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AFTER THE ELECTION, ANIMALS STILL WAITING...

DATELINE: DALLAS Where Rain Is a Newsy Event, Texas (Nov. 5, PetPowellPress) -- You want certain proof of the uncertainty of life? Watch a general election. Now, with no desire to issue a concession speech, let’s move on.
THE EAST TEXAS DOGS
If you’re on a rescue mailing list you probably saw this email that began, “We have been asked to find homes for 25 puppies ranging in age from 4-6 months, weighing 15 pounds or less. Some look like terrier mixes, two are Doxie mixes, some are Min Pin mixes and three are cur mixes. These animals will be impounded by Lufkin Animal Control if they do not have new foster or forever homes by tomorrow morning.”
That was a couple of days ago. As Vito Corleone would say, “We made inquiries.”
That led us to Janie Hunter, the president of East Texas Paws.
She has the explanation, “We have transported five to a very reputable rescue in the Houston area.. Also, five have been spayed/neutered and going to another reputable rescue north of us in the Dallas area.. Local Humane Society offered to help me with four of them... East Texas Paws is housing 14 at this time and surely could use some help... We have one at the vet for emergency spay this am... I have had all vaccinated for first round of shots and used capstar for immediate flea problem... The ones we have here are horrified and not socialized... We are spending hours hand feeding and trying to hold and comfort little pups and dogs... My staff was with me til late in the last night trying to just comfort them... They have never been touched by anyone but that family and have never been separated... So so sad... But we are giving this debacle our best shot....We need several more quality kennels and houses... Habitats for Hounds rep stayed with us to help the initial arrival... She brought several nice dog houses... Yes... We have stepped up to help,,, wish our community would at least offer a kennel or two”

Email Janie at [email protected] or call President Hunter at 936-676-2165 or rescuer Sondra Khalil at 903-701-0105.

COLLIN COUNTY ALERT
We got a note Tuesday evening from our long-time Collin County Animal Services volunteer tipster Allison Roberts that said quite plainly what the problem is. She wrote that CCAS “is jam packed - we have dogs and cats in temp kennels and are in danger of losing adoptable animals as soon as tomorrow [Wednesday]. We have some adorable yellow lab mix puppies, we have heelers, shepherd mixes, lab mixes, pitties, you name it!”
We’re highlighting two -- the dog with the fab face is Alex and the peek-a-boo cat is Baldwin. To see the dogs or cats click on these links: http://bit.ly/CCASAdoptDogs and http://bit.ly/CCASAdoptCat. 

Allison asks, “Please email the shelter directly if you can help anyone - [email protected] AND [email protected]   - we have some new guidelines on tagging and pickup so be sure you ask how long you have to pick up.  I can usually find help with local transport if needed also.”

MEANWHILE IN IRVING

 

These are the “urgent” dogs included on shelter walker Russell Posch’s lates report from the Irving Animal Services shelter. Several of these dogs have kennel cough. That means some quick help would save their lives. 

Read about them HERE.
See Irving’s general populaton of dogs HERE and cats HERE. The rescue hotline is 972-721-3597. Email the shelter staff at [email protected] and [email protected] . Call the shelter at 972-721-2256 or 57.

CONTEMPLATIONS: McDonald’s TV ads are focusing on the return of the McRib to the menu. It happens now and then. Way back when I was a newspaper columnist I referred to the McRib as the “Brigadoon of Barbecue.” Still cracks me up. ... Did you realize that PBS is 45 years old? I go back to the days NET -- National Education Television, which preceded PBS. Quick! One reason to be glad PBS exists: Fawlty Towers. ... Oh, one more thing -- just in case you didn’t vote Tuesday because it was raining. RAINING! Remember when Afghanistan began holding elections again and women and men proudly voted. The purple stain was sign that they’d voted. In June, after an election, the Taliban cut off the “voting fingers” of 11 people in Afghanistan. Think about that for second. Nobody was cutting off fingers in Dallas, 

but it was raining, oh my! Oh, yeah, and try not to think about what you might need to say to all those crosses at
Normandy -- you can vote because of them, I figure. And, of course, when you failed to vote because it was rainy, don’t think about Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner in Mississippi in Freedom Summer, 1964. Yeah, the rain was just too much of a challenge. Keep making up excuses and pretty soon someone will make it so rain is a good reason to cancel an election. You know how unwatched governments work. Then someone will say, “Look, the weather’s iffy. We’ll just vote on your behalf. It’ll be OK. You can trust us.” You've got two years to get ready for the next big election. Buy an umbrella.

