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Team sleeping.....an Olympic sport?

The question was simple enough. It came from veteran critter fan Della Wallace. She wrote, "Does this qualify for the 'Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap'?

Well, good grief, when you have that much slumbering going on in one spot, it's a hands-down winner for the spotlight.

So, for this week's Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, we feature Della's Dogs and David's Gams in their Denton County home.

Here's the story of this photo. "The three dogs are rescues," Della says. "A Yellow Lab named Dakota; a Sheltie named Callie; and a Husky named Tahoe. The other body at the top of the picture is my husband, David. I got up in the middle of the night to take this. It was really crowded and I thought it would make a good pic."

Yep, anytime you can get an artistic tableau like this, it's due some attention.

Della says, "Tahoe the Husky was pound-bound because his owners decided they preferred another rent house and dogs were not allowed. We have had him (I should say, he has had us) now for 3 1/2 years.  He is about 5 1/2 yrs old.

"I found Dakota the yellow Lab on July 4, 2006. His owners had been trying to lose him for sometime and were very disappointed when I found them and returned him. After speaking to the wife I learned he was scared to death of the man. We took him back about 6 hours later and he is so happy. They wouldn't let him in the house and now all he wants to do is stay in. The only thing we have to watch out for is his tail. He wags all the time and has been known to sweep cups, etc., off tables. 

"Callie the sheltie was already with a rescue lady who became ill and could not care for her for a while. We took her and she became so attached to David that the rescue lady let us keep her with us. We've had her now for 1 1/2 years and she is probably 3 years old.

"Her best friend is Dakota the Lab. You are correct. They are now in our 'permanent' collection.

"Now, as for David's legs, they are about 63-years-old and I've had him for about 16 years. He is well-trained and loves all animals."

(So, whether your legs photograph like a swimsuit model's or ultra-translucently white, feel free to nominate a photo of your slumbering critter or critters for our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Send the photo and the info to [email protected]. At Readlarrypowell.com, we're proud to feature those who gently sleep -- for we are insomniacs and if we have sleep it is fitful, possibly because our legs are sadly lacking in the nighttime looks department.)

The Mercy Punishment...

The ordeal of Mercy the Dog, doused with a flammable liquid and set ablaze, lasted 10 days in April 2006.

In these early days of Autumn 2007, prosecutors in Judge Michael Snipes' Criminal Court No. 7 wanted a jury to give Deshann Brown one year in prison for each day the dog suffered.

Instead, they gave this troubled young man four years in prison and a $5,000 fine for his third degree felony animal cruelty conviction.

Brown, 22, could have gotten 10 years in prison, which was what the animal people wanted to see, too.

The jury was out nearly two hours Friday before returning the punishment verdict around 7:14 p.m. The day before, this same jury took just an hour (and only two votes, we're told by a juror) to declare Brown guilty.

ASSESSING THINGS: So, the prosecutors won the case, the defense attorneys can take credit for not getting the full 10-year term for the guy and the jurors took a week out of their lives to listen to both sides -- they have the courthouse's most difficult job.

Of the people who had invested emotion in the trial and in the dog Mercy, there was virtually no one happy in the courtroom gallery. The animal people thought the 4-year term was too light. The relatives and acquaintances of young Mr. Brown thought it was too heavy.

In his closing argument, prosecutor David Alex suggested that the jury should give Mr. Brown the full load -- 10 years, one year in prison for each agonizing day the dog had survived before succumbing to the horrific attack.

Defense attorney Dan Wyde asked the jury to place the offender on probation under the very tough thumb of Judge Snipes. He suggested that he'd either fail that probation or, at the end of 10 years, be the "YMCA Citizen of the Year."

In the end, the jury, we're told by a panel member, picked four years just to make sure the guy would do at least two years and gave him a $5,000 fine.

THE DEFENDANT'S HISTORY: It isn't like the now-convicted felon hasn't been in trouble before. He's got a resume that includes stealing rum from a shopkeeper, committing a clumsy attempt at purse-snatching (categorized as "unarmed robbery"), a drug arrest (with his fiancé in a hotel room -- she confessed from the witness stand that she's a former drug dealer) and a pending DWI in Denton. I may have left something out. But you get the drift -- his record has more pages than a hymn book.

Probation officers in Michigan, where he was involved in the purse-snatching, may have dibs on him once Texas is finished -- all depends on how the Michigan folks work this thing out.

The testimony included showing a videotape of that DWI arrest in Denton in which Mr. Brown was placed in the back seat of a patrol with a young pal, and the two of them raised an unpleasant stink, including shouting assorted unpleasantries at the officers who were handling their arrests.

And, after he went to the Denton lockup that night, an officer testified, he was so belligerent and uncooperative that he was stored in the drunk tank -- a windowless room in which the only toilet fixture was a hole in the center of the floor.

So, the state built a solid case that Mr. Brown has been a bad actor.

Called by the defense, his "fiancé" countered that he's a good guy who loved the dog and she maintained that he wasn't the person who burned the dog. She described his arrest record as "making mistakes" and Prosecutor Terri Moore, on behalf of decent people everywhere, deftly ripped that stupid attitude to shreds.

A MOTHER'S PAIN: You have to remember that this was not a parade of model citizens stepping up to defend Mr. Brown. They almost all have posed for a jailhouse portrait.

But, his mother -- his poor, poor enabling mother -- who has been through all of these things with him, testified, too. She said what you'd expect a mom to say -- that she loves her son, doesn't believe he's the bad person he's been made out to be and believes in his ability to behave himself. She has bailed him out on several occasions.

