ReadLarryPowell.com

Poetry for sale, animals in need & a cat candidacy...it's THAT DAY

EDITION OF APRIL 1, 2015 (PetPowellPress)-- Before we get into the day’s news assemblage, we need to make an announcement.
Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas and I were driving alongside Woodall Rodgers Freeway last week at lunch and nearly couldn’t get past Klyde Warren Park for all the food trucks. Geez, they’ve got just about everything a civilized Dallasite could want. That’s with the possible exception of one key product. Poetry.
So, at the behest of Inky, we have purchased a used food truck and will be dispensing -- for a slight fee -- poetry for the day, poetry for the masses. Not to go back too far, but it’s a combination of McKuen and Schulz, i.e., Listen to the Warm Puppy.
Customers will hand up a topic  through the order window and Inky will create an appropriate verse with just the right seasoning for the moment. Call it Food Truck For Thought.
Here is a free sample, based on this two word suggestion from a local student who was too late to ask a young woman for a date at a high school prom themed “Love in Yesteryear.” Inky calls it “First Thoughts, Country Song.”
Vintage clothes.
Vintage shoes. 
Vintage smile.
Brand new blues.
(c) Inkyverse 2015

Touching. We’ll be at the park throughout the noon hour Wednesday. Come on down and celebrate doggerel. (Be sure to comment below.)

AN EARHOUND IN CLEBURNE
Back to our mission: writing animals into the hearts of people. We got a boost on this one from veteran animal advocate Karen Lee of Barkleyworld.com. Karen can spot an Earhound without fail and she forwarded this appeal on behalf of a dog named Loki.
Ashlee Masters of Cleburne Animal Services says Loki has been at the shelter since December, he’s up to date on vacations and, quoting now, “in danger of being euthanized due to lack of space.”
Click HERE to see a video of this undeniably cute and affectionate soul.  [LARRY ASIDE: Honestly, when you see him moving around you just cringe to think someone may wind up sticking a needle into him and killing the sparkle in those eyes. It’s simple not the moral thing to do.]
To help Loki, call 817-556-8895, fax 817-645-2673 and email [email protected]. The folks at the shelter want him saved.
TWO NEED HELP AT DAS
Danielle Fry, the Animal Transfer Coordinator at Dallas Animal Services, sent two notes Tuesday about animals that need some help quickly -- medical reasons.
About the cat, she wrote, “This sweet boy won the heart of one of our officers who quickly notified me when this boy came in to see if we could find some help for him.  He was found by a postman and brought to the shelter to try to find help for the stray kitty with a broken leg.  The man carried him in and the kitty was content in his arms.  He has not hissed or anything the entire time he has been here.  Our veterinarian thinks that he might need his leg amputated.  He is getting around great on his 3 legs and all he cares about is getting love!”
Then there is this Peke-Shih Tzu mix girl, about a year-and-a-half, 12 pounds and she needed out by Tuesday evening. [Readlarrypowell.com is mentioning her for two reasons: (1) Just in case she still needs help and (b) to demonstrate the kind of challenge that shows up in the city’s shelter. It’s not just people dropping off a box of puppies en route to Happy Hills Puppy Farm.]

Danielle’s note says the pup was reportedly “attacked by another dog a few days ago.” The dog was taken to the shelter Monday night. So, somebody delayed helping the dog in the first place. She’s suffering from a ruptured left eye and a puncture wound on her side. The eye needs “to be removed,” Danielle wrote.

And she says the dog “is a very sweet girl and will come to the front of the kennel for attention.  She is still a little sore so would try to bite when our veterinarian was trying to treat her wounds.  We have not been able to get her to eat so we are hoping to get her out by close of business today [Monday].  As we all know, dog attacks can cause other internal injuries that we don’t have the resources to diagnose.  She might not be eating because she is a little scared but it could also be a sign of something else.  We are hoping that one of our wonderful transfer partners can help this girl and make sure that she is getting all the care that she needs.”
To help the dog and/or cat, email [email protected] or stop by the shelter at   I-30 and Westmoreland. [LARRY ASIDE: And remember, this is a shelter, not a hospital. True, they have vets and techs, but they can only do so much on a city budget. The animals may need a private vet hospital budget.]

A LITTER OF NOTES:
-- Ever needed a good reason to go to that entertaining Addison Circle Park? Here’s a reason: TCAP will be there between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturday, doing what TCAP does. See www.texasforthem.org. 

-- A note from Russell Posch, the shelter-walkin’ picture-taker who works to save lives. “These are the dogs scheduled for euthanasia this week at Irving.  There are 2 groups.  The staff says the first group...Toby, Junior, Blaca, Bruno and Dillon must be tagged by Wednesday at 5 p.m. and must be out of the shelter by Thursday at 4 p.m.  The second group... Gandalf, Tianna, Bambi, Alice, Gordo, Maggie, Shelby, Stella, Brownie, Snickerdoodle and Sancho ...  must be tagged by Friday at 5 p.m. and must be out of the shelter by Saturday at 4 p.m.  Some of the dogs have been at the shelter too long and are showing stress.”

Who are these dogs? We picked three to highlight. Stella is the one dressed up -- dumped because of “landlord.” Snickerdoodle is the straightforward dog -- dumped  because of the owner’s health. And Sancho we’ve mentioned before -- dumped because the human was moving.
Not one of those is a good reason to kill a dog, is it?
See all the dogs and read about them HERE. The rescue hotline is 972-721-3597 -- email [email protected] and [email protected]. Call the shelter at 972-721-2256 or 57. 

-- WHAT A DEAL AT THE SPCA! Throughout April, low-cost spay/neuters through the program “Stop Litters, Fix Your Critters” at the Dallas and McKinney clinics. Vaccinations Details at spca.org. Make appointments by calling 214-742-SPCA or going to spca.org.

CONTEMPLATIONS: This photo is a not-quite-vibrant array of blossoms on the wisteria on the parking lot of the international headquarters of Readlarrypowell.com. There is every chance that the large vine will explode with wonderfully fragrant cascades of springtime. ... Love the spring flowers, hate the pollen and the storms. We were in Paris on Saturday (my funspouse Martha bought a new car and we visited the Eiffel Tower -- the French version is celebrating its 126th year; the Texas version went up in 1993). On Sunday, I spent some time out of doors in Dallas. So I got pollen from both Northeast Texas and North Texas and when I sneeze I never know if we’ll get acorns or pine cones out of my big nose. That’s Martha in her new car -- she hunted it down because she loves the color, “Frosted Glass,” only used on 2013 Ford Escapes, she says. She traded in her 2008 red PT Cruiser, AKA “The Crimson Avenger.” She’s calling this car “The Glass Slipper.”... Yesterday afternoon, I got home after a busy, busy day in time to catch the start of the 9th inning of the Texas Rangers-Chicago Cubs game. The Rangers were ahead 9-7 when the top of the 9th started and by the time the half-inning was over, they trailed 15-9. They lost 15-10. I’m still planning on attending a World Series victory parade this year -- maybe not in North Texas, I guess.
AN ANNOUNCEMENT --  On this very special day, we’re announcing a candidacy for the District 4 City Council position in Dallas. Longtime District 4 Council Member Dwaine Caraway is leaving because of term limits. Readlarrypowell.com is, therefore, endorsing the candidacy of Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson. She is someone who was born in Dallas, has ties to the district, monitors assorted issues and is not afraid to speak up when she sees a need that can be filled. She pledges to bring more business to the southern sector. She vows to work to keep major sports franchises in Dallas “if there is one left,” she says, glancing at the NBA and NHL standings. And, she promises, “I will work to fill all the potholes in District 4 and beyond. Big things happen in Big D, but I’m sure we don’t mean big potholes.” She also says that rather than accept the salary paid city council members, $60,000 annually starting after the May elections, she will turn that money over to a good cause, turning the Trinity into a year-round river. She mewed a laugh after that line. Vote Kittie Leigh. Save Dallas. She's the candidate with bite. In the dog-eat-dog world of metro politics, she's the cat's meow. 
--- To comment on April Fool’s Day, scrape the Paws For Four bumper sticker off your car, put down your Inky poem and click below. ---

 

Dog and cat stories and idiots with chickens...

