Ailing dog's surgery is set for Wednesday
When Trixie the dog travels to the University of Wisconsin Veterinary School in Madison for an evaluation prior to surgery to remove a cancerous tumor near her right eye, she'll be wearing a pet guardian angel on her collar.
Trixie, a well-behaved 10-year-old border collie-German shorthair mix, is the best friend of sisters Trisha and Tiana Faust, of Platteville, who got their Christmas wish this past week. What they wanted more than anything was a healthy Trixie.
The dog was diagnosed earlier this year with Chondrosarcoma -- a tumor of the cartilage.
On Tuesday, weather-permitting, Trixie will travel to the University of Wisconsin Veterinary School in Madison for an evaluation. Michelle Faust, Trisha and Tiana's mother, said surgery -- estimated to take about four hours -- is scheduled for Wednesday. They hope Trixie will be home Friday.
Michelle, who carries a motorist guardian angel medallion in her vehicle, bought a canine-version for Trixie.
"Everyone needs a guardian angel to watch over them," Michelle said, "even animals."
Trixie seems to have plenty of guardian angels looking out for her. Thanks to the generosity of both friends and strangers, the Faust family has collected more than $5,300 for the surgery estimated to cost a minimum of $2,500, money the family did not have.
UW-P students labor over light-weight canoe
Tom Flatley and Kyle Kogelmann, two University of Wisconsin-Platteville students, raised the standard for industrial studies projects by building a composite canoe made of Kevlar and fiberglass. They built the canoe for a class in which students were instructed to build a project that would be worth 60 percent of their final grade.
Flatley, of McHenry, Ill., came up with the idea when he was on a canoeing trip and watched others carry lightweight canoes while he was forced to carry a heavy one. He paid for the project and kept the finished canoe.
To build it, the two followed the instructions from the book "Building your Kevlar Canoe: A Foolproof Method and Three Foolproof Designs." Although the book predicted 284 hours of work, Flatley said together they spent about 500 hours on the canoe.
"It was like having a full-time job," he added.
