ReadLarryPowell.com

ON A COLD WEDNESDAY, A RESCUE ...

EDITION OF THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2016 -- The Christmas season is definitely here. The downtown Neiman Marcus has its windows decorated and open. And the Dallas Cowboys are talking playoffs. Our mailbox is packed with catalogs each day. All the signs are there. Credit cards are singing carols. Let's move on.

SPCA, DA, DPD TEAM
TO SAVE DOG, 2 HORSES

Is that not a sad photo snapped on a cold and windy day in Dallas, Texas?

On the last day of November, the SPCA of Texas, the Dallas Police Department and the Dallas County District Attorney’s office seized three allegedly “cruelly treated animals” from a Pleasant Grove property in southeast Dallas.
The investigation had been going on for half the month, apparently.
That’s the living dog seized.
The SPCA also recovered the body of a dog from the place; attempts are underway to determine how the dog died. Read on and you’ll see why that becomes important to this case.
The surviving animals are all under the care of the SPCA. As is routine, a custody hearing is upcoming: 9:30 a.m., Thursday, Dec. 8, in Justice of the Peace Valencia Nash’s Precinct 1, Place 2 courtroom at 107 Texas St. in Lancaster. 
You can see an SPCA video of the horses HERE. And you can see SPCA photos from the scene HERE.

According to the SPCA news release, “The horses were found living in a unfinished, detached garage on the property which was not ideal housing for horses. The deceased dog was found inside the detached garage. The live dog was found chained to a tree in the yard. None of the animals had appropriate food or water, and the living dog did not have shelter.
The dog is emaciated and has wounds on its ears. One horse is injured on its back left leg and is struggling to walk and the other horse is thin. Both horses have chipped hooves.
“The SPCA of Texas received a complaint regarding cruelly treated dogs without food, water or shelter on the property. An investigator visited the property for the first time on November 15. On the first visit, the investigator found the two dogs, both alive and tied to two trees. The investigator was surprised to learn that there were also two horses on the property. An investigator returned to the property on November 17 and spoke with the animal owner, who said that they would provide dog houses for the dogs and food and water for all of the animals. The investigator let the animal owner know that he would return in about one week to follow up. Today, when the investigator followed up, he found the deceased dog in the garage. At that point, the SPCA of Texas, the Dallas County District Attorney's Office and the Dallas Police Department concurred that it was in the animals' best interest to remove the animals and sought a seizure warrant.”
See how to help these animals or how to help the SPCA help animals. visit spca.org.
MEANWHILE IN MINEOLA
Lisa Buick, our East Texas tipster, dropped us a note about three remarkable animals in the APET SPCA of East Texas in Mineola, about 90 minutes east of Dallas on U.S. 80. It's paved all the way, cityfolk.

That's Sissy the Cat (clearly), Abby the 8-year-old moping and Sassy the Pug posing adoptively. The link is HERE but when you go to it, watch out! These aren’t the only special animals the APET folks are caring for and you may must find yourself thinking, “I believe I need to drive out to East Texas.” Just FYI in case you need it. 
That shelter is at 657 County Road 2840 in Mineola. Call 903-638-6902.

YOUNG ZOOSE NEEDS A HOME -- LIKE NOW    
We got this note from Sydney Busch with Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake. If we didn’t have a houseful of animals already, we’d have jumped in the car to go get a new dog! 

Here’s the deal. Sydney writes, “Zoose, a neutered, house-trained, 6-month old Lab (gray!) is in need of a new home. The other dog this family has doesn't like Zoose and has become aggressive toward him.
“Zoose (OK, great name) loves other dogs though - this is not his fault. This handsome boy would make a wonderful addition to YOUR family!”
To ask about adopting this majestic Lab and learning what it’s like to live with an adorable dog, your contact is Calvin at 430-202-9822.
[REMEMBER: Friends of the Animals operates the world’s most successful low-cost spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas, on the banks of Cedar Creek Lake. Visit friendsoftheanimals.org or go to the Facebook page HERE.   
 
CONTEMPLATIONS: Quick, your favorite cake at Christmas. Heck, yeah, fruitcake.  It’s exactly what every fat man with diminished will power needs in the house. A surefire way to get new clothes for Christmas. I think I’ll have another sparkling water and two aspirin. If Christmas was an easy season to get through, the commercial symbol wouldn’t be a fat man in a red suit. ... How close are we to normal? (There’s something to contemplate!) ... We need a song of the day. Something upbeat. Something rousing. Something very special. Click on this ROCK BUTTON!
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A PREGNANT DOG; GRACIE'S RECOVERY; DOG LANGUAGE; SPAY/NEUTER GRACKLES AND SHOW BIZ

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2011 (PetPowellPress) Monday was CyberMonday. Tuesday was GivingTuesday. And Wednesday is CleanCarWednesday. Yes, this is the day you may wish to contribute to my latest non-profit idea -- one in a string of many never profitable ideas, I assure you.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On CleanCarWednesday we gather donations to support our most humane campaign ever: Spay/Neuter Grackles. It is a project of the American Gracklepalooza Society (AGS).  
The donations help pay for trapping, spaying or neutering and returning these birds to the site of their capture. We also will use some of the money to hire experts to tell us whether the birds are boys or girls. We’re not sure, yet, how we will be able to mark them as “fixed,” though there is a movement urging that AGS ask the members of fixed flocks to wear “Gracklepalooza Made Me Disinterested” t-shirts.


The preceding is, of course fiction. The photo  is reality, however, from earlier this week just south of downtown Dallas, where grackles go to do what grackles do when they’ve been run out of downtown.
And, this also is true: I have met one person in my life who adores grackles and he was a resident of the Tarrant County community of -- I am not making this up -- Birdville.


CATCHING UP WITH GRACIE;
UNDERSTANDING DOG BODY LANGUAGE

You may recall that in an earlier edition this we reported on efforts to save a dog named Gracie who had been beaten with a baseball bat by several people in Corsicana. We don’t have a report yet on the potential legal case, but we do have a Gracie report. 
Krista Mc Anally of The Love Pit organization reports, “Gracie is doing well in a foster home. She saw the vet (Monday) and we are waiting on some tests, but it appears she will have no long-term issues.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Initially she had trouble walking. Clearly some villains had knocked her silly. Yes, we’re awaiting a shipment of the 2017 model of the computerized Readlarrypowell.com Two-by-Four of Enlightenment. It’s a step up from the original model. Helps the swinger target the most opportune spot for a change of mind. Oh, if only .... Let’s move along before I dream up a felony to match the crime against Gracie.]

AND HERE’S A reminder from The Love Pit. The Butch Cappel/K9 Pro Sports International seminar on dog body language still has some spots for its 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday, December 4, program at Prairie Paws Adoption Center in Grand Prairie. Tickets in advance are $10; they’re $15 at the door. Go HERE to get tickets.
And remember: Understanding a dog’s body language may save the dog’s life and may create a friendship that you’ve lived a lifetime trying to find.

