EDITION OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017 (PetPowellPress) -- Here we are on a Tuesday in the middle of winter and you can’t ski 10 feet in Dallas without hitting gravel, asphalt or a well-manicured lawn. The temp is supposed to be pushing 80 by Tuesday afternoon. When is it too soon to ask, “Hot enough for ya?” But, wait! The Fort Worth Stock Show is underway and that means we’re going to get some legendary “Stock Show Weather!” Never fails. Could be ice. Could be flooding. Could be wind and rain. Could rain cats and dogs in Cowtown and Big D. Remember the unofficial 2017 slogan: "Ski Big D."
WHAT? YOU’RE KIDDING! BUSTER’S STILL AVAILABLE?
SAVE BUSTER. SAVE BUSTER. SAVE BUSTER. SAVE BUSTER...
Well, for crying out loud. How is that this dog hasn’t been adopted or rescued. He’s 10 years old. He’s heartworm positive. And he wound up in the Dallas Animal Services shelter because the people who said they loved him for a decade had a baby and the new baby and a 10-year-old dog are just too much work together.
[LARRY ASIDE: We’ve had 10-year-old dogs. You know how much trouble a 10-year-old dog is? You have to step over them while they’re sleeping or you have to move them to the side so you can crawl into your own bed. Of course, we made sure our dogs didn’t have heartworm.]
I’m writing about Buster for two reasons: (1) I thought he’d probably already been claimed and I was stunned -- well, maybe just surprised -- to find that he had not been rescued or adopted and (2) the great Kimberly Jones, a resolute rescuer and animal advocate, asked me to do so. She says people have offered to pay for Buster's heartworm treatment.
And if you think the constant barrage of animals in trouble on Facebook is bugging you, well, join the crowd. Kim says, “I have to get off Facebook. It’s so negative all the animal abuse is killing my soul. I cannot get off until Buster is safe though.” So, Buster is A0605730, he weighs 60 pounds and he’s been in the shelter since December 21. Merry Christmas, Buster, eh?
He’s on the DAS PetHarbor listings HERE.
[LARRY ASIDE: I included that photograph of Buster standing at the door in one of the shelter “dorm rooms.” Why? Because if nobody gets him, one of these days, he is going to get very excited about the approach of human footprints, the door will open, someone will slip a leash on him and within minutes he’ll be a dead, discarded dog. No fault of the shelter personnel -- it’s the fault of the people who dumped him and the city that sticks to the Texas theory of animal management: “Got an animal problem? Let’s kill it.” We ought to be ashamed.]
THE SWEET DOG FORREST
This is Forrest, a little ol' Pit mix currently at Country View Animal Hospital in Aubrey where he has been saved after being found in bad shape. The note from Mike Frazier says the dog, under a year old, is sweet with no aggressive tendencies.
The contact point is Country View Animal Hospital, 111 N. Highway 377 in Aubrey. Call 940-365-9384.
[LARRY ASIDE: Great ears on the boy, so, of course, he is a Genuine Earhound. But what about that sensational marking on his chest! That’s a great dog to have at the house when the conversation hits a lull. “Hey, look at my dog’s chest!” It looks like something from the movies -- maybe you could get a tat to match.]
LOOK AT THAT FACE!
THE COUNTDOWN IS ON
That face, that wonderful look, belongs to Blue, currently on the clock at the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter.
The note we got from Denton tipster Amy Poskey read, “Blue has been given a second chance because he is so sweet. Please don’t let this unfortunate situation be his death sentence!!! Look at that face!!! Bless his heart, his ‘family’ won’t be coming back for him so we are his only hope.”
Blue is rescue-only because of a biting incident when he was poorly tended to in a city park. Email these shelter people to help save this guy’s life: Gayla.Nelsen@cityofdenton.com and kgaffey.kg@gmail.com or dale.amyposkey@verizon.net.
Blue is #67343. He’s about 2. He’s house-trained and neutered.
And he’s in his last hours at the shelter if no human helps him.
ROCKY LOSES HIS HUMAN
Debra Myers sent this note about “sweet Rocky.”
She explains, “He's in desperate need of a new home or rescue. His owner had to move to a senior care facility and Rocky is all alone...:( There are a few caring neighbors that have been tending to Rocky over the past few weeks. They just adore Rocky! However, the house is about to be sold (this week) and Rocky must go...heartbreaking! The neighbors hate the thought of Rocky ending up at a kill shelter. So, I'm reaching out to all of you to help find Rocky a new home.
“Rocky is a gentle, beautiful Collie mix. He's fully vetted, neutered, HW-, good with other dogs, does great on a leash and loves to go on walks. He's about 8 years old and in great health. Rocky is a big boy...about 99 pounds, but should weigh about 75. His owner has dementia and was feeding Rocky way too much.”
Here are the contact points: Debra Myers at 940-367-4627 or Dkmyersone@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Because I am a genuine fan of cats, I have chosen this cat as our representative for this appeal on behalf of a threatened element of Dallas’ population. He is affectionately named A0972535 in the City of Dallas Petharbor listings HERE where you can see how to adopt ol’ A0972535.
I have no idea how this oddly-eared cat came to be in the City of Dallas Animal Shelter. I doubt that he was picked up after having been left behind at a Cat Fanciers Show. I suspect he is what is regarded as, in accordance with our town’s fatal nomenclature, “a Dallas stray.” The guy looks like he’s been through some rough times. He deserves a good home with someone who’ll pick him up and teach him that a cat cuddle is a good thing for human and feline. Someone along the way, a human, let this cat down. Now is the chance for a human to try to right the wrong. How likely is that? In Dallas? Hah.
Check out this stat sheet from Dallas Animal Services and be proud, my fellow taxpayers, that on Sunday, the city killed this many animals in your name.
If I wrote a story reporting that someone had killed 9 dogs and 2 cats with poison in Southeast Dallas near Dowdy Ferry Road, non-rescue people (a) wouldn’t be surprised and (b) might not be outraged, figuring that’s “just the way it is in that part of town.” But, if a TV station broadcast a report that someone had killed kill 11 animals with poison in the 1800 block of N. Westmoreland in Dallas, people who didn’t recognize the address would be aghast and infuriated that it would happen in the city that named it's airport Love. They’d be demanding an investigation, they’d be so upset that TV crews would film them crying in an angry protest march in Klyde Warren Park! But these official killings? Well, no big deal, right? Yeah, right. Madness abides with ignorance and indifference in the City of Dallas. How can you chance that attitude if the hearts and brains aren’t connected to decency?
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