger V. Tuttle
Freshman legislator finishes strong BOUNTIFUL GIRLS WIN STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
the dog and owner would get off the elevator and walk down the hall then turn right to the nurses’ station for a treat. This time Charlie turned left and went to the oncology ward and found a patient who was sitting with a social
SALT LAKE CITY—It might have been his first legislative session but Rep. Paul Cutler, R-Centerville, came away feeling positive about the experience. The former Centerville mayor ran six bills and four passed. Not bad for a beginner. “It’s been thrilling, fascinating, frustrating and at times exhausting,” said Cutler. “I’ve learned a tremendous amount. There are many good people who are trying to do what’s best for the state.” Cutler said it was a great opportunity to learn as a new legislator. “I made some mistakes because I didn’t know how to use the process. I wish I could do more to help people.” Other legislators were so helpful, he said. “Our current south Davis representatives, Melissa Ballard, Todd Weiler and Ray Ward were incredibly helpful and showed me how I could make a difference.” There were two bills he ran that Cutler said he really enjoyed. “I worked very hard on a domestic violence bill (HB199) for the safety of domestic violence victims. I had to balance between the right to bear arms and the need to protect the most vulnerable in society. That passed.” The other one is HB470 that puts guidelines in place for digital records and the need for government records to keep up, he said. “People want to make sure their information is safe and secure and that people don’t have access to it. The bill sets up a group that will report next year to the legislature on standard guidelines for digital records.” Cutler sat on the IGG (Infrastructure and General Government) Appropriations Subcommittee and Political Subdivisions Subcommittee. “In the IGG we dealt with transportation, improvement on government facilities and we heard plans to set up a permanent campus for Weber State University in Farmington. WSU rents a space at Station Park now. They want to build a new campus with permanent buildings near Station Park.” The Speaker makes the assignments,
Please see THERAPY: pg. 4
Please see CUTLER: pg. 4
The Bountiful Girls Basketball team won the State 5A Championship 41-39 against No. 1 Seeded Springville March 4 at Weber State University. See story on page 11.
Photo by Roger V. Tuttle
Pets, remarkable healing power
By Becky Ginos becky.g@davisjournal.com
BOUNTIFUL—Animals have the unique ability to make any day a little brighter. That emotional connection can help the healing process or simply put a smile on the face of those who may need a boost. A local organization, Intermountain Therapy Animals/R.E.A.D. connects volunteers, who use their own pets, with hospitals, assisted living centers, court programs and other facilities to make visits and bring a little sunshine to an otherwise difficult day. “It helps people feel better motivated to participate in therapy,” said Kathy Klotz, Executive Director of Intermountain Therapy Animals/R.E.A.D. “It gives patients hope for the future. It’s amazing when the magic happens. When they get their hands on an animal they are flooded with emotions. It breaks through the log jams for those who had given up hope.” One patient, a 5-year-old girl, was at the University of Utah Hospital because she had been burned in a wood burning stove accident, said Klotz. “She was just refusing to participate in anything she needed to get better. We found out that she loved horses. So the staff bundled her up in a little wagon and took her outside where there was a mini horse.
LILY GIVES A PATIENT at Primary Children’s a wet kiss in his ear. The dog’s owner Bob Albrecht is a volunteer for Intermountain Therapy Animals/R.E.A.D.
Courtesy photo
She started communicating with the horse and then she was willing to do what was needed. That’s what keeps us going – it happens all the time.” Klotz said one of the dogs always pulls toward people who walk into a room and seems to know who needs help. “Typically
By Becky Ginos becky.g@davisjournal.com
Headstones