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And on Tuesday, we proceed with the week...

Geez, don’t you hate it when a Monday arrives on a Tuesday? Of course, this is a 4-day workweek, so, there is that blessing.
Now, let’s move right into the day’s activities. Some animals may need extra help and some are getting it.
We’ll start with happy:
BARB’S BUNCH: You may recall that a couple of weekends ago an extremely pregnant Lab was dumped into the “overnight box” at Dallas Animal Services. She had a mouthful of porcupine quills and, after that situation was remedied, DAS Animal Control Officer Mark Cooper sent out an immediate request for help for the expectant mom.
The Dallas rescue group Paws In The City Responded and last Thursday evening Barbie the Dog gave birth to seven pups – 5 black, two blonde.
All are now under the care of Paws In The City and will soon be available for adoption. You can reach Paws In The City by clicking HERE.
(Aside: No word on the porcupine. But we’re pretty sure the original event must have been traumatic for all. And, we’re also certain that we kind of hope the person who dumped a pregnant dog inadvertently sits on the jittery porcupine.)
WAITING IN CARROLLTON: Yeah, short time during a 4-day week for the dogs and the cats on the Carrollton Animal Services euthanasia list – Wednesday is the date. That’s tomorrow.
Over the weekend, our tipster Susan Oviatt and hubby Gary were at the Carrollton shelter to visit some dogs and they were smitten by Tess who is waiting for either a home or the needle. Susan writes, “She's a very pretty lady, and appears to be in great shape with no apparent ills. She sports a little gray hair on her muzzle, but who doesn't?
“She also appears housebroken, fetches the ball repeatedly and will sit (momentarily) long enough to drop it for more action. She shakes, and downs, too. She responds with interest to kids around her. My guess is that Tess, even though she's listed as a stray has spent her life as part of a family, someone's good pet.
Tess is #23836, an older Chocolate Lab, weighs 82.3 pounds and came in as a stray. You can see her video HERE.
Then there’s Lucky the Sheepdog/Poodle mix, a 7-year-old owner surrender – family moved to a new home and umped the dog. He weighs about 26 pounds and is blind in one eye. His video is HERE. He’s 23902.
The cat with the fabulous face is Spitfire. Owner-surrender. Weighs 20 pounds and likes to snooze, but is affectionate. Yep, Spitfire -- #23903.
Death scheduled for Wednesday. Lots more animals on this week’s list. You can see Carrollton’s animals HERE .
To ask about adopting an animal from the Carrollton shelter or to ask about your group rescuing an animals,  call Carrollton Animal Rescue Enterprise at 972-466-3420, or email  [email protected].
COLLIN COUNTY PRESSURE: The Collin County Animal Services Shelter continues to face an onslaught of turn-ins, strays and dumped animals. Such a load that the shelter is “having to euthanize daily,” according to our tipster, DeDe Whitcombe, the shelter-walker.
Among the animals there are several Great Dane mixes – four of them, in fact, who were dumped on a man’s rural property and, after a few months, delivered to the shelter. (Aside: I almost cannot bear to run their photos because they remind me so much of my late best friend, Hammy. But I will run one of the photos. This is Dog # 297348. The clock is ticking on that noble face.)
To help save the animals, call 972-547-7298 or 972-547-7292 or e-mail [email protected] or [email protected].
See more of Collin County’s parade of unwanted animals HERE. And, for crying out loud, remember that it’s not the shelter’s fault that all these animals are at peril – it is the fault of the people who dumped them, who didn’t get them spayed or neutered, who neglected them or who are just too sorry to be responsible citizens. Those are the people who are killing these animals.
A DOG IN A DITCH: Ah, another adventure from our Burns Flat, Okla., tipster, the tireless rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher.  She writes:
“Friday, a lady at work told me about a dog that she had seen lying in a ditch outside of town. She thought it was dead, but Friday, it raised its head as she drove past. She said she was afraid to stop (please, don't even get me started on that).  She came to work and found me to tell me. I left work and went looking. I finally spotted her. I was so certain she had been hit, for she was just laying there and hardly lifted her head as I got out of the car. I called out to her. To my surprise, she jumped up and ran to me and jumped right in my car. I looked around and there was a bowl and a small bag of dog food that had been torn open. It appears someone dumped this baby there in the freaking middle of nowhere and left her to fend for herself. Oh, I'm sorry -- they DID leave some food. ... She is a doll, sweet, loving and so friendly.”
The ditch dog is now on the clock at the Burns Flat city pound – Terry Lynn is hustling to find a place for her. To help, call Terry Lynn at 580-330-1459 or e-mail [email protected].
CRAIG THE BEAGLE: Over the weekend Krista Mc Anally, the manager of the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake shelter at Tool, sent out a plea on behalf of 3-year-old Beagle mix Craig.
He was, she writes, “surrendered by his owner and he hates the shelter.”
He's not in the Human Society's shelter, however. He is in the Seagoville Animal Shelter and Krista, as a favor to Sgt. Karl Bailey and the Seagoville personnel, is trying to find a foster for the dog. Sometimes lakeside folks may have more of a place for a Beagle-type, scenthound. So, if you see him at Seagoville, you'll know he's being helped by Cedar Creek. We're all one big network of do-gooders, you know.
Today, Craig is scheduled to be neutered and then he’ll get all his shots and he’ll be ready to go to a new home.
Three years in a home and his reward was a spot on death row – except that the Humane Society is reaching out to try to save him.
To help Craig, call the shelter at 903-432-3422 or e-mail [email protected]. See more of the Humane Society of Cedar Creek shelter’s adoptables HERE and read more about the shelter HERE. Get all the info about the Seagoville Shelter by going HERE.
GOLFING REMINDER: Collin County Humane Society’s Putting For Pooches 4-golfers scramble tournament is scheduled for 7 a.m. Saturday at the Plantation Golf Club in Frisco. Details are at www.collincountyhumanesociety.org.
Lots of prizes, including a big championship trophy and the knowledge that your lousy golf game helped some good animals.
PETAPALOOZA IS -- WAIT A SECOND -- IS NOT A HEAT VICTIM: We mentioned last week that the Citizens League for Animal Welfare (CLAW) and supporters had scheduled a Petapalooza adoption for June to counter the dog sales that traditionally accompany the First Monday flea market at Canton. Petapalooza has been held before, but not in such warm weather. So, this morning we got an e-mail saying that the Petapalooza was being canceled because of anticipated heat.
Then, within a couple of hours, we got a note from CLAW's Stephanie Mosby that the Petapalooza is NOT CANCELLED. To participate, e-mail [email protected]. It is scheduled Saturday at the city park in downtown Ben Wheeler, on Highway 64 east of Canton -- 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring a fan.
CONTEMPLATIONS: This is a special day in our family – my mom, Pearl Powell of Texarkana, turns 85 today. I still think of her as a young mom herding 3 kids around – holy smoke, what a challenge when you consider the three chimps she was herding. Anyway, my funspouse Martha and I drove up to see her over the weekend, deliver a far too modest gift, and take her to lunch at a place called Amigo Juan. For those of you who know Texarkana, Amigo Juan is the restaurant that took over the space occupied for decades by CJ’s Steakhouse and its legendary chicken-fried steaks. I don’t know what happened to CJ, but Amigo Juan is an admirable successor (and has vegetarian dishes, too). And, of course, because it was Mom’s birthday celebration, she got all tanked up on tequila shooters and insisted on singing along with the band. I’m kidding. She’s a teetotaling Southern Baptist and there wasn’t a band. These days Mom’s creativity goes into writing poetry for the family church in Texarkana, Highland Park Baptist Church. It takes guts to let other people read your poetry – you don’t get to 85 by not having guts. So, happy birthday, Mom. Lay off the sauce. I’m kidding, reverend, honest.
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She may be twisted but Porche is a seriously dedicated sleeper...

 

Take the weekend off. Enjoy the holiday. Take photos of your household snoozers and send them to [email protected] so we’ll have a nice supply for future editions of “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.”
In the meantime, we offer these studies of a Dallas street dog, Porche Noel, who showed up on our porch a couple of Christmasses ago – hence the name. She was starving and walking with a pronounced limp.
She was so thin that she squeezed through the burglar bars on the front porch and ate the feral cats’ food. When she’d finished the meal, she could not get back through the bars. She was initially terrified of people.
She got over all that. And, as you can see, she knows how to bend herself to fit into a chair.
Regarding the second photo no, her head was not permanently twisted. She was reacting to an odd sound from the fellow with the camera.
And she knows how to lounge atop the back of a chair if the seat of the chair is already occupied by a cat or another dog.
Sometimes her ear flops, sometimes it doesn’t. We can all relate.
[To nominate your slumbering animal for the spotlight in Readlarrypowell.com’s weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, e-mail photo/photos and info/infos to [email protected]. We’re proud to show the World Wide Websters just how blissful an animal can be given the right circumstances – plus, insomniacs the world over gain confidence that they, too, may be able to sleep. They simply follow the example of an animal twisted like a pretzel and snoozing like a baby. There is that old rule of thumb: Never awaken a twisted insomniac.]

