ReadLarryPowell.com

Humans -- some are angels, some are not; cats, dogs and a demonstration

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- We’ll start this month with the oddest thing I’ve ever heard said to a dog: “Honey, don’t step on my toes! I just painted ‘em.”
Yep, my GlitterToeSpouse Martha speaking to adoring former street dog Porche Noel. Let’s move on with animal tales and opportunities.  I’m kidding about the glitter polish. That’s mine. Martha favors a red so bright she doesn’t have to turn on the hall light at night.

Our topics today include a dead animal contemplation. Read on, first, about some live animals.

HUNTING FOR THE VILLAINS
We spotted this on Facebook and, you know, it deserves some attention. Look at that dog. Just look at that dog’s face! Kim Myers Buckman, one of our animal advocate tipsters who lives northwest of Fort Worth found him.
“Found him” is a dramatic understatement.
She wrote (and I think you’ll see the emotion in it): “OK! Just witnessed the SADDEST thing! I was coming home from town on 287 and saw 2 men push this dog out of the back of a truck. The dog then ran behind them as fast as he could!! Who in the hell could do that?! I'm heartbroken for him. Humans Suck!”

No license number. But perhaps someone knows someone who, until Tuesday afternoon, had a big ol’ black dog. Maybe that’s the villain. Or, perhaps, someone burglarized a house and stole the dog, too.
[LARRY ASIDE: Probably the people who did this are just rotten to the core and deserve some hard time in a jail cell. We’re seeking more details. If you witnessed this and can help finish the picture of the incident, contact the authorities. This is absolutely against the law in Texas.]
And, thanks to Kim Myers Buckman for being a decent human being.

CATS IN WEATHERFORD

Show of hands, please: How many of you have experienced this sort of situation? (The hands are up here at readlarrypowell.com, of course.) 
This note came from Stacey Carney, our west-of-Cowtown tipster who is known in Weatherford and other areas as Stacey the Stylist. She wrote Tuesday afternoon, “A friend just messaged me with a plea for these babies. Her neighbors keep finding them in their yards and want to call animal control. The mom hasn't been seen in a long while.”

Common tale, right?
 Stacey continues, explaining that the woman “thinks there are 5 and is in the process of catching them. They will be taken to the shelter if we can't find a place for them. Please help me keep them out of there. They have had to put so many to sleep lately due to sickness. If you can help please email [email protected].”

A BUSY IDEA FOR SHELTER DOGS?
This Kickstarter appeal is for funding for production of the Go Bone, an electronic toy that keeps dogs busy when there’s no human around. And, if you watch the video you’ll see that its designers think it might come in handy in shelters, giving otherwise listless shelter dogs a reason to show their spark when they’re being eyed by potential adoptors. The video HERE includes comments by Chris Watts of Petropolitan pet spa fame and identified in the video as “Dallas Animal Advisory Commissioner District 1.” The GoBone is also on The Petropolitan Facebook page HERE and the dogs sure seem to be nuts about it.

SPEAKING OF A SHELTER DOG

The Dallas Animal Services Facebook page posted this guy Petey on Tuesday and he’s available without a fee because he’s been in the shelter for quite some time.
The shelter folks say, “Petey's a low-maintenance boy with a goofy grin. He loves car rides, too, but hasn't been cruising lately. He has been here since early May, so Petey needs to find a family now.
"His adoption fee is waived and you can meet him here today. We're open until 6:30 pm. Ask for A937949.”
Just in case nobody dropped by, the shelter is open on Wednesday, too. It’s at I-30 at Westmoreland and you can get adoption info at dallasanimalservices.org.

AND A CAT QUIZ FROM THE COLONY
Mark Cooper, the veteran shelter guy who is now manager of The Colony’s Animal Services, posted this photo Tuesday and asked, “Can anyone guess what breed this kitten is?”


Our guess was scientific: “Earhoundus Varietus Felinus.” But Mark gave the answer: “Can you say ... a Bobcat kitten!!!!”

A CONTEMPLATION ABOUT
AN IRONIC REQUEST IN DALLAS: NARD AND DEAD ANIMALS
There’s a move on to get the OK from Dallas to carry the frozen bodies of animals at a National Animal Rights Day demonstration at Dallas’ Pioneer Plaza (the park with all the cow statues), 1428 Young Street,  from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 5. It’s Dallas’ first NARD demonstration like this one.

Animal advocate Tanja Pattist sent the info about the need for people to appeal to city hall.
Why? Because, toting dead animals may be against the law -- even in a well-intentioned demonstration. The NARD note read, “We have been told that we cannot get a permit for NARD, because the City Attorney's office believes that a portion of our event violates a section of the City Code. It is our understanding that on Wednesday, June 1st, the city attorney will ask the city council whether we should be permitted to hold the bodies of animals on National Animal Rights Day.”
The NARD folks want you to call or email your council member to urge an OK for this odd request. Here’s the LINK.
So where do these dead animals come from? We asked Tanja who replied, “The animals were all dead before they came to us.  We froze them for this event.  They will be cremated after the event. We have 66 animals right now.  They are from all over -- farms, pet stores, veterinarians, sanctuaries, road kill, etc.  We have these types of animals: Lamb, Goat, Possum, Squirrel, Bird, Turtle, Skunk, Fish, Kitten, Dog, Turkey, Duckling, Armadillo, Snake, Rooster, Owl, Crow, Rabbit, Chicken.”

Here’s the local FACEBOOK PAGE.

[LARRY ASIDE: First, let me emphasize that I believe in the power of public demonstration to change the hearts of elected officials. I also believe in protecting animals. Pretty sure I’ve demonstrated my respect for animals and animal lives in my work and my life, so I hope the organizers of this event will forgive me for asking this question: “Does walking around in the likely Texas heat with frozen animal bodies melting in your hands invite the yuck factor to wrest the spotlight from the appeal to protect the living animals?” 


Would it not make people ignore what you’re saying to pay attention to how you’re saying it? 

Why not a parade of living animals who are available for adoption?  Go to thenard.org and you’ll see what causes these good hearts to react. It’s just damned awful what people do to animals for the sake of fur, a meal, religion, tradition, research and progress. Cherish the animals, that’s our message.  

I suspect people will say, “We’ve tried all the quiet methods and they didn’t work.” Sad, isn’t it, that the quiet methods have become ineffective in a civilization known for its stupidity. Please, when you write to me to protest, remember I am an animal nut, vegetarian and a believer that dignity is part of an animal’s life and deserved in death, too. There’s no dignity in becoming a punch line.
 And, regarding the opening item today, it would not bother me to put the two guys who threw the dog out of the truck into an ice cube suit and park them in a freezer. But, that’s just me and I’m frequently meaner than I ought to be.]
--- To comment, please be civil and click below. --- 

Mom, mutts, cats and James Bond...

