Ah, Ash Wednesday arrives – the day more people are told “You’ve got something on you forehead” than on any other day of the year. Such is the burden of the believer.
Now, religion aside, let’s pray that someone can help the animals and the people who are trying to help them. Maybe a prayer of thanks would be appropriate, too. You'll see.
THE OFFICERS SAVE THE CAT STORY: We begin with a dramatic story sent overnight by Mark Cooper, the rescue coordinator for Dallas Animal Services. [More to come on this.]
Officer Cooper wrote last night, “I'm sorry for sending emails out so late, but I have just been contacted by one of my fellow ACOs who has asked that I please help save a cat in desperate need. As you all know, the life of a rescuer never ends.
”Officer McLeod was dispatched to a call tonight where a cat has been heard since Friday crying from an underground sewer line in a near downtown area. With the assistance of Officer Carlisle, they embarked on a daring underground rescue to save the trapped and scared cat.
”As the officers climbed down the long ladder, the cat tried to meet them by climbing up towards them. Almost like it was trying to save them the long climb by meeting them half way.
”Once the cat climbed about 30 feet up, he fell to the ground below. This fall has broken either its leg, hip/pelvis or something of that nature.
”Once they reached the cat, they found themselves also trapped almost 70 to 90 feet below the streets in a dark, wet and cold sewer tunnel with large turbines. They described it as a freaky movie scene. They quickly realized they where also trapped and radioed for DFD to save them.
”After an hour of DFD's assistance the two officers, along with a badly injured cat where pulled to safety. Officer Carlisle called me in route to the shelter asking that I find a rescue immediately. After this struggle to save the cat and after all the cat had endured, it's important that we save this poor cat.”
Officer Cooper’s note asked for help with this cat. Catmatchers responded and today we’ll see what develops. Stay tuned. (Contact Officer Cooper at [email protected]. Might be nice if DAS got some “way to go” notes.)
THIS MAY BE WORKING OUT: Readlarrypowell.com has two more than firm stances: We’re for spay/neuter and just as much as we are for that, we are doubly against mange. It is easily the most preventable, fixable disgusting problem animals face.
And her are two examples, two of five, in fact. If you’ve ever seen dogs with horrific cases of mange you know that they are very sick. That one photo of the little dog with the “O not me” pose is a prime example The other dog shows nobility in spite of the plague.
The back story on these animals is this: Maeleska Fletes, the rescuer who is also on the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission, got a call from Angie Manriquez, the legendary rescuer known as the “Fairy Dogmother of West Dallas.”
The momma dog and her four pups are “covered with demodes mange and cannot stay any loger with the owner,” Maeleska’s note explained. The owner asked Angie to take them to Dallas Animal Services. That’s a rough spot for these sick dogs to land.
So, Angie began looking for help placing them with a rescuer or rescue group so they can get some help and live to become someone’s loved and adored pal.
To ask about helping, e-mail [email protected] or call 214-766-3577. And, remember, in these cases, finding a place to land is not the end of helping – there will be vet bills that have to be covered.
Sometimes with animals it is the human factor that is difficult to defeat.
AMONG THE THINGS WE CAN’T BELIEVE: First, we can’t believe that the Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a playoff game this century, but that’s not important. The big thing we can’t believe today is thtat this dog Payton hasn’t found a home and is still in the Rowlett Animal Shelter. (And, by the way, bless those folks for holding onto him and giving him a chance.)
Do you recognize him? He used to be known as Scarface. That’s how he was identified on Groundhog Day when we first wrote about him. He’s been at the shelter since December 8.
Veteran rescuer Dawna Carabajal has been pitching this dog like he was the next sliced bread, the next big thing, the next … well, you know. The greatest.
She says, “The shelter first named him Scarface because he came in looking a little beat up. However, they just changed his name to Payton because he is all healed up and beautiful now. I was at the shelter Saturday and got to spend sometime with Payton. He is a real lover boy. He LOVES attention and he LOVES other dogs. He really enjoyed his walk (even though it was raining on us). He looks like a big boy in his pictures, but really he is a small guy, only about 40 pounds. He is the VIP Pet of the Month, so his adoption fee is only $25.”
Yes, 25 lousy dollars.
To ask about adopting handsome Payton, call the Rowlett Animal Shelter at 972-412-6219 or e-mail [email protected] – that’s Dawna’s email and she’ll happily help with introductions. Click HERE to see other Rowlett adoptables.
