DATELINE: DALLAS The Town Without a Square, Texas (Nov. 18, PetPowellPress) -- Fort Worth has a downtown square. Southlake has a square. Santa Fe, N.M., has a great square you can watch on your computer.
Why doesn’t Dallas have a square? Readlarrypowell.com has a theory. A town square is for people who are staying put. Dallas was built as a place for traveling through or turning around and going back. Native American trading paths, wagon trails, railroads, highways, airports. That’s today’s historical theory. No charge.
Why was there no great war fought for Dallas? I found a WEBSITE that says that the area was a “mixed buffer zone that no one tribe ever really claimed.” How’s that for one swell historic note! Dallas -- the town nobody wanted.
That is our Readlarrypowell.com historian and staff impersonator, Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, giving us his impression of a pioneer rushing into the Town U-Turn Saloon and spotting a big steaming platter of Mom’s High Traffic Meatloaf with Pioneer Rebound Biscuits and Backhome Gravy. As Inky says, “You’ve got to be able to chew the tough grub to stay in Dallas.”
SPEAKING OF DALLAS
While perusing the Dallas Animal Services Facebook site we ran across a note that those of you who have indoor dogs and cats (if you don’t shame on you) and indoor kids will appreciate. It reads, “Please note - the DAS PetSmart Charities Adoption Center will be closed tomorrow 11/18 all day and Wednesday 11/19 until 3 p.m. We're getting the floors redone!”
Seasonally speaking, there is a festive dog available for adoption, according to the DAS Facebook site. This is her. She is -- start the carols -- Sugar Plumb, a 3-year-old Cairn Terrier. Because she’s been in the shelter for more than 2 weeks, “her adoption fee is waived,” the DAS site says. See her at the Dallas Animal Services Adoption Center at I-30 and Westmoreland.
And the website has this COLD WEATHER NOTICE: “See a dog out in the cold without shelter? Don't post is on your Facebook page! Pick up the phone and dial 311. It's as simple as that. Yes, they'll tell you it could take 24-48 hours, but when it's this cold out, we prioritize those calls.” Read the rest of that note at facebook.com/dallasanimalservices.
THREE GIRLS NEED HOMES AND SO DOES A CAT
This story was sent to us by Sydney Busch of the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake which operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic in Gun Barrel City, Texas.
[LARRY ASIDE: You might see three puppies and wonder how their mom missed the efficient services at the clinic. The mom didn’t; the idiot people who had control of mom are to blame.]
Dorothy Kroger wrote asking for help. She explained, “These friendly female hound mix puppies need loving homes. They were found 11-7-14. I am guessing that they are 6-8 weeks old. They were wormed 11-9-14. They got their 1st shots 11-11-14 at F of the A . They are crated at night and learning to be indoor/outdoor dogs.”
[LARRY ASIDE: “F of the A “ -- How would that look on a t-shirt?]
To ask about any of these dogs, email [email protected] or call 903-849-2432.
Sydney also forwarded a note about this cat that we’l refer as a “Tabby In Tool.”
Carol Thompson’s note explains that the cat “showed up at our front door crying early on the morning of the 14th. I believe it is a female. She is very friendly and not wearing a collar. She was cold and hungry but not skinny and her fur seems healthy. She might have a possible injury in her lower back or base of her tail as she isn't moving her tail well, but she moves around fine and doesn't seem to be in pain. We are at 2300 N Wind Dr in Tool. This is near Avant Road, Wildwood Acres, and the Lucky One Stop. Our neighborhood is mostly weekend homes with just a few full-timers. I've checked with the neighbors nearby and none of them recognize the cat. We have had a feral cat problem in our neighborhood in the past, but this cat is definitely not feral. She is very loving and seems quite comfortable around our dog and cries and cries to come in our house with us. We have provided her a warm box with a heat lamp in a protected area on our front porch. Our problem is that we have a 10 year old cat that is disabled. She is traumatized about being around other cats and doesn't want to go outside at all because of this cat. I am having a difficult time keeping the 2 apart, and I am afraid my cat will run. We also have had problems with feral cats and wild animals in the past anytime we feed animals outside. I cannot keep this cat much longer. Any help or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated!”
To offer to help the Tabby in Tool, call 918-424-5026 or email [email protected].
LOOKING FOR A CAT FOSTER
Karen Lee, the noted animal advocate of BarkleyWorld.com, forwarded this note from Cathie Carroll who is looking for a foster for this 8- to 10-year-old boy cat with a Texas Department of Transportation history.
Cathie’s note explains, “Will is one of our TxDOT (used-to-be) ferals that has been in the hospital with a severe upper respiratory infection. Last Wednesday we thought he wouldn’t make it through the night, but he did. We did blood work on him – everything came back fine. The vet re-hydrated him and put him on antibiotics and brought him back from the very brink of death! ... Will is ready to be released but cannot go back out in the cold right now. We need to give him time to build up his immune system. He’s a sweetheart, beautiful boy – fully vetted – Siamese mix with crystal blue eyes – he talks a lot!’
Foster will last a few weeks and you get the whole cat set-up -- litter box, food, purrs...Email [email protected].
CRIME
Alexandra Kelsey, reliable Houston-area tipster, sent us a note from KHOU-TV about an awful story involving a woman attacked and stabbed in the back while feeding cats in a park in Dickinson, Texas. A 17-year-old has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. We don’t have the name of the victim -- bless her heart and if she needs donations for medical care, let the animal world know. You can read the KHOU story HERE.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Today’s contemplation tickles me because it focuses on human triumph and human failings. ... In the news (1) A Dallas woman visiting St. Louis bought a Powerball ticket at a newsstand and won $202.6 million. Congratulations to the Internal Revenue Service, of course. And we'll note that opportunities to buy a winning ticket at a newsstand in Dallas have been diminished for decades by the disappearance of newsstands -- yes, who doesn't miss the Commerce St. Newsstand? (2) The AP reports that a 26-year-old woman named Afton Elaine “Star” Burton and the infamous Charles Manson, 80, have a marriage license. How do we summarize these two events? How about “One woman won a jackpot and the other didn’t.” ... Overheard on a downtown elevator, some young people not from Texas discussing going to a Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas. One said, "I can't speak Spanish" and said that made him reluctant to go to a Tex-Mex place. This is what we call a pre-misunderstanding. He already doesn’t understand before he has the opportunity to not understand. I just didn’t have the heart to kindly explain that the waitstaff wants to make money and will help the puzzled gringo pick something from the menu and that there’s always someone in a Tex-Mex restaurant who can help you understand the choices and probably speaks better English than you do! I don’t know if this guy has ever dared to go to P.F. Chang’s. If quesodillas give him chills, Sichuan may terrify him.
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