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LOUIE RELAXES WITH HIS NEW FAMILY AND THE SOOTHING GRAMMINESS

Early last month, word zipped around about a dog named Louie. You may recall seeing that pose taken at the Garland Shelter around a month ago. Louie was caught up in a potentially fatal drama.
At the outset he ws described as a 10-year-old blind dog with arthritist whose human had handed him over to Garland Animal Services to be euthanized.
But it was not Louie’s time. 
And, now, Louie is our spotlight dog for this weekend’s Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
Christine Kallas of Against All Odds All Breed Rescue got Louie out of harm's way. Then as the snowy, cold month slid by, she made a connection and Louie was delivered to his new home on February 28. That is Louie taking it easy on a favorite spot to sleep. [LARRY ASIDE: Makes you want to hug him, doesn't it! Beat the odds, didn't he!]
Here’ the explanation from his new “mom” Lynn, AKA Grace! She writes, “My husband, Eugene Cantera, took the photo. Louie is sleeping/resting/decompressing so very well and I am so happy about that.  I want him to find rest and peace so that he will know he is safe and he won't have to move around any longer.”
You’ll notice, in another photo, someone proudly posing with Louie.
Lynn explains, “The Grandma love was given by Beth Burris, my mother.  She had to come see Louie as soon as she heard about him. We call her ‘Grammy’ and ‘The Dog Whisperer.’  All of our family's rescues love her soothing gramminess.”
That third photo shows Louie with members of his new family after he arrived on Sunday the 28th.
“In the photo of Louie, after he came home on Sunday, is Lupe, another of our rescues.  She is a sweet Chihuahua we rescued while we had Senta.  When Senta passed [several years ago], at the ripe age of approximately 13 or 14, Lupe was confused and became much more anxious.  I felt that she would do well with some companionship, but I knew in my heart that I had to wait for the right addition to our family.”
Lynn says, “When I read a plea to foster Louie on my neighborhood app, I felt the first call. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been checking on him and praying that I would know if he was the one who needed to come to our family.  I kept feeling the nudges and spoke to Christine, explaining my situation.  Long story a little shorter, on Saturday I learned that Louie still needed a foster home and I felt that I needed to make that happen.

“On Saturday, while trying to find some photos of Louie to send my inquisitive family, I read your write-up about him.  Your name was familiar and I felt sure that you were the man who wrote the piece about Senta so many years ago.  When I figured out this connection, I was absolutely positive that Louie was meant to be in my family.  Incredible.  Fate.  Speechless.” 
[LARRY ASIDE: That leaping-for-joy dog is Senta, who we wrote about many years ago when she was in need of a great home. She got one!]
And Louie’s mom continues, “Now, to your one question —'How much did you have to adjust things to take Louie into your home?’  Honestly, we did nothing. 
"Well, I bought some canned green beans because Christine recommended that we mix those with his food so that we could trim him up a little bit.  I brought Senta's crate out and I had a soft bed that Louie seems to find comfortable. Christine left me with a nice lead so that I can guide Louie around the house and around the yard. I've never known a blind dog so I figured we'd learn together.  Of course, I will try to keep things in place so that he's not surprised.  When he rests, he usually lays with his head towards us; I think he is comforted by the sounds of our voices.
“We, both my little family and my BIG family, are in love.  Louie is a precious soul and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to love him.”

[DEAR READERS,I like that photo of Louie on his “sleeping place” so much, I decided to post it at the end of the story, too. It makes me happy. You may have a happy dog or cat you want to tells us about. Please send photos and stories of the animals you love to dallrp@aol.com. We’ll post them in our long-running weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You’ll be showing this curious world how to find joy and love by opening your hearts and homes to the personalities of dogs, cats and other critters. And insomniacs will now be searching for a special needs expert classified as “Her Gramminess” to help them calm down and nod off. Might just work.]
—- Offer opinions by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

ONE MOVE, 2 SHELTER CHANGES; ASSORTED DOGS AND CATS; SPECIAL DAZE, ER, DAYS

EDITION OF FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Reminder: 2 a.m. Texas time, Sunday, March 14. Dress appropriately.

BIG NEWS: OPERATION KINDNESS,
DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES
The short version of the story is this: Operation Kindness’ CEO is retiring so the no-kill shelter in Carrollton announced that it has hired a new CEO and he happens to be Ed Jamison, the highly-regarded agent-of-change Director of Dallas Animal Services Ed Jamison.
How about that? What is the city to do?
[LARRY NOTE: Not as hooked into management situations as I once was, so here’s the news release info from Operation Kindness.]
The OK news release, issued Thursday morning, reads, “Embarking on a great new future for the leading no-kill animal organization in North Texas, Operation Kindness announces Ed Jamison's appointment as its new chief executive officer. As a trusted industry colleague of the current CEO Bob Catalani, who is stepping down to retire, Jamison will be a valuable leader in enabling the animal welfare organization in its efforts to save the lives of homeless animals. Jamison will officially assume the new position at Operation Kindness, effective March 29, 2021.” 
Jamison has been in charge at DAS since the fall of 2017. There have been positive changes in statistics for animals, i.e., making it out alive via adoptions and rescue partnerships instead of being needled and bagged.
Here’s that paragraph from the OK news release: “After moving to Texas, Jamison became the Director of Dallas Animal Services in the fall of 2017 to help decrease the population of roaming and homeless animals, understanding that animals should have a chance to feel safe, thrive and ultimately, be treated with respect. One of his initiatives instituted an innovative neonatal kitten program to save young kittens' lives, resulting in an impressive and improved save rate. …Jamison is also the president of Texas Unites for Animals, Vice President of the National Animal Care and Control Organization and a board member for Shelter Animals Count and the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.”

So, you see, there’s the City of Dallas challenge -- find a new person with a reputation and genuine talent.

As virtually everyone familiar with animal advocacy knows, Operation Kindness grew from a few rooms in an industrial warehouse to a modern stand-alone structure in Carrollton — it is the acknowledged beacon of the no-kill shelter philosophy in Texas. The consistent voice that powered the growth of OK was our friend Jonnie England who inspired volunteer, staff and civic forces to make Operation Kindness an example of good things done on behalf of animals.
Dallas Animal Services’ large shelter at I-30 and Westmoreland was built after animal advocates finally were able to pressure the Dallas City Council to spend bond money designated years earlier for the project and bring Dallas Animal Services into the 20th century. Groundbreaking was on Nov. 8, 2004; opening target was June, 2006. It finally opened on Oct. 20, 2007.

Now, Dear Readers, rather than run mugshots of people involved in this management change, we decided to post photos of dogs and cats from each agency — just in case someone wants to do some adopting in honor of the personnel. 
At Operation Kindness I found contrasting Earhounds: the black Chihuahua is 7-year-old, 6 pound Archie; the white Earhound is Drew, a year-old, 67-pound “retriever mix.” That regal cat is 3-year-old, 10-pound Klaus, described as a “beautiful ball of fluff who can only be described as “majestic” and he has “a very soothing purr.”
At DAS’s website we found Peanut, a year-old, 41-pound Pittie mix with fantastic coloring. (Though the bio calls the dog “Good Boy” and “Handsome,” the official chart says he’s a girl (#A1107549). And we’ve featured Nacho (A1113868), the one-eyed dog before and we can’t understand why someone hasn’t adopted this 71.5-pound, 2-year-old Pittie boy. As for Dallas cats, we spotlight former spotlighted feline Catalie Portman, a 12-year-old girl, and Bear, a 6-year-old fella who “loves to be brushed and have head rubs."
(Visit operationkindness.org and bedallas90.org.
LARRY CONSIDERATION: 

DON’T FORGET THAT POOR CAT

Ah, history. I was there when the ground was broken and when the ribbon was cut at the big shelter.. And we reported on that October opening day the hopeful words of Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia (now a County Commissioner), a great friend to animals and the shelter movement. She spoke of using the shelter as “a place to teach the city’s young people to be kind to animals, to treasure them and treat them with respect.” 

Turns out Dallas should have also concentrated on teaching adults, too. 
In 2010, a cat escaped at the DAS Shelter and Adoption Center and, terrified, went through a hole in the ceiling (misplaced tile) and wound up inside the wall of the employee break room. The cat, yowling and crying as desperate and frightened cats will do, was allowed to die in that wall — testimony in a trial showed that nobody could get permission from the shelter manager to cut a hole in the wall and save its life. 
We don’t even know that cat’s name — but that cat’s cruel death and the subsequent embarrassing felony animal cruelty trial (an inexplicable jury ruling of “not guilty”) resulted in an outcry and changes. Without that incident, nothing would have changed in City Hall's management of DAS and it would have continued to be a tough battle to get budget money and changes. At readlarrypowell.com, we believe a statue at DAS or a marker of some kind honoring That Cat would help teach “the city’s young people to be kind to animals” a lot more effectively than a statue of Robert E. Lee teaches people to be kind to each other. So, now, we wait to see who the city picks to try to follow Ed Jamison.
Perhaps in the time of a pandemic and an uneasy political atmosphere, the City of Dallas’ elected officials can carefully endeavor to set an example for working on behalf of animals.
Here’s a LINK to a Dallas Observer story about that cat incident. The incident was a shame of the city in a city of many shames.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE, ADORABLE
ADOPTABLES AND A BAD LOVE AFFAIR
Ever have a desire to look at your dog and drift back to the early days of Michael Caine’s movie career and ask aloud, “What’s it all about, Alfie?” That's a reference to the 1966 film Alfie and the dog in this photo. (He wasn't in the film.)
This handsome dog is Alfie (#46713865), a formerly stray dog who has been in the Mesquite Animal Shelter since Feb. 26. Our tipster, the volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm, says Alfie is the name she gave him — he didn’t have one. He is about a year old, weighs 48 pounds and wasn’t neutered — that may have helped with his desire go wandering. Maybe the weather did, too — he needed a safe place to get through the weather. 
She says Alfie has a “confident and outgoing personality and seems to have been well-cared for.” He’s described as a “frisky, spunky youngster.”
Ah, and here’s a love story gone sour. Aspen (#4682258) is a Pointer mix surrendered to Mesquite’s shelter on March 2. Why? “Aspen was the ex-boyfriend’s dog and he left without taking Aspen,” Debra says. 
The 53-pound, year-old girl hasn’t been spayed. She’s nervous inside the shelter but warms up “once outside in the yard.” She knows “Sit!” And she’s lived both indoors and out and is said to be good with other dogs and with cats. And children. 
Debra also notes that Aspen “hasn’t been around strangers much. That explains her timid and shy behavior with people at the shelter.” With her friend Debra, Aspen is friendly and has “a sweet temperament.
For these dogs or any animal in the Mesquite shelter, used their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.

And one more from Mesquite — this is Sophie (A46822061) and the note regarding her state originated with Danni Alcantara, the Mesquite Animal Shelter and Rescue Supervisor. 
Sophie has a medical problem. The note reads that the 3-year-old girl “has lost her owner.”
And she’s a “little underweight and has some conjunctivitis in her right eye. She is currently in heat.” [LARRY ASIDE: How about that! Can one dog enjoy so many different challenges?]
Here’s the final sentence from the appeal: “We would love for her to find her owner, however, if that does not happen by 4:30 p.m. on 3/9/21, she will need a place to go.” 
If you’re that place to go, again, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
Why are these dogs urgent?
Here’s the poster that’s going around. The note said that on Thursday afternoon there is just “one open dog kennel” at Mesquite.
CONTEMPLATIONS
DAYS, DAZE, A SLEEPING DOG AND A NAME
Every now and then the Holiday Insights’ online calendar gathers an interesting collection of “days” for one particular date. Consider March 5’s list: World Day of Prayer — needed, indeed. Something new in this Era of Cancel, Covid and Consternation? Nope. The entry says “Mary Ellen Fairchild James of Brooklyn, NY, created World Day of Prayer in 1887.”
March 5 is also “National Salesperson Day” (created in 2000 by a person who makes a living training salespeople). This day is also Employee Appreciation Day, created in 1995 — the field I worked in back then didn’t celebrate that day but it did give birth to the Ex-Employee Litigation Movement. I’m kidding. I’m kidding.
Finally, I’ll note, that Holiday Insights also lists March 5 as Multiple Personality Day and has no origin but does suggest it’s “an opportunity to get in touch with yourselves.” I considered not mentioning this 4th day — after all, how does one celebrate? But after I talked it over with myself, we agreed to mention it. Seriously, it’s a real disorder that needs medical treatment. …
So, for the weekend, we’ll have a Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap starring a dog we wrote about when he was in the Garland Animal Shelter — Louie, a very special case and very worth of the spotlight....
In closing, I was going to change my nom de plum to honor of my late dog inky, but Joe Cocker was already taken. So, in honor of a dog of unusual breeding that we mentioned yesterday, Teddy the Leonberger mix, I’m changing my literary pseudonym to Leon Burger. Maybe I can make money off a burger joint if I can't write my way to riches. Such a name adjustment indicates, of course,(click on the blue) the need for a little help from my friends. Right, Joe?

As regular readers know, Inky was, for many years, the official staff impersonator at readlarrypowell.com. Here he is giving us his impression of a Texan who has been isolated during the pandemic, walking into the world's first Leon Burger and looking at the menu which has a listing for the Leon Burger Mom's Meatloaf Cheese on a Bun Surprise. That may also be why Teddy is smiling. 

—- Offer advice or movie tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com —-

CATS, DOGS, PEOPLE, THE MOON, A TIMELY BAND AND MUSHROOMS

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, MARCH FORTH, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Before we get to a wonderful Chloe & the Snow Moon photo in contemplations, we have to explain March Forth.
 I’m just warming up with that March Fourth line — remember in two months we’ll be putting on our rag-tag space suits and telling people, “May the Fourth be with you.” But that was, as I recall, “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” Thank you, Star Wars writer.
Now, some notes from the 21st century, maybe, depends on the power supply for my time machine. That’s my cat, Stevie Ray, the handsome fellow. He is flopped over on my “nap blankie” — I went hunting for it and discovered the cat needed the nap and I had more typing to do. He was not remorseful.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED
TO THE 11 DUMPED PUPPIES?
In good hands, is the answer we've gotten. You may recall reading about the 11 puppies dumped on a road near Jacksboro. We’d been in touch with 4-Legged Helpers and on Wednesday we got this news: They’ve all be claimed by Tall Tails Animal Rescue and Transport. And, we’re told by 4-Legged Helpers President Laura Macias, they’re probably destined for new homes in Washington State.
Here’s a link to the Tall Tails Facebook page. I mention this link in case people snap to the idea of donating to help Tall Tails fund travel arrangements and feeding. These are puppies -- they have appetites!
That’s the only photo we have — a litter of puppies happily merging at the feet of a rescuer! Kind of trusting, don’t you think?
[LARRY IDEA: Oh, and there's this one more thing: Abandonment of animals is against the law in the State of Texas. If you know the person who dumped 11 puppies, call an animal cruelty line, call a police department, a sheriff's office, anybody with a badge. The jerk probably wasn't wearing a mask, either.]
MEANWHILE, IN MESQUITE,
TOUGH DOG TALES & ELI THE CAT
This guy with the dance-step is Ranger, about 3, a 67-pound Lab mix who, Mesquite Animal Shelter dog biographer Debra Chisholm says, “is very uneasy in the shelter environment.”

How uneasy? 

“When I attempted to lead him through the bay past other dogs who were barking at him, he was practically paralyzed.” Outside, in the exercise yard, he "warmed up a bit” and appears to “have such a sweet nature, is calm and gentle. Ranger walked up to a woman in the front yard of the shelter (she showed some interest in him) and snuggled up to her and let her pet him.” He’s #46716734 at the shelter.
And that brings us to “this big bundle of cuteness Teddy,” Debra says. 
Get a load of this “pedigree” — Debra says he’s “a mixed breed boy consisting of possibly Leonberger/Estrela Mountain Dog/Aussie Shepherd.”

Why is he in the Mesquite Shelter? He was “a returned adoption” who came in on March 2. The story is “Teddy was adopted by a young man who apparently did not consult his girlfriend.  She was not ‘on board’ with adopting Teddy, so back he came to the shelter.” This photo demonstrates handsome Teddy's smiling personality.
[LARRY ASIDE: This space is reserved today to remind those of you who have marital advice for people who disagree over dogs and cats, "Be kind.:]
  Teddy’s pushing a year old and weighs 60 beautiful pounds. He’s described as “handsome,” “frisky and spunky,” showed no aggression toward other dogs and is “a precious boy with a gentle and loving demeanor.” He’s #46666078.
To ask about any of these Mesquite animals or any animal in the city’s shelter, use the ID number when you contact the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite. com. Among the cats? This cat with the wonderful face, Eli (#46599537), a 3 1/2-year-old orange Domestic Shorthair mix with a wondrously sincere expression. It’s like he was sitting in the cat room when he came in (Feb. 5!) and asked the photographer, “Now, is this expression going to draw the attention of a really good heart?” I suspect the photographer replied, “Yes, it will, Eli. May take some time — I think we have a devil of a blizzard coming our way. We’ll keep you warm and you’ll still be orange when adoptors start looking at you again.” [LARRY ASIDE: I frequently make up dialogue between humans and animals. Usually they’re my dogs and cats, but this guy is such a big sweet lookin’ fellow that I cannot resist. I hope someone else can’t resist, too, and gives this guy a magnificent home for decades.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
A MOON, A BAND AND MUSHROOMS
When I first saw this picture, I declared to its photographer, “What a wonderful photograph!!!”

This is a photo of the Snow Moon rising over Indian Lake at Denville, N.J., over the weekend. That’s the home, as you may recall, of our Eastern Seaboard Bureau and that photo is the work of the veteran journalist, our bureau chief, Andy Fisher. On Feb. 23, we posted Andy’s tribute to the family dog, Maxie, who had lost a long battle to assorted physical ailments. His spirit remains undefeated. 
Andy sent this photo on Tuesday and wrote, “The ‘Snow Moon’ rose over Indian Lake last night. If you look at the right side of the photo, you’ll see a feline silhouette that can only belong to one cat.”
When I saw the moonrise picture I told Any that I’d immediately thought "Chloe is looking toward the moon figuring it’s where Maxie paused to look back on his way to Heaven.” And, Andy, who is thoroughly wrapped around the paw of Chloe replied, “What an absolutely beautiful thought! I can just imagine that going through Chloe’s pretty little head.” (Clearly, two ol’ animal nuts embraced the notion, too.) That's a photo of Chloe and Maxie in a nuzzling moment a couple of years ago. He is a very missed dog.
NOW, ABOUT MARCHFOURTH. Turns out it’s a band from Oregon. An odd gathering of musicians with a Woody Guthrie-esque slogan, “This band is your band.” A few years ago Andy Smith, a Providence Journal arts writer, opened a story about MarchFourth at a Rhode Island show with this description: “The band is a cross between a funky New Orleans brass band and a circus troupe, complete with dancers and stilt walkers.” I don’t know that MarchFourth has ever been to Texas. Here’s a link to the “marching band’s” music.   Feel free to crank up your speakers -- especially if you're in an office! It'll interrupt those "I can't believe I'm back at the office" nappers.
I’ll close with this contemplation: I’ve been getting emails from the Wayfair home furnishings people for a while and this week I got one that at first glance was titled “Mushrooms are disappearing.” What the heck? Mushrooms disappearing — were the election campaign and the pandemic not burdens-enough? I re-read the subject line: “Mudrooms are disappearing,” it informed. Whew. Next time I order fried battered mushrooms, I’ll give sincere thanks.
—- Offer info or gripes or mushroom recipes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. Save ‘em all. —-

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE AND OTHER STORIES FROM THE ANIMAL WORLD....

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2021 [PetPowellPress] We have a one-question survey this edition. It’s a yes or no thing.
 Is this the most commonly asked question in the field of animal advocacy and rescue: “What the hell is wrong with people?”
Some people think that’s the most frequently asked question in politics, but I think I can guarantee that, in the the entire known and unknown universe, animal people ask it more frequently than anyone else in or out of the solar system.

Percy the Mars Rover may have asked it as the earth staff repeatedly toggled switches for his systems check from 138.63 million miles away. “All I want is to be able to pick up the 70s on 7 station on Sirius XM satellite radio,” he tweeted. “What the hell is wrong with people?” 

That’s my girl Porche Noel on her Hippie Rug of Interstellar Ambitions & Tranquility— she was dreaming of napping on the red sand of Mars after a visit to the Red Planet Soda Shoppe.
THIS INSPIRED THAT SURVEY
ABOUT WHAT’S WRONG W/PEOPLE…
See that photograph?
Yep, inspired the question: What the hell is wrong with people? Led us to remembering, of course, that not all people fall into that category — there are the angels who work to repair the wrongs committed by the don’t care/so what villains in these cases.
The story is 11 puppies — 8 or 9 weeks old — were dumped in a rural area near Jacksboro on Tuesday.
The people with 4-Legged Helpers got involved with the challenge of helping to place these 11 puppies. To offer to help with the puppies, email Laura at cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
By noon, we’d gotten a report from 4-Legged Helpers that “a wonderful 501c3 agreed to take 4 puppies.” And there was a chance that the remaining 7 would be going to a non-profit rescue, too.
[LARRY ASIDE: Readlarrypowell.com will give you the names of those organizations as soon as we have them — no doubt the phrase “non-profit” can be interpreted as “can always use some help with the grocery bill.”]

THE DOG KINGSTON WAITS
AND IS ENJOYING THE WAITING!
A week or so ago I was checking in with DFW’s Furgotten Friends and the great Stephen Foster and I spotted this photo of a dog relaxing atop a storm drain opening.