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SUNRISE AND SITUATIONS...

DATELINE: DALLAS Where The Skies CAN BE Cloudy All Day, Texas (Nov. 4, PetPowellPress) -- Some photo, eh? That is what sunrise looked like Monday morning over Indian Lake in Denville, N.J. Our pal Andy Fisher, the Renaissance Man/Animal Fan and  former newshound who toiled in big time broadcasting in New York, sent this photo with a Dallas Cowboys reference and noted that even though Dallas lost to Arizona the photo indicates that “rumors to the contrary, the sun did come up this morning.” 
Nobody’s making any bets about what will happen if they lose in London next weekend. 
Now, our daily report and we’re going to help Ivy Lopez make another appeal for two hard-luck dogs, Buddy and Daisy.

And, yes, this is Election Day 2014 so the civic thing to do would be to urge you to vote today, but, in defense of the nation, please vote only if you know what in the world is going on in the country. We’ve got enough oblivious people already voting in Washington,  D.C.
If you do not understand the difference between a state representative and a U.S. representative, put your voter registration card into quarantine until you can study up on how the democracy works.
In the meantime, on the eve of the mid-term election I spotted that poster about varmints. No known connection to any candidates. I have heard politicians set up a howl  and heard of them wandering onto someone’s property, but I honestly don’t think a coyote has ever been elected in the great State of Texas. Perhaps some of you folks who live in nice new developments or along creeks need to know how to deal with coyotes. Click on the artwork to make it larger. [LARRY ASIDE: If you think coyotes make good pets, you should check with noted rescuer Petey Fisk and ask how he’s getting along with Fresno. Those of you who are smiling at that line, thank you. Those who don’t know Petey Fisk, too bad.]

GOOD GRIEF, IS THERE NO RELIEF FOR BUDDY AND DAISY?

We wrote about these dogs weeks ago. Buddy and Sissy. Ivy Lopez is begging for help with them. And she’s being patient, but the dogs really need a break., They’ve been shuffled around a bit. They were abandoned at a home by some people who labeled them “aggressive” but, of course, they’re about as aggressive as a purring kitten. You know how these things go. Somebody just didn’t want ‘em.
So Ivy is trying and has emailed and called and hustled, but, she says, “Sadly, so far, no one has bitten! Since I am what's considered an ‘independent foster’ I am not working directly with any rescue groups but I have been attending adoption events with Bullluvable Paws and Chi Wawas Rescue, a wonderful women named Missy is my contact there and she has been letting us attend their adoption events every Saturday at the Truckyard in Dallas.”
[LARRY ASIDE: The Truckyard is on Lower Greenvill ein Dallas and it’s where food trucks gather, Ivy says. Read about it at texastruckyard.com. Bulluvable Paws has a Facebook page HERE. Food trucks and dogs -- sounds like a natural match, doesn’t it?]
Ivy says, “So far I have posted them on Rescueme.org, gotten in contact with Rescue Me DFW (they have been posted unto their guest dog page, Apollo Support & Rescue for Abandoned dogs (they are completely full so they can't help), Gabe to the Rescue (they never responded), and Pawsitively Paws on Facebook.
“Other than that we have just been trying to take the best care of them possible! They are doing so much better with listening when given commands and they are both getting less nervous around people, which makes me really happy! Buddy is also improving, he is having an easier time around dogs, he even made a dog friend with one of our friends dogs. We think he likes female dogs better than Male dogs and they can't be little dogs, he seems to have some issues towards small dogs. 

“They are just great dogs, they are super energetic, they love going on runs and chasing each other around. Everybody who meets them just falls in love with them. Buddy loves to sit on our laps, haha I don't think he realizes how big he is. When Daisy isn't super excited and wrestling with her brother she loves to be held and loved on. Buddy goes crazy for belly rubs and they both love to give big ol kisses! They are super sweet and we have gotten so attached to them and they've gotten very attached to us. I know its going to be hard giving them up. However we are really desperate to find them a foster/furever home! They have been staying in my garage crated for the time being but it is beginning to get very cold! Since our house is under construction there isn't any power there, we are trying to keep them warm with blankets and a nice doggy bed but they really would be so much better off indoors!”
The best way to contact Ivy about these dogs is to call her or text her at 817-999-8101. 