His mom is a smallish woman, neatly dressed, attractive and an ultrasound technician.

And at the end of the trial, after the punishment had been determined, she attempted to reach the seventh floor elevators through the public lobby. But, understandably, she was approached by TV reporters trying to do their jobs -- get her reaction on tape.

But this woman was in no condition to talk.

Two young men from the "family side,"  serving as her escort, simply pulled the shaken woman between them and escorted her into the 7th floor stairwell.

Within seconds, you could hear her inadvertent statement. You could hear a mother wailing, the moaning of heartbreak filling the stairwell and demonstrating that a son had put his mother into an unenviable position.

It is a shame that her son was in custody elsewhere and could not hear what he has done to his mother.

Her wails will echo in the hearts of those who stood by her. She is wounded. She will suffer each time she thinks of her son, each holiday that is missed, each birthday passes, each time she hears of a prison riot. The wound in her mother's heart will be raw forever.

He is going to prison -- that most awful of places -- and this time she cannot step between him and his behavior and save him. He is a man. He is now about to be living the consequences of being a bad man.

AFTER THE TRIAL: So, the trial has ended, the weary courtroom workers -- bailiffs, court reporter, judge, prosecutors, etc. -- will move on to the next case. It will, no doubt, bring less attention than the Mercy Case has attracted.

It is, after all, a dramatic case in the Dallas history of animal cruelty prosecutions.

From now on, perhaps, investigating authorities will dot the "i's" and cross the "t's" of all animal cases -- they are felonies. Serious crimes with serious punishment that is to be taken seriously.

Four years may shrink to two years for Mr. Brown -- even so, it is still two years of wearing a number and not a name in the hellish Texas prison system where you need permission to see the sun, to look for a rainbow, to talk, to do anything that is related to freedom.

And, yet, when you consider what was done to this poor dog Mercy, you wonder, "Is four years really enough?"

WHAT CAME FROM THE CRIME: Goodness, this was an awful crime. The dog loved the man, his family testified. Yet, the man burned the dog in a fit of anger after she refused to be bred.

And once she was in the custody of a rescue group, Operation Kindness, people rallied to a dog they'd never known, a dog dreadfully injured by someone who DID know her.

How does this happen? That answer isn't in a courtroom. It is in the soul of a man.

In his closing argument, after urging the jury to not mistake revenge for justice, Mr. Wyde suggested "No one is going to remember this verdict in a month or two."

That is, perhaps, a grave underestimation of the vigorous, determined staying power of the hearts of animal people.

Operation Kindness, the no-kill shelter in Carrollton that had custody of the horribly burned dog during her treatment, has made Mercy a symbol of the fight against animal cruelty. After her plight became known, the facility received letters and donations from around the world. And when she died, hundreds came to her memorial service, musicians wrote songs about the dog, people wrote poems, and genuine tears were wept.

Operation Kindness Executive Director Jonnie England, exhausted from attending every day of the week-long trial, said Friday evening that there will be a memorial service honoring Mercy in the next few weeks. Details will be announced at www.operationkindness.org.

So, that's where it stands tonight. Reporters are filing and re-filing their stories. The prosecutors are probably analyzing what they did in the case. The defense may be doing the same. The jurors are either confident or wondering if they did the right thing. A mother of a freshly convicted felon is probably crying herself to sleep.

And Mercy the Dog lives on -- but only as a symbol. And that is the downright pity of this case.

Blind dog Bodey found in shelter...

After being sort of "gone" -- and we're still not clear on the circumstances that allowed a blind dog to wander in East Dallas -- Bodey has been recovered in the nick of time.

We're working on getting the details. But here's the early report:

Kacy Littleton, who brought the German Shorthaired Pointer/Lab mix to Texas only to find out her apartment did not welcome more than one dog, reports that he was picked up on Tuesday (the day he went missing) at 12:20 p.m. and taken to a local kill shelter. She says, "He would have been euthanized tomorrow [Saturday] morning. To all of you who encouraged me to get out to the shelter today, this is truly a blessing.

"I still need to and want to find him the perfect home -- preferably one with no other dogs. He's gentle and sweet, loyal and well-behaved, a great protector and a fabulous watch-alert dog."
This hasn't been easy on Kacy, she says. "Since this past Tuesday, I've been paralyzed with sadness and guilt about what Bodey has had to endure through this ordeal -- beating myself up, feeling like I made the wrong choices and wrong decisions for Bodey. I feel so relieved that he is alive and OK. I took him directly to PetsMart for a bath and grooming. He's truly a sweet angel."

To ask about adopting Bodey, e-mail [email protected] or call 469-286-8738.

Mercy and opportunities for mercy...

It is not with glee or jubilation that we report that Deshann Brown has been found guilty of animal cruelty in the death of Mercy the Dog.

It is with a sadness for all of society that there would be someone among us humans who could be guilty of pouring flammable liquid on a dog as she lay on her back, then setting her on fire.

We feel the same sadness when we read of maimed and murdered people -- adults and babies. We know that humans are largely a nice bunch, but, good grief, ever so often something takes over and people fail to be good and decent.

So, in honor of the good and decent people on the planet, we'll move along now with attempt to help others and, later, we'll return to the Mercy trial.

MISSING DOG: If you'll scroll down to an "alert" posted last night, you'll see that Bodey, the blind German Shorthaired Pointer/Lab mix we've been trying to help find a home, has vanished. Details are on the earlier post.