Under that picture, Stephen wrote, “I just don't know what to say. Kingston was adopted from us back in June 2016. He was just a little puppy. Today [Feb. 26] his owner called and said he couldn't keep him any longer and had to bring him to me today. With no place to go I told him to take Kingston to our vet for now. We desperately need a foster or adopter for Kingston. Please contact us if you can foster so he doesn't have to stay at the vet any longer than necessary.”
And, then Laura Barton stepped up and is fostering handsome Kingston. [LARRY ASIDE: Yes, he is an Earhound, and as you can see, it sometimes takes two photos to get all of his ears into a pair of pictures.]
You can apply to adopt Kingston by clicking on this Furgotten Friends link. And you can keep up with DFW’s FurGotten Friends’ works and critters on Facebook HERE.
Laura posted this update on behalf of Kingston. He is clearly a literate dog and he wrote, “Hi! My name is Kingston. Laura has been so kind in opening up her home and making it ready for me, but it’s just temporary. I am looking for a forever home. I love walks, trips to the dog park and going to dog-friendly restaurants. Although I am a big dog, I do have apartment life down. I am well-trained and house-broken just looking for family to love me.”

Here’s a video of Kingston after his arrival at his new home. He demonstrates that, yes, he is a boy dog.
LOOK AT HANDSOME SAMMY,
A STRAY NOBODY CAME FOR
Holy happy kibblenibbler, is that not a handsome dog? That’s Sammy, a Dogo Argentino/American Bulldog mix who came into the Mesquite Animal Shelter as a stray on Feb. 25. We learned out him thanks to a bio from volunteer Debra Chisholm. 
Sammy’s about 4, weighs 63 pounds and will weigh slightly less once he is neutered. 
She wrote, “He seemed to prefer exploring [the shelter yard] to interacting with me, though he was not unfriendly He has a muscular and athletic build and is a boy ‘on the go’.” 
Get this: “He was not interested in treats.” [LARRY ASIDE: Adopt Sammy and you may be able to sit on your couch and eat ice cream without a dog staring at you — I’d be envious!]
This dog with the “confident and outgoing personality” is #46708855. Use that ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
See more animals in the Mesquite Shelter by clicking HERE.
Plenty of cats: This one is known simply as #46821342 — wait, that’s too many numbers to be “simply known.” Anyway, this one-year-old girl came into the shelter on Tuesday. Probably waiting to see if a human shows up and says, “Thank you for protecting my cat.” Yeah, right, people do that — as frequently as I win Lotto Texas. [LARRY ASIDE: Wisecrack aside, Readlarrypowell.com continues to promote black-and-white cats as “naturally, entertainingly zany!” Ask around.]
MEANWHILE IN DAS,
NEW PAGE SHOWS…
OK, as we noted last month, Dallas Animal Services has reworked its website and that site is now bedallas90.org. That’ll take you to the shelter’s population. Click on “Be a Lifesaver” across the top of the page. That’ll take you HERE. In keeping with our planetary theme, at the website you’ll see that boy Jupiter and on the DAS Facebook page you can see the photo of Pluto. Available animals. Also, on the bedallas90.org page you can scroll through the inventory and see the opportunity to adopt Nacho, a one-eyed dog, a very handsome fellow.
Want a cat? Check out the tufted ears and championship whiskers on that DAS cat Bear. That is one handsome feline face. He’s 5 and probably can accept being hugged, cuddled and fed treats while watching The Great British Bake Off. Cats are very discerning when it comes to baked goods — I’ve heard. You never see one being iffy about a tuna-filled croissant. Bless the tuna.
CONTEMPLATIONS
SPACE, THE FAIR, AND CROPPING
In keeping with our Solar System theme, we’ll note that Porche Noel was dreaming about visiting the Red Planet Soda Shoppe to honor Percy the Rover's mission. Think I’m kidding about naming restaurants after bodies in space? Ask anybody who was around in 1969 — right after Neil Armstrong’s one giant moonstep — they’ll tell you there were Moonburger restaurants and other spots with lunar links. (The site on New Boston Road in Texarkana, Texas, is now a cement-covered ready-for-development lot.) These late ‘60s commercial moonspots are about as rare now as the Bicentennial Minutes from TV in 1975, ’76 and '77. That's why there's no photo.… 

Probably you saw the news stories Tuesday in which State Fair of Texas Senior Vice President of Public Relations Karissa Condoianis said planning for the Sept. 24-Oct. 17, 2021 autumn tradition is under way. At readlarrypowell.com, we’re happy to hear that. Expecting a great Fair, too. Missed it in 2020 -- the world didn't feel right and that's one of the reasons. Also, we're wondering who will be the 2021 Voice of Big Tex. The answer was going to be announced in July, but that darned virus got in the way of a lot of things.
One of the more artful jobs in newspaper work is cropping photographs. On Tuesday morning I clicked my way to the online version of my ol’ paper The Texarkana Gazette and was amused to find a caption made absolutely funny by the cropping of the photograph. Let me know if, looking at this photo, you can recognize either PR director. All I can say is that during my 5 or 6 years of editing at The Gazette, I never cropped the faces out of a photo and challenged readers to recognize PR Directors by what they were wearing from the waist down! I kid the paper — but, they’re not going to hire me back, anyway! I don’t work for minimum wage these days.
—- Offer advice or squawks by clicking on comment below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put “recognize THIS” in the subject line. —

A TUESDAY ROUND-UP OF SITUATIONS, CHALLENGES, ANIMALS AND GOOD PEOPLE

EDITION OF TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Think about this quote from the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus: “The only constant in life is change.” (That’s what keeps many of us rooting for the Texas Rangers — hope for change for the better during the entire season.) Heraclitus also came up with “the strife of opposites” and that was long before the 2020 presidential election.

OK, let’s move along. Well, before we go, (1) We have a great Louie story and (20 let’s just point out that there is this cat waiting for a home in the Humane Society of Dallas County’s Dog ’n’ Kitty City Shelter. He’s a 2-year-old fellow “found outside in the cold weather by a volunteer.” Available now. Name? Echo. And one wonders how loud this cat can be if his name is Echo! If he’s as loud as his tail is long, that is a perfect housecat — you’ll never wonder if it’s time to feed the cat; he’ll let you know.
CHANGE FOR 4-LEGGED HELPERS,
CHANGE FOR LANCASTER
The news is that the folks with the non-profit 4-Legged Helpers are no longer involved with Lancaster Animal Shelter dogs and cats that need some human attention to help them survive. (We have a note about that dog later in this report.)

The shelter, according to 4-Legged Helpers President Laura Macias, has opted to go with a group that was established earlier and fell out with the city’s political forces a couple of years ago — the argument was over supporting a bond issue to build a new city hall. 
Thus, when animals in the shelter appeared to be without advocates after that political spat a couple of years ago, 4-Legged Helpers stepped up and began to promote Lancaster’s animals for adoptions and rescue, often appealing for hard-to-adopt animals and animals with tough medical problems.
[LARRY ASIDE: As cited in our opening paragraph today, ol’ Heraclitus noted way back before 475 BC, before the dawn of English, “The only constant in life is change.”  Nobody copes with change like rescue groups! Rules change, personnel change, laws change -- rescuers cope.]

So, 4-Legged Helpers will continue to work with small shelters — such as Wilmer’s — that have little human traffic , according to Laura Macias, the non-profit’s president. She says that in 2020, 4-Legged Helpers helped rescue/place 401 Lancaster animals and “so far 68 in 2021.”
You can see adoptable Lancaster animals by going to this PetFinder site.

These 3, mentioned previously in 4-Legged Helpers appeals, were listed on the Lancaster PetFinder page Monday afternoon.
Laura describes 4-Legged Helpers as “a very different 501c3. We have chosen to network shelter pets in areas where these pets would normally never be seen.”
 The 4-Legged Helpers’ exit announcement reads these are “pets that stand no chance in what is often almost a 100% kill shelter or rural area with no help.  We became involved with Lancaster, when the Hutchins ACO (Hutchins contracts Lancaster to take their pets but has their own ACO) reached out to us when they (Lancaster) had a beyond-full shelter and were euthanizing; asking for help many months after the city had apparently requested this same prior volunteer group [now involved] to leave.  We are not a volunteer group.  We are a rescue organization and our mission is not to walk dogs or clean the shelter.  It's to get dogs and cats out of high kill shelters as quickly and as safely as possible, to 501c3 rescue groups, with the most accurate information possible that any rescue group can count on, regarding a pet that they choose to help rescue.”
To ask how to get involved with 4-Legged Helper’s noble mission, contact Laura by calling or texting 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo. com.
Laura, in discussing the Lancaster change, had this report on Sunday: “GOOD NEWS!  You may have seen us posting a badly injured dog named Emmie from Lancaster [as the weekend arrived].  This is the girl with the eye out of socket.  Horrific injury.  We were able to network and find a group in Austin to take her.  She is currently at a vet clinic in DeSoto and will be headed to Austin immediately. “ (There may be additional updates on the Furbabies of Lancaster Facebook page.)
Follow 4-Legged Helpers’ work with small shelters on the non-profit’s Facebook page HERE. 
A COUPLE OF BEAUTIFUL DOGS
WAITING FOR BEAUTIFUL HOMES
We got the tips on these two from Debra Chisholm, volunteer dog biographer at Mesquite Animal Services. Izzy’s eyes got our attention.
Stray girl, came in on the 20th She’s about a year-old Pittie, not spayed and “seems underweight at 49 pounds,” Debra writes. The girl is “well-mannered…with a calm and mellow personality.” She’s got a “moderate activity level” and enjoyed a nice calm romp in the shelter’s yard while she was being interviewed for this report. “She doesn’t sit for treats, but likes them and will take them gently.” She’s iffy when walked through the shelter bay and encountering several barking dogs. [LARRY ASIDE: Who among us would not be iffy about that greeting!] She’s #46675687.
And Debra writes, “They just don't come any cuter than Batman, a Retriever/Lab puppy who was surrendered to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 2/25 because ‘foot messed up.’  Batman is RESCUE ONLY due to this medical issue.  He is about 5 months old, weighs 18 pounds and is not neutered.  Sweet boy has lots of puppy energy, is playful, and has an exuberant and outgoing personality.  He has loads of charm! … He's a busy boy, constantly
on the move and you wouldn't even know he had the issue if not for that pesky limp.” It’s from a “fracture of the right femoral neck,” Debra’s note says.” he has some pain, but that can be fixed. He’s #46705118.
To ask about these pups, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. See more Mesquite animals by clicking on the LINK. 
That's where you'll find this handsome orange cat! Yep, plenty of cats in Mesquite' shelter.
GOOD NEWS FOR JET,
OLDER GUY WITH CHALLENGES
Word arrived from our tipster Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com that Jet, the little ol’ guy who was in a bit of a health and home spot, has gotten a rescue courtesy of Pound Pals.
The background is Jet had been a family dog since 2013— his human mom died last year and his dad is 85 and Jet has so many health issues that he needs someone to focus on him. Nobody knew how perilous Jet’s health might be. So when he was handed over to a vet, his “Dad” was encouraged to tell him goodbye — euthanasia might have been next. But, with support of donors and with a big functioning organizational heart, Pound Pals stepped up.
And Karen sent the note reading “Great news (and new picture attached) – Jet was rescued by Pound Pals!!  Donations still being accepted!”
Go to www.poundpals.com or the Pound Pals Facebook page. Email pound_pals@yahoo.com to ask how else you may help. 

CONTEMPLATION
LOUIE, A DOG’S PATH TO A HOME
We wrote last week about the plight of this dog Louie.
Then, in the email Monday we found this happy report from rescuer Christine Kallas. She wrote, “Remember Louie, our blind boy at the Garland shelter? Well, he is home for good;) Louie couldn't rest or decompress in boarding. After a bath at Pets Supply Plus he crashed on the soft carpet with Lynn and Lupe, his new little sister. Louie's destiny was influenced by Divine Intervention. When I shared Louie's story that Larry Powell wrote about Louie with Lynn, she told me that Larry wrote about her previous rescue named Senta a few years back.”
[LARRY ASIDE: This is one of my favorite dog photos of all time — the adopted for life Coonhound mix Senta ‘leaping for joy’ in November 2005.]
Christine added that “Louie was meant to be with this little family and she [Lynn] responded happily, 'This is a sign. If this isn't Divine Intervention....I don't know what is!"
And Christine continued:
"I am so privileged to know this special family and [advocate/rescuer Sally Hoover that I met thru Louie. He has given back so much in such a short time. Thank you to everyone involved that gave Louie life, that he and all underdogs are so deserving of. Happy twilight years precious boy.....You come with many blessings...You are loved by many.”
This opportunity to Contemplate The Effects of Dedicated Rescuers on the Lives of Animals and Humans is brought to you on behalf of happiness on Planet Earth.
— Offer ideas and hints by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

SAVE 'EM ALL FROM HERE TO BURNS FLAT AND BEYOND; RECALLNG ONE NIGHT WITH RUSS

EDITION OF MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021 [PetPowellPress] The first day of a new month in a year with so much promise. Like our cats and dogs, many of us have had our shots. Let’s see what else is happening in the world that involves neither politics nor the weather nor a virus. That narrows things down a bit.
We’ll get to the Russ Martin story and photo in Contemplations. First the animals -- might have been Russ' philosophy.

 RANGER IN BURNS FLAT,
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES…
Yep, one of the many challenges that the resilient rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher is attempting to help in Burns Flat, Okla.
Ranger, a “calm and sweet boy,” is about 15 and “has a heart murmur and will need meds for whatever time God decides he has left. He went to a foster home, where he suffered what the vet feels was a mild heart attack. He has recovered now and is ready to leave the vet.” And go where? That’s the problem. Terry Lynn says he “needs a special someone to take him and let him live his life out with them. He still has a bit of life and love to offer.  He isn’t ready to go yet.  He runs with the other dogs. He loves kids.   He plays with his toys.” Email Terry Lynn at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.
AND THERE’S THIS CHALLENGE…
Remember that winter storm that hit Texas — well, it didn’t miss Oklahoma. And that brings us to this appeal from Terry Lynn in Burns Flat, way out in the western part of the state. She writes, “Due to a massive snow storm and wind chills that reached below negative 25, we put all our outside pound dogs into boarding in several different places.  We will be getting the remaining four out this week.  We’ve had to wait for others to leave for space. Sadly, our boarding fees are very high.   We’ve got two of them paid off and the dogs there gone. But I still owe a lot on the ones at my vet. Several people offered to help.  I know many of you already have and I thank you very much for that. If you have offered to help please let me know if you’re still able to do so. Thank you all for always caring and helping me keep them safe through the storms.” Again, email Terry Lynn at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com. You can donate via PayPal at terrylynnfisher59@yahoo.com. The vet clinic is at 580-225-4863 and those folks are well aware of Terry Lynn’s work with animals in need. The mailing address is Elk Creek Clinic, 1301 Airport Industrial, Elk City, OK. 73644.
AND, NOW EXAMPLES OF WHAT HAPPENS IN BURNS FLAT....
So, here’s an example of what Terry Lynn faces in Burns Flat. This guy, Yagger, is a 2-year-old “great dog,” Terry Lynn says, and adds that he “is a frequent visitor to our pound. His people always just open the door and let him go. Being a Pit, a lot of the neighbors were scared of him. Sadly, his owners tied him up out back during our snow storm with negative wind chills and he was freezing. I had our officers go and get him and they brought him to the pound. …We went ahead and put him into boarding.” He’s fully vetted and now needs a new home with heart. Get in touch with Terry Lynn. “Transport can be arranged,” she says.
[LARRY ASIDE: If I were in charge in Burns Flat, I’d keep the dog and get those people to leave town. Also, I’m betting that dog’s name is spelled “Jäger” as in “Jägermeister.” Not that I’ve ever sipped any of that, of course.]

WAIT, DEAR READERS, YOU’LL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS ONE, TOO.
Another Terry Lynn incredible dog adventure. So, one day last week the game warden calls her and says he saw a “truck sitting on a county road and honestly just thought they were stopped for a personal reason.” The warden goes on into town, then, on his way back, at that exact spot, the truck was gone but there was this black and white dog. “He called out to this dog and she ran into the tree line barking — he could not get her to come to him. My son and I went out several times throughout the day and night but she would never come to us. This area is heavy with Coyotes and it really worried me for her. The next morning, … I guess she’d had enough for she came and jumped right into the car. We took her straight to the vet where she was diagnosed with an eye infection which has since been treated. I have named her Rosie. You can tell she has had babies in the past! She is very sweet and loving great with other animals loves kids. She is now ready to leave the vet and go to a rescue to find a home of her own.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Maybe the guy in the pickup with Rosie can pick up the un-caring family who had Yagger and all of ‘em can ride out of town together. Don’t go south to Texas or west to New Mexico — not sure about Kansas. I’m kidding Kansas. Honest. In Kansas, cruelty cases fall into the category “Crimes Against The Public Morals.” Sounds tougher than “misdemeanor,” doesn’t it…]
THIS IS ONE PUPPY
OF 4 DUMPED AT A SCHOOL
This was posted on Lisa Mopsik Goldberg’s Facebook page Sunday. It reads, “Somebody just contacted me in Mesquite and somebody dumped four of these puppies in front of a Balch Springs school and they are in desperate need for them to go somewhere because the guy cannot keep them and he already gave one away to a person walking by. If you can help me I have his contact information. I guess I’m looking for Foster and rescue. Estimated to be about eight weeks old and only the puppies were dropped at the school.”
So I made a check on the animals and, as Lisa replied, “I just found out that the puppies have all been given away and I just hope they’ve been given to a good home.” [LARRY SUGGESTION: Ladies and gents, I guess it’s time for us to hit our knees and pray for four puppies who deserve good homes. If they aren't good homes, then either change the homes or change the hearts in the homes to be in favor of the puppies.]
IT’S THE FACES
AT THE SHELTERS!
Yep, hard to look away from them — if I’d won Lotto Texas Saturday night I’d have … well, never mind. Here’s the deal with Huggy Bear. Magnificent face. No idea why this dog is in the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control shelter, but he’s note the only one. Laurie Gautreaux posted this FWACC note along with Huggy Bear’s picture: “2 weeks ago FWACC had 252 animals, 1 week ago there was 272, today there are 326 and we are at 103% capacity for kennels. We have got to start moving big dogs out. Adoption fees are waived for all large dogs. They are available for foster or adoption.”
Huggy Bear (#42303867) is 3-years, 7-months old and is a medium-size male. The FWACC website says Huggy Bear is now in the off-site Foster Program.
If you’re hunting for an older cat, among the kittens in Cowtown you’ll see 4-year-old Gracie (#46415132). She’s at the PetSmart Alliance Adoption Center — came into the shelter on January 13. 
Here’s the LINK to FWACC’s adorable adoptables.
TRADITIONAL NEEDS
FOR OUT AT THE LAKE
The Great Sydney Busch, veteran spokesperson for Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, sent a note about supplies. As you know the Friends operate the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas. 
Here’s what they need at the clinic: toilet paper, paper towels, isopropyl alcohol 70%, hydrogen peroxide, distilled water, garbage bags (39 gallon or 13 gallon only), reams of 8-1/2x11 copy paper.
 Sydney says the items can be brought to the clinic on Tuesdays between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. (the operating hours, so to speak). Or call her at either 903-451-4701or 214-808-4701 to arrange a delivery or a fetch. Sorry, I slipped into dog lingo with “fetch.” Same thing as “pick up.”
CONTEMPLATION
RUSS MARTIN, FRIEND TO ANIMALS
It was quite stunning over the weekend to click onto the online edition of The Dallas Morning News and see a story about the death of our pal and fellow critterfan Russ Martin. 
As many of you in animal advocacy know, Russ was a big supporter of animal causes and opened up his microphone to help such folks as Jonnie England when she led Operation Kindness to its triumph and lately, Mark Verma with his efforts to promote animals in the care of Paws In The City. Mark is famous for posting photos of the animals “interviewed” on The Russ Martin Show on “The Eagle” (KEGL, 97.1 FM.).

Russ and I were in the “media” back in 2001 — can that be 20 years ago?
He was a dynamic radio guy and I was a daily columnist at The Dallas Morning News. That’s when the photo you see here was snapped.
I didn’t remember it existed until our friend, the great Jonnie England (laughing from the podium at Russ' hijinks), posted it over the weekend as she was recalling the help Russ had given her and animals in the hard work of making Operation Kindness the leading no-kill shelter just about anywhere in the universe. 

Jonnie explained, “In 2001, Operation Kindness presented its Kindness to Animals Media Award jointly to Russ and Larry Powell for their combined efforts to bring awareness of animal cruelty. Russ was so overcome, he had to hug Larry.”

I think I hugged him back — I’d rather be hugging him now than writing about him.

I have no doubt, our radio friend was met at the famed Rainbow Bridge by animals whose lives were longer and happier because Russ Martin had a microphone. Bless him, please.
—- Offer loving thoughts of an animal fan by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

COYOTE WARNING: PERHAPS TO HELP SLEEPING DOGS LIE & NAPPING CATS NAP -- SAFELY

[LARRY REVELATION: The two humans at our house have completed the two-shot routine for the anti-Covid 19 vaccines. Got the second shots Friday around noon and so far no side-effects though I do have a craving for chocolate and ice cream. Wait, I always have a craving for chocolate and ice cream. Now, we present our regularly scheduled program.]


This edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, the last for February 2021, is dedicated with our hearts to all feral cats, outdoor cats, indoor/outdoor cats and small dogs left outside by themselves.
Why is that? Because this is Coyote mating season and North Texas Coyotes are predators and those domestic animals may be your pets, but outside, they’re prey. They may be the target of a carnivorous Coyote. (I’ll explain the sleeping/napping photos later in this edition.)

