Vacation itinerary failed to include purchase of new puppy

SOMEWHERE IN MONTANA — The annual Keyes spring break vacation itinerary listed nothing about picking up a puppy in Hysham, Mont., and driving 670 miles back to Sandpoint.

I know this because I allegedly was the author of this itinerary. Custer Battlefield, check. Staying at a motel with a pool. Check. Museum of the Rockies. Check. Play soccer every day with son. Check. Push daughter on every toy in every park. Check.

So, how did a 10-week-old golden retriever find its way into an already too crowded 4Runner? It was easy. Too easy.

We have wanted to have a four-legged pet that doesn't purr for about four years. That's the exact amount of time that has passed since Max did. Max was a Maltese that looked like dryer lint with teeth.

In the meantime we had Olivia, who will be 5 on June 30, and could never be confused with dryer lint.

We wanted to wait a few years so Olivia would be old enough to distinguish a puppy from a pull toy and Austin, 9, would be old enough to handle doggie doo duties.

Marlisa had lobbied hard recently for a West Highland Terrier and we were all on board for that breed of dog if we could find one.

About a year ago we stopped in a pet store in Missoula and — lo and behold — they had Westies! The kids were happy, Marlisa was happy and I thought this little, white puppy was the cutest creature ever.

The folks at the pet store ushered us to a small room so we could bond with her. She jumped, she played with the kids and did everything a puppy should do. I loved this dog.

Then I had to go and spoil everything.

"How much?" I asked the helpful clerk.

"Oh, $700 for the male and $800 for the female," she said. "Oh, Wells Fargo will finance the purchase, if you wish."

Silence.

The kids had angelic looks and both nodded that they wanted this dog. Marlisa gave me a look that was kind of a cross between "Well, we probably could afford it … and the kids might need braces someday." I was as calm and cool as I could be considering I paid less than $800 for my first car and it never needed shots, toys, spayed, tennis balls, etc.

"I sure like this dog," I said in all honesty. "But you kids realize that this puppy isn't a real puppy, it is a sample puppy. This puppy is just to see if you like dogs and if dogs like you."

Silence.

Note to self during silence: Don't crack a smile or it will cost you $800.

"OK, Dad," Austin said.

"But, Dad, I really love THIS dog," Olivia said in an even-mannered way.

"You heard, Dad, Olivia, this is just a sample puppy, this puppy is here to see if we like dogs," Austin chimed in. "Oh, OK," she said. No tears.

"Let's go," I enthused and escorted my family away from the scene of what I imagined would be a crime. I'm sure I'll have to face the moral dilemma of lying to my children only to save $800 some day but it wasn't that day.

The dog's name? Leila. Yes, Leila. The dog had been named Carmen from Forsyth to Missoula. The deal was the kids would come up with a name that was easy to pronounce and had either an historic or literary reference. Cheyenne, Spot and Gusty (as in the Gusty Crosswinds sign by Livingston) were all considered for a time.

Marlisa then put together a coalition government right out of Missoula and brought us to Leila with unanimous support of Austin and Olivia. I went along and like the name.

Remember the guy who was peeved several weeks ago when he was ticketed after he parked his SUV so that one of its tires was on a curb? He appealed to Sandpoint Police Chief Mark Lockwood who didn't pitch the fine.

I asked for your comments about the situation. Here are a few samples:

? Tell that gentleman to get a life and pay the price. He knew he was on the curb, or if he didn't he was probably DUI. We need more enforcement like that. This town is rampant with people that run stop signs, run red lights, park on the wrong side of the street and generally seem to think they are the only person that matters. Signed, Larry Smith, Sandpoint.

? I hardly ever reply to things in the paper, but I felt so strongly about this issue that I had to. What a bunch of (expletive deleted) that ticket is for basically trying to get out of the way of traffic and not having your vehicle hit. Wow, half of one tire on the curb. No wonder people don't ship "downtown." That's cured me. Thanks for the help in making my decision.

? I don't believe the purpose of the ticket is for Lockwood to increase revenues. It is to correct an out point, if your friend would have promised to not do it again, then the goal would have been accomplished.

