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After the awful day, two dogs adjust and survive

A few weeks ago the dogs, Momo and Gracie (left), were in featured on Readlarrypowell.com because some guy shotgunned them – Momo in the neck and Gracie in the face.
He said he was protecting his dog from these dogs.
Things are being sorted out. Someone appeared to have made it easy for these dogs to get out of their usually secure backyard. The inside story remains just that -- for everyone else, it's all theory.
Except for the aftermath -- that's not theory.
We know about the dogs: Gracie and Mocha and their pal Sophie, who wasn't involved that day,  have earned the spotlight in our Readlarrypowell.com weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
Obviously, these dogs have a handle on sleeping and one has a way with a grin!
Here are their stories, thanks to their human, Kim Harmon.
She writes, “Momo and Gracie are doing really good -- thank you, Jesus. Momo is back to normal as much as I can tell.  He is happy and smiling - yea!  Yes he smiles. .. He looks great, too, Lean and handsome.”
This brown and white pit boy was shot in the neck – you see below how he had to be bandaged after surgery.
Gracie was shot in the face – she was blinded.
Kim says, “Gracie is still learning to get around. Her wounds are looking much better though and the bruising on her chest from being kicked is healing well. The vet said they’ll just leave the lead balls from the shotgun in the dogs because it would make it worse trying to remove them. .... Good thing they don't fly huh because they would never get past TSA.”
The dogs are adapting to their situations. “Momo is trying to figure Gracie out; He looks at her and looks confused when she runs right into him. Hopefully he'll figure it out soon. Sophie (the brown dog) who has been a little stand offish to her (I'm sure just confused) was trying to get her to play [one recent] night.  I told Sophie she needed to be Gracie's seeing eye dog.
“So all is well in the kingdom right now. I'm still amazed that we all made it through this.
“Granted Gracie has the worst residual effects but hopefully she can adapt and none of them will have any mental trauma.  Dogs are so resilient so they will probably do better than me.”
The story of this attack on her dogs brought out a lot of support. She writes, “I'm so touched by the love and support from others, even folks I don't even know.  Animal lovers are the best people, I tell you.”
As you can see, there is an ability to sleep that is present in these dogs.
Here’s Kimberly’s explanation of where Mocha (“Momo”) and Gracie came from. Frequent Readers will recognize the story of Gracie from a previous tale of the desperate dog’s life.
The Mocha Story: “Mocha was rescued by my daughter back in '04 when he was a couple months old.  He was kept by some young men in heinous conditions -- they bragged on teaching him to be a fighting dog.  He is the sweetest boy and has brought so much love and laughter to my home.  Since my divorce in '04, he has taken care of me.  I can't imagine someone wanting to make him mean. Last month Mocha was shot point blank in the chest with a shotgun.  Though he lost a lot of blood, the buckshot (lead balls) didn't hit any organs. He is healing great, is happy again and getting back to being his silly self.”
The Gracie Story: “Gracie was found in a Duncanville park ... with two broken legs back in ’09. ... It appeared she had been thrown out of a car. The vet said it looks like she had been used for multiple breeding also.”
Kim had every intention of fostering Grace, but, when they met, she says she “fell in love with her.
“She is the most lovable, silly girl and sleeps next to or on me every night with the other two dogs Mocha and Sophie. 
“Gracie was farther away from the shooter [than Mocha] so the buckshot sprayed her face, chest, back. etc. ... Unfortunately, one lead ball pierced each eye and now she is blind. She is also having a hard time hearing what direction sounds are coming from. The vet said that may get better once she re-learns to hear without sight.  She is learning to navigate the house and yard better each day though she still bumps things constantly.”
[They say that when one sense is lost, another gets stronger -- that explains why Gracie is all over Kim's pal Laura. Gracie has an improve sense of cuddle. And that photo of Mocha with granddaughter Kay demonstrates two beings who can grin. You know, of course, to click on the photos and make them larger.]
People – some of them strangers – donated more than $900 to help with the $5,000-plus in vet hospital bills, Kim said. “The animal hospital said they can't believe the dogs even survived the shooting and are recouping so well.
“ Kim said: "It has truly been a blessing. I am in awe at the love and support I have received from people -- especially those of you that I didn't even know until now -- who also love their furry children like I do.  It confirms what I've always said, "Animal lovers are the kindest people around.  I have also received sweet emails and great advice from fellow dog owners that have blind dogs offering suggestions which has really helped us adjust.  Thank you all for your love, support and encouragement for me and my babies. We can't thank you enough.  I thank God and you for helping save my little furry angels.  I will continue to support others in need from Larry's website as I have been supported."
FYI: Kim and a pal were preparing some thank-you cards for supporters of the dogs and the dogs were “signing” each card. You can see that Gracie isn’t sure what’s going on, but you can also see that Mocha looks like a president signing a happy bi-partisan bill into law! That’s a big grin.
You’ve got to think the world would be poorer without that grin.
And the dogs can sleep but you kind of have a little hope that the fellow who shotgunned them is, maybe, having some insomnia brought on by, perhaps, feelings of guilt (which I doubt) or feelings of trigger rash somewhere that’s hard to scratch.
[To nominate your slumbering critter – dog, cat, Saturnian Gleckspar, kangaroo, chupacabra, etc. –  for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, send the photo of the snoozer and information to [email protected]. Remember, at Readlarrypowell.com, we are proud to write about any being that knows how to sleep. As insomniacs, we enjoy the  sleeping though we think we are kept awake by irrational fear of the goat-sucking chupacabra – we fear the beast because we don’t know how it feels about the blood of old goats.]
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PM edition: Hogs, dogs, a cat and a bill to punish criminals...

And, so we present our PM Edition on this fine Friday, including the persistent efforts of animal fans to save the lives of dogs and cats and other animals.  Those efforts go on every day. But the big news today? The hottest topic?
The City of Irving’s anti-feral hog program. No, the hogs are not taken to the West Texas Piggy Farm to live out their lives in quiet contemplation.
DEAR IRVING: Stand by. You’re about to be the target of some letters from the “animal-types” who don’t understand why you have to kill wild hogs you capture. Heck, the Texas Agriculture Commissioner even came to town and praised your hog-killin’ program.
Might Irving now be the “wild hog-killingest city in the nation?” Paging Carl Sandburg –we need a poem for Irving, “wild hog butcher for the world.”
Literary reference. Remember Sandburg’s poem “Chicago”? It begins like this:
“CHICAGO
 Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders:
They tell me you are wicked and I believe them, for I
have seen your painted women under the gas lamps
luring the farm boys....”
Which reminds me, instead of killing these captured hogs, why didn’t Irving do what Dallas did when the Republican convention came to town and move all the painted women to Fort Worth?
I kid the authorities. And the painted women, of course.
But I am thinking of selling bumper stickers that read “Save lawns, not lives.” Because that’s what’s going on in Irving. Surely a lawn that will grow back in 2 weeks is not more important than a life that won’t return? What sense does it make to kill if you do not have to kill? Where is the morality in that, taxpayers?
You can Google several stories about this situation – see Channel 5’s HERE,
Ah, yes, got an animal problem? Solve it the old-fashioned Texas way: Let’s kill it.
And, of course, the people who set up the program have the greatest comeback of all: “What are you going to do about it, bucko? We’ve already got it rolling.”
Oh, and goodness gracious, those pigs carry disease. Yep, it’s true. But don’t tell Irving about how, as a teacher once told me, “Children are notorious carriers of disease.” We don’t want kids to become an issue in Irving. They’ll tear up your yard, too. Don't mention that.
And if you think unattended children are easier to train than a feral hog, good luck, pinhead.
A STOLEN DOG BILL: We first learned of this in an e-mail today from Dallas photographer Brad Kirby, the moving force behind Dallas’ stolen dog ordinance – his dogs were stolen and nothing could be done. So he got the city council to OK a well-intentioned ordinance meant to punish dog thieves but, in reality, simply turning do-good animal rescuers into saps with the potential for criminal records because they cared for a found animal rather than turning it into the already crowded Dallas Animal Shelter.
It is unlikely that the Dallas ordinance will be repealed.