EDITION OF TUESDAY, MAY 31 (PetPowellPress) -- Pardon me while I take a personal moment: Happy birthday, Mom! Ninety? Come on. How can that be? Artist, poet, mom, especially “Granny.” Some party over the weekend. Glad we were able to make bail on the family plan. 
Just kidding. Here’s our Tuesday report.

 MORE NEWS ABOUT THE OVERLOADED DALLAS SHELTER

The Big Shelter in Big D needs Big Help.
Here’s the way Danielle Fry, the Animal Transfer Coordinator, outlines it: “Summer is upon us! ’Tis the season for graduations, vacations, going to the pool, and full shelters!  The summer months are always difficult at Dallas Animal Services.  Our intake goes up and our kennel space is next to non-existent.  We would like to ask our partners, now more than ever to be proactive and help us to help the animals. ... Being proactive instead of reactive will help us save more lives and keep kennels open for incoming animals!”

You can see the dogs and cats by navigating to the availables on dallasanimalservices.org. 
But there are two sites dedicated to getting dogs and cats facing tougher challenges out of the shelter.
They are:

https://www.facebook.com/DASCats/?fref=photo
https://www.facebook.com/DASUrgents/
I picked one of each to illustrate this need. That dog with the distinct eyes and the pink leg cast is a fellow named Riley.
No name on that kitten, but since he looks like he’s auditioning for the lead in Oliver, that’s what we’ll call him for publicity purposes. Doesn’t he look like he’s about to deliver the classic line from the musical? “Sir, may I have some more?”
 To offer to help as a rescue partner, email [email protected].  There’s an official form to fill out so you’ll understand the rules. Ask for it via that email or call 214-670-8298.
[LARRY ASIDE: And if you are thinking of dropping off an animal at the shelter so you can take a vacation, get in touch with us. We have a new model of the Readlarrypowell.com Two-by-Four of Enlightenment we’re itching to try out. Comes with a Concussion Protocol Handbook.]

MEANWHILE IN BURNS FLAT


The long holiday weekend gave Terry Lynn Fisher time to assemble some appeals in Burns Flat, Okla., way out in the western edge of The Sooner State.
Take for instance, this dog.
Terry Lynn writes, “This poor boy has been in doggie jail way too long... Normally, I do not have a time frame, as long as there is room. But we are full and I have all personal places and kennels full. Even with as many as we have been transporting, we are filled up again
This guy is possible an Akita mix, maybe 2 to 3 years old. He is a great boy, very calm and loving, good with other dogs, LOVES kids.

“ He is so excited when I pull up and so sad when I leave.”

[LARRY ASIDE: How can he see her arrive and depart? Because little Burns Flat has open-air kennels. Hot in summer, cold in winter. Terry Lynn brings in tarps and fans but, holy smoke, what an unfortunate way to “store” animals until they’re adopted or killed.]


"Then there’s the “little mange family I got from a small town about 90 miles from me,” Terry Lynn explains. “They had been dumped out in the middle of nowhere, left alone to die. Their little bodies were being eaten up with mange. Momma is a Beagle mix, under 30 pounds... Very sweet and loving, she is a good little girl. Her babies are about 8 weeks old now and the friendliest most loving little ones ever.. 2 girls and 1 boy...
"This precious family is now ready to leave the vet, where I have had them in boarding during treatment for the past 3 to 4 weeks.”
 (That artshot is Mom and that bullseye dog is one of her pups.)

And there is this dog Riley. “She was dumped north of town and arrested. She was so sad at the pound, a friend took her home to short term foster. They are unable to keep much longer for they travel in the summers.”



To help any of these animals (and to help Terry Lynn cope with the summer rush in Burns Flat), email [email protected].





FLOODING & THE PITTIES
That’s the town where Unbreak-a-bull protects unwanted Pitties from people. The weather is a different problem at the shelter a few hours south of Dallas/Fort Worth and just west of Bryan. Yep, not in the neighborhood, but some of the dogs come from Dallas/Forth Worth neighborhoods now and then. 
Karen Lee, the animal advocate from barkleyworld.com, tipped us to this. A note from Unbreak-a-bull reads that the flood emergency has had an effect on the property, but, “We are safe and dry and no longer trapped at our rescue due to flooding, etc! We are happy to see the sun shining!”

Now, the shelter needs support in repairing flooring and the roofs and kennels. 
Here’s the thing you might  never think about. The note reads, “We also are in bad need of flea prevention! Anytime it floods here our dogs get attacked by fleas and topical prevention does nothing to help them as sad as it is, we need Nexgard flea and tick chewable pills from our vet at Animal Friends.”
Call 979-277-0400 to see how to help. The Facebook page is HERE.
 
CONTEMPLATIONS: Yep, my Mom, Mom turns 90 today. Other people know her as Mrs. Powell, Pearl Powell, Aunt Pearl, Granny, Church Mom, Neighborhood Mom, etc. So, from Oak Cliff, Texas, to Texarkana, Texas, Happy Birthday, Mom. She’s a big fan of my sons, Bret and Bart. Over the weekend it struck me that my Mom is 90 and my sons are 45. All of which is astonishing because I just turned 38. ... This has nothing to do with Mom’s birthday, but yes or no, “Daniel Craig is a great James Bond.” (We have a divided household. I’m a supporter -- also loved him in The Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman.) He’s said to be the guy who plays James Bond again in the next film. But, then, so is Tom Hiddleston who played Hank Williams in I Saw the Light to an audience of literally dozens around the world. Hiddleston, however, was pretty darned good in The Night Manager on AMC, though the evil character played by Hugh Laurie stole a lot of the show.  These are things I worry about when I’m convinced I’m getting too much sleep. Also, if a Brit can play Hank Williams, why can't a Yank play James Bond? Can't think of a Yank actor who could be Bond at the moment. ... We’ll close with a wonderful assessment of today’s world that I got from a guy who is a military veteran who has, for decades, benefited from freedom of expression. On Memorial Day he wrote, “Take time today, if you would, to remember the fallen. They died so that a blowhard and a security risk could face each other for the Presidency.”  [The preceding quote presented for the humor. So, just laugh and move on, all you partisan nuts.]
--- To comment, grab your EyeSeeTheHumorInItMouse, grin, and click below. ---

ON MEMORIAL DAY

EDITION OF MEMORIAL DAY, MAY 30, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- As a guy who has made a living because of freedom of expression, I’ve always thought it important to celebrate Memorial Day and honor these far-too-many people who gave it all to keep the American flag flying and Congress able go into session and do the nation’s business.
Their sacrifices also made it possible for the free press to, now and then, be an American hero. We need it more now than then these days. Click HERE to see the video of the flag photo.
On this holiday, thank a soldier and, whatever your faith, pray for the safety of the forces of the United States. Pray for peace and that peaceful understanding will forever  become the thing for which Planet Earth is known.  And, of course, be kind to Animals -- set an American example.
That second photo? That’s the American cemetery in Normandy. It’s not photoshopped. It's just cropped. That’s not all the graves. Read about it HERE. 

