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A bucket o' nappers...

Every now and then you run across one of those “picture is worth a thousand words” situations.
Not at Readlarrypowell.com, of course. We’re wordy.
But that is a fab photo of the latest marketing device in Dallas – the “Bucket o’ Cats.”
Oh, you know better. This batch of kittens is in the spotlight of “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap” because they are, indeed, team nappers.
They were nominated by my former cubiclemate at the big paper in Dallas, the writer and all-around swell person and sucker for critters Aline McKenzie. Longtime readers of the big paper may remember her byline – she wrote the “Pets & Their People” feature before I was assigned to write it.
Aline’s a genuine animal fan. And that’s why these are “foster kittens.” Yep, she can foster which means she can take care of them for a little while and then let most of them move on to their next home. Most of the time. You know how it is with animal people – you just never know when you’re going to drop your guard.
Anyway, Aline sent the photo and wrote, “This is 3/4 of our current batch of foster kittens in a rare moment of rest. This group has inspired me to coin a new collective noun: a ‘roiling of kittens’.”
That may not be the term used by the momma cat Zap. Aline says, “Zap, the mama, hasn't weaned them yet, but she's starting to get that HELP ME! look. (She weighs about 7 pounds, and has four 2-pound babies.).
Oh, yeah, that cat asleep in the food dish? That is Butterbug. Not to offend cats, but that is so puppy-like.
The cat and kittens are being fostered for North Texas Cat Rescue. (Click HERE to read about NTCR.)
[To nominate your slumbering critters – dogs, cats, horses, goats or simians such as that brother-in-law who won’t move off your couch – for the long-running Readlarrypowell.com feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, send the photo and info to dallrp@aol.com. Remember, at Readlarrypowell.com we hope to stamp out insomnia, the plague of the goodhearted.]
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A Friday report with assorted challenges...

Who knows where to start today? Holy moly there are many places. We can start with a dog found in an HOV lane – too short to jump into it, so obviously dumped.
We could go with Myrtle (right) who had a bunch of pups in the Dallas shelter and will be killed tonight if nobody claims her.
[LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Dallas Animal Control Officer Mark Cooper reports that after a day of anxiety and phone calls, Texas Little Cuties has stepped up to take Myrtle and her SEVEN puppies. More later.]
We could begin with the German Shepherd who came into the Dallas shelter with an ingrown collar.
We could mention cats by the dozens. We could even announce that Dallas is having a Village Idiot Marathon and see how many entrants that will draw.
We’ll start little, go big and mention both an Earhound and refer you to a Prayers & Passages note, too.
All the while, we’ll be thinking about things to do this weekend – sleep comes to mind. Read on:
THE LITTLE HOV DOG: This is Wesley, a smallish dog believed to be a Maltese-Poodle mix. Where in the world would you find a dog like this?
How about in the I-35 HOV lane near the Market/OakLawn exit in Dallas earlier this week. He’s barely tall enough to leap over the white stripe on a highway. There’s no way a dog this small could get over the concrete barricades voluntarily – someone must have dumped the dog in the lane.
Louann Smith, the veteran rescuer, says an employee of Christian Laboutin Showroom stopped to get the dog. DASH has taken in the little guy on an emergency basis, but as DASH founder Sara Shepperd notes, they’re set up for Australian Shepherd rescues and not little dog rescues, so they need a little dog place for Wesley to go.  He’s not quite ready for adoption, but he has been groomed and been to the vet and he’s approaching total adoptability with each day. To ask about helping him or adopting him, email sara8868@aol.com.
TWO STORIES FROM DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES: Yesterday we mentioned the numbers of animals that come into the City of Dallas Animal Shelter. But they’re not just numbers. They are living beings with personalities and hearts.
Consider these:
--This is Myrtle, a street dog who had a litter of puppies at Dallas Animal Services. She caught the eye of Animal Control Officer Mark Cooper, the rescue groups’ liaison, and he has been hustling for a couple of weeks to try to find a place that will take Myrtle. But time is up. Today is Myrtle’s last day on the planet if nobody claims her. That’s just the way it is in a shelter where the numbers at intake are made so overwhelming by the don’t-care people on the outside.
As you can see, Myrtle is an affectionate dog.
Mark explains from an ACO’s viewpoint, “I try my best to never look a dog directly in the eye. This is for my own sanity! There are those certain dogs who can look at you and their eyes hit you directly in the very pit of your soul. A dog can tell you their entire life story….their fears, their joys and their desperation with one blink of an eye.”
E-mail Mark at mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com or call 214-670-8298. There are a couple of financial pledges available to the rescue group that takes Myrtle.
--Then there’s this dog. Mark explains, “This very sweet and young German Shepherd mix was found by one of our amazing officers roaming the streets of South Dallas last night [Wednesday].  [The officer] noticed a very nice looking pup just walking the streets and pulled over to save him. Surprisingly enough after a quick whistle the dog just came right to her as happy as a lark.
”But to her disgust, she quickly realized a tight collar had embedded into his neck. She rushed him back to the shelter and made him as comfortable as possible. Once our vet staff arrived they went to work to remove the collar. The collar was removed and the area has been cleaned and medicated.
”The dog is doing GREAT and the wounds should heal nicely. He weighs 54lbs and he’s about 1 year old. This is a very lovable and relaxed boy and he would make a great adoption dog,”
(FYI: Mark initially issued this plea for help with a request for help for a Cocker/Poodle mix suffering from a massive ear infection – DFW Rescue Me took that little dog.)
To help this shepherd, here are the contacts: mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com or call 214-670-8298.
THE GREAT DUFFY: We have a personal link to the dog featured on today’s Prayers & Passages page (click on the “button” on the right side of this page to reach that page).
The great dog Duffy was one of my sweetspouse Martha’s rescues. She spotted him trying to get onto Love Freeway via an entrance ramp at Polk Street and she slammed the brakes on her car like a scene from Starskey & Hutch. With traffic blocked, she got out and convinced this street dog to get into the passenger’s seat and ride shotgun with her to the vet’s office.
Thanks to Martha, Duffy was saved and became a beloved member of a household. We loved the big ol’ rascal and we only knew him for a couple of days – he was that kind of dog.
VOLUNTEERING: I got a note this morning from Joni McConnell, the volunteer coordinator at A Different Breed Rescue and it reminded me that there is something I should point out to potential volunteers with rescue groups and shelters – yes, the SPCA, Dallas Animal Services, Operation Kindness, Humane Society of North Texas in Fort Worth, Collin County Animal Services, etc., all function better with volunteers.
And the thing is you don’t always have to handle a critter to be a volunteer helping critters. If you're allergic to dogs or cats and want to help, there are ways. If you just don't need to bring another animal home but you want to help, there are ways. If you're trying to work out a plea bargain in a bank robbery case, there are ways. Seriously, become a do-gooder and see if your life gets better and more entertaining.
For example, A Different Breed needs someone to help with “mowing, weed eating and throwing trash in trailer” at its shelter in Anna. And at its off-site adoption site in Pepper Square, Jonie says, “We need some office help, running off copies, filing, can anyone do Quicken?” (Call 972-896-6313 to volunteer.)
Check with other shelters and rescue groups – they all need someone who can help with office tasks from bookkeeping and letter-writing to filling out grant applications and helping with contracts and legal matters.
THE EARHOUND: Every time I see Toni Liquori’s sign off I think “I wonder what music they play on that station.” She signs off “KPRR, Austin, Tx.”
Of course, that’s not a radio station, it’s Katie’s Promise Rottweiller Rescue (click HERE).
But what Toni was writing to us about this morning was not a Rottie, but an Earhound. As you may have noticed.
Toni wrote, “Ran into this while I was cruising the Austin Craigslist this morning.  Of course, I couldn't pass up sending you pictures of one of the best Earhounds EVER!”
No kidding! You can see more about this Earhound by clicking on the link HERE.
Obviously, that is the kind of dog you’d expect to find in Austin where the State Legislators meet and probably tell people seeking a word with them, “Go ahead. I’m all ears.”
CONTEMPLATIONS: Dallas Animal Services continues to have a ton of cats and this photo is an example of the inventory. You’d think, based on the numbers, that nobody in this town had ever heard of “spay/neuter” or that half the people are genuinely surprised to learn that a cat can get pregnant even though you warn them against it. Wouldn’t it be great if there were some way to get public schools to teach a class about things you can do to make your city a better place to live? Spaying and neutering would be right up there with use your turn signal, don’t litter, obey speed limits and donate generously to city political candidates. I threw that last one in as a way to get official support in the matter of spay/neuter. I thought money would work better than “endorse it because it’s the right thing to do.” … My little pal Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, is snoring right now. He’s on the floor to the right of my chair. Nice to see him getting all his sleep – he must be under the impression we live on a dairy farm because he barked me awake just before 5 a.m. today. I’d bark him awake, but he’s so resentful when he doesn’t get his sleep. … We bought a new dryer this week. It took some effort. I efficiently drove my cheerfulspouse Martha to a store and bought an electric dryer, then brought it home and prepared to move the old malfunctioning dryer out of the way. That’s when I realized we have a gas dryer, not an electric hookup.. Yep, they let me vote, drive a car and type entire sentences even though I’m an obvious dolt. New gas dryer working fine. No kablooey yet, though I did install it. When I mention village idiots, I sometimes feel hypocritical.
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Dallas Animal Services cat special starts early, extends to dogs...

What? Rain on consecutive mornings in Dallas? Never happens.
Of course, it does rain cats and dogs around here all the time.
It’s the last day of May and already the June special is in effect at Dallas Animal Services.
We’re going to talk cats a little bit today. You can see in that poster – click on it to make it larger – that Dallas Animal Services is more than ready to try to get what Readlarrypowell.com will call a “positive catflow” – you know, adoptions and rescues rather than the other thing. The one with the needle.

Lately, the Dallas shelter – and every other shelter in the area – has been overloaded with cats and kittens. We’ll touch on The Colony’s cats and remind you that Carrollton’s shelter eased some cats off the euthanasia list this week in hopes of placing them before next week.
Arlington? You bet they have cats in Arlington. Got a peahen, too. (Google Arlington Animal Services and you can see how to adopt this peahen for $7. ) Unless my studies at the American Academy of Ornithological Identification fails me, a "peahen" is the female of the peacock varity. I was absent the day they studied "peafowl" so I'm not sure if that fits this bird better than "peahen."
So, Irving got cats? Natch. Cats and dogs.
Pick a town, it’s got unwanted but available cats.
The City of Dallas Animal Services shelter is constantly loaded with unwanted animals. There’s no break. It’s like Niagara Falls. Take a look at the report (click on it to make it larger) that I lifted from the most recent Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meeting – March figures were the latest available at the time of the meeting – that was at the outset of “kitten season.” If you can read a chart, you can see how many cats and dogs come in and how many don’t leave.
Don’t blame the shelter – blame the people who let the animals roam or dumped them or ran them off. These animals had already been designated as “unwanted” by their owners.
So, the core of the problem is not within city government but within residents who just don’t give a flip about the animals.
Fort Worth got residents to respond to the threat of a mass killing of dogs.
The reality is whether it’s a steady flow or a mass event, animals are still killed at big city shelters because nobody outside the shelter wants them.
Look, again, please, at the figures in the Dallas chart. The only people who work to save those animals are the same worn down rescuers and organizers and city employees who steadily plug on.
For a couple of years now – ever since the “Let-the-Cat-Die-in-the-
Wall” tragedy, Dallas Animal Services has been partnering with rescue groups, opening up paths by which animals can be extracted and working with other shelters and agencies.
But the bottom line is too many animals come in, too few are saved. And why is that? Is it because the people who have homes don’t respond? Maybe. Maybe they’re not paying attention.
Maybe, also, it’s a case of the people who have the unwanted animals don’t have a problem treating them like trash. Tired of that dog? Dump him. That cat not entertaining enough? Run it off.
Seriously, what is a city shelter to do when residents keep delivering unwanted animals in droves?
It isn’t like there are unoccupied kennels and cages in a vast basement that had been built as a bomb shelter during the Cold War.
What’s the answer?
If you think you have one, go ahead and build your own shelter. To borrow from Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come and bring their animals.”
You’ll be full by sundown. Then what will you do? Set them free the next morning and declare a “do-over”?
In the meantime, Dallas Animal Shelter Adoption Center Manager Jody Jones, who has been operating with a short management staff (hiring process is under way) and short, inexperienced line staff since she arrived last year, says that adopt-a-cat month will also involve dogs. Adopt ‘em all – dogs and cats.
She says, “The promotion was set to launch June 1 but since the shelter was so crowded, they started earlier. To use restaurant terms, the place is “slammed” or it’s “in the weeds.” 
How can the public help?
[LARRY ASIDE: Look, this situation in Dallas is every bit as threatening on a daily basis as the situation in Fort Worth that caught the TV cameras and inspired people to line up to adopt animals. Inexplicably, people in Dallas do not react the way people in Fort Worth did. In Dallas, the reaction appears to be adding more animals to the shelter population, not gleefully taking them away to happy homes. What gives with this attitude? Help me off this soapbox before I snap some slats and fall onto my giant brain.]
Adopting animals from the shelter will help open cages for the next load of unwanted animals. People can be responsible for their animals, too, instead of just dumping the responsibility onto the city. Though, as Director Jones notes, it’s better that the animals come to a shelter than just be turned loose to starve, get hit by cars, create public threats with disease and behavior, etc.
Other things she says people can do:
-- Spay-neuter. “Tell your friends about the vast number of low cost and free options in our community,” she says.
--Keep your cats inside. (Larry aside: An indoor cat will wander from room to room, not yard to street or yard to shelter. They’re safer.)
--:Microchip and register your pets so they can be returned if they somehow wind up in the shelter.
--Educate and advocate for TNR programs – that’s trap-neuter-release which means that you catch a feral or stray cat, get it fixed, then return it to where you found it where it will live a natural life.
-- Donate small soft bedding and toys to your local shelter to help reduce stress in the animals at the shelter.
-- And her last suggestion off the top of her head is a marketing idea that refers people to the Dallas Animal Services website,. She suggests, “Distribute the Pet of the week cat to your friends, family and colleagues at work.”
These are simple things but they all help save lives. You can see how to adopt by going to www.dallasanimalservices.org. You can also drop by the shelter at I-30 and Westmoreland, just west of downtown Dallas.
It is worth the trip to see how vast this shelter is and how many animals are there because your friends, relatives, fellow taxpayers and village idiots don’t care.
We’re  have further reports  to come regarding Dallas Animal Services and its attempts to juggle tight budgets, public tendencies and big hearts.
With the help of a converted general public, we'll probably have this problem all wrapped up by October and I will be in a short red skirt and festive blouse and kicking it with the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall this Christmas.
MEANWHILE IN THE COLONY: Our pal Patricia Barrington, the Animal Control Division Manager for The Colony, just north of Dallas, reports that the shelter is hustling to find homes for four kittens. Not just four ol’ kittens. Some extra special kittens. That orange cat is Otis. That big black cat is a dog, the Great Dane Archie. (Larry aside: They’re not much more trouble than a cat in that they’re usually in your place on the couch or in your chair.)
”We have 4 adorable kittens that we have painstakingly nurtured since they were each a few days old – bottle feeding some, surrogating others. Anyway, praise all higher powers, they are ready to be adopted.”
[Larry aside: We have seen the work of this shelter up close. For quite a few months the shelter “painstakingly nurtured” a butterscotch boy cat named Marsden. Our friend Jo Wallace needed a cat. We drove Jo from her home in a southern suburb to The Colony to meet Marsden. He curled up in her lap and they’ve been pals ever since.  She’s nuts about Marsden and he’s crazy about her. And Marsden’s demeanor reflects the socialization he enjoyed at the hands of The Colony’s staff.]
To ask about giving any of the four “painstakingly nurtured” kittens a home, e-mail pbarrington@thecolonytx.gov or call 972-3370-9250. You can see more of The Colony’s adoptables by clicking HERE.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A BELOVED DOG: Marc Thibodeau is looking for his dog Kansas, a 9-year-old Lab, Chow and Husky mix who vanished from his boss’s backyard near Central at Fitzhugh on May 8. He says Kansas “got out of her harness” and left the yard.
He says he has visited local shelters to look for her and had no luck.
”Kansas is a friendly dog but she does not do well with strangers and may seem mean if approached. She will not and never has bitten anyone but will snap if cornered or scared,” he says.
If you have seen her, call 469-546-5338 or e-mail inkmusclepup@gmail.com.
“She means the world to me and is my baby girl and it is killing me thinking how scared she must be out there all alone.”
ENDANGERED IN ROCKWALL: We got a note from Rockwall Animal Shelter volunteers Patti Watson and Brian Jackson about two dogs that have been at that shelter for quite some time. And even though Rockwall is working hard to be no-kill, time is just about up for these two dogs.
Patti says that like all shelters, “this Spring we are busting at the seams with animals.  Some have been there since November, including the two I am sending information about.  These two are in big danger.  They have been deemed too aggressive to go to adoption so now are ‘rescue only.’  And the sad part is we were told yesterday that we only have until Friday to get them rescued!  So after spending 6 months in a shelter, they may now be killed anyway. “
The shelter information is that Ace (left) has been there for more than 200 days. “He isn't the most attractive dog in the shelter, certainly not the youngest, but he is a great dog. He loves to please you anyway he can. He would be a great dog for a single person or adults.  He is due to be put down on Friday the 1st.  He knows how to sit and shake. 
“Jazzy … is distrustful of people. She will warm up to certain people and just be friendly as can be – but  is particular about who she warms up to, which has made it hard for us to take her to events.”
The theory is the two formerly friendly dogs have become “cage crazy” in the shelter and it’s probably reversible if a rescue group can devote some time to them.
To ask about them, contact the shelter – click HERE. Email Patti at tricia1209@aol.com.
Patti says she knows saving these dogs is a longshot, “but I have to give everything I can think of a try.”
BE ON THE LOOKOUT (CONTINUING): The folks with Animal Rescue of Texas continue to search for terrier Domino and Chihuahua Jolie, the two little dogs who ran away when the foster mom’s car was involved in a dramatic auto accident near Stonebriar Mall (Preston at 121 area) Sunday afternoon. The area has been searched and assorted blasts of posters and e-mails and publicity have failed to find the dogs. If you know their whereabouts, call 972-743-4022 or 214-697-6261 or e-mail barcsalot@sbcglobal.net.
THE FAIR PARK DOGS:  A few weeks ago some animal-loving tipsters from the Museum of Science and History at Fair Park tipped us to a couple of dogs that had taken up residents in the park.
Longtime rescuer and animal fan Dealey Campbell, the Curator of Education at the Texas Historical Society, also at Fair Park, has been monitoring the dogs, too.
She reports that the dogs “left the park for awhile, and were hanging out in the grassy areas over/under I-30.  I was worried that they would get hit by a car, but they seem to be smart when it comes to traffic.  Or maybe just lucky.  As of late last week, however, they have returned to Fair Park.  I saw them up close for the first time last Friday next to the Tower Building chasing squirrels as people loaded in for City Arts, and this morning [Wednesday] they were on the side of the Hall of State.  My coworker gave them some kibble she keeps under her desk and I threw them each a rawhide bone.
”The German Shepherd looking one doesn’t seem to be wary of people and could ‘almost’ be persuaded to take the rawhide out of my hand (he seemed very sweet).  The other dog, though, is a little more timid, but acts like s/he wants to trust people and is just scared.”
We mention these two dogs again in hopes of interesting a rescue group in saving a couple of dogs before parasites get them (it’s mosquito season), before something awful happens to them (always mishap season in Dallas) or before bad guys get them (always nitwit season in Dallas),
BITS O’ THINGS: The 2nd Annual Conference on Hoarding (not just animals, you know) is scheduled in Dallas on June 8. Get details HERE. …. What about puppy mills? Skip Trimble, the veteran animal advocate, has the answers when, as a representative of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, he is interviewed on “For the Love of Dogs” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday on Verizon Channel 27. Click to see HERE. CONTEMPLATIONS: How many times in a lifetime might a person visit an animal shelter if they’re not involved in animal rescue or advocacy? Two or three times? Tops? … Here’s something to consider. Finish the sentence: If I didn’t have my good dog/good cat I would spend my money on….? Yeah, we’d have a second home in Italy or something. ... Can’t let the day go without mentioning that the Texas Rangers were shellacked 21-8 by Seattle last night and that starter Derek Holland had famously shaved his legendarily lame moustache earlier in the day. Not that baseball players are ever superstitious, but after that beating, he’ll probably never shave again
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A Wednesday puppyfest...

