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& LOCAL
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fhursday, May 3,1990
‘Be Kind to Animals Week’ brings discounts
belter encourages pet adoption
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ania By SUZANNE CALDERON
ir re2 Of The Battalion Staff
Becoming the proud parent of a
ew pet costs $15 less than usual this
onth at the Brazos Animal Shelter.
The shelter is participating in the
urina Pet Parent Program, a na-
ional program that donated money
[o animal shelters across the nation
p reduce pet adoption costs.
1 The program is helping cut costs
uring Be Kind To Animals Week,
unday to May 12, and the entire
aonth of May.
With the discount, adoption fees
re $25 for cats and $30 for dogs at
he local animal shelter.
Patty Arreola, humane educator
'S 11 *' the Brazos Animal Shelter, said
he discount will continue through-
iut May or until funds are depleted.
During this time of year there are
nany homeless animals, and with
his program it is hoped these ani-
-nals can find a home, Arreola said.
“This is the time of the year when
ill of the dogs and cats start having
heir puppies and kittens,” Arreola
laid. “Many well-intentioned people
iind out they can’t find homes for
heir puppies and kittens.”
She said these people often bring
he animals to the shelter as a last re-
iort.
“This time of year we get boxes
ind boxes of unwanted puppies and
dttens that people bring in, or
maybe people find them dumped
somewhere,” Arreola said.
It is important people know what
they are getting themselves into be
fore they adopt a pet, she said.
“The joys of pet ownership are
endless, but they also are a lot of
work — they take a lot of time and
money,” she said.
One of the messages of the adop
tion program, she said, is that a pet is
a life-long committment and people
need to think before adopting one.
This is the third year the shelter is
participating in the Pet Parent Pro
gram.
Arreola said the response has
been tremendous each year. During
the program last year the number of
adoptions almost doubled.
All pets adopted from the shelter
have been started on their shots, Ar
reola said.
With the adoption fee, “parents”
can get discounts on many veteri
nary services for their new pet.
The discounts are coupons that
can be taken to local veterinarians.
They include a free rabies shot, an
office visit to the vet, a county tag, a
distemper shot, worming and spay
ing or neutering discounts.
‘nth
Police issue
crime alert
| 'ItM? end of the year is a timtll
the Texas A&M University com
munity experiences an increase in
personal item thefts,
f Lt. Bett Kreuschmar and offt*
cer Betty LeMay with the Texas
!M<:M University Crime Poike.
Crime Treventtofc Unit sent
to. deans*. directors and
department heads ^warning of
theft increase*
Purses, wallets* backpacks and
books are examples ffi items that
are being taken.
The memo says the opportu-
is provided to thieves when
students or faculty members
leave valued items unattended or
. to the
problem is the first step in feduc-
| An unlocked office is an open
invitation to thieves. The crime
items locked in a drawer or kept
‘Gambler’s House’
earns recognition
Players win best production
Program cares for aging animals
By ELIZABETH TISCH
Of The Battalion Staff
It sounds good enough for retired folks, but
this geriatric center is just for animals.
The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medi
cine is designing a program called the Surviving
Companion Animal Program, where care will be
provided to aging animals whose owners are no
longer able to look after them.
“The animals will be cared for on a day-to-day
■ basis with a resident veterinarian who will see
■ them everyday,” said Dr. Edwin W. Ellet, direc
tor of the Companion Animal Geriatric Center.
The program’s purpose is to provide informa
tion about the aging process of companion ani
mals to veterinarians and students, Ellet said.
The animals will be observed to establish infor
mation intended to benefit all older animals.
Observations will target geriatric and genetic
disorders, responses to accepted therapies and
influences of nutrition, he said.
Ellet stressed that absolutely no experimenta
tion will be conducted on the animals. He also
said animals will not be kept in cages but in a
clean, spacious environment.
The facility, which is planned to undergo con
struction this summer, is designed to hold 60 ani
mals at one time.
If the program proves a success, the facility
will be expanded to house more animals, he said.
“Primarily dogs and cats are the companion
animals we accept, but we will accept others if
they are eligible,” Ellet said.
Information about the program can be ob
tained by calling Ellet at 845-5051.
By BRIDGET HARROW
Of The Battalion Staff
Texas A&M’s Aggie Players won
best production award for its En
glish version of “Gambler’s House”
at the 15th Annual Siglo de Oro
Drama Festival in El Paso.
“Gambler’s House” was written by
dramatist Antonio Mira de Amescua
in 1616.
The Aggie Players had the only
festival entry from the United States
and the only entry performed in En
glish.
This was one of the first times
A&M or any American theater
group had participated in the festi
val. “
Jennifer Tyler, associate director
of “Gambler’s House,” said the play’s
first-time translation from English to
Spanish posed a difficulty with the
play’s presentation.
“Gambler’s House,” known in
Spanish as “La Casa del Tahur,” was
translated to English specifically for
the Aggie Players by Vern William-
sen, a retired professor from the
University of Missouri in Columbia.
Williamsen, who received an
award for discovering the play, came
to A&M and worked with the script
and cast.
He later came back for the run of
the show.
Mary Ellen Brennan, who played
the role of the mother, said William-
sen was a great help.
“He changed some of the idioms
that did not work to make the script
sound more natural,” she said. “He
said it was a neat synthesis for him to
have the old script, the new script
and the actors all together.”
Tyler said the verses of Spanish
Golden Age theater pieces, such as
“Gambler’s House,” are similiar to
Shakespeare.
“Our actors, directors, and techni
cians know Shakespeare, but in
‘Gambler’s House’ it was hard to find
contemporary themes, yet keep it in
that era,” she said.
Jeff Dench, a member of the
Royal Shakespeare Company, was a
guest artist in “Gambler’s House.”
He played the role of Marcelo, the
gambler’s father, and won the best
actor award in the festival’s profes-
“T
I he language of
“Gambler’s House” was
difficult and you had to be
articulate. And Dench,
being renowned in British
verse, helped.”
— Mary Ellen Brennan,
Actress
sional category.
Dench has performed previously-
with the Aggie Players in its produc
tion of “King Lear.”
Brennan said Dench’s knowledge
of British verse helped her perfor
mance.
of “Gambler’s
“The language
House” was difficult and you had to
be articulate,” she said. “And Dench,
being renowned in British verse,
helped.”
Other awards the Aggie Players
received at the festival included rec
ognition for Jimmy Humphries’ set
design and best supporting actor for
David Roberto. Roberto played
Rogue, the gambler’s know-it-all
sidekick.
The Siglo de Oro festival was orig
inally organized as part of the bicen
tennial festivities in 1976.
The festival attracts theater
groups from South America, Spain,
Mexico and the United States to
Chamizal National Memorial Park in
El Paso.
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