This is the last day of June -- probably didn't need to tell you that, but I do need to tell you this. Today I'm going to focus on positive stuff. And, if I have to write about negative things, I'm going to do it in a positive way.
Yes, people are able to do that when they are in command of at least 23 of the 26 letters of the alphabet. Some people. Maybe I can pull this off. I've had a nice breakfast, the trash has been rolled to the curb and the dogs and cats have settled in for their morning naps. Ain't that a tableau de tranquility?
Our topics are going to range from a little girl dog who is healing to a really nice response to a vacation question.
You see, this is the long Fourth of July weekend and I want all of you folks -- stateside and abroad -- to have a sensational holiday that celebrates the great things about the United States. For example, in the United States, I can write a sentence poking fun at any politician if I want -- right now I don't happen to be in the mood. Get back to me along about Nov. 7 -- that's election day. Or, maybe on Jan. 9 -- that's opening day for the 80th Texas Legislature or, as we refer to it, "The Comedy Corner."
Now, let's see what's on the agenda today:
NEWS OF PERSONAL INTEREST: Ah, Georgie Anne the puppy. This is her. You may recall that earlier in the week I reported on the adventure of trying to catch a white, female undocked boxer and, instead, being handed this puppy by Jimmy Young, who was crossing the vacant lot as I arrived. The boxer had led him to this little girl. My literatespouse Martha had just made the acquaintance of author/correspondent Georgie Anne Geyer, so, we named the puppy after the writer.
Now, the skittish boxer has vanished from that big lot -- two tractors with "bush hogs" mowed the weeds flat the morning after the puppy was rescued.
Geogie Anne, in the meantime, is in the care of Operation Kindness. OK's Sandi Laird reports, "Georgie Anne is not a happy camper right now. She is in a full leg cast and has to wear an Elizabethan collar so she won't chew the tape off. Luckily, she had what is called 'greenstick fractures' of the leg. The bones did not break clean through. Since the leg was not out of alignment, the vet was able to just put it in the cast. We will have to change the cast once each week to allow for growth since the puppy is so young."
Ah, restricted activity for the next six weeks is Georgie Anne's future. But it beats the future she was facing when Jimmy Young picked her from the vacant lot. She was flea-covered, weak from hunger and dehydration and being attacked by ants. Six weeks in a cast is a great trade-off.
AN UPDATE: Reader Cathy Burke asked about our pal Montie, Mary Garrett's sweetheart. You may recall that Montie, an Oak Cliff dog, has wrecked his leg by being a dog and jumping where he probably shouldn't have jumped...you know how they can be.
Mary was desperate to get her pup healed and we wrote it about his plight here around a month ago. People from all over responded. (That's Montie in pre-distress days.)
So, what's up with Montie. Here's the news from Mary: Montie is "more spoiled than he has ever been in his entire life. Ice cubes for his water and a pillow for his head. Yogurt from a spoon and boiled chicken to hide his meds in." He's due at the vet's on Monday for an x-ray to make sure the healing is continuing properly. His recovery has been "slow but steady," Mary says. "He is limited to straight-line walking and only to take care of his business. No stairs, no couches and no more than 5-minute walks. Every day I ask Montie if he knows how lucky he is and he just wags his tail and gives me a soft woof.
"I continue to be amazed with the generosity of your readers and how quickly the donations came in. Montie received donations from four different states and Switzerland.
Montie's surgery and me not having the money to pay for it has made me re-think what rescue work is all about. Just knowing that there are nice people that were willing to help and are interested in how Montie is doing has made his recovery a thoughtful as well as a healing time for me."
So, folks, there you have it. Montie is recovering, anxious to romp with his pal Angelita, happy to be treasured by Mary and you folks are responsible for reminding a human heart that there are good people on the planet.
LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO SIT: Wendy Miller of Southeast Dallas Humane Society is looking for an invite to sit with a group at a PetsMart or Petco adoption. She's got two dogs that need placement -- possibly a third. The place she usually goes to "does not let us inside and it is too hot to sit outside." (To help Wendy find a place to help the dogs, e-mail sedhs@comcast.net.)
Ah, summertime in Texas. Outdoor weather fit for neither man nor beast -- but certainly a benefit to the electric company.
MOMMA MIA! Well, not a momma. And certainly not part of the cast of the Dallas Summer Musical Momma Mia, the ABBA fest that opens July 4, but, this is, indeed, Mia. And if this picture doesn't give you a grin, go to a hospital right away and see if you've got a pulse.
Mia needs a home. She's been Becky Delgado's foster dog (through Companion Animal Network) for nine months. The truth is, Mia is not an apartment dog, Becky says. So she needs someone to adopt her who can give her a place to romp and some loving attention.
"She is the most wonderful dog," Becky says, "and, as much as it is going to break my heart to let her go, she really needs a permanent home." (To volunteer to adopt Mia, write to canadoptions@yahoo.com.)
