And Monday arrives...

For you readers in other countries, America has begun Thanksgiving week.

The actual holiday isn't until Thursday, but in the United States we stretch everything. So a one-day holiday on a Thursday in November has, over the years, stretched into a 4-day holiday and, now, people tend to extend the holiday into an entire week.

That's OK, I figure. In America, we have more than a week's worth of stuff to be thankful for -- family, friends, gasoline stations with the freedom to raise prices for no good reason.

Inky's photo? Our staff impersonator is giving us his impression of a gasoline company owner walking into his resort home during Thanksgiving week and spotting, next to the vault, a big steaming platter of Mom's Multimillion Dollar High Octane No-Knock Meatloaf.

TURKEY VOTING: If you'd like to help name the official Thanksgiving Turkeys -- for the annual pardoning ceremony at the White House, click HERE to cast your vote. That takes you to the White House website and shows you the history of the pardoning ceremony and the names that are on the ballot for this year.

SCRAPPY UPDATE: We reported last week that Scrappy, the dog dragged behind a truck or car in Longview, was on the put-to-sleep list for Monday. But over the weekend we received a note saying Scrappy was going into rescue in Dallas.

Darcelle Cowles of Got Paws (www.gotpaws.org) in Longview says the group pulled Scrappy and someone from the Marshall Animal Shelter transported Scrappy to Dallas to the care of rescuer Elizabeth Schrupp. We're working on getting other details so you'll know how to adopt Scrappy or if you can help Scrappy in any way. Stay tuned.

BOUX-BOUX'S BACK: Debbie Barclay, the noted shelter-walker, reports that Bous-Boux, the Beagle/Basset mix adopted from Grand Prairie's Prairie Paws Adoption Center, has been returned.

"He was adopted a month ago and returned Saturday while I was at the shelter. The adopter stated that he was 'too big' for the kids (even though one of the kids was big as Boux-Boux) and the husband didn't want him. Boux-Boux was returned un-neutered so we figure we know the real reason for his return. It sure broke my heart to have to walk out of the shelter and see that sad face on that sweet boy Saturday."

So, Boux-Boux, who has gotten rave reviews from everyone who has ever met him (with a noted exception), is available again at the Prairie Paws Adoption Center in Grand Prairie. Remember, this is a city-run shelter, so Boux-Boux is back on the clock.

To adopt Boux-Boux, visit the adoption center (It's closed on Mondays so you have time to plan your Tuesday trip).at 2222 W. Warrior Trail on the south side of Grand Prairie. Call 972-237-8575.

WORKING OUT WITH A HEELER: Noted rescuer and friend-to-all-critters Deana Hanson is working on solving a situation involving Reese the Blue Heeler. That's Reese The Energetic Blue Heeler.

"I need a used variable speed treadmill for the blue heeler," Deana writes.

She's seen you readers come up with answers before -- heck, she's a reader who has come up with answers.

"Even though we play with him on six acres, he is still just wound up," she says.

(If you know of someone who'd like to get rid of a dust-covered treadmill that's fallen into disuse because the owner either got fit or decided fitness was folly, e-mail inapinch@peoplepc.com. Deana says she's willing to pay, but I'm betting there's someone who'd be happy just to be rid of the thing.)

Now, Deana has gotten some advice "The vet said get some goats...I can only handle the animals I have, so I don't want goats."

And, she says, "I usually don't ask for help, but Reese needs a better workout."

A DOG NEEDS A HOME: This dog Copper is a family pet. But, the family needs to find a new place him, we're told by Scott Clutter.

Mercifully, rather than just dump the dog at a kill shelter, Scott is trying to find a good home. "My wife and I have had him for 7 years," Scott says. He fears that Copper's size is a deterrent to adoption.

"Copper is a 7-year-old, male Australian Shepherd/red heeler mix, about 75 pounds," Scott says.

He "needs a big backyard and someone to play with him. Would not be a good fit for anyone with small children, as this is why I need to find him a new home. He is crate-trained and 100 percent house-broken. I can even include the bell he rings on the back door when he needs to go out. He also comes with a large crate, collar, leash, bowls, food, toys and anything we have for him."

To ask about adopting Copper, e-mail sclutter@liquidagents.com or call 972-644-4500 ext. 146.
IT'S THE NAME: Dana Dicker, our reliable Houston tipster, forwarded this one and, absolutely, it's the name that caught my attention: Dale Evans.

This dog is described as "a very sweet little cattle dog that was traveling along a very busy road" when she was rescued.

She's about 2, weighs 35 pounds, has a cropped tail and "loves to play and play and gets along great with other dogs."

The scouting report continues "She is wonderful and will make a great family pet, too. She is quite the love bug and just the perfect size."

To ask about Dale Evans, e-mail Trish Pace at ppace@mac.com or call 713-859-7415.

CATS IN CORSICANA: Our reliable Corsicana tipster, Julie Maupin of the Humane Society of Navarro County, has sent us this poster -- let's call it a "wanted poster" -- of cats that are in want of homes.

All eight of them are at the Corsicana city shelter -- cats that, somehow, were not adopted. (The adoption fee is $55.) The shelter has had an unusually heavy "drop-off" rate lately, Julie says. Her report:

"All of the cats and kittens have already been tested for feline aids/leuk and all have tested negative. Seven of these eight are already spayed or neutered. One is declawed. All are current on their vaccinations and deworming, trained to the litterbox, and highly sociable and loving.  Any visitor to the cat room is greeted with much purring, flicking of tails and loving muzzle rubs on the cage fronts.  ALL EIGHT KITTIES are absolutely gorgeous and the picture of health."

You can get an individual look at these cats and other animals by going to www.corsicanapets.com.

And you can call the shelter at 903-654-4928 to ask about specific cats.

Your household may be full of rescued cats already, but, as Julie writes, "Please spread the word. Lives depend on it."

THE GROCERY STORE DOG: Here's the latest update on the dog that's avoiding capture at the Minyard's grocery store at Camp Wisdom and Polk in southern Oak Cliff.

Faith Quintana put out a trap every day last week but "she's just a little too smart for that. Was able to get her all the way inside, she just wouldn't step on the trigger! Thursday, I parked my truck right next to the trap and thought if she went inside,(all the way in) I would bump the trap
with my door.  Well, she did go inside and got all the way in, I bumped the trap, she was able to back out real quick before the door was able to shut, then she ran off!  Went back out Friday, not knowing if she would be there. She was waiting. I just fed her, then left. I'm going to try with a
different trap next week. Don't know if she'll go inside any trap, since she got scared with the last one!  I have other people willing to help me, so that's a blessing!" (To offer to help Faith, e-mail fquintana001@tx.rr.com.)

RECCOMENDED READING: There's an interesting article about feral hogs running wild through Texas in today's Los Angeles Times. It's by the Times' Houston Bureau Chief Miguel Bustillo and focuses not just on the damage the hogs can do to crops and property but also on a hog hunter who calls himself "The Dehoganator." Click HERE to read it. And, of course, it helps confirm my theory of the Texas philosophy of handling animal situations: "Let's kill it."

WONDERING: I heard a guy on a local radio station introducing his show by noting that he'd been in the financial planning business around here for 20-something years. You do sort of wonder if he's all that good, why hasn't he made his own fortune and retired? He may not have been able to buy into a gasoline station.