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A napping cat naps...a not-sleeping dog paces...

The name of our long-running weekend feature is “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap” and for this transitional weekend, we have a little family story to tell in pictures.
The players in our Happy New Year Drama:
Griffin Oliver Powell, a large orange and white cat known to terrify all sizes of dogs and not a stranger to duking it out with a frisky young dog who loves to pester him. Griffin has a quick left.
Rosie, a Chihuahua mix who weighs far less than the cat Griffin and is a tad timid when it comes to confrontations with dogs, cats and people. Well, there was that one time when we were first  fostering her a dozen years ago and we tried to hand her to a perspective adoptor and she tried to take the poor woman’s arm off and growled the kind of demon growl that in an earlier age would have inspired a myth about tiny ferocious finger- eating dragons. We took that as the definitive vote on stay or go. She stayed.
So, a couple  of days ago I was sitting at my computer working when I realized there was a little toenail tapping going on around the wheels on my office chair. I looked down and, to my surprise, saw little Rosie looking up at me. She almost never gets out of her den if she isn’t after food or water or a treat of some sort.
I bent down to pet her and said, “What’s going on sweetie?” and looked toward her crate.
That’s when I saw why she wasn’t in her crate.
Griffin The Big Orange Cat – we think we may eventually have to get an “exotic species permit” for him – had slipped into her crate and was fast asleep. Priot to this, he's never been caught sleeping in a crate like a common dog.
Rosie would go to the door of the cage, look in, look back at me and walk around for a second, then go back to the cage, look in and sort of shake her head and walk around some more. Eventually she gave up and jumped into Martha’s recliner and went to sleep. She snores.  So I always knew where she was.
She was practicing the art of “Let Napping Cats Nap” though she really wanted to practice letting a sleeping dog lie.
(To nominate your slumbering critter for the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, e-mail the photos and info to [email protected] . Remember, Readlarrypowell.com encourages an appreciation of sleep – it’s our way of supporting insomniacs everywhere.)
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Year ends with ... well, the usual stuff -- dogs and cats needing a break or two

The last day of 2010 has dawned and the year looks pretty much worn out.
It’s threadbare in spots, kind of mangy-looking, got a nick here and there and the engine barely turned over and sputtered this morning. Either that is the sign of a year that was properly used up or it’s the sign of a year that was run through a number of ditches and nobody changed the oil and didn’t signal when they changed lanes. Personal reflection will determine which is the case.
Now, as we wait ‘til next year, here are some year-ending topics:
A BABY WAITS FOR A HAPPY HOME: This is Cupcake, peacefully sleeping in loving arms and completely unaware of how the odds are stacked against him.
He’s a pit bull pup in a city shelter in a region of the nation where pit bulls are regarded as public nuisances by many and a snarling symbol of raging, all-powerful manhood by others.
This little guy “was found on the doorstep of an apartment,” reports The Colony’s Animal Control Division Manager Patricia Barrington. She and her colleagues Stephanie Byington and Robert Cox have seen many pit bulls come and go at the city shelter. Sometimes where they go is to good homes. That is their hope for Cupcake, who will become available for adoption on Tuesday.
He’s a puppy. He is, Director Barrington says, “Cute and cuddly. Needy and a little cranky. Headstrong and vocal.  He’s a lovely little guy.  I’ve named him Cupcake.”
To ask about adopting Cupcake or any animal in The Colony’s shelter, e-mail [email protected] or call 972-370-9250.
MEANWHILE OUT AT THE LAKE: Ah, we know the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake is a group that celebrates the new year – we’ve got a copy of the annual Pampered Pets Calendar. (Still available – go to www.friendsoftheanimals.org and you’ll see how and where to purchase.)
In the meantime, Sydney Busch, our reliable Friends tipster, has forwarded three notes. Here we go:
--The “shepherd-looking” dog appeared at Lynn Malaby’shome in Athens last weekend and needs a place to go. The large dog is young, playful and “very affectionate,” Lynn writes. “She is curious about the cats, horse, calves and chickens -- not aggressive at all. I call her Shadow because she is right beside me everywhere I go. She seems house-trained. The only ‘bad’ trait (it's really cute) -- she can turn doorknobs with her mouth - so she lets herself in or out- she doesn't know to close the door behind her-yet.” To ask about this dog, e-mail [email protected].
--Tina Hamilton, who runs Happy Tails of Gun Barrel City, needs help with critter food. “This month was hard for everyone it seems when it came to their pets. Happy Tails’ food bank is wiped out.” Donations to the food bank “help feed and keep pets in their homes.” To make arrangements for drop-offs or pick-ups, e-mail [email protected] or call 903-880-4124 or 903-275-5990.
-- Ashley Cates contacted Friends with a plea for help. A month ago she found a mini-dachshund. If only it were that simple. Here’s the rest of her rescue story: “I felt so bad that someone would leave her on the road that i took her in.  Soon after (the next week to be more exact) she had 7 little puppies. I just found out that me and my husband will have to move.  I just can’t keep her even though I would love to.” To offer to help in this pressure-cooker situation, e-mail [email protected].
THE TRAILER PARK CAT: Jo Holland sent us a note yesterday about a cat needing rescue from a trailer park, then, before the sun had a chance to set, she sent a note that began, “I went and picked the cat up a few hours ago and have him in my patio room.”
Fostering is going to be worked out, but the bottom line is the cat needs a loving home. “He is much more attractive than the photo on the email.  His eyes are green and his stripes are blacker and more dramatic.

