ReadLarryPowell.com

A puppy gets a break and other tales of the season...

Readlarrypowell.com is always hoping to put an action shot on our newssite. And sometimes we absolutely enjoy a genuine “still” photograph.
Today, we’ve got one of each.
We’re leading with the “action” photo. Now, this little dog -- obviouisly en route to being a genuine Earhound -- has been helped out of a fix. More on that later.
More on the adorable “still” photo of a team of dogs later, too. Keep reading. And we’ll also get into some other animal considerations. T.J.’s, uh, "jingle bells" at The Colony, for example.
HELPING THE MANGE DOG: Anyone who has ever dealt with a mange dog – shelters or individuals -- recognizes what was going on in that lead photo. The little rascal is shaking those ears dry after being dipped.
Other photos are not so charming – thanks to people who neglected giving this dog proper care.
For now, he’s save and he’s been named Rudolph by Sgt. Karl Bailey, the Seagoville police officer who runs the city’s animal shelter. We got the tip on the dog from Johnna Bigley, one of the volunteers who, this year, successfully joined forces with the City of Seagoville and embraced the goal of turning the shelter into a no-kill facility.
Of course, getting citizen cooperation is the challenge. You never know what they’re going to dump, let roam or roll out on the side of the road in a box.
In this case, Rudolph is a Lab mix and weighs just over 8 pounds. Johnna says he’s had a dip and a bath – that explains the magnificent action shot of those ears swinging wild and free.
[Larry aside: Two of the most curable conditions in the animal kingdom are mange and fertility – both are easily avoided if the humans are responsible. Big if.]
Now, it’ll take some vet care and some human care to pull Rudolph away from the brink. Johnna says that after she issued a bulletin for help, the folks with DASH – that’s at www.dashdog.org – stepped up to take him.
Johnna  says the way to help with his care is to donate to his vet, Alma Animal Hospital in Allen. call 972-747-9700. You may also donate at DASH’s website HERE.
And, remember, while Rudolph has left the shelter, there still are other animals at the shelter.  See them HERE and, fyi, those three available kittens are Buttons, Burrito and Bullet.
And, get this, the shelter has waived cat adoption fees for December. It’s like Christmas with cats.
ABOUT THIS STILL PHOTO: At Readlarrypowell.com we are so happy when we get to see the animals that other people have rescued and turned into beloved and adored members of the family.
This photo made me really laugh because I just immediately imagined the challenge of getting these pups to line up for the camera! Are they not darling?
How’d we get this photo?
Andrea Rubits, one of our readers in New Fairfield, Conn., sent us the link to, as she describes them, “my wonderful Christmas granddogs.”
She says that her son and daughter-in-law rescued these dogs “from the streets of Durant, Okla. (In addition to three cats who wouldn’t pose for pictures!).”
You can see more photos of this bunch of well-behaved canines by clicking HERE.
It’s a wonderful things when the love for animals makes for a downright merry Christmas. Thanks to Andrea for sharing this aspect of the Dogs of Durant.
AND WHAT OF JED: A couple of weeks ago a dog named Jed was on the clock at the Irving Animal Shelter. A local rescue stepped up and claimed Jed.
Sometimes these things don’t work out according to the “International Dog Claim Smooth and Easy Blueprint.”
That’s just a fact. Anything involving humans has a shot at missing the target.
But, there are also backstops and Jed went back to the Irving shelter.
And, son of a gun, if last night we didn’t get notices that he’d gone to TWO different rescue groups.
Of course, because few rescue groups operate with 24-hour phone staffs in downtown skyscrapers either in Dallas or Delhi, we have no clue where Jed is except we have on good authority where he ain’t!
The suspect rescuer groups are the Touching the  World Foundation and the Justin Animal Alliance – neither of which is familiar in my bailiwick.
If someone can enlighten us, we’ll tell prospective adopters where they can find Jed, the beloved and, yet, unwanted black dog from Irving.
This 18-month-old, 45-pound dog was surrendered to the Irving shelter because he was “too active” for his humans.
SURRENDERED FOR BEING SICK, BUT, WELL, MAYBE NOT...: There’s a backstory to this dog. He’ a senior male Golden Retriever – that’s his face and that’s his runway model walk.
Yep. sick, they said. Our tipster, Allison Roberts, the volunteer shelter walker at Collin County Animal Services, says the dog is an owner surrender. Older, but not all that old. She writes that the owner “said he is sick and they can't take care of him ... But he's been at the shelter for 2 nights and there is no sign of anything wrong with him.  They said he is 10 years old, but he doesn't look 10.  He is eating and doesn't show any sign of illness.  He does great on walks - everyone loves him - super sweet boy.  He is unaltered.”
In this case “unaltered” means he hasn’t been neutered – it doesn’t mean that he is as stubborn as a human – that would be “unalterable” unless you threaten to cut off their...uh...well, enough of this.
To ask about saving this dog’s life e-mail ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us. If you get no e-mail response, call 972-547-7292.
Allison says that “the shelter is completely full – absolutely no kennels – with dogs in temp kennels. He is super urgent.”
UPON FURTHER REVIEW: Earlier in the week we were mentioning some of the unwanted dogs in The Colony’s Animal Shelter and this guy T.J. came up.
He was described as unfixed. Yep, still had everything -- that was the initial report.
But, there was a followup exam at The Colony, according to our tipster, Patricia Barrington, The Colony’s Animal Control Division Manager.
“T.J.  the Terrific has occupied a place in my heart and is refusing to leave.  His lovely old bones make me smile.  Turns out, he IS neutered. The dangling dirtiness that was mistaken for testicles was, fortunately, just a matted-up clump of dirt.”
Now that is an indicator that whoever had T.J. before was not very concerned about the fellow’s hygiene and grooming. With Cocker Spaniels, you have to care – they have points of concern, not only “down there” but their ears, their eyes, their teeth, their paws, their college education....They’re practically human.
And this one, T.J., has cast a spell at The Colony.
Manager Barrington writes, “T.J.  is only comfortable sleeping in chairs. He has found his favorite chair in my office. There is now a sign above his chair that reads:  ‘T.J.'s Chair.  Get your paws off!!!’  He is sleeping there now. 
“So, T.J. is our office dog until we find a home for him (that I give my personal stamp of approval). Until such a place can be found, he will reside in his chair.”
FYI: The change in his, er, status may mean he can be adopted for a lesser fee – even though a million bucks would be underpaying for any Cocker Spaniel on the planet.
She added, “I thought the update would ease your mind as I know you love ol' Cocker Spaniels as much as I do.”
Absolutely. Look at T.J.’s face. He’s just one appointment away from being a solemn member of the Supreme Court of the United States.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Winter gets here at 11:30 p.m. See the seasons HERE.  Autumn of 2011 was majestic. As are all seasons. The best seasons have been the last two Texas Rangers seasons. The next one needs to be one step better. ... Sometimes I like shopping at Christmas. Depends on the challenge, i.e., the store, the parking, the goal, the weather, the amount of available money. ...I hate speakerphones. I hate ‘em in offices. I hate ‘em in houses. I hate to be on the other end from one. If I had a choice of outlawing parking meters or speakerphones, we’d all need to carry change in our pockets. OK, thank you for indulging me as I write of the hate within my telephonic soul.
HOLLY JOLLY MOMENT: Oh, boy, here we are in the middle of Christmas season and it wasn’t too long ago that the dog was in the middle of a shelter and facing a sad situation.
Things happened. The dog’s name is Abbigale and we get her story from foster mom Vicki Medlyn. She suggests that this photo of Abbigale ‘neath the Christmas tree is a direct result of the kind act of fostering an unwanted dog.
That’s right. Fostering. It turns out to be quite important because it opens spots in shelters by getting dogs and cats out and into homes where they learn social skills and learn to live with people.
[Larry aside: We’re still trying to develop a program that teaches people to live with animals -- animals just learn quicker.]
Abbigale, writes Vicki, “was in a kill shelter in Tool, Texas.” (Larry aside: Well, of course, anybody who visits Readlarrypowell.com knows that the shelter in Tool is run by the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake and manager Krista Mc Anally and staff and volunteers work had to get animals adopted and out of there. They work with people to accomplish this – for example, the shelter’s adoptables are posted on the Texas Little Cuties Website HERE.)
But, back to Abbigale the Christmas Dog.
She had been in the shelter for ‘way too long,” Vicki says. “So after the adoption event, where I met this little pup, I took her home and fostered her and took her to adoption events in Rockwall. She now has a beautiful, warm-hearted, loving family who LOVES her very much.
“Wow, it sure feels good when they get that break! I believe with all my heart and soul this is exactly what God intended..Merry Christmas  and please keep on keeping on being the voice and last chance for God's creatures.”
Of course, Readlarrypowell.com is proud to be associated in any way with the angels who foster and save the animals.
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Puzzles, possibilities and holly jolliness in the frame...

The dogs are on guard this morning and I don’t know why.
One has been sitting motionless and watching everything else move. Another has been pacing relentlessly, walking an imaginary perimeter.  I can only assume someone is coming to town.
Like most of you, I’m overwhelmed by obligations, considerations and contemplations.  You’d have my heartfelt sympathy if I had time to give it.
Now, our daily report, some of which will baffle the sanest of individuals, a few of whom may actually be reading this report.
DISTEMPER IN LONGVIEW: When our East Texas tipster Darcie Cowles sent me a note of despair about the Humane Society of Northeast Texas killing 154 dogs because of a distemper case, it just seemed so far-fetched.
Alas, apparently it’s true. Click HERE for a Longview News-Journal story and HERE for CBS 19’s great interviews with the shelter manager and some animal advocates.