But Mr. Kirby, a pretty nice guy, will be in Austin on Tuesday to testify before the House Committee on Jurisprudence on behalf of House Bill 1102 which makes stealing a pet a state jail felony with a punishment of between 180 days and 2 years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000 or a variation of both. The bill is sponsored by State Rep. Eddie Lucio III (D) of San Benito.
As Brad points out, “As of now, it is a Class C misdemeanor for stealing a dog. No jail time. And nothing happens to the thief. I know – it happened to me with my two huskies.” (You can read about that at www.lostdogsofdallas.com)
As it turns out,  on Friday the Texas Humane Legislation Network (www.thln.org) issued an “action alert” in support of HB 1102, noting that “Pet theft is on the rise.  Thieves use stolen pets for blackmail; for sale to dogfighters to use as "bait dogs"; and for resale at flea markets and roadside venues..”
HOARDER SITUATION IN CANTON AREA: Stephanie Mosby, the veteran rescuer, is working with  ”various East Texas rescue Groups” and the Canton Animal Shelter, to deal with several dogs taken yesterday “from a terrible hoarding situation in Van Zandt County.”
She says that many of the dogs went into local groups, but many also had to be taken in to the Canton shelter which is working with rescuers to save the dogs.
Stephanie says those most in danger include amother Rottweiler and her pups and a young Black Lab/Golden mix girl.
The puppies are, Stephanie says,  “highly adoptable but the shelter is no place for them. And my heart breaks for the mama who will easily be overlooked.”
E-mail [email protected]. Call 214-232-3644.
A CAT AND SOME DOGS: Terry Lynn Fisher, the hardworking rescuer in Burns Flat, Okla., is trying to help this cat find a place. “Her owner is going into a nursing home and she has no family or friends to take her in. She is about 7 years old, spayed and a total house cat. She is very sweet and loving and has been very pampered her entire life. We have until next weekend to get her moved, for that is when all the belongings need to be out of her home. Please help me ease this woman's mind and let her know her baby will be safe and cared for.”
And while you’re at it, you can ask Terry Lynn about the momma dog and her puppies who are being thrown out of a home because the “husband wants them gone.” It happens.
Contact Terry Lynn at 580-330-1459 or e-mail [email protected].
SPCA AND THE BIG RIDES: The SPCA of Texas is having an equine “meet and greet” from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday (the first day of Spring) at the Perry Animal Care Center, 8411 Stacy Road, in McKinney.
Yep, horses and donkeys – 7 horses and 8 donkeys waiting for new homes.
You can see them at www.spca.org/findapet. And you can fill out an adoption form at www.spca.org/adoptlivestock.
CONTEMPLATIONS: I need a nap. ... Be sure to catch our sleeping critters this weekend at www.readlarrypowell.com in our feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. ... OK, look out for the hogs. If they get cab fare, they could show up anywhere.
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The first Friday report

Ah, our Friday arrives and the world is still an unsolved puzzle.
We may not be able to make sense of much of it, but we can offer little situations to solve or support. Here we go with the daily report:
SHY, BUT THEN...: Perhaps you’ve seen a dog like this. Maybe a Frisbee dog, maybe a herding dog or, as in this case, maybe a shelter dog.
This one is named Lola and she’s at The Colony’s Animal Control shelter.
We get her story from Patricia Barrington, The Colony’s Animal Control Division Manager, who’d had taken some time off to be with the kids on spring break and came back to work at midweek to find “a very cute but equally timid little Australian Cattle Dog (blue heeler) in a ball at the back of a kennel.”
Word in the shelter was that she was extremely shy. and she appeared to be “just a lump of nerves, curled up, hoping for refuge.”
This happens. Some dogs go into a shell and don’t come out.
“I was doubtful she would come around,” says Director Barrington. “But I noticed that she was a little intrigued when I stepped on a squeaky toy.  So, she eventually approached me to sniff the squeaker I kept baiting her with.  And, then she jumped up into my lap and kissed my chin.  So, I put a leash on her and after about 10 minutes we made our way into the office, where she began cautiously interacting with the staff here. .. Lola is very comfortable in the front office; greeting customers and napping under desks, but gets very antsy in the kennel.
“The long and short of it is, Lola is a good girl; a victim of circumstances beyond her control.  She and her two feline housemates were surrendered due to financial troubles that resulted in the loss of her peoples’ home.  She is not sure about the environment here and doesn’t show well in the kennel simply because she is terrified.  But her heart is good and her temperament is sound.  She has latched on to our hearts here and as anyone in this business knows, occasionally our ol’ hearts need a bit of a lift.  Finding Lola a secure, safe and happy home would be the lift that might just get us all through another week or two on the job.”
As some of you may recall, The Colony Animal Control Division was instrumental in saving an East Texas dog named Lola a couple of years ago.
Director Barrington writes, “So, help me save, yet another Lola. Never met a Lola that didn’t deserve being saved.”
To ask about saving this dog, e-mail [email protected]  or call 972-370-9250.
PLANNING AHEAD FOR SPRING FLING PHOTOS: Now, here’s an idea. Take the picture while the dogs are clean!
Our pal Martha Denton of Paw Prints Pet Photography of Texas tells us that the Spring Fling at Snoopy’s Grooming is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday March 26.  Perfect opportunity to get your critter groomed and photographed while freshly groomed – before the pup has a chance to run out into the yard and wallow in the new spring grass clippings!
Snoopy’s is at 5156 N. Jupiter Road in Garland. Call 972-414-7387 to get an appointment. Prices on photography start at $8 and a portion of the proceeds will go to All Texas Dachshund Rescue .
I asked Martha if she’d had some tough moments trying to take these portraits and, basically, she’s very complimentary of the local animals. “Over the past 8 years of doing pet portraits, we have found most of them to be pretty cooperative and a LOT of fun. If we can get the pets to sit/stay/watch/get their ears up -- even for a split second -- we've got the image. I guess the most challenging part is to get 5 or 6 dogs (and/or cats) to do all of this simultaneously, but we have a good team.”
So, yes, sometimes it’s take a village team to raise the ears on a dog!
ANOTHER GOOD DOG DUMPED: There’s a scene in one of the “Ernest” movies where Ernest pulls a little terrier out of a trash can and asks, “Now, who would throw away a perfectly good dog?”
This is one of those instances.
We learned about this dog from Johnna Bigley, one of the hardworking volunteers who focuses on the Seagoville area. This dog is – inexplicably – a Seagoville dumpee.
He was, the story goes, “dumped out on one of our back roads to fend for himself. The area is notorious for dumping dogs and we patrol it often for this very reason.”
He’s described as ‘such a wonderful dog” and “has the greatest disposition and is very gentle and playful.”
He’s about a year old and thin. And an older fellow who lives nearby is “trying to keep an eye on him.” Volunteers are leaving food and water daily.
Coyotes are a threat to this “unsuspecting naive dog,” says Johnna’s note.
To help the dog, e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].
HELPING STRAYDOG INC. You may have seen the request, also. Straydog Inc., the legendary sanctuary near Gun Barrel City east of Dallas, is in a cash crunch. It’s a tough time to hustle money and it takes hustle to keep a no-kill sanctuary going.
The note from Straydog says the current times are hard for the sanctuary and “We are worried about even being able to purchase dog food next week.”
You can read about Straydog and see how to donate by going to www.straydog.org.
CONTEMPLATIONS: We’ll have an afternoon edition today. Stay tuned. ... Life is more interesting than we can stand sometimes. ...We were driving along I-20 in Duncanville yesterday and saw little flashes of blue on the side of the highway and my appreciativespouse Martha said, “The world is going to hell, but at least the Bluebonnets came back this year.” Can I get a big ol’ Texas “Amen!”?
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On St. Patrick's Day, some situations and maybe some blarney...

Happy St. Patrick’s Day and we assume that some of the people who celebrated it in Dallas on Saturday have made bail by now.
We’re now going to present this daily report with the optimism of a lad who has just come across a leprechaun and a pot o’ gold. We’re optimistic about every item. Here goes:
EXPECTING IN IRVING: This is one of the dogs that shelter walker Russell Posch has spotted in the Irving Animal Shelter. Her name is Bella and she was surrendered to the shelter because, the story goes, “she is too big.”
