OK, somebody call the Wednesday meeting of the Dog, Cat & Critter Society to order and we’ll dive right into things:
SKIDBOOT’S BACK: Rhonda Holley, on behalf of Happy Tails Doggy Daycare and Pet Lodge, sent a note saying Skidboot, the famous performing dog, would do a special fund-raiser at the facility on April 22.
Yes, it’s true. Skidboot, who has been hampered by vision problems for the past few years, will be at the show. He’s still a great showman and so is his human buddy, David Hartwig.
Barbara Hartwig says that these days “David is trying to shift the focus to Bois d’arc and Cheyenne. Skidboot goes along for the appearance and does a couple of tricks for blind dogs. People still just want to see him.” (See www.skidboot.com)
Indeed, he’s quite the canine celebrity. He lives on Southern Hart Ranch with the Hartwigs, their prized horses and other critters.
And he’ll be in town on April 22 to help raise funds for a 15-year-old Mesquite student, John Broadus, who’ll participate this year in the Dwight Eisenhower International People-to-People Ambassador Program. See www.studentambassadors.org.
Admission is free. The show is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Happy Tails, 10121 E. Northwest Highway in Dallas.
LITTLE JOE UPDATE: Our pal Sue Owens with Animal Angels in Jack County, sends word that Little Joe is “being loved and cared for in his foster home where he continues to heal….The scabs on the mutilations of his head are coming off, leaving scars where his ears should be. His tail stump is still very tender and causes him to cry out in pain if he sits wrong or if he touches it against something. It will be quite some time yet before he can run and play like a normal puppy should without causing pain…..”
Little Joe’s undergoing obedience training and the report is that he’s great on a leash -- doesn’t pull hard and comprehends the walking experience.
And, Sue reports, word from the Jack County prosecutor is that the animal cruelty case against Mauricio Toca Sosa, 24, is soon to be presented to the grand jury.
If you’d like to send a letter of support to the person who is instrumental in making sure this case gets a hearing, address it to Jana Jones, District Attorney, Wise County Court House, Suite 200, 101 S. Trinity St., Decatur, Tx. 76234.
It would be nice if she got letters from people who are not emotinally involved with rescue, but just plain folks who know that what happened to Little Joe is flat wrong. The usual animal activists can write letters all day long, but authorities already know where they stand. It's time to involve the "just plain folks" in these animal issues.
A DOG AND KITTY CITY BEAUTY: This is Scooter, a silver schnauzer, returned to Dog and Kitty City because of his blindness. Kathleen Moore reports to us that he’d been adopted from D&KC 2 ½ years ago. He’d originally been left at the shelter because his second human left town and couldn’t take him. Juvenile cataracts were already impairing is vision. He’d become homeless the first time because his owner died.
Good grief, it’s time this guy had some good luck, isn’t it?
Once he knows the layout of furniture in a home, he’s OK to go. He’ll just need a “seeing eye person” for his walks, says Kathleen. Please contact us at [email protected] or call us at (214) 350-7387 if you are interested in adopting Scooter.
This pup needs a low-activity home -- oh, my, don’t we all -- and, of course, a good lap to occupy and, naturally, a comfy couch or dog bed. Maybe a treat or two now and then.
TWO PUPS IN NEED: Here a case of two dogs charming people and still needing a place to stay. The e-mail reds, “Abbie and Crosby are victims of a divorce. They were going to be taken to a ’sanctuary’ but I couldn’t bear to think of them alone in cold cages, so I’m fostering them until I can find them a good home.
“These dogs have been together for 10 years and I would like to find them a place together but after getting to know them, I think they could be split without a problem.”
Abbie’s a 12-year-old beagle with arthritis and a thyroid problem, but she still loves to go for her walks and she takes meds for her thyroid problem and for the arthritis. “She loves her naps and, of course, dinner time. She’s loveable and love back with an occasional wet kiss.”
As for Crosby, the 12-year-old Aussie/Blue Heeler) is in excellent health and loves to walk, though is sometimes shy and nervous. “He’s a stay-by-your-side kind of guy and wants all your attention for himself.”
Your contact for adopting these pups is Roseann Hernandez. Call 214-597-1854 or e-mail [email protected]
Like so many of our homes, the place that’s currently fostering these two dogs is already overcrowded. So, adopting them there isn’t an option.
FOSTER FOLKS: Bless the hearts of you foster folks. You really do miraculous work -- and it isn’t easy to love a critter and send it on to the next home. We quit fostering when we realized we didn’t have what it takes to move the animal along -- that’s kind of how we wound up with a houseful of critters.
But, there was one circumstance when moving a dog along wasn’t that big of a pain. We fostered a white standard poodle named Judy whose human had died. Judy came with her own bed and toys and, though she was polite, she wasn’t all that keen on being in a “canine collective.”
One day, a nice lady came to visit Judy, who had rarely regarded us as good enough to be on her planet. She jumped into the Nice Lady’s lap and bonded immediately.
Then, Judy jumped down, picked up a couple of her toys and walked to the door and waited. The Nice Lady picked up the rest of the toys and Judy’s bed and they walked out together.
Judy got into the Nice Lady’s car as if she’d been riding in that chariot all her life and off they went. Judy didn’t even wave “goodbye” as I stood on the curb with tears flowing from my red-rimmed hazel eyes.
I made that last part up -- well, except for the hazel eyes. I kept thinking we’d get a card from Judy the Poodle, but, you know, I guess she was just more interested in being loved and being able to love. And, frankly, she looked pretty happy with that Nice Lady.
