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Cavia porcellus -- yet another mammal who can sleep...

This is what you call “timing.”
We’ve got some Guinea Pigs in the spotlight for “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap” AND it’s the weekend of the sixth annual legendary Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue Hoedown in Irving.
With all that excitement, who could sleep? Well, at least one Guinea Pig. This one is named Crystalline and that's her in her little quilted slumberdome.
She and her kin belong to the scientific category “cavia porcellus.” {Our crackerjack research department found that nobody really knows the origin of the name “Guinea Pig.”) Some people call the Guinea Pig a “cavy.” And, of course, some do not.  Instead they might ask, “Isn’t that thing a rodent?” Yes, it is, but the Guinea Pig, whose origins can be traced to the Andes in South American, is a popular North American pet. (Aside: Some people have also noticed the Guinea Pig’s resemblance to one of the more famous characters from the original Star Trek TV series, the Tribble. The episode was named “The Trouble With Tribbles” – some say “The Trouble With Guinea Pigs” didn’t work and the spotlight was lost.)
Our Guinea Pig tipster, Sarita Rossi of Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue, says that Crystalline, who was born on Jan. 28, was adopted by Claire Schricker. a couple of weeks ago
Crystalline’s Guinea Pig mom “was from a cruelty case of 10 Guinea Pigs rescued in cooperation with Dallas Animal Services,” according to Sarita.
Crystalline and her sister, Cream, became roomies of two other Guinea Pigs, Miss Molly and Neville, that Claire had adopted from Texas Rustlers a few years ago, says Sarita.
The photo shows Crystalline, Cream and Miss Molly – not sure where Neville is. Maybe he’s practicing for the Hoedown's owner-piggy look-alike contest.
As for sleeping, Guinea Pigs are mammals and that, of course, makes them susceptible to mammalian sleeping patterns – no doubt somewhere today there is a chubby little Guinea Pig tossing and turning and trying to find something on his i-Pod that will induce sleeping.
One of my friends asked me if Guinea Pigs run in their sleep – like household dogs. And, if they snore. So, we asked Sarita, who says, “I've never seen them snore or run in their sleep!  They do an amazing flop though with their little legs stretched out behind them. I suppose some might snore...I've heard my rabbits snore so I don't see why piggies don't.”
You can read about the Hoedown HERE.
And, probably, we should point out that if our math is correct, 2011 is the 10th anniversary of the creation of Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue.
The Hoedown is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Grapevine Convention Center, 1209 S. Main St., in Grapevine. It’s free. And the organizers  say, “If you bring your Guinea Pig, be sure it is in a suitable carrier with plenty of fresh water and food.  If it’s in a costume, be sure it is not too hot or too tight. No dogs or other pets, please.” (I’m assuming this is for the protection of the dog or other pets – the ferocity of a Guinea Pig is legendary. Perhaps you saw the 2009 film G-Force.)
Now, why would a Guinea Pig be in costume? Witness protection program? Nope, there’s a costume contest at the Hoedown. That’s at 12:30 p.m. – it’s the Best Dressed Piggy Costume Contest. Then, at 1 p.m.,  there’s the Piggy-Owner Look-Alike Contest (and don’t you know the cameras will be snapping for that one). And, at noon and at 1:30 p.m.  there’s the “Fast carrot-Eating Contest.” Not sure if the owner participates in that or if it’s just the Guinea Pigs – I guess if humans were allowed it would be the Owner/Piggy Chew-alike Contest.
You can read all about the contests HERE.
Proceeds from the Hoedown “will help feed and care for the approximately 200 Guinea Pigs, hamsters and gerbils” currently in the care of the non-profit Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue.
(To nominate your sleeping critter – no matter the type – for the spotlight in Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, send photos and info to [email protected]. Readlarrypowell.com is proud to show the world that Guinea Pigs know how to sleep. In fact, in the history of mankind this may be the first time any publication has launched a story based on the fact that a Guinea Pig was photographed sleeping.)
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The wedding, the commission and assorted notes...but definitely the wedding

Many of you have been up for hours – ever since The Wedding broadcast began at about 3 a.m. Dallas time.
As promised, Readlarrypowell.com is a news presence for the wedding of Prince William and Kate. My portion of this report is being transmitted via laptop from the White Star Dock Quarantine and Mannerly Arrivals Detainment Station at the Port of Southampton. More on that misunderstanding in a moment.
And, here you see a photo provided by my colleague, Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the Lone Star State, using the patented “Cockercam” to capture images surrounding the wedding. These are the ankles of members of the Royal Family and Royal Guards arriving at the nuptials. "Brand new socks," Inky reports. "Nobody's trying to get one more wear from a pair!"
More on that later, we have some other things to discuss first.
THE COMMISSION:On Thursday afternoon, while people across the pond were fretting over flowers, hair and whether the groomsmen would show up with or without their solicitors, the Dallas Animal Services Commission was meeting at Dallas City Hall.
They met in Room 6ES which must have been the coldest room in all of North Texas yesterday. The commissioners noticed it, too.
And the irony is that one of the reports from Code Compliance Director Joey Zapata was on the effort to make certain that the air-conditioning system at the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center is working and properly maintained for enduring the traditional overheated Texas summer. He said that steps are being taken – not only are City of Dallas a/c experts involved but, as soon as the temp is above 70 degrees for three days in a row, the pros from Trane will get involved.
(FYI: That dog is named Cake and Cake, oh so obviously, is an Earhound (currently in Dallas /Animal Services). Considering the ears and the illusion of a receding hairline, one wonders if, perhaps, Cake is a dog who can make a living appearing at ribbon cuttings as “Prince Chuck,” bless his heart.)
In the meantime, here are a few tidbits from the meeting which was remarkably quiet and pleasant:
--Efforts are being made to keep Dallasites from inappropriately tethering animals since it’s against the law (still, this is Dallas where people just don’t pay attention to laws)
--Speaking of laws, some commissioners expressed concern over the way dangerous dog hearings are conducted by Code Compliance – the hearings are administrative and not official court hearings but, as one commissioner said, based on info she’d received it sounded as if the hearing officers were making up rules as they went along. So, there may be changes coming in the dangerous dog hearing process;
--A move is afoot to allow the shelter manager to declare price breaks on adoptions to ease crowding (It may need a bunch of lawyer work to pull this off – this idea has been discussed in the past, but in city government the only thing that moves swiftly is a rumor);
--An offer either has been made or will be made soon to a prospective candidate for shelter manager (Stay tuned – Code Compliance Director Joe Zapata would only say, “We’re well on our way.”);
--The volunteer coordinator position at the Dallas Animal Shelter is still open and may be for a while even though it is a key position if animal services intends to launch a dynamic volunteer program.
-- Some unfortunate event was captured on video at the shelter and witnessed by someone, too, but it is a personnel matter and the discussion was limited to vague references and an assertion that people or person has or have been admonished and whatever happened won’t happen again but rules are in place in case it does. As a member of the audience, one could not quite tell whether what had happened was a romantic interlude or a violation of procedures in handling animals. So, stay tuned, perhaps, but, for now, the problem has been handled.
Those are the high points of discussion – I may have left something out here and there, but if it’s important to your life, it’ll surface soon enough in the form of a citation or a tax break.
We’ll have more on this meeting in a later edition. For now, know that there was a quorum and that hard-working commissioners with an understanding of animal issues in Dallas attend these meetings with the mission of advising their council members and the bureaucrats on the best ways to protect the animals that other residents tether, abuse, neglect or turn over to the shelter without much more than a “Good luck, Sparky, hope you make it.”
A BIRTHDAY NOTE: Karin Campbell sent us a note announcing that today is the birthday of Angie Manriquez, known to the critter-saving world as the “Fairy Dogmother of West Dallas.” She has been pulling endangered animals to safety for almost all of her life – 39 years. (That number may not be authentic.) There are websites dedicated to Angie, including Angiesfriends.org, where you can see her work and maybe help out a little in honor of her birthday.
A REQUEST FROM BURNS FLAT, OKLA.: As regular visitors to Readlarrypowell.com know, we long ago began outlining the challenges facing the tireless rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher in Burns Flat, Okla. Too many animals, not enough space in the city pound. People who are cruel to animals. Dumped animals. Neglected animals. Abused animals. Animals thrown from cars. Animals that have been shot, attacked or somehow injured. Even right now she’s got a little bit of all that. Earlier in the week she was begging for help with big ol’ dawgs and little bitty dogs and some cats.
Then, she fell victim to something that most rescuers dodge. Terry Lynn writes, “Someone – I know they were just trying to help – posted this on Craigslist. I do not place these (requests) on Craigslist. I have been bombed by calls from idiots that are very rude when I inform them I only deal with rescue and not from Craigslist. Please, if you placed any of my posts on Craigslist, remove them as soon as you get a chance.”
Look, kids, if you want to help Terry Lynn, you can e-mail her at [email protected] or by calling 580-330-1459.
