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Lost, found, waiting and the season...

On Tuesday, we hustle to report a number of things. Here goes:

BE ON THE LOOKOUT:  Flower Mound High School Teacher Dan Blier went to DFW Airport on Nov. 28 to pick up somebody and brought Georgie, his year-old Jack Russell with him.

But Georgie slipped his collar near Terminal E and ran off into the parking garages, Dan Says.

“I hired Dog Gone Detectives (this is a Lewisville business) to follow his trail using a search dog.  They were able to follow his trail all the way to the south entrance of the airport.  It appears that someone picked him up at this point.  There is no sign of him being hurt or harmed as I have been calling local animal control and shelters, DFW airport police and DFW Airport Operations.  It is basically impossible for us to post a lost dog sign in this location as it is not a residential neighborhood and people drive through this area at high speeds.  He does have an implant chip in him that would allow him to be identified, should he be brought to an animal shelter.”

If you know Georgie’s whereabouts, call 972 333 9982 or e-mail blierdan@aol.com.

A ‘RAN-UP’ DOG: Keli Halteman, who heads up Halteman’s Haven rescue and usually focuses on down-on-their-luck cats, has developed a knack for finding dogs to help, too. The story on this Doxie Tessa? Keli says, “She ran up to me on my street. No tags, chip. No signs. Nothing.

“So we spayed her, gave her a dental, shots, heartworm tested her, and now we are looking for a new family to care for her. She is tiny – 6 pounds – abut 4 years old and she is already crate- and house-trained and knows basic commands.”

And, says Keli, “She loves to sit on laps and sleeps by your neck.”
To ask about adopting Tessa, e-mail kellyhalteman@att.net. (And, yes, Keli isn’t spelled “Kelly,” but when Keli was picking an e-mail address, Keli was already taken.) 

A MYSTERY: We’re not really sure what to do with this story, so we’ll just report what we know and see if someone knows additional details or has an answer.

The note came from tipster Stephanie Jehle. She writes that a friend of hers was driving on a West Dallas road near I-30 and Cockrell Hill Monday when she saw four dead dogs on the side of the road. The dogs were “hanging out of green garbage bags...Two on each side of the street. There is a rottie, 2 brown dogs and a gray dog.

“This is really disturbing as it asks the questions ‘How did they all die at the same time?’  and ‘Why place them there?’, etc.”

The initial theory is that someone is throwing dogfighting bait dogs out onto the roadsides because there’s no other way to dispose of them without being detected, not that anybody really gives a darn and would report them.

Whatever the case, this is shameful and someone should be held responsible. 

SHELTER PRESSURE:  And, of course, when a shelter is under pressure, that means dogs and cats are on the clock and it is ticking fast. There are only two ways to keep the Grim Reaper at bay – move animals out of the shelter or force, as the old play suggested, Death to take a holiday.

In this case we’re talking about the Denton Animal Shelter where there are plenty of dogs and cats in need of a home or rescue.

One is our Earhound for the day, Massy, a young border collie. She weighs 31 pounds but may get as big as 45 pounds, the shelter says. She’s “energetic and very curious” so, she needs a human to help her find something to do.

And, in this photo, she looks like she’s trained her ears to try to thumb a ride.

Among the cats is this white-and-black girl now named (for the season, perhaps) Sugar Plum, though she was at one time named “Lefteye,” perhaps in honor of the late female rapper Lisa “Lefteye” Lopes. Sugar Plum’s fur is said to be “super soft – like a rex bunny.”

The shelter is at 300 S. Woodrow Lane in Denton. To ask about cats, e-mail cathychamp@verison.net. To ask about dogs, e-mail amy_pelzel@yahoo.com. Call the shelter at 940-349-7594.

A HANGING-AROUND DOG: Marsha Vrba of Forney is trying to find some help with an abandoned pit bull that is hanging around her rural Forney neighborhood. “The neighbors have been feeding her, but they are talking about either having her put down or taking her somewhere and dumping her. “

And, Marsha says, “I don’t know a lot of details about her. she had pups in the past and to my knowledge is not fixed. She acts sweet and cowers at times like she’s been abused in the past.” To offer to help, call 972-564-4083 or e-mail mgents@cwwgo.com.

DALLAS HAS SOME CUTIES: Oh, they’re all cuties at the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center.  If you can‘t find cute on a dog, you’re not looking.

The public relations specialist on the left is a terrier mix named Mistress. And the fellow on the right is a terrier mix named Phantom. They are among 21 dogs on the “urgent” – will be put to sleep soon – list at Dallas Animal Services. We got their photos and info in a note from our longtime pal, the veteran rescuer Jonnie England, Director of Animal Advocacy and Communications with the Metroplex Animal Coalition.

To get details on adopting animals or to look at more available animals in Dallas, click HERE.

CONTEMPLATIONS: Sir Richard Branson has unveiled his company’s tourist spaceship and do you think Tiger Woods’ first thought was, “How soon can I get a ticket and get off this planet?” Has anyone in golf ever had a worse spell than Tiger? You hate to see it. ... Someone needs to put this foursome together for a charity golf tournament: The non-pro guest with John Daly, Tiger Woods and John Edwards. ... I’m going to try to wash my eyes out by concentrating on the joys of the season: Running up credit card bills, eating too many sweets, wishing I had the social skills to send out Christmas cards in a timely fashion.

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Lost, found, waiting and the season...

On Tuesday, we hustle to report a number of things. Here goes:

BE ON THE LOOKOUT:  Flower Mound High School Teacher Dan Blier went to DFW Airport on Nov. 28 to pick up somebody and brought Georgie, his year-old Jack Russell with him.

But Georgie slipped his collar near Terminal E and ran off into the parking garages, Dan Says.

“I hired Dog Gone Detectives (this is a Lewisville business) to follow his trail using a search dog.  They were able to follow his trail all the way to the south entrance of the airport.  It appears that someone picked him up at this point.  There is no sign of him being hurt or harmed as I have been calling local animal control and shelters, DFW airport police and DFW Airport Operations.  It is basically impossible for us to post a lost dog sign in this location as it is not a residential neighborhood and people drive through this area at high speeds.  He does have an implant chip in him that would allow him to be identified, should he be brought to an animal shelter.”

If you know Georgie’s whereabouts, call 972 333 9982 or e-mail blierdan@aol.com.

A ‘RAN-UP’ DOG: Keli Halteman, who heads up Halteman’s Haven rescue and usually focuses on down-on-their-luck cats, has developed a knack for finding dogs to help, too. The story on this Doxie Tessa? Keli says, “She ran up to me on my street. No tags, chip. No signs. Nothing.

“So we spayed her, gave her a dental, shots, heartworm tested her, and now we are looking for a new family to care for her. She is tiny – 6 pounds – abut 4 years old and she is already crate- and house-trained and knows basic commands.”

And, says Keli, “She loves to sit on laps and sleeps by your neck.”
To ask about adopting Tessa, e-mail kellyhalteman@att.net. (And, yes, Keli isn’t spelled “Kelly,” but when Keli was picking an e-mail address, Keli was already taken.) 

A MYSTERY: We’re not really sure what to do with this story, so we’ll just report what we know and see if someone knows additional details or has an answer.

The note came from tipster Stephanie Jehle. She writes that a friend of hers was driving on a West Dallas road near I-30 and Cockrell Hill Monday when she saw four dead dogs on the side of the road. The dogs were “hanging out of green garbage bags...Two on each side of the street. There is a rottie, 2 brown dogs and a gray dog.

“This is really disturbing as it asks the questions ‘How did they all die at the same time?’  and ‘Why place them there?’, etc.”

The initial theory is that someone is throwing dogfighting bait dogs out onto the roadsides because there’s no other way to dispose of them without being detected, not that anybody really gives a darn and would report them.

Whatever the case, this is shameful and someone should be held responsible. 

SHELTER PRESSURE:  And, of course, when a shelter is under pressure, that means dogs and cats are on the clock and it is ticking fast. There are only two ways to keep the Grim Reaper at bay – move animals out of the shelter or force, as the old play suggested, Death to take a holiday.

In this case we’re talking about the Denton Animal Shelter where there are plenty of dogs and cats in need of a home or rescue.

One is our Earhound for the day, Massy, a young border collie. She weighs 31 pounds but may get as big as 45 pounds, the shelter says. She’s “energetic and very curious” so, she needs a human to help her find something to do.

And, in this photo, she looks like she’s trained her ears to try to thumb a ride.

Among the cats is this white-and-black girl now named (for the season, perhaps) Sugar Plum, though she was at one time named “Lefteye,” perhaps in honor of the late female rapper Lisa “Lefteye” Lopes. Sugar Plum’s fur is said to be “super soft – like a rex bunny.”

The shelter is at 300 S. Woodrow Lane in Denton. To ask about cats, e-mail cathychamp@verison.net. To ask about dogs, e-mail amy_pelzel@yahoo.com. Call the shelter at 940-349-7594.

A HANGING-AROUND DOG: Marsha Vrba of Forney is trying to find some help with an abandoned pit bull that is hanging around her rural Forney neighborhood. “The neighbors have been feeding her, but they are talking about either having her put down or taking her somewhere and dumping her. “

And, Marsha says, “I don’t know a lot of details about her. she had pups in the past and to my knowledge is not fixed. She acts sweet and cowers at times like she’s been abused in the past.” To offer to help, call 972-564-4083 or e-mail mgents@cwwgo.com.

DALLAS HAS SOME CUTIES: Oh, they’re all cuties at the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center.  If you can‘t find cute on a dog, you’re not looking.

The public relations specialist on the left is a terrier mix named Mistress. And the fellow on the right is a terrier mix named Phantom. They are among 21 dogs on the “urgent” – will be put to sleep soon – list at Dallas Animal Services. We got their photos and info in a note from our longtime pal, the veteran rescuer Jonnie England, Director of Animal Advocacy and Communications with the Metroplex Animal Coalition.

To get details on adopting animals or to look at more available animals in Dallas, click HERE. http://www.dallasanimalservices.org/.

CONTEMPLATIONS: Sir Richard Branson has unveiled his company’s tourist spaceship and do you think Tiger Woods’ first thought was, “How soon can I get a ticket and get off this planet?” Has anyone in golf ever had a worse spell than Tiger? You hate to see it. ... Someone needs to put this foursome together for a charity golf tournament: The guest, John Daly, Tiger Woods and John Edwards. ... I’m going to try to wash my eyes out by concentrating on the joys of the season: Running up credit card bills, eating too many sweets, wishing I had the social skills to send out Christmas cards in a timely fashion.

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On Monday, some opportunities...

Ladies and gentlemen, as we note Pearl Harbor Day and the people who gave all for freedom, let’s work to make the world a better place. Now, our daily report:

RETURN TO WORK: After a break to honor my brother, Barry, gone at 58, we’re back and trying to function at Readlarrypowell.com.

Please free to copy the link www.readlarrypowell.com and pass it on to people throughout the world.

We need more readers – more eyes in more places mean more animals have more chances at getting some life-saving help.

Remember, outside of flu viruses, we humans are the dominant species on the planet, so it’s up to us to protect the critters from ourselves. Here goes:

ABANDONED AND THREATENED: We’ve gotten a note from Peggy Pfursich who is trying to help a couple of pit bulls on some property in Arlington. She could use some help from people who have handled these situations before.

Her story: “I need your help/advice.  I work at the Oakridge School in Arlington and we bought 33 acres across the street. We are getting ready to develop it and found two pretty white pit bulls living there.  There are some old structures they are using for shelter. I have been feeding them, but my boss says they can't stay because demolition is about to occur.  He has been patiently waiting for me to find someone who can come and get them. He wants to call Arlington Animal Services, but I have been told they will euthanize them without even a chance at adoption. One of the dogs appears to be deaf. I am not sure that one is even still there as I have not seen that one in two days. They do not seem to be vicious, but will not come to me. They keep their distance and wait to eat until I am about 20 feet away. I need to tell my boss that there is a plan in action and help on the way so that he won't make the call to Arlington Animal Services. Please help!”

If you can help Peggy with this project, e-mail ppfursich@hotmail.com,

E-MAIL: We got a ton of e-mail while I was out of town last week and I’m processing it carefully. We appreciate your patience.

FROM THE OKLAHOMA OUTPOST: Way out in Western Oklahoma there’s a little town called Burns Flat – not named for what it does when aflame, but for pioneering postmistress Sarah Burns and the terrain.

For many years our tipster has been rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher and here sphere of influence goes way beyond the Burns Flat city limits. In this case, she’s working to save some dogs in Eakly, about 45 minutes away from Burns Flat. We don’t have photos yet with this, but there may not be time to wait for a camera. Terry Lynn says a family’s German Shepherd gave birth to six puppies about 5 months ago. The dad is the neighbors’ mastiff. Terry Lynn writes, “I know that the last litter they let this poor dog have, the idiot man shot and killed them. Yes, I called the police, who did absolutely nothing about it.”

If you can help Terry Lynn save these dogs, e-mail her at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com or call her at 580-330-1459.

HANK: You may recall Hank, the dog left tired to a vet’s office door back in October. He’s still looking for a home. Over the weekend, he was kept in a foster home with two Labs, a pit and a “very upset Shih Tzu” but he had a “great time and fit right in.”

This morning, however, he’s going back to kennel life because he doesn’t have a foster home or a real home, we’re told by Leslie Engelmann, a volunteer with Texas Little Cuties.

To ask about helping this formerly dumped dog, e-mail txlittlecuties@yahoo.com.

SHELTER NOTE: Of course, every city shelter in the area has animals on the clock. Some clocks move faster than others, but they still move.

Today we’ll focus on Carrollton’s shelter – one reason is Carrollton works hard to expose the animals to people and rescuers so the animals have a better shot at rescue. Some shelters don’t make the effort. All shelters should make an effort. Adoption makes more money for a city than euthanization. Seems like you’d want to earn money rather than spend it. This is, after all, the age of marketing.

Now, back to these Carrollton critters.

First we have Ethel, a Rottweiler mix who was found roaming loose in Carrollton. She’s young and weighs about 50 huggable pounds.

Then this little 10-pounder is named Husky, though he is not Husky, he is a Chihuahua/Beagle mix who is less than six months old and was turned in by his owner who had moved into an apartment that doesn’t allow pets.

The cat with the distinct face is Hermie, who was “released to the shelter by his people who no longer wanted to care for him.”

He’s large and he loves to be petted.

These animals are on the clock for Wednesday morning. To help save them, call 972-466-3420 or e-mail Joe.Skenesky@cityofcarrollton.com.

HERCULES: On Nov. 30, we told the story of Boxer/Pointer Mix Hercules. Economic  situations had resulted in pressure being put on his human to find a home for him.

A landlord pressured the family to follow the rules and get rid of the young dog. So, we wrote about him in hopes of helping his human find a home for him.

No dice.

So we got a thank-you note from his owner saying “I was forced to give Hercules up to the Rowlett Animal Shelter. ... I wanted to let you know this information so that you can take his picture down and make room for another animal who needs a home.”
We will run Hercules’ photo one more time so you can see the sort of handsome dog that winds up in shelters. Hercules may still be in the Rowlett shelter – I can’t tell from their website.  To get information about the Rowlett shelter and see some of the animals, click HERE.

Maybe someone can still help Hercules.

CONTEMPLATIONS: Perhaps I’m slow in coming around to admitting the lack of laughs on Saturday Night Live. I’ve tried to keep the faith but last weekend’s edition was the lamest I’ve seen.  I’ve been a faithful viewer, but it has become clear that the writers are too hip to be funny and even when they have good targets, they’re off the mark. ... Tiger Woods -- don’t you know some jewelry store is about to have a great Christmas season. ... Now, about the Dallas Cowboys. Not that faith in the Cowboys is dissipating, but they didn’t even get a bowl bid.

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The sleeper's art or (cue the music) 'Slip Slidin' Away...'

One thing that can be said about Cocker Spaniels is they almost always offer a dramatic presentation no matter what the circumstances.

It is appropriate, then, that this dog is in our weekend spotlight for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.

Recently we got an e-mail from our longtime tipster and pal Mary Garrett about this guy Logan who had “crashed out” after a “hard day at social skills class” at Cannes First in Dallas where Mary works.

Thanks to Mary, we got the story on Logan from his human, Betsy Blume. She says that Logan was “so asleep and hanging over the edge so far that later he slipped off and turned around and looked at me in his sleepy boy face and it looked like he was saying ‘What the heck just happened?’ ”

Drama. That’s the Cocker motif.

So, we salute Logan for capturing the best of two worlds: performance art and sleeping.

(To nominate your snoozing critter for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, e-mail the photo and the info to dallrp@aol.com. We’re proud to publish photos of the world’s championship slumberers. Remember, at Readlarrypowell.com, we are raging insomniacs and we’d love to be able to fall over on a pillow, then slide off!)

