ReadLarryPowell.com

Old dogs, volunteers and a computer whine...

For the last couple of years, North Texas experienced snowy and ice-cold winters.
Today, in Dallas, it’s like the real Texas winters – kind of warm, kind of muggy, kind of dank.
Possibly, it’s time to take down the Christmas decorations.
A COUPLE OF BEDFORD DOGS: We learned about these two dogs from Maryann  Izzarelli, who administers the Team Bedford Facebook page on behalf of the City of Bedford Animal Shelter where these two older dogs are currently on the clock.
Now, Sadie, that beauty on the left, is 14. The dog on the right is Zora, who is only 7. Seven is not so old for dogs that are loved. Fourteen is at the top end, but you never know – besides, all dogs deserve a great home that will make them feel safe forever.  It’a a moral thing, in case you haven’t figured it out yet. (Larry aside: That last sentence is addressed to people who think of a “dog” as a “dog” and don’t see the intellect and heart in the wonderful souls.)
Maryann says she sent this note to us “in case you know of anyone who might be soft for seniors.  These two ladies are owner surrenders and have spent their lives together.  …  Obviously Sadie is up there in years, but we would love to find a long term foster or permanent home where they can spend their golden years together.  As you can imagine, two old ladies are not at the top of the adoptables list...it makes me never want to grow old.”
[Larry aside: Decided that about 40 years ago. So far, so good. Maybe.]
Maryann says transportation can be arranged. To offer to help these two old pals, e-mail [email protected] or call 817-875-7390. The Bedford Facebook link is HERE.
ASSORTED NOTES: As you read this, of course, offer your sympathy to your ol’ hackwriter. His desktop continues to grapple with reloading after the death of his hard drive, so he’s working on a laptop which means he’s sitting in a den chair, leaning over toward a laptop on which the letters are entirely too small. Thank you for joining me in this misery today. And, now, before we get out the heating pad and horse liniment, our assorted notes:
--TV TIP: Jonnie England, the media-savvy Director of Animal Advocacy for the Metroplex Animal Coalition, tips us to a 9 p.m. News story planned for Channel 33 tonight about efforts to get the Texas Legislature to ban gas  chambers from Texas animal shelters. …
--WALKIN’ THE DOG: Sometimes the photograph really gets to the heart. This is a photo of Rhonda the Rhodesian Ridgeback happily admiring her companion as she’s being walked while she’s staying at the Seagoville Animal Shelter. She’s happy to be out and about with people, but living in a shelter is getting on her nerves and she’s losing weight, according to our tipster, the Seagoville shelter volunteer Johnna Bigley. To ask about giving this adorable dog a home, e-mail [email protected].
--VOLUNTEERING: Take Me Home Pet Rescue is looking for volunteers to help with the mission. Two volunteer sessions have been set up for Tuesday, Feb. 7, 6:30-7 p.m. and 7:30-8 p.m.  at the TMHPR Community Adoption Center, 561 W. Campbell Rd., Suite 303, Richardson, TX 75080. (There’ll be snacks and door prizes. No child care or pet care at the event.) Volunteers don’t always wind up wading through muck and squalor to save animals – the needs of a rescue group also include marketing, administration and grant writing.  RSVP by e-mailing [email protected].
--SPEAKING OF VOLUNTEERING: I think every shelter and rescue group in the area already has way too many volunteers and fosters….What’s that? Oh, they don’t? Well, how do you help? Google your favorite group or shelter and get in touch with someone.
--ON THE CLOCK: Carrollton has a number of animals on the clock for Wednesday. Among are these two. Homer is that lop-eared dog. We’ve mentioned him here before because someone spotted him as a dog from Houston who wound up in Irving but has moved to Carrollton. Still not sure how that happened but it doesn’t matter because tomorrow he’ll stop moving period tomorrow if nobody saves him.
Turns out he’s heartworm positive, as are a couple of other animals on the list for tomorrow. Carrollton Animal Rescue Enterprise (CARE – that’s the shelter) says that while Jade, Smokey and Gator are heartworm negative, Homer and Ash are positive – Home has a very strong case of the parasite.
That cat is one of several on the list. Her name is Kikka and she’s a little shy in the shelter. Why is she in the shelter – family could no longer care for her. Well, heck, you know how much trouble cats can be – notoriously high-minded, expensive, always needing lawyers…)
To offer to help these animals or any animal in the Carrollton shelter, call 972-466-3420 or email [email protected] .
CONTEMPLATIONS: Here’s my blatant declaration: I hate those screaming JCPenny TV ads. Makes me want to stop at Monkey Wards, instead. …  If you lose your desktop hard drive and have to leave town for a week simultaneously, your in-box will become filled with an overwhelming number of messages. We’re plowing through them here at Readlarrypowell.com and hoping you’ll be patient. If we’re overlooking a timely, vital event or rescue, please let us know anew. Thanks. … Ah, back to the Texas winter. Nobody is  slidin’ on any ice yet. There are still a few days left for the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo and that means we could get a blast of “stock show weather” that’ll turn this place into a skating rink. … The world is made more curious by computers. And computers explain some curiosities. But, on the whole, now and then I miss typewriters and carbon paper.
--- To comment, click below. ---

Another "you are kidding me" story...

