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Faces, hearts & cats Scrappy and Django -- all needing a boost

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2017 (PetPowellPress) -- This dog - ID#A0981557 in the Dallas Animal Services Shelter -- is an example of a rule of thumb in learning how to appreciate animals. No, let’s call it a “rule of heart” -- you see a dog like this and the feeling settles on your heart that you have to do something to keep the clock from ticking down on him.
Once upon a time, he was someone’s wonderful puppy. Now he’s 8 years old and in shelter that buys euthanasia juice in bulk. And uses it.

He’s been at the shelter since February 16 and his “review date” is this very first day of March. At 8 years old, the odds are lousy.
Want to rescue him? Email [email protected] Want to adopt? Go to the shelter at I-30 and Westmoreland or call 214-672-0249.
I look at the dog’s face and I see a friend. And, I kind of see a symbol of cats, too, in that white blaze that runs across the pretty face -- a stylized cat   stretching to be petted.
Sometimes, I guess, I just see things when I look at dogs and cats. I see potential, I see love. I see a life that needs to continue -- a life that will wonderfully affect other lives.
This isn’t politics. This is morality. Humans have a moral obligation to treasure and protect these lives.

TWO BELOVED CATS NEED

ONE LOVING HOME
These cats have been loved for all of their nearly two years by a guy who has punishing allergies, two years of allergy doctor bills and wants to make sure he is handing these babies off to a good and loving home. He took them in when their original human fell into crisis and had to find a place quickly. It was a heroic gesture. And, now, though he loves these cats, he knows it is time to move them to another home.
Scrappy is the lady in gray and Django is the fellow in the fluffy attire.
Both have been “fixed.”  
The bottom line is the guy who loves these cats is “looking for suitable humans to love them and care for them. It would be nice if they could stay together.”
To ask about helping these cats by adopting them or by tipping their human on a potential adoptor, email [email protected]
Oh, and there's one more thing: The cat toys go with the cats. Call it a starter-kit for a cat home. As you can see, the cat's had a place next to the desk chair. That means they have usually be within reach for petting and purring.
[LARRY ASIDE: I personally know these angels who are working to place these cats. They are thoughtful, good and decent people whose love for animals is a family trait. That’s why they’ve teamed up to try to help Scrappy and Django land in a loving home.]

THE HEROIN PUPPY
Remember that 5-pound puppy who ate the heroin and was near death when Carrolton Police officers found him while responding to a theft call at a Home Depot? These officers immediately rushed into action, got Carrolton Animal Services involved and the dog was swiftly in an emergency vet clinic.
Because of the officer’s quick work and concern, PETA has sent its “Compassionate Police Department Award” to the Carrollton Police Department, according to Megan Wiltsie of PETA. She reports that the dog is recovering and will be up for adoption soon.
And she also answers a question we asked when news of the puppy’s challenge was revealed: Yes, the little guy is neutered -- happened after he was brought to Carrollton Animal Services, not while he was in the custody of the alleged heroin-carrying thieves.
[LARRY ASIDE: I don’t care what you do for a living, spay and neuter your animals. Of course, I do actually care what you do for a living. But I’m wondering which I’m more likely to do, persuade you to stop dealing drugs or convince you to spay and neuter your animals.]