As November ends...

Holy pumpkin pie, pilgrim, we have reached the end of November, If the month had gone any faster we’d have had to wear astronaut suits and strap heat shields to our backsides.

Now, on this final Monday of the month, here’s our report:

MORE ADVENTURES OF ROCKY: You recall Rocky, perhaps. He was the dog confiscated in Frisco during a cruelty investigation. The story is he was being fed bacon grease and gunpowder to make him “meaner.” When police went to the door of his human’s home, Rocky ran out and hid behind Animal Control Officer Steve Lerner rather than “come” to the guy who “owned” him.

So, what is up with Rocky? And how did his story lead to saving another dog?

We get the explanation from Marsha Duncan-Fleming who with her daughter Ashley Duncan represents the rescue group Before the Bridge in Wylie.

When the rescuers showed up at the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney to pick up Rocky, they also spotted a pit girl named Dottie. And they took her, too.

Rocky, says Marsha, “is a great dog. Well-behaved. He knows how to shake hands, sit and is very quiet. He is still adjusting to being with so many dogs but he will be OK.”

Apparently people who meet Rocky love him at first sight,

Dottie was a stray picked up in Frisco near the Dallas North Tollway, says Marsha. “Her right, rear leg is injured somehow. Although there is no outward sign of injury – no wound or scar – she does not use the leg at all. Perhaps she was tapped by a car.”

A vet checkup is in her future.

“She is a sweet, wonderful dog but does bark quite a bit,” says Marsha. “She just wants to be with a person and now that she has adjusted to her new home, she is friendly with the other dogs. And such beautiful eyes. Sometimes they look green and sometimes blue.”

Before The Bridge’s goal now is to make sure both these dogs are totally at ease so that when they become available for adoption, they’ll be happy to go to a new home and become treasured family members. To offer to help with these dogs by fostering or donating or adopting, e-mail beforethebridge@gmail.com.

IN PRAISE OF PETSITTERS: The phrase “’tis the season” really has meaning for petsitters – it’s that rush/rush time of year when people are gone and their pets are not. My funspouse Martha was a petsitter for several years – had her own business, PetPowell Petsitting. She vanished after Labor Day and didn’t show up again until February. Early morning visits, noontime visits, evening visits, late-night visits. Days at a time. These petsitters have fun with their jobs, but they also spend a lot of time frantically negotiating metropolitan traffic. If you happen to be in a freeway and see an economy car blazing past while the driver sips coffee and yells into a hands-free telephone, that is probably a dedicated petsitter trying to get to a house across town to meet the demands of a very punctual dog’s bladder.

What brought this up was I got a note forwarded via Sydney Busch and Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake. Someone in Gun Barrel City is willing to pay to have someone walk an older, 50-pound Aussie at noon on the weekends for about 30 minutes. You’ll make $10 for handling this “very gentle dog” who “walks well on a leash.”’

(To ask about this job, e-mail rianeb@aol.com or call 903-887-0692.)

Remember, after you walk the dog and all “business” is done, you get the chance to sit and talk and pet this dog and enjoy a few minutes of calm in the storm of the holidays

SPEAKING OF ‘TIS THE SEASON: Lots of animal groups are staging their Santa photos fundraisers between now and Christmas. Check with your favorite group or pet store. In the meantime, here’s a tip regarding Animal Allies of Texas,

Garnell McMichael of Animal Allies sent us the schedule and we’ll post it for your benefit and note that not only can you get a 4 x 6 photo for $5, you can get the photo on a T-shirt for $15. Here’s where to go and when: Nov. 28, 1 p.m.-5 p.m,, Metro Paws, 1910 Skillman St. in Dallas; Dec. 5, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Unleashed Indoor Dog Park, 5151 Samuell Blvd. in Dallas; Dec. 19, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Vhea’s Laundromutt, 718 N.  Buckner 3211, Dallas.

And remember that you can see more Santa photo events in the current edition of Urban Animal Magazine, available at many places in North Texas.

THE BIG PARTY AT M:  This event is called the “Fetching Fun Raiser” and it is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at the M Cafe at 15757 Coit Road at Arapaho.  The invitation to attend comes from North Dallas Dog Rescue and DASH Dog Rescue “in cooperation with A Different Breed Dog Rescue.”  That covers a lot of dogs.  There’ll be hors d’oeurves, desserts, raffle times, door prizes, a silent auction, dog trainers, dog supply vendors and pet service specialists. You can RSVP by going HERE.

BUNCH OF DOGS IN BURNS FLAT: Little Burns Flat, Okla., has big city animal problems. Dumped animals, mistreated animals, straying animals, a too-small shelter with a too-small budget. And in the middle of it is our tireless tipster and rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher who keeps working to keep the animals moving out of the shelter so euthanasia for the sake of making room won’t become a bad habit.

Here’s one of the dogs, Peanut, a purebred mini Doxie.Terry Lynn explains, “I actually tried to get her about 2 months ago, when I pulled several other dogs from the family. But they kept her and then gave her to the neighbors.  Well, the neighbors moved and gave her back. She hurt the family’s kitten (not sure if playing ..., so they do not want her anymore, either.

“She is a total doll...there are several other dogs there and several big cats that she seems fine with.”

To help Terry Lynn with any Burns Flat critters call her at 580-330-1459 or e-mail remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.

LOOKING FOR WHERE HE BELONGS: On Sunday we got a note from Maeleska Fletes with the Little Forest Hills Animals Alert www.lfhanimalalert.org near White Rock Lake. This German Shepherd was on Garland Road when it was struck by a car.

“He was wearing a choke chain with a leash attached. People chased him from the lake. He must belong to someone.”

If “someone” recognizes this dog and can help get him back home, contact the Little “Forest Hills Neighborhood Alert at info@lfhanimalalert.org or call 214-930-5910.

The dog was taken to an emergency vet’s office and has an injured leg.

AT NOAH’S ARK: At the Noah’s Ark Animal Shelter in Gainesville, right up I-35 from Dallas, there is a cat named Morpheus who is waiting a home. The official report from the shelter is that he is “awesome – I mean really awesome.”

Morpheus is a big purrerrrr who likes to follow humans. “Kids can hug and squeeze him. You can cradle him like a baby.”

He’s healthy.

And, according to the shelter report, “The only thing you have to watch with him is if he is on the top of the cat condo he will jump onto your shoulders. He has scared a few people doing that.”

Morpheus is on the clock at the shelter. To ask about saving him, contact Noah’s Ark manager Debbie Lhotka at 940-665-9800 or e-mail acoanimal@yahoo.com.

ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN: Well, more than one day, really, but, one day his luck will change and he’ll find a good permanent home. We get his story from Helen Shikoff. She has the background.

She writes, “You were kind enough this past spring to post two stray dogs I was feeding in my neighborhood.  I couldn't get too close to them and so it was hard for me to get a rescue organization interested.

“Luckily the feral dog was placed at a sanctuary and my neighbors adopted the other. It was not an easy process to first win them over, catch them and then place them. Thank you for your assistance and "ear". 

“It was also an unlucky time for a third dog that created a pack with those dogs. I found a refuge to take him. No one wanted him perhaps because I thought he was a Pit bull. When the refuge agreed I thought, ‘Wow, I am so fortunate.’

“Not so for the dog. It turns out he was being grossly neglected.”

Helen didn’t like the way the refuge was handling the pit bull contingent, so she insisted on getting the dog back.

“The people there were reluctant to release him. I finally insisted, drove the 200 hundred miles and brought him back. He was in poor shape, had red marks on him, thin and sick with pneumonia.”

Since then, as you can see, Ivan is in much better shape. And, Helen says, “I discovered the poor dog is actually an American Bulldog. He is beautiful with one blue eye and one brown. I fell for him the moment he begged for food on the street. I named him Ivan.  He has seen a vet, been neutered and received all of his shots. Ivan now just needs exposure so he can find a loving home. He loves people follows everyone around and gets along well with other dogs.

“He is heartworm positive and is currently being treated. I'm boarding Ivan in Lewisville because I have a household full of pets. Ivan does not get along with cats. If someone is interested I could meet them with him or they can go directly to the boarding facility.”
To offer to adopt this handsome dog, e-mail hshikoff@me.com.

HERCULES AND HIS FAMILY TREE: Rae Smith is looking for a home for this guy Hercules. She says he’s “a 7-month-old pointer/boxer mix ...He looks nothing like a boxer -- he is Pointer all the way. .... I recently had to move in with my son and his family due to financial reasons. Also due to lack of income, Hercules has only had his first round of shots and has not yet had his rabies vaccine.  I brought Hercules with me but now my son’s landlord says that we must get rid of him because my son already has 2 dogs.  Hercules is about 50 pounds and very playful.  He gets along well with other animals and is very attached to me. He is house broken and will let you know when he needs to go outside. ...  The one thing that I have not yet been able to break him of is jumping on people.  Part of that comes from my grandson (10) who from the time Hercules was a small pup would jump and wrestle with the dog so he thinks that is part of playtime.  

“It is very hard for me to have to surrender Hercules he is my best friend and a wonderful companion.   I have been trying to find a home for him but have had no luck and am now faced with sending him to a shelter.  I have only a very short time left to find a new family for him.”

To help Rae find a home for handsome Hercules, call 214-502-2709 or e-mail rae1010@hotmail.com.

A THANK YOU FROM ARKANSAS: We got this note from our tipster near Dardanelle, Ark., Molli Corbin. It’s a nice thing to read.

“In my busy life I spend a lot of time asking, pleading and begging for help. Sometimes I am working so hard on finding rescue that I forget to thank the ones who do come through and find room, time to post, plan transports, take care of funding for spay and neutering and tons of other helpful things. Here are some of the rescues that came through for the 52 [puppy mill] dogs that were [recently] taken into rescue:

Mill Dog Rescue, Co., Best Friends, Pets Are Not Products campaign, Scottie Rescue, Mo.; Col. Potter Cairn Terrier Rescue Network, Hearts United, NE., NW ARK Pug Rescue, New Beginnings Shih Tzu Rescue and PAWS NE.
“And a very big thank you to you for bring attention to situations like these.”

Thanks, Molli, and the truth is Readlarrypowell.com is just a conduit for information, a place to read about the heroic efforts people in the trenches put into saving animals everywhere.

Some people think animal rescue is all sad stories. But, the truth is, it’s just about 99 percent happy endings because of hardworking people who are persistent and have big hearts.

ANOTHER GARLAND PROTEST: Overnight we got a note saying that the garland Citizens for Reform of the Animal Shelter (CRASH), will stage another protest Tuesday against the city’s policy of gassing some animals at the city facility. The protestors will gather between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Garlands downtown DART station (Walnut Street at Fourth and Fifth) for leafleting, then, at 6:30 p.m. walk to city hall for the evening council meeting. For more info call 972-407-9396 or e-mail jjpippin@sbcglobal.net.

SAD ANNOUNCEMENT: For the next several days, you will not likely see updates on Readlarrypowell.com. The unthinkable has happened and my younger brother, Barry, has lost a ferocious battle with leukemia. This is a staggering development and it saddens me and our family more than we could have ever imagined. We did not expect him to lose this fight.

Barry and my angelic sister-in-law Shelley and their sons Aaron and Lewis made their home in Chicago. Their Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Oliver was the first pup featured years ago in our weekend series “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.”

As many of you know, there is a period of mourning and adjustment that follows such an awful thing – I can assure you that we will mourn but we will never adjust.

We hope to be posting on Readlarrypowell.com again by Friday.

A little cat napping...

There are people who have become adults without ever having had the pleasure of feet kept warm by a cat or Cocker Spaniel or a polite critter who waits until you’re sawing logs before climbing up with you and nodding off.

For that reason – and because Thanksgiving weekend is noted for its exceptional snoozableness – we are designating this particular cat for slumber honors in our traditional weekend feature, “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.”

We also picked this photo because it is a really peaceful scene. And in a world where toy stores open at midnight and department stores open at 4 a.m. to handle the crowds, joy to our world when we find something peaceful.

The story comes from one of our frequent contributors and a rescuer with a big heart, Timi Hazle. (She and hubby Terry celebrated their 16th anniversary on Nov. 13.)

Timi sent this photo of granddaughter Hallie Grace, 8 months old, “sleeping on the couch with my cat, Sam, 13 years old.

“My husband claims that Sam gives him Cat Nap Fever and maybe it’s the same with Hallie.

“One minute she was cooing and kicking, the next she was toppled over on Sam asleep.

“Sam loves any sort of touch or attention and he lets both Hallie and her brother Cannon (19 months) hold him, gnaw on him, etc.”

Thus, holiday readers, you see how the habit of letting the cat sleep on the bed or in the recliner with you or on the couch with you can become a lifelong joy. You have to start young toppling over onto the cat.

We could call this “synergistic” but it’s’ more like “synernaptic” – two diverse entities united to achieve one goal: snooze.

And, besides, “synergistic” is one of those boardroom/middle-management words that was adopted so people who want to appear more intelligent than they are won’t have to say “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”

(To nominate your sleeping critters and kids or critters and adults or critters and critters for "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap" e-mail the photo and explanation to dallrp@aol.com. Remember, at Readlarrypowell.com, we insomniacs celebrate sleep as if it is a triumph over nature. Because it is.)

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Happy Thanksgiving 2009

A pre-holiday report...

Welcome to “getaway day” – lots and lots of Americans are trying to get away from the office early to start their Thanksgiving holidays. This is that time of “busiest” – the busiest travel day of the year, the busiest shopping day of the year, the busiest family therapy sessions of the year....Just a guess on that last one.

Here’s our staff impersonator, Inky the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, giving us his impression of a shopper racing through a department store door and spotting a rack of sale dresses and suits next to the complimentary early morning consumer buffet with a big steaming platter of Mom’s Layaway Meatloaf and side dishes of Discount Green Bean Casserole and Half-Off The Cals Taters and Gravy. It’s an odd store, he explains, possibly resulting from bureaucratic mishandling of a simultaneous corporate merger and  government takeover.

A CUNNING PLOY: We got a note from the folks with Paws In The City announcing that the rescue group had decided to embrace the commercial theory of “Black Friday” and, rather than take the entire holiday weekend off, would host adoption events from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and from 11 a.m. to4 p.m. Saturday at the World Market at Galleria North, 5229 Alpha Road, just north of Galleria at Noel and Alpha.

THE PUPPIES ARE WAITING: Back in mid-November we told the story of the rescue of this dog who, shortly thereafter became a momma dog with all these puppies. Kathy Jenkins and her Mom had picked up the stray at Lake Waxahachie and the reward for the good deed was a litter of 8 blessed events.

Ever since, Kathy has been searching for a home for the dogs and trying to help her mom cope with such a lovely, lively burden – and anyone who has fostered puppies can tell you that it is a “burden,” not an awful one, but you do wonder if you’ll ever get a break.

And so, we’re mentioning this today to see if anyone can give Kathy and her mom a break.

We have directed Kathy already to some people we know who deal with these situations, but, of course, they’re already all full up.

So, if anyone has a way of helping by taking some puppies or all the puppies or the mom and the puppies or if you’ve won Lotto Texas and want to create a Momma  & Offspring Sanctuary, e-mail raudi123@yahoo.com or call 972-938-1407 and offer some relief to these good-hearted people.

FROM OUT AT THE LAKE: There’s a December 1 deadline for Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake project to collect toys for the Red Cross program that gets the unwrapped new toys to the kids of deployed military personnel.  Our Friends tipster Sydney Busch says the toys can be donated at the Insurance Concepts office near the Friends spay/neuter clinic in Gun Barrel City or at the Bluebonnet Emporium nearby.

THE IDEAL DOG? Tina Hamilton of Happy Tails of Gun Barrel City sends us a note that is sure to catch the eye of people who are particular about their rules for dogs. (E-mail txtina1201@yahoo.com .)Tina’s note reads. “Apricot Poodle Schnauzer Male needs a loving home to call his own for the holidays.
Does not shed.”

A 101 DALMATIANS BARGAIN: You can get a price break on tickets to 101 Dalmatians, the musical comedy playing Dec. 1-20 at Fair Park Music Hall. Dallas Summer Musicals, which is presenting the show, is offering 50 percent off when you buy 2 regular-priced tickets – basically buy one, get one free. The discount is for shows on Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday evening for ticket levels 3 and for (first balcony and rear orchestra). The “reference password” is “PUPPY” typed in all-caps when you order online in the “Family Four Pack Offer.” You can also get the discount tickets at The Box Office at 542 Preston Royal Shopping Center (Open M-F 10a – 6p and Sat. 10a – 4p), via Ticketmaster (Click HERE) or Charge-by-Phone 214-631-ARTS.

NEWT’S NOOK IS OPEN: You may recall that several weeks ago, after being un-invited to receive an entrepreneur-of-the-year honor  from former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s political group, The Lodge owner Dawn Rizos decided to donate the money (more than $5,000) that would have been spent on the “honor,” to help Animal Guardians create a place to help down-on-their-luck pit bulls.