Shelter pressure, personal projects, confiscation and rescues...

I am trying Hoss subliminal methods Hoss to influence you Hoss to consider Hoss adopting Hoss 15 bucks from the Hoss Seagoville Animal Hoss Shelter. The place Hoss is so full that euthanasia Hoss has been Hoss scheduled for Tuesday morning Hoss and there are almost certain-to-die dogs on the list Hoss, including dogs Hoss (right) , the big ol’ Mastiff mix,  and Tag. Yeah, those Hoss are photos of Hoss and Tag, two big ol’ Hoss dogs 15 bucks who Tag shouldn’t be judged Hoss by the cover Tag.
Perhaps the “subliminal method” will save their lives – the folks who have been working with them for the past 2 weeks aren’t having any luck with direct appeals to the heart.
More on these two later, hoss. (That last hoss, stud, was a traditional Texas term of endearment, cowboy.)
Speaking of studs, why aren’t more men involved in rescue? Question for another day.
We’ll also mention that schoolyard dog from Fair Park in Dallas – keep reading to see what has happened.  
Look, we’re approaching a long holiday weekend and the pressure is on at city shelters – like it’s never not on. But this weekend brings some interesting things. Plano is having a “sale” so it can remodel part of the shelter, DFW Humane Society has a special cat deal that’ll help the Red Cross help Joplin, and other shelters are simply bulging at the seams.
Why? Puppies. Kittens. Strays. And the worst betrayal of all: owner-surrender. (Ask the folks at Collin County Animal Services, Dallas Animal services – pick a shelter and ask.)
Swimming against the twin tides of surrender and stray are the rescue groups – they’re already overburdened and underfunded. They’re all desperate for foster homes. To stay true to their mission and not exhaust good will and funding, they have to put limits on what they can take. That’s why purebred, loving dogs that may have cost someone hundreds of dollars two years ago, wind up getting the needle at city- and county-run shelters.
Now, here’s how things wind up being connected. A couple of days ago we ran photos of two Cocker Spaniels on death row at The Colony’s animal shelter – the Animal Control Division Manager Patricia Barrington had fallen for these two and sent the photos and sad stories.
DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue, already overloaded and needing donations and foster homes, stuck its neck out for those two and, yesterday, made room. We got that news from our pal Beverly Miles of DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue – and, indeed, the dogs need some extra medical care and donations would help. Maggie (aka Magagail), the brown one, has a horrible ear problem brought on by neglect. Maverick, the black one, was surrendered because he’d gotten “nippy” due to a head injury suffered when struck by a car – but, so far, all the witnesses testify they haven’t seen such behavior. Maybe he just didn’t like the way the kids were “petting” him on the head.
So, Beverly sent us a note about this rescue. She says the volunteer who assessed the dogs “said the boy seems fine --nice as he can be. They are both at the vet’s now. ... We desperately need foster homes for these 2 dogs - as well as a few others sitting at the vet’s,  and funds to help with the boarding and vet bills.” (Contact Bev at [email protected] and you can go to the DFW Cocker Spaniel Rescue website HERE.
Now, people who love dogs, love dogs. Beverly is no different and she also has been concerned about Hoss, the big Mastiff mix in the Seagoville shelter. She’s loaded with Cocker Spaniels, so there’s not any room in her house for Hoss but there is room in her heart and she’s among the people hoping Hoss will find a home.
I told her I’d check with Seagoville Animal Shelter Volunteer Johnna Bigley about Hoss. When I did, Johnna quickly fired back a note.
“His mange is much better.  Still needs a little treatment...nothing major.
“But Hoss is going down on Tuesday and I'm actually in tears about it. If a reader wants to save him, please tell him/her to act now...even if they would just be willing to foster.  Begging...he's a gem...total sweetheart. Extremely well-mannered.
“We also got another poor, sweet boy that will meet his fate soon, too.  Sweet as can be and in great need. Simple demodex mange, nothing contagious.  His name is Tag.”
And, she reports that last night Sgt. Karl Bailey, the Seagoville officer who is shepherding the shelter into a kinder, gentler place, issued a request for additional help. As Joanna says, “We have 10 pens and 32 dogs! It’s critical.”
And Sgt. Bailey says there are also 10 cats and two of those cats have kittens. And that could have changed overnight – more cats, not fewer.
The shelter population has to be reduced to match the food budget and personnel -- the larger the population, the nuttier the behavior in caged animals. If no one is adopting or rescuing, the only choice is euthanasia.
Police Sgt. Karl Bailey at [email protected] or call 972-287-6838 or contact Johnna at [email protected] or 214-673-3844. You can see more Seagoville animals by going to Seagoville Animal Shelter’s Facebook page.
MEANWHILE IN PLANO: Remodeling is forcing Plano Animal Services to clear out an entire dog run so the workers can do their job, reports Debbie New of the Plano shelter. She says that adoption (some are $30 and some are $25). All the adoptions, she says, “include spay/neuter, rabies vaccination, bordetella and DA2PPV vaccinations, microchip, heartworm test AND treatment if the dog is heartworm positive.”
You can see the Plano inventory by clicking HERE and you can watch the KXAS-TV (Channel 5) on-scene report about this shelter sale HERE. 
AND THEN IN DENTON: The City of Denton’s Animal Shelter is loaded for the holiday weekend , too, and trying to unload a ton of cats, including this big orange girl named Star.
Cats and kittens – all sizes, shapes and colors.
To ask about Star or any of the animals, e-mail [email protected] or call or text 940-391-7760.
UPDATES: We have two stressful situations to follow up, one prickly and the other pommy.
--Dallas Animal Services’ Mark Cooper says Barb, the Porcupine Lab from yesterday’s report, has been spoken for by Paws In The City – when you get ready to adopt her or her soon-to-arrive puppies, go to the rescue group's website HERE.
Paws In The City takes in some tough cases – but, like all groups, there are simply not enough foster homes. You can see how to volunteer and donate at the Paws In The City website. (FYI: You can also support the group’s efforts by attending the annually fab Top Hat & Tails gala on June 18.)
--Max, the Pom who dashed away into his Dallas neighborhood and vanished May 19, has been found. He was being happily cared for by some folks about five blocks away. Max showed up while his “cousins” were outside and the people recognized him, according to a note from Max’s people. So, somewhere today there’s a Guardian Angel for Max the Pom who is resting and recuperating and, probably, being treated for exhaustion and assorted contusions.
DFW HUMANE SOCIETY’S PLOY: Lisa Carlson, who handless press releases for the DFW Humane Society sent out a note with this poster (click on it to make it larger) and explained that from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday you can get a free cat if you’ll donate $10 to the Red Cross to help folks in the path of the Missouri tornadoes.
That cat on the flyer is “handsome Monte.”
DFW Humane Society shares the Irving Animal Care Campus with the City of Irving Animal Shelter.
This may be the only time “free cats” is a good thing to see on a sign.
THE SCHOOL DOG: When last we spoke to Vick Osbourn, the dog-rescuing Dallas teacher, she was lamenting that a scrawny ol’ dog who’d wandered onto her school’s Fair Park campus yesterday morning, had vanished by the time she was able to help him.
Things changed.
Last night Vicki sent us a note that read “I GOT HIM!!! HE'S AT THE VET'S!!! A LADY WHO EMAILED LATE LAST EVENING IS GOING TO PICK HIM UP FRIDAY AFTER WORK!!!”
When Vicki left class late in the afternoon, “there he was, wagging at another couple of errant teachers from my hallway! ... I could detect the tiniest amount of additional flesh had appeared on his pitiful little bod. So I know he had to be the reason the catfood I left behind was gone .... I whooped, dropped everything and ran to gather him up. He didn't do anything but lick my face as I carried him to my truck and put him in the safety of my camper shell.”
She took him to a vet’s office and we’re awaiting reports on this limping, scrawny dog’s health.
This dog is, no matter what his health, better off today than he was yesterday. He will not have to worry about being violently shooed away by uncaring people, or injured by thrown objects, or struck by a car, or starvation.
THE SPCA’S LATEST ACQUISITIONS: Yesterday we mentioned that the SPCA of Texas was involved in a raid on an astonishing property in Tyler – a residential dwelling filled with small-breed dogs. Sixty-one dogs. In a single-family home. Chihuahuas, Poodles, Cocker Spaniels, Pekes, Poms and Pugs. The allegation is that the dogs were “medically neglected and used in a breeding operation,” according to the SPCA. “Evidence shows that the animal owner sells her puppies at Canton First Mondays as well as through newspaper advertisements.”
All the animals are at the SPCA’s McKinney facility where they’re being evaluated and getting vet care.
You read more about this and see video by clicking HERE. 
