Longtime visitors to Readlarrypowell.com know that the weekend feature is called “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.” For this edition we have tributes to each and their legends stretch from the Lone Star State to the Land of Lincoln.
That cat with his arm thrown over his face is Aaron Jay of Dallas. He belongs to longtime animal advocate Andy Allen and her hubby, John. They’re cat fans.
Andy sent the “arm photo” and wrote, “Larry, how's this for a napping cat? It's Aaron Jay's favorite sport! I guess he doesn't take after his athletic namesakes. We named him in a spirit of bipartisanship for the QBs of two bitter rivals, the Green Bay Packers (Aaron Rogers) and the Chicago Bears (Jay Cutler).”
You see to the right another view of Aaron Jay, apparently dazzled by red nail polish.
Missy G. is the Calico. Dennis is the striped cat. The dog? That’s Seamus -- he’s the angelic dog who lives with Andy’s sister Jill in Chicago.
Now, here are the stories:
Regarding Aaron Jay, Andy writes, “What can I say about him other than he weighs over 14 pounds and much prefers sleeping over exercising? He came to us on a cold winter day. Both boys, in fact, literally came to our back door and insisted on coming in.
“They were not lost - the back door is actually on the side of the house, and the yard is fenced in because of the pool. Anyhow, we hadn't named him yet, but we were watching the infamous game that would decide which of the notorious rivals would represent the National League in the Super Bowl that year. We decided to name them after the quarterbacks. So if the Bears had won, his name would have been Jay Aaron instead of Aaron Jay. Either way, he is nothing like his namesakes, who are not lazy and overweight at all. They probably don't hide under the chair during thunderstorms, either.”
Dennis has a similar “history of discovery.” Andy says he “came to our door a few months before Aaron Jay. (I should note here that we had decided by that point not
to take in any more animals because we really want to downsize. Hah!)." [That photo shows Dennis under the sheets -- he was comfortable when discovered by a camer-aimng mom.]
“Dennis was so cute. He literally walked up to the back door, sat down on the step, and waited an hour before we finally brought him in. He would not let me touch him, except right on the nose. As I always tell him, he was nothing but a cute little face, a set of long sexy legs, and a long sexy tail. Nothing to hold it together. Of course he has filled out to become the perfect brown tiger, with just a hint of a belly. He is named for John's late brother, who was also a handsome devil. Very unlike his namesake, our Dennis is a mama's boy - although he is equally mischievous. He and Aaron Jay love their wrestling matches, although I worry that Aaron Jay will smother him!”
Missy is “a middle aged dilute calico, the most beautiful aqua eyes. She was quite the looker back in her day, but now she is a portly middle-aged lady of about 8. She has always earned her keep around here as a professional sleeper and heater. If you take a nap, she will sleep on top of you regardless of your position. And you will not need a blanket!”
And that brings us to “Seamus of Chicago,” sister Jill’s pup.
Andy introduced his sleeper photo with this passage: “This is my sister's dog, Seamus. Looks like an angel, but he's the devil in disguise.”
Of course, we all love dogs who are angelic with devilish charm. Andy writes:
“He looks like a little old man, but he is only about 3,” Andy says. “He showed up two years ago last February, frozen and starving in the Chicago winter. Since then he has almost doubled in weight, from a skinny 8 pounds to a portly 14 pounds. We think he is part Chihuahua and part Jack Russell, so he has a very busy job, which is to sit on the back of the chair looking out the window, and barking whenever anything goes by. Since this is a very densely populated neighborhood, he provides many notifications: kids, adults, cars, bikes, birds, cats, insects, etc. His brief naps are greatly appreciated by Jill, their elderly greyhound Ross, and the downstairs neighbors.”
So, there you have it: sisters with a shared weakness for wander-up critters.
When they wander up during football season in Dallas, they’re unlikely to be more than chilled. In Chicago during a winter? Might be a little rougher on the wandering soul.
[REMINDER: Nominate your snoozing critter for our weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap by sending photos and info to dallrp@aol.com. We use these pictures to (a) tell the world about your friends and (b) give inspiration to international, national and local insomniacs. I guarantee you that there are insomniacs who have replicated Aaron Jay’s arm across the face pose in hopes of finding sleep. Sometimes it works.]
FROM WINTER IN CHICAGO
TO SIZZLING SUMMER IN TOOL
Speaking of winter, it's not lingering in Tool, Texas. We got a desperate note
Friday night from Krista Mc Anally,who directs the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Animal Shelter at Tool, Texas. The shelter needs fans -- the kind with blades and the kind with a good heart for timely donations.
Summer has “arrived with a vengeance,” Krista wrote. “The outside buildings are hot and when we pulled out our fans, some of them were not working. We need about 15 box fans and 5 large industrial fans.”
If you have some to give, drop them off at the shelter -- it’s
about an hour’s drive southeast of Dallas -- you can Google it. If you want to make a fan donation go to hsccl.org. Call the sheltr at 903-423-3422. Email dogshsccl@yahoo.com.
It’s hellish enough for a human in this weather but for fur-bearing animals it’s got to be misery. Just the movement of the hot air will help.
And these are two adoptables from the shelter at Tool -- that Rottweiller is the beautiful Petunia and that gal in the fashion makeover photo is Reba. Got their photos off the website late Friday night.
Save them from the needle, save them from the heat -- adoption, that empties the hot cages at a shelter, puts warmth in your heart and is a cool breeze of a thing to do.
--- To comment, click below. ---