FOUND DOG: Brenda Arnold found this female dog on Monday in the White Rock Lake area. "She was freshly bathed and wearing a new purple collar. She knows commands and is better trained than my dogs," Brenda says.

Now, the problem is the dog has no place to go. She's staying in Brenda's front yard -- she's loose, but has been staying in the yard. Brenda's home is under construction and there's no place to secure the dog.

"She came at a bad time and no one else seems to want to help," Brenda writes. "Do you know where is the best place to take her?"

Brenda says she "thinks she was dumped, even with the new collar and bath. I've been to many vets, pet shops and other dog places and no one recognizes her."

If you can help Brenda with this dog situation, e-mail her at [email protected] or call 214-232-0082.

Brenda is discouraged. "I have e-mailed 100s of people." No response.

The dog may have arrived at a bad time, but, surely, there's a good heart out there somewhere.

BELLA NEEDS A HOME TODAY: "I don't know what to do for this poor baby," writes Dorrie Mowery. "She is only six months old. I just hate to not even give her a chance..."

Bella is a 6-month-old dog who wandered up into Dorrie's backyard with her brother. The brother has been adopted. But Bella has no prospects right now. She's living in the backyard because she can't live with Dorrie's cat indoors.

When found, Bella was underweight, covered with fleas and starving. She has since been nursed back to health, spayed, vaccinated and is on flea and heartworm preventative.

Dorrie says Friday is the last day she can keep Bella and then it's going to be a ride to the pound or whatever shelter will take the dog. To offer to help Bella call 214-232-0082 or e-mail [email protected].

WHAT ABOUT TWO BASENJIS? Well, we have two to discuss. Dorothy and Bill Bruster found them on the loose in Wills Point in East Texas.

Efforts are underway to get the pair hooked up with the Dallas Basenji rescue group or to find their original home.

The dogs were found on Sept. 16. "We are beginning to think thee guys may have been stolen from somewhere else and 'dropped off' here," Dorothy says.

If anyone wants to help or to discuss this pair of Basenjis, contact the Brusters at [email protected] or call 903-873-6140 or 972--979-3929.

PRAISE FOR READERS: We mentioned a couple of days ago that we knew some folks who have a little money they want to give to a needy cat rescue group. The person who has been handling those "nominations," says, "I can't tell you how wonderful your readers are!! But you probably already knew that. Now the only problem is whom to choose."

The size of the pending donation is modest, and our tipster says, "We tell ourselves that anything is better than nothing, but I feel so bad now that all these rescues have come to light and they all are so needy."

Yes, nobody gets rich in critter rescue. They are, however, enriched by what they do.

IRVING GETS A BIG CAT: Yesterday we mentioned all the big cats in the Irving Animal Shelter and as that report was appearing, this cat Ghost was being turned in as an "owner release."

Our Irving cat tipster Rhonda Barrientos says that 5-year-old Ghost weighs in at "a whopping 34 pounds."

He's going to be checked out for health problems, of course.

"He is so overweight that he basically just lies there on a towel," says Rhonda. "The whole time I was there, I only saw him get up once and that was to use the litterbox. He returned to his towel after that.

"He probably hasn't been able to see de to his grooming needs in a long time, and he has very dry, probably itchy skin."

He loved being groomed with a wire brush she says. "He was once a beautiful cat, you can tell, and he could be again -- with a healthy diet and lots of TLC. He has incredible sky blue eyes."

You can ask about Ghost at the Irving Animal Shelter, 100 N. Briery Road, just east of the Belt Line intersection with Rock Island, south of 183. Call 972-721-2256.

THE MERCY TRIAL: The important thing to remember about this Mercy the Dog trial, the one where a guy was found guilty in her death, is that it means something. It means that a stronger animal cruelty law is in place. It means Dallas County isn't going to say, "It's just an animal" and move on.

The last day of the guilt/innocence phase of the trial packed the courtroom. Animal people, the defendant's kin, reporters and lawyers and other courtroom personnel came in to watch as the prosecution team (Terri Moore and David Alex)  and the defense team (Dan Wyde and Lee Westmoreland) offered their closing arguments.

There wasn't an empty seat until, in the middle of Defense Attorney Wyde's argument, a pro-animal person got up and walked out muttering. I know she was muttering because I was out in the hall, having arrived too late to get inside the courtroom.

The TV folks were filming the proceedings through a courtroom window and catching the audio on a mike inside the court -- all OK'd by the judge. So at any time during the closing, you could see a dozen or so people gathered around the monitor in the hall and listening to the arguments.

It is interesting that this case brought so many people to the courthouse -- one wonders if justice would get more respect in the world if all cases were to draw a healthy gallery to the courtroom. People should dress nicely for the courthouse, too -- some defendants dress as if they're going to a ditch-digging. Show some respect.

Justice really should matter to us all whether it's a case of two old friend stabbing each other over a beer or someone killing another human being over money. Justice matters. It is part of the muscle that keeps democracy operating.

Now, in their closing arguments, the prosecution simply followed up on the testimony, pointing out to the jury that given the time and apartment logistics on April 13, 2006, given the witness testimony of who they saw where carrying a gasoline can, and who they saw with the dog, that there was only one conclusion. The defendant was the guilty party.

The defense rightly argued that nobody had actually SEEN the defendant douse the dog with gasoline and set it ablaze. And the defense attacked the credibility of some of the state's witnesses. And, indeed, one of the witnesses was such a juvenile thug that his record could only be discussed behind closed doors.

Face the fact: This was not a trial composed of characters from Mayberry.