The manager claims there was no choice.
Still, isn’t there always an option to “Got an animal problem? Let’s kill it?”
Can anyone tell us if the standard reaction to distemper should always be “kill all dogs on hand.” Seems harsh, but you never know. Maybe it’s a practical matter of budgeting medical care.
It just seems incredible that in the 21st Century animals are still subject to methods from before the world got so darned smart.
Maybe there is nothing else to do. But, then, did the shelter consult anyone before making the decision?
Probably there is no official body in Texas to monitor shelter reactions to contagious diseases. Distemper is contagious, it is ugly and death from it is torturous. Maybe the right thing was done.
Still, all of these dogs should not be forgotten. They are the symbol of what happens when humans fail to get their animals vaccinated. People outside of the shelter are to blame for this threat, they are responsible for the tragedy.
As the shelter manager, somber in her interview, told the TV station, get the vaccinations and spay and neuter. Those acts help control disease.
ONE DOG IN A SAFE SPOT: This guy is known in e-mails zipping around the internet as “Mack the Pit Bull.”  And Krista Mc Anally of the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake knows about him.
Mack is currently under the care of Police Chief Wayne Nutt of Log Cabin, Texas, on the south end of Cedar Creek Lake.
He told her that “he wants to find a home with a yard and a family to love.”
Thus, that’s the mission concerning this unwanted dog. Turn him into a wanted dog.
Krista writes, “Mack will have to be neutered and shots and I feel sure he will be heart worm positive as he has spent his life on a chain with little or no protection.  So he will have to be treated for heart worms.”
To ask about helping Mack, call Krista at the shelter at 903-432-3422 or e-mail dogshsccl@yahoo.com. See more Humane Society adoptables at the Texas Little Cuties site HERE. Read about the Humane Society and how to help it at http://www.hscl.org.
GERMAN SHEPHERD MONTH AT COLLIN COUNTY? Sure looks like it. Another pair of German Shepherds has turned up at the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney. These two were stray. Now they’re safe from being hit by cars or killed by shooting or poisoning, but they’re on the clock for the needle at the Collin County shelter. You can see their video HERE.
Google Collin County Animal Services to see how easy it is to adopt an animal from the shelter these days. It’s full – dogs and cats.
INEXPLICBLE: Look at these faces. These animals have been unwanted for so long that come Wednesday – the last day of autumn – they’ll be killed unless someone steps up on their behalf.
That’s right. Last day of autumn (ends just before midnight Wednesday evening) may be the last day of their lives.
These animals have been featured on Readlarrypowell.com before. But, I thought, well, maybe one more mention of Carrollton before the “day” would help them. Perhaps you can print out their photos and hand them to someone who needs a new friend at Christmas. Perhaps you can put it up on your office bulletin board. Maybe hand a copy to a loved one who needs a friend. Or just copy our address and this day’s report and e-mail it around the nation as if you were a British lawyer trying to launder money through the Ivory Coast via American housewives.  Get my drift? More eyes, more chances to save the animals.
Poinsettia is the brown Chihuahua mix. Lucky is that white dog who’d look natural in an elf suit.
And that camera-shy cat is from the zany black-and-white level of feline consciousness. His name is Glen.
You want to help any of these Carrollton animals, call Carrollton Animal Rescue Enterprise (that’s the shelter) at 972-466-3420 or e-mail care@cityofcarrollton.com
CONGENIALITY IN BURNS FLAT: Our tireless rescue tipster Terry Lynn Fisher in Burns Flat, Okla., does get weary now and then. This may be one of those times. The little western Oklahoma town’s shelter is loaded with unwanted animals.
She sent photos of many – Badge, Baby Bye, Roudie, Chi Chi, Skippy and this fellow Landon.
Seemed like this would be the photo guaranteed to get people to pay attention to a black and tan dog in a fix in Oklahoma. Here’s the story on Landon, according to Terry Lynn: “Beautiful, very tall, and totally adores children..He loves to give doggie kisses and just cries such a deep, sad cry to have you come touch him. He is a great boy.”
To save Landon or any animal in the Burns Flat shelter, e-mail Terry Lynn at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com or call her at 580-330-1459.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Here is a seasonal caution. Make sure your animals don’t have access to things they shouldn’t eat. Good advice year round, but especially good advice during the holidays in which humans set a bad example by consuming things they shouldn’t have access to, either. ... I’m not the only befuddled newshound today. I saw a Fox news reporter refer to Kim Jong Il as the “dictator of North Dakota.” Might have been - - I don’t keep up with North Dakota politics....I need a week off – total week. No thinking. No phones. No pressure. No computer. No fattening food. No sitting around. No TV. Wait. That’s crazy. Forget I brought it up.
HOLLY JOLLY: You know why I’m running these photos in our Holly Jolly Moment today? Because family Christmas pictures with ALL members of the family make me smile.
They make my heart feel good about life.
These animals are there because they’ve earned the position of “family member.” How great is that!
I know there are people who just don’t need animals. But, then, maybe they just haven’t met the animal they need.
Dwana Carabajal, who is mentioned here now and then for her rescue activities and her bold decisions to foster momma dogs who deliver Guiness Book of World Record-style litters, sent these photos.
They are family memories.
She explains, “The first picture was taken in December 2003. The picture is of our beloved and missed Chucky (who passed away 4 weeks after this picture was taken) me, Angel, who is now 13 and has been diagnosed with a tumor on her spleen (You would not know it though, she is one tuff doggie), my husband Joe, and Junior (he was only 1 year old in this pic. He just turned 9 years old...”
Yep, that is a family memory. You’d have been proud to be in the photo with those dogs and their people.
Dwana continues, “The second picture was taken in December 2008. Feral Friends was hosting a “Picture with Santa” day at the Rowlett PetSmart ... This picture is of Junior, me, Santa, Angel and Joe. I just love how they both ‘posed’ at just the right moment.”
Those of us who have animals and who have loving animal memories are so fortunate. The little rascals, no matter how big, can make for a rock-sold merry Christmas.
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Ah, the way the season makes things work...and is there a yuletide glow?

Heck, yes, I’m not done shopping.  If I’m not done shopping, I’m not done wrapping. If I’m not done shopping and wrapping, stick a fork in me because, indeed, I’m done. Toast. Know what I mean? I may not be alone. Now, while we prepare for snow blowing in from the Panhandle, our daily report:
THAT IS A GRACIE FACE: Here is why Maryann Izzarelli, the administrator for Bedford Animal Shelter’s Facebook Page, is a dear person. She began today’s note with “I'm sure this is the 1,254 email you've gotten today with animal listings but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway.  You posted about our new Facebook page about a month ago and it has helped tremendously. I can't thank you enough as we're just a start-up right now.”
Yep, flattery will get you some cyberink at Readlarrypowell.com. But also, she’s making a pitch for a dog in a spot. That’s Gracie – some face, eh? Very serious, except that people who know these dogs know that there’s some happy that’ll show up when there’s affection and bonding.
Maryann says that Gracie has been at the shelter “for months” and that the staff has done “a wonderful job holding her over so she'll have a better chance at a home. Besides the obvious black mark of being a Pit, she needs a home without other animals or small kids as she needs to learn everything isn't HERS. (This could also be a learned shelter behavior that will fade as she is in a secure environment) “
All dogs have challenges – especially if they’ve been “unwanted.”
Maryann says Gracie “would be an excellent exercise partner for someone, is super affectionate and is food motivated.  She would be easy to train if someone would just give her a chance.  I've tried every avenue I can think of for networking her, none of the rescues are available (or not taking pitties) and most people who are interested and could work with her already have other pets.  I've contacted rescue groups around the country but again no luck as I'd be willing to transport her if necessary.  I'm hoping some alternative exposure will give her a better chance of finding a home or rescue.”
So, here we are folks – a dog with a breed reputation that is almost insurmountable, a dog with a shelter background and a dog without a home. Got to be a better solution than “Let’s kill it.”
To help Gracie, contact the Bedford Animal Shelter – the Facebook page is HERE.  Click HERE to get shelter info and ask about Gracie.
FOLLOWING UP: As you may recall from earlier reports here, The Colony’s Animal Shelter hosted a Save-a-Life Express adoption event Saturday – just a few hours long and $20 per critter.
The Colony’s Animal Control Division Manager Patricia Barrington reports today, “Our wee little shelter managed 13 adoptions as a result of our adoption efforts this weekend! 
“However, the little reindeer dog, Charlie is STILL here.  She is vaccinated and spayed, which makes her a bargain at only $20!  On Friday, sweet Charlie began licking her incision (from her spay surgery) – so, she had to have that wretched cone put on.  This made her nervous and she didn’t act herself at the event Saturday.  Therefore, she didn’t get many looks.  Additionally, the redness near her incision from all the licking caused concern among potential adoptive owners.  She is fine; no she is perfect!  And, she needs a holiday home, immediately.”
Also still available at The Colony shelter are the $20 cats Bell (left) and Sherlock, a pair of orange cats related only by location. (Sherlock is the current Barrington Favorite – he’s a cool cat, she says.)
And this one sort of puzzles me. That Cocker Spaniel is TJ – he’s 8 years old and because he is unfixed, he’s not a $20 dog. He’s a $95 dog (pays for his “fixin’.”) Manager Barrington describes him as “well mannered and lovable.  And, he is handsome!”
To ask about any animals at The Colony, e-mail pbarrington@thecolonytx.gov or call 972-370-9250.
The Colony, for those who don’t know, is just due north of Dallas, right across 121 from north Carrollton or thereabouts. It’s not far to drive to get a friend. Besides, all the roads are paved out there in the “country.”