? A couple of weeks ago, I came into town to buy and item, There were two trucks parked in the travel lane, blocking any chance for a parking spot. I drove beyond the trucks and there was a loading zone which I did not want to block, so I parked just behind it. I was in the store approximately 5 minutes. When I came out I had a $25 ticket, and a photo taken. This means they had to of watched me park, waited till I entered the store and then two people, one to write and one to photograph; finished and left before I came out. I had parked in this spot for about nine years when the parking areas were blocked by trucks and I needed to pick something up, and have never received a warning: or had these employees of Lockwood walked over and told me that if I parked there I would get a ticket, I would have moved and never parked there again. But like your friend says this isn't about getting the job done, this is so Lockwood can make some money.

? A month ago my wife got stopped for having a dirty license plate, when she went to get milk. It is a new vehicle, an officer pulled up beside her in the parking lot and told her when she went through the light at 5th and Cedar another officer did not see a safety belt on her so he would give her a break on the dirty tag and give her a ticket for her belt.

We not only do our shopping in Ponderay now, but we are really apprehensive about driving in Sandpoint city at all.

I also wish to remain unnamed because I do not believe Lockwood would take these comments as a professional. Justice is not served by producing revenues, if it was I would still be shopping in Sandpoint.

? IMHO the police department could generate a ton of revenue if they would just start ticketing speeders going thru town. Have you ever gone the speed limit on 5th? If you have you know that you are in a minority and the majority passes you by. I have come back into town from Walmart with the flow of traffic traveling at 35 mph but as soon as the flow hits the two lanes coming into town it speeds up.

It usually slows back down to 35 mph about the time the 25 mph sign is reached. If Chief Lockwood truly wants to generate revenue it seems to me it would be prudent and practical to station a couple of officers a few hours each day on the main street thru Sandpoint. Thank you, M. Ziegler

? I debated back and forth about writing but it continued to bother me and so I am writing.

In regards to ticket or not to ticket I feel that yes the driver should be ticketed. It is against the law to park on the sidewalk if we all did this wouldn't that be a mess. It appears others feel that it is wrong but just think what we would have if everyone did this. It bothers me that the driver was unaware that he or she had even done this. If they do not feel the vehicle go up on the curb I am not sure that I would want to be driving in their path. Signed, Tony Tatum.

? I read your article in Tuesday's paper regarding parking tickets. I work for the Featherston Law Firm on Second Avenue. About two years ago or so, the city resorted to changing the parking on Second Avenue to two-hour parking. Since that time I have paid approximately $150 to $200 in parking tickets. As a matter of fact, I got another one yesterday, March 30. The office staff has to constantly run outside and check our tires to see if they've been marked.

If we get too busy, we sometimes forget and thus, we get tickets. It's outrageous and it makes me furious. I suggest that the city eliminate the positions of the ticket writers and thus save the city at least $50,000 a year or more in payroll, insurance, etc. It's ridiculous to not be able to park in front of your employment without fear of getting a ticket. I hope something can be done. Thanks for letting me vent. Signed, Cynthia Schmitt.

? Point 1. Most Police Departments now have a "no fix" policy. What that means is that if the Sandpoint Police Department has this policy, Chief Lockwood could not have reduced the parking ticket even if he wanted to. Besides, to do that would be a slap in the face to the employee who was simply doing their job. Isn't it nice to know that your city employees are actually doing what they get paid for. How refreshing.

Point 2. The "offender" probably took more time to take the picture of his car up on the curb than he would have invested had he initially put the car in drive and pulled it off of the curb. It's amazing to me that the most effort was put out at the wrong time and for the wrong reason.

Point 3. The "offender" takes a picture of his own car, owns up to the violation and then has the audacity to argue over whether or not he should pay the fine. This is a prime example of the percentage of people in the world today who absolutely will not take responsibility for their own actions.

Moral of the story —Pay the fine and get on with life … A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 17:22

? Thank you for that story about the unjust parking ticket. I have also received an unjust parking ticket. A couple of months ago I parked outside of my office for a one hour class. I carefully watched the time. I returned to my car 15 minutes before my 2 hours were up and there was a ticket! The first parking ticket I got was last year when I parked in the city parking lot and my monthly pass fell from the rear view mirror (so I now just put it on the dash). It's so obvious that this is a great source of revenue. I paid both tickets and included protest notes with each of them. If this is how they are going to treat our summer visitors we are in trouble!