The traditional custody hearing – required by law because this is America and people are innocent until proven guilty – is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Thursday June 2 in Justice of the Peace Gary Alfred’s court, 15405 Highway 155 S. in Tyler.
ASIDE: These may be dogs that don’t wind up crammed into cages and offered for sale at First Monday in June. And just FYI: The folks with CLAW (Citizens League for Animal Welfare) have scheduled another Petapalooza for rescue groups from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 4 at Ben Wheeler City Park, 10 miles southeast of Canton on Highway 64. And, as you know, CLAW and supporters do this as an alternative to buying puppy mill dogs at Canton – they’re trying to discourage puppy milling as a profit-making gig.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Long weekend coming. Find something to enjoy. Oh, wait, that’s a note I wrote to myself. Sorry, didn’t mean to try to impose my will on you tightly-wound, ready-to-explode, teeth-grinding, white-knuckled walking timebombs. ... On the REELZ cable channel this morning, I caught about 30 minutes of a Carson’s Comedy Classics – that’s a program of old clips from Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show. Took about two minutes to remind me that all other talk show hosts are mere mortals. ... Life’s good when ncyour cat acknowledges your existence without demanding food.
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Quills, cockers, bills and considerations...

Good Wednesday to you -- wait, it's Thusrday already -- and today we’ll discuss a Lab/Porcupine encounter, assorted crises and a dog that may be staked out – maybe not.  Oh, yeah, the morning after the Puppy Mill Bill gets through the Texas Legislature and heads to the governor, the SPCA of Texas is in Tyler on a puppy mill raid – it's coincidence. Here goes:
PRICKLY NATURAL CONFLICT: I’ve lived around here for decades and never seen a porcupine in the wild. This dog may not be able to say that.
And, oh, yeah, she’s expecting. Any moment, says Dallas Animal Service rescue group coordinator Mark Cooper. He sent out a request for help with this special case yesterday. Her name? What else? “Barbie.”
DAS staffers found her in the overnight drop box during the weekend. Mark wrote, “What makes Barb an interesting rescue dog is the painful fact that she had a mouth- and throat-full of porcupine quills.”
That’s the freaky picture. The second picture is of a happier Barb – after she was tended to by DAS vet Dr. Angela Paben. Mark says Dr. Paben removed more than 40 quills from Barb’s mouth and throat and that the dog is now “eating and drinking like nothing happened.”
She’s become a staff favorite, he says, adding that “Barb is an EXTREMELY lazy girl and never gets up but wags her tail like crazy! She appreciates her food and water being brought to her while she lies around in her big ole doggie bed!  This is a very sweet girl who loves her ‘belly rubs’ and just wants a family to love. She is at full term and can pop anytime soon.”
Probably by the time you read this Barb will be under the care of a rescue group. We’ll keep you posted right here.
So, where might she have run into a porcupine? In the Trinity River bottoms? Alongside some Dallas creek? Was she visiting the Dallas Zoo? (I’m kidding the zoo folks!). Mark says, “Your guess is as good as mine... There's no telling how long she had these quills in her. Poor baby. But she is the sweetest dog ever.”
To ask about Barb, e-mail [email protected] or call 214-670-8298. Read about Dallas Animal Services and see more animals that need homes at www.dallasanimalservices.org.
We may not know any of the rest of Barb’s story – but it would not surprise me to hear that someone shoved a porcupine missing some quills into the night dropbox at DAS with a note that reads, “Can’t get close enough to put ointment on this ugly dog.”
THE TWO COCKERS: Yesterday we mentioned these two senior Cocker Spaniels who are in The Colony’s animal shelter. It’s looking unlikely that they’ll get into a rescue group because the local groups are all not only full but already stressed by medical bills for previously rescued dogs.
That means, for those of you who can’t follow the subtleties of animal welfare, that these dogs are likely to be killed. City shelters are not set up to deal with the problems of older Cocker Spaniels who were not properly tended to by the people who once claimed to love them.
You may recall that Maggie, also called “Magagail,” is 8 and has ear problems but still relentlessly sweet. And Maverick, 9, was struck by a car and the old headwound is sensitive, so he needs special care, though if you are gentle with him, he rewards you with some Cocker affection, we’re told.
To offer to save their lives (or any animal in The Colony’s shelter), e-mail [email protected] or call 972-370-9250.
SOAPBOX MOMENT: Area shelters, according to the notes we've gotten from shelter personnel, are facing such a squeeze currently that owner-surrender animals are being euthanized almost as soon as the incoming paperwork is finished. Not just The Colony, but also Collin County and other shelters face this depressing daily challenge. People are dumping animals because summer vacation is here. And there are other reasons, but whatever the reasons, the animals are at peril. Rescue groups are full, shelters are full -- empty homes are needed.
IN SMITH COUNTY: Early this morning, representatives of the SPCA of Texas joined with Smith County authorities in Tyler to begin a seizure of about 70 small-breed dogs allegedly “cruelly confined” and “medically neglected and used in a large-scale breeding operation.” They’re in a 1,400-square foot residence, an SPCA press release says. More to come on this, no doubt.
IN AUSTIN: The “Puppy Mill Bill” is on the way to Gov. Rick Perry. You can read about it on the Texas Humane Legislation Network site, www.thln.org. Not everyone is for it – the Responsible Pet Owners Alliance (click HERE) has vowed to work to get the governor to not sign the bill into law.
STAKED OUT? NOT STAKED OUT? Rescuer Tomi Jasso – you may recall her efforts to get Sadie into safety in Dallas (9 pups, that dog had!) – has run into a possible tethering case.
On Sunday as she was driving in Lancaster for a visit with her parents, she turned the card onto their street and, she writes, “My youngest daughter glanced out the window and saw a small, gray pit bull with a white chest tied on a pole in a field next to a house.  We could not believe it! The poor thing had no shelter and the sun was just beating down on it! I asked some kids that were walking down the street about the owners and they said it belongs to a family that lived in the house next to the field.  They said they always have him tied up even in the storms! They told me they always hear him whining and they felt bad but it was none of their business.
“They also said they used to have another pit bull puppy they kept tied in the same spot but they were told some wild hogs killed it!
“I took it upon myself to call the police but they said they could only drive by and see if anyone was home, if they weren’t home I’d have to call Animal Control.  I dreaded doing that but I felt I had no choice, the poor puppy was so sad!”
Later, she was told the dog was gone.
Tomi began trying to contact Lancaster Animal Services and, on Tuesday, she says, she spoke to someone with the department. “They said they did not take the dog. The owner came outside and told them he only ties him outside to use the bathroom and they believed him.  It’s so frustrating because I know that’s not true.  I don’t understand how people can treat animals so poorly.  At least this might open the eyes of the puppy’s owners and they’ll change their ways!”
If anyone has suggestions for dealing with this situation (legally!) or if you know of this particular situation, e-mail TJasso@darlingii.
THE FAIR PARK DOG: Yesterday we told of Dallas teacher Vicki Osbourn’s efforts to help this starving dog who’d wandered onto the parking lot of the school. Between Vicki’s morning arrival and her next free moments, the dog vanished. But it may still be out there, needing a place to go. So, be on the lookout. In the meantime, Vicki, who has claimed many a street dog, wrote to us, “I'd really like to put up a Dallas billboard that states ‘People, if you MUST dump your dog, do it in the early afternoon so I have a chance to get him into a safe place. When you dump him in the morning, I'm on my way to go make a hand [living] and your timing sucks.’ I know this is ridiculous, because it's convenient for them to throw them out on the way to whatever mindless job or activity they have, but at least it would be a wake-up call that people are aware of their stupidity and heartlessness.”
CONTEMPLATIONS: Anybody else got a headache this morning? Change in the weather? Is summer actually on the way now that the storms have cleared the air? ... If fuel didn’t cost so much, I’d buy a motor home fitted with some kind of satellite wifi and travel the nation, writing about dogs and cats and odd people and wondering why dogs and cats are locked up and some people are allowed to wander among us. ... Spotted on a grocery store parking lot in Dallas, an “armored” van with this decal on the window: “This vehicle is alarmed.” Aren’t we all.
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School, Spaniels, Seagoville, situations and stuff...

THE DOG AT SCHOOL:For a while this morning I’ve been corresponding with Dallas elementary school visual arts teacher Vicki Osbourn, a veteran rescuer who, today, is juggling her classroom duties with her efforts to help this dog.
She’s in a classroom and the dog needs someone who isn’t right now.
Vicki writes, “Well, you always know when something is on the calendar because dogs start appearing where they shouldn't, a lot of times in a condition they shouldn't.
“In the parking lot as I drove in this morning (late because of a dead stoplight on my route) was a yellow Lab mix, very, very skinny. He was looking, I thought, for food so I called him to donate my frijole burrito.