Being pregnant might add to that description.
The shy 18-month-old weighs in at 65 pounds and some of that is puppies. She’ll be smaller soon because she’s on the brink of delivery and needs a place to have her babies that isn’t a municipal shelter.
You can see more photos of her HERE. To ask about helping her, contact the shelter at 972-721-2256 or 972-721-2257 or by e-mailing [email protected].
A POSITIVE NOTE: I got a couple of copies of a note trying to get some help for this dog – and the originator of the plea was Denise Stinson, the hard-working manager of the Sulphur Springs Animal Shelter about 90 minutes northeast of Dallas on I-30.
The story is this dog had been running free for more than a month, playing with the kids in a neighborhood and going through everybody’s trash looking for food, Denise says. He was gently captured and brought into the shelter and Denise began looking for a place for him to go.
Last night, when I called Denise to check on whether she’d had success, she reported that the dog has been claimed by a Border Collie rescue group in Arizona and that the transportation details were being worked out – the trip involves a pilot and stops in such exotic locales as California. So, the dog that was digging in the trash is about to be flying high.
DUMPED: Meanwhile in Carthage, in East Texas, two more dogs have been dumped on a spot of land that seems to be attracting quite a few unwanted dogs.
We get the story from Deborah Verner Trevino, who also monitors animal situations along Malloy Bridge Road in southeast Dallas. Rescued quite a few there, in fact, and also volunteers at the Seagoville Animal Shelter.
Her friend Glynis Ritter monitors the Carthage dumping area and took photos of these two grown brothers. They’re bonded and friendly, but nobody has room for them right now, so the appeal is going out to find a rescue group or adoptor to take them together because they are ultra bonded.
Deborah reports that of the five little dogs that were living on that property, “two have now gone missing. Plus, Ebony has had pups, which she has hidden down inside a very large brush pile on the property.  The puppies can be heard if you are standing nearby.  These dogs need rescue ASAO as well, but are skiddish, so it is difficult.”
To offer to help these dogs, e-mail [email protected].
FOUND RUNNING ACROSS AN INTERSECTION: Dawna Carabajal, the veteran rescuer who has taken in her share of foundlings, tipped us to this story from her co-worker David Tarango.
She says, “He found this sweet 6 month old puppy running across the intersection of Garland and Peavy [in Dallas]... He would love to keep her, but cannot, so he is going to foster her while he tries to find her a good home.”
She appears to be a Rottweiler mix and is a puppy. David took her to a vet and “she has a clear bill of health,” he says. She’s about 6 months old and weighs 34 pounds. And she is “awesome” around the family’s poodles and cats.
She’s undergoing manners training and the plan is to get her microchipped and spayed. David’s note says he also will want to do a home visit before he lets the dog go to anyone. Whoever adopts her will receive her vet records, new bowls, food, toys, and a harness and leash.
To ask about the dog, call 214-930-0906 or 214-930-9060 or (from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. call David at work at 469-341-2808. E-mail [email protected].
CATCHING UP WITH HUTCH: It’s not hard to catch up with Hutch. He’s not on the move. He’s still in a foster home under the care of Maggie’s Angels.
You may recall that Hutch was left at a boarding facility in Fort Worth and never picked up. The owner moved off and left the dog behind to be someone else’s problem.
Jennifer Limvorratre of Maggie’s Angels says the foster home reports that Hutch, who is under a year old and weighs about 45 pounds, “is doing great with their dogs and is house-trained.”
He just can’t seem to find a permanent home. To offer to help, e-mail [email protected] or call 817-897-1382.
FROM THE COCKFIGHTING ARENA: We’ve heard from someone who formerly lived near the site of the recent raid in Cedar Hill and says, “I, along with several neighbors, called several years ago to complain because it was so obvious what was going on. The neighbors would see them putting the sharp claws on...and the roosters were clearly exotic. They even built a separate barn even though no one lived there. Animal Control came out a few times and looked around but did nothing. Thank God they finally got them though.”
FIVE YEARS AT SECOND CHANCE SPCA? FIVE YEARS? Holy smoke, who can believe time passes that swiftly. Well, they’ll be celebrating this fifth birthday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Second Chance SPCA Shelter, 501 Alma Drive, in Plano. Doesn’t cost you to get in and you may find a new friend.
Also, the SC-SPCA’s “special guest” for the event is Animal Communicator Sandra Larson who will demonstrate “her special talent in communicating with our beloved four-legged creatures at the birthday party,” the SC-SPCA news release says. She’ll do 15-minute sessions for a limited number of readings. To get your reservation, e-mail your preferred time and the name of your pet to [email protected].
CONTEMPLATIONS: Things may be changing in the world of philately. Yesterday in my hometown paper, the Texarkana Gazette, I saw a story announcing that the U.S. Postal Service has combined some offices and, now,  a letter mailed in Texarkana no longer will be postmarked Texarkana but will be postmarked Shreveport. Texarkana is in two states – and neither of them is Louisiana. The postmarks used to read “TEXARKANA USA” to keep from having to put either Texas or Arkansas first, as I recall (but my memory may be off quite a bit.) ... Saw this on The Drudge Report. If you click HERE you’ll read a story from Great Britain about the world’s most expsnsive dog, a Red Tibetan Mastiff -- $1.5 million. I guarantee you, if the pattern holds true, within 5 years you’ll be able to adopt them out of shelters around here. Just like Shar Peis and Dalmatians and Italian Greyhounds and any other dog that catches the fantasy of the porton of the public classified as having more money than brains. ....  Good movie to watch to celebrate St. Patrick’s day: Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter and Cecil Kellaway in 1948’s The Luck Of The Irish —a newspaperman’s encounter with romance and a leprechaun. If you can’t find that, try Disney’s Darby O’Gill and the Little People with Sean Connery and Janet Munro and a banshee that’ll scare the blarney out of you if you’re 10 years old, it’s 1959 and you’re sitting in the dark at the Paramount Theater in Texarkana. On second thought, find a nice Irish romance from 1952: John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in The Quiet Man. Whatever happens, find something to enjoy today that doesn’t include a headache tomorrow.
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Neck dog, eye dog; big dogs, little dogs and crowded shelter...

Hello, midweek. Please deposit $5 into the Readlarrypowell.com gasoline fund and continue reading.
I’m kidding. But, please, do keep reading. We don’t need gasoline to keep the keyboard clicking. We’re fueled by bad calories and lousy coffee. Here goes (and be sure you read about the Collin County Animal Services animals -- it's going to be a tough day there):
WHAT THEY FOUND WHILE LOOKING FOR OTIS: Yesterday we reported that Kimberly Jones and Maria Llano, were looking for one of their former rescues, Catahoula Hound Otis, who was, they theorized, stolen from a yard near Garland Road and Barnes Bridge Road in Dallas. After all, he was wearing an Elizabethan collar and it wasn’t found and he’d have needed help getting out of the yard, Kim says. Stolen seems logical.
But, just in case, the two of them went to the neighborhood and began a walk-through yesterday in hopes of finding a sign of Otis or maybe even Otis himself. That’s Otis in the picture on the right.
They did not find Otis or his collar, but they did find something unexpected. She says they “saw this poor Rottweiler with a damaged eye in a backyard....He needs immediate vet are. People live here and have obviously not taken him to a vet.”
[AFTERNOON UPDATE FROM DAS: Officers were sent to this house twice to check on the rottie. Today the family told DAS the dog is under treatment for glaucoma. May be other developments. Stay tuned.]
As you may be able to tell from this phone photo shot from a distance, the Rottie’s eye is distressed. Kim says, “This eye has been like this for a while. It is dead. It needs to be removed. It was out of the socket.”
They did not speak to the people at the home because, she says, “That is a bad neighborhood.”
I asked Kim what happens next and she says she’s calling 311 to report the neglect situation.
If anyone has any other ideas for helping this dog, e-mail [email protected].
If you know Otis’ whereabouts, call   214-627-7783 or 214-914-7138.
ANOTHER ROTTIE: it is amazing how these big, good-natured dogs wind up in a fix. They’re so huggable.
