Weekend updates, challenges...

We're making a rare "live report" this Saturday because of developing situations.

Here goes:

HERE'S A SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: No need to keep looking for this dog. Her "mom" Cindy Beasley called about 4 p.m. Sunday to report that Dallas the Dog was found this morning near the First Baptist Church in Corsicana and is now "back at home." Things have worked out well and I'm going to leave the rest of the story on the site just to remind people that sometimes dogs and cats will bolt in a storm.

Good news for a good dog named Dallas.

We learned of her disappearance in an e-mail from reliable Corsicana tipster Julie Maupin of the Humane Society of Navarro County. She belongs to Cindy Beasley who lives on the northern side of Corsicana in the Ficklin Ave./Dobbins/Sycamore area.

That is where Dallas was last seen during the overnight storms.

The Catahoula Leopard Hound mix was wearing a blue collar, no tags. She's about 8 years old and scared of storms.

"We are hoping that maybe she will show back up, but I have little hope in that," Cindy writes.

When I talked to her this morning, the search was about to resume. If you've seen Dallas, call 903-229-2283, 903-874-5802 or e-mail little_wolfie_2005@yahoo.com. A dog named "Dallas" needs to be at home.

BOUND FOR OKLAHOMA: The Irving Animal Shelter was the recipient of a ton of puppies during the past week. One momma, a lab mix, arrived with 10. A pit bull came with 11. That's the pitty mix (right) and (left) with her youngsters. That's some "shelter face," isn't it? Poor baby.

The good news is the momma with 11 puppies is headed to Oklahoma and a foster home provided by Forever Friends (Click here to read about their Eastern and Western Divisions.)

The Lab momma with the 10 puppies  -- well, there's some interest in adopting the mom, we're told by veteran Irving shelter walker Russell Posch and the mom and puppies are at Happy Endings in Waco.

Keep your eyes open, though, there are bound to be more puppies and kittens arriving in the Irving shelter. And there'll be a need for more foster homes and more adoptive homes.

Again, tell your friends and tell your foes, "Spay/neuter. Spay/neuter. Spay/neuter."

Go to www.metroplexanimalcoalition.com and you'll see a bunch of stuff about spay/neuter and animal situations including a note that so many dogs and cats are killed in shelters in the Metroplex (200,000 healthy animals a year), that it amounts to killing a dog or cat every three minutes.

NEWS OF KIRBY: I'm going to tease you with this one. We have a solution in The Kirby Situation. You may recall that devoted rescuer and dogfan Dianne Watson was working mightily to save this dog Kirby from a bad end at the City of Arlington animal shelter.

There has been a development. You'll want to check back at www.readlarrypowell.com on Monday to see how Kirby's life is changing.

It is always wonderfully uplifting to be able to write about an animal whose fate has changed for the good because one person had faith and that one person continued to work on behalf of that dog or cat or horse or rabbit or whatever animal needs a break.

Makes you want to celebrate on Saturday night.