EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12/13, 2024 [PetPowellPress] As I began typing this on September 12, a Thursday, I realized we’re heading toward Friday the 13th, the alleged spookily unlucky day.
I got up to get a cup of coffee and some apple/raisin/oatmeal mood-enhancing cookies for breakfast and as I walked back down the hall toward my office, I heard the TV shut off. By the time I got to the keyboard, there was notice that the internet was down.
And I thought, “Friday the 13th — how about Thursday The Disconnected.” OK, system’s back. More in Contemplations. Junior Office Cat Stevie Ray went to his “Safe Nap Zone” on the arm of his favorite living room couch. “It’s where I can be the most vigilant,” he explained. “I can see the TV and also down the hall to the pantry where the cat food is kept.” Moving along…
ANIMAL RESCUE IS A GREAT WORLD:
PEOPLE HELP PEOPLE HELPING CRITTERS
We site two longtime sources and pals in this item about a dog with big skin probs.
In this instance the referring email came from our amazing “artist of photography” pal Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com, the non-profit that helps animals by helping their people help them.
Karen sent a note about an appeal from our longtime source in Burns Flat, Okla., the very tough and constantly busy Terry Lynn Fisher.
As Karen explained, the “animal rescuer/advocate in Burns Flat” gets “called to help in SO many animal cases involving so many issues. She’s been active in animal rescue long before I ever came along. She’s asking for help with this poor stray dog. Of course, no one has claimed him. She needs a rescue, home or at least a foster to step up and help. She also needs vetting funds which can be called in directly to her vet at Southwest
Clinic — 580-726-3385 Terry Lynn Fisher account If you can help in any way, please contact Terry Lynn directly at
remembering_ [email protected] “
Terry Lynn’s note on Wednesday about his dog began with a heart-based opening, “!’m so tired of people neglecting and hurting their animals.
“The ACO just contacted me that they just picked this dog up. All of their kennels are full so they have no place to put this one other than take one that’s been there a while and put it down. I’ve been trying to find the owners with no luck.
“This baby needs help y’all. I don’t know what kind of skin disease — mites, whatever — is going on but it’s got spots that are actually bloodied. This is heartbreaking, and you can tell the way it walks. He's in severe pain from all this.
“if anyone can help, please let me know. This is just so sad to me.
I’m so tired of people neglecting and hurting their animals.”
Remember: e-mail Terry Lynn at remembering [email protected].
As the noon hour arrived Thursday, I got a note with that top left photo from Terry Lynn. She wrote, “This is the dog from yesterday. I’m more concerned about the size of his testicles than his skin issues going on. They [the pound] have him, and in what I’ve always referred to as ‘the hellhole at the Pound right now.’ It’s three very old crappy kennels that they used to use years and years ago, probably over 30 years ago, and they’re awful. But that was the only space they had for him,
“I want to take him to the vet today, but I don’t have any place to take him once we leave there. Once he leaves the kennels at the Pound, there’s no taking them back. All of my kennels are full, and without one, there’s no way I can take him to where my other animals are.
“If anybody has any advice, please let me know. … Any advice is welcome.” Email [email protected].
MEANWHILE, A REMINDER
TO NORTH TEXAS ANIMAL FANS
We've gotten a ton of notes from local pro-pet organizations that remind everyone on their mailing lists about
North Texas Giving Day on the 19th — you can, as you probably know, donate from now right on through the 19th. Just go to the Giving Day site and navigate to the non-profit you want to help. That link is www.northtexasgivingday.org — click that open, then click on “donate” and you can see all the assorted causes you can help, including your favorites helping animals. [LARRY ASIDE: I’m adding this info to today’s report because, once again, I’ve gone an entire calendar year without winning a dime from my clever number-play at Lotto Texas. Join me in tearing up when we think about how tough it is to pick winning numbers. That is my personal dog Porche Noel — she hasn’t gambled since she hobbled up onto our front porch at Christmas in 2009 and declared, “What luck! Guess I’ll stay here.”]
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
MORE ADORABLE ADOPTABLES….
Ah, Dear Readers, in able to list more animals than you have room to read, I’m going to call upon my ol’ editing skills to cut the original biographies short, post a photo and direct you to the complete biographies on the Mesquite Animal Services website HERE. Same site where you can
see a bunch of adorably adoptable kittens.
The complete bio of Tasha, #556837510, was written by our tipster pal, volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm.
“This is one high-spirited exuberant pup,” Debra wrote and then explained, “I have named her Tasha. After consulting the Dog Scanner app, it lists possible breeds in her mix: Aussie Kelpie, Rat Terrier, Shiba Inu, Smooth Collie. She weighs 32 pounds, is approx 5 months old, and has such a beautiful tri-colored coat. She was brought to the shelter on 9/6 as a stray. She has places to go, things to do and people to see--a girl on-the-move!” One more note from Debra: She says Tasha “is sometimes vocal and will talk to you and has all kinds of interesting things to say.” [LARRY ASIDE: SEE THE COMPLETE BIO ON THE CITY’S SHELTER SITE.]
