A collection for Thursday...

Lots of things today, from a meeting in Dallas to an older girl in Bedford to who knows what…Here goes:
THE MEETING: At 1:30 p.m. today the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission is scheduled to convene in the coldest room in Dallas, Room 6E at Dallas City Hall.
Today, with temps approaching 90, that might be a good place to be.
Keep in mind that all items on the agenda (you can see it HERE. 
While these folks are meeting, there will be animals awaiting either adoption, rescue or the needle at the Dallas Animal Services Shelter & Adoption Center. These are the animals that may be directly affected by the conversations and contemplations that come up during this meeting.
These two animals are among the eight (7 dogs, 1 cat) who are on the euthanasia list for Monday – the 8 were on the list for the 24th but got their time extended. These are labeled “Very Special Pets” by the shelter because they have been available for adoption for 45 days or more, they are healthy and their personalities make them very adoptable.
For some reason, nobody has taken them.
That plain ol’ brown dog is 16-pound, 3- month old Richie, a Pit mix described as a “cute little love bug” who is “great with other dogs and loves to play.” [Aside from Larry: Let's face it. Archie looks like an ol' brown dog nobody wants. Why would you want a dog that looks like that? Because looks ain't everything, chump.]
And the cat is the calico Myla – she’s spayed, a year old and 17 hefty pounds.
Animals on the VSP list can be adopted for $27 for cats and $43 for dogs.
Contact points for adoption:  [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected] or call 214-671-0249 or 214-670-8312. The rescue contact is [email protected] or 214-670-8298. See more animals at www.dallasanimalservices.org.
THE CRUSH IN BEDFORD: Marilyn Fine is with Helping Paws of North Texas and that organization is working to help relieve the oversupply of animals at the Bedford Animal Shelter.
Marilyn says the place is really loaded right now. That, of course, means that animals are in danger of being euthanized to make room for more unwanted animals.
Among the availables was this 9-year-old dog named Miss Mollie. She’s already spayed. Apparently she was simply unwanted and wound up in the shelter. But she has been adopted! So, we're using her photo as a reminder that older dogs and cats are great companions and good friends. 
The shelter summary says Miss Mollie “has a beautiful singing voice and would do well in a calm household. Talk about a lady, she takes treats like the Queen! She has a lot of life left in her.” [Larry query: Anybody provide us with a recording of her singing?]
The shelter is at 1809 Reliance Parkway, Bedford, 76021. Call 817-952-2191. And you can see the Bedford inventory on PetFinder HERE. Young or old, dog or cat, they all need loving homes.
THREE REMINDERS:
--The SPCA of Texas’ Strut Your Mutt run and festival is from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at Fair Park in Dallas. Get the details HERE. And, can you believe this is the SEVENTH ANNUAL Strut Your Mutt? There probably are dogs that haven’t missed a Strut – started when they were puppies, perhaps.
-- This photo came with an announcement from East Lake Pet Orphanage about its May 5 – yep, Cinco de Mayo – Wine on The Roof Celebration. (I don't know who put the lipstick on the cat -- I assume they've been bandaged by now.)
There’ll be a “Get Your Fiesta On” pet fashion show in addition to honoring UFC mixed martial arts notable Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy who will receive the prestigious John LaBella Award for his work on behalf of animals. Get the details and tickets at www.wineontheroof.com.  The Orphanage is at 10101 E. Northwest Highway – it’s the non-profit adoption arm of East Lake Veterinary Hospital and the brainchild – maybe “heart’s mission” rather than “brainchild” – of Dr. Karen Fling.
-- They’re still selling tickets to Real Men Care, the annual celebration of men who work to help animals. The May 6 event is the second annual Real Men Care evening “celebrating men of character, commitment and compassion for animals.” (Tickets are $65 in advance, $75 at the door at Sambuca Uptown, 2120 McKinney, Dallas. Reservations and info HERE. Organizers of the event are Dallas Animal Advocates and the Metroplex Animal Coalition. Honorees this year are longtime animal advocate Skip Trimble, Dallas County Assistant District Attorney David Alex and EchoPoint Mortgage President Jim Clutts, a longtime supporter of animal causes.
DOGS FOUND: Dogs are found all the time around here, but this is a reference to two beloved dogs that had been missing since Monday. We mentioned Benny Zequri’s Belgian Shepherds Vito and Kayla yesterday. They’d gone under a wire fence in his Casa View yard. Yep, they’ve been found – four miles away. Benny says, “A gentlemen by the name of Manuel caught the dogs Monday afternoon and he had them in his back yard, Then he got one of the posters that I put up from the postman who I talked to about the dogs. Manuel called me lest night to go pick them up, I was very thankful.”
TRYING TO EMPTY BURNS FLAT’S SHELTER: Our tipster in Burns Flat, the little Western Oklahoma town, Terry Lynn Fisher, is in a fix these days.
”This sweet, young boy needs to be gone by 8 a.m. Monday,” she writes. The order to get the “long-timers” out of the shelter came from the current town administrator who, coincidentally, was the officer several years ago who, in Terry Lynn’s eyes, inexplicably shot her ultra-friendly dog Oddball to death when he got out of her yard. After that, Terry Lynn devoted her life to saving strays and dumped animals in Burns Flat, vowing that she’d do it in memory of Oddball, hence her e-mail address, [email protected] .
Terry Lynn says the town administrator wants to begin euthanizing dogs after they’ve been in the shelter only 3 days. “He wants me to move several now,” she says. “Right now I am a nervous wreck, fighting this battle with the people in this town. I need help. The pound is full, as are all kennels.”
To help Terry Lynn beat the grim reaper and the bureaucrats, e-mail [email protected] or call her at 580-330-1459.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Before we close this edition, we really need to thank the folks who serve on the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission for their work. If you think all they do is show up for a meeting, you’re way wrong. There are extra projects, time-consuming studies and conversations and visits to shelters and with people who have animal issues. It’s a volunteer job done with love and devotion. And, perhaps we should also note that shelter professionals, such as manager Jody Jones, find themselves doing a lot more than the ol’ 9-to-5 shift. It’s a 24-hour mission. Sticks in your head. Even when you can’t hear a bark or a meow there’s an echo. …. Any Texas Rangers fans already planning their World Series Watching Parties? Reminder: It’s early in the season. Too early to plan, but not too early to enjoy watching the Rangers thump the New York Yankees. … The NFL draft is today. Best of luck to the Dallas Cowboys, the team people used to watch with great hope.
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