Many cities issue these Coyote warnings on behalf of the animals who, unfortunately, are in the care of people who think Coyotes are harmless cartoon characters and the people also believe a little asphalt and some streetlights and yardlights will deter the appetite of a Coyote seeking an unsuspecting meal in its natural habitat — anywhere in Texas.
For example, on the Northwest Dallas Feral Cat Coalition Facebook page, we saw this note from the great Elaine McLendon Munch, a veteran rescuer and advocate.
She posted, “The city issued a notice on Next Door to beware that Coyotes are mating right now and normally through the middle of March. They caution that the males can get aggressive as well, where normally you could stomp your feet and yell and they would run away, that may not work now. Our poor ferals are vulnerable but if you have an indoor/outdoor cat best to keep it in. I fear a lot of cats will go missing during this time.”
[LARRY ASIDE: On our Next Door page, there are frequently people living near the river bottoms and a nearby nature preserve who post notices of their missing cats or feral cats they’ve been feeding or their small dogs (“I let Tiny out to do her business last night and she never came back….” You might have seen that kind of heart-punishing appeal for people to be on the lookout.) How about a “Wise up, people. Protect your animals.”]

Pass the notice about the Coyotes around to anyone you know who doesn’t understand that in our part of “civilized Texas,”little dogs and puppies and cats and kittens are absolutely the targets of such predators as Coyotes, free-roaming dogs, bobcats and hawks and other flying raptors not to mention mean-ass people. Dang, there’s my French poppin’ up again. Here's a link to the flying raptors in North Texas -- hawks, falcons and eagles.
Keep your animals safe -- let the sleeping dogs lie and the napping cats nap in the safety of their/your home.

THE PHOTOS

At our house, we have a former feral kitten (Simon), a once-wandering older cat (The Senator) and a not-that-big former street dog (Porche Noel). They all would have been likely Coyote targets had they not been taken in and given a home where their biggest threats are over-eating and over-treating. 

That first photo above is the little guy Simon, saved from abandonment at about 5 weeks old, bottle-fed and now the largest cat outside inhabitants of a sanctuary for Lions and Tigers. Even his mugshot indicates a robust presence. He’d usually be sleeping inside the cabinet under the TV and bookshelves. But, lately, he’s discovered there is warmth in placing his cheek on a TV cable box — we still get the signal, but we can’t change the channels because of His Thickness. 
Then we have The Senator who understands that as a “lap cat” he has the natural right to cat nap on the lap desk in Martha’s lap when she’s in the recliner and watching TV. (The cellcamera clicking woke The Senator, my personal advisor and confidant.) FYI: I think the “Lap Cat Cat Nap Clause” has been supported by the Supreme Cat Court of the U.S.
That is Porche Noel on the back of the couch. She appears to be sleeping, but in reality, she is peering through her squinted eyes toward our front door in what she calls “Coyote Repellent Position.”
One suspicious shadow across the window and she’ll declare “Coyote Alert!” and there’ll be a cavalcade of barking while the cats get on their phones to their lawyers.
Seriously, make sure your animals are safe. It’s your responsibility not the burden of “sheer luck.”
Bless the Coyotes, too. Keep all animals safe.
We close with pals Simon and Porche during a conference regarding strategy and treats. That gives you an idea of the bulk of Simon -- he's not much smaller than Porche and twice as sensitive to intruders. She barks; he plots.
—- Offer contrary notions or support by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

ON WANDERING MIND FRIDAY, A WORLD OF ANIMAL CHALLENGES

EDITION OF FRIDAY, FEB. 26, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Welcome to Wandering Mind Friday. Yeah, this is being written on Tough-to-focus Thursday. 

Why tough-to-focus? No idea. I’m not a psychiatrist, though I have played one on stage. But that was in a previous lifetime and I shut down my practice when the show closed and the theater took back my shrink costume.

Willam, the Office Cat, chose not to counsel me and quietly went to the bedroom to dream of a no-whine place to work. Handsome boy, ain't he.
I’ve had my two cups of coffee — and I’ve hugged dogs and cats and my homeofficespouse Martha. 
She’s wasn't Zooming on Thursday. When she’s on a Zoom call, if I walk out of my office at the other end of the house, our Border Collie mix Dudley, usually in her office, hears my door open and begins barking an alert like either I’m a burglar, I'm a rebellious sheep or he’s a 3rd grade school teacher trying to shush an unruly boy who is working on a C-minus conduct grade on his report card. 

JUST WORDS, NO PICTURES
BUT YOU’LL SEE ENOUGH…
One of the reasons I’m having trouble focusing is I read an infuriating report on the DAS Accountability Page here about some people living in Dallas, Texas, near the path known as the Santa Fe Trail. Somebody looked into a backyard last week and saw the neighbor’s dog. According to the text: “There was ‘Midnight’ frozen, laying in his doghouse (obviously too small for him) sticking halfway out dead.”
The appeal was being made for someone to face cruelty charges. And for some organization to investigate this senseless situation. An update reported that the people who Midnight trusted “put the doghouse on the curb with him in it.” No dignity for the dog. None at all. And he’d be alive today if he’d been loved as promised. 
I think the fact that I read this posting before I started anything else might account for my inability to focus. If you spot what you think is an animal cruelty situation — weather isn’t the villain, people are — call someone who wears a badge and swears to uphold the law. Animal cruelty is against the law in Texas.
THEN THERE’S THE LADY GAGA
CASE THAT’S IN THE NEWS
There are disgusting people roaming this planet. Surprise, surprise. Maybe you’ve seen the impossible-to-understand story of the punks rolling up to Lady Gaga’s dog walker in Hollywood, grabbing the singer’s French Bulldogs and shooting the dog walker. Two of the dogs, Gustav and Koji, were taken, the third, identified in news stories as Miss Asia, ran to the side of the prone and bleeding dog walker.
Here’s the LINK to the TMZ story with video of the incident — TMZ says Gaga wanted the video released so people could see this crime and recover Gustav and Koji. The singer/actress has put up a $500,000 reward for the return of her dogs.
In a comment on another page discussing this event, our ol’ pal Gig Ray, veteran rescuer and advocate posted very simply what most of us are thinking, “WTH is wrong with people?”
[LARRY ASIDE: It will be interesting to discover the motivation for this incident. Couldn’t have simply been crooks just decided to steal a couple of dogs. Surely. Maybe I worked the crime and courthouse beats too long as a reporter, but this crime seems as if it either has a lot of thought about taking advantage of a specific sar or it has no thought at all. Only opportunity and criminal impulse. Either way, save the dogs, jail the creeps.]
BUT, NOW, CONSIDER THESE 2 EVENTS
THAT INVOLVE PEOPLE WITH GOOD HEARTS
BAYLEE’S CHALLENGE
The early report on Thursday read this way:
“CRITICAL - BADLY INJURED DOG appears to be a Beagle Mix. JUST CAME INTO LANCASTER TX SHELTER - BACK LEG DANGLING.” The photographs were pretty awful. This is one of them — anybody with a heart wants to comfort that dog.
All the work by 4-Legged Helpers to establish trust with the Lancaster Animal Shelter paid off for Baylee. The note from the Helpers read, “Shelter willing to do an emergency medical release on this poor sweet girl. She was found stray—not moving — she is unable to stand because of that leg. Baylee appears to be a little Beagle mix. Please, please, help save her.” 

I chose a “less vivid” photo of Baylee to illustrate the beginning of this story — it still shows you a stunned dog with a leg that damaged and raw and bloody.
As word of the case began to spread, people began to donate to help Baylee get some help. Then, in mid-afternoon, Laura Macias from 4-Legged Helpers posted this photo of Baylee in her safely secure ride to an emergency vet.
The note read, “Leg is shattered. Baylee being taken to an emergency vet….Pic of her leaving first vet that got her on some pain meds and told us leg is shattered. We have someone wanting to foster/adopt but we so welcome any donations. Right now we are not sure if her back leg can be saved….”
There’ll be more info coming on Baylee. The non-profit 4-Legged Helpers pulled Baylee. The Helpers’ PayPal is helpingshelterbabies@gmail.com. And you can see more on 4-Legged helpers Inc. Facebook page.

Remember this: While some dogs and other animals were left to freeze to death, there are people who work hard to save ‘em all.
JET’S SITUATION
We got this Thursday morning from Karen Lee, our pal whose barkleyworld.com helps animals in need. She was writing on behalf of this little guy Jet — the organization Pound Pals is accepting pledges for Jet because the funding will help him cope with his latest diagnosis, diabetes. 
There’s a story. Karen says Pound Pals has a number of senior pets and others in vet care currently. But Jet’ situation is particularly touching. In a Facebook post, Pound Pals posted, “Jet has been a beloved pet since 2013. His mom passed away last year and his dad is 85 years old. This past Monday, Jet was diagnosed with diabetes. His dad, who lives alone, is not able to give Jet his insulin.  As a result, Pound Pals has been asked to consider accepting Jet. When we plead him to our fosters, we received an immediate notice of acceptance. This means Jet has a willing medical foster.
“We had our vet team review Jet's medical records. Jet is going to be a complicated case because he has multiple issues. He was diagnosed with autoimmune meningitis in 2019. Jet now needs some extensive diagnostic testing which will include thyroid panel and Cushings testing. Jet's glucose is currently 755 which means immediate hospitalization until his glucose is at a safe level and stable.

“Long story short, Jet is an expensive long term rescue endeavor." This made Jet an "iffy" case due to the organizations already burdened medical funds. The post continues, "Jet's extended family says their grandfather is very bonded to Jet and does not want him to be euthanized. Jet's dad wants Jet to be able to get the care he needs and live his life out. As a result, the family agreed to board Jet at his vet clinic so he can start insulin injections for two days in hopes that we will be able to take on Jet's needs.

“The family had Jet's dad say his goodbyes at the vet clinic today. After 8 years together, Jet's dad had to leave him not knowing if he would be euthanized or rescued."
The note says “the family agreed” to give Pound Pals two days to find financial support “before having Jet euthanized.”
Pledges is what Pound Pals needs. Here’s the LINK to Pound Pals. You’ll need to scroll down to get to Jet’s story.
[LARRY ASIDE: There are pledges coming in; more will be needed, probably. But this effort and the efforts to help other Pound Pals dogs demonstrate that there are people whose hearts are correctly wired.]
ONE MORE LANCASTER DOG NOTE:
REMEMBER ‘TESTY’ RANGO THE GSD?
We wrote about several German Shepherds who’d been dumped at the Lancaster Animal Shelter and caught the eye of Four Legged Helpers. One of these was Rango. Brandi and Jenny (Chanel) have been tagged by rescue, says the Helpers’ Laura Macias.
Rango was an “owner-release” and the owner handed him over because “he is acting badly” and the surrender was so Rango could be euthanized. Yep, kill him.
You may recall in our initial report about Rango, one theory was that he had a medical problem that was bugging him and changing his demeanor.
Thursday afternoon, Laura reported, “Rango had a cyst that burst literally today and he is now acting all friendly! So yay! We are spending some money to get him looked at today by a vet. Poor guy! ... We are so happy he is being a sweet boy now!!”

Plans were for Rango to have an afternoon vet visit, then return to the shelter and await being rescued or adopted. To help him with his vet bills, donate to 4-Legged Helpers PayPal account at helpingshelterbabies@ gmail.com or go to the 4-Legged Helpers Inc. Facebook page and donate to Rango. Call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat-girl_71@yahoo.com.
[LARRY ASIDE: Yeah, it was cheaper or more convenient to dump Rango so somebody else could kill him than it was to simply take him to a vet and get an inexpensive checkup. Maybe Rango didn't fit into the family budget. Sheesh.]
CONTEMPLATION
WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?
I realize I'm hadly the person to examine the human condition, but whatever is wrong with people, it's not wrong with ALL people. If you are reading this, you probably know a bunch of the angels who save animals from the deeds of people with malfunctioning souls. Remember that you know these angels. It may give you a boost when you need it.
For every three or four guys who’ll shoot up a dog walker and steal dogs, or every household that doesn’t care if a pet freezes to death in winter or bakes to death in a Texas summer, for everybody who neglects a dog or cat to death, there are scores of good hearts trying to save ‘em all.
Sometimes the village idiots, the free-roaming villains and their don’t care/so what cousins win. But Texas has laws. Make a call to someone with a badge and a Texas Bar card and save some animals from hell in Texas. (Need I mention monitoring the Texas Humane Legislation Network and it’s efforts to educate the Texas Legislature into a mood to protect animals?)
When you watch the animal advocate community work for years, you’ll know that there are people who have given their hearts to protecting the dogs and cats and horses and cattle and other animals whose lives are in the hands of humanity. That’s uplifting. What’s also uplifting is finding out that prosecuting attorneys now and then throw the bad guys in the slammer — the only drawback is that one of the pieces of evidence is usually a photo of the body of a dead animal.
Humans can do better. Well, most humans can. Some of you rat bastards are hopeless. Pardon my entirely accurate French, as the righteous say when moved to unbridled expressions of disgust. My apologies to rats for mentioning them in the same sentence with the human creeps.
REMEMBER: Save ‘em all — from humans and circumstances.
—- Offer thoughts and theories by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

A CAVALCADE: CRITTERS, WILMER'S PAST, FELINE EARHOUND, WELCOME INTERRUPTION...

[EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, FEB. 25, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Look at that dog face. Nostrils as big as her eyes. Interrupted me with her huge presence.
 She's not that big, but her pressence is.
I’ve been writing for a long time — started for money in newsrooms in August, 1965. I’ve been interrupted by shouting matches, a physical confrontation or two across the room, newsroom lovers’ spats, ringing phones nobody was answering, demonstrators outside, worn out typewriter ribbons going blank on the keys, a woman walking in with a baseball bat and asking for me by name (she just wanted to talk; the bat was incidental), etc. 

But on Tuesday afternoon, I was starting to write and, to sort of psyche myself up, I’d clicked onto that Highwayman song by Willie, Waylon, Kris and Johnny. 
Suddenly, at the sound of Willie Nelson’s voice, our dog Wendy Louise Wagstaff Arden came over and shoved herself between my desk and my knees and sort of spun me around so she could look at me. I don’t know why. Credit Willie for inspiring affection. But I loved that she did come over to see me when I needed a focus. I hugged her, patted her head, might have tugged at some of those world class whiskers. She gave me a dog grin and, tail wagging as usual, she walked across the room and flopped down on one of Porche Noel’s Transcendental Dogatation Hippie pad psychodelic rugs and went to sleep.
I took it as a compliment. Everybody, on a day when you're confronted with a challenge or wallowing in a bad mood, oughta have a dog walk up and say, “Hey, just checkin’ on you before I take a nap and dream of treats and grins.”

Why else are we here if not to make life better for dogs and cats and critters and even a human or two now and then?
WILMER WANDERER EMILY;
LET IN FROM THE COLD
Before we explain Emily’s situation in Wilmer’s tiny shelter, we’ll remind you that the dogs from Lancaster that we mentioned in Monday’s edition still need help from rescuers and adopters.
Now, there’s the Emily story and, remember, the contact points for helping Emily and the Lancaster dogs are these spots with 4-Legged Helpers: Call or text Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.

Adorable Emily “showed up in the winter storm,” explains 4-Legged Helpers, “and although the Wilmer Shelter has not been picking up dogs in some time now, in this case, someone did allow her to go into the shelter due to the critical need with the cold. (Much of Wilmer was without water during the storm, so not sure what this poor baby has been through.)”

The “little cutie pie” is in a shelter that doesn’t have public visiting of the animals — 4-Legged Helpers works to get any animals that wind up there into the watchful eyes of rescuers and people with good hearts. As the Helpers explained, “We can get her moved to a boarding situation that is very inexpensive for a few days, but she desperately needs a rescue group.”
MEANWHILE, IN MESQUITE BOOGIE,
BINGO, BLAZE AND ROXY

(ALSO PRECIOUS AND TULLY)
That headline sounds likes you can honky tonk and Boogie in Mesquite, gamble at Bingo and hang out with a couple of country singers, Blaze and Roxy. In reality, that may be true, but in this case we’re talking shelter dogs, courtesy of our tipsters, the dog biographers Debra Chisholm and Judi Brown.

Handsome Boogie’s story is he’s 2 1/2 years old, weighs 50 pounds and was an owner-surrender. He’s listed [ID #46644711] as a “mixed breed” and the Pet Bio Scanner says that mix is “American Bulldog/Dogo Agentino/American Staffordshire terrier.” Why surrendered? Financial hardships. He came in on the 13th. Since then, he’s been a gentleman, walks nicely on a leash, knows “sit” and “lay” and “has a low-key and mellow personality.” He was well-cared-for in his home and, his bio reads, “There is a lot to like about Boogie.”
Bingo (#46667334) is a Staffie mix who came in on the 18th and weighs 65 pounds at only six months. The more accustomed he gets to people, the warmer he gets. And the bio reads, “He has lots of puppy energy. This little fellow is frisky and perky…He loves treats and would undoubtedly respond well to training if treats were a part of the deal.”
Blaze (#46624687) is a 9-month-old, 40-pound former stray who came in on the 10th. His bio reads that “it is obvious from looking at him that he is very underweight and has not been well-cared for in his short life. Yet, Blaze has an exuberant and unquenchable spirit.” The experienced theory is he’s a treat-crazy boy who can be easily trained and, as a “housedog”, will become “a part of his family.”
Roxie (46676451) is about a year old, weighs 58 pound and was surrendered on the 20th “because the owners did not have enough time for her.”  That's her left and right. The bio says the previous owners had her for 11 months. “Roxy spent a lot of time in the backyard and owners said she especially enjoyed being inside with the children.” She’s good on a leash, low-key, mellow, well-mannered and affectionate.
Precious [46676480] is about 9, weighs 50 pounds and came into the shelter on the 20th because “his owner suffered a stroke and was no longer able to care for him.” Precious is a mix (Lab and Jindo and “etc.,” the bio says) and he’s lived indoors and outdoors and with cats — and is a “friendly fellow.” He hasn’t lived with kids. But he does have a “mellow personality.”
Tully (46664457) is a Pittie mix brought in as a stray on the 18th. He is about a year and a half old and weighs around 60 pounds. And his bio says hes a “high-energy youngster.” He’s strong. and “seems to want constant attention and perhaps he hasn’t had much of that.”

Remember, to ask about any of these pups or any Mesquite dog or cat, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email
rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
AN EARHOUND DOESN’T ALWAYS
HAVE TO BE A FUNNY DOG…
While looking for a cat to remind people that North Texas has plenty of felines who need happy homes, we clicked onto spca.org to see the available adorables on the SPCA of Texas adoption list.
And, son of a gun, if we didn’t find formerly spotlighted Apollo still waiting for the right home. We’ve been noting his zany photo since before the Pandemic arrived, I’m almost certain. Whatever the case, he’s a dog with “great house manners” and he needs an adults-only home and no other dogs. He’ll need a secure fence, too. He’s not all that keen with humans he doesn’t know. (LARRY ASIDE: That makes him sound so human, right!)
And we spotted this photo of an Earhound described as a former Dallas street cat. Zeke is a 6-month-old kitten who, if he grows into his ears, may be as big as a lion. Oh, he’s probably already got mature ears and is about to enjoy a growth-spurt so his body will match. He’s listed as a “small’ Domestic Shorthair/Mix. (LARRY ZEKE ASIDE: The mix could have been mule, based on those ears.]
Check out Apollo and Zeke and many more by going to spca.org and learning about adoptions, volunteering and supporting the animals and the people who work to help them.
CONTEMPLATIONS
FIRST SWEAT OF '21; WHAT ABOUT WILMER? AND THE SONG....
My, how the weather has changed for the better. At 7:30 a.m. Tuesday I was in the garage walking 25 brisk minutes on my treadmill and broke into the First Sweat of 2021. Later that day the temp was in the 80s. Why do I keep the treadmill in the garage? Self-preservation. If I keep it in the house, I’m afraid I might jump up from the couch and over-exercise. Or, around midnight, I might trip over it in the dark on my way to the refrigerator. …
WHAT ABOUT WILMER? I’ll tell ya what about Wilmer. That’s where Emily the dog is waiting (first item today). In case you wondered, Wilmer’s a small town on the southern side of Dallas. Its population is around 4,400 and, according to the Handbook of Texas, the city was named Prairie Valley in 1872 when the Houston and Texas Central Railroad “established a stop” there. The town was founded in 1876 and , in 1884, Prairie Valley was renamed “Wilmer” in honor of A.J. Wilmer. As the Handbook explains it, Wilmer was “a conductor on the Houston and Texas Central who often passed through town.” Seems like there’d be a romantic Broadway musical in that story. Guess it’s a good thing the outlaw Sam Bass was usually on horseback or Wilmer might be Basston, i.e., Sam Basston.  That’s a photo of a Texas Central caboose and we don’t know if any of the people in the photo might be Conductor Wilmer. Or if any of them had dogs. Read more HERE. Kind of funny, I guess, that we know for whom Wilmer was named, but nobody can pinpoint why Dallas is named “Dallas.” … Speaking of Sam Bass, the bandit with Denton connections, here’s the LINK TO HIGHWAYMAN, a video of Willie, Waylon, Kris and Johnny — The Highwaymen — performing that legendary song that is melodic philosophy of the universe...maybe.
—-Offer opinions of the song or the world by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

WE TAKE TIME TO CONSIDER LOYAL DOG MAXIE: RESCUED, LOVED AND AN ADMIRABLE SPIRIT

[DEAR READERS: At readlarrypowell.com we have a long been fond of writing about our “Eastern Seaboard Bureau” and its personnel on the shores of Indian Lake, in Denville, N.J.
On Tuesday, our dear friend Andy Fisher, the “bureau chief” and a long-time newspaper and broadcast journalist, sent us a report that was surely tough to write. 
We have mentioned the noble dog Maxie for years — we wrote of his medical trials, of his companionship, of his loving relationship with Chloe the Cat and of his love for all the bureau “staffers”, i.e., Andy, Andy’s wife Annie and Ian, Annie’s son who has a real feeling for animals. It’s a family thing at the Fisher home. Here is the report Andy produced for us Tuesday in honor of his pal, Maxie. That's Andy's favorite photo of Chloe and Maxie in a prelude to a nuzzle.]
THE MAXIE REPORT

By Andy Fisher
Ol' Maxie went across the Rainbow Bridge this afternoon -- his liver was failing him, adding to a long list of other ailments.
Veterinarian Ray Czarnecki was as upset as we are; he had treated Maxie as if he were his own dog, although Maxie didn't like him very much, probably recalling the awful night they met -- the night of his back injury. 
Although he was in rough shape, he never complained, which we are told is a classic Pittie trait. [PHOTO: That's a recent picture of Andy making sure his pal Maxie got his treat.]
When he didn't get up this morning, we figured something was very wrong, and Dr. Ray urged us to bring him in. When Maxie didn't growl or snap or object in any way, Dr. Ray said, "That's not Maxie," and we had to agree.