This is some of what you’ll learn at that site:

“The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France is located in Colleville-sur-Mer, on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944, as the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery site, at the north end of its half mile access road, covers 172.5 acres and contains the graves of 9,387 of our military dead, most of whom lost their lives in the D-Day landings and ensuing operations. On the Walls of the Missing, in a semicircular garden on the east side of the memorial, are inscribed 1,557 names.”
Because of these people and others through the years and years of American wars, the Constitution has avoided being listed as a “casualty of war.” Politics may take a shot at it, but the military has protected it.

--- To comment, hug the memory of a solider, hug a soldier, pray for peace and click below. ---

The Senator naps & a Marlie report...

Every now and then through the years, the animal of focus in our weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap is quite a handy rascal.

That is why, on this pre-holiday weekend Friday, we’re posting photos of a cat that just showed up. If you live in the City of Dallas, cats will just show up. They’ll do that in the suburbs, too. That is what some cats do. They may not come from this planet -- originally.
The Senator is one cute sleeper.
We’ve featured this guy before and we’ve explained that he’s known as The Senator because the pattern on his forehead makes him look as if he’s had implants, like a great number of the gentlemen who serve in the upper house of the United States Congress. 

That naming occurred a couple of years ago -- after he decided to take up residence on our front porch. When he became a consistently reliable presence on our porch, we invited him in. He didn’t hesitate. He and the dogs are friendly -- they share a desire to nod off.
Probably his original family either moved away or somehow irritated him to such a point that he filed his FEP (Feline Emancipation Petition) with the State of Texas. 
So, in these photos you can see what a cute and odd napper he is. There’s the “paw” photo -- he was napping on the towel-covered TV tray I keep for him next to my desk. It’s his spot. So is the back of a chair. And, you may also note that I snapped photos of him sleeping face-down on the arm of a couch. Face down. Who knows why -- I’ve never seen him drinking. He’s clearly a creative cat napper.
Affectionate? My CatLadyofOakCliffSpouse Martha says he’s my cat. He does lounge in my lap when I’m writing. Now and then he looks at the screen, doesn’t like what he sees and buries a fang -- not a claw -- a fang in the top of my hand. He may have been an editor in a previous life.

[NOMINATE YOUR SLUMBERING CRITTER for the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap by sending photo/photos and info/infos to [email protected]. Remember, we post this as a public service, an inspiration for the 21st Century insomniacs. If my fellow insomniacs can just figure out a way to hold their paws or put their foreheads on a chair arm, they, too can sleep.]

SOME GOOD NEWS FOR THE WEEKEND    
OK, dear readers. I know most of you are overloaded with animals already. Shelters are full around here, so are rescue groups and the situations weigh on our hearts. But now and then someone does something that should give the rest of us some big darn hope.

We started writing about the Lake Highlands wander-up dog Marlie a couple of days ago because our big-hearted pal Kim Pierce, usually a cat person, was trying to help friends and neighbors save this dog.
His deadline for being pulled from the Dallas Animal Services and Adoption Center was 4 p.m. Friday. Beat the deadline or get the needle.

Earlier in the day he was picked up from the shelter by a neighbor, Kim reported Friday. “He was neutered today,” she told me. “One of our other neighbors can keep him over the weekend. After that, so far, we are looking at boarding.” [To offer to help Marlie by adopting or fostering or donating to cover boarding, email [email protected] .]
[LARRY ASIDE: These people -- a team of neighbors -- went to extra efforts to save a dog who just showed up. That is heart. That is the kind of heart every neighborhood in this city will have to exhibit in order for people to cure the roaming dog problem. It takes a neighborhood to save the critters. Some applause, please, for neighborhoods that make the effort. And that dog in the background of Marlie's photo probably still needs out, too. After all, the shelter has hundreds of animals waiting. Waiting. But only for so long.]
--- To comment, gently grasp your NeighborlyMpouse, think good thoughts about Marlie and every other critter in need anywhere, and click below. ---

Updates, bunnies, birds and a Dallas contemplation (again)

 EDITION OF FRIDAY, MAY 27, 2016 (PetPowellPress) Let’s get right to this. We’ve got some concern over this dog Marlie. 

He’s in Dallas Animal Services, having been rescued from “stray” status in Lake Highlands. Most of the people in the neighborhood have an abundance of cats or dogs -- many of these people are already animal nuts and that means they’re already full.
But they’ve been working hard to get Marlie into a safe place. He’s got to be out of DAS by 4 p.m Friday or it’s the needle.

Readlarrypowell.com provided some suggestions of places to ask for help, but they’re as full as the rest of us.
So, here’s the deal: Someone that nobody has run into yet needs to provide a spot to foster Marlie until a home can be found. You’ll be a life-saver. 
He’s a good boy, a dog who needs a human. He’s not that big. He’s just in a big fix.
If you want to adopt him, he’s A937553 at the currently overcrowded Dallas Animal Services.  Kim Pierce, noted writer and editor and cat rescuer, is the contact point: email [email protected].

AND A FOLLOWUP ON THE INJURED DOG

You may have seen the note about this dog in our previous edition. He was brought into Dallas Animal services after being struck by a car. 
Lots of things wrong.
But, this is the passage from Dallas Animal Services Animal Transfer Coordinator Danielle Fry that struck hearts. She wrote: “Even through the pain, he tries to get up to seek attention.  He cries as he stands up and then does not want to lay back down.  “He stole my heart and the condition he is in broke it.  “When he finally tried to lay down, he collapsed and cried out.  He let me pet him and is such a sweet boy.
Thursday evening Danielle wrote, “Just wanted you to know,Dallas Pets Alive picked up the sweet injured boy today.” 
He wasn’t the last dog in the shelter, so go to dallasanimalservices.org and help a critter.
And Dallas Pets Alive is one of the top rescuing groups partnering with Dallas Animal Services. Go to www.dallaspetsalive.org to see how to help the pup or how to donate. Maybe volunteer to foster or adopt.

