Dogs get assist from Knights
Fifteen Pomeranians adopted, funds raised for Animal Foundation
With help from the dog-loving Vegas Golden Knights, 15 of the 164 Pomeranian dogs found crammed in the back of a box truck in Sandy Valley in November were placed with new owners Monday afternoon.
“We heard about the story, and it was a mutual interest,” said Kim Frank, the Golden Knights’ vice president of marketing. “The guys like animals, and a lot of their wives and families are passionate about dogs. … This was an opportunity to get everyone involved and do something good for the community.”
Hundreds of people participated in Monday’s Pucks for Paws event,
which raised about $20,000 for the Animal Foundation, foundation spokeswoman Kelly Leahy said. The event featured a live auction of five dogs and chances to adopt one of 10 additional dogs.
Five Golden Knights players lined up on the ice after the team’s practice Monday at City National Arena, each clutching a Pomeranian to his chest. The dogs, which had been named by the players, wore tiny Golden Knights sweaters.
Zam was the first Pomeranian to be picked, the winning auction participant pledging $1,600 for the mostly white pup with a black head. Brayden Mcnabb carried Zam off the rink to his new owner as Hat Trick, Goldie, Belley and Georgie were auctioned off for $700 to $1,400 each.
Debbie Hottensen, 40, owner of Tiger Lily florist shops, won a dog named Knighty after spending $1,100 on raffle tickets. She also placed the winning bid of $2,000 on a hockey stick the Golden Knights had autographed.
Hottensen is a big Golden Knights fan. But she said she bid in the “Pick
PAWS
The state’s 2015 anti-bullying law is named after Hailee, whose family has said the bullying she endured in school contributed to her death. The Lamberth family has an ongoing lawsuit against the Clark County School District, alleging that employees failed to help Hailee.
“There’s limited resources and limited staff, and unfortunately there’s still administrators who don’t get it, who don’t realize the dire consequences that families can suffer of them failing to do the right thing, failing to follow the laws,” Jason Lamberth, her father, said during the board meeting.
Quarterly data from the current school year have been reported to the state, but Mcgill said her staff hadn’t had time to analyze trends or patterns so far this year.
Despite the advances, concerned parents testified there’s still work needed to train administrators on the measures passed in 2015 and 2017.
“We need help,” said Khana King, a Clark County resident who said her daughter in middle school has been bullied repeatedly. “She should not have to go to school looking over her shoulder.”
If the bullying doesn’t stop, King predicted online schools will soar in popularity because they provide parents with assurance that their children are safe.
Mcgill said the new law and
growing awareness of the problem are having an impact. She said administrators now know that creating and implementing a safety plan for students who report bullying is the top priority.
“Our position in the office is that kids are most safe when they’re a student in the school,” she said.
One particular area of concern is the prevalence of cyberbullying, McGill said. For years, schools wrote off incidents that happened off campus or after hours.
That has changed, as more schools started to see the effects of cyberbullying transfer to campuses.
And while the overall bullying numbers dropped in 2016-17, cyberbullying incidents continued to climb.
In 2014-15, the state reported 480 such incidents, rising to 544 the next year and 621 last year.
“Many of the effects of cyberbullying were pushing into schools,” she said. “It’s great to get as far upstream on the issues as we can.”
Cyberbullying is also a criminal offense, Jason Lamberth pointed out. If schools are substantiating incidents of cyberbullying, students can face charges.
“What are these school districts doing, then, with these confirmed incidents of cyberbullying? Where’s the follow-up?” he said. “That needs to keep going.”
Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ Meghindelaney on Twitter.