“To my surprise however, he wagged his tail, came right over and tried to get into my truck. The burrito was at his feet, but he ignored it and wagged furiously when I petted his head. I got a couple of pics on my cell, ...School is out next Friday, and I have a grade level meeting to attend at this moment, but if you know a way to get this out, I'm sure this dog would appreciate being off the street. My school is just south of Fair Park”
If you can help Vicki help this dog, call 918-708-1783 or email [email protected].
[Note to Dallas Indepenent School District: Teachers who get involved in good deeds such as this are invaluable to the children of the city. They set examples of caring, kindness, compassion and responsible behavior. I don’t care how many superintendents you run through town over the years, it is the teachers who influence the hearts of the children. Teachers matter to our civilization, to the culture of freedom. Superintendents draw big checks and give us something to talk about when they leave.]

LAST NIGHT: Whew. Some storm last night in our neighborhood.
One of the great things about our animals is they know that being inside the house is generally the safest place in bad weather. Our only dog who is afraid of thunder, Baby Jane Doe, has become hard of hearing, so, there are blessings to the aging process. Well, in dogs, anyway – not so sure about the blessings in aging newshounds.
COCKER SPANIELS IN TOUGH SPOTS: These two Cocker Spaniels are in tough spots in a local shelter.
If you don’t think being in a city shelter is a tough spot these days, check the euthanasia rates – they’re generally up because of seasonal dumping, seasonal litters and all-season human stupidity. But lecturing our oversupply of village idiots does not help these two dogs.
Nobody is more sensitive to the pressure of trying to happily move animals to safety than the managers of small shelters – Sgt. Karl Bailey at Seagoville, for example (more on this shelter later) and our pal Patricia Barrington, the Animal Control Division Manager at The Colony, just north of Dallas.
She has sent us a report on these two Cocker Spaniels – because she knows of my great affection for Inky the Cocker Spaniel, she thought maybe I’d give these two a bit of the spotlight today. She’s right. Until you’ve lived with a Cocker Spaniel, you don’t really understand intellect. (Interpret that as you wish.)
Maggie, who Director Barrington has fallen for and sometimes calls “Magagail,” is the 8-year-old (maybe older) chocolate and caramel female. She arrived in a dire state, but shelter workers “are slowly but surely saving her down,” says Patricia. “We started with her ears. Her left ear is in terrible shape; the ear canal is completely closed and the ear is seeping some very yucky stuff. The right ear still has a visible ear canal, but is also very infected. She may also have a thyroid condition. So, that's the bad. The good?  Magagail is so incredibly affectionate. 
“While injecting her with antibiotic, she leaned forward (I thought maybe to nip [Animal Control Officer] Stephanie [Byington]  who was injecting her, so I restrained her. She softly whimpered and tried leaning forward again Stephanie leaned in to meet her and got the sweetest kiss on the forehead from Miss. Magagail. Same story with the ears being shaved and prodded and cleaned; quiet whimpers and sweet kisses.  It's just simply not OK to think the only thing this girl can look ahead to is euthanasia.”
The black Cocker is Maverick, a 9-year-old who was struck by a car last year and “suffered a traumatic head injury,” Patricia says. “Since then, when the children in his home have messed with his head, he's taken to nipping at them due to the discomfort. He was released by his owner specifically for euthanasia.
“After interacting with Maverick, I phoned the person who surrendered him and asked if it would be OK if I tried to find a rescue for Mr. Maverick so that an appropriate home might be found for him. She agreed.  He's an outgoing, loving, attentive, active dog ... he loves to be loved! 
“This sweet boy simply needs to go to a home sans kiddos as the nipping issue is neither the kids' or dog's fault.
“Maverick loves to be in peoples’ faces and where do kids reach out and sometimes too enthusiastically pat when a dog gets in their face?  The dog's head of course ... and after a collision with a car, heads tend to be a bit tender. I have rubbed my hand over his head, down his neck and even lightly patted the sweet boy's noggin and he's given me nothing but kisses.  A home that is aware of his history and willing to work to keep everyone comfortable will be just fine for this guy.  Sweet boy.”
To offer to help Magagail and Maverick, e-mail Director Barrington at  [email protected] or call 972-370-9250.
[Aside: City shelters generally keep bulk supplies of euthanasia “medicine.” And they all use it. That’s just the way it is. It’s a game of numbers. If you don’t think the numbers ever come up, here’s an example.  We wrote about this little guy Dae Dae on Monday. Owner-surrender, you know. Unwanted. He’d been in the shelter for a few weeks. The number of dumped dogs and dogs confiscated during arrests – yep, something has to happen to those animals, too – began to squeeze the entire population of the shelter. Inexplicably, nobody wanted a small, polite, entertaining Chihuahua named Dae Dae. If nobody wants you and the squeeze is on, your number is up. We lost Dae Dae to the sad truth of municipal shelters – there is only so much room and you can’t keep ‘em and feed ‘em forever. Guilt for the death of Dae Dae is squarely on the heart of the person who said, “Take this dog. I’m done with him.” Too bad there’s not a law that will prevent that person from getting another animal.]
SEAGOVILLE: In the past few months we have watched the Seagoville Animal Shelter transform from a small, largely ignored “hold-and-kill” facility into a shelter that reaches out to rescue groups and the general public in an attempt to save animal lives.
Now, the squeeze is on in Seagoville again. Volunteer Johnna Bigley, one of the reasons the shelter adoption and rescue rates are up, has issued a plea for help. The shelter has 30 dogs in 10 pens.
She writes that there are “many adorable small dogs, puppies, a purebred husky & black lab, beagle mixes, and so many others.  They're all very well-natured, vaccinated and some even have their rabies shots already.  We're literally desperate so if anyone can take even one we'd be so grateful.”
Click on this Facebook LINK to see their photos. We ran this photo of Hoss, the Mastiff Mix, on the 20th – he’s still there.
To offer to help, call Seagoville Police Sgt. Karl Bailey at 972-287-6838 or e-mail [email protected] or e-mail Johnna at [email protected]  or call 214- 673-3844.
THEY’RE NOT ALL IN SHELTERS: Nope, some of the dogs in a spot are awaiting help in a home where they may face danger every moment. For example, there is this dog named Tinkerbell, obviously an Earhound. We learned about Tinkerbell from veteran rescuer Karla Kirk.
She wrote, “This sweet girl has not been lucky enough to find a good home where she will be loved and cherished.  My mom met this man and he told her about Tinkerbell.  She was abandoned at a motel room where this man's niece works. The niece brought her home to her brother but only to be abused, and neglected.  You can see the sadness on her face.
“I think she has lost hope to be loved and find happiness.  The man who told my mom about Tinkerbell is the uncle of the abuser and the only person that cares about her. That's why he asked my mom and aunt to please help taking her before the nephew will end up killing her as many times he has said he will.”
Tinkerbell is of an uncertain age, she’s probably either never seen a vet or not seen one for a while and she will need to be spayed.
She is “very affectionate and well behaved,” says Karla.
And, says Karla, “I want this baby to have a happy ending surrounded by people that will love and take care of  her for life. Please, please help her before it's too late.
To help Tinkerbell, call Karla at  214-382-7523 or e-mail [email protected].
MORE TALES FROM BURNS FLAT: Our longtime tipster, the veteran rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher of Burns Flat, Okla., leads a challenging existence – generally that’s because other people are not up to the challenge of doing the right thing. Two examples (and Terry Lynn could use some help):
--“I have a situation here that I am desperately needing help with here in Burns Flat. We have so many dogs that are abandoned. I take total care of the pound, as a volunteer. Right now, there are 2 dogs that have been running wild in the neighborhood -- they get into trash and cause all the dogs to bark and just go wild as they run the fence line. One has run wild for over a year.
“BOTH have owners. They actually told my ACO they cannot catch the dogs -- YES, 2 different families and both total idiots.
“My ACO has tried to catch these dogs, but no luck. One is a big black Lab -- he is so terrified when chased, the fear in his eyes brought me to tears. The white lab is a little calmer, just doesn't want people messing with her.
“What makes this so critical is that these dogs are facing getting shot. There is a field behind the housing area where cattle are -- they don't chase the cows, but do go in there and THAT gives the farmer the right to kill these dogs. If anyone can help me and take these babies, let me know ASAP. i am sick over this situation. I do not know what to do about this.”
As if that is not enough, Terry Lynn is also dealing with the case of Kane, a dog who has been “adjudicated” and, indeed, faces a severe penalty.
She says that Kane, who loves his family and whose family loves him, got out with another dog and together they killed a smaller dog. Terry Lynn writes, “The police officer would have put him down right there on the street had my son not pulled up at that moment.
“That police officer fought at court to have Kane DESTROYED.  Kyle convinced the judge to let the family that loves him re-home him. So, they did -- only it didn't work out. The people that took him were unable to continue to keep him.  So, Kane came back to Burns Flat.
“He has been here awhile. But nobody knew. Until yesterday. The dad opened the door and Kane ran out -- not after another animal, not to do harm, but in excitement that he was out of the backyard. Sadly, at that same moment, the SAME police officer drove by and spotted Kane.