EDITION OF TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015 (PetPowellPress) -- Seriously, is March 2015 the fastest month ever?
Let’s look at some animal stories -- some of these animals you know. [Gesturing hypnotically: Chance. Chance. Chance. Chance. Ommmmmm.] Others, maybe, you’ll want to get to know.
That photo? More evidence that North Texas has a generous supply of idiots. Keep reading. Here’s our report, starting with some dogs after we announce The Fluffy Solution.

FLUFFY GETS A HOME

Last week,  former Dallas Animal Shelter Commission member Andy Allen, a veteran critter rescuer, got a tip from a like-minded mind about this cat, Fluffy. Andy’s friend “Molly the Cat Whisperer” described Fluffy as “very special.” He’d been surrendered by his people. In the Dallas Animal Services Shelter and Adoption Center, he was “very unsure about where he is” and he needed a “quiet, patient home ASAP.”
ASAP came Saturday when he was adopted. How’s that for a good thing to know as March draws to a close. (There were 32 cats in DAS care Monday evening, according to the Pet Harbor report at dallasanimalservices.org. All are available.)

TWO IN LANCASTER
We’ve mentioned both of these animals before. Chance is the big guy and Molly is the little one -- all they have in common is they are dogs and they’ve been on a short clock in the Lancaster Animal Shelter
Word reached us Monday evening that Molly, an elderly dumpee, has been saved.
That’s not the story for the great, big ol’ dog Chance. You can see he’s in danger when you read that story under the artwork off the Facebook site for Furbabies of Lancaster. Click on it to make it larger.
[LARRY ASIDE: The Lancaster shelter had an iffy reputation for a while, but it has made a turnaround and it would be nice if rescue groups could try to help the personnel beat the odds on behalf of the animals.]
Readlarrypowell.com has been trying to help place Chance the Dog ever since Tomi Ortiz tipped us to the story of how her niece found the starving, lashed to a filthy old leash boy eating lord knows what on a vacant lot in Lancaster. He was in bad shape, but, thanks to the tip to Lancaster, the ACO there has been working patiently with him, he has been making a physical comeback and it would be a darned shame to save him just to kill him.
The shelter is at 690 E. Lane in Lancaster. It’s open from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Call 972-218-1210.

And this last photo? If you’ve been in rescue a while, you’ve seen this before -- collar growing into the neck of a dog. This female Black Lab is at the mercy of humans right now, in need of medical attention at the Lancaster shelter -- remember, shelters are not hospitals. You’ve got the shelter’s number (above). Call it and save this victim of human behavior.

SUPPLY OF IDIOTS INDICATED BY COCKFIGHTING ARRESTS

Never thought we were running low on idiots.
Oh, for crying out loud. Can you see what that rooster is missing? A comb.
Why?
Because it was in the custody of an idiot. But no any longer.
We got the story from Stephanie Knight at the SPCA of Texas. In two different cockfighting cases over the weekend, the SPCA got the unexpected and expensive opportunity to care for 384 fighting chickens while custody is worked out after a raid in Ellis County and a raid in Lancaster.
On Monday morning, the SPCA “transported both groups of birds to a secure location” (not that any criminals are involved in this sort of behavior). Ellis County raid yielded 284 fighting chickens and the Dallas County raid recovered 100.
More uplifting to sane people is the news that the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office detained 30 people in that raid. In the other raid, the Lancaster PD and the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office “detained” 37 people at the scene. [LARRY ASIDE: No idea if these cockfighting hoods are connected to the dead chickens disposed of by the bag in the nearby "Dowdy Ferry Road Animal Disaster District "-- I made up that title, but it works.]
The Ellis County custody hearing hasn’t been set, but the Dallas County hearing is set for 1 p.m. on Thursday at the Dallas County Government Center, 107 Texas St., in Lancaster, with Pct. 1, Place 2 Judge Valencia Nash presiding.
Now here comes my favorite passage in this report:  “Cockfighting is a crime in all 50 states, including Texas, where it is a felony, punishable by up to two years in a state jail and/or up to a $10,000 fine, to cause birds to fight with one another and/or to use property for the purpose of cockfighting. In Texas, it is a Class C Misdemeanor to be a spectator at a cock fight. Federal law also prohibits any interstate or foreign transport of fighting animals.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Those are some jailhouse meals that Readlarrypowell.com will not mind spending tax money on. In fact, get ‘em some extra meals spread over a couple of unexpected years. No chicken. In fact, how about bread and water?]
See photos of some of the chickens HERE.]

And if you want to help the SPCA of Texas with animal rescue and the “caretaking” aspect of the raids, visit this SITE.

NEED A DOG IN FORT WORTH? A CAT FROM COWTOWN?

While perusing the adoptable animals in the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control Shelter I ran across this dog photo -- I think the worker was holding the dog’s muzzle to show off the scars across her face. She’s been at the shelter since Feb. 24 -- that’s a long time for an overcrowded shelter -- she’s spayed, about 2 years old and nobody knows if she’s house-trained -- but she is available. And, then there’s the Cowtown Earhound, a genuine Chihuahua with a set of ears designed to pick up signals from the International Space Station. Needs a home.
And, of course, if you’re a cat in Cowtown, you need a major set of whiskers even if you are a girl. You can ask about adopting these Fort Worth shelter animals by going to the Fort Worth website HERE and navigating to the adoption pages.

A SPECIFIC CONTEMPLATION
We’re focusing on Rags, who needs a home and hasn’t been able to get one for several weeks even though people have been hustling and hustling to find him a safe haven. This involved talking him out of the custody of the guy who’s left him in a back yard for his entire life and, according to our tipster Maria Llano, “doesn’t believe in inside dogs.”
You’ll note that Rags hardly looks groomed. And that is his “dog house.”
According to Maria’s note, “Rags is 9 to 11 years old. Owner stated he might be going blind and deaf, and doesn't know if he's neutered or not, but claims that he does get him vaccinated yearly.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Perhaps someone should explain the concept of “neutered” to this owner.]
Maria says, “Rags is a very calm, low-key dog who needs some love and serious TLC. ... Let's not let Rags spend another hot Texas summer outside.”
Here are the contact points: Maria at: [email protected] or  214-914-7138 and/or Stephanie  [email protected].
Contemplate this dog’s life and realize that Rags isn’t the only dog being ignored in backyards across North Texas. Humans can be harmful even when they're doing nothing. 

--- To comment, shake your head at the behavior of people and click below. ---

Monday -- a walk in the park...and a poll on the park...

MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2015 (PetPowellPress)-- After a long, sunny weekend with lots of smiles and not much dieting, it’s time to become earnest about personal fitness and resolve. Also, two different websites say March 30 is “Take a Walk in the Park Day.” (Not sure they mean endangered Fair Park in Dallas -- check out D's poll later in today's report.)
Truth: Take a walk in a Dallas park and you might just come home with a new dog.
I got Inky [left], the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, out of Dallas’ Kiest Park -- he was a puppy so ravaged by mange that he only had hair on one ear. The day he found us -- he rushed out of the shrubbery and greeted us as if we’d been friends forever -- I was walking two big Dallas  dogs, Baby Jane Doe the Shepherd mix I’d picked up as a pup in front of bus stop at Marsalis and Colorado, and Hambone Jack, the Canine King of the Blues, who I’d picked up in Kiest Park months earlier with his black hair turned brown from starvation and his collar in need of being cut out of his neck.  But that was all back then.
Try your luck as you walk in a park today. 

