It wouldn't be Halloween without a little horror, would it?
Ease you way through these next few paragraphs, then be prepared to smile at some of the costumed critters we've encountered over the past month.
DOGS AS VICTIMS: If you scroll down to a post filed last night, you'll see that there's been a trial date set for the guy accused of killing Mercy the Dog. Then, if you'll read this next bit, you'll see that cruelty knows no season. After this we'll get to the more upbeat side of the day.
But, we must address these things first. Debbie Ferrell sent this note asking for help. She's gotten a call from Angie Manriquez, known through the rescue community as the "Fairy Dogmother of West Dallas."
Angie is, Debbie writes, "in need of a foster home for a 4-month-old pit bull puppy found running down the street with blood gushing from his head. He apparently managed to get away from the person (or persons) that had cut off one of his ears!! It is gone...This puppy, which Angie has named Junior, managed to find his way into the yard of a family that already has 2 un-neutered dogs and Angie supplies dog food for them. They called Angie when they found him. He has been treated with antibiotics and the ear is heeling."
Junior is light brown with green eyes and is "still very frightened but is so loving and friendly once he knows you don't mean him any harm."
If you can help Junior, call 214-316-6604 or e-mail [email protected].
It's probably unlikely that anyone will be apprehended in this "amateur ear-docking," but you never know. If you hear something, call the authorities. Next time, the creep may get both ears, the tail and create a really mean dog. To borrow from gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman, "There are no bad dogs, only bad people."
NOW, LET'S CELEBRATE THE PATIENCE OF DOGS: What we have here is a cavalcade of photographs from October's events. I hope you enjoy them. Most of the photos were taken by either my shutterspouse Martha or me. The glowing exceptions are the photographs at the Foxy Paws Growl-o-ween at NorthPark -- those were taken by our pal Diane Combs, noted critter lover, longtime SPCA volunteer and a genuinely good person. She also seems to have the ability to focus her camera -- a talent that I am sometimes woefully without.
Here goes. I'm not sure how this will look layout-wise, but it's the photos that are important, not the artistic layout.
We started our October with treats -- my kitchenspouse Martha and I were among the cookie judges at the State Fair of Texas -- this is an example of the entries. Eventually there were 8 or 9 tables filled with entries, each and every one worth at least one good bite.
We were still waddling around with our annual autumnal "cookie weight" on Oct. 7 when we went to Garland to help Debbie Stout and the folks with the Garland Bark Park judge some canine contests at the MutttoberFest. Here are a few photos from that event. That beautiful white dog? That, folks, is Sheba, the dog whose story we reported back in September -- she'd been pulled from the weeds of abandonment in a wooded area and the Bark Park people have worked so hard to get her in good shape. She's just absolutely adorable.
Next up we have some photos of the Oct. 14 Frisco Humane Society Barktoberfest.
In the "crowd photo" you can see that even the critters are intent -- see the dog just above the bail of hay?
Then, I spent Oct. 21 playing in a charity golf tournament at the Texas Star in Euless. Never has so much horror benefited charity so much. Most frightening thing in October -- a post-middle-aged man with a golf club in his hand and no clue as to how to swing it.
On Oct. 28, we helped the United Cerebral Palsy folks with their Elvis Run in Reverchon Park in Dallas. Plenty of cute in those costumes.
(That big dog is Blue, available from Straydog Inc.)
This beagle decided to flop over and scratch on the sidewalk. Sometimes a rock star dog simply must behave like a rock star.
While Martha and I were occupied with the UCP contest, our pal Diane was at NorthPark with her camera snapping some entertaining shots from the costume contest sponsored by Foxy Paws, Michelle Lamont's critter speciality shop.
Try not to smile at these!
There's a Chihuahua as spiderman, a Viking with a damsel and, of course, a thoroughly authentic Dallas Cowboys cheerleader with the required low body fat rating.
On Sunday, my funspouse Martha and I got to stay in Oak Cliff where the Nodding Dog Coffee Company was conducting a canine costume contest on behalf of Operation Kindness. At risk of technological disaster, I'm going to try to pose several photos here. Again, no telling how this will look, but at least you'll have the photos and you can click on them to make them bigger. I think.
And, by the way, there really is a Nodding Dog. That is her, Basha, being costumed in her red cape. Basha is a distemper survivor, rescued from the Dallas animal shelter in Oak Cliff. She has a certain look and a certain charm -- and may be the only dog in the world who has inspired the name of a coffee company.
A FINAL SPOOKY NOTE: Regular readers of this website know that Inky the Cocker Spaniel is a renowned impressionist. For example, in this photo, he has been asked to do an impression of a 7-year-old trick-or-treater on a sugar high looking through the front door of a home and spotting a plateful of meatloaf on a kitchen table.
While that is frightening, it is not quite "Halloweenish" enough. So, we turned to our little Chihuahua mix Rosie, the Lon Chaney of dogs, a.k.a. the Mutt of a Thousand Faces.
Most of the time Rosie is content to perform Dickensian roles with her muttonchops and her "May I have some more?" countenance at mealtime.
But today, Rosie was asked, "Can you give us your best Batman impression?" and, sure enough, there it is.
Holy Bat Ears, Batman, it's a dog just waiting for a Hollywood agent. Or another meal.
The Shadow of the Batdog. Enjoy Halloween. Be kind to animals -- even the humans.
Meanwhile, I have to go talk Inky out of his depression. He thought he was alone in the dog world as an impressionist. He is, of course, a year-round impressionist and Rosie is limited to Halloween and the periodic part as "Street Urchin No. 3" in "A Christmas Carol."