“He rode with me in my van, as he was too big for the carrier I brought.  He seems to be a pretty calm cat and likes human companionship.  He sat on my lap on the drive home and loved having me pet him.”
So, how did this cat come to be available? Jo has the story:
“An elderly woman, living in a small trailer park in Dallas, was taken to a nursing home a few months ago.  She had a cat that she had raised from a kitten and who had been an inside cat all 6 years of his life
“I used to talk with her daughter when I was visiting another older woman at the park. She really cared for her mother and drove a 3-mile round trip every day to do so. She said the only thing her mother still had for enjoyment washer cat.
“Her daughter had cared for this woman so she wouldn’t have to go to a nursing home, but when the daughter had a heart attack and died, the son-in-law put his mother-in-law in a nursing home. He told the park owner that they would leave the cat there and come and feed it, but shortly he sold the trailer and put the cat out.”
That’s when Jo got into the situation. To offer to adopt this cat or help in some way, call 972-289-5415 or e-mail [email protected].
And as long as you’re talking to Jo about the Trailer Park Cat, ask her about Lea and the kittens she’s currently fostering – they’re available, too.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT NORTH DALLAS: Paula Blair is looking for her cat, Dillon. The neutered male Oriental Shorthair Tabby/Siamese mix has been missing since the evening of December 7 in the neighborhood of Briarmeadow Drive, Airline and Walnut Hill. He’s got “beautiful blue eyes,” Paula says and a long, ringed tail, as you can see in this photo from last winter’s blizzard. There’s a reward for his return.
If you know Dillon’s whereabouts, call 214-769-5973 or 214-363-6494 or e-mail [email protected]. He was wearing a collar with a tag when last seen.
CARTHAGE CRISIS: We learned of this dumping and threatening situation from Deborah Trevino, who usually focuses on things along Malloy Bridge Road in Southeast Dallas. But this challenge is in Carthage in East Texas.
Plans had been made by some East Texas do-gooders to get these dogs to safety. But there’s a new wrinkle as of late yesterday.
Deborah writes, “Glynis, the lady trying to help these dogs, is in tears over the City's decision to not let the rescue occur on Monday.  I don't care what the city thinks.  Rescues are still needed to step up to take these babies.  I'm still going out there next week to see what I can do.”
Deborah heard about this originally from Judy Griggs of Rescued Pet Adoption League in Alba. This pack of small-breed dogs was in dire need of rescue -- Glynis Ritter of Carthage, had been feeding the dogs and looking for someone to help get them to safety.  Glynis talked to Judy, Judy talked to Deborah and that’s’’ where we are right now.
How did these dogs get to this dumping ground? Here’s the story from Glynis, “Sometime in the summer, possible early or mid-summer someone dumped out 9 small dogs behind us on an oil field service road.  We do live in the city limits, but there is a wooded area behind and around us.  A man that owns the land directly behind us had it cleared of this summer.  He is supposed to plant pine trees. “People were giving them scraps and some dog food, before we knew about them. I fell August 2 and fractured my back. After that, my husband told me about them, but I was unable to go see them or anything.  It wasn't till October, that we started feeding them.
“A man had caught the littlest puppy and he and his wife kept it.  Another lady set a trap and was able to catch two.  She said, they had mange and took them   to the pound.  She couldn't catch any more of them, she said.  There are 6 left, 3 girls and 3 boys.”
There’s more. Glynis has been trying to lure all six of the dogs – unfixed, of course – into her yard, but so far, no dice. “I wanted to try to lead them into my backyard with food, but I am fostering Freckles, who is a Catahoula mix/pit bull dog and he chases cats, and small dogs. If you know of someone that would like to adopt him, please let them know about him.  He is a beautiful, smart dog, he just needs someone that knows how to handle dogs like him. He would need to be in a home without young children, cats, and small dogs.  Also, he needs at least a 6-foot fence.
“At another location in town someone dumped off about 6 Chihuahuas this summer, too.  As far as I know a man is still feeding them.  They are just outside of the city limits.  The city was notified about both of these packs of dogs.”
And, she says, that if she could get the dogs into her yard, she’d need “two kennels at least to put them in, one for the boys and one for the girls. I do not know if they could be socialized or not.  I think Little Benji, might could. I wish they could be caught and get homes, but that might not happen.  Being euthanized would be better than to be exposed to disease, attacked by wild animals, etc... Again, they have to be caught.”
To offer to help, e-mail [email protected]  or [email protected].
CONTEMPLATIONS: Some will say not much happened in 2010 but others will look at new babies, graduations and weddings and remember 2010 as a great year. It was the year the Texas Rangers finally went to the World Series, but, then, it was the year the Dallas Cowboys – oh, no sense bringing that up. In 2010, some people enjoyed the politics; others did not. … We must note the passing of a great fellow, Tom Vandergriff, who was the mayor of Arlington for many, many years and Tarrant County’s County Judge for many years. Some would say “more importantly” he was the man responsible for bringing a Major League Baseball franchise to Arlington – glad he lived to see the Texas Rangers in the World Series. When I was a columnist at the big paper in Dallas,  now and then I’d get a letter from Tom Vandergriff – he only wrote positive letters to me and I suspect that’s the way he was with most people. … On the other side of the coin, we find Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick. Our pal Della Wallace, noted animal rescuer and fan of dawgs everywhere, was pretty upset this week when word came out that President Obama has praised Quarterback Vick and the Eagles. She wrote that a news report said the president “thinks that dog murderer Vick deserves ‘a second chance’ and that he has paid for his crime.  Well, I hope Obama doesn't get a second chance. I am livid and I always change the channel if the Eagles are playing.  Now I have to put up with the president of the USA supporting that creep. I hope all animal supporters pay attention to his statement and vote accordingly in 2012.” And there you have it, an issue that may genuinely dog an election campaign.

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In Dallas, North Texas and Burns Flat, Okla. -- compassion, emotion, inspiration and and rescue...