Explanatory note: Readlarrypowell.com has been operating on the road for the past week.
Now, the traveling computer has returned from Texarkana to Dallas and it’s time to go through to go through hundreds of e-mails to see how our typing skills can help people who are helping animals.  We’ve tried to keep up but it’s like using a teacup to stop Niagara Falls.
Now, let’s give it the ol’ Monday morning effort:
THE ZIP TIE PUPPIES: Oh, for crying out loud. Sorry about the ugliness of these photos but they definitely emphasize the stupidity of humans. You can travel far and wide – even beyond Texarkana, my hometown – and you’ll have trouble finding people as stupid as the crop of idiots we have around here.
Sandi Laird of Operation Kindness, the no-kill shelter in Carrollton, sent us this story over the weekend.
She tells it best in her note to Readlarrypowell.com. A litter of puppies was abandoned with zip ties around the neck of each little pup.
“Dallas Animal Services called me on Friday afternoon to see if we could save this little girl that is pictured in the photo attachments.  The ACO was able to catch the mother who is OK but scared, one puppy that managed to get free of the zip ties when he was younger and two puppies that had the zip ties around their necks since they were much smaller.  The ties have grown into their necks. 
“Dallas had to put one puppy to sleep because he was having too much difficulty even breathing.
“Operation Kindness got the little girl.  I made an emergency call to one of the vets that work with us and he met me over at our shelter.  Once the ties were removed from her neck, the swelling in her face and neck began to go down.  After cleaning her up and giving her antibiotics and pain killer, we fed her and she ate a whole bowl of food.”
Sandi send several photos of this “clean-up” surgical process on this little girl, but these get the point across. And Sandi says, “I know this is gross; but, the puppy is doing so much better just after about 36 hours from the time she arrived at Operation Kindness.”
Sandi reports that Operation Kindness will get the momma dog and the other captured puppy from Dallas Animal Services on Tuesday.
DAS was at the property on Sunday trying to catch that remaining Zip Tie Puppy, but, as we’ve frequently pointed out at Readlarrypowell.com, “Some dogs are just too clever for their own good.”
The rascal keeps running under a building and staying out of reach. Traps have been set, Sandi says, but he’s too smart to trip them. It’s a race against time, though, because that zip tie is slowly killing him.
To offer to help Operation Kindness help these animals, go to www.operationkindness.org and following the directions. You may also be able to adopt the dogs or any of the other animals at the shelter in Carrollton.
While no animals are on Death Row in Operation Kindness, there are plenty on the clock at Dallas Animal Services. You can see them by (a) dropping by the shelter at I-30 and Westmoreland or (b) by going the Dallas Animal Services website HERE.
[Larry aside: There’s no way to prevent some people from being idiots and using zip ties as collars.
My theory is they put the zip ties on the dog as an intentional way of killing them – they would grow to death or starve to death or choke to death. Is there any other reason to use zip ties? Might such an action be worthy of a cruelty case in the courts? Stay tuned, I guess.]
CONTEMPLATIONS: In an effort to refocus my brain last night, I watched the Jack Webb newspaper movie -30-  on cable. Some of it was accurate, some was overwrought. But, mainly, it was great for one scene for us really ol’ newshounds – all the wire machines were clattering away. Can’t find that romantic sound in real life now. It’s like the sound of slamming down a phone into the big cradle or the metallic clank of changing TV channels with a knob. Just not heard except in movies. You can no longer hear that romantic sound of news arriving one key at a time. Blame or credit the microchip. … Dallas never looked better than it did when drove back in from Texarkana after dark Saturday. Of course, as anyone knows, Dallas is a town that looks better in the dark. … As usual, if you know someone who needs a dog or cat – not just for now but for the animal’s lifetime – check with shelters and rescue groups. When you adopt from those places, you are not just saving animal lives, but improving human lives. Ask around if you don’t believe the ol’ typeologist. Plenty of people will tell you their lives are better because they’ve got a critter running their house. No running "in" the house -- running the house. That's how it works out.
--- To comment, click below. ---

Sometimes you miss the snoozing critters...