THE COUNT AND THE AMOUNT  141-30

Lately readlarrypowell.com has become transfixed by the number of animals on the Dallas Animal Services Pet Harbor adoption listing. I think of the millions of people leaving around here and wonder why they can’t find a place for unwanted dogs or why the people who behave properly toward animals have virtually no influence on those who don’t. (Not forgetting, of course, that under DA Craig Watkins someone who mistreated animals was likely to get a room at the Graybar Hotel.)
So, on Sunday afternoon I took a look at the DAS website dallasanimalservices.org and navigated my way to the Pet Harbor listings which showed the shelter was holding 141 dogs needing a home and THIRTY cats -- that’s up from TWO cats a couple of weeks ago and, in fact, these are not kittens, but felines older than that. Don’t know where the kittens are going yet. Stand by DAS! The wave is building.
That dog is Lankey (A72985 and I can't tell if his photo is distorted or he is!) who is a 2 year-old brown brindle and white Great Dane mix! He’s been waiting for a home since January 20. [LARRY ASIDE: The aforementioned Hambone Jack was a Dane/Lab mix -- if this dog is half as cool as Hammy, you’re going to have a great dog to have around the house! He’ll love riding with you and he’ll love dining with you. Most of all, he’ll love being your pal.]

While looking at DAS cats we ran across this drowsy photo of Rico (A880432), in the shelter since March 23 -- he’s a brown tabby about a year old. Tabby cats are cool cats, but, heck most cats are cool cats.
Go to dallasanimalservices.org to see how to adopt. Get that critter count down at DAS by giving animals a safe haven. You’ll appreciate what you did.

PHOTOGENIC IN MESQUITE
Karen Lee, the animal advocate with an ever-expanding observation of the area, forwarded this note regarding a Mesquite dog.  The note came from Judi Brown and this is how it reads: “Dumbo 25230003 is a four-year-old terrier mix who was surrendered because his owners didn't have enough time for him! He is now waiting in kennel 13 at the Mesquite Animal Shelter. He is looking for a new family that will appreciate a frisky, energetic dog with a fun-loving personality. He loves people as is evidenced by a tail that is in constant motion. He gives kisses. He's very alert. He is probably housebroken. He wagged his tail while meeting other dogs. He weighs 15 pounds and stands 13 inches tall. He would make a great family dog. Please call 972–216–6283 or email [email protected] to tag Dumbo.”
[LARRY ASIDE: It took ‘em 4 years to realize they didn’t have time for this great mutt? Sheesh. And who names a great lap dog “Dumbo,” probably someone who isn’t as smart as a the dog. Just a theory.]

ODD MAN OUT

We got this oft-forwarded story over the weekend. The Flower Mound dog’s name is Shiner -- he’s a 10-month-old Golden Retriever/Mastiff mix. He’s mannerly, loves kids and behaves. He’s not fixed yet, but he is in a fix.
The woman who has him is getting married to someone who already has some dogs and Shiner isn’t a fit. The new household will have 4 kids, two cats and three older dogs. No room for Shiner. So the person who has him has appealed for help from a rescue group. The “acting contact” is our rescue pal Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 (call or text) or email [email protected]. 

FORT WORTH MEETING NOTICE: CLASP, which stands for Cowtown Loves Animal Shelter Pets, has scheduled its March meeting for 6:30 p.m. Monday (the 30th) at Family Pet Care, 1501 Handley Drive, in Fort Worth. Read about CLASP here. [LARRY ASIDE: Be interesting to see if the recent roundup of Fort Worth dogs will come up at this meeting of Cowtown Loves Animal Shelter Pets.]

AN ADDISON DOG FACES THE NEEDLE
We got this note from advocate Leighann Hayden and Dinesha Schmidt (of A Different Breed Rescue) about Addison ACO Ryan Wies working to help this dog. Leighann’s note read, “The very nice Animal Control Officer in Addison is asking for some help to save a puppy before he is euth'd on Tuesday, 4/1.  Please - you need to contact Ryan right away to save him. Please, can anyone help this cutie pie?  I know the picture is not very good, but he's just a baby and super cute in person.  They are calling him Lab/Rottie mix - he has beautiful markings.  I know they are not showing well, but he is SO CUTE and a great puppy.”
Phone the Addison shelter at 972-450-2845 or fax 972-450-7183. The shelter is at 4799 Airport Parkway in Addison.
The dog probably looks different in the spring.
 A QUICK LOOK AT IRVING

Vince got adopted, according to the weekend report from the photo shootin’, shelter walkin’ Russell Posch who focuses on Irving Animal Services’ shelter.
As last week drew to a close, only Vince and this fellow Sancho were on the “urgents” list and now just Sancho waits. He’s 3, about 10 pounds, healthy and “shy, fearful and possibly a fear-biter.” Dumped because the owner was moving. Probably just needs some socialization and, perhaps, a bit of confidence in humans, but don’t we all and isn’t that one hell of a mountain to climb these days.
So,, to save Sancho (25138298), contact the shelter: The rescue hot line is 972-721-3597 and you should email [email protected] or adoptapet2cityofirving.org. call the shelter business numbers at 972-721-2256 or 57. The shelter is closed on Mondays, so use the hotline. Cats? Of course they have cats. Look, HERE. You’ll see this cat Pumpkin -- she’s said to be a “senior” though she’s only 7 which, as all cat fans know, is barely middle-aged in a properly spoiled cat! And shouldn’t they all be properly spoiled!

VOLUNTEER’S AT THE LAKE? Yewbet, they need volunteers out at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake Shelter in Tool, Texas, about an hour southeast of Dallas. 
We heard about this volunteer need from our reliable lakeside tipster Sydney Busch of the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake which, as you probably know, operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City (just across the lake from Tool).
The shelter needs a volunteer to maintain its Facebook page. Then, all rescue groups this time of year, it needs foster homes as puppy and kitten season arrives. On Saturday, May 2, they’re planning a workday at the shelters. Jobs? Building, repairing kennels and other things that require skill, sweat, muscles and work stools -- in particular some “post-pullers.” To volunteer, email [email protected] .
Those puppies? They’re not volunteers. Sydney forwarded the note about them, too. (The contact is [email protected].) They're not in the shelter and their Mom hasn't visited the Friends Clinic, but they need help.

The note reads, “This litter of 5 was rescued from the side of the road tonight. Maybe 4 weeks or so.? The rescuer has 6 dogs and just can't take care of these babies. She needs help in finding fosters or a rescue to take them. Mom is a stray black Lab mix. We need to try to get her and get her spayed! She is truly ferrel and won't come close. Any help or ideas would be appreciated!”

A STATE FAIR FOLLOWUP 
You know that idiot idea of shrinking the great State Fair of Texas, basically destroying the lone nationally known attraction in Dallas that doesn't involve a dead president? D Magazine is running a poll and the idea was being thrashed during the weekend. See it here. And, remember, this is Dallas where what the general population wants is often ignored by the politically powerful unless the people get their attention in a persuasive fashion. Election coming up in May, you know.  

CONTEMPLATIONS: Regarding Monday being “WalkIn /the Park Day.” Heck, yeah! You never know what you’ll find, who you’ll find or who you’ll save. And that is Inky, our readlarrypowell.com staff impersonator,  giving us his impression of a dog found starving and hairless in a city park rushing into the kitchen of his new home and spotting a big steaming platter of Mom’s You’re Home Now Meatloaf with a side of Good Dog Gravy and some Mashed With Love Taters and a dessert of Out of the Park Into the Heart Cookies.  Nobody has ever taken a walk in a park and found anything more valuable than Inky, though he is still trying to adjust to springing forward in 2015 and his wake-up barkfest is erratic, thank you, United States Congress. If I found a Congressman in the park, not sure I’d take him or her home. But I would try to find a shelter where they could get checked for fleas. ... Spring is wonderful -- we drove into East Texas Saturday afternoon and it was barren of bluebonnets this early, but still there was enough green to make you feel good about springtime. Bluebonnets will be there soon. ... We got a note asking if we had a copy of the memorial speech my literatespouse Martha gave on April 29, 2006, at the Mercy Memorial Service at Operation Kindness. You’ll recall that was in honor of the little Pit girl who died from burns after being set ablaze by a guy in an apartment complex. The Dallas County DA put that guy in prison. There wasn’t a thing to be happy about in that whole story, but you had to be satisfied that someone went to prison for the awful act. If you’d like to read Martha’s speech, click HERE . 

--- To comment, click below. ---

A relaxed sleeping technique that works...

Here we are in the final weekend of March and in the middle of the magnificent blossoming of spring. This time of year two things are constant: North Texas’ spring erupts and dogs flop down and go to sleep.