UNRINGING A BELL: Yesterday Rekka Melby of Take Me Home Pet Rescue sent out a desperate plea for help for a dog that was being helped by a family that can barely help themselves.  That’s what the subject line said. You may have seen the plea. It rocketed around the internet like a rumor about a politician’s love life.
And around 9 p.m., after the plea had been circulating for a little while, Rekka sent out a follow up. “Quick update: Our friend Tammy has stepped up to foster Carmello so she is working out the details with Megan and hopefully they'll have her off the streets tomorrow so you can stop forwarding the original email.  Thanks everyone!”
Well, of course, people hit that go button anyway and so you may have seen the original but not the follow up – and, by the way, Carmello is oh-so-obviously an Earhound.
Now, while Carmello appears to have found a safe haven, there are other things going on.
When I wrote Rekka noting that it would be difficult to “unring the bell,” she replied, “I know what you mean. People get crazy about the emails-sometimes I hear from people in Kansas, Wyoming, etc. --pretty wild!”
We agree, of course, that this is a good thing – more eyes, more hearts, helping.
At any rate, Rekka says things are looking up for Carmello. And she adds this story,
“On Dec 9, we got an email about a stray that had just given birth to puppies in an industrial area of Dallas.  We had a general location of where to look and JP [Bonnelly] had rescued a litter from the same spot about 6 months ago so we thought it was going to be the same momma dog. But it turned out to be a different one (he tried catching the other one 6 months ago but she disappeared).  So we didn't really know how many puppies to expect so were very surprised to only find 2, especially given that the mom is a med-size dog. 
“It had been pretty cold that week so not sure if some may not have made it or if that's all she really had (we looked around but didn't see sign of any others).  The mom (Maya) is heartworm positive so we set up a fundraising page for the little family.  If you click on the link it'll also take you to pictures and the youtube video of their rescue, it's a little slow at first but we wanted to show folks what it's like catching these dogs (this one was surprising as she just froze but JP was still very careful when getting the leash on her in case she tried to take off).
The link to Saving Maya is HERE http://www.razoo.com/story/Saving-Maya-And-Her-Puppies.  It’ll take a minute to watch but it’ll show you a lot if you’ve never been on a rescue mission.
Rekka has another story, too, “We also have a street dog named Spot on our radar.  Megan Sullivan (who is the one working on getting Carmello off the streets) is a teacher in a rough area of Dallas so she finds all sorts of stray dogs.  Earlier this week she posted a foster request for Spot. We found one, so on Friday. She went looking for him but of course he was nowhere to be seen but then a different pup appeared. Megan found the puppy digging in the trash, looking for food. Then the pup came up sheepishly to her car and must have realized this was her opportunity to be saved so started wagging her tail like crazy so, of course, we couldn't leave her there!  We named her Maggie, she's 8 months old, 25 pounds, very sweet and friendly but unfortunately has sarcoptic mange so we really need a foster for her (preferably without other pets or someone willing to keep her isolated from their pets).
“ One of the pictures is of Maggie right after Megan picked her up off the streets, looks like she was so relieved to be safe. In the car that she just passed out face down, bless her heart.  We'll keep working on rescuing Spot, too!”
If you can help with any of these projects, e-mail rekkamelby@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Overnight the settings on my Microsoft Word changed so that what I was looking at and typing on over the weekend is suddenly larger and spaced differently with odd margins. I don’t know why this happens. And I’m not going to blame the cat. Annabelle stays off the keyboard.  I’m going to blame my kids. They haven’t been here in a while and they weren’t even in the same zip code when this happened, but it’s Christmas, I’m feeling the pressure, so, of course, blame the kids or any other relatives who come to mind or the president, maybe (an American tradition). Pretty sure it wasn’t anything I did. I just hit the “shut down” button. I’m pretty sure. ... Coffee: Is instant decaf coffee the devil’s work? ...  The Green Bay Packers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs? And the feds are investigating a Chicago players drug deals rather than a gambling scandal in Green Bay?
HOLLY JOLLY; OK, maybe this isn’t really our daily Holly Jolly Moment, but maybe, also, someone can confirm what I think I’m seeing this year. What I think I’m seeing is what I am not seeing. We’ve been on driving trips through some residential areas of Oak Cliff and Fort Worth and points in between and can it be that this is the darkest Christmas ever?  Darker even than 1979 and 1980 when President Jimmy Carter told Americans to turn off their Christmas lights to save power during the Energy Crisis? Holy smoke. Has it come to that? Oh, my goodness. Anyone have either an explanation or a neighborhood that’s glowing for the yuletide?
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A sleeping assortment and opportunies to put crises to bed...

OK, ladies and gentlemen, elves and reindeer  and you ol’ lumps of coal or whatever you are. We’re one quick week away from the holly jolliness of it all.
The pressure is on not only in stores but in shelters and in rescue groups and in homes and on the streets.
Usually during the weekends here at www.readlarrypowell.com  we present a feature called “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.” We’ll have slumber-related items today, but Christmas draws closer and there are places that are looking for help. And animals looking for help, so this weekend we’re going to present some opportunities to help.
You might have noticed the ragged pile of housedog in the first photo of today's presentation. (It was shot from my chair as I looked down at the usual spot my advisor takes during the writing sessions in my life.) That is Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, in his comfort zone next to my desk chair as I write. You’ll note that he appears to be completely at ease with his role of “literate advisor.” He’s had many a passage read to him, been asked a number of questions regarding things he might recall (names, places, etc.) and been asked to help refocus a sentence, paragraph or novel a time or two. As you can see (if his photo will blow up large enough) he is wearing a holly jolly collar. He also serves as advisor to a certain North Pole concern with global interests. In the second photo, you’ll note that the quiet clicking of a digital camera has awakened him and he’s contemplating his next move. There may be cookies involved and he doesn’t want the holly jolly mood to be diminished.
Now, he has a home – he is totally beloved – and it’s our wish to help all the other dogs in the world find places to sleep in happy homes. Here we go with a dog who is in a bed already but needs a home.
IN CARROLLTON: This dog is Mushka – she is a cocker spaniel mix and, as you can tell, the Cocker part is really dominant.
Here’s the rub – this is a 16-year-old dog. She was surrendered to the Carrollton Animal Services Shelter by “her people who could no longer take care of her.”
Yeah, she’s definitely a senior but a dog like this – a little dog in good health – could go on for another half decade or even more. Oh, I’m not going to predict things, but, honestly, they’re like people – you never know how long they’ll last.
Her name is Mushka. She’s never lived in a shelter before.
The shelter report reads, “She is a happy lady who deserves a home where she will be loved and cared for as much as she will the humans who share their home.” And at her age, she’ll love being on a lap, in her bed or at the buffet table.  Great face.
The folks at Carrollton are also trying to find a home for this guy Glen – he’s a couple of years old and came in as a stray.
What does this old dog in a bed have in common with this young cat? They’re both on the December 21 euthanasia list. Merry Christmas.
To save some lives, call Carrollton Animal Rescue Enterprise at 972-466-3420, or email CARE@cityofcarrollton.com.
CATS NEED PLACES TO NAP (SO DO THE WOLFDOGS): Yes, you can’t have a cat nap without a place to cap nap. So, the folks at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake are making an effort to re-supply the beds at their shelter at Tool, Texas, about an hour or so southeast of Dallas.
We mentioned this shelter earlier in the week because not only do they have plenty of cats (as seen here, and plenty of dogs, as seeable on by linking to the website, they also have a half-dozen wolf hybrids who need a place to bunk.
Krista Mc Anally, the shelter director, says, “We have one male that we are trying to move to California I have a couple of groups working on the others but no luck.”
And, in the meantime, the shelter has seen how nicely the dogs have taken to the Kuranda beds, so they’re trying to get Kuranda beds for the cats for Christmas, Krista says.
There’s a challenge involved, through midnight Dec. 22, Humane Society supporters can donate beds to the facility through the Kuranda site at www.kuranda.com. For each 10 beds donated to the shelter, the company will give two free beds to the Humane Society of Cedar Cree k Lake.
Krista wrote,  “We currently have 65 cats here at the shelter.  Please make their Christmas special by going to www.kuranda.com and purchasing a cat bed for HSCCL.  We would love to have a couple of the towers for our cats to climb on.”
Call the shelter at 903 432-3422 or e-mail dogshsccl@yahool.com. Go to www.hsccl.org to see the inventory or  other ways to help.
If someone would adopt some of those 65 cats, they might not need so many beds for cat napping.
A DOUBLED STATISTIC OF INCALCULABLE UNPLEASANTNESS: This little tidbit crossed the inbox threshold Friday in an e-mail from the SPCA of Texas. It’s kind of indicative of the mood of people, perhaps. “In 2011, the SPCA of Texas has rescued 2,029 animals from cruelty and neglect – more than twice as many as last year.” You can see how to help the SPCA finance rescuing these animals by going to the SPCA website HERE. Kind of disheartening to think that business doubled during the year, isn’t it?
THE NO-KILL PROJECT: We asked Rebecca Poling, who is chairing the city’s no-kill task force (known as the Companion Animal Project – that’s the logo) how things were going as the holidays get a grip on us all.. As you may recall, this is a public-oriented project and you can contact it through the website HERE.
Rebecca, who also serves on the City of Dallas Animal Shelter Commission and sees first-hand the operation of the shelter and its challenges regarding unwanted animals, says, “The suggestions we've received have been just incredible.  We are so overwhelmed by the public's support.  We continue to work hard on the plan and appreciate everyone's support.  We can make a difference if we continue to work together."
