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Cats, dogs and TV weather twits...

OK, welcome to Tuesday. Let's dive right into the day's activities:

This face? This is the face of a cocker spaniel who is morose over realization that once again he is banned from participating in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show because he has taken performance enhancing naps.

Yep, slept right through the part about being able to provide his official papers. He also couldn't provide a "sample" because, he confessed, "My front legs are too short to hold the cup -- I don't know how the dachshunds do it."

Tonight is "best of show" judging at Westminster, but my little cocker pal Inky says, "Being best in show is one thing; being best NOT in show, now, that's the title you want."

OKLAHOMA ALERT: We get this from a reliable Dallas tipster. It's more of a "be on the lookout" notice.

She writes that a friend of hers was traveling on I-35 about 60 miles inside Oklahoma from the Texas border. At the second rest stop past the border "someone has dumped a medium-sized black dog with brown on its face. There was some dog food left with the animal so hopefully, it has not been there too long. It would not readily come to my friend, but he felt with time and patience, it would have."

So the plea is just for anybody passing through that rest stop to take a moment and save a dog. Pick it up and bring it to a no-kill shelter, take it into your home, take it to your vet. Just don't let the dog suffer and starve while waiting for a specific someone to come back and get it.

THE FACE: We don't have one of these in our cat collection, but I can tell you that Squirtie's face and disheveled hair is a good impression of how I sometimes feel in the morning. But it looks good on the cat, right?

This is Squirtie, a 2-year-old female Persian we heard about via Cary Birdwell and Adopt-a-Dallas Pet. The cat is in the care of New Beginnings Cat Rescue.

The story is she was surrendered to animal control after a "family intervention" took her from a neglectful breeder.

She's become sweet, affectionate and outgoing, according to the New Beginnings folks. (Her adoption fee is $100. -- e-mail [email protected] to ask about adopting her.)

I'm not sure about the name -- you can change it, of course. I just hope she's named after her size and not after her actions.

ALVARADO DOG: The saga of the Alvarado Dog continues. She's just too shifty to be caught right now. As you may recall, the dog and her pups were dumped near a Chicken Express at I-35 and U.S. 67 in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas.

The pups were caught and adopted. But mom is still on the loose and she may be pregnant again.
Here's the report from Barbara Staves who has been involved first-hand in the rescue efforts.

"The situation with this dog seems impossible. She's at a VERY busy highway intersection moving freely across these roads. According to store folks, she's been hit by a car at least once and has a crooked back leg out of it.

"She wouldn't pick up any of the 'loaded' hotdogs I tossed to her.  When I'd speak to her, she'd start backing up.  At the point this photo was taken she was threatening to back into the highway, so I backed off about 20 ft. and left my package of hotdogs where I'd been.  She then trotted over to investigate my stash, grabbed the package of hotdogs and took off down and then across the highway, horns blaring at her.

"She is in no way trapped where she is, but chooses to stay there. She crosses a 3-lane highway to lay in a ditch in the sun across from the Exxon station which is where I found her. There are LOTS of these ditches in the area with drainage pipes she can get into to get out of the elements.

"I don't know how this girl can be caught without a disaster unless she's darted. It will take a LOT more effort by a LOT of people at 3 - 4 a.m. to MAYBE have a chance at corralling her."

To offer to help get this dog to safety, e-mail Barbara at [email protected].

UPDATES: Lavada Smith is the proud human who has added Rascal (formerly known as Pepper) to her family (Scroll down to yesterday's report.) Lavada says the Boston Terrier is VeeVee and the Redtick Coonhound is named "Coolhand." They're all rescued dogs. And Rascal "has already had her first bath here -- seemed very proud of herself after it was over. Each day she seems to relax a little more and loves to play with other dogs, especially VeeVee." Yep, this dog Rascal was the one found tied to a road sign, then rescued from a kill shelter. Sometimes humans ARE the answer to animal problems. ... Pepita, the blind 11-year-old dachshund turned into a shelter by someone who didn't want to deal with her, is going to Paws In The City, we hear from out tipster Lorraine Bryda. We'll keep you posted on Pepita's path to a home. ... Randy Thomas fills us in on some of the details regarding the rescue of Peyton, the little Chihuahua who rushed away from a Humane Society of Dallas adoption earlier in the month. "Peyton seems very happy to be home. She is very dirty, has what looks like tar on her coat. ... She has also lost some weight, but overall does not look too bad. Thanks to everyone for their help in our search for her." the story is that Rachael Schumann, a pre-K teacher at Lamplighter School caught Peyton on the playground. The teacher "was able to place a small rope through Peyton's collar while feeding her. The little girl had not eaten since Friday a week ago and was running out of gas," according to the rescuers' report. Mary Nell Murphy, the school's director of operations, took Peyton to Midway Hollow Pet Hospital. Connections were made and Peyton, after an adventure of unknown proportions, was back where all dogs are supposed to be: home.

CONTEMPLATIONS: A big ol' white fancy poodle, Remy, is in the running for the Westminster best-of-show title tonight. While the hair-do looks silly, this is one of those philosophy things: Hate the hair-do, love the dog. Poodles are without fail great dogs -- can't think of a poodle I've met that I wouldn't like to take home with me. Of course, when you consider how many dogs and cats my funspouse and I have, maybe that's not saying so much. We'd take 'em all home with us. Sentimental favorite group winner so far at Westminster? Uno the Beagle. Of course, the cocker spaniels show tonight and we're rooting for the cockers, the most darling breed of all. ... Last night I was watching David Letterman interview Saturday Night Live's Jason Sudeikis and he asked him about his show biz connections and the guy answers "George Wendt is my uncle" and was about to finish the sentence when Channel 11's imbecilic weathercasters broke in with a warning about possible hail in Cooke County in the extreme northwest of the viewing area. Have these people never heard of a crawl? Are we going to have an entire spring of missed dialogue because KTVT's weathercasters get breathless over a sprinkle on an empty pasture where there's not even a TV set? It's like they're not even paying attention to their own broadcasts so they just break in and blurt out info that could have better been handled in a polite crawl. Help me down off this soapbox before I fall and set off a seismic monitor somewhere in Loving County and cause the Channel 11 weather team to faint from the excitement at the prospect of announcing a "ground rumble event to the west of Nowhere."