Some weeks don't work out the way you thought they would. I think the word "awry" was invented to cover these situations.
Other words were probably inspired by such weeks, but we can't use them here.
This weekend's edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap is dedicated to everyone who has been away from their beloved critters for any longer than a day and night.
How does such an absence play with your brain? Here’s an example: I've been staying in Texarkana at my Mom's house, the house I grew up in with the tri-color Border Collie Queenie in the backyard and the gray and black cat Pepper roaming the house and neighborhood. (Yeah, we snuck the dog in.)
Mom is the only familiar face at the house now. No animals live there. No grown-ups but Mom and no brothers now. All the kids from the neighborhood long ago moved away. The “home” of my childhood exists only in memories.
While Mom was recuperating after some "surprise" surgery early in the week, I would leave the party that was her hospital room and go "home" to try to work.
When I put the key in the lock, I half expected to hear Queenie barking from the other side of the house. She usually barked to let the folks know I was home – I hope someday to have earned the right to give that spectacular dog one more good hug and let her lick my face like it was coated with gravy. She was magnificent.
Nowadays, though, rather than getting to greet a dog with a “Hush” I found myself alone in the house, quickly turning on all the lights and the TV to keep from being alone with my memories. The place always makes me miss people  and critters right down to the core of my heart.
What I have realized at Mom's house is how well I have been retrained by the dogs and cats that let Martha and I share their Oak Cliff abode. I automatically am careful about where I place garments and food.
 As an example, at Mom's house, I felt uneasy leaving my sneakers on the floor, half expecting to wake and find them gnawed to particles. Our dogs may love us, but one or two of them adore chewable sneakers.  In case dogs came in during the night, I stored my sneakers in Mom’s icebox. I’m kidding.
But I did find myself leaving a bowl of soup or a cookie on a counter and looking back to make sure there was no cat waiting to lap the soup and no dog ready to go counter-surfing for a cookie.
So, that brings us to this dog, Wendy, a Dallas street dog that Martha rescued one evening a few years ago as the poor pup romped along behind some pedestrians and tried to fit in with them.
They were not interested in being her friend. It was their loss. Their giant loss.
Wendy was a puppy and enjoyed some lap time and now she is full-grown, a muscular and taut 50-pounder and she still declares herself to be a lap dog. OK by me.
This photo was snapped by photophone a couple of weeks ago as she took an afternoon nap in my lap. You can see my watch in the photo and that Wendy is paying no attention to the passage of time as long as she’s in the lap of someone who proudly claims her as a member of the family.
I think she’s dreaming of cookies nabbed off the kitchen counter. She’s always happy when she’s chewing on a cookie – never seen her gnaw a shoe.
[To nominate your slumbering critter for the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, send photos and info to [email protected]. Readlarrypowell.com is proud to present them to the world to delight animal fans and help insomniacs find inspiration for dropping off. Is there such a thing as a “lapsomniac?” Someone who can't sleep even with a slumbering dog in his lap?]
--- To comment, click below. ---

SPCA lowers adoption fees; West Dallas dogs and other notions...

Here we are at Friday – long week, short sentences.
Bet they wish they could say that at the ol’ Graybar Hotel. Here’s today’s report including the SPCA’s effort to enhance adoptions by lowering fees. Read on:
THE SPCA’S NEW BARGAIN PLAN: See this cat? That distinct face belongs to Georgia, a small adult cat currently in the SPCA of Texas’ Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney.
Why do we feature her? To highlight the new adoption push at the SPCA of Texas’ facilities – the Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center at 2400 Lone Star Drive in Dallas, the Perry Center at 8411 Stacy Road in McKinney and six North Texas PetSmart stores.
The SPCA announced yesterday that it hopes to increase adoptions by 20 percent by lowering adoption fees by “almost 40 percent on average this year.”
SPCA of Texas President James Bias said, “Removing financial barriers to adoption will help us reach our goal of finding homes for 20% more pets this year and help us further our mission, to provide every animal exceptional care and a loving home,”
You can see the figures on which prices dropped by going to the news release at www.spca.org.
The lowering of fees is an indication of corporate partnership in the efforts to increase adoptions. In the press release, Mr. Bias says, “Lowered fees do mean less revenue from adoptions for the SPCA of Texas. The SPCA of Texas is counting on the partnership of the community to help make these lower adoption fees possible.”