SPEAKING OF CANINE BODY LANGUAGE


To my unschooled eye, the body language of Sugar says, “Im about to domino and I need out of the Waxahachie Animal Shelter.”
Look that way to anyone else? The body language of that other dog, Saint, says “I need out of the Waxahachie shelter, too, and I’m ready to be someone’s great ol’ couch potato pal.”
[LARRY ASIDE: I may open a dog mind-reading service. Probably as successful as my campaign to spay/neuter grackles. After all, who can’t read a dog’s mind. Hold up a cookie, you know?]

Leighann Hayden forwarded the note about Sugar, reporting that nobody’s stepped up to take in the really pregnant dog. She’s “spaniel size and completely adorable” and, the note reads, “will be the first to be PTS” if no one acts. City shelters aren’t set up to give care to moms and litters.
And Saint is off-the-hook on the case of Sugar’s pregnancy. He’s already neutered. The youngish Golden Retriever mix is described as “just as sweet and as loving as can be. An awesome dog.”

The person acting as the contact point for these dogs and other shelter animals is Laura Macias. Call or text her at 214-949-2726 or email [email protected].
Waxahachie is about 20 minutes or a half-hour south of Dallas on I-35, depending on traffic. It’s a nice place to visit and, clearly, a good place to find a friend. 
[LARRY ASIDE: While in Waxahachie, visit The Dove’s Nest -- it’s a great place to shop, a great place to dine and the people who own it are animal people. The bread pudding may be the best in Texas. But don’t miss the buttermilk pie, either. Mainly, somebody save those dogs and the rest of the animals in the shelter, too. It’s the season to do good things. Of course, the season to do good things for animals is year round.]

FROM THE TWITTERFEED

Someone sent a note about a photo collection of feral cats that need help at Arlington Animal Services -- the collection was posted on the Friends of Arlington Animal Services Facebook page HERE.

Sometimes cats labeled “feral” are really just waiting for an opportunity to calm down and adopt a human. My companion, Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson, was a feral kitten.
CONTEMPLATION: Live theater. Perfect for the holidays? Absolutely. Here’s a poster for the latest Living Black & White™ production by Pegasus Theatre. See the schedule, ask about tickets at eisemanncenter.com (or visit pegasustheatre.org). Now the Pegasus website does have an interesting look at the 



inside workings

of the great mind that has been creating these Living Black & White Productions for three decades, that of Kurt Kleinmann. It’s written by an “insider” at the theater, Barbara Weinberger. Here’s how Barb starts it: “I am a very lucky woman. Being married to playwright Kurt Kleinmann (also Pegasus Theatre’s Artistic Director) comes with some perks! One of those perks is that I’m the first person to read the new script pages, literally hot (well, warm) off the printer.”
 At this point, you begin to learn about the special writing process and partnership that have combined to bring laughter to Dallas theater audiences since 1985. Read the rest of Barb’s report HERE
... Dear Readers, Thanks for indulging my flight of fancy with the grackles in the opening segment. You know what we’d have if we didn’t have grackles? Cleaner cars and sidewalks and a lot more bugs swarming around. Isn’t that the way nature works? ... We need a song of the day at this point. Let’s turn to a gleaming diamond of show business, the magnificent Cyndi Lauper! Enjoy some tranquility and  joy by clicking HERE. Or enjoy Broadway great Nathan Lane’s up-tempo version HERE. This song came from the man who also gave us White Christmas, the man who carried the names of two cities, Irving Berlin.
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CARING FOR ANIMALS -- THE CHALLENGE

EDITION OF TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- What a newsy month November has been. 
And, of course, we’re not writing this for a normal Tuesday; this is Giving Tuesday, a day of donation started in 2012 by the
92nd Street Y in New York and the United Nations Foundation. 

You’ll probably see appeals. Just remember, always double-check the people who are appealing, not that there are free-roaming con-artist scoundrels on the planet. 
You hardly ever see one -- they’re either in hiding or in jail.
And there is one in Vanuatu who took $7 from me when I tried to buy something online. Yes, I am the voice of experience. Vanuatu is way out in the South Pacific-- they couldn’t even hear me yell from Dallas when that charge showed up. FYI, by the time you read this, it may already be tomorrow in Vanuatu -- it’s on the other side of the International Date Line. The computer search for the odd charge tracked the villain to Vanuatu. Seven bucks will go a long way in Vanuatu.
You may get appeals on GivingTuesday for animal groups. That’s why I bring this up. Make sure you know the group before you send money. 
See these two cats? They have virtually no chance of moving to Vanuatu but they can move into homes in the the Metrosprawl and beyond. They are both at the Irving Animal Care Campus, the city’s shelter at 4140 Valley View Lane. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday. These cats both have seasonal names. The tuxedo boy is Blitzen (34054676),  a stray who has been in the shelter since the 22nd, the same amount of time Rudolph, the orange cat with no red nose, has been there. Rudolph (34054622) and Blitzen and other Irving dogs and cats can bee seen online at this address: 
www.cityofirving.org/2086/Adopt-a-Pet   And, there’s a link to URGENT ANIMALS AT THE SHELTER -- it is HERE.

A GOOD DEED BEGETS A GOOD DEED, MAYBE
This is one of those situations. You’ve run into them before if you’ve been in animal rescue or in a family.
Something happens and a dog needs a home.

The renowned animal advocate Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com is trying to help a friend help a friend help a dog named Marshall, this “adorable little white Bichon who needs a home or rescue ASAP.” He’s in Arlington.
A woman tried “to do a good deed by taking in Marshall from someone who was never home and had no time for him.”
Sadly, Marshall doesn’t get along with the cats at the new house. He does, however, get along well with the other dog. But mix into this, some “serious family issues” that are making it impossible for Marshall to stay. 

He’s 2 years old, house-trained and has a crate. When he’s adopted, Karen says, he’ll be neutered through Barkleyworld.
The contact point for Marshall’s current keeper is 817-360-3080 or [email protected]. You can also email Karen at [email protected].

[LARRY ASIDE: These situations arise now and then. A smooth road suddenly becomes  rough with insurmountable obstacles -- it’s more than a good heart can handle. Help is sought. That is when animal people step up -- I’ve watched it for decades. Helping hands reach out to save animals no one even new existed until they were in trouble. That says something about the hearts in animal rescue. Bless everyone of you.]
A NORTHERN DESTINATION


Some Texas dogs are going north for the winter -- and beyond. Here’s a link to Pilots to The Rescue that shows some of the animals saved from Texas shelters by the Society For Companion Animals. They’re now in the care of the Rutland County Humane Society in Pittsford, Vermont. That’s right -- they go from death row in Texas, to a hopeful life in Vermont. [LARRY ASIDE: Kind of a shame, isn’t it, that a metropolitan area with a population of  6.4 million has to export dogs to save their lives. But God bless those folks who arrange the rescue, the pilots who fly and the humane societies and rescue groups that find homes for these animals. Pittsford’s population is 2,991. Rutland County’s population is just over 60,000. Vermont’s population is approaching 627,000. And now it has a few more dogs.]
CONTEMPLATION -- THE NEEDLE IN DALLAS
Before you read this, understand that the problems of unwanted animals and roaming animals in Dallas are not the animals’ fault. People. People are to blame. Not shelter employees. Not animal control officers. Not the police. The problem is people failing the animals. Individuals and government bodies. How can you change that? If fines worked, highways would be safe from speeders. If jail time worked, burglars and thieves -- the leading prison recidivists -- would never be in prison cells. Takes a brain change.
We noticed this report on the Dallas Animal Services Facebook page over the Thanksgiving weekend.
 Click on it to make it grow big enough to read clearly.