Peyton's been found

Peyton, the little rascal that romped away from a Humane Society of Dallas adopt-a-pet in early February, has been found, we hear from Randy Thomas.

Details are sketchy, but the report is the dog is safe after being picked up by a woman to took her to a vet clinic.

We'll try to get all the angles on this story, but for now, this little dog is found and back in a safe place.  (Read the first story about Peyton by scrolling down to our Feb. 5 report.)

Wanted, unwanted and wondering...

Some Mondays a fellow hardly knows where to start.

Valentine's Day is coming this week and if you're looking for a way to dodge any uncomfortable obligations, there is a Great Dane that needs transport on Feb. 14 from Cedar Creek Lake to Austin. More on this later, sweethearts. (I guess that was the cynic's approach, eh?) In the meantime, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show opens tonight -- part of its cable broadcast is on USA, some on CNBC (See HERE.) Now, read on:

THEY CALL THIS DOG LUCKY: Maybe he is. We get his story from renowned shelter walker Debbie Barclay who spotted him in Grand Prairie's Prairie Paws Adoption Center.

Here's Debbie's Sunday night note about this dog:

"Lucky wasn't 'found' -- he was brought to the shelter by his owner with a request to euthanize him because he was supposedly 'sick.'

"Lucky spotted some water that had dripped on the floor under the sink and squeezed underneath a pipe to get at it, that's how thirsty he was.

"He was given a bowl of water and drank for a full 5 minutes, non-stop. He also inhaled a bowl of food after that. 

"The staff started questioning the owner (and the story changed several times); it was determined he was probably tied up (on a short chain or rope due to the sores on his bottom) and starved." [That is a pen that is longer than Lucky's starved back is wide.]

"When the shelter called me yesterday [Saturday] after he came in, they originally said he needed to be out by 5 p.m. closing. However, when I called later he was still there and they had fixed up a place for him in the garage. He does need a group to step up for him, if possible. I don't know how long they can hold him. 

"I met Lucky today and he is a sweet boy! The owner was given citations for cruelty and the case will be taken to court."

To ask about helping Lucky, e-mail [email protected] or call the Prairie Paws shelter at 972-237-8575 and ask for Marcie Enoch or Sharon Fabrega.

It would not be right of me to suggest that we ask for volunteers to take two-by-fours and visit Lucky's former human. It just would not be right. Might be justice, but it wouldn't be right. So, let's all just remind ourselves that the law matters and, mercifully, Texas has stronger anti-cruelty laws these days.

PEPPER IS NOW RASCAL: Back in January we reported on the case of Pepper, a heeler in trouble in the Mesquite Animal Shelter. She'd been abandoned in an awful fashion -- someone tied her to a road sign at a busy intersection and left her. When she was being picked up, the terrified dog snapped at someone and, naturally, went into quarantine.

But Lorraine Bryda knew of her story and got to work on finding a place for her -- a place that didn't involve being tied to a road sign. [That's Pepper on the left in this photo.]

Mercifully, the folks with Paws in the City stepped up to help rescue this dog. And, Lorraine has forwarded a photo of Pepper -- now named "Rascal" at play during the weekend. She was moved from Mesquite's shelter into a foster home Friday evening.

Pepper was caught romping with her "new brother and sister," according to Lorraine's note. "They decided to change her name to Rascal; they realized she wasn't responding to Pepper and went through a slew of names. Once they got to Rascal, her ears perked up. They said she was playing and chasing squirrels with the Boston Terrier. They are amazed at how well she is settling in after only one day. It's nice to see her tail up for a change!"

NEEDS TO BE SAVED: Pepita The Dachshund is in a spot. Rescue groups who would normally take her are full because they've already taken other dogs from the Mesquite Animal Shelter and assorted places.

This dog is 13, housetrained and a "love bug" and, according to the note we got, "as a matter of fact, the shelter worker called us in tears, hoping that someone can save her."

Why is this dog in a city-operated kill shelter and likely to be euthanized soon? "She was turned in because her owner no longer wanted her because she is getting old, 13, and cannot see well anymore."

Oh, for crying out loud.

If you have a spot for this doxie girl, call Tricia Todd-Harrington at 972-978-2362 or e-mail [email protected].

THE LATEST ON GINA: You may recall that Gina, an older dog, was at the Collin County Animal Services shelter when she was spotted by Mary Ann Nastro who got the word out about this delightful dog and her situation.

Companion Animal Network stepped up and claimed Gina and now she's in a foster home.

Kelly McCracken, the veteran foster mom, reports, "Poor Gina has clearly been neglected. She’s a little anxious and nervous about all the recent changes, but a very sweet girl underneath it all.  She is trying really hard to be good, and hasn’t had a single accident in the house. 

"Even though she is grey and looks like a senior, she is playful and doesn’t act like a senior. She likes to run around the backyard check everything out.  Running is a little difficult as the mass is in her armpit."

Gina's medical bills are going to mount up. You can visit CAN's PetFinder page here and donate via PayPal. The mailing address for CAN is Companion Animal Network, 11529 Glen Cross Drive, Dallas, Texas, 75228.

FINDING A HOME; MOVING A DANE: We got some news regarding a dog that hasn't been moved and one that's about to be moved -- this comes to us courtesy of the good tipsters at Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake.