Now, you can’t help but notice that photo of the dog – yep, pit on a chain, no food, and lord knows what else is afflicting this dog. Terry Lynn got this photo and others “from a girl who is concerned about her brother’s dog. She said the dog is not fed right, and sometimes, when friends are over and drinking, they are not nice to the dog. When I saw the pictures, my heart fell. It totally broke my heart. This big boy is only a year old and even though he is on a huge chain 24/7 and been treated horribly, he is full of love and gentleness...great with other dogs and totally loves kids. LOOK how skinny he is...I have no place for this boy to go. I have been working on getting mare kennels, but what I have now, along with the pound, is all full. Please, if you can help save Zane from this idiot owner, let me know.”
LICENSE PLATES: The Texas Humane Legislation Network is attempting to remind the Texas Legislature that there is a point of honor in protecting the Animal Friendly License Plate Fund in Texas. The Lege wants to keep the money; THLN reminds the Lege that people bought those plates expecting the money to go to spaying and neutering in Texas. You can catch up on the issue and the behavior by going to www.thln.org.
CALENDAR CATS: Still four spots on the 2012 Pampered Pets Calendar Cat Page, according to our pal Sydney Busch of the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, the longtime organization that operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic in Gun Barrel, Texas. Each spot costs $40. “You do the photo and send by June 1,” says Sydney. And, of course, that allows you to demonstrate just how coddled your cat is. E-mail [email protected].
BIRTHDAY DOGS: The Greyhound Adoption League of Texas (www.galtx.org) humans and human supporters will celebrate GALT’s 10th birthday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Franconia Brewing Co., 495 McKinney Parkway in McKinney. Details are at www.galtx.org.
FOR ART’S SAKE: Yep, that’s the case. Animal Rescue of Texas (ART) will join with the Lake Highland “L streets” Neighborhood Sale from 8 a.m. until, well, later in the day, to raise money to help animals. ART’s booth will be at 9224 Ferndale Road and will close at 2 p.m. though some of the rest of the neighborhood sale sites will be open later. See www.animalrescueoftexas.org.
TOP HAT & TAILS: Tickets for Paws In The City’s legendary fundraiser Top Hat & Tails – yes, the big dance contest, exhibition, auction and funtime – won’t go on sale until May 9, but the organizers are still looking for sponsors and other people willing to help continue the tradition. Go HERE.
HELPING THE POMS: A multi-family garage sale from 8 a. m. until whenever (you know how these things can go) on Saturday at 1530 Turning Leaf Lane in Garland will benefit Pom rescue, according to a note from Lisa Schrader of Recycled Poms (that’s at  www.RecycledPomeranians.com). Several homes are contributing all sorts of clothing, electronics, “dog stuff, etc.” according to the announcement. 
THE ROYAL AFTERMATH: As we mentioned in the opening paragraph today, Readlarrypowell.com has had a Royal Wedding presence though not exactly as planned.
For example, your non-flying host at Readlarrypowell.com was able to disembark from the H.M.S. Bligh at Southampton but not able to leave the dock to get to the wedding.
Southampton is not far from London but it doesn’t matter how far it is if you can’t clear customs because of a clerical error on an entry form. I had inadvertently designated myself as a Cocker Spaniel and the diligent clerk at Mannerly Arrivals politely would not clear me without proof of a rabies inoculation. He repeatedly apologized for my mistake and all my lifetime shortcomings.
In the detention area, I and two dazed rock stars kept out of England because of minor smuggling convictions elsewhere were allowed to watch the nuptials on the telly.
Graham Blessington, the apologetic clerk, shared his jellied eels with me. Well, he shared one. One is enough. Enough for a lifetime. I don’t care who’s getting married, surely nobody jumps for joy when they look at the royal buffet and see jellied eels. Nobody.
(FYI: I’ll be on a slow boat back to Port Dallas on the Trinity later today. It is apparent, looking at Washington and Austin, that one might not need a rabies shot to be in the United States.)
Our companion in overseas reportage, Inky, the actual Cocker Spaniel who is the grand nephew of Ebon, Archbishop of Cockerbury, had no problem getting through security at the airport. He flew over on a chartered Concorde that belongs to a Royal Air Force chap who knows Wills from basic training and, earlier in the year, had loaned the jet to the Charlie Sheen Tour.
Uncle Ebon dispatched a local fellow named Gatwick Joe to grease the skids for Inky who says, “Gatwick Joe took me straight from the airport to Hotel Royale Deluxe, the same hotel that was hosting the wedding party ‘dressing practice’ with the exception of Prince Harry whom the hotel had previously banned for his role in an impromptu ‘spray-on camouflage sans knickers paintball fight’ in the hotel’s hallways during a daylong Royal Medical Academy Seminar for the Easily Startled.
“The entire wedding event was spectacular, befitting a favorite child of the Empire,” Inky wrote in his first dispatch after the wedding. “Perhaps you saw me taking the bouncy ride behind the royal driver, Sir Matthew Reins, on the big gray carriage horse. Uncle Ebon (left) arranged for me to have access to all the Royalty. Queen Elizabeth was gracious and laughed as she had the wedding photographer snap pictures of me wearing her crown and pretending to lap up a morning martini. Prince Phillip was kind, as the queen ‘suggested to him, ‘For the sake of the crown, Phil, hold the hat still.’ The assorted kin and cousins were fabulous. And, of course, William referred to me sweetly as ‘just another big-nosed, chinless royal relative from Dad’s side of the family’. He has his mother’s sense of humor.”
The photos were provided by Inky and they are representative of his eyewitness account of the wedding. You see the royal groomsmen arriving and you see the royal wedding dress being attended to as Kate arrives for the wedding. You also see the Queen’s brief traditional “good luck stop” at what locals call “Corgi Corner” near Trafalgar Square. (The Corgi is a breed notorious for pigeon-chasing.)
Also, you see the hilarious “hidden garment” combination worn by one of the Royal Family’s favorite characters, George Thomas Arthur Philip Paddington-Sharpnettle, a cousin who became a West End and telly actor and is known discreetly in Royal circles as “Uncle Auntie.” He is a founding member of the Royal Society ofDame Edna.
As for the new bride’s royal title, Inky reports that he has been lobbying strongly for “Princess Catherine of Sussex” because the Sussex Spaniel is such a strong and wise presence in British history. It is said that a Sussex Spaniel named Buckingham Lonnie helped Winston Churchill write his wartime speeches.
Inky reports that after a quiet tea with the queen later today, he’ll board the Concorde for a late afternoon arrival in Dallas at, appropriately, Love Field. Like Prince William and Kate after “The Kiss,” he’ll be wearing a smile and, like Prince Harry, he will not be wearing knickers.
(Aside: Some of you will need to be told that portions of the preceding Royal Wedding Report may be vulnerable to criticism due to inaccuracy in reporting and the introduction of a liberal spooning of fiction into the presentation. And, as you know, Inky provides a great comfort to his humans under all circumstances -- that's why he gets to go tp so many places in the world.)
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Royal wedding, assorted animal challenges and contemplations...

Here in The Colonies we’re so excited about this wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Those kids! Got your scones ready for the neighborhood association’s pre-dawn tea?
After all the wars and natural disasters and economic challenges and the deep horror of the possible loss of the 2011 NFL season, we need a good wedding to break up the misery.
The Royal Kids will be launching the “Marriage of the Century So Far” on the same day the final Space Shuttle mission launches. The wedding coverage starts at 3 a.m. Texas time on assorted channels and computer outlets. Not sure the shuttle will get any live coverage.
I do wonder if these kids will be living in a garage apartment behind Buckingham Palace until they can get on their financial feet.
Your dependable news site Readlarrypowell.com will be a presence in Old Blighty for wedding coverage if all goes right with our transatlantic crossing. We got a better deal on travel to England than on travel to Florida – must have something to do with domestic oil.
At any rate, for the wedding we’ve acquired one set of press credentials and one set of clergy credentials. I don’t fly, so I’m depending on the H.M.S. Bligh to get me to London – the nice captain promised a swift trip. (Aside: I wasn’t allowed to mention this until now, but I’ve been filing my daily reports for two weeks from shipboard – we’ve had exceptional WiFi Bligh service the entire way. Inky is flying -- he had some frequent flyer deal.)
Still, I suspect that you are asking, “How did those bounders get clergy credentials”
Perhaps you have by now noticed the sepia-toned photograph of the formally attired dog. It is a family heirloom. At first glance you might think that is Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas. It is not. That is Inky’s Great Uncle Ebon, an English Cocker Spaniel whose coat is said to be as inkily black as any dog’s in the British Empire.
You may recall Uncle Ebon from the wedding of Diana and Charles. He was the flower spaniel – the frustrated palace dog assigned to herd that twitty, unfocused flower girl down the aisle. He nearly had a nervous breakdown – forbidden to bark directions in the cathedral. A Cocker who cannot bark is an emotional volcano. [Aside: When Charles married Camilla in 2005, Uncle Ebon was assigned to monitor the behavior of two old friends of the prince known only by their MI-5 code names “Bubble” and “Squeak.” He posed for only one wedding photo and appears to be distracted by a palace squirrel in a nearby tree.]
All these years later, Buckingham Palace’s treasured Uncle Ebon is the mature and orderly dog who keeps the Queen’s Corgis in line through constant behavioral seminars and occasional prescriptions from the royal apothecary.
And, of course, Uncle Ebon is known more formally throughout the kingdom by the title he received in gratitude for comforting the Queen and the Royal Family in so many crises.