Wait, that dog thing is a constant in all seasons. Lucky rascals.
For this edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, we offer a couple of tableaus of snoozing critters courtesy of Laura Tillison who grabbed these photos in her southeastern Dallas County home.
Here’s her explanation: “I wanted to share a couple of pictures of my five dogs sleeping. I absolutely love taking pictures of my dogs sleeping, but of course thereis not always a camera or phone nearby to take a picture, so it's hard to get a good one!
“The first picture is of my two dachshunds-- Duke, a 16-year-old black and tan Dachshund rescue that I adopted 13 years ago, Chloe, a 15-year-old red dachshund that is the only puppy I have raised -- and Casper, a 3-year-old white pit bull mix that mysteriously showed up on my property a year ago in March.

“The second picture is of Casper just after he moved in last year. He is sleeping with Maverick, my 5-year-old wirehaired Dachshund we adopted 4 years ago,and Jack, a 4-year-old mixed-breed we took in 18 months ago after his owner, a very dear friend, died and no family members wanted his dog.
“It seems some of the best dogs come into your life when you least expect it!  The last thing we needed was another dog!
“Somehow Casper knew he would be safe with us when he showed up last year. I tried to find out if he was lost, but he had no microchip, no ads looking for him, and after I could not find a suitable home for him, Casper moved in. He is so well behaved and a great couch potato, we don't mind having him as our newest family member!”
[Nominate your slumbering dogs, snoozing cats, snoring salamanders or any other dozing critter for the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap by emailing photos and info to [email protected]. Remember, Readlarrypowell.com publishes these photos in an attempt to inspire the world’s insomniacs to grab a few winks. As these dogs demonstrate, you don’t need a fancy bed or a high-dollar recliner, you just find a place to flop down and put your transmission on snooze control.]
--- To comment, hug a sleeping dog or run a tender hand across a napping cat, and click below, type a little bit, then nod off and enjoy the weekend. ---

A Big Tex threat; an endorsed cat, beautiful dogs and a birthday girl...

EDITION OF HANNAHDAY, 2015 (PetPowellPress) -- OK, let’s try to do something good for the animals. And something else good for Fair Park and the State Fair of Texas.
In a moment we’ll explain that great lookin’ dog in the photo.
And, in another item, we’ll discuss an incident reminiscent of “The Tale of the Brink Collie.”
Please read on.

AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS PUBLIC SUPPORT AND DISCUSSION
Say it ain’t so, Tex.
Dear Readers, you’ve probably already heard about this Fair Park issue. Readlarrypowell.com has a preference in a proposal that would reduce the physical size of the State Fair of Texas.
It's this: Don’t shrink the State Fair of Texas; make the Fair bigger. Protect Fair Park from “progress.” It’s a treasure; protect it from the entrepreneurial spirit. Let stability reign.

This town destroys enough things for the sake of progress. There are plenty of non-historic buildings in downtown Dallas that could be targeted. Or rehabilitate entire regions on the south side of the Trinity River that are crumbling. Save the Fair; save Fair Park. Save the south side of town. Pay attention to the difference between North Dallas and South Dallas. Heck, make both sides of town better.
We’ll now entertain discussions of why protecting a great historic park, a gem of Texas, by increasing it’s size is a worse idea than turning it into something that might or might not work, i.e., do you want to experiment with something as precious as this greatest collection of art deco buildings?  Read State Fair President Mitchell Glieber’s sensitive message here.  
A key passage: “The Fair currently operates in 277 acres. This proposal relegates the State Fair of Texas to one-third of that space in a corner of the park with no infrastructure for operations. This would discontinue use of the historic buildings, like the Centennial, the Automobile, the Pan-Am Arena, the Creative Arts Building, the Music Hall, the Embarcadero, the Women's Museum Building, the Esplanade, Marine Corps Square, the Tower Building and Big Tex Circle. This proposal would effectively end the 129-year tradition of the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.”

Readlarrypowell.com, a witness to this city’s behavior since the early 1970s, recalls that the geniuses downtown have already let the Dallas Cowboys move out of Dallas, passed up a chance to have a big league baseball team in the heart of the city and let the suburbs land some big companies and huge business complexes. The City of Dallas should concentrate on attracting substantial business while preserving Fair Park and the State Fair of Texas.
Again, feel free to discuss -- click on comments below this edition.
A CAT IN CAGE A879703
The veteran rescuer, cat fan and all-round swell human being Andy Allen sent a note about this cat, Fluffy, at Dallas Animal Services in Cage A879703, she reports.
Andy says her “friend Molly the Cat Whisperer says this one is very special. His name is Fluffy. His people surrendered him, and Molly can’t imagine why. Fluffy is very unsure about where he is. He needs a quiet patient home asap.”
You know the drill. Go to the big shelter at I-30 and Westmoreland and meet him. Go to dallasanimalservices.org to see how to adopt and, also, navigate to the list of cats and dogs at the shelter (though late Thursday, Fluffy did not appear on the list).
[LARRY ASIDE: Remember, Dallas Animal Services is the go-to place for dogs and cats if you don’t want to simply cruise Dowdy Ferry Road or the Red Bird area and just pick ‘em up as they’re dumped.]

AT MANSFIELD
Karen Lee, the animal advocate who keeps an eye on lots of shelters, forwarded a note about this “older girl”  from a Mansfield Animal Care and Control Staffer. (Call 817-276-4799 to ask about the pup.)

The dog is a “senior, tiny, female, tri-colored sweetie Chi lap-warmer,” according to the explanation.
According to the staff at the shelter, “Have this older gal who was running around a parking lot when we picked her up. She is a pretty little thing who would sit on my lap all day long if I let her.  She eats canned food, no issue.  I gave her a Capstar but have done nothing else as she will not go into adoptions.  She is a senior and a sweetie.  Know anyone that can help her in her last years?  Please let me know.  Marilyn, Mansfield Animal Care and Control  817-276-4799.”
And if you go to the Mansfield website HERE you’ll see this line: “Free Fridays  Each Friday pets are free to adopt!”

A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY
Way back in the 1970s, my late friend, the author Milton Hartsell, got his kids a puppy. It looked like a Border Collie puppy. He says his kids asked him, “Dad, is this a Border Collie?” and he told them, “No, he’s a Brink Collie -- he’s just right on the  brink of being a Collie.”
And when I got a note from Tammy Baker of local Boston Terrier Rescue, it reminded me of Milt’s story.
Tammy said, “We took in what was said to be a 6 month old Boston Terrier and it is not Boston at all.  It is a Terrier/Pit Bull mix, we think, and now we need another rescue for her.
“She is six months old and has not had any training. She will be getting completely vetted on Friday but we need a rescue and/or foster for her after that.  She is very sweet and looks to be in good health. Just needs some guidance.  Weighs about 30 pounds.”
You can adopt or rescue this beautiful lap dog -- she’d be a lap dog at our house!-- by emailing [email protected].  The website is texasbostons.com. 

MEANWHILE IN IRVING
As the weekend arrives, I hate to tell you about the undeniably cute dog you missed and somebody else got. Look at that face, those ears, that coloring. That Scarlett is a dog with a future in the art world. Shelter walker Russell Posch included her photo among the “rescued, adopted and reclaimed by owner pictures in his daily report. That’s HERE .
And, as is his system, Russell included the urgent dogs at the Irving Animal Services shelter and there are two -- Vince and Sancho, left to right -- who have been THE ONLY TWO DOGS on the “could be next to the needle” list for a few days.  You can read about them HERE.