[LARRY ASIDE: And if Dallas Pets Alive already has all the fosters it needs -- oh, even I couldn’t finish that sentence without cracking up. There’s not a rescue group or shelter in town that can’t use more fosters and more money. A holiday weekend is a good time to start. That way you get to spend time with the animals and help socialize them so they can go to their next homes. Get acquainted with a rescue group and see if it makes your heart feel better.]

THE VARIETY PACK IN DENTON


 

 

 

 

Usually Amy Poskey writes to us about dogs on the clock at Denton’s Linda McNatt Animal Care and Adoption Center. Not this time. She’s got the variety pack: rabbits, birds and mice. 
That’s Baxter the Bunny, a blue parakeet (there are some green ones) and a no-kidding able to speak Cockatiel. 
Though, Amy’s note reports, “He seems to be clammed up, most likely because he is irritated that he has landed at the shelter."

If you’re going to adopt one of these smaller mammals or birds, bring your own cage for the birds and I don’t know what you call the container for a rabbit -- "your arms," I suspect, or a cat carrier. 
Ten bucks and any of these animals is yours.
The shelter is at 3717 N. Elm Street in Denton. Call 940-349-7594. Or email these addresses:  [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], and/or [email protected].

CONTEMPLATION: ANOTHER LOOK AT ANIMAL ISSUES
No city in America is as sensitive to dog bites as Dallas is right now. Want some irony? National Dog Bite Prevention Week was May 15-21. 
The Dallas post office folks went to the City Council Wednesday, May 25, to complain about dog bites. The post office makes an annual appearance in Dallas and in Fort Worth to remind the councils about dog bites -- traditionally mentioning free-roaming and unattended dogs.

This year, I guess, the City Council quit having private conversations that are traditional as they ignore citizen comments that don’t directly bite council members in the ass, so to speak. 
This year, maybe, some heard the words “dog bite” and decided to pay attention to the postal rep.
You can see a CBS 11 version of the story HERE and, as predicted by Readlarrypowell.com a couple of weeks ago, the city looks to be thinking about breed specific ordinances.
You and your happy, well-adjusted, properly “fixed,” trained and restrained dog may live 15 miles away from a dog bite incident, but your dog is going to face the “Get outta town” order anyway.
 
And here’s the LINK to an explanation of National Dog Bite Prevention Week®.   
Also, if you go to dallasnews.com you’ll find that The Big Paper Downtown is hot to trot on this dog bite/roaming dogs issue. Lots of material focusing on  such things as restraining animals, spaying and neutering, keeping neighborhoods safe, etc. Deja vu, any veteran animal advocates?
STOP THE PRESSES! Wait, does anyone still yell that?
Anyone who’s been around animal issues for a decade or more can tell you, every darned one of these issues and suggestions (and probably any suggestions in the future!) have all been repeated, intelligently, diligently and exhaustively discussed and presented to city authorities. 

You know what keeps anything from getting done? Priorities.
City council members have their own priorities. Bureaucrats don’t want to suggest things that conflict with the priorities. Can’t make the council mad, you know. No city manager wants to poke the council bear with a stick. And the mayor has political issues to consider. 

And everybody whose department operates on city budget money already doesn’t get enough dough -- especially Dallas Animal Services.

Now, however, Dallas Animal Shelter Commission Chair Peter Brodsky, appointed by Mayor Mike Rawlings, is seeking outside help on controlling the roaming dog issue in Dallas. (You can see who is on the Animal Shelter Commission and who appointed them by going HERE. ) 
Here’s the FOX4NEWS report on Thursday’s Commission meeting. And you can catch CityHallVideo HERE.

The Commission is asking questions, too. Unlike some new-to-and-aghast-at-the-issue elected officials, the commissioners are enlightened and asking while absolutely aware that priority-inspired budgetary restraints may have created a reduction of enforcement and apprehension and may have resulted in the death of a resident on the Southern side of Dallas.
(Usually these roaming dogs [abandoned by humans] kill cats and other dogs. This isn’t a brand, spanking new problem.)

As the Big Paper Downtown reported, Mr. Brodsky, a dedicated Dallas businessman, is turning to an out-of-town consulting firm to try to get a leash on the roaming dog problems in Dallas. 

Makes sense. We already know City Hall isn’t going to listen to the local, experienced and knowledgeable sources. People from Dallas can go to other cities and be respected advisors, but, they just aren’t good enough for their own town.
What makes this out-of-town angle a good idea? A few things: Brodsky has business interests in the Southern Sector and Mayor Rawlings has political interests in the Southern Sector and if ever the twain were to effectively meet at City Hall in Dallas, now is the time.  Something might happen that will benefit residents and animals. Long shot.
But the big city that can reveal plans for a public park in the middle of an off-and-on river flood plain while a suburb is announcing plans for a domed big league baseball stadium next to the domed big-time professional football stadium, well, we’ve got no where to go but up.
Up? Of course! Up! Maybe it’s time for someone to string a SAVE THE ANIMALS banner on one of those new bridges over the Trinity River.
--- To comment, get a grip, grab your IndignantMouse and click below. ---

Dogs needing help and the Rat Pack in Ferris...

EDITION OF THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- Let me get you started on a Contemplation for this edition. Nah, I’m too distracted by these dog situations to think clearly about Dallas' lousy traffic.
We’re first going to work on Marlie, a Lake Highlands stray, and then a Dallas dog struck by a car. Later we’ll explore a boatload of Ferris cats including The Rat Pack. 


SOME STRAYS ARE DARLING

Kim Pierce, our longtime colleague at The Big Paper Downtown and a notorious cat fan, is trying to help a dog. So is her Lake Highlands neighborhood.
See that photo on the right? That is what we refer to as a “stray dog.” Yes, stray. Maybe dumped.

He has been “apprehended."  He's currently in the care of Dallas Animal Services, the big city shelter that is slammed with hundreds of dogs and cats right now.
The story Kim posted on Facebook reads, “Help! Our neighborhood found this guy, then consigned him to DAS, where he now, but is out of time. He must be out by Friday at 4 p.m. We have a rescue group willing to pay vetting bills. We just need a foster. Another of my neighbors [Janet Freeman] has worked so hard to find one. She visits him daily, reads to him, after a scared start at DAS he is friendly, obviously house-broken and smart. PLEASE network this. ... His intake number is A937553. We also have some $ pledges, including mine, to help with vetting group.”