In fact, one of the few innocent beings in the entire proceeding was Mercy the dog, apparently killed because she refused to mate with another dog.

The juvenile thug, forced to be lucid on the stand, got over his suddenly bad memory and testified that Mr. Brown stabbed the dog in frustration.

Testimony showed that the flammable liquid had been poured on the dog's underside as she lay on her back. Other testimony showed she was a docile dog. And it is likely that, as she was led behind a trash bin hours after being stabbed, she had become afraid of her hulking owner and had rolled on her back in a submissive position. She was then doused and lit and ran flaming across the apartment property.

The defense suggested that someone else may have been involved in this assault, but produced no one.

It appears that the jury must have followed the path of circumstantial evidence that placed the defendant and the dog and the gasoline all in the same place at the same time. And since neither Lee Harvey Oswald nor O.J. nor O.J.'s "Real Killers" were on the suspect list, the spotlight shone brightly on the defendant.

After the attorneys finished their closing arguments, the jury was sent to the jury room to deliberate.

I'm told that there are two bathrooms in the jury room. Speculation is the jurors went into the jury room, took turns in the facility, elected a foreman, read the charge and took one vote.

They'd left the courtroom about 4:10 p.m. and the judge read their verdict at 5 p.m.  That's a quick verdict. I covered courts for many years and can't recall a quicker verdict. I'm sure there have been quicker jury votes. But, this one was so fast it caught several TV crews by surprise.

When the verdict was read, the formerly overflowing courtroom was only about half full of a few lawyers, some reporters, animal folks and a couple of the defendant's supporters. His mom, who had been patiently waiting in the hall, did not come into the courtroom.

Your heart has to go out to her -- nobody expects your kid to grow up and make headlines in such a disgusting fashion.

(That photo is of Mercy's final resting place in Operation Kindness' Memorial Garden.)

Oh, the thing is God bless dogs, they're so forgiving. But Mercy's tail no longer wags to signal a happy hello. Her eyes no longer look up lovingly at people who treat her with respect. She is now a memory, her photographs mere props in a courtroom drama in a state that once treated animal cruelty with a "so what" attitude.

If Mercy were alive and someone had led her into that courtroom Thursday afternoon, she'd probably have wagged her tail and gone happily to the only person she recognized.

Isn't that a sad irony.

Mercy killer "guilty"

Deshann Quattrail Brown, the young man accused of killing Mercy the Dog by pouring flammable liquid on her and setting her ablaze,  was found guilty of animal abuse Thursday afternoon. After hearing only one defense witness, and listening to 30 minutes of closing arguments per side, the jury retired about 4:10 p.m. to deliberate and returned the guilty verdict at 5 p.m. The punishment phase begins at 9 a.m. in Criminal District Court No. 7. The courtroom was packed for the closing arguments, then when the jury left to deliberate, the crowd dwindled. The verdict was read before a half-filled courtroom -- mostly animal rescue supporters, press, investigators and a few members of the defendant's family.  More on this in tomorrow's report.

Bodey, the blind dog, vanishes...

A search is under way this evening in the neighborhood near Ferguson and Gus Thomason in East Dallas for this dog, Bodey, who we've written about at Readlarrypowell.com in recent weeks.

Kacy Littleton had moved to Dallas and the apartment complex had initially give her the OK for her three dogs, but things changed upon arrival and Kacy had to place Bodey with someone who'd agreed to watch over the blind German Shorthaired Pointer/Lab mix until a home could be found.

But on Tuesday, Bodey disappeared from that home -- we're not sure of the circumstances yet -- and Kacy says she didn't learn of the disappearance until Wednesday. Just as she did last night, Kacy is the neighborhood tonight papering the area with notices in an attempt to find this blind dog.

The dog was last seen in the neighborhood around Ferguson and Gus Thomason, a high-traffic area. If you've seen Bodey or know the dog's whereabouts, call 469-286-8738.

Cats, more cats, bowling & meatloaf

If my typing seems weak, if my consonants are not quite as hard as they ought to be, please forgive me. I am suffering from something resembling a cold that has invaded my upper respiratory area. It could actually be a cold.

It could also be (a) spores from another planet, (b) the kennel sniffles, or (c) a voodoo curse placed on me by someone I don't recall insulting.

I'd rather be healthier. I'm not fond of tomato soup and the sweats. And when my giant nose gets raw from being over-tissued...well, that's a big honkin' discomfort. Here are today's items and you may think I've been hallucinating when you read the first one.

THINK LIKE A CAT: That's the pitch for the Meow Mix Acatemy, open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Sunday on the north side of the Fair Park Coliseum at the State Fair of Texas.

This is called the "world's first feline-centric school" and the folks promoting it say it "teaches people how to think like a cat." (The mug in that shot of the black and white cat is our cat Poirot who having read the previous sentenced looked askance and responded, "The world would be a better place if people could elevate their thinking to cat-level. More meditation, more tranquility. When's the last time a cat held up a convenience store or ransacked a corporation?")
Inside the Acatemy you learn how cats think eat, play, sleep, exercise and try to communicate with humans. Students can scale a climbing wall, play with a big ball of yarn, study catnapping, take a Cat Aptitude Test and take a swat at a tetherball made of yarn.

For each "student" who visits the Acatemy, Meow Mix will donate a pound of cat food to Operation Kindness, the no-kill shelter in Carrollton.

THE MUSEUM CATS: Cute little fellows, aren't they?

The photo is from the Dallas Museum of Art's exclusive Holly Morgan Collection. I'm kidding.