 

Heck, read about the Irving cats HERE and try to save all the dogs and cats by calling the rescue hotline at 972-721-3597 and following up with an email to both of these addreses, [email protected] and [email protected]. The shelter’s business phone numbers are 972-721-2256 or 57. 
Vince and Sancho are down on their luck. They're not as dynamically attractive as Scarlett, but they are dogs who have hearts and souls and who will give you love without having to be groomed much more than a bath now and then. Low-maintenance dogs, unless they have a contract demanding cable tv and chauffeurs.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Did I type “HANNAHDAY”  in that opening dateline? Sorry, it’s March 27, 2015, the birthday of my palindromic granddaughter Hannah. She’s 14 -- full name Hannah Rose -- and a gifted musician and animalfan. Takes after her grandfather, except for the musician part. I do own a couple of guitars, but I can’t even play Happy Birthday on ‘em. If I could play Happy Birthday for Hannah Rose, I would wish that it could sound like THIS and have the same supporting cast as you'll see in the video. ... I remember when I was 14: I saw George Washington riding through our village in Bowie County. Perhaps I dreamed that after studying American History and Introduction to Fiction at the same time, then having a big glass of milk from Elsie the Cow. ... That is the beautiful Hannah Rose in a studious mode while her brother Connor, AKA Crash, enjoys balancing while reading. The person behind the tortilla mask is the artistic and beautiful middle child, the entertaining Emily Grace. They all love dogs and cats and inherited a sense of humor from everyone in their family tree. Kind of entertaining bunch of kids. And they all play golf. I see millions in grandfather's future.

--- To comment, say “Happy birthday, Hannah!” and click below. ---

It's a Thursday and Chance is "urgent" now...

EDITION OF THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015 -- Let’s just jump right into things.
Dogs, cats and a human or two. No dinosaurs. Nobody turns ‘em loose in Kiest Park -- yet.
And Chance, the Lancaster dog, has moved to the "urgent" list. Read on.
REMINDER: The Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meets at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in Room 6E South in Dallas City Hall. See the agenda HERE. [LARRY ASIDE: You might want to bring a sweater -- Room 6E South can be a very cold room. It’s a great place in July and August. But you’re not allowed to bring a big furry dog to snuggle with when the topics chill the room and you’re as desperate for warmth as a North Pole explorer.]

“REQUIEM FOR A NOBLE DOG” --That’s the headline on our latest tribute on our Prayers & Passages Page. The dog is Bella, featured on Readlarrypowell.com now and then as she enjoyed life with our pal Andy Fisher in Denville, N.J. You’ll find something wonderful in the story of Bella -- and you’ll see how a dog can own a human heart.
That’s Bella being held by Andy.
To read the story of Bella, click on our Prayers & Passages button in the upper right corner of this page. 

IT’S ALWAYS PERSONAL
As we’ve noted for a bit now, Chance the Dog is in need of rescue or adoption at the Lancaster Animal Shelter. He’s the dog who was starving, spotted by Tomi Ortiz’ niece, apprehended by Lancaster Animal Services and is now being pitched by everybody who can type or talk.
And about 10 p.m. Wednesday, we got a note from Tomi reporting that Chance has been moved to “URGENT STATUS” and is on a very fast clock at the Lancaster shelter. 

[The shelter is at 690 E. Main in Lancaster. Call the shelter at 972-218-1210 or call animal services at 972-218-1200.] 

One of the phrases online, used in describing the Lancaster animals, was this: “MORTAL DANGER THURSDAY at 5 pm.”

Tomi took a look at the Furbabies of Lancaster website Thursday to see fi there’s an update. “He’s still there,” she sighs,” but before I got to Chance ....” And, yes, before she got to Chance’s entry, there were several others. You see a few of them here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also got a story from Tomi. It’s a genuine people story. “I was smiling this morning because my daughter Samantha aka Sam, who is now driving (scary!) calls me, and says ‘Mom! There’s a loose black lab with tags! I tried to pick him up but he wouldn’t come to me!’ Then she said ‘Wait! A couple that was walking was able to call him over Now I won’t be late to school!’  Made me proud to know my youngest daughter will be the next generation that will be able to help animals.”

[LARRY ASIDE: Kind of makes a person mist up to think about that Momma and Daughter sharing the mission of saving animals.]

TOOTSIE AND CANDY CORN

This request is making the cyber-rounds.
A note from Jennifer Limvorratre of Maggie's Angels explains this story. (To offer to help, email [email protected] or call 817-897-1382.]
The email reads, “Sad situation for all--- Tootsie & Candy Corn are in need of loving forever OR foster homes by Sunday. The foster mom is now going through a divorce and it is too stressful for her and the puppies.  Both of these babies are 5 months old, will be spayed/neutered very soon, updated on all puppy vaccines & microchipped. They are understanding the idea of being house trained.  The tension in the house is causing them anxiety and we know they'd do amazing in loving homes. We have no where to keep them & running out of time.
“Tootsie was adopted, but then returned at no fault of her own. The people that adopted her realized they aren't ready for a puppy, but said she did very well in their home.
“Both of them love to snuggle & are playful. They aren't getting exercise now, so it is affecting them along with the fighting & stress at home.”
TEXAS NAME, TEXAS DOG -- TEXAS SOLUTION?
Stacey Carney, who monitors critter things west of Fort Worth, sent a note Wednesday explaining that long-time volunteer at Weatherford/Parker County Shelter has a great foster named Chisum and he needs a place to go. The foster mom “is having a medical procedure in mid-April and needs him gone by then. This lady does SO much for the shelter and is responsible for saving SO many of the dogs there. Let's help her out and find a perfect home or rescue for Chisum.” [Email [email protected] to offer to help Chisum.
He’s been in foster 4 months with no problems and no interest. The 2-year-old neutered Lab/Pit mix is house- and crate-trained, gets along with other dogs, walks good on a leash, likes to crash with the human and sit by her on the couch. “He is super smart and would make a good service dog,” the foster says. He has other aspects and talents. I addition to be extraordinarily photogenic.
FOUR FROM CARROLLTON
We’ve got a collection of cats who are victims of a human loss and a speckled dog named Spot, all among the “urgent” animals at Carrollton Animal Services. To offer to help any of them, call 72-466-3420 or email [email protected].

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on the art to make it larger and you can see the whole list HERE. They’ve got to be saved by 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 31. 
CONTEMPLATIONS: Take a minute to think about looking your dog or cat right in the face. Would you vote for that face for president? ... It’s interesting when you spend several months freezing while you walk in the park, then, one day, suddenly, you sweat. Weather. Puzzling. ... Speaking of puzzles. Why has no one created a sitcom based on Klingons? Contemplate that as you try to decide how to rank these sitcoms: Frasier, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory. The Evening News. Threw that last one in because, well, wishful thinking that the planet will become something that makes us smile for a change. 

--- To comment, take a sip of coffee, pet a dog or cat and click below. ---

Animals needing a win and a Golden whose all thumbs...

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015 -- Here’s our midweek report with new dogs, old dogs and a cat or two. In fact, a couple of weeks ago there were just a couple of cats hanging around the cages at Dallas Animal Services. And now, according to the Pet Harbor link on dallasanimalservices.org, the shelter has 130 dogs and TWENTY-TWO CATS. Yep, astoundingly, the cat population has exploded.
That cat on the right? Well, that’s A879303 who a week or so ago was identified as “Mr. Kitty” and listed as a “spayed female.” Upon further review, the shelter’s listing has been changed and “Mr.” is now “Mrs. Kitty,” a 5-year-old gray tabby who’s been dodging the needle since March 13. Available now. No waiting. The shelter is at I-30 and Westmoreland in Dallas. 
And I don’t know if A879378 is a relative, but the surname appears to be the same for Kitty Kitty, a 7-year-old neutered fellow who came into the shelter the day after Mr./Mrs. Kitty. [LARRY ASIDE: Readlarrypowell.com endorses all cats, but especially black and white cats -- we do that in honor of the late Cyril and the late Poirot, two thoroughly adorable, zany and entertaining black-and-white cats.]

ANOTHER CHANCE NOTE
Honestly, I can’t figure why nobody has grabbed Chance. We first published his story back on March 13 when Tomi Ortiz’s  niece spotted the starving dog in Lancaster. Since then, the Lancaster Animal Shelter folks have worked on socializing and fattening-up the formerly starving big ol’ guy.
Tomi tipped us to this latest tale on the Furbabies of Lancaster Facebook site HERE.
It reads, “Chance is learning to trust a little and got out for a walk yesterday! He did very well, especially for his size. Doesn't he look good? Sunlight will do any body good and Chance proved that.
We're still looking for a foster/rescue or permanent home for him. He is doing better, but for his emotional and physical health to really improve, getting out of the shelter would be best.

