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WELCOME TO AUTUMN 2019; FORECAST: THERE'S A FLURRY OF ANIMALS

EDITION OF MONDAY, SEPT. 23, 2019 [PetPowellPress] As we present the edition dated for the first day of Autumn 2019, let’s consider how we can make this season a better season. Drop the high daily temp about 15 degrees. Start with that and then we’ll move along — when the temp is in the high 90-somethings, all those Christmas decorations look ridiculous in the Greater Metrosweat.
Here’s our Monday edition, including a note about a vote in Gun Barrel City — are animals at risk? Might be. Read on, please. And what about those SMU jerseys?
SOME DOGS  FROM COWTOWN
Tipsters from the Fort Worth Animal Care and Control community cited these two dogs over the weekend. 
Tami Kukla focused on Hula, a 9-month-old puppy who “loves other dogs.” She is, Tami’s post read, “code red and at highest risk of being euthanized.” Sandy Bentz noted that Hula is the “smallest dog in Kennel 2, just a little ‘pocket’ pit.” And, if you’ve ever rescued a young dog who has clearly been ignored, you’ll understand the emotion involved when you read what Sandy wrote: “All she does is bite the leash, because no one has ever taught her, much less taken her for walks.”
Tami also posted a note about Mila, this white, not too comfortable dog. At 9 months, 42 pound, she was surrendered by her family and the note reads, “She is terrified. Poor girl just wants to leave and will try her best to not be seen till that happens. She needs a patient loving person who will let her decompress at her own pace.” Here’s video LINK TO MILA.
ONCE UPON A TIME,
THIS DOG WAS A STAR…
Well, she still is, just not in Big D. We’re referring to a recent New York Times article about changes in the animal shelters across the nation. Dallas Animal Services got some positive “ink” as we used to say in the pre-cyber era of journalism.
Her photo was used on a Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center Facebook post over the weekend. it reads, “Ruthie was a long-time DAS resident, playgroup rock star, staff favorite, and was featured in The New York Times article...yet, she couldn't seem to find the perfect home. Thankfully, DAS has great rescue partners! Ruthie went into a wonderful DAS foster home temporarily before being transported by our partners at Rockwall Pets to a shelter out-of-state in need of placeable pets! We are so appreciative of our amazing rescue partners and foster parents that make these types of outcomes possible. Help us save more lives by becoming a foster parent today! #FostersSaveLives #BeDallas90."
 [LARRY ASIDE: There you go, a demonstration that Dallas is just one or two road trips and maybe a flight away from a safe place for animals.]
 See more Dallas Animals for adoption at dallasanimalservices.org. And Rockwall Pets is https://rockwallpets.com.
MEANWHILE, OUT AT THE LAKE,
A VOTE AFFECTING GBC’S DOGS
GBC is, of course, Gun Barrel City. The vote is over a city contract with an animal shelter.
 We get this note from Sydney Busch, the notable mainstay at Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, the non-profit that operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, a little over an hour southeast of Big D on Highway 175.
Sydney’s note reads, “GBC is considering cancelling their animal contract with HSCCL (the shelter in Tool) and sending the animals picked up to Henderson County Animal Shelter in Athens.
“HSCCL works very hard to find homes for all the animals who come into them - they do 2-3 off-site adoption events every weekend - they have contracted with the ASPCA to transport medium, large adult dogs (always the ones no one wants) north to states desperate for these dogs.

“So to reward the Tool shelter for all this work, GBC wants to save some money by not sending the animals to Tool.  They are willing to have most of the animals euthanized to save a few bucks.”

The discussion of this proposal is scheduled at Monday’s Gun Barrel City City Council meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the GBC City Hall. Sydney’s note reads, “Please be there to show support for HSCCL.” (Email sydney@friendsoftheanimals.org to offer help or support.)

ANYBODY NEED A MOVIE DOG
HAPPILY HANGING AT THE HOUSE?
Before we get to the movie dog or beautiful Cinnamon, we’re going to do a little note about Louie, 7, a poodle mix (#42787897), surrendered by a woman to Mesquite Animal Services on September 20. Our tipster, the volunteer biographer Judi Brown, reports, “The story is that Louis was left at the woman’s sister’s home and then the other sister didn’t pick him up!” So, what happens? He’s “surrendered” out of the family’s hair.
 I think you understand the phrasing.
Louie has got another problem, Judi says, “He is blind in his right eye, and he has partial sight in his left eye judging from the fact that he maneuvers quite well when walking on a leash. He has some sort of eye infection in both eyes that would need to be treated. He also has a hard growth on his left ear. This does not seem to bother him when touched. He is so sweet, calm, and gentle that you can’t help but fall in love with him! He would make an ideal lapdog. When I first met him he was shaking in his kennel. However when I gave him a bath and put a blanket in his kennel he relaxed. He likes human attention and followed me around like a Velcro dog. He went nose to nose with other dogs when he walked through the bay and also went nose to nose wagging his tail when he met our shelter cat. I just can’t say enough about how deserving this sweet boy is.”
Now, back to Cinnamon: Judi sent these photos with her report on former stray 30-pound Cinnamon, 2- or 3-year-old old, a Pittie girl who arrived on Sept. 16. “She has beautiful reddish gold coloring with hazel eyes and perky ears. Not only is she very photogenic, but she’s got a wonderful laid-back personality. She’s calm and gentle. At the same time she’s friendly and a real wiggle butt. She seems to be very happy. It almost seems like she’s smiling. She explored the yard but spent most of her time close to me. She wants to please. She’d recently had a litter of pups. She did her business as soon as I took her for a walk. She has a strong pull on the leash. She went nose to nose with many of the dogs wagging her tail. If a dog barked at her she ignored him.”

The two dogs? Lucky is the 6-year-old black and tan Chiweenie and Peanut is the 6-year-old Chihuahua — they were surrendered on Sept. 20 because of their humans’ “financial hardship.” Judi says both are timid and “decompressing.” Lucky (42787309) is both more fearful in the kennel and more alert. Peanut (42787296) is timid and “was visibly shaking but was receptive to being held,” Judi wrote. Lucky weighs 10 pounds; Peanut only 7. Judi also wrote, “Lucky obviously has not been ‘lucky’ to end up at 6-years-old in a shelter.” She suggests adopting him and “sweet” Peanut together to change their luck.
She also wrote, “If you’re looking for someone to sit beside you while you watch TV or read a good book Peanut and Lucky would fit the bill.”
To ask about any of these animals or any other animal in the Mesquite Animal Shelter, call 972-216–6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. Use their shelter ID numbers.
Here’s the Shelter’s adorable adoptables link 
and that is Sonic (42133742), just over 4 years old and in the shelter since JULY FIFTH — might have been a stray scared off by fireworks. Very interesting coat with what appear to be a muted “M” on that forehead. Needs a home that’ll appreciate a colorful cat.
CONTEMPLATIONS
SEASONAL THOUGHTS,TCU, DOORKNOBS


Perhaps you were awake when Autumn arrived in the big middle of a Texas night. Perhaps you’re reading this on Sunday while it’s still summer. Perhaps you have forgotten that Autumn arrived so early on Monday morning that it was still late Sunday night — 2:50 a.m. Monday. You people who work the late shift know what I mean. Ever seen a sunrise after a night at the office? Yep, go out for a relaxing dinner and a few drinks after work and it’s already time for breakfast. … Ouch. TCU was beaten by SMU over the weekend, 41-38. SMU may be better than expected, but as a veteran observer of the Dallas Condition I couldn’t help but notice the logo on the Pony helmet is similar to the City of Dallas logo and the word “Dallas” appears across the chest of the jerseys even though Southern Methodist University is proudly in University Park, Texas. This next thought is not connected to SMU of course, but the Dallas Cowboys blur the lines of association: They office and practice in Frisco and call a stadium in Arlington their home field. All that and yet they are “Dallas.” I don’t know where this world is going — are we still in the same solar system or will some developer start marketing Earth as being The Heart of Optimum Profiteerum Maxima?” …. THE MISSING DOORKNOBS? Our contractors finally painted our new French doors over a four-day weekend and on Sunday morning one guy showed up to take the plastic covering off the window panes because the paint on the wood was dry. My funspouse Martha then asks, “Are you going to put the doorknobs on the doors?” and the puzzled painter asks, “What doorknobs?” We know they exist. The contract team leader has been talking about them for a couple of weeks. Somewhere there are two lonely doorknobs waiting for a warm hand to embrace them and twist — let us know if you’ve seen them. We know the cats haven’t been playing with them. They were slapping the screws from the hinges up and down the hall. Fun, but not doorknobs.
—- To offer advice, objections or hints about the doorknobs, click on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com. —-

CANINE? FELINE? ---- RECLINE?

“What’s the big difference between dogs and cats?”, a rank amateur may ask.
Frankly, it has to do with how sleeping dogs lie and napping cats nap.

We have engaged some professional models/ slumber experts to help us enlighten those who did not take Household Animal Observation & Recognition in their junior years of college. Traditional course, as I’m sure you all know.
Be prepared to take notes. There may be a quiz later. This would be, of course, the first quiz presented in the more than 14-year-history of our weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Oh, let’s just 86 the quiz and move on with the interviews featuring this weekend’s spotlight slumberers.
They are: Porche Noel (found on the porch at Christmas) and William Powell (named in honor of the coolest cat in movies, the great film star of the same name, famously in the title role of The Thin Man motion pictures).
Each of these cohabitants of our home is a wander-up personality who has been embraced by two people who have managed always to find an extra place for a dog or cat to sleep.
Porche’s usual place turned out to be smack in the center of the human bed — not at the foot, right in the center. Or, she may nod off anywhere else — she’s just not choosy. William’s usual places are in a chair, on a shelf, under a desk, atop an unpacked moving box or, of course, in a cat bed. He regards it as his cat bed, though, clearly, he cannot stir a dog that is three or four times his weight.

OUR SLEEPER/NAPPER INTERVIEW

INTERVIEWER LRP (Larry Powell, veteran insightful reporter/editor/columnist and former part-time Montgomery Ward deliveryman in the mid-‘60s): “DO EITHER OF YOU HAVE TROUBLE SLEEPING?

PORCHE: "Not so much now that I’m older and realize that most unexpected sounds turn out to be clumsy cats tripping over a computer mouse or cats testing gravity — checking to make sure a vase falls from shelf to floor at the same rate of speed day after day."
WILLIAM: "My napping is properly timed. We cats have an internal clock that reminds us to nod off at precisely the most feline advantageous moment."
PORCHE: "Internal clock? Internal clock? We don’t need no stinkin’ internal clock. My apologies to the writers of the 1948 Humphrey Bogart film, The Treasure of The Sierra Madre. But, seriously, folks, as a veteran canine, comfort is my first requirement. Fortunately, I can be comfortable on a rug under a desk chair, or I can be comfortable shoving my nose into a blanket in the corner of a room that nobody’s put in order because he’s too lazy to open the office boxes he moved from Dallas to Fort Worth.”
[LRP ASIDE: The dog is correct -- not the first time I've said that since I met Porche. I have been remiss in unpacking. But I will sell the boxes — unopened — to anyone for $50 each. Could contain a treasure, could contain curiosity pieces, i.e., "What the devil is this?" Labels fell off some of the boxes. So “SURPRISE BOX” is fitting and $50 could be a bargain. Caution: You may not return the box after purchase. Not ever.]

PORCHE: "I think, also, you see in the photographs that I do not fall victim to ‘stereotyping,’ i.e., a cat curling up in a round bed. I made that bed my own. It’s the ART of sleeping. It’s NOT generational copycatting. No offense, my little whiskered colleague in torporific achievement.
WILLIAM: I look at you sloppily snoozing on my round bed and I immediately think ‘square peg.’ I would suggest that you are incapable of appearing ‘round’ but, of course, now and then I see you walking and realize you have no problem achieving round. I see you with your nose shoved into the corner of a room and I think, ‘Bewildered by a corner, she fell over while waiting for a snack.’ ”
LRP: Please, let’s keep it civil. Moving along: Porche, do you snack before sleeping, and if so, on what?

PORCHE: "I love a good dish of unsupervised cat food — dry or wet. The thrill is in the discreet, rapid capture."
WILLIAM: "And now your readers know why I have no problem curling up in a perfect circle in a traditional cat bed. You can’t gain weight when someone else is eating your food. If I wander away from my dish, when I return, there’s a chance that there’s a tubby dog walking around with cat food breath."
LRP: So, dear friends, is there anything else you’d like to say about the joys of sleeping and napping?
WILLIAM: "Napping comes easily to me. I hope that everyone reading this, in spite of the challenges of the political season, can find a way to nod off and stay energized throughout the campaigns."
PORCHE: "And I’d like to add that being able to sleep worry-free in a home — even with a smarmy cat — is a great pleasure that goes a long way toward happiness. And a dog can go even further on the Happiness Highway if you’ll make certain the treat bowl is never empty. And, Interviewer LRP, whatever that is, as Autumn 2019 arrives in Texas at 2:50 a.m. Monday, I'm sure you’ll make certain that the control on the electric blanket is properly adjusted. By that I mean, adjusted to a natural dog’s needs. You and the cat can go cuddle a pillow. And I mean that with all the sweetness in my soul.”
LRP: Thank you for your time and honest attitudes, Porche and William. Now, go catch a few winks. You can wink, can’t you?
WILLIAM: "More of a blink."
PORCHE: "Never bat an eye — you may miss a meal."
[LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, please send sleeping/napping photos of your dogs/cats/relatives/‘other’ to dallrp@aol.com. Include their biographies, too. We’ll happily tell their stories and why you love them so when we spotlight them in the long-running readlarrypowell.com weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You’ll be helping people see that having a snoozing critter around the house is comforting. And, you’ll be helping the global insomniac community realize that sleep is possible if you can just curl up in the right bed or learn to stretch-out across it without feeling abdominal pressure. That is my editor, The Senator, demonstrating happy napping. ]
—- Offer opinions or advice by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

LOADS OF LABS, FOLLOW-UP ON PREDICAMENTS, MUSINGS AND AN APPLIANCE EMOTION

EDITION OF FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 [PetPowellPress] Hello, Friday. Let’s move on like we were headed for the lively weekend of our teenage years. I’m kidding about that. Be sensible. Save yourself for the State Fair next weekend. And we’ll get to the NAE — New Appliance Emotion — in a minute. Oh, and don’t forget to look at the 3 Lab puppies in Mesquite. Holy smoke, why are they not being adored in a new home right now!
SOME CATCHING-UP
WITH DENTON CRITTERS
Bless Amy Poskey. She not only sends out appeals for animals in the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter, but also tells us what has happened to them. And that’s a good thing.
You may recall the appeal a few weeks ago for Chalupa, the Belgian Malinois. 
Nobody wanted her. Ah, here’s something good that happened. [LARRY ASIDE: If I qualified as the breed, I’d load up and go with Chalupa!] Amy reports, “Chalupa was spayed Wednesday by the off-site vet and she will be temp-fostered by our awesome Bill Duncan before being transported to Ruidoso Malinois Rescue in New Mexico.”


[WEEKEND UPDATE ON SNOW WHITE: While it appeared that tiny Snow White, with her heart murmur, was en route to Arkansas, Amy reports that the rescue has fallen through and the little girl needs a rescue, after all. Get in touch with the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter. Here's the latest "original" update for her.]

And then there was Snow White. Remember that photo? She’s the little (under 6 pounds) Chihuahua Mix who has a heart murmur that is treatable. Amy writes, “Snow White is in a foster home with hopes to transport to Paws To Love Me Rescue in Arkansas."
The little pair, Frick and Frack, (#84279 & #84280) “are in a foster home while they heal from mange and we hope to get them adopted or rescued once they heal.”

Finally, we never even had time to post Ernie & Bernie for adoption as the “bonded pair” in the Denton McNatt Shelter.
But the photo is so darned cute I can’t resist posting it and letting you know, Dear Readers, that Amy reports they were, indeed, adopted together. How about those faces!
THE SENIOR SIAMESE
We got a couple of notes about this kitty — a senior Siamese currently on stray hold through Monday at Arlington Animal Services. He’s “medium-sized” and is described as having a “short smooth coat with “blue eyes, erect ears, long tail…” Yep, a cat.
He’s older than 8. Crystal Steinborn of the shelter told us Thursday afternoon that nobody — not an owner or a rescue — had claimed him, “however, we were able to confirm he is neutered and his stray hold has been extended until Monday afternoon.” The cat is #A42734592 at the shelter.
In case you might want to look around for a cat or dog in the Arlington Animal Services shelter, HERE’S THE LINK.
That puppy is 4-month-old Petunia (42623701) and that smallish boy cat is #42459168, known to his shelter pals as “Catsup.” [LARRY ASIDE: I’m assuming that’s pronounced “cat-‘sup“ as in “Cat, whassup?”]
AND, OF COURSE, LANCASTER
ENTERS THE WEEKEN FULL
As has been the case for months now — ever since the big breakup between the City of Lancaster and some of the volunteers with Furbabies of Lancaster — the small shelter is loaded with cats and dogs. 
We’re citing these photos — a few of MANY Lancaster shelter animals waiting for adoption, rescue or the needle. They are sent by the small shelter advocates Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden who have been hustling for this facility’s residents for months.
The kittens are some of the tiny babies who showed up during the extended North Texas Kitten Season. [LARRY ASIDE: Like kitten season ever ends around here, right? It’s longer than the NBA season.]
The big girl is Pippa, described as a “Bulloxer,” i.e., a Boxer/Bulldog mix. Make more sense than a “Boxdog,” I guess, and sounds cuter. But the deal with Pippa is she’s a “really wonderful girl,” her bio reads. “Just the most loving sweetheart you can imagine. big, sweet soulful eyes.”
Here’s the deal: To ask about helping the Lancaster crowd, call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. [LARRY ASIDE: Ask to be put on Laura’s mailing list — it’s a trip and a half to see some of these great “allegedly unwanted” animals. You, as I have done, will look at them and wonder “What the hell is wrong with people that they’d dump a dog like this! Or hand over a boxful of kittens like that!”]
MEANWHILE, IN MESQUITE
Oh, boy. We’re starting with Todd (33696961), a 2- or 3-year-old 65-pound, already-neutered Shepherd mix who came into Mesquite Animal Services as a stray on the 12th. “Tawny coloring and appealing hazel eyes,” our tipster, the volunteer shelter biographer Judi Brown says. 
“He is friendly and affectionate. When I sat down he came to me to be petted. He stays close. He doesn’t jump on you. He wants to please. He sits for treats. He does have a strong pull on the leash. … Because he’s so gentle Todd would probably do well in a family with young children.

And that brings us to a quartet of 4-month-old Lab pups surrendered on September 16 — one of them has been adopted. So Mesquite is offering these pups now. 
The 35-pound handsome Ink (42745157) “had to be carried out of his kennel,” Judi wrote, “But eventually, with treats, sweet talk and stroking, he got up and tentatively wagged his tail.”
He’s coming around — even getting up, walking around and wagging his tail in the security of his kennel, Judi writes, adding, “So, there already has been some progress.”

Brother Carbon (42745152) weighs about 35 pounds, too, and, Judi notes, he wasn’t standing in any of the photos she took because “he felt more secure laying down.”
He, like Ink, was happy hiding out in the back of his kennel. In fact, Carbon is “the most timid” of the puppies. She says, “Carbon is definitely a very sweet boy. Incidentally he has the longest nose of the three brothers.”