The notes arrive on behalf of the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake -- that shelter is at Tool, Texas.  And one of the longtime residents of that shelter is Otto and he's been there for too long, says Krista Mc Anally of the humane society.

She writes, "Otto is looking for his forever home.  He has been with us at the shelter (Humane Society of CCL) for about 3 months.  He was adopted but has some food aggression issues that brought him back to the shelter.  He is very sweet, housebroken, loves kids and does not seem to mind cats, good on a leash. Otto is solid black, possibly a Newfoundland mix." The 5-year-old dog needs a couple of shots and needs to be neutered. To ask about him call 903-432-3422 or e-mail [email protected].

In the meantime, Krista is trying to arrange transport on Thursday for a 90-pound female Great Dane from the HSCCL Shelter to PAWS Rescue in Austin.

"Will ride in car uncrated," the note reads. (Call 903-603-2342 to volunteer.)

Now, we know someone who moved two Great Danes from Longview to the Metrosprawl -- here's how she did it: She got her husband to rent an SUV so they could ride comfortable in the seats. The dogs, are polite, but they just wouldn't fit in the family Cadillac.

BEAGLE NEEDS A BOOST: We have a tipster who lives way out on the other side of Fort Worth who has a friend who has a sister-in-law who "wants to take her beagle to the pound because she gets out of their yard in Keller."

The dog is named May and her nickname is "May-May" and she's about 4 years old "with a very loving disposition. Loves to snuggle. Great around children. house-broken."

So, there you have it -- she does what beagles do, goes off exploring, and because the human can't figure out how to seal the yard, the dog is about to wind up at peril in a shelter.

If you can help save the beagle May, call the friend who wants to save the dog at 817-821-9775.

AND ANOTHER "RELATIVE" SITUATION: Jeff Ruediger is looking for some help with this golden/huskie mix, Simba.

The dog is suddenly available because Jeff's brother Todd has moved from Pittsburg, Kansas, to Plano.

Simba is a 70-pound two year old that is not house-trained.

Jeff and his wife have a 2-week-old baby girl and, he says, "while we can take in Todd, we don't have the resources to take in Simba at this time."

So he's hoping someone can help him find a home for this dog -- Simba has always been an outside dog and is "very friendly."

To ask about helping Simba, e-mail [email protected].

FROM BURNS FLAT: Our reliable tipster Terry Lynn Fisher of Burns Flat, Okla., reports that there are some pound dogs that need rescuing in the small Oklahoma town.

"My most desperate [situation] at this time is this sweet mom and her four 10-week-old babies. She is a very sweet girl and such a wonderful momma. The daddy is the black-and-white border collie shown being held by the owner. He is lucky enough to get to stay home -- do not get me started on that one), but the others are being thrown out like the trash."

To help save these days, get in touch with Terry Lynn at 580-330-1459.

Terry Lynn is happy to help work on transportation arrangements if she can just get commitments to help her keep these dogs from being bad statistics on the records at the Burns Flat city pound.

CONTEMPLATIONS: Saw several stories about the death of Roy Scheider -- they all started with "star of Jaws," but, really, he was more than that as you can see in his International Movie Data Base listing here. He was in a lot of great movies including The French Connection, 52 Pick-up, Marathon Man and All That Jazz. Plus, as a hefty man, I was always envious of his ability to wear such great clothes so stylishly and without a wrinkle. He must have had a "dresser" -- I had a "tarper." ... In the last week or so there have been so many shootings -- not just in Dallas and Fort Worth, but all over the nation. Multiple shootings -- in suburban Chicago, in Los Angeles, at a city hall in a suburban St. Louis. Over the weekend in our own Oak Cliff, two guys go into a home and, unable to find the young man they're looking for, they shoot the guy's mother and the family dog. What in the world is going on in this country? I have no answers -- I covered the police beat four decades ago and people were shooting each other back then.  I don't know if we notice these tragedies so much now because there are more media outlets or if we notice them because we're simply disappointed that mankind hasn't gotten any smarter during our lifetime.

The color of sleep...

Today we do not present evidence that answers the question, "Do dogs dream?"

Oh, no, that's too easy. We're way beyond that basic question at Readlarrypowell.com.

Today, with the help of a dog named Daisy, we offer slight evidence that will answer the question, "Do dogs dream in color?"

And that is why Daisy is in the spotlight for our regular weekend feature, "Let Sleeping Dog's Lie & Napping Cats Nap."

Daisy, in her slumber, was submitted for our weekend feature by her human, Stacy Lynch. Daisy's a miniature schnauzer mix who bunks in Allen, Texas, with Stacy, husband Seth and toy poodle Cookie.

"I just had to submit this photo of my dog Daisy. She's nine years old and until fairly recently, we swear she never slept," Stacy says. "Even if it looked like she was nodding off for a nap, as soon as she'd see us or  hear something she'd wake right up.

"I managed to get the camera and get this picture taken of her while she was napping on our bed, in the warm sunlight.  This is now my favorite picture of her!"

Now, as you look at the first photo, you will see that it is black and white. Stacy explains, "I shot this one in color, and then converted it to black and white after the fact. I would have loved to have done it originally in B&W, but didn’t have that setting on my camera!"

This is Daisy sleeping in the family bed, i.e., as Stacy says, "The one I share with my husband, Seth, and our toy poodle, Cookie." And, obviously Daisy allows them to share it with her.

Stacy says, "Daisy's actually black, white and gray herself....It's really funny -- Daisy turned 9 back in November and, I swear, she had been awake for the whole nine years. We never saw her sleeping. If she started drifting off and caught us looking at her, her eyes would pop back open and that would be that. Lately, though, I suppose age and the writer's strike are causing her to conk out sooner in the evening and more often during the day.

"That's why this is such a special picture for me -- because it proves my dog does, in fact, sleep!"

Now, Stacy also sent the color version of the photo and I've cropped it and included it here.