To help save this dog, email [email protected].
You see this pup’s photos.
You can see his video HERE. And if this guy being handfed through the shelter bars doesn't get to your heart, then a picture isn't worth a thousand words.
And you if you click on this smallish bit of artwork, you’ll see it expand large enough to read. It’s a tale of rescue and affection for a dog nobody knew.  [LARRY ASIDE:  In this heartfelt text, you'll read  a reference to Marlie's reactions to people of a certain culture. This stuff is real in rescued dogs. I'm a big white guy with a beard and I have encountered dogs that go nuts when I approach them and their fosters have said, "He doesn't like men" or "She's afraid of men."  On the other hand, I was once at a dog show in Fort Worth and a giant Mastiff fell in love with me and all I did was say, "Hey, buddy." You never know what has happened in a dog's past. But the solid truth about dogs is this: Most of the time their hearts are forgiving and they will realize that you are not the person who has terrified or harmed them in the past. It just takes patience. Some dogs don't like people in hats -- no matter what race or culture or size. Bless their hearts.]

“SUPER PAINFUL”

Well, good grief, you hate to see those two words anywhere, but it’s got to be really tough for a dog. Danielle Fry, the Animal Transfer Coordinator at DAS, issued an appeal for help in the middle of the day Wednesday.  As you can see, he's A940191.
So, if you get there and this guy A940191 has been claimed by someone else, don’t worry, DAS has plenty of animals for you to help.
The appeal for this poor baby reads:
“This precious boy came to us after being hit by a car.  He had multiple wounds on his face and body that are healing up.  We are worried because he is super painful on his hind end. 

“Even through the pain, he tries to get up to seek attention.  He cries as he stands up and then does not want to lay back down. 
“He stole my heart and the condition he is in broke it. 

“When he finally tried to lay down, he collapsed and cried out.  He let me pet him and is such a sweet boy.  Because he is so painful we are asking that he be pulled today.  He is about 2 years old and heartworm positive.  Our vets believe he might have a fractured pelvis but he needs x-rays to determine the extent of his injuries. 
“They also thought he might have some instability in one of his front legs but he does appear to be walking on it.  He is in so much pain, we are trying to not move him.  We are managing the pain but he needs a transfer partner to step up and get him on the road to feeling better!  Please let us know if you can help. Email [email protected] to tag!”

The shelter is on the southeast corner of Westmoreland at I-30. Call 214-670-8298.

THE AMEWSING CAS IN FERRIS


Look at those photos. We have them because Laura Macias, a renowned shelter booster, is doing her best to create a pathway from the world to the Ferris Animal Shelter. It’s a small shelter, less than a half-hour south of Dallas on I-45. Not a lot of walk-in traffic, but Laura’s working on that. In the meantime, she’s trying to help ACO Chelcee Juricek publicize the animals.
The story on Lily is that she “is in desperate need of an adoption OR a rescue group (or even a foster) to step in and help as she has been with our shelter for quite some time now.”

Of course, all of us 20th Century hipsters recognize the inspiration for the names of this batch of kittens.
They are named after the Sinatra-led “Rat Pack.”
And, the word is they are “in desperate need of an adoption OR a rescue group to step in and help as we have had virtually no interest in these adorable babies!  They are SO so baby sweet.
"(Appear to be about 8 weeks old: 4 boys and 1 girl).”

Cats, like Sinatra, are cool.

(To help with any of these animals, get in touch with Chelcee at [email protected] or call 972-877-4180. Adoptions are $40 and include vaccinations and a microchip -- and you can arrange to foster, too.)


CONTEMPLATIONS: I couldn’t find a video of a cat singing along with Sinatra, but there is one on YouTube HERE of a cat “dancing” to Sinatra. ... I was writing something that has nothing to do with anything here and I asked Martha to confirm that the current health threat is “Zika” and she replied, “Yes, the Zika Virus, as opposed to the Zima Virus.” Zima hasn’t been made in the U.S. since 2008 -- it was introduced in the early 1990s and, as I recall, people bought it in six-packs and kept five cans in the refrigerator for years. ... Does construction make rush hour -- or any hour -- on Dallas roads a nightmare that cannot be defeated? Wonder if insurance companies are keeping stats on car crashes during this unpleasant years-long period in Dallas’ history?
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Tap and Frug and animals in need...

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, MAY 25, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- Welcome to midweek as the month of May begins to slip away like the NFL East championship each autumn. 

You know, of course, that this is National Tap Dance Day. Why do I bring this up? Because I hardly know where to start today and I’m tap dancing around getting into this report.
Let’s just start -- and keep reading because we’ll also mention a Boxer mix named Lionel who needs to be moved out of a town.

Those two earhounds? They’re among the HUNDREDS of animals currently waiting for either adoption or rescue or the needle at Dallas Animal Services where the springtime $25 special is underway.
HUNDREDS. Astonishing, isn’t it? Only humans can help them. It’ll have to be different humans than the ones who fouled up and got them into the shelter in the first place. Go to dallasanimalservices.org to see the adoptables.
That’s Bolo on the left (with a pal waiting for something in a nearby grocery basket, the mode of transit at the shelter) and Buddy with the upright ears.
The dogs displayed here start with “B” because I didn’t have time to flip from A to Z -- lots of dogs on the DAS adoptables pages.


THE THEME OF THE DAY?
Tomi Ortiz, who monitors the Lancaster Animal Shelter and Furbabies of Lancaster’s Facebook site for us, saw the report yesterday about 400 animals at DAS and she wrote that “my heart just broke. I was debating looking at the Furbabies website but finally worked up the courage and this is what I read there:


“OVER-CAPACITY!! EMERGENCY NEED NOW NOT TOMORROW NOW OF ADOPTERS OR FOSTERS!! OR RESCUE WITH FOSTERS!! PLEASE HELP US SAVE THEM FROM DYING!! We have one rescue but need fosters. Please keep pledging to save their lives!! $200 pledged for Phoenix and her pups, $100 pledged Scoobie/Bear, $100 pledged for Joey, $50 pledged for Rocko. SHARE--CONTACT RESCUES. Lancaster Texas Animal Shelter, 690 E Main St, open M-F 8am-5pm. ALL ARE WORTHY OF A FUREVER HOME!!!”

And you see here Phoenix with a tender handshake and her unbelievably adorable puppies, Sugar and Spice. [LARRY ASIDE: Don’t you just want to get these three and give them a home! Or find them a home! How about just tummy-rubbing those puppies until they’re in a trance!]  Call the shelter at 972-218-1210. One of the things you’ll see that the Lancaster Furbabies Facebook page is a note of explanation and an appeal for patience and an expression of gratitude for the shelter supporters from the shelter’s overtaxed ACOs.]

