On Monday, "Z" marks the, uh, spots...

Big time of the year for people.
Graduations. weddings. Mother’s Day, political campaigns.
Lots of things pulling on people. Good time to have the calming effect of a dog or cat around the house.
That is one of the calming animals available at an area shelter.
That is Small Fry, available through noon Tuesday at the Carrollton Animal Services Shelter. More on Carrollton’s adoptables in a moment, but for now we begin with a different kind of needle for dogs. Here goes:
GETTING A NEW TATTOO: This morning the Texas Coalition for Animal Protection (TCAP) announced a free chemical sterilization program for area shelter’ boy dogs.
TCAP and Ark Sciences have a program that uses Zeuterin, an injection that sterilizes dogs. They call it “Zeutering”. TCAP says this will be available to “10 or more intact male dogs” in a shelter’s care if the dogs are good adoption candidates.  Arrangements can be made if you shelter doesn’t have 10 dogs.  (Get more details and arrange for your shelter to participate by contacting TCAP’s Executive Director Stacey Schumacher at staceyjm@hotmail.com. You can read more about TCAP and see other traditional spay/neuter specials at www.texasforthem.org.
Noting that “fixed” cats in the trap-neuter-release programs have clipped ears to show that they’ve been spayed or neutered, I asked Stacey how shelters and rescue groups would be able to tell if a stray had already been “zeutered.”
The answer is the testicles shrink and harden and the dogs get a “Z” tattoo next to their boy part. (There’s a Zeuterin video on You Tube HERE.
Stacey wrote, “They are tattooed with a  Z to the side of their penis. The testicles shrink and harden, but are still there.”
And, I guess the skittish shelter temps will be tossing a coin to see who’s going to flip the skittish Heeler or Chow over to see if those are shrunken testicles and if he’s wearing a tattoo. Sorry, just kind of a daydream to make me smile.
WAKING UP IN ARLINGTON: Yep, the city that hosted the Super Bowl and the World Series in the same year has an unwanted rooster! A couple of folks forwarded a batch of photos of cats and dogs from Arlington Animal Services.
(I’m never sure how current they are or whether someone has taken the animals already. That’s probably my shortcoming and, as it turns out, Friends of Arlington Animal Services makes a great effort at keeping the photos and situations up to date.)
In the load that arrived today, we received a photo of this rooster --- the going rate for rooster adoption in Arlington is – dogs and cats are $100 or less -- $7. But there are cities that won’t let you have a rooster. I think Dallas is one of those anti-rooster cities.
Among the cats is this black and white charmer, Tommy, who looks like he has silent film star Clara Bow’s lips.
And there’s the big ol’ dawg – described as a Corso – named Mattao, if I read the Facebook infor correctly. He came in with another one. Don’t know what happened to the other one.
You can see the Friends of Arlington Animal Services Facebook dog list HERE. See the cat list HERE. And see the FAAS “Lost and Found” list HERE.
To ask about the animals, these are the contacts: lynn.trotter@arlingtontx.gov ( 817-459-6191) susan.waits@arlingtontx.gov or Stephanie.rogers@arlingtontx.gov.
MEANWHILE IN CARROLLTON: We opened today’s presentation with a photo of Small Fry whose tail moves really fast. He’s a young, stray Lab mix who has a reputation for being friendly – in fact he “followed a friendly person right to the shelter.”
Among the other animals in the shelter are these two black dogs – Lily’s on her back, the other guy is Manchas. They both tip the scales at more than 10 pounds – they’re Chihuahua mixes and they came in with a purebred 7.5 pounder named  Max and, of course, little Max has already been adopted.
Why were they owner-surrendered? Family moving. Couldn’t take the dogs.
Lily and Manchas are on the euthanasia list for Tuesday.
As is Small Fry and Lela, this tortie who was picked up by someone who thought a declawed cat shouldn’t be trying to live outside on her own. She’s spayed and up to date on shots and can be adopted for $10.
[Larry aside: What kind of nitwit declaws a cat and dumps it outside?]
Call the shelter at 972-466-3420, or email CARE@cityofcarrollton.com to ask about these or any animals in the shelter.
FOUND ANOTHER DOG: As last week drew to a close, Michele Houston sent us a note about finding a dog on a leash running free in her East Dallas neighborhood. That mystery was cleared up when it was discovered that a neighbor’s brother’s dog had gotten free by jumping out a window.
Now, much later on Friday, this fellow – an adult “probable Cocker Spaniel who is pretty clean but needs a brushing and a haircut” – wandered into a neighbor’s garage.  (FYI: Late Monday afternoon we swapped out the old ragged Cocker photo for by this one -- by his finder -- of the well-brushed and obviously Cocker lad.)
He arrived with no tags and no micro chip near Jim Miller at Dorrington Drive, just north of I-30.
The neighbor is keeping him for a couple of days, but pre-existing dogs aren’t happy with it.
So, this dog needs a place to go ASAP: The contacts are micheleahouston@yahoo.com or anavbrito@yahoo.com or 469-426-1765.
NEEDING A PLACE TO GO: We got the tip on this from Sydney Busch of Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake which operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City.
The original note came from Janet Bouchard who wrote on Sunday that “a Canton dog groomer called me today about this little girl who wandered up to her place. She is a bout a year and a half old, very sweet and in need of a home.” (Call Michelle Ashley at 903-880-8648.)
Now the reason Readlarrypowell.com ran this dog is this: Look at that face – is that not the face of a dog who’ll be so darned loyal and good to you that you’ll brag to your friends about how great she is to have around the house?
These ol’ dawgs have the darnedest hearts. Well, all dogs do, really, but who else is going to want a dog like this except someone who has an equally big heart?
They’re not wandering loose only in Kaufman County, you know. Shelters all over have collected these big-hearted dogs.
HEY BASEBALL FANS: The Texas Rangers are hosting the Natural Balance Pet Foods and PETCO Bark In The Park when the defending American League champions host the Kansas City Royals on May 15 (7:05 p.m. first pitch) at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Get ticket info and details HERE. It occurs to me now that the Texas Rangers have been transformed from the “biggest dog in the league” to the Big Dog in the league. Yep, some cool cats on this team.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Over the weekend at a local movie theater we saw four movie trailers for the summer and three of them had Bruce Willis with guns. Maybe this is going to be a blockbuster summer…..Went to a niece’s baby shower this weekend – she’s an animal fan and a baby fan. We’re proud of her and she’s also a pastry chef. That’s the perfect niece, don’t’ you think? Loves animals, babies and bakes pastries that make you smile when you think about them. Makes her uncle a happy hefty man. … What else can we smile about today? I’m as food oriented as my Cocker Spaniel Companion Inky. I’m smiling because once again, when Martha was leaving this morning, the little rascal perfectly timed his mad dash to the feral cat buffet on the front porch – zipped right between the two of us as if we had never seen him do it before. I don’t know why he isn’t an elusive NFL running back.
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