As you can see, Daisy is asleep and there's just the slightest hint of color creeping into her sweet, pointy ears -- they've been kissed by the sun and the warmth of her dreams has illuminated them. That's the romantic's view, anyway. So, while the evidence may be slim, I'm prepared to announce that the hint of color in Daisy's ears is just nearly conclusive proof that dogs dream in color and every now and then some of that color slips out and illuminates their ears.

Dogs -- entertaining in ways that we humans have never dreamed.

(To nominate your dog, cat, ferret, rabbit, turtle, duck, pigeon or, perhaps, insectoid deadbeat in-law for a spot in "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap," send the info and a photo to [email protected]. Remember, at www.readlarrypowell.com, we're proud to celebrate the mighty dozers. Sleep is precious to us -- we are, after all, insomniacs and, as such, we respect that which we cannot have. Like, for example, I respect sleep and I respect banana cream pie. One I can't get and the other I'd better not have.)

Kirby, microchips & Mississippi fries...

It's Friday and, inasmuch as most of us have suspended our presidential campaigns, let's move on. We have a number of things to touch on, not the least of which is saving a dog named Kirby in Arlington, Texas. And we'll also get a professional's tip on microchips -- the key is "keep it current!" Read on:

THE GREAT KIRBY: This dog's been in the Arlington Animal Services Shelter for a while -- since Oct. 25.

But, he has fans, including Dianne Watson, a veteran critter rescuer and volunteer.

Kirby is a year to 18-months old, is a red heeler mix and has an outgoing personality. Inexplicably, nobody has adopted him and the shelter is just about out of patience which means Kirby is just about out of time.

Yes, a dog that everyone agrees is extremely adoptable has yet to be adopted. It happens. The bad thing is -- well, the bad thing is really bad. (You can read the official story about Kirby by clicking HERE (And if you want some firsthand info about Kirby, e-mail Dianne at [email protected]. She's nearly evangelical about this rascal. She's been his pal, been his champion. She has a houseful of other dogs already. So, she's got some experience in bringing dogs home from a shelter and counting them as part of the family.)

Kirby's ID number is 132832. But the story on Kirby is he's happy to see people and he smiles at them. The story on the shelter site reads that in the shelter he has had "so little to smile about, yet his spirit has never faltered and Kirby remains friendly, attentive and so appreciative of every ounce of affection bestowed upon him."

He's a good dog needing a good home. He came in as a stray -- that usually means that a human let a dog down either by being inattentive or by being deliberately "careless."

Humans frequently have the opportunity to do a good thing. This is one of those cases where, if the humans walk on by, the dog is doomed. Kirby surely  needs a human to come along and do the good thing for him.

Every dog and cat in every shelter deserves a great break today. Kirby, though, has spent many days in a shelter. Waiting. Maybe he's simply been waiting for the right human.

The right human can see him at Arlington Animal Services, 5920 W. Pioneer Parkway, on the west side of Arlington nearly to Fort Worth. Call 817-451-3436.

THE GINA TALE CONTINUES: Back on Feb. 1 we published this photo of Gina, taken as she awaited rescue at the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney.

Help arrived. Folks from the Companion Animal Network stepped up to claim the ol' girl.

She's an older dog. And now, rather than being in a cage on death row, she's being fostered by Kelly and Doug McCracken, says CAN's Gail Whelan.

Gina "is going to the vet next week," Gail says. "We already know she has a large mass under one of her front legs, so we're hoping it will be a benign mass."

If you are interested in CAN's work, click HERE. To help fund Gina's medical work or any CAN animal project, mail donations to Companion Animal Network, 11529 Glen Cross Drive, Dallas, Texas, 75228. On the website, you'll also see how to donate via PayPal.

A LITTLE HELP, PLEASE: Our longtime tipster Holly Elms is turning to visitors to Readlarrypowell.com for help locating a little vet help. "Would you ask your readers to recommend a good, reasonable vet in the Grand Prairie area? I've finally talked some friends into getting their male pit bull neutered and we needed to act fast...." E-mail your recommendations to [email protected].

THE DOG'S APPRECIATIVE GESTURE: Rather than send a polite thank-you note in the mail, a dog will sometimes use a simple gesture to demonstrate appreciation for a snack.

And this is the case with Kelly, an Aussie/Heeler mix.

She and her brother, Kopper, are both looking for homes. Right now they are wards of veteran rescuer Della Wallace. The pups are about 4 years old and weigh about 30 pounds each.

Della got Kopper and Kelly when their original owners moved and dumped them. Kelly is black and white and Kopper is red and white.

"They are house-trained and very sweet," Della says. (E-mail her at [email protected] to ask about adopting one or both of these dogs.)

HOW ABOUT THOSE CHIPS? We have a bit of advice, based on experience, from a professional in the animal field, Patricia Barrington, the Animal Control Division Manager for The Colony.

If you think getting your critter chipped is a chip-it-and-forget-it thing, well, forget THAT.

Here's what Patricia has found: "A significant percentage of impounded animals are equipped with microchips. Of those microchipped, only about one-third of the microchips are attached to any sort of useful owner information.

"Many people have their pet chipped, or adopt a pet that is chipped, but never register the chip.  Some folks take on a pet that was chipped by the previous owner and never change the information with the microchip manufacturer. And, some have their pet chipped and register it, but don’t re-register it when the initial registration expires

"Yes, I know it is all very complicated to say the least. But, the long and short of it is, as a pet owner, you need to know what type of chip is in your pet and you are responsible for insuring your information is somehow attached to that chip.

"I can’t tell you how many people come in here yelling and ranting 'My dog has a chip!  Why did I pay for a chip if you don’t even track it!  I can’t believe you didn’t call us!'

And then I show them that their chip is registered to someone in San Diego and they are astounded.