ROWLETT, WHERE PEOPLE JUST KEEP TRYING!
You may recall the disappointment last week when nobody was able to save the beautiful dog Aztec from tragedy in the Rowlett shelter.
Dawna Carabajal, our longtime pal with the Friends of Rowlett Animals felt that in the heart.
She wrote, “While last week was rough with Aztec getting euthanized, this has already been a much better week. Dillon was supposed to be rescue only once his quarantine period was over, but he was so well behaved during his quarantine period the shelter decided he can go up for adoption. He can only go to a home without other pets, but he is an absolute love bug with people! (Dillon is reactive to other dogs at the shelter. One of the ACO's was handling him when he reacted to another dog and got the ACO. It wasn't a bad bite, but it did break the skin so he had to be quarantined.) We are super excited that Dillon will now have a chance to get his forever home. That’s Dillon and you can see an amusing video of him HERE -- he’ll turn a world on its side.
 
In the meantime, Dawna says, “The shelter is having an Adopt-a-thon this Saturday from 10am-5pm. All adoptions will be $25 (includes spay/neuter, vaccinations, and microchip). There will be face-painting for the kids, drawing contests with prizes, goody bags and pet food for adopters, and spin the wheel for prizes for adopters. There will also be pizza! There are some amazing dogs and cats at the shelter, including puppies and kittens.” 
There’s the poster -- click on it to make it larger than a pan of cat-head biscuits. (Some of you will need to interpret that ol’ southern term for your friends and loved ones.) By the way, don’t go to the Rowlett shelter looking for the extraordinarily beautiful Nova. She’s been adopted. How about those Ears! Those Ears! Those Eyes! Someone’s got a great-lookin’ dog.
And there’s still time to get in touch with Rowlett and adopt that beautiful cat -- Diva’s the name, purrin’s the game -- though when she’s done with the congeniality, the shelter report is, she’s DONE emphatically.
LIONEL IS IN A FIX

Haylee Grant is making this appeal on behalf of her dog Lionel. Here’s the story: “I have a 1.5 year old male Boxer mix. He weighs about 65 lbs. His last vaccines were in December of 2015 when we rescued him. We have not had him neutered but will pay for the procedure/get the procedure done if that is a requirement to be accepted into [a] rescue
“His name is Lionel. He is great with kids, other dogs both big and small and everyone he meets. He is very playful and friendly. Lionel would be best with a family who has a fenced backyard. I am having to get rid of him because he can no longer live within the city limits of Terrell. He got out of the fence and killed a stray cat and is considered a ‘dangerous’ animal in the city. He is a wonderful and beautiful dog and I know he will make a great companion.”
Email [email protected] or text 214-733-7561 to help her save Lionel.

CONTEMPLATIONS: If you’ve ever been acquainted with the mental illness, you know the challenges. You can see Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame radio broadcaster Eric Nadel’s appeal for people to help in such matters by clicking HERE. It’s part of the okaytosay.org campaign to lift the stigma of mental illness so people will not shy from getting help when they need it -- before it is so sadly too late to get better. Eric explains it well in the video. ... Best least-expensive off the grocery shelf coffee: Community or 8 O’Clock? Both have gotten readlarrypowell.com through many a morning! ... Back to National Tap Dance Day -- declared to be May 25 by a Joint Congressional Resolution an signed into law by President George H.W. Bush in 1989. In honor of the day, here’s a COUPLE TO ENJOY.  FYI: National Square Dance Day is November 29 -- fair warning. Thanksgiving is the 24th. Tap burns more calories than square. Maybe. No offense to tappers or squares. You could try the Twist. Hold off on that Monster Mash until October.
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Bargain dogs, assorted news and summer books

EDITION OF MAY 24, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- Walked in Kiest Park Monday afternoon -- remarkable thing? Not that I could complete my journey without the assistance of medical personnel, but that every dog I saw was on a leash and being walked by a smiling owner. Might have seen about a dozen, mostly small, few mid-range size. None barking and going nuts. Just happy little dogs. Perhaps Dallas is evolving from a “dump ‘em in the park” city. That’s one step. 

THE LATEST POPULATION COUNT AT DAS
Look at that. 
Spotted it on the Dallas Animal Services Facebook site Monday when I got back from the park without any new dogs. 
Still, we don’t have room for a DAS adoptee because we already picked up our city limit on wandering critters. Years ago. So, I’m afraid someone else is going to have to do some adopting to get these dogs into a safe place.
What’s the bargain rate? Twenty-five lousy bucks. That’s right $25. It’s the spring special at DAS. 
So what? Well, according to the Dallas Animal Services site HERE, that adoption fee include spaying or neutering (LARRY ASIDE: Whichever is appropriate and if you don’t know which is appropriate, maybe you shouldn’t adopt an animal -- you should go back to school and take a biology class). The fee also includes a microchip, current vaccinations and 30-days of pet health insurance.

Experience taught me that you can’t pick up a free dog for $25 in this town. Picking up a free dog is a good deed that may go unpunished and it may produce the greatest reward of your adult life, but it isn’t going to be cheaper than $25.
The shelter hasn’t had this many available dogs in a while -- it is, after all, puppy and kitten season. Also, we’ve had a lot of lousy weather around here and dogs left in backyards tend to run for cover in thunderstorms. If the backyard doesn’t have cover, the dog will make a hole under a fence or even through a fence. And, of course, vacation season is coming and people dump family dogs so they can go off and spend money.
[LARRY ASIDE: It’s kind of disheartening to think that a guy has been writing about animals in Dallas for three decades, maybe more, I lose count, and the same darned problems keep popping up. Doesn’t anyone teach children any more? Are parents depending on some kind of “Get Smart You Dumbass App?” Pardon my entirely accurate French.]
LITERATURE IN THE WORKS
Prize-winning author James Martinez, who, with artist Timothy T. Civic, has produced some wonderful books for the younger set -- all of them featuring animals such as this one with the Pibble! James has tipped us to his next endeavor, a story about Alzheimer’s and dementia. Titled The Word Thief,  it involves “Grammy” and her grandchild Drew. We’ll have more on this as it goes along. No reason why youngsters shouldn’t learn about this awful impairment and how it affects lives and how to help other people cope. Helping Tales Publisher has the Martinez/Civic catalog HERE.

YOU KNOW THIS MESQUITE STORY BY NOW


Animals need help. They needed it before they ever got to the shelter, but now they REALLY need it. Humans have, so far, let them down. To respond, email
[email protected]. See the Code Red Facebook listing HERE

INTO JUNE...
KRISTA McANALLY, our longtime tipster, is working as the fund-raising coordinator with The Love Pit Rescue these days and has a report about a fundraiser coming up on June 2. It involves both the “foster-based bully rescue” and HIWAY FOR HEALTH, described as “a local non-profit agency targeting childhood obesity and bullying.”

