You know, I spent from about 6:30 p.m. until around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday outdoors and didn’t even break a sweat. That’s how big a drop in the temp we’ve had around here.
Still, while it may have been cool at the Rangers Ballpark, where I was, things were just starting to warm up at The Velvet Snout, the grooming and boarding facility at 1230 E. Belt Line in Richardson..
We were first tipped to this life-saving event by Allison Galt-Hall who put us in touch with Diana (no relation) Hall, general manager of The Velvet Snout, the boarding and grooming facility that bills itself as the “Canine Adventure Center.”
Boy are they right.
Diana says that yesterday she got a call from someone at the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney. “I kind of thought it was a joke when it came in,” she says. But, sure enough, no joke. And the reason The Velvet Snout got the call was the facility is known for being charitable toward rescues, rescuers and down-on-their-luck critters.
This call was coming from rescuer Jim Bradbury. He’d been at the CCAS to pick up a couple of dogs and discovered that there were dozens of dogs – almost all of them owner-surrender -- scheduled for euthanasia so the shelter could take in more dogs. (Aside: As regular readers know, for some time now we’ve been writing about CCAS staffers’ efforts and volunteer efforts and the Collin County Humane Society efforts to help animals in this shelter. This may be the largest rescue from the shelter ever. But who keeps the record book?)
Jim asked Diana if The Velvet Snout could board some dogs. Of course, she said. When they finished counting and bathing them last night, there were 22 adults and 13 puppies – and, of course, they represented what the “North Texas Combo Platter”: Purebreds and mixes, adults, puppies, teens, big, little, medium, etc.. Click HERE and you can see the 13 puppies as they enjoy non-shelter life in the Snout’s “Rover Room.” (That's the passel of puppies as they arrived in a tub.)
VCA Animal Hospital-Buckingham has donated free vet checkups for these animals. And The Velvet Snout’s food donation program, The Hungry Snout, which donates to the North Texas Food Bank, will provide food for the animals.
All that’s left to do is find homes for them. Forever homes or foster homes. To offer to help with fostering these dogs or to adopt one or more, contact Diana at top_dog@thevelvetsnout.com or call 972-907-3647. And the pressure is on. Timing is the key to everything – because school has started, this is a slow week for boarding at The Velvet Snout, Diana says, but that will soon end as Labor Day approaches and the kennels have to be empty to make room for customers who have reservations. So, rescue groups with a smidgen of room and people with open spots at home suddenly become the great hope for a smooth and gentle happy ending for all these dogs.
This morning when I spoke to Diana and Allison in separate phone calls, both expressed concern about the overwhelming state of overcrowding at area shelters. They hoped that this rescue of so many dogs and the attempts to help the dogs will inspire people to go to shelters to adopt animals.
And, of course, you have to give a tip of the hat to the folks with the Collin County shelter for leaping at the chance to help so many dogs at once. Nobody there was looking forward to what might have happened had Jim Bradbury not stopped by to help a couple of dogs.
ANIMAL SHELTER COMMISSION MEETING AND NEW DEVELOPMENT: First, the City of Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meeting is at 1:30 p.m. today in Room 6E South at Dallas City Hall. (No free parking, as I recall.) Lots of items on the agenda which you can read HERE.
Coincidentally, we’d earlier reported about claims of harassment of witnesses in the wake of the indictment of shelter manager Tyrone McGill in the case of the cat allowed to die inside a shelter wall. Word comes now that one of the potential witnesses, noted animal cruelty investigator Dominick Munoz, has hired attorney Don Feare to represent him in “possible litigation against the city” – Mr. Munoz has been the target of threats allegedly orchestrated by supporters of Mr. McGill. He was, we’re told, the person who first notified the Dallas County District Attorney’s office about the cruelty incident that led to Mr. McGill’s indictment.
THIS DOG: I got a note from a young woman night before last about getting help placing this dog – a dog found when she was “at the park in my community.”
That didn’t narrow down the “where,” did it? So I e-mailed “Where?” and didn’t get an immediate response. I e-mailed again and got no response. So this morning I caught the young woman by phone and, less than 24 hours after picking up the dog, she told me, “I found a home for the dog on Craig’s List.”
Never mind the Dallas law that requires a finder to spend some time looking for the owner. Nope, just go ahead and put it on Craig’s List where, rescuers fear, unsavory folks can find bait dogs for training their fighters.
The young woman told me that she’d handed the dog over to a woman and her fiancé last night – they’d seen the note on Craig’s List and “they already had a Chihuahua.”
