Welcome to Friday. Today we’ll report on several things including country singer Janie Fricke’s positive influence in Lancaster, a roaming Duncanville dog, a Rottie/Corgi mix (ASTOUNDING!) and some opportunities to do the right thing.
No politician will be asked about anything. Just wanted to set your mind at ease. A NEW TUNE IN LANCASTER: The sweetest voice in animal advocacy may belong to country singer Janie Fricke. Because of her, animals in the Lancaster, Texas, animal shelter are getting some breaks and some volunteers.
We get the story from our animal rescue tipster Julie Norris who works at the Crescent Real Estate Group in downtown Duncanville. That’s a photo of Ms. Fricke from her website. She’s been a country star for many years and has a decades-long association with Lancaster, Texas – just a few miles east of Duncanville. (Aside: You may recall a few years ago when some of Ms. Fricke’s ranch livestock ignored a fence and wandered off, turning Lancaster briefly into the place where“the buffalo roam.”)
Back to our topic: We’ve mentioned Julie here on many occasions because she rescues animals. The Crescent office (under a sign with a Flying Red Horse) shares a building with a local newspaper company.
Here’s Julie’s letter:
“We have been working hard to get the City of Lancaster to make some changes. Last week Janie Fricke stopped by our office to visit with our newspaper staff. I took the opportunity to talk to her about the Lancaster Animal Shelter and the conditions that the animals are living in. ... She immediately got into her car and drove to the shelter. She then went directly to the Mayor to discuss her concerns. She also let the mayor know that we have all volunteered to help out, but were turned away. Several people and myself offered to help out, but were told that Lancaster does NOT have a volunteer program. I received a call from Larry King with the City of Lancaster yesterday [Wednesday] announcing that the city has now implemented a volunteer program. I was given an application to submit for consideration.
“What a huge step for Lancaster! They could use volunteers.”
Julie says people interested in volunteering to help Lancaster’s animal shelter should contact Amanda Jones. Development Services, 700 E. Main St. Lancaster Texas, 75146, or e-mail ajones@lancaster-tx.com. And click HERE to reach the Lancaster website.
And, Julie adds, “Lancaster is also looking for a part-time employee (20 hours per week) to handle the feeding and the cleaning of cages. Hopefully more changes are on the way. Currently the shelter is only open from 1p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. We are hoping that they will extend their hours to include Saturdays to boost adoptions!”
THE DUNCANVILLE ROAMER: On Thursday afternoon, after a nice lunch in Arlington with my sons, I stopped at a filling station at Camp Wisdom and Main Street in Duncanville. It’s a busy area near an I-20 freeway entrance, a big hotel and restaurants. Lots of traffic. People in a hurry. Big city traffic on the edge of a small town.And, about 2 p.m. yesterday, there was one brown dog in the mix.
Something so simple as a stop at a gas station always has the potential to turn into a visit to Freak-my-brain, USA.
As you read along, you’ll see that this is a personal confession of an inability to help a dog. And it is yet another prime example of what we’ve often written here at Readlarrypowell.com: Some dogs are too clever for their own good.
As I got out of the pickup to pump the gas, I saw a flash of knee-high brown fur dart between a bunch of cars. Then, as I craned to see if it really was a loose dog, I was immediately confronted with a guy with a handful of CDs pitching his career as “a non-violent Hispanic rap and hip-hop performer.” He was a nice-enough guy, but my attention was divided by pumping gas and looking for the dog. I listened to him but he wanted $5 for a CD and I was operating in a cashless society at the time and he didn’t take credit cards. I think his CD was titled “Past Due.” He said he was originally from Tyler but lived around here now and offered a tip on buying a holiday treat, a Greenberg Smoked Turkey.
I mention all that so you’ll see that I was trapped in a surreal moment: Pumping $3.29 gas without a dime in my pocket while a guy tries to sell me a CD, explains his non-violent stance in music and offers me advice on smoked turkeys. All the while I’m trying to spot a roaming dog on a dangerous parking lot. A novelist couldn't create that much at once.
I stopped the gas pump with plenty of room still left in the tank, told the guy, “I’m going to try to catch this dog” and grabbed my “rescue leash” out of the truck.
The dog had followed a van into one of the slots by a pump. And the dog was enamored of someone in the van, a little girl, who’d jumped out to pet the pup. I don’t know if the dog was a he or she. Fast dog – I think maybe a girl dog. I asked the kid, “Is this your dog?” thinking maybe a dog had scaled a fence and run off in pursuit of the family van.
