DATE: Friday, September 12, 1997            TAG: 9709100134

SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER      PAGE: 02   EDITION: FINAL 

                                            LENGTH:   94 lines

TOWN TALK

What's one of the most used and versatile items ever invented in modern post-industrialist/space age society? It's got to be duct tape, that sticky black, gray or silver tape used by millions to do everything from wrapping packages and stopping plumbing leaks to tying up prisoners and holding cars together.

This modern marvel of the 20th century was even needed recently to make one quick correction at the new $16 million state-of-the-art Hickory Middle School just before the doors officially opened on Sept. 2.

It was the quick eyes of Barbara Wright, one of the school's media specialists, that spotted a possibly controversial sign on the entrance to the school's multimedia room.

Until detected by the library's sleuth, the room was designated by the erroneous sign as the ``REproduction Room,'' which could have caused parents, teachers and school administrators to wonder if life science studies had gone too far.

But thanks to a strip of the all-purpose tape, the bogus sign's first two letters were blocked out. With the tape hiding the gratuitous R and E, the room is now appropriately labeled as the ``Production Room.''

And until a new sign is ordered, the famous tape will continue to save the red-faced staff of further explanations.

- Susan Smith/Eric Feber Happy shaggy dog tale

Earlier last month the Bjorklund family on Ballahack Road lost an important family member.

It was the morning of Aug. 18 when Janet Bjorklund's next-door neighbor shot at a poisonous snake with a shotgun. The sound of the gun firing scared the Bjorklund's family dog, an 8-year-old Sheltie purebred named Sweetheart, shortened from her pedigree name: See My Heart.

The Bjorklund's acquired Sweetheart from a dog breeder who used the pooch to produce litters. The breeder convinced Janet Bjorklund that the then 4-year-old would make a sensational family pet because of her sweet, easy-going nature.

The breeder was right on the money.

``At first my husband didn't want to adopt an adult dog, but I talked him into it,'' she said. ``It was one of the best things we ever did. She's smart, well-trained and everybody in the family took to her. She became a family member.''

Then the family felt the loss of a loving member after Sweetheart ran away, frightened by the firings of the neighbor's shotgun.

``We looked all over for her, calling her name and talking to our immediate neighbors if they had seen her,'' she said. ``But we figured she'd be back after an evening away. When she didn't return, we then began to extend our search. We talked to all the neighbors on Ballahack from the Navy base all the way to Battlefield Boulevard. We also made up fliers with her picture and descriptions and how to get in touch with us.''

During the pooch's absence, the Bjorklund family felt two different emotions: sadness at the loss of their family pet, especially among the family's four children, ages 5-12; and a good feeling from the help and sympathy received from their neighbors.

``Our hearts were touched,'' Janet Bjorklund said. ``Everybody was incredibly nice and sympathetic. Everyone was willing to help. It renewed our faith in our neighbors.''

The family placed fliers at the nearby 7-Eleven store and Magic Market and canvassed the neighborhood time after time.

Then on the morning of Aug. 26, two Navy personnel from the nearby Naval Security Group Activity Northwest came knocking on the Bjorklund's front door.

One of the men said ``Lady, I think we have your dog.''

``I looked at the dog and said that's not him,'' Bjorklund said. ``I didn't recognize him. But one of the men said he recognized the dog from one of our fliers. The dog was covered in dirt, mud, briars and brambles. I finally got down and looked in her face and asked `Sweetheart, is that you?' and she slowly began to wag her tail. But the children knew, they were screaming and hollering with delight.''

Sweetheart's rescuers were David Koontz of Hancock Drive and John Wilkerson of Bob White Court, both are Navy personnel stationed at the NSGA Northwest.

Bjorklund had nothing but praise for these two selfless Good Samaritans.

She said one of the two said he noticed Sweetheart hanging around the high fence that surrounds the NSGA. He recognized her from one of the posted fliers and both tried to catch her. Being scared out of her mind, Sweetheart ran away.

The two finally recruited others from the base, surrounded the dog and finally captured her.

``I just think about all the trouble they went through. I'm sure they were in clean, crisp uniforms and were out there trying to catch a runaway dog they didn't even know,'' she said. ``It was pretty heart-touching what they did.''

It took two hours to get the briars and brambles out of Sweetheart's coat and two dips at the local vet's to rid her of all her ticks and fleas. She also lost 10 pounds during her eight-day sojourn.

Sweetheart is now clean, getting her weight back and getting back into the swing of things.

``She was very quiet and subdued for a couple of days,'' Bjorklund said. ``But now she's back to playing and running. And our new cat, an 18-week-old kitten, is glad to have her playmate back.''

- Eric Feber

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