As this is being typed, the dog Wendy, a tall white mix with tan spots and splotches who got the cutest elements of several breeds, is sitting to the left of me.
When I type, she nuzzles my arm with her verrrrrry colldgad --, sorry, very cold nose and moves my hand off-target and some odd spellings pop urgghp. Pop up..
She’s a little concerned about the storm currently battering our neighborhood.
That’s the worst thing Wendy and I have faced today. The other dogs and cats and the snoozespouse Martha are still sacked out. Life’s good. (That’s a closeup of Wendy shot with a camera this AM and it was the one chance I had – she’s no fan of the paparazzi.)
Now, some other notes of the day:
FOUND: He was found near Love Field, so this dog may have been trying to catch a flight out of town.
The little dog Ridley was running loose when Doug Ingalls found him. Doug’s wife, the rescuer Lacy Milani-Ingalls, explains, “My husband found him running down our street last Tuesday chasing cars and almost getting hit.  He's been at our house since last Tuesday and has also been to my vet. He was scanned for a chip and had no chip and was found with no collar.   I also searched the neighborhood for lost posters but have found nothing.  He is now fully vaccinated, got a Heartguard and Acuguard for fleas, and was treated for intestinal parasites. He tested positive for Heartworms so he will need to begin treatment
ASAP. H has a little cough but not bad. He is also not neutered so he will need that done as well.”
As you can see in this photo, he’s totally at home in a lap. Any lap in the house.
To offer to help him or to adopt him or foster him, e-mail petrescue13@gmail.com.”
Why isn’t he a good fit at the Ingalls’ home right now? “I do cat rescue in the area and I JUST took on four baby kittens,” says Lacy.
As foster folks know, kittens can fill up a house and turn a dog into a quivering mess. Well, maybe it’s not that bad, but surely there’s someone who can help.
ALSO FOUND: Laurie Shaw is trying to find help for this dog – she picked him on Thursday on Royal Lane near Skillman in Dallas.
“The cross street is Fair Oaks Crossing,” Laurie says. “There are many town homes and apartments in this area.  He had a collar on (no identification) with a leash hook attached to it.  We posted found posters in this area and received no inquiries. He is a beautiful puppy with a super temperament and very smart.”
There is some pressure in this case. Laurie explains, “We need to place him with an agency or a family right away. We are going out of town this weekend, and I don't have a way to take care of him while we are gone. Also, my kids are becoming very attached to him and we are unable to keep him.”
To offer to help, e-mail laurieshaw@swbell.net or call 214-766-2554.
The vet says the dog may be “a mix with a setter, blue heeler or border collie,” Laurie says. She adds that the family will pay for his neutering if a rescue group will take him.
WAIT! ANOTHER FOUND DOG? YOU’RE KIDDING! Yeah, this was on Saturday. Our pal Jonnie England, the Director of Animal Advocacy for the Metroplex Animal Coalition, and a proud resident of Oak Cliff, was coming home from dinner at BEE Enchiladas and found this pup on 7th Street.
Yep, free-roamer.
Jonnie says she hasn’t named him yet – says she doesn’t want to get attached. (LARRY ASIDE: All over the web, people who know Jonnie are chuckling. Jonnie not get attached? To a found puppy? Yeah, and kittens won’t climb drapes and puppies don’t piddle.)
The little guy may be 6 weeks old. When found, he was wearing “a black cat collar with a bell,” Jonnie says.
Now, this indicates the dog will have identity issues when grown. Nothing sadder than watching a dog try to understand why he’s not all that intrigued by catnip, why sleeping on a bookshelf is not all that comforting and why kneading doesn’t relax him.
Want to help this dog find a home and an identity, e-mail jonnieengland@att.net.
WORKING WITH STATISTICS: I don’t know if you’re keeping count, but we mentioned three found pups today. Based on our snapshot, only one of every three found dogs comes from Oak Cliff. That’s just for today. We have not authoritative statistics to support our theory that two out of three dogs found in Dallas come from north of the Trinity River.
We also have a theory about kitten season in Dallas – no one has ever spayed or neutered a cat in Dallas County. Statistics appear to bear out this theory.
CARROLLTON REPORT: Yesterday we published a note about the animals in the Carrollton shelter and the latest report is that there were adoptions and rescues yesterday. The official CARE (Carrolton Animal Rescue Enterprise) statement says that “while we still have many kittens we are going to pull the ones on this week back until next week and have a repeat promotion of offering a free Spay/Neuter voucher ($50 value) with each adoption of a kitten under 4 months of age. This promotion will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday. To ask about any Carrollton animal, call 972-466-3420 or e-mail care@cityofcarrollton.com.
JUSTICE MOVES SLOWLY: The animal cruelty trial of Alexander Matthew Good, 27, charged with kicking 5-year-old Chihuahua/Jack Russell terrier, Jack, to death last August, has been postponed, probably until the latter part of July. Was scheduled to start yesterday.
AMAZING NEWS FROM BURNS FLAT: Our reliable tipster Terry Lynn Fisher, the tireless rescuer in Burns Flat, Okla., sent an outrageously upbeat note this morning. Lately, the press of incoming animals at the little western Oklahoma shelter has been grinding on her nerves. But here’s what’s happened. “I HAVE to share this with everyone” she says and explains that she’s taking “Friday off from work. Why? Because I am taking a road trip. I am transporting the following dogs all the way to Santa Fe, N.M.-- 450 miles, one way. Why am I going the entire way? Because there are SO MANY DOGS, I can't find anyone to meet me. That's right. SO MANY DOGS.
"I have them going to several places, but need to get them all to Santa Fe, where they will be held until moved on. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. 
”Here are who all is going: Sooner, the beautiful Husky; Rosie, the sweet little Rat Terrier; Momma Girl and her SIX babies and -- best of all –RED. Yep, sweet little country boy will be SAFE!
”I am in tears as I write this wonderful update, for this is truly a blessing. So, I will load up and head out at 7 a.m. Friday morning and drive to Santa Fe. Thanks to everyone for net working and trying to save these babies. Wow! I am so very excited.”
You can send Terry Lynn a “way-to-go” note at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com or you can call her at 580-330-1459.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Looking back over the past few days, I must note that our wonderspouse Martha had several days in a row off and we took advantage of the time. We saw Men in Black 3 which was infinitely better than The Avengers whose astounding success may speak directly to the intellectual strength of America.  Our biggest unexpected movie viewing delight lately has been Bernie, based on a  murder in Carthage in East Texas. Amazing story – and no special effects, unless you count actor Jack Black vigorously performing 76 Trombones in bandmaster costume. … We have a contact with a local shelter who is diligent with filing reports every day. So when she didn’t file a report on Memorial Day (the shelter was closed), we checked on her. She explained that she “promised my family I would take the day off.” Thought I’d mention that in honor of all you folks who work so much to save animals that your families start to wonder if they’d get more attention if they’d wear veterinary collars and howl at the moon. … Ah, a conversation with our pal Jonnie England set off a craving. Earlier today we mentioned she’d found a puppy on 7th Street. That was after she dined at BEE Enchiladas in Oak Cliff (Best Enchiladas Ever – that’s where the BEE comes from). They are darned good. Inky the Cocker Laureate of Texas and I just shared a bowl of oat meal, but he’s a fan of the Quinoa Enchiladas. Can’t get those everywhere.
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Earhounds and little dogs running...radio news and 'What's the right pie?'

This Tuesday feels a lot like a Monday, doesn’t it?
How about those ears? This dog is a definite Earhound, not for size of the ears or satellite-dishness, but for the artistic shaping of the ears. Like some kind of rose pedals on the head of a happy dog.
She’s among the many endangered animals awaiting rescue or a home at Dallas Animal Services – more on those critters later today.
Let’s get right into the day's business:
CRUELTY TRIAL SCHEDULED: Jonnie England, the Director of Animal Advocacy for Metroplex Animal Coalition, distributed this notice over the weekend. Scheduled to begin at some point Tuesday -- probably in the afternoon -- is the animal cruelty trial of Alexander Matthew Good, 27. He is accused of kicking his girlfriend’s 5-year-old dog, Jack, to death on Aug. 15, 2011. Jack was a Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix. Not a very big dog.
The notice reports that the arrest warrant says the dog’s owner returned home to find Jack nearly lifeless under the bed.  A vet exam showed the dog suffered many injuries consistent with being kicked. After the attack on the dog, the woman fled to New York in fear, according to the notice.
The trial is scheduled in Judge Etta Mullins’ County Criminal court No. 3 on the third floor of the Crowley Courts Building, Commerce at Riverfront between downtown Dallas and the Trinity.
ON THE CLOCK AT DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES: As we’ve noted many times before, the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center designates the occasional crowd of animals as “Very Special Pets” when they’ve been in the shelter for 45 days or more without any takers.
There are five VSP dogs (including Cassie, with the ears in our opening segment) who are scheduled to be euthanized at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the shelter.
The facility is at I-30 and Westmoreland, not far west of the aforementioned animal cruelty trial. It is a city-owned, taxpayer financed shelter into which come animals that are unwanted. They arrive by the hundreds and there are only three ways out. Adoption, rescue or needle.
These are photos of the dogs that are on the VSP list.
To adopt, here is the contact information: email  Catherine.baxter@dallascityhall.com, nicole.self@dallascityhall.com  or adrian.vela@dallascityhall.com or call 214-671-0249 or 214-670-8312.
The adoption fee for any of these dogs is just $30.
Rescue groups? Email mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com or call 214-670-8298.
Nobody steps up? They’re dead by sundown. Fact of city shelter life.
 Not the shelter’s fault. It is the fault of people who failed to honor their commitments to these animals.
These aren’t the only animals in the shelter – you can see more of them by navigating to the adoptables at www.dallasanimalservices.org.
Or, maybe someone from Fort Worth Animal Care & Control could call a TV station and tip the broadcast media to the fact that while there was only the threat of killing animals at Fort Worth’s shelter last week, they really ARE killing animals at the Dallas shelter because there is no public outpouring.  Just a thought.
Oh, yea, these are all Earhounds. That’s Achilles, the shepherd mix with the perfectly matched ears.
That is Nala who has the odd ears with the curly tail.
Then there flower petal-eared dog is sweet Cassie.
That black dog with the boots and lei is, indeed, Boots.
And that last dog, the one with the happy face, is the already-spayed Roxie.
Need to know more about them? Why? Would it make any difference if you don't have room or don't have a concern?
Young dogs, short lives. All depends on humans. Someone call a TV station and see if they have time to reach the big-hearted general public in Fort Worth.
A GRAND PRAIRIE GRAND FELLOW: Our pal the veteran shelter walker and rescuer Debbie Barclay is hustling to find a place for this guy Conan to go. He’s currently on the clock at the Grand Prairie animal shelter – it’s known as Prairie Paws.
Conan “is a wonderful boy,” Debbie writes. “And we were going to put him in our Petco program but sadly found out – as with so many others – he is heartworm positive. Therefore we need a rescue to pull him or someone to adopt knowing he needs treatment.
”He is such a great dog and just doesn’t get any looks at the shelter.  He’s been fostered for a short period.  He got beat up by a large bulldog and suffered a fractured ulna for a bit.  Conan has been at the shelter since February!”
Not only has he been there for all these months, but he came in with a smaller look-alike dog named Troy and, of course, little dogs are always first out the door with happy people who equate “small” with “better.” Frankly, they’re equal – it depend son the humans and, good lord, isn’t that a fix to be in.
Prairie Paws is at 2222 W. Warrior Trail on the south side of Grand Prairie. Call 972-237-8575. (Email Debbie at debbiebarclay@tx.rr.com – she knows endangered Conan personally.)
BE ON THE LOOKOUT (STILL): In our holiday edition yesterday we told the story of these two dogs who became “lost” when their foster mom was in a car accident that turned the vehicle over and popped out the rear window and the dogs took off.
This happened near Highway 121 and Preston in Frisco and as of late Monday dogs had not been found and have been on their own since Sunday.
Mon Monday, Animal Rescue of Texas got search and rescue dogs into the area, says Maggie Dahl, president of ART.  Reports that the dogs were in a field behind a hotel appear to be incorrect and that is good news because coyotes are living in that field.
Maggie says, “I think (or maybe hoping) that someone has them...the S&R guy said that many people that pick up dogs don't call because they feel there owners were probably reckless if they are loose.  I hope they see all our signs or postings.  We are now offering a $250 reward.”
Contact info is on the poster.
KELLER CAT CRISIS: Fiona Green, a volunteer at the Keller Animal Shelter sent a holiday note reporting, “The cat room at the Keller shelter is full and we are desperately trying to find homes for the wonderful cats and kittens in our care. In addition to those listed we also have several feral cats who were recently trapped and brought to us so we are literally bursting at the seams.
If you know of anyone interested in adopting a cat or a kitten, please encourage them to visit the shelter to find a new furry friend.
The adoption fee is $85 and this includes a microchip, rabies shot and a voucher for spaying/neutering if this has not already been done. All cats are current on their vaccinations. For more information, please contact the ACO, Doug Shipps at 817-743-4516 or at animalservices@cityofkeller.com.
The cat that Readlarrypowell.com picked to show you is this guy Al. He was “found wandering alone near a busy street and was rescued by a concerned citizen.” That’s not the whole story. Fiona sent his report: “If Al had been able to accept her animals she would have most likely have kept him as he is a big snuggler and loves to be with people. Sadly this was not the case. Al may have been overwhelmed in his temporary foster home or he may simply prefer being an only cat. One thing is for sure, he would love to find a happy, loving home soon.”
Keller’s cat adoption fee is $85 – that includes a microchip, rabies shot and a voucher for spaying/neutering if needed. Contact Keller Animal Control Officer Doug Shipps at 817-743-4516 or email animalservices@cityofkeller.com.
MEANWHILE IN CARROLLTON: Euthanasia day at the suburban Carrollton Animal Shelter.
Among the animals on the list? A bunch of kittens, including this spectacularly-coated kitten who qualifies as an Earhound. She and her three siblings were brought in, the shelter says, “by some well-meaning people so they could find homes and live happy, healthy lives.”
Yeah, and there they are, 10-12-week-old kittens on death row.
Also on death row, this 7-year-old black cat Ozzy who “was released to the shelter by his people who could not afford to take care of him.”
Seriously, how much trouble is it to take care of a cat you’ve already taken care of for 7 years. That’s not even middle-aged in a cat.
And, of course, there’s this dog Bear, a Husky mix adopted last month from Carrollton but brought back because he was “a little more than his new owner could handle.” Yeah, pardon my cynicism.
That other dog, that’s Doe, a Catahoula mix who came in as a stray.
These and other animals are facing the end today at the Carrollton shelter.
Just as only you can prevent forest fires, only you humans can save these animals.
Call 972-466-3420 or e-mail care@cityofcarrollton.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Got a note from Mark Davis, the radio show host formerly of WBAP. He’s joining the morning lineup at KSKY in Dallas on June 4.  (Mike Gallagher slides down a bit on the schedule but he stays.) Official announcement is HERE. No industry has such revolving doors as radio. Newspapers used to be stable but these days they just have exits.  TV? Please. It used to have just 3 channels – nowadays there are more TV channels than…well, let’s just say there are enough TV channels to hire out-of-work radio people, unless, of course, they have what used to be known as “a face for radio.” … It was quite clear over the weekend that summer weather has arrived even if spring is still here. The big question is not how much rain will we get, but what pie goes with summer? Some would say pizza pie, but I’m wondering. Apple? Peach? Pineapple? I won’t have any, but I do like to daydream. … A court note: Several people forwarded the announcement of the animal cruelty trial mentioned earlier today. One advised, “It costs nothing to attend.” That sort of tickled me. I mean, who thinks you do have to pay to attend a court hearing? I hope people don’t think the government sells tickets to trials. I also hope the city, county, state and feds don’t suddenly see a way to make money – sell season tickets to courts. This is America – courts are supposed to be free and open. Keeps the government from railroading the innocents. Most of the time. Besides, they make enough off the price of parking in the government-owned garages.
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Dogs missing after wreck; Marathon continues...

BE ON THE LOOKOUT: An Animal Rescue of Texas foster mom was driving north on Preston at 121 by Stonebriar Mall in Frisco Sunday when her car was involved in a collision that flipped it over.
ART President Maggie Dahl says the foster is OK, but the impact popped the back window out of the car and the terrified little dogs fled into a nearby field. Domino is the cream boy terrier and Jolie is the Chihuahua.
Teams of people have been in the area since the accident and trying to find the two skittish dogs. They both weigh under 10 pounds.
Both were wearing collars, rabies tags and microchip tags.
Among the reports is that the two dogs were spotted in the field behind the Nylo Hotel, south of the accident site. But two rescue teams searched the field and didn’t find the dogs.
“This is a huge area of malls, shops and fields, so we need lots of people scoping the area,” Maggie says.
To offer to help in the search or to give information about the whereabouts of these dogs, call 972-743-4022 or 214-697-6261.
REMINDER: Collin County Commissioner Cheryl Williams is in her third and final day of leading the "Empty the Shelter Marathon" adoption event on behalf of the animals in the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Petco at Custer and Eldorado in Frisco. So far, according to event spokeswoman DeDe Whitcomb, only 12 dogs have been adopted during the past 2 days. But a dozen is better than none and the commissioner's direct involvement demonstrates a key political stance on behalf of the unwanted animals and the way they are treated in Collin County.
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Weekend challenge edition...

Please don't forget to scroll down and look at our "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap" feature. Usually we take time off during a weekend, but this mother dog's plight inspires us to hope for the sake of some newborn puppies that all of the alleged compassion in North Texas wasn’t used up on the Fort Worth shelter crisis last week. We hate to think that everybody who didn't get a shelter animal has gone back to ignoring reality.
MONDAY UPDATE ON MOM AND PUPS: Marsha Duncan Fleming of Before the Bridge had been working to find some way to help a man get this dog and her four pups to safety from the "under-the-bushes" home they had on Power Drive in eastern Dallas.
Details of the challenge are below, but here is what has now happened: Gail Marshall of Carrollton called Marsha and volunteered to help.
So Marsha got Mom and the pups and delivered them to their new temporary home in Carrollton.
Mom has been named Louise and, Marsha says, she "is a super sweet little dog and her 4 pups -- 2 boys and 2 girls -- appear healthy."
Attempts are being made to find a more permanent place to care for the dogs and mom,
SOME HELP NEEDED FOR MOM AND NEWBORNS: We mentioned this dog on May 24 – that was Thursday. She has had a litter of pups in an untidy area on Power Drive on the east side of Dallas.
Marsha Duncan Fleming of Before The Bridge Rescue got a call from a guy who found the mom and the pups and has been trying to protect them. He and Before The Bridge are like most rescue households – already at the limit on dogs both by law and by finances and good sense.
The guy had to run some teen punks off – they were trying to “get” the newborn pups and take them away from the mother. Newborsn, I emphasize.
Nobody is helping these people help these dogs.
I’ve suggested rescue groups and shelters and still nobody has a place, Marsha says.
I mention this again in case some big-hearted person has a way to take in this momma and her babies. Got to be some place that’s a fit for now – you know, other than the weeds and shrubbery where the mom is challenged to fight off predators and insects.
The contact is Marsha at beforethebridge@gmail.com. Or call 972-757-2284 or 214-202-3107.
Again, thisi is in eastern Dallas, a long way from Fort Worth, and we're not sure which Zip Codes fall under the "North Texas Omigod Alert the Slumbering Big Hearts" clause of the "Compassion Contract With Texas Animals."
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Sleeping as an art...

