Last day of the month and another report on a miracle.
Is August ending on a high note? Dare one think so positively?
(Please send this link www.readlarrypowell.com to your friends and acquaintances who are not involved in rescue – those are the folks whose attention must be acquired in order to get more eyes watching city shelters and animal crises. Yes, think positively.)
Though there is this new movement – see that red logo? -- to get the Dallas Animal Services Shelter into responsible, well-managed condition. It’s called “Now or Never” and you can read about it in a post we filed late last night below.
Before you go there, read these animal stories. Please proceed:
THE DOGS FROM FRITZ PARK: Yesterday we posted a note about a momma and her six puppies who were dumped in Irving’s Fritz Park. Things looked bleak.
But there was a hero in the park. A city employee --we’d list his name but we haven’t talked to him yet and he may not want his bosses to know he didn’t immediately call animal control. This man managed to wrangle the dogs together and hold them until Nicole McGuire of Carrollton Animal Hospital could get there and pick them up.
Nicole manages the hospital for her husband, Dr. Michael McGuire, and the practice makes a practice of being open to helping rescued animals. This was one of those instances.
By the afternoon, the seven dogs – Mom and three boys and three girls (wearing numbers on their collars for now) – were romping in the kennel run and enjoying good health. (That photo on the left is the "before" picture from the park.)
Against great odds, these dumped dogs appear to have been well cared for before they were dumped.
Speaking of miracles, not one of these North Texas dogs is heartworm positive. How’s that for beating the odds.
Mom is young and the puppies appear to be about 3 months old. They weigh in a 25 to 30 rambunctious pounds, Nicole says. The clinic took them because “everybody’s kind of overwhelmed” right now, Nicole says. While the clinic was able to make room, Labor Day is coming and these dogs will need a place to go.
Nicole also says the clinic is “willing to go ahead and do the spaying and neutering.” People who would like to help with the expense of spaying a mom and three girls and neutering three boys can call the clinic regarding “The Irving 7” at 972-242-7606 or e-mail ndelise97@hotmail.com. The clinic is at 1903 N. Josey Lane in Carrollton. You can read about it at www.carrolltonanimalhospital.com.
FROM DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES: There are more than four dogs in the Dallas Animal Services Shelter. Bunch of cats, too. But for the moment –for this week – there are only four dogs on the Dallas Animal Services Urgent list.
These four dogs are scheduled to die Sept. 7 – the morning after Labor Day – if they aren’t rescued or adopted. They are all healthy, fixed, vaccinated and negative for heartworms. They also are people friendly.
They are (upper left) Bahama Mama, a Shepherd mix; (upper right) Almond, a blondish Lab mix: (lower left) Neese, an owner-surrender Rottie mix, and Walnut, a Black Lab mix. Yep, all big dogs, all on Death Row. All in Dallas.
To ask about these dogs, e-mail teresa.cleek@dallascityhall.com or jennifer.selesky@dallascityhall.com or call 214-671-0249 or 214-670-8312. While ACO Mark Cooper is on vacation, the rescue group liaison is Melanie Frank at Melanie.frank@dallascityhall.com or 214-671-0248.
Remember, this is a city shelter so it’s open to the public. You can drop by at 1818
N. Westmoreland – that’s at I-30 and Westmoreland. You can also peruse the inventory by going HERE.
Just FYI: The official Shelter Manager’s Report, presented to the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meeting last week, shows that in Fiscal Year 2008=-09,, the shelter euthanized 14,812 dogs, 4,503 cats and 1,041 “other” animals – you’d think a thousand animals deserved some sort of breakdown, wouldn’t you? Is it chickens? Reptiles? What?
Amazingly, for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 the number of dogs euthanized dropped from 14812 the previous year to 12,407. “Other” was down slightly from 1,041 to 1028. For some reason, the number of euthanized cats went from 4,503 to 4,939.
Enough stats. One killed is too many.
TWO PITS THE VICTIMS OF EITHER BEATING OR FIGHTING: We get this story from Krista Mc Anally, manager of the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake Shelter at Tool.
She writes, “A gentleman called me and has found two young Pit girls. When Dan first found them, they were bloody and bruised from either fighting or being beaten. He picked them up and has had them a couple of weeks. Most of the wounds have healed. Dan currently has them tied out of his property back in some trees so no one can see that they are back there. He is afraid whoever hurt them, might be looking for them. Dan is unable to keep these girls because he travels a lot.”
This is an immediate needs situation. Call Krista at 903-603-2342 or e-mail dogshsccl@yahoo.com. The society can help with transport, shots and worming.