 And we close with a note about Shade (42745155), shown here with his brother Carbon, the dog who is “more secure laying down.” Like the other boys, Shade is about 35 pounds. Like the other boys, he is “very shy and overwhelmed by the shelter environment,” Judi writes. “They are a work in progress. We have a volunteer who has dedicated her time to socializing these sweet Labs. All of them had to be carried out of their kennel except for Shade. Shade actually walked out of his kennel on his own.”
[LARRY ASIDE: I’d take all three of ‘em if we weren't already all full up with critters. You good hearts who have room for a darling Lab puppy, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@city ofmesquite.com.]
You can see a lot more Mesquite adorable adoptables — dogs and cats — by clicking HERE. Among the feline sweeties is this 3-year-old girl 42677475 — oh, I’m sorry, let me give you her name. And based on her paw placement, she looks as if she’s trying to live up to her name and it’s not a problem — that cat is appropriately, Cuddles. Awwww…..look at that face!
CONTEMPLATIONS
GIVING DAY, PAUNCH DAY, WINDOW VIEW & A KITCHEN JOY
Thursday was North Texas Giving Day and a lot of agencies posted noontime updates and late updates. I haven’t won Lotto Texas yet, but I sure do hope every animal outfit got twice the amount of money it needed. …. Did you realize that Thursday, according to Holiday Insights, was also National Pepperoni Pizza day and National Paunch Day — wait, sorry. Typo. I was thinking about the diet qualities of pizza and typed National Paunch Day rather than what I should have typed, National Punch Day. … Looking out the front window of our humble abode, we see cloudy skies and a breeze made perceptible only by the slight ruffling of leaves on a tree I can’t identify and the tall leaves on some Cannas rising from the flower bed alongside the front of the house. No free-roaming dogs on the street. No cats skulking along. I’ve seen one squirrel at the new home — well, not “new,” but younger than I am. I spent 3 decades in a neighborhood that attracted free-roaming dogs and cats. How do I know there are no dogs roaming free, no skulking cats? There’s a fireplug across the street and it’s pristine. Cats? The many birds do not appear to be nervous. … Joyce Conley, who rescued 2-year-old Rowdy the Dog when he was Rowdy the Puppy and puts up with his shenanigans, posted one of the funniest notes on Facebook Thursday. Some day, Dear Young Readers, you and I will think it’s funny, too, some day when we are older. Sincerely, your youngish typing-writer. Now, enjoy the weekend. Do something good for animals and yourself. Joyce's post:

—- Offer opinions or lucky lotto numbers for the weekend by clicking on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com. ——

ON THURSDAY MORNING, MATEYS...

Our  wifisystem difficulties continued this AM with off-and-on connections. So, we created a hotspot with the cellphone to post this -- The Senator is an immense help. In this photo, shot in the early minutes of the on-again-off-again broadcast of Kelly & Ryan, The Senator offers techno-advice for improving the vibrancy of my sentence formations.
For example, he notes, "It's National Talk Like a Pirate Day," then adds, "Given the computer circumstances, it is entirely appropriate to shout ARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH."
(Just FYI: As I was typing this, the Cable Tech arrived and said there was a maintenance crew on its second day of work on the neighborhood connections. Everything should be OK now. And it appears to be.)
--Offer suggestions for righting the Ship of Communication, as we wait for the cable tech, by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com in case we'll actually get it this morning. I'm sure things will work out -- almost certain. More later, me swabbies....---

AH, THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE, ANIMALS,THE VICK DOGS, THE SPCA THEORY & A/C-CABLE....

EDITION OF THURSDAY, SEPT. 19, 2019 [PetPowellPress] Yeah, you don’t need to be told Thursday is North Texas Giving Day. Told again, I mean. So, let’s move on.

This early part is being written as we — the dogs, cats and I — wait for the a/c repairman. Might be a freon leak. Might be the Curse of The Texas Summer. That cat? That is the formerly semi-feral feline William Powell in my not-yet-organized office keeping watch out the front window for the a/c guy. William has adapted to air-conditioned life. He continues to ask when I’m going to put up the curtains.
Aftermath? Not the freon. Our tech Chad, a dog-lover, said the fan motor had failed and was operating only sporadically. He replaced it and I am typing while wearing gloves with the ends of the finger cut out — they match my sweater. Bring on the snowstorms, you know? We live on a quiet hill in Fort Worth now and I’m looking forward to buying new skis for the winter season. I’m kidding. The only time Texas was ever a winter attraction was when it was a nation and owned New Mexico and part of snowy Colorado.
More later on the challenges of Wednesday. Let’s focus on some animal stories.
AN OMITTED DOG, 
A WAITING CAT
One of our first emails arriving Wednesday morning was a note about this dog Bella. She’s a Border Collie mix awaiting adoption or rescue at the Lancaster Animal Shelter. Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden are the monitors of small shelters and promoters of adopting and rescuing from the facilities that are nearly as small as their city budgets. Miniscule. 
The Border Collie Mix is Bella (same name as the Lancaster German Shepherd we mentioned in the previous edition). The story of Bella the BC is “this sweetie pie was accidentally left off” the appeal issued Tuesday. And the note reports, “There are also 6-7 dogs not yet pictured — this shelter is full.” Bella the BC is “super sweet, loves other dogs and adores al children… She is a wonderful girl.” 

That cat is one of the many kittens waiting either for rescue or adoption or a cold needle at Lancaster. To ask how to help or to volunteer to promote the smaller shelters, call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
Oh, one more Lancaster dog: This big, handsome fellow Tristan, an Australian Shepherd described as a “complete cutie pie” who is “very friendly and loving.”

OH, MY…REMEMBERING
THE MICHAEL VICK CRIMES….
Animal fan/advocate Becky Dodge tipped us to Wednesday's Washington Post story about the Michael Vick dog-fighting crimes and the surviving dogs. The opening paragraph on the story by Emily Giambalvo is the kind of “lead” that draws the attention of readers with hearts. It reads: “Twelve years ago, 47 dogs were rescued from Michael Vick’s dog- fighting operation and allowed to live. They've enriched the lives of countless humans and altered the course of animal welfare.”
 Here’s the LINK and let me caution you that there’s a quote from Michael Vick that sort of demonstrates how out of touch he might be with the reality of his crime. He told The Post,
“I think people have moved on. I think they’ve moved past it. It’s been 12-plus years since it all happened, so I don’t get any questions about it anymore. People don’t talk about it. They don’t ask me about it. Life is kind of normal. But I still have a responsibility, and that will never change.” (He’s a member of the Fox NFL Kickoff pre-game cast, in case you don’t want to watch it.) 
And, in case you don’t remember, that Washington Post photo is of a Vick dog, Mel, who was adopted by the then-Dallas broadcaster Richard Hunter. Their story is outlined in the Post report. And you may recall that at a rally at city hall Richard Hunter gave a passionate plea for “justice for Justice,” a little dog who, in 2013 in Pleasant Grove, was set on fire — basically burned alive — by three jerks who later went to jail for the cruelty crime. [LARRY ASIDE: We need to remember that it's not just the famous who are notorious when it comes to animal cruelty. The beasts walk among us.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
PRINCESS BRIDE, THE SPCA & A HOT SPELL AND A COMPUTER CHALLENGE
We’re throwing in with Cary Elwes (left) about a remake of the 1987 classic The Princess Bride. It’s been made perfectly with the perfect cast and should simply be hailed as a permanent classic of the big screen as is. All kids should be required to watch it -- for fun. Before we continue:  All hail Wallace Shawn (right), for example! To remake The Princess Bride would be as misguided as remaking the Ford Mustang as the Mustang II. To quote the Shawn character, “INCONCEIVABLE!” … Continued congratulations to Karen Froehlich, the newly confirmed President/CEO of the SPCA of Texas. We got her mugshot from the great SPCA Vice President for Communications Maura Davies who also confirmed that it appears our theory is correct: Karen Froehlich is the FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT/CEO of the SPCA OF TEXAS. How about that! … Back to my Wednesday, if I may continue to carp about the air-conditioning, now fixed! In high school, my biology teacher told us that if we drank warm beverages in summer we’d feel cooler. As the heat began to rise Wednesday morning, I prepped a hot cup of decaf and sipped away. My experiment did not support the biology teacher’s theory. But, I was ready for failure. I had a refrigerator full of icy bottled water. If the Great Chad hadn’t been able to fix the AC, I was going to pull the water out of the ice box and crawl in with the dogs. The dogs were grateful that the AC was fixed. The cats were nonchalant and preferred not to comment. … Later in the day, our cable/wifi system crashed. Ah, the challenges of modern technology. Our report was treated as if something was wrong at our house. Then, about the time other people began to arrive home from work, magically the TVs began working again and the wifi system was gloriously rejuvenated. There may have been a tsunami of complaints instead of one ol' cranky guy. My theory is the cable TV system clearly needed a new fan motor.
—- TO OFFER AN OPINION OR CABLE ADVICE, CLICK ON ‘COMMENT’ BELOW OR EMAIL DALLRP@AOL.COM FOR AS LONG AS IT WORKS TODAY. —-

SPCA PICKS IN-HOUSE VETERAN TO BE PRESIDENT/CEO: KAREN FROEHLICH

EXTRA EDITION OF LATE TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 [PetPowellPress] An informational aside: Yep, we’re posting a Tuesday news story after we posted the Wednesday report. Why? Because the wrote the Wednesday edition before we got this latest news from the SPCA of Texas:
Karen Froehlich, who has been the interim President/CEO since earlier in the year, has won the job. She is the new President and CEO “effective immediately,” the organization announced Tuesday. 
In a news release, the SPCA Board Chair Patricia Villareal was quoted as saying, “Over the past months, it has become increasingly clear that Karen is the right person to lead the SPCA of Texas as we continue in our mission to provide every animal exceptional care an a loving home.” 

And President Froehlich said, “The SPCA of Texas has had a great year so far, and the successes continue. I’m excited to lead this organization into the future.”

There are also three new board members: Stephanie Carreon-Elliot, Executive Vice President, McClure Ventures, LLC; Sonja McGill, Attorney; and Mandy Strauss, Partner, RSM US LLP.

The news release also reported that so far this year, the SPCA has “found homes for more than 3,000 pets, has provided spay/neuter surgeries for over 15,000 animals, has rescued more than 1,800 pets from cruelty and so much more.”
[LARRY ASIDE: The SPCA of Texas is “nearly 81” years old, the news release said. readlarrypowell.com is checking, but is it possible that Karen Froehlich is the first FEMALE President/CEO of the SPCA of Texas? I can list her predecessor James Bias and his, Warren Cox, but prior to that distant memory, I’m just not certain and online research yields zip.]
President Froehlich came to the SPCA in 2016 after serving as Director of Grants and Programs at PetSmart Charities. She’s a certified Animal Welfare Administrator.
Rather than run another “business photo” of people in charge of a shelter or serving on the board, Readlarrypowell.com is shamelessly kissing up to the new boss and the board by running photographs of some of the animals that we’re sure management would like to see adopted! 
For example, that Earhound is Rusty (42195043), a 44-pound full grown dog who needs some help learning how to behave — he’s only a year old and he’s got a history. He arrived at the SPCA in July, coming from a “hoarding situation” with more than 50 other dogs. Yep, short on socialization. But he’s needing a foster home, the bio says. And, of course, a forever home.
That very sincere cat face belongs to 6-year-old Lila (41474875), a mixed-breed who is spayed and has a tendency to be quiet and, according to a quote in her biography, “I’m happy chillin’ with my human and looking gorgeous.” A volunteer said she has “the prettiest fur I’ve ever seen.” 

Oh, one other thing that’ll make the new president happy: I’ll mention that you can donate to the SPCA of Texas at spca.org and, on North Texas Giving Day on Thursday, you can donate to the SPCA of Texas HERE. 
—- Offer opinions or ideas by clicking on ‘comment’ below or emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

ON TUESDAY, SOME CHALLENGES AND CHANCES...

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 [PetPowellPress] We have some entertaining notes and some timely reports today — don’t miss the mommy dog story from Kelly Ogle Scoville, for example. It’ll make you happy you don’t have a six-pack of nipples on your abdomen.
 And, oh, yes, there’s Roscoe, too — the longest-sheltered dog in Fort Worth at the moment. Handsome boy.

But, first: Holy smokin’ Hatch Chili Peppers! We’re well beyond the midway point of September and approaching all of the autumn traditions of overheated North Texas — dances, fund-raisers, State Fair of Texas, significant football games, Texas Rangers season ending, Mavs and Stars beginning, political campaigns — wait. Never mind politics. That’s going too far. Let’s just focus on the “happy opportunities.”
FYI, you probably recall that Dallas Animal Services is running the “Name Your Price!” special on adoptions through the 21st (check it out on the Facebook page or on the shelter’s dallasanimalservices.org site. 
There’s also this special: Tailgate Sundays. The type says “Show your team spirit for a $5 adoption” and, then, the wording on the football reads “Cowboy’s Fans ADOPT FREE.”
 [LARRY ASIDE: Should be “Cowboys’ “ — plural possessive, but we won’t count off because we live in a glass house and there aren’t enough rocks in Dallas County to throw one for every typo I’ve produced since my first newpaper story in 1965.] 
Besides, grammar should not affect the adoption of animals. Right? After all, in our household, only one animal, The Senator, knows how to diagram a sentence. He’s older and was educated in the 1950s and 1960s — you know, before the “new math” and “no homework” changed everything and before history books got a lot thicker and didn’t end with “and then came World War II and television.” That's him editing one of my short stories, The Writer With No Sense of Grammar.]
HERE’S THAT MOMMY STORY
AND THIS IS TATIANA AND THE KIDS
Our pal, the legendary foster mom and animal advocate Patty Sprong tipped us to the work of Kelly Ogle Scoville. She called her a “foster mom extraordinaire” and wrote, “She is such a clever writer. I know you would appreciate her stories.” And sure enough, I did. So much, in fact, that I asked Kelly if we could repeat it here. We’re including photos from the posts and, yes, follow Kelly’s Facebook page and you’ll see lots of animal stories.
Here’s what she wrote Tuesday about the family she’s fostering, Tatiana and her puppies:
“Co-parenting is hard. Tatiana and I had our first argument last night around 2am. The baby dogs were stirring and she certainly felt full but when I suggested she feed them, she jumped up, put her paws on my shoulders and looked at me as if to say, ‘You do it.’
“I explained I thought it was a few days too early but this morning when she was still refusing, this happened. As soon as she discovered what I did, she ate the remaining food and fed the babies. We are currently debating lunch plans. #tatiana #firstfood #babydogs"
 Here’s video of the kids. It shows how sweetly they’re dining on the food Kelly put out for them before Mom’s change of heart.
But, then, just a day earlier, there was THIS VIDEO of Tatiana and, ladies and gents, I think it shows you just why sweet Tatiana was in the mood for a quiet night at the dinner plate.
On Monday, Kelly posted this note from “the kids”: “Didn’t we JUST have a two week birthday? Well, we are ✨🐾💕THREE💕🐾✨ weeks today. We are huge, a few of us weigh 5 lbs. We growl, bark and fight. 🤣 We can sit and walk and most of us can scale the puppy pool wall. Our mom is talking to us about college, jobs and getting our own place. We only have one request. Stop calling us puppies. 🙄 We’re big and tough. From now on refer to us as ‘baby dogs’. 😂💕🐾😂💕🐾.”
MEANWHILE IN LANCASTER,
NOBODY’S WRITING HAPPY NOTES
ABOUT THE ANIMALS ON THE CLOCK
The notes about Lancaster Animal Services’ current population take on a desperate tone these days. Animals keep coming in and the exit is minimum.
The small shelter advocates, Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden continue to make appeals thorough notes about the number of animals and the latest, arriving Tuesday, included this sentence: "Animals will be dying this week as there are at least 4 more dogs that came in this weekend alone. Please save even one!” 
It’s not just dogs. The note read, “Tons of kittens—CRITICAL!”
Those are a couple of the cats at Lancaster — some kittens, some grown.

Dogs? Oh, my, you recall that over the weekend BJ the Rottie was adopted. As Laura noted, “One leaves, four more come in.” 
Among those waiting is that beautiful German Shepherd girl Bella. The story on her, according to the latest note is “This sweet girl is microchipped so we know her actual name is Bella. Her owners have not been able to be reached. She is a beautiful girl who loves other dogs and all people.” 

And, geezalou, still waiting for a rescue or adoption is this girl Princess, a Lab mix who is probably pregnant. The Laura note reads, “Please help — so urgent -- don’t let her puppies be born here.” 
Laura and Leighann suggest, “You truly save a life when you rescue or adopt from this shelter — they do not get walk-ins unless it is someone releasing a pet…It is incredibly sad….Their only hope is someone seeing their sweet little faces.” 
Here are your contact points: Call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.

CONTEMPLATIONS
HOW LONG DO YOU KEEP TRYING?
This contemplation has to do with one dog at Fort Worth Animal Care and Control and the critter-fan who is pitching him at every turn in hopes of finding a home for the guy. His name is Roscoe. On Sunday, he marked his 192nd day at FWACC. He must have charmed some people — he’s still waiting for the right person.
Tami wrote, “I don't know about you but Sunday Funday is awesome. Roscoe has been waiting 192 days for a home and he just is loving and hopeful each day. He had a blast today on the couch. He had gone for a swim right before. And we went to see the ducks and turtles and have a puppicino. I just hope for a home for this guy tomorrow. He just loves life and prays each day for a forever home.”
She also explained Roscoe this way: “Roscoe truly has heart. We had a blast hanging today. We hung out at PetSmart Alliance and picked out a harness and leash. We went for a fun car ride and had a snack at Lazy Dog. He went for a swim in the pool. And we tried to get adopted as he has been waiting since March. What makes him have heart? He has spirit. Passion and just wants to cuddle with you. He loves to go for walks and then chill out. Our Roscoe plan is to get him adopted tomorrow on Sunday Funday. He is available for a meet and greet at PetSmart Alliance. Want to meet him? we can come to you.” 
The plan didn’t work, but Roscoe is still available. Here’s the video of ROSCOE ON THE COUCH.
Roscoe was an owner surrender. The owner “said no longer wanted him,” Tami says. “Sad…He so badly wants a home.”

And here’s something to contemplate: Is Roscoe going to find a home? Are humans going to help him? Is there any way he is going to beat the odds after all this time in a city shelter?
Geezalou, what a fix for a dog. Reach Tami on Facebook HERE.  Maybe this is Roscoe’s Day.
—- Offer thoughts or daydreams by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. ——

THINGS TO CELEBRATE ON THE 17TH; ANIMALS TO HELP & PEOPLE WHO HELP 'EM

EDITION OF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 [PetPowellPress] Let’s celebrate some stuff for this edition. We get the info from the online site Holiday Insights. 
September 17 is Citizenship Day. It’s also Constitution Day. Two important aspects to American existence. And, as many of you know, this also is National Apple Dumpling Day — more on that in Contemplations. Two more things this dog and I have in common: Porche and I are both from Texas and neither of us has ever had an apple dumpling. She didn’t even know they existed until I read the recipe to her — perked right up, she did. Already practicing her "lap it up" movements.
CATCHING UP WITH KITTENS
We use this kitten’s photo on Friday because he/she is one of a litter that was infected — that the right word? — with ringworm and needed out of the Carrolton Animal Services Shelter. 
Good news. Vanessa Johnson, a Senior Animal Care Specialist at the shelter, reports the whole litter was rescued. I asked if she wanted to name the rescue group so people could donate for the medical care of the kittens. Vanessa said the hero in this kitten drama is “a vet we work with. She doesn’t want to accept any donations an recommended that donations be made to the shelter to help other animals in need.” Read about Carrollton Animal Services and see how to contact the city department HERE.  See the adoptable animals HERE.
A DOG WHO NEEDS
HELP AND A HOME
The help that this dog — currently known as “The Dog” — needs is kindness and understanding.
The tip on this dog came from Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com and that led us to a mom named Marty, a veteran Dallas animal advocate, who is trying to help The Dog in Van, in East Texas. 
Marty’s son lives in Van. And The Dog “shows up at his house.” Marty says, “He’s sweet to the family but really vicious to anybody who comes up to the house.”