This is a rendering of our big ol’ found-in-the-park Rottie snoozing in the big green chair he inherited from our late pal Hambone Jack, the Canine King of the Blues.
Mr. Hammy could easily have been the Canine King of the Snooze.
When it comes to “big dog sleeping,” Earl has stepped right into Hammy’s Zzzzs.
We’re using this artwork in this Memorial Holiday Weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap because it is kind of a soothing presentation.
The artist? The Readlarrypowell.com draweringspouse Martha. Did it on her iPad. I’ve seen her other work. She could have done this with crayon, paint or, I guess, a chainsaw with a paint bucket.
To me, it’s a soothing picture. Like something a fellow might have dreamed -- a pleasant scene with a sweet ol’ dog on a sleepy holiday when the air-conditioning has perfectly chilled the house and there is a tendency to nod off and not worry about a thing on the planet.
As it turns out, this dog Earl is a natural sleeping model. If you tell him “Sleep and don’t move,” he’s right there.
Earl’s full name is “Texas Earl the Cheeseman.” I have no idea why – it just popped into our heads. I don’t know. Maybe he handed me a business card or something.
At any rate, you know why Texas Earl the Cheeseman is able to sleep peacefully on an old dog chair in Oak Cliff, Texas? Because people from all walks of life have, for years, united to serve as the military guardian of our presents and our futures.
Even the little things in life – a dog snoozing on an old chair – are connected to the people who put on uniforms and protected our nation and its citizens.
Sleep well this holiday – because you can.
And if you’re traveling, don’t sleep until it’s safe to sleep. Good philosophy.
[To nominate your slumbering critters for the spotlight in Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, email photos and info to dallrp@aol.com.  If you want Martha to do a “drawering” of a natural pose of your dog or cat – not sure she does kids -- let us know. Rates are as reasonable as the artist and may I point out that she’s been married to me for more than two decades and that indicates a reasonable amount of forgiveness. Say, that may be one reason I have insomnia – I lay awake nights waiting to hear the door shut as she escapes. Nah. Surely not. Got to be another reason for insomnia – cravings, maybe.]
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Ah, the humans and the animals...and the challenge of the mower

We’re just going to go ahead and stipulate this one little thing and then move on: The behavior of people in incomprehensible.
OK, glad that’s out of the way.  What inspired that?
This morning during the dawnish hours I caught a TV report on the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control crisis – you veteran animal folks recall that this is the week TV suddenly discovered that big city shelters kill animals to make room for the next load of unwanted animals.
Based on the way these anchors were cartwheeling and beaming with pride, there are apparently no adoptable dogs and cats left in Fort Worth, Texas.
Not a one. Heck, don’t even bother to drive to the shelter. (See the Fort Worth Star-Telegram story HERE.)
To listen to the TV report, good-hearted people – apparently there’s an entire settlement somewhere that only comes out during emergencies and at the last moment  --adopted every last unwanted animal in Fort Worth. Now, the shelter will close operations and become a skating rink.
Look, knuckleheads, the lesson here is not that you wait until a shelter is on the brink of mass slaughter, but that you keep the inventory moving. Keep the pressure on.
(1) Promote shelter adoptions relentlessly – spend some advertising money, you cheap SOBs (and you know who you are – you’re listed on ballots);
(2) Promote spay/neuter and proper protective care of all animals so they don’t roam, reproduce and rampage. Heck, yes. When an untrained, unsocialized dog runs through a neighborhood and attacks people in a crazed frenzy, part of the blame is on the shoulders of the people who are not determined to make idiots follow animal care laws.
(3) Punish people who don’t follow the good and decent rules of kindness. Go to the New England Witchcraft, Wizard and Village Villain Stock Company and buy a good set of stocks to set up in a public place and lock the creepy people in them for about 72 hours at a stretch – no shade, no water, a can of food just out of reach. Apparently that is the only way to get the point across – fight meanness with meanness.
OK, whew. Got carried away. I’d like to apologize to people who are offended by what they’ve just had to have read to them. Now, help me off this soapbox before a board snaps and I spend my holiday weekend in traction.
ONE MORE NOTE TO PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT ABOUT RESPONDING BUT DIDN’T: Missed adopting a dog or cat in Fort Worth? Why, heck, we’ve got paved roads in Dallas, too. Just pick one and drive to I-30 at Westmoreland in Dallas and visit the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center.  It has plenty of adoptable dogs and cats.
Here are two of them. There’s a black and white cat with a number not a name -- A721733. And there’s that dog, an ol’ yellow dawg named Bam Bam. Yeah, I know, why rush to get these animals out of a shelter? It isn’t like they’re the last black and white cat or ol’ yellow dog that’ll show up.
The city-run, tax-payer financed facility – because apparently there is no Dallas County colony of untapped do-gooders like Fort Worth has – kills animals in droves to make room for the next loads of unwanted animals. It’s no secret. No secret at all. Not a point of pride, either – the folks at the shelter work hard to promote adoptions but they are at a disadvantage. Dallas has too many idiots. The idiot residents of Dallas just keep on letting their unfixed critters roam and reproduce.
This isn’t news to anyone who has been involved in animal rescue, but it may be staggering information to TV anchors. Quick, get a cold compress and a sedative and we’ll try to help them recover from their swoon.
Yes, Dallas has a situation that is even more dramatic than Fort Worth’s, especially if you go by numbers – Dallas has too many animals and not enough adoptors or rescue groups – although the figures would indicate there are constant adoptions and rescue groups are constantly whisking animals to safety. Just not enough of them to handle the onslaught.
Go to www.dallasanimalservices.org to see the inventory and see how to adopt an animal from the Dallas shelter. FYI: The shelter has a nice parking lot -- plenty of room for TV trucks to park while filming goodhearted people rushing to save unpublicized animals.
KELLER HAS SOME CRITTERS: Now, the Keller Animal Services Shelter is at 330 Rufe Snow Road, about 19 miles due north of the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control Shelter at 4900 Martin near I-20 and Forest on the southside of Cowtown.
So, since all the animals are spoken for at Fort Worth (if the TV anchors’ glee is an indication), you can go to Keller and adopt animals.
We got this info from Fiona Green, a volunteer at Keller, who told us this morning that the city’s 12 dog runs and 26 cat cages are full and that other available animals are in foster homes. “We have an adoption event this weekend and we are hoping we will place some animals there,”
Fiona says, ”For the past year staff and volunteers at the Keller shelter have worked tirelessly to find homes for the many animals who have passed through our doors. Over the past 2 weeks it has literally been raining cats and dogs and the shelter is full to capacity.”
Among the adoptables are these two.
That poodle fellow is 9-year-old Tucker – and 9 is not old for a poodle. Barely middle-aged if properly cared for every day. Why was Tucker surrendered? His owner said “she did not feel comfortable having him around her new grandchild and decided it would be easiest to simply turn him into the shelter where he would hopefully find a new home.” [Aside from Larry: Ah, there’s a grandkid who’s going to get a boatload of swell personal values.]
And that other dog? Why that’s Alex, who with his pal Andy (who has been adopted) were “dumped in a crate outside the shelter late one Saturday. They had been placed in a metal crate and were simply left there with no food or water until Sunday afternoon when a good citizen happened to walk by and find them.”
People – they can be so smart.
To see other adoptables in Keller and to see how to adopt them, go HERE.
MEANWHILE IN MCKINNEY: Sixty miles northeast of Fort Worth and 30 miles north of Dallas there is the city of McKinney and in that city is the Collin County Animal Services Shelter and in that shelter – get this! – they have dogs and cats that nobody wants.
So many, in fact, that shelter walker Allison Roberts reported to us this morning that “CCAS is on the verge of EUing dogs again at any time.”
Then she made a pitch for this black dog. “Sunny is my personal favorite (sorry but yes we end up having favorites) - I adore her,” Allison wrote. “She prances when you walk her down the aisle - she looks like she is pulling on the leash because she'll move her feet fast, but it's like she's saying, ‘OK, I'll slow down and stay with you but I really do want to go there so I'll just move my feet faster.’ When you sit down she'll cuddle in your lap. She loves to play ball and is learning to bring it back. :)  She is a doll.”
She weighs in at about 40 happy pounds. To ask about adopting her or any animal in the Collin County shelter, e-mail ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us.
Now, in a follow-up, we’re going to tell you what has happened to Skittles the Cocker Spaniel – we wrote about Skittles on May 18. You may recall this photon in which Skittles appears to be wearing a thong on a foot with freshly painted nails.
Skittles, who is an older Cocker Spaniel, is now in the care of Friends of Homeless Animals. Allison Payne says FOHA is “based out of Rhode Island with Arkansas and Texas branches for transport and pull.”
Skittles is now has been renamed. He’s now “Angelo due to his angelic nature,” Allison says. (You can read about FOHA on the Facebook site HERE.  Mr. Angelo is “in good health,” Allison says, “but his ears need some help.” (Common Cocker lament, you know).
She also says, “It's a good thing I have too many of my own babies and had to draw the line somewhere...he fits in seamlessly and is a love bug.”
THE DISCOVERED DOG FINDS A HOME: Remember earlier in the week we reported that Skip Rickmeyer of Task-iTeers Pet Services walked out into the backyard of his Mesquite home and discovered that someone had dumped this dog into it.
He reluctantly took the dog to the Mesquite Shelter – he had no room at his home – and he immediately began networking the dog, trying to find someone to get the sweet, 9-month-old pup.
Skip reports (gleefully!) that the dog was adopted Wednesday afternoon. Shelter Director Donald White “conveyed this new himself,” Skip says. “My feeling is that the adoptor is one of your readers as none of my posse was successful. A million thank yous, Larry. All of the charity you gave to me, I will give to others.”
[Larry aside: Readlarrypowell.com is just the word conduit. Skip did the work that resulted in the dog being saved. That’s the good-heartedness it takes to make sure animals get a square deal, to use a term befitting my antiquity.]
GOODBYE TO A PRINCESS: We've written many times over the years about Deborah Verners rescue work -- from cats in parking lots in Dallas to dumped dogs on Malloy Bridge Road in southeastern Dallas. Years ago, she stepped up to save a newborn puppy who became Princess. And now, she has lost her sweet Princess -- only old age and assorted diseases can beat these good dogs. Read Deborah's tribute to Princess by going to our Prayers & Passages page -- click on the "button" in the upper right corner of this opening page of Readlarrypowell.com.
ASSORTED MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS: We’ve reported this week on several Memorial Day sales and adoptions (East Lake Pet Orphanage’s Second Chance Treasures Sale, DFW Humane Society’s military adoption event in Irving, etc.). We know we didn’t get them all – probably didn’t hear about most of them and might have overlooked some. But keep your eyes open. There are plenty of places to find adoptable dogs and cats around here. And, sometimes you can even cut out the middle-man by picking them up off the streets. Do the good thing for animals and your neighborhood.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Did your Memorial Day weekend start Thursday? Yep, that’s the American way. Slip out early. … Our big ol’ Rottie fellow Earl just walked up  and looked at me with those great eyes. I had to stop typing for a couple of minutes so I could pet that big ol’ moosehead and hug the guy and let him know that I appreciate him so very much and, like him, I wish I had a cookie, too. … It was lawn-mowing time a couple of days ago. I yanked the starter cord on the lawnmower and it seemed to fire twice and then clanked – and I mean CLANKED – to a halt. I nearly pulled my arm out of the socket trying to get it to fire up again. Immediately I got visions of a huge repair bill or having to buy a new mower to replace one that was less than 2 years old. I might have cussed a little – not polite cursing, probably some cussin’. I suspect some of you know what I mean. My mechanical skills are limited to taking things apart – not reassembling them. With this lawnmower the only thing I can easily remove is the sparkplug. The plug looked dirty. I found an emery board and tried to clean the plug, reinstalled it and, again, yanked myself dizzy trying to start the machine. So, as I strategized loading the bulky machine into the back of my pickup, I thought, “Give it one more chance. Buy a new plug.” So I drove to my nearby auto parts shop, held up the sparkplug and asked the guy, “Got any of these.” He looked at me and then looked around as if to ask, “This look like a laundromat to you?” He sold me a new spark plug for a buck 99 ($2.15 with tax) and I went home, put it in the right spot in the mower, pulled the cord and fired up the machine like it had never been a problem. Now, about every 3 hours I go out to the garage and start the mower just because I can.  Hope your holiday weekend is spectacular and your mower always starts – interpret that any way you wish.
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Sly Sophie, a Marvy note to animal folks, Memorial Day bargains and chip safety

What does it take to revitalize you?
The last two morning editions of Readlarrypowell.com opened with pessimistic downers, questions about human behavior in times of crisis -- this staggering ongoing drama of unsaved animals. Sometimes you wonder how people can cope.
And sometimes you find an answer when you are least expecting it. Waiting on me in the inbox yesterday morning was a note from Marvy Washington that reminded me that there is goodness in the land. We’ll get to that after the Sophie Adventure continues.
Perhaps, by now, you have noticed the poster to the left. Patiently read on and you’ll learn about the event later on in today’s edition -- and about the Second Chance Treasures big sale, too..
THE SOPHIE ADVENTURE CONTINUES: Thanks to Rekka Melby of Duck Team 6 Rescue, we’ve been able to follow attempts to recapture Sophie.
You may recall that this was found living at (and under) an abandoned house in Fair Park by rescuer Lori Paul who took on the chore of feeding her and her pups and trying to get them to safety. It was hard to figure out just how many pups, because they were in hiding.
 Pups were rescued and moved into foster homes -- maybe all of the pups. It was unclear. That's the way these tough rescues can be.
Sophie was finally caught and taken to a foster home way up in north Dallas near Lovers Lane at Skillman, 8 miles (at least) from the abandoned house in Fair Park. But she escaped and people began looking for her in the neighborhood.
On Tuesday, when Lori went back to the area to check on other dogs, she found Sophie waiting. That’s the photo.
When I asked Wednesday night about attempts to catch Sophie again, Rekka said, “We're going to wait a few days before trying again, but here's the message from Lori when she went to feed them dinner tonight:
‘Sophie and I are hanging out on the driveway. There are two more pups. Both came out to eat.. She's being super sweet tonight’.“
So, dear Readers, Sophie wasn’t using GPS to get back to the house, she was following Maternal Instinct.
More as it develops, but soon, it appears, Sophie and her other two pups will be in a safe place.
A GREAT NOTE FOR THE ANIMAL COMMUNITY: You may recall the case of Marvy Washington, her brother dude and their dog Butch Michael. They were attacked by a creep on a major store’s parking lot in Cedar Hill and the bad guy took their car, her purse, ran over her leg with the car, drove off with Dude then stopped long enough to shove him out and drove away with Butch Michael.
A high speed chase ended 14 miles to the north in Dallas’ Fair Park when police caught up with the bad guy. But Butch Michael had vanished.
Many people – just plain folks, friends and members of Dallas Animal Services – rallied to help Marvy look for Butch Michael in the Fair Park neighborhood.
Butch Michael was found – and the reunited family continues to appreciate the blessings of life.
That is evident in the note that Marvy Washington sent in early morning hours Wednesday. She wrote, “Just thinking about all the people who have helped us get the word out about our baby...and to ultimately bring him home.  I love you Mr. Larry Powell! … This is just a short note, as it's late and I need to get to sleep...but I thought of you and I just want you to know...I am so grateful to you and your readers for praying for us...forwarding our story and even looking for Butch Michael with us. We owe you all a debt of gratitude and appreciation.  I'm so blessed to be a part of a community of animal lovers.”
Now, ol’ loveable Larry Powell was merely a conduit for words in this story. There were so many people who were actually on the ground looking and offering support and they are the true inspirations.
And I thought I’d repeat Marvy’s last sentence to remind all of you who are worn down by constant compassion. Her words show the high regard with which you are held. She wrote, “I’m so blessed to be a part of a community of animal lovers.”
When you need a little extra fuel in your emotional tank, a little reminder that you’re not doing all this for nothing, think abut Marvy’s letter and remember that you are a “community of animal lovers.”
MOMMA AND FAMILY IN DANGER IN A NEIGHBORHOOD: Marsha Duncan Fleming of Before the Bridge says the rescue group is overloaded and so is the tipster on this case. So they’re all looking for help with a momma dog who had four puppies last Thursday on Power Drive [eastern side of town] in Dallas. At lunch yesterday, she got a call from the fellow who has been monitoring these shrubbier-born puppies and he said “there are now teens trying to remove the pups from the mom. They were born last Thursday and are not ready to be moved from her. He made them put them back but the situation is becoming more precarious...”
Marsha says the dog is black and white, about 35 pounds and “not a Pit Bull, which surprises me.” To offer to help rescue this family call  972-757-2284 or 214-202-3107or e-mail Marsha at thecatlady75228@yahoo.com.
FAMILIES IN DANGER IN A SHELTER: Yeah, all the danger isn’t out on the streets with lunatics and idiots. Sometimes the system puts animals at peril.
Bless those folks at Dallas Animal Services, no matter how hard they try to keep the inventory moving out the front door with families and good hearts, there is always a load left behind.
Shelter walker Kelly Bond of Homeward Bound Animal Rescue, collected these photos of kittens and cats in the shelter and on the clock.
”I love this litter and momma!” Kelly wrote. “They are very social and they are on top of each other in that cage. They just play and play and poor momma just lays there. She has nowhere to get away from her babies. They are healthy and almost old enough to be adopted.”
And, no doubt, mom’s ready to enjoy the “empty nest” syndrome a little bit – as long as the kittens are safe and she is, too, it’ll be a happy ending.
Then, in those other photos, there are some rascals. Kelly writes, “All of these kittens need work. They are not socialized but man are they cute kittens.”
To ask about saving these felines, drop by Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center at I-30 and Westmoreland. Or e-mail mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com.
It has been a robust kitten season in North Texas. If there such a thing as a Cat Crop Silo, it would be full to the brim.
STILL WAITING IN CANTON: Oh, for crying out loud. Look at this, you people who think you have to go to a breeder to get purebreds. These two dogs are still waiting for a good break at the Canton Animal Shelter. Rescuer Janet Bouchard says the “two little dogs have been at the shelter for several weeks and their days are numbered.”
The Doxie is a one-year-old female and the neutered Cocker is 2 or 3. (To ask about adopting them, e-mail jbouchard2009@yahoo.com.)
What do they have in common besides being on the clock? They are both owner surrenders. Somebody didn’t want either one of these dogs.
Yet, somewhere today, someone will spend hundreds of bucks on a Doxie puppy or a Cocker puppy and then lose patience and complain about the fact that the little puppies aren’t trained.
OK, I’m done with this particular Soapbox Issue. Unless I get a good shot at the people who turn perfectly good dogs into death row cases with Patent Pending Suregrip Two-by-Four of Enlightenment. (See today’s CONTEMPLATIONS.)
A WAY INTO A BIBLIOPHILE'S HEART: East Lake Pet Orphanage long ago found a way into the heart of Readlarrypowell.com – had to do with the way it helps animals and people who are trying to help animals. But, now, ELPO”s fundraising component Second Chance Treasures, is working its way into the hearts of bibliophiles by staging a Memorial Day Weekend Sale that includes not only household goods and appliances and other notions, but here also is a One Buck Book Spectacular element.
Yes, holy smoke, a book for a buck – those days may not long be with us as ebooks take over and, indeed, ebooks are hard to stack in a garage sale.
FYI: Bookshelves always need a slumbering cat element -- ELPO can help you with that.
The sale is at Second Chance Treasures at 10101 Garland Road. Call 214-660-9696.
And, in case you’re shopping for a new friend to read a buck-a-book purchase to, you can see the East Lake Pet Orphanage adorable adoptables at www.elpo.org.
THE IRVING EVENT HONORING MILITARY SERVICE: Now, back to the red, white and blue in Irving – Irving Animal Services and the DFW Humane Society are running a 10 a.m.-5 p.m. special on Saturday at the Irving Animal Campus, 4140 Valley View Lane, in Irving.
The official announcement reads, “In honor of our military heroes, pet adoption at the Irving Animal Care Campus is FREE to all veterans and active duty military personnel on Saturday, May 26 from 10 to 5.  Adoptions for non-military families are HALF OFF!”
Half off means the dogs are $50 and the cats are around $45. Get more details by going to the DFW Humane Society website HERE www.dfwhumane.com
A PONDERING ABOUT CHIPS: We got a copy of a note about microchips from our pal Skip Trimble, longtime critter advocate and rescuer and a fellow who enjoys seeing things work like they’re supposed to work.
If your critter has a microchip, you might be interested in learning about his experience with one of the well-known chip sales and registration companies.
            He wrote that recently “I was surprised to find that not one single pet profile of my dogs and cats was correct. They [the chip company] had incorrect veterinary information, incorrect descriptions, they had allowed two of my registrations to expire – it was a total mess.  In addition, they still had listed a dog which I had sent them info that he was deceased.  I, being naïve, thought that once I had microchipped my pet and sent in the information I was good to go.  Little did I know how badly they can mess things up.  I hope mine was an isolated incident.”
Skip suggests checking with your chip company to make certain it is properly keeping records. It could mean the difference between life and death for your animal.
As Skip writes, “This really concerns me because I know everyone thinks that a microchip will be a last-ditch mechanism to save a dog’s life and get him ‘home again.’  Given my experience, that’s not necessarily so.  Please forward this to all your contacts and put it on your Facebook.  Also, I’m sure there are other providers of microchips and those of you who use them might want to check their recordkeeping as well.”
CONTEMPLATIONS: Does anyone pitch sky-diving as a great diet aid? … Long weekend coming. Movies. Books. Families. Critters. And a presidential election campaign to boot. Is this an All-American weekend or what! … Earlier today I mentioned a product I’m contemplating, the Surefire Grip Two-by-Four of Enlightenment. We could have assorted models but all would have the same goal: Make somebody smarter through firm application. Probably against the law – but it’s recyclable, environmentally friendly and, swung properly, good for the upper body workout. I’ll get our R&D director, Inky the Smartest Cocker Spaniel in Print, to come up with the plans and handle the government paperwork. He says it won’t take him long to digest the government papers.
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Last call for events list...