The pressure is on, but for the first time in Dallas the pressure isn't to process more animals but to protect more animals.
A FAVORITE FELLOW: This guy is Mickey.  He’s a “volunteer favorite” and he’s on death row.
We got his story from Allison Roberts, the volunteer shelterwalker at the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney. She sent out his photo Friday afternoon. And she wrote, “Mickey is a volunteer favorite - he has the sweetest demeanor and is a great boy to hang out with.  He is a little shy but he warms up fast and will be a great companion.  He is about 3 years old.  The shelter is full and Mickey is in danger.”
You can see a video of Mickey HERE. You’ll see about 30 seconds of a dog being placed in a trance because he’s having his head and ears rubbed with love and vigor. To ask about him or any critter in Collin County, email both ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us or call 972- 547-7292  and press 1 at the first prompt and leave a message.
PUPPIES OF A DIFFERENT BREED: I was reading Joni McConnell’s note to the volunteers at A Different Breed Animal Rescue and ran across a situation that would be entertaining if it were not such a challenge.
ADB will have host its weekly adoptions from 12:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Pepper Square, Preston at Beltline, in the spot next to Dirty Dawgz.
Joni was writing about the ADB animals when she began writing about “the two females we picked up from Arlington’s shelter two weeks ago, a small black lab mix named Nikki and her ‘sister’ Nora the Catahoula. Well, everyone thought Nikki must have just had a litter of pups and was just starting to dry up – but, BOY, her belly has been getting huge. Looks like she had a litter of pups and then immediately got pregnant again... Sigh. ...When does this job ever get easier?”
To volunteer with A Different Breed or to ask about helping that surprisingly expectant dog, contact the volunteer coordinator at jkmcconn@yahoo.com.
A DOG WITH A DIFFERENT SOUND: Of course it's easy to see right away that this dog Braddock is an Earhound -- not only are his ears different colors, but one will go up and one will go down. But there's something else about his ears -- what he hears when he, well, makes his special sound. Read on.
This is sort of something to howl about – sorry, didn’t mean to imply that all dogs howl. When we got notice of this dog we knew he would be special – after all, the person trying to help him find a home is Gail Whelan, the veteran rescuer at Companion Animal Network.
She’s making a case for this dog Braddock. A few months ago, she says, he “was found running along I-20 with a rope attached to his neck... Luckily for Braddock he was found by the manager of a vet clinic. The clinic was kind enough to let Braddock stay for a couple of weeks while we had him neutered, vaccinated, etc., but could not hold open the space.
“Braddock has been living at Wag Time in Arlington for almost two months.  They have nothing but good things to say about him.  He is in daycare every day and plays well with all the other dogs there.  He is great with children and is just waiting for a chance to become part of a family.”
So far, this dog – he’s about 18 months old, current on shots and heartworm negative – is just normal, right? He’s a Beagle mix – Beagle with Staffordshire Terrier, they say. One of your odder mixes, I’d say.
But here’s the even cuter part: Braddock bays. Like his Beagle ancestors, he bays.
If you’d like to have this baying boy around your house (he has impeccable references), call Gail at 214-200-6236 OR EMAIL can.adoptions@yahoo.com.
THINGS NOT TO FORGET ON SATURDAY: The Colony is hosting its Save A Life Express Adoption Saturday morning at the shelter. That's from 10 a.m. to noon. Lots of cute critters and opportunities for inexpensive shots, etc. ...Also, just click on that artwork, and you'll see the details for the big Downtown Dallas Santa Paws Parade and Rescue Celebration on Saturday.
HOLLY JOLLY NOTE: Ah, we need a special Holly Jolly weekend note today. And it should do with sleeping. Unfortunately, the photo I have to support this story is a paper photo and it’s in a box in the deep files area of the special archives at Readlarrypowell.com.
So, we’ll depend on imagination.
For many years we had a cabinet-style big-screen TV – huge, in fact.
During the early part of our marriage we acquired a ceramic replica of Bedford Falls, the hometown of George Bailey in the 1946 motion picture It’s a Wonderful Life. This was an earlier replica – larger than the versions sold years later at department stores. We’d gotten it at a specialty shop – collector’s type stuff, you know.
And at Christmas we’d roll out a snowy street – we’d made it from cotton rolls – and put down the great iconic buildings from Bedford Falls. You’d see taxi driven by Ernie and the police car driven by Bert on a snowy street in front of Martini’s Bar, the old Granville house that became George and Mary’s home,, the movie theater, etc.
Those were among the official pieces of this movie town.
But most the time, piled up right in the big middle of Bedford Falls and disturbing not one of the specially lit buildings, was our beloved little cat, Spike, for whom the village of Bedford Falls proved annually that It’s a Wonderful Life.. That Mr. Spikey was a merry Chrstmas cat.
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A Friday roundup as the sun shines -- a memory of a mooing cat ...

Today, as the world turns,and sun shines on our neighborhood, we’ll go along for the ride. But keep yoru galoshes handy -- and maybe a  helmet. Grab a flashlight and a pickax. Charge your Taser. Heer we got with some of the jumble of topics from the inbox:
ACTIVE COLLIN COUNTY: The Collin County Animal Services Shelter, which once had a limited adoption policy, has people hustling on its behalf these days. That's why we have this information.
Two Yellow Labs, owner surrenders, perfectly healthy, on death row at the Collin County Animal Services Shelter. You want ‘em? Get in touch with the shelter HERE. Lots of other animals there, too – cats, kittens, dog with a deformed leg, dog that chewed its human’s shoes, etc. Gibbs the Lab/Pit mix has a $200 donation already – just needs a human with patience and understanding.  But don’t we all.  That Earhound is Gibbs. He’s available. He was photographed in someone’s arms. Apparently he’s OK with being adored.
PUPPY MILL CONFISCATION: The SPCA of Teas and the Mabank Police Department raided a property near downtown Mabank in East Texas yesterday and seized 47 dogs, 4 fish, a gerbil, a California king snake and a fat-tailed gecko. They say the place was a puppy mill and two dead dogs were found on the property.  See some photos of this place on the SPCA website HERE. The SPCA is caring for the animals. A custody hearing is set for Dec. 20. Pretty disgusting conditions. A police officer discovered this place while writing a code compliance violation ticket. No word on arrests or cruelty charges. This is a free country so, if you want, feel free to think ill of anyone involved in this puppy mill for fun and profit.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT around Scurry, Texas, about 25 or 30 miles southeast of Dallas in Kaufman County. This guy Boss is on the lam. Tina Nichols sent us a note this morning in hopes of getting more eyes to look for the “loveable pit bull” she and hubby Robert adopted from the Seagoville Animal Shelter earlier this year. Boss is about 2 and is microchipped. Tina reports that on Thursday Boss “wandered off with another dog and has yet to come home. He’s never NOT come home. He does not have a collar on but he is microchipped. I’m home recovering from a surgery, so I’m very limited to my ‘searching’ abilities. My husband is home today and we are pulling out all the stops in an attempt to find our lost love.”
He was last seen in the 16000 address area of County Road 4065 in Scurry. Call 214-529-4513.
Tina says, “He was a mess when we got him, but a lot of time, love and patience have made this a very loveable bully.”
THE TRAILER AT WORK: Patrick Taylor of NTEX Marketing of Parker, Texas, dropped us a note about this trailer.
As you can see, it’s specifically designed for animals and the adoption process.
He says “We will have our 18' adoption trailer at PetSmart in Plano (75 and Parker) this Saturday. We are working with Frisco Humane Society for this adoption and it will be our last event for this year. We bought and converted the trailer this past summer and have been working with various rescue groups since to enhance their adoptions and exposure.”
No doubt the air-conditioned trailer comes in handy on those hot days of a North Texas summer. And, of course, now that hot days are just a pleasant memory, the trailer serves as shelter from rain, sleet, ice, snow or whatever is going to fall on North Texas this season.
To ask about lining up this trailer to help with your rescue group’s adoption, contact Patrick at 972-467-5005 or email at info@adoptiontrailers.org. You can read about NTEX Marketing HERE.
CONTEMPLATIONS: After recent events, do you wonder if the Chicago Bears will try to nullify acquisitions from the Dallas Cowboys under some sort of “Lemon Law”?  (If you don’t follow football, trust me, it’s a funny line built on tragedy.) ... Are Brits taking over the TV schedule grids? On Time-Warner’s listing for a late-night show this week was this note “Death Cab For Cutie perform.” Performs. Performs. The subject/verb agreement controversy between English English and American English is now in our living rooms on our TV sets. I’ve noticed other instances of this grammatical behavior, but I’ve lost the index card on which they were written. ... Another odd TV thing: The Cloo Channel used to be the mystery-friendly Sleuth Channel but a couple of nights ago the featured film was True Grit – the John Wayne version. Not a bit of mystery in that movie -- except why Glen Campbell was cast as the Texas Ranger.
HOLLY JOLLY MOMENT: Continuing with our hardheaded attempt to make the world a little holly jollier this Christmas season, we present this little story, “The Cat With the Pacifier.”
On year I was invited to portray Santa Claus in the gazebo at Old City Park, now known as Dallas Heritage Village.
Many great moments during that performance, but one came when a grandmotherly type shoved a 3- or 4-year-old boy in front of Santa and said, "Give it to him, Bubba. “ and then said to me, “Santa, he's got something to give you. Give it to him, baby. You said you’d give it to Santa."
And the little fellow handed Santa a dramatically soggy pacifier.
Santa's paw cringed and he took the dripping passy and dropped it into his tote bag and told the little e boy he would get a new one for  Christmas -- i'm kidding. As I was writing this story I had one of those “I wish I’d said that” moments and fixed Grandma's wagon.