The first time he appeared, she says, “he had ligature marks on his neck and his teeth had been ground down. He has scars on his body — like maybe he was a bait dog.”
Her theory is that he now lives with a person who travels for stretches of time and the dog, when alone, comes to the “friendly house” to live and spend time and, especially, stand guard. When the person returns, the dog goes back home. That’s all theory but it makes sense.

He most recently made life terrifying for a UPS delivery driver. Nobody was hurt, but there were some scary moments. “What this dog needs is a good yard,” Marty says.
She’s hoping to help her son place The Dog in a responsible home with a secure yard and a securely loving human heart.
To help The Dog and The Family with a happy solution for this situation, call Marty at 459-235-7338. The note we got read, “The family doesn’t want to take him to a crummy shelter where he will obviously be euthanized.” 
And that’s why you read about him here.
LENNON: IMAGINE THERE’S
A NEW PUP, IT’S EASY IF YOU TRY…

OH, AND THERE’S QUEEN, TOO!
Our Mesquite Animal Services tipster, the volunteer biographer Judi Brown, spotted this guy Lennon, a 2-year-old Yorkie mix when he was on the rebound through the shelter. He’d come in as a stray, and, Judi writes, “It was noted that there was a possible owner, but the owner never came to reclaim. Our manager let Lennon go home with the family on a trial basis but after four hours they brought him back saying he didn’t get along with their dog. I walked him through the bay and he went nose to nose with some dogs but really wasn’t interested. He was too fixated on getting attention from me. If you’re looking for a dog to entertain you, you will want to come and meet Lennon. He is very enthusiastic, friendly, and affectionate.”
Lennon (#42657563) weighs in at 15 pounds.
To ask about him or Queen (the big dog!), call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.

Judi also tipped us to Queen’s situation. She (#42731039) is a spayed, 44-pound, 3-year-old Retriever mix surrendered to the shelter on September 13. Why? Ah, Judi reports, “Because our ordinances do not allow people to tether. The owners reported that she was an outside dog only and when not kept tied up would try to escape. She did test the borders of the shelter yard. She will need a secure fence.” 

Queen is also adept at “looking like she’s smiling.”
 She has great markings, Judi says. “On one profile she’s entirely black-and-white and on the other side she’s tricolored.  She’s very affectionate, friendly, and wants attention. She gives lots of kisses. I would suggest letting her be an inside dog at least a major part of the time as she does want to be around her people. The previous owners stated that she was raised with other dogs and small children. When I walked her through the bay she did not show any aggression but she was not interested in meeting the other dogs.”
Again, for either of these dogs, the shelter contact points are 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
HOW ABOUT THIS BEAUTY!
Barkleyworld.com's Karen Lee also tipped us to this magnificently-coated baby. 
Felisha Thompson is trying to find some help for the dog. She says the family took this stray female in “about two weeks ago. We had her scanned for a chip, posted up pictures and even asked around and unfortunately we had have no luck.”

Don’t let the photo fool you. Felisha says the dog is “32 pounds of energy and love. She is super sweet, great with our kids and our two other dogs (which they are not too excited about her — lol). Unfortunately, we cannot continue to keep her. One of our dogs is in the process of heartworm treatments and our other one is old and grumpy lol.
"We refuse to take her to a shelter; we are looking for a rescue to take her in.”

If you have a place in your home, heart or rescue group, email Felisha at felishathompson86@gmail.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
BIG BOOTS, APPLE DUMPLINGS & WHO YOU KNOW…..
The newly created boots are ready for Big Tex and on Friday, the State Fair of Texas crane will place the 55-foot-tall midway cowboy onto the slight hill in Big Tex Circle at Fair Park. It’s his 67th year at the Fair. There are people who went to the State Fair BEFORE Big Texas was there. Heck, they even made movies at the Fair before Big Tex was there — I cite the 1936 film, The Big Show, starring Tioga, Texas, native Gene Autry, the singing cowboy, and made during the celebration of the Texas Centennial. Between now and opening day of the 2019 Fair (Sept. 27-Oct. 20), some broadcast or print reporter will gleefully tell you that Big Tex got his start in the early 1950s as Santa Claus in downtown Kerens, Texas. I must have written about that a dozen times in my career a columnist at The Big Paper Downtown. That photo is ol’ Big in the 1962 Pat Boone/Ann-Margret/Bobby Darin film State Fair… Back to our opening paragraph about Citizenship Day, Constitution Day and National Apple Dumpling Day. We could find no historical note about the declaration of Apple Dumpling Day. You’ve had an apple dumpling, right? Me, neither. Being from the Poverty Belt of Northeast Texas, we had peach cobbler, blackberry cobbler, dewberry cobbler and, sometimes, apple cobbler. Cobbler would feed a family of five with guests — the more guests, the smaller the portion. Entertaining conversation always overcomes cobbler deprivation bitterness. I’m almost certain one of my little brothers may have begun “saying grace” with “Lord, forgive these people for showing up and sharing our cobbler.” I’m kidding. … I opened my email inbox this morning and saw this subject line: “LARRY Do you know Martha Powell? It’s not what you now, it’s who you know.” Oh, lord, I thought, she’s running for office! But, no, it was a promotional note from Linked-In. I didn’t bother to respond. I just went back to Google and searched for “Texas Apple Dumpling recipe.”  Didn't find one -- and I don’t know if you'd cover it with salsa or tomatillo sauce.
—- Offer opinions or recipes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

A MONDAY ASSORTMENT FOR ANIMAL ADMIRERS AND DALLAS DRIVERS...

EDITION OF MONDAY, SEPT. 16, 2019 [PetPowellPress] OK, before we continue with the animal tales of the day, let’s just determine who is the old school Dallas Cowboys fan and who is the latter-day fan. We can do it with one question: Did you feel good inside when the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins on Sunday? That cat? His name is Tom Landry — I’m kidding. That’s Julius (A1079842), a 2-year-old who has been at the Dallas Animal Services Shelter & Adoption Center since August 20. (Call 214-670-6800.) He may not be old enough to remember Coach Tom Landry, but he is kind of shaped like an NFL football, don’t you think? He is one of more than 300 cats and kittens at DAS — nearly 300 dogs are there, the DAS site says.

Now, NFL football and Julius aside, our animal reports, Giving Day notes and Contemplations:
IT’S A HEAD-SCRATCHER, SAYS
A VETERAN SHELTER OBSERVER
Fleas? No. Mange? No. Snow White? Yes, she inspires the head-scratching. .
We mentioned her last week, but, heck, I guess it was a busy weekend for potential adoptors. Rescue groups are probably full and, oh, yeah, Snow White has a treatable heart problem.

Amy Poskey, who monitors animal situations in the Denton McNatt Animal shelter started our Sunday with this note: “I’m scratching my head and wondering why this ADORABLE little angel hasn’t been scooped up, yet!  I mean, look at her!  How can anyone resist this little tater tot who only weighs 5.8 lbs?!  She’s just a puppy and has her whole life ahead of her!”
She’s 6- to 9-months old and is a Chihuahua mix who is heartworm negative but has a “grade 5/6 holosystolic murmur” that, Amy says, “is treatable and she can live a normal healthy life.”
 Here are your contact points at the shelter: gayla.nelsen@cityofdenton.com, Randi. Weinberg@cityofdenton. com, and/or julien.peralta@city ofdenton.com. Call the shelter at 940-349-7594. It’s at 3717 N. Elm St. in Denton. 

And Snow White isn’t the only Denton animal waiting for a home, hinted the ol’ typer. A quick look at the Denton shelter inventor Sunday revealed this guy, Scrags (84352), 2- to 5-years-old and on stray hold right now. If nobody claims him, he’s available on Tuesday. He’s clearly an Earhound.
BJ, THE ROTTIE —
WHAT’S HAPPENED NOW!
“He got adopted!,” Laura Macias excitedly told us in a note over the weekend. “He is smiling.”
 The first photo is what BJ The Rottie looked like when we encountered his story weeks and weeks ago — he was in the Lancaster Animal Shelter and had come to the attention of the small-shelter supporters Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden.
BJ had a problem that caused him to flinch when anybody was about to touch the right side of his head. 
Laura wrote this time, “Can you update and tell everyone ‘thank you!’?” “Everyone” is the people who donated to BJ’s vet care. “He had a horrible ear infection,” she writes. But as you know, Dear Readers, people donated to help him and he became adoptable. 
The adoptor, Laura says, “is a very nice person who loves this breed and knows a lot about them. So happy!”
There are still cats and kittens, dogs and puppies in the Lancaster Shelter — the closest thing to a walk-through may be getting onto Laura’s email list. Call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
GIVING DAY NOTES

We’ll mention some folks who are making appeals for the annual North Texas Giving Day event on September 19 -- that's Thursday. Remember, go to the Giving Day site HERE and you can see if your favorite animal organization is registered. There are around 20 pages of animal listings. We’ll mention just a few and I’m sure we’ll leave out your favorite, but, maybe this will inspire someone to look at the whole lists and help more than one animal organization. (This is going to be our ONLY listing. Just check out the Giving Day home page. It's easy.
—Kelly Richert, President of Feral Friends Community Cat Alliance, sent a note Sunday saying the organization hopes to raise $45,000 on North Texas Giving Day.” You can see the basic appeal on the organization’s Facebook page HERE.
—DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue is wanting boost funding for taking care of these wonderful little dogs! On the dfwcockerspanielrescue.org website, you’ll see this note, “In 2018, DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue raised $12,340 with 133 gifts plus an additional $13,200 in Challenge Funds from 12 generous donors. These funds made a significant impact in our work of saving Cocker Spaniels!” As anyone in rescue knows, hearts and money fuel the mission. Here’s the LINK.
— Take Me Home Pet Rescue even has an advertisement featuring volunteers and the animals they’ve taken in. See the ad HERE and see the Giving Day link HERE.
— Mazie’s Mission, the growing organization that helps non-profits with veterinary work, has a goal of $50,000 on Giving Day. And there’s a video supporting the effort HERE. The link is HERE.

— St. Cloud's Rescue, established in McKinney to help St. Barnards and other “large-breed dogs” is also on the North Texas Giving Day List HERE. 

— Operation Kindness, the no-kill shelter in Carrollton, has announced that money it raises via Giving Day will go exclusively to food, life-saving care, shelter and other animal expenses — not a time will go to administrative or “overhead” expenses. Also, on Giving Day, the Raising Cane’s restaurant in Addison will donate 15% of the day’s profits to Operation Kindness. Customers just need to tell the staff they’re donating to North Texas Giving Day or Operation Kindness.
—East Lake Pet Orphanage has a cool Giving Day idea — Andy’s Frozen Custard, 9655 Audelia, will give part of your purchase to ELPO if you mention the Orphanage when you pay for your treat on Giving Day. And the link to giving to ELPO is HERE .
— The Spay/Neuter Network is on the list HERE. Some good soul has already donated $25,000 in matching funds — how’s that for a goal to match. 

— Paws In The City is trying to raise $20,000 in the 2019 Giving Day event. You can see how to help by clicking HERE.
—The Greyhound Adoption League of Texas has a $20,000 matching fund package already. Here’s the LINK and note that this will come in handy because Greyhound racing tracks are closing these days and that means more dogs need help with placement and medical care. (Galtx.org is where to look for the dogs that need a human heart.)
— The SPCA of Texas (God, bless the SPCA’s cruelty investigation work! — did I blurt that out? Yep.) Let me restart. The SPCA of Texas is participating in North Texas Giving Day and you can link up to the SPCA Giving Day site HERE. 

Let me remind you, this is NOWHERE near a complete list of animal organizations participating in this 11th annual North Texas Giving Day. We listed these because we got emails from them. But, we also pointed out how you can go to the North Texas Giving Day site and click on “animal” agencies to get a complete list. 
For the sake of pictures, I picked that SPCA of Texas dog —44-pound, 3 years, 4 months-old Angel (41588066), currently in foster care with the SPCA where she’s undergoing heartworm treatment. What do we know about this beautiful girl? She has one eye and she’s deaf, but the SPCA says, she likes “cuddling, giving kisses and playing tug-o-war."

For cats we went with the distinguished Harvey (42331015), a 7-pound, 5-year-old “gentle-natured guy” at Operation Kindness. 

That second dog is from Paws In The City. He’s Falkor, a 6-year-old boy who is lively, has a “silly streak” and “enjoys plushie toys and an occasional spoonful of peanut butter.” What kind of dog? On the website he’s listed as a “Retriever, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Mix.” Who knew, right?
OH, MY, OH, MY, OH MY!
HOW IN THE WORLD….
If you’re new to or have never been involved in animal rescue, you might look at this photograph and think, “Why, isn’t that cutest picture!” 
If you’re a veteran of the mission, that’s the last thing you think. You probably you look at that photo and think, “Oh, no! What in the heck is anybody going to do with all those puppies?” Veterans know what that carload represents -- love, but the rough task of finding a place for 9 puppies. These dogs may have been blessed...
Our longtime animal advocate/rescuin’ pal Beverly Fyfe tipped us to this one on Sunday.
Laurie Gautreaux, a shelter volunteer, had posted the photo and this message on Saturday: “These 9 precious babies were turned in to Fort Worth Animal Care and Control today. Available for foster, rescue, or adoption. We do not have mom.”

That was Saturday. On Sunday, Laurie posted this photo and these words:
 “Yesterday 9 precious puppies were brought into FWACC and snatched up like hot cakes! 

“Now let’s help mama find a home. She is not at the shelter she is still with the person who found her. It’s only right after giving birth and loving those 9 cuties that she gets the loving she deserves. If anyone is interested please message me.” Laurie’s Facebook page is HERE and that’s where you can message her. 
[LARRY ASIDE: Mom is clearly a Texas Earhound — and I’m betting she’s had her last litter of puppies. She’s due a good home and good rest and some treats.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
SIGNS, PLATES, PUPS AND PEOPLE
Traveling on I-30 just west of Dallas, we spotted this Ford with a tiger’s tail and a professional license plate from Alabama reading “DOGNURS.” … One more note about driving around here. Are signs on Dallas freeways too tough to follow safely? For instance, if you’re traveling north on I-35 approaching downtown Dallas, the signs direct you to Fort Worth in the left lane, then in less than a blink on a freeway, once you’re over the river, you are immediately directed across 4 lanes to the far right lane. Anybody else notice that? No wonder traffic knots up there — newcomers are trying not to miss the exit and veterans are trying not to hit the next car. … Just for the sake of an upbeat moment for a Monday, I hope you’ll read our weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. It’s the story of happiness with a puppy — Apache, the dog veteran rescuer Kimberly Jones adopted in honor of her late beloved pup Dinky. We need more stories of good-hearted adoptions. Makes a person feel good. And, send those stories and photos of your sleeping pups and cats and any other critters to dallrp@aol.com. We need an inspirational subway song from Pet Clark: CLICK HERE. No traffic signs on a Dallas subway, you know.
—- Offer opinions or suggestions by clicking on ‘comment’ below or emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

ONE DAY, THERE WAS THIS PUPPY NAMED APACHE...HE LEARNED HOW TO PILE UP AND SLEEP....

It was this wonderfully adorable phograph that caught the attention of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
Little boy with big paws and a distinct splash of accents on that muzzle!
There’s a story behind this baby, Apache, the new dog in the home of animal advocate/rescuer Kimberly Jones.
She labeled this photo, posted on September 7, as “Worn out from playing all morning.”

That’s not the whole story, but it’s a start. We’ve been writing about Kimberly Jones’ rescue exploits for years. She takes this stuff personally — you know how that goes, Dear Readers. Advocating for animals is a mission. It’s not a hobby.
The story of Apache’s arrival started before Kimberly even knew Apache existed. It began because her beloved Dinky (left) fell victim to a sudden, unexpected and final illness at only 8 years old. 

We asked Kimberly to tell us about this triumph of overcoming the heartbreak of losing Dinky. Some people can’t find a place in their hearts for another animal when they lose a beloved pet. Others recognize the need to honor that lost friend by making room for another one. And, there’s also the fact that the new face in your life may serve as a comfort when you are missing that beloved soul. 

Here’s the Kimberly report -- this waiting-for-treats photo will help you ID the canine players in this story.
She writes, “Lily, the all-white Pit Bull was pulled from Carrollton Shelter from the EU list at 3 months old about 9 years ago. They didn't adopt out Pitties yet so a friend pulled her under their rescue for me ( a Cocker Spaniel rescue LOL).
“Dutch, the big spoon to Apache’s little spoon, is my deaf puppy who was born in a litter from a dog I saved off the streets when she and her two sisters and brother were dumped by a breeder 5 years ago near Flag Pole Hill. …Lily is 9, Dutch is 5 and Apache is 3 months old. They're officially a ‘pack.’”

And, as you can see in the 3-dog night style photos, Kimberly says, “The big dogs just taught Apache how to nap on the big bed.”

You only see three dogs in the bed, but,  the spirit of a fourth dog is there with them. The next photo shows Dinky with his pal Lily, a couple of canine snoozers.
Kimberly says, “Dinky was the hardest dog I've ever lost because it was so sudden. All of my other dogs were old in age and a lot of my dogs had cancers or other serious disease.
“My Great Dane had bone cancer and was 9 years old, my Boxer had leukemia and was 10 years old,  my Pitbull Petey had an autoimmune disease and he was on heavy medication for the last three years of his life and he lived to be 13 years old.
“Dinky was only 8…He was fine on that Thursday and I even walked all of my dogs and then that night Dinky threw up and refused to even sleep in the bedroom with me and my other dog's (which was a 1st). I took him to the vet Friday morning and left him and they sent him home Friday evening saying that he seemed to be better. He had medication to take and they told me to give him bland canned food. 
“That night he refused to even look at canned food and he seemed to be in worse shape than he was the night before. I took him first thing Saturday morning to the vet to be hospitalized and by that Wednesday (July 3) he was gone.
“Lily and I were both very very depressed. I cried every day for months. I didn't understand what happened and then one day I accidentally came across a little blue Doberman puppy who was really sick. She reminded me of Dinky when I first saw him and I wanted to adopt her however that was not to happen...
“So then I just started looking for a Dobie mix pup because I realized how much my house missed Dinky’s lively personality. Every Dobie pup or Dobie-mixed pup I found that I tried to adopt was already adopted even though still listed as available. 

