On Good Friday, the opportunities for blessings...

Well, it is Good Friday and isn’t that an accurate assessment.

We’re caught up in the important things in life: Getting counseling, providing an upbeat tone for the nation, inventing a calorie-free ice cream with no side effects, teaching a beloved Rottweiler to use small Fritos to fetch cheese dip. Little challenges.
And, yes, that is a dog with a magnificent face. He’s a dog who was in a spot of trouble until he crossed paths with the right human. We’ll tell you more about this miracle later in today’s report. But first, as spring puppy and kitten season is apparently well under way, we’ll bring up one of the state’s most notable spay-and-neuter outfits. Read on:
THE STEWPOT PROJECT: Between the Kaufman County Animal Awareness Project, the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake spay/neuter clinic and Big Fix For Big D, there may not be a fertile animal left in the greater Dallas-to-the-Lake axis by the end of the year.
And I am a ballerina with the Spandau Ballet.
But, you know, Kaufman County Animal Awareness Project has been plugging away on this mission for years. Earlier in the month we reported that the Kaufman County Animal Awareness Project had scheduled a spay/neuter event at the famous Stewpot in Downtown Dallas.
KCAAP President Bonnie Hill was kind enough to let us know what happened with that free clinic at the Stewpot on the 23rd. “We vaccinated, flea-treated and chipped 104 dogs and 2 cats.
“We also passed out 56 free spay/neuter vouchers. KCAAP and SPCA of Texas will be performing surgery.  A great day!”
These are photos from the event. That’s Dr. Tiffany Tobaben with a Chihuahua client and his human. 
And if you go to KCAAP’s Facebook page you’ll see more photos and you’ll also see photos from other KCAAP events. One thing they all seem to have in common is this: a line forms. Yep, there are enough people looking for a break with their animal care that KCAAP can depend on having some people show up.
And, what else can you say except, “Thank God KCAAP is there.” Go to www.spayandneuter.org to reach about KCAA, now in it’s 9th year.THE OL‘ BATTERED DOG: Elisabeth Rutledge sent us this note and this marvelous photo. Two human hands comforting a dog for whom human hands may not always have been such a comfort. 
This great picture was taken by Paige Petro, a rescuer and friend of Judith Cissell, the rescuer who is with the dog.
Elisabeth explains, “I am writing for my friend Judith because she, like many rescuers, is at her wit's end. She's facing the usual rescuer dilemma – she found a wonderful stray dog with an old face and a young heart, and she needs to figure out how to save his sweet life. On Monday night (3/25), she found a black dog running up Williamson Road near Lawther and Mockingbird (near White Rock Lake). His background is a mystery but she thinks he's known both love and hardship. He had an old black collar on, and hopped in her car when she said, "Come here, sweetie" which made her think he might be someone's lost dog.  But then she saw that he is covered in abrasions all over his face, front legs and chest, and is missing part of one ear and has a disfigured lower jaw – it looks like maybe he took a boot to the jaw because he has no upper teeth and his lower teeth are practically nonexistent. He is not neutered and his ribs are visible. And while you're looking at him and noticing all his war wounds, he's looking at you and asking to be petted and patted.”
[Larry aside: I’m going to pause here for a minute because I have two emotions: I want to cry for this boy and I want to exact revenge on the person who did this to this dog. The anger may be holding back the waterworks. Let’s get our tissues, maintain our control and continue.]
Elisabeth writes, “She took him to her vet, who said he'd had a rough life.  So he's either an escapee from a bad situation or a dumped dog. Either way, she is working really hard to make sure he's on the road to a better life. But like most dog rescuers, she already has a full house and can't keep him.  Right now he's living in her garage and has to be kept from one of her own dogs – a roadside find himself – who is not fond of newcomers.  She's calling him Freddie but living in a garage is no life for a dog, and enforcing a demilitarized zone between the garage and the house is wearing her out. If she can not find a rescue group to take him, she may have to take him to DAS, which breaks her heart because he is so special but also so likely to be overlooked. 
“Here's what makes Freddie special: He is SO sweet and loving. He loves to be petted and enjoys it with his whole being. He is calm. He makes the funniest chirps and whimpers. He loves to cuddle.  He is learning to walk on a leash and enjoys it. He appears house-trained. And when she accidentally stepped on his paw his only reaction was to lick her. He is a bundle of wiggly, waggy love in a battered little body.  He is heartworm negative, and he comes with a $250 donation – and he's already had his shots. 
“He's been to the vet for shots and to check for a microchip, and she's' checked the neighborhood for lost dog signs – nothing has panned out. This dog is so special and will be that special addition for someone.  But she  can not keep him.  She has already gotten him his shots, and he comes with a $250 donation to a rescue group who can accept him into their program.  He is special, he is loving, he deserves a forever home with a soft bed, special treats and lots of love.  Please spread the word about Freddie and help her find a warm loving place for him to land! He needs a good, safe place.”
To offer to give this dog a break, email [email protected]. 
MEANWHILE IN CISCO: Two hours or so west of Fort Worth there is the town of Cisco and in that town there is an animal shelter and our contact, Stacey The Stylist sends word that the Cisco shelter is full. 