Anyway, months later I heard our big ol' old black and white cat Cyril lumbering down the hall and emitting a low odd moo.
I'd never heard a cat moo.
But he was mooing and in his mouth was that pacifier. He'd retrieved it from Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick’s tote bag in the office...He carried the pacifier around for about two weeks – I guess he either lost interest or one of the other cats took it and hid it so they wouldn't be awakened each night by the sound of the noisy herd lumbering past.
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A cat crisis, pups and goat milk and 20 years ago today...

Season’s greetings, count the critters in shelters and pass the tequila, please.
But first, we’ve got a cat and a bunch of puppies. What’s with all these puppies? Is there no spay/neuter program around here? See those pups? They’re being fed goat milk. Look pretty healthy, don’t they? OK on with the report and we’ll get to The Goatmilk Gang later. (Quick, someone write a theme song for The Goatmilk Gang – how about The Goat, The Bah and the Snuggly?) Read on:
IT’S THAT EMOTIONAL TIME OF THE YEAR: One of the reasons I am leading today’s report with the story of this cat is the way Edna Taylor, one of our reliable Houston tipsters, sounded off at the circumstances regarding this Blue Point Siamese.
She declared, “I am so angry right now I could spit nails.”
Ah, ‘tis the season. But this is a cat crisis and Edna and her husband Frank are noted cat people.
Here’s what happened Wednesday afternoon. “I just got a call from my vet's office and it seems that the owner of a Blue Point Siamese, male, less than a year old, NOT vetted and allowed outside, was hit by a car. The cat has a broken jaw and a dislocated shoulder but instead of bringing the kitty in for medical treatment, the owner brought him in and said ‘Kill him’"
Edna sent out a note to her catpals and animal acquaintances and within a matter of minutes,  these good-hearted folks had spoken for the cat Crash’s medical expenses, including jaw surgery and neutering.
Now, thanks to good folks, Crash will not only undergo surgery at Summerwood Veterinary Clinic in Houston, but will spend a little time recuperating there before joining the gang in temporary quarters at Frank and Edna’s home.
After he’s recovered, the challenge will be finding him a good home. To offer to give Crash The Handsome Cat a home or to help with his boarding (donations are tax-deductible) contact Edna (or, as she signs her notes, “Edna, Frank and the Nuisance of Cats”) at Texas Siamese Rescue (Houston) at tayloredna@msn.com or call 713-882-2011.
And, if you’re in the mood to spit nails over the way someone is treating an animal, get in touch with Edna – wait, it may be against the law to form a vigilante committee and go porcupine at someone who is simply following the ol’ Texas philosophy: “Got an animal problem? Let’s kill it.”
OH, GOODNESS, LOOK AT THE PUPPIES: As you can see from this photograph, these are some chubby puppies.
 We’ve written about them before (Dec. 8 -- photo below). Their mom Beauty was in Arlington Animal Services’ shelter and very expectant when Karla Kirby and AWOL (Alone With Out Love Rescue) stepped up and took her in from a life-threatening situation.
Karla wasn’t alone in working to save these dogs, but she has landed the primary care position – rather than send Beauty into a foster home, Karla held onto her. She watched her give birth that locked the deal.
And, Karla writes that she wants to, “give a GREAT BIG shout out to Hazem Yassin as he is supplying UNLIMITED fresh goat’s milk! He is delivering it to Pat Rodriguez and I am picking it up from her.  So they BOTH need a big THANK YOU in helping me feed these babies.  ...e it! Beautiful, fat, happy pups!”
These puppies came from Beauty.
Beauty, an unwanted dog, managed to go to term and have just two stillborn pups while delivering ELEVEN healthy puppies. ELEVEN.
Mercifully, these oh-so-young puppies are in a safe haven.(You can see their video HERE.  And come right back!)
Karla took in this pregnant Mom because she couldn’t bear the thought of anything bad happening to her or her expected pups. It was simply the right thing to do, to help this dog that humans have let down before by their “don’t care” attitude.
Has she named the pups? Her response: “Since this litter was kind of a fairy tale, I went with the Peter Pan theme… We have 5 boys: Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Michael, Jon and Rufio. There are 6 girls and following with Peter Pan, we have Wendy, Tinker Bell and Tiger Lilly.  Then there is Pixie who follows along the same line however, we have Curly Sue cuz her tail is kinda deformed and has a Z type kink --thus Curly Sue. Then, the lady that was to foster this brood but became ill said her favorite was the little girl with the two dots on her head… so after the original foster, she is named Susan! And you have all 11! Can I tell them apart?  Absolutely!
At the weigh-in yesterday, they ranged from 2.4 pounds to the smallest, Pixie, at 1.4.”
These puppies  are all going to be available for adoption once they get past this “our-eyes-just-opened” stage. Mom will be available, too. And between now and then, these animals will need vet care and, perhaps, actual dog food. Beauty may need some extra work from a vet to make sure she puts on weight.
To offer to help, call AWOL at 214-755-1662 or e-mail  karla@AWOLrescue.org. You can see more AWOL adoptables HERE.
MEANWHILE ON THE ADULT SIDE OF THE AVAILABILITY LIST: We got a couple of e-mails this morning regarding this dog Dory.
She’s making the email rounds, if the list of addresses is any indication.
As you can see, she’s got a great face. The official description of her at the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney is “gorgeous spayed Choc Hound Mix.”
But a picture may be worth a thousand or two words and you can tell from that one photo that Dory is a dog with substantial ears who knows how to look up at a human and lay on a big ol’ slobbery doggy kiss.
In a world of good hearts, that is a selling point.
Here are some more: She’s only 2 and she arrived already spayed – discovered that in a vet check. She also is now microchipped and up-to-date on vaccinations.
Of course, if she isn’t adopted or rescued soon, she’s like any ol’ mutt in a taxpayer-funded animal shelter: She’s on the list for the Needle of Certain Quick death. Yep, they’re on the list: This big dog – and other big dogs at the Collin County shelter. How a good dog like this – and the big ol’ black dogs in area shelters – becomes “unwanted animals” is beyond me.
To ask about adopting or rescuing Dory, e-mail both ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us or call 972- 547-7292  and press 1 at the first prompt and leave a message. Google Collin County Animal Services to see the inventory and the adoption rules.
CONTEMPLATIONS: The weather outside is frightful. It’s like a spring day, except for the soggy, rotting leaves beaten to the ground by last night’s violent thunderstorm that swept over our Oak Cliff estate  like something nearly biblical. Thunder, lightening, big rain – ah, the Christmas season in Dallas. ... About the recent rain, I am moved to note that while we’re getting soaked like a beach at high-tide, the acreage in Dallas that is devoted to agriculture is slight. We’re wondering if the rain down our drain has broken the drought on the high plains.  Advice: Don’t Google “Texas storms drought” because it’ll just make you uneasy. ... Geezer moment: When I started in the newspaper business in 1965, the AP Stylebook spelled “drought” in that manner but UPI spelled it “drouth” – UPI also spelled “cigarette” “cigaret” and “employee” with just two “e’s” one on either end. Ink cost money, you know and nobody was as cheap – or IS -- as cheap as a print news outfit.
HOLLY JOLLY: This is an odd thing to note in our daily Holly Jolly Moment  but, ah, there’s not much that’s as holly jolly as this. Pardon me Billy Shears but, indeed, it was 20 years ago today – oh, yes, 20 years ago today my funchick became my funspouse. Hard to believe. As my dear Aunt Gwen (I acquired her through marriage) told me yesterday, “I can’t believe you’ve been in the family this long.” My laughingspouse Martha says it feels much longer. But, yes, we got married in the season of holly jolliness back in 1991. We were both in the newspaper business, both much slimmer and my hair was black. Martha’s hair was whatever color it is now (there's a secret code in a salon vault) and she and I actually lived apart until we got married. Old-fashioned, they’d call us. We didn’t get married so much as accomplish a merger of animals. She had three cats, I had two dogs and a cat. Through the 20 years we’ve lost count of how many animals have come in and moved along into good homes or no-kill rescue groups and shelters.
The fact that we are still married is indicative of several things, prime among them is I have no other place else to go. Thus, I awake each day begging for another chance.
Neither of us is up to the challenge of finding new homes for this bunch of cranky and happy, old and young, big and small, profitless, account-draining animals. And, finally, as I have said to her for years, Martha obviously has low standards in men. For that, at the 20-year mark during this Christmas season, I am deeply grateful.
I hope that those who know us best and those who knows us only slightly see that laughter is the music of our union – has to be laughter because nobody’s dropping big coins into our tin cups. Well, honestly, we wouldn’t hear the plink, plank and plunk for all the barking, anyway.
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TXTNG ALRT: chnces hlpng dgs cts & pple.

Please stop txting – we’ll address that in a moment – but for now pull over to the side of the road and read on. Shelters are overloaded and Christmas is coming – these may not be unconnected facts.
THE PICTURE GETS YOU SOMETIMES: Oh, man, look at that dog and those paws. And, yes, that mange.
 We get the scoop on Teddy from Amanda Mattox who already has a house and pasture full of animals but got involved with saving Teddy because she’s got a history as a rescuer. Right now she’s a mom of two and a teacher at Hillcrest High School in Dallas. Before she had kid, she was active with Miniature Schnauzer Rescue of North Texas. And she’s kept in touch with rescue folks.