This, also, was on the DAS Facebook page: "Our staff was blown away when they heard the adoption totals for today! 105 animals found new homes on this second day of our free adoption weekend. That brings the total to 236 in two days!! Amazing! #DallasPETS.”
That is good news for 236 animals. We don’t know how it affects the thousands reportedly roaming some Zip Codes in Dallas. But we do know that because people do not properly love their animals, the City of Dallas continues to (a) buy euthanasia chemicals in bulk and (b) the “neighborhood sweeps” continue and (c) the City of Dallas’ government continues to operate under the traditional Texas animal management practice: “Got an animal problem? Let’s kill it.”


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LEARNING TO READ DOG BODY LANGUAGE; A PIT BEATEN WITH A BAT; OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP...

EDITION OF MONDAY, NOV. 28, 2016 (PetPowellPress) Whoa. It’s already time for the Monday edition? Yes, we had a great, long Thanksgiving weekend and I got a free cold. 
Oh, and my sneezenhackenspouse Martha has one, too! She got her cold first! Yes, that means that we are in Holiday ’16 Shape!
Bring on the live fir trees. Light the seasonal candles. Fill the air with spices! Keep the tissues handy.

That photo? That is me being shushed by Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson giving me the "stinkeye glare" as she watches an inspirational program featuring her favorite philosopher during the Thanksgiving weekend.
“Pay attention to Yoda, you will,” she mewed aggressively, then added, “Catches a cold, never he does. Sneeze, Jedi do not.”

LET’S READ THE DOGS
This is going to be a bit of a sweeping report on local Pit Bull developments. One of our veteran tipsters is Krista McAnally, the Development Coordinator for The Love Pit Rescue. And this is an event for anyone trying to understand ANY dog.


Coming up on Sunday, December 4, is an extraordinary event that helps people understand canine body language, Krista reports.

According to the news release, “TLP has partnered with Butch Cappel of K9 Pro Sports International to host a seminar on dog body language. Butch is licensed by the State of Texas to train and procure police and security dogs and dog teams. This event is open to anyone and everyone who wants to understand dog body language and dog behavior. Join us to learn about dog body language and how to stop aggression and fights." Click HERE to get the $10 tickets in advance. They’re $15 at the door. The event is from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. December 4 at Prairie Paws Adoption Center, the city shelter in Grand Prairie. (Click on that artwork to make it larger.)
Now, of course, there’s a Facebook page for The Love Pit and you’ll see that these folks are staging a “Merry Pitmas Auction” and you can get all sorts of things for your Pit-loving friends and relatives. Maybe for yourself. That’s a $15 coffee mug.  Got to facebook.com/thelovepit.
So, what will that money do? It will help support the most poorly-appreciate dogs in North Texas.
Take a look at that dog Gracie.
While the rest of us were coming up with reasons to be thankful, Gracie was just trying to survive. “She was beaten by multiple people with a baseball bat. She is now safe from those people....”
[LARRY ASIDE: “Beaten by multiple people with a baseball bat”? Why? What is in the human heart that causes that to happen? It nearly brings me to tears to think about somebody swinging a bat at this girl.]


The Love Pit has her in a foster home and under medical care. The early report was, “We know she was having trouble walking but we’re not sure of the extend of her injuries yet.”
Was this a Dallas incident? Sounds like one, but it wasn’t. Gracie is actually from Corsicana, Krista says. "We pull from there because they do not adopt out Pit Bulls there because they have a huge fighting problem.”

So, The Love Pit, notified of this crime against this dog, jumped into action and got her to into rescue safety. If you want to help her learn that a home can be a loving place, email [email protected].  
The goal, as Krista wrote in one of her rescue notes about Gracie, is to “show her all humans are not evil.” Krista says she’s checking with Corsicana Police to see if there will be some sort of investigation.
[LARRY ASIDE: If anyone has any pull with the Corsicana Police or the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office or the Texas Rangers, etc., drop a hint. This beat-the-dog behavior is illegal -- even in my home state of Texas.]

FLYING ‘EM OUT OF TOWN

Just before thanksgiving, Tawana Couch, the founder and guiding light of the Society For Companion Animals, reported that the group has rescued more than 490 animals in 2016. There is no doubt that the airborne count will roar past 500 before Santa takes his one flight.
Crate Assembly Day is December 3, by the way. These animals don’t fly themselves out of DFW. Nope, takes humans and human hearts to get them to safety.
[LARRY ASIDE: Isn’t it a bit of shame that the Dallas/Fort Worth region, with a population of 7.1 million, has to fly animals out of town to save their lives.]
Here’s a report from Tawana.

AH, BEDTIME!
As you know, each weekend Readlarrypowell.com presents Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, an enthusiastic report on how animals that are loved can sleep with total relaxation. We’ve even published photos of animals sleeping with people, both are so comfortable. 


These dog beds are for sale and when you buy one, you’ll benefit a very comfortable organization, the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, the non-profit group that operates, so to speak, the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City. 
Our reliable tipster, the Friends’ Sydney Busch, reports that these “these 3 unusual, large beds, as well as several of the great large KONG beds with no sides, are available for sale at the clinic any Tuesday (all day) AND Saturday, December 10, from 10-noon. Pricing for regular beds if $25 and for beds with sides is $30. What a great gift for your best friend.”
Got friendsoftheanimals.org for email [email protected] for more information.

[LARRY ASIDE: You newcomers to Texas will enjoy a drive to Gun Barrel City and being able to tell your judgemental friends that, “Aw, shucks, we drove over to Gun Barrel City and bought a bed.” Then you’ll get to tell them that the town is not named for ballistics, but because the people were said to be so honest that any deal was a straight as gun barrel. Spay, neuter and shoot straight.]
 
SENIOR GREYHOUNDS -- IT’S THEIR MONTH
Just a few days left in Adopt a Senior Month at the Greyhound Adoption League of Texas -- relax, you can keep adopting in December, too.
The month arrived with Cabella, Terry and Gezabel as the featured Greyhounds. This Gezabel, the only one of the three from a police case.
That happened a few years ago and she’s been in health care and fostering ever since. She had miles to go before she could be adoptable.
Gezabel’s original name was Kiowa Classmate -- she was born on June 17, 2007. According to GALT, she raced 10 times in Miami, then became one of nine Greyhounds taken in after a Fort Worth Animal Control cruelty case. She was in bad, bad health from parasites and neglectful people. She has become “a tail-wagger and voracious eater. The official GALT bio reads, “She also learns fast, conquering the doggie door right away. Gezabel is not cat or small dog tolerant at this time. She needs a home where she can be let outside midday or have access to a dog door.” Not good with cats, of course -- that’s a problem brought on by the training.  Here’s Gezabel’s STORY. See how to adopt at galtx.org.
CONTEMPLATION -- As we find ourselves reeling from the big arrival of the Season of Giving and “Good Will Toward Men,” a perfect contemplation would be the consideration of helping animals. And, of course, one of the best ways to help animals is to adopt ‘em. We’re going to feature a video from East Lake Pet Orphanage about this dog Pilgrim -- locked in a kennel and left next to a dumpster.
Isn’t that nice! One step better than being tossed INTO the dumpster, but, oh, come on, people, where is your heart?