CONTEMPLATIONS: Let’s talk movies -- I’m inspired  to do this by the Oscars. In the peculiar aftermath of the Academy Awards, we have some movie questions: Is your favorite movie also the best movie you’ve ever seen? For example, I love The Godfather, but my current favorite film is The Other Guys with Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg who issues the immortal line, “I’m a peacock --you gotta let me fly.” Best movie I’ve ever seen? I’ll have to get back to you. Could be Johnny Tremain or Old Yeller or either version of The In-laws (“Serpentine! Serpentine!” or “Fat Cobra”?). Bladerunner? Moonstruck? All the President’s Men? Tootsie? Best movie I ever saw in Texarkana? Legend of Boggy Creek? Or Papa’s Delicate Condition? Two with Texarkana ties -- one about a river bottom monster and one about the father of silent film star Corinne Griffith, “The Orchid Lady of the Screen,” and a native of Texarkana. So many factors. So, how do you decide “the best”? What are the scoring points: cinematography, script, acting, popcorn consumption during screening? Sorry I brought up popcorn -- it just really ticks me off to think about the price of a small Coke and a box of popcorn these days. You need a co-signer on the loan if you want the traditional treat. Someone ought to be embarrassed when they think how much they mark-up the concessions at a movie house. Good thing we can get movies on our handheld devices -- heck, I watch movies on my Kindle. I miss theaters. I can have microwave popcorn for a lot less than five bucks a bag.
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ANIMALS, BASEBALL, A COUCH -- LAST DAY OF FEBRUARY SO SOON

EDITION OF TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017 (PetPowellPress) Last day of February -- last day of Dallas Animal Services’ $14 adoption specials. It’s also, Holiday Insights asserts online, National Public Sleeping Day. Send a heads-up to Congress and the Texas Legislature. 
Just kidding. I know those of you in elected service can take a joke. FYI: No  February 29 until 2020.
SPCA GETS CUSTODY, OF COURSE

Remember that seizure of 421 animals in Caldwell County on Feb. 20? Yep, surprise, surprise, the person who was keeping them in a lousy condition surrendered in -- how’s this for coincidence? -- the 421st District Court in Lockhart on Monday. And keep reading until you see the part about the one dog.
Will the SPCA need money to help care for all these mice, rats, snakes, guinea pigs, the 28 dogs, 26 rabbits, 2 miniature pigs, a tarantula, a turkey. 15 goes...the list goes on. Not one cat.  But a lot of dead animals.
Among the live ones were 9 doves, 2 ducks and a turkey. The photo? Looked like pigeons to me, but I've never been either duck or dove hunting and I haven't seen a turkey up close in the quarter-century since I became a vegetarian.
According to a news release, the SPCA “waived restitution, and further agreed that one dog will be returned to its rightful owner, which is someone other than the individuals the animals were seized from. The animal owners waived their right to an appeal, so the animals will now be individually evaluated for potential placement or adoption on a case by case basis, with the exception of the one dog.”

Go to spca.org to see how to help with money or adoption or fostering. The SPCA has many opportunities for good people to help.
MOMMAS AND BABIES AT THE DAS    
Kimberly Jones, who has sort of embrace the mission of reminding people that there are mommas and babies at Dallas Animal Services and they need help. 
Paloma (A0982668) is the white and tan dog listed as a “Fox Terrier.” She's about 2 and she has, as you can see, five puppies. They’re all at DAS waiting.


Then there’s the dog that Kimberly sent with this subject line: 911-SKINNIEST 1-YEAR-OLD MAMMA WITH 4 BABIES AT DAS.
That is definitely a Mamma in need!


Go to dallasanimalservices.org to see how to adopt or how to rescue. Google "spay" and "neuter" to see how to keep shelters that euthanize from having to face these decisions.

CONTEMPLATIONS

In our Monday edition, we posted a photo of a couch waiting for pickup at a North Dallas residence and guessed that, from the damage, it might have been the target of a dog suffering from separation anxiety. This prompted our friend Diane Combs, legendary dogfan and the human of Canine King of Public Relations, Larry the Dachshund, to sent a photo with a beloved dog who has now gone on. This, she says, is “my ‘innocent’ Jeff sitting on the couch he had been eating for the first few months he moved into his new home with me. After that, I put that couch out on the curb, moved out of the house the same day, moved into my current house and bought a new couch. Jeff never ate that one.” Jeff was a wander-up dog in the old neighborhood, so we don’t really know what he was accustomed to eating in his quiet moments. ...  Click on that cartoon to make it grow big enough to read. The Hall of Fame Baseball Announcer Eric Nadel, the radio voice of our beloved Texas
Rangers, tweeted this cartoon with the question, “Any disagreement?” Responses, including one from readlarrypowell.com, were overwhelming of the “Play ball” variety. Time to get the retrievers ready to chase baseballs and find left-handed fireballers. ... In the meantime, we’re closing contemplations with this note from Dallas Animal Services’ Facebook page. Heartbreaking and in need of a hero. Dog only weighs 20 pounds and if you adopt on the last day of the month Tuesday, you can get her for less than a dollar a pound -- just 14 lousy bucks and she’s your dog. And you’re her human. How much better could things work out!