According to Krista’s report, The Love Pit and HIWAY FOR HEALTH are partnering on June 2 for a silent auction and fundraiser at Sunnyland Outdoor Furniture in Dallas. 
The goal? “Gain awareness and support to further serve our community.”

Starts at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, and there’ll be an open bar and appetizers and an auction, too. Catch up with The Love Pit on Facebook HERE. And remember, the best bully is a good dog.
THIS MAY TAKE THE CAKE 
Operation Kindness is trying to celebrate its 40th anniversary with the “world’s largest dog birthday cake.” This (and all the usual attractions) will occur at the annual Dog Day Afternoon, a free event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, at Flag Pole Hill north of White Rock Lake. You can’t miss it -- it’s the only hill with a flagpole on that side of the lake. 
Operation Kindness, the original and largest no-kill animal shelter in North Texas, created Dog Day Afternoon years ago -- I forget how many, but it was a bunch -- to recognize dog supporters, adopters and advocates. And, yes, the Afternoon is mostly in the morning to avoid the traditional Texas heat. 

This year’s Dog Day Goal? Setting a world record for the world’s largest dog cake. Organizers want to break the current record, set in April 2011 in London. That 68.45 kilogram cake -- What’s that? In American? Oh, 150.91 pounds -- was baked in honor the Royal Wedding of Wills and Kate, er, Prince William, AKA the Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine “Kate” Middleton. It had a Corgi theme -- as you know, Queen Elizabeth is a big Corgi fan. 
According to the folks at OK, the organization is “working with Catering by Larry to bake a dog friendly cake.” [Trust me, it’s not catering by the Larry writing this sentence.]
Continuing, “More than 600 canine guests will receive a complimentary piece of cake, with the first 100 dogs receiving their cake in a commemorative Blue Buffalo dog bowl.”

That’ll be a big draw, but, honestly, how can it possibly beat the “Puppy Kissing Booth” for attention?
 Go to operationkindness.org for more info.


CONTEMPLATIONS: Thanks to those of you who responded to and echoed our editorial about the City of Dallas and its needs and challenges. We know there are people who love this town because it’s more than a place to make a buck and then move to a mountain or beachside resort. Heck, this is Texas. Stick around and make it better. ... Summer reading? Anybody think of a summer hit since the year Peter Benchley released Jaws (1974)? Or Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park in 1990? Is there a book that is going to excite the Summer of 2016? ... Things you see on a neighborhood help page. “Hello, I am looking for a reasonable house painter to paint my house inside and out.”  The last one must have been unreasonable -- probably didn’t agree with the color selection.
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Prelude to an editorial: Opportunities to raise money, help and adopt

EDITION OF MONDAY, MAY 23, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- Dear Animal Lovers and Other People Who Are Hopeful for the City of Dallas:  Our contemplation today is in the segment that follows this edition. It looks at the past and how it relates to the present and the future. It’s long, but this is Dallas and it’s my town. If you don’t live in Dallas, read it anyway. You may have ideas that will help Dallas change its image and behavior patterns. 
First, we have these notes -- presented in the spirit of supporting people who work hard to make things better for people and animals.

That dog is Blossom, a resident, for now of Dallas Animal Services -- in case you've begun reading this and decided, "I need a good ol' Dallas dawg at my side." You can't go wrong with a Dallas dawg. Or an Anywhere Dawg, either. Or a cat.
ASSORTED NOTES ON A MONDAY

Monday. Whew. Mondays are proof that weekends are too short. Of course, we have NEXT Monday off (Memorial Day) and that will prove that three-day weekends are too short. Some opportunities and the first two are MONDAY ONLY!

 DINING FOR DALLAS ANIMALS will be the on the menu at the Casa Linda Chili’s on Monday. Show this flyer -- got to have a copy of it -- and, as it reads, “With each flyer presented on Monday 5-23-2016 Chili’s will donate 15% of the event day sales back to the great organization.” 
In this case it’s the Dallas Companion Animals Project. We got the tip on this from the DCAP Prez, Maeleska Fletes, a member of the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission and a veteran rescuer. See how to get involved by going to the website, www.dallasanimals.org. Click on the artwork and blow it up big enough to print out and read at Chili's.

[LARRY ASIDE: What can we recommend at Chili’s for vegetarians? The chain has a vegetarian menu including salads and a spicey black bean burger.  With each bite you help an animal beat the odds. Then you can go home, jog for five miles and beat your own odds! Oh, and Maeleska has this message at the end of her emails: “Save a life. Adopt don't shop!”]
PAWS IN THE CITY is currently having one of those “pop up” fundraisers. For $17.99 you can order this entertaining shirt (one of the reasons I decided to post this photo and opportunity -- it's funny. And, also, it's posted in honor of the dog Miley that I once helped transport from being minutes away from the needle in the Panhandle to bringing rule-by-canine-affection to a home in the Metrosprawl -- adorably wonderful dog. There are others available at Paws.) And, we like the current Paws president, Mark Verma, bit of a renaissance man with a tendency to adore and rescue animals. 
This particular design will be available through Monday only. Go HERE to buy one or more. We all know people who gleefully agree with the message -- "dog hair IS my glitter!"
[LARRY ASIDE: It comes in two styles: for women and "unisex" which, in the current political climate may mean you can wear it into any bathroom you want to. [I hope people see the humor in that line.] And, Paws in the City at pawsinthecity.org has plenty of adoptables, such as that cat Marigold who appears to be comfortable in a home with a staircase. The dog? That is Sweet Pea, being fostered in the Paws in the City Guest Animal Program.
Two things Paws and all rescue groups need: Donations and foster homes. Find a rescue close to you and sign up. It’s a hoot and it’s a good deed.

FROM FORT WORTH we get a note that Cowtown Loves Animal Shelter Pets -- that’s CLASP -- will host its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Family Pet Care Center, 1501 Handley Drive in Fort Worth. Karen Westmoreland, the CLASP president, urges, “Be a part of making a difference in the lives of the lost and homeless pets in our community.”
 REMINDER, AGAIN: All rescue groups can use enthusiastic members, rescuers, fosters and donors. You’d be doing a good thing to get involved. Google somebody and help a critter or two or two dozen. It could become a lifetime good deed.