 Uncle Ebon is now the Archbishop of Cockerbury.
That second photo, of course, is Inky, the Readlarrypowell.com staff impersonator, giving us his impression of one of the Royal Beefeaters rushing into the church reception hall after the wedding and spotting a big steaming platter of Mum’s Royal Meatloaf with a side order of Regal-eye Gravy.
Had Inky’s birth certificate shown that he’d been born on any bit of British soil, he would inherit Uncle Ebon’s title. As it is, Inky is being described in palace press releases as “His Royal Guestness, the English Cocker from Texas.”
Word of Inky’s gift to the royal couple was leaked earlier today by the Fleet Street tabloids.
With the Queen’s enthusiastic approval, Inky will provide the youngsters with his services as an American Realtor. He explained to the Queen that while England lost The Colonies in the 1700s, there is every chance that within the next couple of years, Great Britain may buy back the property from China at a cost of pences on the shilling.
REMINDER: The Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meets at 1:30 p.m. today in Room 6ES at Dallas City Hall. Items on the agenda include a report on the search for a new director for Dallas Animal Services.
In the meantime, yesterday, Animal Control Officer Mark Cooper issued a plea to rescue groups to come to the shelter and help relieve the crowding by taking out animals. He wrote, “We are full of small and cute pups and large and playful adult dogs. Don’t even get me started on the litters of kittens that are coming in by the dozens. I realize that everyone is full, but if everyone of you can find room to save even one dog you will be making a huge difference.
“I have several dogs with small health issues that I’m desperately trying to get rescued. Some having broken bones other having Heartworms, some having eye issues.
“But then we have rows and rows of beautiful dogs that have great temperaments, and love to share. Today [Wednesday] has been a sad day because we have had to euthanize several perfectly adoptable dogs simply because we are full.”
When the Dallas Animal Services Shelter is full that doesn’t mean 15 or 20 animals – it means hundreds. HUNDREDS.
Each animal is at peril. You can see them at www.dallasanimalservices.org. You don’t have to be a rescue group to get a dog or cat out of the shelter These animals are available for adoption. Yes, there’s an adoption fee, but each adoption potentially saves two lives: the adopted animal and the next animal who occupies the cage – that one will live a little longer because, maybe, the pressure isn’t so great.
That cat is Bean, one of the adoptables. And if you wanted a matching set of black-and-white pals, that dog is Tamika the Terrier.
SEAGOVILLE’S PUBLICITY: We’ve been writing for quite a while about the efforts of Seagoville Police Sgt. Karl Bailey and assorted volunteers to turn the Seagoville Animal Shelter into a no-kill facility. TV has noticed this effort now. You can see the Channel 8 story by clicking HERE. And there’s also a print story at wfaa.com.
THE LAB, THE PUPPIES AND THE TORNADO: Stephanie Mosby of C.L.A.W. (Citizens’ League For Animal Welfare) in East Texas had a busy day yesterday. The short story is the momma Chocolate Lab and her nine puppies (see yesterday’s report) have been placed with 4 Paws and Hooves Rescue in Springtown. They’ll be transported on Sunday. (The rescue group may need some additional help with donations and foster homes. E-mail [email protected] to volunteer.)
Stephanie wrote, “I cannot thank this awesome rescue community enough! Everyone who offered some kind of help, advice, crossposted, provided me new avenues to try, etc --- ALL of THAT is what saved this mother's life and ... her precious little ones! And I cannot thank everyone enough!  The best of humanity can be found within animal rescue!”
And there was one more task yesterday. Stephanie writes, “One of our foster moms was badly injured in a tornado [Tuesday night] so we've been busy getting both her fosters taken in and set up in another foster home.”
Thelma Barker, 76, lost her mobile home in the storm and is in a Tyler hospital being treated for several injuries. Stephanie says, “She was with her personal dog and cat at the time. She had put the little dog in its crate and held on for dear life!  If you see the news footage, you'll notice the crate sitting beside her as the EMT's are tending to her. She held onto that crate through the whole thing, and the little dog is fine. Her cat was found later, also OK. Thelma's back is broken in 3 places; she also has a broken wrist and numerous cuts, scrapes and bruises. Please keep her in your prayers.”
WAITNG FOR HOMES: We started out discussing “The Colonies” this morning, and now we’re moving to a discussion of The Colony. Yep, The Colony’s Animal Shelter has a bunch of “little ones” who are “ready for homes – and they need to find them sooner than later,” says The Colony’s Animal Control Division Manager Patricia Barrington.
There are a bunch of puppies at the shelter.
Some of the puppies are black and a couple are brown. “These guys are Lab Pit Bull Terrier mixes and have been handled and loved every day since they were born here at the shelter.  Super sweet, needy little babies, each equipped with a limited supply of puppy breath!” Manager Barrington writes.
“Captain Morgan, Captain Hook, Captain Jack, Captain Kirk, Captain Kangaroo, Princess Leia, Princess Jasmine, Princess Giselle and Princess Fiona are about 4 weeks old and have started eating wet puppy food with formula supplement. These babies will ease away the stress of the day, guaranteed! Just walk into your house after a grueling day at the office, knock that backpack off your ottoman, fish the remote out of the chair cushion, put your feet up and snuggle one of these sweetie pies between your neck and chin and feel the days worries and cares fade to the point that you don’t mind walking around that pile of laundry for a couple of more days or eating take out again -- all because you save the life of a puppy!”
I think Animal Control Division Manager Barrington, who runs a household with a couple of active young daughters, might be confessing to being a grateful participant “Puppy Anti-Stress & Decompression Therapy.”
And, yes, those pups were posed inside the special suitcase that The Colony frequently uses as a backdrop for photographing adoptables.
You can ask about adopting these little pups by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 972-370-9250.
SPEAKING OF PUPPIES: Our Burns Flat, Okla., rescue tipster Terry Lynn Fisher continues to fight for puppy lives at the little shelter in the western portion of Oklahoma. She says more puppies have come in than the shelter can handle. To offer to help her rescue the dogs, e-mail [email protected] or call 580-330-1459.
CONTEMPLATIONS: When it comes to the presidential birth certificate you’ve got to figure that the problem for some people isn’t where the president was born, it’s with where he lives. But that’s politics. ... A year with no NFL football? How many advertising copywriters and actors would that put out of work? How many ad studios would go out of business? ... I hope nobody thinks that the opening segment of today’s report is anything except fiction. I feel like I have to include this disclaimer – after all, there are people who’ll buy anything as long as it's in print.
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A bill, some dogs, some puppies, a lucky black cat and the world in general...

More on this dog later – I just felt like we should start the workday with a smile and that photo of Buddy cracks me up.
Plus, to further set the mood for the day, I got an e-mail about a load of puppies from the East Texas rescuer Stephanie Mosby and it began, “This is just crazy! They’re everywhere. They’re everywhere!”
Sums things up today in town and out of town. Now, read on and if you know the lucky Lotto numbers for today, please forward them to me. I swear I’ll use the money to accomplish good things.
Moving along:
PUPPY MILL BILL: AN UPDATE: The Texas House took its final vote on the Puppy Mill Bill earlier today and the vote changed -- the ayes increased to 98 and the nayes dropped to 42 and only one person (the speaker) abstained. Now the bill goes to the senate. (This morning's report follows this update.)
The Texas Puppy Mill Bill has taken one more step toward becoming law – it got its second OK on the floor of the Texas House yesterday and is awaiting a third.  The bill would then need Texas Senate approval and, of course, the governor’s signature. (The Texas Tribune has an explanatory story HERE.
Proponents say the law will put the kibosh on unscrupulous breeders and make certain that breeding animals have vet care and decent places to live and will set standards for the care of animals in breeding situations. Opponents think it punishes respectable breeders and the Responsible Pet Owner Alliance even says it is all part of a conspiracy to outlaw family pets.
The Texas Humane Legislation Network endorses the bill (See www.thln.org ) sponsored by Houston Democrat Senfronia Thompson. The Responsible Pet Owner Alliance (click HERE does not. The ROA agrees with Republican Representative David Simpson of Longview who said it would create “a dog gestapo.”
Rep. Simpson has been the constant blockade to the bill’s progress, though he is apparently not the only opponent since the vote was 95-44 with two present but not voting.
MEANWHILE IN DALLAS: If you are interested in local animal issues, you can catch up with things by attending the City of Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meeting at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 6ES at Dallas City Hall. Among the items on the agenda is progress in hiring a new Animal Services Manager. Other issues will surface, too, and you’ll hear updates regarding assorted animal-related code enforcement challenges in the city. You don’t have to buy a ticket to get in.  And there’s a point at the end of the meeting where citizens can discuss animal issues.
BABY SHOWER AT THE SPCA? Yes, indeed, the SPCA of Texas has so many puppies and kittens right now that it’s hosting a “Baby Shower” fund-raising effort. You can read about it by clicking HERE.
BABIES IN NEED: The aforementioned Stephanie Mosby (see the opening paragraphs today) is trying to help this momma dog and her 9 pups.
UPDATE: Stephanie reports in mid-afternoon that this canine family has a place to go. Details later.
Mom is, possibly, a Chocolate Lab and her pups are, probably, not. She “wandered up off a busy Highway 64 outside of Canton and into a yard where some people were sitting outside.” She was hungry, emaciated, flea-ridden and “very pregnant.”