The photo is actually from Holly and the kittens were found outside the Dallas Museum of Art in downtown Dallas back in mid-summer..

Holly says everybody concerned thinks Hank and Sammy are "sons of a feral cat."

Feral cats in downtown Dallas? Of course. They're everywhere.

She is looking for "anyone who could care for two uber-sweet kittens who need to be inside-only. I have three of my own or I would keep them myself. My middle cat-child is particularly opposed to them -- unfortunately."

These kittens are very attached to each other and one has "a gimpy leg" so they need to stay together just so they can have some emotional comfort.

If you can help Holly with these two cuties, e-mail [email protected] .

You can see more photos of these kittens by clicking on a MySpace site HERE and at a Picasa site HERE.

MORE KITTENS: Sometimes I'm surprised the city limits signs around North Texas don't read, "Welcome To Our Town. Please Take a Kitten. Spay and Neuter!"

These are some of the kittens that are in the current inventory at the Irving Animal Shelter. As you know, the Irving shelter is a city-operated kill shelter, so these cuties are at peril, as are the other dogs and cats that are there.

Many people, however, are working to find homes for the animals and that is why we got an e-mail loaded with photos of available cats.

Our tipster in this case is Rhonda Barrientos of Citizens for Irving Animals who told me this morning that "some ladies" brought 12 cats to the shelter  yesterday and promised to bring a dozen more today.

The Irving Animal Shelter is at 100 N. Briery -- that's at Belt Line and Rock Island, just a couple of miles south of the Airport Freeway (183) in Irving. Call 972-721-2256.

PLANNING AHEAD: Cute poster, eh? That's the promotional material for the Oct. 6 Howl-o-ween Bowl at noon at the Showplace Lanes in Euless. It benefits the Legacy Boxer Rescue folks. Get all the details by clicking HERE.

There'll be a costume contest in addition to bowling. Teams of four people pay $25 each to bowl for charity. And there are ways to make pledges if you're not interested in kegling.

Kegling?

Yes, didn't any of you people bowl in college? (I still have my old shirt.)

Ah, nothing like a spirited game of 10-pins to raise the charitable spirit.

I do think it would be entertaining to watch a boxer try to bowl. I can see the excitement on their faces as they approach the foul line, hit the brakes, slide the ball onto the lane and, posing with their heads cocked charmingly to one side, follow the path of the rumbling spheroid and eagerly anticipate success at the far end of the alley. Then they run down and grab the pins that didn't fall over and slobber all over them. I think boxers may be the reason bowling towels were invented.

Anyway, that's a pretty cute poster, isn't it?

LILY'S TALE: Oh, boy, now here's a dog that was literally trashed.

We get the story from Shelley Warren at Paws in the City. Lily was a puppy when she was found in a Dumpster, taken to a shelter, picked up by a Paws rescuer, fostered for a while and quickly dispatched to obedience training.

She is a spirited dog, they say.

And she's needing a special home that can monitor her, gently enforce her manners and make her feel loved.

She's believed to be part Sharpei, probably was born in early December 2006 and weighs about 50 pounds.

To ask about adopting or fostering Lily and giving her a good life, get in touch with Paws In The City by clicking HERE.

VANISHED: Back on Sept. 13 we mentioned this dog. Deborah Trevino had been trying to lure the dog into safety and out of a field in Garland.

She reports that the dog "disappeared from the field last Wednesday. Last time I saw him was that morning when I threw him some dog biscuits and he came to the edge of the field to retrieve them....I have no idea if someone was able to get him or if he moved to another location. I haven't seen the other dog that was with him at times, either. Hopefully, he got picked up by someone wanting to give him a home. I checked with Animal Control the next day and he wasn't there."

One hopes the right person got the dogs. And we are reminded again that dogs are often too clever for their own good.

A MOMENT OF SILENCE: I've been remiss in not paying tribute to Marcel Marceau who I watched on the Ed Sullivan Show when I was a child and marveled at in the film Silent Movie when I was a relatively young adult. So, in honor of the late star, we declare, "              !"

No dog has ever been a genuine mime, though our little fellow Inky, the Cocker Laureate of Texas and a noted impersonator, offers this silent tribute, an impression of a hungry mime rushing quietly into an all-night diner after a big show and spotting the "Special of the Evening." Known as "the quiet meal," it's a steaming platter of unsnapped beans, muted mashed potatoes and Mom's Mime Meatloaf.

Opportunities and testimony...

We have several things to go over today. Opportunities to help abound, the SPCA is acquiring more puppy mill dogs and, of course, there is that sad, sad animal abuse trial that is underway in Dallas.

Later in today's report we'll outline what went on in the courtroom.

THE STRAY MAKES A COMEBACK: People navigating the choppy waters of rescue should remember that there are good people working hard to save animals.

And, according to the Gospel of Readlarrypowell.com, dogs are often too clever for their own good. Sometimes the people outsmart them.

We get this report from veteran rescuer Becky Delgado. She points out that we first told readers about Emily the Dog on July 3.

"She was a stray dog near death that had been spotted in a wooded area around the University of North Texas' Dallas campus [in South Oak Cliff]. It took a small, dedicated group of rescuers a few months to earn her trust," Becky recalls. Regular readers may recall that we referred to this group as "Team Emily." The team finally was able to get her to eat food doctored with a tranquilizer and that led to her capture.

"She was delivered to City Vet where she was diagnosed with severe malnutrition, heartworms, a variety of other parasites, sarcoptic mange, conjunctivitis, a severe skin infection, flea & tick infestation and a wound to the side of her face which was probably caused by her being attacked by a coyote or other dogs," Becky says.