"Or I call the microchip company in their presence and show them that there is NO INFORMATION available on this animal because the registration expired 62 days ago.  "Most times, they have no idea what kind of chip the animal has and no idea how to register the chip.

"There are a variety of chips available. Most often times if you research the options, you can purchase a microchip with a lifetime registration; register it once and rest easy.  "Microchipping is GREAT, but unless it is functional, it’s like registering your cat with the city and not ever putting the registration tag on the collar and affixing the collar to the cat."

Sound advice from a pro who works with "lost and strayed" animals every day.

If you go to The Colony's site HERE you'll see the assorted available animals, including this yowling cat Rex and the smiling Lab girl, Winnie. To ask about them, e-mail [email protected]. And she'll be happy to give you some advice about microchipping them should you want to take them home.

THE CORSICANA 9: Yep, more puppies from Lynn and Tony Gatlin -- these two are from the litter of nine recovered from under a house behind a law firm in Corsicana. There have been some adoptions, but there some puppies who still need homes.

These little boys, Lynn says, "are very outgoing and personable. Each one will play until they're completely worn out. And then they try to find the nearest lap to crawl onto for a nap."

Timmy is tan "with black scruffies all over and white on his chest and feed. Terry is more reddish with black and white scruffies, but has a bit more white  on his face, chest and feed."

They're about 2 months old now. To audition to give them a home, e-mail [email protected] or call 903-874-3722.

CONTEMPLATIONS: So I saw on TV yesterday that Wal-Mart is going to open medical clinics in some of its stores and the indication was that a visit would be about $65. I assume that hospitals will open general stores and we'll then be able to stop by and pick up a $500 tomato. ...

OK about the picture here. I was driving through Duncanville, on the southwestern edge of Dallas, when I saw this Dairy Queen sign and thought, "Is there a potato famine I haven't heard about?" Usually, you know, they sell you more than one fry. Then, I remembered the story from Mississippi earlier this week: Chubby State Rep. John Reed of Gautier proposed a law that would keep restaurants from serving food to fat people. I once ate at an iffy buffet in a hotel in Vicksburg -- where was this law when I needed it?

So, anyway, I took at look at the DQ sign and thought, "Fry? One fry? Wonder if this is an homage to Mississippi?"

Don't you know the Mississippi Division of Tourism is just itching to name State Rep. John Reed (5-11, 230 pounds, according to USA Today) "Man of the Year?" And, can't you imagine the restaurant signs on the Mississippi borders? "Best Way to Travel The South? Fast through Mississippi."

Big Spring update...

AFTERNOON REPORT: Good news from Joni Billingsley at Big Spring. The two Goldens and the German Shepherd mentioned in yesterday's report as being in need of homes have been claimed. Joni says a rescue group took the German Shepherd, someone adopted one of the Goldens and someone from Dallas is coming to get the other Golden. We also got a note from Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas saying that the organization is claiming that other Golden as soon as the transportation is worked out. (You may recall we got this Big Spring tip from Terry Lynn Fisher in Burns Flat, Okla. -- Terry Lynn monitors the shelter there and communicates with people from all over the greater Texas-Oklahoma-New Mexico-and-Beyond Critterplex.)

Just fyi: I asked Joni how many animals the Big Spring shelter currently has available and, after taking care of these three dogs, the answer is "none." So, there you have it, animal lovers, a little shelter way out west manages to make some moves on behalf of critters.

Canines, cats & the dogs of summer...

OK, it's already Thursday and we've accomplished about a third of what we aimed for and ignored the rest as we try to live up to the New Year's resolution of reducing both stress and our weight.

So, let's continue -- trust me, before we close today we'll get to the Texas Rangers' latest ploy to keep fans.

WHITE SETTLEMENT AND OTHER SHELTERS: Look, the city shelters are always full of dogs and cats that are either unwanted or are wanderers. The trick isn't getting veteran rescuers to go to shelters and save animals. The trick is reminding what's known as "the general public" to visit shelters and find a friend.

So, just in case "cute" or "a good story" works, here are some examples. We'll be looking at the White Settlement Animal Shelter and the Longview Animal Shelter today. But you can go online and google the animal shelter for your town or neighborhood and find other potential friends.

Consider, for example, the face on this cat Sassafrass. The face, with its symmetry, is amazing, but this little female is also a polydactyl kitty -- extra toes.

Now the two big dogs are Sam, the black lab mix, and Sarah, the brown dog. The story is they came into the shelter after they "may have foiled a burglary and confiscated a shoe as evidence."

How they wind up in a kill shelter awaiting the death needle is beyond me.

Call the White Settlement Shelter at 817-205-8650 and leave a message with a call-back number, they say. If you happen to drop by the facility and no one is there, call the shelter dispatch number at 817-246-7070. Shelter info is HERE.

Now, back to the east on I-20, you can find some small dogs at the Longview Animal Control shelter. This little pup standing in a shelter cage is Geed, a stray. (You could ask about Tico and Chacha, too.)

Astoundingly, these dogs are available for adoption! I wouldn't kid you.

To ask about adopting e-mail Darcy Cowles at [email protected], call 903-085-0377 or go to www.gotpaws.org.

THE ALVARADO DOG: Still uncaptured. Yep, thought this would be taken care of by now, didn't we?

But, no. We hear from Barb Staves that "this poor girl is still on the loose" and she is "likely 'knocked up' again."

Remember, the dog and her pups were dumped in Alvarado at the U.S. 67-I35W intersection. The pups were caught, but she's still loose, living off the leavings at the Chicken Express and on the kindness of strangers.

If you can help -- have tranquilizer expertise, perhaps -- or know someone who can, e-mail [email protected] or call 817-395-2860.

In the meantime, this possibly preggers pup continues to dodge traffic. Remember, not every passing stranger is kind. So, the sooner she's in custody, the safer she is, the more relaxed her supporters will be.