This one is in the care of Maggie’s Angels. Jennifer Limvorratre is trying to find a home for 4- or 5-year-old, neutered Sam. He’s microchipped, his shots are current and he’s on flea preventative.
And he’s being treated for heartworms – so he needs a quiet place for a while.
He came into the group’s care after being pulled from death row at a local shelter.
“He has been with children and is very gentle and laid back,” according to the Maggie’s Angels report. “He is an absolutely wonderful companion.”
To ask about adopting this big ol’ dawg or to volunteer to foster or help him in other ways, e-mail [email protected].
UPDATING AND MORE DOGS: Collin County Animal Services is packed tight and some of those endangered dogs include the three boy Pom mixes we wrote about last week.  But that's not all.
Earlier this week we mentioned this dog Angel, turned in to the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney with a collar imbedded in her neck.
She was not congenial about this. But she found an angel, our tipster, the shelter walker DeDe Whitcombe tells us today.
This person wants to remain anonymous, but she picked up Angel and dropped her at a vet’s yesterday. Surgery is scheduled today to repair the damage done by the growth of the dog’s flesh around the collar.
You can’t blame this dog for being touchy, can you? Well, she is and the hope is that being out of pain and distress will allow her to rebuild her sweeter tendencies.
DeDe says the rescuer “did not ask for a dime,” but was simply interested in helping the dog. It won’t be cheap. So DeDe says people who would like to donate to the dog’s care can do so through the 380 West Animal Hospital in McKinney “and tell them you would like to donate toward the surgery of the black bully girl brought in from CCAS ... that ahs the atrocious infected wound on her neck.” Call the hospital at 214-544-7882 or write to 380 West Animal Hospital, 4701 W. University Drive, McKinney, Texas, 75071.
In the meantime, DeDe is hustling to find a way to help these other two dogs get off Death Row at the crowded Collin County Animal Services Shelter. The place is “full to the brim once again with 20 dogs in” on Tuesday.
The Chow mix’s (left) stray hold is up, so he’s moving onto the “euthanasia list.” DeDe says he’s a good-natured playful dog who enjoys being with people.
Then there is the “sweet older boy” Jefferson who is an owner-surrender who moved to the head of the euthanasia list today. He’s an Aussie mix and he’s “scared,” DeDe reports.
To help any of these animals, call the shelter at 972-547-7298 or e-mail [email protected]. You can see the Collin County Animal Services critters HERE. Among them you'll see the little Pom mixes -- Little Boy, Baby Boy and Boo (left) -- three of four Poms dumped at the shelter when a family was squeezed by the economy. The girl dog, Jordan, was taken in by a rescue group, but the three terrified, once-loved boys were left to die. Just doesn't seem right, does it?  
SHELTER CHIC’S NEW VIDEO: Last week we mentioned the premier of Shelter Chic’s latest video of a shelter dog who’d gotten a free makeover – in this case the dog is Farrah Furcett from the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake. You can see the transformation HERE and it features two humans we’ve written about, Jaime Anderson, host of the video, and Krista Mc Anally, the manager of the Humane Society of Cedar Creek  Shelter at Tool, Texas.
You can see the first video in the series HERE. That includes Jaime and Dr. Erin Shults, founder of Maizie’s Mission, with the makeover subject, an “Irish Wolfotter” known as Isabella.
[FYI: Dr. Shults is profiled in the current issue of Urban Animal Magazine.]
Jaime, who maintains in the initial video that “the perfect pet is waiting for you at your local shelter,” also advises people determined to buy purebreds to go to a shelter and check first and that “buying a dog from a breeder is like paying retail and you’re so much smarter than that.”
GETTING A BREAK ON HOCKEY TICKETS: The Dallas Stars and the Metroplex Animal Coalition are teaming up to help animals. The Stars are offering discounted tickets to upcoming games and $5 from each ticket sold will go to MAC.
The home games remaining are against Chicago on March 17; Philadelphia on March 129, Anaheim on March 23, Columbus on April 5 and Colorado on April 7.
To order the discount tickets call Megan Walker at 214-387-5514 or email [email protected] or go online to http://stars.nhl.com/pet and include the offer code: stars.
COMTEMPLATIONS: I’ve been a reporter for a longtime but I’m still trying to figure out when the term “broadsided” morphed into “T-boned.” Being “struck broadside” seems to have more dignity than “T-boned.” I guess I am “old school.”... Change is good? Change is bad? Has your opinion changed? ...Anybody else tune into that “business network” commercial on TV long enough to hear the line “We teach inventory to learn.”? What in the world does that mean? Who would write that without having to take an anti-nausea pill to combat the effects of pomposity?
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PM EDITION: Shot dog; stolen dog...

Here’s our Readlarrypowell.com PM Edition for March 15. We’ll touch on an odd case and a potential theft.
SHOT AND QUILLED: Holy smoke. Here’s a strange one from our rescue pal Terry Lynn Fisher in Burns Flat, Okla. She’s working with a woman from just outside the town. “She said a pit showed up at her house and was in very bad shape. Her description was the dog is very skinny, had porcupine quills all in her face, wounds all over her body and the worse was a large hole behind one of her ears that looks as if it might actually be a gunshot from a small caliber weapon.”
UPDATE: About 12:30 p.m. we got an update from Terry Lynn who had just spoken to Dr. Bill Noble, the vet caring for this dog. "This poor creature is full of infection," Terry Lynn reports. "[Dr. Noble] said the wound behind her ear is 'horrific' and the porcupine quills have her entire face and head swollen. He is honestly surprised she is still alive. He thinks she will survive but it will be a long, hard painful road to get her back to normal.
"Through it all, she is still so sweet and loving . She has never snapped at any of the hands that have touched her painful wounds.
"She survived through all this -- please help me keep her alive and make her life better. She fought death. We need to help her continue to do so."
That's the update.
Shot behind the ear sounds like a failed execution -- unless someone can find a porcupine who carries a Saturday Night Special in case he runs oiut of quills.
Terry Lynn is out of town so she asked the woman to take the dog to the vet today.
The dog “appears to have had several litters before.”
That could enforce the theory of a “failed execution” because, sometimes, when puppy mills are done with dogs, they get rid of them the easiest way possible. And, some of you urban dwelles may not realize it, but bullets are cheaper than the gasoline it takes to drive to a shelter.
In the meantime, Terry Lynn says, “I have been so swamped at the pound. I have moved over 20 in the past month, but as soon as I move 2, three more come in --all this in a town under 1800 people.”
For this wounded dog there will be no room at the pound. And, Terry Lynn says, “It is not a good place for an animal with any open wounds for sure. So, once again, I am pleading for help.
The dog needs help with vet bills and with a place to stay, Terry Lynn says.
Contact Terry Lynn at [email protected] or 580-330-1459.
You can reach the Elk Creek Animal Clinic at 580-225-4863 or write to Dr. Bill Noble, Elk Creek Animal Clinic, 1301 Airport Industrial Road, Elk city, Ok. 73644-1924.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT DALLAS: The story of this possibly purloined Catahoula came to us via Kimberly Jones who joined with her rescue pal Maria Llano to adopt this dog out of the Garland Animal Shelter.
The dog was apparently stolen from a back yard in the Casa View/Casa Linda area of Dallas around 11 a.m. on Sunday.
The foster family lives on Barbarosa. The dog’s name is Otis “and we desperately want him back,” says Kim.
Otis was in the backyard, with a chain link fence and a closed gate. When the foster got home, he was missing, says Kim. “He was wearing an Elizabethan collar due to his neuter incision being infected, so no way could he have slipped through a hole without getting the e-collar off first and the e-collar was nowhere to be found”
Otis, a year-and-a-half-old, had been out of the shelter less than a week and he needs meds for his infection.
Shelters, neighbors and websites have been alerted.
If you know Otis’ whereabouts call 214-627-7783 or 214-914-7138.
FIRST EDITION READING TIP: Be sure to read our morning edition. And, fyi, we know some people have already contacted the DA’s office about the antifreeze poisoning of Lucy the Pug mix. They have been told the case is still in the hands of the police. Justice is moving at a deliberate pace.  Public interest in a case helps motivate the pace of the system.
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Rescues, revulsion and irony on the Ides of March...