“So, at court tonight, he informed the judge and it has been ordered that this beautiful creature MUST DIE by Friday. The only thing that can save him is if I move him to a rescue and NEVER tell the family where he is at. They are heartbroken. This boy is not a dog, he is a family member.  This is tearing up their lives. ...So, I am praying and begging that a miracle will happen and someone can take this boy in and save his life.”
To help Terry Lynn, contact her at [email protected] or call 580-330-1459.
HELP FOR JOPLIN: Carol Eicher oversees the Diane Rabon Fund, a Fort Worth non-profit that donates to animal causes, and she is endeavoring to help animals affected by the horrific tornado in Joplin Mo.
Carole says she called the Joplin Humane Society to ask “what we could do to help them” and the Society says it could use dog and cat food, blankets, cages “and money.” Carol says she and colleague Barb Grisell “will be leaving Friday morning to make a run up there (in a van) with as many donations as we can get. I have verified that we will be able to get through.” To arrange to donate or to join a caravan, call Carole at 817-429-3263 or Barb at 817-929-6271. You can read about the Diane Rabon Fund HERE.
BURGERS FOR MUTTS: Metroplex Mutts will benefit from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday if you dine at Elevation Burger, 8611 Hillcrest, Suite 195, in Dallas (near Hillcrest at Northwest Highway). We know why Metroplex Mutts is called that – it makes sense. But what we don’t know is why a national hamburger chain is called “Elevation Burger.” Probably named in honor of the mountain range that runs through Dallas.
HUSTLING FOR THE ANIMALS: We’ve written lately about Tawana Couch’s efforts through the Society for Companion Animals to keep ‘em moving out of Dallas – to put dogs onto planes and fly them off to safety. But this time, there’s a dog that’s in need of a long car ride. You can offer to help in the cases by e-mailing [email protected] or call 214-941-1014.
Tawana says the society needs “a transport for a large dog from Dallas to Baltimore by auto. We have had a hard time trying to place the dog for a year and we now have found the perfect family for him. There is an issue with him in crates sometimes so we feel it might be better if he rode by auto ground transport. We are willing to pay for gas and hotel expense. Blue needs a ride.”
And, on Friday, the Society needs a transport for two “very large dogs” in crates to DFW Airport by 8 a.m.  – oh, my, early trip to the airport in rush-hours traffic. But, you’ll be helping two big ol’ dawgs. Again, [email protected] or call 214-941-1014.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Late night. Was it the storm? Sort of. I watched the Texas Rangers game after the rain delay. It ended so late that it was early in the morning. No sleep and the Rangers lost – not the first time the Rangers have kept me awake. ... Went to a World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth author event last night – an appearance by Annie Petersen, author of Area 51, an examination of the classified records surrounding the famous CIA, Atomic Energy Commission, military testing area in Nevada. Mostly spy-type stuff, not much UFO stuff. Now, there is a rare event scheduled for June 8. It’s rare because the author isn’t traveling that much these days and is coming to Dallas! The World Affairs Council will host an appearance by the great – I mean THE GREAT – historical author David McCullough discussing his latest book, The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris.  He’s a very entertaining speaker and his books are fascinating. You can read more about this at dfwworld.org. ... The morning after a big storm has arrived and, generally, you can be certain of two things: We are grateful to still be here and there are animals that will be missing. Happens during every big storm – critters left outside seek shelter. Be on the lookout today for those strays nobody ever sees in Dallas and other cultured areas of North Texas. Show them some kindness. There are ways – sometimes kindness is to take them back where they belong, sometimes it isn’t.
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Plights and possibilities -- it's the world we've got & try to unsee Bridesmaids

Ladies and gentleman, Danica Patrick will race in the Indy 500, the Texas Rangers have Josh Hamilton and Nelly Cruz back and I’m looking for gainful employment in a corporate environment.
I had hoped to be a jockey, but I outgrew the horses.
FACES IN THE CROWD: Seriously, look at the faces on this pair of unwanted animals.  How do we know they’re unwanted? The primary piece of evidence is that they’re both on death row at the Carrollton Animal Shelter. Pita, the dog, has been on the euthanasia list before and dodged the needle. There must be a reason she’s been “held over” – maybe this is the week the person who loves her will see her photograph. Could be one of those “timing” things.
How did Pita wind up in a shelter? Stray. She was, the shelter says, “wandering the streets with a pretty blue collar and dragging a pretty blue leash behind her, but no identification tag to help us get her home.” The pup is about half-a-year-old and weighs in at 37 friendly pounds. She’s #23813, a Lab mix with a look that says “I’m game – let’s go!” Watch her romp HERE.
  And that big ol’ literary lookin’ cat? Well, regular visitors to Readlarrypowell.com know I’m a sucker for these black-and-white fellows -- never met one that wasn't enchantingly peculiar. This guy is Phil and how do we know he’s not wanted? His people turned him in.  Yep, just turned him over to strangers. Five years old and 20 pounds – dumped. Plenty of life left in Phil, though.
To ask about these two or any animals in the Carrollton Animal Shelter, now “branded” as Carrolton Animal Rescue Enterprise, at 972-466-3420 or e-mail [email protected].
PUPPY MILL BILL WINS IN TEXAS SENATE: By now you’ve probably heard that the “puppy mill bill” has passed the Texas Senate and is going back to the House for the traditional ironing out of amended details. Metroplex Animal Coalition President Elaine Munch tips us to the Austin American-Statesman story HERE.
One more thing: Real men neuter – www.readlmenneuter.org. Thought I'd mention that website as a reminder that nothing points out the importance of spaying and neutering more than a meeting of the Texas Legislature.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT: Rescuer Maeleska Fletes of the Little Forest Hills Animal Alert first tipped us to the missing Pom named Max.
He vanished on May 19 after taking advantage of an open car door. The little guy was last seen running through yards in Lake Park estates in the Athlone and Galway Drive area.
One of his humans, Dennis Jackson, says there’s a substantial reward for his return.
If you know Max’s whereabouts, call 214-991-0750 or e-mail  [email protected].
WHAT DOES A MOMMA DOG HAVE IN COMMON WITH DOMINO'S? Ah, they both deliver. In this case, two mommas delivered at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake Shelter in Tool, Texas.
I don’t know if Shelter Manager Krista Mc Anally had time for pizza, but she does have  the ingredients for a house o’ puppies.
That first picture is a bunch of puppies – all but one of which were delivered by a brindle Lab mix at the shelter. Krista says the dog is “very sweet and a good mom. She delivered at the shelter and originally had 9.  Two did not make it but she has adopted one puppy that came in without a mom.  So she has 8 puppies.  Pups are now about 4 weeks.”
I’m no genetics expert, but I think I can spot the puppy that came from another momma.
Now, in the second photo we see a dog described as a “Yellow Red Lab Mom.” If there’d been some green, they could have called her “Stoplight.”
But, whatever her name is, on the 21st she delivered 10 puppies at the HSCCL shelter.
“Both families need immediate rescue or foster,” says Krista. “I will help with transport.”
To help with either or both of these situations (or any other animal in the HSCCL shelter, call Krista at 903-432-3422 or e-mail [email protected]. You can see the adoptables at www.texaslittlecuties.org or read more about the shelter at www.hsccl.org.
DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES: Terriers, the pig and the big adoption plan. Dallas Animal Services (check out the animals HERE) is planning a rescue group adoption day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 18 in Dallas’ Reverchon Park, 3401 Maple. DAS is lining up rescue groups to participate. Also, DAS will be offering a micro-chipping clinic. More details to come.  To volunteer to help or participate, call DAS ACO Mark Cooper at 214-670-8298 or e-mail [email protected].
Speaking of Dallas Animal Services: Late last week ACO Janet Henderson sent out two “help” notes to rescuers. In one, six small terriers (Yorkie-Schnauzer types) had been brought in by the family of a young woman who’d died. Janet says that DFW Rescue Me took the dogs.
Then there was the woman who decided to give up a pig rather than continue to live with her in her Dallas apartment. Yep, pig in an apartment. Janet sent out a request for help and, yesterday, she followed up with a report that Penny the Pot-bellied Pig “has found a new home with a family who lives on  2 acres by White Rock Lake where she will be happy and will be well cared for!”
BOXER VOTING: We got a note from Legacy Boxer Rescue (the www.savetheboxers.com folks) that they’re among 50 finalists in “Dr. Marty Becker’s’ Shelter/Rescue Giveaway Contest” and eligible for $20,000 in pet supplies. (We looked at the list and spotted some other locals in the running, but only Legacy has contacted us. ) To vote, go to this Facebook SITE and click on “like.”
THE ROAMNG HUSKY: This is a story of rejection. And, of course, embrace. but the rejection part launched the tale of this 9-year-old dog..