The heated, air-conditioned roof-over-their-heads facility, known as “Newt’s Nook,” is now open and sheltering dogs at the Animal Guardians sanctuary in Celina.  (This is a photo -- click on it to make it larger -- of The Lodge’s VIP Manager Sunny Hunter at the entrance to Newt’s Nook with the sign created by artist Bryan Calloway, who also is bartender at The Lodge, the gentleman’s club in Dallas.)

Owner Rizos says The Lodge was going to host a “bigger party [for the opening] but we decided to devote the resources to this great cause instead.” (FYI: She has long been active in raising money for animal causes in the Dallas area.)

Here’s the additional benefit: Dawn says that for each dog adopted via Animal Guardians through Valentine’s Day 2010, The Lodge will donate $100 to the rescue group and each adoptor will get a gift certificate to either The Lodge or to the great restaurant, Stratos Global Greek Taverna in Dallas.

The official press release regarding the opening of Newt’s Nook, included this quote from Animal Guardians Director Annette Lambert who oversees the more than 100 dogs at the sanctuary. “I can’t tell you how much this new building means to us. Dawn didn’t deserve to be treated like that, but this will do so much for these loving dogs until we find them good homes.”

A FOUND PUPPY: Reader Angela Hadsell sent us this note about a puppy some pals found in Grapevine.

Stacey Sangalli reports that her hubby Dan found the little girl – apparently a Chocolate Lab – on the Grapevine/Southlake border at the now-abandoned Broyhill store parking lot. “She is very sweet and well-behaved,” says Stacey.

The pup may be about 3 months old, Stacey says, and the hope is to find her a good home. “We simply can’t have another dog right now,” says Stacey – there’s already a family dog and there’s also a baby on the way.

To ask about adopting this pup, e-mail ssangalli@verizon.net.

ANOTHER DUMPED DOG: This dog is now named Audrey Rose and the story on her comes from Gail Whelan of Companion Animal Network. The dog was dumped at a PetsMart last Saturday.

“I could not leave her to be taken to animal control, so we took her home,” Gail says.

Audrey Rose is about 7 (“pretty young for a tiny dog,” Gail says), weighs about 8 pounds and had been terribly neglected, which accounts for the discoloration of her lower coat. Her teeth are in bad shape, but the rest of her is in good shape. And she’s heartworm negative.

“Audrey Rose is ecstatic on walks. And she walks ell on the leash....She loves being able to walk on grass and smell the air. She is housetrained.... She is starting to really show a personality and wanting you to hold her.”

To ask about adopting Audrey Rose, call 214-663-4710 or e-mail can_rescue@yahoo.com.

CONTEMPLATION: Never mind the fate of the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, consider the fate of the seams on your garments as you reach for one more helping of dressing or potatoes and giblet gravy or just one more piece of pie. The reality is seams are only so strong. And, as you go off on your Thanksgiving adventure, I’d like to quote the great Elwood P. Dowd from the magnificent film and stage play Harvey. He said, “I’ve wrestled with reality for 35 years,doctor, and I’m happy to say I finally won out over it.” Enjoy that extra piece of reality pie.

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Good news surfaces...

Today, I swear on a stack of cranberries, we’re going to have some happy news. Now,toggle your smile chip and read on:

A BUS STOP PUPPY: Rebecca Kornblum says, “I have friends who ask ‘how do you find all these animals?’ and I ask, ‘How are you not tripping over them?’”

Here’s the latest episode. Rebecca says, “I was just trying to go to Starbucks and get some coffee and got three blocks from my house and there she was.”

“She” is this dog, called “Hannah Banana” and “Puppy, Puppy” by Rebecca.

The puppy was at a bus stop trying to get any human to pay attention to her. But, she had some special problems – in addition to being “wormy” and from a breed with a bad reputation, Hannah had been burned. It appeared, Rebecca says, that someone had been putting out their cigarettes on her hide.

The burns have healed, the hair is growing back, the abundant parasites have been dispatched and she’s gained 2 pounds – beyond the 14 pound mark -- in the 11 days she’s been in “custody” of Rebecca, a member of the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission who is actually set up to rescue special needs cats at her home.

Rebecca notes, also that “Metro Paws Animal Hospital  www.dallasmetropaws.com helped me help so many animals. ... I realize being a vet is a business but they haven't forgotten the compassion part of the business.” She’s particularly grateful for the level of personal care given by the hospital founders, Dr. Jennifer Lavender and Dr. Kathryn Junkins Sarpong.

A puppy, while cute and loveable to most of us, has a different dynamic with special needs cats. So, Hannah Banana needs a place to go. (To offer to take in this puppy or help find her a home, call 214-293-5787 or e-mail rkornblum2@yahoo.com.

She is coping with the adventure of rescuing a puppy. And this one is, she says, “the happiest puppy ever.”

And the pup has a great set of ears and, of course, qualifies as our Earhound of the Day. Rebecca explains the championship ears thusly: “One goes to the front. One to the back. They never go the same way at the same time.” 

CINDY LOU WHO IS HOME: Oh, boy, here’s some good news. “We found her!”  Kandace Foley excitedly reported yesterday.

You may recall our mention in October of the case of Cindy Lou Who who slipped her collar at her Lewisville vet’s office and vanished into a neighborhood near the Lewisville High School campus. Keep in mind that throughout all kinds of weather, Cindy Lou Who is an indoor dog and always has been.

Kandace says, “The Lewisville Humane Society and the Animal Mobile vet on Main Street in Lewisville spotted her near the open field behind Wal-Mart and when we went out there, sure enough, she was there hiding in the woods and came out to Mommy and licked me and jumped on me. She has lost 20 pounds but the vet says that she is OK.

“It really was one of the happiest moments of my life! Please tell people never to give up hope.  She was gone October 24-November 21 and I kept calling, emailing, and visiting shelters, rescue groups, humane societies, and vets all over the place. 

“Kat from Dog Gone Detectives with her rescue dog Boscoe were very helpful because Boscoe was able to tell the general area where she had been in Lewisville...So we knew where to keep most of our focus, though, we did search outside of the area as well in case somebody picked her up and she traveled.”

And, there you have it. Cindy Lou Who is going to be home for the holidays.

ASSORTED NOTES

--Yesterday, the SPCA of Texas and the Delta County Sheriff’s Department conducted a joint raid of a property on which animals were kept in pretty ugly conditions – you know the way these things usually go, so no sense repeating the ugly details. Authorities confiscated 101 dogs, 7 donkeys, 4 Chinchillas and a Cockatiel. The custody hearing is set for 9 a.m. Dec. 1 in Justice of the Peace Bud skinner’s courtroom at the Delta County Courthouse in Cooper. Go to www.spca.org to see how to help with cruelty raids and also to see some of the milder photos of this particular raid.

-- Euless Animal Services’ shelter is loaded with cats and kittens, according to a report from Euless Trinity High School’s Girls Awareness Program, the group that has adopted the shelter and works to help the animals find homes. This cat is named Nippers – she’s said to be a nice quiet cat who likes to sit and look out the window. To ask about any animal at the Euless shelter, call 817-684-1594 or visit the Euless online site HERE.

--The noted shelter walker Russell Posch spotted this situation in the Irving Animal Services shelter and immediately got word out to assorted groups. This dog, Annabel, and her four 4-day-old girl puppies, were surrendered to the Irving shelter by their human. Mom’s only about a year old and weighs in at under 45 pounds. Russell’s note says that she “is friendly and calm and allows the staff to handle her puppies.” To ask about rescuing this family, call the shelter’s rescue hotline at 972-721-3597 or call the shelter office at 972-721-2256 or 2257.

-- The now-closed rescue group Pound Pals, based in Mineola in East Texas, continues to shut down, trying to find homes for the dogs it has taken in. There are six dogs left, according to a note from someone who is helping Kerri Haas close her rescue group. Among the dogs, is this friendly fellow Tam. To ask about helping with the remaining dogs either by adopting or fostering or getting into a shelter, call Kerri at 903-530-0266 or e-mail pound_pals@yahoo.com.

-- In Sulphur Springs, about 90 miles east of Dallas on I-30, they still gas the unwanted animals. Among those animals is this handsome Aussie mix and the shelter’s animal control officer, Denise Stinson, is appealing for some help to save him. He may be 3 years old.  “He is very sweet and loving,” she says. “He can walk on a leash and loves people. He is a very good boy.” And he’s on a quick clock – his time at the shelter will be up on Wednesday. Denise told me this morning that she thinks she may have someone interested in adopting him. We’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, he’s so beautiful, I just thought people ought to see what magnificent animals wind up in shelters.

To offer to help any animals in Sulphur Springs’ shelter, e-mail acosspd@gmail.com or call the shelter at 903-438-9369 or (cell) 903-348-3122.

--Regarding Jeffrey Hartman’s attempts to help a mangy, starving black pit bull he picked up off the road, Jeffrey e-mails us that the dog is on the waiting list at Spindletop near Houston and things are looking up. But people can still offer to adopt the dog and Jeffrey can give you a solid assessment of this pup’s character and tendencies. E-mail him at viewz@flash.net. He is driving the dog to Spindletop Friday and notes that he'll have room to bring an animal or two back if anyone needs transportation help in the area. E-mail him at viewz@flash.net or call him at 972-978-3203.

--From our reliable tipster/rescuer in Burns Flat, Okla., Terry Lynn Fisher, we get this note and it starts with a question. She writes, “It never stops. How the heck are there so many dogs here in this small town?” The population is around 1,750 people and who knows how many dogs and cats.

This dog is about 6 months old, “has brown blended in his legs and white on his chest,” Terry Lynn says. “He’s a little Lab mix. He is so sweet and loving.”

But, she says, the city shelter is “in complete overflow. They are threatening to put some down. I do not know what to do any more.”

If a rescue group has room or an individual has a desire to help save some Oklahoma animals, e-mail Terry Lynn at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com or call 580-330-1459. 

CALENDAR AT THE LAKE & A CAT BASKET, TOO: Prime money-raising time right now for Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, the rescue group that runs what we’ll call “The World’s Most Successful Spay/Neuter Clinic” in Gun Barrel City.  We get the info from our reliable Friends tipster Sydney Busch.

First, the Friends have proudly published their 2010 version of the Pampered Pets of Cedar Creek Lake calendar. You can get it at Bluebonnet Emporium in Gun Barrel City, at the Cedar Creek Lake Chamber of Commerce, at April's Pet Place in Tool, Texas, at Syler Veterinary “Clinic in Athens and at the Friends of the Animals Clinic on Tuesdays. The calendar costs $10. That’s the cover with some genuinely pampered pets.

And Friends is also currently raffling off a cat basket (tickets are $1, six for $5 and 14 for $10). The basket is full of all sorts of cat-related items. Tickets are available through the Friends clinic and you can arrange to purchase them via sydney@friendsoftheanimals.org. Drawing for the basket – with items worth $80 – is Dec. 1.

CONTEMPLATIONS:  There’s no “pay wall” for visits to Readlarrypowell.com. We’re free and we have information. It’s the public service aspect of journalism, something we believe trumps all other motives. We figure people who read this site would prefer to spend their money on dogs and cats – their own and those that other people dumped or mistreated.  ... Fun things you see on TV (and I realize people who live in glass houses shouldn’t thrown stonze.) On the Dallas/Fort Worth NBC affiliate this morning, the crawl on the bottom of the photo reminded viewers that the Dallas Stars beat the Carolina “Hurricaines.” (There is but one eye in a hurricane – truth in weather, truth in spelling.) And, the crawl also reminded viewers that the Dallas Mavericks would play “on tonight.” For crying out loud, I’ve heard this error dozens of times on TV and read it in poorly edited publications. If the event is today or tonight, you don’t need the “on.” It’s 7:30 tonight. Not 7:30 on tonight. What is happening to America? Is no one paying attention to grammar? I swear, it are driving me up the blamed wall. Help me off this soapbox before it caves in. ... These are the frustrations that arise when you try to read television. From now on, I’m just reading the radio.

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Monday brings opportunities...

It’s the Monday of Thanksgiving week and some people are already well into a week off from work. And some are counting the hours until “get outta here” time on Wednesday.

The thing is, just as it’s apparently never too early to start Christmas, it’s really never too early to celebrate Thanksgiving. In some of our hearts, Thanksgiving is a year-round holiday. Now, let’s look at our daily report:

HOLIDAY WEEK AT THE SHELTER: It’s a three-day week at shelters. That means animals are on an extremely short clock because, for one thing, human traffic is not going to shelters to pick a friend, it’s going over the river and through the woods to grandma’s house and grandma already has four or five dogs and cats.

We’ve chosen these Carrollton Animal Services animals as symbolic of all the shelter animals in the area. They are awaiting either a kind heart or the needle. Those are the only two choices until one of them can pick the lock on the shelter, call a cab, go to the airport and fly off to Rescue Island. Yeah, the odds are tough.

This dog Odie, a 50-pound shepherd mix, has a long shelter history. Here’s the official shelter story: “It seems his original owners had released him to another city shelter a while back and he was adopted from that shelter, but the new owners never changed his micro-chip to ensure the proper information was on file. The person who adopted him lost him and he ended up here at our shelter and the second owner has not bothered to come and look for him. So here he is waiting for yet another home that hopefully will be his forever and ever home. He is a great dog who is neutered already and has a micro-chip implanted in him (which is how we know his story). He gets along well with other dogs and will sit if you ask him nicely. He is a young adult and is tired of moving from home to home and is already to settle down.” Click HERE to see his video.

That beautiful multi-colored cat is Kelly and she’s available to rescue groups only because she’s come down with a “kitty cold” and needs some minor attention before going into a good home. (In many city shelters, if a cat sneezes more than once, it doesn’t get a hanky, it gets the needle.)

And what else would you name an orange kitten but “Spitfire”? She’s one of four kittens (the others are different colors) and a mom who came in as strays and now await their fates.

To ask about animals in the care of the Carrollton shelter, call 972-466-3420 or e-mail Joe.Skenesky@cityofcarrollton.com.

REGARDING THE STARVING PIT: Jeffrey Hartman picked up a starving dog and we wrote about the situation last week. You may recall that he’s in a tight spot and the dog is, too, and things may not work out. Veteran rescuers know this feeling.

Originally, the mangy, starving dog was going to be euthanized on Saturday if no one came forward, but some time was bought when a woman came to visit the dog, but it was subsequently discovered that the guy has a problem with other dogs.

He’s OK with people, it seems, but other dogs stir him in an unpleasant way.

Jeffrey is continuing to try to help this dog and says he thinks that Wednesday will be the last day if nothing can be done.

“I’ve contacted a few rescues/sanctuaries with no luck, but still waiting to hear from SPBR (Smiling Pit Bull Rescue) in New York and will be calling Spindletop in Houston this afternoon. I’m ready to travel with him anywhere, but the odds are getting worse. If nothing changes, it will be Wednesday late afternoon.”

To offer to help, call 972-978-3203 or e-mail  viewz@flash.net.

THE DUKE NEEDS A HOME: Our Animal Guardians of American tipster Natalie Blankenship is hoping that “someone in your readership” might have a place for this boy, Duke.

His former foster dad had to take a job with a lot of travel, so Duke no longer has a home and he’s living in a dog run/kennel and “is very depressed,” says Natalie.

He’s a 7-year-old shepherd mix who is “very well behaved and super sweet.” He’s a good and obedient walker, likes to ride in cars and enjoys being with people without jumping on them. His big drawback is he’s not keen on cats.

What’s his history? “AGA found him years ago stranded in a ditch with a broken hip. He is probably blind in one eye as well. He is in good health and desperately wants someone to love him and give him a little attention.”

To ask about giving Duke a home, call Natalie at 214-745-5209.

ASSORTED NOTES:

--A MICHAEL VICK PROTEST ON A PERSONAL LEVEL: Marnie Holden sent us a note last week asking about finding a place to donate $10 to an anti-Michael Vick fund every time the NFL quarterback is sacked. Anybody know of a place like that? (I suggested getting in touch with Three Dog Bakery in Southlake which is donating a bag of dog food to the Tarrant County food bank each time the dog-killer is sacked. He doesn’t seem to be playing that much, however.)

Later Marnie wrote that she’d settled on donating to Downtown Dog Rescue in Los Angeles. “No,” she writes, “They don't have an actual anti- campaign, but I feel good about making a donation to them. They seem to be doing worthwhile work on behalf of pit bulls. I was just SO ANGRY about the whole situation (i.e. him being reinstated after such a short prison term and being welcomed back with open arms by the NFL) that I just had to find some kind of an outlet.