 

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THE COUCH AND OTHER STORIES

Yes, that is a couch, waiting curbside for a city sanitation crew to pick it up from the North Dallas home where it has lived for who knows how long. 
I discovered that scene as I drove toward a favorite restaurant Friday morning for lunch with a
few high school kids I know. [LARRY ASIDE: They appear much older now but some of them might still get called down by the lunchroom monitor!]  
I cut through a neighborhood and, on a North Dallas residential street much wider than streets in my adored Oak Cliff, I spotted that couch.
It looks as if it might have a story. The family dog developed separation anxiety? Anybody else see that in the damage?  Bless that dog’s heart.

Our experience has been that the animals have a way of knowing when its time to change the furniture -- it’s an innate gift in the world of couch potatoes.

My funspouse Martha, former petsitter, longtime animal advocate, theorizes a dog, just before he went off to nap on the bed, taped this explanation to the couch: “I looked very hard for you in your usual seat and you were not there.”
OK, read on about separation anxiety. It is something from which we need to save animals.
And I'd much rather see a couch discarded than the dog.
LAKE IN DENTON--SEPARATION ANXIETY CASE


As far as we know, this dog Lake has nothing to do with the couch in the above photo -- except she needs some help.

She’s #67061 in the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter. And she’s in a bit of a desperate spot, according to our tipster Amy Poskey who monitors things at the Denton shelter. 
She writes that Lake is “the sweetest, most loving pooch you will ever meet but she has separation anxiety so she needs our help.  Perhaps she just needs another pooch pal to play with in her furever home cuz she LOVES all her pooch pals at the shelter!  If given the chance, Lake would be happy playing with her poochie friends all day long!
"Lake is an absolute dream when her people are home with her but she just doesn’t like being left alone.  Can ya blame her for loving her family so much?!  We think Lake would make a GREAT service dog, too, cuz she is very focused.  She walks wonderfully on a leash, she knows sit, down, stay, and wait, and she loves to cuddle up next to you and put her head in your lap!  You couldn’t ask for a more loyal, loving companion!!!”


She’s a young Aussie Cattle Dog/Shepherd mix -- those are breeds that need a job, they need a companion who needs a companion. This pup weighs 47 pounds -- perfect size, but aren’t they all.


Amy says there’s “a wonderful shelter volunteer who is also a dog trainer and she has offered to work with a rescue/foster to connect them with helpful resources for separation anxiety.”
To ask about helping this dog, email [email protected] or Amy at [email protected] The shelter is at 3717 N. Elm St. in Denton. Call 940-349-7594.
[LARRY ASIDE: Remember, separation anxiety is rough on the dog, so don’t make things worse. Love the dog. Separation anxiety shouldn’t be a death sentence.]
AN OKLAHOMA KITTEN IN A FIX
Usually, the resilient Burns Flat, Oklahoma, rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher is seeking help for throwaway dogs or injured canines hit by cars, shot by idiots.
This time a little kitten needs some help. Terry Lynn learned about her in a text message. “The ‘finder‘ said she found it in a park and didn't know what to do with it. It was in a town east of me and I was out of town, so I had a friend there go pick it up. She told me the girl was telling her different stories and she got the feeling it really belonged to her -- not being able to prove anything, we just wanted it safe.