The 4- or 5-year-old dog’s “canines have been hacked off, so she looks older than I think she really is,” Stephanie says.
Not to suggest that there are puppy mills anywhere in East Texas (note to Texas Rep. Simpson), but getting rid of those teeth is one thing breeders do to keep the females from defending themselves in forced breeding situations – according to the people who combat puppy mills.
This dog is, Stephanie says, “a great, loving dog and a good mother, but she is living out under an RV shed in a make-shift ‘box” on a blanket on a dirt floor.”
“These people were very kind to let her stay there and then give birth two days later, but they cannot keep her. ... The husband is getting a bit impatient but refuses to take them to or see them go to a shelter. Being an older farmer, his comment was, ‘They’d be better off if I put ‘em in a bucket of water.’
Stephanie says $100 has been pledged to any “reputable, trusted group who can take them in.” Transport may be arranged, also.
To offer to help, e-mail [email protected].
BURNS FLAT NOTE: Yesterday we mentioned that the pressure is on in Burns Flat, Okla., because rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher is about to get custody of 10 puppies and their mom – this is the case where the “father” of the owner threatened to take a hammer to the pups to get rid of them.
Terry Lynn continues to look for help with housing this mom and her family.
Terry Lynn says the mom, still nursing the newborns, will need to go to the same rescue as the babies. She pledges, “They are NEVER going back to the idiot owners.”
To help, e-mail [email protected] or call 580-330-1459. Terry Lynn is getting these dogs today so it’s pressure-cooker time for finding a place.
BUDDY, A GOOD DOG: This is Buddy in his “Have Bowl, Will Travel” pose.
Tommy Darnell has the story from Lakeside, a Fort Worth suburb. “We rescued Buddy from the side of the road when he was a puppy, just a few days before Christmas 2007, putting him at about 3.5 years old. Buddy was one of 15 puppies who were dumped on the side of the road in a cardboard box near our house. He is crate-trained and is house-broken, but truly prefers to be outside most of the time. He loves to play fetch and will play until you make him stop. He also loves to run and spends his days running back and forth across the backyard, chasing airplanes, birds, and you name it. He would probably be a great jogging partner with a bit of training.
“Where the problem comes in for us is that we now have a 2 year old son and plan to have more children in the coming years. Unfortunately, Buddy has never been exposed to children and, as such, is still too hyper, rowdy and rough to be around young children. He may calm down some as he gets older, but that remains to be seen. The reality is we must find him another home as he will not mix with our new family situation.
“As we said before, Buddy was a rescue dog, so we don't know his breed background. He has the coloring of a Jack Russell, but weighs in at around 45 pounds and is very lean and healthy. His shots are up to date as of about a month ago.
“Buddy would be a perfect dog for a family without children, or with older children (middle or high school aged). He has never been around other dogs so he may possibly do better as the only dog in the home. However, with training and patience, we could see him thoroughly enjoying the company of another active dog. A house with a fenced backyard is ideal, so that he can continue to do the running that he loves so much.”
To offer a good home to Buddy, call 817-312-7197 or e-mail [email protected].
A GOOD NOTE FROM AN ANIMAL SHELTER: Each Monday we get the over-the- weekend report from Carrollton Animal Services about the animals on the Wednesday euthanasia list.
Here is the latest note and we wish they all read like this. The Carrollton folks report, “Great news since we had so many adoptions and rescues yesterday and our shelter population is low we are able to hold the remaining three (Yeager, Robin and Twiggy) animals over until next week. This will allow them more time to hopefully get adopted. They are still available to adopt or rescue so pass the word around about them.” (Call 972-466-3420. See the Carrollton shelter animals HERE.)
FYI: Twiggy is the lucky black cat who dodged the needle -- no photo because, after all, who doesn't know what a black cat looks like? But Robin is that Jack Russell-lookin’ pup and that big ol’ 90-pound dawg with the darling face is Yeager. These animals have survived for some reason – hopefully to give friendship and companionship to a needy and respectful human.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Is it too early to worry about the Texas Rangers pitching? Rough game last night. Maybe someone will steal Toronto’s bats before gametime tonight. ... This is a curious world, isn’t it? ... You walk into an all-night diner on I-35 in Austin and there is one open seat. It is between Houston Rep. Senfronia Thompson and Longview Rep. David Simpson. Do you sit down and ask, “What’s good here?” and see what happens?
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A Tuesday assortment of animal situations and a puzzling storm...

Let’s get right into the day’s activities. Please drop a nickel into the slot on the right side of your monitor and that’ll open the Readlarrypowell.com paywall, making information available to you as easily as a dog scratches his ear.
Thank you. Now, please read on:
WAIT! PAYWALL? No, we don’t have a paywall. You know why? Because we have great advertisers and my technosavvyspouse Martha who keeps Readlarrypowell.com clickable so that our valued Readers can spend their extra nickels on two kinds of fuel:  gasoline and coffee. Yes, we all need a lot of extra nickels.
Send the link www.readlarrypowell.com to everyone you know and people you don’t know, too. They’ll appreciate it, we’ll appreciate it and I’m sure the animals that are saved because more eyes are looking at them will appreciate it.
FYI, this individual in the red hat is Wendy, one of the young residents in the Readlarrypowell.com Canine Academy of Portraiture and Social Graces. In this case, an otherwise standard photo of Wendy has been artistically enhanced by solemn Inky (right), the Readlarrypowell.com staff portrait artist, staff impersonator and Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas.
By the way, yesterday was Red Hat Society Day – you can look it up. And because we missed noting it, we feel is it appropriate for Inky to offer a few lines of, well, doggerel, based on the poem that inspired the Red Hat Ladies and the portrait of Wendy. He writes:
When I am an old dog
I will sit by the side of the road
and wear a red hat and bark
at passing people who look like
they might be up to no good.
I will wear myself out the first day. 
DITTO’S CHALLENGE: Keli Halteman, who formed Halteman’s Haven originally to tend to dramatically injured or ailing cats, comes across a lot of dogs and this one, a Pom mix named Ditto, has captured her attention.
(Oh, and FYI: Keli says she’s made arrangements to foster Simba, the blind cat from Collin County that we spotlighted yesterday at Readlarrypowell.com.)
Back to the dog: Ditto has been undergoing some tough times for more than a month. Keli works at a vet clinic on the East side of Dallas. An elderly owner brought Ditto in about a month ago – he’d been the victim of an attack by the neighbor’s much, much larger dog.
Emergency surgery on the dog’s mangled right rear leg saved his life. But that didn’t end the challenges. Keli says the dog’s wounds became horribly infected and the dog was in a tremendous amount of pain. Neither the dog’s human nor the neighbor have the dough to spend on this dog. The situation overwhelmed the owner.
The bill is around a thousand bucks now ($500 has been previously paid), Keli says. And, she says, the dog that attacked Ditto was declared to be a “dangerous dog” and was surrendered to Garland Animal Control.
Ditto is scheduled to have his injured and now woefully infected leg removed today. The family has surrendered him to Keli because they can’t properly tend to the injured dog. Keli is trying to raise money to pay for the 5-year-old dog’s expenses. She says donations can be mailed to Ditto’s Fund at VCA Beltline East Animal Hospital, 2555 N. Beltline East, Sunnyvale, Texas, 75182. Call the hospital at 972-226-0265. Or go to Halteman’s Haven HERE for a PayPal link. To ask about adopting Ditto or helping in some other way, e-mail [email protected]. (Yes, her e-mail is “kelly” because “keli” was already taken.)
THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN BURNS FLAT: Our reliable rescue tipster Terry Lynn Fisher runs into some extraordinary situations in little Burns Flat, out in far west Oklahoma. But she keeps plugging along.
Right now she’s concerned about three big ol’ black-type dogs that have been in the city pound for a while. Move ‘em or lose ‘em is the latest ruling. Oh, and there are other things, too. She has the case of these two thrown-away dogs and the dozen puppies threatened by a man with a hammer.
First these two throwaways (and you’ll see what happens when you are known as the “dog lady” of a small town. Terry Lynn was at her son’s house nearby when “I noticed a car stop around the corner from my house and a girl got out, carrying two little puppies. She walked up towards my house, but when she saw me, she walked pass it. She got on her phone and the car came and two guys picked her up.
“ I watched as they drove down the street and slowed down and this idiot girl opened the car door and THREW THEM OUT and they drove away. We immediately went down and got them. They are young, only about 6 weeks old – healthy-looking and very social.
“Sadly, I have no clue who they were, so there is not much I can do...but I have absolutely NO PLACE for these two to go."
And, then, there’s the mom dog and dozen puppies. Terry Lynn will get custody of the puppies on Wednesday.
They were born over the weekend. Terry Lynn writes, “The owner’s dad was going to hit them in the head with a hammer until she stopped in.”
The father is away until Wednesday night, so Terry Lynn is desperately looking for housing for the newborns immediately.
To help Terry Lynn with any of these situations, call her at 580-330-1459 or e-mail [email protected].
DUMPED, RESCUED AND ON THE MEND: We’ve learned of Jasmine the Lab Puppy from Sara Shepperd of DASH (Dallas Australian Shepherd and Herding Dog Rescue) – formerly known as North Dallas Dog Rescue.