“But I kept coming across Apache's face. It was so cute so I finally asked to meet him and when I did he smiled at me - just like Dinky did and I knew he was the one. 
“After starting a trial with Apache I spoke to an animal communicator who told me Dinky guided me to him. And each day I see more and more similarities in Apache's personality to Dinky's. Apache is wild - just like Dinky was. And that’s exactly what my house was missing. Dinks was a wild mess and I loved him so much.
“It's good to have crazy in my house again. And Lily (and secretly Dutch) love it, too.”
Dinky got his name because he was “so little and so sickly that he had 10 million nicknames that all revolve around being dinky.” His shelter name was Dexter, but Kimberly called him Dinky Dink, The DInks, Mr. Dinks, Dinkydoodle… Many other “Dink”-related names. ”By then, he would not respond to Dexter, so Dinky stuck,” she says.

So, how’d “Apache” arrive as a name?

Kimberly explains, “I usually think of a name before I find a dog — when I decide to get another dog. So I don't know. ‘Apache’ just came to me and it fits my new puppy perfectly. His name in rescue was Jameson and I got him from Against All Odds rescue in Plano.

“He was born under a shed with his siblings and rescued with his mom and siblings from under the shed.”
And, so, what’s he learned? The big dogs have taught him how to pile up in a bed and sleep. Then, see that photo of Apache on the ground. Look in front of him. Kimberly labeled that photo as “Apache’s hole.” She explained, “Lily taught him how to dig.”
And, "Don't mind his ears, they have a mind of their own.”
Other photos? You can ID them via the caption:

 On September 9, Kimberly posted, “I don't mean to brag or anything...But Apache already learned how to sit for me. (Obviously not a picture of him sitting...Just a ridiculously cute picture I had to share).
"
And when she captured the photo of the two dogs lounging in the yard, she wrote, “My heart just burst!” Apache had joined Lily for “sun-bathing” just as Dinky used to do with his pal Lily.
Kimberly wrote, "I am glad I found a puppy. The second I knew it was meant to be is when the li'l puppy smiled — just like Dinky did."
The photo of Apache kissing Kimberly’s hand on September 2 carried this caption:
“Well... I did it! 😁 I filled out an application on this little baby!!! 😍
Fingers crossed he becomes a part of my family! 🤞🙏💙🙏🤞 I love him.”
Isn't that what it's all about? Love.
Planet needs more of it.

[PLEASE SEND PHOTOS of your sleeping dogs and napping cats and and other slumbering companion animals to dallrp@aol.com and readlarrypowell.com will proudly publish the photos and the stories of your beloved animals in our long-running weekend edition, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You’ll be inspiring people to open their homes to animals who don’t have one. Also, you’ll be inspiring insomniacs to believe that they, too, can get some sleep if they can just pile up in bed with the right number of big ol’ dogs. I swear it works.]
— Offer advice or admiration by clicking on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com before you nod off. —-

GOING TO PRESS EARLY BECAUSE THE ANIMALS CAN'T WAIT....THEY'RE ON THE CLOCK!

EDITION OF FRIDAY THE 13, SEPTEMBER 2019 [PetPowellPress] Before we get to the ringworm kitten crisis — Help! Help! — in Carrollton, we’ll note that we’re going to press a little early with our Friday edition. Contractors are coming to our house to install some french doors. Yep, on Friday the 13th. Might get french fries if my luck works as usual. 
Aren’t you surprised someone hasn’t established a Friday the 13th National Holiday? Casinos? Car dealerships? Lending agencies? Medical insurance? Diet companies? Visit Bobo’s Big Cal Donuts & Stuff, “Have yourself a Lucky Eclair — calories don’t count on Friday the 13th.” More in Contemplations, constructed as I sip decaf coffee topping off my breakfast of fake eggs and plant-based sausage.
THE CARROLLTON CAT NOTE:

INSPIRED BY RINGWORM
As veteran shelter observers know, “ringworm” can be deadly in a taxpayer-supported facility. But the Carrollton Animal Services folks are hustling to save animals on the current “Critical List.” 
The animals will be euthanized at 9 a.m. Friday “if not pulled by a rescue group or adopted.” Email care@cityofcarrol- lton.com or call the shelter at 972-466-3420 to see how you can help.
The note also reads, “Please note that due to liability issues, animal with known aggression or bite history will not be made available for adoption or rescue.” 
Then, the BIG type reads ‘Litter of kittens has come in with ringworm. We need to get them out ASAP.” 

Readlarrypowell.com picked the vibrant-coated Juno (A42705913) as the “Poster Girl’ for the Save the Ringworm Kitties” effort. She’s 4 months old and weighs 4 pounds. 
Senior Animal Care Specialist Vanessa Johnson told me the initial appeal got no response, so we’re attempting to help the shelter help these kittens. 

Ringworm used to be an automatic death sentence in shelters, but, nowadays, you find enlightened shelters working hard to keep “fear of ringworm” from killing animals.
MEANWHILE,  THE BIG DEAL
AT DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES
Here’s the latest promotion from Dallas Animal Services Facebook page. And the text on the dallasanimalservices.org site reads, “What would you pay for a lifetime of love? Come in to adopt from DAS and tell us!  We're allowing adopters to name their adoption fee on all pets through September 21st!”

Well, now, there you go. A bargain at any price.
How many dogs, cats and “other” are we talking about at Dallas Animal Services? Depends on who you ask.
If you go to dallasanimal services.org (the chart without color) you’ll see one set of numbers -- and a larger number on the city's PetHarbor listing. The “others” on DAS proper's site are 4 shorthaired rabbits and a hamster. At the PetHarbor listing HERE 
the “others” are 2 hamsters, 2 guinea pigs and the 4 rabbits.

Meanwhile, among the many dogs is this noble, big-eyed, Chocolate Lab 'Choco' (#A1014894), a 3-year-old neutered fellow who has been in the care of Dallas Animal Services since August 18. Oh, and I also was fascinated by the photo of 4-year-old Luna (A1081885), listed as a “tan and black German Shepherd Dog” who has been in the shelter since September 9 and, while I can see her eyes and Shepherd muzzle, those ears are not quite available in this photo! Still looks lovely and friendly and — you’d think — adoptable.
Cats? Cats? In Dallas? In the city that promotes spay and neuter as vigorously as it promotes paying your property taxes? Oh, man, just click through the massive cat list at DAS and you’ll see that Dallas is clearly the Most Fertile City in the nation and maybe the universe. I’ve picked just two out of zillions of kittens…well, hundreds. Zillions is next year if knuckleheads don't wise-up.
Left is Arabella (A1077533), a calico girl who has been in a DAS foster home since Wednesday. And the kitten on the right is her lookalike littermate Adela (A1077534) demonstrating her claws. Both are in a DAS foster home. Email DASadopt@dallascityhall.com. You can find them and lots of other kittens on Page 8 of the more than 30 pages of mugshots of cats and kittens at dallasanimalservices.org.
[LARRY ASIDE: The irony is, of course, a glance at the dog listings shows lots of grown-up, big ol’ black and brown and white and combo-color dogs prevailing while on the kitten list, it’s babytime at the big city shelter. So, for Friday the 13th, I’m making an appeal for the nitwitted among us to wise up, get their cats and dogs spayed and neutered so they’ll quit “gettin’ lucky” and producing puppies and kittens who’ll just wind up sitting in shelters waiting to die or sitting in the weeds and shrubbery waiting to starve or to be killed by predators, i.e., coyotes, hawks and the bipedal varmints known as “humans with cars, poisons, guns and empty hearts.” That was a long sentence, but irresponsibility with animals ticks me off like finding half a bug in a hotdog at a picnic. One reason I don’t go to picnics. Help me off this soapbox before a board snaps and I wind up being treated for a concussion or sudden adult onset delusion.]
MEANWHILE, LANCASTER
IS LOADED WITH KITTENS
The small-shelter advocates Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden have issued a dramatic appeal for help with the population of kittens at the Lancaster Animal Shelter, just across I-20 from Dallas’ southern side. 
The note reads, “This is now a critical situation — so many cute, fuzzy, little baby kittens. All colors. All are very friendly and baby sweet. Please. Begging for their lives — this is now a critically desperate situation. … Some very sweet dogs, too. They are all precious. Please. If you rescue or adopt, you truly save a life.”
There’s no walk-in traffic at the shelter. No public relations budget to promote adoption over euthanasia for the many dogs and cats. To help, call or text Laura at 214-9492726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
MEANWHILE, IN MESQUITE
Three to note, thanks to the Mesquite Animal Shelter volunteer biographer Judi Brown:

Year-old Zeus, a Pittie mix, was surrendered to Mesquite Animal Shelter on September 10 “because his owners were moving and the landlord would not allow them to bring Zeus along.” He’s gentle, sweet, raised with children, house-trained and a 71-pound dog needing someone to step between him and a needle. He’s #42699085.
Moxy, 2, a 40-pound brindle Pittie Mix, arrived on the 5th as a stray. Judi writes, “She advertises herself at the window and is very exuberant in her kennel. However once she gets out into the yard she settles down. She stays close. Her tail wags constantly and she gives sloppy kisses. When I sat down she put her head on my lap. She’s definitely an affectionate girl with good manners.” She’s #42672205.
Darling, also 2, also a Pittie mix, also came in as a stray. That was on the 5th. Judi reports, “She obviously was traumatized by the experience of being lost and arriving at the shelter because she hunkered down in the corner and was basically unapproachable!! It took two days of sweet talk and ear-scratching for her to stand up and start wagging her tail. She still is timid but has come along way, baby! She still flinches when you reach for her head. With a loving understanding family she will be able to grow into her potential. I know she will be an amazing dog! She’s a beautiful girl with very soft fur. She’s friendly once trust is built. Her tail wags constantly.” This 38-pound dog’s ID is #42655730.
For any of these dogs, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmequite.com.
TWO MORE CAT ITEMS;
ARE THEY RELATED?
Only by the feline topic. But, you may find something interesting in both:
CAT ITEM A — We got this note from our Houston animal fan contact Alexandra Kelsey. It begins, “If you are a cat lover or if you are touched by the plight of seniors who need help, Meals on Wheels’ AniMeals program is a wonderful way to help. The September wish list item is cat food.”
Maybe the same case in North Texas. If you’re in Houston, the “need of the month” is dry cat food. AniMeals on Wheels uses “1,800 pounds of dry cat food per month. And donating is so easy you don’t even have to leave your house. chewy.com has great prices. And the Amazon wish list is just as easy!” That’s the word from Animeals on Wheels, a free service of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston Meals on Wheels. To as about donating, call 713-533-4900 or email animeals@imgh.org.
CAT ITEM B -- We got a note from PETA about the U.S. Department of Agriculture revoking a Kaufman-based animal exhibitor’s license. The revocation happened on August 30, PETA says. The incident described as the final straw? Well, it happened in 2013 — not that the wheels of revocational justice move slowly. You may recall that newsy tidbit. A woman attending a circus at the Salina Bicentennial Center entered the ladies restroom and was met by a tiger. Yep, an escaped tiger, not just a well-trained tiger. Here’s a LINK to the April 23, 2013, story in Time Magazine. Oh, and the Bicentennial Center is now known as "Tony's Pizza Events Center." You can't make this stuff up.
Not sure tigers eat dry cat food, but I do know they don’t have a litter box in a stall in most men’s rooms. That would surprise the, er, heck out of a fellow.
CONTEMPLATIONS
GEEZALOU…WILL IT EVER END?
Holy smoke, people. Is there ever going to be a time when people take care of the dogs and cats they said they’d love forever? Are we ramming our heads against brick walls? Is there a way to wake up the hearts of these rock-brained don’t care/so what people? Makes me want to friggin’ scream. Pardon my expressions of frustration and despair. … Regarding our opening caloric gambit, perhaps calories do not count on Friday the 13th. Seriously, maybe they don’t. I keep up with breaking news on food and drink as much as the next person craving a plate of bean and cheese nachos. So, yeah, I’ve never seen a scientific study titled “The Viscous Qualities of Calories on Non-Family Gathering Holidays.” I will tell you this: I put on half-a-pound while merely typing the word “Eclair.” If I’d typed “raspberry jelly-filled sugar-glazed donut,” I’d have needed help getting out of this office chair. … That photo? It’s the saddest STOP sign in Dallas, Texas. Corner of Polk St. and Tarryall Drive in the Southern Hills neighborhood. Either the sign was faded by the sun or so many people looked at it that the paint wore off. I don’t know if the pothole people and the sign people are in the same city department. I know all the "ROAD WORK AHEAD" signs seem to be brightly communicative. Investing in "STOP" may not be the Dallas way.
—- To offer opinions or objections, click on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com. —-

BIG BOOTS, BIG AND SMALL DOGS, CATS, THE SEASONS AND SEPTEMBER 12

EDITION OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 [PetPowellPress] Ah, is that autumn in the air? Not so fast, sweaty. Autumn arrives in the sprawl of North Texas at 2:50 a.m. Central Time on Monday, September 23, says the Old Farmer's Almanac. 
That’s BEFORE the State Fair starts on September 27. (Big Tex already has his Dickie’s outfit and is getting his new Lucchese boots on Friday. More on the boots in Contemplations. That’s the 2019 theme and the theme-related version of Big Tex. Back to the seasons…)
I have a friend who says autumn actually blows into North Texas at halftime of the Texas-OU game at the State Fair. That’s on October 12 this year. The National Weather Service [HERE] says the temps on Oct. 12 usually get no higher than around 79 degrees. There might even be rain. There was a trace of snow in 1925 and in 1993. Is it too early to discuss cooler temps in Texas? [LARRY ASIDE: This could be the year of the State Fair Blizzard. Unless Dairy Queen already owns that name.]
Why that cat? That, Dear Fair Fans, is a 3-month-old fellow named Fletcher — yep, just like Fletcher’s Corny Dogs, the legendary mainstay of the State Fair’s “on-a-stick” menu. Fletcher was found as a baby and handed over to the care of the SPCA of Texas. You can find him on the SPCA website’s adoptables list at spca.org.
THEY CALL HIM ‘MONKEY’
BUT HE’S CLEARLY AN ANGEL
How about that face! He’d be adopted quickly at heart-sensitive Valentine’s Day. And it’s too early for Halloween. So, adopt him now and Monkey will be happy to celebrate whatever holiday you have in mind.  Just pick a day, any day, for example. 
Monkey was on the list of adoptables at Prairie Paws, the City of Grand Prairie’s animal shelter. I found his photo because, now and then, I like to see what’s available in shelters — I’ll pick one and click and see what pops up. There he was.
Monkey is believed to be about 8 years old. Monkey, who “looks like a Chihuahua,” his listing says, has been available since August 27.
He’s a brown and white “fixed” fellow who’s up-to-date on shots but is heartworm positive. The deal is, “his treatment will be administered at the shelter and is included with his adoption.” 
His bio says he was “pretty shy when he got to the shelter” but he’s better now and you need to go slow and sweet with him. Ask about #A176754. Call Grand Prairie Animal Services at 972-237-8575. Here’s the Prairie Paws LINK. The shelter is at 2222 W. Warrior Trail on the southern side of the city — pretty easy access from I-20.
WHAT? CHALUPA STILL WAITS?

& FRICK 'n' FRACK? & A 'PEANUT'
You remember Chalupa with the “Radar Ears,” of course. From Wednesday’s edition. No movement. so I changed photos.

Amy Poskey, the volunteer monitor of the tougher cases in the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter and Adoption Center, says that the year-or-two-old Belgian Malinois drew no takers in the first wave of publicity on her behalf.
Chalupa is healthy and “people friendly” and needs to be spayed. Amy writes, “Chalupa is STILL WAITING for her ‘Knight in Shining Armor’ to scoop her up and love her furever!   She is such a SWEET girl who loves to give hugs!  Won’t you give Chalupa a hug back?  All she wants is to be rescued, loved, and hugged!”
Email gayla.nelsen@cityof denton.com, Randi.Wein-berg@cityofdenton. com, and/or julien.peralta@ cityofdenton.com. Call the shelter at 940-349-7594.
As long as we’re trying to hustle up a home for Chalupa, we’ll report on Amy’s second appeal of the day.
These pups are Frick and Frack and, she says, “These two angels came to the shelter in sad shape. They both tested positive for Demodex mange (non-contagious) so they have not been vetted, yet.  It’s very hard on puppies to be kenneled for so long without interaction during their critical socialization period, so the shelter felt like it would be best to find a rescue for them.”
 They’re 3- to 6-months old, Heeler mixes, “very sweet little puppies.” Frick is a 14-pounder. Frack is a 10-pounder. As Amy writes, “No pooch should have to start life like this, so please consider saving them.”

Oh, and one more sad little story before we leave Amy’s report from Denton.
This is Snow White, maybe 9 months old, a Chihuahua/Terrier mix who has a “grade 5/6 holosytolic murmur.” Oh my? Hang on. Amy reports, “This heart condition is treatable and she can live a normal, healthy life.”

As Amy wrote, “OK, y’all, if this little peanut doesn’t grab your heart, nothing will.” Amy says a rescue reach-out is urgent because the shelter can’t sedate her and she needs some quiet time before she begins life-saving treatment. Use the same emails listed above for Chalupa, Frick and Frack.

MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
WILLOW’S ‘BITE,’ LULU’S EYES
Well, goodness, here’s a first for this website, though it’s probably not a first for an animal shelter.
We got the story about young, 25-pound Willow (ID 42593315) from our Mesquite Animal Services volunteer biographer Judi Brown who wrote, “Willow is a 5-month-old Shepherd puppy that was a seized custody case. She came to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 8/28 and was bite-quarantined. It’s my understanding that [someone who did not know better] stuck their hand deep into her mouth. Willow bit out of fear and self protection. Willow is willing to forgive and move on and is looking for someone that will give her a second chance. She has all the mannerisms of a puppy in that she’s very energetic, curious, friendly and loving. She has been taught the ‘sit’ command but could benefit from some manners training. She definitely wants to please so would probably be a good candidate for obedience training. She will need her energy channeled.”
Call the shelter at 972–216–6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com to tag Willow. Use her ID# 42593315 for tagging.

That brings us to this 10-pound beauty Lulu, an 8- or 9-year-old Chihuahua who arrived at the shelter as a stray on September 4. Judy writes, “She has cataracts in both eyes. She’s blind in her right eye but judging from how well she got around on a leash she still has sight in her left eye. The shelter can be a very scary place, especially for a small dog, but Lulu’s fear is compounded by the fact that because of her poor eyesight she is not fully aware of what’s going on around her. She was visibly shaking. At first when I tried to hold her she was squirmy and wanted to get away . However. I was pleasantly surprised that at the end of our photo shoot she actually tried to get on my lap! She is still timid and will need extra doses of TLC. … Oh and she’s certainly not ready for retirement home as she’s quite spry and very alert.” (When you contact the shelter — same info as above — use Lulu’s ID#42648900.)