CLASP CAT
Karen Lee, the Barkleyworld animal advocate forwarded this note from Cowtown Loves Animal Shelter Pets about a cat who changed and who needs a home.
Here’s the story:  Moonlight is a blue-eyed Siamese mix  who was adopted 4 years ago at about 14 weeks of age. Now, she's back with CLASP -- no reason given by the humans who surrendered her.

CLASP reports, “Sweet, shy Moonlight may have been loved, but she was not cared for properly. She had never seen a vet to update her vaccinations and must havebeen outside a lot because she had bites and scabs from fleas. Or she may have lived inside with a dog (that had fleas) that didn’t like her, since she tends to hide in the daytime and come out at night. But she does love to be held and loved on and will just purr and purr when picked up.  She will even butt your hand if you stop loving on her, which of course is her way of asking for more. Moonlight also likes to give little ‘love nips’, but does not bite. Anyone who understands cats know that this is quite common with their breed. She may even have been in a home with one or more cats that picked on her since she runs and hides when she sees the foster’s cat through the glass door. Sadly we don’t know what kind of life Moonlight had, but we do know what kind of life she needs now.”

You know the drill, Dear Readers. Moonlight needs an only-cat home and a loving human. She’s up to date on her shots now and healthy. (Call CLASP at 817-886-7300.)
CLASP says that “as a kitten, Moonlight had no stripes and looked all Siamese. I guess she grew up to look more like her daddy.”

CONTEMPLATIONS: Speaking of Election Day, Readlarrypowell.com rarely comments on the presentation of the National Anthem before a televised football game, but Monday Night Football may have had the all-time best instrumental version before the Giants-Colts game. Grammy winning trumpeter Chris Botti was magnificent.  ... Tipster Tanja Pattist reports that efforts are underway to take up the former Plano Petland site at 1301 Custer Road and turn it into a dog/cat adoption center. That Petland site closed in May after years of protests against the sale of puppies (led by Dr. John Pippin).  If you’re interested in setting up an adoption center there, email [email protected]. ... I’ve saved this to last because it is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen associated with Dallas Animal Services. It’s a message that appeared on the DAS Facebook page Monday. Someone at the shelter wrote, “Dallas must have the cleanest dogs around! We cannot tell you how many times we hear someone say their lost dog isn’t wearing his/her collar because they just got a bath.”

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Terry Lynn's Happy Tears for Monday...

DATELINE: DALLAS Where Prairie Wind Blows Chilly Yet Hearts Can Be Warm, Texas (November 2, PetPowellPress) -- Let’s start with something
positive on a Monday after the Dallas Cowboys lose a game.
Of course, Readlarrypowell.com hopes you took time over the weekend to read a story about the wonderful pup, Oreo The Dog -- it’s our Urban Animal tribute for the month. Scroll down to our weekend report to read it, but, of course, be sure to read today’s report, too! And this dog -- this dog with the great mugshot -- is an "Officer Special" in Dallas. Read on. 

TWO POSITIVE NOT FROM BURNS FLAT, OKLA.

People are always sending appeals for help for animals. That can get to be a depressing situation when all you see is “must help now” appeals. But there are people who make the effort to let “helpers” know what their help has done. Today we’ll focus on Terry Lynn Fisher’s results in Burns Flat, Okla. Bless her heart, she’s got two stories worth a look.
First we’ll discuss Teddy. He’s a dog who was struck by a car -- we first got the story about him on October 11. In this opening photo you see the little dog on the side of a road, all but his head covered by a blanket. He’s being tended to, but he’s in pain. There were four dogs dodging traffic in the area. A car nailed Teddy. (Noting has happened to the guy who lets his dogs run wild.) Terry Lynn says “We rushed there and when I saw him it broke my heart. He was laying on his stomach, unable to move. There was a lot of blood in the road where he had been hit and you could see where his little face and head were swelling. His eye was all messed up as well.”  [LARRY ASIDE: If you’ve never seen a dog that survived being struck by a car, you can see the video of Teddy HERE. If you watch it, maybe it’ll break your heart, but maybe, also, it will inspire some good soul to figure out a way to make people properly restrain their animals. Teddy would never have been in this fix if he’d had a responsible human who loved him.]

So, what has happened to Teddy?