"When my friend sent me the pictures, I was sickened. This poor baby has to be in so much pain. This is an old injury and my friend said you can actually smell the infection. I am going to pick it up at noon [Sunday] and take it to my vet as an emergency call. I am praying this baby survives. My friend said it ate and drank a little this morning.”

Terry Lynn needs a good soul to foster this cat and, as you may expect, some financial help at Elk Creek Clinic for the work they do on her rescued animals. The Elk Creek Clinic is at 1301 Airport Industrial, Elk City, OK 73644. If you want to talk to the clinic about helping Terry Lynn, call 580-225-4863. 
Email Terry Lynn at [email protected] or call her at 580-330-1459. Her mailing address is P.O. Box 578, Burns Flat, OK, 73624.
TWO TO GO AT DAS    
The animalfan Kimberly Jones sent a photo of the brown dog and described the obvious Earhound as “a favorite.” The dog also got this treatment in the email: “VOLUNTEER FAVORITE - SUPER FRIENDLY.”
She’s #A0982390. She’s no puppy. She’s about 7, DAS says. And she’s been at the shelter since February 23.
(I couldn’t find her on the adoptables page at dallasanimalservices.org, but that could just mean I wasn’t looking in the right place.)
In the meantime, however, I did spot a photo of a dog who is an also an Earhound. 

While sweet A0982390 (she probably knows her name but nobody else does except the jerk who didn’t tend to her) is an authentic “Floppus Cutus Earhound”, the dog Akela (A0980894) is clearly a Dramaticus Earhoundus.

[LARRY ASIDE: If you adopt Akela, please rename her Paggi, short for Pagliacci, and then spend your life making her happily wag her tail because you love her.]
NOW PAY ATTENTION: YOU CAN ADOPT EITHER OF THESE DOGS FOR FOURTEEN LOUSY BUCKS AT DALLAS ANIMALS SERVICES THROUGH THE END OF THE MONTH. Yes, $14. That’s all it takes to save these lives. Email [email protected] or call 214-671-0249. Or just stop by at 1818 N. Westmoreland at I-30.
Lots of parking, plenty of dogs and cats. Use you heart to save a life or two.
CONTEMPLATIONS: That’s a screenshot of the Associated Press breaking news alert about the death of the great Bill Paxton. For crying out loud, this is rotten news. Only 61. Fort Worth kid. Actor and a half. Maybe you remember him from Twister, from his role as the creepy car salesman in the Arnold Schwarz-

enegger film True Lies or maybe as the crooked CIA guy fantastically facing off with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in Two Guns. He was in a lot of stuff. Titanic, Apollo 13, the current CBS TV series Training Day. Just watched him Saturday night in a rerun of Tombstone -- he was Morgan Earp, Wyatt’s brother. This is one of those times I wish I’d written a fan letter to an actor. Bless his family and all who loved him. ... The Texas Legislature is in session. Reminder: the Texas Humane Legislation Network is working for animals -- check ‘em out at thln.org. ... On one animal lover’s Facebook page over the weekend: “Note to self..NEVER call a new client on the only day I take off. It will just piss me off!!!!” Bless that workin’ person’s heart. Here’s an appropriate song.
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Somnulent bliss...

Here are two reasons visitors to readlarrypowell.com can relate to our East Texas tipster Lisa Konkoly Buick.
(1) She’s a genuine animal fan and told us about Jefferson (the dog, not the East Texas tourism spot). And
(2) She posted a note that declared, and I’m paraphrasing, she’s “tired of the headaches” from all the “too much stuff” in the air.

[LARRY ASIDE: We endorse doming the whole state and installing a climate control system with filters that keep atoms from penetrating the sinuses of inhabitants.  Wait. That mean we’d be trapped inside with pre-existent allergens and who needs that?   Three or four times a year we’d sneeze the dome off its foundation. So, you see now why I was not a science major at Texarkana Junior College. I don’t think I had a major, though I did take two semesters of bowling. OK, let’s roll on.]

