Lucky's safe and a Beagle is on the top of the dog world. Let's move on:
LUCKY GETS A BREAK: When last we talked about Lucky, Debbie Barclay, the veteran shelter walker, had seen him at Prairie Paws Adoption Center in Grand Prairie where he'd been turned in after apparently being neglected to the point of starvation.
You recall the photo of Lucky struggling under a shelter cabinet to lick water off the floor.
He's been spoken for now by Homeward Bound rescue. Barbara Richardson of Homeward Bound says he is en route to being fostered by an HB volunteer. "We won't do anything but get him heartworm-tested and vaccinated until we get some weight on him," she says. "He will be available for adoption one he is vetted."
The shelter tested him with other dogs and Lucky seems to be Mister Public Relations. He wasn't toy aggressive, he liked to wrestle with dogs who would wrestle with him and, according to a shelter worker, sometimes playing with other dogs wasn't enough and he would "try to get me to play with him. He plays and jumps up very gently. His playfulness is very calm. Also, he's gained six pounds in the last three days."
So, that's the skinny on Lucky now -- it's a different skinny than over the weekend when he was a neglected dog. He's no longer neglected. (To help Homeward Bound fund Lucky's medical expenses, you can send donations to Homeward Bound Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 210157, Bedford, Texas, 76095.)
And, remember, if you see someone starving a dog or neglecting a dog, call the authorities. There are laws, you know.
THE SITUATION AT LAPORTE: Our Houston-area tipster Dana Dicker sent this upbeat note: "I am SO HAPPY to report that for the first time in all my LaPorte kitty postings, every kitty on this list has gone to rescue or been redeemed by it's owner!! It was a good week for the LaPorte kitties."
Now, no doubt, there will be other cats coming into the shelter. And there are dogs there, too.
Click HERE to see the available animals.
Among the dogs is this shepherd mix, Emily, who managed to pose for the camera while reaching out with her paw. She just needs someone to reach back.
Call the shelter at 281-842-3700. It's a small kill shelter.
NOT A BEAGLE, BUT...: OK, it's obvious that the cat is not a beagle. The cat is Alexander, a Siamese, who is awaiting a new home in the crowded White 
Settlement Animal Shelter on the northwest side of Fort Worth. Alexander poses as if someone has asked him, "Did you see the dog show last night?"
Now, the dog is Darby. Isn't that a great photo -- the composition and the colors and the look on Darby's face makes this look like a genuine piece of art.
Darby isn't a beagle, but he is a beagle/terrier mix, according to the shelter folks. So, he's a little guy with a big heart. To see the inventory at the White Settlement shelter, click HERE . To ask about adopting Darby or Alexander, call 817-205-8650 -- if you drop by the shelter and the humans are gone, call 817-246-7070 and tell "dispatch" that you want to talk to a shelter person.
DOG IN A CAT PLACE: Oh, boy, this dog is named Dingo and he's being cared for by cat people -- he is a Catahoula mix, so, well, maybe he gets in under the "First Syllable Rule."
Catmatchers has the lad in foster care with LaNell Atkinson, we hear from Darlene Bryan. She says that a Catmatchers volunteer found Dingo and his three littermates in an alley. "One of the puppies ran into the street and she had to slam on her brakes to keep from hitting him. When she investigated, she found that there were four and they were starving. Dingo had a skull fracture from a bite -- probably from a roaming dog in the neighborhood. But he's OK now. You'd never know it. He's very active, a real people-pleaser -- just wants attention all the time. He gets along great with other dogs -- he's a follower and defers to the head dog so he gets along with everybody."
Here's the irony: Dingo hates cats. "I mean HATES CATS," Darlene emphasizes.
If you have a place for Dingo, call Cat Matchers at 972-458-7877 or e-mail [email protected].
And, yes, sometimes Catmatchers finds dogs in the cat loop -- as Darlene explained about the rescue of the puppies, "They were God's creatures and she couldn't turn away."
JED THE SHELTER DOG: Several people are making pitches these days for a dog named Jed who is being held in the Corsicana City Shelter.
As you know the City of Corsicana's Animal Shelter and the Humane Society of Navarro County are two different entities, but both work with animals and the Humane Society tries to make sure all critters in the county get a good break.
Jed needs one,. He's been in the city shelter a long time and his adoption fee has been dropped to $25 (from $55).
He's a year old and weighs about 60 pounds and while he's in the shelter "he seems overly active," but outside he "calms quickly."
He's a guy who needs someone to take him walking and give him a home.
The Corsicana Animal shelter at 617 S. 12th St. Call 903-654-4928. Got to www.corsicanapets.com to see animals in the shelter.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Never mind the presidential race, a Beagle has triumphed. Yes, against long odds, Uno, the 15-inch Beagle, won best of show at the Westminster Kennel Club last night. Remember, if suddenly you find yourself wanting to adopt a Beagle, talk to someone who already has one. You need to know the ways of the Beagle and whether you and the Beagle can live together. We don't need shelters full of unwanted Beagles in about six months. You can google Beagle rescue groups, too -- some of them are full up already. ... As I've been typing this morning, I've been listening to the congressional hearing about Roger Clemens and injections of steroids and human growth hormone. I remember the good ol' days in baseball when people talked about a pitcher's arm and not about his buttocks. Speaking of things to fall on, the Texas Rangers open spring training on Friday.
