An Earhound, a pregnant dog and a Chow; a missing dog; party animals and other tales...

When I think of the vastness of our universe, I consider the odds against a one dog meeting up with another dog and having puppies.
Apparently, compared to the rest of the universe, North Texas is the most fertile region between Andromeda and the Neutral Zone. If only it could be the Neutered Zone.
FYI: That is a Vulcan Spaniel. Oh, I’m kidding, that is Inky, the neutered Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas. He is also the Readlarrypowell.com staff impersonator and here he is giving us his impression of a Trekker Spaniel from Vulcan transporting into the Enterprise Spaceteria and gleefully (for a Vulcan) spotting a big steaming platter of Mom’s Martian Meatloaf with a side order of Liftoff Mashed Potatoes and a dessert of Moonpie.
Now, let’s move along with an edition of Readlarrypowell.com made very special by an Earhound, a pregnant dog and some other critters who need some help in these final days of 2011, the Year of the Litter.
HOLY SMOKE, A GENUINE EARHOUND AND MORE! Yes, finally it has happened. Someone has found a literal Earhound. One ear. Ear hound. Naturally occurring, they say. We got the nomination from assorted folks including Allison Roberts, the volunteer shelter walker at Collin County Animal Services in McKinney. We also got the “Earhound Alarm” from Miranda Fick at Doggies Wonderland K9 Rescue.
Now before you fall in love with any of these animals, let me remind you that CCAS is a taxpayer-supported shelter and, as such, has a responsibility that is unpleasant: killing animals nobody wants. All of these animals are on the clock, no matter how much the staffers love them. That’s just the way it is.           1
Allison writes, “Daisy is a favorite of the shelter volunteers!
“Her small Lab frame, soulful eyes and adorable one ear are just too much not to love! She is a sweet girl who didn’t know what petting was when she first showed up but now can’t wait to give the biggest kisses to whomever will let her. She was introduced to a few kids of different ages and did well.
“She was born with one ear and it doesn’t cause her any problems and it just makes her more unique.”
She's beautiful in the still shots (in one shot it looks like she has 2 ears, but that's a shirt cuff standing in for an ear). She is even more attractive in her shelter video HERE.
I don’t know how a good-looking, friendly, adorable dog winds up in a kill shelter, but it happens every single day.
For example, look at this beautiful Lab or Lab mix. When this photo was taken, she was considerable pregnant. She may be even more pregnant as you read this or she is less pregnant and has a bunch of puppies to tend to though Allison sent out a note last night declaring, “We don’t want the puppies born in the shelter.”
And then there’s middle-aged chow mix Carter. Maybe 6 or 7 years old. And, Allison sent us a note from one of the CCAS volunteers about this dog. “Carter would love to just hang out with his new friends on a couch or bed and relax it seems. He is very calm, relaxed yet happy to see me when I go by. He quietly 'picked' one of our volunteers as his 'person' like Chows sometimes do and just goes and sits quietly next to her, waiting for a good pet or just loving to be next to his friend. He did great with a few young boys petting and messing with him as well. .... He does great on a leash and takes direction well. He does well with other dogs but he is so calm that I couldn't see any problems with him at all.  He is probably housebroken as well.”
And, as long as your reading about CCAS, we’ll mention that Allison says the shelter still has the “the litter of 8 Lab/Boxer(?) mix puppies that were dumped on the side of the road on Christmas Eve!”
To ask about any animals in the Collin County shelter, e-mail ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us or call 972-547-7292.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT: This is Aggie and she’s been missing since around 5 p.m. Monday when she broke her leash during a walk, according to Trey Trenholm who is handling the search on behalf of the dog’s distraught human.
Trey says Aggie made her break around Arapaho at U.S. 75 – that’s right, a busy area. She could be anywhere from a friendly neighborhood to any one of several shelters.
The year-old dog had a collar but Trey says it may be gone by now. She does, however, have a microchip. And she’s “well-trained,” he says.
If you know the whereabouts of Aggie, call 214-415-3236.
ON THE CLOCK: There are many animals on the clock at Dallas Animal Services. Maybe that’ll be different next year.
But as this year draws to a close, the clock is still ticking. In this case there are two cats and 13 dogs that have euthanasia date of Tuesday, Jan. 3. These have been in the DAS adoption program for 45 days or longer – they’re spayed or neutered, vaccinated and otherwise healthy.
The two cats are Rella the Orange Cat and Teddy the Tabby.
Those three dogs? They are Onyx (left), Dickens (right) and the happy-eared Buckshot.
Why did I choose them from the 13 available?
Don’t know – except they sure look as if they’d be gregarious at a New Year’s Eve Party.
They’ve got party faces and ears that say, “Go ahead, I’m all ears.”
The adoption fees for these VIP critters are cut-rate as the year ends: $43 for the dogs and $27 for the cats.
Here’s the contact information for adoption: Catherine.baxter@dallascityhall.com, nicole.self@dallascityhall.com or teresa.cleek@dallascityhall.com or call 214-671-0249 or 214-670-8312. Rescue groups should contact mark.cooper@dalascityhall.com   or 214-670-8298.
The shelter is at I-30 and Westmoreland. It’s open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. New Year’s Eve, but will be closed on New Year’s Day.
NOT ALL THE DOGS IN TROUBLE ARE IN NORTH TEXAS: Nope, here’s one from Houston. We get the story on this dog from one of our Houston tipsters, Edna Taylor, who usually deals with cats. This, obviously, is no cat.
She got the story from Tiffany Haines, vet tech at Summerwood Clinic in Houston. Tiffany wrote that she was “just wondering if you could pass this around. He is scheduled for a shelter on Friday. I think we know what will happen. If you could post it and send it out as a mass email that would be awesome. He is about a year old, neutered and heart worm negative. All vaccines are up to date. 
“The dog will come with a dog house and a large supply of food.  Courtesy of K9 Airlift. We just need a temporary home for him until something comes along. I am hoping we can fit this guy in somewhere. He is great with kids, dogs and cats. Actually is pretty submissive And mild mannered.”
To offer to help, call Tiffany at 832-868-0383.
CONTEMPLATIONS: OK you have to pick: The Peter Falk/Alan Arkin or the Michael Douglas/Albert Brooks version of The In-Laws. Heck, yeah, may be the toughest original-or-remake choice in movie history. And it occurs to me that some of you may be too young to have seen the first one – it was released in 1979. Only yesterday to some of us. ... Oatmeal – best in a breakfast bowl or best in a cookie? ... On the first night of the year, the Dallas Cowboys play the New York Giants in the final game of the season.  It's the biggest game of their season, the game that decides whether start their off-season in the apparently traditional no-playoff position. Has it come to this? Are the Dallas Cowboys ordinary? Somebody sue somebody for fraud.
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