That includes one of our reliable sources, Ginger Leach of Fort Worth Animal Care and Control.  “A few weeks ago,” Amada wrote, “Ginger had put a plea out for this Australian Shepherd/Terrier mix that was suffering from mange.  The picture of him was so pathetic- extreme hair loss, nails that were overgrown, and the desperate plea in his eyes... I just couldn't bear it.  So, I said that I would pay all his medical bills and save him.  He is recovering from demodectic  mange and has since relocated from a Fort Worth vet to one closer to my work in Dallas.  I went to go see  ‘Teddy’ for the first time [Monday].  He is extremely sweet and is starving for attention.  He is approximately a year old, 30 pounds, and has one blue eye.  He needs someone with patience to be able to work with him and give him some manners. 
“Now, here's the kicker.  The vet he is currently at had made one of the rudest comments I have ever heard (Side note: This vet used to be our primary vet until we relocated 20 miles away.  He has always boarded our dogs, etc.) I don't know if he knew I was standing there, but he was talking to the vet tech and said, "I don’t want that BLEEPING dog here.  We are about to be slammed with patients for Christmas and I don’t want that BLEEPING dog here.’ I believe he was referring to the way the dog looked... Needless to say, I still have my hands full: we have 2 small children, 3 dogs (2 of which are special needs...  I need for a rescue group to take Teddy. He's completely vetted, and I will gladly make a donation to the group.  In return, I will take a donkey or horse in need or help with transporting over my holiday break,  volunteering, whatever! We have 28 acres and could help one this way.
“I know I didn't have room for Teddy but I just couldn't say no to him.  I've spent $700 on him to get him to safety, boarding, vetting, etc.  I'm just absolutely desperate.”
Yes, Teddy’s an unsocialized leaper, but he’s a loving, glad-to-see-you dog, too. Anybody who takes him will get the opportunity to teach him manners. It’s a mitzvah, to borrow from my beloved brother’s language.
To offer to help Amanda with Teddy,  email andreamattox@yahoo.com or call 214-546-6729.
A NOTE TO THE VET FROM LARRY: Holy smoke, pal, I know what you’re up against. It’s pressure-packed time in the city. My inbox is loaded and still adding pleas for help.  Yes, indeed, we know the pressures of the season and the press of people expecting more than you can give. It’s tough to handle last-minute impossible requests and still juggle the regular customers. Probably you’re not in such a state all the time or you wouldn’t be in business. So, look,  in the spirit of the season, Merry Christmas and I’m not sure you’ve completely earned lumps of coal. Still 11 days away, though. You’ve got time. Believe me, I bleeping know.)
THE EXPRESS ROUTE: coming up from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, The Colony’s Animal Shelter will host low-cot Texas Coalition for Animal Protection (TCAP) vaccinations and, according to Control Division Manager Patricia Barrington, “the holiday edition of our Save-a-Life Express adoption Program.”
Yep, $20 will get you a new friend. You can see the possible pals at The Colony’s site HERE and you’ll note that the available include the little Maltese/Poodle mix Ike and the Doxie/Cocker mix Tequila.
There are puppies, adult dogs, in between dogs, and, of course, many cats and kittens. (Our pal Jo recently adopted a cat from The Colony – young Marsden – and endorses The Colony’s quality cats. Marsden was properly socialized by the staffers and is a lovely addition to her home. We’re sure there are dog people who can also testify about the benefit of adopting from The Colony.)
In case you’re interested, other adoptables on the list include a load of Lab/Chow puppies and  animals named Bells, Sherlock, Charlie, Jeffie and Larry. Go figure. Larry’s sort of a seasonal name. Undeniably holly jolly and all.
COLLIN COUNTY NOTE: This morning, the first note we got from Allison Roberts, the volunteer shelter walker at Collin County Animal Services in McKinney was disheartening. It began, “Not a single open kennel last night - shelter is trying very hard to avoid EU but can only do it if we can get some rescues. ... Any free kennel will help!!  The shelter had LOTS of these dogs vetted."
Among the dogs in danger is this obviously affectionate fellowTank – he is a young Great Dane/Lab mix and he’s on death row. (Aside: In Dallas, we’re at the limit or, in honor of my late best friend Hammy, a Dane/Lab mix, I’d be in McKinney filling out the paperwork right now. You’ll never have a more huggable big ol’ dog than one of these sweet fellows.  Something about them reaches into your heart.  Well, unless you’re the kind of jackass that lets a good dog wind up on death row in a shelter. Then, sadly, I suspect you don’t have a heart.)
Google Collin County Animal Services to see the inventory. To offer to save Tank or any animal there, e-mail ldrummonds@co.collin.tx.us and animalshelter@co.collin.tx.us  or call  972-547-7292.
 PEOPLE IN THE HAMPTONS WANT 8 DALLAS DOGS: Tawana Couch, founder of the Society for Companion Animals, has been shipping dogs out of Dallas to save their lives for a while now. Her latest request for help came this morning.
She wrote, “I received a call today from the Hamptons. They are begging for 8 dogs for next week. Due to time issues we need to pull 8 dogs possibly this  Friday and need fosters till Tuesday. We have one person that can take 4 dogs on Tuesday and go to the airport Wednesday at 4:30 a.m. for drop off.  If anyone can foster from Friday to Tuesday let me know. If anyone  can take 4 dogs to the airport Wed drop off 4:30 a.m., let me know. We were not going to ship anymore dogs this year but they really want 
8 dogs.”  To volunteer, e-mail tawanacouch@mac.com
SPEAKING OF DALLAS DOGS--ANOTHER PHOTO THAT'LL GET YA:Two dogs with eye problems – little dogs --- came into Dallas Animal Services and, after the city’s vet staff treated them for the horrible conditions. Popeye the Chihuahua went to Metroplex Mutts. But Capt. Jack Sparrow, the Corgi, is still at the shelter. Rescue Liaison Mark Cooper is looking for help for that dog. To save the dog, e-mail mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com,
BE ON THE LOOKOUT: Who knows how many of you will be in the area of Highway 175 and 334 on the west side of Cedar Creek Lake and Gun Barrel City? But if you are, there are some dogs who’ve gone missing.
Maybe you’ll see Jennifer Smith Sloane’s dogs – this is a group shot. But the missing dogs are April, a purebred 8-year-old Yellow Lab wearing a bone-shaped tag. Also missing are Sookie, a 9-month old Dachshund, and Bill, also a 9-month old Dachshund.
All are wearing tags, Jennifer says, and all have her cell phone number and hubby’s e-mail  on them. (We’re not listing them here to keep creeps from calling up and saying, “Yeah, the tag has a number on it. Wire me some money and I’ll ship your dog to you.” It’s a variation of the Western Union Scam.)
Now none of these missing dogs is fixed, but Jennifer says it’s unlikely that such a situation contributed to their disappearance since the neighbors don’t have dogs in heat.
If you’ve seen these dogs or know their whereabouts, e-mail liveteachcreate@gmail.com or call  214-883-8103..
The dogs are accustomed to being outdoors, though Sookie sleeps with the humans indoors.
SECOND ANNUAL FOOTRACE FOR CRITTERS: Well, maybe not a footrace, but the Citizens League for Animal Welfare (known as C.L.A.W.) will host its second annual 5K Run for Rescue & 1-Mile Dog Jog beginning at 8 a.m. (registration) Saturday at The Atrium on the First Monday Trade Days Grounds in Canton, east of Dallas on I-20. The jog is $15 (dogs are free) and the run ranges from $20 to $30) and is a certified and timed event. To ask about registering, call 214-232-3644 or email smosby_claw@yahoo.com.
BURNS FLAT NEEDS SOME HELP: Rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher sends word that there’s a crowd at the tiny Burns Flat, Okla., animal shelter – more are expected. It’s simply that holly jolly dump your dog and cat season. To offer to help her, e-mail remembering_oddball@yahoo.com or call her at 580-330-1459.
CONTEMPLATIONS: If cells phones are outlawed for drivers, will only outlaws drive with cell phones? Is this outlaw-cell phones movement really a secret political maneuver by the manufacturers of CB radios? OK, what about those computers in police cars and dispatch vehicles? And how about DVDs in cars? Or precocious children? Frankly, I have no problem locking cell phones and precocious children in the trunk. Kidding about the cell phones in trunks. ... Word reaches us this morning that the livecam view of Santa Fe’s wonderful plaza is now defunct – the guy who operated it has chosen not to. I’ve started my days with a look at downtown Santa Fe for years. So much for pretending I was telecommuting. ... The wind is really moaning through our Oak Cliff neighborhood this morning. I’ve turned all the TVs and radios off and can only hear dogs snore and the wind as it hums through the trees.  If it wasn’t 75 or 80 degrees today you’d think there was a winter storm outside.
HOLLY JOLLY: For our tender holly jolly moment today, here’s a question I’ve asked friends before: What’s your best Christmas memory that doesn’t involve family? Sure, it’s a time for family, but there’s bound to be something you’ve done. Surely. Feed people at a shelter? Give toys to kids you  don’t know? Adopt a best friend who is a dog or cat? Ever been caroling? Ever had strangers run you off his lawn as you tried to finish “O Holy Night”? Just something to think about as you dash away, dash away from the irate homeowner.
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Ad symbol, wolf hybrids, injured dog, folk heroes and assorted thoughts...

In lieu of helping people from England , the European continent and western Africa launder money – oh, they are persistent with their emails right now – we’ll turn our attention to weather and animals today. Read on and, you folks overseas, just go ahead and send the cash. Trust me.
ONCE UPON A TIME: Oh, boy, once upon a time the Bull Terrier was a dog that was treasured – Gen. George Patton had one; some beer company used one named Spuds McKenzie as a spokesdog.
And, yet, around here, where virtually everything eventually becomes trash, a Bull Terrier is waiting on the needle at the little City of Cockrell Hill Animal Shelter.