This pup was, according to Sara, dumped near Hutchins [on the south side of Dallas]. the family that found her took her to a vet who set her broken leg and gave her the cast.
DASH has stepped up to handle the expenses for the dog’s vet care. Jasmine is going through the typical puppy stage – she’s chewing stuff and growing.
She’s in foster care, but will eventually need a home.
To see how to help her, go to DASH’s website HERE (the address is still the old one for now but that will change at some point).
A NOTE FOR THE MOURNING: The SPCA of Texas Pet Grief Counseling Program’s next meeting is at 1 p.m. Saturday (May 7 – first Saturday of each month) at the SPCA of Texas’ old office, 362 S. Riverfront Blvd. – that’s the boulevard formerly known as Industrial. It’s just across the freeway from downtown Dallas. The Grief Recover program helps people get past the ache and misery that comes when you lose your pal. Read more about it at www.spca.org.
CONTEMPLATIONS: I just don’t know about this one. As a veteran reporter, I’m kind of troubled by the alleged facts. Is this “Dog Wars” thing a hoax? I didn’t believe this when I first saw the reports of a dogfighting game app, Dog Wars. And I’m still not sure about it, though I have spent considerable time trying to find a way to confirm that there actually is a game called Dog Wars that features dogfighting. Each of my searches found nothing concrete --  a server was down in one place, a website under construction in another, contact with the alleged manufacturer hidden behind layers of e-mail addresses.  The assorted stories claim it’s a joint production of Google/Android. Nothing I can find confirms that on a Google or an Android corporate site. Maybe I’m just missing it.  
Over the weekend I got an indignant e-mail protesting “Dog Wars” and I thought, “No company would be that stupid.” Then I remembered how stupid American corporations can be.
Still, I  haven’t confirmed that there is a company – Kage Games is blamed on most sites -- that has created this game. All of the sites that decry the game loudest are blogs reacting to what they’ve seen in e-mails or on other blogs. No genuine old media sites report on anything but “reaction.”  They may be late to the story.
I’m thinking hoax or not-so-funny joke for publicity sake, but I could be wrong. Nothing undermines the credibility of good people quite like suckering them into a big snot-spitting frenzy against an enemy that doesn’t exist. But why do that?
Maybe it’s part of the Google vs. Android conflict?
I Googled “Dog Wars” Monday evening and discovered myself sitting on the same side of the “against” fence with Michael Vick, the dog-fighting felonious Philadelphia quarterback. Mr. Vick is urging that the game be pulled from availability though I can’t find anyone to whom it has been actually available. Nobody decent would download such a thing.
Mr. Vick says the game sends the wrong message. He’s right.  
And if anyone could be wrong about this being some sort of goofy computer publicity hoax, well, it could be me. I am frequently proven wrong on a number of topics. But there has to be proof.
And, frankly, it doesn't hurt to be vigilant. Just in case there's truth to this.
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The Puppy Mill Bill, shelter critters and horses with rabbit ears...

Monday, April 25, has arrived like most Mondays – a bunch of questions about the fate of mankind and a great need for more sleep. Here’s today’s report:
THE PUPPY MILL BILL AT A CRISIS POINT: The Texas Puppy Mill Bill is scheduled for a key vote on Tuesday. You can read about it at the Texas Humane Legislation Network site at www.thln.org. The bill is aimed at keeping unscrupulous breeders from abusing animals through overbreeding and neglect for the sake of profit.
OLD CAT, OLD DOG: Inexplicable, sometimes, why these animals wind up in shelters..
The Collin County Animal Services shelter in McKInney is the current home of Simba, a 15-year-old blind cat. According to a note forwarded to us by shelter monitor DeDe Whitcombe, Simba “was surrendered by an owner because they no longer wanted him.” (Simba is #291997 in the shelter. Fifteen? Barely past middle-age for some cats.)
And there this old dog – not even a name listed. He had a name at some point and probably would love to hear someone call him again. For now, he’s 291264.
According to the note sent by DeDe, the person who assessed him wrote, “This guy will rip your heart out. He is ancient but so sweet.  It took him several seconds to get up and come over to see me, but once he did he was all wags and kisses.  He is neutered already and needs to leave shelter ASAP! Would love to see someone give him whatever time he has left with a nice home and soft dog bed.”
These older former family pets are competing against young, lively, cute animals for a place in a home. About all they’ve got left now is a prayer.
Call the shelter at 972-547-7292 or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].
THE FACE: You never know what’ll turn up in a city animal shelter. This fab-faced female is Teri, said to be a Border Collie mix. She came into the Carrollton Animal Shelter as a stray. She’s one of many strays who, lately, have managed to wind up in the Carrollton shelter – on the streets, the danger is great. In the shelter? Sometimes there are breaks that go the way of a dog or cat.
Teri is short, stout (maybe 40 pounds) and young – probably about 2. She’s friendly. She’s nobody’s dog right now. Maybe she thought she was someone’s dog at some point.
Call Carrollton at 972-466-3420 or e-mail [email protected] . See video HERE.
THREE ON THE LIST: The weekly Dallas Animal Services “Very Special Pet” euthanasia list of dogs and cats has, by virtue of rescues and adoptions, been whittled to just three dogs. They’re scheduled to die on April 29 – that’s Friday.
They are on the VSP list because they’ve been in the shelter for 45 days. They’re healthy, up-to-date on all shots and have the veterinary “ready to go” stamp. Which way they go – a home or a needle – depends on people. Hate to be in that fix.
All three of these dogs are young adults, two (Honey “lounging” and “Haley”) are under 40 pounds and Hemmi is a long-legged girl who is just under 60 pounds.
Papers? Do they come with papers? If you’re just interested in papers, you’re not good enough to live with these dogs.
To ask about adopting any of these three, contact [email protected] or [email protected]  or call 214-671-0249 or 214-670-8312.
Rescue groups should contacted [email protected] or call 214-670-8298 or [email protected] or call 214-671-0308.
And a reminder: These are not the only 3 animals at the Dallas Animal Services Shelter, they’re just the only three left on this week’s VSP list. There are hundreds of cages at the shelter – they hold dogs, cats, puppies and kittens. All of them are on the clock. They, too, depend on people to escape death-by-injection.
A suggestion: The key to saving all the dogs and cats is getting people outside of the rescue community involved. Copy this entire report and send it to friends you know who have no interest in animals – yet. You may touch a heart. You may save the life of a dog or cat that you have never met.
Don’t be part of the traditional Texas animal solution: Let’s kill it.
CONTEMPLATIONS: It was Easter Sunday in Dallas and I was in the mood for an afternoon drive around town. Kiest Park, where I usually do my stumbling and gasping exercise, was full of families celebrating the holiday together. Deep Ellum was virtually deserted. Some car washes were closed – figuring, I guess that if you waited ‘till Sunday to wash your car for Easter, you’ve got a scheduling problem that cannot be overcome and you need to just go on to church and pray for serene guidance.
The great Stevens Park Golf Course in Oak Cliff, usually a vibrant place on a Sunday, has been bulldozed and is under reconstruction – may reopen in the fall, weather permitting.
And, of course, as so many of you know, the crowds were thick along the Trinity River near downtown to view, with awe, the Calatrava Bridge and Sewer Pipe Arch and the magnificent Easter Aquafest being presented beneath it – water skiers, acrobats hanging from the span, performing seals, a manatee swim-through in formation... Fort Worth sent over a herd of Longhorns who two-stepped into the low-flow river. And, of course, Dallas, ever so sophisticated, arranged the festival highlight, the Furzakistan Russian Beaver Ballet performing a specially written hour-long rhythmic-paddling creation called “Clearing the Texas Prairie, Damming the Mighty River.”
Meanwhile, unable to get tickets for the Aquafest, I drove through the West End – also not all that busy – where I spotted these two horses ready to pull carriages along the city streets. I saw them soberly so I knew right away that the rabbit ears were holiday accessories. I’m not sure what people who weren’t sober might have thought. If they’d just come from the Aquafest after watching the Beaver Ballet, then, probably horses with rabbit ears were not much of a surprise.
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When couches attract dogs...

 

If the question is “Why does anyone need a sofa?” we have the answer.
It’s where good souls sleep.
Anyone who has more than one dog knows why the most critical piece of furniture in a household is a comfortable couch. Add some pillows and a “throw” and everybody is happy.
For this holiday weekend's edition of “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap,” the spotlight is on the couch at rescuer Patty Sprong’s house.
Patty writes, “Here is a picture of my three dogs. One of them is awake, but I'm certain they were all sleeping before I bothered them by taking a picture.
“On the left is my HART foster failure, Sammy the Pom. ... He's the special needs boy that I've had for a year. He is just a joy to have around. He's always happy; he never fusses when I am constantly giving him medicine, and he provides constant entertainment.
(Larry aside: The next explanatory paragraph from Patty contains a literary reference to the appetite of our Readlarrypowell.com staff impersonator and the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, Inky.)
“In the middle, licking her lips like Inky when he spots meatloaf, is Pom-Pom. She will be 11 years old this month. I found her running down the street 10 years ago on Easter Sunday. I'm sure she was a gift from God. She is 1/2 diva and 1/2 princess and she'll be the first to tell you.
