EDITION OF TUESDAY, SEPT. 6, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- Welcome to the first day of a short work week. The four-day work week is a wonderful invention. Possibly if it were adopted as standard by business and industry, more people would have free time to spend more money and the economy would soar and ... wait. That may make too much sense.
The professional home repair industry would get rich -- if we all had one more day off a week, think how much profitable damage we could do with our do-it-yourself projects. [LARRY ASIDE: I speak from experience. Two weeks ago I tried to fix the newly dangling bottom panel on one of our garage doors. Inexplicably, as I was on the brink of congratulating myself for the success, the whole door fell into the garage with a magnificent, dog-awakening crash. Based on a professional’s analysis of the dire door situation, we now have two new lightweight garage doors that replaced the 1960s-era wooden models that had finally exhausted their ability to rise and lower without rumbling into pieces. So, you see, I contributed to the economy because I had a day off and the ambition of a fool. That is my cat The Senator, who, with wide-eyed excitement, asked, “Any way we can blame that garage door thing on an Oklahoma earthquake?” The crash was two weeks before the weekend quake, I noted, and The Senator replied, “As I know from my time on the Hill, the calendar means nothing to a federal budget.” He is named The Senator because of the obvious plugs along his hairline.]
WEATHER-RELATED DOG NEWS
Hermine is making news all over the Eastern Seaboard while, still, the Louisiana rainstorms of weeks ago are affecting canine lives in Dallas, Texas. Here’s an example, thanks to a news note from Victoria Albrecht at the SPCA of Texas.
Over the holiday weekend, the SPCA of Texas, “working with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), received a transfer of 18 un-owned dogs” from the Lamar Dixon Expo Center emergency shelter southeast of Baton Rouge, northwest of New Orleans near Gonzalez, La.
These are a couple of these pups who have arrived in Dallas -- the American Humane Association helped with the transfer. And the IFAW and the AHA are working “with the National Animal Rescue and Sheltering Coalitions...mobilized at the request of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.”
Moving the 18 dogs to the care of the SPCA of Texas, makes room at the Louisiana shelter for more animals. To see photos click HERE.
To help the SPCA by adopting, fostering, donating, etc., visit spca.org.
DITCH KITTENS
Kittens do not naturally occur in roadside ditches Nevertheless, according to animal advocate and Denton shelter watcher Dallas Newell, over the weekend reports that the McCAt --wait, sorry, that's McNatt Animal Shelter -- “got in 10 kittens from a ditch!”
They’re about 3 weeks old and the call immediately went out for nursing moms to take up the mission of saving these lives. Nine kittens made it.
A potential mom rejected a litter and nature has consequences, especially when some jerk human drops the kittens in a ditch and drives off like they were a bag of trash. [No witnesses have come forward, but how else would 10 3-week-old kittens wind up in a ditch?]
So help is needed with the 9 survivors -- a rescue group, a home with a willing mom, anything to boost the chances of survival.
To offer to help, call or text 940-390-0555. [LARRY ASIDE: By the time you read this, the kittens may have been helped. But, it’s North Texas. There’ll be more litters. As sure as there are pinheads who treat animals like roadside litter, there will be more animals that need help.]
NEEDLESS MANGE
Readlarrypowell.com has long asserted that mange is the most needless of ailments to afflict a dog. There has to be a human helping with the arrival of the problem -- a human prone to neglect but enjoying the comfort of a chrysalis of ignorance. [LARRY SCIENTIFIC ASIDE: What emerges from that chrysalis? A certified North Texas Free-roaming Village Idiot. We have a lot of cities in North Texas, so we sometimes export Village Idiots to other regions and states, but, don’t worry, we still have enough to go around.]
This popped up on the legendary Marina Tarashevska’s Facebook page Sunday. Here’s the story and the email to help:
“Jack and Diane got a nice medicated bath which they both loved. They really weren't sure about the orange stinky stuff they got soaked in after but they heard it's to help with their mange. Their ears are clean and they can hear the squeaky toys so clear now. They itch a lot so they have to wear annoying t-shirts, but it's not so bad when they have a fan blowing on them and cooling off their hot sore skin. Pain meds really helped with the itching so these kiddos should be on their way to recovery in no time. They are still in NEED of a loving FOSTER HOME who can nurse them back to health and restore their spirit. Please email [email protected] if you can look past the mangy raw skin and see loving souls inside.”
[LARRY ASIDE: When I found my pal Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas, in Kiest Park, many, many years ago, he had hair on only one ear and nowhere else, not even on his stubby tail. Veterinary treatment, the right meds and a lifetime of love helped Inky develop such a luxurious coat that he was the envy of animals and humans. These dogs deserve that love and lifetime care. Bless the hearts of those who save them and may these dogs quickly become the household blessings they were born to be.]