“In your column I read about the person who sent dog biscuits to the [Philadelphia] Eagles top brass and I followed suit, but still wanted to do more to vent my frustration. Anyway, I feel my $$ will be well spent and I continue to be cautiously optimistic that the sadistic monster's career will soon be over.”
--A CANINE CLOTHING OFFER: Our pal Jonnie England, Director of Animal Advocacy and Communications for the Metroplex Animal Coalition, dropped us a note that “an owner whose small dog passed away has given me about a dozen SMALL and EXTRA-SMALL dog sweaters and coats. Some are brand new; some have been used, but are in good condition. She also gave me 4-5
small-sized Halloween costumes.” They’re free. To ask about acquiring them, email jonnieengland@earthlink.net.

--GREYHOUND HELPER: We got a note from Carolyn Perkins who writes, “Elayne Boosler, the comedienne, has a wonderful rescue group in Los Angeles called Tails of Joy. She posted this link http://www.gpawisconsin.org/  which is a call for help in placing hundreds of Greyhounds in Wisconsin in need of adoption/rescue before the end of December due to a greyhound park shutting down.  Don't know if you post for out of state situations since we obviously have many here in Texas but thought I'd forward in case you want to post or forward to any Greyhound lovers you know.”

We’ll help critters anywhere. And, in case you want to help Texas Greyhounds, you can visit the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas HERE. You never know when they’ll bring in dogs from out-of-state, or out of the area code.

--NEAR THE JAIL: Tipster Deborah Trevino, who usually works with the dogs along Malloy Bridge Road, reports to us that there’s a medium-sized female dog living in a field near a bail bond office across the street from the Lew Sterrett Criminal Justice Center on Industrial at Commerce on the west end of downtown Dallas.  “My ex-husband says she’ a beagle mix, but she is larger than a beagle and looks like a type of Spaniel to me,” Deborah says. She may be on the brink of having puppies. So, there you have it: Another dog needs rescue near the Trinity River Levee, a common dumping area and a place where packs of dogs can be seen now and then. This one, though, seems more agreeable to being caught.

--ANOTHER SPCA SEIZURE: This has to have been one of the busiest seizure years on record for the SPCA of Texas. At some point today, you’ll learn through traditional print media or electronic media that the SPCA and the Delta County Sheriff’s Department seized more than 60 dogs and at least 7 donkeys this morning. They were being kept in horrific conditions, the SPCA says. It’s the usual story: starving, no water, overcrowded, ugly, ugly stuff. Stay tuned.

WHEN THINGS DON’T WORK OUT: It sure looked like this dog Molly was going to get every possible thing working in her favor last week.

Russell Posch, the veteran shelter walker at Irving Animal Services had spotlighted her and gotten her some extra attention after she arrived at the shelter all battered and wrecked from an encounter with a car.

A foster home was lined up and people joined in financing surgery to repair her leg.

But not everything works out.

We get the report from veteran rescuer Jennifer Lee who was to foster Molly. On Friday she wrote, “Molly's leg repair surgery was today and everything went fine. It was a little more complicated than anticipated, so the cautious vet decided to skip spaying her. Everything was fine during the surgery and she was in post op doing just fine when she crashed. No warning, no reason. Her heart just gave out.

“The vet and her staff worked on her for 30 minutes and couldn't bring her back. They are heartbroken as am I.”

And she says, “For those of you that donated via PayPal, please let me know if you'd like your donation back. I know times are tough. If you don't, I'd like to ask permission to share whatever is above and beyond the vet bill to help out a fellow rescuer. I will settle the bill with the vet knowing she is overworked, underpaid, and unappreciated by many for how damn hard she works. If there is anything left of the donations made direct to her clinic, I would like permission to leave it for the staff to pay it forward to the next deserving dog/cat whose owners cannot afford the medical care needed to save their pet's life. “

E-mail Jennifer at pittieboo@gmail.com.

CONTEMPLATIONS: As we count down to Thanksgiving, let’s just list some of the things we’re grateful for this Monday morning: The Dallas Cowboys thoroughly defeated and smeared the Washington Redskins, 7-6. Oh, wait, that’s not exactly being “smeared” is it. ... Have all the leaves fallen from the trees in East Texas? I was hoping to go see them this year. Anybody know? ... My funspouse Martha has the day off and slept in. Do you have any idea how disruptive this is to her dogs? They don’t know whether to sleep on the couch and chairs, as usual, or demand to be let into the bedroom with Martha and her cat, Annabelle Bob. My personal assistant, Inky the Cocker Spaniel, chose to sleep on the floor next to my chair, as usual. He is a clever creature of habit and knows he's more likely to get a treat from me than from the sleepingspouse.

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When the new dog sleeps...

Since we’re heading into the week of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d pick photos for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap that indicate how some of us are nosing into the holiday season while keeping an ear open for hints and suggestions.

Yes, these are photos from our own Readlarrypowell.com household and the nose belongs to a rescued dog named Wendy, or, as my chucklespouse Martha refers to her, Wendyanna Jones. She runs with reckless abandon and bounces through the house on furniture as if she's afraid to touch the floor. We're trying to discourage that. Wendy is a cartoon dog if there ever was one.

When you have a new dog in the house – and there are already some older dogs who long-ago lost interest in chewing TV remotes and the like – you tend to keep one ear open for the sound of unauthorized crunching and chewing.

This particular day I was sitting at my computer writing when I heard nothing. Sends chills down your spine, doesn’t it?

That is often more frightening than hearing big teeth gnawing a cell phone. I turned and did not immediately see Wendy. All the other dogs who usually sleep in this room were sacked out in plain sight.

Inky the Cocker Spaniel was snoring like an industrial chain saw in the hands of someone who enjoys the sound of a metal chain biting through parking meters.

Now, back to Wendy: I looked around and started to get up for a household search when something between the two official human recliners caught my eye. That’s little Wendy’s nose resting on the arm of one recliner while pointed toward the other. You could tell she was sleeping – her whiskers were twitching.

And in that other photo, taken a few days later, you see Annie, the heeler mix, stretched out on the left and Wendy with one big ear up and the other down as she was awakened by my apparently less-than-stealthful approach with the camera.

You can tell when Wendy thinks I’m about to do something interesting. She leaps to her paws and races somewhere – she doesn’t care where, just somewhere else.

This time, assuming what I was doing wasn't interesting, she and Annie stayed flat out on the couch and went back to sleep.

And I envied Wendy. How she can sleep through the cocker spaniel’s snoring is beyond me.

(We’re planning a sweet presentation for the Thanksgiving edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap and if you have appropriate photos – perhaps a friendly Golden Retriever as a napping pilgrim after the feast, a big orange cat as the Great American Pumpkin Pie, a cockatiel who does a spot-on impression of a turkey pardoned by the White House, why, send the photos and info to dallrp@aol.com. We'll take ANY sleeping photos. We’re proud to publish photos of sleeping animals because they remind us insomniacs that every now and then we nod off and have something for which to be thankful.)

 

REBUTTAL:

 

And, now, our staff impersonator, Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, would like to offer a poetic rebuttal regarding his high-decibel snoring. This photo is of his impression of an indignant client in a libel suit. His rebuttal:

 

To sleep, perchance, to snore

My humanity I cannot ignore

I scratch, I sniff, I even sneeze

Like humans I do what I please

To call a human’s adoring fan you’ll

need to whistle for a cocker spaniel.

We forgive  things that people  might do

but we still have lawyers and we will sue.

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A shepherd in the rain...

Pat Casale, who has a history of trying to help animals that are down on their luck, has discovered an unpleasant situation in Rendon, southeast of Fort Worth on Highway 1187. Remember this morning’s rain? How would you like to be a dog tethered out in that mess?

At Readlarrypowell.com, we have a theory that someone may know someone who can help with this.

Pat writes, “I don't know where to turn. I have spoken to the Tarrant County Sheriff's office and left messages with the Humane Society of North Texas, I need to know if there is anything else I can do.

“A family has a German Shepherd, full -grown, which I think they have had for a short time, maybe 2-3 months. The dog is tethered to a wire which is strung between two trees. The dog is always wrapped around one or the other trees and cannot reach its water or food bowls.

“Today, at 7:50 a.m. I drove by the house and that poor thing was sitting in the yard, tied up, with the rain pouring down on it.

“There is no shelter from the elements for the animal and I am furious. I thought there was a law in Texas that stated an animal left outside should be provided shelter.

“I called the Sheriff's office last Tuesday, reported how the dog was all wrapped around the tree, etc. They told me they would send a deputy out there. When I called, again, this morning, I was told that a deputy did go out there Tuesday and saw that the dog ‘seemed’ fine and that there is ‘NOTHING’ they can do.

“The dispatcher said that if it was summer and 100 degrees, it would be a different story. Someone needs to explain to me why 100 degrees is different from 56 degrees and pouring down rain. 

“Because this area is unincorporated, we are all at the mercy of county services, but I need to know if there is anything else I can do.”

To help Pat help this dog, e-mail HAJADO2@aol.com.

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A Friday assortment...

The arrival of Friday is always such a surprise. It had seemed so far away just a few days ago.

Along the way we learned stuff and probably forgot some stuff, too. I don’t think I’m alone.  I do wonder, of course, how current crowding in shelters and the arrival of the Thanksgiving holiday next week will affect things. Anybody know? Now, today’s report.

THE RESCUE OF ROCKY: We got word yesterday from tipster DeDe Whitcombe of the Colin County Humane Society that Rocky, the big ol’ sweet dog who had been rescued from an unpleasant situation in Frisco and placed in the Collin County Animals Services Shelter has been saved from the needle.

You may recall that when Frisco Animal Control Officer Steve Lerner went to the dog’s home to investigate a cruelty situation, the dog ran out the door and hid behind the ACO rather than respond to the commands of the man of the house. Reportedly, the dog had been living on a diet of bacon grease and gunpowder. The gunpowder is supposed to make a dog mean. Didn’t work in Rocky’s case, we’re told.

So DeDe tells us that the rescue group Before The Bridge has claimed Rocky and will be trying to find a good home for him – the anchors of Before The Bridge are the mother-daughter team of Marsha Duncan-Fleming and Ashley Duncan. E-mail beforethebridge@gmail.com to ask about helping Rocky and the group.

THE PASSING OF ARCHIE: Be sure to click on our Prayers & Passages page today to see a tribute to Archie, who died last week only a few weeks after being named the ASPCA Dog of the Year.

COLLECTING FOOD FOR CRITTERS: The Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Animal Food Drive is Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at three Dickey’s locations (Forest at Central Expressway; Henderson at Central Expressway and 2525 Wycliffe Avenue).

Each of the restaurants will be collecting not only dog and cat food (any type), but also dog houses, crates and carriers, clean used or new towels and blankets and c ash to support animals. The animal groups associated with this drive are Metroplex Animal Coalition, KittiCo Cat Rescue and Angie’s Friends.

A CAT NEEDS SOME HELP: Rawlins Gilliland is trying to help out a “beloved next door neighbor “ in Dallas. The neighbor is in hospice care and needs to find a home for “her goofy and funny grouch of a kitty cat,” he writes. The cat is Garfield.

Rawlins says his home is at the city limit and so he needs to find a good home – possibly someone “older [who] would love an older woman’s kitty. He’s a good guy, although as I said, he’s a sweet grump.” Garfield is 10 years old and came into his home as a kitten. And he’s accustomed to being in a nice quiet home, though he does get along well with other cats and with Rawlins’ dogs.
“Basically, he is low-maintenance and amusing as furniture,” says Rawlins.

To ask about adopting Garfield, call 214-388-4524 or 214-886-1698 or e-mail rawlins@sbcglobal.net.

Rawlins also asks for prayers “for my friend and neighbor ... who has been a joy to know and live next to for over 25 years.”

(FYI: I’m not naming the neighbor, because I figure this is a time for privacy. I suspect any prayers for “Rawlins’ neighbor” will get to the right place. I think that’s the way it works.) 

DAILY STIPULATION: And, of course, your honor, we’d like to stipulate in the Court of Public Opinion that shelters in the North Texas area, and possibly other areas of the nation, are full of unwanted dogs and cats.

As an example, we got an e-mail that carried the notice that things are overloaded at the Little Elm Animal Shelter just north of Dallas about 10 quick minutes. Among the photos in the note was this one titled “One Diva & A Dude” though, clearly, there are 3 kittens in the photo. Someone has adopted one of the girls. That just leaves a perfect pair of 8-week-old kittens.

The Little Elm Shelter operates through the police department when Animal Control Officer Cynthia Medrano is not in the office or is out on calls. But you can ask about these kittens by calling 214-975-0460. The shelter is at 100 W. Eldorado Parkway in Little Elm (Zip Code 75068). You can also e-mail cmedrano@littleelm.org or police@littleelm.org or animalcontrol@littleelm.org.

How much does it cost to adopt an animal from Little Elm? A whopping ten bucks.

That’s right. $10. For $20 you can have a pair of kittens and years of entertainment.

Just fyi: The shelter will be closed Thanksgiving and the subsequent Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

ASSORTED NOTES:

--Hold your breath, cross your fingers and all that other stuff. It looks like there may be a rescue working out for Chance the Schnauzer mix in East Texas. We’ll let you know when we know.

--Rescuer Laci Milani Ingalls forwarded this note to us and I’ll be someone can immediately help Sharmon Walters help out a friend. Sharmon wrote, “I have a lady who is looking for a Yellow Lab that is house-broken. Do you have any that might be available?” Oh, boy. How about every city shelter and half the rescues in North Texas. To offer to help, e-mail sharmon.walters@wnco.com.

-- On Nov. 4 we wrote about Magic, an Arlington Animal Services Dog whose euthanasia date was Nov. 7. He was suffering from starvation, mange, a skin condition and poor treatment by a human. He’d been surviving on the streets when he was picked up and put on the clock at the city shelter. What has happened to this dog? We get the answer from Gail Whelan of Companion Animal Network. “I pulled him and he is now named Merlin. This dog has apparently NEVER been treated humanely. He is so grateful for everything. We are feeding him 3 times a day and he has gained 6 pounds in a week.  Unfortunately, either due to his stay at the shelter or otherwise, he has a severe upper respiratory infection and we're on our second round of antibiotics.  His skin is healing and you can see that he will have a beautiful coat one day. He is truly a special boy. We also learned that he can SMILE. It looks at first like he is snarling at you. But he is not -- he is smiling and thanking us for his fully tummy and cushy bed.” (To offer to help Merlin e-mail can_rescue@yahoo.com or go to www.ca-n.petfinder.com.

-- Click HERE to read the Tyler Morning Telegraph’s story about dogfighting convictions.

-- You might be able to get an Earhound at half-price on Saturday. Denton’s Animal Shelter is hosting a special adoption on Saturday – it’s called “Ray of Hope,” says our tipster Amy Pelzel, and during the event all adoptions – dogs and cats – will be just $60. That’s half-price. The shelter is at 300 S. Woodrow Lane in Denton.

Among the animals available will be this two-year-old Carley, a healthy Basset who, the shelter says, “is fun-loving and just a great girl. she loves all other dogs and people.” Saturday is her first day of adoption availability – probably won’t be there long.
--You may remember seeing a photo of this dog on Readlarrypowell.com back on Nov. 12 – she was one of the “in some real trouble” dogs photographed by Russell Posch, the noted shelter walker at Irving Animal Services. Here’s what’s happening with this dog (we get it courtesy of a veteran rescuer who wants to remain anonymous for now):

“Miss Molly is recuperating at the vet for her surgery to repair her broken femur. Upon closer exam, her pelvis x rays did indicate multiple horizontal fractures. It is the opinion of many vets that we should let these injuries heal on their own with strict crate rest. Trying to surgically repair her pelvis would be painful, costly, and might not even get us a more desirable result. So again we wait and we hope for the best.

“Lucky for Molly I am an old pro at post op / crate rest dogs....so I know all about the importance of zero activity while letting broken bones fuse back together with hardware in place.
“For now Molly will stay at the vet's office, free of charge thanks to her awesomeness, for about 1 more week. It's important she get some rest and post op care before moving into my home for fostering. I need the week to survive the holidays, prep my house for Molly, and practice dead-lifting heavy objects so I can carry her to and from the crate for potty breaks. No worries, I'm one tough chick, just like Molly.”

To offer to help Molly by adopting or donating, e-mail pittieboo@gmail.com.

--Earlier this week we mentioned that Winona Curfman, a social worker at Presbyterian Hospital, was trying to help a patient find a temporary foster for her two dogs. Winona reports that “both dogs that I was concerned about are in a safe place at this point.” So, there you go. Someone’s doing a good deed. Bless their hearts.

--And in Houston, the no-kill dog/cat rescue group Friends For Life  needs supplies, we learn in a tip from noted relentless cat rescuer Edna Taylor. She forwards a note from Salise Shuttlesworth, the Friends For Life executive Director that says the group is “in desperate need of donations of cat litter and food (canned and dry).” They’ll also take PetsMart and Petco gift cards. “During these hard economic times,” Salies writes, “Our furry friends have been hit even harder as their families are leaving them behind.” To offer to help the group, e-mail director@adoptfriends4life.org or call 713.863.9835.