(Aside: And if you know who beat or who set these dogs up for fighting, please call the authorities and turn them in. Or, tell them that I will be happy to meet them anywhere, anytime for a discussion of the proper way to care for a dog. I’ll just need time to get my two-by-four out of the pawn shop. Seriously, I’m old, fat and out of shape, but I can be pretty mean myself when I’m in a foul frame of mind and I’m pretty certain I can land one or two punches with my delicate typist’s hands before I throw up on the guy.)
MORE PUPS NEAR CANTON: The two dogs in the previous post are in the general Canton area. And we also got a copy of a note from periodic tipster Stephanie Mosby who is always running into loose dog situations in the area between Terrell and Cedar Creek Lake
She began her note, “Yep, it's First Monday time in Canton! And here's our first ‘listing.’ These 2 gorgeous young female Pits were found running through our neighborhood cow pastures -- where they would surely be shot if spotted!”
Now, because there was no rescue or open safe spot to put these two dogs, they have been moved into the Canton Animal Shelter – but people there are aware that Stephanie is trying to find homes for them. Stephanie says, “It would be nice if they could be pulled from there. They get SO full before, during and after first Monday!” And, she says, breeders will often adopt unfixed dogs so they can get more puppies ready for a First Monday dog sale on down the road.
Stephanie says, “The fawn girl is young, about 7 months. Lots of puppy energy and still growing. She has no manners and is a bit skinny.
“The red and white girl looks to be 1-2 yrs and has already had a litter, but is in excellent shape. She has a black skid mark down the side of her face and neck like she may have been tossed.
“Neither had collars. Her nails, appearance and her inviting herself into the house tells me she's an inside dog. Great disposition, gentle around the 2 kids she's had exposure to. Didn't budge from the middle of the road as I approached and tried to jump into the car on her own. Nobody in our area knows these dogs, but one neighbor said they'd been roaming around all weekend.
“Canton is NO place for a couple of unspayed female Pitts! Especially during FIRST MONDAY! PLEASE! Can anyone help with these 2 girls?”
To offer to help with these dogs, e-mail smosby_claw@yahoo.com or call 214-232-3644.
Click to the Canton Animal Shelter HERE.
THE DOG PICKLES: Yep, Pickles is in a pickle. We get her story from Patty Sprong of HART (Humane Animal Rescue of Texas). Patty writes that Pickles “is a victim of today's economic times. She was adopted to someone who eventually lost their job and couldn't take care of her any longer. She was then put into a foster home. Her foster dad has now had to sell his house and move into an apartment with his two other large dogs (Lab/Catahoula mixes). So, we don't have a foster home for this sweet girl.
“If anyone has ever considered fostering, this would be a good opportunity. We'd like her to stay at the new foster until she is adopted, but can transfer her to another foster home when space opens up if necessary. We just don't want to board her.”
To offer to help Pickles, e-mail pfsprong@verizon.net.
ANGRY DOG DONATIONS: Usually with a title like that you’d expect that we’d be mentioning a campaign to send a noxious dog through an anger management program. But, nope. This is a case of donations from the Angry Dog to help dogs and people. The Angry Dog, a Deep Ellum mainstay for two decades, is celebrating “20 Years of Beers” starting Sept. 1 – that’s Wednesday.
The bar is at 2726 Commerce in Dallas and the hours of the celebration are 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There’s a $20 cover charge (“complimentary appetizers and beverages”).
Throughout the month, the Angry Dog is donating a portion of sales to The Stewpot, Children’s Cancer Fund, ArtLoveMagic and one of our favorite non-profits, Paws In The City.
Just FYI, the people at Paws In The City hustle all the time to store up enough money to help animals in trouble – if you listen to Texas Rangers’ radio broadcasts, you perhaps have heard the ad announcing that every time a Ranger pitcher strikes out a batter, Muenster Natural Dog Food donates to Paws In the City.
Charity lives in North Texas, even if civility is rarely seen on the roads.
And one more little FYI: Paws In The City is celebrating its 5th anniversary. Lots of critters have been saved because of Paws In The City.
CUSTODY GRANTED: One more time, a court has given custody of abused animals to the SPCA of Texas. This happened Monday in Bonham at the Fannin County Courthouse when Judge Joe C. Dale granted custody of five “cruelly confined dogs, three puppies and one cat” seized Aug. 24 in Honey Grove. The owners didn’t fight the case. The dogs and puppies were in a “feces-filled, urine-soaked kennel” and had little food or clean water. This was at the height of the heat wave. The lone cat was a feral cat the SPCA of Texas staff was able to catch – several escaped.
