CELEBRATING 13 YEARS!
South Pacific
fires up
Boomer Expo page 6
FEBRUARY 2019
v ieravoic e.c om
VOLUME 13 ISSUE 1
Yellow Lab Jake howls with joy in his new forever home BY JEFF NAVIN
VIERA VOICE Jill Blue
Jeanne and Oliver Downs were delighted to add Jake to their happy home in Suntree.
Race honors memory Local Soccer Club of Dr. Seuss, page 8 rings in 10th page 14
VIERA VOICE 7630 N. Wickham Road, No. 105 Viera, FL 32940
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Two days after being adopted by Oliver and Jeanne Downs of Suntree on Jan. 15, Jake still was wagging his tail and barking with glee. Perhaps, a little too much. Before that, the 8-year-old Yellow Labrador’s plight was sad and all too common in Florida. Jake’s best friend, a man, died two years ago. The man’s wife took care of Jake the best she could, but Jake never fully recovered from the loss of his forever buddy. Forever was too short for Jake, who gained weight and became a portly 83 pounds. The 72-year-old woman was hospitalized on Oct. 31. Jake was left alone. A neighbor came in once a day to leave some food, and a door was left open for Jake to relieve himself as needed in
New restaurants come to town, page 22
JAKE, continued on page 18
Popular column returns, page 36
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Viera Voice Celebrating 13 years!
the yard. Without a single friend in the house, Jake barked a lot. His shots also expired. “A mutual friend told me that a woman at Viera Rehab (Viera Health and Rehabilitation Center) had no family and no one to visit her and help her with the dog,’’ said Kasie Hope Brautigam, who owns 2nd Mama’s Pet Sitting business. “I fixed up a plate of food on Christmas Day and we had a nice visit. I learned that she would never be able to go home. She was going from Viera Rehab to nursing care.’’ Brautigam received advice from Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida about the surrendering process. They also helped her in finding options on social media to share Jake’s sad story to find
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