Well, folks, here's a fund-raising ploy and we're reporting it on that rarest of days, Feb. 29.
You could call this "Team Theme Rescuing."
The note came from Nancy Underwood and explained that a "very compassionate group of Dallasites pulled together at the last minute to rescue nine dogs that were slated to be put to sleep this [Wednesday] morning. No other rescue groups or individuals stepped up - I called each shelter after hours and this was it for these dogs."
These Paws In The City rescuers are calling these dogs the "Near Miss Nine." And this piece of artwork, which I hope you can read when you click on it and enlarge it, is the collection of dogs saved. Among them is a dog named Midnight whom we mentioned earlier in the week as one of the death row dogs at Carrollton's animal shelter.
These Near Miss Nine came from two local shelters and were transported to vets. Some have foster homes, but the rest don't, Nancy reports.
Near Miss Nine is the "theme" of the marketing campaign as the group from Paws In The City tries to raise money to pay for all their medical care. (The last time this group did a mass rescue they got seven dogs off death row and the medical care cost more than $4,100. So, just guessing, maybe $5,000 or a little more might help these dogs and any others that find their way into the Paws inventory.
To donate, send a check to Paws In The City, 3506 Cedar Springs, Dallas, Texas, 75219 and put NEAR MISS NINE in the memo line. Or go to www.pawsinthecity.org and donate online and note that it's for the Near Miss Nine.
If you can't donate money, maybe you can donate time and a place and you can foster one or more of the Near Miss Nine.
Remember, they only got NINE out of the shelters. There are lots more in local shelters. Stop by and adopt a new friend.
JACKY SPATS: Sandy Lewis has sent us an undeniably cute puppy face photo. And she's also sent us a story that'll tick off an animal lover.
Sandy is looking for a home for this little guy. Why? "I found him about a week ago, when I was walking my dogs and knocked on doors in my apartment complex [near Marsh Lane and the Bush Turnpike]to find his home. The door that he was trying to get back into was answered by a woman who swore he did not belong to her.
"I took him home and found out later that he HAD belonged to her, but when notified by the apartment management that she would have to pay a $600 pet deposit fee, she pushed him out the door and disowned him.
"I already have the limit of pets allowed, but the management gave me a few weeks to place the pup in a forever home."
Eight-week-old Jacky gets his name from the markings on his feet. He's black and tan and "very fuzzy." He weighs 12 pounds and the vet says he'll be a "very large" dog.
Jacky arrived with sarcoptic mange, but that's been treated. He's had his first round of shots and will be neutered soon.
Sandy says, "I will continue to foster him and provide medical care, but I do not have a
venue to publicize his need for a responsible, loving forever home. Could you possibly direct me to a rescue group who can add his photo and information to their website? I will be glad to take him to an adoption day event and check out potential homes, but I just need a forum to get
his story and picture out. I appreciate any help you can offer!"
Well, of course, we've proudly used the Readlarrypowell.com forum and we hope that some rescue group with room for one more well-cared-for puppy will take heed.
As Sandy says, "My only concern is that Jacky should go to a home where he will be part of the family, kept indoors and give the best care possible for his entire life."
To offer to help, e-mail [email protected].
Jacky Spats. Nifty name for a dog.
PUPPIES IN BURNS FLAT: OK, I'll 'fess up. The reason I'm running this photo of this puppy in Burns Flat, Okla.'s city pound is I always love it when dog knows she's in good hands but still gets that "Hey, what's going on here?" look on her face.
This is one of many puppies currently at the Burns Flat pound, according to our reliable tipster, Terry Lynn Fisher. "There are too many," she says flatly. That puts them all in danger.
Not only does Burns Flat have this little girl, hefted by one of Terry Lynn's rescue cohorts. But there is a timid border collie with a blue eye and a brown eye and "her tail is about a third -- not sure what happened there."
And there are some Aussie mixes and two more that "are a weird mix."
These are puppies -- just little puppies waiting for either a new home or the needle.
To offer to help Terry Lynn save these puppies and the adult dogs in the Burns Flat pound, e-mail [email protected] or call 580-330-1459.
SPCA TRIUMPH: The hardworking SPCA of Texas was back in court Thursday and gained custody of 46 animals rescued from property in Dallas on Wednesday. the animals included 35 head of cattle, four Amazon parrots, three cats, two dogs, a Military Macaw and a rooster. Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Gerry Cooper awarded the SPCA $2,700 in restitution and $1,800 to cover transportation costs, according to an SPCA announcement. See photos of the property and animals by clicking HERE. To help the SPCA with expenses, go to www.spca.org.
Now, you might wonder, how were these cattle being mistreated? According to the testimony, the cattle weren't being fed enough hay, but they were being given "only rotten fruit and vegetables (and the cardboard boxes the rotten fruit and vegetables arrived in) that had been cast off from the Farmer's Market."
For crying out loud, you don't have to be a drover on the King Ranch to know that cattle don't live on fruits and vegetables. I've lived in the city most of my life, but even I know that you hardly ever see a ruminant pulling up to the to-go window of a Dairy Queen and ordering a banana split. And when they say they're going "grazing," they don't mean at the salad bar.
Some people, well, geez, who can explain their behavior?
CONTEMPLATION: One of my former colleagues at the big paper in Dallas, Carl Freund, died on Sunday and his obituary appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Wednesday. (Click HERE to see the S-T's obit. Couldn't find his obit in Dallas.) The funeral was Thursday. Carl had also worked for the old Fort Worth Press, a Scripps-Howard tabloid that I worked for in the early 1970s years after Carl had left the little paper for the big paper. And, his name is pronounced "friend" -- a question people always asked when they saw his byline. The Star-Telegram obit shows you how important he was in the news competition back when newspapers were really something, i.e., dependable distributors of information that the public both wanted and needed. When I was working the courthouse beat for The Press, the Star-Telegram had afternoon and morning editions and three or four reporters lurking around. Whenever Carl showed up, we'd get a little nervous wondering what he was working on and whether the Dallas paper was about to scoop us. In those days, getting the scoop was important. I'm not sure what scoop means to newspapers these days.