These are a couple of the dogs in that shelter.
One looks like a Boston Terrier and the other doesn’t.
Both are in a squeeze and the clock is ticking.
That lovely mix -- or is that a Rottie? -- to the right is among the most urgent of the dogs. Been there a long time with no interest shown from visitors. Amazing, isn’t it, that nobody wants a very huggable dog.
Stacey explains, “These dogs are not vetted and have no adoption fees, but must be fixed within 30 days of adoption... These dogs get ZERO exposure other than Facebook, so many do not make it out.”
The contacts are [email protected] or [email protected].
HELPING WEST DALLAS DOGS: The great rescuer Angie Manriquez, known throughout the rescue community and some elements of the general population, as “The Fairy Dogmother of Dallas, is always in need of funds to continue her mission of helping animals in West Dallas (or whereever she finds them).
So, while the target animals may be on the west side of the Trinity River, the hearts are in North Dallas at times. In this case, the big heart is at the Chipotle at Forest Lane and Central Expressway. That’s near Medical City. From noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday that Chipotle will donate half of its proceeds to Angie’s Friends -- read about the organization HERE www.angiesfriends.org. You have to print out this flyer and present it so the staffers will know to drop half of the bill into the Angie’s Friends vault.
Click on that artwork to make it larger so the Chipotle staffer doesn’t have to get out the Chipotlescope to read the small print.
TWO DOGS WAITING: This is one of those stories that may have started with human failure. The two dogs either once lived at a vacant home and were left behind or they were dumped in the Lake Worth neighborhood and simply settled there to wait for the return of someone they loved.
We get this story from Karen Lee, the animal advocate who took a shot at helping these dogs and...well, she explains how things went. 
“The response to my first email was underwhelming – no responses at all.”
So, she sent out another round of email asking for help with these dogs and we’re publishing the request here. Maybe someone will help. Maybe not. Again, humans.
Karen writes, “Both of these dogs have come around and are so sweet!  They are great dogs and crave human companionship—and they have none!  Pam is feeding them every day and they are so happy to see her coming. She said they practically dance! “The golden dog who looks sort of like a Basenji/Cur/Shepherd mix, was stand-offish at first but is now a complete love-bug as is the dark brindle Lab mix dog. They appear to be fairly young and in good shape. They give kisses and roll over and will follow you everywhere!!  They love to play! They need a home and a family of their own!  They are both beautiful as well as sweet.  If someone will take them in, I will pay to have them neutered and vaccinated.  It is breaking out hearts to leave them there but we don’t have the heart to call animal control since we’ve seen how loving they are. They are so sad just hanging around this vacant house. They cannot stay there and I don’t have any place to put them. If anyone can foster, that will help and I will continue to network—or if a rescue can take them-- I will pay for their vetting—please help me get them to a safe location!”
To offer to help these dogs, email [email protected].
CONTEMPLATIONS: Pardon me, just putting some healing ointment on my ear canals. Regarding the Dallas Companion Animal Project and the merger and the future. I hope people will keep things civil. It makes me unhappy to see animal people at odds -- not that it isn’t appropriate sometimes.  The DCAPers are working hard -- it’s not easy negotiating bureaucracy, civic history and mission ambition to create a working organization. That’s what I hear through blistered ears. No DCAP specifics yet ready to be revealed, I’m told. But it’s early in the game, to use a baseball phrase that should not be interpreted as a criticism, i.e., referring to this whole thing as “a game,” which we are certainly not doing. Remember, no matter what is going on, animals in the city continue to face peril every day and their only hope is humans. Business continues as usual in area shelters (though DAS’s “usual” is showing much better statistics than ever before). Business also continues as usual in area rescue groups and on area streets and in backyards and alleys and parks. Yes, business continues as usual, also, wherever an un-spayed or un-neutered animal can be found. So, spay/neuter, adopt-don’t purchase, be kind to animals, be kind to humans and, for crying out loud, don’t interpret a question as a criticism. As we reporters have always said, “There are no dumb questions.” Of course, that may not be entirely accurate. I’ve heard some of my questions through the years. I’ve been fortunate, though, I’ve almost always been able to avoid giving dumb answers. That cat? That Guy. That’s the name he’s got on the www.dallasanimalservices.org site. That Guy. I cannot tell from the site whether he is a cycloptic cat or if he’s just winking at someone off-camera. But he's available to lounge around your house and add something beneficial to your existence. ... What arrives in the inbox, or, great and wondrous subject lines:  “Surprising Way To Burn Calories Fast”; “Shocking Tip To Burn Calories Quick”; “Lose Weight With This 1 Simple Ingredient”; “Thursday’s Report: Learn To Melt Your Fat” and “You Can’t Keep Gaining Forever. Sometimes You Have To Take Charge.” These arrived the same day I got a few skin tag warnings and “Meet 1,000s of Russian women for FREE.” Ah, the Internet -- a key to important communication. ... Now, if Easter is a holiday of your faith, please honor it and accept its blessings. If it is not, enjoy it anyway and may unexpected blessings be upon you. You don’t have to dye eggs or get up and go to church to find blessings. But it would be nice if we all remembered to love one another. 
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