Hello, Thursday, you good-looking day. Well, in Dallas, sort of, if you like muggy. I haven’t had the heart to look at a weather map, but I seem to have heard something about a blizzard somewhere in the country. Earthquake in Indiana. That sort of thing.
A radio guy just said today’s forecast for the North Texas prairie is “unseasonably warm.” Makes you miss baseball. We’ve got to miss baseball because there’s no way we’re going to miss the pro football season around here.
By the way, if you feel like breaking out into a showstopper from Broadway, go ahead. We’re game here. “What is it that we’re living for? Applause. Applause?”  (That is a photo of our Readlarrypowell.com staff impersonator Inky, the Cocker Laureate of Texas, giving us his impression of the last director who asked me to sing at an audition.) Cue the music and read on:
HOW HAVE THINGS CHANGED AT DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES? We’re not on the inside, so we can only report what we’ve seen from the outside regarding changes under the interim director, Dallas Police Lt. Scott Walton. For example, yesterday area rescue groups and animal folks got a thank you-note from Mark Cooper, the animal control officer who is the coordinator between the shelter and rescuers. He's that kind of guy, as people who know him will attest. Mannerly and appreciative.
He wrote that he “wanted to take a moment to personally thank each of you for your tireless dedication to saving the dogs and cats from Dallas Animal Services. I realize almost all groups are full and broke, but you have always come to the rescue without fail. During this year, we have seen many changes here at DAS and I’m very hopeful that we will continue to make changes for the better in 2011. I’ve seen a lot of sad circumstances and a lot of happy ending during this past year. It is because of you that we have saved so many incredible animals this year. I wanted to share with each of you the number rescues we’ve accomplished during 2010. I pulled these numbers today and they reflect the rescues from January 1st through today Dec 29th.”
Those “rescued” figures: Dogs/puppies,  1,669; Cats/kittens,  1,007; Birds, 105; Exotic animals,  83; Livestock, 14; Wildlife, 1,116. Total saved [via rescue],  3,994 animals.
Mark writes, “These numbers are incredible and DAS owes it all to you! I’m sincerely appreciative to each of you for the work you do and the help you provide.  I have a high respect for each and every one of you. Thank you and let’s make 2011 even better! From the bottom of my heart, I hope you all have a very blessed, happy and safe New Year!”
Naturally, this elicited some wonderful response from folks and some of them copied their replies to Readlarrypowell.com. This is the sort of thing that might not have happened all those months ago before city hall began paying attention to the advice from rescuers and members of the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission.
Sandi Laird, the intake coordinator at Operation Kindness, the no-kill shelter in Carrollton wrote, that OK “took over 200 dogs and cats from Dallas this year.  I think I will be adding about a dozen more if that Boxer/Ambull [OK took from DAS] has as many puppies as I think she is going to have.  Lord, it hurts just to look at her trying to get up.  … All of us at Operation Kindness are looking forward to working with you next year.  Hopefully, we will be able to take more in 2011.”
Then, Becky Haisma of Paws In The City wrote, “Thank YOU, Mark!  You are a pleasure to work with --the animals are so lucky you are in this position at DAS.  You go above and beyond to help them.  We are very grateful to you.  And Lt. Walton, thank you, too!  So many positive changes at DAS this year.”
Now, seriously, my fellow old-timers, did you ever think you’d see exchanges like this in the City of Dallas? There must be something to that campaign that Lt. Walton  introduced to the shelter: "Compassion."
THE PRESSURE IS ON: We hear of this ugly incident via reliable tipster and veteran rescuer Debbie Harrell who is trying to help a dog she knows, Elijah, who is “a sweetheart” but “a handful and will need training with a behaviorist.”
The problem is that while being walked earlier this week, Elijah broke free and attacked another dog. The apartment manager told the Trey and Luisa Harkey to find a new home for Elijah by Friday. And, as of this morning, we learn also that the other dog is being called a "pit" by management and Lilo (the white dog) has to be gone by Friday, too.
As a result of this unpleasant incident, the dogs' humans also have to move out of their Dallas-area apartment by the middle of January. And they’ve got to unload their dogs by mid-afternoon on New Year’s Eve.
His human says Elijah is a generally well-behaved dog and when he’s done something wrong “he visibly feels guilty and takes out all his tricks to make you happy again.”
To help save the dogs' lives, e-mail [email protected].
Elijah has been with the family since June when he was adopted at 6 months of age from the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center. Luisa says, “He loves to play with our other dog, Lilo. We never had any problems with the two biting/hurting each other.”
AN UPDATE ON JACKSON: We hear from Steve and Vickie Hurst that there may be some movement on getting Jackson, the dog with the bad hip, out of the abandoned home in Kleburg in southeast Dallas and into a place where he can get some care and some attention and, maybe, even a new home. He’s being moved to a vet’s office this weekend and will be evaluated. Several people offered to help, but there’s always room for more assistance with this pup – either financially, emotionally or of a practical fashion, i.e., a foster home or permanent home.
To offer to help this big ol’ dawg have a better life, e-mail [email protected].
LEFT BEHIND AT A TRAILER PARK: Veteran rescuer Stephanie Mosby is trying to get some help for a family of dogs. The story is the pregnant Black & Tan Coonhound mix was “left behind at a trailer park in Terrell when the family moved.”
She then had seven puppies. They are Black Labbish pups. How do we know? Stephanie says, “The daddy was a pretty decent looking Black Lab; we saw him tied at another trailer.”
Independent rescuer Pam Mitchell stepped up for the mom and seven pups and took care of some meds, food and a temporary kennel. Then Deb Elkins of Terrell offered to host the dogs while attempts are made to find homes for them.
Stephanie writes that the young Mom has been spayed and vaccinated. Her three boys and four girls – about 2 months old -- get along with other dogs. She writes, “The biggest pup is a boy weighing in at 15 pounds. He is the one with the white chest markings. The rest are all black. The runt is a 10 pound girl and she seems the most independent. When the bigger pups try to push her around she plants her puppy teeth in the offenders' ear. They have been to a vet, have had their first shots, and have gone through a deworming cycle. They are very friendly, curious pups and are getting on well with the big dogs. They are not scared or timid, and like people and kids.”
To offer to help these puppies  (that’s a photo of the smallest and the largest), call 469-474-3472 or e-mail [email protected].
THREE IRVING DOGS: Alex Taylor, who lives north of Dallas, has been monitoring a situation in Irving – we’ve written before about the three dogs who were thought to be at peril because the man of the house was in the big house and the lady of the house was overwhelmed because she’d been ordered out of the house by the day after Christmas.
Alex found out about this from a neighbor and she has been concerned about the dogs. Here’s her report from yesterday: “I went by there today. I was finally able to talk to [the lady of the house]. The dogs are still with [the woman]. I asked her about her vacating the house. She told me she knew she had to leave the house by the 26th but for some reason her husband - now back home- told her they can stay a little longer but she does not know how much longer. I have to say it was very hard to talk with [her] … The answers she was giving me did not make a whole of a lot of sense. Anyway, she said she got two phone calls from rescue people as well as someone from Animal Control. This time she wrote down my number. I told her if she finds out where she is moving to check if her dogs will be allowed and to let me know, maybe we can ask for donations to raise the money for pet deposits. However the dogs still need to get fixed and need vet care. Hopefully [she] will keep me updated. I have to say her eyes got very watery when she was telling about the dogs.”
BE ON THE LOOKOUT NEAR LOVE FIELD: Our reliable tipster Mary Ann Nastro sends word of this boy, Ozzie, who, after having been rescued from the Collin County Animal Services, escaped from his new foster home near Love Field in Dallas (Harry Hines at Mockingbird is the biggest nearby intereection).
Naturally, he’s timid with people. That’s always helpful. He was wearing a collar but had lost his tags “in his escape attempts.” He’s microchipped and, as you can see, has a blue eye and a brown eye.
If you know Ozzie’s whereabouts, call Texas Husky Rescue at 972-859-9254.
FROM THE METROCOUNTRY: Now, Denton Animal Shelter volunteer Stephen Plyler, who we’ve mentioned here before, lives “out in the country” but not so far out that he can’t pick up big city TV or radio. That means he’s just far enough away from the big city to be living in an attractive “dumping” ground. Here’s his latest adventure:
“As is typical in when you live in the country, Christmas is the time of season that just keeps on giving. This week has been especially rough with ‘gifts’ being dumped all around my house.  Can you please get the word out on this one? She is at my house but I'm on the way out of town to Colorado for a few weeks and desperately need a home, foster or rescue for her. I'm at my transport max with my 9 going with me and ‘Superman,’ a paralyzed Wise County dog going [to a foster in Loveland], too.”
To offer to help with Hope, this “foundling” pictured here, e-mail [email protected].
Now, there’s never a simple rescue story. Stephen writes, “In keeping with the theme ‘Merry Dump-mas every one.’  I am also getting extra gifts on the holidays.  I must have been really good this year cause the gifts keep on coming even after X-mas. Last night, they left me a present in the middle of FM455 a little JRT who I never managed to catch (despite treats, chasing etc.) who was obviously dumped and desperately looking for his owners (SAD).
“Then today, two more gifts, as I am driving around looking for last night’s gift. ... Today's gifts appeared this time on the busy HWY 377 to be hit in by speeding cars. A red heeler mix and her friend, a Catahoula mix. The red heeler mix ‘HOPE’ as I'm calling her is very friendly and came right up to me... but her friend was scared out of his/her mind. I then spent the next two hours chasing and herding the other one away from the highway. Of course, despite treats, etc.,  nothing was getting this one.”
So he’s got Hope and he has hope for Hope. “She is at my house right now and safe but I do not have a foster for her. Hope is very sweet and submissive. She rides well in a car and is good with other dogs. I will get her fully vetted tomorrow for any rescue who might be interested in taking her. She appears to be housetrained and [mannerly] around a 4-year-old. On top of vetting her [today] I will also donate $50 to any approved rescues who can take HOPE.”
HARRY IS ON THE CASE: What a great thing to be able to write about today. As you Readers may recollect, next to good ol’ dawgs and cats, my favorite critters are actors, playwrights and other showbiz types. Yeah, I’ve been around animals and I’ve been around actors and writers and what they have in common is that they frequently need a kind gesture, a good meal and a free place to sleep.
Now, in what has become an annual tradition, Pegasus Theatre is offering a new Harry Hunsacker mystery in “Living Black & White” at the Eisemann Center in Richardson.
The comic mysteryDeath Is No Small Change marks the 25^th anniversary of Pegasus’ black-and-white productions – special makeup and set dressing make the production appear as an old black-and-white late-show on TV. It’s an astounding visual effect – but it has been enhanced since 1985 by entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable scripts by Kurt Kleinmann, who also portrays the world’s greatest detective and would-be actor.
Death Is No Small Change is at the Eisemann Center through Jan. 23. Tickets are at 972-744-4650 or www.eisemanncenter.com . You can go to www.pegasustheatre.org and see a vivid example of the “Living Black & White” technique.
CONTEMPLATION: We have a “guest contemplation” today from our reliable tipster and tireless rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher of little Burns Flat, Okla. You’ll note that the date on this letter, Dec. 30, is important to her. And it’ll answer the “why” regarding the frequent appearances of Burns Flat in Readlarrypowell.com.
There’s a big heart in Oklahoma.
Terry Lynn writes: “December 30, 2002. The day that changed my world.
“We had a dog we took in, Lil Girl. She ended up having babies --all were black with brown markings, with little bobbed tails. All except one. She had a full tail and was brown with the black markings, so we called her ‘Oddball.’
“We looked for the perfect home for her but nobody was ever good enough. So we still had her at 9 months old, along with 3 of her littermates (whom, I might add, I still have).
“They discovered how to get out of the puppy pen and started getting out of the fence. We worked on it all the time, but they would find another way out.
“On this horrible day, we had snow on the ground and I let 2 of them out to go potty. They went right to the fence and got out. I immediately went to get shoes and my coat.  It could not have been more than a 5-minute period.
“I called for the boys to come help me. They ran around the corner where I saw the pups go. In minutes, my youngest came running to me, screaming. ‘He shot her, he shot her!’
“I could not understand who he was talking about. He finally calmed down enough to tell me our sweet precious Oddball had been gunned down in the street -- shot 4 times, before he finally blew enough of her little body away to end her young life.
“Her crime? Being loose. These 2 city officials were down the street shooting a skunk when they saw the pups. They pulled up, whistled for them, and as she ran to him for the love she thought was waiting, he opened fire. My entire world changed from that moment on.
“So, two things: Today, I would like to remember the sweet, innocent dog that lost her life to an ignorant redneck.”
“But even more, I would like to acknowledge all the wonderful people I have ‘met’ because of her death. It is because of Oddball that all of you are a part of my world. And it is because of Oddball that I have rescued thousands of other animals that faced death.
“It is because of Oddball and all of you that I have turned a pound from being 99% kill to 0%.
“So, I want to remember my sweet baby girl, and let each of you know how grateful I am to have all of you a part of my world. I pray we can all slow down for 2011 -- because slowing down would mean fewer animals in need. I just needed to acknowledge her today.”
You can e-mail Terry Lynn at [email protected]. And now you know why that is her e-mail address.
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A story changes and other rescue tales...