THE PATH TO LIFE WITH MAXIE

It was very soon after we lost Barley, the Husky/Retriever Ian had paid to adopt with his first-communion money, that we adopted Bella, an old lady that we knew had neurological issues -- we lost her about a year later. 
We decided to wait a bit after Bella's passing to bring another dog aboard, but one Sunday Annie and Ian and I went up to Eleventh Hour Dog Rescue to find a new companion. 
One of the candidates was Cash, a beautiful fluffy dog who needed a younger family to handle his rambunctiousness. Another was Ernie, a heeler mix who was afraid of me -- and no one is ever afraid of me. 
And there was a handsome guy who had been in the shelter for more than a year -- since even before we had adopted Bella. The name on his card was "Max (Nutty Buddy)." We were told his owner in Greenwood, South Carolina, had been evicted, and had wept when he was forced to surrender his buddy. 
After we'd seen a few dogs, Ian said, "I like that Max." Annie said, "I do, too." So they went and got him. He trotted right over and put his great big Pittie-mix head in my hands. The message could not have been clearer: "I'm goin' home with this guy." 
Loyal, he was. Nobody -- NOBODY -- messed with his new family. [The family photo of Andy, Annie & Maxie was taken by Kenny DePugh, a neighbor, Andy says, "who volunteers at Eleventh Hour and actually knew Maxie before we did."]
He loved his new home. He had a unique sprawl when he took his ease on the deck overlooking the lake. Annie took a picture we call "A Man and His Frog." 


THE FALL, TOUGH DOG, LOYAL FRIEND

One night when Annie and I were out of the house, something happened. We're not sure, but we think he fell down the stairs. In any event, Annie found him motionless on the downstairs floor. 
She called an emergency vet, and that's how we met Dr. Ray Czarnecki of Hodes Veterinary Group in Mine Hill, NJ. Dr. Ray directed us to a veterinary neurosurgeon, and that night, Maxie underwent surgery. 
The pain must have been formidable, but Maxie's canine courage was stronger, and he never let on. The crew at the surgery center loved him, he came home, and with some therapy at AquaDog in Flanders, NJ, he got back on all fours. 
But in recent months, his rough life caught up with him. He lost control of his back legs; the winter cold kept him indoors; and he developed a lethal array of ailments. 
He made it to the age of 10 in January, and his spirit was good, but defying the pain got harder and harder. 
Dr. Ray, who always got a growl from the big guy, took a look, and this time, there was no growl, just a big sad face. Something that said, "Time to go." 
We were with him when he slipped into what Shakespeare called "that undiscovered country from whose borne no traveler returns." 
He was a big, loyal, handsome and very, very brave fellow, and there is a Maxie-shaped hole in our hearts.

[LARRY NOTE: That's Maxie in his earlier days -- he enjoyed that vantage point on the deck. And this is the logo for Eleventh Hour Dog Rescue, the New Jersey organization that took care of him until Andy, Annie and Ian came to get him and give him a life of adoration. We honor Maxie today on behalf of everybody who ever had a dog or cat that meant the world to them.]
—- Offer condolences or admiration for loving rescued animals by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com —

WHEN THERE'S A CHILL IN THE AIR, ICE ON THE LAKE AND CRITTERS ON THE CLOCK....

EDITION OF TUESDAY, FEB. 23, 2021 [PetPowellPress] If I could think of anything clever with which to open this edition of readlarry powell.com, I’d be the reigning genius on the planet. 
That is both a weather photo and a news photo. Our big bottle-fed kitten Simon found a place to sit that was between the TV’s cable news broadcast and the window looking out onto our snow-covered yard. He went to sleep sitting up — I don’t know if it was the politics on TV or the weather outside that dropped his lids. [LARRY ASIDE: Though Simon is not animated in this photo, he is representing the International Adopt a Cat Movement For Tranquil Moments. He says the organization still working on its charter in Texas. He told me, “We got a chilly reception in Austin." Or maybe he said, "We got a chili reception." That's more likely.]
Now, as I appear unable to come up with a punchline that doesn’t involve weather or politics, we’ll simply move on, keeping the personal mission in mind: Win Lotto Texas; Save ‘em all. 
A PAIR OF DOGS THAT WILL CHARM
FOLLOWERS OF CLASSIC FILMS
One of the great blessings of my existence is that I am on the mailing lists for many wonderful organizations that work to save the lives of animals no matter what their pedigree. For example, I was inspired to look at the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas’ adorable availables because I got the GALTx newsletter explaining how the volunteers were able to cope with “Snowmageddon 2021” and its affect on the GALT shelter, Houn’House! When I clicked on the GALT site, I found this fantastic line-up — see if anything among the Greyhounds stops your eyes in their tracks.
Yep, not everybody in the lineup is a Greyhound. I’ll bet you spotted the two cuties right away. Here’s the report from GALTx about two of the dogs in the “Junior Varsity” lineup.
 Their story reads: “Nick and Nora are siblings that were rescued from a law enforcement cruelty seizure by Paul’s Valley Animal Control in Oklahoma. They were very thin when they were taken in, and certainly were mistaken for Greyhound puppies! But once a GALT Greyhound, always an honorary GALT Greyhound! Nick and Nora are extremely bonded and depend on each other, so of course they will be adopted together, but for just the adoption fee of one.

 “A DNA test was performed showing them to be American Staffie and Boxer crosses. They are extremely sweet and loving.”

There’s also this from another report. “When the two play they can get noisy and sound like they are Tasmanian devils, but they also make the cutest and strangest sounds, hence their nickname, ‘The Gremlins’.” 
So, if you were to contact GALTx and ask about the “Greyhound Gremlins,” there’s no that you’re asking about Nick and Nora — yep, same names as the characters played by William Powell and Myrna Loy in The Thin Man movie series.
Here’s the LINK to the Nick and Nora report and here’s the link to a video of the pups as they benefitted from GALTx's loving care.
THE OLDER CAT
WAITS IN DALLAS
We mentioned this girl before — back when you could get to Dallas Animal Services by going to dallasanimal services.org. But there’s been an interesting and more informative change in the online presences of Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center. You can see it at bedallas90.org. 

This is, with a nod to movie star Natalie Portman, the famed Dallas feline Catalie Portman. She’s an older cat and she’s smaller — six pounds. She’s at THIS LINK. And she’s at Dallas Animal Services waiting for someone to give her a home and treat her like the darlin’ cat she’s grown up to be.
THREE GERMAN SHEPHERDS
AND A ‘MARLEY’ WAITING
OK, here’s a German Shepherd trio and a Lab mix named Marley. They’re all waiting in the Lancaster Animal Shelter, according to our tipsters from 4-Legged Helpers.
Marley’s situation is he’s a “very good boy. Incredibly sweet and cute.” And he’s got nobody as of this writing except people trying to help him find somebody.
For Marley and for these three German Shepherds, call or text 4-Legged Helpers’ Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. 
Now about these other dogs. [LARRY ASIDE: I’m stifling my involuntary “Sheesh, people!]

Brandi was released by a human who said the senior dog “may have some eye issues” and she “released her to be euthanized.” As the Helpers note reads, “This is just so sad. She is incredibly cute and gives big sweet kisses and it is really heartbreaking to see her here. … Look at that adorable face…sigh…what is wrong with people? Knowing this area,” the helper note reads, “I sincerely doubt they took her to a vet to be check out.”

And this is Rango, another owner-release German Shepherd. The surrendering individual said “he is acting badly and, like Brandi’s owner, released him to be euthanized. Unbelievable yet again,” declared the Helper’s note. "NONE of the people that release ever even try going to a vet. We are actually wondering if something might be physically wrong, i.e., he may be in pain. We have seen it many times— a severe ear infection, a tooth impacted. The dog acts out from pain….” And the Helpers say that if you want to donate to Rango for a vet check call or text 214-949-2726 or e-mail cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
And there’s Jenny, who we mentioned in Monday’s edition. But it turns out her original name is Chanel. The Helpers say she is “truly beautiful” and, yes, she also was an owner-surrender. Playful girl — once loved but now dumped at a shelter.
Again, get in touch with 4-Legged Helpers by calling or texting 214-949-2726 or emailing cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
THE BLIZZARD OF ’21 IN JERSEY

I thought I’d present some photos of the ongoing weather challenges at our Eastern Seaboard Bureau on the banks of Indian Lake in Denville, N.J., where winter continues to have a firm grip. Well, maybe it’s slipping a little bit. Temp lakeside might be around 40 today (Don't look for any bass boats taking advantage of an early thaw.) In North Texas, we’ll be not around 40, but around 70-something, the weather folks say. 
What you see here are some of the weekend and Monday photos provided by the veteran newsman who helms the tiller at the Eastern Seaboard Bureau, Andy Fisher. I like to think that first one is a “mood-setter.” And there’s a photo of an American flag waving over and through the snow. Now, the Bureau Cat Chloe and the Bureau Dog Maxie — featured on our website now and then — are not much on exploring the snow. But Andy and Mrs. Fisher, Annie, were out looking at the solid ice on the lake and Andy snapped Annie standing out, as we’d say in Texas, “raht smack in thuh big middle uh thayut ahce.”
 In reality, Annie is posing not far from the area where on July 4 you might be able to catch Uncle Sam doing his traditional patriotic ski-by for the Independence Day festival. That's Uncle Sam in warmer times at the lake.
Kind of warms your  wintry heart, doesn't it....
—- Offer tips for handling warm weather or for setting your air-conditioner to match the temp by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com —-

MUGSHOT MONDAY GIVES US THE FACES; AND WE LEARN OF A CATTLE SEIZURE IN EAST TEXAS

EDITION OF MONDAY, Feb. 21, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Yeah, the politicians and the experts are going to happily be blaming people for failing to see the weather misery coming 10 days ago. Was nobody paying attention to Punxsutawney Phil on Groundhog Day? I’ll bet that’s the last time a politician laughs off a shadow-spotting groundhog and a weather forecaster says, “Never mind that overfed rodent, I’ve got a distant forecast computer program that never misses.” 

Six more weeks of winter? That six weeks expires along about the middle of March. Still time to buy winter gear which, previously in Texas, meant thick socks and a waterproof windbreaker in case of rain.
So, having avoided unpleasant weather difficulties, I’m happily back at the computer keyboard and here we go. Phil (the rodent upper left) has people. This dog has nobody. You could be THE somebody. Read on. 

CALL THIS MONDAY MUGSHOTS
FOR THE MESQUITE SHELTER
I decided to organize this on my own — this mugshot array. And yes, there are some Earhounds! The volunteers concentrate on meeting the dogs and making sure they can tell people what the dogs are like — the theory (and it works so far) is that the info helps people decide to give a dog a chance. [LARRY ASIDE: These bios come from the volunteer dog biographers Judi Brown and Debra Chisholm. You don’t invest yourself in this sort of personal involvement unless you have a heart bigger’n Texas. It’s a real mission.] Here we go:
QITA (#46613010), a 5-year-old “darling tan-colored Pittie with hazel eyes, is 5 and came in on February 8 as a stray. Our tipster, the volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown, says the dog is craving attention. She’s high-energy and active and “sometimes gets over-exuberant and jumps on you. But because she wants to please, she should be easy to train… Once she found out I had treats she REALLY stayed close.” She’s 50 pounds and not fixed and “very photogenic,” Judi says. 

MOE (#46628404) is a 2-year-old mixed- breed, a 37-pound stray who came in on the 10th. Judi says her “pet scanner” says Moe is “part Carolina/Black Mouth Cur/Jack Russell terrier mix. Whatever he is he’s darling and has an outgoing friendly personality.” Same as Qita, Moe is “exuberant” and will jump on a person, but he will sit for treats and that’ll help control him. “He wiggles and waggles,” Judi says, describing him as “a happy guy who seems to love everyone.”
MURPHY (#46656581) is the dog to whom this face belongs. Came in as a stray on the 17th and will be available on the 22nd. He’s a 44-pound, 2-year-old “Honey-Colored Hound Mix” with a great set of ears and, as Judi writes, “soft, pleading eyes.” He’s “cautiously friendly” but will warm up to people. His back is “somewhat hunched” and he has a couple of puncture scars on his noggin. He’s also “too thin and could use some groceries,” Judi says. She sees him as living with a “family that has a laid-back lifestyle.” She also says, “I can see him sprawled out on a rug by his master’s feet. I suspect he would be a very loyal companion.” 

SALENE (#46479145) has an “action mugshot.” Debra Chisholm met her and prepared the bio. Salene is a 63-pound, 3-year-old Pittie/Staffie mix — a stray who came in on January 23 and went into quarantine. Why? “Because she was so scared and nervous in the shelter environment.” Debra says Salene has been “brought up to a bay in the general population and is doing much better….She is playful, enjoys toys and loves to fetch. She will race after the tennis balls and return them, wanting to continue with the game.” She also likes the climbing equipment in the shelter yard and loves “showing off her athleticism” and she “has a friendly disposition and is an affectionate girl.” And, of course, there’s this: “Unfortunately she appears to have been overbred.” [LARRY ASIDE: So there’s a hint about why this girl was a stray — stupid owner quit pretending to be a responsible breeder and dumped her on the streets. Just a theory based on human behavior — maybe inhuman behavior.]
TARZAN (46543844), 4 years old and about 50 pounds, is a Golden Lab/Retriever mix who came in on January 30 “due to a bite,” Debra reports. “Tarzan has completed the required 10-day quarantine and is in a general population kennel. The bite (which appears to be more of a scratch) was a minor one. After spending some time with this adorable dog, I see nothing but a friendly and sweet-natured boy.” Good on a leash, house-trained and knows “sit.” Plus, Debra says, he has an “outgoing and confident personality.” He needs, Debra declares, “People who will stay committed to him.”
GRETA (46618807) is a … [LARRY PAUSE: Look, sometimes the photos get to me. I saw Greta’s and exclaimed “Awwww!” before I read a word about her. Look at that face. Those ears. Those eyes. Holy smoke, how does a dog like that turn up stray? Shame on the person who didn’t take care of Greta. She’s practically waiting for the needle because of you!] Back to Greta: She’s about 2, weighs 40 pounds, isn’t spayed, and is “friendly, affectionate and gives kisses,” her biographer Debra says. She’ll probably need an exercise partner to help her deal with her “real zest for living,” Debra suggests. [LARRY ASIDE: I’d adopt her just to be able to look at her face and smile. But, of course, I’m a sucker for a marvelous dog or cat face. Yep, SAVE ‘EM ALL.]
So, here’s the deal. To ask about any of these animals, use their ID numbers when you email rescues@cityofmesquite.com or when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283.
Want a cat? Plenty there at Mesquite. Use those same contact points.
We picked this one off the shelter’s site Sunday.
Earl The Cat (46641413), a year-old domestic shorthair mix, came into the shelter on Feb. 12.
[LARRY ASIDE: We don’t know much about year-old Earl, but based on the way he’s standing, he may be attempting to disguise himself as a delivery driver bringing a pizza to your front door, coming in out of the weather for a tip and deciding to stay as a morale booster with your complete approval.
He looks like a clever tabby to catfans at readlarrypowell.com.]
Click here to see more animals in Mesquite’s shelter.
FOUR THAT WOUND UP
IN LANCASTER SHELTER
We got the photos and bios on these dogs from the folks with 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that tries to get animals safely out of small shelters where the only humans they see are city employees. Yep, lots of paw traffic, not much foot traffic. 

The first guy is the apparent Lab mix Milo. Found as a stray. Very loving, sweet cute and playful, the Helpers report. “Very good boy — he adores everyone and everything.”
That brings us to Jenny — an owner-surrender German Shepherd. (Clock is ticking.) She is “extremely playful and likes to roll around and rough-house.” House-trained. Better with a big dog than with a small dog, the Helpers report.

 We’ve reported on Raegan before — “found as a stay in an area where people dump dogs. Just heartbreaking because this girl is great,” the Helpers report. Also, “She has such a sweet, gentle loving heart.” And she likes other dogs, too. [LARRY ASIDE: No wonder she likes other dogs; look what a human did to her.]
We’ll close with Alani — the Helpers report she has a Hawaiian name that “means heavenly and beautiful.” She was a wandering stray when brought into custody. And, the Helpers say, “Adores everyone she meets. Extremely friendly and lovable.” 

To ask about helping any of these Lancaster animals, call or text 4-Legged Helpers President Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
SPCA, VAN ZANDT COUNTY SHERIFF
SEIZE 7 LIVE COWS, 1 DEAD
Yep, it’s surely cruelty case. Surely. SPCA investigators and Van Zandt County Sheriff personnel seized these animals on the 19th from a pasture without food and water. Hearing for custody is scheduled at 10 a.m. March 1 in Precinct 2 Peace Justice Sandra Plaster’s court at 250 E. Groves St. in Canton. Maybe there’ll be cruelty charges. You can see photos of the seizure HERE.

[LARRY ASIDE: I was going to post the photo of the dead cow’s face, but it looked as if the animals eyes were looking up from the cold, snowy earth and asking, “Why?” and, sadly, I have no answer for this animal other than some humans are just not worthy of having an animal under their care. Honestly, it really is disturbing — doubly so when you recognize the fact that these animals are being kept just so they can be killed and eaten. OK, no lecture on the morality of a meal. Just a reminder that animal cruelty is against the law in Texas.]
The SPCA said “the deceased cow was determined to have died from starvation, and trash and trash bags were found in its stomach contents.” The entire SPCA news release is HERE https://www.spca.org/spca-of-texas-seizes-eight-cows-from-vz-property . At spca.org you can see how to donate to the SPCA’s cruelty investigations.
CONTEMPLATIONS
A VEGETARIAN RECOLLECTION
OK, that cow item out of Van Zandt County moved me to tell you one of the reasons I became a vegetarian. Around 30 years ago I was watching cattle being unloaded from a truck and one of the momma cows got to the exit ramp and stopped and looked around to see what might be happening to her next -- you know, before she was shoved out of the back of the truck and onto the ramp. I knew right then that cattle have thought processes that involve caution and questions about their future. It may not be a question about which college to attend, but it is definitely a reaction to having to make a decision: stop, go, flee. Yeah, cows may not be the brightest mammals on the planet, but I have seen humans who don’t wonder about the future, don’t look before leaping and some of them have held public office. So, I don’t dine on politicians and I don’t eat animals. Check up on how animals are killed for the sake of your meal. Maybe it’ll stop your fork in its tracks — like a “now what?” question stopped a momma cow’s exit — for only a moment — at the back of a cattle truck. Bless her heart.
—- Offer an opinion or a delusion by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and eat some vegetables before you do it. —

THE RUBITS' HOME IN CONNECTICUT HAD FELT EMPTY LONG ENOUGH — ENTER CHARLIE

Ever notice how sometimes a dog can keep a house from feeling “empty.” 
Take, for example, Charlie, the Southern hound, who now lives in Connecticut. 

We’re not sure how this guy Charlie feels about snow, but we do know he has warm feelings for the people who gave him a home. He’s the featured fellow in this edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
Charlie lives in New Fairfield, CT. That’s because he won some hearts — the hearts of rescuers and the hearts of Andrea and Victor Rubits. He didn’t start out in
The Constitution State (AKA The Nutmeg State), as Connecticut is known. Nope, he has links to The Peach State and The Sunshine State.
Andrea proudly sent us these photos of the new resident of New Fairfield and told us his story.
She wrote, “We just adopted this guy on Thursday [Feb. 11] up here in Connecticut.

“As you can see, he is a champion counter surfer!  He’s also a champion sleeper!  The shelter listed him as a ‘Hound.’” [LARRY ASIDE: The photos would support that listing, don’t you think?]

Andrea says that Charlie “came up here from a shelter in Georgia by way of a rescue in Florida. He was listed as being one year old, but we’re pretty sure he’s a bit older. Whatever he is, he’s the sweetest mellow dog we’ve ever had and we’re happy he’s ours!…

"We’ve named him Charlie — we thought it was a good Southern name!  He lives with my husband, grown son and I, with two of my grandchildren as frequent guests!” [LARRY ASIDE: Yes, Charlie quickly had a fan club!]