THANKSGIVING REMINDER: Greyhound Adoption League of Texas is raffling off six 50-yard-line seats and a VIP parking pass to the Thanksgiving Day Dallas Cowboys-New Orleans Saints football game at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. You can get the details at www.galtx.org . You can also see adoptable Greyhounds.
And, speaking of Greyhounds, our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, spotlighted Ella the Greyhound, a rescued dog from Fort Worth, and the beautiful dreamer generated a great amount of computer traffic. So, thanks to all you Greyhound people for clicking in. That's Ella, signaling "Touchdown!" in her sleep.
A NOTE FROM BURNS FLAT: Tireless rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher of Burns Flat, Okla., out in the western portion of the Sooner State, has four “desperate” cases in the local shelter.
All are on the clock.
“This pretty Rottie boy was surrendered Friday,” she says. “One of my Police Officers called Kyle and me and asked us to meet him at the pound. This boy belonged to the sister of a friend of his and about 2 months ago disappeared. He returned last week, skin and bones. He has already fattened up quite a bit. But she no longer wants him. He is about 1 1/2 years old and a very sweet boy. He sits for his treats and lays when told. He is pretty confused as to what is going on, poor thing. He really needs out, for we are in overflow again and need the space.”
Then, she says there’s the Boston Terrier who “looks as if she has been bred MANY times.” Terry Lynn says the Boston’s people “got a divorce and the man said he does NOT want her back, for she was the evil wife's dog and she left. So, she cries this chilling cry, wondering why she is in jail.”
And, in a family story, there are these two Shepherd mixes – a Mom and her baby Bubby. Both are nice dogs, calm and friendly. And they’re in their last week at the Burns Flat pound – it’s curtains at the end of the week.
To help any of these dogs or all of them, call Terry Lynn at 580-330-1459. You can e-mail her at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com – but she’s having computer problems and she needs the help quicker than a computer can deliver under iffy circumstances.
RICKY AND LUCY NEED A HAND: Stacie Spears is trying to find a place for these two foundlings.
She writes, “My fabulous husband has agreed to let me foster ‘Ricky and Lucy,’ for one month, so time is still of the essence, but at least we have a small reprieve from certain death at Dallas Animal Services.”
The dogs are house-trained, leash-trained, young (under 3), know how to ride in a car, are “OK” with other dogs and cats and “know ‘sit’ most of the time,” Stacie says.
They probably are Collie mixes. Sometimes when Lucy is laying, Ricky will “just stand over her. They sleep near each other, they’ll share food with one another, and when they walk on a leash they’re so close to one another that at times their sides are touching.”
Ricky is neutered, but Lucy doesn’t have an obvious spay scar. When they get their round of shots soon, Stacie thinks the vet will be able to tell.
She says the dogs are “sweet companions” who need one good home.
One good home for two good dogs, that’s the ticket.
To ask about these dogs, e-mail stacie.spears@ymail.com or call 214-887-6305 or (cell) 972-849-4324.
AND AS PROOF THAT GOOD THINGS CAN HAPPEN...: OK, so we turn to Lorraine Johme for a story with a good ending. Seems like the thing to do today.
On Friday, Lorraine sent us a note about a 6-month-old boy dog dumped in a Houston neighborhood.
“It came to a head Friday evening and the neighbors were complaining and wanted the dog taken to a kill shelter. I thought we would have to make an emergency trip down there last night. Fate stepped in and through Facebook and college friends, the little dog has found a great home.
“One of the college friends who was going to help find him a home thought he was a great dog and decided he would take him. His name is now Ranger ... He will be attending doggie day camp daily while Dad is at work with his sister Chloe in the Woodlands just outside Houston. Thought you would like to hear some happy news for a stray that landed a great home.”
Can I get a vigorous “Amen!” ?
CONTEMPLATIONS: One of the kindest people I’ve ever known, the writer Ann Melvin, has died. I worked with her at the big paper in Dallas and she left the paper and I left the paper but I recall her grace and her writing – it was a gentle gift to readers. She was without fail a nice person – someone who added to conversations and wrote with heart. She understood life and people and loved horses, too. A Texan, she was. Her writing can be found in volumes here and there and on newspaper microfilm reels at public libraries. She added to the civil discussions of life and living. ... Here’s a geezer declaration: Change is an awful reality. ... Please read the “Now or Never” report below. Part of a citizen’s responsibility in a democracy is to be informed about the way citizen money is being spent. And a citizen should be ready to advise elected officials. Without the eyes of the citizens, the elected officials are blind. And without the IQ of the informed citizenry, elected officials have to depend on their own brains. Which I’m sure are gigantic. Just kidding. Some of you.
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