CONTEMPLATIONS
BOOTS, MONET AND OTHER THOUGHTS
Big event Friday at Dallas’ Fair Park when the State Fair of Texas shows off Big Tex’s new Lucchese boots — they are the artistic work of Katie Sauceda of Keller, the Big Tex Boots Design Contest winner. Photos to come. (That's ol' Big from 2013. His boots are clunkier.) We got the new boots info from the State Fair Senior Vice President for Public Relations Karissa Condoianis. The idea of the design contest was to “accentuate this year’s Fair theme of Celebrating Texas Creativity.” Big Tex has been walkin’ around in his socks; he’s already been delivered his Dickie’s shirt and jeans. Besides, anybody who’s ever pulled on a pair of boots knows you’ve got to put the pants on first or you’ll never yank those jeans up past the spurs. … Last week my artfulspouse Martha and I paid good money (that’s a compliment) to see something worth the price of admission (and so is that): the Kimbell Art Museum’s fantastic exhibition Monet: The Late Years. Lots of water lily paintings. And some wonderful art that was so vivid with darkness that you could feel it reaching your heart and giving you the sensation of the mood with which the painting was created. Still, there is so much life in those 52 Monet paintings. Some are way too big for any home except that of a Texas oilman or football team owner, to paint with a stereotype brush. There a multiple variations of a “portrait” of a French bridge — colors change and, yet, each painting has a different pull on a person's eyes. FYI, that cat is my little formerly feral pal who, 5 years or so ago was named “Monet” because her “coat” looks as if it might have been brushed on by French impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926). I don’t know how he felt about cats, but I hope he loved them as much as I love his work. The exhibit closes on Sunday. I’m sorry I won’t get to go through it a second time. Felt the same thing about Graceland. I’m kidding. And so is Monet, the Cat. We didn’t give her a first name. Maybe Claudette will work. FYI: That willow painting is from the Kimbell's promotional website for the Monet exhibition. Google it an see a bunch of the artwork online. It may draw you to the Kimbell in time to catch Monet: The Late Years. … The headline on this edition of Contemplations promised “thoughts,” but I don’t have any. Not the first time. So, here’s an Alan Jackson song -- he wrote it, he sings it -- It is entirely appropriate on September 12 in the United States of America and anywhere Old Glory flies.
— Offer opinions or options by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

ON 9/11, AMERICA KEEPS GOING...

EDITION OF 9/11, 2019 [PetPowellPress] September 11, 2001. Babies born on that date and in that autumn — they’re getting to be old enough to vote, right? 
How can “just yesterday” be so long ago? The memories we share of 9/11 are different but they all surely have American flags at half-staff, TV images of things you never thought you’d see, weary faces of anguished people waiting to “learn” what has happened to loved ones… New York’s Twin Towers, The Pentagon in Washington, a field in Pennsylvania… Hearts all across America.

And now, all these years later, soldiers still die, Congress still meets, Americans still get up and go to work each day.
 Issues persist, political arguments endure, democracy prevails, freedoms are strong and American hearts triumph daily. The United States of America. A global symbol of free lives and free thoughts and opportunities.
You’ll see many photos and video from that day. We have no photo here. We're pausing to remember what we saw.
Now, we move on with our daily business, as we have done since before and after 9/11/2001.
CROSSING THE GENERATIONS:
ANGELS RESCUE OF NORTH TEXAS
It was back in the late years of the previous century that Betty Wiley launched the rescue group Angels Rescue of North Texas. The goal was to save the animals dumped near Mountain Creek Lake in southwest Dallas County.
The mission continues. And it crosses generations. Betty, still rescue-active at 83, called me to tell me to be on the lookout for an email from her college-age friend and like-minded rescuer Stefania Ramirez. There’s a new wrinkle in the organization’s efforts.
Stefania’s note carried word of a gofundme site set up to help pay for bettering the shelter and the care of animals that have been saved by the organization. The link is HERE.
Be sure to go to the Angels Rescue of North Texas Facebook page HERE so you can see the work that is being done by this small but tough organization. You can also see the gofundme.com message posted by Linda Dork, another Betty Wiley pal who had the tech know-how to set up the fund-raising page.

Why does Angels Rescue of North Texas still exit? Because people keep dumping animals. There’s more commercial activity near the lake these days, but that doesn’t stop the determined nitwits from pulling over and shoving out a momma dog and a litter or a boy dog who keeps “jumping the fence.” You’ve heard all those stories. And Angels Rescue doesn’t limit its work to lakeside dumpings. These dumpers don’t limit their nefarious activities to one lake, either.
MEANWHILE IN LANCASTER
We’ve been monitoring the situation with BJ The Rottweiler at the Lancaster Animal Shelter for some time now. Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden, the small-shelter advocates, first filled us in on how touchy BJ was about the right side of his face. 
The latest report reads that the mission now is to save his life via adoption or rescue. Why? Some success gave BJ some room. The note reads, “Thank you so very much for everyone that donated to help BJ be fixed and see a vet.  He did have an ear infection we found out, so they packed his ears and gave him an injectable antibiotic.  Next steps will be to observe and hopefully see that this boy feels better and can go to a rescue or an adopter very soon.  Please send him your good positive thoughts and prayers that he realizes we so much all want to save him ... BJ has not had a good life so far and is so very, very deserving.  He deserves to have someone that loves him.”

You can also help save many other Lancaster shelter animals by getting in touch with Laura by calling or texting 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
Ask to be put on the mailing list so you can monitor animals in Lancaster, Wilmer and other small shelters that have no budget for a public relations department.
Among the Lancaster animals are this dog we’ve mentioned before: Princess, who is thought to be pregnant. And there are many kittens who are continuing to grow and have, in several cases, been fixed already and are waiting for homes.
CONTEMPLATIONS
ABOUT THE ANIMALS & PEOPLE
The advice given after 9/11 was for Americans to demonstrate that we’ll keep living as Americans. We’ll do what Americans do so people will know we cannot be rattled out of our freedoms. 
The American animal rescue community has done that — and it has grown. But so has the Animal Don’t Care/So What collection of misguided souls. The do-good people continue to do good — against great odds.
Among those Americans are members of the animal rescue community. The advocates. The hands-on/knee-deep in the challenge rescuers. The devoted people who kept their hearts focused on their missions.
After 9/11, it would have been easy to skip a day at a feral cat colony, to ignore a dog running loose next to a big city freeway. Didn’t happen. The hearts of the “animal nuts” maintained the mission. “Animal nut” — a proud label in the Readlarrypowell.com world.
And today? There’s still no off-season for animal rescuers, shelter workers, advocates. Not in their DNA. They just keep going. 

Pretty sure no animal rescuer has won Lotto Texas or the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. Pretty sure I’d have heard. And, you know what? I love the United States, especially the Lone Star State and its beautiful skies.
—- To offer hoorays for the “Animal Nuts,” click on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com. —-

ZANY CAT, EARHOUNDS & HEAT

EDITION OF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 [PetPowellPress] The Oak Cliff kitten, Stevie Ray Treeboy (named for Stevie Ray Vaughan and the plight in which I found the kitten), continues to grow and pester his roommate, the formerly feral tabby William Powell. Why? Who knows? It’s The Way of The Cat. So, here’s our Tuesday report as my office cats ricochet around the the desk and electronic equipment, pausing now and then to look out a window as if they’d dare leave an air-conditioned building.
There’s a “still” of Stevie Ray, The Masked Avenger, staring at the camera, and that art shot is of William Powell looking out the window. One day last week, they were mesmerized by a hummingbird exploring the cannas. A phone camera is not as quick as a hummingbird, so I have only photos of cats.
RADAR EARS OF CHALUPA,
THE BELGIAN MALINOIS
This Denton McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center dog is looking for some help with this big- eared girl, according to our tipster Amy Poskey.

Chalupa was “being vetted Monday but had an adverse allergic reaction to the sedation medication … and the vet staff was unable to spay her so she is RESCUE ONLY.  Bless her heart, the medication caused a mild seizure.”
Chalupa, somewhere between a year and two-years-old, is “heartworm negative, people friendly and is non-reactive to dogs passing by her kennel.”
She’s up-to-date on vaccinations and microchipped by, the note reads, “will need to be spayed by the rescue who saves this beauty.”
She’s described as “incredibly sweet and loveable” and “she loves to give hugs! And, how can you resist those radar ears.”
Here are the email contacts to ask about rescuing Chalupa:   gayla.nelsen@cityofdenton.com, Randi.Weinberg@cityofdenton.com, and/or julien.peralta@cityofdenton.com . The shelter number is 940-349-7594. And Chalupa’s PetFinder listing is HERE.
MEANWHILE, FROM BURNS FLAT
ONE CAT AND THREE DOGS….
Check out the face on that dog. Is that not the kind of face you’d like to see sitting on the couch with you during a quiet night with the family TV? That is Kami.
We get the story on this situation from the noted Burns Flat, Okla., animal rescuer and do-right advocate Terry Lynn Fisher. 
She writes, “The Sheriff in the next county finally got with me and released the dogs. Due to the owner’s family being the type of people they are, he wanted me to make sure everything was legal...
"My heart breaks. I have learned the old man that went to the nursing home was very mean to these dogs. He fed them whenever and often abused them. They are honestly the sweetest dogs ever. The abuse and neglect just made them crave love even more.

“The cat is skinny but so full of love. I have him in a foster home.

“There are the two males... The shep mix is the largest of them. His ribs are showing; he is really thin. …

“Then the little guy. He is a Doxie mix of some type. Very skinny as well. I have them at the pound in Sentinel right now. … I am overflowing at mine so I have no choice..
“Then the female... We have named her Kami. Her eyes. They look into your soul. She is the worst.

“My heart broke when I saw her pictures. I broke down and cried when I saw her in person. She is so full of love. All she wants is to know she is a good girl —that someone wants her and loves her....
“ALL are having to be fed little mini meals, for they are so skinny.
“I will do what I can for them. I will do what I can for all the ones in boarding.all the ones at the pound here and in Sentinel. For if I don't, who will????”

[LARRY ASIDE: I wanted you to see Kami's face next to the photo of her body -- Terry Lynn was right to cry... Don't you think?]
Then, Terry Lynn got pretty personal with her note. And I thought rescuers in North Texas should see how things affect her — you may know exactly how she feels. You may have encountered these emotions. Terry Lynn wrote, “But I will be honest... My heart cant take much more heartache... I cry all the time... I go to the pound and hear the cries as I pull away… So here we are... with even more in need...  And as much as I hate always begging, here I am.. but I am begging for their lives.. So, can you help?  Can you forward the need? Share what we have going on? I appreciate everyone so much and I am sorry to always bother everyone. But I can't do it alone. I need all of you.”

Contact Terry Lynn about these animals or her emotions or her efforts by emailing remembering_ oddball@yahoo.com. The clinic that helps her with animals in need is always happy to receive donations for her animals — Elk Creek Clinic, 1301 Airport Industrial, Elk City, Okla. 73644. Call the clinic at 580-2225-4863.

Remember Mikey? The blind and deaf dog who was thought to be dead, until police came to get his body and he moved? Terry Lynn wouldn’t let him die while covered with ants and left in a “death pen.”

She took Mikey to his hospice home on Sunday.
“I was so happy. He is a doll. Loves to have his face touched. So one leaves and four animals come in. Kami took his kennel at the vet.”
CONTEMPLATIONS
GIVING, SEEING SPOTS & NO JUICE
Do I really need to remind anyone that North Texas Giving Day is coming up on September 19? You can’t open your email without getting a few reminders that animal groups are working special “matching fund” deals and really in need again for some healthy donations to help the animals. You don’t have to wait until the 19th to donate, you know. Scheduled giving — is that the term?… I spotted this girl Blue (A0921361) on the Dallas Animal Services adoptables list at dallasanimal services.org and while, right away, I recognized her as a genuine Earhound, I also saw this description on her listing: “black and white Dalmatian.” Yep, that’s what they say. She’s also listed as 12 years old and has been at the shelter since August 28. As about her by calling the shelter at 214-670-6800 or drop by at the big facility at I-30 and Westmoreland. And, remember, there’s no designated number of minimum or maximum spots on a Dalmatian, though the Dalmatian ears are usually floppier, as I recall. Never mind the label, a 12-year-old dog is a graceful companion. You’ll love her. … I was standing outside briefly in Oak Cliff Monday because the battery that usually powers my 2013 Ford Edge died and refuse to start the car. The guy who checked the battery said he’d never encountered a deader one. I’m blaming the heat. I energized a new battery with some cash I’d been saving to buy an autumn sweater this week.
—- Offer your opinion or your doubts by clicking on ‘comment’ below or emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

KITTENS, DOGS, A TREE & STAR TREK -- PLUS, OH, MY! CONGRESS RETURNS...

EDITION OF MONDAY, SEPT. 9, 2019 [PetPowellPress]— Congress’ summer break is over and the august body returns to business on Monday. Sunday was September 8, the date in 1966 that NBC presented Star Trek, the classic American space adventure. 
From which of those facts -- Congress or Star Trek --  have you gotten more comfort in life? We’ll have more in Contemplations.
T hat kitten? Wasn’t born when Star Trek debuted. Nope, that’s Luxor (#A1081651), a resident of Dallas Animal Services since Saturday. He’s 4 weeks old and, as you can see, can probably deliver a sturdy stiff-arm with that left front paw. Heck, he might be ble palm a basketball.
 He’s too young to adopt, so DAS is offering him to rescue groups. Email DASRescue@dallascityhall.com. See more Dallas adoptables HERE. http://www.dallasanialservices.org [LARRY ASIDE: We have former Dallas foundling kittens in our household. Well-mannered, happy and like to wear Blue and Silver on the days Dallas beats division rivals, i.e., the New York Giants.]
‘SENIOR’ GRACIE MAKES A MOVE
WITH HELP FROM HER FRIENDS
We may fail to see miracles these days (see miracle philosophy in Contemplations), but I think I can point out one to you that happened over the weekend: Amy Poskey, who first alerted us to the plight of “dumped-to-be-euthanized” senior Sheltie Gracie, reported on Saturday, “Our sweet Gracie has left the building!!!” The building is the Denton Linda McNatt Animal Care & Adoption Center where Director Randi Weinberg and team realized the dog was ready to be rescued, not ready to be euthanized. Amy wrote Saturday, “She was picked up this morning at 10 a.m. and was transported to her foster home in Houston, TX!  Once again, I would like to thank Houston Sheltie Sanctuary for saving Gracie and providing all the love and care she deserves!” You can support Gracie’s cause by donating to the Houston Sheltie Sanctuary HERE. Might even see a pup who'd be perfect for your home. (LARRY ASIDE: I mention Sheltie adoptions in honor of my late pal Sigrid Mureen, a colleague at The Dallas Morning News who adored, rescued and protected the breed she’d call “my Shelties.”)
On Sunday, Amy forwarded a note from Jenny Poti at Houston Sheltie Sanctuary. It read, “I would like to thank all of you for saving this sweet little senior girl, and NOT euthanizing her! She has a lot of spunk and many years left to enjoy life! Thank you for allowing our rescue to bring her into our program, she will be treated like a queen.”
And, of course, there she is beginning her reign in Houston. Jenny wrote, “Gracie is definitely a diva! LOL! She did great on the transport yesterday, just chilled out on the ride to Houston. “

MEANWHILE IN FORT WORTH,
‘SENIOR’ LADY NEEDS A HOME
Tami Kula tipped us to this “SWEET SENIOR ALERT” at the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control’s Chuck Silcox Adoption Center.
You see the photos here of Lady in her shelter quarters and of Lady enjoying a very nice encounter with some of the shelter shrubbery. Tami’s note begins, “Lady is 7 years young and her nickname is ‘Cuddle Bug’.” [LARRY ASIDE: Lady weighs 73 pounds — she may currently hold the title as “Texas’ Most Sizeable Cuddle Bug.” You know what I say? I say, “Cuddle that Baby!]

Tami says, “This loving girl got a pedicure yesterday and was a champ. Her hips are off. Not a lot of strength in her back legs but just wiggles when she walks. None of that slows her down. She is a special calm girl who has a loving soul and is great around kids and cats and dogs. As you can tell she just smiles. Come meet this incredible lady today.” Here’s a link to the vigorous Lady video.

CONTEMPLATIONS
MIRACLES; THE FAMOUS TREE; TREK TRIVIA
You probably saw the story of the woman in the Bahamas who sheltered all those dogs during Hurricane Dorian. Our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andrew Fisher sent me this NBC link
 in case you missed it. That inspired me to consider something my beloved Aunt Gwen Peters of San Jose, Calif., sister of my great Mom-in-Law Violet Muse, has repeatedly told me through the years, “Larry, there are miracles around us. Sometimes we just don't bother to look for them any more.” …Our pal, the veteran animal advocate and rescuer Beverly Fyfe tipped us to a tree development over the weekend. The famous big tree at Armstrong Parkway and Preston Road, visited and admired by many people through decades and decades of Christmas seasons, is now a vanishing landmark. As Beverly wrote, “The Grand Lady is tired and ready to rest now.” The tree has its own page on the Highland Park website HERE and you can read about the decision to change the face of the Christmas season HERE. … Our longtime reliable source Jeff Crilley, President/CEO of Real News Public Relations, sent the note about the Star Trek Anniversary. Not all of us needed to have a reminder beamed up, right, Trekkers? He also included a link to a compilations of things you might never have known about Star Trek. It’s HERE . I suggest you read it before you find yourself disoriented by the vigor with which the members of Congress reunites Monday to open old wounds and claim to be re-establishing new truths for the benefit of the American people. Of course, this could be the session when politics change. And I could be dancin’ with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes in the Macy’s Parade at Thanksgiving.
—— Offer opinions or advice by clicking on ‘comment’ below or emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

BIG DOG SLEEPING, NO CAT NAPPING

If you’re the least bit hip to Texas towns you know that Fort Worth is “Cowtown” and Dallas is “Big D.”
Dallas has been called many other things, but let’s not get into that for this edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Fort Worth is also known as “Panther City.” As many of us who reported for papers in both Dallas and Fort Worth learned, a story in a Dallas paper (not one currently publishing) reported that things were so slow in Fort Worth in the 1870s that a panther was seen sleeping on Main St. 

So, in our new Cowtown home, we’re not living on Main Street, and we’re not seeing any panthers, but we do have a dog who loves the red cloth couch in our living room. Our home in Dallas didn’t have a lot of windows, so this guy, Dudley The Angel, has found himself enjoying naps on the red couch.

When he first wandered up in our Dallas yard nearly a decade ago, I thought he was a black-coated dog with white highlights and Martha declared, “Nope. He’s a brown dog” and made fun of my inability to discern dog hair pigment.

Here, the light of an afternoon sun beaming through the windows, I can see that Dudley is a basic brown dog. Dudley’s second-known vet, Dr. Vladi deJong, said he suspected Dudley was a Border Collie mixed with a Chocolate Lab. We think he’s simply an Angel.
 We think Dudley had visited a vet at some point -- we refer to him as "The Miracle of Tarryall Drive" because he was already fixed when he arrived. That never happened in our area of Oak Cliff.
You see him with his cat pal, Simon, who may be part Siamese. [Note that the blotches on his coat in the photos are not pigment, but are shadows -- see the ear shadows?) Simon has blue eyes and a delicate white coat artistically enhanced by a light brown coat and some orange rings on his tail. 
We bottle-fed him when he was an abandoned kitten — he was screaming for food in our shrubbery after his Mom vanished with two orange siblings and a tabby, if memory serves. If memory doesn’t vis a vis color, they all still went missing and we got this great big cat. That's a photo I took on his visit to the vet -- he weighed not very much. Today he weighs much.
I also included the action shot of Dudley’s ears going to alert when he heard the garage door open and knew his “mom” Martha was about to return from her position of employment in Big D.