“On the far end is my first rescue dog, Sandy. She is 13 years old, and when I adopted her from HART, she was 13 weeks old. She has been the best family dog ever, a great big sister to the other dogs, and a great sister to all the foster dogs that have lived here.
“My favorite thing to do is take a nap with these three, but as you can tell, there is never room on the couch!”
(To nominate your slumbering cat, guinea pig (coming up next week!), hoot owl, holiday leftover relative, cuckoo, budgie, mallard or mutt for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, e-mail the slumberer's photo and explanation and info to [email protected]. As a prospective member of the American Association of Sofa Sleepers [AASS], we endorse catnapping on couches and snoozing on sofas. We’ll be granted full membership as soon as a witness can authenticate that we have successfully slept the minimum of 10 hours on a sofa. Insomnia torpedoes a lot of membership applications.)
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Tank, Red, the Pack and Hank...and steroids, stress, Christmas and kindness

Good Friday to you and, before we get to the fate of Tank the Evidence Dog, saving the life of still-threatened Red the Curbside Dog and rescuing the Pack of Chihuahuas near Mountain View College, we have a seasonal note.
Whatever you’re doing – Easter or Passover or Heathenic (guilt-free but not interest-free) shopping -- be safe and be kind to animals and each other. Try to set a trend for the rest of the world.
That photo? That is our Readlarrypowell.com staff impersonator, Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, rushing into the company cafeteria at the Easter Bunny National Headquarters in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, (a real town!) and spotting, on the “Bunny Trail Buffet,” a big steaming platter of Mom’s Sweet Hereafter Organic Easter Bonnet Meatloaf served with a side of Hoppin’ Good Gravy and  a dessert of Rabbit’s Foot Flan (“You’ll be lucky if you can get seconds!”).
Now, our report:
THE CURRENT STATUS OF TANK (THE DOG THAT WAS EVIDENCE OF CRUELTY): Rescuer Dawna Carabajal, who takes care of a steady supply of rescued dogs herself, was wondering about the status of Tank. We checked into things and, as you can see in these photos, he's a happy, healthy rascal.
You may recall that Tank and a little fluffy dog named Misty were abandoned on the balcony of a Bedford apartment and left to starve to death. When rescued they were in bad shape. Their former human was charged with cruelty. The little fluffy dog was almost immediately adopted.
Tank, however, had a number of strikes against him including breed, physical shape and lack of socialization – none of them his fault.
But, Bedford Police Investigator Jennifer Bond began monitoring him as he recovered at the Bedford Animal Services Division shelter. And people fell for him. We asked Bedford Animal Control Supervisor Mark Bellinghausen about Tanks’ current condition and got back such a cheery update that it needs to be shared.
Mark wrote, “Where do I start?  First, let me say ‘Thank You’ from Tank and all of us in the Animal Services Division and people who are compassionate towards animals everywhere.  Tank is still a very important milestone in my career as an Animal Control Officer. 
“Tank is still alive and learning to trust, communicate with manners and get along with others.  “April 22, 2011 will be his 4 month anniversary of living, learning and teaching others about compassion and trust, in a Municipal Animal Shelter setting.  Something I have personally learned from our wonderful Animal Behaviorist is:  Yes, people can learn from animal behaviorists and animals feed off of the emotions their handlers.
“Tank continues to do the best he can with what he is given.”
To offer to help Tank or to adopt him or give him a place to live or to thank Bedford to being patient with a damaged dog, e-mail [email protected].
You can see more Bedford adoptables HERE.
Just FYI: Mark says that the Bedford Animal Shelter is hosting a Pet Fair/Adopt-a-Thon on April 30 as part of the national effort “to reduce the senseless millions of dogs and cats entering shelters every year.”
The event will include a bounce house, vendors, vet booths, service dogs, free hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks and other attractions.
Mark writes, “Thanks again to everyone for what you have done for Tank and for what you can do for the millions of others like him.”
RED IS NOW MUGGY BUT JUST AS LOCKED UP: We wrote about Red yesterday – he’s the dog that rescuer Jean-Paul “JP” Bonnelly had been trying to get into a safe haven after pulling the ailing dog off the streets.
Late yesterday JP told us that Dallas Animal Services was supposed to euthanize this dog, now known as Muggy,” yesterday morning, but thanks to the work of some angels, he was passed over by the needle. Still, he doesn’t have much time – after all, he’s got that eye thing and won’t be adoptable.
One of JP’s frequent co-rescuers, Rekka Melby of Take Me Home Pet Rescue stopped by the shelter yesterday afternoon and took video of the dog. See it HERE but come right back and finish reading today’s report.
Rekka says Red/Muggy is “extremely friendly and sweet. He covered me in kisses and the only time he stopped wagging his tail was because he was falling asleep after I petted him through the door for about 20 min (I wasn't allowed to take him out).”
She took as close a look at his eye as possible and says “there was a little dot where something poked him in the eye damaging it. Not sure if he's now blind in the eye (he kept having his good eye towards me so I couldn't get my hand in front of the bad eye to see if he reacted at all).  It doesn't seem to be bothering him.”
So, what will happen to Red, aka Muggy? Nobody has shown genuine interested in adopting him yet, JP says, but there is an offer to sponsor his release if a foster home can be found.
“If a group does not claim him by tomorrow, I will go get him and figure it out after,” J.P. says.
Still, help is needed to save the dog’s life.
To offer to help save the dog, e-mail [email protected] or call 214-707-7005. The DAS phone number is 214-670-8246.
CONNECTIONS AND A DOG COLONY: A couple of weeks ago we mentioned our pal Diane Cole’s efforts to help a bunch of little dogs that had been dumped in an infrequently traveled area near Mountain View College and the Dallas National Golf Club in southwest Dallas.
As it turns out, another of our frequent rescue contacts is Stephen Plyler, also a veteran rescuer.
Richard has joined Diane in the efforts to save these dogs – rat terrier/Chihuahua mixes, most likeley -- and that photo of the “distant” dogs will give you an idea of how easy earning the trust of small dogs can be. Not easy, is the answer.
But, then, that lone dog in the lap is Bella, one of the dogs.
Richard has been working on getting “these babies off the street and into homes,” he says. “They are very small and in grave danger living on their own in a fairly wooded area. With the assistance of another friend, one of these babies has been trapped. Her name is Bella.
“I am desperately looking for homes or  fosters for them.
“It’s so puzzling how this little family got there and I would love to think they weren’t dumped, but logic says otherwise.
“I will not offer any commentary about the type person who would dump these poor babies because I fear it would be too harsh for some readers. That aside, I was prepared for Bella to be quite feral but she is the opposite...she is a really docile sweetheart.
"Right now, Bella is at my house and is doing wonderfully. She is housetrained, heartworm negative and now updated on all her shots.
“But here is the dilemma if we trap the other three... I will have nowhere to go with them.  I will have them fully vetted for anyone who can foster or adopt. I suspect the others are probably sweet like her too. If anyone can help us save these babies please have them contact me at [email protected]."
HANK IN A FIX: OK, pardon me while I get downright evangelical, but black and white cats – the tuxedo variety – are far more interesting than anyone you’ve ever sat next to at a dinner party or at a family reunion. I know this because we’ve had two at our house – the great Cyril and the magnificent Poirot (had ‘em for decades) – and they were interesting every day of their lives.
This guy Hank has a story – we first told it back in February. His people were returning to England, but could not take Hank.
So a place was found to keep him temporarily while a new home was hunted. Our pal Della Wallace, the rescuer and animal situation monitor, says that Hank’s losing his current home very soon and needs a new place to go. “He is a sweetheart,” Della says. (She’s got dogs who aren’t that keen on cats or she would take him.)
Hank’s in a fix because the person who took him in is losing her home soon and can only take one cat with her when she goes to a new place – apartment rules.
To offer to help an interesting cat, e-mail [email protected] or call 972-294-7415.
LEGISLATIVE SHENANIGANS: State Rep. Don Simpson, R-Longview, is drawing the ire of the anti-puppy mill people again. And the Texas Humane Legislation Network has issued an action alert to help get the bill before the entire Texas House. It would limit the way large-scale breeders do business. You can read about it at www.thln.org. These “big breeders” are the people who put little dogs in tiny cages and force them to have puppies until their insides are mush and their brains are gone and death is nigh. You’ve probably seen video or photos. You may also have seen puppies with birth defects or heard of puppies that die too soon from congenital problems. There is a science and decency to responsible breeding that does not afflict animals and sadden the hearts of people who love them.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Here is the official Readlarrypowell.com stance on Major League Baseball: I don’t care how many times Commissioner Bud Selig says steroid-pumped Barry Bond’s home run record stands, the real home run king is Hank Aaron. And Roger Maris is the real single-season home run king and ought to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Nobody who juiced should hold a record. Create a Steroid Hall of Fame somewhere. ... Is it my imagination or are we too tense because of taxes, gas prices, worldwide stress over war and natural disasters and premature Christmas shopping? Some of you have already got your Christmas shopping done, right? Probably afraid you won’t be able to afford gas to take you to the mall later in the year. ... Parenting advice at Easter: Don’t even try to explain how a rabbit can lay eggs. Explain to the kids that it’s more of a distribution service than a manufacturing concern. Oh, and if my studies in Religion Lite 101 are accurate, this is a tough spell for the livestock, i.e., ham and lamb and chicken.  Maybe a prayer of forgiveness would be appropriate, my carnivorous friends.