If a human with good insurance had all that stuff, a clinic would be celebrating its windfall profit.

Emily's potentially fatal condition was reversed by the folks at City Vet. And in the two months she's been there, she's obviously thrived.

"Through the generosity of a lot of people," Becky says, "Her medical and boarding expenses have been paid for. Now she is well, she has gained 30 pounds and is ready to move on to a new stage in her life. A better stage!

"Emily is the sweetheart of City Vet; she roams freely greeting customers and their animals....She is as gentle and sweet as can be. She loves to be petted and hugged."

Team Emily wants to place this dog in an adults-only home. She's not that keen on kids for some reason -- possibly an early life experience.

"She also doesn't care for rain storms," Becky says. "After having spent too many months caught in rain storms with no shelter, it's not surprising."

And, so we come to this point in Emily's life: She needs a home. To ask about auditioning to adopt her, get in touch with Companion Animal Network by e-mailing HERE or calling 214-808-3238.

Becky says, "The lady who first spotted Emily and continued to help feed and capture her, Myla Johnson, has also continued to go to City Vet nearly every day to see her and help socialize her. Emily is indeed learning what it's like to be a dog who is loved and cared for, and as you can see in her 'after' pictures."

ANOTHER PUPPY MILL RESCUE: The SPCA of Texas, thanks to the authority of the Upshur County Sheriff's Department, is going to rescue about 200 dogs from a puppy mill near Gladewater today, according to an SPCA news release.

The SPCA says Upshur County officers " arrested the property owner earlier this week on animal cruelty charges. The dogs, which include toy breeds such as Boston Terriers, Yorkshire Terriers, Chinese Crested, Jack Russell Terriers and others, were being bred in filthy, overcrowded conditions and forced to live in wire cages, pens, crates and kennels on the property. Dogs were found inside a feces- and roach-infested dwelling and also in a trailer, a shed and in various kennels, pens and cages..."

And, readers, we've seen enough of these to know that the animals go into the SPCA's evaluation program and that the SPCA will need a bit of fast cash to help pay for all the medical expenses. Ways to help at are the SPCA site HERE.

How about a way to help the puppy millers? Dial 911 and help 'em out of business.

CHECKING IN ON HALO: On Sept. 19 we reported that University of Dallas graduate student Jennifer Caves had found a dog near Military and Jim Miller in Dallas.

This is that dog. Some mugshot, eh?

And some profile.

You may recall that when Jennifer picked up the dog, the dog was "starving" but "appears to be pregnant."

Jennifer is looking for someone to take over care of the dog. It's not just a time thing. "I am taking more than full-time hours in graduate school, plus trying to take care of Halo, my other dog and my three cats."

Obviously, there's a big vet bill in the works and the two hardest things for rescuers to come up with are (a) money and (b) foster homes.

Still, grad students obviously have faith that things will work out. So, to help Jennifer with either, e-mail [email protected].

THE SADDEST STORY: And now we come to the felony animal cruelty trial of Deshann Quattrail Brown, 23, a young man with an armed robbery conviction in Michigan and a courtroom full of trouble in Dallas.

That is a sad enough state for a young life. But it gets even worse: This is the guy who is accused of fatally injuring Mercy the Pit Bull by pouring gasoline on her and setting her ablaze. He also is accused of stabbing her. All of this, according to the tapestry being woven by prosecutors, because the 18-month-old dog refused to breed.

Tuesday saw the first day of testimony -- it took all day Monday to pick the jury. And on Tuesday, as the state presented its case, the gallery was filled with people from assorted animal rescue groups, the defendant's mother and her pastor, reporters and curious courthouse personnel slipping in and out to watch the proceedings.

Unless they were testifying, the witnesses were not allowed in the courtroom -- the "rule," as it's called, prohibits them from being within earshot of other witnesses' testimony.

On Tuesday morning, a young man testified that in the evening of April 13 he was walking his Chihuahua when a dog that was on fire ran past. He chased the dog, took off his shirt and smothered the flames. Two guys who were on a nearby parking lot tried to help extinguish the flames by pouring beer on the dog.

One of the guys called the police. Meanwhile, testimony was that the defendant came walking up, rolling a bicycle with one hand, and carrying a can of gasoline in the other.

At some point during that episode the authorities returned the dog to Mr. Brown.

Also on Tuesday, two veterinarians testified as to the severity of the dog's injuries -- and that the severe burns were on the underside of the dog (leading one to surmise that the dog was on her back when she was doused with the flammable liquid). The vets also testified the dog was docile, as did the man who saw the dog wandering on the Carrollton apartment property the next day -- the man who took the burned dog to Operation Kindness.

The prosecution's last witness of the day was a 17-year-old fellow who, it was expected, would testify as to what he told officers in a sworn statement.

But, something happened.

While the young man's testimony was firm on paper, it began to melt while he was on the hot seat of the witness stand. Suddenly, he could remember little about the day the dog was attacked. This led the prosecution to take the relatively unusual step of asking that its own witness be declared a hostile witness. The jury has heard only the reading of the statement -- in it the young man swore Mr. Brown (left) stabbed the dog.)

When court recessed Tuesday afternoon, that young man was on the stand and, unless something unexpected has occurred overnight, he'll be on the stand Wednesday morning to be cross-examined by Mr. Brown's attorney, Dan Wyde, in a hearing to determine whether the young man's vivid grand jury testimony can be admitted as evidence -- he has trouble recalling things, but the state happens to have his investigative statements and grand jury testimony on paper. What gets in before the jury will be determined by the judge.