We don’t know what kind of dogs may wander up in Fort Worth, but we suspect any wander-up cats will have “Panther” in the family tree.
[PHOTOGRAPHIC APPEAL: Please, I’m beggin’ you, Dear Readers, my dogs and cats are getting permanent red dots in their eyes from being photographed all the time. Help me let ‘em off the photohook by sending photos of your slumbering critters and their life stories, favorite meals, happiest moments to me, Larry “Born in Northeast Texas” Powell at dallrp@aol.com. Remember, a demonstration of pride and happiness from your house may help someone decide to adopt a dog or a cat and help the world be a better place. You will — no doubt — show the world’s insomniacs that they, too, can gets some sleep, if they’ll just invest in a cheap red couch. Scout’s honor — and I really was a Boy Scout. Never saw a panther or a bear on a campout, though, but we did once run across a still while hiking in southwest Arkansas.]
—- Offer advice or lucky lotto numbers by clicking on ‘comment’ below or emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

FOR FRIDAY: A LANDFILL TRIUMPH; DOGS AND CATS; CONTEMPLATIONS

EDITION OF FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2019 [PetPowellPress] Just think, a week ago we were all excited about the Labor Day Weekend and now we’re getting ready for Halloween. Well, not all of us. Some are already done with their holiday gift shopping and proudly declaring, “I never even went to a mall.”
OK, enough of the examination of modern society. Let’s look at oppor — HANG ON! LOOK OUT! Stevie Ray, just about 3 months old (the kitten I pulled out of a mimosa tree), likes to get onto the shelf on my desk and dive bomb me while I’m working. That’s him on the brink of a jump to the mousepad. I’m sure he’ll grow out of it. Surely.
MEANWHILE, A DOG AT THE DUMP
GETS A REALLY GOOD BREAK
You may recall this apocalyptic-esque photo we published in the July 25-26 edition. Michelle Mitchell took the picture of this dog while she was at the City of Dallas McCommas Bluff Landfill in southeast Dallas. Several dogs live at the dump. And, now, several people are trying to help them.

The dog being adored on the left is Sally, rescued from the Dallas dump.
As August was drawing to a close, Sally had been captured at the dump and moved into another city property, Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center. 
Veteran animal advocate David Maldonado posted a Facebook report on her progress and explains that she was “part of a large pack of dogs that lives inside the Dallas landfill. She is just a baby at 8 months old but all she has known is scavenging garbage, avoiding attacks from wild boar, and not getting crushed by the heavy machinery. Up until now this group of dogs has been ignored by landfill employees but thanks to a tip from a Good Samaritan we’ve been trying to hatch a plan to get as many dogs out of danger as possible.”

Sally came off stray hold at DAS and, lo and behold, the 26-pound dog got a break. She moved into a foster home for a rescue group and is progressing from dumped dog to adored dog. Click HERE to watch a video of the “dump dog” being a “house dog.”
After seeing the video, Michelle Mitchell posted a note that read, “My heart is warm. This is the captured little girl from the dump. She’s is a foster home learning the ropes. It looks like she’s a quick learner and super sweet.”

And on Friday morning Michelle posted a photo of this guy and described the photo as “Here’s another male at the dump.”
[LARRY ASIDE: David reports that the City has set out traps capture the dump dogs, so they’ll go into DAS custody. Clearing the streets of dogs became a city mission after a roaming packed killed a woman. Here’s a chance for the city to become in a warm and lovely mission of “Adopt a Dump Dog,” finding homes for the dogs who have simply been struggling to survive at a big landfill. Wouldn’t it be great if the City that name it’s airport “Love” could make certain these “dump dogs” all found good homes instead of quietly running out of time on the shelter clock? Might even make a good story for the local media or The New York Times, to cite a paper that recently crowed about DAS’s accomplishments.]
SOMETIMES THINGS DON’T
HAPPEN TO WORK OUT…
This girl is Ellie. We got her story via Gail Whelan of CAN (Companion Animal Network) Adoptions.
The story is sweet-dispositioned Ellie was adopted “a couple of years ago. Now the older dog has really started pounding on her.” Consequently, the family wants to find a new home for Ellie.
This isn’t a sudden thing. People have been trying to help Ellie find a new home “for months,” reports Gail.
Ellie’s about 4 years old, very playful and “wants to play with the older dog all the time I have met this sweet girl and it is killing me.”
 The family has only positive things to say about Ellie, including she’s healthy and “OK with cats.”

Contact points? Gail at 903-967-3226 or email can.adoptions@yahoo.com.
GRACIE FINDS SANCTUARY
Gracie, the senior “mini-Sheltie” who was in the Denton McNatt Animal Care and Adoption Center in a tought spot, has some good fortune because of good hearts. 
First, the McNatt folks realized she was not ready to be euthanized, as the surrendering owner suggested. (See yesterday’s report for details.) Then, the shelter reached out for help and our tipster, the volunteer shelter monitor Amy Poskey writes, “I’m very happy to report that Gracie will be heading to greener pastures on Saturday morning!!!  Yep, Jenny Poti with HOUSTON SHELTIE SANCTUARY offered to take this precious angel!  THANK YOU JENNY!!!  I would also like to thank Lone Star Collie & Sheltie Rescue, DFW Sheltie Rescue and Legacy Humane Society for offering to take Gracie, too!!!  All these rescue groups are AWESOME!!!  Thank you so much to EVERYONE who made this happen!!!  Amy.”
THE LANCASTER SITUATION
We don’t have room to republish ALL the still-waiting animals in the Lancaster Animal Shelter. So we’ll focus on a previously spotlighted girl and a newly arrived girl.
The new girl is Nyla, a Retriever/Spaniel mix who, according to the report from small-shelter advocate Laura Macias, is “the sweetest little girl ever. …. Owner-surrender by someone unable to care for her.”
And, once again, we’ll cite Princess, the Lab/Bulldog mix who “may be pregnant.” Her owner “was located but never came in for her.”
Get the list of Lancaster adoptables including a load of kittens by calling or texting 214-949-2726 or emailing cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. Yeah, they’ve got a load of kittens available in the little low-traffic, city taxpayer-funded shelter. Laura, reached at that number and that email, can tell you how to adopt a Lancaster animal.
CONTEMPLATIONS
WANDERING MIND, HOT TYPE, SLEEPERS/NAPPERS
Ah, it’s a Friday, so my mind will wander. Anniversay I neglected to mention. It was 51years ago in late July 1968 that I moved from the Texarkana Gazette to the Shreveport Times. I went from being a night news editor/reporter to being a sportswriter at The Times. Fantastic time. MIght have been influenced by the late ‘60s when everything was vibrant with change and Vietnam. Entire books have been written about the era — but why bring up the lousy newspaper salary. I covered some games with star quarterbacks who made the pros — Terry Bradshaw at Louisiana Tech, Bert Jones at Ruston High School, Joe Ferguson at Shreveport Woodlawn and James Harris at Grambling. Even covered Texas League baseball a time or two and was blessed to watch the great Ralph Garr suit up and star with the Shreveport Braves — he later played magnificently with the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago White Sox. Not a one of those fellas made anywhere near $90 million. Neither did I. In my career, I once moved 200 miles to get a $10 a week raise. Newspapers: Big hearts, tight wallets no matter the current financial situation. … We got this note from A Different Breed Animal Rescue about the weekend’s planned adoption event. Appropriately, it arrive in a “hot” red font: “Due to temperatures reaching the 100 degree mark and above, unfortunately there will not be an adoption drive this Saturday.” … Have a great weekend, send me photos of your sleeping dogs and napping cats for the weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Email the photos and bios to dallrp@aol.com. And I’m not running a photo of Porche sleeping for the third edition in a row — she’s not sleeping. She wandered of with my funspouse Martha — Martha gives treats and I simply give advice, i.e., “Don’t chew that” or “Don’t lick that book.”
— Offer advice or laughs by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and remember: Get the dogs out of the dump and save ‘em all. —

CELEBRATING, GRACIE, BO, PORCHE, COWBOYS, BIG TEX & PLUMBING

EDITION OF THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2019 [PetPowellPress] Ah, can this be true? The National Football League begins its 100th season tonight? 

Yes, I remember covering that first game and at the post-game press conference hearing Chicago Bears owner George Halas tell the reporters, “The first thing I’m gonna do is petition for instant replay.” I’m kidding, I wasn’t at that game. Also: (A) Chicago didn’t play in the first game; (B) Not sure there was a post-game press conference (C) Instant replay didn’t work on radio and (D) there were NO $90 million running backs. There still may not be. Dallas doesn’t play until Sunday — then we’ll see. What? Oh, Oct. 3, 1920 — the NFL season was launched by the Dayton Triangles and the Columbus Panhandles, careful online research reveals.
Why did I begin with a football story? Because I’ve been tackling a household plumbing mishap all mornings. More in Contemplations where Porche Noel asks, "Now what are you doing, you big lug?"
A SENIOR DOG IN DENTON
NEEDS A LOVING HOME…
Our tip on this girl came from Amy Poskey, the resolute monitor of the Denton McNatt Animal Care and Adoption Center. Gracie is a “senior mini-Sheltie who weighs 13 pounds,” the shelter says.
Amy summarized Animal Services Manager Randi Weinberg’s appeal this way: “This beautiful angel needs our help!!!  Bless her heart, Gracie was surrendered with her brother, Winston, a senior purebred Pom, but he passed away at the shelter.  Breaks my heart.  So, let’s save Gracie before it’s too late!!!  Please read below, take a look at her sweet picture, and contact the shelter ASAP, if you can help!  Thank you!  Amy.”

Gracie will need dental work and she has a cataract in one eye. But she’s a joy.

Here are the email contacts: gayla.nelsen@cityofdenton.com, Randi.Weinberg@cityofdenton.com, and/or julien.peralta@cityofdenton.com. Call the shelter at 940-349-7594. Visit at 3717 N. Elm St. in Denton.
And here are some excerpts from Randi’s appeal that indicate this dog really may not be anywhere near ready for the needle. Randi wrote, “We need your help! This sweet pooch, Gracie was surrendered by her owner for Euthanasia. … We decided that she deserves a second chance at life. … She is currently in one of our foster’s home so she can be comfortable.”
[LARRY ASIDE: As you know “deciding” can rip a giant hole in your soul. If you have two that are approaching the Bridge, it’s horrific. These are your loved ones. You want to do best for them and you must also mourn and feel the pain. And, mercifully, rather than take the dogs into the country or the city and “set them free,” this owner took them to a “shelter” that lived up the ideal of protecting, not just euthanizing.]
FOLLOWING UP ON A FAVORITE;
THE LITTLE GIRL NAMED BO
We opened Wednesday’s edition with this photo and I labeled Bo as “The Dog I’d Have If I Didn’t Already Have All The Dogs I Can Have.” That was her early shelter photo. It didn't do her justice, as you can see.
Then, overnight, we got the personal report from Mesquite’s volunteer biographer Judi Brown. Bo, she said, is a 2-year-old Pug mix who came into the shelter on Aug. 29 as a stray. “She was microchipped and the owners were called and said they were going to come but never did after repeated calls.
“She’s one of the cutest dogs you’ve ever seen!  She is so low to the ground that she almost scrapes her belly in the dirt. She does have the mannerisms of a blind dog so is unsure about walking on the leash. But other than that she’s a very happy,  spunky, fun loving little girl. Her whole body literally wiggles when she wags her tail!

 “Besides that she washes your face with kisses. She went nose to nose with other dogs in the bay and was excited to interact with them. However when she was dog tested in the yard she got so excited that she inadvertently grabbed the other dog’s tail in her mouth. I’m sure she didn’t know what she was doing. However supervised play would be advised. This absolutely adorable little girl weighs 24 pounds.”
To ask about adopting or helping Bo, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. Her shelter number is ID41060534. 
Oh, and let’s not forget that you can see more dogs and cats at Mesquite by clicking on THIS LINK.
This guy Shane, a 2-year-old Yellow Lab mix (42628155), arrived at Mesquite as a stray on Sept. 1. Judi says he’s “very well-behaved.” Also, “He stays close and if you sit down, he comes to you to be petted.” There’s a lot to pet — he weighs in at 71 pounds. Judi writes, “He apparently was an inside dog because he spent most of the time when not hanging out with me, by the door wanting to go in.” [LARRY ASIDE: Smart Texas dog — knows where the air-conditioning is.]

Among the cats? The 3-month-old kitten (42625544) with the great wingspan is Waffles. He small, for now, and waiting for a home. He arrived on August 31 and keeps growing, of course, as that is "The Way of the Kittens."
CONTEMPLATIONS
HOUSEHOLD PLUMBING, SLEEPING CRITTER APPEAL, BIG TEX, & A COWBOYS PREDICTION
As my employedspouse Martha left to travel east for work this morning, she stepped into the garage and shouted, “Hey, what’s with all the water?” Ah, I’d been doing laundry and stacks of boxes from our recent move had experienced a tsunami of soapy water. Why? Because the lads who installed our washer didn’t quite fasten the drain hose properly at the pipe. Did we lose anything? No. Only one box got a soaking — it held a backup wireless keyboard, a backup wireless mouse, a few dozen letters and cards, my mother’s autobiography and a yellow notepad on which I had scribbled plots for several great American novels. Maybe some poetry -- "Scribbled" I said, so I'll have to hire someone to decipher my "writing." That notebook was drenched. Mom’s book was dry. Her way of telling me from the Hereafter, “I don’t want to butt into your business, but you really ought to check all the connections before you launch the rocket.” Thanks, Mom. Like you, we’re all high and dry now. … For the second day in a row I’m posting a photo of Porche Noel sleeping in my new office — this is my attempt to get you, Dear Readers, to send us photos of sleeping dogs, napping cats and other critters for publication in our long-running weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. (Email dallrp@aol.com.) Porche doesn’t mind modeling as a sleeping dog. What she doesn’t like is that ancient alphabetical tattoo I had her put on her ear. Relax., that’s just the handle on the office chair. Porche prefers jewelry to tats. …
…Now for the Cowboys prediction: No, not the Dallas Cowboys, but the state’s most prominent cowboy, Big Tex, the 55-foot-tall symbol of the State Fair of Texas (Sept. 27-Oct. 20). He’s going to “return to his post at Big Tex Circle” at Fair Park on Friday Sept. 20 and when he does, our prediction is he’ll look pretty darned spiffy in this new shirt from Dickies. Took 9 months to get his 2019 look together, according to a State Fair news release. Also, the outfit “is made of durable, wind and flame-resistant material.” Now and then, being “flame-resistant” turns out to be important for Big Tex. …About Cowboys predictions: While we’re confident that Big Tex will have a great run, we’re concerned about the Dallas Cowboys. They may be a little downcast after Sunday’s game against Eli Manning and the New York Giants. Fate has a way of knocking down a billionaire and a $90 million running back sometimes. They try hard and then a bad field goal attempt costs them the game. Sorry to be a bit negative, but I’ve been a Cowboys’ fan or “interested party” since the team’s debut back when the only way to see a game in my childhood home in Texarkana was to watch it on “snowy black and white TV” game broadcasting from the Cotton Bowl. Ah, the early '60s, those were the days — $90 million went a lot further then than it does today.
—- Feel free to argue or cheer by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and telling me what a jerk I am for acknowledging the reality that nothing is certain in professional sports. —-

QUILTING, CRITTERS, DODGING SCAMS, AND NO HAIL-SIZED BASEBALLS....

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 [PetPowellPress] First, be ready to help animals in this hurricane tragedy. But, second, first make sure the person you’re giving to is really going to be helping the hurricane animals and not the hurricane scammers.
In the age of Google, it’s a lot easier to check someone out than it was in the Era of the Telephone.
Easier to be fooled, too. Caution is a good thing.
FYI: That is “The Dog I’d Have If I Didn’t Already Have All The Dogs I Can Have.” She’s Bo (41060534), 24 pounds, 2 years old and in “Bay 1” at the Mesquite Animal Shelter. The eyes have it, don’t you think?]
QUILTING FOR CRITTERS?
YEP, EVEN IT IF IS 100 IN THE SHADE
Ah, the joy of a quilt. Here’s a chance to own a great one.

 [LARRY QUILT WEATHER ASIDE: Keep that a/c turned down so low at night that you need a quilt in the heat of a Texas summer? Heck, yeah. Artificial winter. How else can you get the cat and dog to sleep quietly on the bed instead of standing by the refrigerator all night and waiting for someone to open it and give ‘em a cool breeze?]
 The great Sydney Busch of the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, tells us, “This fabulous quilt, lovingly handmade and donated by the Gun Barrel Quilters Guild to Friends of the Animals, is being raffled off on December 1. Tickets are $5 each and are available at the clinic every Tuesday all day OR at the clinic on Second Saturday of each month from 10-noon OR at Flair Printing in GBC across from Dairy Queen. Or, Or call 903-451-4701.”

She describes this as “an easy way to help make a difference for so many animals and their families.”

The Friends operate the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas. Learn about the Friends at www.friendsoftheanimals.org or keep up with this vital work on Facebook, HERE. 
 
THE HUMAN ELEMENT
SHOWS UP AT A SHELTER
Three from Mesquite, courtesy of the hands-on bio writer Judi Brown, who meets the shelter dogs she writes about:

Kaiser, 5, a 53-pound Husky, ID’d as #42596282, arrived at Mesquite Animal Shelter as a stray on August 28 and, Judi writes, “There was a possible owner that did not come to reclaim him. That’s hard to imagine because Kaiser not only is very stunning dog, but also he’s very gentle, calm, friendly, loving, and well-behaved.”
Human oriented? Judi writes, He’s very alert and explored the yard but spent most the time hanging out with me. You can tell that he’s looking for love. When he looks up at you with his piercing blue eyes you can’t help but be charmed.” [LARRY ASIDE: The first photo shows that he’s prepared to pose for family holiday photos and the second demonstrates that he’ll be happy to laugh-along with whatever joke gets told by rich ol’ Uncle Funny at the family reunion. That’s the basis of a novel, Husky Holiday: Lay Off the Nog, if you’d like to purchase it.]