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Red in Dallas, crowded shelters, a hail kitty and other notes from the urban landscape...

OK, let’s just stipulate today that all shelters are full and all rescues are in need of money and foster homes and we should all eat a good breakfast and work hard throughout the day without needing a booster shot of caffeine concentrate in mid-afternoon. Lace up your sneakers and read on:
A COMFORTABLE DOG IN AN UNCOMFORTABLE SPOT: This is Red. He’s a mix, maybe some Pit and some Hound, but all dog. And when he was running loose, he found it possible to sleep on the wrong side of a curb.
Now, the deal with Red is he’s in the Dallas Animal Services Shelter.
He had been roaming free, but being monitored. DAS managed to get him. Jean-Paul Bonnelly, the noted rescuer, says he set up arrangements to get Red into safer shelter, but that has fallen though and now Red is at peril and needs a place to go. For now, he’s at the shelter and, like all animals in municipal shelters, at risk.
Red is, for now, a frightened dog with an eye injury, JP says. And he needs out of the shelter but to accomplish that he needs a place to go.
While Red is anxious, puzzled and fearful inside the shelter, he is a different dog outside.
 “While he was on the streets, a friend of mine looked after him for months,” JP says. “He was always friendly and would come up to you to get petted. Very sweet dog. He was scared at DAS. He also has a sister that is shy and she is still on the streets. I was going to try and catch her on Friday or Saturday.
“If I can catch the girl dog, they both get along well and my friend will foster both of them for 2-3 weeks and I may have an additional 2 weeks of foster available elsewhere. I will donating my training to the dogs.” (JP has The Republic of Dog where he does training and behavior modification, etc.)
To offer a life-saving place for Red, e-mail [email protected] or call 214-707-7005. JP also suggests calling Dallas Animal Services to claim Red – he’s in lost and found, not in adoptions, says JP. That DAS phone number is 214-670-8246
IS THERE SUCH A WORD AS ‘UNVIRAL’? Well, let’s give it a shot today. We’ve gotten a number of e-mails about situations that have already been resolved. Perhaps we can help redirected energy from resolved situations to unresolved situations. Here we go:
--Bella the cat has found a home, reports the woman who was trying to find a home for this beautiful big-whiskered cat. The story is the woman is expecting her second child and her husband has declared that the cat has to go. The declawed cat was on the brink of being dumped at a shelter or who knows where, according to the note that bounced around this weed. So, that’s the story on Bella – we got the “all clear” from the expectant mommy who said a family had agreed to take Bella.
-- You may have seen this subject line in one of many e-mails: Clumsy toddler dooms Scooby dog to death.
This is Scooby and the many, many e-mails said he would die today if nobody got him out of Austin where he was in quarantine for biting a kid, but the real story was, the notes said, that the kid fell and hit his head and cops and ambulance people jumped to a conclusion that when the kid fell on the dog, the dog bit the kid. We got word last night that a friend of the family had stepped up to take the dog and save his life. No doubt today we’ll still get e-mails with breathless declarations “THERE MAY STILL BE TIME. OMIGOD WE’VE GOT TO SAVE THIS DOG. IF YOU DON’T ACT RIGHT NOW YOU’LL BURN IN HELL.” All of the e-mails we got, by the way, removed the actual contact points for the people who had the dog. Because the original e-mailer won’t reveal the important contact information, we’re sort of at the mercy of the ethics of that first e-mailer. We can’t check anything out for certain.  But we’re asking.
--You may have seen the e-mail about the husband who took the wife’s two dogs – an older Yellow Lab and a Jack Russell Terrier – and vanished. Reports were that the guy dumped the dog at the Plano Animal Shelter. Our actual reliable tipster Dianne Watson got busy with this one and reports, “Cudos to Debbie New [of the Plano Animal Shelter’] for checking her animals and reuniting this poor woman with her old Lab.” As it turns out, the Jack Russell had been left at the home of the former couple without food or water “but the dog is OK.” And, now, both dogs are back with the woman and at least the canine situation has been resolved though the marital situation will, no doubt, need some lawyerin’ and negotiatin’.
As Dianne asks, “How could anyone be so heartless to take this old gal to a shelter and dump her there. Just lucky that the idiot picked Plano Animal Shelter.”
THE STORM CAT: Remember the big hail, rain and wind storm of a couple of nights ago?
This is what blew into Alan and Monica Potts’ garage in Farmers Branch.
And now they’re trying to find a home for this older kitten who the kids have named “Sprinkles.” The problem is, Monica, a veteran rescuer of wandering critters, is allergic to cats and can’t even touch the kitty. The kids, also, are allergic to cats.
So, the sooner Sprinkles can find a home, the better for all concerned.
“Alan found her in our garage, shaking and scared from the rain and hail,” Monica says. “Our dogs have made friends with her.”
To offer to help place this calm kitten, e-mail [email protected] or call 214-734-8975.
NEEDING SOME CRATES: Tawana Couch, who runs the Society for Companion Animals, which transports critters via airplane from the Dallas area to safer havens, is in need of crates.
She writes, “We are low on plastic airline crates, approximately 15-18 inches tall, for our Transport Program.  At-risk dogs from Dallas fly to other shelters, and sometimes when the crates are returned they are cracked. We will not reuse any cracked crates and are in urgent need of this size crates.”
Donating is easy. Tawana says, “Please leave them on the porch at 619 Woolsey Dr., Dallas, 75224. If you would like a receipt for your donation, leave a note with your name and address with the crate. We need these crates ASAP because we are hoping to ship out dogs in the next few months before the weather is too hot.”
You can offer more help and ask more questions by e-mailing [email protected].
BACK TO SHELTERS: Earlier we mentioned how full area animal shelters are and we’ve gotten a note from a volunteer that gives a specific look at the way things go. This happens to come from Collin County Animal Services in McKinney, but, generally, it’s the way things go in all shelters.
She reports, “Collin County Animal Services is totally full. Euthanasia will happen and the first to go down will be anything black, pit, staffie, old or owner surrender.”
Rescuers know this. Other shelters know these things.
The only thing left to do is to figure out a way to get the general public to react in a way that is more than “Oh, gee, that’s too bad.  Did you see American Idol last night? How about those Housewives of Beverly Hills?”
FACEBOOK AND SHELTERS: Does a Facebook page increase “traffic” at shelters or does it  only increase “preachin' to the choir”? Anybody done a study? Can more people than “Friends” see those shelter Facebook pages?
NEWS FROM BIG TEX: Yesterday we mentioned that Big Tex, the State Fair of Texas symbol, would be wearing a red, white and blue shirt this year. Today, thanks to Sue Gooding at the State Fair, we’ve got this newsburst. (FYI: It’s the official stance of Readlarrypowell.com that the State Fair of Texas is a great treasure that should be nurtured because that, in turn, will protect Fair Park, a wondrous collection of museums and architecture and memories.)
Here’s the note from the Fair:
“Alan Walne, chairman of the board of Herb's Paint & Body Shops, was elected chairman of the board of directors and chairman of the executive committee of the State Fair of Texas during the annual meeting of the board on April 20, 2011 at The Women’s Museum in Fair Park.  Walne succeeds Ruben Esquivel, who served as chairman from 2007-2011.  Esquivel will continue as a member of both the board and executive committee.
“Five new members were elected to the board of directors.  Sam P. Burford, Levi H. Davis, Robert A. Estrada, Wendy A. Lopez and Craig A. Woodcook will serve on the 55-member board of State Fair of Texas, Inc., the private, non-profit corporation responsible for presenting the annual exposition.”
The theme of the Sept. 30-Oct. 23 fair is “125 Years—A Timeless Tradition.”
CONTEMPLATIONS: Morning arrived  --  the great pleasure was beating Baby Jane Doe to the wakeup call. Our ancient  black, pointy-eared Shepherd mix traditionally barks us awake. It is a pleasure to not be barked awake. I know that some day I will miss it, but this particular morning, I celebrate the quiet. You have to get up early to beat Baby Jane at the alarm clock game. She, lately, has been barking us awake at 6 a.m. Hah! Today I woke at 4:48 a.m. and enjoyed 12 minutes of quiet before I dared wake the household (with the exceptions of Martha and one of the cats. The other cat lives on a schedule set on his home planet, Bigfelinius, in the Catdramada system.)  .. No reason in particular to declare this, but, seriously, this is an interesting world. Right now Texas has fires, severe weather, border tension, utility demands, tax and budget difficulties and gasoline pushing four bucks a gallon. Some would say this is Biblical, but the best explanation is this: The Texas Legislature is in session.
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At midweek, old Labs, new chances and planning your schedule...

We have a number of topics today – none of which will provide you with the winning lotto tickets. But if you know the winning numbers for tonight, please send them to Readlarrypowell.com. Our silent partner in earnings, the U.S. government, apparently needs some extra money to get through the rest of the year. We’re happy to help until there’s no blood left in the turnip.