Andrea provided a description of his path to his new home: “He was originally in Jesup/Wayne County Animal Control [in Georgia], rescued by S.A.F.E. Pet Rescue in St. Augustine, Fla., and adopted by us at the New Fairfield/Sherman Animal Welfare Society in New Fairfield, CT., where we live.
“Since we lost our last dog, Betty, in November, I’ve stalked rescues on Facebook and when I saw him, we applied. The rest is history and it’s wonderful to have a dog back in the family.”
Now, all or you whose hearts are owned by dogs and/or cats may see some familiar emotion in Andrea’s telling of how Charlie fit in with the family.She explained that the people helping with the adoption “said he was an owner-surrender and, if he was, it was a good thing because he’s so skinny now and was apparently 10-pounds lighter when he was neutered in Florida.

“Actually, Betty, the last dog we lost, was the last in line of a pack of five miscellaneous mixed- breeds we loved for the past 14 years. I always say she was the last dog standing.
“December and January were the first months in over 50 years that there wasn’t a dog in my home — so it was time!”
And there's Charlie, all curled up in the home that was feeling empty until he arrived. Probably dreaming of a kitchen counter and his own personal ladder.
[DEAR READERS: Please send photos of your sleeping dogs and napping cats and slumbering “other” to dallrp@aol.com and we’ll post their pictures and stories in our long-running feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. And FYI: You may recall seeing lots of snow and wintry scenes in your Texas neighborhood in the past week. See this
photograph? Looks like Texas did, right? A little bit. That’s a photo by Neil Zobler on the official New Fairfield, Ct., city page HERE. Yep, snow and a counter-surfing Hound Dog — might as well be Texas.]
-- Offer appreciations of animals or tips for driving in the snow now that it's melted by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. How about that Charlie! --

A FAT TUESDAY POTPOURRI WITH DOGS, CATS, MISSIONS AND MOODS....

EDITION OF MONDAY PM, FEB. 15/TUESDAY, FEB. 16, 2021 [PetPowellPress] For the first Monday edition I wrote about looking out the window on Sunday and watching snow fall. On Monday during the noon hour, I was looking out the window and watching the sun shine on our snow-covered front yard and cars.
That snow isn’t melting all that much at our place. In this photo, a vast layer of snow is beginning to slide off our roof like an avalanche in the Himalayas.
In summation, I am really missing July and August. Though, the way things are going for 2021, we’ll have frost warnings in July and August. In case you wondered, Spring arrives at 4:37 a.m. Saturday March 20 — that four days AFTER you’ll “spring forward” at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 16. The snow — probably — will be gone by then.
TERRY LYNN’S LATEST
ADVENTURES WITH CATS
Burns Flat, Okla., a town of aboit 2,300 way out in western Oklahoma, has an angel working on behalf of dogs and cats. For this edition, we’re focusing on two of resilient rescuer Terry Lynn Fishers’ recent cat tales. You’ll shake your head when you see that each of these cats has encountered humans with no soul and been saved by some people with glorious hearts.
In the Monday mail Terry Lynn wrote that she’d received a call “concerning this little guy. The lady said he was at her house for about two weeks, then was gone. She didn’t think anything of it until she heard a meowing from under their tub.
“Her husband cut a hole in the wall and there he was. He had been there over a week.

 “She doesn’t know what happened but he was very thin and tired. His front leg is injured. She said it just dangles and is cold to the touch.  She thinks the leg is totally dead.”
 Terry Lynn says she has no place for cat at the Burns Flat shelter or at her home and she’s got “several animals in boarding and a cat at the vet right now. So the only way I can take this on, is to have sponsors or a rescue step up. He is very friendly, but really needs vet help ASAP.”
To offer to help, email Terry Lynn at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com. She’s waiting for help and so is the cat.

THEN THERE’S THIS DESPICABLE BEHAVIOR by a driver in Burns Flat. See this cat? 
Terry Lynn says, “We learned tha a car purposely swerved and ran over this innocent creature. She laid in the street, flipping over and over in pain.  She then drug herself to the curb.
“A lady and her daughter picked her up off the street and called me.  We rushed her to my vet.

 “They’ve ended up having to remove her tail. Her pelvis is broken and she has multiple severe open wounds. But, she does have use of her back legs. That was my big worry.  She is using her litter box and eating. She can walk; it’s just still very painful.   They have her on pain management right now.
“Her bills will sadly rise high. She will have to be crated for awhile for the pelvis to heal so I’ll probably bring her home once she is strong enough. If anyone can help with any of her bills please know that each and every dollar is appreciated so much.” 

You can also ask about adopting this girl that was the target of a jackass driver. Pardon my entirely accurate but insufficient French.

You can donate directly to the vet at Elk Creek Clinic, 1301 Airport Industrial, Elk City, OK. 72644 or by calling 580-225-4863. And Terry Lynn’s PayPal is terrylynnfisher59@yahoo.com.

[LARRY ASIDE: What can you say about a person who swerves a car to hit an animal? Hell isn’t hot enough? Yes, the proper thing is to pray for that soul to be enlightened. That driver isn’t the only person who sometimes finds it tough to do the proper thing.]
OUT AT THE LAKE,
SNOW EFFECTS
Yep, snow has its effect on routines. As you know Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic in Gun Barrel City, Texas. Only, there’s no operatin’ on Tuesday the 16th — yep, same reason the rest of us are out of our routines: too much winter. 
The Friends spokesperson Sydney Busch sends word that weather has squelched the usual Tuesday operations and the Clinic will re-open for “surgeries and regular-non-surgical services on Saturday, Feb. 20.” 
Those surgeries are, of course, by appointment only — if you’ve got an appointment, you know what to do. You DO NOT need an appointment on Feb. 20 (that’s Saturday) for the non-surgical services the clinic provides from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. More info is at friendsofthenimals.org.
THE WAITING DOGS
OF LANCASTER, TEXAS
As you know, we keep up with the hustling nature of 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that works to get attention for animals in small shelters with low or no foot traffic. These determined angels have been successful a helping make the connections that can get unwanted/unexpected dogs and cats into safe rescue organizations and loving homes.
So, here’s the next load in Lancaster Animal Shelter, a place the Helpers describe as “now very full.” The contact point for all of thse animals is Helpers Prez Laura Macias — call or text her at 214-949-2726 and email her at cat_girl_71@ya- hoo.com.
In order of appearance, they are:

BROOKS — Described as a “cutie pie” who is “incredibly sweet” and fun-loving, he was “found out and about as a stray and it was definitely his lucky day since he was found right before the weather hit.” 

JAMIE — This Shepherd/Hound mix was “found starving” and living behind a Home Depot. Shelter ACOs “were able to trap him and they have found he is really coming around nicely. … He is more than happy to let anyone touch him and pet him, even while eating. This guy is going to be a great dog if someone takes a chance on him.” The Helpers note that he has a “sweet face and those big adorable brown eyes.”
MELODY — She’s a young Lab mix who is “very gentle and calm.” The shelter reported that “she is a bit bashful upon first meeting, but is the sweetest little girl you could meet.” [LARRY ASIDE: Another “sweetie pie” on the clock because somebody didn’t respect her and take care of her.]
RAEGAN — The bio-writers have some superlatives for Raegan, describing her as “the sweetest, sweetest, swweetest girl. Precious, adorable and a very calm, gentle, lovable girl.” She was “found as a stray in an area where people dump dogs. Just hearbraking because this girl is great. Walks great on a leash, too.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Would the person who dumped Raegan please get in touch with me? I need to explore the mental state you were in when you shoved her out of the car and drove off. It’s something I need to know so I can better understand the idiot BLEEPBLEEPS I share the planet with. Are you a heartless jackass? A mean jerk without soul? A don’t care/so what person without regard for living beings? What is the matter with you? Email me your answers and explanations to dallrp@aol.com and use your real name if you can spell it. Otherwise I’ll be forced to refer to you as “Hey, heart-deficient” or words I picked up under deadline pressure in newsrooms, you bleephead. that “bleep” is multiple choice. All of ‘em fit.]
AND, DEAR READERS, NOTE THESE THREE who were out roaming together when apprehended!
LUKE — Described as a “young male English Lab or Mix” was originally thought to be a Mastiff, but the shelter decided his ears suggested “Lab” more than “Mastiff.” He’s said to be “very calm, very loving and very gentle.” He was found running free with Logan and Lia (see below.)
LOGAN — Described (aptly) as a “beautiful, beautiful dog.” He’s also “very timid and very shy. So much so that when they brought him out to the lobby to take pics, he was shaking. Bless his heart,” the Helpers note read. He’s “clearly well-fed,” the note continues. “So, one has to wonder where he came from. And he was out and about with 2 extremely friendly dogs, Lia and Luke, so, perhaps, this is all just new to him….” He acts as if he’s never been in a shelter and never encountered a leash.
LIA — Listed as a “Lab/Bulldog mix” is said to love “everyone and everything. Very good girl. Very lovable. Shelter staff already adores her.”
Again, to help save the lives of the Lancaster pups, call or text Laura Macias of 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 and email her at cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
THEY KEEP COMING TO MESQUITE:

JUELZ GIVEN UP; GHOST ABANDONED
One of our Mesquite Animal Shelter tipsters, volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm, sent us notes about these two dogs: Juelz and Ghost. Unusual names for dogs in an all-too usual situation.
ABOUT JUELZ: This Staffie mix was surrendered to Mesquite on Feb. 9 “due to financial hardship.” The 9-month-old, 68-pound guy is a former indoor-only dog. He’s a lively pup, Debra says. But, “he will sit for treats and takes them gently. … Former owners reported that Juelz lived indoors with his people, that he knows the following commands:  sit, stay, high 5, paw and get down. That last command is a handy one because he does jump on you!  This is a youngster with an abundance of puppy energy … Obedience classes would help make him more adoptable.  He raced around the shelter yard during his photo shoot and exhibited athleticism and agility. … Juelz is a pup with so much potential but really needs someone with a firm hand who will be able to handle his energy level.” He’s #45113935.
That bring us to Ghost, a 2-year-old, 48-pound, not neutered Staffie mix who, Debra writes, was ”surrendered to the … shelter on 2/9. Ghost had been abandoned by his original owner and the people who had been taking care of him for two months were not able to continue to do so. … Reported by the owner was that Ghost is house-trained, that he lived with and was OK with other dogs, that he lived with children (theirs were 14 months-18 years), that he likes to play with a ball and go for walks.  Ghost has been kept in the yard during the day and in the house at night. …a calm and gentle boy … takes treats gently.  He is a friendly youngster with a nice personality and demeanor.” Ghost’s ID is #45619780.
And, of course, he is clearly an Earhound -- capable of both the down and up Ear Maneuvers of Happiness.

 Use those ID numbers when you get in touch with Mesquite Aimal services by calling 972-216-6283 or emailing rescues@cityofmequite.com. 
See the Mesquite dogs and cats by clicking on this SHELTER LINK.
The many cats at Mesquite include this guy Zeus, 8 years old and in the shelter since Groundhog Day. He’s a “large male” domestic shorthair mix. (#46577368) and he’s neutered. An 8-year-old cat is barely a teenager in cat years.
CONTEMPLATIONS
THE MONDAY SUN & FAT TUESDAY, A STORY-TELLING RACCOON HEADLINE & A RESPITE
After spending the day typing, I looked out a window and thought I was seeing a summer day, the sun was so bright. Ah, the promise of things to come. …
In the mean time, if you're reading this on Tuesday, this is Shrove Tuesday, known to partiers as Fat Tuesday which is, I’m told, the English translation of the French “Mardi gras.” I always lay low and avoid carbs on Fat Tuesday. The day has something to do with Lent, which I’m almost certain nobody brought up in my childhood Baptist Church — “It’s a Catholic thing,” some adult would explain. Lots of Baptists have enjoyed Mardi Gras, I’m led to believe. … FYI: That's a photo of me and William Powell catching some Zs after reading: He had a copy of the script for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and I had a book named The Invention of Tin Roof Ice Cream. It's a very sweet story. ...
I read this headline on the CBS 11 website Wednesday and thought, “Now that’s a headline that tells a story. It read:

“Fort Worth Firefighters Safely Remove 2 Raccoons From Home That Crashed Through Ceiling.”

A home crashed through a ceiling. So, based on information suggested by the headline,  apparently 2 raccoons were joyriding in a stolen motor home when they argued over who would hold the wheel, the RV ran off an elevated highway and fell through the ceiling of a suburban home. What? Oh. I was misled by the “home that crashed through ceiling” sentence construction. Can't anybody diagram a sentence these days? So, no stolen van, just raccoons up to mischief in somebody’s house. FYI: On the left you see a book jacket photo with me and Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson -- the book, a mystery, is A Cat Can Stare at a Computer, Too. Has to do with hypnotism and elections.
NOTE FROM LARRY: Weary of winter, fed up with politics, agonized by people who don’t take care if their dogs and cats and let ‘em freeze, I’m taking the rest of the week off. Call it "coping with a spell of compassion fatigue.” Rarely lasts more than 72 hours without treatment, i.e., ice cream, pizza, my bakespouse Martha's peanut butter/chocolate chip cookies (the traditional medical mood elevators -- check with your doctor before attempting this treatment). 
I’ll be monitoring the inbox at dallrp@aol.com and hanging out with my own dogs and cats. Double-checking my Lotto Texas numbers. Unpacking boxes we moved nearly 18 months ago. I had a jar of Instant Sanity in one of them -- stir it into your morning coffee and see a clear day ahead. I may read a book. See you Saturday, if not before. Remember, readlarrypowell.com is written for the animals and the people who love and protect them. If you abuse an animal, my dog won’t bite you — but I may. I’ve had every vaccination but rabies. Hang on, I have a little foaming drool in the corner of my smile. Grrrrr. Maybe it’s cabin fever, not hydrophobia. I don’t know — I’m not a doctor but I have played one onstage. That's Porche Noel, my personal attendant, having just examined my head to see if she could see from one side to the other by peering through my ears. See you Saturday in Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
—- Offer relaxation advice or tense moments in life by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. Put “Ommm. Relax. Avoid Cookies.” in the subject line. —-

SNOW, ANIMALS, PEOPLE AND THE WAY 2021 IS A YEAR OF CHILL & WARM CATS

EDITION OF MONDAY, FEB. 15, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Finally, the song Jingle Bells begins to sound appropriate in North Texas. (We’ll explain this Fowl Weather photo in Contemplations.) 
Here’s a sentence I never expected to write: “As I type this, snow is falling on the front yard and I am watching it through my office window and wondering (a) when will it stop and (b) why, in all these decades in my home state, have I never bothered to buy a winter coat?”
My funspouse Martha let the dogs out Sunday morning and they romped in the snow — even 15-year-old Rottie Texas Earl the Cheeseman was frolicking like a puppy. Before I could get a camera aimed at them, they were back inside, toweled off and occupying their assorted furniture, comforters, custom-beds, laps, where ever they wanted to warm up. 
So, you see there a photo from our blizzarded (that a word?) yard. Pawprints left by our dogs — I call it “Wolves at the Door.” Our pups have only heard of wolves, but they do know about their cousins, the coyotes —“The wild bunch,” Porche Noel calls them, without a hint of former roaming streetdog irony.

PAW SUPPORT WORKING
TO HELP NOTABLE NAME
As a guy whose first newspaper reporting job was in 1965, long before the era of computers and satellite broadcasting, I can tell you one of the rules of journalism has always been: “Names make news.”
 So, here’s a little news about a rescued puppy named Bernie Sanders.
He turned up on the snowy weekend Facebook page of Paw Support, the Dallas non-profit that works to “save animals from euthanasia and homelessness.”
At story posted by Paw Support reads, “Everyone meet Bernie Sanders. Bernie was found on the HIGHWAY.
“A lovely couple stopped their car after almost hitting him. He is a very mangy little baby but he is now in foster care being loved and spoiled! We can’t believe he has survived the cold and the streets! We need to keep creams and sweaters on this sweet boy, so if you would like to donate an item to Bernie that would be amazing!” (Here’s that WISHLIST LINK to help Bernie get past the horrifying neglect he’s endured. Paw Support says that Bernie Sanders “will be available for adoption once his vetting is complete!! Isn’t he the most handsome boy you’ve ever seen?” And to audition to adopt Bernie, email txfurbabies@gmail.com.
TWO IN MESQUITE,
ONE ADOPT; ONE RESCUE
The “rescue only” girl in the Mesquite Animal Shelter is called Twix. She’s #46603984. We learned about her from the volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown. 
She reports that 6-year-old Twix came in as a stray on the 6th and is a “rescue-only” dog “due to a large mammary tumor and several others.” Kind of an ugly situation that resulted in her being sent to a vet and being treated for a mammary infection.
Judi writes, “She has obviously been over-bred. These issues do not seem to bother her as she’s an easy-going, happy-go-lucky girl who loves everyone and everything. She’s very joyful. The expression ‘the tail wags the dog’ fits her perfectly. She’s very excitable and does jump on you so will need manners training. She craves attention. She’s highly motivated by treats and seems to want to sit for them but doesn’t quite know how. She obviously wants to please. Her brindle coloring is very striking and she’s got big soft brown eyes to match.” 

Judi also tipped us to Peaches (#46620027), a 5- or 6-year-old, 50-pound stray who arrived on the 9th. Judi says, “My pet scanner said she’s part Terrier Pit and English Fox Hound with possibly a little bit of Jack Russell terrier thrown in the mix. She’s a very friendly, exuberant, fun loving dog that loves to explore. She’s very alert and curious about her environment and the perimeters. When I was doing the photo shoot she got fixated on a car that pulled up in the parking lot and I couldn’t distract her. Consequently I took her inside in order to get her attention and continue the photo shoot. She immediately went about exploring that room also and checking out the exit. She’s capable of jumping quite high so she will need a secure fence. She’s really a delightful girl who wags her tail frequently and likes her ears scratched. She could use some manners training to stop her from jumping on you, but she does want to please so she should be easy to train.”

To ask about these dogs or any dogs in the Mesquite shelter — no matter what the weather is — call 972-216–6283 or email rescues@cityof mesquite.com.
See the animals in the shelter by clicking HERE.
The available animals include these two handsome boys. Five is about 7 months old and Scooby — middle name may be “Doo,” it’s unlisted — is just over a year old. [LARRY NOTE: In addition to tabby cats, Siamese cats and other cats of all breeds and origins, we endorse black and white cats as being very interesting. Cat-lovers will support this position as will the cats.]
THE RYLEIGH RESULT
Back in mid-January, with the help of the non-profit, small-shelter monitoring 4-Legged Helpers, we were able to publish the photos of the dog Ryleigh. I referred to this girl as a “leaning dog.” She posed interestingly for her shelter photographs.
The note from Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden read, “Poor baby has clearly been lost — she is very emaciated (ribs showing) and desperately needs out of the shelter ASAP. She is a wonderful, cute, loving cuddlebug who loves all people and dogs alike.”

Over the weekend Laura sent me a photo and a three word description that is designed to make an animal-fan smile. The description read: “Ryleigh’s adoption photo.”
CONTEMPLATIONS
WARM CATS, COLD WEATHER & LASTING SNOW?
I’m quoting this on behalf of people who have more than one cat in the household. We have enough to stay warm. Here’s the note:
Sunday morning, Darlene Payton on Facebook posted the note “Just got a message about conserving energy, which made me wonder what do most people have their thermostat set on…..” And a comment or two later, Beth Bodden Felker, after some sage advice, wisecracked, “Just pile on a couple more cats.”  We both endorse and practice that method of adorable warmth in the time of uncharacteristic snow. [LARRY FYI: That is a classroom photo of The Senator, earlier this year, teaching the other cats how to serve as a chin and neck warmer for a napping human. The Senator is demonstrating the "Enhance Warmth Method With Purr." He’s available for lectures — everyone must wear a mask — his is off for photo purposes only.]…

This photo I call “Fowl Weather.” It was taken Sunday morning just before the Backyard Soccer League called off the 3-player match. The players are Chicken, Duck and Dogball. Dogball’s usually round countenance had frozen flat on one side and was working on freezing flat on the other in this team photo. He complained this frozen flattening would affect his usual bounce game. …
And the final photo is of my grandkids and one of their pals on their snowy yard in southwestern Fort Worth. They were about to do some sledding. The "grand kids" are (left two) Connor and Hannah and (far right) Emily. The tall fellow is their pal Logan.
Everybody is wearing a mask. Socially responsible grandcitizens, eh? The grown-ups, Bart and Erinn, were avoiding the snow behind the camera. Bart’s brother Bret, known as Uncle Buck, had a presence. He’s the one who had the foresight to give the kids the sleds years ago — well before this years’s snow was a gleam in a weather forecaster’s computer screen. Yep, Texas kids sledding in their home state. Maybe 2020 really will be better than 2021. It was a pretty good Valentine’s Day with my funspouse Martha. Now, I’ve got to check my Lotto Texas numbers. Oh, and can any other Northeast Texas kid remember snow lasting more than 24 hours? ….
— Offer ski tips or lotto theories by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —

AS THE PREDICTED BLIZZARD OF '21 LOOMS, WE CELEBRATE SLEEPING AND NAPPING

So, I walked into the living room and spotted my young friend Stevie Ray on a comforter in the cat-comfy “twist ’n’ purr” position.
And that’s our introductory photograph to this weekend’s edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. We’re tempted to add “Let snow fall briefly and move on.”
Back to Stevie Ray: When I walked in, I asked him, “Getting ready for the blizzard?” 
“What’s a blizzard?” he asked. “Does it taste like a lizard?” 
This from a cat who has never seen snow or a lizard unless he’s been watching PBS nature documentaries.
His outdoor skills were thwarted by an early rescue — I plucked the weeks old kitten screaming from a lower limb on a towering mimosa tree in our front yard. He was trying to pretend that cats grow on trees. In the ensuing months, Stevie Ray became our apprentice office cat.
He has been studying under the notable feline William Powell.
In this photo, William demonstrates how a senior office cat should await a blizzard. “It’s a matter of positioning,” he told me. “I have, as you will note, stretched out on the cheap blanket that covers this second-hand too-short-for-human-usage bookcase that you gave me and described as a ‘superior feline observation station’.
“I have adapted,” he added with a raised set of whiskers. “What I am doing is assuming a comfortable position, letting my eyelids close and pretending to ignore whatever is happening outside that window.