That cat? Perfect name for a pro-spay/neuter adoptable. This ELPO cat is “Snip.”
Watch Pilgrim’s video HERE. 
Perhaps the person who left Pilgrim next to the dumpster will be charged with abandoning an animal -- against the law in Texas, you know.
Oh, and after writing about Krista’s The Love Pit operations and attempts to help people understand Pitties, if you don’t have one, you can adopt one -- if you pass the audition at ELPO. Look at that face. This is Fitz. What else do you need to know!
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THANKSGIVING WITH RESCUED DOG(S)

EDITION OF THANKSGIVING WEEKEND 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- My holidayspouse Martha and I and our critters all wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.
That sounds so simple and sappy. Let me rephrase: Avoid calories; you’ll be thankful when you’re trying to dress in something besides sweatpants to go back to work Monday. Now, some thankful thoughts.
The animal that has spent the most Thanksgivings with us is this dog, Annie, and she is the spotlight critter for this edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.

She was born under a storage shed down the hill from our home in the spring of 2003.
A neighbor called and said, “Mr. Powell, you have to do something about these puppies.”
 You can't just say "no."

We’d been trying to catch this extraordinarily elusive, neighborhood, free-roaming Aussie mix for not just months but for a couple of years.

She had her litter -- only litter of hers that we know of -- under a storage shed and we managed to catch her with the help of our neighbors and her maternal instinct.


That’s  Annie’s puppy mugshot on the left. In her "older" photo above you'll note that the end of the rocker has been gnawed on a bit. We've ruled out the cats as suspects, but we think the gnawer -- that a word? -- might have been... Hang on. We're not sure. There are many possibilities. Pretty sure it wasn't Annie.

The great people at East Lake Pet Orphanage helped us find homes for Annie’s six siblings. My brother, Garry, and my sister-in-law Brenita, took the mom. Garry named her Calamity. Her photo has been at the top of this daily report since the day I delivered her to Garry -- that’s the two of us on the ride to introduce her to Garry. 

We thought Garry might take Annie, too, but, nope. We had to find her a home. We did. We got to keep her. 

See that mugshot of what appears to be a Frenchie/Shark mix? That is Porche Noel (found on the porch at Christmas), sleeping in my Funspouse Martha’s lap. Porche is a corker, as they’d say in my childhood Northeast Texas. 

Each morning as we prepare the critter breakfast or dinner, Porche, about a foot shorter than Annie, will stand in front of Annie, look up and bark madly at her and Annie will bark back.

Now and then, Annie, even at her ancient age, will whirl and run a circle through the house with Porche in chase. Then they’ll stop, stand still and bark at each other until their manservant or maidservant puts their dishes down in the approved-by-the-dogs  dining spots. 


Is that hubbub a reason to be thankful? Not most mornings. In reflection you can be thankful, but not at the moment. Morning quiet is so very nice.

Later in the day, you’re grateful you got to see these two clowns interacting.

That photo shows Annie sleeping on her bed. It still has a tag on it because she likes it that way. If she doesn't, she'll chew the tag off as she chews into the rest of the bed. This one has lasted almost a year.

When Annie sleeps, she curls her right forepaw up and puts it on the floor or bed. We have no idea why she bends her pawn underneath her leg to sleep. But, if it works, any respectable insomniac will give it a shot. Ironically, in this photo, she has curled her back, right leg up in an odd position. But, she's happy. And that is all that has ever mattered to us. She was born under a shed, you know.

That last photo shows our first joint adoptable, the wonderful Nicki (left) with the still-young and madcap Inky, the Cocker Laureate of the State of Texas. In earlier editions I'd ID'd her as Annie. I've misplaced the photo of Inky and Annie. But, we got Nicki because Martha had just opened her PetPowell Petsitting Service in 1992 and was at a merchant fair with her "booth" and a rescue group had Nicki three booths over. She was hot and standing in the water pan. Martha adopted her and called me to come get her. It was love at first sight.

Inky is gone now, but I am certain he is lecturing the Advanced Angels Class in Heaven. Nicki is teaching a feel-good manners class and wagging her tail with such force that airborne angels are moved off course.


At readlarrypowell.com, we’re thankful for many things and, especially, for all the animals we’ve shared our home with since we started putting it together in 1991. Martha brought 3 cats to the marriage and I had a dog and a cat.
Through the years, the animals we’ve kept and the animals we’ve helped have all given us a reason to be really thankful.

When we celebrate Thanksgiving, we celebrate with angels and the echoes of angels who made our hearts softer, happier and more thankful.

[THIS IS A GREAT SEASON to send us photos of your slumbering critters with signs of the season -- a cat napping under a Christmas tree, a dog sleeping beneath the stockings hung with care, a Chihuahua in an elf suit sitting between the antlers on a reindeer at NorthPark Shopping Center. Send your slumberphotos to [email protected] and we’ll post them in our weekly feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. We post these snoozing critters because it gives insomniacs hope that they, too,  can dream of sugarplums. Nobody was ever kept awake by a sugarplum. We’re almost certain.]
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IN ANTICIPATION OF GIVING THANKS: SOME ANIMALS WAITING; CONTEMPLATING THE HOLIDAY

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- Before we get to our oh-so-human Contemplations appreciation of Thanksgiving, we’ll discuss a few animal situations.  
SOME PEOPLE USE THEIR FREEDOM
TO HELP ANIMALS (FYI: #ONE)
Pulling together to help the downtrodden is an American tradition. So, as you enter the long Thanksgiving weekend, offer up some “thanks” for the people who enjoy the freedom to work hard to help animals.



Here is an instance of groups of hearts pulling together to try to help  animals in a bad spot. (Yes, this is probably going to lead to a Humane Tomorrow fundraiser because of unexpected expenses.)
Back in mid-October the Humane Society of North Texas was involved in a seizure of at least a couple of hundred dogs, cats, poultry, equines and other animals in Eula, just over 2 hours west of Fort Worth and southwest of Abilene. The  HSNT report  is HERE. One photo from the HSNT shows dogs on a pile of stuff and the other shows a couple of the clearly malnourished dogs. TV station KTXS covered the seizure. 
And we have a report from someone who has been at the scene, veteran rescuer and animal advocate Patty Sprong. This was a magnificent team effort, she says.
“There were about 200 animals, 160 of which were dogs. Red Rover Responders deployed for a week to help HSNT care for the dogs, and then we took over with AIR (Animal Investigation and Response), the group started by Monica Ailey and late Paige Anderson. Thank goodness they took this on because HSNT still needed a lot of help...
“Thankfully, Stacy Smith of Humane Tomorrow was one of the volunteers down there every weekend, and she and Monica have networked like CRAZY to get these dogs out of there. As of today, Humane Tomorrow has taken 47 dogs into their program. That includes some very pregnant moms, so that number may change very soon. They have taken the sick, the mangy, the dogs that had the least hope. It has been truly amazing.”