During my long-ago evenings of post-midnight carousing, there was a downtown Dallas nightspot known as "Belle's Green Glass Lounge." Taxing authorities knew it as Belle's, but it was called "Boot's" (pronounced "Boots-ez") by anybody who went there.
 Boots Schmidt, the no-nonsense tavernmaster (born the year beer was invented, I think), would issued his closing notice by flipping on the lights -- quite a shocker to suddenly see your six-beer self in that mirror. Then he would shout, "Folks, you don't have to go home but you can't stay here."
Now that was a kind and just darned near sweet "last call." Here's my "last call" for you people who handle publicity for your animal group or your animal business or your animals.
This is YOUR LAST CALL to get free ink at Urban Animal magazine for the summer -- events in June, July and August. Send the info dallrp@aol.com by 8 a.m. Thursday. That's right--8 a.m.
Keep it short. Two or three lines tops. It's free, for crying out loud, and a lot of people will see it.
That photo? That is our readlarrypowell.com staff impersonator Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, giving us his impression of a famished newspaperman rushing into Boot's and spotting a big steaming platter of Mom's Deadline Meatloaf with a side dish of Inkonmyhands Gravy and all the Late News Lager you can drink.
Now, send the events. Help a fella accomplish a mission.
One more note: About 8 feet outside the door to Boot's there was an active railroad track -- we had close calls over the years, but nobody ever got hit by a train. Or successfully shoved in front of one. In retrospect, I'd like another shot at a good shove of some of the people I encountered toward the end of my association with newspapers. You know, for the good of society. Just kidding. I'm sure they mean well.
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The Three P's? The TV? Hard work? Big hearts? Awaking the masses?

Ah, my dear Readers, it is Wednesday, May 23, 2012, and we are officially puzzled by human behavior -- it is a continuing condition.  Now, today’s report:
 TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD: Is lack of marketing the reason animal shelters are overflowing with slow-moving inventory?
One TV story and the world goes ape over an animal shelter.
Are people not reminded enough that there are animals on death row in the city shelters every single day? Can’t someone figure out a way to remind people every day to adopt from shelters? How do we penetrate the thick skull of “don’t give a damn”?
Consider the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control “emergency” from the past two days. It is puzzling. We’re happy to see this public response – absolutely – you can see Channel 11’s story on the overload and the public lining up to adopt HERE. God bless Fort Worth's shelter people for crying out for help. That is a darned good thing.
So, one wonders, where were all these happy adoptors the day before the story? We're exceptionally proud of them. But, we wonder, were they just not paying attention to the years-long crises of overloaded animal shelters? Are there huge numbers of people simply blissfully unaware that these shelters order “kill juice” in bulk?
Is the animal welfare community – taxpayer supported city shelters, rescue groups, non-profit shelters -- falling short on the need to pitch, promote and pimp the animals on death row? Seriously, the “Three Great P’s of Pet Rescue” – Pitch, promote and pimp the need for help. I use “pimp” in the 21st century manner.
Fort Worth, whose shelter is smaller than Dallas’ (those are Dallas dogs in that photo to the left), has had success in its adoption partnership with PetSmart Charities (Dallas is working on setting up a similar arrangement). There are rescue groups and folks who work with Fort Worth’s shelter. (We won’t try to analyze the irony in the report that the latest arrested hoarder in the area had claimed 200 dogs from FW AC&C  -- the Channel 8 story is HERE.) No such thing as a “hoarder friendly” shelter, we're pretty sure. Victimized, is my theory.
So, in spite of traditional outside help from rescuers and good hearts, Fort Worth’s shelter gets backed into a corner and suddenly it’s news? And suddenly, inexplicably, people decide NOW is the time to respond? Give me a break. The time to respond was years ago – and any response that will make a difference in the future has to come from the people who currently just don’t care.These must surely be people who saw the TV report about the response and asked, “Honey, do you think ol’ Fluffy got a home? She just wouldn't quit having puppies” and then moved on to think about whether to buy Facebook stock or a new shotgun. How do you make a blister-brained fool like that think?
Most shelters these days have volunteer groups that monitor things and try to get animals  off death row and into good homes or safe havens.
Shelter staffers work hard to find places to protect animals – Readlarrypowell.com writes all the time about the efforts of Dallas Animal Services – it’s just that no matter how hard a shelter tries to empty its kennels, the idiot contingent, through willing don’t-give-a-damn attitudes, fills ‘em back up by letting animals stray, letting unfixed animals reproduce and by just flat figuring out a reason to drive up and shove the animals out onto the parking lot.
OK, so, already we have two things today:
(1) Promote the devil out of the shelter animals – trust me, it would make it easier for rescue groups, too – they wouldn’t be heartbreakingly pressed to choose which animals to take and which to leave to die.
(2) More vigorously promote responsible behavior by humans. Oh, yeah, there’s an easy one. If this was such a snap, public agencies would be laying off prison guards instead of school district employees. Got to be some marketing genius who can help with this sort of thing. For a recent low-cost or no-cost spay-and-neuter promotion at Dallas Animal Services, volunteers pinpointed a tough damned Dallas neighborhood and went door-to-door promoting the spay/neuter event. We’re told the available slots were quickly filled. Surely door-to-door isn’t the only answer. Maybe it’s the best, though.
So much of animal welfare depends on residents following laws, doing the morally right thing and loving their animals as if they were members of the family. Maybe we ought to quit letting nice animal people write animal laws and let mean people who like to punish their fellow human beings write the laws. Hard to believe that kindness and decency could be regarded as weak points.
In watching animal issues for years and years, the truth is the biggest scofflaws in society are people who have animals and let them roam and breed. (You don’t believe me? Attend a Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meeting and listen to questions about people ignoring citations and personal visits from Code Compliance officers. The offenders sneer at city ordinances and animal advocates as pesky nuts.)
Now, this morning I’ve gotten an e-mail from DeDe Whitcombe, private citizen in Collin County – she used to be a volunteer shelter walker at Collin County Animal Services. It has to do with a Memorial Day Weekend event. 
STOP THE PRESSES: I need to mention that Collin County Commissioner Cheryl Williams is taking a hands-on approach to helping find homes for animals in the county’s shelter in McKinney.  (Click on that artwork to make it larger)
Now, Dede had forwarded a note praising the commissioner for her efforts. “I for one, really appreciate what she is trying to do," DeDe wrote. "Especially considering she is the only one sitting on the County Court trying to help this shelter."
Then DeDe declared, "Just like Fort Worth reaching out to the public via the media yesterday, amazing things can happen!”
So, yes, there you see the effect of raising the hopes of other shelters when Fort Worth gets some media help.
Sharyl Terhall is with Collin County Animal Awareness, a group formed last fall to promote education and adoptions in Collin County. She says the group is thrilled with Commissioner Williams’ involvement.
And it’s not just as the traditional political mouthpiece. She’s actually going to be working this three-day Memorial Weekend adoption, Sharyl says. This event is arriving just in time because the Collin County  Shelter has animals in temporary kennels and other areas as the incoming has far surpassed the outgoing.
All volunteers – shelter workers, volunteers and political types – are tying to help avoid further euthanization for space.
The official adoption announcement reads, “Collin County Commissioner Cheryl Williams has spearheaded and is leading a 3 day adoption event at the Petco on the border of McKinney and Frisco, two of Collin County largest cities. The event will be held at the Petco on Custer and Eldorado in Frisco from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Monday this holiday weekend. “
See that dog with the great face? That’s a nameless Great Pyrenees currently at the shelter – we got his photo from shelter walker Allison Roberts. The Great Pyr rescue groups are full, she says, so he’s at the mercy of fate right now.  He’s #352004, but he’s 5 years old and he probably has a name but, well, he may never hear a loving human call it again. (Email both of these to ask about him: ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us  and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us.)
Oh, and that happy looking dog and the cat? Those are from Carrollton – they’re on the clock, also. The dog is named  Sweetie Pie and the cat is named Pop Rocks.
One weekend – or one TV story – may make a temporary dent in the problem of overloaded animal shelters, but that’s just temporary. Is there a permanent solution?
As I was talking to Sharyl Terhall this morning she pegged it perfectly when she said that the good-hearted rescue folks and shelters can’t get to long-term planning because they’re always having to solve an immediate crisis.
See that photo of the terrier mom with the basket of pups? That’s an example. The bulging-at-the-seams Dallas Animal Services shelter has a ton of momma dogs and cats and their puppies and kittens. This particular bunch – and several others – are scheduled for euthanasia on Friday if no one steps up to help them. We know this because Mark Cooper, the Animal Control Officer who functions as the shelter’s rescue liaison, told us. He and the DAS staffers hustle and hustle to get animals to safety. They call on rescue groups and just plain citizens to help.
Same way in Arlington and Irving and Seagoville and The Colony and Bedford and Euless and Denton and Mesquite and Weatheford and … well, you get the idea.
Perhaps you can send our link www.readlarrypowell.com to your non-animal friends and try to crack through the Wall of Shame that keeps animal people from reaching the good hearts that are on the other side.
Or, let me put it to you in parental terms: “Alright, you kids, don’t make me call Channel 11.”
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PM Edition -- DOG MUST HAVE GPS

ASTOUNDING UPDATE: I don't know what kind of high-dollar GPS you've got but it is nothing comparded to that of clever would-be rescue dog Sadie from Dallas.
Sometime in the way early afternoon today we posted a note from Rekka Melby of DuckTeam 6 about posters the rescuers were putting out to try to find Sadie, a dog who has escaped from her foster over the weekend near Skillman and Lovers Lane.
The poster was being distributed in that area.
And, as this photo indicates, that isn't where Sophie was. In fact, she was back at the abandoned house south of Fair Park where her puppies had been rescued.
To quote Rekka's note that came with this photo, "She freaking made it back to the abandoned house in Fair Park. Trying to catch her tonight. Amazing! Wish she could talk."
Stay tuned.

HERE'S THE EARLIER POST -- WHEN SADIE WAS YET TO BE "RE-FOUND.":
Don't sit around waiting for a kid on a bicycle to pedal past your house and throw a tightly rolled newspaper into your front yard about the time the kids get home from school.
Those days are over. Microchips made it a 24-hour news cycle, so, here's a bit of a PM edition. And kids don't come straight home anymore anyway.
This poster is related to yesterday's report on the rescue of some puppies near Fair Park in Dallas.
We get the poster from Rekka Melby, the rescuer with Duck Team 6 that is trying to recapture the puppies' mother -- she bolted from the foster home. If you know her whereabouts, the numbers are on this poster being distributed throughout the area she was last seen Saturday night -- Lovers Lane at Skillman. Don't try to apprehend the dog -- she'll run. Call her people.

 

The way things are going...

Looks like the theme of the week is “crisis.”
I’m sure I’m missing things – the inbox is overwhelming these days – but lets see what’s happening. (That’s Rocky the Dog. More on him later today.)
PEOPLE ARE WATCHING; A DOG IS WAITING: My pal of many decades, Shirley Newsom, is an animal-fan and a newspaper editor. That’s how professionals are able to work with reporters -- the be kind to animals theory. Hah. I kid the reporters.
But, seriously, folks, Shirley, who lives in the Boston area, saw the nationally distributed news story about the enormous overflow crisis at Fort Worth Animal Care & Control.  In the age of computerized news, something that happens in the middle of Texas can make a splash from one coast to another – and around the world sometimes.
Now, the reason Shirley was concerned is she has been trying to find some help for a free-roaming dog in Fort Worth – a dog she spotted during a recent visit to the area. She is, however, concerned that the dog would wind up off the frying pan streets and into the fire at Fort Worth’s city shelter.
The way things are going, she says, getting the dog into the shelter might have meant the "end of the dog. "
Shirley says the dog looks like “a small sheepdog to me, grayish white (probably just dirty) and about 20 pounds.  Really cute, but so wary.  It looks like a dog that would be bought in a pet store and then perhaps abandoned by a former tenant of the apartments behind the paint store.  My father used to find abandoned kittens there and feed them until he could get them homes. “
This dog sleeps in front of the Schlotzsky’s at McCart and Westcreek when the restaurant is closed and, when its open, the dog retreats to a patch of shrubbery nearby.. “Someone provides food and water for the dog,” Shirley says.
She adds, “If anyone is interested in trapping the dog (it might take that as he/she is so scared of people), I will pay for spaying, etc., and if nobody can provide a home, I’ll have the dog flown up here on that dog airline.”
[To offer to help Shirley help the McCart/Westcreek dog, email dallrp@aol.com and I’ll forward info to Shirley – or you can click on “comments” below and leave your offers and advice.]
In the meantime, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s story on the shelter crisis is HERE.
THE CARROLLTON WATCH:  CARE –- Carrollton Animal Rescue Enterprise, a.k.a., the city shelter --  has a number of dogs and cats on the tightrope right now.These are just a few of them. And if you can help them by adoption or getting them into rescue, call 972-466-3420 or email CARE@cityofcarrollton.com.
Rocky is this dog who knows how to sit, shake, stay and bark on comman. He’s friendly, house-trained and crate-trained. And he’s neutered, too. And, indeed, he is in a shelter because the people who had him had to move and couldn’t take him with them. How does a dog understand that?
The smiling Aussie mix is Bobby – he’s in the sheltere because his human lost his dog and the household down-sized by putting the family dog into the care of the city shelter. (Bobby is already neutered, so his adoption fee is just $15.)
The dog Brutus is listed as a Chesapeake Bay Retriever/Lab mix – 78 pounds and a stray.
And there’s Mac, a 60-pound, lively, friendly Lab mix who is in the shelter because he knocked over the household kid – he’s 7 months old and the kid wasn’t a match for all the affection. So, off to the shelter and good luck on the clock Mac.
Bunch of kittens in the shelter, too.
Seriously, isn’t anyone paying attention to the spay/neuter campaigns around here?
COLLIN COUNTY ANIMAL SERVICES CRISIS: So many dogs and cats keep coming into the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney that animals are being euthanized to make room for the next load of unwanted critters.
This Border Collie mix fellow (#351426), is described as “a very gentle older boy” who “will stand at your side and enjoys being petted. Great on the leash.”
While his face looks older, the shelter says he’s just five. But look at that mug – looks like he’s got on lip make-up for an audition to play The Joker in a remake of Batman.
Those other two dogs – those two big ol’ black dogs? No need to worry about them anymore. They were euthanized yesterday, we’re told. Among several euthanized to make room. I just thought if we put a face on the victims it might inspire someone to go adopt an animal to save its life. Trust me, these were not the last two black dogs in animal shelters around here. But, sadly, because nobody wanted them and because nobody wanted so many other dogs that there was not room to give them safe haven, they are now dead. Gone. They just shouldn't be forgotten. I don't know their names or their stories, but I do know that they are part of a tragic story being written in the North Texas area -- thanks to people who just don't care.
Volunteer shelter walker Allison Roberts sends out a daily plea to help animals by rescuing or adopting. Animal people have to figure out a way to get these animals into the hearts of people who aren’t paying attention. There has to be some way to keep more dogs from taking the last walk for no good reason.
To ask about any animal in the Collin County shelter, email ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us.
There is a Facebook page of “CCAS urgents’ HERE. The county’s site is HERE.
WHEN A HELPFUL NEIGHBOR SOLVES A PROBLEM: This is rich. We got this note from Skip Rickmeyer of TASK-ITeers Pet Services.  And he’s trying to find a good place for this particular dog to go – you can e-mail him at skip@task-iteers.com.
Here’s the story from Skip: “On  05/15 I woke to find a roughly 9-month-old Pittie in my back yard complete with a note saying that her owner could not afford to keep her. Folks in my neighborhood know what I do and have asked me to help place pets in the past but this is the first time one was placed on my doorstep. With three older dogs of our own -- and my wife plainly nervous about the prospect of fostering a Pittie -- I reluctantly took her to the Mesquite Animal Shelter. I then started calling and emailing every Pit rescue organization I could find. Alas, all the inns are filled.
“Superintendent Donald White has been helpful in extending the little girl's euth date, moving it out to 05/28, and as can be expected, she is not faring well in this setting. She apparently was raised with love as her disposition is truly non-aggressive and quick to please but is very nervous and fearful at present. I'm not computer-savvy enough to send along a picture but she is #16208519 on the Mesquite Animal Shelter website.
”Do you know of a rescue organization that would take her in? I would be willing to donate money and time / services to anyone who would.”
So, there you have it. A dog dropped off – as if animal industry professionals have all the answers. If you can help Skip save this dog, e-mail him at skip@task-iteers.com.
THEY’RE STILL SHOWING UP IN BURNS FLAT: Our reliable Burns Flat rescue tipster, the hard-working Terry Lynn Fisher, send us the story of this hungry Redbone Coon hound named, for now, “Red” and the way she and a couple of fellow rescuers were able to get him to a safer place..
She writes, “He was found on a back road, in the middle of nowhere. Looking for another missing dog, we saw this sweet, starving baby in the middle of the road. Kyle stopped the car and we all got out. He was scared, but you could see he really wanted off that road. Scott kept throwing him bites of food, until he finally got close enough to grab. He struggled at first, then let out a sigh and just fell into his arms.
The dog has been in the Burns Flat shelter for a week, but he is running out of time. There are many other dogs in the shelter that need out, too, Terry Lynn says.
To offer to help, e-mail remembering_oddball@yahoo.com or call her at 580-330-1459.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Does anyone have a secret method for successfully dealing with the mental beating you take from the constant onslaught of animals in danger in shelters and out on the streets? Geewhillikers it gets to be a daily beating. I can’t be the only person who grimaces when he opens the inbox in the mornings.
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Rescues, an escape, the Bridge Six and contemplations...