THE LITTLE GUY: Here's one of those adoptable pups rescued from beneath a house in Corsicana. They nine pups have been fostered by Tony and Lynn Gatlin and several of them have been adopted.

This is B.B., the shortened version of "Bottle Baby." Lynn reminds us, "B.B. got his name 'Bottle Baby' because he's the pup that had to be bottle-fed the night of his rescue. Well, look at this healthy boy now! B.B. is our little social butterfly."

The pups are 8 weeks old now. And B.B. is available for adoption (some of his siblings have already gone to new homes.)

To ask about adopting B.B., call 903-874-3722 or e-mail [email protected].

CONTINUED GLOOM AT THE BALLPARK: How about those Texas Rangers. People keep telling owner Tom Hicks, "Go get a pitcher." So, he goes out and hires a pitcher, long-retired hurler Nolan Ryan, to be the club president.

And with no Sammy Sosa home run watch this season, you were wondering how the Rangers were going to sell tickets this year. "Hey, kids, let's run out to Arlington and watch Nolan Ryan be an executive!"

It wouldn't be a big surprise to hear the Rangers announce that they'd hired the spirit of Walter "Big Train" Johnson to be the official honorary starter every third game. Mr. Hicks may think, "He's still got some life in his arm."

Sometimes poets express things best. Today, we have a guest appearance by devoted Texas Rangers fan Scott Chase of Oak Cliff. Here's Scott's spot-on haiku:

Ace Nolan Ryan.

Rangers hope springs eternal.

More heartbreak awaits.

A Wednesday assortment...

The word is that the presidential candidates are coming to Texas.

Remind your children not to step between a candidate and a camera. And please remind the candidates to take the shuck off the tamale before they try to bite into it.

Now, let's move on:

LOOKING FOR SOME HELP: We get this note from Suzy Hlavinka, our animal shelter/critter supporting tipster from Texarkana, my hometown (I'm from the Texas side).

This has to do with a fellow named Buddy. He's may be a purebred Great Pyrenees. Whatever he is, he's blind. But, as the note about him says, he sees with his "heart and head" not his eyes.

He's in a foster home right now, but when the foster family drives away from the rural property, he tries to follow.

So, family friendly Buddy may not be sighted, but he is doggedly determined and the foster family wants to find a safer environment for him.

This photo shows you how Buddy gets around -- jauntily, just like a confident dog. Trots, runs, walks -- and the story is he even gets along with cats and the only time he doesn't is when he accidental steps on one of them and it's not Buddy who gets upset! You can read more about him by clicking on his PetFinder site HERE.

And if you want to ask about auditioning to adopt or foster Buddy, e-mail [email protected].

GREAT DOG: As regular readers know, we have a soft spot for Great Danes at Readlarrypowell.com. Our granddogs, Frog and Henry, are Great Danes, and our big fellow, Hammy, is a Dan/Lab mix.

Now we get to a Great Dane that needs a home -- she's 5-year-old Rachel, currently in the care of Animal Guardians of America after being rescued "on her last day" from death row at McKinney Animal Control.

The story we get (courtesy of our pal Cary Birdwell at Adopt-A-Dallas-Pet) is that Rachel got out of her yard and her owner decided she was no longer needed and left her at risk in the shelter. She'd been a "breeding" dog her entire life.

Still, she loves human contact -- but she's picky about dog companions and definitely not a cat fan.

Animal Guardians says she "has very good manners and just needs a forever home."

Based on our experience with Great Danes, about all you'll really need to make your house a Great Dane Home is a big couch or a clear space in front of the TV where the dog can stretch out.

To ask about adopting Rachel, call 972-398-2123 or e-mail [email protected].

ASSORTED NOTES: We got this from the Houston-based rescue group Husky Haven. (When you click on their site HERE, be sure to turn your speakers to a reasonable level so the howling husky won't stir up the non-huskies in your household. Learned this first-hand, by the way.) OK,  the Husky Haven folks, quoting from Dogdetective.com, report that the "top stolen dog cities" are, in order, Houston, Los Angeles and San Antonio. The top "lost dog" cities are Houston, Miami and Phoenix. The top lost dog breeds: Labs, Chihuahuas and Pit Bulls. And the top stolen breeds? Pits, Labs and Chihuahuas. Don't know how Dogdetective arrived at this, but, frankly, we can't really argue with any of it. ... Saw a story on Channel 11 (KTVT) last night about the City of Arlington setting up a site that identifies dangerous dogs in the city. Here is that LINK and it takes a minute to load. Reading it, you get the feeling that, as usual, the problem might not be the dogs -- it's the people who fail to properly restrain the dogs. Which reminds me, wouldn't it be great if there was a website to list dangerous people, or unpleasant people? No telling how many of your co-workers might wind up with a snarling mugshot on the unpleasant site.

NETWORKING: Usually when we hear from Terry Lynn Fisher, it's about dogs or cats or some other critters in a tough spot in Burns Flat., Okla. This time it's about three dogs in the city animal shelter in Big Spring, Texas. This is a note that bounced all over -- New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas....who knows where else?

At any rate, here's the deal, according to Joni Billingsley of the Big Spring animal shelter.

She's trying to find some help for two purebred golden retrievers (ages 1 and 2) that have found their ways into the shelter.

And there's also a 3-year-old purebred German Shepherd biding his time in a cage in Big Spring.

"If you know of anyone who might be interested, please let me know as soon as possible," Joni asks. "Their last day will be the 15th of this month."

To ask about helping these dogs, e-mail [email protected] or call 432-264-2567.

Big Spring is about 4 hours west of Fort Worth on I-20. And, someone may need to correct me, but I believe if you don't want to sound like a tourist, you call it "Big Sprang."