Wednesday morning's cross examination will be out of the hearing of the general public (but not the press) because the young man is, by virtue of being a juvenile, a virtual ward of the court and it is the court's duty to protect his rights.

(Part of Tuesday's tension involved Mr. Wyde's objections to the way Judge Michael Snipes was running the trial in Criminal District Court No. 7. Mr. Wyde is a former judge. Most objections were overruled and at least two requests for a mistrial were denied by Judge Snipes.)

Just FYI: the prosecution uses the name "Mercy' for the dog -- it's the name her caretakers gave her as she was being treated under the auspices of Operation Kindness. Defense attorney Wyde refers to the dog as "Brandy," the name given to the dog by Mr. Brown and his girlfriend.

Tuesday's activities included getting jurors to observe large photos of the burns and wounds the dog had suffered. And the jurors were exposed to the tedium of question after question that must be entered into the record to demonstrate that a crime had occurred, etc.

All of the testimony Tuesday showed that a dog was burned, stabbed and died from the assault. Obviously, the dog didn't do this to herself -- though there is an indication that the defense may try to prove that either the dog pulled a barbecue grill over onto herself or that someone else did the deed.

Tuesday's events proved, once again, that the most difficult job in a courtroom is that of "juror."

From TV to baseball...

OK, gang, the fall TV season started last night and we're all caught up in the drama of ... well, some of us aren't caught up in the drama of anything.

By the way, check this story off your list of traditional State Fair stories: Channel 4 did the ol' story mentionging that 52-foot-tall Big Tex started life as Santa Claus in Kerens in the late 1940s. Yep, the State Fair opens Friday. Click HERE.

There's a bright spot for the week already.

CHECKING IN ON BODEY: Kacy Littleton is still trying to find a place for Bodey, the blind German Shorthaired Pointer-Lab mix to stay -- a home or a long-term foster, even.

Kacy says, "We cannot take him back to the apartment we're in because it's against the lease rules -- so, now, we're between a rock and a hard place and faced with a situation where we need to make a quick decision. It just pains me to think of shuffling him from one place to another because it's hard for him to get acclimated to new situations." (See the original story in our Sept. 13 report.)

To help Kacy, call 214-242-7362 or 469-286-8738 or e-mail [email protected].

And Kacy offers this emotional comment, something some of you rescuers have felt before, too, no doubt.. She writes, "I feel so paralyzed with sadness and depression right now that I'm at a loss of words."

THEY CALL HIM CHUCKLES: Oh, boy, look at this guy. He's believed to be a Basset and Beagle mix and his name is Chuckles.

He's currently a ward of the Corsicana Animal Shelter and has been for several weeks, according to our tipster, Julie Maupin of the Humane Society of Navarro County.

Chuckles is a healthy 3-year-old who weight in at 26 pounds and seems to get along with just about everybody and every beast. And he knows how to walk on a leash.

Julie adds that in case anyone is looking for a cat, the Corsicana shelter, at 612 S. 12th, has "magnificent adult cats and kittens of every size and description."

Call the shelter at 903-654-4928.

A DOG IN ROANOKE: This is Delilah and we get her story from DezaRae Arrington.

She says the dog "was left for dead in the backyard of her original family's house when they moved and left her with no food or water. Her kind neighbors put her in their back yard and started the search for a home for her."

Dezarae volunteered only to discover that her new apartment manager had mislead her by saying, "We do not doggie discriminate."

Now, Delilah is needing a home -- and swiftly. By Sept. 30, in fact.

"This is a great dog and she cannot die," declares DezaRae.

So DezaRae is appealing to anyone who can help her take care of this dog.

If you can help, email [email protected]. Roanoke is in southern Denton County.

HELPING SOME CATS: We got this note from one of our reliable cat sources. It has to do with helping cats in honor of someone. It reads.

"One of our volunteers recently lost her mother. We are trying to find a needful cat rescue group to which we can donate in the mom's name.  It seems the really big rescue outfits have foundation grants, and we can't find small, struggling cat rescues.  They're the ones who need a financial bump, and we'd like to help.  Do you know of any especially worthy groups?" If  you can answer that question, e-mail [email protected] and I'll forward it to these folks.

THEY'RE NOT ALL DOGS AND CATS: We get this one from Dana Dicker, our reliable Houston tipster.

"This little guy's name is Cisco and he is already neutered," she says. "So, he's someone's baby that slipped out and got lost."

Cisco the neutered ferret has found himself in the custody of the LaPorte Animal Control Shelter. "It's not often that LaPorte gets in animals that aren't dogs or cats," Dana says.

To help Cisco, call the LaPorte shelter at 281-842-3700.

ASSORTED NOTES: The SPCA got custody of those 100-plus animals in Young County we mentioned yesterday. The animals have been at the SPCA's McKinney facility undergoing evaluation. And one more SPCA note, you have through Friday to buy tickets for the annual Fur Ball Gala on Oct. 13. Click HERE. The theme is "Salsa For The Cause." ...

            ...The Texas Humane Legislation Network's board and general meeting begins at 2:15 p.m. Saturday at The Nokonah, 901 W. 9th St., in Austin. Go to www.thln.org for details on the organization's legislative success on behalf of animals. ...

            ...Treasured Friends is looking for foster homes for small dogs. Get in touch with the non-profit rescue group by clicking HERE. ...

             ... The 2008 DFW Dachshund Rescue Calendar is for sale. Click HERE. Photos are by Teresa Berg and the photo with this segment is an example of her work for the calendar. ...