Rescuer Michelle Ferrer explains. “Cody was running loose in our neighborhood for about 3 weeks, with no collar or any identifying information.  We did eventually find the owner, but they didn't want him anymore and threatened to take him to the Garland Shelter.  Owner-surrendered dogs like Cody don't live long at Garland, as a rule, so we agreed to find Cody another home.”
Cody appears to be a red Husky mix and “is truly a beautiful dog with thick reddish gold fur marked with white.  His fur is soft like velvet.”
And, she says, he is “one really mellow dude.  Even our recent thunderstorms didn't bother him.  He is friendly with people, both big and small, and is fine with cats. But, he is hungry for dog companionship.  He loves dogs and wants to play and be around them to keep him company.”
Nine years old, mellow, happy, fur like velvet. To ask about adopting him, e-mail  [email protected].
MEANWHILE IN BURNS FLAT: One of the great things about the Oklahoma rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher is she just tells it like it is. So, when we open an e-mail from her, we can pretty much expect an honest assessment in the little western Oklahoma town of Burns Flat.
For example, see this dog? Here’s the story: “We picked this girl up with her boyfriend – playing at the park. She is in head. So I am sure she will turn up pregnant.”
The dog appears healthy and gets along with other dogs. When it comes to people, the year-old dog is “VERY hand shy, but once she sees you are NOT going to hurt her, she LOVES YOU,” Terry Lynn says.
To offer to help Terry Lynn with this girl or any of the other hard-luck cases in Burns Flat, call Terry Lynn at 580-330-1459 or e-mail [email protected].
And believe me, this is not the only dog needing help in Burns Flat.
(AN EXPLANATION: Every now and then we feel compelled to explain the name of this town. It is a consolidation, according to the  Encyclopedia of Oklahoma --- named for the flat brushy area and for a community named Burns that used to exist a couple of miles away. You may have thought it was named after the way it was left following a grassfire during the buffalo-hunting era. Nope. It is, however, known as “Oklahoma’s spaceport.” See HERE and ask yourself what better place for aliens to land a spaceship? Of course, Terry Lynn would make sure they were neutered before they could leave the county.)
CONTEMPLATIONS:  OK, let’s talk Facebook. Here’s my theory: It’s preachin’ to the choir – in the animal community, it’s not the friends that we need to reach. It’s everybody else. Facebook, though some people think it expands the world, actually narrows the audience, don't you think?  … How about those Texas Rangers – great pitching by Ogando (keeps throwing like this and he’ll be like Cher and only need one name) and homers by Josh Hamilton and Nelly Cruz. Are they teasing us again? What? Oh, first name is Alexi.  … I’m as vulnerable to puke and poop jokes as the next junior high boy, but the movie Bridesmaids  -- well, sheesh, disgusting and funny aren’t the same thing. I’m ashamed of myself for having gone to this movie. I want to apologize to my eyes and ears. It’s not Thurber or Benchley or Jack Benny or Lily Tomlin or anyone who has even a semi-sophisticated sense of humor. So, we stupidly saw it on Saturday and ever since I’ve been trying to wipe it out of my brain. Martha, who made me promise never to take her to another film that has a Judd Apatow connection, has tried to wash her brain out by watching old A&E mysteries (specifically Midsomer Murders episodes, murder being easier to take than Bridesmaids.) She also watched Pure Country with George Strait and the Don Knotts classic The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. Still, she says, her eyes rubbed red from cinema irritation, she can’t wipe out the memories. You can’t unsee a movie. And I told her as we left the theater, “We have to go home and watch The Thin Man or Casablanca or anything so that if we die, Bridesmaids won’t be the last movie we see.” Like the cast, hate the presentation. It’s like women made a movie for junior high boys. Gross. Just gross. One of these days we’ll look back at Bridesmaids and announce how grateful we are that they “don’t make ‘em like they used to.”
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A Monday morning cavalcade (also a 'joyful springbok')

Welcome to Monday. Let’s get right to business, though I have to tell you that I hope you find something to smile about in the story of a dog that has been compared to “a joyful springbok.” Read on.
THE FACES: Oh, good grief, the Collin County Animal Services Shelter is, as per usual, loaded up with animals on death row. Not the shelter’s fault.
I don’t know if this plays into it, but kids are getting out of school for the summer and it’s time for families to dump animals so vacation will be worry free. Heck, they can always get a new dog or cat in August when the kids go back to school.
DeDe Whitcombe, the shelter walker, pinpoints this handsome lad, under a year old and “well behaved and calm.” It’s said that his lone desire is “to be next to you and when walking on a leash he leans on you.” (He’s #294862.)
That second dog is described as a “lethal Aussie/boxer mix.” (As I told DeDe this morning, if that’s an Aussie/boxer mix, I’m a ballerina.” (She’s #295273.)
These dogs don’t have names – some shelters just give numbers. They long ago ran out of names. The way things are going, they’ll run out of numbers.)
Back to the “Aussie/Boxer mix,” DeDe says that whatever the little girl is, she’s adorable in person – “precious, with the cutest little underbite,” DeDe wrote. The pup has partial sight and partial hearing and enjoys being with people after she’s given a chance to warm up.
Both may be dead by the end of the day. They’re on the Monday euthanasia list – with a ton of other animals.
To ask about either of them, call Lisa Drummonds at the shelter at 972-547-7298 or e-mail [email protected].
THE TERRELL DOGS: What last week was a bit of a panic over finding a place for a mom and six puppies to go has evolved into a “maybe we can split these kids up and spread the wealth” situation.
Deb Elkins has been helping Linda Templos try to find a place for the little family she pulled off the highway.
Some people went ape last week when they heard there was a chance the puppies would be given away on the local Wal-Mart parking lot. Didn't happen.  
Here is Deb’s description of a pivotal moment or, as she said one of those moments “when I sat up suddenly and slapped myself on the forehead, uttering ‘stupid, stupid, stupid'.”
She explains: “Linda and I were talking about the dogs yesterday [Saturday] morning when I heard a puppy yelp from her back yard.  She smiled and said mama dog has closed the nursing option. The pups are thriving on solid food. When they try to sneak a drink from mom she is giving them a growl and a snap.
“Last week while the human were trying to find a rescue for the whole collective, mama dog was doing her job.  She has weaned her pups.  She  knows best.
“We couldn't find a rescue to take 7 dogs and that was our only focus. Do you think we can re-open the search but now it is for 7 groups to take one dog each, or maybe 4 groups so the mama can go to one and 2 pups to each of the others?”
Consider that option open. To offer to take less than seven dogs e-mail [email protected] or  [email protected] or call 940-453-1734.
A REACTION TO A ZOO INCIDENT: Over the weekend you may have seen a story about two macaws escaping from the Dallas Zoo during a special show.
Margaret Morin, who has been a critic of the Dallas Zoo for years (she led the effort to get Jenny the Elephant moved to a sanctuary rather than into the zoo’s new exhibit), quickly issued a response to the bird incident. (FYI, the birds were recovered this morning. You can see the Channel 33 story HERE.)
Ms. Morin writes, “Once again, the Dallas Zoo publicly demonstrates its incompetence.  One may only wonder and tremble in fear as to what the Zoo does to animals in private as they will not publicly release records now that the Zoo is privatized.  Hiding their actions had to be part of the decision to privatize along with taking the heat off of Dallas City Council and countering the efforts of Concerned Citizens for Jenny.”
She also urges residents to get involved in zoo issues. She suggests that people write to elected officials and “Please point out this latest incident of incompetence and express your dissatisfaction with the Dallas Zoo for its continued and pervasive mistreatment and mismanagement of animals (especially Jenny and Gypsy, who continue to eke out a miserable existence in in woefully substandard conditions along with the other animals in Giants of the Savannah.”
Contact Margaret by e-mailing [email protected].
A LITTLE DOG  NEEDS A BREAK: This guy’s name is “DaeDae.” Geez, who knows why? Seriously, is that a dog name?
Anyway, DaeDae is on the clock at The Colony Animal Shelter. We learend about him from The Colony’s Animal Control Division Manager Patricia Barrington. DaeDae is 3 or 4 years old and neutered.
“DaeDae's owner gave him up and he's been with us for a bit too long at this point,” Manager Barrington says. “He's a great little dog; outgoing, social and engaging.  I'm holding out hope that someone out there needs a little dose of DaeDae to bring a bit of sunshine to their world!"
To give DaeDae a new home (and a new name, maybe), e-mail [email protected] or call
972-370-9250.
SAD STORIES OF JILL AND FARLEY: In the past couple of weeks we’ve posted “Be on the lookout” notes for a cat named Jill and an Aussie named Farley. These searches have ended in sadness. Please go to our Prayers & Passages page (click the “button” in the upper right corner of this page).
THE TRIUMPH OF MALIBU: Tawana Couch, who hustles critters out of Dallas Animal Services and onto planes and off toward new lives via the Society for Companion Animals, sent us a great update on Malibu. You may recall the story from last week – Malibu and her sister Nala were in the shelter, Nala had a place to go, Malibu didn’t. But, Tawana says that when Tom Thomas and Judith showed up to transport Nala, they fell for Malibu – she reminded them of a dog they used to have.