Good morning. Good grief. Holy mackerel and all sorts of expressions at the mid-point of March, 2011. To use an expression in my native tongue, “Idus martii!”
THE FAMILY TREE: Goodness, gracious, another mother dog has “made do” with what she had. For the past couple of weeks we’ve been reporting on a dog that was lucky enough to be rescued before she had her puppies.  This one was not so fortunate.
Thanks to Jonnie England, the longtime rescuer and animal activist, we have a story about a momma dog who adapted in a world that was offering nothing to her.
Jonnie is not an infrequent rescuer. Her eyes are always open to wandering or distressed animals. That will help explain why a simple drive from her house to a nature center can be interrupted by what most of us would see as “an extraordinary event” of the “something weird happened to me today” variety.
Jonnie explains, “I had an interesting rescue Saturday.  It was a success, but now we need a foster home for a mama dog and two 4-week-old puppies.”
It was Saturday afternoon, a lovely day weather-wise, and Jonnie was driving to the Trinity River Audubon Center on South Loop 12. Her route took her past Glendale Park on East Ledbetter. That’s between Lancaster Road and Houston School Road on the southeastern side of Dallas.
Jonnie says she noticed the dog in the park and “she turned out to be a sweet, short-haired Border Collie-terrier mama dog and her two 4-week-old puppies who were living in the hollow of a large tree. 
“I was able to get a leash around the mama dog but wasn’t sure how to get the puppies, who were huddled far back inside the tree. 
“I called Lt. Scott Walton at Dallas Animal Services, and ACO Kari Waddle was on the scene in less than 15 minutes.  It took about 45 minutes, but Kari was finally able to reach the puppies after crawling halfway into the tree trunk! 
“Several people stopped to talk to us, including one man named Paul who said the puppies were born on Feb. 9 and that there were 9 of them originally.  He had been coming every day to feed the mama and brought some old clothes as bedding for her nest.
“We also learned that a woman came by last week and took all the puppies, then returned later in the day with a few of them.
“My guess is that she sold as many of the babies as she could from the trunk of her car someplace, then brought back the ones she couldn’t sell—but who knows?  “Mama dog—I’m calling her Bridget since St. Patty’s Day is coming up—and her two little girl puppies are safe at Dallas Animal Services, but they’re too young to be adopted.”
Jonnie says Metroplex Mutts will take the dogs into that rescue program if a foster home can be found. So, for now, they’re at the shelter awaiting a good-hearted volunteer to step up and foster the family. Volunteer by e-mailing [email protected].
The photos of this rescue were taken by Jonnie – except for the last one, which was not because that’s Jonnie posing with the Bridget Family.
EARLY THIS MORNING: The big paper in Dallas has a story about a guy charged with cruelty after he forced the neighbor’s dog to drink antifreeze. You can Google it and get angry. Or, you can calmly contact the Dallas County District Attorney’s office to encourage full prosecution of the case.  You can get the contact info at www.dallasda.com and you can write to DA Craig Watkins at Dallas County District Attorney’s Office, Frank Crowley Courts Building, 133 N. Riverfront Blvd., LB 19, Dallas, Texas 75207. Call 214-653-3600 or fax 214-653-5774.
In her capacity of Director of Animal Advocacy for the Metroplex Animal Coalition, we asked the aforementioned Jonnie England about this case. She responded, "Death by antifreeze poison is a horrifying, agonizing way to die. And that was after little Lucy was savagely beaten. [The accused, Larry] Washington already has a criminal past, and he obviously has a violent nature.
"Our Dallas County District Attorney's Office is very tough on animal abusers and I hope that they will be able to change this misdemeanor charge to a State Jail Felony with the enhancement of a deadly weapon -- the antifreeze. If that happens, Washington could receive a maximum of 10 years in prison -- which is the minimum he deserves for such a heinous, vicious crime against an innocent being."
(Larry aside: This DA has a history of vigorous prosecution of animal cases. Anyone who counts on votes to keep his job can always use encouragement from voters.)
(Personal note: One night at a Dallas veterinary emergency clinic, I watched a weeping family saying goodbye to a dog in agony after drinking antifreeze left out in the family garage. This is such a horrible thing. I’m not sure what the maximum penalty is for this crime, but whatever it is, it isn’t enough. Forward this to anyone you can – send the link www.readlarrypowell.com or just cut and paste it. But make sure the word gets out that good people in Dallas want the animals protected, after all, as the latest civic campaign declares “DALLAS LOVES ANIMALS.”)
A WHOLE LOT OF CHICKENS: Good grief, how can there be a cockfighting ring in a sweet little place like Cedar Hill, a vibrant town south of Dallas on U.S. 67? That’s what’s alleged. The SPCA of Texas spent Monday dealing with roosters and hens confiscated in a raid with the Cedar Hill Police at 551 Knight St. The raid also found 1,000 eggs (don’t know how many would have been roosters with a fighting pedigree), 587 fighting roosters, hens and chicks, 10 dogs and puppies, two rabbits and two geese. And, the SPCA says, the “bodies of two roosters that appeared to have died from fighting were also found.”
The SPCA reports that most of the chickens were housed in makeshift cage and hutches “that were lined up as far as the eye could see....Some were running loose on the property, some were running loose inside a house and many others were housed in pens in a bar.” The eggs were either in incubators or in roosting houses. (See photos HERE.)
Other details will probably come out in the custody hearing on March 22 at the Cedar hill Municipal Court, 285 Uptown Blvd. in Cedar Hill. 
Cockfighting is a felony in Texas. And the roosters are being kept somewhere under armed guard until the custody hearing.
And why would that be?
It would be because the people involved in cockfighting are mean and don’t really pay attention to laws. If they weren’t so darned mean, would it take armed officers to raid these places? Heck, no, they’d just send in the Gentle Sweet Ladies of Community Harmony Church asking, “Please. mister, won’t you give us your chickens?”
You’ve got to figure that people involved in cockfighting won’t have any qualms about dogfighting. Maybe that’s just a supposition, but, why take a chance. Get all their phone records and track the money.
HERE’S A BILLBOARD QUESTION: Jean-Paul Bonnelly, who is currently involved in few rescue efforts AND spent the weekend helping Sasha the Unwanted Dog deliver nearly a dozen unwanted puppies, has a billboard question. And, yes, we know that there was a bus ad campaign with the fantastic slogan “Real Men Neuter.”
But J-P, with a wealth of experience in “bad” neighborhoods, wonders if anyone has considered going the billboard route, i.e., having billboards “strategically placed in areas with high stray dog populations. I know it would probably take a fund-raising campaign to get that kind of money or maybe even a grant.”
Might not be cheap – but there might be some outdoor advertising people who’d be willing to do something pro bono. J-P suggests that the billboards be in English and Spanish and perhaps have “the horrific number of animals euthanized in Dallas alone each year.”
Anybody got any idea regarding billboards? Feel free to contribute ideas and opinions by clicking on the COMMENTS button at the end of today's report.
REVISITING AND REHOMING: Last summer Sefnee Hatton found three little Boxer-mix pups abandoned in a big empty parking lot in Fort Worth. She found homes for all three, but now, there’s a hitch.
“Unfortunately the family who adopted one of them is no longer in a position to keep the puppy (8 months old now). ... I desperately want to find him a home. I feel responsible for him and I don’t want them to take him to a pound where he will be euthanized. ... He looks less boxer now that he’s older.”
Yet, he definitely has a boxer look about him – long front legs, great mug, sensational ears...and he’s obviously good with a kid.
He’s current on shots, not yet neutered, but housetrained and happy to be inside with one kid. He’s a playful guy.
He’s just in a tight spot for now. To ask about him, call the current human at 817-929-9167 or e-mail [email protected] or Sefnee at [email protected].