If you want to see this guy looking better than he has, come see him today, we're open until 5 p.m.”
Lancaster adopted out small dogs, puppies and cats for $15. A big ol’ feller like Chance? Trade your car in and pay $120 a month for 3 years. I’m kidding. He’s TWENTY-FIVE LOUSY DOLLARS. That’s what it’ll take to save him. See him at the shelter at 690 E. Main in Lancaster. Call the shelter at 972-218-1210 or call animal services at 972-218-1200. 

TWO TO GO IN IRVING
My impression of a genuine animal nut: “OMIGOD CODE RED CODE RED ANIMALS THREATENED BY EARTHQUAKES IN IRVING SHELTER.”
OK, that’s out of my system and I hope our reliable Irving tipster Russell Posch will forgive me for this approach to trying to find safe haven for two dogs who may be facing the needle. Not kidding. As you can see, a dog we’ve mentioned before, Vince (left), a year-old, 33-pound Heeler mix, is still on Death Row. He was a stray -- a friendly, healthy stray whose only threat is mankind.  That Chihuahua is 10-pound, 3-year-old Sancho, dumped at the shelter because his owner was moving and since that unfortunate decision, Sancho has been described as a “possible fear-biter.” Well, just who in the world wouldn’t be a fear-biter if they’d gone from being a lap dog to being an inmate? Sheesh. OK, to read about them, click HERE. To read about Irving’s cats, click HERE. To offer to help any of the animals, there’s a shelter hotline at 972-721-3597 and you should followup by emailing [email protected] and [email protected]. Call the shelter at 972-721-2256 or 57.

CONTEMPLATIONS: Cool book cover, eh? It’s a kid’s book written by Michelle Staubach Grimes (yep, Dad is the Cowboy Hero Roger) and it’s out now and selling. Never met either of the Staubachs, but we do have a big soft spot in our Readlarrypowell.com hearts for the artist who illustrated it, the magnificently talented, fun-talking righteous dude Bill DeOre, former colleague at the big paper downtown.  Read about Pidge the Middle Child HERE and see how many Pidge supporters you recognize in the pictures. You can order the book on Amazon HERE . DeOre is one of the greatest editorial cartoonists and illustrators around. Beyond the state line, even. And he’s a swell guy, too.  ...  In the spirit of “What’s up with that?” we’re told that things are moving slowly in an attempt to modernize a Pit Bull policy at the Grapevine Animal Shelter -- they’re “rescue only” but there’s no way the rescue groups know about them because they’re not listed anywhere. Check out this PITTY STORY HERE. (If that doesn't work, CLICK HERE -- apparently the first link stopped working overnight. If the second link "breaks," Google "sixdaysatthefair.com grapevine ringo" and if that doesn't work... well, it's still an interesting site. Thanks to reader "Jill" for the overnight notice!) And to see the Grapevine Animal Shelter site with all the phone and address info, click HERE. ...Now, for fans of the Goldens we turn to a link sent to Readlarrypowell.com by another former colleague, the great Shirley Newsom, now toiling as an editor at the Boston Globe. She understands dogs and, as you can see from this artwork, she has sent something you will probably find to be “hilarious” or beyond. Watch Fritz the Golden trying and failing to catch object-after-object by clicking HERE. You’ll think, “He must be a Texas Rangers infielder.” 

--- To comment, toss a treat to a dog and click below. ---

A wide array of animals and humans...

 EDITION OF TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 -- Holy smoking calendar pages, can we already be zooming toward the end of March? And, heck, Monday was National Melba Toast Day and we missed it. We’ll get it next year. Now on with the report:

THANKS -- A special thanks to readers who saw our report on the Dowdy Ferry Road tragedy. KTVT (CBS11) also did a story on the animal welfare crisis Monday evening. More to come on all of this, no doubt, if citizens will simply run the government instead of letting the government run the citizens. [LARRY ASIDE: Dang, I nearly announced I was running for president. I don’t have the patience for all the paperwork. And that’s a sentence that will come back to haunt me in 2020 when I really do run, after winning the lottery, of course.] Here's that KTVT story -- look at it and come right back because we've got animals to help.

TWO FROM GARLAND
One of the great things about animal rescue is people in one part of it will help people in other parts of it if it helps a dog or cat. For instance, we got tips on these two animals from Dinesha Schmidt of A Different Breed Animal Rescue after she got the stories of these risky critters from Hugo Espinoza, the Community Resource/Rescue Coordinator for Garland Animal Services.
Here are the stories from Hugo, and they are both about dogs that usually don’t have a even a tiny chance at a municipal shelter:
DOG 1: “This male pit bull pup was noted to be coughing. He will need assistance with rescue. He was found stray, so we do not have any other additional information. Please let us know if your rescue can assist with this pup, as he needs rescue ASAP.
DOG 2: “This dog was surrendered by her owner and is listed at 13 years old.  She is rescue only, and was listed as biting and attacking  being the reason she was surrendered. She was listed as aggressive on intake. If rescue is interested, must be pulled no later than tomorrow 3/24/15 before closing time.” [FYI FROM LARRY: A subsequent note said she’s also animal aggressive. But let’s be honest, folks, she’s 13 and has been dumped by someone who appeared to be her friend for years. Pretty damned mean, unless there are some extraordinary circumstances.]
All emails to help these dogs should be sent to [email protected].

AND NOW IN RICHARDSON
One more from Dinesha. This dog is Uki. According to the note, the dog is “is 8-10 months, spayed, UTD on shots and knows commands! Her family moved and left her behind! The neighbors took her in but could not keep her so now she is in the Richardson shelter!” Click HERE help!!!! [LARRY ASIDE: And, of course, animal abandonment is against the law in Texas even if you are convinced the neighbors will step up and do the right thing.]

A FOLLOW UP AND A NEW SITUATION
We’ve got two stories from Houston courtesy of Alexandra Kelsey, the animal advocate in the Bayou City. First up is someone you may remember, rescued a couple of weeks ago after she was found staked to the ground, barely able to move her head up to keep it out of the gathering rainwater.  What’s the update? “This sweet girl is now safe at Central Houston Animal Hospital. She is just a doll, and I thought y’all would like to see new pictures of her.  She is really a fabulous dog.”
What we’ve got there is a before photo, when she was starving, and an “after photo” or, as I like to refer to the picture artistically, “Still Dog With Painting.” She’s a beaut, ain’t she!
Now, Alexandra writes this story and you’ll ache at first, then wonder how you can help. She writes, “Being hit by a car is really bad news.  Really bad.  I think the only thing worse would be to see your buddy hit by the car and to have absolutely no way to help, to sit by that pal all night long, out in the elements while saying your doggie prayers.  That’s exactly what Noble did on a recent spring night. She waited in a mucky ditch out in the country, guarding her friend as he lay injured and in pain.  Fortunately, they were found and taken to a small shelter, but the injured dog wasn’t able to make it. 
“Noble is such a sweet girl and has shown how much loyalty she gives to those she loves. She’s one of those dogs who make you smile and say, ‘She’s a keeper!’  Noble has nice manners around cats and appears to be house-trained.  And we know she likes dogs! Her pretty face makes you think she may have some Newfoundland’s in her family tree, and she’s a dog who will light up your life.

“Noble needs to go through heartworm treatment, and she would do so much better if she could have a foster home.  If you can help with a temporary foster home, or if you would like to adopt this amazing dog, please contact Ann Callan at [email protected] .”

FROM OUT AT THE LAKE

Sydney Busch forwarded this one. As you know, Sydney is the spokesperson for Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, the organization that operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic in Gun Barrel City, Texas. They operate, literally, on Tuesdays.
She’s forwarded a note and photo. They came from Janet Erwin, who explained, “This cute Maltese boy is in need of a good home. He is UTD on shots, neutered, and HW negative. He is a definite lap baby! Age is around 8-10 years and in good health. Someone who is home during day and wants a loyal loving companion would be best.” Email [email protected] or call 903-235-2932. [LARRY ASIDE: For years we lived with a Maltese named Glinda (after the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz). We fostered her after that tornado in Lancaster back in the mid-1990s. She’d been thrown through the air -- six pounds, didn’t take much wind. But after that, she never again wanted her feet off the ground. Couldn't pick her up without panic setting in. She’d have never posed for a photograph on a park bench! But she was a delight, a wonderful friend. I’ve never met a Maltese that wasn’t loveable.]

