Yard sale, a birthday and a bit of press

Ah, another chilly morning...will this winter never end?

Don't be an idiot. This is North Texas. It'll be 110 in the shade before we know it.

Though, of course, I am tempted to go back through my files and dig out that annual SPCA of Texas news release that tells people how to "winterize your pets."

We've been dealing with group insomnia at our house. Usually it just affects me, but it seems to have grabbed my drowsyspouse Martha and four or five of the dogs last night.

It's a good thing none of us got into medical school. We'd either be illegally prescribing sleeping pills to ourselves or nodding off in the middle of surgery. "Doctor! Doctor! Wake up. That kidney's not going to transplant itself."

THEN COMES THE YARD SALE: Operation Kindness had 62 adoptions during the weekend's participation in the national Pet Adoptathon '05 -- that's the annual extended hours adoption drive, a project of the North Shore Animal League (www.nsalamerica.org) Last year's Operation Kindness Adoptathon placed 54 animals.

So, now that the adoptathon is over, what's next? In addition to the daily operations at the no-kill shelter in Carrollton, the folks there are gearing up for the annual Operation Kindness Yard Sale on May 21. First, they need good items to sell -- they'll take any new or gently used items you can offer. Computer stuff, animal stuff, human stuff (NO clothing, however.)

Remember, last year's unappreciated and unused Christmas gift of a "sweater shaver" or "Salad Shooter," may be a perfect item for this year's yard sale.

Bring your donations to Operation Kindness through Thursday May 19. The sale is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at Operation Kindness. (Visit www.operationkindness.org or call 972-418-PAWS or 214-729-7682.)

To get to the shelter, take Midway Road (south from Keller Springs or north from Belt Line) and go to Earhart Drive, turn west and go to the end of the road. Or, roll down your windows and follow the happy barking.

HAS IT BEEN A YEAR? Yes! Indeed, it has been a year since A Different Breed rescue group (www.adifferentbreed.org) first began operations, giving a new showcase to animals in the custody of Dallas Animal Services.

A Different Breed will be celebrating this birthday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at its usual adoption site, Pepper Square Shopping Center on the corner of Preston at Beltline Road.

Giving those shelter dogs and cats some extra exposure is a genuine good deed. And the city ought to be commended for letting citizens help animals who are down on their luck and facing a bad deal.

By golly, who'd have thought the city and its citizens would be working TOGETHER. Applause for the humans, dog and cat treats for the rest!

ONE MORE THING: The big city daily assigned reporter Dave Flick and photographer Jim Mahoney to do a story on the “West Dallas situation.” It's a report on the aftermath of things -- readers here are familiar with the story of Angie Manriquez' health problems ending her work as the "Fairy Dogmother of West Dallas" and how her friends and admirers stepped in to wear themselves out for several weeks while rescuing the dogs Angie had managed to save. You can read the current story at www.dallasnews.com/localnews/. At the end of the story, there are helpful numbers in case you want to aid the cause by donating. (For additional info, click on the "archives" button to the right of this column of type and go to the March 27 Angie entry.)

Meanwhile, our best wishes go to Angie who needs to spend some time taking care of herself -- she's a valuable soul on this planet.

And, of course, our best wishes also go to the folks in West Dallas who continue to dodge some unsavory drug and dog-fighting situations. There are some hearts that need to be changed. And if they can't be changed, they need to be charged. Perhaps the folks who promise to "get tough on crime" will take note of that. West Dallas is still subject to the laws of the United States and Texas, right?