Terry Lynn sent out a note with the subject line “HAPPY TEARS” and the note included this photo! Terry Lynn wrote, “Remember this face??  The first time you may have seen it was as he lay on the side of the highway, screaming in pain ... Hit by a car and left for dead, he is now well and all healed up!! Yep!!! This is Teddy!!!  My heart is filled with love and happiness over this picture. All his bones are healed and he got his spirit back. ... Tonight, I have smiles as big as the moon!!! THIS is why I do what I do!!!!”

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL. On Sunday afternoon, Terry Lynn sent a note titled “And Yet More Happy Tears.”
Here’s that story from Terry Lynn: “ Remember the kitten I found on the side of the road many months ago? He had been hit by a car and laid in the rain all night. I found him all stiff and actually gasping for air. I left work and rushed him to my vet to end his suffering... I felt that was all I could do at this point... then, he looked at me...I couldn't do it. I knew I had to give him a chance, so we did. Several months later, he finally left for rescue... A couple times, she told me he just wasn't right.. too much head trauma... but she never gave up.Now, he is ready for his own family and up for adoption.”
The foster mom calls him “Crash.” In a note to Terry Lynn she said, “I have had him for a few months now and I will be honest, I really thought I was going to lose him. The first month was touch and go with this guy. I can’t tell you how many time I thought ‘This is the day; he looks terrible; not sure he is going to make it.’ But what an amazing fighter he is.”
Crash has “minimum brain damage from his injuries to where he will walk in circles at times. But still runs and plays like other kittens  He is very sweet!”
Terry Lynn declares, “Happy happy tears! And again, I couldn’t do this without the help from you all.”
You can contact Terry Lynn at [email protected]. or Call 580-330-1459. Or you can write to Terry Lynn Fisher, P.O. Box 578, Burns Flat, Okla., 73624.

MEANWHILE IN DALLAS, TEXAS

Danielle Fry, the optimistic animal transfer coordinator for Dallas Animal Services, sent an email Sunday afternoon with a load of puppies. A load -- how big is a load? It’s big. Real big. And among all those puppies were some older dogs who need help. That’s them on the right. 

Danielle’s note explains, “They came in after their owner was put in a nursing home.  They are little barkers but not any more than most little dogs.  When you go into the kennel with them they do try to run away and are unsure.  All you need is some treats and they warm right up.  I am not sure on the exact age of each but the Yorkie does not seem to have any teeth.  He eats well but when he takes treats you can feel that there isn’t much left in his mouth.” [LARRY ASIDE: Close of business on Tuesday -- the needle is waiting and isn’t that a shame. And    shouldn’t we feel shame for having a city that euthanizes to make room for the next load of unwanted animals. Why are our residents so (a) hard-hearted, (b) ignorant of reality and (c) happy to ignore the whole ugly situation?]

And speaking of ugly situations, consider the case of A863030 who probably has a real name but will never hear it again and that’s probably a darned good thing if someone will simply rescue him. Danielle explained, “This pretty boy is about a year old.  He came into the shelter with an embedded collar.  An injury that is so easy to prevent yet something we see much too often!  The good news is that he will heal up great…he just needs time to heal.  He is a very sweet boy and doesn’t even act like he is injured.  He is just ready to be out of the shelter and living life!” [LARRY ASIDE: He just needs time to heal -- of course, he won’t get it unless someone takes him in.]

Oh, yes, the puppies. Here are a couple of examples. There’s the Chow mix mom with her litter -- all need a home including Mom. And there is a pile of Chihuahua mixes. [LARRY ASIDE: I love puppies. These are the lucky puppies that wound up in a shelter. The puppies who are born and never make it to a shelter -- well, that’s why spay/neuter is important. People simply fail to be responsible and puppies and kittens die because of their rotten hearts or dimwitted brains. Someone else can preach, I’m in the mood to insult! Neither method appears to work in Dallas.]

We’ll close our DAS report with this note from Danielle. She writes, “This little girl is an officer special!  The officer who picked up this girl instantly fell in love with her.  She was found in a not so great neighborhood…one where the residents are used to seeing strays everywhere.  She never bothered anyone and according to the residents may have even had a litter in the woods a few months prior.  No one knew what happened to the puppies.  When the officer found her she was taking a nap in the grass of someone’s yard.  Children were running all around her and she could care less.  The residents were so used to her that they had even started calling her Beauty.  She allowed the officer to put a leash on her and walked wonderfully on it.  The officer fell in love with her gentle demeanor and sweet personality.  She called me when she brought her into the shelter hoping we could help her.  Beauty was just as sweet as she had mentioned.  She walked right up to me and just wanted love.  If I sat down she would slowly crawl into my lap.  Such a loving girl deserves a chance to be with a loving family!”