FROM THE LAKE: The folks with Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake are always hustling -- you've got to hustle to run a successful spay/neuter clinic. So, at 3:30 p.m. Friday, if you'd like to get involved with the hustle, volunteers are needed to help load 40 boxes of bleach into a truck to be moved from the Christian Life Center Food Pantry in Gun Barrel City to the group's storage facility in Payne Springs. Load and unload is the mission. They're hoping to get enough volunteers to do this in less than an hour, we hear from our Friends tipster Sydney Busch. One more thing regarding the clinic: They're looking for a volunteer handyman/carpenter. "A door needs to be flopped, a shelf needs to be installed," Sydney says. Call 903-451-4701 or 214-808-4701 to volunteer to help. ... But don't put away your tools just yet, the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake needs help at its shelter in Tool, Texas. Krista McAnally reports that the society is remodeling it's office space "to make room for our expanding cattery. In doing this we have lost some valuable storage that we need to replace." The effort is underway to help the society meet Texas State Department of Health animal shelter requirements. To help, e-mail [email protected] to find out which shelving units and cabinets the shelter needs.

TWO DOG UPDATES: Lynn Gatlin reports that one of the Corsicana Nine puppies we featured here last week, Curly Sue, has gone to her new home in Dallas to live with Jack, "the very handsome Sheltie." Jack's mom was looking for a female companion for her boy and brought Jack to Lynn's house to visit the potential pals. "To our surprise," Lynn writes, "Miss Curly Sue really took a shine to Jack...Curly Sue and Jack seemed to make the perfect pair. Their personalities just really seemed to fit." Additionally, Lynn reports that Curly Sue "is doing well. She's been exploring her new home and yard and has even met the cat! All is well." ... Rudy, the formerly lost Corgi, has been recovered, we hear in a note from Deirdre Samples (courtesy of Cary Birdwell of Adopt-a-Dallas-Pet) that the little guy had been struck by a car somewhere near the family business on Yale near Greenville in Dallas. He'd gone into hiding, but someone saw him. Right back femur was broken and he was dehydrated, but he's under treatment and "will be OK," the note says. Value of putting up posters in the neighborhood? Immense value. The guy who saw Rudy also saw a poster -- knew whom to call.

CONTEMPLATIONS: Asparagus -- is it worth the price? ... What does a guy who loves Italian food do when he discovers that garlic is his enemy? ... One of my earliest memories of television is watching a 1950s political convention in black and white on a snowy screen. Things were much clearer back then. Of course, it might not have been an accurate picture.

Parades, pups and polls...

Whew, welcome to Tuesday. It's the Super Bowl parade, Super Tuesday and Mardi Gras all rolled into one.

But it reminds us that there is a crisis looming. It's easy to see where the New York Giants would hold a Super Bowl Parade. But this fall, after the World Series, where will the Texas Rangers hold the World Championship Parade?

OK, we've begun the day with a fantasy, let's move into some reality.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT: This little girl -- maybe 10 pounds on a good day -- was at a Humane Society of Dallas Adopt-a-Pet Saturday when she slipped away. Peyton was last seen in the area around Inwood and Forest Lane in North Dallas.

She's a formerly abused dog who isn't all that keen on humans she doesn't know and that may make her a little tough to convince that help is at hand.

If you have seen this dog -- she's wearing a collar and her tags and she is microchipped -- call Randy at 214-402-8513 or Nancy at 214-477-0731.

Volunteers have been searching for her since she vanished. It's possible that she is hiding out in shrubbery, or has been let into a backyard or has been picked up by a stranger she trusted. But her foster folks are very concerned about her.

You never know. As we have freuqently noted here at Readlarrypowell.com, dogs are often too clever for their own good.

NAME THAT PUPPY: The folks at Legacy Boxer Rescue have a way to help some puppies without actually having to adopt one -- though you could if you wanted.

One of the fosters taken in by the group delivered seven puppies. Seven dynamically cute puppies. Here are some of them. You can see all of them by going to the Legacy site and clicking on the puppy story in the middle of the screen.

Rather than send you straight to the e-Bay auction site HERE, I sent you to the group's website so you could see other dogs they've helped and other needs the group may have.

An auction site? No, they're not auctioning puppies -- they're auctioning the right to NAME the puppy. It's just a fun fundraiser. And, when you look at these little rascals, maybe you'll come up with the perfect name right away.

For now, these two dogs are named after their ribbons, thus you have Black Boy (the only boy in the litter) and Green Girl. 

This is the same way we kept my twins, Bret and Bart, straight after they were born in 1971 -- tied a big ribbon around their necks and gave them nicknames based on the ribbons, Peppermint Stripe Boy and Birthday Monkey Boy.

I'm kidding. Honest.

FOSTER HOMES NEEDED: The folks at Paws in the City have plenty of dogs and cats but they are in need of foster homes to care for the critters who are in "waiting."

Among those animals is this one, Angel, whose story has been told here before. Paws In The City has claimed Angel from the protective arms of Eva Sepulvado at Marshall Animal Control in Marshall, Texas, about 2 1/2 hours east of Dallas on I-20. You may recall that Angel was a chained dog -- left chained beside the corpse of another dog. Eva had been trying to rescue Angel for a couple of years and finally was able to get the dog away from an ugly situation.

But Angel and many other dogs need temporary homes now. To help Paws In The City with its assorted rescue projects, e-mail John Harper at [email protected].

Also, Paws In The City has the little Chihuahua from Marshall that we featured last week-- the little dog with the chain embedded in its neck. And there are just some plain ol' wandering dogs from Dallas and other places.

All of these animals need to get a good break from a good human.

A NOTE ABOUT A RESCUER: Our pal Sigrid Mureen of Sheltie Haven has run into a rough patch on the ol' health highway and has been hospitalized. Sigrid and I were colleagues for years at the big paper in Dallas. We're told by a fellow Sheltie supporter Sally Hoover that Sigrid's coping as well as can be expected with this sort-of-sudden situation but would be boosted by some good wishes and upbeat notes. Cards can be sent to Sigrid at Doctor's Hospital, 9440 Poppy Drive, Dallas, 75218, or you can send e-mails to her via Sally at [email protected].