“Trust me, I’ll be up like lighting the moment a snowflake lands in the yard — in Texas, snow arrives with more racket than a Cedar Waxwing doing a touch-n-go landing while trying to score a wormy snack.”
William (pink nose with spring gray) is a bit of a philosopher cat. You don’t earn the “office cat” designation without being a philosopher. He has a sign over his workstation that is said to be a quote from a famous coach. It reads, “Make today your masterpiece.” William always points a paw at the needlepointed quote and mutters, “Got that from his cat.”
You may wonder about the dogs on Porche Noel’s Hippie Rug of Meditation. In anticipation of a blizzard squelching plans to exercise in our Tranquil Garden of Pure Thought and Mind-Cleansing, Porche invited her friends to participate in her Yoga for Casual Dogs class in the office. As she stretches out her short legs, Wendy extends her giraffian front legs. Dudley the Angel announced, “I’m going to flop on the sidelines and catch some shut-eye.” He succeeded,
[WHETHER THE WEATHER IS WARM, COLD, DRY OR SNOWY, send photos of your slumbering animals to dallrp@aol.com and we’ll spotlight them in our internationally-read weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You’ll be inspiring people to adopt otherwise unwanted animals. You’ll also be suggesting to insomniacs that they can conquer their demons by learning how to move their minds to the sidelines and collapse into a big hairy vision of cuteness.]
—Offer sleeping tips or lotto tips by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

TRYING TO THINK WARM IN AN ERA OF CHILLING OCCURANCES, CONSEQUENCES & WEATHER

EDITION OF PM THURSDAY FEB 11 & FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2021 [PetPowellPress] When the area is so cold, I think the situation demands that we write about something warm. Naturally, at our household we have a number of warm souls and, with thick socks, warm soles, too. It's a case of SOT -- Save Our Toes.
Before we get to the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas, we’re going to give a heart-warming update on the black cat Marnie, the little girl we mentioned weeks ago. She was in the
Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter after being abandoned at one of the local hotels in the North East Texas city. She was wearing a pink collar with a flower on it — yet no chip, thus no home.
Our tipster, rescuer/advocate Cheryl Morse-Stephenson sent a note early Thursday and these new photos of the Cat in The Bag. Now, perhaps we can say, “The Cat is out of the bag and in the home."
Cheryl wrote, “Marnie was ADOPTED yesterday! Woo Hoo!” 
[LARRY ASIDE: We believe “Woo Hoo!” is a celebratory expression understood throughout the cat and dog world.]

 Cheryl also tells us that while there is “breathing room now, I think” in the Mount Pleasant Animal Shelter, there are three cats that “have been there the longest…Beautiful cats.” They are 7-month-old Betty Lou (lounging), and year-old Cindy Lou (curled tail) and year-old Wanda, facing the camera. See MP animals HERE. Ask about the cats by emailing cherylstephenson@peoplescom.net.
A CALENDAR OF WARMTH
FROM GALT’S INVENTORY
Let’s talk “warmth in the time of the Pandemic Freeze.”

We have a treasure of a calendar. It’s the 2021 calendar from the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas. (LARRY NOTE: Not too late to get one, by the way. Click HERE. Remember, with the closing of dog tracks, GALT has been taking in more unwanted Greyhounds than usual. So, funds raised=dogs helped!)
Now, back to warmth in the time of the Pandemic Freeze. We got in touch with the great Susie McQuade, GALt’s Co-Founder, Treasurer, Board Member and Director of Canine Management, to tell her how much we love the 2021 calendar. You see the cover page — it has a note “In memory of Blazer by Chip & Cher Imrie, founders of GALT’s program Blazer’s Guardian Angels.”
[LARRY ASIDE: See, this thing called GALT is beyond a “rescue group,” it’s a “movement!” -- people who are devoted to protecting the “racing breed” that has been shabbily treated by people who toss ‘em when they’re done with ‘em. Hang on. Help me off this soapbox before I snap a slat and wind up telling the doctor I slipped on the ice.]
So, in going through the calendar, I stopped to look at the April pages because the revealed that April is Adopt-A-Greyhound Month. Of course, you don’t have to wait until April. (Go to galtx.org to see how to adopt one before spring arrives!)
 There is a warm story about that girl Sugar Pie (left). She represents a wonderful memory for her humans now. Susie told me, “Sadly, Sugar Pie is gone from this world now. But her family just adopted Sweetie Pie — Yes! They have a thing about ‘SP’ dogs!” And that is a photo of Sweetie Pie that I copied from the adoptables list on galtx.org.

 These photos are of 5 that are on the April 2021 page. As you can tell, they tend to be “home-bodies.”

Esau may be doing an impression of a dog howling at the moon.
Isabel clearly is involved in Couch Ballet.
Lulu & Connie understand the value of a slumber partnership.
And Penny? Well, she’s a lovely girl who has a darling face that deserved to be loved and treasured.
So, there’s a collection of warmth in the form of a bunch of cool dogs who have an entire non-profit helping them in their post-athletic lives. Of course, they aren’t all former racers. Some of them wind up in the care of GALT because they were seized in cruelty cases.
Yeah, it is the warmth of the good-hearted people triumphing over the heartless. And that is a warm feeling.
MEANWHILE IN HOUSTON,
THIS DOG IS A RESCUE HOPE
We learned about this Shar Pei/Lab mix from our reliable Houston tipster Alexandra Kelsey. A rescuer, Fern De Santos, has been trying to get this dog to safety since early in January.
As our tipster AK writes, “This boy is stunning. He is magazine-cover material.  But someone dumped him with a family who doesn’t want him and that family’s dog would like to kill him, it sounds like.

“Houston temperatures are dropping drastically, and this Shar Pei/Lab mix, who has an injured paw and is already struggling to survive, is not used to that kind of weather. …Fern has been begging for a month to have the Houston shelter help.  But, here we are…Snow is coming and no help is forthcoming. Houston rescuers have collected $570.00 in pledges.” [LARRY ASIDE: Could be even more by the time you read this. Money covering boarding has been pledged.]
To offer to help this limping, unwanted dog who is dodging help in an area near the University of Houston, text Fern at 832-803-6905. Email estellefmack@gmail.com.
And you can get updates on Facebook at THIS LINK.
The dog has also become wary of humans. Yep, another complication in a rescue. Our tipster AK reported around noon Thursday that “Fern is in touch with some trappers. They are trying to determine the dog’s pattern and are actively working on a plan for trapping”. 
[LARRY ASIDE: What in the heck is wrong with people? It is an emotionless heart? Or is it some kind of Pandemic Dump-the-Animals syndrome? Bless the rescuers and keep them healthy. And may enlightenment settle on the people who need to comprehend the difference between good and evil.]
WHEN THE HUMAN CONDITION
AFFECTS THE LIFE OF A DOG
We got the tip on Willo’s plight from our pal Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com.
She says this is a “sad situation and this lady really needs help rehoming.”

Willo is the girl. The situation is her human is in hospice and can't take care of her. 
Willo is a 5-year-old Brindle Pittie who is spayed and “up-to-date on vaccinations.”
The appeal, from Christie Hansen who is helping a member of her family, says she’s got Willo for now, but can’t keep her. Willo needs an only-dog home and right now she’s in a sharing situation with 3 others.
Christie’s note reads, “She’s a sweet girl and loves to chew on her bones. She doesn’t mind baths, in fact, she just jumped right into the tub on her own! She loves walks and needs someone that can spend time with her and socialize her. She also has a very large wire kennel.”

While she’s good with kids and grownups, Willo has some challenges. Christie writes, “She comes from a home where she wasn’t taught manners. She’s been around my dogs but tries to round them up.” She’s learning to walk on a leash, isn’t good with cats, but is house- and crate-trained. To audition to give Willo a good home, email christie.hansen@sbcglobal.net. 


CONTEMPLATIONS
DRIVING, WEATHER, FAMILIAR NAME …
Will I go driving about in this lousy weather? Heck, no. On I-30 in Grand Prairie on the 18th of December, in dry weather well above the freezing mark, I was, under the speed limit, driving toward Dallas when a nitwit in a small black car decided to change lanes without looking and whammed me and my car into an exit ramp. Nobody was hurt. But that was only because I couldn’t catch the hit-and-run knucklehead. He or she might have reacted poorly to my polite request for insurance information. …
We got a note from Sydney Busch, guiding light of the Friends of the Animals Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic, the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas. Weather has canceled the planned vaccination clinic for Saturday. This reminds me to ask this question: Which would you rather have: (1) A week of under-freezing temperatures in the middle of winter or (2) two months of 90-plus degree days in July and August? I pick Selection 2 because you can still drive to a golf course and hit the ball in the summer. It’s too cold to putt right now. Eventually someone in Texas is going to say, “If we can dome a football field, we can dome a golf course. Everybody hit low drives.” …
You may have heard, seen or read the stories about actress Gina Carano of The Mandalorian being fired from the Star Wars offspring by Lucasfilm over social media comments she made about being how tough it is to be “a Republican today.” Born in Dallas, you know. That’s her when she was a Mixed Martial Arts fighters. If that name Carano rang a bell it’s because her dad is the former Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback Glenn Carano (1977-83). Who played ahead of him? Roger Staubach and Danny White. This song has nothing to do with either the Cowboys or the actress, but it has a message — a non-political message. CLICK HERE and excuse the adverts... Opened The Big Chill, as I recall.
—- Offer recollections or objections by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

THE CURSE OF INERTIA; WEATHER TIPS; THE GREATEST GOAL FOR UNWANTED ANIMALS: 'LOVED AND ADOPTED'

EDITION OF THURSDAY, FEB. 11, 2021 [PetPowellPress] On Wednesday, I encountered a spell of inertia. Oh, I was able to roll the trash out to the curb, but, holy smoke, I couldn't type two sentences in a row. I sought help, referring my blurry self to Sir Runhon Dash-Poynt Lucidity's Handbook of Clear Expression For the Translucent Writer. He's best known as having invented the staple of commonly confusing spoken American English, the Indefinite Pronoun. 
If English had more vowels than a,e,i,o,u and sometimes w and y, I'd have been in a passel, passle, passul, of grammatarical malapropic conflustery. Know what I mean?
I'd blame the weather, but I think I used that excuse up in about the 5th grade when fractions chilled me into numeric terror -- I still dream of my initial failure to grasp the concept of a 5th of an orange. I'd never seen an orange with just 5 slices. That is my office cat, William Powell, Ph.D., Mewstastic Expressions and Cross-Species Grammar from the University of Swiftmade Clearpoint, Online. That's his staff portrait the year he taught the course Comma Blunders In the Time of Sequences.
[LARRY ASIDE: Dr. William suggested that I try nonsensical writing to find my way out of my Inertia Maze. The preceding might do the trick. Might not.]
WEATHER WARNING?
NOT JUST FOR HUMANS
Of course these warnings of ice and snow and other lousy life-threatening conditions are not just aimed at humans watching the evening and late-night news for the next day's rush hour conditions!
 They're also aimed at humans who have animals, the humans who leave their animals outside with the criminal attitude of "oh, animals can live through cold weather." Yeah, well. It is a criminal attitude in Texas, isn't it!
OK, I got this note from Moira Collins of PETA's New York office. Turns out it's pertinent in many, many areas of the nation right now.
This is the PETA "Bring Them Inside" campaign. Here's the link to the 30-second Public Service Announcement. The doghouse photo goes with the PSA.
 Moira's notice, in relation to the PSA, read, "Companion animals should always live indoors. 'Backyard dogs' and “outdoor cats”—like those featured in Breaking the Chain, the new documentary produced by Oscar winner Anjelica Huston—often go without adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care. They are no better equipped to survive freezing temperatures or extreme weather conditions than humans are, they suffer terribly from frostbite, and they can die of exposure." (The photo of the dogs with the impossibly tangled chains is from the trailer for the film HERE. It's not just weather working against tethered dogs, it's the ice cube brains and chilled hearts of the don't care/so what people.)

And there are suggestions to "Gear Up." The note reads, "Coats will keep dogs comfortable in cold weather, secure harnesses can help prevent them from getting loose on walks, and booties will protect their sensitive paw pads from the frozen ground. Keep walks short in cold weather, especially for shorthaired dogs."
PETA also suggests, "Don’t Forget Birds. During extreme winter weather, provide birds and other wild animals with access to an emergency water supply by filling a heavy nonmetal water bowl (tongues can freeze to metal) and breaking the surface ice at least twice a day."
And there's this note that many of you Dear Reader Animal Advocates in the Greater Dallas/Fort Worth Reallyhot/reallycoldtroplex are involved with year-round. PETA says, "Good Samaritans who see companion animals kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements should note the animals’ exact location and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately. Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted."
[LARRY ASIDE: Prosecuted? I hope so! Write to your county's District Attorney to politely remind that powerful official that Texas has anti-cruelty laws 24-hours a day, year-round. Keep residents, keep voters, keep office-holders aware that we have Texas laws to protect animals from nitwits.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
TWO DOG STORIES
Where do you see animals at peril in the Greater Metrosprawl? Well, there are those on the clock in shelters. There are those running free on streets and in neighborhoods. If you don't see these at-peril animals, you just ain't lookin', pal. Contemplate getting better at spotting the free-roamers, the dumped animals, the escaped-the-yard, fled-the-house dogs and cats.
THE KYLO STORY: So, back in mid-January this dog showed up in the Lancaster Animal Shelter. He was listed as Kylo. This is the first photo we posted of Kylo -- you see the big Husky boy carefully placing his paw right into the hand of someone who was paying attention to him. 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit promoting him as worthy of adoption, described him as a "very, very good boy who just so much wants someone to love him." Well, of course, there are hundreds of "very, very good" dogs in shelters all over North Texas, thousands all over the state's 254 counties. On Wednesday we got a simple note about Kylo from 4-Legged Helpers' Laura Macias. It had three happy words with a photo of Kylo: "Loved and adopted."
There are other animals waiting in small shelters to be "Loved and adopted," so ask about them by calling or texting 214-94902726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
"Loved and adopted!" Yep, instructions for "Save 'em all."
HOW TO SAVE A DOG YOU SPOT. It takes personal devotion to the mission. This story came from a NextDoor post I saw Wednesday. The poster was Michael Phipps and we're mentioning him because of the heroic nature of this story. 
You see the topic there with the wagging tail. The post began, "Small white and tan dog 5400 Brentwood Stair. About 2 p.m. we were traveling westbound on Brentwood Stair in the 5400 block at Weiler Boulevard. The traffic signals were flashing red due to TP&W replacing signals. While passing by the workers' trucks parked on the edge of the road, we caught sight of a small dog up underneath the trucks. We circled back around to confirm, thinking maybe it was leashed and belonged to one of the workers who had their dog with them but none of them even knew the dog was even there underneath the truck.

"Surprisingly -- and thank God -- he didn't run and allowed us reach under the truck to pull him out. He was soaking wet and shivering like crazy. We have him with us, got him bathed, fed and is now warm. Has collar, not sure why because it has NO TAGS and he is NOT CHIPPED!!!
At readlarrypowell.com we're waiting to hear how this turns out. But so far we can announce that the dog managed to not get run down in a busy traffic area, nobody shot him for roaming into their yard and he's gotten some loving care and concern before he had an opportunity to freeze off his one undescended and one descended testes in the brutal cold. Yes. It was a thorough vet exam he was given. And it was in a warm, dry office. So, this dog is one rescue closer to the Kylo result: Adopted and Loved."
--- Offer info, advice or gripes by clicking on 'comments' below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. ---

LOUIE'S RIDE; WEATHER PROTECTION IS THE LAW; TANGO & BRAVO; AN OBSESSION IN FW; A CUCKOO CONTEMPLATION

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10, 2021 [PetPowellPress] —As we await weather that we can’t possibly abide, we can tell you that a life-saving plan is in place for Louie, the blind dog in Garland. (More in a moment.) That’s the dog in question on a ride to somewhere! He’s no longer atop the shelter’s euthanasia list. Read on.
WEATHER REMINDER
This has to do with forecasts. In such cold, dogs and cats can wind up just as dead as they’d be if they were on a euthanasia list in an overloaded city shelter. 
Readlarrypowell.com suggests this is a proper time to remind our vast population of free-roaming Metroplexian village idiots that there are laws in Texas that are designed to keep people from tethering their dogs outside in awful weather and dumping their cats out of the house in lousy weather. Of course, the hitch in the plan is it takes more than a drop in the temp and some freezing precip to convince the knuckleheads to keep their animals safe. The term “scofflaw” comes to mind.
Fort Worth Animal Care and Control sent out this message. I’m pretty sure it’s OK to copy it and forward it to the [epithet redacted] people betraying their animals in other cities.
Dallas Animal Services posted this message on its Facebook page:

“Remember, if you see a pet outside without access to adequate shelter or fresh water when the perceived temperature is below 32 degrees, please call 311 to report it or make a service request online through the OurDallas app.”
Just some wintertime FYI to pass on to people who need to know it. Turn ‘em in if they ignore you — you may be saving dog and cat lives. If you studied civics in school, I don’t need to tell you that “city limits” are there for a reason, so call the police in your own city. And if you’re not in a city, call the county sheriff.
THE LATEST ON LOUIE:

A DOG GETS SOME HELP
A veteran rescuer with a reputation for solving problems has arranged to get Louie out of the Garland Animal Shelter. He’ll soon be in safe hands and enroute to a safe situation.
You may recall that Louie made it to the “top” of the euthanasia list on Monday. Christine Kallas of Against All Odds Rescue has managed to get Louie lined up for a happy transfer out of custody and into an environment without a countdown clock. To ask about donating to Louie’s medical care, visit Against All Odds Rescue HERE. We’ll have more information as the story moves toward a really happy ending.
The assessment of Louie reads that he doesn’t have any major medical issues, “Just needs TLC and a soft place to rest his weary bones.” 
Thirteen-year-old blind dog, an owner-surrender for euthanasia. But he has too much life and is too loveable for the needle. That’s the short version of this story.
MEANWHILE IN LANCASTER,
BRAVO, TANGO, FINLEY & MICHELLE
We’re not all that military here at readlarrypowell.com, but we’re almost certain that Tango and Bravo have something to do with the Army alphabet. Of course, we’re talking names, not dogs. Though as it turns out, a couple of German Shepherds named Tango and Bravo were found straying about and will be available for adoption or rescueat the Lancaster Animal Shelter on the 12th. 