THE ARGUMENTS IN AUSTIN: Texas House Bill #1451 is pitting animal-lovers against animal-lovers. The Texas Humane Legislation Network (www.thln.org) is pushing for passage of the bill which, the THLN says, will dramatically reduce the number of puppy mills in the state. The Responsible Pet Owners Alliance (www.responsiblepetowners.org) says the bill will lead to an end to pet ownership in Texas. I’ve shorthanded both sides' opinions, but that’s so you, dear Readers, can go to the respective sites and study the issue. And in case you haven’t been keeping up, the public hearing on “HB1451—Large-Scale Commercial Breeder Bill” is scheduled today in Austin – supposed to start at 8 a.m. but it’s Austin, so who really knows. When you see a bumper sticker reading “Keep Austin Weird” you kind of think of the Legislature, don’t you? The hearing is under the auspices of the House Committee on Licensing & Administrative Procedures.
SEAGOVILLE VOLUNTEERS KEEP HUSTLING: Determined to make the little Seagoville, Texas, city shelter a “true no-kill shelter,” volunteers are hustling donations of funds and supplies and adoptors and support for the efforts of Sgt. Karl Bailey who is in charge of the facility.
Seagoville has a population of under 20,000 people and is in southeast Dallas County with just a little bit easing over into Kaufman County.
We got the request from help from Johnna Bigley, one of the volunteers who has taken the shelter on as a “cause.” She says that the shelter “is in desperate need of funds to be used for the animals’ veterinary needs and emergencies.” There’s a “Chip-In” account HERE. Donations may be made via check to Seagoville Animal Shelter with “Donation” in the memo area. Send those to Seagoville Police Department, 600 North Hwy 175, Seagoville, TX 75159.
As veterans of animal rescue and welfare know, city councils are notoriously cheap when it comes to budgeting funds for animal shelters. Takes a lot of browbeating, arm-twisting and, for lack of a better term, “vigorous explanation.”
The shelter is at 1330 E. Malloy Bridge Road. Call 972-287-6838 and leave a message for Sgt. Bailey if you’d like to volunteer or adopt a critter from the shelter. E-mail [email protected].
These are just two of several long-timers at the little shelter. The mostly white dog with the black markings is Daisy, described as “as sweet as they come and extremely well-mannered and gentle, too.” She’s under 2 years old and weighs in at 45 pounds. You can see her video HERE. In action, she looks kind of Dalmatianesque.
She definitely looks like she’d be a happy homedog.
See more Seagoville long-timers HERE including this guy Bart. Here’s how the shelter describes Bart The Dog: “This is one very special boy who gets along with everyone, including other dogs, big or small, and will already sit on command.  Bart is a stunning blue Staffordshire bull terrier, approx. 1 year old and weighs an estimated 50 lbs.  His body is magnificent and his coloring is absolutely gorgeous!”
Oh, and yesterday we cited Carrollton’s cat Archie for his championship whiskers. As you can see in this photo, Seagoville has a whisker contender. These world class whiskers belong to a black-and-white cat named Princess. She’s waiting for a home with someone who can help her get over her trust issues.
SPEAKING OF CARROLLTON: The Carrollton euthanasia list for Wednesday morning has had some adoptions and rescues, but there are still several animals that need saving. Among them is this dog Phillip who, surely, has the most sincere dog face ever found in a public shelter.
Look at that – he ought to be posing for a book jacket – as the author. He’s a hound/pointer mix who turned up loose in Carrollton and wound up in the shelter. Phillip weighs 36.5 pounds, is good with new people and loves to meet them. He also likes other dogs. He’s a talker, too, and the suggestion is that he needs to be reminded of when it’s OK to be a talker and when it’s best to let your expressive face do the talking.
You can watch Phillip in action HERE and you can ask about adopting him by contacting Carrollton’s Joe Skenesky at 972-466-3420 or [email protected]. See more of Carrollton’s endangered animals at http://joesanimalhouse.com.
A GREAT PYR NEEDS A PLACE TO GO: My friend Ancil Jennings in New Boston, Texas, up in the northeast corner of the state, has some friends who are desperate to find a home for their 2-year-old Great Pyrenees. You know the dogs – big, white, fluffy, beautiful and born to work. They guard and they herd and they need a job.
This one is named Bo-chan, which is, Ancil is told, “Japanese for ‘little boy.’” And, of course, a Pyr is not little. Bo-chan is, however, gentle and friendly and housebroken. But he’s got to find a home. The first family that had him didn’t have the inclination to train him for a non-working life. The current owners have not had a good experience with him because he has not been trained and doesn’t know what is expected of him. Bo-chan has some protective issues. He also recently had an encounter with a neighbor’s cattle, basically, cut a calf from the herd, ran off with it and when found he was making no effort to hurt the calf but was licking it, perhaps as an invitation to play or may as “I’ve got someone to look after.”
To ask about helping Bo-chon find a place to live, call his current humans at 903-628-1076 or e-mail Ancil at [email protected].
THE RESCUE: Lynn Gatlin of Project Pawz in Corsicana sent us a link to a story about a dramatic rescue of  “The Golden Girls.” Click HERE to read Lynn’s story.”
YAZHI’S STATUS: You may remember that last week we reported on Dallas Animal Services staffer Janet Henderson’s efforts to help Yazhi, a little Chihuahua who, suffering from a splintered leg, was dumped into the overnight box at the shelter. The report from Janet is “Yazhi is doing very well.”
In this photo, she’s shown “resting” with her pal Olivia, though the “resting” including some playing until Olivia “went to live with her new mommy on Sunday,” Janet says. Yazhi continues to undergo treatment. (That’s Yazhi shortly after surgery sweetly sleeping.)
And Yazhi continues to have a medical bill. You can help at this “chip-in” site HERE.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Here’s an irony related to that SPCA/Cedar Hill Police raid on the alleged cockfighting site. The custody hearing will be in the Cedar Hill city offices, now in a fascinating building on Uptown Boulevard. But the city offices, until a couple of years ago, were in the heart of downtown Cedar Hill in a one-story brick building that has since been converted into – get this –  Babe’s Chicken Dinner House. You can’t fight chickens in Texas, but you can eat them. OK, that’s my vegetarian wisecrack for the day. And, by the way, I have been to Babe’s – I went for the biscuits. One of the downfalls of my philosophy of life and dieting is I consider the biscuit to be a vegetable. ... In honor of the Ides of March, we offer THIS. You’re welcome.
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On Monday morning, animal crises, blessed events and contemplation...

It’s Monday morning and, as we adjust to the time change, we’ve got a lot of things to discuss: Sasha's had her puppies; Legacy Boxer Rescue is desperate for foster homes and there’s a “situation” with dogs rescued from the Irving shelter and facing a tough spot. Even more stories. And, please, take some time to read today's "Contemplation" about Sasha and her pups and her people. Read on:
THE CRISIS WITH THE IRVING DOGS: Longtime Irving Shelter Walker Russell Posch, the guy who photographs the shelter’s dogs and posts them, sent us this note Sunday and it contains some good news and some potentially bad news.
The good news is, he says, the “Irving shelter has not euthanized for space in a couple of months.”
Why is that? “This is due,” says Russell, “to a group of Irving Shelter friends who formed on Facebook. They have created chip-ins to board injured and urgent dogs until they could be rescued and have experienced phenomenal success.”
At the end of February, he says, a case of parvo turned up at the shelter. These Friends created a “chip-in” so people could finance boarding the endangered dogs off-site while the shelter was sanitized – the alternative was euthanizing the dogs.
These dogs will soon (possibly within a week, be returned to the shelter where they will be at risk of euthanasia again. Russell says, “Their boarding is paid for through March 16. They are, however, out of sight of visitors to the shelter and are therefore unlikely to be adopted.”
They’re all healthy and available – they just don’t have any way of getting to people. You can see their photos HERE.
These three dogs include the happy countenance of Rollie, a 3-year-old Chocolate Lab who came in as a stray; Tillie, a young shepherd mix who came in as a stray; and Wera, a 2-year-old 53-pound pit who came in as an owner-surrender.
Who knows what is going through the minds of these dogs? Caught, dumped, moved and now they don’t even know what’s up next and it might be bad – depends on how people react to their photos or to them.
How can you meet these dogs? Contact shelter supervisor Laura Forsythe at [email protected]. Call the shelter at 972-721-2256 or 972-721-2257 or after hours at 972-721-3597.