HOW BUSY IS MARCH 28?

First great weekend of spring coming since the first actual weekend was one of great rain around here. I haven’t checked the forecast. Let’s just say there’s a minor chance of earthquakes and let it go at that. Now here are some (but not all) of the weekend’s events:
--AN INITIATIVE: Gypsy Dog Ops, Dallas City Council Member Scott Griggs and Dallas Animal Shelter /commission Member Chris Watts are co-hosting an event from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Kidd Springs Park that is aimed and making things better for animals in Dallas. This “Second Annual Oak Cliff Animal Initiative” -- read about it at www.gypsydogops.com --  has a specific purpose. Here’s the goal of the meeting, according to the organizers’ site: While the adoption side of Dallas Animal Services is making great strides, the City and Dallas Animal Services have not been able to address and solve the loose and stray animal issues in our neighborhoods. The goal of this meeting is to see how neighbors can collaborate, communicate, educate, and advocate towards common animal welfare and quality of life goals.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Don’t you people north of the river get alarmed but Kidd Springs Recreation Center is in North Oak Cliff at 711 W. Canty St. It’s OK to park your cars there while you go inside the rec center.]

--THE TALENT FOSTER AGENT PROGRAM AT OK: Get a load of that photo, You know what that is? That’s an adoption photo. And why is it special. Our PR source with Operation Kindness says the photo shows Queenie the Dog with her new human, for one thing. But the frosting on this cake that Queenie came out of the Operation Kindness Foster Talent Agent Program, we’re told. What’s that? Glad you asked. Operation Kindness, the famed no-kill shelter in Carrollton, has launched this new program, described as “ an innovative foster ambassador initiative that invites volunteers to foster shelter animals, and then market them via social media and outings in the community to get them adopted.”
How can you learn about it? Get involved with OK’s explanatory webinar -- it starts at 10 a.m. Saturday and you have to register to watch it at this address: http://bit.ly/1MOCnQD.
--MEANWHILE IN IRVING... Usually when we hear from Tomi Ortiz, she’s got a dog in crisis or a human/animal problem that needs to be solved.This time her email contained mention of something entirely enjoyable, the Irving Pet Pawlooza, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., on Saturday at the Irving /animal Care Campus, 4140 Valley View Lane. Fifth anniversary of the Irving Animal Care Campus -- there’ll be $5 adoptions of dogs and cats from Irving Animal Services and DFW Humane Society.
Nice artwork. And, you can read all about this fun family event by clicking HERE, It’s a whole festival -- food, music, critters, etc. And, you know, it’s pet friendly, too! 
CONTEMPLATIONS: You know what made me open this email from East Lake Pet Orphanage? The subject line had this phrase: “Addie the Meth Lab Chihuahua.”  A combination of words heretofore unseen in the thousands of columns presented by Readlarrypowell.com and never once mentioned during the previous 40-year newspaper career of yours truly. Those folks at ELPO know how to get your attention. And, as regular visitors to Readlarrypowell.com know, ELPO has a series of Pet Talk Podcasts that enlighten people about animal issues -- the one with Addie focuses on dental health. But if you’re into music, Episode 13 focuses on pet pigs including “Piggy Izalea.” See Addie’s episode HERE. ... We have the adorable Rottie at our house, Texas Earl the Cheeseman, who apparently is part Klingon and can cloak himself. Over the weekend my funspouse Martha walked into the living room and nearly fell over him. “I didn’t see him,” she said of the 100-pound black and tan dog. She did, however, manage to nimbly dance around him as he remained motionless save for the one eye he kept open to watch for falling humans. He’s a good boy, that Earl. Loves to have his velvet head snuggled by a human. How someone could dump him in a city park and leave him is beyond me. Can I get an “Amen” for Rottweilers, the underappreciated gentlemen of the canine world?  Yes, that is Earl, uncloaked on the rug that serves as a sleeping mat or, as in my nimblespouse’s case, a tumbling mat. ... In the wake of the report on the Dowdy Ferry Road animal problem, I was having a conversation with a local animal rescuer who flies under the radar and that rescuer asked the question, “Why doesn’t Dallas have shelters in each quadrant of the city instead of just one big one in one place? Wouldn’t  these ‘neighborhood shelters’ help control these stray neighborhood animals everybody gets so worked up over? Maybe. That seems to be the same philosophy as police sub-stations. Of course, putting a handy shelter in each quadrant probably would require a budget adjustment and, well, we know what happens when the budgets get adjusted in Dallas. I believe the word is “slash.”  Anybody got any ideas along that line of neighborhood shelters?

--- To comment, step over the Rottweiler and click below. --- 

 

The battle for animals and politics...

EDITION OF MONDAY, MARCH 23, 2015 -- We’re starting a thoughtful edition with a paragraph about emotions. It comes from the Facebook site of rescuer Marina Tarashevska.

“Mom dog on Dowdy Ferry running under cars and too terrified to trust people. She stays down the road at a junk yard and she's always around here searching for food. It makes me sick that she lives off dumped dog carcasses. I'm parked on a side of the road and every time a car passes I get hit with a powerful smell of decomposing flesh. I feel like I'm living a nightmare and falling into the abyss and there's nothing I can do to wake up from this.”

People have been fighting the battle to save dogs and cats in North Texas for as long as there’s been a place to stop and get a drink of water. 

The greatest asset in this battle has always been the human heart.
It sure hasn’t been city council support. But a lot of areas can say that.
On a daily basis, forget politics. Technology is the heart’s greatest alley in the battle to help animals. We’ve watched in recent years as phone calls were augmented by text messages and emails and websites and now Facebook.
And camera phones. For crying out loud, a decade ago people were making desperate calls to try to get help, leaving heart-breaking appeals on answering machines -- nowadays they can snap a photo, shoot a video. Make it real. Put a face on the animal at peril. This is a wondrous life-saving tool, a dramatic way to demonstrate the reality of a situation.
Those technological developments can do two things: They put the images of animals into the minds of people who want to help them. They put the ugly things into the minds of people who want to fight those awful things.
And they show us, sometimes, where the shortcoming are -- what official, for instance, cares about the animals that are being dumped in the Dowdy Ferry Road area of southeastern Dallas County? Drive south on Dowdy Ferry and you can see where Dallas maintenance ends and county maintenance begins. 