On Monday, we’ll try to make this quick. No words longer than 11 letters.
Here goes:
THE TWITCHY DOG GETS A BREAK: You may recall this dog’s story. Pat Rodriguez was rescuing dogs in West Dallas near Singleton Road when someone told her about this dog and, because all of the local rescue spaces were full, he went into Dallas Animal Service’s giant shelter at I-30 and Westmoreland.
He appears to be a distemper survivor with a twitchy foreleg. On Friday, he was sprung from the shelter and is now in the care of “the amazing folks at the Humane Society of Flower Mound,” according to Rekka Melby of Duck Team 6 Rescue. She tipped us to a Facebook video of the twitchy dog, now known as “Trooper,” leaving the shelter. I watched it and he looked like a politician glad-handing his way out of a meeting hall. Mr. Personality. You can see it HERE.
Pat had turned to many rescues for help and word of Trooper’s situation was forwarded around the internet. Pat took him to Flower Mound on Friday. “His foster mom said that he’s a good dog so far. He had fleas, but we don’t hold that against anyone in the rescue community!”
Trooper soon will get a visit to a veterinary neurologist to see if his “twitching” front leg is treatable. To offer to help the Humane Society of Flower Mound finance care of Trooper, click HERE.
As you know, it takes a village of hard-headed people to save a twitchy dog.
ONE MORE RESCUE AND BE ON THE LOOKOUT: Rekka Melby of Duck Team 6 also included this bit of news about the stray dogs’ rescuer Lori Paul has been trying to help in South Dallas near Fair Park. More good fortune on Saturday.
Rekka writes, “A few weeks ago we caught one puppy who is now named Radar.  His siblings have been very elusive and have holed up under an abandoned house.  Lori goes out to feed them twice daily and now has the momma dog (Sophie) to the point of eating out of her hand --she's done a great job with her!  So Saturday night, we were able to trap Sophie.  We moved her to her foster home but sadly a few hours later she managed to escape so we are heartbroken as she is now lost in an unfamiliar part of town.  She was last seen around 10 p.m. Saturday  near the Lovers Lane/Skillman area.  We think she might try to head back to South Dallas so might be in the M-Streets/Lakewood area. She is friendly but cautious, about 40-50 lbs, has a poofy tail and unique poofy fur on her hind legs.  We would love to find her again and get her off the streets.
If you know the whereabouts of Momma Dog Sophie (who probably won’t answer to any name), call 214-649-2330 or email info@duckteam6.org. 
”So, after bottoming out late Saturday night,” Rekka continues, “Sunday night brought better news as J-P Bonnally and Lori caught another one of Sophie's puppies. This one is a little girl and she is just adorable.  The little family will be available for adoption through DFW Rescue Me.”
More to come later, no doubt.
CONFISCATED CATS AT DAS: We got this report from Jonnie England, member of the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission and Director of Animal Advocacy for the Metroplex Animal Coalition.
She reports, “On April 19, Dallas Animal Services confiscated a dozen or so cats from a man living in a motel room.  DAS was awarded custody of the cats, but the judge ordered that those that aren’t passed for adoption must be rescued by May 29 or they will be euthanized!”
So, there’s some cat rescue pressure for you.
Among the rescued cats facing the fate of having been saved only to be killed – geez, does that remind you of Vietnam (“We had to destroy the village to save it.”) or what – is this little kitten (#A718218) who, Jonnie says, appears to have a suffered a broken leg and some hair loss.
Jonnie and fellow Animal Shelter Commission member and shelter volunteer Molly DeVoss took a look at the cats over the weekend. This orange kitten is “just precious and was crying out for help and attention.  She needs to be seen by a vet ASAP.  Kitty A719227 is in the cage with her, so she might be her mama.”
Jonnie adds, “ Molly DeVoss and I visited with all these kitties today [Sunday], and all are lovely cats worth saving. “
To offer to help these cats here are the DAS contacts: nark.cooper@dallascityhall.com  or nicole.self@dallascityhall.com .
IF YOU BUILD A BRIDGE, THEY WILL LIVE UNDER IT: Veteran rescuer Michelle Mitchell had been idle or pretending to be. Here’s what happened, in her words, “As you know I do/did rescue. Apparently it’s like Hotel California --.you can check out but you can never leave. I got a plea about some pups that were over on the other side of the new Hunt Bridge.
”I should really never read these pleas because once I do I am hooked like a fish on a line. Anyway I went over about 2 weeks ago to check on them and try to catch the mama. Well, she is a very street smart dog and evaded me. I took the pups up to DAS just to see what they thought. They said they were too young to be away from mama and it was best to take them back. So I did and cried myself to sleep that night. DAS sent an ACO out and he could not catch mama either so I did not feel so bad about that part.
”I went again this Monday (about 2 weeks after the first trip) to check again as people said they were getting out of the brush and closer to the street. “Well sure enough one was standing in the street and the others were right at the sidewalk. While I was trying to get some photos two creepy men in different trucks drove by and asked if I was selling them. I said, ‘Oh, hell no!’ and that was when I knew if I left them they would not have a happy ending. So I loaded all 6 that were left in my truck. There had been 7. I looked all around and I am guessing someone either got him or he was killed or eaten by something.
”So off to my vet I go with 6 young pups crawling with fleas. I am guessing I won't be using my truck for a while.:
The pups are about six weeks old, the vet says. They’re undergoing all the usual puppy treatments. Michele says,
“I have never seen so many fleas in my entire life. I took them and gave each one a bath w/Dawn then another bath w/out Dawn. I had 3 tubs full of fleas but the Capstar worked and have not seen a flea on them since.
”They are now enjoying the finer things in life: they are weaned, sleeping, playing, socializing, eating and pooping just like all good pups do.
”As I write this they are crashed in the crate w/Big Blue Dog their stuffed mama listening to Bach. It sounds crazy but I am pretty sure they are starting to know their names. We do school time as well. So the pups are doing great. It’s the two-legged mama that is starting to wear down.”
So what does Michelle need? “I just want a reputable rescue to work with me to post them on PetFinder ASAP and find them loving homes. Not asking to dump them just for some help. Networking is everything. There are peeps out there looking for love dolls like these guys! I just know it! Gotta have Faith!”
Here’s the e-mail address to ask about helping the Bridge Six: michelle-mitch@sbcglobal.net.
THE JUSTICE CASE: The death of the little dog Justice – from a horrible assault – has a guy in jail, accused of animal cruelty. His bond was dropped Friday from $100,000 to $50,000.  Almost immediately someone created a petition to protest an attempt to collect enough money to spring him from jail.
Some basic questions: Who does that petition go to? Who will deliver it? What standing does it have in a court of law? Is there a mechanism in place to see if signers of the petition are within the jurisdiction of the court?
Maybe it’s just me, a respecter of the constitution, but – keep this in mind – people accused of a crime are not automatically guilty no matter what rotten sacks of bleep they appear to be at the outset of a case. If we thought arrest meant guilt, this wouldn’t be America. I’m as offended as anybody by the awful death of the dog, but we can’t just abandon our rules of law because we’re angry. Not good for the nation’s future if we don’t have these rules that protect those of us who may actually be innocent. There is a reason “knee-jerk reactions” are discouraged -- they erode individual rights and lead to poor decisions.
The thing is, a key part of the American experience is the right to have an opinion, so if that petition helps you voice an opinion, sign on. Just don't make an uninformed opinion binding.
CONTEMPLATIONS: In connection with the Justice case. Am I misremembering or are there at least three open cruelty cases around here? (1) The case of the dog who was thrown off a high bridge on Spur 408 after a couple of lovers had a spat;  (2) the case of a Chihuahua thrown from the window of a Dallas hotel after a lovers spat; and (3) the poisoning death of the dog that belonged to Rev. Ronald Wright, the minister who had urged a lowering of Justice’s accused attacker Darius Ewing. Are these all cold cases that will never be resolved? Whether you burn a dog, poison a dog or throw a dog to its death, you still ought to be prosecuted.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Good day to ask the question: What’s it all about, Alfie? Probably a popular question in the Facebook financial offices. … There’s a move to establish a “fat tax” (Click HERE.). I don’t often take political positions but I’m going to throw my weight against this measure.  … Love the names on some of the SPAM I get. Sometimes they’re a clue about the veracity of the topic. For example this one purported to be from a director of Access Bank and it was signed by “Mr. Godswill Ego.”
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Thinking inside the box and under the bed...

You may look at this photo and say, “Hmm. Sleeping dog and napping cat.”
 Barley is the dog. Peaches is the cat.
And they’re the spotlight for this weekend’s “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.” Yes, they are living up to the title.
Barley and Peaches are two of three good souls who run the Andy & Annie Household in New Jersey. The third one is a cat named Scamper. Read on.
Our pal and frequent contributor Andy Fisher and his esposa swell (not proper Espanol, but you get the drift) Annie are the humans who pay attention to the needs and entertaining behaviors of these critters.
As we have mentioned before, Annie married Andy even though he has a history of working in journalism – both print and broadcast (writing for, among other programs,   Today on NBC).
Among the many positives she brought to the marriage was the introduction of household animals to the Andy Lifestyle. The guy has fallen for the concept. Totally. And he provided these great photos.
The thing with Barley is he likes to sleep with his head under a bed or chair, except now and then. That explains why Andy was able to snap him snoozing on a rug.
In the meantime, in the same photo, Andy caught Peaches in a box next to the TV remote – indicating to me that Peaches and Barley have registered themselves as a Neilson TV Ratings Family.
Andy explains, “Peaches is very fond of squeezing herself into the tightest possible space.  Boxes and bags are favorites.  Barley is sometimes so tired he forgets to put his head under a chair or bed.”
In the second photo you see that Barley is taking advantage of the “cave.”  When Andy sent the photo to me, he used the subject line “Headless dog sighted in New Jersey.” (This indicates Andy’s journalistic history because it is reminiscent of the famous New York Post headline on an odd murder case: “Headless body in topless bar.” No kidding. You can look it up.)
Moving along, Andy writes, “Barley's favorite spot for deep sleep has always been underneath Annie's bed.  FAR underneath Annie's bed, which became a matter of concern when he suffered a recent deep-ear infection that sapped his strength and caused Annie to block up access to the area for fear that he might get in there and not be able to get out. 
”Since then, he has managed to find a way to wedge his head underneath the bed, leaving the rest of him outside but apparently giving him the seclusion he craves.  Hitherto, this has been limited to the bedroom, but today, he moved his headless act to the living room for the first time.” 
Then Andy writes, “NOTE:  No dogs were harmed in the taking of this photo, even though this is New Jersey, and, well, you know what they say about New Jersey.”
That third photo? We got the explanation today from a note signed by Peaches and Barley. They write,
“Hello, Mr. Powell,
”Your friend the Mean Old Man left himself logged in, so let us take this opportunity to thank you for making stars of us once again.  It's been a long climb to the top from being Mommy's second and third rescues (as you once wisely noted, Mean Old Man is the fourth).  The first one is our friend Scamper, who recently endeavored to create a mustache for the follicly-challenged Mean Old Man (picture attached).
”Sincerely,
”Barley and Peaches.”
Now, just in case you’d like to see something else entertaining, once again I’m going to post the link to the video of the Andy/Annie Nuptials. You’ll note that (a) there’s good music and (b) it’s called "Annie & Drew" – that’s because Andrew Fisher has multiple aliases. In some places he’s Andrew, some he’s Andy and in some parts of his family he’s Drew. I think Barley, Scamper and Peaches refer to him as “Hey, you.”  Click HERE to enjoy that October 2011 wedding. It’ll make you smile. And you may ask, "Didn't that groom have a moustache last time I saw him?"
[To nominate your slumbering critters for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, email photos and info to dallrp@aol.com . We are proud to publish photos that teach insomniacs the valuable lesson: You can sleep anywhere, on or under the bed, on the desk or on the floor. A cat in a box should give us all hope that outside the box is OK for thinking, but inside the box is the place to snooze.]
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If you can't find a dog or cat around here, you ain't lookin'...

It’s Friday. Please contain your joy.
Let’s get into things, including a little bit about this dog.
At first glance it looks as if this dog Skittles has shaved his paw, put on thongs and is wearing red nail polish. In fact, that is his handler’s foot at Collin County Animal Services in McKinney where the Cocker Spaniel awaits rescue, adoption or something else. More on him in a minute.
First, we need sleeping dogs and napping cats for our weekend feature “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap." It’s read around the world – we’ll make your critter famous for a weekend – or maybe longer, depends on the picture and on the mood of Hollywood agents. Just guessing about that last part.
We need upcoming events – June, July and August and beyond – to list on the Urban Animal Magazine Events page – it’s free. Send short notices -- for crying out loud, three lines, no art – to dallrp@aol.com.
Oh, and go back and read yesterday afternoon’s report about the assorted needs for animals at Dallas Animal Services. Those situations weren’t solved overnight.
OK, back to Skittles and a need for Cocker Spaniel Fosters as well as adoptors, etc.
SKITTLES THE COCKER: This guy is listed as 5 years old, but some folks aren’t buying it – he’s got age warts, we’re told, and his teeth are not young.
His eyes are a bit cloudy, reports volunteer shelter walker Allison Roberts. Still, while he’s shy in the shelter, he’s a friendly fellow once he gets to know you. He’s #351545. To ask about claiming him, email the shelter at both ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us.
It’s likely that Skittles, if he is to survive, will need an individual rescue or adoption because groups are full.
Now, I don’t know for sure why a “formerly beloved” Cocker Spaniel would wind up in a shelter, but it happens far too frequently. I suspect one reason might be that people who are going through hard times don’t have the money it takes to keep the special dogs groomed. [Larry aside: I have a pair of scissors, some human electric clippers and low standards – Inky, the Cocker Laureate of Texas is a patient Cocker Spaniel.]
If you adopt Skittles, you’ll get some dog problems, too – they appear to be solveable, however.
There are people who work so hard to help this breed -- DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue, for example. Right now the Rescue is overloaded with Cocker Spaniels – so many that finances are drained, foster homes filled and wiggle room is non-existent.
Beverly Miles of DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue  confirms for us that the load of animals is “just so incredibly ove4rwhelming! We’re having some really good adoptions – thankfully – but the flow of Cockers needing our help is endless. And foster homes dry up. We just don’t know what to do. If there’s an adoptable Cocker at a shelter, we do everything we can to pull it, vet it and get it fostered and adopted.”
(Larry aside: That smiling Cocker is Cecily Rose, 4, one of the dogs available through the rescue group. Cockers don't always wear a somber look as if they're posing for a wanted poster. They can really give you a grin. And their tails -- I think they're docked because a full Cocker tail might stir up atmospheric conditions.)
Like many of us who have seen these things, she also gets “really angry at people who take the older dogs to the shelters to get adopted. Right! … We can’t take 11-12 year old dogs that need a thousand dollars worth of vetting and then try and get them adopted. … The poor dog is scared too death in the shelter and very confused about what happened to their home. Why don’t people realize that dogs have brains and feelings, too?”
If you want to get involved with rescuing and fostering Cocker Spaniels, go to www.dfwcockerrescue.org. You can also adopt from the rescue group – surely you knew that already.
Maybe someone can get Skittles before Skittles finds himself becoming just a memory of a dog someone used to have laying around the house.
ONE MORE COLLIN COUNTY NOTE: Earlier in the week we mentioned a couple of special dogs. Allison Roberts, the volunteer walker at the Collin County Animal Shelter, explains, “I emailed a few days ago about a depressed hound and a senior Shepherd with crappy owners.  Well, the depressed hound was adopted but our senior boy is still in need.”
She says the older fellow “had a rabies tag from 2009 (not great, but better than nothing) - after calls not returned, an awesome volunteer did some sleuthing, found the address, and saw a home where a dog clearly had lived on a CHAIN in the backyard...this boy deserves to finish out his life being loved as an INDOOR dog!
She adds that the shelter is currently “overflowing with 20 dogs in temp kennels in danger of EU daily.”
This guy is 8 years old. He has a name – Roscoe – but I’m betting it hasn’t been called by his human in a while. At the shelter, Roscoe is #350885. I’m sure whoever dumped him thought he’d find a place at the Happy Puppy Farm with all those other dogs that people dump.
To offer to help the ol’ Shepherd or any animal in the Collin County shelter, e-mail both ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE PEOPLE: Oh, my goodness, look at these two dogs.
Don’t they look like they belong to someone?
Surely they do. But, inexplicably they were found roaming near a school in Lakewood in Dallas.
She writes, “A friend of mine found two fluffy dogs that sort of look like Collies but not as pointy.  She found them when picking up kids from school, but cannot keep them overnight as she has 3 kids, 2 male dogs, 2 birds and about 15 chickens. Do you have any suggestions?”
In case you know these dogs, the contact numbers are 214-821-8846 or 214-403-0348.
The thing is, seriously, how many of us have faced this situation? For people who pick up dogs all the time, this is a common challenge. What in the heck do you do? Isn’t it too bad there isn’t one central number people can call and say, “I found a herd of dogs. Please send someone to help me. I’m at my wit’s end, I’m broke and I don’t need this challenge.”
We don’t know why these dogs were wandering loose together. An inattentive workman? Two clever dogs operating a gate lock? A homeowner burgled?
Or, someone drove them to a school and said, “I’ll turn you guys out here – there’s always some kid or mommy at a school who’ll save a pair of good-lookin’ dogs.”
Bless the people who picked up these dogs and may their challenge be brief and may the dogs be back to a happy home by the time the cyberink is dry on this item.
SAND PIT PAIR: Jim West, the noted dog rescuer who lives in Ferris south of Dallas, sent us this note overnight. “Recently I found a mother/son dumped at an abandoned sand pit down the road from me. I cannot bring them home as I have two rescues of my own and I can't afford to keep feeding them. I can tell by their reaction to cars that they were dumped. Happens down there all the time. This is the second mother/son that were dumped down there this spring. I couldn't get close enough to save the other two and eventually found them dead. I'm sure I can catch and crate them.”
So, Jim needs some help finding a safe haven for these two. Email him at jim.west47@yahoo.com .
BIT O’ GOOD NEWS: Remember Marilyn, the dog from Fort Worth Animal Care & Control who lost her entire litter to distemper? She might have had a slight case, too – and the lack of a veterinary all-clear has delayed her trip to a rescue group in Illinois.
The problem had become finding a place for her to stay until she got the all-clear to travel.|
Michelle Cook, her rescue-worker, reported last night, “I found a foster for Marilyn!! A good friend of mine was able to move some of the dogs she was fostering on to their rescues so she could make room in her quarantine area for Marilyn. She will foster her until she is approved for transport out of state.”
Michelle had been reading our Thursday edition about all the pressure at Dallas Animal Services because of so many dogs and so many puppies and she, like most rescuers, lamented that she had no more room for more animals.
The news abut Marilyn was good, however, and Michelle added, “I hope that brought a little light of hope to your day.”
Indeed, it did.
ROSIE IS LOOKING FOR A HOME: Our longtime tipster Christie Hansen is trying to help a family place this girl Rosie, a 3 ½-year-old purebred Wire-Haired Fox Terrier.
The adoption fee is $75.
Here’s the back story. Christie writes, “The owners are too busy for the dog. They have two kids and the owner’s mom has just been diagnosed with cancer.”
The dog is spayed and up to date on everything. “She needs someone who is active that can walk her and take time with her. She is really smart. One kid or no kid family.,” Christie says.
To ask about adopting this pup, e-mail christie.hansen@sbcglobal.net.
DECADENT DINING FOR DOGS? Yes, indeed. We got this from the folks with Collin County Humane Society. Here’s the way this thing works, according to the official announcement from the Society.
The event is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday (May 24). The announcement reads
”Where: Watters Creek (Bethany and 75 in Allen, TX)
”Cost: Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door
”This event will be a ‘progressive dining’ event where the shops and food vendors at Watters Creek will supply samples for consumers to taste at selected locations. An adoption area with CCHS dogs and a check-in tent will be set up in the common area where guests will purchase wristbands with three drink tickets as a band plays in the background.”
[Larry aside: I don’t know which band but I’m prepared to rule out The Beatles and, perhaps, The Beach Boys – not enough surf in Allen, but somebody's bound to be trying to build an oceanfront to enhance property values.]
You can get all the details about this event by g
oing to the Society’s website HERE. It’s worth the click just to see photographer Teresa Berg’s work with animals.
And, oh, yeah, if you wonder who this money helps, here’s an example. This dog – so obviously an Earhound --  has 3  good legs and his right foreleg is bent up across his chest. Colllin County Humane Society President Molly Peterson explains, “This little dude was at Commerce. He has a birth defect causing him to say the Pledge of the Allegiance 24/7.”  He’s a couple of years old and weighs in at 15 lively pounds. Ask abouit adopting him by e-mailing mrtpeterson@yahoo.com.
ROCKY’S LOOKING FOR A HOME: You know how people who regularly go to a vet’s office are always finding stories? Yep, here’s another one.
This Rottweiler is Rocky and he knows how to be a “good boy.”
Our Houston tipster pal Alexandra Kelsey ran into his story at her vet’s office.
 She writes, “If you’ve never been around a Rottweiler, look at Alexandra Day’s charming drawings of Carl, the wonderful Rottweiler we all came to know through her books. [Click HERE. And read about what wonderful dogs Rotties are HERE.”
She says that "Rocky is continuing in the tradition of Carl!  He is a sweet, sweet boy who seems to love kids and like other dogs.  Rocky isn’t too sure about cats yet, though! Because Rocky has some vision problems, his owners felt unable to keep him.  He is such a great dog that his vet got the owners to release him for placement in a home.”
To ask about adopting “this big lovebug,” Alexandra says contact Dr. Lucy Faulkner at Central Houston Animal Hospital (713-526-1306.).
WHY ARE THERE NO CATS IN TODAY’S REPORT: Well, of course that is a question that is easily answered.
All of the cats in North Texas have been adopted and since every resident made certain that his or her toms or moms have been spayed or neutered, there are no kittens. No kittens at all.
Don’t even click on any of your local shelter sites or rescues. It’ll just frustrate you – not being able to find a cat when you need one is a heartbreaking situation.
Yep, just give it up. No cats left in town at all. Hundreds of cages are empty.  Tons of catfood  going uneaten.  Meds for vaccinations unused in storage closets.
Look, just for the sake of art, this is a photo of Korie – some moustache, eh? -- from Dallas Animal Services – maybe they’ve got some cats in the back – you know, like a shoe store clerk has to go to the back to check for your size.   Check the DAS dog and cat inventory at www.dallasanimalservices.org. Maybe a cat or two has been misfiled under “canine” rather than “feline.”
The cat drought is so bad that we’ve heard that vets who specialize in treating newly adopted felines have moved on to specialties such as “Vocal Cord Therapy in Domestic Goats” and “Tango Injuries to Dancing Chickens.”
What? Yeah. Some of the preceding paragraphs are not based on fact. I'm keeping my hand in just in case someone wants me to become a political reporter in the next few months.
CONTEMPLATIONS: We got a Rival Crock Pot a few months ago and Martha may have used it once or twice but this week I decided I’d give it a shot. I made some soup that was so rank that the trash guys refused to pick it up. I think it needs to be dropped behind enemy lines. Too much broccoli and other bad mix vegetables. Trying to rebound with black beans. Life is a crock of challenges. …Have you been keeping up with the historic scandal at the White House? Here’s the latest entry:  “President Richard Nixon famously declared that his kids would keep a gift from a Texas man, a Cocker Spaniel named Checkers. Barak Obama is the first president to adopt a Portuguese Water Dog with skills on the trail -- the campaign trail.” Historic notes. You gotta love politics. This was about the last “scandal” anyone could have predicted, don’t you think? … The weekend? Don’t know. But I won’t be seeingThe Avengers again. Nobody has a gun big enough to make me do that.
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PM EDITION: Emergency needs at DAS