Dear Readers, you know how this stuff goes. The animals are spotted, saved and must go through a custody hearing before the rescuing group can legally start adopting out the animals.
As Patty says, “These dogs were SO sick though. They weren’t going anywhere right away unless a rescue took them. Operation Kindness came and took about 20 ... The rest of the dogs all had terrible parasites, as you can imagine seeing the conditions they were living in. Some of them have sarcoptic mange as well.

“So, yes, for weeks volunteers have been cleaning after, walking, and feeding these dogs who have begun to heal emotionally and physically. They are doing so much better and their personalities are coming out. HSNT is now managing the daily care by themselves. They have placed some dogs in their adoption program, but not very many. That is why I am pushing groups that are HSNT partners to take at least one (my new hashtag for this seizure: #ONE).”

Patty says there likely will be a Humane Tomorrow fundraiser soon the help offset vet bills and other expenses. The Humane Tomorrow “Mercy Fund” is HERE.
The contact for groups that want to help foster any of these animals is [email protected].

Patty says, “It is so satisfying to see the dogs get out of there. They have never known comfort before. I  am picking up a little boy tonight [Monday] and he is coming to stay with me for a few weeks and then will go to New York with the Love on Wheels . I’ve asked everyone to consider helping ONE by fostering for Humane Tomorrow or HSNT or another rescue partner.  One at a time we can save more. #ONE.”

MEANWHILE IN GARLAND

Yeah, they’re not all way out west or in the Piney Woods of East Texas or in the big Dallas shelter, some of them are in the area’s smaller municipal shelters.

Consider this one spotted by Patty Turner, a veteran animal advocate and tipster. 
(Click on the artwork to make it larger.)
This girl “weighs 20-25 pounds and is emaciated,” the report reads. “Appears to be young and is nervous, but let an ACO put her puppy back with her. She just wants to trust someone and keep her puppies safe. Her hold is up 11/23. The puppies were born overnight on 11/20. She has 5 puppies. Please help her and her family.”

She and the puppies are at Garland Animal Services, 600 Tower St., in Garland. Call 972-205-3570 option 4. Email [email protected] and put the ID numbers in the subject line.

 

AN OLDER CAT WHO NEEDS SOME HELP


This one is going around in the cat world. This is Biggun. 
Yep, Biggun.


We got the note on him from fave catfan tipster Cathie Desell who forwarded the note from Karen Wiley. It read, “I have friends who adopted a darling cat but their cat will not accept this cat.  They've tried everything they can think of for 8 months, but nothing has worked.  It is breaking their hearts, but in fairness to both cats they need to find the adopted cat a new home.”


The inside story is Biggun has “gray tiger stripes down both sides and a very long ringed tail. His chin, chest and belly are white and he has 4 white stockings.
 But here’s the big selling point: when he “grumbles and meows” he is said to “sound a lot like Marge Simpson.” 
He’ll “stand like a prairie dog” to be petted, likes being a lap cat and gets along with dogs, kids and, except for one, cat. Also, the rustling sound of plastic bags makes Biggun skittish.
To offer to help him find a home, email [email protected].

A FEW THANKSGIVING CONTEMPLATIONS

Our Thanksgiving edition will be Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap, but Thanksgiving is a holiday that inspires memories, affection, appetites and ambitions. It also inspires our CONTEMPLATIONS for this edition.
In the late 1950s and early ‘60s, Thanksgiving went like this: Out of school at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Fun, food, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, football and family (don’t forget church!) until about 6 p.m. Sunday when we’d begin writing our term themes due on Monday.
Talk about pressure -- God Bless the World Book Encyclopedia and, of course, Classics Illustrated comic book classics.
We had to do all that while watching It’s a Wonderful Life on all three channels over and over -- that may not be an exact memory, but it’s close. (That’s Bullwinkle J. Moose  who debuted in the Macy’s Parade in 1960 in the Age of Literacy). 

I understand that today’s junior high and middle school students -- maybe high school, too -- may be unfamiliar with the concept “term theme.” Another reason for students to be thankful. No theme pressure at Thanksgiving. And teachers don’t face grading those hand-scrawled themes with wayward sentences and felonious punctuation. Bless you teachers -- I’m thankful for you.


We have other things to be thankful for as midweek arrives and brings the kitchen aromas of Thanksgiving billowing across America.
We offer a special prayer for the people who are toughing out another Thanksgiving on behalf of America. We’re also thankful for the highway department that puts up accurate construction area signs. And for the people who keep things going while the rest of us are off. 
Bless you peace officers, firefighters, ambulance folks and anybody else who shows up while the rest of us are trying to figure a way out.
What’s that photo? That Jimmy Stewart photo from It’s a Wonderful Life?
Yeah, well, that’s actually a photo of the character George Bailey saying, “I tell you, Donald, that job is THISSSSS big!”

This is a great nation. We’ve got a big famous moose, football, film, TV, books, computers and if you don’t like the president or what he’s doing, you don’t have to keep it to yourself.

As a working journalist who watched  and reported on the Civil Rights movement in the ‘60s and beyond, and the war protests, I find myself nodding along with what Vice President-elect Mike Pence told his kids after he was booed at a theater in New York, "That's what freedom sounds like."  I proudly agree with that -- some people hear “Boo” and others hear freedom of expression.


Every now and then, there are some cheers, too. We’re cheering Thanksgiving, the American holiday. For all Americans. Americans share.

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TETHERING AND TEXAS: ONE IS UGLY...

EDITION OF TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2016 (PetPowellPress) -- The Texas Humane Legislation Network has goals for the upcoming state legislative session: Outlaw tethering and strengthen the animal cruelty laws.
So, does that really matter in Texas?
It matters to a lot of people and especially to a lot of animals.

The same day the THLN note arrived, we got a Thanksgiving note from the folks at the SPCA of Texas.
It included information that so far this year the SPCA has participated in 2,188 animal cruelty investigations. Is that not an astounding number? A lot of them make news; a lot don’t.
And ask yourself this: Would you tether a 15-pound Poodle to a 2-foot chain in a carport in summer or winter?
We’ve got a report on that from veteran rescuer Pam Hart. Frustrated veteran rescuer Pam Hart.
 It's in her neighborhood and she has been frustrated by her inability to help the dog.
Tethering is nothing but cruelty. It breaks a dog’s spirit and its heart. It also makes it a target for animals that aren’t tethered. Makes it vulnerable to weather and mean people who are worse than "animals." Idiots tease tethered dogs, throw rocks at them, shoot at them and Lord know what else.
 What happens when those dogs are suddenly free? It’s not pretty. And dogs are inevitably the losers. 

Help me off this soapbox until we get to our daily CONTEMPLATIONS. 

Keep reading. We’ve got some animals at risk that AREN’T TETHERED; they are being held in municipal buildings that are ironically called “shelters.” 

On this particular day, Dallas should remember that even the success of the local pro football team hasn’t been able to erase memory of the fact that since 1963 this town has been know most for a historically fatal moment that changed a nation. Dallas needs to be known for it’s good heart. We know it’s out there. Somewhere. But does killing unwanted animals help that image?