Those dogs? You read about the old gray-faced dogs here before – on Monday. Old and dumped. Read on and you’ll read about them again. Now, today’s report:
OPPOSING HOUSE BILL 1919: The Texas Human Legislation Network has issued an “action alert” to halt the progress of Texas House Bill 1919 that would, detractors say, make it OK for someone to kill your dog if that someone felt he or she was in “reasonable fear of serious bodily injury.” The deal is what is “reasonable” to one person isn’t reasonable to anybody with half-sense. And, of course, who wants to give idiots an excuse to shoot dogs – that already goes on enough in Texas. Go to www.thln.org to see this and other “action alerts.”
CALLIOPE, A SURVIVOR SO FAR, IS WAITING: Pardon the quality of this photo. It is a testament to my technological skills. I lifted the photo off a list of “available” animals  at the Dallas Animal Services shelter.
What’s so remarkable about this dog?
She’s like all the other dogs in the city-run shelter: she’s on death row. Fact of life. Come into a city shelter and the clock starts ticking.
But the Dallas Animal Services Shelter is making an effort to get them all into a home or a rescue group or someplace safe. Just doesn’t work out for all of the dogs and cats that show up at the shelter’s door. Thank you, Dallas – when it used to advertise itself as the “City With No Limits,” who knew that meant there’s no limit to how low the residents will go when it comes to animals.
Here’s the word from Janet Henderson of the Dallas Animal Services Shelter: “Calliope the deaf pit is a parvo survivor. She is fine now and has been released by the vet to go to a rescue.”
Yep, the City of Dallas saved this dog from the horrors of parvo and now she’s alive and vibrant and if no rescue group finds a home for her, she’ll be killed and all that work and love will be wasted.
You can see many, many available dogs and cats in the Dallas shelter by going to www.dallasanimalservices.org. If your group wants to help Calliope, e-mail [email protected].
HOW YOU CAN HELP DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES WITHOUT TAKING A DOG OR CAT HOME: Naturally, you may already have a full house of dogs and cats. So, anything you can do? Plenty – the shelter needs volunteers. But also, there’s a “pay attention” element. You can pay attention by attending the next City of Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meeting – 1:30 p.m. Thursday April 28 in Room 6ES at Dallas City Hall.
On the agenda: Status report on the national search for an Animal Services manager and a report on filling another key management position at the shelter. There’ll be discussion of other animal issues, also. And the public gets a chance to speak, too. It’s democracy at work.
Remember, the more eyes that are watching a City of Dallas department, the more sensitive that department is to public pressure. The more eyes that watch that department, the more sensitive the mayor and city council are to public pressure. That, too, is democracy at work.
And, in case you wanted to take a dog or cat home, there’ll be someone at that meeting who, without a doubt, will be proud to help you.
THE FIRES: Out West of Dallas/Fort Worth, the awful fires have affected animals. And there is need for help with a shelter as Rebecca Poling reports on The Examiner site HERE. There may be other instances of help that is needed but, so far, nothing else has surfaced. Feel free to click on Comments below and add some needs.
A DRIVING VOLUNTEER NEEDED: Krista Mc Anally, the manager of the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake shelter at tool, (52 miles southeast of Dallas, is looking for a volunteer driver who can transport animals between the shelter and the Kaufman County Animal Awareness Project (KCAAP) in Crandall on Mondays. The project does spay and neuter on adoptables. You can read about it at www.spayneuternet.org and you can contact  Krista to volunteer to use your own vehicle or to drive the shelter van at 903-432-3422. Make shelter donations at www.hsccl.org and see the shelters adoptables at www.texaslittlecuties.org.
BLU THE DOXIE: Our Discreet Source tells us that Blu, the blind-in-one-eye and deaf Dachshund from a shelter near the Red River has “found a home.” There are other animals at the unnamed shelter who need a home. Our Discreet Source can tell you about them and, probably, could use some help in getting animals out of the small, underfunded, understaffed shelter. E-mail our Discreet Source at [email protected].  And, if you want to know the name of the shelter, join the crowd. How do you feel about such “discreet” dealings? Is the light of publicity good for a shelter?
A HAPPY HOUR IN DALLAS:One reason I’m running this note is I love the logo for Animal Rescue of Texas. Doesn’t it give you a warm feeling?
ART, as Animal Rescue of Texas is shorthanded, will benefit Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. when the Barley house hosts a Happy Hour for the rescue group. It’s at 5612 SMU Boulevard and, as the poster says, “a $10 cash donation will help us to save a life and provide you with beer courtesy of ART.” You can read about ART’s work and see available animals at www.animalrescueoftexas.org. And you can see a video of how ART helped a dog named Bean by clicking HERE.
SANDY IN AUSTIN NEEDS A BREAK: Joy Wise works half the year in Austin and half in Minnesota and now she’s headed back to a houseful of dogs in Minnesota and in need of help with Sandy, whose rescued case she became enmeshed in while in Austin.
Joy says that Sandy “was adopted from Town Lake Animal Center in Austin in 2009. At that time they had her age as 4 years old. Adding on 2 more years, that brings her to 6 or 7 years old. ... I found her in December and because she is chipped I was able to track down her previous owner. She said she had given Sandy away, and she wouldn't provide any info on who was her current owner.  No name, phone, vet info.  Nothing.
“So, Sandy was probably dumped somewhere. Anyway, I found her filthy, and limping badly on her right hind leg.  I had my vet do x-rays of the leg and it showed a torn cruciate ligament. She had surgery to repair that two weeks ago. 
“Sandy is already wanting to run all over the place.  But she has to wait awhile yet before she can do much running. I am tapering off her pain medications.  It is possible she may need to stay on pain meds for residual knee pain.  I don't know yet.
“I am only here for six months of the year.  I am leaving on May 1 for Minnesota.  My place there will not allow a dog her size.  I have two other smaller dogs.  They have a 2-dog limit, too.  I have been trying for 4 months to re-home Sandy, including ads on Craig's list and in PetFinder. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how hard it is to place older dogs.”
Joy has taken Sandy to PetSmart to “greet other dogs and she’s done well. She is goo with children. I don’t know about cats.
“Sandy follows me around the house and sleeps at my feet all day.  At night she will put her head on my lap hoping for a scratch.  She's a very sweet girl, and just wants a loving home of her own.  I will gladly provide vet records to anyone who might be interested in her.”
To ask about helping Joy by adopting Sandy or getting her into a rescue group, e-mail [email protected].
SEAGOVILLE: This cuddler is Cami, one of the long-time holdovers who has avoided the needle at the Seagoville Animal Shelter. We learned about her from Johnna Bigley, the shelter volunteer who is helping the manager, Seagoville Police Sgt. Karl Bailey, keep the animals safe.
You can read about the Seagoville shelter on PetFinder HERE.
And Johnna and others are attempting to help the shelter become more than a warehouse for doomed animals. The’ve set up a “chip in” HERE. Donations go to the shelter’s veterinary fund. And the shelter will take donations of animal items at 1330 E. Malloy Bridge Road. You have to call first – 972-287-6838 whether you’re making a donation or trying to adopt an animal -- that’s the byproduct of a small staff. You also can e-mail [email protected].
THE TWO LABS AT PLANO: On Monday we mentioned two older Labs that had been dumped – 11 years old and dumped – at the Plano Animal Services shelter and that the shelter’s senior admnistrative assitant Debbie New was trying to find a home for them.
She’d been smitten by the gray on their muzzles and the spirit in their hearts.
They are still available.
They are Ranger and Dixie and they’ve been together since birth.
To offer to give these dogs a home, e-mail [email protected].
  FOR YOU READERS: I’ve actually seen animal lovers reading books about topics other than animals. Some of them actually read thrillers. That’s why I’m mentioning this. You can actually hear one of these writers in person on May 5 when Richard North Patterson discusses writing and his latest book, The Devil’s Light, about “the possibility of a nuclear threat from al-Qaeda and the complex politics in the Middle East,” at a World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth event at the Fairmont at 6:30 p.m. Get the details and ticket pricing at www.dfwworld.org. You’ll also see that later in this series of author appearances you can see and hear the incredibly entertaining David McCullough, author of a number of fascinating historical books. This speaker series, by the way, is part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth.
CONTEMPLATIONS: The State Fair of Texas has announced that for 2011 Big Tex, the 52-foot-tall Midway cowboy, will be wearing a red, white and blue shirt with stars on the shoulders. Somehow, for 2011 (Sept. 30-Oct. 23), having Big Tex in red, white and blue seems appropriate. Ten years after 9/11, red, white and blue is always appropriate. ... The wildfires and the wind – got to be a movie in this somewhere. “Hot Air and Texas.” “Prairie Storm.” “The Legislature.” ... I stopped in at my favorite drugstore and 5 & dime, the Ben Franklin Apothecary in Duncanville, Texas, yesterday to refill my blood pressure meds and, at the checkout counter I found a box of Mars bars. Remember Mars bars? The almond partner to the peanut Snickers bars of Baby Boomers’ childhood, as I anciently recall. Yeah, I bought one. Had a bite. Brought back a memory and made me think about the future, too, when someone invents a great-tasting candy bar that is beneficial for the human system. That’ll be the day, right?
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