EDITION OF FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- Here we are, a half-done year and there are people who have already finished their Christmas shopping.
Not us, we’re just about to plant our annual front-yard pumpkin patch. This year, I know we’ll grow some pumpkins. I just know it.
Why am I mentioning that instead of explaining that photo stripped across the top?
Because the irony in that photo bugs me and I have to warm up to tell the story. So keep reading.
Now, as we enter the July 4 weekend (all weekends ought to be this long), let’s remember to celebrate the nation and keep our kids and critters safe from heat and fireworks.
It‘s a great country. How do I know? I saw a Dairy Queen TV ad for ice cream and fruit on a serving of funnel cake. I believe the Founding Fathers would endorse that treat.
A nation that can provide Funnel Cake a la Mode for sale has no limits to its imagination. Throw some blueberries on that and you’ve got red, white and blue All-American treat.
As Ben Franklin wrote in Poor Richard’s Almanack, “Don’t that take the cake? A calorie saved is a calorie yearned.” He may not have written that.
Oh, and that dog -- that’s my free park Rottie Texas Earl the Cheeseman. He endorses America and funnel cakes. He likes the State Fair of Texas variety (coming soon to a waistline near you). At first glance he looks like he’s been enjoying a vanilla ice cream cone, but he’s really just an older gent with a gray mustache.
Look, I’m writing about Christmas, Halloween, July 4, Dairy Queen, Funnel Cake, the State Fair and making up Ben Franklin quotes. As Earl said to his canine colleagues Thursday afternoon, “The guy is going 'bat cat crazy.' He needs a long weekend off.”
OK, but before that, here’s our July 1 report:
LET’S GO TO EULESS
We got this info courtesy of the great Karen Lee of Barkleyworld.com, a vigorous supporter of the GAP Rescue folks. Here’s the deal: The Euless Animal Shelter is going to be closed Saturday, Sunday and Monday. So, right now is the time to adopt from Euless before the holiday arrives.
You can check out all the available adorables in the Euless shelter at trinitygaprescue.org. Got a question or want to volunteer to save a life by fostering, email [email protected] or [email protected].
The Gapsters are on Facebook HERE.
TWO INDEPENDENCE DAY NOTES
-- FROM CARROLLTON, the famed Operation Kindness no-kill shelter will be open until 5 p.m. on July 4 -- opportunities to adopt. And there are incentives for adopting now through July 4, i.e., 25 percent off purchases at Pet Supplies Plus. Visit operationkindness.org.
--On NextDoor, the Social Media Coordinator from Dallas Animal Services asked, “Did you know that more pets go missing on the 4th of July than any other day of the year? That means July 5th is often the busiest day of the year for animal shelters as dozens of lost pets, spooked by 4th of July celebrations, are brought in for safekeeping in hopes of being reunited with their owners.
Suggested tips from DAS: (1) Make sure your critter has an ID tag and a chip (and have a photo of your critter to show attendants); (2) “Leave your pets at home” (which I interpret as don’t take your critters to strange areas where they can get lost); and (3) If you’re host, put your critter in a safe place away from fireworks and idiot guests (My wording, not DAS’, but you get the point.)
The Lost & Found number at DAS is 214-670-9501 or you can email [email protected] to report your animal is missing.
[LARRY ASIDE: My funspouse Martha and I were at an outpost on Marsailis with view of the Trinity River Bottoms fireworks show one year and at the peak of the bursts, we saw a terrified German Shepherd running blindly down the street away from the fireworks. I knew I couldn’t catch him or her, but I’d loved to have been able to catch the pinhead that brought a German Shepherd to a fireworks show. If I’d have had a roman candle, we’d have seen a human whose eyes lit up without the benefit of being open. But, of course, that would be wrong.]
TWO DOGS NEEDING A HOME
Dinesha Schmidt, who fields the “help” calls for A Different Breed Rescue, forwarded this appeal Thursday afternoon. The subject line reads, “Needing to rehome my two dogs going to college!!!”
Not sure which college, but this college-bound person may have a month or so -- maybe less -- to find a good place for these two dogs.
Now you see why I saw the irony in that message that was attached to the big dog Charlie’s photo.
Here’s the text of the email:
“Charlie is 65 pound lab mix about to be 2 years old. Elvis is a unknown mix breed he resembles a dachshund. Both just got there updated rabies, parvo and bordatella two weeks ago. Both are on heartgard and Nexgard for fleas. Both are neutered and microchipped. There both super friendly Charlie is more playful and likes more attention Elvis is super lazy and just wants to sleep and be right next to me.”
As you can see I’ve included a few photos here because I think it’s important to see that the dogs certainly appear to
be bonded.
Breaking them up would be worse than not getting into college.
So, I’m using Dinesha’s email as the contact point:
[email protected]. She knows how to get in touch with this person.
And, frankly, I figure some of us animal people might not be so sweet in our remarks. But, pay attention to this: At least this person is making an effort to place the dogs rather than drive them to Dowdy Ferry Road and dump them.
So, be kind in your thoughts and remember that placing these two dogs in a permanent, loving home is much more important than getting a few things off our chests. Right?
Bless Charlie and Elvis. May they be together for years and may their current human work hard to find that good home and to graduate, too.
These dogs have no idea that a human accomplishment is about to cost them their home. Isn’t that sad thing.
CONTEMPLATIONS:
This dog is Tug. A “Vicktory Dog.” Yes, one of the dogs confiscated from NFL Quarterback Michael Vick’s dog-fighting headquarters.
Tug has died, as we learned in a note from animal advocate Becky Dodge who spotted the announcement written Thursday by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary CEO Gregory Castle.
Becky wrote, “Saw this today, it seems so short a time that everyone was saying that all [the Vick] fighting dogs should be killed. These dogs have proven by their lives that that is so wrong. There lives are a testament to how forgiving dogs are and how very much humans need to be forgiven.”
You may feel the same way Readlarrypowell.com feels: Mad all over again at Michael Vick and his dog-fighting ilk.
Becky agreed. She wrote, “I also get angry at Vick each time I think about what torture the dogs had to go through. Every time I hear someone say that all pit bulls are vicious, mean, should be killed, etc. I think of how forgiving those rescued have been. It only take a little love and gentle teaching for them to learn to love again. They are so willing to love us after everything. I'm continually appalled by how we treat the dogs and other animals who are so willing to love us.”
Here is the LINK to CEO Castle’s Tug posting.
And we also have a link to the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s report on the Vick dog-fighting case. The dog-fighting went on from 2001 to 2007 when he was arrested. Click HERE.
Here is a passage from the report: “Vick and his associates operated the aptly named ‘Bad Newz Kennels,’ which housed and trained over 50 pit bull dogs, staged dog fights, killed dogs, and ran a high stakes gambling ring with purses up to $26,000.”
Vick spent 18 months in Leavenworth Federal Prison. He was reinstated by the NFL and continued his career. A Dallas City Councilman gave him a key to the City of Dallas the year the Super Bowl was played in Arlington, 2011. [Animal fans will love this version of the story in a San Francisco paper.]
Vick played for the Pittsburgh Steelers last season, but has yet to sign with an NFL team for 2016.
Here’s one more paragraph. It’s from the federal indictment: “In or about April 2007, [Purnell] PEACE, [Quanis] PHILLIPS, and VICK executed approximately 8 dogs that did not perform well in ‘testing’ sessions … by various methods, including hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog’s body to the ground.”
NOW, nine years later ... Run free, Tug. Wag that tail.
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