Oh, Cockrell Hill isn’t Dallas – it’s a small city within the city’s Oak Cliff/West Dallas area, but dogs pay no attention to city limits signs and, thus, this guy is in the shelter with the clock ticking down on his last day.
We learned about this dog from veteran shelter volunteer and rescuer  Renata Korzeniewska who says that breed rescue has been notified, but has no place to foster the dog.
So, this dog is going to need the kindness of strangers to save his life. To ask about adopting or fostering or helping, contact Cockrell Hill Shelter’s David Hernandez at 214-697-6216. The shelter is at 4125 W. Clarendon in Cockrell Hill.
FOLK HEROES AND ANIMALS: One of the great things about Dallas is it has room for folk heroes in the animal community – there is the great Angie Manriquez, for example, the “Fairy Dog Mother of West Dallas.”
And now comes “Howard The Security Guard.”
We got a note about his needs for his cat colony projects from a number of people (initially from Cathie Desell, our longtime catfan tipster who is usually associated with helping the big cats at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Boyd).
Christy Giles, a veteran rescuer, has plans to ride with Howard on his cat colony route.
She says that right now “he has no funds --.no job, no gas money. He has had to scale down on his 20 or more feeding stations. He feeds in Plano from Parker and Jupiter south to Greenville and Park Lane and then over to Walnut Hill and Marsh EVERY NIGHT.
“The most immediate need is for a foster home for the gray/white extremely socialized, friendly
young male kitty that Howard picked up last week. This kitty was running back and forth across
Jupiter/Parker in Plano.  Howard sees these kitties run like this and then the next time when he goes back to feed, they are lying dead in the road. Howard is a sensitive guy...he just cries when he
tells me this so this time, he put the cat in his car and needs a group to take it in for medical/foster.”
Reach Howard at 469-867-8084 or e-mail Christy at christy.a.giles@gmail.com.
Howard is attempting to find work, Christy says, and in the meantime, she says, “If anyone has odd jobs around the house, Howard will do anything to earn money...yard work.”
And  that cat needs a place to go where he can be a housecat and beloved member of the family.
WOLF HYBRIDS IN A BIND: Krista Mc Anally, who manages the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake Shelter at Tool, is accustomed to challenges – normal things such as pit bull puppies by the carload, cats and kittens arriving in droves – but today she’s facing a real predicament. How can she help a half-dozen wolf hyrbrids?
It’ll take some outside help, so she’s seeking it.
Krista says, “I know there are all kinds of legalities regarding these wolf dogs but I will help raise money to get them out of state if we can just find someplace for them to go.
You can see the dogs by going HERE –- that’s the Texas Little Cuties site and TLC partners with the Humane Society to try to help place all the critters that come into the shelter about 50 miles southeast of Dallas.
How did the shelter get these wolf dogs? First, it’s in East Texas where anything can happen.
Krista says, “A gentleman that lives near us recently passed away and left 6 hybrids that his family does not want to deal with. They called animal control and ACOs brought them here to me. I have had them for about 2 weeks. But as I am one of 2 shelters serving 2 counties, I do not have room to hold them much longer.
To ask about helping these animals, e-mail Krista at dogshsccl@yahoo.com or call 903-432-3422. Got to www.hsccl.org for more shelter information.
FOUND IN THE BUSHES, HER LEG BROKEN...: Rusty Lemley, who has rescued a dog or two (oh, a lot more than that), got a call a week ago from a neighbor who said there was an injured dog in a field near Parkerville Road in Lancaster, south of Dallas.
So, Rusty goes to the field, spots the dog, gets down on hands and needs and crawls toward the dog and the dog crawls toward Rusty.
This is that dog – her name is Sandi and she’s under the care of Countryside Veterinary Clinic (972-223-5641). As you can see, the dog’s front leg is properly bandaged for recovery.
But Rusty is looking not just for help with the bill for someone else’s dog, but also, she’s looking for an “extra foster parent to give me a break...I need a foster home...so I can go to Oklahoma for Christmas.”
For a brief moment, the person who spotted Sandi had wanted to foster her but, Rusty says, “found out the responsibility is more than just putting out food and water. She had quick change of mind, because of vet bills and this and that... People just need to realize they need more than just food and water -- even if it helps it takes more and love to help these dogs. I want to find a promise forever home for her when it’s time for her to go. I will continue with her recovery and will get her spayed and shots.
“She is so sweet and kind,  kennel-trained in the house and house-trained, leash-trained -- she is a great dog, loves to be loved and cuddled.”
To ask about helping, e-mail Rusty at rlem375@yahoo.com.
BIG DOWNTOWN DOG EVENT: As you can see, there’s a poster for Saturday’s big event in Dallas, The Petropolitan Santa Paws Parade & Rescue Celebration on Saturday at the downtown Dallas Main Street Garden. Details are in this poster (click on it to make it larger and you can get them at The Petropolitan’s site on Facebook. (The Facebook site will also update any weather problems though, surely, a foot of snow is no reason to cancel a Santa Paws Parade.)
A JOURNALISTIC NOTE: It was 20 years ago this month -- Dec. 8, 1991 -- that the Dallas Times-Herald closed, changing the way newspaper business would be done in Dallas. Just wanted you ex-Times-Herald folks to know that some of us haven't forgotten what solid journalistic competitors you were in those days and how, even today, you are missed by people who are literate and understand the role of the free and vibrant press in a democracy.
CONTEMPLATIONS: First, chilly though it may be in our lovely North Texas area, winter doesn’t arrive until 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 22, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac.. ... I guess it would be too much to ask that someone invent a no-calorie mincemeat pie. We’ll type on, craving held off by a cup of coffee and a desire to land on a rooftop without caving in the house. Oops. Cat’s out of the bag. Yes, my beard is naturally gray. No known connection to you know who.  Ho Ho No. ...  It’s finally happened on our side of town (south of the Trinity River) – can’t find a Christmas tree lot outside of a nursery. Remember when you could buy Christmas trees from the piles out in front of grocery stores and 7-Elevens? Maybe from a civic club’s lot? Is the whole world artificial now? We’ve got about a half-dozen fake trees. I miss the great smell of the freshly cut East Texas pine or the shipped-in from way off fir tree. Don’t miss vacuuming the needles out of carpet – but we solved that by putting in fake hardwood floors. Fake trees, fake floors – real dogs and cats. It all works out.
HOLLY JOLLY NOTE: Continuing with our daily holiday passage and presentation (feel free to contribute by e-mailing a holiday moment to dallrp@aol.com ).
Oh, boy, we’ve got some happy critter photos coming up in the Holly Jolly section between now and The Big Day. Stay tuned – my antiquated mind is processing things. In the meantime, if you can’t say anything nice at Christmas, well, just be sweet about it and enjoy the sincerity of the season. We were in a place with singing waitstaffers recently and one of them attempted to perform Let It Snow, Let It Snow and by the time she got through “O the weather outside is frightful,” it was clear she’d never heard the song before and didn’t know where the notes went. She held the sheet music under the light next to the piano players and earnestly struggled on in a charmingly holiday fashion. Finally, she finished at some point near the final note and got a smattering of applause from the dining audience. And that’s what Christmas is all about – spaghetti and kindness.
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The faces of the unwanted...

Hello, Monday. In the spirit of the season, let’s get right to it and, please, hang on while I phone down to the building’s Environmental Control Center and get the techs to turn the heat on.  Winter temps in Dallas today – 40s. Probably the chill left over from last night’s Dallas Cowboys game.
That dog? That’s Ashley, with her Monday morning “Glad to see ya” face and we’re going to focus in our early segment on Carrollton, but if you are a potential adoptor anywhere in the cybercontinental World Wide Web, you should know there are similar animal faces in every shelter in the world. Every shelter. Look ‘em up. You can Google. everywhere nowadays and see the inventory. Some things though, you just have to drive down the street to save a life.
Here we go::
TIS THE NAMING SEASON: Those folks at Carrollton Animal Rescue Enterprise (as the Carrollton Animal Shelter is branded these days) have taken on a holly jolly approach to naming the strays – why are they “strays”? Who knows? Like their personalities, their stories are all different.
About those Christmas-themed names: Prancer the cat, for example, has been adopted.  But still needing a home to beat the Wednesday euthanasia deadline are the cats Comet (that’s him) and Silent Knight and Donner (spelled Donder in the famous Night Before Christmas). Those cats are all strays who were picked up during the recent unpleasantly cold rainy period.  They sought warmth, they could have found the needle. Hardly seems right.
And then, there are the dogfaces awaiting either a home, a rescue or the needle at the Carrollton shelter.
Like, that brown Chihuahua mix (right) is Poinsettia. Not her original name, but the one she got when she turned up stray. Someone must have wanted her at some point in her life.
(Soapbox moment: Gee, whillikers, what in the world can be done to convince dogless people that having a face like Luna's (left) or Bleek's to wake up to each morning is such much better than waking up to an empty pillow or a houseful of empty. If you have a dog with a face like that one, you have a face with character to look at – not some overbred, purely for show sharply chiseled conformance face. Not that there’s anything wrong with properly bred purebreds – but even Inky, our household Cocker Spaniel, finds the faces of the mutts quite fascinating. He says they’re like looking at a Picasso in a museum – you look and look for something you recognize and you embrace the entirely of the piece along the way. Besides, if you hug these dogs, they’ll hug back. Can’t say that about a lot of people, you know. Back to the Carrollton inventory.)
Some of the animals at Carrollton obviously have elfin tendencies (We cite purewhite Lucky on the left and Ely on the lower right). Note these ears combined with these faces and their attitudes.