Holy smoke, it’s December 29 and it seems like only yesterday we were looking forward to Labor Day after a long stretch of holiday-free summer.
Never has a year gone so quickly – though, of course, parts have gone so slowly that you could feel every second tick away. But enough about sitting in meetings and traffic jams, let’s get on with today’s report:
THE DOG, FORT WORTH, THE GUY AND THE LAWYER: Yep, sounds like a movie made in Europe, doesn’t it?
But you recall the story: Steven Woods’ dog Mimi is on the brink of being euthanized as a dangerous dog by the City of Fort Worth after a biting incident. Lawyer Randy Turner steps in and takes the case public – it is described far and wide as the case of a disabled Iraq war veteran being bullied by a city and it stirs hearts across the nation.
The dog is saved. People donate thousands to help the dog.
But sometimes all the facets of a story are not quite as clear as reported in the initial flurry.
Weeks pass. Someone decides to check the details of Steven Woods’ story. That results in a story on WFAA (Channel 8) HERE that knocks the “injured in Iraqi Freedom” part of the story down.
Still, the dog needed saving and the dog is saved.  The question now becomes:  For how long has the dog been saved? Will there be new revelations? Those have yet to be answered. Will the dog have a constant guardian now? Is the man whose story unraveled an adequate caretaker for a dog with a bad reputation and one big strike against her?
Yesterday, Mr. Turner issued a statement announcing that he’s no longer Mr. Wood’s attorney and that the donated money is back in the hands of the Metroplex Animal Coalition. MAC issued a statement saying that people can get their money back.
There are indisputable facts in this incident: The dog was in danger, it took an attorney who believed in his client to save the dog, people have good hearts and they, like the attorney, had no reason to doubt the facts of the story.
In response to questions from donors, Mr. Turner issued the following statement yesterday:
“This morning I withdrew as Steven’s attorney and my firm no longer represents him.  There are strict attorney/client confidentiality rules that prohibit me from discussing his case or any documents he showed me or anything he told me about his background. I can only say that I took Steven’s case pro bono, in good faith based on the information and documents I was given, and I represented him to the best of my ability in an effort to prevent Mimi from being euthanized.  Mimi was not euthanized and is safely back with Steven.  For this I am glad.
“All of the funds that were forwarded to my firm to hold in our trust account for Steven have been returned to MAC.  Neither my firm nor Steven has received any of that money.  It is my understanding that MAC is making arrangements to return those funds to the donors but you will need to ask MAC for specific information on that subject.
"I hope you can appreciate my situation.”
Almost simultaneously, we received a statement from Metroplex Animal Coalition President Elaine Munch that includes a second statement from Mr. Turner. It reads, “In November, the Metroplex Animal Coalition collected donations to pay fines and fees to the City of Fort Worth to save a dog named Mimi from death.  She had been declared a ‘dangerous dog’ by the City, and her owner, Steven Woods, did not have the funds to save her life.  Below is a statement from Randall Turner, the attorney for Steven Woods:
‘Steven Woods is profoundly grateful to Metroplex Animal Coalition and to all of the generous donors who saved his beloved dog, Mimi, from being euthanized.  Unfortunately, Steven has recently been the subject of negative media reports concerning his military service.  In an effort to avoid any question of impropriety Steven has asked me to return to MAC all of the money that was raised for him.  He requests that these funds be returned to the donors.’”
And there is a way to get your money back. The MAC statement reads, “If you made a donation to save Mimi and would like to have it refunded, please contact us at [email protected].  If you do not request your donation back, it will be placed in a Trust Account to be used strictly and solely to provide for Mimi’s care in the future.  Mimi will still need to be registered at $500 per year to keep her from being euthanized by the City of Fort Worth.  Therefore, that need for her still exists, and your donation for that is still tax deductible.“
(Aside from Larry: A reporter and a lawyer are only as good as their sources. People fudge facts when they are desperate or have something to gain or have no other way of saving the life of something or someone dear to them. Years of observation have demonstrated to us ol’ newshounds that just being honest up front  with the simple truth is the best way to go because someone always uncovers the truth no matter how cleverly or patriotically you obscure it.
Attorney Randy Turner has a solid reputation for being a good and decent man with a heart that helps animals to the best of his ability. MAC is an organization that throws its soul into protecting animals and giving them a decent break around here where, sometimes, a good break is hard to come by.
The misleading characterization of the human at the core of the Mimi case does not change the basic fact of the story: A dog needed help.
Some will argue that this dog is an example of the “bad pits” and should be euthanized along with the rest of them. I suspect that the people who make that argument are not among the people who  donated to save Mimi.
The way this story has turned out will, unfortunately, make people think twice or three times before giving to the next “desperate” cause. Mimi has been saved, but  others may be lost because people won’t want their hearts to fall twice to an exaggerated story.
You can’t hook the whole world up to a lie detector, so good people will continue to err on the side of decency. We hope. There will be more stories of animals in desperate spots – they may be the companions of veterans or the companions of children or the companions of no one. It will not be wrong to help the animal no matter what kind of person they are forced to be with – you, perhaps, recall, the Michael Vick dogs who escaped virtually automatic euthanasia and have been rehabilitated, i.e., allowed to live out their lives as one of God’s most blessed and most blessing creatures, a good ol’ dog. We wish the same for Mimi – live long and be a good dog who is loved.)
And, here’s the explanation of the puppy photo. It has nothing to do with the Mimi case – except that these little dogs are in trouble.  We need to remember that while thousands of dollars were collected to save Mimi, there are thousands of dogs that have no one collecting anything for them.
For example, those puppies in the cage are described as Lab/Pit mixes and they are  awaiting help via adoption or rescue at the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control Shelter.  They’re listed on the Fort Worth AC&C Petfinder site HERE and they haven’t done anything except be born. There’s no “dangerous dog” stamp on their little noggins. They’re just puppies. They will be reflective of their upbringing and the affection they receive. (To ask about these pups, e-mail [email protected] or call 817-392-3737.)
Shelters all over North Texas – maybe all over the world -- have pits and pit-related dogs available for adoption.
MEANWHILE, IN BURNS FLAT: Our tireless rescuer and tipster Terry Lynn Fisher, who works to keep the needle inactive in little Burns Flat, in the western portion of Oklahoma, is facing a population crisis and has to have dogs moved out of the shelter by the time the town hall opens for business again on Monday.
She writes, “I have been slammed, once again...I am trying to shuffle dogs ... All kennels are full, as are all of my temporary holding kennels...I am actually waiting on a PREGNANT pit girl that is being owner surrendered today, and have 3 other messages of people wanting their dog ‘picked up.’ I have almost made it through 2010 being totally KILL FREE.” (And, she writes, “As always, I am in need of blankets, food, teats, collars, leashes, etc.”)
Bu what’s the story on Tracy, this white pit girl? You’ve heard stories like this before – if you’ve been around dogs at all.
“This girl is actually a police case,” Terry Lynn says. “She had been hanging around a business here in Burns Flat and the people there felt sorry for her and fed her for about a month.
“A lady went to the business and Tracy ran to greet her. The lady slapped at her face and it startled her and she snapped. The lady called the sheriff’s dept. and wanted her killed on the spot.  There were no marks from the supposed bite. Being a pit mix, of course they wanted her gone.”
The animal control officer stepped in to take the dog and brought her to the pound, Terry Lynn says. “There has been NO aggression shown at all. She is a very sweet girl and deserves a place to call home.”
To offer to help Terry Lynn help Tracy or any of the other dogs at the shelter, e-mail [email protected] or call 580-330-1459.
THE DALLAS BATCH OF PUPPIES: Late yesterday, Dallas Animal Services’ Mark Cooper sent out a note about needing help with a litter of newly arrived puppies. You may have seen it.
Mark’s note says the six “can nibble on watered down can food, but need extra time to grow before being adoptable. The dad was a super cute wirehaired Terrier. This whole family was surrendered today [Tuesday], but the owners refused to leave momma.”
A shelter officer kept the pups overnight.
And, when Mark arrived this morning to check his e-mail, he found dozens and dozens of groups volunteering to take the dogs. They are going to be going to a North Texas rescue group and we’ll be in touch with the rescuers and as soon as the half-dozen pups are adoptable, we’ll let you know.
In the meantime, there are plenty of other adoptables at the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center. You can see them by going to www.dallasanimalservices.org.
CONTEMPLATIONS: I have been searching for two days for the identity of the artist who performs a dirge-like “Jingle Bells” – I heard it on 103.7 on Monday, but the “Christmas Station” has since deleted its Christmas playlist, so I have no idea which singer to avoid in the future. ... It’s difficult to watch the new True Grit with fresh eyes. The affection for the John Wayne version (in spite of Glen Campbell’s performance) will not be displaced by the new Coen Brothers’ version. Much of the dialogue is identical, situations the same but the ending isn’t as Hollywood thought it is true to the book. Still, the new film is sure to be appreciated by people who have neither read the magnificent Charles Portis book nor seen the original. At times, though, I felt like I was watching the junior varsity suit up and play – except that kid Hailee Steinfeld rocks as Mattie Ross. ... Can this year be ending so swiftly? Have we accomplished all we set out to do? If so, then today you will be able to pick up a copy of my novel about an adventure with Santa, a dog that talks. a cat that can fly planes and a giraffe who wears turtlenecks and tap dances. Hold onto your money – there seems to be some delay in getting that tale to the press. The cat got an agent.
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Opportunities on a Tuesday...