WAITING IN DALLAS


The veteran rescuer Kimberly Jones, a big-hearted soul with lots of experience at saving animals, has been monitoring this dog ever since the pup was found in the neighborhood Wynnewood North -- that’s just north of Wynnewood Village, the famous shopping area at Zang and Illinois. The dog was found on North Manus. She weighs 50 pounds “but may try to be a lap dog with how affectionate she is,” Kimberly’s note read. “She had been hanging in area for a couple days, approaching people to get some pets. Yesterday [November 15]  she was taken to DAS in hopes she was chipped, but she was not. If her family doesn't come forward, please consider fostering or adopting this sweet girl.
“
This beautiful dog is A0965149. She’s about a year old and believed to be a “white and tan American Pit Bull Terrier.” [LARRY ASIDE: When I was a kid, we called these dogs “mutts.” Proudly.]


If this is your dog, you can “redeem her”(isn’t that great phrasing!) by emailing [email protected]. Call the shelter at 214-670-6800 or stop by to ask about adopting or rescuing this dog before the city fills a needle with death juice and turns her into an unpleasant statistic.
[LARRY ASIDE: After all, the shelter buys death juice in bulk. Why? Because the City of Dallas‘ elected officials believe in the traditional Texas philosophy of animal management: “Got an animal problem? Let’s kill it.”]


MEANWHILE IN LAKE DALLAS
One of our favorite people is Lake Dallas Animal Shelter Manager Patricia Barrington, working mom, fan of critters and advocate for adoption and rescue and throwing dirtballs in jail.
Sorry. Let my slang slip in there. Translate “dirtball” as people who neglect and/or abuse animals. But "dirtball” isn’t really a nasty enough description, is it? My apologies to actual dirtballs.

Animals wind up in city shelters -- they aren’t a fit for the home and are surrendered, they roam and are captured, they are part of a domestic violence case, they are part of an animal cruelty case, they are born in a shelter. Whatever the reason, animals frequently become available for adoption. They have fans in the shelters -- workers develop favorites.
Since people rarely make an animal shelter their afternoon destination just to see what’s going on, we are proud to promote the animals that need a break and don’t get a lot of foot traffic . Be nice if people visited, but they don’t. Lake Dallas' shelter will absolutely be grateful when you stop by.
Trish sent us this list. “We have some pretty awesome dogs and cats (some fully vetted), hoping for homes this week,” she wrote.
Here are the descriptions:


“Clancy the Maine Coon-type kitty is about 6-8 months old.  He’s a lump of fluff that is always ready to cuddle.  Clancy is FeLV negative and vaccinated.
“Marcie (right) is a lovely little submissive, 5-6 month old girl.  This gal is timid in her kennels and doesn’t show well (as no one ever asks to see her).  She is really a delightfully pleasant kitten.  Marcie is FeLV negative and vaccinated.
“Chief  is a long-timer and needs out immediately.  Chief is guessed to be a Rottweiler mix.  He’s a big, bounding buddy of a dog who loves playtime and walks.  Chief spent some time with our dispatcher earlier in his stay here and was quite the well-mannered dude.  He also rides along with us to calls with a wonderful attitude and is great in the vehicle.  He is not dog aggressive, but will get pushy if he isn’t corrected.  He is a good dog, but unfortunately, he is the sort of dog who doesn’t do well in a shelter and he is on the verge of acquiring some issues because of his accommodations; he needs a home.  Chief is vaccinated and HW negative.  He’s about to be put on a euth list because his temperament is starting to become questionable. Call and talk to me about this guy; I will shoot straight with you.
“Linus, the Boxer mix is as soft as a velveteen rabbit; that coat is the BEST.  This happy guy loves his play groups, loves any person and loves to be loved.  He’s a lover.  Linus is a big ol’ puppy, guessed to be around 7-9 months old.  This boy is HW negative and vaccinated.  
“Fox is one of my favorites.  He’s a good boy.  This Hound mix is less than 2 years old.  He’s vaccinated, chipped, HW negative and neutered.  He gets along with everyone, even if they don’t necessarily want to get along with him.  He’s smart, adaptive and quiet.  GREAT DOG.
“Fletcher is as smart and affectionate as he is good looking.  This guy is a little less than a year old and would make a great experience for a first time foster.  He’s well behaved, yet playful.  Not destructive, but fun.  He’s what every first time foster expects, but few actually get.  And, he’s vaccinated, chipped, HW negative and neutered.
“Whiskers is an adoption return.  She was adopted by a person who doesn’t believe in crating and he pooped on her floor one too many times.  This little girl is less than 12 pounds, submissive and attentive.  She is also a minimal shedder.  Whiskers is vaccinated and HW negative.
“Peppermint is a 36-pound security blanket.  She is soft, cuddly…did I mention soft?  This gal has the body of an English Bulldog and a tiny little head; she is a peculiarly endearing little gal.  I adore her … and I carry her around like a baby when my day gets rough; it makes me feel better.  Peppermint is HW negative and vaccinated.  She would also be a great dog for a first time foster.  Even though she is only about 7-8 months old, she doesn’t have the puppy energy most young dogs have.  She’s a couch potato in the making.
“Please call or email if you’d like to tag an animal or if you have any questions.”


To ask about adopting or helping the Lake Dallas animals, email Trish at [email protected] or call 940-497-7090.
 
TETHERING & CRUELTY CONTEMPLATION:
CHANGING ATTITUDES AND THE LAWS

We're mentioning this drive by the Texas Humane Legislative Network and BY INDIVIDUAL RESCUERS HERE AND ACROSS THE STATE because tethering is problem all over the place and -- gasp! -- even in Dallas. (Click on that artwork to make it larger. Most of the info is at thln.org.)
Tethering violations used to come up at the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission meetings all the time -- this was the pre-Jody Jones era. Some commissioner would cite a tethering situation and a City of Dallas Bureaucrat would explain how “we talked to the owner” or “we left a written notice on the door,” but, month after month, nothing happened.
Eyewitness report: Spotted one afternoon near Illinois and Zang, a big dog chained to a porch -- that dog was having trouble finding shade a couple of weeks ago. Had water, though. Wasn’t starving. Was simply being poorly treated. That’s wrong; it's only an opinion for now. It wasn’t quite up to the ineffective standards of current law.
That is where the Texas Humane Legislation Network comes in. THLN wants stronger laws, tougher sentences, safer animals. Is that so wrong?
Now, the latest case we’ve heard about involves a little dog on a road near the Dallas/Garland border. Veteran rescuer Pam Hart sent readlarrypowell.com a note wondering who to appeal to next after enduring what can only be described as a "parade of do-nothing."
Pam writes, “Ten months ago I found a horribly matted Poodle in my side yard. I reported him to DAS, sat out his stray hold and kept him. His littermate has been on the lam ever since. It was going in and out under the fence from a yard and running into traffic. DAS has been out several times and now the owners have a 15-pound miniature white Poodle chained up under a carport with no other shelter and nothing but concrete to lay on.