The SPCA’s “first monthly corporate partner” in this lower-fee effort is Claim Adjustment Specialists.  You can see how to become a partner in this project by going to the press release on the SPCA website.
And you can get Georgia by contacting the SPCA, too, at ol' reliable www.spca.org.
UPDATE FROM WEST DALLAS: We’ve been tracking efforts to help a bunch of dogs on the loose in West Dallas and here’s another report on the effort from our project contact, Sherry Kunz.
(Larry aside: Does anyone know if there’s a Patron Saint of Tough Dog Chases? A Patron Saint of People Who Care? Got to be some prayers somewhere that’ll cover this situation. for the humans and the critters.)
Here’s Sherry’s report: “We continue to fail to catch the mama and remaining puppy. You know how you [Readlarrypowell.com]  are always saying some dogs are too just too smart for their own good? These dogs fall into that category. My husband, Angie [Manriquez, the legendary West Dallas rescuer] and I set traps last Saturday and waited for a couple of hours. The puppy sniffed around the cage but refused to go in. Even to get some fried chicken. Mama wouldn't even go near the trap. I feel, if we had more help, we could at least catch the puppy. Then we can concentrate on Mama.
“We desperately need more help.”
To volunteer, e-mail [email protected] or call 214-232-6559.
Sherry says, “Each day that passes, this puppy gets older, bigger and wiser. If she is left out there, this vicious cycle will continue. She'll get pregnant and mama will get pregnant again. It will never end.”
SHELTER NOTICES: More shelters than just the City of Dallas Animals Services Adoption Center have way too many animals on the clock. Just pick a city. They’ve got a death row for animals. People are the answer – how’s that for a foul situation! Yep people. We got a note from Allison Roberts, the volunteer shelter walker at the Collin County Animal Services Shelter in McKinney and it read, “We had some great rescues and adoptions so far this week.  Still have some GREAT dogs available, including a handsome well behaved owner surrendered yellow lab, an owner surrendered husky mix and a sweet lab/golden? mix that had been hit by a car.”  To ask about saving any of the animals at the shelter, here’s your starting place: email [email protected] and [email protected]. 
Whatever your city, you've probably got a shelter that is full. Just Google it and most times you can see the inventory on line.  Usually.
TWO LINKS WITH INFO:
--Pat Nethery of rural Kerrville sent us a note with a great bit of news. The link HERE takes you to summation of a Kerrville Daily Times report that Kerr County’s commissioners have decided to ban the use of "euthanasia by gassing" in the county’s shelter. Needle only from now on. They’ll still euthanize, but look at it as one small step toward no-kill. Perhaps, as long as they're in the mood, they could be influenced to take another step. Just a thought.
-- And, thanks to a note from our pal Gigi Ray, we know that the Texas Humane Legislation Network has issued a report on the animal welfare friendliness of the members of both houses of the Texas Legislature. See it HERE. They call it a “Humane Scorecard” on the last legislative session. That may be the nicest phrase ever associated with the Texas Legislature. Easy, easy, I kid the politicians. They work hard, I’ve been repeatedly told through the years by members of the Legislature.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Mom’s stay in the hospital in Texarkana may end today and we’ll be re-establishing her routine at home – trust me, she’s ready for it. She’s what the more colorful among us would refer to as a “tough ol’ bird.” My cousin, Reverend Mike, stopped by Thursday evening to see her and the three of us laughed like a party was going on. Mike’s the only boy cousin we have who isn’t in costume when he’s dressed like a preacher. We’ve got a cousin, Katrina, who is a nun. Basically, I think our whole family is trying to cover the bases. When the role is called up yonder, some of us are going to need articulate advocates to get us through the Pearly Gates on a probational basis. … I’ll be glad when our routine returns, too. Turns out that I can no longer sleep comfortably in the home in which I was raised. For one thing, they threw out my bed in 1968. For another thing, it turns out I need an old, snoring Cocker Spaniel named Inky nestled against my shins so I can sleep. … My rocksolidfunspouse Martha has been doing double-duty -- maybe triple or more -- in our Oak Cliff home. She’s not only been working at her real job, but she’s been working on my broken computer and tending to animals and dealing with a whining husband who calls her up and talks to her late at night like a lovesick teenager. She just hands the phone to Inky and says, “Counsel him, will ya, doc?” Inky is board certified in Cocker Spaniel/Human Counseling and Snacks.
--- To comment, click below. ---