That brings us to #42637817, known as Little Bit, a 22-pound, year-old dog of whom Judi writes, “according to my Dog Scanner is a Schipperke/Australian Kelpie. Regardless of what he is, he’s an 11-month-old cutie with a sparkle in his eyes and a fun loving personality. He was an owner-surrender… The reason given for surrendering is that the owners had too many animals.I kept a leash on him for pictures because even though he’s friendly and liked having his ears scratched he was somewhat skittish. He definitely wants to make friends but had just come into the shelter and was taking time to adjust. 
“He’s a perky little thing with little ears that stand up ....making him so adorable! In the kennel he got so excited at the anticipation of getting to get out that he jumped like a Jack-in-the-Box from a standing position 3 feet into the air. He did this over and over. For that reason I would say if he’s going to be outside he will definitely need a secure fence.”
That brings us to Cassie (#42615440), a year-old, 45-pound Black Lab who arrived as a stray on August 30. Judi writes that Cassie “is everything you  would want in a puppy and a black lab. She’s friendly, enthusiastic,, fun loving, sweet, loving, etc. She would most likely make a wonderful family dog. She’s a happy girl with a wiggle butt. She chases toys but doesn’t retrieve them. She stays close wanting human companionship and wanting to please. She went nose to nose with many dogs in the bay wagging her tail. Cassie weighs 45 pounds.
And, just FYI, Cassie was “running loose” with Camilla/Reece [#42615493], a year-and-a-half-old, 55-pound Shepherd mix when they were “nabbed” on August 30. She knows “sit.” She’s calm, gentl, frisky, perky and loveable.” [LARRY ASIDE: How two cool, friendly dogs wind up “stray” an nobody comes looking for them is beyond my feeble mind’s comprehension.]
]And, remember, Mesquite has cats, too. Grown-ups and babies. Two of the grownups? On the left, cuddling a wall instead of being cuddled by a human, is Maus (31359056), a 4-year-old fellow who has been waiting in the shelter since August 30. He’s in the Cat Room.
And we’ve got a cat we’ve mentioned before: Bond. James Bond. #00— wait, sorry, got carried away. He’s 342099196, licensed to be adopted. He’s just over 2 years and 8 months. And he, too, is in the Cat Room. You can see more dogs and cats by going to this LINK.
To help any Mesquite Shelter animal call 972-216-6283 or email rescue@cityofmesquite.com.
GRACIE — A GREAT DANE
NEEDING A HOME
Karen Lee, the animal advocate at barkleyworld.com, tipped us to this appeal from the West Side Animal League in White Settlement. The dog in question is 6-year-old “super well-behaved” Great Dane Gracie, who after 4 years in a “loving home” wound up in a local shelter. WSAL is “looking for a foster home or an adopter for her.” She’s spayed, microchipped, up-to-date on vaccines.”
Anybody who has has a Great Dane or a Dane mix for a best pal will appreciate this sentence in the appeal. “While Gracie minds her manners well, she’s still an extra large dog and her temperament is true to the breed.” [LARRY ASIDE: As we learned from our beloved Hambone Jack, the Canine King of the Blues, those big Danish tails wag like a baseball bat. Anything on a coffee table is at loving peril!]
Send your “I want to audition to help Gracie” message to WSAL via Facebook HERE .
And, FYI, you can see how tall this baby is — she can’t cook breakfast for you because she has trouble gently cracking the eggs and flippin' 'em, but she will happily help you eat breakfast!

AND THEN ONE DAY
SHE HAD NO HOME…
The picture seems to say, “Hey, I’m Trinity and I’m a Texas dog in the summertime. See, here’s my tongue on a hot day.” That, of course, is the case. Trinity is 17-months old, spayed and microchipped.
Our Lancaster Animal Shelter contacts, the small shelter advocates Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden, report that she is a “very well-cared-for dog — poor baby is just so happy to be here . Has no clue her family could no longer care for her and left her here.”
She’s described as “cute and sweet and precious as can be” and a “lovable lap girl —very cuddly.” 
Call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
Also, none of the Lancaster Animals we mentioned in yesterday’s edition — not possibly-pregnant Princess nor BJ, the flinching Rottie with maybe a jaw or neck problem, nor any cats —- have been helped. Here’s one of Lancaster’s Famous Upside-Down Cats. Waiting to be picked up and cuddled...no doubt.

CONTEMPLATIONS
SHELTERS, SUGGESTIONS, EXPECTATIONS
Trying to catch up on things after the long weekend, I found a note on the Dallas Animal Services Facebook Page about a New York Times story focusing on changes in American animal shelters — it highlighted the Dallas Animal Shelter & Adoption Center. I haven’t read it yet, but thought I’d post it anyway for those who, like me, missed this edition of the NYT. Here’s the LINK. … My lovely little girl Porche Noel joined me in the new home office Wednesday and, after greeting a couple of cats who’d claimed the room, she went to her neutral corner and, as is her style these days, nodded off. The AC is powerful and chills her nose, but he knows how to warm it up. …. A local prediction for the weekend: It’ll be hot and dry with the potential of dropped footballs Sunday as the Dallas Cowboys host the New York Giants in Arlington. Next-door neighbors The Texas Rangers are on the road this weekend, so no hail-sized baseballs falling this weekend in Arlington.
—- To advise or resent, click on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com where being kind to animals is a mission. —-

A TIME OF TRIUMPH AND CHANGE...WELL, AT LEAST CHANGE WITH SOME VICTORIES...

EDITION OF TUESDAY, SEPT. 3, 2019 [PetPowellPress]  Whew. What a weekend. More on that later. Playing catch-up and I didn’t even need a passport for my destination. I also couldn’t remember my password for my laptop, which I rarely use. If we had a vault with a combination lock and my smartspouse Martha depended on me for spendin' cash, we’d be up a creek. OK, let’s go.
LANCASTER 
YES, LANCASTER.
When the small shelter advocates Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden and others decided to help bail the Lancaster Animal Shelter out of a tight spot (in the wake of a city/volunteer disagreement), it sounded so simple. Announce the availability of animals and step back and watch the lines of people form to help. Hah.
Yes, there are assorted challenges to helping animals — and the biggest is always finding people to adopt, foster and rescue. The contact? Call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. 
Earlier we’d reported that the shelter had 21 kittens, but now, the number is down to 15 and here are some of them — it’s a variety pack of kittens and here are some of them. Black, orange and pre-trained for lounging tabby. 
Then there’s Princess, “microchipped, Lab/Bulldog mix 9short and chunky - super cute)” and probably pregnant. Though she’s chipped, the owner never showed up. As the Laura/Leighann note reads, “Please help — so urgent. Don’t let puppies be born here.”
And, then there’s still BJ, the Rottie — he came in with a female and she’s already been rescued. But BJ’s medical condition  — well, “fear of expenses” may have scared away any helpers. So Laura and the team launched a fund-raiser — so far $285 of the $700 need for BJ’s vet check.
You may recall that BJ had a tendency to flinch when anyone tried to touch the right side of his face. He’s not happy in the kennel and is becoming miserable. “His time is extremely limited,” Laura’s note reads. (Save this guy or help his medical checkup — he’s due to be neutered Wednesday — he can be adopted right now. Or rescued. Or fostered. Again call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. 
Oh, and if you’re inter- ested in a pair of Chihuahuas, consider Zachary and Zoey, c couple of long-legged pups surrendered “by someone who could no longer care for them.” The legs are from the Min Pin side of their family tree.
Then there’s that matinee idol, Brody. No idea how he came to be in the Lancaster shelter, but he probably didn’t wake up one day, call Uber and tell the driver, “I think I need some shelter time.” Nope. He was betrayed by a human somewhere along the line. His bio reads, “Cute, cute boy that is a complete love.”
MIKEY FROM BURNS FLAT
This was the first photograph we received of the dog now known as Mikey.
Chilling, isn’t it. If you’ve ever encountered a rescue situation, you know what you fear the moment you see this image.
Here’s the report Tuesday from the resilient rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher in Burns Flat, Okla.: “It has been 10 days since a neighbor called the police, thinking this boy was dead. When the officers arrived, they too, thought he had passed.  Imagine their shock when he raised his head. He could not stand; he was covered in open wounds and fleas, laying there, with ants eating him alive.
“They felt the kindest thing to do was help this old dog pass... to end his suffering.
“They came by for me to see him. When i looked into those eyes, I KNEW we would fight to save him.  As I touched his face (he is blind and deaf) he let out a sigh and licked my hand. He KNEW he was safe.  He KNEW someone cared...
“My wonderful ACO and his wife took this boy home and after several baths, got the fleas and ants off. They spent the next 24 hours feeding him mini meals, helping him get enough strength to finally be able to get up and stand some. We took him to my vet, where he was started on antibiotics and heart medicine. He has been being hand-fed several times a day and receiving all the love he deserves.
“This boy is over 13 years old. While he may have had a good life in his early years, the past year has not been kind to him. I am not sure what went wrong. But NO ANIMAL deserves to end up like this.
“He is being released this week. We have a loving hospice home lined up for him to go live what ever time he has left in. He will be loved and cared for and never again be treated like he is just trash. 
“I could not have saved this guy alone. So many people have stepped up and helped with his medical costs.
“I want to thank each and every one of you for caring and helping us save him. I will continue with updates until he decides it is time to leave us. We honestly have no idea of how long that will be.. All we do know is it will be a time filled with love and kindness.”
[Terry Lynn’s vet, the Elk Creek Clinic works with her to save these lives. And help these animals. It’s at 1301 Airport Industrial, Elk City, OK, 73644. Call 508-225-4863. And, to see how you can help Terry Lynn as she saves animals, monitors the Burns Flat shelter to keep it no-kill and encourages others to join her in the mission, email her at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com. She’s determined. And you don’t have to live in far out west Oklahoma to help her.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
CHANGES 
During the extended holiday weekend, things changed for my funspouse Martha and me. We left Dallas and moved to Texas. Yep, packed up our nearly 30 years of stuff in Oak Cliff and moved it to Fort Worth. Well, some of it we donated to charity and some we took to the dump. So, Cowtown is now the International and Galactic Headquarters for readlarrypowell.com, The Pet News Place for People, in business as a do-good website with wisecracks since before the Turn of the 21st Century. (I packed the calendars and files so I can't give you an exact date. I also couldn’t find my Kindle for three days and had to read an actual book held in my hands.) The move has been smooth for the critters. You see here how Porche Noel, former starving street dog, and The Senator, an influential force in the nation, have reacted to Tuesday morning in the new home they’ve been in for 4 days. Sleeping-in is a hard habit to break. We have a large backyard for the dogs to romp in, but they’re all older dogs and they explore slowly but with nose down. The cats? They like to look out the window at the dogs. There’s no air-conditioning once you leave the building. Remember, in the CyberUniverse, there is no need for a constant terrestrial address. If this Mars thing happens….FYI: I lived in Fort Worth in the early 1970s when I was a reporter and editor for The Fort Worth Press which went out of business in 1975 and I went to work for The Big Paper in Downtown Dallas. Now, nearly 45 years later, I’m back. And, looking east, I wonder if Dallas will ever finish with all that road construction. And if there’ll ever be enough police officers to help each other defeat the criminal element. … Well, we’ll get into all that in the book. I’m kidding. For now.
—- Offer opinions or suggestions by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com, where we love Dallas for so many reasons. —- 

MELI AND ZOE -- LOVE & LABOR DAY....

EDITION OF AUG. 30-SEPT. 2, 2019 [PetPowellPress] “Labor Day Weekend” sounds like the end of summer, but I hope you all enjoy every moment of it with your animals and your people. I know Labor is the focus of the weekend, but would it be so bad to celebrate love, too? 
That’s what we do every weekend at readlarrypowell.com. We celebrate the love you can see in daily life when you “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.”
Show of hands, please, how many of you can’t really nod off if your cat or your dog isn’t in the usual spot? Of course, as you can see, sometimes the spot the dog picks isn’t really the spot you’d expect! 
Becky Dodge sent photos of her babies, Meli, “some sort of shepherd mix,” and Zoe, who is “about 3 now and still runs the house.” They arrived at Becky’s in different ways — one sort of traditional, one just plain wacky.
 Meli is 14 and encountering age-related health problem, Becky says. “She is naturally sleeping more and moving slower now days. She'll fall asleep almost anywhere (as you can see, a dog bed is just behind her).”
Meli was adopted un August 2014 via the Weatherford Parker County Animal Shelter. “She had originally been picked up as a stray, about 9 years old,”
 Becky says. “Her paperwork said she is some sort of shepherd mix, although I've never been quite sure. She was being fostered by a shelter volunteer since she wasn't being chosen for adoption (probably because she was a little older. Don't know anything about her earlier history as she was picked up by Animal Control as a stray in June of 2014. She was estimated to have been about 9 at that point and she's been a part of my family since then. 

“Her kennel name was Reba but I just couldn't see her as Reba, the name just did not fit. Since to me she looked like all the shades of honey, everything from light to medium amber I called her Meli (the Hawaiian word for honey). She has always been that sweet. Very gentle and dignified in her own way. She was always patient with Callie who was more nervous and highly strung and never got cross with her.

“Even now that she is older she has not lost that sweetness and patience with Zoe who is so much younger and sometimes gets a little two energetic for Meli, yet she and Zoe often curl up to sleep together during the day. Meli is definitely in her ‘sunset’ years now and is having some health problems, the usual arthritis but also she has IVDD (intervertebral disc disease, where one of her spinal discs is protruding between here vertebra). She has some very painful days and her desire to move around much has greatly decreased but she still likes a very brief walk on her good days. I used to really like watching here sort of prance so happily when we were on them.

“She is one of the best-mannered dogs I've ever met, never pulling or chasing, she just wanted to enjoy her long walks, meet people and enjoy being out. Sadly that has almost ended now as her legs are weak and unable to go very far without collapsing under her. Nowadays she wants lots of cuddles and petting which I am extremely happy to provide. ...It's a little odd, but even now Meli will not sleep in my bedroom. Many of the other dogs over the years have but Meli absolutely will not, she comes in to say goodnight as I am going to bed but then she goes back out front to sleep. The toy she has in the photo was her favorite for a long time before she began to lose interest in it.
“Zoe will be 4 in a few months and even though she is the smallest she is the fiercest. She absolutely believes that she is the biggest dog of them all.The vet says she is a Miniature Pinscher mix. Zoe weighs all of about 12 pounds and will deliberately taunt the 80-90 pound German Shepherd next door until he is infuriated with her. I've seen her chase the neighbor's cat (who probably weighs 15 pounds) out of HER back yard. In other words, in Zoe's mind SHE is in charge. I've also discovered that Zoe hunts and eats geckos, she goes after them and eats the tails, leaving the rest of the body untouched. Lately she has been bringing in all the deadfall peaches from the backyard tree and hiding them throughout the house — I've discovered 5 or 6 in the last day or so, some under a doormat, some hidden behind dog beds throughout the house as well as other places. She delights in squeaky toys and in chew toys. In the mornings she gets the ‘zoomies’ dashing in to find a favorite toy to play with until breakfast and to see if she can get me to play tug with her. She regards me as her own personal pillow and favorite place to snuggle. Zoe has been here for almost 4 years. I took her in in 2016. She was ‘dumped’ literally on my doorstep by a woman in the neighborhood. I had chatted with this person earlier in the day when I got the mail. At the time I noticed Zoe playing around and made a passing comment that she was a ‘cute pup’. That night the woman walked up to the door about 8:30-9:00 pm, carrying Zoe, knocked, and said, 'Here, her name is Zoe, she is 8 months old, you have dogs, we don't want her.' That was all she told me.

“The implication was that if I didn't take here she was going to be on the street. Naturally I took here. After meeting the other dogs Zoe made herself at home and when I went to bed she refused to sleep in one of the dog beds, instead insisting that I put here in bed with me. She has been my ‘bed partner’ every night since then. She cuddles against me all night. BTW that tug toy is currently one of her favorites, she wants to take it everywhere.”
So, Dear Readers, as we suggested in the opening, Labor Day weekend can be about love . You can tell that Meli and Zoe are loved.
[LARRY ASIDE:Send photos of your loving dogs and cats practicing the Art of Snooze to me at dallrp@aol.com and we’ll spotlight them in our long-running weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cat Nap. Your story may inspire good human to go to a shelter and bring a dog or cat into the family. And, no doubt, the photos will convince the planet’s insomniacs to believe that they, too, can get some sleep if they can just figure out how far away from the bed they need to be.]
—- Offer opinion or Labor Day Picnic tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com or by sending a veggie sandwich to …I’m kidding. I’ll just have some mixed greens and lite Ranch. —-

PRESSURE: MORE COMMON IN THE ANIMAL WORLD THAN FLEAS...MAYBE

EDITION OF THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2019 [PetPowellPress] Let’s dive right into the issues of the day that are not political or presidential or Dallas Cowboys running back. HERE GOES:
GARLAND’S PRESSURE
The word from Garland is that there’s a population overload and adoptors and rescuers are needed to help draw down the population and save lives. 
We took a look at the Garland lists and found a zillion stories to focus on and, bewildered by the odds, we picked two — both dogs have been on the “URGENT” list since August 21. You can see more adoptabes at either the PetHarbor site HERE or the shelter site HERE.
The first girl is Lizzie (A240251) a “found stray.” She’s up for adoption — has no behavior issues. But recently she began coughing and "has been moved to sickbay." She’s under treatment but can be adopted or rescued, the shelter says. She’s about 4 years old and weighs 49 pounds.
The second dog is Muneca (A205969), surrendered to the shelter on August 19. Why? Get this, my fellow dogfans. The shelter appeal read, “Muneca was surrendered by her previous owner because they stated they could not get rid of fleas. She has not exhibited any behavior issues and was placed up for adoption. She was listed at about 6 years old, 52 pounds, current on vaccines, and tested HW+. She can be adopted or pulled by rescue, but is needing rescue’s assistance ASAP."

The shelter is at 600 Tower St. Call 972-205-3570. Don’t worry about the darned fleas. Worry about the dogs and cats.
THE LANCASTER CRISES
Crisis? Nope, CRISES. 
We got a raft of photos from the small shelter advocates Laura Macias and Leanne Hayden but not any cat photos. Why is that? Here’s the answer in all caps from their latest emergency note about the low-traffic Lancaster Animal Shelter: "**THERE ARE 21 KITTENS AT THE SHELTER NOT YET PICTURED**”
There you go. But what about the dogs. Some have been waiting for months without a single bit of interest. For example, we wrote about the Rottie BJ who is having pain problems in the left side of his face and neck. How many donations did the dog’s helpers get for his vet appointment? None. Not a dime. Not a dollar. Nothing. There’s still time to help him. Call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
Princess “came in as a stray but was microchipped. She is an absolutely wonderful dog — just as sweet as can be.  Owner was located but has not come in for her (sadly, many people cannot afford the daily fees associated with when their dog gets picked up).  SHELTER STAFF BELIEVE SHE IS PREGNANT - PLEASE HELP - SO URGENT.  DON'T LET PUPPIES BE BORN HERE - PLEASE.  Please, won't you help save her?”

As you can see, Laura and Leanne are passionate about saving these animals.
We’ve mentioned this girl before: Jenna, a Pittie mix who is “very sweet and gentle” and “incredibly urgent” — she’s been in the shelter around 5 months. Her note reads, “Beautiful black and white girl - very, very sweet extremely lovable girl. Everyone would so love to see her get a home that she so deserves.  Sweet, and precious.”

MIKEY UPDATE FROM BURNS FLAT
Terry Lynn Fisher sent a note about Mikey, the blind and deaf and ailing dog we featured in Wednesday’s edition. He’s rebounding somewhat. Terry Lynn writes, “He has grown stronger each day..  He loves feeling humans touch... He wants to be loved... He tested negative for heartworm and ehrlichiosis, which is great news... He does, however, have a heart murmur and a bad infection, which he is now being treated for. I will be honest: Mikey may only have a day left — but he might also have a week... a month.. or even years... All I know is he will live whatever time he has left filled with love and care and kindness. He will not die alone laying in the dirt.”

Terry Lynn needs some financial help caring for him and if you’d like to be part of giving this boy a loving home, get in touch with her at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE
Here’s a boy named Buster — the rarest of all dogs around here: a stray Pittie mix. I’m kidding those who don’t know of the nature of human behavior in North Texas. “Stray pittie mix” are words said more frequently than “What a sweet dog!” 

Anyway, the Mesquite volunteer shelter biographer Judi Brown says year-old Buster came in on August 20. “He’s a happy-go-lucky, exuberant dog with a tail in constant motion. It’s a case where the tail wags the dog. He appears to love everyone and doesn’t meet a stranger. I imagine that he would be a good family dog. “ Buster weighs 45 pounds and is already neutered. Call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email recues@cityofmesquite.com and be sure to mention Buster’s ID number 39809785.

