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.