SOAPBOX MOMENT: We’ve written about young Payton before and possibly the problem is not that he is a Pit mix but that reaching humans outside of the animal welfare world is nearly impossible. Payton came into the Rowlett Animal Shelter as a stray and stayed and that means that (a) nobody was looking for him and (b) the shelter folks have faith in him. So, how is his life going to be saved if he can’t even get a visit or even a look? The key to his survival is drawing a line from his heart to the heart of a human who’ll love him. Sounds simple. May not be a straight line, though. How in the world can the connection be made? Is that not the impossible question? Heck, print his story out today and stick it up on the bulletin board at your office, your church, your vet’s office, your dentist’s office, your parole officer’s office…anywhere. Put him in the face of the people so he can lick their cheeks and make them smile. Seriously, non-animal people, you’ve known people and you’ve known dogs – which one is easier to give away?
HELP WANTED FOR DENTON FAMILY: Overnight the folks at the Denton Animal Shelter were trying to find some place for some pups to go, according to a note we got from noted Denton shelter volunteer Amy Pelzel.
As you may note from the photgraph, that is a double armful of puppies. The lone dog is the mommy.
The pups are 5 1/ weeks old and they and their ailing mom were saved by Denton Emergency Services..
The pups are weaned and “adorable, sweet, affectionate, etc.,” the note reads. Not sure what “etc.” is but it’s bound to be good. Look at ‘em – they’re obviously happy to hang around posing for photos.
The boy is the brindle. Mom’s going to be spayed in the next couple of days in anticipation of being adopted.
If you can help by fostering or sponsoring or adopting or rescuing, e-mail [email protected].
EVENTS: If you click on that artwork within this item you’ll make it much larger and you can read it. One is a poster for the noon to 2 p.m. Saturday Pet Fiesta at the Trinity River Mission. It’s a family-type event for animals. …If you’re in Austin on Saturday, you can see the show “Doin’ It For Love” with Broadway mainstay Kaye Ballard – and the production benefits the Texas Humane Legislation Network. Tickets are $25. You can get the details and order tickets at www.thln.org. The THLN is the year-round “animal lobby” in Austin. I'd run the poster with this THLN event but we're having computer system problems today and it's beyond my grasp. You can see it, however, at the THLN site.
TOUGH MESSAGE: Most heartbreaking message I’ve ever seen from Carrollton Animal Rescue Enterprise (the city’s shelter) on the eve of euthanasia day arrived yesterday: “No Adoptions yet today, everyone is still here at the shelter waiting for help. Any questions please contact us.” Geez, you just want to hire a skywriting plane to advertise “SAVE LIVES! ADOPT SHELTER ANIMALS TODAY.” That might stretch from Dallas to Fort Worth – heck, the message is good from border to border. See Carrollton’s inventory of adoptables HERE.
A READING TIP ABOUT A RESCUER AND HIS DOG: We’ve mentioned rescue efforts by JP Bonnelly here before and now, thanks to Yvonne Ybarra, there’s a story about his attempts to help his own dog, Miss Piggy. You can read it by going to the DallasDogLife link HERE.
CONTEMPLATIONS: This is Ash Wednesday, according to assorted Christian churches and I’m not nearly as self-conscious today as I was yesterday – Fat Tuesday. On assorted Tuesdays I meet with ol’ newhound pals at a place in Garland called Chubby’s. If we’d been thinking ahead – yeah, Fat Tuesday at Chubby’s. …. Get well wishes to our Aunt Gwen Peters, a certified do-gooder out in San Jose, who is “enjoying” a dynamic California cold right now. As a former ambulance driver and a guy who has played a doctor on stage, I’ve advised orange juice, rest and Alka Seltzer Plus Cold medicine. Drop the tablets in a glass of Fresca and enjoy! And I told her if she’ll stop by a vet’s office she can probably get a shot and one of those plastic collars that can double as a sneeze-guard. I’m not sure she’ll think that’s funny unto the vet says she can take it off. … The next official national holiday is – holy smoke – Memorial Day on May 28. That;s from President’s Day on Feb. 21 to May 28 without a 3-day weekend, thus, without a 4-day week. Congress is not doing its job. We need a 4-day Give Us A Break Weekend along about mid-April.. Oh, no, sorry but the Texas Rangers’ April 6 home opener is not a national holiday.
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