Remember, use Tasha’s Shelter ID #556837510 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected]. Same system for all these Mesquite feline and canine adorables.
That brings us to another Debra biography. This “very attractive girl” is Sierra, described as “a purebred Siberian Husky picked up by one of our officers on 9/7 and brought to the Mesquite Animal Shelter as a stray. Sierra weighs 47 pounds and is about 3 years old. Since she has only been here for a few days, she is timid, shy and
nervous. She walks hesitantly on a leash, and when she walks past dogs who bark at her, she gets quite intimidated and freezes. She is however, a well mannered and calm girl, sweet natured and alert.” And there’s this, “She may have lived as an outside dog because of the calluses on her elbows. However, she does not look underfed or unhealthy. Sad that her owners have not come looking for her.” Read her complete bio on the shelter’s site. She’s #56842318 at the shelter.
Our pal Judi Brown provided the biography for Sabrina (#56838046). “Sabrina has outstanding markings with perky ears. She became one of our volunteer favorites, and so this volunteer chose to name her Sabrina. If you come meet her, she will become your favorite also. She has so much to offer! Sabrina is a one-year-old, 40-pound mixed breed that arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 9/6 as a stray. My Dog Scanner said that she’s part Rat Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, and Brazilian Terrier. She is enthusiastic, happy, fun loving, friendly, and has a zest for life. She loves everyone she meets. She’ll make a great pet for children to grow up with.” [LARRY NOTE: The rest of her bio is on the city’s site and, in it Judi discusses Sabrinas wonderful personality, her happy playtime and how much she might just like being with kids.]
Judi also wrote about Honey Bear (56792789) the 2-year-old, 56-pound Rottweiler mix. “Honey Bear is surprisingly gentle for her size. She’s a handsome girl with a glossy coat and nice markings. She’s a little on the thin side and could use some groceries.”
How’d she wind up in the shelter? Brought in by one of the shelter officers, Judi says and reports, “I understand
she’d been wandering around the neighborhood for some time. Now she is in a safe environment where she will be fed regularly and won’t get hit by a car. BUT she would prefer to be in a loving home. She’s had at least one litter. She’s an easy-going, laid-back girl that is looking for love.” [READ ABOUT HONEY BEAR’S exercise abilities and how she is sometimes “sensitive” to human touch by going to Judi’s complete bio of this beautiful dog on the shelter website. Judi suggest that she’s got the making of a gentle, affectionate indoor family dog.]
MILO IS A LITTLE DOLL, Judi writes about this 2-year-old, 32-pound stray identified as a “Lancashire Heeler.
He’s #56837257 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at [email protected].
Judi adds that Milo is “so low to the ground his belly almost scrapes it. … His breed is known for being clever, intelligent, alert, and friendly. The breed is also ever so loving, hard-working, loyal, and good with children. He’s a little on the stocky side. He would love to go for walks to work on his physique. He is easy-going, calm, affectionate, gentle, sweet, and well mannered….”
[LARRY ASIDE: Again, remember to click on that Mesquite Shelter link above to read the complete bio’s of these dogs. Also, when you go to the shelter site, you can see many adorable cats and kittens, too. Here are three girls who just need two things to live a perfect life: Clever names and loving homes.]'
CONTEMPLATIONS
POLLiNG RESULTS; THE CREATURE; THE 13TH
Before we get to the Friday the 13th segment of this edition of Contemplations, we’d like to note that unlike any other media outlet in the United States of America, we can confidently report this: We have no polling results. Not football, not basketball, not—oh, what was that other thing that’s always talking about polling results. We’ll it’ll come to me later, I guess. …
In our opening paragraphs today we introduced the challenge of an internet outage and now we have pinpointed the likely cause. Perhaps you have experienced this as well. We have no scientific proof, only eye-witness accounts and if that’s good enough for flying saucers and The Fouke Monster (the Arkansas bayou cousin to Bigfoot), why that’s good enough for this tall tale: “There’s a giant creature of a cloudy nature who climbs out of the screen of your computer and yells, “Stop the typing. That clatter gives me a headache.” I have no photos of the Thursday Snarling Disconnect Specter, Lucky is his name.. I couldn’t capture him on my screen — the system was down. How’d I know he was Lucky? He wore a name tag.
Let’s move along, While Friday the 13th always gets the “caution”note from calendar watchers, we’ve also found that Holiday Insights, the online calendar, keeps up with other Friday the 13th certainties.
Here’s the list of days Holiday Insights cites as being attached to this Friday the 13th in September 2024. Here goes;
“Blame Someone Else Day – The first Friday the 13th of the year; Defy Superstition Day; Fortune Cookie Day; National Peanut Day; Positive Thinking Day and "Uncle Sam Day – His image was first used in 1813,” the Insights cite.
Friday the 13th is not “Polling Results Day,” according to my shallow reporting of American political culture. Good luck, everybody who isn’t running for office.
—- Offer polling results or gambling tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and fill the subject line with ‘GOOD LUCK RANGERS! THRIVE IN TWENTYFIVE!’ —-