In the interest of presenting truths about our world, here is a state-wide fact: It’s really hard to work when you’d like to take a big nap.
Having introduced that concept, we will now move on to business more important than a good snooze. Read on:
JACKSON NEEDS HELP: Vickie and Steve Hurst of Far North Dallas are monitoring an injured dog who lives in another world in an abandoned house in the Kleburg area of southeast Dallas.
He is apparently suffering from a broken hip and getting no care. As you can see from his photo, he’s a big ol’ friendly dawg just waiting for a better situation.
A note from the couple reads, “In the last 8 years since becoming involved with animal rescue we have taken what seems like hundreds of dogs from this place. It is a very popular dumping ground for dogs and cats.  We have no idea where he came from or any background on him.  He just showed up one day --like they all do.  Lots of people live at or below the poverty level out there.  There are lots of little pit bulls running loose.  We have met a man who lives on some land there and we take him food every few weeks to give to the dogs.  And when we can we take in a dog and get it vetted and adopted.  We are part of the local rescue group Animal Guardians of America. ... We live in North Dallas...and are full to capacity on dogs...just cannot take in another one.  And big black dogs are by far the most difficult dogs to find homes for.
“We fully expect him to be heartworm positive and ridden with intestinal parasites.  Most of the dogs we have pulled from there need a lot of help.  We are up to that challenge but are in dire need of a foster or good adoptive family who will bring this loving dog inside their home and into their hearts to live out the rest of his life.  So we thank you immensely for putting the word out to your many loyal readers.”
To offer help for Jackson, e-mail [email protected].
SEEKING A PLACE TO GO: Jennifer Fermaint found this dog about 4:30 p.m. Monday in the Bristol Point Estates near Preston Meadow and Lorimar/Spring Creek in Plano. That’s right, no collar, no chip. Just “very friendly” and though “not leash-trained” the dog “rides in a car well.”
Jennifer says she can’t keep her much longer because the household Basenjis are “not happy about her presence. She is very, very thin but incredibly sweet, knows how to sit, fetch (sort of) and seems to be under a year old, from her clean teeth.”
If you recognize this dog and know where she belongs or you just want to help Jennifer keep this dog out of a shelter, call 972-467-0256 or e-mail  [email protected].
FOUND A PLACE TO GO: Back in mid-December, we told the story of Sherry Kunz’s daughter, in from New York City, finding this dog while out jogging. No signs posted anywhere. The dog – because of overcrowding already – was taken to TriCities Animal Shelter in Cedar Hill and Sherry and her daughter monitored things, determined not to let anything bad happen to the dog.
Just before Christmas, when our computer e-mail was crashing and people were all taking off for the holiday, anyway, Sherry sent us this note: “My daughter had 2 potential adopters for this dog but were told he could not be released until this morning [Dec. 21]. One of them had already filled out paperwork. The other called this morning and was told that the dog had been picked up. I called to get clarification as to whether it was adopted or the owner picked him up. After a little bit of red tape, I was told the owner had picked him up but he is now microchipped.
“I'm assuming the owners saw one of the many flyers that my daughter distributed and taped on telephone and light poles. So, he is now back home and hopefully it will not happen again but if it does, he is chipped and can be traced back to the owners.”
An act of kindness saves a dog, sets an example.
AND IN CORSICANA: In the past year, the City of Corsicana has taken big strides to reestablish a good reputation for its city shelter, inviting volunteers and rescuers to work with the city in saving animals rather than euthanizing.
It came as no surprise, then that we got an e-mail from Lynn Gatlin of Project Pawz about two pit babes in the Corsicana shelter.  Both were, of course, strays.
Lynn’s note reports that the shelter granted both a “Pitty Pardon” because of “good behavior.” As fans of the breed and breed mixes know, these dogs have wonderful spirits and can be, if properly adored and loved and respected, great companions.
The 30-day evaluation period for these two dogs ended Christmas Eve, so they’re on the clock.
Both dogs are about a year old and both were strays.
Jace is the “blue and white Bully mix with a great attitude.” Pam is a “fawn-colored Bully gal with a wonderful temperament.”
To offer to help these two pups or any animal in the Corsicana shelter, call 903-654-4928.
One more thing: The Corsicana Animal Shelter has 3 openings for employees: full-time animal control officer and two part-time animal care technicians. Click HERE.
 CATCHING UP WITH BRANDI: Yesterday the noted Denton Animal Shelter volunteer Amy Pelzel sent out word about getting help for this dog, Brandi, who is suffering from “cherry eye,” a painful condition of the eyelids.  The dog needed surgery to correct the condition.
Amy reports, “We were able to raise the money via Facebook for the surgery.”
Then, Brandi was adopted by, Amy says, “a very nice family who was so excited to get her!  They have already set up an appointment with the vet.”
AT CARROLLTON: As “the day” approaches tomorrow, Carrollton’s animal shelter continues to try to find people to take dogs and cats that are on “the list.”
Senior Animal Care Specialist Joe Skenesky sends a report that Emily still needs a home.
This is Emily. She’s No. 23102 and available to rescue groups only.
Joe reports, “This pretty lady was on last week's list, but got lucky when our shelter population had fallen to a low number and enough space was available to hold her for another week giving her hopefully just the extra time she needs to find a rescue that can take her. She is a very sweet girl who was released to the shelter by her person who is moving out of the country and cannot take her.She reportedly is good with other small dogs. children of all ages and is crate/house trained. She does not like car rides as she prefers to get where she is going on her own four paws. While she has been here at the shelter she has been nothing but a joy to work with, easy on a leash and quietly waits her turn to go out in the yard to play. She listens well and likes to play with toys and loves to get lots of attention. She will sit if you ask her to and gladly let you give her some much wanted affection.”
To ask about Emily, or any animal in the Carrollton shelter, call 972-466-3420 or e-mail [email protected] .  See more Carrollton animals at www.joesanimalhouse.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS:  Who can tell what’s going on in the world? Do you analyze the condition of society by observing your e-mail? By listening to talk radio? By watching TV news? How hard do you have to work to be an informed citizen? ... Leftover from Christmas: I was listening to Christmas music yesterday (yes, Monday) on KVIL (103.7) and I heard a positively dirge-like version of Jingle Bells. I couldn’t identify the female singer. But, good lord, I’m surprised the horses didn’t run themselves into a tree in hopes of escaping the vocal. ... We saw The King’s Speech and it appears that the Academy Awards are all wrapped up. It’s a beautiful movie, with wondrous performances and magnificent visuals. And the audience we were with actually laughed out loud many, many times. It’s such a clever and enjoyable film.  We’re richer for the experience. And we didn’t buy snacks, so we saved a ton of money. We saw a guy carrying a tray with three soft drinks and two bags of popcorn and my funspouse Martha said, “There’s a guy carrying a 40-dollar tray.” Oh, and there are some “dirty words” in the movie and not just from people who see the prices at the concession stand.
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Post-Christmas bargains...