Nala (right) was transported away by airplane and Malibu (left) rode to a new future with two hearts she’d touched.
Tawana forwarded a weekend update from Judith about Malibu, now shortened to “Boo,” as she is “getting used to her new home.”
According to Judith, “She is getting along well with all of the dogs but the cats may not be too happy about her for some time to come. It's a process. A friend's daughter is a trainer so I will have Tracy work with us on some of the things that will make her a better canine citizen while she is still young enough to find a place in our pack that won't get her into trouble. Tracy also does agility training so that is a possibility for redirecting all of that growth energy.
“Boo is a natural at cuddling so no training needed there. As for getting on the couch and bed, she quickly went from not really knowing how to crawl up to leaping in the air like a joyful springbok.”
Judith also told Tawana, “Glad that we were able to help you the other day and get such a delightful bonus in the process. My only complaint: it will be hard to take pictures of her playing in the snow next winter now that her coat is so cleanly white. All that will show are bits of her head. Thanks again for our incredible gift.”
Kind of makes you feel better about Monday, doesn’t it.
CONTEMPLATION: Judith may have perfectly pointed out something that would make our human lives better on a Monday – we should all approach the day like “a joyful springbok.” I’m game though I do have weak ankles and my spring is sporatic.
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Dallas picks animal services manager

The City of Dallas, after a nationwide search that began last year, has found its next Animal Services Division Manager, Jody Jones, a veteran animal welfare executive.
(The memo was leaked after business hours Friday and is only now making the rounds.)
Ms. Jones will leave an animal services management position in Richmond, Va., to move to Dallas and take over by June 15, according to a letter from Dallas Assistant City Manager Forest Turner to the current mayor, city council and assorted city hall notables.
The selection process not only involved an executive search firm, but also, when the field had been narrowed to 3 candidates, a “community panel discussion” between the candidates and representatives of the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission, Metroplex Animal Coalition, SPCA of Texas, Dallas Loves Animals and Dallas Animal Advocates.
In taking the position, Ms. Jones replaces the former “permanent division manger” Tyrone McGill who is facing an animal cruelty trial for his alleged role in the case of a cat who escaped inside the shelter and was allowed to die from starvation and dehydration after it fell into a wall. You may recall stories of employees being discouraged from saving the cat – easily accomplished by simply cutting open the inexpensive wall, which is, in the end, how the decomposing body had to be removed.
The big shoes for Ms. Jones to fill will be those of the interim manager, Dallas Police Lt. Scott Walton, who took over Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center and restored respect and a spirit of helping animals to a discouraged and disheartened staff. Lt. Walton is regarded in the animal welfare community as the man who, with skill and understanding of community/city team concepts, reorganized the shelter and animal services into a compassionate and animal-friendly municipal operation.
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One sleeps, the other lectures...

We’re turning to the home camera for this weekend’s Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
People who don’t live with both dogs and cats may not realize there is (1) a difference between dogs and cats and (2) a continuing dialogue between the planet’s two dominant species. If you think humans are the dominant creatures, then you live with neither dogs nor cats and you’ve never encountered a virus.
Sometimes, as I move through the house, I will hear these two gents swapping advice on methods of sleeping. At least I think that’s what they’re saying. I’m not sure – they tend to stop talking and look away when I walk into the room.
Griffin, the orange and white cat, is so big that a vet tech once jerked her arm out of the socket trying to pick up his carrier and innocently asked, “Is there some kind of dog in here?”
He doesn’t believe in the theory of “find a flat place to nap.”
Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, however, can flop anywhere. One theory is that he was in the army and learned to sleep anywhere. Another is that he’s in a medical center sleep study program and is being studied by scientists.
Here he is on the living room floor. (Veteran rescuers will note that we have a hardwood floor – the only way we’ll ever see carpet again is in hotels or in the homes of people who have only one dog.)
(FYI: We paid thousands of dollars to have an orange and white cat bred to specific size and color pattern. And getting a purebred Cocker Spaniel with a metronomic bark from the other side of the door cost us nearly as much as our house. We spare no expense when it comes to getting properly bred animals to use as props and ice-breakers. Oh, you caught me. I found Inky when he was a mange-denuded puppy in Kiest Park and we found Griffin as a wiry, springing kitten running across my mother-in-law's Oak Cliff yard after a rainstorm. Both were free. Consequently, we're out a lot of dough on them -- Inky brought joy into the house and Kitten Griffy brought ringworm. Everybody got over it, though ill-feelings may linger.) 
Griffin does sleep, but here he is showing places a cat could nap if a cat were in the mood to nap. These stills are from his upcoming video in his Ph.D. program, “The Cat’s Bed Is Undefined.”
In one photo he has appropriated the sleeping quarters of our Chihuahua, Rosie. And in the other he is demonstrating the technique known as “hold the chair down in case the law of gravity is repealed to save money.” He has no problem crawling onto the back of a chair and demonstrating his keen balance.
I once heard him say, “There’s nothing quite as challenging as an unbalanced cat.”
(To nominate your dogs or cats or any other critters for  Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Caps Nap and the weekend spotlight of Readlarrypowell.com, send photos and info to [email protected]. And, as long as you’ve reached this point in the weekend edition, scroll down and take another look at Friday’s edition of Readlarrypowell.com. Read the comments – some of us are bound to still be angry at the way animals are treated. As an insomniac who knows what goes on, I ask, “How can anyone sleep?”)
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Call this "Fed up Friday" -- the plight of animals, the response of "the general public" and a soapbox

Welcome to Friday. I’m in only a moderately better mood today than I was yesterday, so don’t cross me.
First, I guess I’ve finally lost patience with humanity. And this has nothing to do with the constant state of war on the planet or the blatant immorality of American mortgage interest – the Mafia is jealous of the legal vig. The bankers take all that unearned money without even cocking a pistol.
Second: I’ve gotten about sixty zillion e-mails that point out how horrifyingly desperate so many animals are in so many shelters in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Some of your e-mails begin with “OMG, SOMEBODY’S GOT TO DO SOMETHING...” Well, the smart something would be to spay and neuter people who fail to spay and neuter the pets they dump or let run free. Probably not going to happen – against the law, you know. Like dumping animals, only some of us don’t ignore the laws.
So, who is overloaded? Seagoville, Collin County Animal Services, Dallas, Arlington, individual homes, rescue groups, etc. I’m sure some Dallas street corners are crowded with loose dogs trying to catch a break from a passing stranger. What are their choices? Make a phone call for help? To whom? And with what? Dogs bark, they don’t dial. And cats? They’re hunkered down somewhere just hoping for the best. They might get in line at the Stewpot Ministry downtown, but they still have to be with a human.
The question to my untrained eye is, thus, this: “Where in the world did all these animals come from?”
Are so few of our Metropolitan Dunces paying attention to the laws of nature, i.e., the birds and bees, that nearly every boy dog and tom cat in town is able to knock up somebody in heat?
Sorry to be so blunt, but I’m almost certain there’s a gap of knowledge in the idiot community – people don’t snap to the concept that “spay” or “neuter” have a thing to do with fertility. Idiots. This is a failure of the American education system to explain animal reproduction and its consequences, a failure of the American parenting system to pass along key knowledge (i.e., there is no puppy farm!).
And, of course, there is a tremendous failure of the American heart. A failure of the heart – that’s what this is – this horrifying weekly destruction of animal lives in the ironically named “shelters.” Animals are sheltered from “horrible deaths” so they can have “humane deaths.” Dead is still dead.
The heart that leads so many people to pick up strays, pay for their “fixing” and find good homes for the animals just doesn’t exist in the people who take a puppy, throw it in the backyard until it becomes an annoying young adult, then send it out into the world to fend for itself. No heart involved there.
Why do people dump  animals? It’s not by accident. It’s because these people have a moral shortcoming – they know some rights from wrong, but not all of them.
Why do people take animals to city shelters and think that the dog or cat has a good shot at being adopted to a good family. You nitwits do realize that city shelters buy euthanasia medicine and plastic bags in bulk, right?
Good grief.
And the rescue groups...bless their overextended hearts. They almost always take in more animals than they can handle. Too few foster homes. Too little money. Not enough public knowledge of what rescue groups do or how full they might be. Absolutely no understanding that most rescue groups are volunteers using up their own money and life force. Volunteers. Even the big, been-around-forever outfits – the SPCA, for example – has to have volunteers.
For some reason, I think I’ve seen the birth of new rescue groups at a record pace in the past couple of years. Sometimes it’s because someone became disenchanted with their previous group and declared “I’ll start one and run it like I want to.” Sometimes people start these groups because they leap before they look --- and after they’ve leapt, they’re quickly overwhelmed by the size of the problem around here.  Good grief, do we need more groups? Or do we just need animal people that get along and don’t get jealous or don’t have spats or don’t get their panties in a wad or their boxers in a knot.
