Store clinic to focus on pet dental health

A clinic Saturday at a local pet store will focus on maintaining your pet's dental health.

The clinic, which runs from noon to 2 p.m. at Teca Tu in the Sanbusco Market Center, will be hosted by Melissa Gray, a veterinary technician with Veterinary Dentistry and Oral Surgery of New Mexico, and dog trainer Heidi Kingbury.

During the event, all oral care products will be offered with a 10 percent discount. For more information, call the store at 982-9374.

Dog receives award for service in counseling

Betty, a golden retriever trained by Assistance Dogs of the West, was honored Wednesday with the John Henry Award from the New Mexico Behavioral Health Planning Council.

The service dog received the award for her work at the Palmer Drug Abuse Program in Hobbs, where she assists in individual and group counseling sessions. Betty helps people with their anxiety during group sessions. She also boosts children's self-esteem during play, according to her handler, Sara Sroufe.

Sroufe also takes Betty to weekly counseling and mentoring sessions at schools. There, she makes children special by "singing" to them, according to a news release.