Oh, for crying out loud. Can this be serious?
NOBODY wants the Twitchy Dog of Dallas? Nobody? Are you insane?
You recall the story? Rescuer Pat Rodriguez pulled her out of a bad spot in West Dallas. The dog is apparently a distemper survivor – she has a twitchy foreleg.
And, yet, not a single respectable animal rescue group has an opening? What about a plain ol' family home in an area of Texas with millions of residents? Millions! Not room for a twitching dog? Some of the responsibility for animal care is on the shoulders of the people who dump them, let them run free, ignore them and complain about them.
I asked Mark Cooper, the Dallas Animal Services rescue liaison if he’d heard from anyone about taking the dog. “No one,” he messaged, “But I have almost $200 in donations to the group that pulls her.”
Times are hard. Cages are full. Household money is tough to find. Ah, but in Dallas and the rest of North Texas, there is no shortage of inventory. Plenty of dogs and cats.
For example, Mark sent out a note during the noon hour about more momma dogs and puppies than an uninvolved person can imagine. One picture has momma and daddy with the pups but,unless some good hearts act, it’s curtains for the family.
And that photo is a terrier mix with her curious little family. Names? Please. Why name animals that are going to be dead within hours or days?
You think I’m being mean? Hell, yeah, I’m being mean, but I’m also being absolutely accurate. You’ve seen the stats. This isn’t an Olympic event – style won’t save your ass. It's a game of numbers.
As Mark wrote in a note to the usual rescue crowd, “If you can help with any of these families, please let me know. Their time is short and their plea is urgent!”
The usual rescue crowd is already overloaded, thanks to you uninvolved residents who have no problem letting your dogs and cats run free and do what comes naturally. Then, of course, you dump the momma because “she keeps having puppies.”
There has to be some way – other than Readlarrypowell.com and similar websites – to reach into the hearts of just plain “I didn’t know that!” folks and get them involved in saving these lives. (Larry aside: Any of you “No-Kill Task Force” – either side – people got an idea that’ll work right now? Like right now? Every day nothing is done, animals die.)
And people at the shelter are trying to save them, but they are overwhelmed by the load. You don’t have to have 20/20 vision or lasik surgery to know that. Do a shelter walk-through – if you have the guts.
Here’s one more desperate case. Officer Cooper sent this, also, during the noon hour. It has to do with Fiona the Terrier, a dog who lost his home because his senior citizen human had to have brain surgery and could no longer care for this special dog.
Officer Cooper explains, “Upon her arrival, she immediately began showing serious signs of behavior issues. …We quickly determined this dog would not be suitable for our adoption or rescue program and made the decision to humanely euthanize her today.
“Perhaps her behavior issues where caused by a painful back injury or something of that nature. That’s what our vet had concluded. You see, every time we would approach the kennel, the dog would scream out like she was being tortured. Everyone was afraid to touch her because she would became so fearful and vocal. Would she attack out of fear or perhaps pain?
”A couple of hours ago and only minutes before she was walked to the euthanasia room, I made a last ditch effort, I decided to step into the cage and see if I could get a better, more positive response from her. To my joyful surprise I found that this dog is AMAZING and so super sweet!!!
”She does however suffer some SERIOUS separation anxiety. All she wants is to be in your presence and have a soft lap to rest in. She has no injuries, and she doesn’t have an aggressive bone in her body. This is the perfect dog for a senior who isn’t very active, or a retiree who stays home a lot. I bet some medication would probably go along way with her anxiety. If you can help, please let me know ASAP! She is afraid of no one and wants love from everyone around her.
”We cannot hold this dog long because she is not doing well in this shelter environment. She has spent the morning with me at my desk and she’s now in our admin office enjoying the human contact. It would be cruel to place this extremely scared and anxious dog back into her kennel, but we must if not pulled soon.”
That photo? Yep, that’s Fiona in the office.
Not in the euthanasia room.
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P.S. If you’ve got a reason why dogs and cats in the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center should not be saved, let’s hear it. I realize your time at the computer may be limited by your medication schedule. Warmly, larry.

A Thursday assortment -- humans and critters

Once upon a time…Oh, wait, that’s not how we start this.
It was the best of times…hang on, not that, either. Let me reboot this computer. Click.
OK, here we go with a report of assorted elements that make up the animal world.  Challenges and rewards.  Opportunities and triumphs. 
^^^ ^^^ SPAY AND NEUTER ^^^ ^
BOND REDUCTION HEARING: It’s back to court at 9 a.m. Friday for Darius Ewing, the 18-year-old accused of fatally burning Justice The Dog. The hearing for the defense’s request for reducing the bond in the case begins at 9 a.m. in Judge Larry Mitchell’s 292nd Judicial District Court at the Crowley Courthouse, Commerce at Riverside (formerly Industrial) on the west side of downtown.
An earlier hearing was cancelled when the judge decided not to preside because he knew a veterinarian who would be a witness in the case.
The defense and the family want the bond reduced so the accused can get out of jail. He surrendered to authorities on the evening of the vigil honoring Justice the Dog on April 20. The bond is $100,000.
^^^ ^^^ SPAY AND NEUTER ^^^ ^
AND SOME PEOPLE SAVE DOGS: You may recall our recent report about our pal Della Wallace claiming a Schnauzer who had been left in a crate outside a shelter – the dog was starving and suffering from all sorts of “locked-up-and-forgotten” issues. She may have been a “breeder” who’d lost value.
This is a recent photo of the smiling dog. Several readers suggested great names for the dog and, ultimately, Della has settled on Gabi.
Here’s the latest report which shows how much difference one person can make in a life. Della writes, “She must be feeling more secure. I was carrying her back in from a little stroll outside and – surprise, surprise -- I just got a face full of kisses.  She doesn’t fall down now when she shakes her body and she is growing a little hair.  She is, in fact, walking quite well and takes bigger steps.  I’m not sure about her eyesight. Like her hearing, it is not too good but she is doing so much better in such a short time. She actually looks happy and gets on very well with my other wards. Also she doesn’t sleep in her bed anymore; she prefers to sleep beside my bed on my slippers.”
From starving in a crate to sleeping on the mum’s slippers – that’s a rescue.
^^^ ^^^ SPAY AND NEUTER ^^^ ^

ANOTHER SCHNAUZER NEEDS A HAND: Not all Schnauzers get to sleep on the slippers – some have lost their homes and are on death row.
This is one – the dog’s name is Dallas and we learned of the 3-year-old dog’s plight first from Margaret Morin, founder of the campaign to Save Jenny, the Dallas Zoo elephant. The next link took us to our pal Russell Posch’s online shelter-walker sites – he posts photos and info about animals in the Irving Animal Shelter.
And the backstory is, this perfectly healthy young dog wound up on the clock in a city shelter because his humans were divorcing. Perhaps neither wanted the dog. Whatever the case, he’s as dead as the marriage if someone doesn’t step up.
You can see the dog inventory in Irving by going to Russell’s photo site HERE.
 Call the Irving shelter at these numbers: 972-721-2256 or 972-721-2257. Dallas is available for adoption or to rescue groups.
^^^ ^^^ SPAY AND NEUTER ^^^ ^
BE ON THE LOOKOUT: These two dogs went on an unauthorized excursion yesterday – slipping out of a backyard in their Little Forest Hills Neighborhood east of White Rock Lake.
This morning we get the report that Bubby has been found.
Barbara Kennedy, the mom of the woman in the couple who have the dogs, says that Banina “has not been found, and the first one (Bubby) isn’t telling us much. He was tired and dehydrated and confused..”
She says her daughter Hallie “and the search crew were up late last night driving all over northeast Dallas.”
Meleska Fletes of Little Forrest Hills Animal Alert reports that Bubby was found in Lochwood and Banina was last seen in Lochwood Park.
Barbara says Banina was wearing a collar. Both dogs are microchipped. If you know the whereabouts of the missing Banina, call 214-417-6102, or 214-563-3911.
^^^ ^^^ SPAY AND NEUTER ^^^ ^
YESTERDAY’S BE ON THE LOOKOUT: Afghan the dog was found yesterday and is back with family. The people who found her posted her on Craigslist and then took her to Dallas Animal Services where she was retrieved, reports her human, Allan Hayslip. It’s not just the hunting people who need to use lots of tools, it’s also the finders who can use lots of tools to get animals back home.
^^^ ^^^ SPAY AND NEUTER ^^^ ^
CAT ONLY ADOPTION THIS WEEKEND: We mention this so we can run this photo of Prince Naveen, one of the rascals under the care of Take Me Home Pet Rescue in Richardson. As you can see from this photo, Take Me Home Pet Rescue apparently prepares animals to go into a home – this boy is, obviously, bed-trained. So often cats arrive without being taught to sit for photos on a bed. They will lay on the bed, knead the linens and disturb the sleeping dog, but this fellow knows that when the camera comes out, catpose.
Take Me Home Pet Rescue’s two-day “Cats Only Adoption Event” is Saturday and Sunday at the group’s Adoption Center, 561 W. Campbell Rd., Suite 303, in Richardson. Get more details at the website HERE. Twenty-five dollar discount per adoption.—the usual cat fees range from $145 to $200..
[Larry aside: Remember, there are no more cats available for adoption anywhere else in Dallas County – it has been a slow spring for kittens and unwanted cats and the inventory has been depleted and if you believe this, please contact me about a method I have of converting dog hair into gold.]
^^^ ^^^ SPAY AND NEUTER ^^^ ^
SOME POSTER, EH? Those folks at Animal Rescue of Texas – ART – have a way with art, don’t they?
This is the poster advertising the noon to 5 p.m. fundraiser Saturday at The Doublewide, 3510 Commerce in Dallas.
All sorts of opportunities to help raise funds for the rescue group.
Read about the group on its website HERE.
Name of the fundraiser? Rock For Spot.
That's probably not Spot posing for the photo, but you get the idea. Fido, Spot, Rex, Gerrard -- whatever the dog's name, someone needs him and ART needs dough to make things go.
^^^ ^^^ SPAY AND NEUTER ^^^ ^
WAITING AT DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES: We got this repeat notice from Mark Cooper, the rescue coordinator at DAS’s Animal Adoption Center.
He’s trying to save many, many animals, but in particular these two. (You can reach him at mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com or call 214-670-8298.)
The basics on the dogs are these:
Pepper (#A720943) is chipped but her chip isn’t registered. She’s a playful, gentle loving dog.
And Myrtle (#719759) is known as “Fertile Myrtle. Yes, those are her pups.
Officer Cooper first sent out an appeal last Friday. Now, almost a week later, nobody has responded.
He wrote, “If you have been receiving my emails long, you will recall me discussing that while I’m walking through the shelter I try my best to never look a dog directly in the eye. This is for my own sanity! There are those certain dogs who can look at you and their eyes hit you directly in the very pit of your soul. A dog can tell you their entire life story….their fears, their joys and their desperation with one blink of an eye. I have a couple of dogs that have touched me this very way. There is something special in these dogs, and I know this because it’s written in their eyes.
”I cannot properly describe the desperation and feeling of hopelessness that I experience when I met the two dogs below. I walked pass both the first time because I realized it was near impossible to rescue a pregnant Pit mix and then another blue Pity mix. Both make for a difficult save! But their whimper as I walked by gained my second glance and when I turned, it happened. We made direct eye contact and I could not resist.
”I stepped into their kennels and met two very friendly but hopeless looking dogs. At that moment I made them a promise that I would do everything I could to find them a loving home. This is my plea for help!! If you can take two typical ‘underdogs’ into your program I would be grateful. I just know that you, too, will fall in love with the dogs much like I have. …. I’m holding out hope that their soulful eyes will find themselves in the arms of a loving adopter who can love them the way they deserve.”
Again, here’s the contact info:  mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com  or call 214-670-8298.
^^^ ^^^ SPAY AND NEUTER ^^^ ^
CONTEMPLATIONS: We’re going to make the preceding item our contemplation for today. Mark said enough to get a heart to thinking about how to help an animal. Let’s hope the hearts respond. And, in honor of Myrtle, spay and neuter.
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In custody, in trouble and needing help...

Long odds, that’s what some animals face around here.
Hard to can’t catch a break. But sometimes it does. We’re going to look at some of those cases today. TomTom and Sadie, for example. And a boatload of kittens.
For crying out loud, there are better solutions than the traditional Texas theory of animal management: “Got an animal problem? Let’s kill it.”  Read on.
SADIE’S SITUATION: Months and months ago a guy was driving two dogs to the Arlington Animal Shelter to dump them, according to the story we got from Wendy Melton of the League of Animal Protectors.
As the truck approached the shelter, Sadie jumped out of the back and injured herself. The other dog “was not kept for adoption.” I think you know what that means.
Said, however, had a great personality around people, so the vet patched her up. Shelter workers fell for her. She was juggled and juggled and finally, a rescue group took her in and placed her in a foster home. But Sadie has a problem with other dogs. So, she turned out not to be a good fit. Things got worse. The rescue group dropped the foster, Wendy says. And, now, Sadie is back in the Arlington animal shelter (# A13373888) and on the clock. Only a rescue group with an open one-dog-only home will work for Sadie.  The shelter contacts are Susan.Waits@arlingtontx.gov and Lynn.Trotter@arlingtontx.gov.
Wendy writes, “Sadie needs to be an only dog.  She is about 3 to 4 years old and doesn't need much exercise -- actually she prefers just to lay at her human’s feet and wait for an occasional pat and some love. …We [League of Animal Protectors] don't want Sadie to die in the shelter, and will do anything to support any other approved safe, one-dog home. We have a dog behaviorist that is willing to provide free assistance to any home that will take Sadie and help with her transition to a safer quieter environment.”
^^ ^^ ^^ Spay and Neuter ^^ ^^ ^^
AND THEN THERE’S TOMTOM: The story of TomTom comes from Debbie Danilow of Heart2Heart Animal Rescue in Fort Worth.
As you can see from the photos TomTom is an inquisitive fellow. He obviously enjoys a good look at a counter. And in that photo with the human, TomTom is getting one of those “special” exams that makes a dog wonder what in the world is going on. Still, he put up with it without a squawk.
Debbie says that “Basically, TomTom has had an abusive start in life but he is a big sweet clown. He was pulled from Everman Shelter on Thursday (May 10). A group of us had been working really hard to save his life as he was on the EU line and was scheduled to be put down at 5 p.m. m. on Thursday.  I finally found a vet who would vet him and board him for us and the transporter got into a traffic pile up and arrived at 4:59PM.  We were all on pins and needles but we got him out in time.
”He was fully vetted at the Frisco Pet Medical Center and is now in boarding at Boarding Bungalow in Frisco where he is receiving a TON of affection.  He will be neutered on Monday May 21, 2012 and is looking for a forever home.”
He is up to date on shots and is heartworm negative. He’s about 3 and weighs in at 70 pounds.
All he needs is a home, a place to go that isn’t “boarding.”
Contact Deb at  817 293 6451 or 817 919 8284 or by emailing  debbie@debbiedanilow.com or debbie@debbiedanilow.net.
That counter photo slays me – I’ve seen it for years only now and then one of our dogs likes to help him or her self to a bite of whatever was left there for just a split-second.
^^ ^^ ^^ Spay and Neuter ^^ ^^ ^^
BE ON THE LOOKOUT: MID-AFTERNOON UPDATE. This dog has been found safe. More later.
Allan Hayslip sends us a note this morning about this dog Afghan. Here’s the story:
”My sweet dog Afghan is missing. She got out from my ex-wife's friend's house near Park Lane and Hillcrest Road in Dallas sometime late Monday 5/14 or early Tuesday 5/15.
I helped bring this baby into the world with her 7 littermates...I'm kinda attached. We named her Afghan because when she was a puppy she laid out on our chests flat, like an Afghan rug your Gramma might've made.
”Afghan is very sweet and friendly, about 12 years old. Wearing a collar but no tag, and (embarrassingly enough) not micro-chipped. Some people think she looks like a Golden Retriever, but actually she's a Chow/Collie/mutt mix. This picture of her face is accurate, but she has recently had a shave down to her summer coiffure, which usually looks kinda silly….She's about 65-75 pounds.” (Click on the artwork to make it larger.)
”We're obviously scared for her, and would really like to bring her home.”
If you know the whereabouts of Afghan, call 214-395-0732 or email thinktankubator@gmail.com .
^^ ^^ ^^ Spay and Neuter ^^ ^^ ^^
PREGNANT BEAGLE: The volunteer shelter walker at Collin County Animal Services reports that there’s a pregnant Beagle there and efforts are being made to find a place for her to go so she won’t have her babies in a shelter environment.  She’s #350859. Email ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us.
^^ ^^ ^^ Spay and Neuter ^^ ^^ ^^
KITTENS AND A TWITCHY DOG: Holy mackerel. Look at the kittens. And these are just a few of the kittens (that's a litter of FIVE left) currently waiting for adoption, rescue or the needle at the Dallas Animal Services shelter.
We got their photos courtesy of shelter walker Kelly Bond of Homeward Bound Animal Rescue.
And, while the kittens are waiting, inexplicably the Twitchy Dog of Dallas also waits for a rescue. (We told his story earlier in the week – Pat Rodriguez rescued him from a desperate spot in West Dallas.) He’s about a year old, weighs 40 pounds and is apparently a distemper survivor. Now he’s in a shelter where, if nobody steps up for him, he will have beaten distemper only to be done in by the system that says make room for unwanted animals by killing the unwanted animals that are already there.
Unless the human step up to save this dog and these kittens, it’s curtains for all of them.  That’s just the way it works. What do you want the shelter to do? Use tax dollars to buy an empty downtown office building and convert it into Condos for Critters?
Saving animals depends on public participation.
To offer to help these animals e-mail kelbond@sbcglobal.net or mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com.
Dallas Animal Services’ Adoption Center is at I-30 and Westmoreland in West Dallas. You can read more about it at www.dallasanimalservices.org.
And, yeah, I’d go get that dog and a basketful of kittens but we’re already at the Dallas limit her at Casa de Loco.
^^ ^^ ^^ Spay and Neuter  ^^ ^^ ^^
AND IN CANTON: Janet Bouchard, who tipped us to Duke (see yesterday’s Cocker Spaniel crisis), tells us today that “there is a beautiful 2-3 year old, owner-surrendered, neutered male Cocker in the Canton ‘high kill’ Shelter. Can you all get him sprung?”
You can get that purebred fellow for twenty-five lousy dollars. That will save his life. To see shelter contact info, click HERE.
Larry aside: Cocker Spaniels should not be in cages awaiting the needle. It's immoral. They should be at home, guiding humans through life.
^^ ^^ ^^ Spay and Neuter ^^ ^^ ^^
BIG WEEKEND FOR FLOWER MOUND: Dot Lott, the dog adoption coordinator for the Humane Society of Flower Mound (www.fmhs.org), sent us word about two events on Saturday that will benefit the society and its animals.
At 7:30 a.m., there’s the Wellington Fun Run at the Wellington Athletic Center – it’s a traditional big money-raiser for the HSFM. The event (dogs are welcome) starts at 7:30 a.m. at Wellington Athletic Club & Fitness Center. Registration is $25 until the day of the event when it jumps to $35. (Click HERE.)
Then, at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, there’s the Humane Society of Flower Mount Scavenger Hunt. Registration starts at 4:30 p.m. at Johnny Brusco’s, then the teams begin the hunt at 4:14 p.m. Cost you $15 a person. Click HERE for more info.
Now, you may wonder about that obvious Earhound in the picture. That is Tyler, a 6-year-old, 8-pound Yorkie – he and his lookalike. littermate brother, Austin, are among the animals the Society has up for adoption. They also are among the animals that the charity events benefit.
When I told Dot that I was going to use Tyler’s photo and mention his brother, she replied, “That would be awesome. We have had those 2 for over 8 months and would LOVE for them to find their forever home.”
Why would such cute Yorkers go unwanted for 8 months? All I can think of is they have a history of running up cell phone bills, joyriding in stolen cars or making prank phone calls to Bo at the White House.
^^ ^^ ^^ Spay and Neuter ^^ ^^ ^^
CONTEMPLATIONS: We went to a wedding over the weekend. Felt good. Weddings are much better for your soul than most other gatherings. True fact. … Best movie seen in your childhood: Darby O’Gill and the Little People? Old Yeller? Rio Bravo? Whoa. John Wayne and Walt Disney. Was that an all-American childhood or what? … Idea for a TV reality show: Real Knuckleheads of Politics. Heck, yeah, there would be something for everybody. This is a democracy – knuckleheads are allowed.
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Issues and animals...

