For Thursday, we’ll touch on a number of topics: a picnic for some great Goldens, a favorite book fair, and a Dog of the Year (and I don’t just mean one of the mostly inert rascals taking up room in a chair or on a couch at our house). Read on:
THE ASPCA’S DOG OF THE YEAR: The New York-based American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has named its Dog of the Year and there is a Texas connection.
We got this info from ASPCA’s Senior Director of Media & Communications Anita Kelso Edson – yes, she’s the former PR person for the SPCA of Texas, so she knows we’re always interested in the influence of all things Texas.
In this case, the ASPCA’s Dog of the Year is a guy named Archie, a service dog who was trained by Patriot Paws in Rockwall, The organization was created by Lori Stevens, a certified pet trainer, after some veterans asked her to train service dogs to meet their specific needs.
This has been a big year for Patriot Paws – in September, Lori was named the American Legion Auxiliary’s Woman of the Year and now one of her trainees is the ASPCA Dog of the Year.
Archie, 8, is a Lab who went through the Patriot Paws course and learned how to get help in emergencies, retrieve things and perform other duties that help Sgt. Clay Rankin, who suffered spinal injuries while on duty in Iraq. That’s a photo of the pair courtesy of the ASPCA. And click HERE to see an NBC report on Patriot Paws that includes Archie and Sgt. Rankin.
They’ll be among “10 extraordinary people and animals that will be honored for their heroic deeds” at the Oct. 29 ASPCA Humane Awards Luncheon in New York City. Read about the ASPCA and its activities at www.aspca.org.
MISSY’S SITUATION: Veteran rescuer and Readlarrypowell.com tipster Kim Polen sent out a heartbreaking note about a dog named Missy, a 3-year-old unspayed female pit, one of two dogs in this story. Kim was writing on behalf of a friend who is “desperate to find this dog a home. She had it placed and the people backed out at the last minute and she moved the NEXT weekend.
“I gave her every number I can think of but, as you well know, finding a shelter to take a dog -- much less a Pit Bull -- is very hard this is the last hope I have. She will be forced to put the dog down next week and I will be going with her because it is going to kill her to have to do this, She took in the dogs from an irresponsible friend and has done the best she can but could not afford much including spay/neuter which is why there have been 2 litters. ....She can only take one [dog] and it taking the older one which is 12 or 14 since that is impossible to find a home for. It’s another sad story...”
Missy is said to be a “very sweet dog” who is accustomed to apartment living, but would prefer to have a home with a yard. To offer to help Missy, e-mail pamela.j.greer@gmail.com.
THE GOLDENS, THE WORLD AND PILOT POINT:
--It’s not really a “spectator sport,” but the annual Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas picnic provides some wonderful sights. Last year, for example, I marveled at the spectacle when someone threw a tennis ball into Lake Grapevine and at least two dozen Goldens went after it like a giant Olympics Synchronized Swimming program. The 10th Annual Picnic is Saturday at Lake Grapevine’s Meadowmere Park – and my funspouse Martha and I are scheduled to be there to help judge contests. (Last year, Martha was obligated elsewhere, so our daughter-in-law Andrea, mom of our granddogs, the Great Danes Frog and Henry, helped judge, but she’s out of town on a work assignment this year so it’ll be Martha who enjoys all the Golden kisses.) The picnic starts at 10 a.m. and goes until 4 p.m. – all the details are HERE and, just one more observation: those Golden people are totally devoted to their pups – vice versa, too.
--Events tip: Remember, if you wonder what’s going on in the animal world, you can always go to the Urban Animal Magazine website www.urbananimal.us and check the events calendar.
--Coming up Saturday and Sunday in Addison, Worldfest, the international festival – you can read about it by going to the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth website HERE or the Worldfest site HERE. And not only will you be able to sample cultures from around the world, but you may be able to find a new friend – among the booths will be one occupied on Saturday by the rescue group, Paws In The City.
--In Houston this weekend, they’re celebrating “Barkitecture,” a festival of dog houses. Check it out HERE.