Another group? Maybe we need some in specific areas, but mainly, I’m betting we just need people to follow rules, use common sense and work with other groups as if everybody had the same goal: help the animals.
Sometimes I think the importance of that goal can slide out of focus in the heat of a discussion about whether “we should/should not take one more.” Heck, sometimes you shouldn’t – it’ll cause your whole group to crash – but if you’re communicating with other groups, maybe there’s someone else who can help. (We’ve seen that work over and over!)
For crying out loud, the only people really keeping score are the ones who keep the “euthanized/adopted/returned to owner” stats at animal shelters.
Oh, if only people outside of the rescue community would keep up with things. It’s in their best interest – like keeping up with basic knowledge of the city in which you live.
People with desperate pit bull situations e-mail me all the time with “I can’t get anybody at a rescue group to help me.” That’s because you’re probably 80th in line today. Look around. Are you not aware of the pit bull reputation crisis? Are you not aware of the fact that there’s not a pit bull group in the country that isn’t begging for more adoptions or relief of a financial or foster nature?
Of course you’re not. Why should you be? You didn’t have a pit bull problem until a week ago when “the cutest dog in the world” showed up on your porch and charmed you. Yeah, they’re not all charmers, but neither are all cockers, dachshunds, poodles, collies, shelties, etc.
Quick, tell me the only kind of purebred that doesn’t show up in rescue groups or shelters.
Not one. I’m convinced someone in Dallas would dump the legendary Lassie if her fiancé didn’t like the dog. You brain-blinded pickleheads who pick a mate over an animal are starting your marriage down a bad path. Heart matters in a marriage. Wait ‘til your mate doesn’t like one of your kids. Oh, yeah, there are shelters for them, too.
Oh, and one of my faves is the “We’ve got a deadline” note. It always reads like, “We’ve been looking for a home for our cat since granny croaked, but we haven’t found a place and if she isn’t adopted within 24 hours we’re going to have her killed.” Sure you “soften” it with “beloved cat” and “dear grandmother” and “put down,” but the gist is, if you can’t find a place for a cat you don’t give a hoot about, you’re going to solve the problem the traditional Texas way of dealing with animal problems: “Let’s kill it.”
And the real truth isn’t that you’re going to keep looking, it’s that you’re passing the buck to everyone else and if the rest of us don’t bail out the cat, it’s our fault, not yours. Well, that ain’t gonna wash in the Hereafter – St. Peter’s going to ask you about that cat you killed out of sincere indifference.
Honestly, do you dumpers even think about these animals? They’re living beings – they don’t just react, they think, they plot, they show affection in spite of your true nature.
OK, so what in the world are the oppressed, laughed-at animal nuts going to do to get the attention of the cold-hearted or totally ignorant or willingly and proudly stupid members of that great swath of humanity, “the general public”?
Skywriting over ballparks? Inserts in the water bills?
How is this riddle going to be solved? How are we going to keep people from taking a momma dog and six puppies to a rural area and shoving them out of a car on the side of a busy highway. How are we going to keep people from adopting big black dogs and once they get out of the puppy stage, just letting them roam free? How are we going to keep people from saying, “It’s a cat. It likes to be outside” when evidence in almost every cat in the world is quite to the contrary – especially if there are coyotes and hungry foxes in the neighborhood and mean people with flammables, pistols, arrows and cars?
How much screaming is it going to take to get your attention, you dimwitted blocks of cement? All you have to do is the right thing – spay and neuter, tend to your animal for the lifetime you pledged, lecture your family and neighbors on a regular basis about the pitfalls of an unattended animal fertility system.
Oh, wait, try this point for the one-issue voter: TAXPAYER MONEY IS SPENT ON STORING ANIMALS UNTIL THEY CAN BE KILLED.
Happy with that, are you?
And you may say, "People always react to TV stories!" And, yes, they do. But don't you realize that for every TV story about a city crew pulling a dog off a highway, you can do a dozen about some poor, sap rescuer doing the same thing only not getting any attention and certainly not getting any donations. Drives me nuts -- do people think this sort of thing is a "once-in-a-lifetime" occurance around here?
Someone once told me that one reason northern climes don’t have the same unwanted animal problem North Texas has is all the strays freeze to death in the winters. Around here the cold weather makes them cozy and they apparently breed like rabbits.
If you know someone who is not spaying and neutering their animals or if you know someone who gets a new animal every time they get back from vacation because they dumped the old one so they could go to Hawaii or someplace, print this out and shove it up....I mean, print it out and politely hand it to them and tell them to feel free to contact me at [email protected] and we’ll stage a Texas Death Match in a wrestling arena and I will flatten them until they scream “NEUTER ME NOW.”
Oh, I don’t mean that. I’m too nice and all my venue money goes to dog and cat food.
Look, treating these people with respect isn’t working. Trying to influence them with the animal welfare communities "natural sweetness" (I kid you sweet people) and free spay/neuter or low-cost spay/neuter isn’t making much of a dent. You know why? Because we’re fighting the bliss of ignorance. There is no effective weapon.
What is the answer? You say, “Give them money to fix their animals.” Yep, and how soon do they start breeding dogs just so they can have a steady income by getting paid to fix puppies which they then dump at shelters or “set free” in parks while the kids are playing soccer and baseball? Oh, that's the cynic's accurate view.
I’ve got to stop here. I’m losing all hope for civilization and I know that should just not be the case.
There is hope. I see it in the enthusiasm of volunteers at pet adoptions, the heart of people who stop and pick up animals off the side of the road, in the good deeds at animal shelters and, yes, even in meetings that drone on and on trying to make sure animals in a shelter get every decent break.
Rave on against the villains in this drama – make them know they’re being watched. Make them understand there are consequences for shabbily treating animals.
I know – there’s not one perfect solution. But, maybe, at the end of this screed, some heart has been changed for the better, some formerly closed mind opened and a new way of looking at animals will come to one corner of a city block and maybe it’ll spread to the next block and catch on.
If anything in America goes viral today, let it be this rough-edged drumbeat of a plea for decency on behalf of animals.  Something has to happen -- this battle has been going on for decades and decades and, yet, the side that does nothing keeps winning. How can that be?
(Somebody help me off this soapbox before the boards crack and I become a crabby ol' statistic.)
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WHO ARE THOSE ANIMALS IN THE PHOTOS TODAY? Top to bottom they are:
--Hoss, a 2-year-old, 85-pound Mastiff mix who is a longtime resident of the Seagoville shelter and is on a list of 9 dogs scheduled for euthanasia. To ask about helping them, e-mail [email protected] or [email protected] or call 214-673-3844.
--Today’ first official Earhound is a Basenji mix named Ritz who is at the Euless Animal Shelter and is sponsored by the Girls Awareness Program of Euless Trinity High School – Ritz’ adoption fee is just $75 dollars and thta money goes back to the GAP Club’s animal fund. See how to adopt Ritz by going to the Euless site HERE.
--The mom and all the kittens are an example of the overload at the Cleburne Animal Shelter south of Fort Worth. The e-mail arrived with this line, like something out of an ad campaign: “Euthanizing daily!” The e-mail arrived with 22 photos of cats, moms and kittens. To offer to help, get in touch with the Cleburne Animal Shelter at 817-556-8895 or contact Monique de la Fuente at the Shelter2Rescue Coalition, 817-992-1242 or e-mail [email protected].
--The black Border Collie was listed as #294862 in the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney. He’s 7 months old and, according to the shelter, “his friend was adopted – now he is all alone and facing euthanasia.” There are more animals at the Collin County shelter – you can see them HERE. You can also see how to help save them. Tons of cats there, too.
--Our second Earhound of the day is  Bella. She’s a shepherd mix with a grand set of ears, caught here licking her chops after a treat at the Dallas Animal Services Shelter, a facility with something like 800 kennels and cages and more than enough animals to go around. All of those animals didn’t get there because they were born in the shelter or magically appeared during a thunderstorm. Some were driven to their potential doom by people who just didn’t care. To see how to adopt this girl Bella, go to www.dallasanimalservices.org.  Click on the “about us” button you can see how to volunteer at the shelter and help make things easier for animals in Dallas.
--No, they’re not all puppies in the shelters. As Debbie Barclay, the noted shelter walker says, this fellow in the Prairie Paws Animal Shelter in Grand Prairie is “either a very tall Beagle or an American foxhound.” Whatever, he’s about 7, weighs 50 pounds and is “on borrowed time” even though he shows nothing but affection for his only visitor Debbie. No, he’s not the shiniest model on the showroom floor, but he’s got a heart that’s beating and it’ll beat for whomever takes him. To ask about the older fellow, contact shelter personnel Jerry Horn at 972-897-3066 or Leah Lewis at 972-237-8672. Do it “ASAP,” Debbie says.  Click HERE to see more Prairie Paws animals.
These are just a small handful of the hundreds of animals on death row around this area. Maybe their photos will save them.
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