NOON HOUR UPDATE: The City of Carrollton's Animal Services workers sent out this noontime note. It's bleak.
"No adoptions today, and/or no rescue tags, not even a phone call about any of the animals on this week’s urgent list. Please, if you can help take just one we would be grateful."
There are about a dozen animals on the city's euthanasia list today -- dogs, cats and two guinea pigs.
Usually Carrollton enjoys amazing success. Things must be tough all over, as they say.
To help Carrollton save the animals, call 972-466-3420 or e-mail CARE@cityofcarrollton.com.
^^ ^^ ^^ Spay and neuter ^^ ^^ ^^
For some reason Tuesday has brought a number of animal issues to the spotlight, ranging from Austin’s no-kill backslide to awful abuse to…well, let’s note that it’s not all bad. Buddy the Dog has escaped the needle and gone to a home.
Please read on. Today’s edition of Readlarrypowell.com brought to you by people who actually do donnez un rien, pardon my French.
AFTERMATH: You may have seen an e-mail yesterday with the subject line “Please Help!  Rescue Disbanded--Dogs Displaced!” Here’s the “why.”
Last week, a former Everman animal control officer Teresa Weldon was arrested during an investigation of animal cruelty at her home near Springtown. Fifty-eight animals were seized by Parker County authorities.
Ms. Weldon’s rescue group was 4 Paws and Hooves and that site has been deactivated.
There are animals that were in foster homes affiliated with this rescue group and now a discreet attempt is underway to find safe havens for those animals. These are some of them: The little dogs are Maui and Aloha and the well-behaved pit girl is Honey.
A third party tells us that one of the rescuer/fosters, shattered by this news, is “working so hard to save these pets and to keep them from going to local shelters that are already bursting at the seams.” The report is that other fosters are “bailing and calling her for help.”
.Our contact writes that it is not the fault of the trusting fosters and volunteers that the organization has collapsed. “We're only thinking of the welfare of these pets.”
To ask about helping these people help the twice-victimized animals, e-mail nuttallt@yahoo.com.
You can read about the seizure in The Weatherford Democrat – the original story is HERE and a story about city shelters’ involvement with Ms. Weldon is HERE.
[Larry aside: Through the years we have seen quite a few of these things – people winding up in trouble because their hearts or their goals were too big for their pocketbooks or their abilities. Surely there has been some study somewhere that advises how to prevent this sort of thing. We know for a fact that some of these poor souls would not have ever wanted to put an animal in danger. Things just became overwhelming.]
BUDDY GETS A HOME You may recall that last week we told the story of Buddy, a free-roaming 42-pound Pit boy who was saved from traffic by a couple who tried to find a place for him to go for 3 weeks, then finally surrendered him to the Arlington Animal Services shelter and, of course, immediately began to catch flack for “killing this dog by putting her in that shelter.”
Things have worked out. The couple monitored the dog’s situation at the shelter, made contacts and here’s the report we got last night from Buddy’s finder:
”Buddy got neutered today but you wouldn't know it as he was his usual boisterous, happy, loving self. He headed off this evening and never looked backed. I think Buddy loves and trusts the world - he embraces the people he's with. The family getting him is very excited, especially the 10-year-old girl. Buddy will get to be in the house, sleep in her bed and be spoiled as the only dog. Thank you for your great story. It meant a lot to me that you gave up so much of your column to our sweet Buddy.”
And, of course, Readlarrypowell.com is proud to be associated with happy endings though we must remind our Dear Readers that they are the people who do the hard, sometimes heart-wrenching work and our spot on the World Wide Web is merely a conduit for telling of the work of angels.
May Buddy have a long, long happy life and never want for the soft touch of a loving human.
MEANWHILE, BACK IN ARLINGTON: This morning, Susan Tandukar, a volunteer with Partners of Arlington Animal Services wrote to us about Romeo – he’s #16175603 in the city’s shelter.
(The organization has a Facebook page.)
This is the big dog Romeo in before and after pictures. In one you can see how his entire head is swollen and in the other you can see the raw ring on his neck.
Here is the story from Susan who says, "Romeo was found out wandering around in Arlington last week with a jump rope wound so tightly around his neck that it had to be surgically removed once he was brought into the shelter.  His face was extremely swollen from this as well.  He is doing better and a lot of the swelling has gone down, but he will need a LOT of TLC and will be available to ‘rescue only’ when his hold time is up.  His hold is up tonight at 6:09 p.m. and [he] will become urgent by tomorrow morning.”
”Urgent,” of course, means that he’s on the clock. And, really, who wants a brown dog like this? Nobody. Nope, give me a little fluffy dog or a tiny lap dog or a purebred with a majestic countenance. Don’t’ give me an ol’ beat-up, abused shelter dog.*
Susan says, “He has beautiful amber eyes and just needs someone to show him that not all humans are bad and to give him the love and care that he truly deserves.
To ask about Romeo, get in touch with the Arlington shelter (you can Google it) by e-mailing lynn.trotter@arlingtontx.gov and susan.waits@arlingtontx.gov, .
Yeah, who needs a brown dog around the house? They rarely match the furniture.*
*Cynical comments presented through the courtesy of Readlarrypowell.com’s Free Cynical Comments Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary that focuses on the attitudes of people who have never adopted an ugly ol’ dawg. FYI: The beauty of a dog is in the heart.
AUSTIN BACKSLIDES AS A NO-KILL CITY: Goodness gracious, there appears to be an outbreak of unwanted animals in Austin and that is resulting in the city’s much-praised “no-kill” status vanishing. The Austin American-Statesman ahs a report about 15 dogs being killed for space on Friday – read it HERE. And USA Today had a story in March that sort of explained the no-kill challenges. And it had a comment from the no-kill advocate (though who isn’t, really?) Nathan Winograd. Read it HERE.
FRISCO AND A SHELTER INITIATIVE: DeDe Whitcombe, the rescuer who is with  the No-Kill Collin County effort, says that tonight Frisco City Council Member Bob Allen is scheduled to “present a shelter resolution challenge to the other Frisco city council members for approval. This resolution will also serve as a challenge to city councils in the other Collin County cities that use the [Collin County Animal Services] shelter. The resolution as written supports 4 new (shelter) positions, directional signage and monthly staff updates/reports during the council meetings.”
To read more about this effort, go to the No Kill Collin County site HERE  or see the organization’s Facebook page HERE.
WANT TO GET GOOD AND MAD? Go to the Texas Humane Legislation Network website, www.thln.org, and read about the horrors in East Texas – a guy beating a tethered dog to death and another guy burning live dogs in a fire pit. These two cases are “Action Alerts” on the THLN site. The counties involved – Van Zandt on the beating and Wood on the burning – are no strangers to mistreatment of animals.
While we’re at it, does anyone have info on a Kaufman County dog-fighting investigation that has been scuttled? Perhaps a year-long investigation? Involves mean people? Please let us know at dallrp@aol.com.
HELPING A COCKER: As visitors to Readlarrypowell.com know, we have a great fondness for Cocker Spaniels – this is because the amazing Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, is our constant companion and literary advisor.
Here’s a 6-year-old fellow whose human has died. And, yet we don’t even know his name – though he probably does. We’re trying to find out. OK, this just in -- and we should have guessed -- his name is "Duke."
Janet Bouchard is trying to help Duke, who currently lives in Canton. She says that the fellow who died “left him in the care of a family member, who travels a lot and is looking for a home for him. He is 6 years old, neutered, UTD on vetting, likes kids as long as they play nice, and likes cats and other dogs.”
Ask about him by e-mailing jbouchard2009@yahoo.com.
FOLLOWING UP ON FRANK: Yesterday we reported about the quiet returned of this Schipperke Frank to his home in Parker – he’d wandered out of his yard while his humans, Alex and Patrick Taylor were busy. Took advantage of an open gate while being on an unauthorized excursion.
Anyway, his humans left the gate open and put out food and, sure enough, Frank came home.
Alex says it was Patrick’s idea to leave the gate open and put the food out so Frank would have something waiting when he returned.
She says she has “a list of things to do ‘if your pet gets lost.’ I guess I will have to add ‘leave the gate open.’”
Alex also says that when Frank vanished she “emailed all the city shelters and surprisingly most of them replied to me, which I was not expecting. This is something else people could do.”
Here is the list Alex provided (and we provide this list because we suspect Frank will not be the last dog who finds a way to go on a neighborhood “walkabout”). Alex’s list:
--Put up flyers and signs in the area with a photo of the pet. It's good to write the animal is sick and needs medicine. You want to say needs medication so someone will think it’s sick and will not be tempted to keep it.
--Put a sign up in your front yard with a photo of the pet.
--Call and go by animal control several times a week
--Fax pictures of your lost pet to the shelters in your area each week.
--Call all of the local shelters around your area.
--Put reward on your posters and signs.  That causes kids to look for the pet, too.
--Put an ad in a local paper.
--Put up notices up at all the vet’s offices in your area.
--Put a note out for your mailman. He would be the most likely to see the pet. (I found my aunt's lost dog via the mailman one time)
--Visit this website. Is the best website out there on lost pets: http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/index.php
--Pet Tracker is an incredible tool to use when finding lost pets Dog-Gone Detectives Specializing in locating your lost pet using trained search K-9s.
”Also,” Alex adds, “A friend told me to put a lost pet ad in Craig’s List. She said she found two puppies that a friend of her’s lost a while back.”
So, there you have some suggestions from one person whose dog “ran away.” No doubt some people will have things to add or reasons to tweak some of these notes. Feel free to offer your suggestions by clicking on “COMMENT” below.
As for Frank, Alex says, “I would love to know where in this world he was that whole time.”
Perhaps they’ll find out when the credit card bills come in next month. Frank looks like he’d stay in a high-class hotel and run up a pretty good room service bill.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Why is East Texas such a hellish place for animals? Dog-fighting, cruelty, dumping, etc.  … A pleasant thought: Name your favorite non-holiday old movie. Some suggestions: My Man Godfrey with William Powell, The Day The Earth Stood Still with Michael Rennie, Play It Again, Sam with Woody Allen, Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart. See, this could go on a while. … How things change: Remember when “app” was simply the first syllable in “Appaloosa?”
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P.S. Click HERE and turn your speakers up.

On Monday, a twitching dog, depressed hound, found Frank and a movie review.../

Whoooooboy, whole week ahead of us. Let get rollin’ and remember, Readlarrypowell isn’t just dedicated to making the world better for animals. We want to make it better for people, too.
But handing out money would be too easy, so we’ll dispense helpful contemplations later today. Now, some challenges and triumphs:
A TWITCHY DOG: Oh, well, goodness, this West Dallas boy appears to be a distemper survivor. Yes, there are such things – not in a shelter, of course, because most shelters can’t handle the expense or challenges of dealing with the highly contagious disease.
Every now and then, out in the world, a distemper survivor shows up. They have an odd twitch – like a Tourette’s victim in humans. Not even a problem if you understand it.
This dog probably is one of those guys who beat distemper. We get his story from rescuer Pat Rodriguez who, recognizing how you dear Readers ar big-hearted, asks, “Will you share this story with your readers?” Absolutely.
Here it is from Pat: “Last Sunday (May 6) I was feeding a mom dog with puppies in Dallas, just off Singleton.  I met the people who lived nearby and gave them my card.  On Tuesday (May 8) the wife called me to tell me there was a dog running around that looked lame.  I went out to see him on May 10 and he certainly had an issue.  He twitches.  I’m not sure what the problem was and I circulated his video around hoping someone would volunteer to help him or to help pay for a vet visit.  No such luck. 
”So, reluctantly, I brought him to DAS.  His number is A721674 and most likely he won’t make it out alive unless a rescue steps up, and they usually won’t unless someone agrees to foster.  His 3-day period ends on May 17 so he needs a miracle before then.  “The dog is about 40 pounds and seems to be around a year old.  He is super friendly, he got into my car with no issues and wanted to put his head on my lap (awwww).  If anyone can  help, email Mark Cooper at DAS at mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com and use the title “Want to rescue/foster A721674.”
The video is HERE.
We know for a fact that the shelter hustles to get animals out of there – but the shelter is working against some tough competition because the city is bless with a staggering number of free-roaming idiots who neither properly tend to their animals nor spay and neuter the critters.
Be a shame for a dog to beat distemper and beat wandering on the streets just to get the death needle in the taxpayer-financed animal shelter. More than a shame. It’s immoral – killing to make room for the next unwanted load of animals to be killed.
It’s also the ol’ theory of animal management in Texas: Got an animal problem? Let’s kill it.
Takes elected officials being enlightened to change that theory.
TWO IN COLLIN COUNTY:  Usually the people who walk shelters or work in shelters control their emotions. Here’s an example that involves two dumped dogs.
Allison Roberts, the volunteer shelter walker at Collin County Animal Services in McKinney, began her note, “Didn't want to put any curse words in the subject, but these 2 cases just infuriate me.  Sometimes I respect the ones that actually come in to surrender their dog more than the ones that know their dog is missing but never come to get them.
”First, a senior shepherd mix [8 years old] had a rabies tag from 2009 (not great, but better than nothing). After calls not returned, an awesome volunteer did some sleuthing, found the address, and saw a home where a dog clearly had lived on a CHAIN in the backyard. This boy deserves to finish out his life being loved as an INDOOR dog!”
(He is #350885 – “calm and sweet,” the shelter says.”)
The second dog, Allison says, is “a very depressed Hound mix.” As you can see, #351114 (known as "Copper") is certainly mopey in his kennel. The Hound “had a microchip - only 3 years old and won't budge out of his kennel. He’s so sad -- his owners didn't return calls -- the dog was found on the SAME street where the chip was registered.  So our sleuthing volunteer went to the house and left them a note. They called, annoyed that they'd been left a note (annoyed that a perfect stranger cares more about their dog than they do, I guess), and said they didn't want him.”
Adding to complications is the fact that the shelter “is overflowing,” and that puts all animals at peril. To offer to help these animals or any animals in the shelter, e-mail ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us.
The shelter is closed on Mondays, but staff is there and monitoring calls and messages from rescue groups. Call 972-547-7292. See the shelter Facebook page HERE and you can see the stray hold dogs HERE.
MARILYN WAITS: We mentioned this dog lat week – a 35-40-pound shepherd mix named Marilyn who needs a foster for 4 to 6 weeks. She has special medical needs because of exposure to distemper. Michelle Cook is trying to get her placed. You may recall that Marilyn had puppies, was in a shelter and all the puppies died after being rescued.
To offer to help call 214-407-0118 or e-mail twopupmom@yahoo.com.  You may recall that Marilyn has a place to go in Illinois as soon as she gets the medical OK to travel.
And, Michelle laments something that perhaps other rescuers have said, “In an entire metroplex of nearly 6 million people, there has to be someone out there who can help.”
Can I get an “Amen!”?
BEDFORD PRESSURED: Oh, goodness, Maryann Izzarelli of Team Bedford’s Facebook page has issued a desperate call.
She writes this morning, “We are needing help with adopters, fosters and rescues at Bedford.  We have been able to hold animals for extended amounts of time in order to give them a greater chance of finding homes, but we're overflowing with dogs and cats. (I know everyone is, though)  Any help or mention at all would be so greatly appreciated.  I'm adding several new photos to the Facebook page this morning.”
Here are some Bedford links. Click on the titles: Bedford Facebook, Bedford Medical Fund and Bedford’s PetFinder site.
Oh, that dog? Why that is one of Bedford’s animals – a terrier mix named Pepper Potts – yep, same name as the Gwyneth Paltrow character in the film The Avengers (more on that in contemplations). Pepper the character is a loyal assistant, doggedly pursuing everything Tony (Ironman) Stark needs. Pepper the dog is, well, adoptable.
AND IN BURNS FLAT: Here’s the Mother’s Day story from Terry Lynn Fisher, our rescue contact in little Burns Flat, Okla., way out west.
She writes, “I was praying for a Mother’s Day miracle for this sweet mom and her little babies” – one of whom is taking advantage of being close to mom’s spigots!
Here’s the backstory: “Someone threw her and a box of SIX babies out on a country road. For two weeks, a family saw mom and fed her. She was too scared to go to them, so it took them awhile to realize she was nursing. They finally followed her and found some VERY fat babies.
”While struggling to keep herself fed, she worked miracles keeping her little ones safe.
”The couple took the babies home, and as they drove slowly, this momma followed. Once at the house, they finally convinced her to come to them. She is now very sweet, loving and friendly...and still a very good momma. The family has several dogs they have already took in, so they really need to find a place for this precious family to go.”
To offer to help, call Terry Lynn at 580-330-1459 or e-mail remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.
FRANK’S ADVENTURE: Everybody relax. Frank is home. This is Frank.
The word went out yesterday that Frank had gone missing from the home of Patrick and Alex Taylor in Parker. The home has a doggie door that Frank adores. Patrick was in the yard doing some work. Frank went out, the back gate was open and he vanished.
He came home last night on his own.
Alex has some tips for finding lost dogs and we’ll discuss them tomorrow on Readlarrypowell.com. But, for today, we wanted to let you know that Frank is home safe.
They left the back gate open and put some food out for him and, sure enough, the lure of home was too great.
Either that or he left with his ATM card, hitched a ride to an Oklahoma casino and came back when he was ahead at the blackjack table. Dogs are notorious gamblers.
CONTEMPLATIONS: I swear this morning as I was beginning work on today’s edition of Readlarrypowell.com I heard, in the background, one of the morning cable anchors on a really chirpy show say, “This is from America’s Got Talent in England.” They were discussing the dancing dog that had won “Britain’s Got Talent” last week. I’m sure it was just a case of a tongue running ahead of a brain. Surely. … Texas Rangers fans:  Have you ever seen a baseball team with so much power? So much pitching? So much income from attendance? Will the Rangers be America’s Baseball Team? … That photo? That is 2D Larry – an art shot captured by a cell phone camera aimed by the driver of the car, my funspouse Martha. She and our pal Jo and I had just seen the 3D version of The Avengers. I liked the glasses. That’s me. 2DLarry, the Movie Reviewer. This film is a trial. Those actors really must really need money if they sell their skills for this stuff. I’ll bet there aren’t 3 sheets of dialogue in the whole movie. Poor Robert Downey Jr. -- he was nominated for an Oscar for Chaplin (he lost to Al Pacino who stunk up the screen in Scent of a Woman and has been unable to shake that character ever since. Hoohah or hoorah or whatever it is they hoo.)
Maybe The Avengers is for people who love a couple of hours of not thinking, not having to follow a plot, not having to catch a quick, funny line and not having to rise above the level of … Oh, yeah, this an exercise in ego for computer artists – why else would beings from another solar system arrive and invade the earth in people-moving machines that look like some kind of prehistoric carnivorous fish creatures with teeth?  Where’s the practicality in that design? Look, I almost never want my money back after a movie (my cinemaspouse Martha bought the tickets) but I did after this one. Maybe I expect too much – after all, I was raised on Disney and a talking mouse. Yes, I am still wearing the glasses and the vOwElls lOOk As If they ArE jUmpIng OUt At mE!| I just felt I needed to write this as a warning in case you are one of the few filmgoers with good sense still thinking about attending this movie. Read a comic book instead.
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The Sleeping Face, or The Tranquil Dynamic

Every now and then you spot an animal with a face built for sleeping.
That’s how this cat won the spotlight in this weekend’s edition of “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.”
Of course, we don’t really want this one to be napping. And we have a good reason. She needs to wake up and go to a new home.
I was going through a bunch of Dallas Animal Services available cats -- photos sent around the cybervilization by shelter walker Kelly Bond of Homeward Bound Animal Rescue. She'd spotted a whole bunch of adoptable cats at the city shelter. Newborns, young, middle-aged and a little older.
Apparently the kitten season is vibrant around here.
But, as a resident of the City of Dallas for more than three decades I've come to recognize that Dallas has a number of cat seasons:
There's the “Let Your Intact Boy Cat Roam and Get Picked Up Season.”
There's the "That Cat Keeps Having Kittens Git Rid of Her Season."  
There's the “Dump That Cat Or I’ll Divorce You Season.”
And, of course, each spring there is the "SNEEZE! Take That Cat To The Pound I'm Allergic Season."
Oh, one more. "The We Just Had a Baby Git Rid  of the Cat Season."
Whatever season it is, DAS always has plenty of cats thanks to curious combination of rocket scientists and village idiots that inhabit the town.
Now, I don't know why this sleeping cat happened to be in the shelter. I can guarantee you she didn't walk up to the door and demand asylum.This cat is female #A720410 – if she hasn’t already been adopted and given a name.
Kelly’s report says the cat weighs 6 ½ pounds, is very friendly and “really enjoyed the pets I gave her.” [Go to www.dallasanimalservices.org to see how to adopt the cat or to see other cats. You may also email mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com or kelbond@sbcglobal.net.]
Remember, a sleeping cat is a sign of tranquility. Or it could be a sign that the cat finally backed the pesky dog into an open closet and slammed the door, then went back to the couch to nap.
[To nominate your family or rescue group or shelter snoozer for our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, e-mail photo and info to dallrp@aol.com. We’re proud to be nodding off in the vanguard of the battle against insomnia.]
A SPECIAL AT CCAS FOR RNs, LVNs, ANY Ns: On Tuesday, Collin County Animal Services ran a “Teachers Appreciation Adoption Day” and our tipster, Miranda Flick, the volunteer coordinator, says the day resulted in 8 adoptions.
On Saturday, it’s Nurse Appreciation Adoption Day at the shelter – all adoptions just $25. . Marketing – that may be what saves the animals all over North Texas.
AVAILABLE KITTEN: I stopped by our vet’s office this morning, Vet Stop at Colorado and Beckley, across from Methodist Hospital, Walgreen’s or El Fenix, depending on your needs. (We prefer “across from El Fenix.)
Nearly took home a kitten. They had a spare short-haired gray kitten with lots of fantastically vivid black stripes – an adorable kitten with a vibrant personality. (Email me at dallrp@aol.com and I’ll put you touch with ‘em.) And if someone beats you to that rascally kitten, just check back, another one is bound to come along. This kitten was one of a trio of gray kittens left in a box on the clinic doorstep.
A show of hands, please, by you vets who have never had some clown leave a box of kittens at your door or an unwanted puppy tied to the shrubbery. Yeah, I didn't think anybody would raise a hand.
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On Friday, there are opportunities...