So now they have this dog. I figured you animal folks would just sort of like to offer up a prayer on behalf of this dog that the “couple” who took the pup are, indeed, good and decent people. Maybe I’m just paranoid.
And maybe I just know that we live in an age where caution should be the rule when dealing with lives. God bless this foundling dog and may she live forever in a happy home.
WHAT’S IN THE CARDS: Oh, boy, poker. The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake will benefit Saturday from a Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament at the King’s Creek Country Club Banquet Room in Kemp – registration begins at 6 p.m., play at 7 p.m. For $75, you get $4,000 in chips and can buy more.
Proceeds go to the building fund for the Humane Society’s new shelter at Tool, Texas.
And who might benefit from a new shelter? Dogs and cats and other critters.
Currently in the shelter right now? Many animals. Among them Isis, a Husky/Poodle Mix. Her lookalike brother, Izzy, is there, too.
To ask about the tournament or adopting Isis or any critter, e-mail shelter manager Krista Mc Anally at dogshsccl@yahoo.com. Call 903 432-3422. You can see more adoptables at www.hsccl.org and make building fan donations at www.myspace.com/hsccl.
NEW DOG: Our Malloy Bridge Road dumping ground tipster Debora Trevino sends word about a “new dog on the block” at the southeast Dallas “stray” area. “I spotted him as I was passing the Tree Farm on a desolate road outside Seagoville. As soon as I could pull over (steep ditch), I got out and called him. He came running, but kept his distance. He came close after I tossed a few hot dogs to him. He let me barely touch him on the head/neck while he ate dry food. While he was eating, further down the road is a property where 2 dogs reside, a Border Collie, and a Blue Heeler. They came running after seeing me at the side of the road. This scared the new boy, and he hid under my car until they were gone. This boy needs to be rescued before he gets hit by a car! He's a cute little guy!” (To offer to help or ask questions, call 214-546-2772 or e-mail dtrevino60@aol.com.)
LAKE DALLAS DONNIE, KITTENS: We got a copy of a note sent around by rescuer Dallas Newell about an “obedience-trained” dog named Donnie who has been at the Lake Dallas Animal Shelter “the longest.” So long, in fact, that he’s on the euthanasia list.
He’s not alone on the list. There are a ton of cats and kittens at peril in the small shelter north of Dallas.
Volunteer Newell is trying to hustle up homes or rescue groups to help save these lives. Call her at 940-390-0555. Or call the shelter at 940-497-7090.
Yes, things are tough all over. Little shelters, big shelters. Same problem. Too many dumped animals. They don’t dump themselves. There’s a human element at work. It’ll take a different human element to save them.
ASSORTED NOTES:
--Still time to go to The Mercury, that famous local restaurant, and support the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas. Celebrity chef cooking demonstration and festive evening. See the details HERE.
--The DFW Humane Society, currently running a special on cat adoptions, has a deal for dog fans, too. “Adopt a dog over 40 pounds from the DFW Humane Society and Irving Animal Care Campus and receive a FREE Companion Road dog bed while supplies last! Call us at 942-721-7788 for details, or visit us on the web at www.dfwhumane.com.”
--The National Association of Professional Pet Sitters is seeking nominations for its Pet Sitter Business of the Year Award. Goes to a NAPPS member who has “demonstrated exceptional business practices and who has a vision to grow and expand their business.” Deadline for nomination is Sept. 1. See www.petsitters.org. (Aside: And we should note that pet sitters we have known are absolute angels. Yes, my adorablespouse Martha was a pet sitter for many years. PetPowell Pet Sitting was the name of her business. I sometimes made the rounds with her – it was the only way we could spend holidays and weekends together. Pet sitters work when other people don’t. Someday, once I get the technology working, I’ll tape Martha speaking in her “pet sitter voice” to our critters. It’s like Elly May Clampett on helium. “They respond to high voices,” Martha would explain, then sing to a territorial chow. )
CONTEMPLATIONS: There has to be some way to get “just plain folks” to pay attention to the animal shelter crises around here. We have to move beyond the traditional method of handling an animal problem in Texas: “Let’s kill it.” ... Our air-conditioning unit has shut off a couple of times in the past 24 coolish hours. The silence is eerie, except for the sigh of relief from our bank account. ... A cool evening at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is such a pleasant event – made even better by the fact that the Texas Rangers are still leading the division, parking fees were lowered, the price of concessions has been dropped and the fans are smiling and happy. Yep, Disneyland is no longer “the happiest place on earth.”