"DAS says all they can do is keep issuing tickets. They also said they couldn't be sure that they weren't taking it off the chain and keeping it inside whenever five stay-at-home neighbors weren't looking. .... The owners ...  will not answer the door as I have tried several times to buy the dog to get it to rescue. Any help would be appreciated as DAS is no help at all. I will help financially if needed but this dog needs to get to safety. That household has a 15+ year history of neglecting dogs, disposing of them and just getting more.
“...I've notified the SPCA as well as HSNT (Humane Society of North Texas). Every time my heat goes on I cringe at the thought of that little Poodle out there on the cold concrete. The man of the house has a reputation as a mean nasty drunk (at least I'm an amiable one) and I am afraid to confront them.
“Dogs Deserve Better was nice but has no Dallas chapter. I may start one ...”
She says, “Five immediate neighbors are home 24/7 and no one is taking that dog inside. We're the Gladys Kravitz of your nightmares.” [LARRY NOTE: That’s a reference to the neighbor on Bewitched, kids. Scary.]

She says a person with a local Poodle rescue group “told me to toss a kennel with a towel in it over the fence ... but that is a challenge with an 8-foot fence that you can look under and see the dog chained by a two-foot tether.”

The dog in the yard on Zang and the Poodle are still alive as of Monday afternoon. But there are many tethered animals that have died at the end of a chain or a “tie-out,” victims of weather, disease, neglect, violence, etc.
Those are secondary problems. They’re really the victim of the primary problem: don't give a damn humans -- those who tie them out and those who won’t make laws strong enough to protect them.  
Humans. There’s the challenge.
Go to the Texas Humane Legislation Network’s appeal HERE and rather than waiting for the Texas Legislature to do something, call your City Council Member, the Mayor, the cop who is running Dallas Animal Services and ask them to protect the animals from the neglectful humans.
One voice can be loud, two can be louder and more can become a powerful movement in a political atmosphere.  And Dallas and Texas ALWAYS have a political atmosphere.
That dog? A tethered dog rescued by the SPCA in Kaufman County -- someone had a whole bunch of animals staked out and poorly treated. The SPCA takes them and turns them into adoptables. The big problems can get the attention that a "one tethered dog situation" can't get. But, violating a law with a small dog is the same as violating a law with a dozen dogs. Remember, kindly inform your city council member of your desires for equal treatment under the law.
And we'll close with a chart  (click to make it grow) from the Dallas Animal Services Facebook page so you can see how adoptions and euthanizing are going at the big Dallas Animal Services Shelter and Adoption Center. Those dead animals didn't turn themselves in and ask for the needle. Again, there are free-roaming humans who are the villains in this sad drama.

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WINTER; SOME WOOHOOOS; 3 DOG NIGHT AND MUSING

EDITION OF MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2016 (PetPowellPress) How many of you are already on Thanksgiving vacation? Remember when American holidays were two days at the most? A week-long Thanksgiving is an improvement. And now, the weather:
A WINTRY REPORT


You know how chilly it has been in Dallas/Fort Worth the last couple of days? Check out that photo of a deck at Indian Lake. It’s from our Eastern Snowboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher, the veteran journalist who lives on the banks of Indian Lake at Denville, N.J. His report? “Out here in ‘the northern and western suburbs,’ as the New York forecasters like to call us, ‘a coating to an inch,’ as a glance out the bedroom window confirms.
"The last time they predicted a coating to an inch -- last year -- we got two and a half feet.” [LARRY ASIDE: If Dallas/Fort Worth were to get that much snow, we’d have developers putting in a chain of mountains and opening exclusive spas.]
GIVING SOME THANKS IN DENTON
We’ve mentioned before how excited Amy Poskey gets when something good happens at the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter.
She was whoooo-hoooin’ all over the place during the weekend. 

First there was the report on Hattie (right). The clock was ticking on her, mainly because she was an owner-surrender that was terrified and not being all that congenial in the shelter. Things changed. Amy reported, “This sweet misunderstood senior angel has been adopted!  YAY!!!  Hattie just needed someone to believe in her and see inside her heart.” [LARRY ASIDE: That shelter tile would make anybody irritable.]
We wrote about Sarah last week -- she’d been placed in the “rescue only” category because she was a stray that wasn’t adjusting well. Amy reported, “This beautiful girl calmed down after a few days so the shelter decided to place her for adoption and she was adopted!  YAY!!!  Bless her heart, she just needed a little time to settle down so her sweet soul could shine through!”

Then there’s Missy. Her story read, “This beautiful girl was originally surrendered to the shelter because her family said they could no longer afford to care for her allergy meds.  She was quickly adopted but has been returned because they said she is aggressive with food and toys; HOWEVER, none of the volunteers or shelter staff have witnessed this behavior at the shelter.  They have only seen a sweet, calm-natured angel.  Go figure!”


Central Texas Doxie Rescue stepped up and pulled the dog.

And there are now no dogs left in the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter. Hang on a second. Sorry. Did some fact checking.

Yes, there are dogs still in the shelter. Cats, too. The PetFinder link shows this dog Goodfella and a cat named, what else for this time of year in blizzard-prone Texas, Snowy. Click HERE.

THREE-DOG NIGHT IN BURNS FLAT?

THUS, THERE’S A SWEATER APPEAL


We’ve noted before that the animals in the Burns Flat Animal Shelter don’t just face human challenges, but they’re also living in a city-owned facility that doesn’t have heating or air-conditioning and the walls are chainlink and there may or may not be enough blankets and dog houses. Over the weekend, the resilient Burns Flat animal advocate Terry Lynn Fisher wrote, “I have three elderly dogs here that will probably be here forever. I am needing sweaters for them. Their little bodies just shiver. Also, I am going to try and get those heated dog beds for the three of them to lay on. If anyone can help with any of this, please let me know. Two are labs that are about 75 pounds. One is a mastiff mix is about 140 pounds.”
Email Terry Lynn at [email protected].
And, yes, “three-dog night” is the Australian slang term for which the American rock band is named. In slang it’s a reference to hold cold a night it is -- you’ll need three dogs to stay warm.

SNAPSHOT FROM DAS
Got this Earhound report off the Dallas Animal Services Facebook page. Plenty of animals in the shelter -- dogs and cats. Why? Because Dallas doesn't just have a lot of free-roaming animals, it has a lot of free-roaming nitwits. Spay and neuter. Properly tend to your animals. It's so easy if you realize they are living souls, not pieces of trash.


CONTEMPLATIONS: It is so chilly. When DOES the Dallas ski season open? Check with the airlines for their special Colorado and New Mexico flights. ... One thing that keeps pro football from being enjoyable is the dozen things on the screen they make you look through to see the game. Remember when all you needed was a score and the clock? You’d pay attention to the game then, by cracky. ... Thanksgiving: It’s a holiday that means different things to different people. But why bring up that presidential election again?
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VOLUNTEERS, LITTLE DOGS & SLUMBER

Our Thanksgiving Weekish (that a word?) edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap is dedicated to all the people who make it possible for dogs and cats to relax and feel safe in a home where they are loved. We’re thankful for them.

Some organizations keep percolatin’ along and wind up making lots of people happy for years because they’re able to link them up with a dog or cat that desperately needs a home.
In the middle of last week I was having an email conversation with Cheri Fults, a co-founder of Recycled Pomeranians and Schipperkes. Yep, one of those do-good organizations -- they care for purebred dogs because even expensive purebred critters find themselves unwanted.
As is the truth about enduring rescue groups, to keep an organization vital, you have to have hard-working hearts.