Is Friday the most beloved day of the week? As you ponder that, please read on and we’ll try to mention a lot of things in today’s edition of Readlarrypowell.com from Dallas dog to a Fort Worth dog with a New England link. Read on:.
A DOG, KARMA AND YOU: You have to trust me on this one, Dear Readers.
If you get this dog Lucy into a rescue group or a home, it will be good karma for you. Good karma.
I cannot reveal why. but, trust me.  This dog has a little moment in her life and I’m honor-bound not to reveal it – yet.
She’s not on any special list at Dallas Animal Services. She’s not known for anything in particular. But you can see from the look on her face that she is a dear dog and she is probably going to make someone an extraordinary companion – given the chance.  [They all will, given the chance – and there are plenty of them at Dallas Animal Services, thanks to the don’t-care residents.]
We can say that she is curious enough to go through open doors and has an inner happiness that may be contagious. But don’t they all.
Her name is Lucy – at least while she’s at the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center where she arrived as a stray. She’s around 2 years old and weighs 43 pounds.
What breed is she? Some say Chow mix. Some say German Shepherd mix. And a couple say Golden Retriever/Collie mix. Whatever she is, she’s on the clock. To see how to adopt her or rescuer her, go to www.dallasanimalservices.org.
BUDDY IN ARLINGTON: This guy Buddy -- we wrote about him yesterday -- may be getting a break. The woman who rescued him by opening her car’s front door so he could jump out of traffic into the back seat, has been working with someone in Austin who is willing to drive to Waco to get him if someone can adopt him and drive him to meet them. Soon as we know, we’ll let you know. Our tipster says, “I’ve looked at their Facebook page (covered in animals with stories about rescues). They are sincere about wanting to rescue Buddy. ... Buddy can’t be released until Monday evening as once he is adopted, he’ll be neutered and chipped. That happens Monday A.M.”
Buddy is #16140313. He’s at the Arlington shelter, 1000 SE Green Oaks. Call 817-459-5898. To see Buddy’s stray page, click HERE.
 EYES OF A SHY DOG: Among the many animals available at Collin County Animal Services in McKinney is this girl, Nina, a 4 –year-old Aussie mix with an astounding set of eyes. She’s “too shy” now, reports volunteer shelter walker Allison Roberts, but the staff has been working with her, keeping her in the office to build her confidence around people. A dog like this doesn’t get to be 4 without having been loved at some point – and that may account for the shyness because, frankly, whoever you are, you’re not the person she grew up loving and she doesn’t know to trust you yet. To ask about her or any animal in the shelter, stop by or email ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us 
Allison says the shelter has set up temporary kennels to hold the overflow of animals. The clock is ticking on them.
A SEIZURE IN PARKER COUNTY: The details are ugly in this story about the seizure of 58 animals and cruelty charges may be involved. See the Fort Worth Star-Telegram story HERE. The animals went to the Weatherford Animal Shelter and efforts are underway to help them. See this Facebook page HERE. The accused is a former animal control officer. The details of the story will make you cringe.
EARHOUNDISH WHISKERCHAMP: We got this cat note this morning from Sydney Busch of Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake which operates, so to speak, the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas.
Of course, when you get kitten and puppy photos from “out at the lake” you have to wonder if people are paying attention to the message of spaying and neutering so the landscape won’t be littered with unwanted kittens. (Larry aside: The clinic stays busy -- so you have to blame the "don't care people." And it's not just the rural and semi-rural areas that are loaded with unwanted litters – the City of Dallas has a ton of kittens in its shelter – go HERE.)
So this cat caught my eye because she’s a black and white girl – regular visitors to Readlarrypowell.com know we have a theory that black and white cats may not be from this planet. Our experience has been that they have odd and dynamic personalities beyond the “usual” cat, if there is such a thing as “a usual cat.”
This one is named Beautiful and at first glance you can see she’s got a big set of ears, so she’s today’s official Readlarrypowell.com Earhound. She also has a championship set of whiskers – just about the same as the wingspan on a whooping crane.
Beautiful is available for adoption – to ask about her, email Mike and Brenda Sessums at mondotiki@gmail.com. She’ll need to be fixed – you might check with Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake to arrange that. Go HERE.
MARILYN THE DOG NEEDS A PLACE TO GO: Michele Cook says she pulled Marilyn the Dog and her four ailing puppies from the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control Shelter in late April The puppies, born April 19, didn’t survive – possibly pneumonia, possibly distemper. Mom Marilyn has a slight cough but the vet says it’s no big deal, Michelle reports. Marilyn is considered a “distemper survivor,” Michelle says.
The mission with Marilyn is to get her completely healthy so she can be transferred to Grahamville Rescue and Sanctuary in Joliet, Ill.
Michelle says, “I am looking for a foster for 4-6 weeks so we can be sure she is completely healed and medically cleared for travel outside of the state.”
To offer to help, text 214-407-0118 (calls only after 5 p.m. M-F)  or e-mail twopupmom@yahoo.com .
FYI: Michelle, who lives in the Dallas area, frequently transports dogs to other states. She is on the board of New England Lab Rescue and, as such, has “gathered a ton of rescue contacts in other states.”
One thing New England has in common with North Texas: Labs get dumped into shelters. And, of course, the ocean views. 
CONTEMPLATIONS: As this is being typed, two dogs are snoozing next to the wheels on the right side of my desk chair. Kind of comforting to be able to reach down and tug their ears or pat their noggins. ... True or false? Listening to the news all day will make you depressed. Watching it all day will make you crazy. Combine the two and you’ll decide to run for office. Think that’s the way it works? ... What kind of evening did we have? We’d settled down – Martha and the dogs watching TV and me at the computer. Then whatever station they were watching ran a commercial for the Twilight Zone. The room was filled with the familiar theme song and I said, “We should have had that song in our wedding” and Martha replied, “Yeah.” She said it as if truth is stranger than fiction.
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Saving critters and some testy attitudes...

{PRE-NOON BULLETIN: Word just in from Metroplex Animal Coalition. The bond reduction hearing in the animal cruelty case of Darius Ewing has been postponed. The judge has recused himself because he had earlier discussed the amount of pain burned dog Justice was feeling with a vet involved in the case. Developing story....]
***
Today we’re going to discuss people who are unpleasant and unhelpful at animal adoptions, but first we’re going to note that May 10 is, according to a national greeting card website, Clean Up Your Room Day.
If you were ever a male teenager, you may have just felt a twinge of guilt about your personal philosophy of “I’ll get that later.”
I wonder if there’s a reason this day comes so close to Mother’s Day?
OK, we’re going to move along now with reports on a dog in a shelter and an abandoned, starving dog who now has a “Mommy.” And, yes, this is wordy today, but, sometimes it takes a lot of words to paint a picture.
BUDDY THE DOG: This story of Buddy needing a home made the rounds earlier in the week, but there’s been a development.
The 42-pound dog is no longer in the home of the person who found him but, since nobody responded, he is now in the Arlington Animal Services Shelter and waiting for either a rescue or a bad date with a needle. You can Google Arlington Animal Services and get about a dozen ways to contact the shelter. The phone numbers are 817-459-6156 (Office) 817-879-7033 (Cell). (I would direct you to the Arlington Animal Shelter website, but it’s a “numbers only-no names” site and I have no idea what Buddy’s number might be. No way of telling, either. I have a Facebook message in to the Friends of Arlington Animal Shelter for help finding Buddy in the shelter. We’ll see how that works out.]
Later today, in “Contemplations” we’re going to address this situation and the need for a course in “How To Comfort and Advise People Who Have Found Animals.”  For now, here’s the finder’s story of Buddy, “a loving, beautiful, totally non-aggressive” year-old Pit mix who, she says, “was in traffic when I first saw him.”
How did he get out of traffic?
”As I opened my car door to keep Buddy from getting killed, Buddy took matters into his own hands and jumped across me and into the back seat," his finder says. "Buddy is such a neat dog that I just knew someone had lost him. He had a collar indentation so I figured he'd slipped his collar. But, posting on the city lost and found and Craig's List lost and found got no responses. No one posted a lost ad matching Buddy's description. Gradually, it became apparent that he'd probably been abandoned at the park near our home - sadly, a common occurrence.”
He was with these people for three weeks “but we cannot keep him,” wrote his finder. “We have health issues that restrict our ability to walk and interact with such a young, energetic dog. We took Buddy to the vet and he's had all his shots, has tested negative for heart worms and had his first month of heart worm preventative treatment.”
Naturally, Buddy hadn’t been neutered, but his finder said she’d pay for that if someone would just take him into an adoption program. “I am getting desperate to find this sweet dog a place to go that isn't a death sentence. Buddy is so non-aggressive you can put your hand into his feed bowl and he just eats around you or licks your hand. He'd actually rather have attention than food. He got a bee sting (the vet thinks) the other day and was hurting. I held him as did the vet and although it was obvious he was hurting behind his ear, he never snapped at anyone. He has been around children at the park (in our presence) and he just licks them. He's fascinated by other dogs and wants to play with them. If we were younger and healthier we would keep this dear dog in a heartbeat, but we aren't. Please, please help us.”
No help developed. And, now, without any rescue group stepping up, Buddy sits on the clock in the Arlington Animal Services Shelter.
In our “Contemplations” section later today, we’ll offer more on the Buddy Story.
And, rescue groups and individuals should feel free to send along this report about Buddy to other animal people, to non-animal people, to anybody with a heart.
A STARVING DOG GETS A BREAK: Our pal Della Wallace, a veteran rescuer and a woman who is vigorous about defending animals from creeps, sent us a note late yesterday with the subject line “JUST SAVED.”
Indeed this is that dog. And she’s now Della’s dog, thanks to some compassionate and big-hearted work by a local animal shelter employee.
Della wrote, “Thought you might be interested to see my latest baby.  Mother's day is coming and she needed a Mother. That will be me. Can you imagine that someone could do this to a little old lady.  She is nothing but a skeleton with skin and has just decided that she doesn't need to shake and tremble
anymore.”
Somebody left this dog – matted and afflicted with terror, in a crate outside a shelter -- the shelter was closed for days. So, no telling how long she was in that crate--just waiting to either die or be found.
Della has embraced this dog and has high praise for the shelter personnel who immediately began cleaning up the dog and feeding her carefully so she would begin recovering from an awful experience. She appears to be 8 to 10 years old which is barely middle-aged for a well-treated Schnauzer.
Della says the shelter folks “spent hours shaving her as she was a total mat and didn’t know she was a Schnauzer until they took off a ‘blanket of mats’.”
Last night, Della’s husband David created a special “enclosure” for the dog in the family bedroom so “she feels safe and doesn’t get under the bed so that we can’t get her out!”
Della says, “She is drinking and eating and now can stand -– isn’t that sad? Wish I could find out who did this.”
There’s one more thing. ”I still have to think up a name for her,” Della says, then asks, “Do any of your readers have any ideas?”
And, here’s the overnight report on the unnamed but adored dog. “She staggers a little bit when she walks.  Seems to take little steps.  Seems her tummy hair was matted to her leg and may have been like that for some time, so she couldn’t take normal steps.  Now that she can, she doesn’t try. 
”I’m thinking she may have been a breeding dog that they didn’t want any more. She does turn in smallish circles.
”Anyway, I was awake all last night with her. (That’s what Mothers are for). She is eating quite well and now is drinking more.  Found out too that she can ‘talk.’ Up until 4a.m. she hadn’t made a sound.  I made her a big pot of jasmine rice to go with her canned food.  She really likes that so that will be her diet for a while.
”She didn’t have any fleas which is surprising, although I don’t think they could have got through the thick mat of hair to bite her, so they didn’t bother to stay.  Anyway, she is safe and warm and has met my other wards and all is well.”
To offer a name for this sweet, obviously beginning-to-adjust dog, click on COMMENTS at the end of our daily report or e-mail dallrp@aol.com.
MOLLY’S PLIGHT: Back in February we wrote about “Stacey the Stylist” and attempts to find a home for Sally the Earhound. Stacey Carney reports that Sally is in a happy home now and doing great. That brings us to Molly, Stacey’s latest project.
This is Molly and she can be delivered – currently she’s in boarding at a facility in Burleson but needs to move out by May 15, Stacey says.
Molly, a Shepherd mix, is about 2, spayed, healthy and vaccinated.
She was rescued from the Weatherford Shelter. Why was she in a shelter? A kid in the home turned out to be allergic to her.
She’s an indoor dog and is crate-trained.
Because she’s been in the relative confines of a boarding facility, she doesn’t “show well” at adoption events because, her keepers say, “she is so happy and excited to be out with people.”
To offer to help Molly, e-mail Stacey_the_stylist@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS: As Readlarrypowell.com has long preached, some of the best “people people” we know are “animal people.” We do have to admit, some of the worst “people people” we know also happen to be animal people.
But, bless their hearts, they mean well – and don’t you feel bad saying that about someone.
The Buddy story set me to thinking about how most animal people are pretty swell, but now and again, there are some real pistols on the front lines.
The Finder of Buddy wrote, “I'm not answering the phone right now because some people have been very heartless about the decision we had to make regarding Buddy. The fact that we kept him out of traffic, spent several hundred on him for shots and treatment and gave him a loving home for 3 weeks means nothing to some. My health is poor and no one, NO ONE, had stepped up to take Buddy, not even to foster him. We took him to a [major pet store] last week that is 45 minutes from our home. My husband stayed there until the rescue rep showed up (two hours late). She literally turned her back on my husband on the third question she asked: ‘How does he behave in the home?’ When he explained that we couldn't bring Buddy inside, she said, ‘I can't help you. I don't adopt outdoor dogs.’ Not one word about who might help, that she appreciated us trying, that maybe we could take Buddy to someone else's house to try him out -- nothing. She was so rude that people from another rescue group who overheard the conversation called us to apologize. This has been a terrible, eye-opening, experience.”
That’s ugly, isn’t it?
What happens sometimes is animal people get frustrated and they get mad and they forget their manners. That’s a bad face to put on animal rescue. And, sometimes, they have the personalities of a corporate executive with boils on his buttocks.
One of the mannerly guys in animal rescue is the renowned shelter photographer Russell Posch who focuses on animals that are in the Irving Shelter. He had been in touch with the woman who had Buddy the Dog (our first item today). And, as reported earlier, she had, after weeks of trying to find a place for Buddy to go, reluctantly placed him with the Arlington Animal Services. And that created some unpleasantness in her life.
While dealing with Buddy was quite pleasant for this person, dealing with people (other than Russell and I, of course) has not been all that swell.
I asked the Finder of Buddy to tell us about this situation.
Remember, my dear Readers, ol’ Larry's boots ain’t new backstage at the rodeo. I’ve waded through some crabby people in rescue work. I’ve witnessed the “us vs.them” attitudes. So, here’s the insightful report on The Buddy Story from the person who opened the car door so Buddy the Dog could get out of traffic. It confirms the old line “No good deed goes unpunished.” Read on:
”This experience has truly been one of highs and extreme lows. I'm grateful for the opportunity we had to meet and care about Buddy. He's such a loving, life-loving dog. Buddy just wanted people and other dogs to play with. He'd forgo eating to be near a person. He was exuberant and could knock me over in his excitement, yet, I never saw him act like that around a child. I walked Buddy in the park every day for the almost 3 weeks we had him and many children, from toddlers to older kids, came up to Buddy. Somehow he sensed the need to be calm. He would sit very still and lick their face. It was really amazing to watch. Those were the highs.
”The lows were the attitude towards us from people because we couldn't let Buddy in the house (due to my health) and because we eventually placed him in the shelter.
“The group that walked away from my husband (after he walked around [the pet store] for two hours on his disabled feet) was [name withheld out of kindness]. She was rude, said she doesn't work with ‘outdoor dogs’ and turned away.
“Another group (not sure of their name) has been texting my daughter. When they found out we'd taken Buddy to the shelter they sent a text with negative comments about the Arlington shelter and that Buddy had probably already been ‘killed.’ She then tried to tell us she had a foster home for Buddy. I've met the woman who wants to ‘foster’ Buddy as she lives in my neighborhood and contacted me. I know she means well but she lives in a duplex with six dogs. She literally works 7 days a week at her two jobs. One of her dogs is a 90-pound Pit that has to be kept away from the other dogs as he fights to kill (her words). She told me that Buddy would be in a crate. I felt his chances were better at the shelter than they were in that environment. Of course, if she goes to get him, I can't stop her.
“Many people have posted Buddy on Facebook, talked to friends and co-workers or put up posters. Yet, Buddy still (to my knowledge) doesn't have a home. Many people have also offered to pay the $45 adoption fee (it's low because we paid our vet to give him all his shots, heartworm and parasite tests, and first month of heartworm prevention) and to pay to have him neutered. Neighbors have offered to drive Buddy where ever we could find a home. We have a great neighborhood email system so many people got to know Buddy from my emails and pictures of Buddy.
“Today, when [the phone rang]... I just couldn't answer the phone. I can't be berated because I couldn't keep Buddy. ... It was heart wrenching for my husband to take Buddy to the shelter. I have cried for him and am scared that he will reach the end of his adoption period and still be there. What do I do then?
“In talking to people who love animals and have many animals, I've found a universal theme - to try not to see a stray dog because if you help it, you're probably going to end up keeping it.
”I spoke to many people who had rescued multiple dogs from the park in our neighborhood. Two very dedicated women care for feral cat colonies in this area. They feed the cats daily with their own funds or the donations from neighbors. They trap and neuter, again, out of their own pocket. I ‘have’ a feral cat I call Scamp. She hangs out in our yard (well, she did until Buddy came around) and depends on us for food.  She was a kitten when she first arrived but was/is very wild - won't let anyone touch her. I've been trying to earn her trust for months. We trapped her - she was pregnant so we terminated the pregnancy and had her spayed and vaccinated. Scamp returned to the back yard the same day Buddy left the yard. She looks thinner because she had come to count on us for food. Scamp is probably the only one who is happy about Buddy leaving.
”This is a long email and probably full of info you don't need, but I appreciate the fact that you are going to spotlight Buddy. If I can provide you any information or help in any other way, please let me know.  Thank you.”
So, the message to all of us who try to help animals is "Be nice -- even to people." And, for crying out loud, someone try to save Buddy.
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