Part of the road is actually in Dallas. Part of it is either in unincorporated Dallas County or in Hutchins. Whatever the case, the southern portion of the road is in an area where there’s no law paying attention to mistreatment of animals. It’s a dumping ground for fightin’ dogs -- the dead losers, according to animal advocate Marina Tarashevska. She’s gotten a lot of ink in the big paper downtown lately for her work and her despair at trying to get someone to help.
We’re citing just two examples of her work over the weekend. She gets animals into rescue -- if she gets to them before she finds their carcasses. It’s a race. One good heart against evil men, evil punks who put gambling on dog fights ahead of decency. [LARRY ASIDE: The term “evil men” is used because I cannot, in decades of newspaper journalism, a woman being arrested for staging a dog fight. I could be wrong.]
A young woman who is fast becoming legendary in animal advocacy is using guts and technology to draw attention to a dumping ground along Dowdy Ferry Road.
You can see some of Marina Tarashevska’s Facebook work in that artwork. Click on it to make it larger and click HERE to go to her Facebook page.
People who have never pulled over to try to get a loose dog to come to safety, may watch this video and see the frustation.
You’ve got a human who wants to help and a dog who has been betrayed at least once by humans. The odds are lousy.
And you’ve got that series of photos of dog bodies in bags. Easy to throw them out along Dowdy Ferry Road. The fighting probably didn’t go on far from there.
Trained dogs? Hardly. Dogs driven mad by humans who shouldn’t be allowed to walk among decent people.
Is there an investigation underway? Doesn’t look like it.
What can you do to encourage an investigation? Marina has set an example for this era.
And, please allow me to remind you that Dallas  and North Texas have many veteran animal rescuers and advocates who worked for decades to build shelters, build rescue organizations and establish working relationships with the constantly changing roster of elected officials and bureaucrats. They should be brought into this battle to get official attention. They’ve got skills honed by years of encounters with blind eyes and cold hearts. They’re not at the stage of re-inventing the wheel, they’re at the stage of adding a more powerful engine to the car.
Animal people don’t always get along. Some are real pills. But all have the same goal -- help the animals. Sometimes you have to be better than yourself when you’re trying to reach a goal.
The goal now, maybe, ought to be getting people with badges and guns interested in putting these dog-fight people in jail. Deep into jail. So deep that they can’t come out and play a down in the National Football League. So deep that daylight becomes a stranger.
These hoods are frequently traveling in criminal circles that do not respect any law -- their professions are theft, drugs and bullying decent people into silence.
You think they fight dogs only out in the sticks? One of our Readlarrypowell.com tipsters worked for years to get a site raided in West Dallas. There are other examples. And you can research and see links from Houston to Dallas to Memphis and beyond. East Texas? The Piney Woods -- a perfect hiding place for dog fights, cock fights, marijuana patches and lord know what else.
It is all connected. If you stop this criminal behavior in Dallas, you may have an affect in Smith County or Arkansas or Oklahoma or Louisiana.
Why would anyone not try to do what’s right?
That’s a question not just for us normal taxpaying citizens, it’s for people who wear badges and the politicians who have the power to make jail a reality. Laws are on the books. But sometimes people who finance police agencies hide behind their budgets, i.e., “We don’t have enough money to chase down dog-fighters when we don’t have enough money to fill potholes.”

Some people walk the walk. They carry their phones and cameras and they, surely, have a guardian angel who is going to need some time off to handle the PTSD.
Once again, you can read Marina’s report on the dead dogs on her Facebook site HERE and you can see her report and video on the dog that’s too scared to be saved HERE. 

HEADS UP FOR THURSDAY
AT DALLAS CITY HALL

The City of Dallas Animal Advisory Commission Board used to be the Dallas Animal Shelter  Commission  (you can Google it)  but I guess the longer something is in place in a bureaucracy the more words it has in its name. Anyway, as you can see from the artwork, the commission / board will be meeting at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Dallas City Hall in Room 6ES -- that’s 6E south. [LARRY ASIDE: Wear a sweater and if you park on the city lot, bring plenty of change - feed the meters or the city will stick you what amounts to a car payment if the meeting runs long and you can’t race to the meter.]

The agenda (it's online on the City of Dallas page)  looks pretty routine. But you never know what’ll come up in the statistical reports or during the public comments. And you’ll hear an update on efforts of the Dallas Companion Animal Project to live up to its lofty goals. The legislative updates should be interesting.
For those of you who don’t know  a thing about the way Dallas City Hall is organized -- strike that. “Organized” probably isn’t the right word. For those who don’t now how a city government works, here’s the way this commission works in Dallas: The members of the Dallas City Council appoint the commissioners. The commission members, in turn, are responsible for keeping the City Council members appraised of animal situations in Dallas. There are city council members who pay attention to these things. And, then, there are those who don’t. But every issue in town suffers from those shortcomings at city hall.
The best way to make a city council member pay attention to an issue? Get voters to show up at meetings and make sense. Tall order, but now and then animal people can make sense without calling people names or declaring the end of mankind over a fixable issue.
Develop influence, that is the goal. It worked at the turn of the century when the animal people finally prevailed upon the council to replace two (for lack of a better word) crappy old shelters with a whizbang new one. You want history? READ IT HERE. 

 

You’ll get an idea of the challenge it was to get the City of Dallas to just put up a building that its own health department wouldn’t have shut down if it wasn’t owned by the city. 

CONTEMPLATIONS: We’re ending this report with a lesson in civics. Why? Because through the years I’ve run into person after person in Dallas who doesn’t understand the difference between a city councilman and a county commissioner or comprehend that a city council member in Dallas doesn’t represent people in Arlington or Duncanville or Denton. You think I’m kidding? Not hardly.
Now, let’s proceed:
So you don’t know who your Dallas City Council district’s representative is on the animal commission?  You didn’t even know you had a district? Holy gerrymandering, modern education is failing America.
Look, it’s easy to determine who represents your district on the commission.
First, who is your city council member? Yeah, some of you don’t know. And some of you who didn’t pay attention in civics class think that if even if you live in Bodcaw, Ark., or Terlingua, Texas, you still have a Dallas council member. No. The Dallas City Council is just for the citizens and residents of Dallas, Texas -- unless, of course, you’ve got a lot of money and you’re making noise like your going to put up a big building or move a corporate headquarters to town, or bring in a real pro football team -- in that case your dangling carrot is making an entire council salivate. Yes, YOU have the council’s attention. In the meantime, the rest of us taxpaying local residents have to make-do by forming groups that can politely approach a council member and do some polite lobbying.
But, I digress. Who is your council member? Oh. How do you find out who represents your neighborhood/district?  Where is your neighborhood?
The answer is on a map of city council districts. Click HERE .

Let’s say you can tell by the map that you live in City Council District 4. (That is where I live.) So, you can then go to the City of Dallas Website and navigate your way to the listing for council members HERE AND FIND  your District 4 representative. Ah, you see that your representative is Dwaine Caraway, the outgoing and also going-out council member (term limits). He is famed not only for getting free plastic bags outlawed in Dallas but for giving the Key to the City to convicted felonious dog-fighter Michael Vick, the NFL quarterback. That’s just an FYI. He does good things now and then, but that’s the way it is with political offices.

So, having identified your council member, you may then may go to the City Secretary’s site, click on boards and commissions and navigate to this ANIMAL COMMISSION SITE (it opens at one committee, but you scroll down to the commission) which will show you who the commissioners are and who appointed them to be the council's eyes and ears in the animal world. As you will determine, the District 4 seat on the commission is vacant. 
These listings are all subject to change soon because there’s a city council election coming up on May 9.
You do have your voter registration card, right?
Surely I don’t have to explain that. I’m probably not insulting anyone because people who didn’t understand the concept of representative government quit reading way back yonder. Ninth grade, maybe.
--- TO COMMENT, PUT DOWN THAT COPY OF YOUR JUNIOR HIGH CIVICS BOOK AND CLICK BELOW. --- 

Movement, no movement, sleep, nap and scenes...

You’ve seen live cams online that are focused on the same scene day after day -- perhaps the plaza in downtown Santa Fe, the area near Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Times Square in New York City. The scene is never the same. A person arrives, an auto drives through, there is snow.
In this case, near my desk, we have two storage tubs stacked and made more comfortable by a plaid, folded bit of blanket. The scene always changes.

It is a natural habitat for a Napping Cat. Thus we present a contemplative edition of our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
You see snoozing Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson and black cat Annabelle Bob. Usually they are not together, but the lure of warm comfort, as the last rainy day of winter became the first rainy evening of spring, drew them to this idyllic spot in a house designed for canine and cat comfort, mostly by accident.
In an earlier time, near the same sleeping platform, you could see Griffin Oliver Powell, the orange and white cat, looking into the next room while our street dog, Porche Noel, presented a “sleeping hangdog look.” She is given to "draping herself." 
[NOMINATE YOUR SLEEPING CRITTERS by sending photos and info to [email protected]. We present Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap as inspiration for insomniacs though, surely, no one will stack some plastic tubs, throw a thin blanket atop and try to nod off while curled up. Depends on the level of desperation, I guess. Perhaps you can find some drowsiness by clicking on the charming scene in Santa Fe HERE, considering the traffic in downtown Dallas HERE  or taking a gander at Times Square in New York where, Friday evening, the camera was pelted by snow on the first evening of spring.]

--- To comment, yawn, stretch, blink your eyes, grab your mouse, click below, type a note, then nod off and get some weekend rest. ---