“No sir,” the girl said, petting the dog.
The mom was putting gas in the van. I asked her about the dog and she, exasperatedly said, “No, this dog roams all over Duncanville.”
So, I went back around the van to try to loop the dog who was, by now, nearly being cuddled by the kid.
But the dog must have a fear of men and leashes and when I got a few steps from them, the dog began to panic and fight the girl's grasp and bolted. I was afraid if the kid had held onto the dog, the fearful dog might have accidentally hurt her.
A fat man with a leash was no match for this quick, slippery, adult-fearful dog.
The mom finished pumping her gas and the kid got into the van and the dog tried but was discouraged.
As you can see from the first photo (click on it to make it larger), the dog had no fear standing in front of the van. And when the van pulled away and onto Main Street, the dog went racing alongside.
In the photo at the intersection, you can see the van at the stoplight, the dog sitting by the door.
The van drove on, the dog ran after it and that’s the last I saw of them both.
Guilt? Sure. What else should I have done? A crazy old guy in a pickup follows a mom and kids in a van? A dog runs until its heart is broken?
Perhaps, if that dog really does “roam all over Duncanville,” someone will stop the roaming in a very kind fashion and give the dog a reason to stay put. Maybe the dog actually has a human.
A veteran animal rescuer once counseled me, “Sometimes you find out that all you can do is say a prayer and try to move on.”
DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES: A couple of editions ago Readlarrypowell.com ran photos of a Beagle mix, a mom and her puppy and a brown dog named Elvis from Dallas Animal Services. DAS Animal Control Officer and recue group coordinator Mark Cooper sent out a note at mid-morning Friday that reads: “Please help these three super sweet dogs find a loving home before it’s too late!! They have until the close of business on the 21st then they will be humanely euthanized. PLEASE help me help them!! If you are interested in any of the above. Please let me know soon as I can tag them for your group.”
E-mail Mark.cooper@dallascityhall.com.
TWO DOGS NEEDING SOME HELP: The veteran shelter walker, Debbie Barclay, has a fine eye for spotting the good dogs in the world. Oh, heck, they’re all good to her. But now and then she spots some “special” dogs.
That’s the case with these two who are currently in the Prairie Paws Adoption Center in Grand Prairie. She says they “could really use a helping hand.”
We’re happy to try to connect these special dogs with the helping hands.
In the photo to the left you have Dog 099105 – name is Louie and he’s a 6- or 7-yearold neutered Lab mix. He’s housebroken and microchipped and, Debbie’s note reveals, “his family was notified but, sadly, did not come for him.” He’s described as “a delight and being with him is like being with an old friend; he has wonderful manners, walks great on leash and gets along great with other dogs.”
That other dog (099249) is Munchie, a 3-year-old Rottweiler/Corgi mix.
(Soapbox moment from Larry: A Rottie/Corgi mix? Nah, there’ s no need for a spay/neuter program around here. The entire world is calling out for more Rottie/Corgi mixes so shelters will always have odd adoptable dogs. Yep. let ‘em all go forth and multiply like rabbits! Whew, help me off this soapbox – I feel the boards starting to bend.)
Munchie is sociable, friendly with most other dogs, playful and loves to “chase balls and toys on his stubby little legs. Unusual and adorable looking,” the Prairie Paws report reads.
To ask about adopting or rescue these dogs or any other critters, e-mail jhorn@gptx.org or call Jerry Horn at 972-237-8571 or (cell) 972-897-3066. The Prairie Paws Adoption Center is at 2222 W. Warrior Trail in Grand Prairie.
CONTEMPLATIONS: I was looking up one thing and ran across something else, specifically, that January is, according to the Association of National Pet Dog Trainers, “National Train Your Dog Month.” That’s good since, near as I can tell, the other 11 months are “National Dogs Training Humans Months.” ... Speaking of significant celebrations: While dining at Norma’s in Oak Cliff, we spotted a notice than Jan. 23 is National Pie Day. Turns out this is as declared by the National Pie Council. Two things: (1) You cannot beat Norma’s for pie any day of the year (unless my own piespouse Martha has been at work, of course) and (2) I am applying for a job with the National Pie Council, perhaps in the testing lab if they have one. ... My friend Lee Zethraus spotted this VW commercial and sent it to me. I love music, particularly when properly performed. You’ll see it and hear it in a Super Bowl TV ad when you click HERE. Come Monday, we can watch video of trained dogs barking on National Pie Day – is this a great country or what?
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