The Irving Shelter has, though some hard work of people on the staff and people outside the staff, moved quite a distance away from the shelter that, only a few years ago, was inspiring outraged citizens to show up at council meeting after council meeting to demand that something done to make the shelter a “shelter” and not just a holding pen for doomed animals.
AN IMBEDDED COLLAR: Look, let’s be honest about this collar thing. An imbedded collar is proof that there’s an idiot loose. We got this note last night – I’m not sure what time it was because I’m still confused about the time change. But I do know that it was late dark when I got the note and it came from our reliable Collin County Animal Services shelter walkin’ tipster DeDe Whitcombe.
She’s not met the dog personally but a friend has and that friend says the dog just came in Sunday and “it is pretty bad and the baby is in pain.”
In case you don’t know what “imbedded” means, it means someone put a collar on the dog when it was little and never changed the collar no matter how big the dog’s neck got. The flesh of the dog grew around the collar – it’s ugly. And painful. And potentially fatal.
DeDe says she’s sure the shelter will release the dog for medical treatment if some group or reliable individual will step up to help.
Contact the shelter’s hard-working Lisa Drummonds at 972-547-7298 or e-mail [email protected].
And if you find the person who let this happen to this dog, well – hang on. Suggesting a necktie party would be wrong. So just forget that. Lovely thought though. Time change is making me cranky.
BOXERS NEED SOME FOSTER HOMES: The Legacy Boxer Rescue group – whose web address clearly states the mission: savetheboxers.com – needs some homes for some of those saved boxers. There seems to have been an explosion of unwanted boxers in the area.
Foster Mom Lorie Tomlinson, who we’ve known ever since she took over the care of a shotgunned Boxer named Magnum, says that Legacy’s “BIN (Boxers in Need) page is exploding in massive numbers lately.” In spite of help from Austin Boxer Rescue, there are still more dogs than places.
To ask about fostering a Boxer or some Boxers, go to www.savetheboxers.com and click on “How to Help.” You fill out the form and Legacy will be in touch.
Lorie proclaims, “It is an awesome and very rewarding experience.”
What are these boxers like? Some are stray, some are dumped, some are starved and some are just starved for affection. They need humans to help them. See them HERE.
We’ve picked three to spotlight. you can read their stories on that BIN page – the two pictured next to each other, the white one and the brown one, are brothers who have spent their entire lives almost unattended in a backyard and now the family is having a new baby and the dogs have to go (I guess to make room for the kid in the backyard at some point). The other dog is an older fellow who was picked up as a stray with two other dogs. The family was contacted about the three dogs and decided the shelter could just keep the dogs. So, of course, owner-surrenders move to the top of “the list.”
These are the hard luck dogs who would be helped by a loving foster home.
AVAILABLE IN GARLAND: Kimberly Jones sent us this note last night about Dog #A146742 in the Garland Animal Shelter. “He is free to adopt and that includes his shot sand his neutering,” she says. “He needs out. Very urgently.”
Her note says he’s been at the shelter since Feb. 19 and “been there longer than any other dog at this shelter. He’s still a young pup – under a year old.”
He’s believed to be a Dobie/Rottie mix, maybe more one than the other – who knows?
What is certain is he’s in a shelter and he needs a way out. Garland Animal Service's phone is 972-205-3570. Rescue groups should call Luis Martinez at 972-205-3571.
LIMPING DOG AT PRAIRIE PAWS: This official Earhound is a fellow named Captain. Veteran shelter walker Debbie Barclay got in touch with us about helping Captain. He’s at the Prairie Paws Adoption Center in Grand Prairie.
Debbie describes him as “another hard luck case.” She says, “Captain is a wonderful boy, neutered, sweet as can be, good with all other dogs.  We discovered he is deaf, and he needs someone to work with him on signing. 
“Also, the staff thinks he slipped on the ice during the recent ice storm, and has been limping on his hind leg.  Captain is in high danger of being euthanized because he has been at the shelter so long.  We appreciate you working your ‘magic’ if you can!”
As Debbie knows, the “magic” comes from our wonderful Readers who have, for years, jumped through hoops and pulled together to save countless dogs and cats.
Captain is A087322, “gets along with everyone and crates beautifully.”
To ask about Captain, contact shelter supervisor jerry Horn at 972-237-8571 or [email protected] or shelter volunteer coordinator Ann Joiner-Carroll at 972-237-8582 or [email protected].
CARROLLTON CRITTERS: Oh, man, does Carrollton have some cases. We got these from the weekend adoptions report issued by the shelter’s senior animal advisor Joe Skenesky.
Sage is a shepherd mix who wound up in the shelter after a number of years as a family dog because – sound the trumpets – the human had a new baby “and through she [Sage] would play too rough to stay in the home.”
The shelter says she’s a “friendly but cautious lady who likes to run and play and can get a bit rough at times.” She’s 2, spayed, weights 678 pounds, house-trained and, once she warms up, “is all tail wags and kisses and just wants to be your new best friend.”
Because she is “cautious,” she doesn’t show well in a shelter situation. A rescue group could do wonders with her, Joe thinks. So, she’s available only to rescuers with experience.
Now we come to two different kinds of animals with two distinct physical characteristics. And, if the State Fair of Texas gave such an award, Archie the Cat would get the blue ribbon for having a championship set of whiskers.
Of course, Pokey the Chihuahua would be in the running for “Champion Earhound.” He has a great set of ears and, in fact, they look as if he might have gotten them from a blue ribbon Brangus. Seriously, Google Brangus and note the similarity.
Archie the Cat was found wandering in an apartment complex. You can see his video HERE.
Pokey is available to rescue groups only. And why is that? Because Pokey has a bit of a caution issue. She’s very little and very young. Some local folks found her and thought they’d keep her “but then decided they did not want a dog, so they brought her here to find herself a new home,” Joe writes.
She is 8 to 10 weeks old and weighs under 3 pounds. “She is a very cautious little lady, and takes a bit to get to know a new person her before trusting them. When she is scared in full Chihuahua fashion she turns into a land piranha and snaps and threatens to bite.
“One her first day here she snapped at everyone, then she turned around and with me she is as friendly she can be, but with those she does not know she is still snappy and growls a bit. We are making her available to rescues only so she can have time to adjust to a new home, and so they can be sure she goes to a proper home where her new people will understand her behaviors.”
To ask about any Carrollton critter, call 972-466-3420 or e-mail [email protected].
And if you want to see more, visit Joe’s Animal House HERE.
CONTEMPLATION: We’ve got just one topic for a contemplation this edition and you’ll see that it is far-ranging. And you’ll notice right away that it has to do with a blessed event. What you should contemplate – especially if you are new to the world of animal rescue and welfare— is how all this worked out.
How in the world did a pregnant dog survive in one of the toughest areas of Dallas, south of downtown and west of I-45 and Fair Park at Grand and Harwood. It’s not an area where you’d find showdogs being primped for Westminster.
Several people – unknown to each other, it turns out – had been monitoring this dog as she survived on the streets and in a field which, probably is better described as “a vacant lot.” And by "monitoring" I mean waiting for an opportunity to grab her, loop her, leash her, coax her or just flat bribe her with food. Some dogs are stubborn -- maybe they don't trust humans.
At any rate. she was lured to safety by Tomi Jasso, who’d been told about the dog by her niece who was afraid of the area. And the dog, obviously pregnant, was taken to Dallas Animal Services.
Word went out about this pregnant dog and Dallas Animal Services began making moves to help the dog. Jean-Paul Bonnelly realized this was the dog he’d been trying to catch – OK, J-P has several "trying to catches" going on at a time, usually. He volunteered to take over the care of the dog, by now called Sasha.
Over the weekend Sasha went into sincere labor.
Now, here’s where you need to do some contemplatin’: What happens if nobody helps the dog? What has happened because some jerk didn’t get the dog fixed? And, who’s going to pay for all this?
We’ve already got taxpayers spending money on the animal shelter. We’ve got volunteers burning up gasoline and risking their lives to save somebody else’s dog. And there’s going to be some spending done over helping get the puppies and the mother to an adoptable state at Operation Kindness, which has volunteered to take the family. Quite a bill is being run up because someone would not take advantage of a low-cost spay/neuter program such as that run by the Metroplex Animal Coalition.