Cheri says, “The credit goes to our very hard working volunteers.  It takes a village of us to operate such an awesome rescue organization.”

Naturally, because Readlarrypowell.com is always on the lookout for a sweet sleeper or napper photo, I asked Cheri what she had in the way of a slumbering pup  picture. And that is the introductory photo today.
Here’s the story from Cheri:
“The little sleeping dog is named Ivy. Ivy has a neurological condition that causes her to shake a lot. She came with a large bite on her forehead and I assume that it caused a neurological issue.  The vets could not find anything else wrong with her that would have caused it. Ivy is a four pound Pomeranian that is slowly growing in her fur.  She had a lot of fleas that caused hair loss.
“She is lying on Hailey's leg. Hailey is a dedicated teenage volunteer who works at Pom Central every Saturday washing dogs, cleaning the dog room or helping at adoption events.”

Keep monitoring recyledpomeranians.com to see the adorable adoptables.


And, we’ve previously published this photo that Cheri sent us years ago, but as Thanksgiving begins to lead us into holiday attitudes, this is a good time to break the picture out of storage. You recognize, of course, all those Poms as rescued dogs, of course. That other fellow? In the red suit? Not sure of his name but I’m told he knows a thing or two about sleeping and  napping -- heck, I’ve been led to believe that he knows when you are sleeping, he knows if you’re awake.

[SEND PHOTOS OF YOUR SLUMBERING CRITTERS -- dogs, cats, iguanas, mice, rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, squirrels, giraffes, brothers-in-law, right jolly ol’ elf --  to [email protected] and Readlarrypowell.com will proudly post the photos in an edition of the world-wide read feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. We post these photos to demonstrate to the world’s insomniacs that they, too, can find slumbertime. Sleep -- it’s out there somewhere!]
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Zen cats, dogs in trouble and a Rockin' Cabinet Secretary

EDITION OF FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2016 (PetPowellPress) We’re going to start this edition with an uplifting note, something that Molly Theis Peterson mentioned on the Rockwall Adoptions page during the week. 
“Another sponsor plaque arrived...This one is for the kitty room,” she wrote.
And we mention it because we’re fans of cats at Readlarrypowell.com.

Cats can have a calming effect on a human. And cats can also not have a calming effect on a human.
In any equation, cats are an uncertain element. Sometimes. (That’s an uncertainty joke.)
MEANWHILE IN EULESS
The shelter is full on the dog side and there are a bunch of cats, too, we heard Thursday from the noted animal advocate Karen Lee of Barkleyworld.com.
“The pets just keep coming in and adoptions are way down. Trinity GAP Rescue, which supports the Euless Animal Shelter, desperately needs adoptions and foster families.”
 You can see many of the animals HERE.

We picked just this one dog photo that shows a very pliable dogface. That is Tex (#16887) who “has the most amazing smile and loves people!” He’s about a year old, a Yellow Lab Mix and “he let the GAP girls dress him up for his pix and he even wore a funny hat for them. ...He is young, so needs some leash training, but with a little patience is going to make such a terrific pet for someone. ... A good citizens found him wandering loose and brought him to the the shelter so he could find a good home.”
Of course, you can get cats through the GAP folks and at the Euless shelter. Cats like boxes, you know. This is Teddy showing off his cubicle nature.
For more info on any pets or helping to save lives by fostering, email [email protected]. And here’s a tip from these GAPsters. “Please follow us on Facebook as there’s lots of action there.”
A LITTLE ONE IN LUFKIN

Karen also forwarded this note, originated by Sarah Dupre about this undeniably cute dog. He was in Lufkin’s shelter and may still be there as you are reading this.
The cute ones tend to go pretty fast. Email [email protected]
The story is Ryder (A053906) “tries to get his bluff in on you and barks and give a little growl but give him a treat and he puts on a happy face.  He was a little shy when I opened the kennel and tried to hide in the corner.  Was fine after that but still a little shy and bless his heart never could get much expression.” 
He’s a 5-pound, 2-year-old Chihuahua who came in  on November 4. He’s got to be ready to go find a lap.
AND IN DENTON, OWNER SURRENDER BUBBAS


Check out that face. Pretty boy. Yes, “BUBBAS.” Owner-surrender. How’s that for rotten.


 Amy Poskey, who monitors the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter sent a note that reads, “This angel just can’t catch a break.  He is in quarantine because he nipped the owner while playing.  Really?!  So now he is being punished for a playful nip.  WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???!!!  The staff at the shelter have interacted with him and report that he is friendly and all wiggles.  Does this sound like an aggressive dog to you?  And, the original adopters returned him because they said he had separation anxiety but I would be willing to bet it’s just because he is high energy.  The staff and volunteers have NOT had any problems with Bubbas.  He just has a lot of energy and can play a little rough.  Bubbas loves everyone and is a sweetheart!”

The dog is under 5, house-trained and heartworm negative.”
Amy asks, “Can anyone make room for this precious boy who is simply misunderstood?"  
The shelter is at 3717 N. Elm St. in Denton. Email these addresses to help save this dog’s life:  [email protected], [email protected], and/or [email protected]. Call the shelter at 940-349-7594.


AN APARTMENT CAT
NEEDS A REAL HOME

A pal of mine has been monitoring a cat that has apparently been abandoned at a North Dallas apartment complex. This is the cat on a welcome mat in front of the cat’s favorite apartment.
Bad weather is arriving and the cat needs an indoor home. A person who used to live in the complex spent a lot of time tending to the unwanted cats that were showing up. That person moved. This cat was left behind.
 Friendly to a point and hungry, the cat needs a home. No idea if it’s a boy or girl. Adopt the cat and you can find out.
To offer this cat a place to live or to help the cat find a haven with a human, email
[email protected].
Remember, this wandering apartment cat was probably abandoned by a human it trusted. Here’s your chance to make up for some rat. Show the cat there is a good human in the world. After all, this cat is a Zen master.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Hard to believe Thanksgiving is next week. I can still close my eyes and see images and hear sounds of the great State Fair of Texas 2016. Now and then I’d like to have a time machine. I’d visit assorted State Fairs. I’d also go back in time to the early ‘60s and visit Guy’s Orange Stand in Texarkana and enjoy a fresh-squeezed juice and a little cup of complimentary fried peanuts. It’s no wonder that I have a weight problem. Even if I travel in time, I’m thinking about eating. ... Contemplate this: Worst car deal you ever made and if you can top “swapped a 1970
Fathom Blue Chevy Malibu with a white vinyl top and white interior, air-conditioning and a 350 cubic inch engine for a drab green 1971 un-airconditioned Chevy Vega,” just let me know. ... Modern American politics? Sheesh. I won’t really be impressed with the next president’s cabinet until he appoints a Secretary of Rock ‘n‘ Roll.  Here’s MY NOMINATION and perhaps someone can second that nomination with THIS. Yep, it’s all politics: Bad reputation and dirty deeds done cheap. You can't tell me those aren't political messages.
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