Our tipsters at 4-Legged Helpers sent their stories together “since they were found out and about together, but both are available individually. These are great boys. Bravo is fun and sweet and cute as can be. Tango is calm and gentle and loving.” And, Tango has an injured toe or toenail in need of some vet care. They are described as “incredibly loving and sweet. Beautiful dogs that adore everyone. ... Clearly these dogs have belonged to someone. They are such good boys.”
Finley, described as a “Baby/Young Female” is that black and tan Terrier mix who charms everybody she meets. She’ll be available for adoption or rescue on the 12th. Same day you can adopt or rescue Michelle, a yellow Lab who, her bio reads, “is the color of buttercups and sunshine. And she is so sweet — sweet as can be. Shelter staff believes she knows some obedience commands. Very well-behaved, gorgeous girl.”
To ask about any of these dogs, get in touch with 4-Legged Helpers President Laura Macias by calling or texting 214-949-2726 or by emailing cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
AN OBSESSION
AT THE SHELTER
Ever find yourself obsessing over the fates of dogs and/or cats that you’ve maybe met once or a couple of times or just seen in photos?
Here’s proof that it happens. Spotted it in broad daylight on Facebook. It was good to know that I’m not the only one who falls for a dog or cat or dog and cat — you know how this works.
The post was by Fort Worth Animal Care & Control volunteer Laurie Gautreaux. Her opening sentence about these two dogs reads, “I think I’m slightly obsessed with this bonded pair!.”
Sushi is the “around 5-years old,” 62-pound, spayed and heartworm-negative “super-friendly” dog. 
Ramen is the 6-year-old, 72-pound, neutered, heartworm negative “a little more reserved but sweet” boy. Laurie wrote, “Both were easily leashed and walked well on the leash. They are the cutest couple. You can tell they adore each other.”
You can see their listings — Sushi (#46419587) and Ramen (#46419601) — on the adoptables listings at Fort Worth Animal Care & Control’s website HERE.
And you’ll note that each of their listings carries an asterisk and the word “BONDED.” So, make room for two happy dogs at your place.
And the shelter doesn’t take calls, so email fwacctag@fortworthtexas.gov to discuss these two. 
[LARRY ASIDE: Oh, yeah, Fort Worth’s shelter also has cats. I’d be obsessed with this one if I hadn’t already punched all the spots on my Feline Obsession Ticket. This is Honey (#46477592). You know what bugs me about Honey being in the shelter? This fantastically colorful face is 14 years old. She needs a home that’ll adore her. She came in on 1/23 — her info is in the Cat section on the FWACC website. If I had that cat Honey, I’d sit and stare at her while she purred and talked to me about the wisdom humans can learn from a cat. That’s my theory.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
WEATHER, BILLS AND THE DANCE
My former longtime colleague at The Former Big PAPER in Downtown Dallas, Mary Carter, now lives back home in Oklahoma and she posted this “editorial opinion” about the upcoming weather in Tecumseh. Seemed appropriate considering that the Metroplex may be about to become the Metrorink. To quote Mary’s wry understatement about her hometown forecast, “This should be fun.” Click on the photo to see the larger forecast. …
I was paying my home insurance fee Tuesday when I saw a message in red on the back of the bill: Take the hassle out of paying.” As a longtime editor of the English language, I think what the writer really meant was “Take the hassle out of the way you’re paying your bill.” I can tell the company that if it were to actually “take the hassle out of paying,” it would tell me I no longer needed to pay the bill. That would be a kindly removed hassle. …

In Tuesday’s email, I got a note with this subject line: “Larry, find your next job. See who’s hiring.” I’m not really interested in a “next job,” right now. Besides, in this “stay away from everbody” pandemic, I’m still one shot shy of being totally vaccinated against the evil virus. No side-effects, yet, though I do find myself longing for my time as a prima ballerina with the Cold War Moscow Ballet. Wait. Hang on. That wasn’t me. I portrayed ballet teacher Kolenkhov in two local stage versions of You Can’t Take It With You. I’m almost certain. Let’s test my memory for side effects. OK, up on my toes! Now, leap! [NOTE FROM THE SENATOR: His leap was fine, his landing was a thudder. We’re trying to persuade Larry to misremember that he was once a featherweight mime in a bird suit billed as Adieu Adieux Cuckoo. But that was, as Jerry Lee Lewis sings, Another Place, Another Time. Take care of your dogs and cats in this lousy weather. Mimes are on their own.  Sincerely, The Senator.]
—- Offer silent expressions or observations by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

A LOUIE'S IN DANGER UPDATE; ADDITIONAL TALES AND CHALLENGES

EDITION OF MONDAY-TUESDAY FEB. 8-9 2021 [PetPowellPress] During the noon hour Monday we got an urgent note about blind dog Louie from Christine Kallas of Against All Odds Rescue. We’d featured him in the Sunday evening/Monday morning edition. Why? Time was running out on him and we didn’t know how swiftly.
Christine wrote, “Louie is now on top of the urgent list, meaning he will be next in line for euthanasia. Garland only has 8 open kennels for new intakes. Do you think we can spare this boy?”
I don’t know. I hope so. There’s no good reason to kill a dog for the sake of making room for the next dog on the euthanasia list.
For info about Louie and to offer to help, call the shelter at 972-205 -3570. Email animalservices@garlandtx.gov. If you’re a rescue, email rescue@garlandtx.gov.
FOLLOWING UP ON
THE OL’ OKLAHOMA DOG
Last week we connected with the Burns Flat, Okla., animal rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher and she told us the story of this dog. You may recall, a woman she knew was driving about 3 a.m. on I-40 and saw this dog dash between the front wheels and rear wheels of a moving big rig.
Terry Lynn stepped up to help get this guy to safety. What happened? She told us Monday, “I fell in love with this doll.” She sent us two more photos of the lounging I-40 truck dodger. (On the right is the early photo; the other two are in foster care.)
Bottom line from Terry Lynn reads, “He has no teeth. 15-plus years old. Serious heart murmur. My vet started him on meds. And the best thing ever: He has found a Foster Home and is safe. Being loved and pampered.”
 To all who supported saving this dog, she wrote, “Thank you all for your good thoughts for this guy. He will love whatever time he has left knowing kindness and love.”

In the meantime, as winter begins a sincere assault on the western Oklahoma own — the wind and weather blow across the Texas Panhandle right into Burns Flat — Terry Lynn has been hustling on behalf of three dogs still waiting in the city pound. 
She writes, “After these, my ACO promised not to pick any up (unless emergency) until this cold spell is over.  It looks like we have about two weeks for sure of this arctic air.  The temps are in the teens with windchills bringing it to below zero.   Some nights will be more than -15 below wind chill.”
So? Here’s Terry Lynn’s explanation: “Our pound is totally outdoors.  I have tarps up and a little heater blowing on them but it’s nothing against these winds and cold.  I hardly slept last night. I went up four times with warm blankets from the dryer. It’s drizzling ice and will be. off and on. for awhile.
“I have some inside kennels but we emptied the pound and put what we had in them. These guys came in after.  My dream would be to have another small building.  Even if I had to crate them and let them out for awhile at least they’d be warm …  But that’s thousands of dollars.  It’s not possible right now.  So I’m working on getting them into boarding through at least the next two weeks.   Maybe three, depending.”

One way to protect those three big Pittie shelter dogs in Burns Flat is to get them into foster homes (can be anywhere!) or rescue groups (can be anywhere) or onto your couch (can be in a living room anywhere!). To offer some kind of help or just a line of support, email Terry Lynn at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.
AVERY’S ‘TERRIBLE SCARE’;
ALANI WAITING IN A SHELTER
We mentioned Avery last week — the dog who showed up at a home in Wilmer where the city shelter isn’t taking animals right now, according to 4-Legged Helpers, the rescue folks who focus on small shelters with low-to-no-foot traffic.
 That’s why roaming dog Avery isn’t in custody.
 A note from the Helpers (thank you Laura Macias) cited this incident as a “terrible scare.”
She included Helpers’ profiler Leighann Hayden’s story about the episode. Leighann wrote, “Terrible scare this weekend when Avery disappeared and people on the property where she comes to eat thought they saw someone trying to catch her — NOT a rescue person. There are people in this area that look for bait dogs!” 
Leighann continued, “Our hearts sank. We cried thinking about what a terrible outcome for such a sweet dog. 
“Then, good news! She came back to eat at the house she has been visiting — but the people think she may be pregnant.
 We had a potential temp foster lined up, but this person absolutely cannot foster pregnant dog or dog with puppies.”
And, there, Ladies and Gents, you see the brand new opportunity for helping Avery with her dramatic future. Leighann’s note asked, “IS THERE ANYONE THAT COULD RESCUE AVERY IF SHE IS  PREGNANT? We confirmed she is awesome with other dogs as well as cats from the people that live on the property …” 
If it turn out a vet visit reveals Avery is NOT pregnant, she can go to the original foster, Leighann wrote. On the other hand, “If she IS pregnant, then she truly needs a rescue group willing to let her have her puppies.”
To offer to help Avery, call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. 
Keep those contact points handy because this brings us to Alani.
Alani, a female “Bulldog mix” will be available at the Lancaster Animal Shelter at the “close of business” on Tuesday. 
Leighann wrote, “Alani is just precious. Found out and about as a stray but she seems to have been well cared for.  Absolutely gorgeous fur and sparkling beautiful eyes.  Adores everyone she meets.  Very sweet. Just a completely adorable girl.”
And, remember, the 4-Legged Helpers can help 501c3 rescues with transporting dogs and cats. Just get in touch with Laura.

MEANWHILE, IN MESQUITE
MOCHA WAITS FOR A HOME
This boy Mocha (#46479143) is a 3-year-old Pittie who arrived as a stray at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on January 23 and went into immediate “decompression.” He was a little bit anxious about being in a strange place without people he thought loved him.
 Our tipster, the volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown, visited with Mocha and reports, “He’s a very sweet boy with hazel/yellow eyes. He’s on the timid side and takes a while to get comfortable with you. I bribed him with treats and he came around; however, he still was cautiously friendly and kept his tail a little tucked. He also was slobbering which can be a sign of being nervous. For this reason I think he would do better with older children and in a laid back household. He did let me pet him and at the very end of the photo shoot even wagged his tail. He’s gentle and does not jump on you.  … Because of his size (77 pounds) and a strong pull on the leash I was not able to walk him through the bay to test him with other dogs. However he didn’t show any reaction when dogs went by his kennel. Mocha is a laid-back guy that would love to be in the house with you laying at your feet. There’s no doubt he would be a loyal, loving companion.” To offer to help Mocha enjoy the rest of his life, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmes- quite.com. Use his ID (#46479143) to help the communication process.”
You can see more Mesquite animals — dogs and cats — by going to the Shelter online site HERE. Among the cats awaiting a happy home is Eli (#46599537), a 3 1/2-year-old “large Orange” fellow who came in on Feb. 5 and can be interviewed in the Cat Room. [LARRY ASIDE: We are cat fans at readlarrypowell.com and, as such, are prepared to testify in the World Cat Court that Eli has a fantastic face!]
CONTEMPLATIONS
WINTER DRIVING & POST-FOOTBALL PITCHES
This is being typed as weather reports for the area are using words such as “freezing drizzle” and “sleet” and “winter weather.” We’ll now re-direct your attention (not while you’re driving, of course): Keep your eyes and your tires on the road. Sounds so easy, doesn’t it?…
Nobody has to give advice to any motorists on the Dallas/Fort Worth Bumper Car Track. Yeah, we all know how to drive in dry weather, why should slip-slidin’ weather be any kind of a challenge at all? …
No matter the temperature or the forecast, now that NFL football is over, it’s time to move our collective concern to fretting about the Texas Rangers’ pitching. Maybe this is the year the Rangers win the World Series. And, maybe, it’s also the year I sell my screenplay: Fastballs, Screwballs and Knuckleheads. It’s a love story. Baseball player falls for a politician who goes to Congress. It’s bipartisan.
—- Offer advice or alarm by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

A BLIND DOG, STRAY DOGS, BURNS FLAT WINTER, PLUS A PARK CAT AND PEOPLE ...

EDITION OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021 [PetPowellPress] We’re going to try to keep this short because, of course, some people will still be celebrating the Super Bowl, others will still be getting over the trade of Elvis Andrus from the Rangers to the Oakland A’s, and, still others, will be simply trying to get some sleep. Has the pandemic aggravated your insomnia? Or do you think it was the politics? OK, let’s move on….
LOUIE IN GARLAND;
WHAT'S IT TAKE TO SAVE HIM….
A number of people are following this blind dog’s story.
For example there’s Christine Kallas of Against All Odds Rescue. And there’s the noted advocate Jennifer Sellers.
The dog is Louie and Louie is still in Garland Animals Services as this is written.
On the Garland Animal Services Facebook page, someone posted this on Saturday about the dog who was an owner surrender “for age and being blind.”
 Here’s what was written: “This guy broke my heart. Owner surrender. Requested this precious boy be euthanized. Reason old and blind. You dumped your blind senior -- did you ever think how scared he is blind in an unfamiliar place? I had to help put him in my car because he’s blind and can’t see what’s going on. Poor baby is the sweetest boy ever still full of life. Please tag share he needs a rescue. Yes I sat in my car crying wishing I could take him.”
Jennifer, in a note to readlarrypowell.com reported that she’d read “this dog has a rescue if there's a foster, and also Save our Strays in Sugarland has offered to take him if someone will transport to Dickinson, Texas. So far, no one has stepped up and no other rescues have, either. I don’t know how long they are going to give him [at the shelter].
 On the Garland shelter facebook page HERE you can see a lively video of Louie.
An update from the shelter says 10-year-old Louie “probably has retinal degeneration and is almost completely blind, with age-related changes in his lenses, but no cataracts.” Might also have arthritis. For info about Louie and to offer to help, call the shelter at 972-205 -3570. Email animalservices@garlandtx.gov. If you’re a rescue, email rescue@garlandtx.gov.

MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
THE REPORT ON ANIMALS
This guy is Buddy (#46543664), another of the handsome strays that winds up in the Mesquite Animal Shelter. We learned about him from our reliable tipster, the volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown. 
She says 2-year-old tan Pittie boy Buddy and “his absolutely gorgeous eyes” arrived at the shelter on Jan. 30 as a stray. She writes, “I can’t help but wonder why the owners did not come looking for Buddy.  Not only is he a handsome boy but he has many sterling qualities! He’s friendly and his tail wags most of the time. He gives kisses. He’s very energetic, playful, and fun loving. He loves balls. He will chase them, retrieve them and bring them back to you when he wants to. Since he wants to please you could easily teach him to drop the ball at your feet. He loves treats and will sit for them but does not take them gently. He had previously gone for a walk with another volunteer and I’m told he had a strong pull on the leash. However, when he was out in the yard with me and knew I had treats he just stayed close looking up at me in anticipation. And how can you resist those beautiful eyes!?”
Then there’s this seasonally named 3-year-old Pittie mix , a girl who came in as a stray on Feb. 1 — Cupid is her name, waitin’ is her game.
 Judi says she’s “absolutely adorable with a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and perky ears. She’s a low-rider. …very friendly tail-wagging girl who appears to love everyone.” And there’s this about the 46-pound dog: Judi wrote, “Once she realized I had treats, she stayed close!” She’s #46570447.
Remember, to ask about any of these animals, call the shelter at 972-216–6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com and use the ID numbers to help with the process.

And, of course, remember that you can see more animals — such as Salem the Cat — by going to the Mesquite Animal Services site HERE. 
[LARRY ASIDE: A black cat named Salem and here we area barely past Groundhog Day and Halloween isn’t even hinted in shopping center decorations! But that’ll give you time to turn Salem into the cuddlingest cat of all time. Right?]
WINTER COMES TO BURNS FLAT;
TERRY LYNN’S CHILLING REPORT
As longtime readers know, we focus now and then on the efforts of the resilient rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher of Burns Flat, a far-out-west town in our neighbor, Oklahoma.
Over the weekend she wrote, “Starting Monday, the temps here with the wind chill are suppose to be -10…. I’ve found a place to board two of the new dogs but everyone else is now full and I can’t get the last two in anywhere.”

These are the “last two.” And, as longtime readers may recall, the Burns Flat Shelter is a mostly “outdoor facility.”
 She continues, “Even with the indoor kennels we have, every place is full. I swear, as soon as I move one two more come in.”
To help Terry Lynn place these two, email her at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.

As you consider helping, remember that she has been the beacon for rescue in this area for years. Now and then, things get to her. She wrote to her supporters, “Y’all…I’m tired  I’m stressed.  I’m emotionally exhausted.   My heart and soul are breaking.   I have some wonderful people that have helped me keep these innocent dogs alive but it’s all getting me so bad.  |
“On a personal level, I’m falling apart. I need surgery on my knee so bad I can hardly walk.  But I can’t be off four weeks. I have the dogs. If I find a job (cleaning, etc.) I have to take it. I’m just so swamped all the time. So, please, if anyone has room for either of these two let me know.   I hate the thought of them out in that weather.  I have a heater I can run but it’s still OUTDOORS 
“I know some of you will say bring them home. I already have some here. So that’s not an option. I have been offered a situation that will be a big help for the animals but that’s a situation I’m going to be working on for the future to have more inside areas. Thank you all for caring.”
CONTEMPLATIONS
WINTER, PARK CAT & A GAME
While launching a conversation Sunday with Christine Kallas of Against All Odds Rescue, I spotted this illustration on one of the rescue/ sanctuary’s sites. It just seems to fit not only with Terry Lynn’s situation in Burns Flat, but with a lot of animals in the Greater North Texas Metrosprawl. Maybe you can copy it and hand it out to people who refuse to bring their animals indoors in weather so lousy that if a human was out in it, there’d be litigation flying around like grackles in springtime. I don’t know who created that artwork, but I would love to thank the artist. It’s touching with a point. …
Here’s a cat adventure off a NextDoor page in eastern Fort Worth. Call it an instance in which “a nice person met up with a cat.” That’s the cat in the photo. The post the woman wrote, reads, “Found young cat. This young cat came running out of the woods while we were at the park. His deceased sibling was nearby. He is very affectionate and went for a walk with us. Of course, i had to had to take him home and feed him. Is this anyone’s kitten”? One person responded, “Keep him. Nature gave him to you.” [LARRY ASIDE: I loved that response, and the next one, too.] Another person wrote, “That’s basically how we got our last two cats; they came up and claimed us.”…
Well, at least the Dallas Cowboys didn’t lose the Super Bowl this season. But, as is said, “Wait ’til next year.” Of course, in order to lose it, they'll have to get into it.
—- Offer advice or opinions by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. Save ‘em all. —-

SUPER CATS, SUPER DOGS, SUPER NAPS, SUPER WEEKEND -- LIFE WITH THE SENATOR

It’s Super Bowl weekend, as you probably know, so could there be a better time to use our feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap to highlight my cat, The Senator?

He once was nimble and elusive runner -- what is called a “Scatback.” Never played the game, as they say in locker rooms.
The Senator doesn’t scat so much anymore. He believes his life experiences and ability to contribute to global problem-solving preclude the need to scat.
For example, I snapped this photo Friday morning as I was working on something at the dining room table, a structure we’ve turned into a laptop work table. 
I said, “Scat,” when he flopped down on my mouse. When he went immediately to sleep, I thought, “I can live with that. … I’ll just take his photos and embarrass him.”
 As it turns out, there’s no embarrassing a napping cat. When those eyelids shut, shame shuts down. He did stir (photo two), then he shook his head and went back to sleep. I went back to my Home Office and the desktop.
For a while, The Senator was helping me with composing The Lesser Dallas Novel: Two-Stepping In Hot Asphalt, but he grew weary of correcting my punctuation and musical references while making certain that Mr. Subject and Mr. Verb agreed. I’ll say this for the guy: He sure knows how to diagram a sentence.
That other photo with The Senator shows what happens when species blissfully co-exist — he’s napping on the couch with the household’s youngest feline, Stevie Ray, stretched between and adjacent to him our dear constant companion Porche Noel, the hippie chick dog. When it comes to slumber, Porche’s the leader of the pack.
The Senator and I have been workmates for more than 13 years — that’s longer than I went to public school but, as I understand it, not as long as The Senator was in office. 
He arrived in my world when he was a very mature five or six and he doesn’t like to talk about anything that occurred during his three terms in office, but, now and then, he’ll discuss the joy he got out of attending a couple of undisclosed Ivy League schools. He’s got graduate degrees in two key fields: Molecular Catology and Domestic Canine Philosophy. The first he describes as an ongoing feline intelligence study and the second… Well, the second…. Hmmm…
The Senator authoritatively says Canine Philosophy consisted of classes that focused on the study of personal comfort and enjoyment. Basically, he says, “The theme was ‘Two woofs and some treats’.”
So, in keeping with the weekend of the Super Bowl, we asked two dogs what they’re going to be doing during the game. 
Texas Earl the Cheeseman, our wonderful Rottie, grinned at the camera and declared, “Two woofs and some treats. Repeatedly.” 
The Border Collie/Chocolate Lab mix Dudley (prone in the background) chose cat-napping over responding and later explained he’d been practicing his Super Nap for Sunday’s game.

That’s our cat Esme, member of a feral litter born in 2012 — she loves to sit on the TV shelf and watch football. She told me, “The Cowboys aren’t playing in this game — I may stay awake for the entire Super Bowl! Maybe there’ll be cat commercials.”
The bet in Vegas is that my funspouse Martha will be out like a light before the first snap after the opening kickoff. Who? Oh, Kansas Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sorry. Forgot not all Americans are ape over the game.
The only emotion I’ll experience during the game is this: Gosh, I’ll always regret not having had a ticket to the 1/22/89 Bengals/49ers Super Bowl so I could see the halftime show starring Elvis Presto.
[LEGAL ASIDE: The Senator wants you all to know he was not on the Super Bowl Board of Directors that year. He was, however, a guest halftime dancer one year. This is a rehearsal photo.]
[DEAR READERS: Send photos and bios of your slumbering animals to dallrp@aol.com and we’ll post them and their stories in our long-running weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You’ll be helping people decide to bring lovely animals into their homes and you’ll be helping insomniacs realize they may have been frightened awake by ill-conceived halftime shows. Here’s the LINK TO THAT ELVIS PRESTO SHOW. Don’t click if you don't want to aggravate your insomnia.]
— Offer opinions or objections by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

AS THE DAYS DWINDLE DOWN, WE REPORT ON RESCUES AND ADOPTABLES AND A MUSE

EDITION OF FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2021 [PetPowellPress] This is, as many of you know and Holiday Insights’ calendar notes, National Bird Feeding Month. Lot’s of ‘em in our neighborhood and you can tell by what’s on the patio furniture beneath some very bird-beckoning limbs in an oak tree whose limbs currently extend leaflessly over our patio. We hold no grudges against well-fed birds, so celebrate.
These are the only two birds in our neighborhood that did not leave something on our patio furniture. I’m not saying they didn’t encourage the visitors…That duck’s smile is somewhat suspicious. Plus, he's wearing a raincoat. Maybe he knew something...
THE ADVENTURE OF RESCUE:
SAVING THE OL’ DARING DOG
As we’ve often noted, there is a rescue force in Burns Flat, Okla., so far west in the Sooner State that it ought be part of Texas. Big hearts. 
Here’s an example from the resilient rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher of Burns Flat.
She says she got a call about 3 in the morning on Tuesday. “A lady here in my town was coming home from Oklahoma City.  She saw a little dog actually run between the front and back wheels of a semi [on Interstate 40!]. She freaked and stopped, looking for it. He finally came running to her and jumped in her arms.

“She works out of town and is never home.  Not really an animal person but she said she couldn’t leave him there in the middle of nowhere.”

The Burns Flat lady said the dog was “skin and bones and doesn’t have any teeth,” Terry Lynn reported. “He walks like he’s in pain.” She got him to a vet.  
Here’s the report. “He is old. Doc guessed about 15 or better. Not one tooth. He has a heart murmur which, at this old age, for sure means heart issues. He will be on meds.