WATCHING A TENNIS MATCH?
First time I saw this “Photo of the Week” on the current Greyhound Adoption League of Texas newsletter, I thought, “Someone caught them watching a tennis ball.” Whatever the case, here’s the story from GALT: “Thelma & Louise are bonded sisters that came to us after who knows what kind of adventures together as strays. We are so pleased they have found their forever homes together. They are now known as Peaches & Penny, and they look so pretty together!” The GALT folks urge Greyhound fans, “If you have a hound photo (or video) that you would like to share, please email it to [email protected].” [FYI: They were found “running stray” near Highway 121 in Lewisville. Their litter numbers had been “double-tattooed” so that made it impossible for GALT to track them and identify them.
CONTEMPLATION: Please scroll to the next segment. Take some time to contemplate the piece about things in this nutty town of Dallas. Maybe the writing and the city have things in common: flaws. Maybe the piece and someone in the city have answers.  Whatever I've written has, it has good intentions for the animals in Dallas and the people who deal with them when other people dump them. In advance, thanks for reading it and thanks for working for animals.
---See below. ---

CONTEMPLATING DALLAS: City on the brink? Of what?

[AN EDITORIAL FROM READLARRYPOWELL.COM]

Those of us who live in this big nutty town simply cannot let events and attitudes and anger of the past few weeks be forgotten.

They should serve as reminders of how to behave and what to expect out of people who have animals in this city. 
Combine the city’s neighborhood animal challenge with the undying echoes of the Cat in The Wall episode under previous Dallas Animal Services Management and you’ve got a global reputation that the city ought to be trying to live down in a hurry. And what is Dallas’ biggest tourism draw? The scene of a murder in 1963.



Dallas, in spite of growth and revitalization of its downtown area, is at crisis point not for tourists, but for residents. We’ve got people killing each other in northern, southern, eastern and western Zip Codes -- in homes and on the streets. Armed robberies and assaults fill the police reports and news stories.
And we’ve got animals roaming free with fatal results and heartbreaking abuse by neglect and indifference. 


These tragedies are connected and they affect corporate considerations of Dallas as a place anybody would want to move a company and its people. 

These awful events are the sad payoff for attitudes and policies.

They raise the question: Who doesn’t want Dallas to evolve into a city that demonstrates its big heart? 


The large, easier-to-control, forward-looking suburban areas attract more and more of what Dallas used to get -- business and residents. 
Dallas is in the middle of a competition-fueled balancing act: It has to look for new growth while simultaneously battling deterioration. The school system? It has a permanent “Under New Management” sign. The district produces a lot of intelligent people -- but nobody hears about them nearly as much as we hear about the testing crises, teaching struggles, building failures and political flaps.


What brings people to a town? It is a safe place to raise families and give children opportunities while living a normal, enjoyable life without threat.
What a challenge Dallas faces! And our animals are a visible part of it. Appearance; statistics and visible heart of the city -- all wrapped up in our "animal care image" in Dallas.



Sweep neighborhoods for the loose dogs? That’s what some propose. And, yeah, it’s been done and it works to control or kill the specific animals that were swept. But animal re-population is resilient in Dallas -- it must be the most fertile city in North America. 

Do those animal sweeps resemble the city’s “people-sweeps”? Yeah, just like the city swept the homeless campground under the freeway bridge. 


Where’s the heart?


And you hope the City of Dallas doesn’t react to its animal control challenge by killing animals because fewer animals are easier to handle. You hope that it reacts by paying attention, finally, to the people who, for years and years, have been preaching the gospel of spay and neuter and individual responsibility and fast reaction times when someone calls about a roaming pack of dogs.


The City should boost the budget of Animal Services to protect the people and animals of Dallas. Money helps policies change for the positive as surely as lack of money helps them change for the negative. We’ve seen it in Dallas. 



How about an image change? “Code Compliance” is a nice bureaucratic term, the umbrella under which animal services falls as surely as plumbing inspections. But, how about an image change to “Dallas Animal Control & Rescue.” And live up to it. Not just Dallas Animal Services -- go back to saying what you mean -- paint that mission on the side of the trucks. And say it frequently. And say it in BIG LETTERS WITH A DISTINCT "PROTECT AND LEASH" LOGO -- or something even better. That’ll take money. 



Code Compliance sounds like something that only affects construction sites and plumbers. 
Controlling the animals in this town is not the same as making certain a builder isn’t cutting corners -- but as we’ve seen, we can get the same fatal results from both areas. 



There are animal advocates who have as much experience in their field of interest as the moguls who convince the city to level entire blocks of classic structures because a new building will be good for everyone.
 And, if the city calls on animal advocates for help, the advocates must remember to set aside differences and work together to save the animals. That is the primary goal. Save the animals, sort out the other policies later.
It’ll take a strong leader to guide this mission. Someone respected by both sides, but affiliated with neither -- an open mind powered by a heart that loves Dallas, Texas. A strong person with access to the mayor and the city manager. And those two better be ready to help. None of this CYA jockeying for political position outside or inside the Hall.
This isn't politics; it's a moral question.


It is good that people are always monitoring Animal Services. Is anyone monitoring any other departments with as much enthusiasm?
Do you have a connection to City Hall? Do you not know your city council representative? That’s on your head -- look ‘em up. Defeat inexcusible ignorance by getting involved and paying attention.

We guarantee you that the people who have investments in Dallas know their council members and the zoning commission members and anybody else whose decisions decide the fate of money. Because of that knowledge, they can have influence you don't have.
But once you make a connection, things begin to change -- it's not easy. Nothing at City Hall is as easy as shoving a needle full of death juice into a dog -- think about that the next time you wince at the thought of a conversation with your councilman or the next try you have to try really hard to write a letter to the mayor. Something you say or write may save a life.
And, look, you don’t think your home and your life are an investment in this town? Check your taxes. You're buying into the system whether you want to or not.

This is a big city with lots of building projects, road construction, plans for the future. It moves too fast. It moves grindingly slow. Some people have more influence than others. Some people have more determination than others. 
Animal people must become the determined people with influence. They must use it to keep City Hall focused. There is no time-out. 


And, dear elected officials and employed City Hall leaders, don’t decide to make changes because you don’t want the public mad at you; make the changes because they are the right thing to do. Use your heart and not your private political poll.


This is personal. Like so many of you, I wasn’t born in Dallas. But my profession brought me here. This is MY town. I’ve written about it for decades. Lived in it for decades. My town. It has given me a love, a life and the best animal family ever to comfort an ol’ newshound.

Didn’t buy any of those critters -- found ‘em wandering free in this big city. Why? Because people dump what they don’t want just about anywhere they can in Dallas, Texas. Ask the people who fight the battle on Dowdy Ferry Road. 



Dallas needs to quit being known as a town that makes headlines with death and struggles. It is a big city that can rise above traditional big city challenges. 
Dallas should be a place to proudly call home for generations of families -- because they want to live here, not because they couldn’t afford to move to the suburbs.

Dallas has the chance now to begin rebuilding its heart. Seize the Dallas moment before it vanishes, obscured by more tragedy and avoidable challenges.

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