We’re back at the desk, looking through e-mail and wondering when our system will crash. Computer improvements -- someone's idea of fun.
All that aside, here are some situations that need resolutions. Remember all shelters need adoptorers, rescuers and maybe even foster homes. If you think stores are running year-end specials, walk into an animal shelter. They’re loaded with bargains.
We’re just pulling some random notes from our inbox:
TANZY: This little girl, Tanzy, is living a chilly life these days, we hear from Krista Mc Anally o the Humane Society  of Cedar Creek Lake. The society’s shelter is at Tool, Texas.
Krista writes, “Tanzy has been with us for months and has been to adoptions 5 or 6 times in the last couple of months.  It is freezing in the kennels and she is cold and unhappy. I have put her PTS 1/5.  She is a beautiful sweet girl.
PTS Jan 5. Put to sleep. Can’t be the right thing to do, can it? To offer to save her, e-mail [email protected]. Call the shelter at 903-432-3422. Drop by – it’s about 50 miles southeast of Dallas. See the shelter’s adoptables at www.texaslittlecuties.org. Read more about the shelter at www.hsccl.org.
The Society is also looking for volunteers to help with adoptions. E-mail [email protected] to offer to help. The adoptions are usually at sites in Dallas and Krista writes, “One of the shelter employees will drive, if you are uncomfortable driving in Dallas.”
The only people comfortable driving in Dallas don’t have good sense and probably don’t have a license. We limit pets in this town, but we don’t limit idiots behind the wheel.
A DENTON DOG: There’s a special campaign underway at Denton Animal Control. We got word of it yesterday from Amy Pelzel, the Denton volunteer.
“We have a very sweet, approximately 4-6 month-old-female pup named Brandi that was found as a stray and brought to the shelter. She is adorable, sweet, affectionate and absolutely loves other dogs and people but she has two ‘cherry eyes.’
“We have called our vet and it is $150 per eye to have surgery. We are trying to raise the money to have this done for her so that she has a chance at being adopted.  If you would like to help, please let me know asap!  We also need to find someone to adopt or a rescue group to pull her!”
See more Denton photos at www.denton.petfinder.com. To offer to help Brandi, e-mail [email protected] .

 

BIG LOAD IN COLLIN COUNTY: Our Collin County Animal Services “tipster/walker” DeDe Whitcombe sent us a number of e-mails Sunday regarding animals facing unhappy futures in the county facility in McKinney.
There’s also an interestingly patterned cat – sort of a female chameleon who couldn’t decide whether to be black or white, so she went with an eye-catching pattern.
A couple are genuine Earhounds – the brown dog and the brindle dog.  And that little white dog? Had an adoptor who never showed up, so the dog waits.
But there is also a senior Lab mix. That’s her with her chin on the ground. DeDe writes, “This girl kills me, she is so sweet.  She just wants to be loved and petted.  She is on the thin side but cleans her bowl everytime so I wonder if she was starved. Just heartbreaking, can anyone make room for her?”
To ask about any of these or any other animal at the Collin County Animal Services Shelter, call Lisa Drummonds at the shelter at 972-547-7298 or e-mail
[email protected].
Oh, yes, one more: the handsome pit fellow. Said to be sweet, appreciative of affection and very available.
MEANWHILE IN CARROLLTON:  A bunch of animals await a helping human in the Carrollton Animal Shelter.
On the big note that Carrollton’s Joe Skenesky distributed, we spotted this photo of Kia and Ranger – they were found running stray together and unless they get a break, they’re going to be sent on together. That’s a crying shame. Sad that they have to depend on humans to save their lives, but they are dogs and that’s the way things are.
Call the shelter at 972-466-3420 or e-mail [email protected].
You can see more animal photos at www.joesanimalhouse.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS: I guess the Arizona Cardinals got their Christmas miracle. They ought to vote the Dallas kicker and that inexplicable Marion Barber some Christmas bonuses. ... A special thanks to The Texas Channel on Time-Warner Cable because that station ran old 30-minute Christmas shows from my childhood: Red Skelton Jack Benny,  George Burns and Gracie Allen, Sherlock Holmes, A Christmas Carol with Vincent Price, Liberace’s Christmas show,  etc.  Thanks, also, to the Texas Channel for broadcasting the Dragnet episode where Joe Friday investigates the theft of a statue he calls the “Child Jesus” from a church manger scene.  Sgt. Joe Friday was almost warm in this episode. Made for a great day-after spell of relaxation.  ... Funniest sight of Christmas 2010? Don’t have one. But, then, Congress wasn’t in session.
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The Yuletide Napper...

This is a cat named Annabelle Bob.
She prefers to sleep on either a nice flat surface such as a big box that has been gift-wrapped – or  Inky the Cocker Spaniel who has not.
Inky is the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas and, as such, felt compelled this Christmas of 2010 to offer this verse as an homage to our long-running weekend feature, “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.

My Friend Annabelle Bob The Cat

By Inky
The Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas

Lo, verily, a cat sleeps nicely
‘neath the short fake tree
if you squint when you look
it’s pure Christmas you see!

 There lies the black cat,
the symbol of  October
she sleeps like a baby
and snores like an ogre.

Napping in the glow
of cheap twinkling lights
the cat has more facets
than a Tiffany’s delight.

It’s true I’m a Cocker
and I might bark at nil
but I offer more comfort
than any ol’ pill.

And you’ll hear me declare
to insomniacs in their plight,
Merry Christmas to all,
and get some shuteye  tonight.

(To nominate your sleeping, napping or dozing dogs, cats, reindeer, etc.,  for our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, send the photo and info to [email protected]. Remember, at Readlarrypowell.com we are devoted to conquering the Insomnia Crisis that grips the nation.  I just made that up, but you’ve got to figure someone somewhere has acquired a federal grant to conduct a study.)

The Christmas capture of the raccoon in the ceiling...