--When writing about an injured dove in Pilot Point earlier this week, I asked why in the world was the town named “Pilot Point.” Our longtime pal and noted photographer Debbie Britain has the answer (has to do with a “peak” on the prairie and settlers). She points us toward the Pilot Point website HERE for the explanation. Debbie, a member of the Friends of Tri-City Animal Shelter has been tipping me to animal stories and answering questions for me for two decades. I should have just e-mailed her in the first place and cut down on the suspense!
THE MAC SPAY/NEUTER PROGRAM: In our late afternoon edition yesterday we reported that the Metroplex Animal Coalition had suspended its free spay/neuter program in Dallas – too many critters, not enough money. (See yesterday’s report for details.)
MAC is moving ahead with fundraisers in anticipation of reviving the program.(MAC’s annual meeting is scheduled for January 10.)
“We'll be doing a year-end appeal and then our Have-a-Heart campaign,” MAC President Elaine Munch says. And, “People can always go to the web site to donate 24/7.” That’s HERE.
Now, in the meantime, there is an opportunity to help MAC by attending the Wuf-O-Ween Party on Oct. 29 at the Wuf Pet Resort and Spa. Click on the poster to make it larger and you can see all the details.
WHEN IT RAINS, THE WASHER/DRYER CHALLENGE: Holy smoke has this ever been the wrong season for an animal shelter’s washer and dryer to fail. Teresa Weldon of the Everman Animal Shelter has sent out a poignant plea: “Our washer and dryer went out. If anyone has an old set sitting around that you will let go cheap please let us know. It can be full size or stackable. We do a lot of laundry especially this time of year with it getting colder and the amount of dogs we have.” Call her at 817-561-5495 or e-mail evermananimals@yahoo.com.
NOT JUST DOGS AND CATS: Earlier this week the SPCA of Texas and the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Department seized two horses and a mule from properties at Wills Point. A dead horse was found on one of the properties. And the other animals are “extremely underweight to the point that their rib, hip and spine bones are prominently showing.” Animal cruelty charges are upcoming.
Good grief. Sometimes we are astounded when a raid confiscates a hundred animals but it is good to know that there is a system that protects just one or two – all it takes is a phone call. See www.spca.org for more info about fighting animal cruelty.
CONTEMPLATIONS: I’m still chuckling at the guy who, after a couple of hundred roosters and chicks were confiscated from his West Dallas property, claimed he kept them around for the eggs and meat. And, we’re having to wait-and-see if this will result in any sort of animal cruelty charges – no actual cockfighting was underway, but the implication is clear that these roosters weren’t just hanging around because they liked being able to shop in Dallas. ....
There is irony in this situation, perhaps, to find this many chickens living in the city limits when just a few years ago the city made a big deal out of banning chickens – seems like it was City Council Member Laura Miller’s mission before she became mayor and pushed through public smoking bans. While you couldn’t have a chicken in Dallas and you couldn’t smoke in a Dallas restaurant, you still could order smoked chicken. ...
Why I love autumn: The State Fair of Texas, World Series, football season and (among many other things) the annual American Association of University Women Book Fair in Arlington. It opens tonight (5 p.m.) at the Arlington Museum of Art, 201 W. Main Street. Yes, you should be able to see Cowboys Stadium from there – of course, you can see the stadium from miles away. But only at the Book Fair will you be able to find a bargain. You won’t have to pay $40 to park at the book fair. (The fair runs from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-8 pm. Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, half-price day.) Among the 20,000 offerings (most for under $2) at the fair is a $35 book called “This Stubborn Soil,” about the difficulties of growing turf in a domed stadium in North Texas. I’m kidding. That’s William A. Owens’ book about his rural childhood in Pin Hook, Texas – back when the tallest thing on the landscape was a big mule or a short tree. And, no, I don’t know the origin of the name Pin Hook.
The fighting cock raid TV guy saying they were for eggs & meat had me howling and my dogs barking at me. Roosters don't lay eggs and a roster is not the chicken in every pot. Where was code enforcement since roster are illegal in Dallas? Mary
Posted by: Mary Garrett | October 22, 2009 at 11:59 AM