--If you have a desire to help animals through food or supply donations, check with a group you’ve heard of, maybe Google your favorite breed’s rescue group, ask an animal supporting friend, etc. Just ask around – you’ll find a rescue group or shelter that is in need of supplies. Look at it as an investment in your future – if you don’t already have a critter, maybe you’ll get one someday from that shelter or group. It’s the circle of critter life.

WHY NEWSPAPERS MUST NOT FAIL: As you may know, the rescue group A Different Breed has regular noon-to-5 p.m. Saturday adoptions at Pepper Square Shopping Center, Belt Line at Preston. It takes some supplies to run one of these adoption things ADB’s Joni McConnell sent out a note to volunteers reporting “We are in DESPERATE NEED of dry dog food and newspapers!  We took in another 7 mixed-Lab pups last Saturday, and are going through newspaper fast!

“ With 70 or so dogs now under our care, we are down to our last 2 days of dog food.  It's been a very tough year for all rescues, but first and foremost, we have to feed them!  If you can drop off a bag of dry dog food to Pepper Square on Saturday, it would be very much appreciated!” 

(Readlarrypowell aside: And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why corporate America cannot allow newspapers to fail – they are essential and perfectly designed for prolific puppies.)

CONTEMPLATIONS: So, Oprah Winfrey is shutting down her Chicago-based TV show. Can she be looking at a career in politics? Of course not. Why swap the power to do good for a job in politics? ... We’ve had an impressive amount of rain in our neighborhood this morning – it’s chilly, dark and rainy. Apparently this is good sleeping weather for dogs and cats. I am the only mammal in our house who has been awake since breakfast. ... There’s a story on assorted websites about a woman in Arkansas who gave a cop the OK to taser her unruly 10-year-old daughter. My kids were well behaved. But in retrospect, and remembering some of the teenage years, I can only lament “there’s never an Arkansas cop with a taser around when you need one.” Just kidding, boys, just kidding.

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Sometimes saving is easy...then again

We’ve got some interesting things to approach today – a three-legged cat; a pit bull that was picked up starving and may be killed...Some mornings, you just hate to open the e-mail, you know?

The good thing is, people with hearts may be reading this and here’s something else to remember, people with hearts were writing the e-mails. You’ll see. Read on.

PICKED UP AND IN TROUBLE: Usually it’s the dogs that are picked up by animal control that find themselves on the clock, but here’s one who is on the clock and isn’t in a shelter.

And, as you can see, this dog wasn’t in primo condition when Jeff Hartman made the pickup. Here’s Jeff’s story in his words. He recalls another rescue. He writes, “I was fortunate enough to find Paula (a young pit) back in June running loose and probably lucky enough to escape somebody’s backyard in the Pleasant Grove area on the east side of Dallas. She was such a joy to foster, but she finally found a great new home 3 weeks ago in Roanoke -- a family that will take care of her.

“ Seems like as soon as you find a home for one, fate crosses your path again, and again, and you never see the end of it.

“It happened to me again today [Wednesday]. If I had left work 5 minutes early or later, my day would have ended the way I wanted. No surprises 

But, this young fellow found me, one block from where I found Paula. You can imagine what he's been through looking at his pictures, and I think one more night outside would have been it for him.

“Right now he is at VCA Loop 12, warm, full tummy and probably sleeping now. He'll have some medical problems which aren't known yet only because I told them to just make him comfortable.

“I came to a decision after Paula found her home, no more fostering. My sanity is at stake, and it was the misfortune of this fellow for finding me. I was ready to euthanize him right then, but he was wagging his tail at me, I couldn't do it.

“I’m asking everybody for help. Rescues, sanctuaries, foster home? I will transport him anywhere in the country. But, I'm only giving him through Friday for good news, after that, as much as I despise myself for this, I have to carry through.”

Before you jump all over Jeff for having this attitude, remember that he stopped and picked up the dog. He has taken the dog to a vet. He has given his heart to dogs for a while. And he knows the longshot of a pit in Dallas getting a break. “I’ll go up to the vet Saturday morning to do it, and take him to the pet crematory on Highway 78 towards Wylie,” he says. But he doesn’t want to. He also doesn’t want to see the dog moved to a shelter only to be killed or wind up in “bad” hands only to be killed. 

And, he says, “I am not looking, nor do I want donations for his care, I've always taken care of medical expenses myself for my rescues. If I couldn't afford it, I wouldn't have picked them up. This guy needs a caregiver.”

To offer to help this dog and this man, call 972-978-3203 or e-mail viewz@flash.net. 

THREE RESCUES: Over the past few weeks we’ve gotten reports from Halteman’s Haven about two dogs in trouble – Latte was a little dog with purple hair and an eye problem and Peanuts was a Chihuahua who had been hit by a car.

Now, the thing to remember is Keli Halteman started the rescue group to deal only with cats, but these two dogs crossed her path and, well, there you have it, the course changed. Still, she’s dealing with down-on-their-luck cats, too, and when we asked about the dogs (both are in better situations now), she asked if we could also mention Stan the Three-Legged Cat.

So, here are the three stories:

Keli says Stan, born with a stump for a back left leg, was rescued from the Irving Animal Shelter.  He has since been neutered and had that bad leg situation tidied up. He’s healthy, up to date on shots and will be ready for adoption by Nov. 25. “He is a normal, happy, healthy kitten who gets around very well,” Keli says. “He kind of skips. He deserves a loving family that does not care that he only has three legs. You should see him move. He ZOOMS!”

Many readers may remember Latte because of the sorry state in which she arrived at this “rescue” point of her life. The toy poodle mix was found running down Buckner Road and was “covered in purple salve that is used on horses for wound care. It had plastered her eye shut,” the Haven report read. So what has happened? Latte’s vet’s mother-in-law adopted the dog after donating the grooming.

And the story of Peanut touched hearts, too. Peanut, a 3-month-old female Chihuahua mix had been run over on a freeway – a motorist who saw the event reported that the driver didn’t stop. That’s understandable. The car was an SUV and the dog is small. You wouldn’t expect a tiny dog to survive.

But Peanut did – crushed pelvis and all. At first the inclination was to euthanize her, but Halteman’s Haven reports “the three doctors who examined her and reviewed her x-rays” felt she could be saved.

And, now, Peanut has been adopted and will go to her new home around Thanksgiving.

Halteman’s Haven still has bills from these animals and there are more cats (and probably dogs) in the future. To see available animals and how to donate to Halteman’s Haven, click HERE

or e-mail Keli at kellyhalteman@att.net.

CONTEMPLATIONS: This morning on AOL’s welcome page there was this headline: “Janet Jackson breaks silence.” I had no idea she’d been silent. ... Today is the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and it reminds me that one of the most spot-on Bullwinkle impressions I ever heard was by my late pal Barry Boesch – he’d worked at the big paper in Dallas for decades, then became executive editor of The Denton Record Chronicle. At the big paper, every now and then, in the tension of editing a difficult story in which key elements may have been missing, Barry would, in a great Bullwinkle voice, say, “Hey, Rocky! Wanna see me pull a rabbit out of my hat?” The newsroom would laugh, he’d edit and we’d publish.  ... Any other Baby Boomers have this sensation: Chilly days in autumn remind you of the Cold War, duck-and-cover, East Germany, the Soviet Union and other terrifying touchstones? We’re talking of a time before Dallas had the Cowboys, before Texas had big league baseball and before everybody had credit cards.

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Earhounds, shelters and things...

Gosh, remember how we used to get a break between presidential elections. Just a thought as we dive into the day’s activities, which include a relieving note about two dogs in Arlington:

A COLLECTION OF EARHOUNDS: OK, let's agree that the City of Dallas has this whizbang Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center. Every animal in the center is on the clock and that’s a lot of animals.

We’re featuring an array of Earhounds who are on the “urgent” list today. It was forwarded to us via Jonnie England, the Metroplex Animal Coalition’s Director of Animal Advocacy and Communications.

Now, first, before we ID these dogs,  we’re just going to stipulate for the court of public opinion, your honor, that the city has an animal problem – maybe not overpopulation in general, but certainly overloading at the shelter. Heck, only one animal on the clock is overloading.

Why are so many animals in shelters and rescue groups around North Texas? You could say “the economy,” but this problem existed when people were rolling in dough and all had jobs. Overloading is part of why the shelter was built in the first place. Dallas had a lot of unwanted animals and had outgrown its two old facilities.

Spay/neuter is one answer to controlling population but that would just keep puppies out of the shelter not adult dogs.

Ah, might we need to address human attitudes? How do you control attitudes of irresponsible people who have the animals? Collectors are reviled and looked at as creeps (and there may be some truth in that), but it sure isn’t their animals that are filling shelters on a daily basis.

So who keeps the shelters full? It’s the people who let unfixed animals run free and multiply or fixed animals run free and annoy the neighborhood.

And it is, especially, people who treat animals as casual possessions to be taken in and thrown out on a whim. Those are the villains of this piece. They think taking an animal to a shelter to have it “seen to” is being responsible. If the alternative is dumping the dog on the side of a road to starve or get slammed by a speeding car, then, that case, taking it to a pound to get a fatal needle is the comparatively responsible thing to do. Except it’s not really being responsible to the creature.
OK, I really must stay off the soapbox. Otherwise, I’ll call for banning dogs inside all city limits until every last citizen can pass a responsibility test.

Right now there are five or six dogs living in Kiest Park. I can’t get them to come to me and besides, I’m already dealing with a Rottweiler I picked up in the park a month ago. And, then there’s the little pit/beagle mix Martha saved from some dog-beaters. So, yeah, we know a little bit about how dogs wind up loose in Dallas.

We’ve saved just two and some of you have saved many more in the last month and lord knows how many are in the city’s shelter today waiting for either a rescuing angel or the sting of a needle that will end their lives for no good reason.

The dogs we’ve displayed here are all on the clock at the Dallas shelter. And they all have distinct ears and attitudes. They didn’t catch a cab to the shelter and turn themselves in – a human failed them at some point.

Who are these dogs?

There’s Fay, the Lab with the ears almost ready for takeoff.  There’s Edmund, the Corgi mix with the satellite dish ears – Queen Elizabeth raises Corgis and I wonder if she trains them to eavesdrop on royal relatives.

Then, there’s Elvis the Shepherd mix with one ear up, one ear down.  You’ve got Frank, the Shepherd mix we mentioned last weekend as being photogenic enough for the movies. There’s Faust the Beagle. And there’s Tyler, that dog posing like an ol’ time Hollywood movie star – all he needs is an agent. Oh, and there’s Haden, the Shar-pei mix with the diminutive ears atop a big head. And, against a violet backdrop, Shasta.

To offer to help these animals or any of the dogs and cats in the city shelter, rescue groups should e-mail mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com  or call 214-670-8298.  To adopt, visit the shelter at I-30 and Westmoreland or call the adoption desk at 214-671-0249.

Each and every dog and cat in a shelter is an independent soul. Each has a different personality, different needs, different expressions.  And humans just keep on killing them. We ought to be ashamed.

SAVING TWO DOGS: Yesterday we told the story of Nyah and Niki, two dogs who appeared to have been raised together and may even be siblings. They were found roaming in Arlington – dodging traffic and disaster. And it was determined that Nyah (left) is “vision impaired,” and, subsequently, Niki  was moved into the adoption area and Nyah was held back, separated from her companion.

We got word of this situation from our longtime Arlington shelter contact Dianne Watson who now lives in Amarillo but who, thanks to the miracles of modern communication, managed to help pull of another miracle in the shelter.

Michele Kruger, a veteran rescuer, stepped up to take the two dogs and, beginning today, will have them at her house. This will last only a few days, until their acclimated and at ease with people, then they’ll be going into boarding.

They need a permanent home, of course. To offer to help with these two dogs either by donation or adoption or fostering, e-mail mkruger@property-taxation.com.

And, remember, Arlington has many more animals on the clock. Click HERE to see them. You’ll note that among the available cats is this blue-eyed fellow, Meezer, but if you adopt him you could rename him Sinatra, then every time he come into a room, you could announce “Ol’ Blue Eyes is back.” (Dated joke from the Frank Sinatra Un-Retirement Era of the early 1970s.)

PATIENCE AND A MOMMA: One of our Houston contacts, Edna Taylor, is a dramatic cat rescuer. For example, here's a dramatic cat. Edna brought in this rescued cat and the reward for that good deed was the dramatic birth of a passel of kittens. Edna explains, “It took us about 6 months, but we found homes for ALL of Nicole's babies (Stashe, Itty Bit, Blaze, Spot, Boots and Fat Head) and now she needs a home of her own.”

This cat with the championship whiskers is Nicole.

“She is just over a year old, weighs about 6 pounds and is the most affectionate kitty,” says Edna. “She is just like her babies: playful, cute, sweet, loveable and SO deserving of a furever home. She is completely vetted, litterbox-trained and ready to go home TODAY.”

Edna even calls Nicole a “cutie patootie.”

If you’d like a “cutie patootie” around the house, call 713-628-4052 or e-mail tayloredna@msn.com.

A LITTLE GOOD NEWS: Back on Nov. 11 we mentioned our pal Dianne Phillips’ efforts to find a home for this Husky named “Princess Angeline See-ahth” in honor of Chief Seattle (See-ahth), her human explained. The dog needed a new home because the human is leaving at Thanksgiving for a mission trip to the Philippines.

Dianne reports, “I am happy to say that Kaya (new name!) found a great home yesterday [Sunday].I received an email from a wonderful dog lover through all the emails going around. She already has two Huskys, a poodle and three cats so she could not take her. Sounds like me! But, her niece and her husband adopted her! One more down and a million to go!”

REGARDING CHANCE: On Monday we mentioned this dog Chance, an inside dog living outdoors because of a crisis situation. We got word last night from our tipster Deborah Lee Montana that Chance’s situation has suffered another unsettling crisis, a death in the family. And that makes finding this little Schnauzer mix Chance a new home even more urgent. To offer to help the family by relieving the load at this time of tragedy, contact Deborah at emailtodeborah@gmail.com.

THE TWO WEST DALLAS DOGS: Sherry Kunz reports that Dallas Animal Services has told her the agency will sent out a crew to find the two dogs who have been dodging traffic at Bernal and Singleton in West Dallas. She would have preferred to find a rescue group to take them, but DAS responded. She says, “I'm really worried about them in the cold and the busy traffic. I think one of them is in pretty bad shape anyway. At least if they find them, maybe the dogs will be comfortable for a little while as opposed to dying in the elements or being hit by a car.”

A NOTE ABOUT COMMERCIAL BREEDERS: Mary O’Connor Shaver, who fights puppy mills in Pennsylvania and Ohio and is with the Columbus Top Dogs rescue group, sent out a note regarding the USDA’s rankings of the top 10 states with the largest number of USDA Class A licensed commercial breeders.

Here, thanks to Mary, is the list (with post office abbreviations): 1. MO - 1,370; 2. OK – 498; 3. IA – 322; 4. AR - 308 (was 5th in 2008); 5. KS - 291 (was 4th in 2008); 6. PA – 202; 7. OH - 161 (a 500% increase in the number of Class A licensed "commercial" breeders just five years ago!); 8. NE – 142; 9. SD - 102 (was 10th in 2008) 10. TX - 91 (was 9th in 2008).

So, Texas, I’m not sure if this is good or bad. Are there more breeders but fewer are licensed or are there just fewer breeders?

Remember, if you want to join the fight against puppy mills in Texas, a good place to jump in is at www.thln.org, the website for the Texas Humane Legislation Network which is taking the fight to the state legislature when it reconvenes and threatens the rest of us on Jan. 11, 2011.

CONTEMPLATIONS: While casually watching the Channel 5 news a couple of nights ago, we were surprised to see these words on the screen during a story: “NEW INFORMATION.” I don’t know if they ever put up a notice of “OLD INFORMATION.” But when you watch the “news” don’t you expect “news”? One of the cable networks has the annoying habit of labeling stories “breaking news” but there usually isn’t any – it’s just a label. And can they put more things on one screen? Remember when you just had to look at one picture and you didn’t have to read a crawl, decipher a graphic and catch a promo at the same time? ... This is a photo of the top part of Reunion Arena as it looked yesterday about a half-hour before it crumbled and collapsed into a big pile of metal stuff. As you can see, outlined against the cloud in the beautiful blue sky, there was a group of fans bidding farewell to the building – a handful of pigeons who quickly took flight. ... One wonders, of course, where was the Bonehead Club of Dallas on such a momentous occasion as the un-construction of a famous building. Is the Bonehead Club still around? They used to show up at Fair Park on opening day of the State Fair each year to conduct an official closing of the previous fair – they figured you couldn’t really open a new one until the old one had been closed. I went to a Bonehead meeting several years ago as the guest speaker, but surely that didn’t shut the venerable club down. Of course, the Bonehead Club's hijinx may have been eclipsed by the reality of the city, i.e., the "bridge to nowhere" over the Trinity, tearing down a perfectly good basketball gym, and after so proudly getting rid of them in the 1960s, so proudly, putting trolleys BACK into the city.. ... Here’s contemplation for you: Does Dallas have a sense of humor? If you boiled it down in a giant cauldron would you find an ounce of whimsy, a pint of chortle, a smidgen of grin? Or is this just a city of hard-drinking, hard-exercising, maniacally focused people? I had a conversation with several Tarrant County people lately and they all declared “Dallas just wants to be New York.” Does anybody want to be Dallas? I like to leave Dallas every now and then – you know, to drive beyond the Dallas County line and return to real Texas soil.