You hardly ever think of a raccoon being a part of a merry Christmas story, but there is a happy ending for Ricky.
The basics of this tale are that last summer someone brought Ricky to the Dallas Animal Services shelter – he’d been captured in one of our local neighborhoods and the person who had him didn’t want him in the neighborhood anymore.
We live in a town where wildlife and people live side by side but the people often regard the wildlife as nuisances.
Lord knows how the wildlife regards people – we know how some people regard people and I’m betting that the wildlife doesn't think even that much of some of the people.
At any rate the people thought the home was theirs, the raccoon thought the home was his and the raccoon lost the property dispute.  The lamentable thing is that the raccoon was destined for euthanasia. That’s right. Euthanasia.
But things don’t always go as planned.
After transport to the shelter, the raccoon saw his moment and dashed to freedom before anyone could secure his carrier or cage.
He did NOT run to DAYLIGHT. He ran to the ceiling and went through a tile and vanished into the secret world of rafters, supports, conduits and pipes.
This was months ago and interim shelter director, Dallas Police Lt. Scott Walton, set about trying to peacefully, without mayhem, get the raccoon, dubbed “Ricky,” back into safe custody. And he didn’t want to save Ricky just to give him the needle.
Wildlife experts were called in. Traps were set. Bait put out. Cameras set up. The experts and shelter personnel did everything but offer rewards for the capture of this masked critter. This went on for months.
And, around noon today, Lt. Walton sent out an e-mail to people who’d been watching the Ricky story. It reads: “Good news all. 911 Wildlife successfully captured the raccoon that had been loose in the shelter.  Since Bonnie [Bradshaw] with 911 Rescue is a certified animal rehabilitator, she is going to work with the animal and get it to an appropriate release site.
“Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Happy Holidays,”
Don’t you know the city’s animal services workers, lately wearing wristbands with the word “Compassion” on them, are breathing a sigh of relief that the raccoon story has ended happily.
Yep, this is a signature moment in the history of Dallas. The city has taken one step away from its traditional  method of solving an animal problem: “Let’s kill it.”
There is, after all, a reason the place is called a “shelter.”
And that’s the story, so far, of Ricky, the captured-at-Christmas raccoon.
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The quiet, the critters, the contemplations...

It’s wacky to wake near a freeway at rush hour and not hear a lot of freeway noise.
Relax, I live near a freeway. I wasn’t sleeping in my car on the side of the road again.
I suspect many people are already enjoying their Christmas holiday. For those of you who aren’t on the road or in the malls or at “power shopping centers,” here’s today’s report:
LOKI ALONE: Outside of a politician seeking re-election, there is probably no more social animal on the planet than a dog and the dog, in contrast, is sincere.
So, when you run across a story about a dog left alone after a divorce, well, the urge is to help get that dog some companionship and a loving place to live. And that is why a couple of sisters, Hayley and Lisa, have been contacting friends and acquaintances in an attempt to find a place for Loki, a dog left in a fix in Fort Worth after Hayley’s neighbor’s split the sheets, as we used to say in a gentler time.
Hayley says Loki is about 7, has been spayed and is house-trained. “When the family lived there I could see she was great with the kids, ages 3 ½ and 2. They would poke and pull on her and she’ would just sit there.”
Now, she just sits there with nobody tugging or petting or doing much of anything except dropping by with food now and then.
Hayley writes, ”This is breaking my heart.  ...She’s been all by herself since probably Thanksgiving.” Her former female human “will come and either put her in the empty house or leave her outside.”
She also says that she took toys to the dog and “tried to play with her but it was like she didn't even know how to!”
To help the sisters help Loki, e-mail [email protected] or [email protected] or call 817-625-5420.
SOMETIMES THEY JUST GET DUMPED: We’ve learned of this little dog’s plight from Kelly Parsons of All Texas Dachshund Rescue. They’re calling the little guy “Baby Nikolaus” because he’s a German breed rescued at Christmas.
Kelly says he was picked up by an Irving animal control officer “on his own” earlier this week, then the Irving shelter’s Laura Forsythe called ATDR about him and he was on his way to safety. Kelly says little 3- or 4-month old Nikolaus  “mostly likely was dumped due to his birth defects – what is wrong with people?”
Well, we don’t have time or space to answer that question here, so we’ll just focus on this little misshapen dog’s situation. His care is not going to be cheap, so ATDR is appealing for donations to help pay for assorted medical procedures. A medical exam by a canine back specialist says the little guy may have both Kyphosis (a humping of his back) and scoliosis (curvature of the spine). None of that indicates surgery, but there are other tests that are being run to see if someone can be done to help the pup lead a more “normal” existence. Some of his problems – such as hyper-extended ankles – he may grow out of.
According to Kelly’s note, “In spite of all the obstacles he’s facing, Nikolaus is pure love and happiness.  He enjoys giving kisses and snuggling in his foster mom’s lap and is full of playful puppy energy.  As you can imagine, these tests are expensive and a real strain on our budget.”
You can see how to donate to little Nikolaus’ cause at the doxie website www.atdr.org – you can also see how to adopt him. He’s going to need a home that appreciates a purebred snugglepuppy who, as you may suspect, qualifies as today’s Readlarrypowell.com Earhound, or, in honor of his heritage, today’s Ohrjagdhund.
FYI: We’ve mentioned the Irving Animal Shelter many, many times over the years. Sometimes shelters have had a rotten image – before cities became enlightened, as you may suspect. Here’s what Kelly had to say about dealing with Irving. “The Irving shelter has been a pleasure to work with and they are all very responsive and pro-active at calling us when they have dachshunds.” This is what we might refer to as a “working relationship for the benefit of animals.”
ANOTHER IRVING STORY: We don’t know how this one is going to turn out. Authorities have been alert – that is the Irving Animal Shelter folks are aware of this developing story and by the time you read this, may have stepped in to help the dogs avoid some unpleasantness. We’ll continue to monitor, but this may turn out to be a job for some sincere rescue people.
We got the story from Alex Taylor who has been trying to help and has alerted a number of rescue-types and is, obviously, concerned.
Alex writes that she learned of this when she was “told of a lady whose husband is in jail, she is getting foreclosed and she has 3 dogs.
“She lives in Irving very close to the S MacArthur Blvd/W Shady Grove Rd intersection. I was also told she did not have utilities nor food to feed the dogs. So I went there on Monday to deliver food and take pictures of the dogs. She is living in a little RV that is parked in her driveway, I guess because there are not utilities to the house.
“ When I got there I also found out she has two cats. I brought the baby home with me, but mama cat is feral and we could not find her anywhere while I was there.
“This lady ... Tery has to be out of her house on Dec 26.
“The dogs are 3 dogs. One very, very overweight German Shepherd=looking doggie, she is 15....Then there are two Black Lab mixes One of them, Maddy, has ‘skin allergies’ -- it may be something else --and the other one's name is Lucy.  Both of them are about 7 years old. And it appears to me they have some missing teeth. All of them are females and none of them are fixed, I have no clue about heartworms. I know the situation is pretty bad.”
The phone number for the woman who has the dogs is 972-955-0424. (FYI: I couldn’t get an answer, but you never know, so I’m listing the number.) Irving Animal Services folks are aware of this situation as of yesterday and there is a possibility that the animals may be brought into a “protective” arrangement for the time being.)
Who knows how any of this will work out or even if it will. You’ve got two people in bad spots, three dogs and a cat in bad spots and almost no way to communicate. Perhaps the best thing would be to let the animals go into the shelter, then let rescue groups deal with saving them. Of course, what rescue group has room or money these days?
But, you know, one thing we’ve come to expect from the animal rescue world is what I’ll call the “spontaneous reflexive miracle.” Some rescuers are always ready to react in a life-saving manner. They just need to know there is a situation that needs help. (You can also e-mail offers of help to Alex at [email protected] though she’s about exhausted from helping already.)
She found out about the situation via one of the dogs’ neighbors and says. “The neighbor is also getting foreclosed and she has to be out by Dec. 29, She also has a dog, a little one and she won't leave her dog behind.”
STILL IN A GIVING MOOD? As you may recall, a number of volunteers have stepped up recently to help the Seagoville Animal Shelter  -- this is a labor of necessity since the city’s small shelter has a small budget and a small staff.
Among those volunteers is Norah Meier who has issued a request for donations of supplies to help the animals have a better “stay” at the shelter before they are – one can only hope – adopted into good and decent homes.
Here’s the list: Bleach, Pine Sol, wiping rags, paper towels, dog leashes, stainless steel dog bowls, stainless steel cat litter boxes, brooms, pet brushes, scrub brushes, sponges, Rubbermaid industrial mop heads, and an animal shaver.
Oh, and there’s a human on the list. Norah says the shelter needs “a plumber to volunteer to install a washer hook up! This is huge! They have been donated a washer and dryer but have no hook ups!”
The shelter is at 1330 E. Malloy Bridge Road in Seagoville (75159). Contact Norah at [email protected] and she’ll tell you how to get these things to the shelter.
A CAT AT CHRISTMAS? Of course. Who else is going to be intent on staring up the chimney at odd sounds? For example, this is Tropicana, a Dallas Animal Services cat who is available for adoption. Here she is, at only a year old, demonstrating her ability to really focus on a chimney. No fat man in a red suit is going to sneak past her.
She’s one of the animals on “the list” for Dec. 28 at the Dallas Animal Shelter. There are 3 other cats and 4 dogs on that list They’ll make it through Christmas, but, unless someone steps up, they won’t make it to New Year’s Eve.
To ask about these 8 animals, call 214-671-0308 or e-mail [email protected]. (The usual contact, Mark Cooper, is taking some time off...something about reindeer or something...I don’t know for sure.)
CONTEMPLATIONS:  If you get an e-mail today that has the subject line “Order now in time for Christmas,” don’t you think, “Alright, let’s see what you can do.”? If I had money to burn, I’d take up the challenge. ... I know that in the animal world you can still “order in time for Christmas.”  Just show up at a shelter and do the right thing. ... Now, my hollyjollyspouse Martha has gone off in one direction today and I’m going to be going off in another direction and the dogs and cats are already snoring like I was never here.  Old dogs snore loudly.  That may be why some hotels don’t accept dogs. They’ll rattle the walls.
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Frank, Tiger and groundbreaking news -- and contemplations in antlers