Why wouldn’t someone take advantage of that? It’s a one-word answer: “Stupid.” That’s an umbrella word that also covers “don’t give a damn” -- that's probably a bigger sin than “stupid.” Though you have to figure that ignorance -- not understanding biology, maybe -- is a factor, too. Probably, though, "don't give a damn" reigns supreme.
So, here’s this poor knocked-up mixed-breed dog out in the streets with no proper vet care and no real understanding of her situation. Humans team up to get her to safety. And, how many pups does she deliver?
She’s not a show dog being tended to as if she were royalty. Nope, she doesn’t have just one or two. Here, read J-P’s account of what happened at his house on Saturday – keep reading and you’ll get a surprise:
“So Sasha had her puppies today [started sometime between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. Saturday]. They are so cute!  All different colors.  At first she had a total of 9 puppies but later Puppy #8 passed away.  Shortly after, she had a 10th puppy but he was stillborn.  I was heartbroken.  Poor kiddos.  I wish there was something I could have done for them, but I know sometimes things like this happen as sad as they are.
“On a happy note, the 8 remaining puppies seem to be doing great!  Sasha is being a wonderful momma dog and taking care of her babies.  She has not been aggressive towards me and I have been able to help her from time-to-time, when she needed it.  Otherwise, I have just let her instincts take over and as many times as I have seen it, it always amazes me.
“I noticed her first puppy at around 6:15 a.m. or so this morning.  I walked into her room to check and her and there she was, cleaning the puppy who was still in his placental sac.  I backed out of the room to let her do her thing.  After about 10 minutes I came back in and the puppy was still in the sac!  I thought this little guy was not going to make it…he had been in the sac way too long and used up any oxygen that was in there.  The little guy was gasping for air and I saw he was still alive.  I ran to get a pair of scissors and cut open the sac.  Sasha immediately began cleaning/licking him vigorously!  I didn’t think the little dude had a chance but saw him grasp for air.  He did this for a few minutes and I stepped out again thinking “mother knows best”.  To my surprise, when I came back to check on them, this little guy was breathing and squirming around!
“Sasha kept having puppies throughout the morning and needed little help from me.  I was taken at how fast they were showing up!  She must have been ready to deliver all of these little guys!
“Here’s the tally…Holy cow!  She has had a total of 11 puppies, not 10!  I don’t know how I missed one…but there are 9 who have survived!”
J-P tells us that there are six boys and three girls.
They’re all  -- including Mom – in the care of Operation Kindness, the no-kill shelter in Carrollton, and that means, Lord willing and they survive puppyhood, they will receive "procedures" and will go forth but not multiply.
Oh, my, the multiplying. That is something worth contemplating. Obviously, the girls would have mom’s genes and, if unfixed, might have mom’s reproductive power and within a year or so would be able to deliver about 10 pups each meaning 30 new unwanted pups. And if the boys have their unknown dad’s tendencies, well, good grief, we’d need a calculator to keep up with the lads.
After several days of monitoring Sasha and a long day of counting newly arrived puppies and making sure they were doing what they should be doing, J-P closed his note with, “I’m exhausted! Having puppies is a lot of work! I can only imagine how Sasha feels!”
And God bless all those people who kept this dog from having a huge litter in the weeds or next to the curb or under a house... just something to contemplate.
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The healing snoozer...

On the surface this will look like a story of a sleeping dog, but in reality is it a story of healing.
You might call Orion an “opportunistic sleeper.” Here is the photographic evidence and that’s why he’s the spotlight critter in “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap,” our regular weekend feature at Readlarrypowell.com.
To get this weekend’s edition together, I interviewed Orion’s “mom,” DeDe Whitcombe, and then had to ask her some more questions because I’d forgotten to pinpoint some things. Then, DeDe apologized for having some holes in the story and explained, “I am on a combo of steroids, narcotics and anti-inflammatories.  I hurt my back climbing into the pig pen to meet the sweet little pig at Collin County Animal Services [Wednesday].  Went to the doctor ... and he politely reminded me I am no longer 20 and should not be climbing fences. LOL.” [Larry aside: I’ve been interviewing people and writing stories about them since the mid-1960s and DeDe is the first person to tell me “I hurt my back climbing into the pig pen..."]
So, perhaps, DeDe is the weekend’s champion sleeper. But, pharmaceuticals aside, here’s the story of Orion.
He’s been mentioned here before – back on Feb. 8 he was having a hard time getting out of the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney. We wrote about him on Readlarrypowell.com. We quoted the shelter’s hardworking Lisa Drummonds as saying, “This is my favorite boy; he is huge.  Have no idea what he is.  He is so calm, and gentle but oh so sweet.  They had just put his food in with him when I came in and he could not decide if he wanted to eat or lick me.  He would take a bite, then give me a kiss, take a bite then kiss. I took him out to see how he did with others. He walks beautifully on a leash, and sits on command.  He is good with other dogs, too. A Golden tried to eat him on his way out today and he could not back up fast enough.  He wanted to stop, say hello and kiss every human and dog we passed on our walk.  Gentle Giant. Please someone save him! And he needs saving fast – he’s got an upper respiratory infection – that moves you up the euthanasia list pretty quickly in a shelter.”
Earlier this week we got an e-mail from DeDe Whitcombe, the shelter walker who monitors Collin County Animal Services and volunteers for Mazie’s Mission and Collin County Humane Society.
She wrote, “Larry, remember this boy from CCAS you ran on February 8th? No one rescued him so I brought him home to get well and he has made himself at home and decided to stay!”
Yep. Brought him home to get well. But there’s more to that “get well” story.
Here’s DeDe’s story of how Orion became a family dog.
“When it came time for him to be euthanized at Collin County, and no one was stepping up for him I asked my husband if I could bring him home and treat his kennel cough and continue to look for rescue. 
“Well the humans in the picture are my husband Bill and son Joseph (7) and this big boy's name is Orion Whitcombe now.”
The Greyhound photographed with Orion is Malak, one of the dogs taken in a massive seizure in Fort Worth last summer. “He is still up for adoption through the Collin County Humane Society,” says DeDe. “We are in no hurry for him to leave, just waiting for that perfect home that is worthy!”
Now, how there came to be an empty spot in the house for Orion is explained by telling how there came to be empty hearts in the house.
Dede says that “not two weeks prior we lost our personal Pit Bull, Stormy.  She had a seizure disorder and went in to grand mal seizures and after 48 hours of the vets trying to get them under control, we said ‘goodbye.’ 
“Orion wasted no time wrapping my husband and kids around his cute mug, and it was a family decision that he would join ours.  My husband still asks me about once a week how people just throw away such treasures -- as he is cuddling with his new buddy. 
“Orion is the only dog to come through this house who does not follow me.  He waits at the door for my husband, and never leaves his side from the moment he came in the house.
“He was absolutely out of his mind when my husband was in the hospital during his heart surgery. He paced, in and out the back door, scratching at the front door.
“There is no doubt in my mind God always has a plan, and this was just meant to be.”
Yes, there are reasons some sleep easier than others.
(To nominate your sleeping or napping pal  -- dog, cat, cute little pig, muskrat, yak, etc. -- for the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, send photos and info to [email protected]. Remember, at Readlarrypowell.com, we believe a good sleeping partner is essential if you are to have any hope at all for getting a good night’s sleep.)
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Animal Angels and the Jacksboro fire...

For those of you who have sent e-mail asking if the current fire raging near Jacksboro is threatening the sanctuary Animal Angels of Texas, the answer is "nope."
I just called Carole Sanders, the legendary moving force behind Animal Angels of Texas, and she reports things are safe there. "We're prepared," she said.
There is a fire department nearby if needed, but the current fire is raging about 15 miles away from the sanctuary, Carole said.
You can read about the good work done by Animal Angels of Texas by clicking on www.animalangelstexas.org. And if you click on the adoptables you'll see a photo of Jackson, the young Shepherd mix pictured here, trying to catch a few winks at the sanctuary. This probably is the "worried look" he's using today as he takes advantage of having a safe place to nod off.   Didn't want to write about Animal Angels without mentioning that you can adopt from the sanctuary -- if you have a place where a good dog can stretch out.
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