Ever get a late start in your day because a dog or a cat decided to wake up about 3 a.m. and see if you were interested in conversation?
Yeah, it happens. Inky the Cocker Spaniel woke me at about 2:48 a.m., said something like, "Hey, I have no thumbs and can't work the doorknob, but if you'll let me out I'll be right back." I did. He came right back. I went back to bed. He went back to sleep. And at 5 a.m., he was still asleep and I was still awake. You've got to admire a dog who keeps his promises. Wasn't much on TV at that time of night and my eyes couldn't focus to read, so I admired Inky while he slept.
And, now, with the sun shining brightly on our modest home, he's asleep and I'm awake. OK, I'm done talking about sleep.
Inky's a well-regulated little dog and if he wanted to go out at 2:48 a.m., I can only guess that he'd left the book he'd been reading on the back deck.
THE BOXER SITUATION: Sharon Sleighter of Legacy Boxer Rescue summed up things in a note to us at Readlarrypowell.com. "It's been BUSY at LBR this past 11 days. Sick puppies, broken boxers and pregnant females, OH MY!"
Indeed, the Legacy site shows the load their carrying these days. And it also tells of the rescue group's fundraising goal to help handle all these situations.
Among the challenges is Nikaya. That's her with the casts on her legs. "Nikaya came into a local shelter on 2/23 and was released immediately to LBR for medical care. She has one broken leg and three broken toes on the other paw." She was scheduled for orthopedic surgery to repair these problems. And that could run to $1,200, depending on all the work that's need to repair the toes.
Then there are the puppies -- lots of puppies at Legacy Boxer Rescue.
And, there is the future. Who knows what it holds, but, as veterans of rescue group work can tell you, it probably won't be free and it probably won't be cheap and it probably won't be a winning ticket in tonight's Lotto Texas.
PRAYERS & PASSAGES: Be sure to take a look at our Prayers & Passages page today -- click on the button on the right side of this page. Keri Lane of Jacksboro has posted a tribute to the late Willow.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND: Oh, boy, the folks with Paws In The City rescue are so happy they could dance. And they'll be doing that on June 14 when they host the annual Top Hat and Tails gala at the Intercontinental Hotel. The event is loading up with former Dallas Cowboys -- Preston Pearson will serve as emcee (with an assist from former TV sportscaster Scott Murray) and Tony Dorsett will be a celebrity judge for the fund-raising ballroom dance contest. Also, we're told by Paws' Becky Haisma, one of the scheduled celebrity dancers is former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk. Ticket info is available at the Paws site HERE. ... What's up with Uno, best of show winner at Westminster Kennel Club? You can see the answer in this story in the Belleville News-Democrat of Bellville, Ill. Click HERE. ... Now, if you want a better-behaved dog, you've got to invest some human time. The folks at Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake tell us that veteran trainer Joan Guertin will be teaching training for puppies and adult dogs on beginning March 13 -- it's a five-session course. The fee is $95 and a portion of the proceeds goes to Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake. To get more info call April's Pet Place at 903 432 3642 or Joan Guertin at 903-887-3803 (message) or 903-340-7087 (cell).
THE SURPRISE DOG: Cary Birdwell of Adopt-a-Dallas Pet tipped us to this one at Scottie Kingdom Rescue. This is Oriana, a 5-year-old West Highland Terrier.
The little Westie had been released to Scottie Kingdom "by a breeder who could no longer care for her. Just hours after her arrival in Dallas, Oriana gave us quite a surprise. She was pregnant and delivered a single little girl puppy."
The puppy went right into the Scottie Kingdom system, too. (Puppies, as you may suspect, are adopted with a lot more ease than a grown dog.)
Now, Oriana is looking for a good home. She's said to be shy, but is making an effort to catch up on "human interaction." After all, she'd spent her entire life in a breeding environment. She was used as a machine, not beloved as a member of the family.
Scottie Kingdom has tough rules for adoption -- the people in the group want to make sure that once they place a dog, it stays placed. And if something unexpected occurs, they want to make sure the dog gets back to safety. To ask about adopting Oriana or any other critter at Scottie Kingdom, e-mail [email protected]. Don't be insulted if they ask you to prove that you can properly care for the dog and love the dog.
FROM BURNS FLAT: This dog is Muggsy and we got the story from Terry Lynn Fisher, the new grandma in Burns Flat, Okla. (She became a grandmother last week.) She continues, even as a "grannywoman", to work on behalf of animals.
In this case, she's trying to help a 63-year-old man with health problems find a place for "this old girl" Muggsy. She forwarded his note:
"This is very difficult for me. Muggsy, my baby, found me and I have had her for 14 years. She truly is devoted to me but I simply cannot care for her properly any more. Please understand that my Muggsy is not just any dog to me. She literally found me and picked me for her master 14 years ago. I did not realize until I posted her on the freecycle site how hard it was going to be to give her to someone else. She dotes on me and me on her too I found out today."
The complicating factor, the man explains, is he lives with a woman who helps him get by on Social Security. Without her help, he'd "literally out in the cold." But she is a "clean freak" and Muggsy is not and that's the situation that is pushing Muggsy to a new home.
So the man turned to Terry Lynn for help. And to help him with finding a good home for Muggsy, e-mail Terry Lynn at [email protected] or call 580-330-1459.
While you're at it, ask Terry Lynn about the other animals she's trying to help. There are a few right now as winter keeps a grip on the little Oklahoma town.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Do you quit watching American Idol after all the goofballs have left the show? Tune back in for the final episode? ... Do singing birds in the front yard trees indicate a "false spring" or are these birds just nuts? ... As the price of gasoline pushes toward a burden undeserved by the motoring public, are you incensed? And why aren't you picking movie theaters over the price of popcorn? We went to a theater last night to see the lamentably lame Definitely, Maybe and the prices of popcorn and soft drinks were so high that an entrepreneurial oil prince might contemplate shutting down the oil rigs and planting the irrigated desert with popcorn and sugarcane. If you think mortgage bankers have no souls, what about the people who price movie concessions?