CONTEMPLATIONS
A CAT-COAT; SHELTER COUNT; THUNDERDOG

If you see enough cats, you’ll see some who look as if they’re two cats — in this case, you see Amber, #A1080531 at Dallas Animal Services. She came into the shelter on Tuesday and is described as a “female calico domestic shorthair” about 8 months old. She’s got a coat that will stop the conversation when she walks into a party — you know, like a movie star with a distinct appearance. Visit her at the big shelter at I-30 at Westmoreland or call 214-670-6800. …. How many dogs and cats and other at at the big shelter in Dallas? We went to the dallasanimalservices.org site (left) and the DAS PetHarbor site HERE
on the right. Different numbers but both sites show “lots” of dogs and cats and when you peruse the “cats” you’ll see TONS of kittens. Really — so many kittens that the count maybe in “tons.” ….As I was typing this, I heard thunder on the southern edge of Dallas. The confirmation was my guard dog, Porche Noel, woke long enough to bark twice, then drop her head back down on the couch to go back to sleep. She tells me that she wakes to bark at thunder so we’ll know she’s earning her salary for “Security Consultation.” This is Porche in the “ready-to-bark-twice” pose. She’s very economic with her movements.
—- To offer an opinion on why some people are idiots with their dogs and cats, click on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com. —

THE HUMAN ELEMENT: A HOAX IN ONE CASE; A TRIUMPH UNDERWAY IN ANOTHER...

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, AUG. 28, 2019 [PetPowellPress] So, the headline on this San Francisco Gate story reads “The story of an abused dog horrified people nationwide. It was all a hoax, police say.” People lined up to help. The guy with the dog said he’d found it with its throat slit and muzzled taped shut. The story is HERE. And while the story is a hoax, the reality is that anybody who’s been involved in animal rescue and dealt with mean humans knows why it’s so easy to believe such a story: The human element.
MIKEY IN BURNS FLAT
We opened with that hoax about an animal in trouble. This story from Burns Flat is no hoax. We got hit from our reliable rescue tipster Terry Lynn Fisher. She wrote, “Meet Mikey. At one time, he was loved by his owner. He was spoiled and went everywhere with her. Sadly, his person changed and took a wrong road. Mikey paid the price. Left alone at the house for days and weeks, he slowly started to feel the neglect.

“We have had heat index higher than 110 degrees here. How this 13-plus-year-old dog survived laying in that heat with no water is a miracle in itself.
“It had been 5 days since anyone had been to the house he was at — in a small kennel out back, he just couldn't fight the heat, hunger and thirst anymore. So he laid down in the dirt and just closed his old eyes. He had sores all over his body and was covered in a million fleas. He was covered in ants and they were eating the rotten tissue around all the sores on his old body. He decided life was too hard and sad, so he would just go to sleep...
“A neighbor was out back and looked his way. He thought this old boy had died and was so angry. He called the police. Imagine their surprise when the dog looked at them. They called me to help get him to the vet. They wanted to humanly help him pass. I asked them to bring him by so I could check him out. When they came by, I went and touched his face. He lifted his head and licked my and my Granddaughter’s hand and face. He is almost totally deaf and blind. The sad look in his eyes haunted me. I knew then we would fight for him and give him at least a chance.
“After MANY baths and several mini meals and water, he perked up a little. He still could not stand on his own, but he sat up. By the next afternoon, he was standing — wobbly, but standing and walking a few steps.

“He is now at my vet’s. He has a very bad fever and a heart murmur. His gums were white from being anemic from being eaten up with fleas. The open sores are all infected.  BUT HE WANTS TO LIVE!!!!!
“So, for now, we will continue to fight with him. With each little meal, his body gets stronger. This morning, with a little assistance, he WALKED out to go potty.

“At 13, blind and deaf with a heart murmur, nobody knows how much time this old soul has left on this Earth.  But the one thing I CAN promise is that he will not die alone, in the dirt, being eaten by ants.”

[LARRY ASIDE: The dog’s vet bills are rising. But Terry Lynn is appealing for help with a dog who deserves better in life. Email her at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com. Get in touch with Elk Creek Clinic at 580-225-4863 — its at 1301 Airport Industrial, Elk City, OK, 73644. They know Terry Lynn’s rescue heart and help her.]
THEY’RE WAITING FOR HOMES
IN THE MESQUITE SHELTER 

Our veteran tipster, Judi Brown, the volunteer biographer at Mesquite Animal Shelter, spent some time with this 1-1/2-year-old Dobie girl Athena who arrived at the shelter Tuesday. Surrendered. Why? “Because her owner was pregnant and she said Athena was too strong for her,” Judi reports.
Judi visits the dogs she writes about. She says, “My experience with Athena was that she was extremely sweet and gentle. She’s a bit on the timid side but definitely wanted to make friends. She stayed close. She even gave me one tentative kiss. She wants to please and sits on command. Her previous owner said that she knows to catch, stay, and go. Athena was also raised with children from ages 2 to 7 years old and lived with other dogs. I also noticed that when I took her through the bay she went nose to nose with some of the dogs without a problem. Her previous owners said that she does not like cats."
Athena weighs 47 pounds and is already spayed. Ask about #42586693 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmes- quite.com. 
If someone beats you to saving Athena, there are other dogs and cats waiting at Mesquite. We went online HERE and discovered that the big cat James Bond (42099196), first mentioned here a month or so ago, is still unclaimed by a loving human. He’s nearly 8 months old and has been at the shelter since July 1 — look for him in the Cat Room.

That fabulous Earhound is Reese (4388997), just over 3, and she tips the scales at 44 pounds. She’s been in the shelter since August 3 — you guessed it! She was a stray. Nobody has come for her. Walks nicely on a leash, likes to play with toys, “exuberant and lively although not hyper.” [LARRY ASIDE: That sounds like the perfect student at an elementary school.]

CONTEMPLATIONS
ASSORTED NOTES ON THINGS

I’m typing this as the Texas Rangers are involved in a baseball game on the West Coast against the Angels — I’m still not sure where they’re Los Angeles, California or Anaheim Angels. That aside, it’s actually kind of chilly in Big D as 11 p.m. approaches. Chilly in that it’s not 101 — the online temp reading is 76 degrees. One day you can’t breath the hot air, the next you’re wondering where you packed the sweaters just after Christmas 2018. … When you’re dieting, nothing looks as good as fast food sweet treats on late-night TV. Something about an ice cream cone — even when it’s only 76 degrees. … I just saw a restaurant ad that promises “endless fries.” Can that really be good for you? I ask that as a guy who once considered Pancho’s Mexican Buffet to be a place of culinary miracles. All-you-can eat sopapillas? Oh, my. OK, enough of this silliness. I’d really rather be working out right now — but it’s just too darned cold.
—- Offer chilly opinions or hot options by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —

READ ABOUT DOGS, CATS, PEOPLE, ETC., IN THE COLD SNAP OF 2019

EDITION OF TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2019 [PetPowellPress] Relax. Nobody had to drive through rush hour traffic to produce this edition. Did have to walk to the kitchen for more coffee. My Caffeine IV was empty. And not a 100 degree day? That’s the prediction. We’ll see. I’m not getting the snowchains out of the garage.
THE LANCASTER SHELTER’S
GOT A ROTTIE  IN CRISIS
This is a dog who needs some human help. We got his story from Laura Macias, the small shelter advocate who tries to help get some attention for the low visitor shelter in Lancaster, just across I-20 from southern Dallas.
BJ, this purebred Rottweiler, “is not doing well at the shelter and his time is extremely limited,” Laura’s note read. “He does not want anyone touching his left cheek/neck area and this behavior is not normal and is sadly worsening the longer he is there.  It's possible he is in pain, since it seems to be around the left side of his face and neck. We have discussed possible ear infection, ruptured eardrum, impacted tooth, injured jaw. He DESPERATELY NEEDS A VET before everyone completely gives up on this poor guy. We intend to have him fixed and checked over well.

“We are trying to get funds together this week - PLEASE - THIS DOG NEEDS YOUR HELP - we made a vet appt for Wednesday, 8/28,  and it is a full service vet (which means expensive - we were quoted close to $700 so they can give him anesthesia and do EVERYTHING - including the neutering right after he comes in, and anything else needed such as x-rays to rule out an injury).  It had to be a vet close enough that the shelter staff could take him in and it took some time to find this one willing to work with him so there are not many options. … This shelter has no vet on staff and just cannot afford things like this. Please help, let's rule out an injury and see if getting him fixed at same time will help.  Please ... please ... he seems to have had such a terrible life so far.  He was an owner release and we heard that his previous owner apparently treated he and the dog that was his sister (now safe) very differently.  Some of these poor dogs go through such hell ... please, let's try for this boy ...it may not work but it's why we all try to help shelter dogs - dogs like this that deserve better ... if you can donate, any amount at all, please - call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email her at cat_girl_71@yahoo.com."

This brown dog? That is Sophie, a Lancaster shelter resident for five months — said to be “longer than any other dog” at the shelter. Laura’s note describes Sophie’s situation as “heartbreaking,” and adds, “Everyone is in love with this sweet calm, gentle girl.  Most well behaved, calm, loving girl you can imagine.  Extremely well behaved.” Use the Laura connections above to offer to help or to ask to be put on the mailing list for the Lancaster shelter animals that Laura and her colleagues are trying to help.

SEASONS: BASEBALL, FOOTBALL? NO!

PUPPY/KITTEN SEASON IN THE FERTILITYPLEX
Yeah, it’s true. In North Texas the Puppy and Kitten Seasons last longer than the NBA plus playoffs.
Here’s a batch of puppies from Fort Worth and according to the post by Fort Worth Animal Care & Control’s Ginger Leach, the puppies are “flea-infested and in need of rescue and TLC.”
First thing when they came into the shelter, they were bathed and getting anti-flea treatments.
Here’s who they are by the numbers (though you may name a puppy when you adopt the little rascal): 42564998 Female tri; 42564976 Female b/w largest not eating as much; 42564988 Female white runt; 42565004 Male.
A dopt, foster or rescue them. Get involved by emailing fwacctag@fortworthtexas.gov. Don't call. Email. The FWACC shelter is at 4900 Martin St. in Fort Worth.
AND IN DALLAS...
We have this girl. Stunned! This kitten has just learned that Dallas temps are not forecast to reach 100 on Tuesday. Stunned she was. She’s Marla (1072840), one of nearly 200 cats and kittens listed on the www.dallasanimalservices.org site where, also, there are displays for more than 250 dogs. Marla’s about 14 weeks old and described as a brown tabby. Ask about her by emailing dasadopt@dallascityhall.com.
OUT AT THE LAKE
THEY’RE ABOUT TO STRUT


That’s a photo of someone in Texas Strut Boots (well, just boots, really) — but maybe all ready for the September 7 Strut Your Mutt “out at the lake.” And the dog is Baxter, a year-old Lab mix boy who has no human to strut with him. He “loves to run and jump around in the play yard. He is in search of a home to call his own,” his bio reads.
We spotted Baxter after we got another reminder about the Strut Your Mutt benefiting the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake. Thought we’d see who is waiting at the HSCCL shelter. There was Baxter. (FYI: You can make the artwork of the poster expand by clicking on it — you’ll see details of the big Strut Your Mutt event.)

In our perusal of the population, we also found two varieties of Heeler mixes awaiting adoption at the HSCCL shelter in Tool.
The black and white variety of Heeler Mix is Hunter *(#1713) a year-old fellow who “is fun to play with and likes his kisses. He is ready to have a yard of his own…”

And the Sitting Heeler is Cutie Pie (#1909), a year-and-a-half-old girl.

The cat? Not a Heeler Mix. She is, however, Momma (#1028), a 2-year-old.
 See more HSCCL animals HERE .
That big white dog? Year-old Great Pyrenees mix (#1789) named, what else,
Sara Jessica Barker.

CONTEMPLATIONS
CAT FACT, SCARY DRILLING, THE FALCON?
This is what it looks like when you’re typing at my keyboard and Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson is sharpening her investigative skills by staging a faux investigation of a tip she heard. Sometimes she doesn’t just look — she takes action, slapping the lightning-fast fingers moving across the keyboard. Funny girl. Nine years old and adorable every day. What? Oh, sure. She was a free Dallas cat. … I’m for science as much as the next guy but this “world’s deepest hole” project gives me the creeps. We can’t control volcanos, why should we be able to control a shaft dug toward the earth’s core? I’m sure I don’t understand. Like, I don’t understand why measles keeps making a comeback. … 
I’ve been typing this while TCM has been presenting The Maltese Falcon. Not a single CGI scene in that 1941 film — and some of the scenes are longer than a split-second. How in the world did they manage to win audiences with a film like that? Must have been a quirk in the space/time/cartoon continuum and humans of that era were persuaded to enjoy movies you could think about as you watched them. Things change. Look at the ticket prices.
—- Offer opinions or advice by clicking on “comment” below or emailing dallrp@aol.com. No prizes available for more outrageous thought. —-

ANIMALS NEED HELP; A POET'S INFLUENCE; AND THE AWFULNESS OF DALLAS...

EDITION OF MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2019 [PetPowellPress] There is no such thing as a lazy summer morning, is there? Here’s our Monday report. In Contemplations, we’ll discuss poetry in classrooms and crime in Dallas. One touches hearts, the other breaks hearts.
OVER THE WEEKEND…
Longtime rescuer and advocate Beverly Fyfe tipped us to this report on Todd Stephen Smith’s Facebook page and noted that this incident grew from animal community disgust to an investigation and a report on Telemundo Channel 39. 
You see the photo of a starving horse — that was on the Smith Facebook page. 
The live horse was “picked up,” the dead horse was “removed.” Todd explained, “I got a call today from Carlos with Telemundo Chanel 39.Tonight he wanted to interview Jeremy Boss and me. My friend Jake that took the time to call me is really the Hero here. Folks If you see something report it. And if you don’t want to get involved, call me or somebody. Tonight at 10 tune in to Channel 39 if you like Spanish TV. God Bless the Horses.”
He added, “I want to thank my friend and fellow surveyor Jake Hall for calling me this morning and asking what he should do. I advised him to call 911 which he did. He is waiting for the police to come. If you see something wrong report it. This is off Leatherwood and Overton Rd in S Dallas. We need to STOP ANIMAL ABUSE.”
The news team at Telemundo 39, i.e., T39, did a story with interviews and video for the Saturday evening news.
[LARRY ASIDE: Many of you will, no doubt, be able to translate the report. I don’t speak Spanish but in the T39 report on the discovery of the dead and ailing horses, one of the witnesses to the scene said something that I did comprehend and join in expressing, “¿Por qué? ¿Por qué?” And, don’t we echo that with our English “WHY? WHY?"]
A SIX PACK TO GO?

Well, maybe not all at once, but there are six of them. Word came from Gail Whelan of Companion Animal Network. 
The note begins, “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: We have to admit that the ancestries of the father(s) of this litter are not known. We DO have the beautiful, sweet, mama dog…The father(s), we believe, were possibly Black and Tan Coonhound, possibly Rottie mix, or even Dobie mix. What we DO know is that their mom has been a wonderful role model and the people who found her have given these puppies so much love and attention! They WILL be large dogs, but beautiful.

“BACKSTORY: A sweet young dog appeared at a house in the country having been abandoned because she was pregnant! This loving family took her in and has cared for and loved her and her puppies since their birth. It is now time for the puppies to find their FOREVER homes!

“These puppies have been trained to a doggie door and have VERY few accidents. They are 11 weeks of age, up to date on vaccinations and have been wormed. They are on heartworm preventative and flea/tick preventative.

“These are exceptionally smart puppies and will make wonderful family companions. The mother is about 65 pounds.” To apply to adopt, call Gail at 903-967-3226 or email can.adoptions@yahoo.com.
SCOUT FROM TULSA

One of our Tulsa tipsters anonymously reports that this dog Scout needs some help now. He’s a 3-year-old, 80-pound Lab mix who adores people and cabinet counters, as demonstrated in these photographs. 
He needs a “loving home or foster,” our tipster tells us.
He’s currently at a vet’s office, but time is running out. And, the note reads, “He has a ride within a 10- or 12-hour journey from Tulsa.  Please, can anyone help him?”

He’s potty-trained, doggie-door trained and “loves to be around his peeps,” the note read.
Great kitchen counter photo.

CONTEMPLATIONS
POETRY, LIVES AND THE FUTURE
As a guy who is frequently puzzled by some of the poetry in The New Yorker, I still find myself admiring the tenacity of poets. And teachers. Both work to help people understand the world around them. On Sunday morning, I read a touching commentary by Joel Garza, a teacher at the Greenhill School in Dallas. The essay, written for The Dallas Morning News, dealt with the death of a poet who had become a friend to Garza’s students. You can read it HERE. Maybe poetry wasn’t your favorite topic in school. Maybe you’ve avoided poetry ever since someone handed you a diploma. But you might learn something about humanity when you read Mr. Garza’s piece. It might be sweeping, it could be simple. For example, I was clearly moved by the prose, but I also learned the word “tercet” — I must have been a absent the day in high school when we studied types of poetry. Doggerel, I know. Iambic pentameter, I know but don’t understand. Epic. “Epic” is a word to describe my respect for poets and my ignorance of their gift. I understood it a little more after reading Joel Garza’s commentary. … 

The same day I see Mr. Garza’s work in print, I click to the obituaries in the paper and the first one I see is that of Sara Elizabeth Hudson, the young — killed on her 22nd birthday! — recent college graduate who had come to Dallas to build a future but found a horrifying fate, instead. And there is the little 9-year-old girl, Brandoniya Bennett — dead because two guys were arguing and the gunfire killed an innocent child — those two guys were younger than Sara Elizabeth Hudson. The awful side of Dallas had nothing for either of the young victims — except our hearts, after-the-fact. Do you know who preached the little girl’s funeral? The pastor was Dallas School District Trustee Maxie Johnson whose 21-year-old son Whitfield was shot to death in Dallas the same day the little girl killed. That was reported by the News -- how sad can a city get?
How can this all be in Dallas, Texas? And, during the weekend, there were more deaths, more violent offenses, more lives ended, more hearts affected by crime. Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall returns to work Monday after medical leave — tough day ahead, I suspect.
Police chiefs come and go, politicians come and go (sometimes to prison in Dallas). No police chief has ever beaten the criminal element in Dallas. There aren’t enough police officers and there are too many people with, as I’ve heard prosecutors tell juries in Texas courtrooms, “a heart fatally bent on mischief.” Besides, in many murder cases, the "criminal element" is frequently a relative -- by blood or marriage. The "wild cards" are tough to figure -- like the "feud" that killed the little girl, or the Good-Lord-oh-no! death of Sara Elizabeth Hudson or Whitfield Johnson. Or the neighbor who was shot while standing in his front yard. That kind of thing.
I don’t have an answer for controlling crime in Dallas. Probably it will take a combination of strong elements — one of them is a willingness of people to choose right over wrong. That’s the willingness of the peaceful to fund the legal pressure against crime. 
But crime really is the criminal’s decision. Even in moments of the most hot-headed crimes, there is an opportunity to stop. I’m not sure "official Dallas' is a kind-enough city to influence people to do what’s right if they think they can always get away with doing what’s wrong. God help Dallas.
—— Offer opinions or solutions by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-