Ask about any of these animals by going to the shelter at I-30 and Westmoreland. Email [email protected].
LOVING DOGS IN NEED OF TEMPORARY FOSTER

Dinesha Schmidt of A Different Breed Rescue forwarded this note to us on behalf of Tim Wessels who is trying to find a home for these two beloved dogs.
Here’s Tim’s note: “I have two wonderful dogs both of whom were rescues. Sadly my wife lost her job due to complications from her pregnancy and we were evicted from out apartment. We are staying with family while she starts her new job but they cannot have pets in the home. We are looking and hoping perhaps there is a foster program where someone could foster out pets until we find a new home -- 1-2 months. We are more then willing once our financial situation improves to make donations to program as well as volunteer our time and possible return the fostering once we have our place again ... The dogs are Penny, a 4-year-old Pit Beagle cross rescued as a puppy from a fighting situation as a bait dog and Aayla is a 9 month old Pit boxer cross from Garland  Animal Control. They are both spayed and have all their shots and love people.”
To offer sage advice or help, email [email protected].

ASSORTED NOTES: We’re starting with Ferris -- the little town just south of Dallas on I-45. Small town, small shelter. Big change in philosophy from a few years ago when the chief of police made news at Christmastime in 2008 by announcing he was going to have his officers shoot strays. (That was the FORMER chief, I hasten to add.) Nowadays people are working to help Ferris Animal Control keep the animals moving toward rescue and homes. We got a note about this Lab fellow and a Pomeranian that need homes. The note also included pictures of these adorable adoptable cats, Gabriel the big one and Michael the little one. The note reads, “We even named them after angels to try to keep them safe.” The contacts to help these animals in Ferris is [email protected] or call or text 214-949-2726. ...Lots of dogs and cats on THE list for Tuesday afternoon at the Carrollton Animal Services Shelter. Among them are Zazu, a 7-pound Chihuahua stray who was found wearing a shirt that read “World Class Dog.” Nobody claimed him. He’s a loveable lap dog with a needle in his future if no human says “I’ll take #31496.” People once paid thousands of dollars for a purebred Shar Pei and, son of a gun, if you can’t jus go to the Carrollton shelter and adopt Winifred, a shelter favorite. Again, getting the needle if nobody saves her. And these cats. That’s Ziggy the Orange and White Tiger Tabby -- an owner surrender at 9 months old. And then there’s Gandolf who is fixed and declawed and has a microchip that isn’t registered to anyone who wants him. Ten bucks to adopt Gandolf. Oh, and one more dog -- that’s Quackerjack, a Spaniel mix who is unsure of people and already fixed -- has to go to a non-profit rescue group because of his testiness when first meeting people.  You can see MORE Carrollton DEATH ROW ANIMALS HERE. 
To offer to help save lives, email [email protected]. Call 972-466-3420.

CONTEMPLATIONS: Those Dallas Cowboys. If only the NFL could just count the first half of a season -- but never mind that.  More importantly, I'd like to get my hands on the guy who say "Let's move the time change to November." It's more disruptive than bad potato salad at a church picnic with just one restroom. ... Anyone else astonished at the expense of keeping Bentley the Dog quarantined during the Ebola crisis? See NBC5’s story HERE. Was it worth it? As a Dallas taxpayer, it’s OK by me -- kind of proud of it, in fact, that the place would help an animal. We’ve been responsible for euthanizing so many through the years. And, FYI, this is one my new favorite photos. It is Bentley the Dog getting a goodbye from the Dallas Animal Services Manager At The Top Jody Jones. I copied it from the Dallas Animal Services Facebook page HERE  and you can also see a video of Bentley giving a vigorous goodbye to his quarantine caregiver, Dr. Cate McManus. Jody’s picture is my favorite still; Dr. Cate’s farewell is my favorite video this weekend! ... November is a great month. Let’s enjoy every wonderful day of the month -- make it last. Don’t rush through November. Yes, you’ll have to turn off your TVs, wear blinders in stores and shut the radio down. Allow me to adjust Ebenezer Scrooge’s quote for you: "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year -- except the month of November which, of course,  belongs to Thanksgiving.”  I hope ol’ Charlie Dickens will forgive me and be thankful that I added an American twist to his British writing. 

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