MARK YOUR CALENDAR;
BUT FIRST HERE’S A KITTEN
Oh, brother. I was just about to wrap up this item about one event at the Friends of the Animals Spay/Neuter Clinic in Gun Barrel City when I got the “You’ve Got Mail” notice and clicked on the inbox to find another note from our longtime pal and reliable lakeside tipster Sydney Busch.
Yep, she sent that photo and it came with this note: “This tiny, two-pound calico-colored, tabby-striped baby was at the front door of the clinic yesterday [Sunday] crying. He is now at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Tool, waiting to be big enough to be neutered AND/OR his forever family.”
Now back to the “Out at the Lake” item we got from Sydney speaking on behalf of the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake which operates -- stop me if you’ve heard this accurate assessment before -- “the world’s most successful spay-neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas.”
The clinic is hosting a low-cost vaccination and microchip clinic from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday the 10th. The clinic is at the intersection of 198 and 334, described as “just behind and east of the Huddle House Restaurant” in Gun Barrel City. Where is Gun Barrel City? Take 175 southeast from Dallas for an hour and look for the signs. Or take I-45 south from Dallas and turn east onto FM85. That route takes about two minutes over an hour.
FYI: The Clinic can always use donations of supplies and, of course, money. To offer to help, call 903-451-4701. You can also donate at www.friendsoftheanimals.org or write to Friends of the Animals, P.O. Box 5455, Mabank, TX 75147.
HEADS UP ALONG FIVE MILE CREEK
The little stream Five Mile Creek runs through my neighboorhood and beyond in the area of U.S. 67 just north of Ledbetter. In the most recent report on Next Door, someone from Druid Hills on the west side of 67 reported this very Coyote -- sure looks like a Coyote! -- on the bike path on the southernmost part of the concrete trail that runs alongside Rugged and ends right at the creek.
Another party reported, “We have seen Coyote pups on Five Mile Creek, too.”
So, a reminder throughout North Texas, if Coyotes are roaming and feeding pups, your unfortunate outdoor cats and smaller dogs are not safe. Another reminder: Along creekbeds where trees grow and squirrel and possums romp, hawks will attack from the sky. They’ll also get cats and any other mammal they can spot and try to lift.
Remember, you may be the only protection from nature that your domesticated animal has.
Remember, this land is the Coyotes' home turf. The Coyotes were here long before the roads were paved and anybody walked this particular earth in cowboy boots.
A REPORT ON A PAIR
Remember these two cuddling dogs?
They are siblings who needed one home.
Our pal Della Wallace got people involved with trying to help this pair avoid a shelter.
The report? They are now wards of Animal Angels of Texas.
You can adopt them. You can offer to help them and other animals. And you can donate -- all at www.animalangelstexas.org. The great Carole Sanders -- that’s who is to be admired for establishing Animal Angels as a sanctuary northwest of Fort Worth near Jacksboro.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Remember a couple of weeks ago when raging floodwaters tore through the area near a Garland creek and a family and their dog had to be pulled to safety? Here’s a followup that will make you think -- we got it courtesy of animal fan and longtime tipster Patty Sprong. Over the weekend she wrote on her Facebook page, “I have so much respect for the family I met today. The were living in a tent by a creek before it was washed away. They have had offers of help, but most required them to dump their dog. They declined. Today we got their dog vaccinated and tested, and soon with the help of Humane Tomorrow and Mazie's Mission, we will get him neutered. You should have seen the pride in mom's eyes as she held on to the vet records and new leash. She's ready to go find an apartment now thanks to the Matthew 25:40 project. Happy tears.” You can learn about the Matthew 25:40 project at its website HERE or its Facebook page HERE. It’ll kind of boost you to remember that there are humans who help humans. ... Allow me to backslide to my dark side as I mention Free-Roaming Village Idiots again. Here’s a Facebook post related to spay/neuter clinic operations: “So a guy came into the clinic last Tuesday to set up an appointment to have his large dog spayed...When asked why he had waited, he said an'(idiot) friend' told him dog should have one heat cycle before being spayed -- then she got pregnant! And had 8 puppies! Just gets harder and harder to have to deal with people.” Bless the Friends of the Animals Spay/Neuter Clinic and all the other spay/neuter operations around here for being there to take up the slack for people who are willingly uninformed and unloving toward their animals.] ... Dwight Yoakum -- is he the last authentic country singer? Click HERE for Dixie:“The bottle had robbed him of his rebel cry.” Or try out A Thousand Miles From Nowhere. Heck, I don’t know why I don’t just tune up my Fender and hit the road. Oh, yeah, I can carry the guitar but I can’t carry the notes.
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