Yep, this is a seasonal batch of critters at the Carrollton shelter – and there’s just nothing but tragedy in the fact that they can find no one to save them on this particular Monday morning in mid-December. Perhaps the secret to saving them is something old-fashioned – tell a friend about these animals. Network. Hit the phones. These dogs didn’t get this old for no reason. Somewhere their lives may be meant to intersect with someone who needs a friend.  These kittens and cats didn’t show up just because they needed to be killed – they may have a purpose. It may be their destiny to make a home more interesting, more comforting.
Carrollton has these animals and only adoptors or rescue groups can save them – the pits have to go to rescue groups who will make certain that bad people don’t get them. Usually I shorthand all this “how to adopt” stuff, but I think I’ll just quote the chilling passages today so maybe someone will be inspired to keep Ashley’s great grin from being destroyed forever by killing juice injected into her veins.
Here’s the official Carrollton notation: “Carrollton Animal Rescue Enterprise has prepared this list to support finding new homes or rescue opportunities for animals that may be euthanized on Wednesday 12-14-11. This list is being sent to a number of rescue groups that have provided tremendous support to our organization. If you have any questions about the animals included in this list, or if you would like to be added to our weekly mailing list, please feel free to contact Carrollton Animal Rescue Enterprise at 972-466-3420, or email us at CARE@cityofcarrollton.com. We will monitor phone messages and emails until 7 a.m. the morning of euthanasia for last-minute rescues by a 501c3 tax exempt rescue organization, however to prevent any errors we encourage you to notify C.A.R.E. by 6:00 pm on Tuesday 12-13-2011.
Yep, there you have it – they’re all waiting on a pardon.  It’s just like a movie – they’re waiting for either the walk down the hall or the call from the warden.
FOZZY’S ON THE CLOCK: Oh, boy, look at this dog. First there he is dressed in some outfit designed to show what a congenial, accepting dog he is. And then there’s that photo of him in his kennel and he’s got an obvious expression that says, “Get me out of here before they dress me up like a girl again!”
Ah, Fozzy, you sweet Chow mix. We learned about Fozzy because of two of our regular tipsters, a couple of hard-working rescuers. Nancy Underwood, who pushes on behalf animals from an outpost in Austin, tipped us to a note from our pal Diane Watson of Amarillo who is also a member of West Texas Chow Rescue and the Friends of the Arlington Animal Shelter (she used to live in Arlington and knows the shelter needs friends).
Fozzy is in neither Arlington nor Austin. He’s in the Lewisville Animal Shelter just north of Dallas – and Diane has been working with Lewisville’s Animal Control Officer Kim Lauer to save this dog’s life.
Fozzy has a great shelter reputation and is adorable, but he’s just not drawing any adoption attention.
To ask about him, contact the shelter by e-mailing Klauer@cityoflewisville.com or call 972-219-3478. See more Lewisville animals HERE.
If no one claims Fozzy, he will be killed on Tuesday.
SHELTERS AND A THOUGHT: There are wonderful animals all over who face death this week because of overcrowding in municipal and county shelters. Here’s a question: Do we make it too easy for people to dump their animals at shelters?
Would most people go back home and make proper arrangements for the animal to live out a good and honored life? Do we dare risk that? Or is it best just to euthanize them? And then, a month later, the people who dumped that dog decide, “I really miss having a dog” and they take in another one? What is wrong with people?
Start charging a fee to dump a dog or cat at a shelter and I’ll bet there’d be a reduction – unless they just drive up in the middle of the night and shove the animal out with a “Good luck.”
OK, spay and neuter the animals. Beat the people. I mean, of course, “defeat” their attitudes, not just “beat the people.” Though, well, that should always be an option. I’m kiddng. That would be wrong.
How about making someone who wants to surrender a dog or cat spend 24 hours at the shelter before they can do it? Make them see what they’re doing.
It’s an education thing. Then beat them. Oops, that slipped out.
OK, dear Santa, please bring me a box of sedatives.
CHANCE THE HORSE: Last week we mentioned the story of Chance, the blind horse, currently in boarding at Hoofbeats at Waterstone in McKinney. His owner wanted to have him euthanized. People offered to buy the othewise healthy 20-plus year old horse to save his life. There’s a stalemate. According to husband/wife owners of Hoofbeats, Patrick Kownack and Cheryl Joseph, the horse’s owner told them “she is making arrangements to trailer Chance to another facility. We think she is doing this just to put him down. He is still under our care, and doing great. The vet has said that this horse should not be trailered anywhere because of his vision issues. Our vet has backed away from putting the horse down for ... the owner.  She will have to find another vet to do that, at a different facility.”
Lawyers have been contact by the Hoofbeats folks but the concensus is that under Texas law the owner of the horse can have the horse killed at any time for any reason.
The reasons are not clear at this time, but the owner is within her rights.
There probably will be more on this – either the owner will agree to sign over the horse to the people who have offered to care for him the rest of his natural life or she won’t.
.CONTEMPLATIONS: All over the news is Alec Baldwin’s American Airlines pilot skit from Saturday Night Live – he may have saved the airline by getting tossed off a plane and making a big deal about. Do enough people dislike his politics enough to fly an airline with which he has a dispute? ... OK, time vote: Traditional spaghetti or angel hair? ... How about that Dallas Cowboys game Sunday night? What in the world happened? Where’s that hot shot defensive coach? This is two weeks in a row the defense cratered. It let some clown run over and through itin overtime last week and last night it coughed up hairballs of disgust and let the New York Giants come back to life.  We ought to call them the Resurrection Cowboys because theygive new life to dead teams, Sheeshamundo. And, then the Cowboys’ kicker is obviously suffering from a seasonal condition called “mistletoe.”
HOLLY JOLLY MOMENT: Every year my hollyjollyspouse Martha and I kid around by driving past amazing holiday displays and saying, “I just don’t’ believe people are decorating as much this year.” But, honestly, after taking a couple of spins around the area over the weekend, I really think decorating has dimmed. Is this possible? Surely seems to be less bright in the residential areas. Our outside lighting has always been minimal, except for the year Martha wrapped her beloved but worn out Range Rover in twinkle lights and lit up the neighborhood. Ah, that was a sight! And it increased the value of the car, too. After Christmas we recharged the battery and sold it. Yes, to a short, twinkly-eyed gent in a red suit.
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A cavalcade of sleepers all ready for beddy-bye...

This isn’t one of those Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon things – it is a Six Degrees of SPIN thing. SPIN is Saving Pyrenees In Need.
FYI, that lead photo demonstrates what an Earhound looks like when tucked in for the  night.
That photo to the left is a picture of Jake in the grass.. He's adept at upside-down poses.
Back on Nov. 4, we featured the dramatic sleeping styles of Rascal, Shannon Pinkston’s Pyr, a dog adept at sleeping upside down.
That inspired Judi Burnett to send us a number of photographs suitable for presentation in our Readlarrypowell.com weekend feature “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.”
Here is the brief explanation from Judi: “Jake, the Pyr, came from SPIN. Lucy, the Chihuahua, is a failed foster from Paws In The City. Randy, the black/brindle, is a street dog I found and couldn’t get adopted.”
What she means, as you veteran rescuers know, is Randy is the street dog she found and “couldn’t get adopted to anybody else.” Show of hands in the audience, please, how many of you have dogs that you “couldn’t get adopted by anybody else.”
(Aside: We don’t have enough hands to hold up at our house. You get the drift.)
Now why does she have Buddy? Family ties, it turns out. “Buddy, the Malamute mix, was abandoned at my son’s vet clinic after being hit by a car in Colorado.”
Yes, she says, “these are the kids.”
And, as you can see, they exhibit expert abilities to nap in the canine fashion. In the bed, on the floor, one at a time, three to a rug.
You’ve got to love the Earhound peeking over the covers and the fact that Jake apparently grew weary of grass and hardwood floor and took quite naturally to a nice, attractive bed with a reading lamp – I understand he’s halfway through Leo Tolstoy’s cookbook, War and Peas.
Still, don’t you wish you could sleep like the dog on the couch? You can almost feel the drool running out onto the chin.
And, of course, you’ve got the shift-sleepers on the rug. The big one said, “Randy, we’ll let Lucy take first watch at the door and we’ll catch some shut-eye.”
How can anyone not love dogs?
[To nominate your sleeping dogs, napping cats, slumbering walruses, snoozing sea lions, dozing dromedaries or blissed out bactrians for the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, send their photos and explanations for their cuteness to dallrp@aol.com ....Keep scrolling...

Remember, at Readlarrypowell.com, we honor anybody who can sleep – man, beast or relative – because they, indeed, CAN sleep. A slumbering companion animal is a sign that there is hope, perhaps, for those of us who toss and turn while plotting unwritten novels, unfilmed movies and unmade sandwiches.]
A REQUEST TO THE GREAT READERS WHO VISIT OUR HOLLY JOLLY SITE: We’re looking for some Christmas photos – dogs next to a tree, cats next to a tree. Maybe even some candid photos of dogs and/or cats engaged in “undecorating” or even decorating a tree. Can have real humans in the photos, too. We’ll work the pictures into our reports. Just send the photos and info to dallrp@aol.com. Thanks. We’ll try to make the days merry and bright with your photos.
FYI: That is our Readlarrypowell.com staff impersonator, Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, giving us his impression of a department store Santa rushing into the Elf Lounge at the store’s North Pole Village and spotting a big steaming platter of Mom’s Minimum Wage Meatloaf with a side order of White Christmas Hoof-smashed Spuds and Stocking-strained Redeye Gravy. Dessert? Mincebeet Pie.
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