Ah, my fellow Americans and other happy inhabitants of this planet, it is Saint Patrick’s Day.
We’re starting with this extra-special greeting from one of our pals, Betty Lou, who was all dressed up for the day by her human Diane Combs, our friend and the noted SPCA of Texas volunteer.
Betty Lou, obviously, is game for anything that’ll put a smile on our faces.
If only we looked that good in a bow tie, you know?
Now, let’s look at the day’s activities and remember that there are many, many opportunities to help that never show up on websites. It just takes keeping your eyes and hearts open.
HELP FOR TWO DUMPED DOGS: Gail Whelan, who has been burning up energy for years with the Companion Animal Network, has sent out a note about two dumped dogs. Here’s the story:
“For a couple of years I have worked with a very caring woman (Carolyn) that lives in a pretty rough part of town. Dogs are dumped there, often after having been abused or starved. It can take her months to befriend some of these dogs and gain their trust. None of the dogs we have taken from her have ever been aggressive.
“Carolyn called yesterday. Someone dumped a brindle male last Thanksgiving. She said he cried and cried for weeks, never leaving the spot where he was abandoned. He will now come to her and let her pet him and get food.
“George went to take pictures yesterday and he was also able to pet this dog. So he is certainly salvageable. The female was dumped about a month or so ago and looks to have had puppies. She was emaciated, but Carolyn has brought her around. She is in heat and we will get her spayed this next week. ...We need help for these two. They are both gorgeous dogs. Although they were dumped separately they have become good friends.
“We believe the male brindle is an Am. Bulldog/Boxer mix. The female POINTS at birds so we know she has some pointer in her. She is just beautiful!”
CAN has pledged to handle their medical expenses, but they still need a foster or a real home. To offer to help, e-mail [email protected].
A DOG WITH A MEDICAL/FINANCIAL PROBLEM: It’s not just humans who face the threat of not having enough money to afford medical expenses. We got this story from our Houston tipster Alexandra Kelsey who knows the person who has her (she wants to be anonymous) from the rescue community. The original plea came via a veterinarian.
This has to do with Sadie. Alexandra explains, “Before she was ‘Sadie,’ this precious dog had no name and she lived her life on a chain. When it rained and flooded, as it does here often, she lived on top of the dog house. She had little food, no care or attention, she had no way to avoid the stray dogs who came into her yard and she had no possibility of leaving to take her chance of finding a better place down the road. Her entire life was misery, hunger, extreme temperatures and a hopeless certainty of what the next day would bring.”
Her rescuer, we'll call her "M" saw this problem. She gave the creeps who had her $50 and saved her.
“Since that day,” Alexandra writes, “Sadie has been the pampered princess in M’s home.”
Here’s the crisis: M lost her job at a non-profit and has no extra income and Sadie has been diagnosed with lymphoma. M is trying to find about $6,000 to fund Sadie’s life-saving treatment. She is depending on the kindness of strangers to save a good dog’s life. Click HERE to reach the Save Sadie Fund.
THE DENTON SITUATION: Yesterday we mentioned the onslaught of surrendered dogs at the Denton Animal Services shelter. We wondered “What gives with the barrage in Denton?”
So we checked with our Denton shelter tipster Amy Pelzel who, also, is bewildered by the numbers. She said, “We had 19 in and 19 out yesterday but, geez, we are working to death! Have a lot of great dogs still!”
And you can see them at http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/TX79.html.
Anybody have a theory about why so many animal surrenders are occurring right now? Economy? Sudden lack of moral fiber in humans?
SHELTER NOTE: The folks with the Metroplex Animal Coalition sent a reminder “that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is doing a comprehensive Shelter Evaluation of Dallas Animal Services (DAS), and the deadline for submitting public comments is one week from today, Tuesday, March 23. A team of professionals will be on site next month, but a key component of this evaluation is input from citizens and members of the rescue community. Comments can be anonymous, if desired.
Here’s the contact info for sending in comments:
Shelter Services Manager
The HSUS Shelter Evaluation Program
RE: The City of Dallas Animal Shelter
2100 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Or you can fax 301-258-3081 or e-mail [email protected] .
These two critters – very similar in appearance except that one is a dog and one is a cat – are at the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center at I-30 and Westmoreland in West Dallas. Pagan is the dog and she was picked up as a stray. Jerry, the impossibly handsome fluffy cat, turned up in a “night drop kennel” at the shelter – you know he didn’t crawl in there on his own. Someone said, “I’m getting rid of this cat and I’m doing it under cover of darkness.” Shame – politically correct people may not talk about it, but it’s still there. Shame on the person who dumped Jerry, but, also, thanks for not just turning him loose in a park or alley or throwing him into a trash bin in a bag.
ONE DAY IN THE COLONY: On Saturday my funspouse Martha and I had the privilege of helping The Colony’s Animal Services Division stage its annual St. Paddy’s Day Pooch Party. For the first time, the party was moved away from the city’s shelter and staged
on the spacious grounds at the lakeside Stewart Creek Park in The Colony.
Sure, it was a bit chilly, but that didn’t hamper the band – Threat Level, an entertaining bunch of musicians who also happen to like animals. One of the guitar pickers even carries a photo of his dog with him.
So, there we were in the park and there were games and contests and prizes and dogs of all sorts – all there to support the rescue efforts of The Colony’s Animal Services Division. These folks take in animals, but they also try to find homes for them. Adoption brings in more money than euthanasia, you know.
Martha, handling the camera duties, managed to snap some photos of the action and the improbable, so here are the descriptions.
You'll note there was a "meet 'n' greet" involving a number of dogs, some wearin' the green and some wearin' their natural fur. There was a big ol' dog all dressed up. And there weas a Beaglesque pup with a "tip o' the tail" bit o' green. Sure, it was an Irish festival, but there was also a crowd of Westies -- West Highland Terrier Rescue was there. And it occurs to me that while there are packs of dogs and flocks of birds, there are, apparently "Circles of Westies."
CONTEMPLATION: On this St. Patrick’s Day, as we contemplate the way the world is working out, we opened an e-mail from our longtime contact in the marketing/public relations world, Martha Jane Brounoff, and it contained the great Irish blessing. You’ll note that my last name is Powell and it’s Welsh as are my ancestors – we’re a combination of Welsh and who knows what, maybe some Irish. So to be traditionally Welsh, my last name would be Apowel, meaning “Son of Powell” which is much better than what I could be “son of.” When I begin selling novels and story collections I’ll take the last name “Apowell” and that way I’ll be at the top of the shelf with the “A’s” so people my age don’t have to bend over to retrieve the books from the lower, back-testing shelves.
But back to the Irish blessing from Martha Jane. Here it is:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.
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