CAP report; an Earhound and a Happy Face; Seagoville's Celebration and other notes...

Greetings and let’s all put on our protective gear. You never know where you’ll pedal your bike some days. Please avoid the potholes and read on:
THE REPORT: Please finish our Readlarrypowell.com report, but when you are finished with these notes about critters in trouble and a Seagoville celebration, come back to this paragraph and click HERE and navigate to the Companion Animal Project No-Kill Task plan for ending this wholesale euthanasia in Dallas. Now, read on and then return.
GLORIOUS EARS AND A HAPPY FACE: OK, I’ll confess, the headline “glorious ears and a happy face” reminds me of my funspouse, Martha, but today we’ll note that the glorious ears and the happy face belong to two current residents of the Dallas Animal Services Shelter & Adoption Center.
There are currently three dogs on the shelter’s “Very Important Pet” list – that means they’ve been in the shelter for at least 45 days, are completely healthy and adorable, yet have drawn absolutely no interest from the adopting public. And no rescue group has found room for them, either.
One of the dogs is the adorable Stewie, who we mentioned in yesterday’s report about the progress of the Companion Animal Project’s no-kill strategy. Stewie was an owner-dumped dog back in November.
This morning, thanks to a note from our pal Jonnie England of the Metroplex Animal Coalition, we have photos of the other two dogs on the January 31 euthanasia list at the shelter.
Normally when we present the photo of an Earhound, you’ll see a dog with mismatched ears or a pair of satellite dishes or a set of ears so remarkable that they’ll stop traffic. Today we offer certified Earhound Peyton (#700560) – he’s certified by the Benevolent International & Galactic Earhound Appraisal Recognition Society (BIGEARS) which offices here at the international headquarters of Readlarrypowell.com. Peyton is a Shepherd mix who has the most splendid and graceful ears – they are quite artistic, with a gentle, almost cathedral-like, arc atop a sweet face. He’s about 2 and weighs nearly 45 pounds. He’s been unwanted since at least Nov. 6, though he wouldn’t be in a shelter if he had not been unwanted before that, don’t you think?
Now, as fans of big ol’ dawgs go, I’m betting that if they see this photo of Holly they immediately begin thinking “How can I make room for this baby?” and “Wonder if the city would notice if I added this sweetheart to my family?” Yep, everybody who loves big ol’ dawgs already has two or three.
But, look at the face on 702480!  Holly is a 47-pound baby who was delivered to the shelter on Nov. 24 – happy Thanksgiving, kid, get into that cage.
Having been around a pretty fair number of dogs in my life, I can tell you from looking that Holly is a happy dog when she’s around people. Look at that face.  And, yet, on Jan. 31, that tail will quit wagging, that big ol’ happy tongue will quit lapping, those eyes will stop flashing with joy. A shot of liquid death will turn this vibrant dog into refuse to be carted off to the landfill.
The contacts at the shelter are  [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected] or call 214-671-0249 or 214-670-8312. The rescue group contact points: e-mail [email protected] or call 214-670-8298.
And, if nobody acts, then the Dallas no-kill plan will be years too late for Peyton and Holly and Stewie from yesterday and lord knows how many other dogs and cats. People. People make the life or death difference. That’s part of the plan – get more people involved.
IN BURNS FLAT: The tireless rescuer of Burns Flat, Okla., Terry Lynn Fisher, has 3 urgent dogs and I’d run their photos except I’m working on an unfamiliar laptop with a program that doesn’t quite work like the one I’m used to so I’m baffled. I’m also baffled why some people are so cavalier about the lives of animals.
Terry Lynn isn’t cavalier, she’s moral about their lives and wants to save them. The three she’s working on now are girls, all under a year old and on the brink at the Burns Flat shelter.
Beatrice is a 7-month-old pup whose brother came through the shelter last month. Precious is 5 months old but has been on a chain her entire life and her family simply “wanted her gone” and “threw her out there,” Terry Lynn says. And the girl Sweetie was “hanging out at the bank here trying to get in everyone’s car.  Afraid she would be killed, they called me. She is just wonderful.”
So, there you have it from Terry Lynn – three reasons dogs wind up in shelters. To help her with them, call 580-330-1459 or e-mail [email protected].
CELEBRATING SEAGOVILLE: Well, I’ll be danged. Sorry, slipped into my native Northeast Texan vernacular. But, seriously, there’s a celebration planned for the big strides at the Seagoville Animal Shelter under the direction of Police Sgt. Karl Bailey. We got word of it from Johnna Bigley, the volunteer and rescuer, who wrote, “We’re having a celebration for Sgt. Bailey and the Seagoville Animal Shelter for reaching our first full year as a true No-Kill municipal shelter.”
Good grief, has it been a year? And has it worked? Sure looks like it. The shelter is claiming to be Texas’ first municipal no-kill shelter. If it’s not, we’ll hear about it.
Johnna also is the president of the non-profit STAAAR – Seagoville Texas Animal Advocates and Rescue.
Click on that artwork for the party details. It’s from 3 p.m., to 7 p.m. on the 29^th at Lee Harvey’s, 1807 Gould St., just south of downtown Dallas and not far from the Cedars DART station and the Dallas Police Headquarters. Not that such a location would remind you to pick a designated driver, of course.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Salutations from the road.  In case anybody wondered it’s chilly in Texarkana and  I’m in an animal-free environment. I got rid of the shakes after 72 hours – I nearly raced out to the Texarkana Animal Care & Control Center on the Arkansas-side of town and adopted whatever was handy. I think they have a few available dogs and cats if you know someone in Texarkana who needs a friend. … Yesterday I told the story of how I managed to drop two cups of coffee here at the hospital without ever getting a sip. Rescuer (of animals and some humans) Darcelle Cowles sent me a note about her challenges. “When I got to work this Monday. I poured water in my tiny coffee pot and forgot the filter. Well, then, I tried again. I forgot to put the glass kettle underneath. Then I gave up.” Yep, after our two experiences with the elusive Hot Cup of Joe, my theory is we’ve been involved in Solar Flare Coffee Mishap Week. … Ah, life goes on but, you know, without my sidekick Inky the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas snoring by my ankles, I don't feel confident at the keyboard. He’s been off helping in surgery all morning – some kind of brain transplant, he told me. Wait. Maybe I dreamed that.
--- To comment, click below. ---

City no-kill shelter plan gets panel's OK; another group readies its no-kill workshop; and other tales...