Midweek, first full day of winter, temps plunging from the mid-80s on Tuesday into the positively holly jolly 60s today. Shopping areas are jammed – I was at Town East Mall in Mesquite yesterday (that’s a story) --  call that traffic “Town Beast.”
People are festive all over the place in spite of the average price of a gallon of gasoline. Since Labor Day, the price chart has looked like the skyrocketing heart rate of a fat man being chased by a pit viper in a maze. Maybe I should have used a seasonal allusion – ok, like the heart rate of a fat man reaching for the last slice of mincemeat pie on the buffet table on Christmas Eve.
Well, enough of that. We’ve got things to write about today. (Yes, that is a photo of our staff impersonator, Inky, the Cocker Laureate of Texas, giving us his impression of the fat man in his life walking into a family Christmas gathering and spotting a big ol’ steaming platter of Mom’s Maids-a-Milkin’ Meatloaf with Swans-a-swimmin’ gravy and Lords-a-leapin’ Mashed Potatoes. Dessert? Mincemeatless pie.)
Like the diet elves say when Santa lingers over the milk and cookies, “Let’s move on, chubster”:
REMEMBER FRANK? Last week or maybe a month ago – it’s that time of year when everything runs together – Russell Posch, noted shelter walker and photographer for the animals at the Irving Animal Shelter, sent us a story about this dog Frank. (OK, I looked it up. We published it on Dec. 8.)
Frank, broken leg and all, wound up in the Irving Animal Shelter. Today we have this update from Russell who happily reports, “Some kind people using Facebook took up a collection to have Frank's leg surgically repaired (prior to any commitment from rescue or an adopter).  The surgery was successfully performed and Frank returned to the shelter.  Yesterday Frank was finally adopted!  He has gone to his new home.  It couldn't happen to a more deserving dog.”
This is a good story from the SPCA of Texas.  But when I saw that subject line my mind was mired in pessimism  I thought two things: (1) Oh, my, Some drug dealer has had to surrender a big cat to the cops or (2) a new tiger has been dumped at  the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary at Boyd, north of Fort Worth (You can “adopt” tigers there, you know).
While I have no doubt that there are criminal clowns who have tigers as “pets,” and while I also know that the sanctuary can always use some financial help, this is a more upbeat and genuinely joyous  reference to a tiger of a different stripe. You probably guessed that already from the photo of Nina Koskiewicz and her new pal Tiger.
We got the photo from the SPCA of Texas – Tiger was adopted via the SPCA’ Adoption Pavilion at NorthPark shopping center. 
You know what they say, if you need a match made in Heaven, shop at NorthPark. Well, they don’t say that, but I’ll be happy to sell that line to NorthPark for a modest amount of gasoline money.
Still, every year from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve the SPCA of Texas sets up an adoption booth at the busy shopping center. This year, the Koskiewicz family – they’ve had SPCA dogs for 11 years – stopped by to get a pup for Nina who’d told them that she wanted one for Christmas.
Nina and Tiger are not the only adoption success story from the NorthPark site this season.
The SPCA’s Lacy Ball did some checking for us and reports that as of the start of adoptions on Monday morning, there’d been 219 animals – dogs and cats – adopted at the NorthPark center, which is, until after Christmas, handling adoptions for both the SPCA Dallas and McKinney offices.
You can read more about the SPCA’s efforts at www.spca.org and (after you finish reading today’s report on Readlarrypowell.com, you can spend some time reading about NorthPark adoptions by clicking HERE. They call these “love stories.”)
FOR YOUR CALENDAR: Oh, and if you don’t have a calendar to write this on, you can get one from the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake.
What you may want to put on your calendar is the 1 p.m. January 8 groundbreaking for the new shelter for the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake. It’s going to be at 10200 Country Road 2403 in Tool.
According to a note from Krista Mc Anally, the shelter manager, this “Raising the Woof” groundbreaking is the first step for Phase 1 of the three-part shelter plan. She writes that “this is the first step in fulfilling a brighter, healthier environment for the homeless pets in our care.”
You can offer to help the shelter and its animals by calling 903-432-3422 or e-mailing [email protected]. You can also donate at www.hsccl.org.
CONTEMPLATIONS:  We finally have a photograph that adequately demonstrates the concept of “contemplations.” Now these are some dogs who were waiting for Santa at a recent photo fundraiser on behalf of Straydog Inc. at the East Plano PetsMart. These dogs are, from left, Nick, Jack, Della and Chessie and their human told me to just focus on the dogs and not the people in this way: “Just show the lookers in this family.” Well, these lookers do seem to be contemplating a number of things including whether the oft-repeated phrase “good dog” is enough to get on Santa’s “nice” list. One or two of them may be contemplating “Antlers? Antlers? Where are my papers? I don’t remember a reindeer grandpa...”  ...  True or false: Nothing wrecks a day at a desk like a computer problem? Or, nothing wrecks a day at a desk like knocking over a cup of hot coffee onto critical paperwork? Yes, things are still "iffy" when I hit a button on this machine. ...  Are people holly jolly this season? Have you noticed that some places that once decorated magnificently aren’t this season (How about that little village on the road from Lewisville to Flower Mound?) Last night I was in a big bookstore (not Barnes & Noble) and if the clientele hadn’t been wearing Christmas gear, you’d have never known there was season for greetings. Some stores I’ve been in have bothered to sling up a little plastic greenery, but that’s about it. I’m growing concerned: Is the world less Christmassy this season? I can’t end this on a “down note.” When I was at Town Beast Mall yesterday I managed to score the intended gift for a grandchild. I was sweating it for a while. I can’t tell you what it is, of course, (under the theory that the kid will click onto this website). But if all works out, perhaps we’ll have a photograph. In the meantime, we’re going to do one more report this week and then take a couple of days off. Wrapping. That’s the next big challenge. Inky helps me hold things in place, but when he tries to work the tape dispenser, well, I have had to cut a cocker spaniel out of a ball of tape before. He says he wants thumbs for Christmas.
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