SUPER NOTE: Our long-distance (formerly local) observer Martha Jane Brounoff has a reason to celebrate today. She and her husband Michael met 28 years ago today at a Mardi Gras party. But that's the happier point of her note today.

She and her hubby moved from the Dallas area a few years ago to live in Manlius, N.Y. and, being responsible citizens, they participate in the election process. So, in a note this morning, Martha Jane tells me that they rose early today to go vote.

After all, she'd checked the Onondaga County Board of Elections website to make sure they knew where to vote -- about a mile down the road at the Manlius Community Center. The site didn't say what time the polls would open, she says, but, based on CNN reports about polling places in Super Tuesday states and previous voting experience, "we just assumed that the polling places in Onondaga County -- like the rest of New York state -- would be open at 6 a.m. this morning."

So, the Brounoffs rose early to get to the polling place by no later than 7 a.m.

They arrived to find nearly two dozen other would-be voters cooling their heels in front of a locked polling place.

When a Manlius Library employee arrived for work (the library is in the community center), she told the crowd that the polling place would be open from noon to 9 p.m.

Martha Jane says notice of this time wasn't on the county website, in the local paper, posted on the door or anywhere else a rational human would look.

And, she discovered, the most consistent busy signal in town is on the phone in the office of the Onondaga County Board of Elections.

Of all the people in line at 7 a.m., Martha Jane says she was the only one could come back to vote when the polls were open.

Just fyi: Martha Jane operates Brounoff Communications, a marketing communications and media relations consulting firm in the Greater Syracuse area. She knows how to communicate -- just in case the Onondaga County Board of Elections needs some expert help in getting the word out about the odd polling times in the future.

So folks, Martha Jane hopes that the people running the Texas primaries later will make sure they dot the i's and cross the t's when it comes to making sure voters know pertinent details of the election.

In the meantime, if you should happen to see a satellite photo of the Greater Syracuse area from space and note a warming trend near Manlius Community Center, you'll know that it's not global warming, it's just attempted voters letting off some steam.

Underdogs and lucky dogs...

In honor of the New York Giants' victory over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, we'll dedicate today's report to the underdogs -- and undercats. Remind your petless pals to visit animal shelters -- they can find a friend and save a life.

A REAL UNDERDOG: The temp is supposed to reach the 80s today in Dallas and here's a dog with a summer look already -- of course, mange knows no season. Our veteran rescue tipster Christie Hansen snapped the photo of this skittish dog.

He "has a very bad case of mange," she writes. "He is a stray that hangs out at Haskell and Fitzhugh -- 1704 S. Haskell to be exact. I saw him a couple of times last week on the way to work -- I had to change my route to work because of construction on Scyene Road."

Christie has tried to catch the dog three times but "he is very scared and won't let you near him."

When she was there Friday, another car pulled up and a "lady got out with food and water. she said she has been feeding him for a couple of months now but she can't get any closer than 10-feet to the dog. I've had this problem, too. I'm hoping a rescue group can get involved and try to catch him and give him some help.

"As you can see from the photo, his whole body is cov4ered with mange. His feet are really bad from the mange and he is in great pain. he walks like he's walking on glass."

So, if you are a rescuer or group that can help this dog and the people who are already trying to help him, contact Christie at [email protected].

GOOD NEWS: You will recall, perhaps, that Shawn Bryant managed to pick up a dog from its "resting place" next to a Dallas freeway. And it turns out the dog was "resting" because he'd been struck by a car and had a broken pelvis and some other injuries.

The dog was called Andy and Shawn made sure he was taken care of in the proper, loving fashion. (You may recall this photo from last week after the surgery.)

We got a note from Shawn: "You will like this," he writes. "Andy, now renamed Max, received the medical attention he needed and is on his way to a full recovery. I am pleased to add that he also found a new and loving home. A wonderful couple adopted him, he has a nice yard to romp in, an older sister to play with and owners who will dote on him."

There you have it folks: One person's decent behavior makes a happy difference in several other lives.

LOOKING FOR A HOME: Lisa Slaughter sends us a note about trying to find a home for this little dog. Her note reads, "A friend recently found a small female Border Collie mix running loose on Skillman in Dallas. The dog weighs about 15 pounds and is blind and deaf. I have taken her in and am trying to locate her owners. She was very clean and well fed and I imagine her owners are beside themselves trying to find her, but, so far, no luck locating them.

"She does not have a microchip and had no collar when found. Possibly someone's fence blew down during the recent windstorms and that's how she got out.

"This little girl is full of life, fearless and completely unaware that she is 'disabled.' She is very pretty, affectionate and curious about everything. ... I am going to continue to try to find her owners and, failing that, look for an adoptive home for her."

If you can help this dog get home or help this dog get a home, e-mail Lisa at [email protected].

READING MATERIAL: Go to the Texas Humane Legislation Network's site HERE to read about Fort Worth's tethering ban and also to read a heartfelt note from THLN President Cile Holloway about how donations will help the group lobby the Texas Legislature to make the state safer for animals. Among the organizations' goals is preventing horses from being exported to Mexico for slaughter. ... The Los Angeles Times has a story about how people in difficult mortgage situations are moving off and leaving their animals behind in the house. Happens around here all the time, even when there's not a mortgage problem. See the LA story HERE.

CONTEMPLATIONS: Does the Giants beating the New England Patriots make the Dallas Cowboys look better? Or do the Cowboys still look like a big ol' deflated tractor tire with no place to go. ... With football season over, is it time to announce that the Texas Rangers have already been mathematically eliminated from the 2008 American League West race?