Greetings, dear Readers. We’re a little late out of the chute today at Readlarrypowell.com. But we’ll start with the big no-kill issue (and TWO such projects) and move on to an actress and a lost dog.
More on the day’s challenges in our Contemplations section but for now we’ll address some animal situations:
THE FORMAL APPROVAL: Word reaches us that the Dallas Companion Animal Project Plan – the no-kill plan introduced at the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meeting a couple of weeks ago – has now been approved by the Quality of Life and Government Services Committee of the Dallas City Council. Normally this would lead to approval by the City Council. More to come on that no doubt.
Once approved and if executed according to the theory of the Companion Animal Project, the plan will make Dallas a no-kill city within 5 years, according to the CAP folks.
Read more about the Project at the CAP website HERE or its Facebook page.
The plan has six initiatives that will be explained more completely at a later date, perhaps on one of CAP’s websites or a City of Dallas site.  In general the six areas are (1) Public awareness and education, (2) Strengthening the partnerships in the feral cats/community cats groups (3) Increase high-volume, free and low-cost spay/neuter programs; (4) Pet Owner Outreach to reduce the number of surrendered and dumped animals; (5) Pet Placement Support through adoption and rescue; and (6) Fundraising to support these efforts.
According to a statement from CAP, “The next steps for the task force are to develop a detailed one-year business plan and a multi-year strategic plan; finish prioritizing initiatives; begin implementing programs; and identify the costs and funding options. In years two through four, Dallas CAP will continue to implement, expand and build momentum. And in year five, if all of the major initiatives have been successfully implemented, the City of Dallas will be one of the largest no-kill communities in the country and will have stopped the killing of shelter dogs and cats.”
Stay tuned. Oh, that dog? That’s Stewie. The CAP  note included a photo of a current resident of the Dallas Animal Services Shelter & Adoption Center. This dog, Stewie “was left in the night cages at Dallas Animal Services—most likely by his owner—on Nov. 22.  After being at the city’s shelter for two months, he now faces euthanasia.” To see how to save Stewie’s life, visit www.dallasanimalservices.org.  
THE NO-KILL CONFERENCE IN MARCH: Coming up March 10 in Addison there is a Dallas/Fort Worth No Kill Workshop hosted by Pawsitively Texas and it has no connection to the Dallas Companion Animal Project though both the city group and this workshop apparently have the same goal. The difference lies in the approach to solving the problem of killing so many unwanted animals in Dallas and North Texas.
At this conference the featured speaker will be attorney/author Nathan Winograd whose theory of achieving no-kill takes more of a “stop-it-now” approach to ending euthanasia. He is famously known for his assertions that pet overpopulation is a myth. And he has demonstrated that his philosophies are effective, though, if memory serves, not in as large or somewhat uncaring a city as Dallas.
A number of local rescue groups have been forwarding e-mails about this conference though none of the e-mails that have come to Readlarrypowell.com explain who has organized the conference or who is sponsoring it.
You can get details about times, speakers, and attendance fees by going to the Dallas/Fort Worth No Kill Workshop website HERE   and you can read about Pawsatively Texas by going HERE.
SOAPBOX MOMENT: While the city’s task force and the Pawsitively Texas gathering may have different philosophies, it is good to know that the issue of ending the killing of the animals is taken so seriously in Dallas that it has inspired the development of actual “factions.” From the list of supporters of both efforts, I know that there are extremely nice people involved from both angles and I hope, for the sake of saving the animals, that the “niceness” will become bonded and end this lousy philosophy of “Got an animal problem? Let’s kill it.” What we don’t need is a big mouthy sniping festival that draws more attention than the saving of the animals.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT: We learn from rescuer Patty Sprong that Lilac the dog has vanished.
She writes, “Lilac was adopted from Mazie's Mission this weekend, and has already escaped from her owner and is running scared.”
The theory is Lilac is a Plott Hound/perhaps Greyhound mix. She’s 3, brindle with a white blaze on her chest, weighs 45 pounds and runs like the wind.
The escaped from her home on Jan. 22 in the Heights at Westridge in McKinney near Cooling Drive and Independence Parkway. She’s been spotted now and then “hanging out around parks and schools but running each time someone tries to get her,” the note says.
She slipped her collar, so she has no tags, but she is microchipped.  And she’s wary of strangers – and when a dog’s on the run, nearly everybody is a stranger. If you’ve seen her or know her whereabouts, call 214-934-8935 or 214-563-2985.
THE STAR’S ART FOR ART’S SAKE: Cari Weinberg, who fosters and volunteers with Animal Rescue of Texas reminds us that ART will benefit from actress/artist Jane Seymour’s appearance Thursday evening.
Yep, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and the “Bond Girl,” will be helping animals with the sale of her paintings. The event is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wisby Smith Art Gallery, Suite 146 at The Crescent Hotel in Downtown Dallas.
CONTEMPLATIONS: I’ve been in Texarkana several nights now and last night was a stormy one – having been away from my hometown since the late 1960s one thing I have discovered is that rain among the pine trees sounds different than rain on the North Texas prairie. One sounds like poetry and the other sounds like the old “cow and a flat rock” saying. … This time last year, if memory serves, we were thinking that winter in Texas meant sub-30 temps and snow. Hah. We knew better. … Today, as I attend Mom in a relatively inactive fashion (I type and she reads in her hospital bed), I decided to go to the hospital cafeteria and buy coffee. The first cup, I picked up wrong (by the lid) and the full cup fell to the floor, splashing hot java into my  right loafer. The cafeteria let me by a second cup – hah. The nice lady helped me put the vigorously sealed cup and a bottle of cranberry juice into a paper bag and I proudly, like a little boy holding his school lunch, walked through the maze of hallways, took an elevator ride, got out and was within mere yards of Mom’s room when the coffee-soaked bottom of the bag (I wasn’t paying attention) gave way and exploded all over the hallway. I summoned a cleaning person, apologized and gave up on the coffee. When I walked into Mom’s room, one of the medical professionals kindly took me to the hallway break room and got me a free cup of coffee.  She smiled and stepped away (perhaps in caution) as I gently picked it up and walked carefully to the room. My sock is now dry, I’ve drunk one out of three cups of coffee and finished this report from Texarkana. God save the animals and keep us all sane.
---- To comment, click below. ---

An odd Tuesday report...