May I also add that I have been a licensed driver since 1970 and these two parking tickets are the very first tickets that I have ever received. I have never had a violation. I could really relate to the gentleman in your story.

? When is it OK to bend or break the rules? Who makes the call? If I only speed by 2 miles an hour is it okay? Or if that person only hurries through the yellow/red light on the even numbered days of the week, is that okay? Rules exist for a reason, Whether you break them by an inch or a mile isn't really the question. I say justice was served, so suck it up and pay the ticket.

? Hello, I believe you provided the picture that demonstrates your friend was PARKING ON THE CURB so perhaps he should suck it up and just pay the ticket. Was he not aware that curbs are not there to park on? Everybody else on the street seemed to figure it out, as demonstrated in his own photo.

Perhaps he should be driving a smaller car that is easier to park if that SUV is too difficult for him to maneuver. After all, I am sure Ponderay does not allow people to park their vehicles on the few curbs that are located in their fine city.

And finally, is he upset that he is not allowed to park on the curb or that he has to pay a small fine for doing so? Maybe he could park on the curbs and even the sidewalks as long as he replaces them when they are crumbling under the abuse of vehicle traffic as well as foot traffic.

Your editorial did not indicate any reason to issue a warning to this fellow rather than a ticket. So I agree with the city for a change, he needed the citation.

? I read the article this morning on the gentleman that parked his vehicle partially on the curb. Last summer I had a similar experience, although I happened to arrive at my truck prior to the ticket being written.

I asked the female officer who was writing the ticket if there was a particular reason for not rubbing against the curb. She was very kind and explained that she understood that in these bigger vehicles it was difficult to tell when you bumped the curb because they are so large.

She also informed me that after the city had redone the curbs some of them lasted less than a week due to the large tires and heavy weights of many of the sport utility vehicles and trucks in town having tires rubbing up against or sitting on the curbs. I was personally amazed that concrete could be torn apart by a vehicle tire, but it makes sense. Certainly my truck (the Laser Image black Silverado with large off-road tires) makes an impact whenever I rub my tires against a stationary object (i.e.- curb, felled tree, etc.) otherwise I wouldn't have put those tires on. It was very useful for me to have an explanation for the violation and now I am more cautious to keep my tires on the road. Signed, Joel Whitaker.

? Wow, Mr. Keyes, you should really quit your whining about a $10.00 parking ticket. If the law says you can't park with your tire on the curb, then a parking ticket is warranted. Does the fact that your friend is a Sandpoint Rotarian give his the authorization to ignore the local laws?

If the people of Sandpoint don't like the parking laws, go through the proper channels to have the city council change the laws pertaining to parking. Any person who goes to the chief of police to have a $10.00 parking ticket fixed, apparently feels that he or she is above the laws of this state and city. Why should the parking ticket be changed to a warning because of the slow down in tourism due to the weather?

A business person takes a chance on income every day that they open their doors and his/her success should not be predicated on the way local and state laws are enforced. Signed, Ronald K. Ziarnick.

? In response to your story, I am not surprised with this car being ticketed. On Dec 22, 2004, I was downtown doing last minute shopping. I was in the store only about 25 minutes. When I came out to my truck, I had a little Christmas present on my windshield. Apparently, I was parked more than 18 inches from the curb. In order for me to park any closer than that I would have had to drive up on top of the snow berm next to the curb. I was furious, as I have been driving 30 years without any tickets. Without complaining I paid the 10 dollar fine. I have not shopped downtown since. If merchants business is down I have my doubts it is because of a slow winter season in Sandpoint. I was shocked to discover that someone is actually getting paid to scare away customers by the petty tickets being written. Isn't there something better for these officers to do with their work day. Have they ran out of real trouble here in our small town to deal with? I don't think so!

There were 13 additional e-mails or letters submitted on this topic — seven in support of the position to cite the driver and eight supporting the driver's position.

David Keyes is publisher of the Bee. His column runs Tuesdays except for when he is in Montana transporting puppies.