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Burns Flat, Arlington, etc. -- on the clock...Speederman is found

Our goal today is to make this a good day for someone. Our efforts will not involve a distribution of massive amounts of tax-free cash or a discovery of a pill that’ll take the calories out of donuts.

So, let’s just move on and – oh, yeah, two dogs are in a spot in Arlington -- do what we can with what we have today.

WHEN THEY’RE IN A POUND: This is a photo of three dogs that were surrendered to the Burns Flat, Okla., shelter yesterday. That happens a lot all over the place. People bring in unwanted puppies and hand them over. Adult dogs, too. These guys look like they're planning a break-out. Adoption would be easier. Maybe.

Our Burns Flat tipster, the tireless rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher, says, “They are so cute. Maybe 3 months old. They look to be some type of terrier mix.

“It is so cold here now. They just sit there and shiver.”

To help Terry Lynn help these brothers, e-mail remembering_oddball@yahoo.com or call 580-330-1459.

The thing is, no matter how warm a shelter might be, there is always an element of “sit there and shiver” when it comes to animals that are unwanted. So, we’ll just take this moment to issue our traditional daily stipulation: Your honor, the shelters and rescue groups are overloaded and adoptors and foster homes are needed.

THE PRESSURE OF TIME: These dogs are in the Arlington Animal Services shelter and the dog on the right, Niki, has been moved into the front adoption area, we’re told, while her companion Nyah, is on today’s euthanasia list.

Nyah is visually impaired – not completely blind, but the theory is she sees forms and shadows and, after all, she was getting along fine loose on the streets with Niki. They appear to have been raised together, but somewhere along the way, the two were betrayed by a human.

One person who has actually been with this “visually impaired” dog says “This is a wonderful, gentle and well-adjusted dog. She is a great size for a family dog and can tie your heart strings in a knot in 2 seconds flat.”

So, the complications are she has been separated from her companion, she’s alone, the companion is alone, they’re both in a kill shelter and the clock may be ticking so fast that nothing can help. The shelter is at 1000 SE Green Oaks – that’s south of I-20. Call 817-459-6156.,

No doubt the Arlington Animal Services people would prefer to add two dogs to the “adopted” list rather than two dogs to the “euthanized” list. 

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FORT WORTH:

Some of you may remember seeing this distinct dog showcased on Readlarrypowell.com earlier in the year.

[WE INTERRUPT THIS PARAGRAPH: Our tipster Nancy Underwood Pollard reports to us just after 4 p.m. that Corey was found lounging in the care of Fort Worth Animal Care & Control -- the person who had found him and turned him in spotted a sign in the neighborhood, we're told. Ah, the value of signs, the value of communication.] 

He was moved out of a Dallas-area shelter by Nancy Underwood Pollard of August Dog Rescue. She managed to get him into a home in the summer “after much searching for a great family,” Nancy says.

As we often note here, dogs are too clever for their own good. Corey escaped from his backyard Saturday evening in Fort Worth – the area of Hildring Drive East (Zip Code 75109).

He’s a 45-pound black dog who is a Chow/Jack Russell Terrier mix.

When last seen he was wearing a red collar.

If you know where Corey is, call Mali Culp at 817-891-2892 (cell) or 817-877-9955 (work) or 817-926-2267.

SPEEDERMAN IS FOUND: The praise for the return of Speederman is going to Ginger Leach, the tireless worker at Fort Worth Animal Care and Control.

You may recall that yesterday we ran an old baby photo of the dog Speederman as a puppy. He’s 100 pounds or so now.

A relative of the dog’s owner had, while the owner was at a rehab center visiting her crime-victim husband, beaten severely during an armed robbery, dumped the big dog near Lake Worth.

Why? Because, she told the dog’s human, the lake had plenty of duck s for the dog to eat.

At any rate, last nightGinger had emailed our Readlarrypowell.com tipster Karen Lee with a note that she “thought Speederman had been picked up by Fort Worth Animal Control. [Speederman’s human] Jackie, went to the shelter this morning, only to be told she couldn't go back and view the dogs until noon.While talking to someone at the facility, Ginger just happened to walk by and heard the conversation and introduced herself -- then she took charge.She took Jackie back to view the dogs and sure enough, Speederman was in the slammer! He was so happy to see Jackie. She has paid for him and he is processed out, but he can't be released until noon. She'll be back for him at that time. Jackie was in tears when she called and said to tell everyone how much she appreciates all the efforts to find Speederman. That goes double for me!  And a BIG thanks to Ginger who has helped me in so many ways and has helped several of our neighborhood hounds find their way back home!  You are truly an Angel!!”

A NOTE REGARDING DONNA: As long as we have August Dog Rescue on the phone (in a manner of speaking), we’ll take a minute to note that Nancy Underwood Pollard is trying to find a good home for this girl Donna who has been in foster care for about a year and really needs an actual home.

Nancy says that “we cannot for the life of us figure out why” she hasn’t been adopted. “She is good with dogs, good with cats, good with children, beautiful, smart (commands, housetrained, etc.”

And, obviously, she knows how to pose for photographs.

She came into August Dog Rescue when her family of six years dumped her at a kill shelter.

To ask about adopting her, e-mail nancycunderwood@gmail.com.

TWO CATS NEED A HOME: That’s Fiona in the sink and the handsome black and white cat is Little Bunny. They belong to Cynthia Schindler who has found herself in a bit of a fix with the cats.

“I now find myself with a terrible problem and in desperate need of help,” she says. “I have rescued two homeless cats – they are sweet as the day is long, healthy (I had my vet examine them), love to sleep and play together.

“I cannot keep them because my son and baby grandson are severely allergic to cats (my grandson is 9 months old).”

So, Cynthia is looking for someone or a rescue group to take these two adorable cats in and find a good home or homes for them. To offer to help with Fiona and Little Bunny, e-mail cyndieschindler@andrewskurth.com or call 214-659-4417.

PARTY ON, HAIRBALL: OK, I don’t know how they came up with this event name Hairballs & Hair Band (click on the artwork to make it larger), but that’s the name of the Paws In The City holiday fundraiser and it is a party Thursday night (6 p.m.-10 p.m.) at the House of Blues in Dallas. The featured act is the band Live 80. Read about Paws In The City HERE and you can get Hairballs and Hair Band tickets and other info about the party HERE. 

ROCKY IS STILL WAITING,THE CLOCK IS TICKING: Amazingly, Rocky the Dog, an innocent bystander in an ugly situation in Frisco, is still doing time at the Collin County Animal Services shelter in spite of efforts by shelter workers and volunteers to find a place for him to go.

We got another reminder about him from DeDe Whitcombe of the Collin County Humane Society and from shelter worker Lisa Drummonds.

You may recall that he was a cruelty seizure in Frisco – when the animal control officer Steve Lerner showed up to get the dog, Rocky didn’t hide behind his owner, Rocky hid behind the ACO to avoid the owner.

Everybody who meets Rocky testifies as to his warm and sweet nature. He has retained this though his life was not primo – he was being fed, apparently, a diet of bacon grease and gunpowder, something dogfighting thugs do to make the dogs irritable and meaner. The pain is intense, we’re told.

Lisa, who has hands-on knowledge of Rocky and his demeanor, writes,” If someone could take this poor baby in to a rescue I am sure he would be an amazing and loyal companion for his new owners. He deserves a second chance at a real family after all he has gone through. If you have room or know of someone who does please let me know. I would love for this dog to have the chance to  know real love and caring.”

Call Lisa at the shelter at 972-547-7298 or 972-249-7327 or email ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us.

 The clock is ticking on Rocky. And, remember, in this situation, it’s not really the dog who should get the punishment.

CONTEMPLATION: Something to ask your city council members? How about this: Why is it OK to kill so many dogs and cats? And don’t settle for the answer, “What else are we going to do with them?”

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The world's challenges...

On second thought, yes, I would rather have watched Michelle Wie win her first LPGA Tournament than watch the Dallas Cowboys play Green Bay.

Now, properly bundled against the November wind and the chilly temps, let’s proceed.

DUMPED AND MISSING: To summarize, this photo is of a puppy who has grown, in the past year, to be over 100 pounds and over the weekend, while his human was visiting her ailing husband (a deliveryman who was recently beaten in an armed robbery), a relative took the dog to Lake Worth and dumped him.

We get the story from veteran rescuer Karen Lee who wrote, “Right now I am so mad I can hardly write this but for the sake of a beautful dog I am sending this out in hopes you can spread the word and this dog can be found.”

The dog was, allegedly, dumped somewhere along Las Vegas Trail near parks in Lake Worth

The dog’s human, after returning from the hospital and discovering the additional horror, went looking for Speederman, Karen says. She’s checking shelters and still looking.

Karen says the dog is a Shar-Pei mix and “he looks like he might have some Pit in him, not sure of that, however. “ He’s shy. If you know the whereabouts of Speederman, call 817-246-4272 or e-mail canyon-people@charter.net.

Why was Speederman dumped? He’d chewed some baby toys.  Once again, a human failing.  Just move the toys out of the dog’s reach.

URGENT NEED FOR TEMPORARY FOSTER: We are turning to readers, of course, to help us find an answer to a problem. We got a note over the weekend from someone who helps people for a living and is trying to help a person with some dogs. Winona Curfman is a social worker at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and she’s trying to help a patient who is facing about three months of treatments but has no one to care for her dogs, Gracie, a mixed-breed dog, and Poppy, a 6-month-old Fox Terrier. Gracie’s under 40 pounds and Poppy is under 20. If you know of or can volunteer to do a short-term foster, e-mail WinonaCurfman@texashealth.org or call 214-682-1941. As I’ve often noted, animal people are people people, too.

TALK ABOUT THE NICK OF TIME: Kathy Jenkins has one of those stories that will send chills down the spine of any animal lover and, yes, it will also put a smile on your face. It’s bittersweet because you know this stuff shouldn’t happen, but you also can’t help smiling at the scene and at the fact that someone stepped up for this dog.

But, Kathy and her Mom are now burdened with the process of dealing with the aftermath of a sensational blessed event.

Her story: “We are desperately trying to find some help for our situation.  Seven weeks ago we found a stray ... at a park [at Lake Waxahachie] here in Waxahachie.  My mother lives on the lake.  In the past couple of years there have been so many dogs dumped, it has become quite concerning and very troubling to us. ...  There was a female dog and male running around and Mom just felt terrible about leaving them out at the park. She took in the female. ...  Turns out she was pregnant.  ...  Mom went on a 2 week trip, got back last Thursday and the dog had puppies last Friday night -- eight puppies.

“My Mom is 70 years old, very settled in her ways and is very socially active.  She is worried so much about what to do with the puppies when she has to leave all the time. ...  Mom would like to keep the Mama but we need to find homes for these pups and are desperate for help.  I live in Austin and already have 7 pets of my own and cannot take one of them myself...and I refuse to let Mom take them to a kill shelter.  Do you have any suggestions, what we can do, who can help?  They are a week old now and I need to help my Mom by taking this burden from her (burden only because she is not able to handle all these pups alone).  The Mama is a shepherd/collie mix and we can't tell what the pups aren't yet ... 5 girls 3 boys. “

To offer to help Kathy and Mom and the little Momma, call 972-938-1407 or e-mail raudi123@yahoo.com. 

AS WINTRY WEATHER TAKES OVER: You might give some thought to a dog named Chance. We get his story from Deborah Lee who reports that “Chance is a victim of both an economic and health crisis. His daddy is a single father caring for three children who recently lost his job and has had to move into an apartment to take better care of his family. They love Chance, but could not take him with them. Chance is one or two years old and is a muttalicous dog they got from the pound. He is full grown Schnauzer mix and weighs 22 pounds, is heart worm negative and on preventative. He has had his rabies shot, but not his other shots and needs to be neutered.”

Now the side story is the person who had taken Chance in on a temporary basis has hit a rough spot and is now focused on a family medical crisis involving cancer and liver disease.

That means Chance is now living in a backyard while waiting for a new indoor home. To offer to give Chance a proper home as wintry weather arrives, e-mail  kelly-gibson@hotmail.com or cell number is 903-522-1910.

Deborah says, Chance “is living under a covered porch. There is a dog bed, but he is cold.”

ROADSIDE DOG:  Cheryl  Neukirch has a hungry dog at her home in the country near Cleburne.  We told her we’d try to help  by posting the pup on Readlarrypowell.com and she replied, “You just don’t know how much I appreciate this.  I know that so many people have a pre-conceived idea about pit bulls and that includes me because all I hear is bad things about them but this little girl is so sweet.  I just don’t want her to have to spend any more time outside now that it is getting cold.  She needs to be inside and be taken care of so she can get back to health and be happy. I so need someone’s help in finding this dog a home. “

The dog, who “looks to be” a pit mix, she says, was found “abandoned on the side of the road near our home... She is very sweet with people, but not with any other animals, dogs or cats. I don’t know her background, so I don’t know why the bad disposition with other animals. She wants to come inside the house really bad which leads me to believe that someone was keeping her inside She is clean, her ears are clean, her teeth look good; she doesn’t have fleas or ticks. But she obviously has been starved.”

Cheryl says the family can’t keep her because they are already dealing with a 7-month-old diabetic dog and seven cats.

“I have named her Angel because I think God sent his guardian angel to be with her on that corner until someone like me could get to her to help her.  I have had her only 2 days but she is eating well, I have been cooking her chicken and rice to help ease her back into eating, but she also loves to eat canned dog food.  I can’t get her to eat the dry dog food I have.  I know she needs to see a vet but I just can’t afford to take her.”

To offer to help Cheryl with this roadside, starving dog, e-mail  

daryl@neukirchconstruction.com or CANeukirch@TarrantCounty.com or call 817/884-1756 or, after 4 p.m., 817/219-4384.

SANTA, IS THAT YOU, ALREADY? Is this the earliest Santa photo session this year? The West Side Animal League is bringing the Big Red One in for photos with families and their dogs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Dog-O-Mat, 6060 Bryant Irvin Road in Fort Worth. There’ll be crafts for sale and adoptable dogs. Price is $10. Proceeds benefit the WSAL.

SECOND CHANCE SPCA FUNDRAISER: Today at the Chili’s at 3601 N. Central Expressway in Plano, when you pay for your meal, 10 percent of your check will go to Second Chance SPCA. Click HERE to get a copy of the flyer to print out and hand to your server so you can qualify as a donor for the critters. You can read about Second Chance SPCA by going to www.scspca.org.

CONTEMPLATIONS: So much for the theory that the Dallas Cowboys were returning to “elite” status in the NFL. ... Anybody else hear from William Frank over the weekend? I love the SPAM I get. Here’s what he wrote to me: “I wish to inform you that the Diplomatic Agent conveying the consignment box valued the sum of $5.6 Million United States Dollars misplaced your address and he is currently stranded at your International airport now. We required you reconfirm the following information below so that he can deliver your consignment box to you today.  1) Your Names: ---- 2)Your Home/Office Address:-------3)Your Phone#:------- 4)Your Occupation:------5)Your Age/Sex:-------6) Name of Your Nearest Airport: ..... 7) A Copy of Your Identification: ....... Get Back to me with your full personal information's for the delivery of your consignment. Mr. William Frank.” Forget it, Billy Frank. I’m holding out for Lotto Texas!  ... This is my baby brother Garry’s birthday. He’s way old today. If Billy Frank comes through with that consignment box that’s stranded at the international airport, I’ll buy Garry a birthday present to go along with the card I gave him.

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The Wizard of Snooze...

Before writing this I did a little reading on Cairn Terriers and one source says they are working dogs and most of them are “left-pawed.”

That explains why they usually play first base or pitch.

I’m kidding about that baseball thing.

As many trivia-minded folks – especially fans of Cairns – may know, the part of Toto in 1939’s The Wizard of Oz was played by Terry, a Cairn Terrier.