In case you wondered, Readlarrypowell.com is in the throes of computer misery and is working (a) via laptop and (b) out of town on a visit to Mom in Texarkana – she’s had what she calls “minor surgery” and what the rest of us don’t. But, she’s rocking along and hoping to be discharged swiftly.
The hospital doesn’t allow dogs and cats so I’m having to talk to humans. It’s very trying.
In the meantime, just some reminders and, please, get the complete details by doing a search for the event or organization. We’ve mentioned some of them before.
Among the reminders:
--The annual Paws Cause benefiting the SPCA Village Fair Wellness and Spay/Neuter Center is Saturday – go HERE for details.
--Dallas Animal Services will host a free spay/neuter event for the animals of Dallas residents on Saturday (e-mail [email protected] or call 940-566-5551. (I have more info on this somewhere in an inaccessible computer drive, but the deal is the operations are first-come, first serve and free. I’ll illuminate the sponsoring details later, but for now if you know someone in Dallas who needs to get their dogs or/and cats “fixed,” make the call, send the e-mail. )
--Out at the lake, Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake is still selling tickets to the production Sylvia, the story of a dog and the couple who adopted her --it's a family comedy. The production is at the Mabank Middle School, tickets are $10 each, sales benefit Friends of the Animals of Cedar Creek Lake and Spay/Neuter Support Services of East Texas. Call 903-451-4701.
CONTEMPLATIONS: For the first time in decades I have spent the night in a place without an animal – no dog, no cats, no drunken sports nuts in a hotel lounge. It’s odd and I don’t recommend it. … Hospitals make lots of odd noises when people are enjoying a nice conversation. … My rocksolidspouse Martha is not only working at her office today but monitoring one of our dogs who apparently is ill without me (perhaps I over exaggerate) and she also delivered a neighborhood wander-up cat this morning to our vet for spaying. Can you believe this? We managed to catch the last unspayed cat in Dallas County! Yep, everybody can relax now and spend your money on jewels and gold.
--- To comment, click below.---

Computers, critters and the 4th D...

Oh, it’s a swell Monday –so powerful that its challenges began Sunday.
The hard-drive (is that hyphenated after it cleaves your heart in two?) on the desktop crashed and is now officially gone.  DOD--Dead on desk.
Obviously, three years is the limit on a computer in the busy, 24-hour world of Readlarrypowell.com – this laptop may stop processing at any moment, too, if things go according to the current 6-year run of rotten luck and bad road.
We’re moving on quickly today because there’s a work situation involving downloading saved files from elsewhere. We’ll let you know how that goes.
SHELTER SYMBOLS: These critters are symbolic for all shelters today though they are both from the Carrollton Animal Services shelter.  Both are hard-luck cases. They are dogs (as you can plainly see) but they also represent cats, such as a black cat in Carrollton’s shelter – she has quite an appropriate name for a stray cat: Miss Dashaway. Do you really need a photo of a shorthaired black cat? (I'd run one, but this system is clumbsy and my luck is lousy, so you're getting two dog photos and a prayer for the cat.)
Now, the story on this Earhound is sad. Because of humans she’s has date with fate on Wednesday at the shelter.
Dollie is described as a Teacup Chihuahua. The shelter summary reads, “She was picked up with her male companion who was reclaimed by his people who lost him a while back and now little Dollie is here all by herself.”
That other dog – that lop-eared fellow? – why that someone we’ve mentioned before. He’s the dog, Homer, who was first reported in a widely-distributed e-mail as a dog from Houston. The shelter says his tags said he was from Irving. Didn’t matter. He’s still on Death Row. The shelter report says that “we thought a he was a lucky dog because he was wearing a tag with his person's information on him. Turned out though the information was inaccurate and he has spent the last month with us while we tried to track down his person.” Nobody has been found, so he'll be dead by Wedneday evening, too, unless something good happens.
To ask about any animals in the Carrollton shelter, call  972-466-3420, or email [email protected].
Please remember, if you are looking for a new friend or an old one, check the area shelters. They are all full of dogs and cats who need homes.
CONTEMPLATIONS: This computer problem is very unsettling. It’s demoralizing and it’s a pain in the neck. Please be patient with Readlarrypowell.com as it adjusts to a new way of computer work. We’re hoping to return to the old way shortly. A lot of actual work died when that harddrive died. We have a system that captures and saves computer content. We’ll see. … Oh, boy, a former Dallas Cowboy kicker plays a role in the Baltimore loss to New England. He didn’t have the only role. It was a team loss. Still, could  “Cowboy Toe” be a new term for a bad kick at a key moment? … Ah, that first Star Wars film was something, then they had to go and make the rest of them. And now big TV commercials are promoting the February release of Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace in 3D and you think, “Ah, nifty” and then you remember that this is the one that has the totally irritating and worthless character Jar Jar Binks. That character solidified the 4^th D—Dumb. I've watched a 3D trailer twice and Jar Jar has no speaking lines in the trailer -- maybe they didn't want to remind people of that goofy cartoon character. OK, maybe the computer problem is putting me in a foul frame of mind. My apologies to Jar Jar Binks, the low point in American filmmaking.
--- To comment, click below. ---

To whom the furniture belongs...

