Rhoades Less Traveled:

What do a Jack Russell terrier and a 72-foot sailboat have to do with one another?

Give me a minute, and I’ll give it a shot.

First, the dog.

As reporter Joseph Serna put it in his May 22 story, “Another small miracle for dog,� Costa Mesans Gary Van Horn and his wife are good people who have fallen on hard times. Gary, 71 and a retired pastor, makes minimum wage and commission — mostly commission — at a local marble and granite counter-top company. In the midst of this blasted recession, those commission checks have gotten teenier and teenier.

Well, to make things worse, Knick Knack fell ill, suffering from a tumor the size of a golf ball on her right abdomen. The Van Horns couldn’t afford to pay for her treatment and faced the unspeakable prospect of having to put her down.

As Serna put it, it came down to a choice: let Knick Knack live in pain until the end or spare her the pain humanely.

Enter Dr. Scott Dustin.

A sobbing Van Horn visited his office at a local animal hospital to put down Knick Knack, at a cost of $100. After a brief discussion with Van Horn, who Dustin described as “a straightforward individual,� Dustin offered to save Knick Knack’s life by removing the tumor — at a cost of $500 to $1,000, and with the stipulation that Van Horn pay him back when he could afford it.

“I’m crying, but for joy,� Van Horn said.

So did throngs of readers.

Now, about that 72-foot sailboat.

Dennis Holland, suffering from bone cancer, is in a race for his life. His aim: to restore a 1916 sailing vessel that has sat next to his Newport Heights property for about three years.

“This boat has saved my life,� Holland said. “It gives me something to think about and do instead of watching TV. The boat has cancer, and so do I.�

Holland fell in love with the wooden ketch called Shawnee when he was a kid living in San Francisco.

Later, Shawnee was brought to Newport Harbor and pretty much left to rot.

“Like an old girlfriend, I’ve pretty much kept an eye on her from a distance,� Holland says.

A few years ago, he convinced the boat’s owner to give it to him to restore.

Now, that restoration project — his 23-year-old son has gotten involved — is what gets him up in the mornings.

But there’s a rub.

Holland’s neighbors are none too happy having to look at a colossal boat — they’ve dubbed it “the arc� — towering over their neighborhood. After all, they’ve put up with it for three bloody years.

“It’s a complete nuisance,� said one of Holland’s neighbors, who requested anonymity.

City Hall has received more than its share of complaints.

Which is understandable.

But the hard truth is that it’s anyone’s guess how long Holland will be around, and hence how much longer the arc — Holland, by the way, has followed city codes to the T — will tower over the neighborhood.

And the fact is, it’s about all he’s got left.

So here’s a thought: How about putting up with the eyesore for a little while longer (really, you won’t go blind).

Which is to say, how about pulling a Dr. Dustin and giving the old fella a break?

Editor BRADY RHOADES may be reached at [email protected] or (714) 966-4607.