The sweetly sleeping dog in this photo is Tuck. And because of Tuck’s total devotion to this particular snooze session, he is our spotlight critter in this weekend’s Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.

Tuck lives near Dardanelle, Ark., with one of our regular Readlarrypowell.com tipsters, Molli Corbin.

If Cairns are working dogs, then Tuck appears to be tuckered out.

The remarkable thing to some of us is that the dog is sleeping on a bed on the chair. At our house, the dogs drag the bed off the chair or couch and sleep on the chair or couch – it’s their human side

Molli says. “This is what he does when I have to clean house.”

Well, he’s too small to sweep, he can’t wring out a mop and the vacuum cleaner is too risky for a little dog. He’s doing the right thing.

Tuck is “a Col. Potter grad,” Molli says.

Col. Potter is the “Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network” and you can access it by clicking to www.cairnrescue.com. Col. Potter was the name of the dog that inspired formation of the rescue group.

And Molli asks that we mention Col. Potter's “urgent need for foster homes. Col. Potter has taken in 30 to 40 ‘mill’ Cairns in the last few months and more are on the way. I am putting together a rescue run right now. 5 Cairns, 3 Scotties, 10 Bichons, 4 Shih Tzu, 9 Cockers, 4 Eskies, 3 Maltese, and a Yorkie in a pear tree. If you know of any rescues who can handle mill guys, please let me know.”

To offer to help with these puppy mill dogs, contact Molli at mollicorbin@yahoo.com.

ONE MORE NOTE: Lots of dogs and cats are on the clock at the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center right now. This majestic fellow is Frank who looks as if he was taking a movie studio publicity photograph for his role as The Cowardly Lion in an all-dog remake of The Wizard of Oz. He’s just one of many animals that managed to wind up in the care of the city’s giant shelter.

They’re adoptable and some of them are closer to disaster than others – Frank’s facing some lousy timing. You can see him and others at the city shelter at Westmoreland at I-30 west of downtown Dallas. Call 214-671-0249 or 214-670-8246. Perhaps someday soon someone will be able to snap Frank sleeping on a couch and we’ll spotlight him in Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.

(To nominate your sleeper, snoozer, dozer or deadbeat relative for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, e-mail the photo and info to dallrp@aol.com. We’re proud to feature these sleeping animals so people around the world can see how cute they are. And their photos encourage us to pursue sleep as if we were not insomniacs. Thanks for reading. Enjoy your weekend naps.)

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The busy swirl of Friday...

Friday the 13th? Oh, who cares – we’ve got other things to explore and, besides, we couldn’t live in a home that didn’t have a black cat. Here goes.

THE HALLS ARE DECKED: You can see the holidays all around us already. And I know we’re still getting the Halloween makeup out of the wrinkles on our face and the pilgrims have yet to design their Thanksgiving menu, but it’s never too early to have a jolly spirit.

And I know this because I spent Halloween with Martha looking for Christmas ornaments – ain’t that festive!

 A week later and she and Team Paws In The City gathered at the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture (i.e., the Old Red Courthouse) to decorate a competitive Christmas tree.

That’s right - competitive Christmas trees.  Well, not really – let’s call them Charitable Christmas Trees. Officially, the annual exhibit is called “Deck The Halls” and it annually lights up the Old Red Museum. (We’ve included two photos Martha snapped – one of the whole tree and another for one of the signs on this tree themed “I'll Be Home For Christmas.” Click on the photos to make them larger. The ornaments on Paws' tree have photos of animals that are ready to be "Home For Christmas.")

Sixteen area non-profits have put their own touches on decorating the trees. And visitors to the Old Red Museum can vote with their cash – just drop some into the donations box in front of your favorite tree (or maybe in front of all of the trees).  

They go on display at 9 a.m. Saturday – opening day of the season-long exhibit features not only the trees, but performances, talks, tours and crafts. And from noon to 3 p.m. Santa will be there to visit with his fans.

In addition to trees from Paws In The City and the Old Red Museum, you’ll see trees designed and decorated by people from these non-profits: AIDS /Arms Inc; Best Buddies Texas; Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity; Dallas Challenge Inc; Deaf Action Center; Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS; Friends of the Dallas Public Library, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas; Literacy Instruction for Texas; North Texas Food Bank, Salesmanship Club Youth and Family Centers Inc.; Snowball Express; Susan G. Komen For The Cure – Dallas County’ World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth.

Saturday’s festivities are free to Museum members and $5 to non-members. See www.oldred.org or call 214-745-1100.

OUR TRADITIONAL STIPULATION: We’ll just go ahead, if it pleases your honor, and stipulate that all area shelters and rescue groups are overloaded with unwanted animals. Some are in places where they can stay for a while, some are in shelters with the clock ticking.

This, for example, is Maggie a Tuxedo cat who is declawed on all four feet and may be spayed already (she’s due for an exam and if she is spayed, that’ll knock some off her adoption fee and drop it to $60). Maggie is among the many cats and dogs at the Denton Animal Shelter.

Why would a middle-aged, declawed kitty be on death row in a shelter? He was turned in after her owner was moved into a nursing home the shelter scouting report reads, “Even with all of this, Maggie has been so sweet and so loving. She seems to enjoy being held – she would be a great cuddle cat once she can go somewhere else, back into a home like... she has been used to.”

And, obviously, we’ve reached into Denton’s shelter to nab the photo of Rolf. The shelter people say he may be a young Border Collie/Aussie Mix, but I think veteran observers of the dogs presented at Readlarrypowell.com will identify him right away as a genuine Earhound.

To ask about any animal in the Denton shelter, e-mail cathychamp@verizon.net or amy_pelzel@yahoo.com or call 940-391-7760 or 940-349-7495.

Denton also has a number of pits (one that has been hit by a car but is OK), a Bassett, a load of puppies, kittens, etc. And, remember, if this is the weekend you’re looking for a new friend, it might be a good time to go to a shelter and save a life by getting a critter off death row.

LOOKING FOR SOME WHEELS: Jeff Stuart of Dallas is on a quest to find help for his Pug, Baxter. And the Readlarrypowell.com theory is there is someone in the reading audience who can help the two of them. Here’s Jeff’s story:
“I have several dogs in my family (all rescues) and my oldest and biggest Pug, Baxter, has spinal problems and it is now at the point, where he needs some assistance. I checked on the surgery center up in Carrollton, and his operation might run up to 4 grand. Even though I love him with all my heart, he is rather old, and there seems to be some doubts about him making it all the way through.

“So, I have been checking websites and the like about getting him some wheels. There are several sites, and the cost seems to be consistent, but it also seems to be a little hit or miss when it comes to sizing and fitting. So, finally to my question: Are you aware of anyone locally that might be able to help me with purchasing, sizing and fitting some back wheels for my big fella? I would just feel more comfortable doing this with someone, who could help me one on one with this situation.”

Now, readers, I figure there might be someone who has a second-hand set of wheels that might just help Baxter and Jeff, and if you have that set of wheels, you will also have experience and can help the two of them through this part of their lives. (To offer to help, e-mail winedude@sbcglobal.net.)

A ROADSIDE SITUATION: One of our longtime tipsters, Sherry Kunz, has spotted a situation that is a little dangerous. “There are 2 adult dogs hanging out at a busy intersection in Dallas, Singleton and Bernal. I think they are lab mixes, 1 cream color and 1 black. They migrate from corner to corner. There are 2 restaurants in the area and I think maybe they are raiding the trash or maybe one of the workers is throwing them some food... I saw them stop traffic one morning trying to get to their spot. ... I carry food in my car just for instances like this.... I’m afraid to approach these dogs because of how busy this intersection is. I couldn’t bear it if I got them killed trying to help them. ... If anyone can help or knows of a group that works in this area, I’ll help in any way I can to get these dogs to safety and avoid a tragedy.” Email sykunz@att.net.

TWO DOGS IN A FIX: Sandra Leverone is trying to find a home for her two dogs (Lucy and Samantha) because she is having to leave Dallas and move to the Boston area to tend to her ailing mom. (That’s Sam in the front and Lucy in the back.)

She can’t take the dogs with her, so she’s looking for a home for the Border Collie mixes -- one home because they’ve never been separated in all of their 2 years.

“They are strictly indoor dogs, yet love to play outside,” she says. “They have always been pampered as I never had children and they are my children.”

(Sandra has the dogs’ vet records if you want to see them – they have always been under the care of the famous “Dr. Effie,” veterinarian Effie Gionnopoulos at City Vet in Dallas.)

To ask about adopting these beautiful dogs, call 214-770-2110 or e-mail sandra@sandraleverone.com.

LOOKING FOR AN ANIMAL FRIENDLY HOME:  Longtime reader and rescuer Melody Owens is returning to the Greater North Texas Metrosprawl after spending a few years working in Florida. Sounds easy, but here’s the challenge: She’s looking for animal-friendly property for lease or rent – and we’re turning to the readership for help. She writes,

“It would have to be someone that has multiple pets or a foster to understand my family. I have a Pit, Dogo and 8 cats --.all spayed/neutered, housebroken, etc. If need be, 4 of the black cats (siblings) can be counted as one :-). I know it's gonna be rough finding a person that won't mind this many critters but I am sure something will come up.”
She’s due back in the area in early December. “Rural areas are preferred.  Mobile homes are in consideration. Fenced yard is mandatory. Pet safety takes priority over what type of roof I have over my head. Home is where the heart is and my heart is my pets.”

To offer to help Melody and her crew match up with some real estate, e-mail melodyo@mchsi.com.

NEEDING MEDICAL HELP: This Yorkie is Trixie and she’s currently in the care of Audrey Merritt of Ennis and the Queenie Foundation. Here’s the complication. The 7-year-old dog was picked up as a stray and delivered to a local shelter. Audrey (aka North Ellis County Animal Awareness Program – NECAAP) took her in. A visit to the vet revealed that she has heartworms, an ulcerated eye and was pregnant. Shortly, she had two stillborn pups. Now, she needs to have her eye removed and undergo heartworm treatment, too. And she needs to be spayed, Audrey says. The Queenie Foundation is hoping to raise at least $650 to fund all of Trixie’s medical procedures, then place her in a loving home. To ask about helping Trixie, call 972-875-1597.

SATURDAY’S FLAG CEREMONY: Usually when we write about Jeanette Prasifka it’s about her work as a chef, but she has another mission: Honoring American flags. Thus, she has created Oldwornflag.com and the organization will sponsor a “free, public flag retirement ceremony” at 1 p.m. Saturday at Flat Pole Hill at White Rock Lake, 8100 Doran Circle, in Dallas. More than 300 flags will be “honorably destroyed by fire” at the ceremony. There’ll be live patriotic music, a welcome address by Dallas Council Member Jerry Allen, participation of service, veteran and civic organizations and, at the end of the ceremony, buglers from the non-profit group Bugles Across America will play Taps. That should be a haunting rendition given the terrain on the hill and the purpose of the ceremony. (To read about flag etiquette and Oldwornflag.com click HERE.)

CONTEMPLATIONS: Downtown yesterday I saw that Neiman’s has  covered its windows – won’t be long now before the famous Christmas windows are brightening up downtown Dallas. ... On the way home from my downtown excursion, I took the Marsalis Bridge over theDallas Zoo and looked down to see an amazing amount of construction on the new display areas for the elephants – Giants of the Savanna. Opening in spring, if all goes according to plan. . ... This looks like a good weekend to take some time and read a book. Or, depending on your moods, coloring one. Every now and then do you get the urge to buy a box of crayons and see if  you’ve improved your ability to color within the lines?

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From the fog, opportunities emerge...

Ah, a foggy morning in Dallas. We look this photo from our driveway, looking down the hill in our usually quiet neighborhood.

Fog changes the way we hear the world’s sounds and I guess this morning it was responsible for muffling the nearby freeway dramatically creating a solitude not usually found during the rush hour.

Of course, fog may have muffled the freeway, but it didn’t muffle the dogs standing on the back of the couch and looking through the window and barking at me as I snapped photos.

It would seem that nothing can get past our keen watchdogs, but the truth is they were not barking “Strange activity in the front yard!” they were barking “Come back in so we can flop down and go to sleep.”

Now, as my crack security team catches a ton of zzzzssss, here’s our daily report:

ROCKY: In an afternoon edition report yesterday, we told the story of Rocky, a dog who’d been fed bacon grease and maybe gunpowder and was seized from a guy in Frisco and placed in the Collin County Animal Shelter in McKinney.

Subsequently we heard from the rescuing Animal Control Officer Steve Lerner who was taken with the dog’s demeanor and personality. And, yesterday our rescue tipster DeDe Whitbcombe of the Collin County Humane Society stopped by the shelter to meet Rocky. “You could not meet a nicer doggie,” she says. “He was shy at first, but I just kneeled down with my hand extended – he put his paw in my hand. I entered his run and sat down and he came over to me and sat in my lap and gave me a big kiss. Isn’t it amazing how trusting and forgiving animals can be? I pray we find someone to love him.”
A bona fide rescue group will need to contact the protective folks at the Collin County Animal Shelter to move Rocky into their care so he can find a good home. To ask about helping him, e-mail ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us  or call 972-547-7298 or 972-249-7327. 

POUND PALS: As regular readers and members of the rescue community know, Kerri Hass is closing Pound Pals, her Mineola, Texas-based rescue group.

There are still dogs that need homes and among them is this Border Collie/Pit mix, Piper. She’s a young adult who is described as “beautiful and friendly” and “perfect for a family or a single person. Piper is playful but not hyper or annoying” She’s also up-to-date on her shots.

To ask about helping Piper or any of the animals Kerri is trying to place, e-mail pound_pals@yahoo.com.

CALENDAR GIRL:  The hardworking soft-hearts with Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas are hustling to make the 2010 calendar the best-sellingest (that a word?) ever. Our Golden Retriever Rescue source Anne Visser says the calendars are $15 each and the money goes to support rescued Goldens and their medical problems so they can be healthy and happy when adopted. To get one of the calendars, go to www.goldenretrievers.org and click on the “Buy A Calendar” icon.

(Aside: Wait a second. All fifteen of the dollars won’t go to the dogs -- some of it must, by idiot law, go to the state because the current administration says anything a non-profit group sells to raise money is taxable. I think I’ve explained that properly and if I haven’t, I’m sure I’ll hear from someone who’ll l explain that taxing non-profit animal groups is the only way the state of Texas will be able to remain solvent in these trying times. Help me off this soapbox before there’s a soapbox tax.)

At any rate, local retailers are selling the calendar, too (see HERE and you can see a preview on youtube HERE.

This, by the way is a 13-month calendar and each month’s photo is of a rescued Golden and tells the dog's story.

By the way, GRRNT once had a bunch of “surprise” puppies and gave them names associated with candy. Anne says that the 2010 Calendar cover model “is Bailey, formerly Nestle, one of our ‘Candy Puppies’ from a few years ago all grown up and looking fabulous on the pool float.”

PARK PLAN: Maleska Fletes of the Little Forest Hills Animal Alert sent out a note reminding us that on Saturday the White Rock Dog Park www.whiterockdogpark.org will host the first of what it hopes to be an annual tradition, the Fall Fur Fest. It’s from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  There’ll be “agility stations, raffles and prizes.” Metroplex Mutts is the featured rescue for this first Fur Fest.

TWO IN IRVING: Of course, there are many more than two in Irving’s animal shelter, but we’ll just pinpoint these two – a young female cocker and a young female pit mix – spotlighted in an e-mail from noted shelter walker Russell Posch.

Both dogs came in late Monday, he says. Molly, the “calm, friendly” pit mix “appears to have a broken rear leg.”

And Mitsy is the young female cocker whose left eye seems to be afflicted with glaucoma.

Both dogs need quick rescue and medical treatment, Russell says.

To contact the Irving shelter, call 972-721-2256 or 972-721-2257.

A LITTLE GUY NEEDS AN UNDERSTANDING HOME: We got this note from Angel Hutto, the East Texas rescuer who is trying to help place this 10-month-old Chihuahua mix named Bruce.

Here are the things about Bruce: His human had rescued him from a kill shelter but things haven’t worked out and not always because of the dog. Bruce is a house dog and if left outside he’ll make a break and go looking for a human. His current human is “a pretty big gentle giant and Bruce is afraid of him,” says Angel. So, Bruce needs an indoor home with a not so big personand a “calm, quiet atmosphere...if possible.” Angel says she’s “taking classes,” but she’ll work, if needed, to help transport the 8-pound dog to a new home or foster when one is found. E-mail angeltvcc@yahoo.com.

CONTEMPLATION: Our pal Michael Precker, the great writer/reporter now working for The Lodge and animal-supporting owner Dawn Rizos, spotted this note in the Los Angeles Times’ obituary for the great comic/actor/magician Carl Ballantine who performed as The Great Ballantine. The family “requests donations be made to Used Pets, 517 W. Buckthorn, Inglewood, CA 90301.” Click HERE to read about Used Pets – it’s sassier than most adoption sites, perhaps befitting of the tone of The Great Ballantine.. ... Did you watch the Country Music Awards last night? Not that everything is going her way these days, but Vegas has established Taylor Swift as a favorite to win the Super Bowl. ...Country music. Like it? Can’t stand it? Livin’ it?