If you’ve ever had a critter in your home you know that, in reality, whatever furniture there is in the place belongs not to you but to the animals.
As you can see in this photo, the dog and two cats own this couch. It’s their house, too. But, of course, what they really own is hearts.
One of our longtime tipsters, Karen Lee of Fort Worth, suggested that her brother, Ken Tarrant of Austin, send this photo to Readlarrypowell.com and, sure enough, these critters exquisitely qualify for the weekly spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
Even as I’m typing this I’m wondering if they’d mind if a hefty ol’ newshound eased down next to them and sought relief from a raging outbreak of Daylight Sleepyeye. [I'll get over the Daylight Sleepyeye by bedtime.]
Ken explains this tableau thusly: “I took this picture of some of our lazy pets and my sister told me about your site and how you might like it.  My sister is Karen Lee and is an active volunteer for animal rescue.
“All our pets have been rescued from the streets.”
Ah, some rescue attitudes run in the family, don't they!  Of course, Ken and Karen are twins, so, we'll leave that analysis up to the learned psychologists and students of the behavior patterns in fraternal twins.
Ken writes that Shiner the dog doesn’t get his name “from the beer but from the fact that he had a perfect ring of mange around one eye that we had to cure.
“The tuxedo cat to his right is Grayson---Grayson came to our house and kept hanging around and when we picked him up and found that he was declawed and left on his own, we took him in.
“The white and grey cat is Hoover-- he was a stray found near Sayre, Okla.”
Sister Karen wanted to make sure we knew that her big brother (he’s much, much older-- 10 minutes) has a big heart. She wrote, “I hope he mentioned that all of their pets are rescued strays--he and Cyndi have huge hearts for homeless animals. The little dog in the front is Shiner who has to be close to 17 or 18 years old.  Ken is a school teacher and Shiner was hanging around the school yard so Ken took him in--as he has many other dogs and cats.”
And, of course, rescued animals really know how to sleep once they’re in a safe place. They understand that they can completely relax.
Many of you, dear Readers, can attest to how a dog you once couldn’t get within 50 yards of now won’t get out of your chair and has absolutely no problem taking over your couch, bed or favorite spot in front of the TV.  They’ll even mimic human tendencies and nod off on top of the remote control.
[Readlarrypowell.com is always looking for photos of sleeping dogs, napping cats, lounging lizards, reclining reptiles and inert in-laws for our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Simply send the photo and info to [email protected]. Remember, the slumbering photo you send may help inspire an insomniac to nod off. Do a good thing and help some of us poor nutjobs sleep.]
--To comment, click below.--

Friday's PM Edition

As the weekend rolls into view, here’s a consideration that’s based on last weekend’s work. And there's a beautiful Sheltie who's been missing since just before New Year's -- thanks, fireworks.
THE RESCUE: We get this story from rescuer Rekka Melby.  It comes with a video to watch after you’ve read this and you’ll remember why Dallas Firefighters get the “hero” tag. In fact, you’ll start looking for cats in trees just so you’ll have the chance to applaud them.
Here’s Rekka’s note:
“Wanted to see if there's any way you could please post a foster request for a male, medium- sized dog who is living on the streets of Dallas.”
[LARRY SOAPBOX ASIDE: Hang on there just a second, Rekka. Let’s just call a time-out right now. Are you telling me, Rekka, that there is a medium-sized male dog loose on the streets on Dallas? That’s very hard to believe when you consider how active rescue groups are and how large the Dallas Animal Services shelter is. How in the world could there be ANY free-roaming animal left on the streets of our pleasant little village?
Oh, wait, I forgot. We also have an overabundance of village idiots. Back to Rekka’s note.]
She continues, “Last weekend, JP Bonnally and I rescued a stray momma dog and her litter of seven puppies thanks to help from the Dallas Fire Department -it was pretty cool!  Unfortunately we weren't able to catch the dad [photo to the right] and, to be honest, we need a foster lined up before we go back to get him.  We hated leaving him behind but JP and I already have full houses and I ended up taking the momma dog home (the puppies were old enough to be weaned).
“The puppies were trapped deep under a shed where we couldn't reach them.  So we called the Dallas Fire Department and they came out to help.  They used inflatable air bags to lift the shed do we could get under there to reach the puppies.  They were from Engine 1 and Truck 4, C-Shift, and they were awesome!
“The mom and dad took off while we rescued the puppies so we left a humane trap baited with burgers.  After we delivered the pups to their foster home, we returned to check the trap and found the mom in it and her loyal mate laying in the grass beside her.
“The male dog also looks to have a slight leg injury as he was limping a little bit.  We would love to go get him but he needs a safe place to go.
Plans are to get the dog and, hopefully, place him with another rescue group or a foster. Rekka and JP will help get proper placement lined up.
E-mail [email protected] or [email protected].
And watch video of the rescue HERE.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT: This is Dragon, a Shetland Sheepdog who belongs to the artist/writer Melody Snow.
Nine-year-old Dragon, show here in fluffier days, no doubt, has been missing since Dec. 29 when she was spooked by nearby fireworks and bolted out of her yard in the Homesteads North in the Alvarado/Lillian area south of Fort Worth.
Melody, who writes about animals and creates miniature tack and other items of art (click HERE), has done all the proper things in a missing dog case. “We’ve done the signs, newspapers, Sheltie Rescue, local shelters....” And, she says, “At this point, we’re very discouraged.”
Still, one never knows if such a dog has left the Alvarado area, handed off by someone who saved the roaming dog and moved it to another area code. That happens.
If you have seen Dragon, a lifetime family dog who has always lived in the same area, or if you know her whereabouts, call  817-783-6329 or 817-637-5411 or e-mail  [email protected]
Melody says the dog had a collar and a new vet tag. "I keep hoping someone will call our vet or us ..."
--- To comment, click below. ---