            ... The number of tickets for the Oct. 27 Texas Radio Hall of Fame induction is "dwindling," according to our hall of fame source Larry Shannon. Click HERE or HERE  to read about the hall and to get your tickets. Among this year's inductees are longtime animal fans Larry Dixon and Terry Dorsey, a couple of well-known North Texas radio voices. Some of you will recall Larry's work as a co-host of Operation Kindness' Dog Day Afternoon.

MUSING: The Texas Rangers have 2 more home games, then a travel day, then three games in Seattle and their season will be over on Sunday. We will now review the highlights for 2007....And that concludes our review of the bright moments. Yep, the Rangers get their traditional long off-season. As the franchise front office has been saying annually since before the inaugural 1972 season, "Wait 'til next year."

I can't imagine what the ticket marketing scheme will be for 2008. It'll have to be more of a marketing plot.

Monday and the world...

We have arrived at Monday morning just a little bit disorganized.

A busy weekend and some distractions kept us from the e-mail inbox and things piled up to the point that no more mail was admitted.

This is not your problem, dear readers, but it is the problem of the aging insomniacal scribe who dares to taunt the fates by taking time off to watch the Dallas Cowboys thump the Chicago Bears. I also read an entire book, an action/mystery called Lost Lake and it was a page-turner. Insomniacs and page-turners should never meet up after 9 p.m.

At any rate, we did not want to begin autumn in such a disheveled fashion, but, that water has passed beneath the bridge and here we are, scrambling to get ourselves organized. (FYI: Though he is not board-certified, that is Inky putting his paws on my shoulders and snapping his wise counsel, "Get a grip, goofball!")

I'm betting that I am not the only person in such ridiculous shape. So, I ask for understanding and forgiveness of my disorientation as we dive into the day's business.

And now, our assorted topics:

INJURED STRAY SPOTTED: Cary Birdwell of Adopt-a-Dallas-Pet reports that this morning he spotted an injured stray dog and admits "this may be a wild goose chase, but for his sake I am sending this out..."

Heavy traffic and the quickness of the dog kept Cary from nabbing him. The sighting was in Oak Lawn, Maple near Motor "but south of Inwood," Cary says. And he realizes the dog could have moved on, but Cary's like most of us -- he's taking a shot at trying to help against great odds.

He says the dog is mostly lab, tan with white chest and socks, an intact male about 45 pounds and his "left front wrist is clearly broken."

This is basically a "be-on-the-lookout" note and a "help if you can" request. Contact Cary at [email protected] or call 214-580-7132 or (evenings 214-521-3611.)

THE MERCY TRIAL: Jury selection is underway today in the case of DeShawn Quattrail Brown, the young man accused of fatally abusing Mercy the Dog by kicking and stabbing her and setting her ablaze. She died in the care of Operation Kindness. If all goes according to plan in Dallas County District Court No. 7, the jury should be chosen by this evening and testimony should begin Tuesday morning.

A CUSTODY HEARING: On Sept. 14, authorities seized 106 animals from a suspected puppy mill at Graham, near Wichita Falls, and today at 2 p.m., there'll be a hearing in Justice of the Peace Stan Mahler's court to determine if the SPCA of Texas can take custody of the animals. Young County deputies discovered Miniature Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, Boxers and four cats in squalid conditions. How did this discovery occur? Deputies were investigating a shooting and found the animals in a filthy barn, the SPCA says. (Just a guess by your observant scribe, but I doubt that the shooting had to do with whether the animals were being properly cared for...)

SPEAKING OF PUPPIES: As I was driving on Main Street near Old Orchard Road in Lewisville on Sunday afternoon, I spotted, parked on a lot alongside the street, a tan Suburban-type vehicle with shoe polish signs on its windows advertising Maltese and Chihuahua puppies for sale. The people had the puppies in an aluminum washtub and would periodically pick one up and hold it up for passersby to see. Anybody know if these roadside puppy sales are legal in Lewisville?

BUDDY THE SHELTIE: On Sept. 20, we told about Buddy the Sheltie, the rescued dog Alison Cox is fostering. Buddy has lots of "issues," including barking whenever the TV is on, flinching at the slightest move and, in general, freaking out. Alison wrote to us in hope of getting some help. And, bless their hearts, the folks from Dallas/Fort Worth Sheltie Rescue are stepping up. Becky Ramsey, the group's coordinator, writes, "We will help Alison with the Sheltie and see if we can make this work." There's already a behaviorist volunteering, we're told.

THE AUTHORS LINE UP: Four local authors will be at the Plano Centre from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. today including Bill Cochran, author of The Forever Dog, who we've mentioned here before. (You may recall that when Bill set up a book-signing at the White Rock dog park last April, it snowed. This one is an indoor appearance and if it snows, we've got a real story.)

Admission is free. Plano Centre is at 2000 E. Spring Creek Parkway.

Other authors and their books include . Joel Zeff, Make the Right Choice: Creating a Positive, Innovative and Productive Work Life; Colleen A. Rickenbacher, Be on Your Best Business Behavior; and Dean Lindsay, Cracking the Networking CODE.
Obviously, three of the authors have focused on business-type books, but a really bright border collie may have an interest in making sure people are on their best business behavior, productive and innovative and prepared to crack the code when herding things into a profitable situation.

POSSIBLE BUMPER STICKER: Think anybody'd buy a bumper sticker this political season that reads "Spay, neuter and stop being stupid"?

That would cover a multitude of sins. And it's either non-partisan or omnipartisan.