“But he wants to live! He isn’t ready to give up. So I will be fighting for him. Until he lets us know it’s time to go, I’ll do everything I can to keep him alive.
“If anyone has a foster or home for a sweet, old toothless guy, let me know.” 
To ask about helping Terry Lynn help this daring ol’ dog who dodged a semi on I-40 in Oklahoma, email her at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.
NEWS REGARDING CHIQUITA,
THE BLIND DOG IN FW
This little girl Chiquita, the owner-surrendered blind and diarrhea-stricken 13-year-old dog who came into the Fort Worth Animal and stirred hearts, has been tagged and has left the building!
You’ll note the happy “riding away” photo of the little girl. Quite the contrast to the early “blind dog in metal shelter cage” photograph.

This “riding away” is, as veteran rescuers know, frequently the result of teamwork. That is the case with Chiquita. It is how Texas affiliates of the Canadian rescue Paws ‘R Us are now making sure Chiquita is decompressing and being vetted.
Paws R Us spokesrescuer Marlene Fazekas told us Thursday that Chiquita will be making the trip to the Toronto area “once our vet says she’s free to go….As long as everything is good, we’re probably looking at March.”
Paws R Us, Marlene says, specializes in “helping special-need rescue dogs in the USA.” Now and then, Paws R Us helps dogs in Mexico, too, she says. 
There is an account to help with Chiquita’s medical bills at paypal.me/marlenefazekas or, Marlene says, contact the group’s vet at 201-647-1101. The Facebook page is HERE and you can contract the organization at pawsrus@info.com and read about it at pawsrus.net.
[LARRY CHIQUITA ASIDE: So, in a few weeks, we may learn that a Texas dog named Chiquita is in the Toronto area, charming a new human and getting a new name, Chiquita Eh. Sorry, Chiquita — couldn’t resist the Canadian inflection!]
THE ASTOUNDING BRINDLE BAILEY
AND OTHER MESQUITE ADOPTABLES
Our pal Judi Brown really encounters some fantastically-coated dogs in the Mesquite Animal Shelter. Latest is this 6-year-old, 48-pound Brindle Pittie boy Bailey. He came into the shelter on Jan. 14 as a stray and, Judi says, the reason he’s been at the shelter so long is “he had a possible owner.” Nobody showed up to bring their sweet dog home. So, now, Bailey (#46427337) is available to light up a new home with “his beautiful eyes and big grin.”
Judi says, “Bailey has got a fun loving, happy personality that just wins you over. He’s very photogenic and in many of the pictures I took of him it appeared that he was smiling. He’s friendly and his tail wags constantly.”
Also he sits for treats and “takes them relatively gently.”
And, Judi writes, “He absolutely Loves to chase balls! He doesn’t seem to tire of chasing and retrieving them. He drops the ball when you ask him to. He found a larger ball in the yard and spent a lot of time entertaining himself chasing it. He would definitely benefit from a large yard and an active family that would be willing to toss a ball for him.” 

Use his ID 46427337 when you call the shelter at 972-216–6283 or email rescues@cityofmes- quite.com.
Judi also interviewed Blessed, this 6-year-old, 38-pound “probably part-Shepherd/Rat Terrier Mix” who was surrendered on Feb. 1 because his humans were moving to a no-dogs apartment. “They had only had her for four months,” Judi says. “So hopefully Blessed will be blessed next time with owners that will give her a furever home! She was surrendered along with two 10-week-old puppies. Her nipples have not receded yet. Blessed is an exuberant, energetic, fun loving girl full of tail wags and kisses.” She’s #46568817. And, you can see how exuberant she is at tail-wagging. That tail is just a blur!
Judi’s colleague in volunteer dog biographing (LARRY QUERY: That a word? Biographizing?) ... anyway, Debra Chisholm sent us news about the availability of Arthur, a 35-pound Pittie mix listed as #46536322 at the shelter. Came in as a stray on the 29th. He’s a year-and-a-half old and not fixed. Figures, right? Debra reports that he’s underweight and “very high energy and will jump on you.” She suggests manners training for this boy.
She says, “He is a playful and friendly pup with a sweet nature.  He likes treats and takes them gently.  He does have an issue with his back left leg/hip. … He doesn't put full weight on that leg much.  It doesn't seem to slow him down much but will need to be checked out.”

That brings us to another bio by Debra. She writes, “This beauty is Simone, a mixed-breed girl with an attractive brindle coat who arrived as a stray at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 1/29.  Simone weighs 44 pounds, is about 2 years old and is not spayed.”
Though her face usually has a solemn countenance, that’s not really her. Debra says that “in reality she is a happy-go-lucky youngster whose short stubby tail frequently wags.  … She was so intent on investigating the yard that I had a hard time getting face shots of her.  She has lots of energy and is playful.  She enjoyed chasing tennis balls but didn't know to bring them back.  This is one friendly and sweet-natured girl.  She does like attention and was happy to be petted and loved on.” Simon is #46539413. As with the other Mesquite animals, call the shelter at 972-216-6283; email rescues@cityofmesquite.
AND UPON CLICKING INTO DAS,
THERE WERE 9 CAT PHOTOS!
Geezalou, who among us remembers when the list of cats available at Dallas Animal Services was in the hundreds? On Thursday afternoon I clicked on dallasanimalservices.org and went to cats and
found only these 9 — we mentioned last week that the shelter had Catalie Portman (hello, movie star Natalie Portman!). This week we’ll note that the available cats in DAS include My Friend, a year-old Domestic Short Hair girl who weighs in at just 5 pounds. Don’t know if her real name is “My Friend” or that’s just the sentimental tag she earned! (Click on the cats to make the photos grow, of course. Maybe.)
There are dogs at DAS, of course, We picked one to spotlight — this is 5-year-old, 47-pound Gambit. He’s listed as a “German Shepherd,” but, based on personal experience with dogs, those golden dots might indicate there’s a Rottweiler relative in the Gambit’s family tree. [LARRY ASIDE: I’m betting, also, that “Gambit” is not this 5-year-old’s original name — I never saw a dog named “Gambit” before Netflix introduced the hit series The Queen’s Gambit in 2020.]

CONTEMPLATIONS
THE DAYS DWINDLE DOWN
OK, that’s not quite accurate this early in the year, but it’s a quick year and January is already a distant memory.
 We took a look at the Holiday Insights online calendar and discovered that three days are designated for February 5. This is (a) Bubble Gum Day and (b) National Shower with a Friend Day and National Weatherman’s Day. Not sure about the date for National Shower With a Weatherman Day. 
...
Yep, the days dwindle down to a precious two — Friday and Saturday — and then it’s Sunday, the day of the big game, Kansas City vs. Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. So many new rules this football season. Don’t have Super Bowl parties, for example. And don’t sneeze in a huddle. Wait, that may not be a rule. Neither is 
“Always stay socially distant from the quarterback.” That's from the Dallas Cowboys Defensive Playbook.
Well, by now you’ve probably noticed two photos. Some of you will recognize Rosa Klebb, the SPECTRE operative in the 1964 James Bond (Sean Connery!) film From Russia With Love. Thirty-four years earlier, she’d posed for that black and white photo in Berlin. She’s Lotte Lenya, the singer and the muse of the composer Kurt Weill, the man she married twice and who was famed for Three Penny Opera, among other works. The striking and talented Miss Lotte Lenya (as she’s known in the Weill song Mack The Knife from Threepenny Opera), was not only an actress, but a singer. Weill wrote September Song for her. By clicking HERE you can hear Miss Lotte Lenya sing it. You’ll have to put up with an ad first, but the performance is a joy to those of us romantics who love to know of "The Muse." [LARRY FYI: My funspouse Martha's maiden name is "Muse." Yep. True. Sings, too.]
—- Offer opinions, advice or your own performances by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

DOGS, CATS, TEXAS AND OTHER THINGS WORTH CONSIDERING...

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY Feb. 3-4, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Anybody else learn the word “potpourri” from listening to The Paul Harvey News on AM radio? Yeah, well, here we come with a potpourri for this dual day edition.
How’s that for 3 lines typed in 2021 without mentioning either politics or a virus!
FIRST WE GO TO A REPORT
ON THE GIRL CHIQUITA
I’ll confess that the story of Chiquita, 13 and blind and “owner-surrendered,” set the tone for my entire day Tuesday. Wednesday, it’s a little better. Chiquita was in the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control Shelter where there are people working for her.
So, the latest note we've seen is a report on Kristen Barg Morrison’s Facebook page is that efforts are underway to get Chiquita to a rescue group in San Antonio. As Kristen wrote in her appeal, “She has a rescue that wants her. Can anyone spend a day saving a life?!”
More to come, no doubt, on this story. [LARRY ASIDE: There are 7.5 million residents in the DFW Metro Area, largest “metro area” in Texas. San Antonio’s metro area, 3rd largest in Texas, has around 2.5 mill. You’d think that among 7.5 million North Texans there’d be one who could love a 13-year-old, blind dog named Chiquita. I must be an optimist.]
THEN THERE’S THIS BOY
IN AN OKLAHOMA SHELTER
Just so you don’t think Texas has cornered the market on “owner surrenders of older dogs,” we got this note Wednesday from the relentless rescuer in Burns Flat, Okla., Terry Lynn Fisher. 
“Lord help me,” Terry Lynn wrote, “What’s up with the seniors? My heart can’t take this.”
A friend sent her a note about an older Poodle that, Terry Lynn says, is in a shelter “about 40 miles from me. A horrific hellhole of a pound.”
The friend's note read, “Anyone want a hot mess senior toy poodle? ACO: ‘There is a poodle mix at the shelter — about 14 — that was surrendered because he was biting elderly owner. I feel if the teeth issue is taken care of, very bad teeth, and he's got cataracts going, so visually impaired to a point, maybe a rescue could take. He didn't make any moves while I was out there earlier."
 To offer to help this guy, get in touch with Terry Lynn at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.

WANDERING IN WILMER,
SHE NEEDS SOME HELP
This is Avery, a Bulldog mix girl. And we learned her story from 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that focuses on small shelters and wandering animals in a fix. Avery, apparently unwanted in Wilmer, fits right into the Helpers’ mission.
The note, sent by Helpers Leighann Hayden and Laura Macias, reads, “Avery is a precious girl and showed up on a property where someone has been feeding her but she desperately needs a home or rescue. GREAT and we mean GREAT with other dogs and even loves cats. Just the most precious sweet girl ever. Wilmer is still not even taking anything into their ‘shelter’ so dogs in this area are so out of luck.”
That means the 4-Legged Helpers have stepped up to try to get Avery into a rescue group or a safe home for the rest of her life. Call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. Avery is “available now”!
OLDER QUEENIE'S IN A SHELTER;
‘OWNERS WERE MOVING’…
Our pal, Judi Brown, volunteer dog biographer at Mesquite Animal Services’ Shelter, has found a dog whose situation surely will rip the heart right out of anybody with a heartbeat. Surely.
Judi writes, “Queenie is an approximately 15-year-old Husky/German Shepherd/Border Collie mix that was surrendered to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 1/29 because her owners were moving. She is a sweet, gentle, loving dog that deserves to have a loving home with lots of warm comfy blankets for her final months/years of her life.

“Because of her age and fact that she only weighs 25 pounds she will be RESCUE ONLY (hospice situation). She has been taken to the vet and had a fecal test and a senior blood panel which came back OK.”

She getting additional tests and her teeth are of a concern. Judi says, “Currently she’s being fed soft food three times a day because she's so badly underweight. 

“The staff and volunteers have been spending time with her and I think the consensus of opinion would be that we’re all falling in love with her.” 
Our pal Judi adds, “You will, too, if you meet her.”

Judi also says that Queen loves to snuggle and “have her ears scratched. She gets around slowly and walks well on a leash. … Queenie needs to be out of the shelter ASAP.” Her ID is 46535909. Use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
[LARRY ASIDE: We’ve been writing about the Mesquite Animal Services and its shelter for a while — years, I guess. We’ve admired staffers and volunteers through many canine and feline encounters. And, now, it seems, the Mesquite City Council may have reacted to the fact that Mesquite Animal Services is “doing the city proud” with its programs and its work. The latest development may be a result of elected officials taking a look at the standard set by the shelter and its workers and supporters and joining in on the effort to save ‘em all. Here’s a LINK to a DFW Community News story reporting that the Mesquite City Council has OK'd a $227,735 contract to increase the size of the Mesquite Animal Shelter while adding more kennels and a new play area. The story includes this info from Mesquite Director of Neighborhood Services Maria Martinez. She, according to the story, said that “the live release rate of all animals who entered the City’s shelter was 95% in 2020 as compared to 90% in 2019. Martinez explained much of the success goes to the dedicated staff, volunteers and rescue groups working in collaboration on a daily – sometimes hourly basis.”
]
Remember, you can see more Mesquite Shelter animals by going to this ONLINE SHELTER SITE. In addition to the dogs, you’ll see such cats as Flit (#46478905), a 4 1/2-year-old Domestic Shorthair with some pretty big eyes in a shelter photo session. And there’s a cat we’ve mentioned before, 2-year-old Big Friendly, a male domestic shorthair mix with a championship set of whiskers. That third cat is 4-year-old Valentino (46477688) a smallish fellow who waits in the shelter with all the young cats, barn cats, mature cats and probably even some alley cats. Save ‘em all. 
[LARRY REVELATION: Readlarrypowell.com endorses all dogs and cats without ever having met them. We’d extend the same courtesy to all humans — except, well, we’ve met some of them.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
THINGS CHANGE AND OTHER NOTES
I was walking past Martha’s work station in the home office and she says, “Here’s a question for you: 'If you could live anywhere in the world, what part of Texas would you move to?' ” Texans, of course, are proudly laughing. Martha said she found it on an Instagram account and then she sent me a copy of the illustration in case any of you want to pass it on! I picked Santa Fe because I believe that part of New Mexico ought to still belong to Texas. Oh, I'm kidding -- Texas owns me, to the chagrin of the tax collector. …
I do remember, though, working in Dallas when it was part of Texas — before back in the ‘80s when so many New Yorkers and New York businesses came to town that people began to refer to Dallas as “The Sixth Borough.” And when DART began building Dallas’ subway, they called it “The Seventh Burrow.” I’m kidding.… 
Let’s talk weather, he typed on an afternoon in the “Dead of Winter” when the sun was out and the temp was pushing the mid-70s. It’s a good thing that the general rule for a snow in North Texas is it can stay on the ground for 24 hours, but it can stay on the streets and highways only until about noon the morning that it falls. It’s the “One Rush Hour Limit.”
—- Offer opinions or objections by clicking on ‘comments’ or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-

SOME DAYS THE RACKET FROM THE UGLY SIDE OF LIFE IS JUST TOO LOUD -- RISE UP, GOOD PEOPLE, AND SAVE 'EM ALL

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Some days the news is awful, the emails about animals are awful and my mid-1960s-fireworks-inflicted tinnitus is unable to drown it all out. But, in the spirit of trying to do good in this era, here are some opportunities to rise above the unpleasant behavior of the knuckleheaded don't care/so-what people who put animals at peril.
A CROWD OF CANINES
NEEDS A BEVY OF HUMANS….
The Mesquite Animal Shelter has a very active program for volunteers. A couple of them have been so kind to readlarrypowell.com because they always send us great first-hand notes about animals that need a home.
For all of these Mesquite animals, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. 

We’re starting today with Charlie (#46569435), a 48-pound, 8-year-old mixed breed, likely a Rat Terrier/Pittie mix according to the volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown. He was surrendered to the shelter on the 1st by the people who’d had him for, basically, his entire life. Why surrender? Judy explained, “Although his previous owners, that had him for eight years, filled out an extensive surrender form when it came to the reason for surrender they said they couldn’t keep him anymore. They did not elaborate.”

What have these people given up? Judi writes, “I just can’t say enough positive things about the sweet, tail wagging, friendly, kissing dog!  He’s very sweet-looking with freckles across his nose and quirky ears! For being 8 years old. he’s relatively energetic and playful. His previous owners said that he loves running, chasing balls, and playing tug-of-war. But on the other hand he’s got a quiet side in that he loves to cuddle and loves to sunbathe. He was not raised with other dogs and cats and they said he does not like cats!”

Mesquite dog biographer Debra Chisholm provides the story of Eeyore, a Great Dane mix who came in as a stray on Jan. 26 and is “rescue only” and you’ll see why. He’s about 7, weighs 59 pounds and, after a vet check, is said to have sarcoptic mange and, “possibly cancer in his back right leg.”
Debra’s note reads, “The results from the x-rays have not been reported but, the vet thinks he has cancer and has had it for a while because it has eaten almost to the bone and the leg has atrophied.  He doesn't put any weight on the leg, but only uses it to scratch his itchy skin.  He has been given medication to help him feel more comfortable and to not itch as much.  But this is one dog who has not had the necessary care needed to be healthy.  It is very sad to see the condition he is in.  He has been vaccinated and dewormed.  He is painfully thin.  Eeyore is alert, lively, friendly and responsive and badly needs a rescue.” Eeyore’s ID is 46516704.
Judi met up with Jasper (#46537035), the pointy-eared, year-old Pittie who arrived at a stray on the 29th. Hazel eyes and perky ears help make him “very photogenic, Judi said. HJ “was not a happy camper” at first, but the staff worked with him and he’s become a playful 62-pound dog with a “strong pull on the leash at first probably because he wanted to go do his business. Going back to his kennel, he walked OK on the leash.”
This is 40-pound, mixed-breed boy Ruger (#46397530) who, Debra writes, “arrived at the shelter on 1/9. It was discovered that he had an owner and when contacted the owner decided he did not want to reclaim Ruger so he came to the shelter on 1/14 to surrender him, giving financial hardship as a reason.” [LARRY ASIDE: Remember those “nitwits” I mentioned earlier. Keep reading.]
This owner also reported that “Ruger lived indoors and with other dogs, cats and children (theirs were 2 and 9) and was a-okay with all.  He likes to play fetch and run and knows the sit command.  He is house trained.  Ruger is afraid of loud noises and new people. 
“Ruger's main issue is that he is terrified of the leash.  Former owner admitted to 'whupping' him when he misbehaved.  There's a strong probability that this was done when he had the leash on which is understandably why he is scared of the leash.  However, a couple of shelter volunteers have been working with him (especially with the leash issue) and though he is a work in progress, he has come such a long way.  He is a love bug, likes to give kisses and receive belly rubs.”
Then there’s the 59-pound potential movie star Leo (#46513408), a year-old snuggler who is possibly a Border Collie/Basenji/Other boy. “Whatever he is,” Judi writes, “He’s got beautiful markings and captivating chocolate eyes.” Active, likes to explore, “took a shine to one of our volunteers and stayed close to him for extra attention, extra petting and extra scratching.” Came in as a stray, needs to leave as a household treasure.
And Debra tells us that Lily (#40075533), about 6 and weighing 51 pounds, is a mixed-breed who came in on the 22nd. Debra wrote, “Though she walks well on a leash, she is not real comfortable having it put on which is why I left it on during the photo session.  She is a bit skittish and though not unfriendly, she is cautiously friendly.  She did not react to the other dogs when led through the bay, even those who were barking at her.  She has a low-key and calm personality.  She does not seem interested in treats.  She seemed more interested in investigating the yard and peering out into the shelter parking lot through the gate than interacting with me.  I will continue to get her out and show her attention.  Lily is quite vocal and this would not be a good dog for an apartment dweller.  Though she doesn't look underfed, her coat is dirty and scraggly.  So, possibly she has not been well cared for or she has been out on her own for a while.”
For all of these Mesquite animals, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
THE CHIQUITA STORY….
THE HUMAN ELEMENT…
Looking at Facebook and other sources we can declare that a lot of people have read about Chiquita, the 13-year-old, blind dog who became an owner-surrender on Feb. 1. You may recall reading in our early edition Tuesday that the owner said Chiquita had “been having diarrhea and is totally blind.” A vet exam confirmed the blindness, but determined the “fecal was negative.” 
And people who met Chiquita described her as “extremely sweet.”
As we prepared to post this Tuesday evening, we had no confirmation that someone would rescue her. Please watch the video HERE. [LARRY ASIDE: If you’re not tearing up when you watch Lucy wondering what has happened to her, why she is in a cold metal cage, you need new batteries in your heart.]
And when you are moved to help Chiquita have a home where she can feel love and not be startled by strange sounds and unfamiliar voices, email Fort Worth Animal Care & Control at fwacctag@fortworthtexas.gov. She’s A46570544. I hope a rescue has her in a loving home by the time you read this sentence.
CONTEMPLATIONS
REACTION TO CHIQUITA
So, here’s a little inside view of what happens to a mushy human brain that is constantly writing about animals in a fix. Some of those fixes hit you right in the heart. Like, I have faith that Mesquite animals will be saved and that animals cited by 4-Legged Helpers in small shelters will have a good chance. That many other shelters — Denton, for example — are working hard to find homes for animals. 
Then I run into something like Chiquita’s story. She’s not the only “family pet” dumped into a cage to wait for the needle. Happens every day. Maybe it hit me because we have older dogs who are family members — not “pets.” 
Maybe it hit me because after decades of writing about animals, I know for a fact that there is a way to “save ‘em all” — you just have get get people to wise-up. I stupidly still have faith in a species that settles diplomatic arguments by going to war.
While I was discussing the Chiquita situation with our tipster, the veteran animal advocate Donna Bradshaw, I might have slipped into a neanderthalic mode and expressed a desire to “teach a lesson” to people who dump old puzzled dogs.
I think I wrote, “There oughta be some way to get people to be smarter.” I don't know why I’d say that -- I haven't gotten any smarter through the decades. 
Donna gave me a great quote that I think is perfect for the situation when a loving dog is dumped at its most vulnerable time of life by the people that dog adores.
She said, “You just want to slap them and say ‘Wake up, stupid!’.”
Yes. I agree wholeheartedly with Donna. Yes, I do.
—- Offer ‘Wake up, stupid!” advice by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-