You can see other CAN critters at www.ca-n.petfinder.com.
I mention this because, frankly, it's that time of year when shelters and rescue groups are loaded with dogs and cats that have been "dumped" because the humans are going on vacation or people are changing jobs and...well, no sense going into all that. Sometimes these situations absolutely break the hearts of the people. Of course, sometimes the people don't look back, also. But that's between them and the big roll call in the sky.
FOSTER FOSTER FOSTER AND FIND A JOB: Our pal Gail Whelan of the Companion Animal Network says CAN is just absolutely desperate for foster homes and for financial help. She, herself, is looking for employment while continuing to do her rescue mission. If you have some job-hunting guidance for Gail, e-mail gailwhelan@companionanimalnetwork.org.
It's difficult to foster animals when you find yourself wondering about the next paycheck. In Dallas, land of the unfixed animals, you never worry if another dog or cat will show up, but you do wonder about those paychecks!
Seems like a lot of folks have been trying to walk on the banana peel in an odd economy. The numbers look good, they say, but, still, people who should never be out of work are out of work. Go figure.
So, we've all heard these stories of "compassion fatigue," a curse of the rescue world. People wear themselves out trying defeat an opponent that can't be beaten -- human idiocy. You keep thinking the supply of unwanted dogs and cats will begin wane to a trickle, but it never does.
Then, one day you wake up and realize that half of your income is going to rescuing other people's animals and the rest of your income is being eaten up by increased gasoline prices, medical bills and assorted indignities (you now have to buy Rolaids in the giant tub rather than by the roll)...
I guess we need two things. One is a new term to describe "financial and compassion fatigue" -- perhaps BAAS, pronounced "bass" like the fish. BAAS stands for "Bankrupt Angry Angel Syndrome." That cover the baases?
The other thing we need to do is thank people more for stepping up in these cases. Just sometimes a polite "thanks for going the extra mile for these animals" might help make somebody's day. If you want to make their year, find them a job or find them a winning lotto ticket. Either one of those will work.
DON'T FORGET: You may be taking a long weekend, but Readlarrypowell will still be working. This weekend we'll present a team of snoozers for our "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap." On Monday, we'll feature a great dog in need of a well-matched home. And on the Fourth of July, we'll post a video of our remake of the 1942 film Yankee Doodle Dandy with Inky the Cocker Spaniel dancing his little paws off in his interpretation of Jimmy Cagney's performance as song-and-dance man George M.Cohan. All week Inky's been practicing his "hook-and-wing," an impressive display for someone with four legs and no elbows.
THOSE ABANDONED DOGS: A few weeks ago we mentioned that Kristen Beauregard was trying to find help with rescuing three dogs abandoned on property in Boyd. Here's the latest, thanks to Sue Owens writing on behalf of Animal Angels., the sanctuary Carole Sanders runs at Jacksboro.
Two of the dogs have been caught and one is still avoiding the trap on the property, but it's just a matter of time until all three are ready for adoption. Sue says, "Word is that the first two are sweet and will be very adoptable once they are settled and ready."
Then, after that update, Sue drops in a little "advertising." She writes, "We still have LOTSA PUPPIES ... just in case anyone is looking for that special pup to liven up their home."
And that photo, of course, is of some of the lively pups at Animal Angels. Kind of a cute angle, isn't it? They look interested in something outside that fence. Maybe they're thinking of challenging the lame U.S. World Cup Soccer Team in a match.
AND NOW, THE SUMMER TRIP: Yep, it's time for the family trip. Goodness, a family trip can be fun and produce amazing memories.
A couple of weeks ago, the Readlarrypowell.com "Daily Notion" (upper right corner of this page), offered this for contemplation: "Your favorite summer trip? By car, train, plane?"
The first person we heard from was our longtime pal, Liz Bleiberg (mom of Harrison, wife of Larry), the Major Gifts Officer at the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation.
So, car, train or plane?
"That's an easy one -- by boat, er , SHIP!" Liz wrote. "The Wideman Family (my maiden name) plans an annual family reunion the first full week after July 4 each year. (We have lots of school teachers in our family, plus a few students.)
"My mother, a cleaning fiend (she iron's towels, for pity's sake!) had trouble staying with us in a large house in, say, Seaside or at a Costa Rica condo. My dad would pull one of us aside and say, 'How can you let your mother kill herself like that?' Unfortunately, none of the five of us seems to have inherited this super-clean trait. Add a few kids, some beach towels and a range of feeding times and you do have a recipe to kill a clean freak.
"Fortunately, the cruise lines came to our rescue. If my mom wants to fight someone to do the dishes, she has to take on a shipload of folks -- not in her nature, being 'raised right.'
"So, I vote for a ship of fools for a summer excursion -- I see one every year about this time."
And there you have it thanks to Liz's description: a summer trip that is -- literally -- good, clean fun.
Enjoy your time off, wherever you sail, fly, motor, hike, bike, rollerblade or recline.