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Rocky -- he hid behind the officer...

We’re going to do a brief afternoon edition today about one dog who is in the Collin County Animal Services shelter in McKinney.

The story may just make you angry.

The initial plea to help Rocky was sent out to rescue groups because Collin County’s looking for someone to pull the pup and give him a good and decent place to live out his life. (Individuals can't adopt from the county shelter, but rescue groups can step up and help the animals.)

Our first contact was with DeDe Whitcombe who is with the Collin County Humane Society and has tipped us to many stories about animals in need. But this one got to her, too, and she said, “I am sure we will never know the extent of what this poor dog has been through.”

She put us in touch with CCAS’s Lisa Drummond who said that Rocky is a really sweet dog. He was living in Frisco. She says the address in the cruelty complaint had a note for animal control officers that warns them not to go there alone.

It was into this sort of inhospitable situation that animal control officers went to rescue Rocky.

Lisa wrote, “The owner has a lot of issues with the police so when animal control was called out there they had to take the police with them. ... When they opened the door the dog ran out and hid behind the animal control officer refusing to even look at the owner, cowering.”

Lisa says the man’s wife was standing in the doorway and holding a baby. And the dog dashed out and actually used the animal control officer as a shield.

She says, “The man is a wife-beater among other things. So I am sure he was horrible to poor Rocky.

“They were not feeding him food, just bacon grease. How bizarre. They said they were trying to put weight on him.

“When the ACO threatened to take the dog and have him tested to see if they were feeding him gunpowder if they did not surrender him, the owner said he would sign him over.”

As veterans of dog cruelty situations know, some people believe feeding gunpowder to a dog will make the dog more aggressive, meaner, more likely to fight. It really just tears up the dog's insides.

“I can only imagine the horror this poor guy has gone through,” says Lisa. “He is a very loving boy despite his previous conditions.

“If someone could take this poor baby in to a rescue I am sure he would be an amazing and loyal companion for his new owners. He deserves a second chance at a real family after all he has gone through. If you have room or know of someone who does please let me know. I would love for this dog to have the chance to know real love and caring. Thanks to all of the rescuers who save these babies daily, you are true heroes!”

To offer the shelter of a rescue group, e-mail ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us or call 972-547-7298 or 972-249-7327.

I thought it was important for people who aren’t involved in rescue to see one more way people abuse animals – feeding only bacon grease, or maybe adding gunpowder to the mix. Geez.

(Soapbox aside: We could probably raise enough money to care for Rocky for the rest of his life we if could just auction off an opportunity to take a homerun swing at the grease-feeding, gunpowder jerk with a two-by-four. But that would be wrong. Probably would feel good, but it would be wrong. And, we should honor Rocky with peace and tenderness, I guess. Dangit.)

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Veterans Day

It's Veterans Day – a day we honor people who served the United States in the military. It’s kind of a day of thanksgiving if you’re a newshound.

Without the stand-up actions of these people, journalists wouldn’t be able to freely report and write, whether we’re broadcast, print or internet media. Heck, and normal citizens would probably have to buy a license to shoot off their mouths.

There’ll be parades around the country and flyovers with that missing man formation and if you’ve got a dry eye when you see that, then you’re either out of tears or out of soul.

We’ll get back to veterans shortly. Now, our daily report:

FLAT OUT HUSKY: Well, who knows that this dog is dreaming of, but you can bet, based on the look on the face, that it’s a relaxing topic.

We get the story on this dog from our rescue pal Diana Phillips (her hubby Ron is the guy who kept a man from throwing a load of puppies into the Trinity River last year, as some of you may recall).

Diana is trying to help a co-worker find a home for this dog whose name is currently Se-Ath.

The co-worker adopted the girl from the SPCA of Texas in June and, says Diana, “now says she does not have the time to spend with her and does not like the hair in the house! ...  The dog is almost two, spayed, current on shots and HW prevention."

The pup is house- and crate-trained and has a home until Nov. 26 when the co-worker leaves for the Philippines on a mission trip. So, there's a little pressure to find a home by Thanksgiving.

To offer a place for the dog e-mail Diana at phillips0719@gmail.com or call 214-686-0832.

THE GANG: At the Little Elm Animal Shelter just north of Dallas, they call this batch of kittens “Our Gang.” They look like they’re posing for a class photo. What they have in common is they have never been out on the streets. They were born in the shelter on Sept. 13. And they are among many cats and many dogs who are needing homes and are on the clock at the shelter.

Little Elm has this HUGE adoption fee – ten bucks. Yep. For $10 you can adopt an animal – dog or cat – at the Little Elm shelter. E-mail cmedrano@littleelm.org to ask about any of the animals there. The shelter is at 1104 W. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 103, in Little Elm. To see photos of the animals, clickHERE.

PUPPY MILLS IN TEXAS: The Texas Humane Legislation Network, which lobbies legislators on animal matters, is gearing up for a puppy mill battle in the next session. See the details at www.thln.org. It’ll take money and voices to stamp out puppy mills in Texas.

A BOXER NOTE: We got a copy of the most recent newsletter from Legacy Boxer Rescue. In it LBR President Sharon Sleighter says that the organization has saved about 280 boxers this year and spent $110,951.13 on veterinary care for the dogs while bringing in only $53,587 in adoption fees.  Sharon introduced these facts to demonstrate how appreciative the non-profit is for the “continued support” from people who love boxers and people who love helping people who are doing good deeds. Cash helps -- blunt but accurate.

HIGHLAND PARK DOGWALK: Gail Whelan of Companion Animal Network sends word that dogs from CAN will be available for adoption during Saturdays’ second annual Highland Park Dog Walk in Highland Park Shopping Village. There’ll be many rescue groups and lots of pet-related activities and interests.

Click on www.hpvillage.com and look at the events.

NEEDING SOME FENCE: Tina Hamilton of Happy Tails of Gun Barrel City says the rescue group “is in desperate need of a panel chain link dog run for quarantine.”  The run would “keep sick dogs separate from others until they are well,” she says, then cautions that if there’s no way to quarantine the dogs, “they will have to be put to sleep when they could have been saved.”

This is both an urgent and a continuing need, Tina says. To offer to help, e-mail txtina1201@yahoo.com or call 903-880-4124 or 903-275-5990.

A DAY IN CORSICANA: Now, we all know that Corsicana is the home of the legendary year-round but beloved seasonal fruitcake from the Collin Street Bakery, but it is also home to a thing called “Day In November Adoption Event.” It’s sponsored by the Corsicana Animal Shelter and the Humane Society of Navarro County and it runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at College Park Mall. This adoption event is part of an overall Day In November festival with arts and crafts and other attractions.

These two pups are Bear (right) and Max, a couple of Chihuahua-terrier siblings who were owner-surrenders to the Corsicana shelter and they are among the many animals available for adoption  -- they’ll be ready for the Day in November on Saturday if someone doesn’t go to the shelter and get them before you can.

See the Corsicana animals HERE.

CONTEMPLATION: I’m the son of a World War II infantryman, grew up in the Vietnam era and I’ve watched people in assorted branches of the service go off to duty my entire life. And as a reporter I spent a lot of ink on some folks who seem to always get slighted, our Korean War veterans.

Maybe that’s why, yesterday as I listened to President Obama’s speech at the Fort Hood memorial service, I noticed a glaring omission. You can read the text HERE  so you’ll see the accuracy of my reporting.

And, with the current testy diplomatic situation with North Korea, I wondered if the omission was intentional. Here’s what the President said: “Tomorrow is Veterans Day.  It's a chance to pause, and to pay tribute -- for students to learn the struggles that preceded them; for families to honor the service of parents and grandparents; for citizens to reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made in pursuit of a more perfect union.

“For history is filled with heroes.  You may remember the stories of a grandfather who marched across Europe; an uncle who fought in Vietnam; a sister who served in the Gulf.  But as we honor the many generations who have served, all of us -- every single American -- must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who've come before.”

So, today, embrace them all and honor them. You want to read about how tough war can be – war anywhere, David Wood has a touching look on Politics Daily HERE, It's set against the backdrop of the haunting Korean War Memorial in Washington.

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PM edition: Stories touching hearts

Here we go with our PM Edition of Readlarrypowell.com for Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2009.

We’ll remind you to read this morning’s edition, and also, if you are in charge of public relations and publicity for your shelter or rescue group, deadline for getting into the winter edition of Urban Animal Magazine is Thursday at noon. Check out the how-to –get-publicity instructions by scrolling down. Thanks. Now, please, read on. Maybe you can help.

DUMPED: This is not an unusual thing around here – maybe anywhere. Someone gets tired of a dog and dumps it. Now and then they’ll dump their family dog in a neighborhood that “looks like it has kids” or “looks like it has responsible people.”

That seems to be the way our pal Gail Whelan of Companion Animal Network wound up with this big ol’ Akita sweetheart.

The dog was “dumped in our neighborhood three weeks ago,” Gail says. “No tags. No microchip. Efforts to find owner failed.”

So, she’s been named “Kai,” which, Gail says, means “Forgiveness.”

That’s a much nicer thought than I have for the dumping creep.

Back to the dog: She’s about a year old and weighs 64 pounds. Gail says, “She was wonderful at the vet’s office and caused them no problems.”

Naturally, being a stray in North Texas, she is heartworm positive, so she has some careful treatment and cage rest in her immediate future.

To help with this dog by volunteering to foster or by adopting or by just donating some cash to the cause, e-mail can_rescue@yahoo.com or call 214-663-4710.

REGARDING LITERATURE: In our first edition today we mentioned some dog stories that we loved (scroll down to see) and we have received some responses that should be shared.

    --Rescuer Cathy Burk is about to head off to Best Friends in Utah for a spell of working with the sanctuary and the dogs. (She suggests linking up to these sites HERE and HERE to read about this obvious Earhound named Batgirl.)

    She writes, “I just wanted to say thanks for listing some of your favorite animal stories. I leave for Best Friends this Saturday (11/14) and wanted to take some books to read to the 'red collar' dogs.  These are the dogs that can't physically interact with volunteers (like the Vicktory Dogs confiscated from Michael Vick). The volunteers have been sitting outside their runs and reading to them - which they apparently love!  They said one day someone was reading love poems to Georgia (who has been the spokesdog for the Vicktory dogs) and she fell asleep!  I checked out the Beverly Cleary books and plan on picking some up to take with me and leave out there.  They sound like the perfect stories to read to dogs.”

    --Patricia Nethery, one of our veteran dog adoptors from rural Kerrville, sent a note that reads, “If Snoopy cartoon collections count, then don't leave out the ‘Mutts’ books.  Who cannot love Earl, Mooch, Woofie, and all the gang?

“When I was a girl I cried over Beautiful Joe but still didn't want to
stop reading.

“As a younger child I loved the Windy Foot books (they were about a pony
but there must have been a dog in there somewhere). Do you remember
Windy Foot?  I can't find anyone else who does.”

So, readers, there’s your challenge. Do you remember Windy Foot?

Thanks to the modern era of computer research, I was able to track down the author as Frances Foster and determine that she wrote several Windy Foot books: Windy Foot at the County Fair ; Fireworks for Windy Foot; Maple Sugar For Windy Foot and Sleighbells For Windy Foot..

Yep, at least one of those is for sale on eBay.

When I suggested that maybe I was too old to have run into the Windy Foot books, Pat said I probably wasn’t because ... well, let’s just say we know about how old we are and I probably could have found them if I’d been looking.

She says, “My grandchildren are all too old for such books, but maybe I should stockpile some for  great-grandchildren some day, (along with The Pokey Little Puppy, of course).
“Re:  Michael Vick. As much as I like to watch the Cowboys with my husband Ron ( I have to watch Stars hockey alone because he is not interested), I kept to my vow on Sunday when they played the Eagles of not watching any team that signed him to play. I know that doesn't really do anything, but I had to take a stand.”

Oh, it does something for the heart, I suspect.  

Regarding the stories: It has to be great for those authors’ souls to know that their work has lived on in the hearts of good people --- that maybe, at some point, a paragraph they wrote touched someone in such a way that they dedicated their lives to watching out for the animals. Tell a story, touch a heart. Bless them all.

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Considerations for Tuesday

Ah, on Tuesday we consider the happy side of the world.

My funspouse Martha’s visit to her physician yielded this report: Not the flu, neither seasonal nor swine, but a sinus infection.

We all breathed a sigh of relief – because we could.

And, as we reach Tuesday morning, you should know that I’m not home writing this morning, I am elsewhere, but will be writing this afternoon.

In the meantime, we will offer some contemplations to start the day:

--My ironyspouse Martha mentioned that she found it interesting that the NFL would not allow Rush Limbaugh to participate but would allow a dog-killing thug to suit up and play for Philadelphia. She is not the only anti-Michael Vick person I encountered this week. One of our dear tipsters, just before kickoff of the Sunday night Cowboys game, wondered if it was OK to wish that someone would  break the aforementioned Vick’s neck during the game.

-- Has there ever been a worse year around here for cruelty investigations? Hundreds of confiscated animals have flooded an already overwhelmed shelter/adoption system.

-- We get a zillion notices per week – maybe a kabillion notices – about city shelters and county shelters having too many animals. Does someone have a plan for a system that’ll remind just plain folks to go to the shelters and save some lives? What will touch the hearts? Or will it forever be easier for taxpayers just to pay someone else to kill the animals and keep the problem out of their yards?

-- Favorite animal story? Can’t pick Old Yeller because of the ending.  Not Call of The Wild because of the mean parts, though I do adore Beautiful Joe, the story of a dog forced to fight who prevails and finds love. Do Snoopy cartoon collections count? How about some of Beverly Cleary’s tales of Henry Huggins and Freckles?

-- Saw a story on the KTVT Channel 11 site HERE about someone in the Keller ISD trying to take Christmas out of the song “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” and making it “I’ll Be Home For Winter.” Good grief. Taking the Christmas out of Christmas? This really looks like one of those situations where some kid-prone-to-hijinx got hold of the district typewriter and wrote a trick memo. Surely a clear-thinking adult wouldn’t try to pull off that idiocy. Not everybody embraces Christmas, but, seriously, the way to “inclusion” is not “exclusion.” Embrace the world, don’t redact it, though near as I can tell the only lawyer involved was the guy who noted that the district would be in violation of copyright laws if it changed the song.

--Now, help me down off this soapbox before it caves in and I find myself singing "I'll be home for winter..." or "It's beginning to look a lot like winter" or "Up on the rooftop, reindeer pause, out jumps good ol' stranger in a red suit." And if Grandma can't get run over by a reindeer coming home from our house Christmas Eve, then that just takes all the poignancy out of the tale. Ah, but  (and apologies to Little Miss Dynamite Brenda Lee) we might get away with "Rockheads Around The Christmas Tree (at the Keller winter hop)..."

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To get free publicity...

REMINDER: This is to the people who handle public relations and announcements for shelters and rescue groups and anybody else that wants to do things for animals. Wake up. Get busy. Snap to it.

We are assembling the Dec.-Jan.-Feb. and beyond list of events for the winter issue of Urban Animal Magazine.

If you want FREE publicity for your event, send a SIMPLE paragraph or SIMPLE list to lrpmail@aol.com and put EVENTS in the subject line. Do it now. Today.

Keep it SIMPLE. Just who, what, where, when, why, how much and how to contact you. (That is a photo of Professor Inky, the Cocker Laureate of Texas, who is very serious about encouraging people to submit the details correctly. He reminds us that a poorly constructed news release is no help to and might, indeed harm animals who depend on humans to get things right.)

We get a great number of announcements, and well-meaning souls have been known to

(a) leave off the name of the group,

(b) leave off contact information so we can call and get answers to questions that the announcement didn’t answer and

(c) write the announcement as if a dog or cat wrote it and that is time-consuming to translate and figure out all the details. Seriously, write human. I’m begging you. I don’t count off for grammar or spelling, but you’ll get an F if you send me a cross-species announcement.

Here is a loose form you can cut-and-paste and send to lrpmail@aol.com:

 

+++

URBAN ANIMAL EVENTS LIST

 

Who (name of the sponsoring organization and its website):

What (name of the event):

Where (place of the event):

When (time, date, year):

Why (i.e., fundraiser for lop-eared dogs):

How much (i.e., ticket prices, suggested donations...)

Contacts (i.e., RSVP numbers and e-mails or contact points to help or volunteer or donate)

 

+++

Thank you for your cooperation. I'm begging you like a Cocker Spaniel begs for a shrimp cocktail on a stormy night in Paris, but that's another story for another day.