In the meantime, the reason we bring up Lisa is she tipped us to this great sleeper from Take Me Home Pet Rescue. Look at that dog’s style!
He's perfect for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. He appears to have an enthusiasm for the dramatic positions of somnulent bliss.
The TMHPR people posted this note back on the 15th, but he was still on their available list when I checked Friday. Here’s the text:
“Jefferson is one heck of a napper. Are you looking for a napping buddy? You looking for a silly boy who would love to hold your sofa down?
“Jefferson is just that boy!
“Jefferson is looking for an active family who is home more than not. He would love to copilot carpool, run at soccer practice, makes trips to the dog park and then call it a night curled up with his humans.
“This boy is ready for that Forever Home!
“For more information about Jefferson, please visit our website.”
The general website is www.tmhpr.com and if you click HERE, it’ll take you right to the always formally-attired (except when he’s trying to sleep) Jefferson.
Not sure the chair comes with him, but you never know. To me it seems to be expressing exactly what Jefferson is saying: “TAKE ME HOME."
Oh, and, yes, Jefferson actually does know how to stretch out on the bed and go to sleep.
Lucky stiff.

[Send photos and info about your sleeping dog, napping cat, dozing critter or slumbering relative to [email protected]. We post the photos because it’s the thing to do to inspire insomniacs to believe that they, too, can find a comfy chair and the right position to grab some sleep. Also, we post this because it keeps us indoors and away from mountain cedar, pollen, mold and whatever else makes a fat man sneeze 'n' shake like a California quake.]
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CLOUDS, FOSTERS, WAXAHA-UH-UH- DOGS & CHLOE

EDITION OF FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017 (PetPowellPress) -- As Robinson Crusoe said, “Hello, Friday.”
Let’s dive right into things.  
Anybody else still uncertain about the way motorists have to exit from Downtown Dallas to get to I-35 South? They call the project “The Horseshoe” -- pretty close. Speaking of close, close calls in the ol’ lane-changing department after you enter at Lamar or thereabouts -- you have to cross some busy lanes to get to the I-35 south route, i.e., it’s a lot like it used to be. 
But, like new shoes, it takes time to get used to things.
That photo? That’s from way back in winter, earlier this month, when Dallas had wispy clouds.
FOSTERING

Found this video of a Dallas Police officer being happily surprised at Dallas Animal Services. It’s a pro-fostering video on the DAS Facebook page.
According to the DAS, “Check out the  video to learn why fostering is so important, and to see some adorable puppies. If you're interested in fostering, learn more at DallasPets.org/foster.”
 Click HERE.  When you watch the video, DAS says be doing it “to learn why fostering is so important, and to see some adorable puppies. If you're interested in fostering, learn more at DallasPets.org/foster.”


NONE OF THE DOGS CAN SPELL
THE TOWN THEY’RE HELD IN
Of course, a lot of humans need two starts to get Waxahachie spelled correctly. (In my newspaper career, I once spelled it “Waxhachie” in a 36-point headline. Mercifully a keen eye in the printshop spotted it before I could embarrass the entire newspaper. But that was back in the ‘70s and I’m not sure misspelling Waxahachie would embarrass the newspaper today.)
But, back to dogs.
 We got this tip from Karen Lee of Barkleyworld.com. It’s one of these deals where Laura Macias is acting “as the contact with the permission of the shelter animal control officer.” 
There are 8 dogs in a spot in the Waxahachie shelter, the note reports. (Call or text 214-949-2726 or email [email protected] to reach Laura to help the animals.)

We’re just posting two of them.

Based on the first photo, I’m calling that first dog the “Leaning Canine of Waxahachie”  -- I’m sure it’s an optical illusion though, based on first-hand experience with dogs,  I  suspect Christy, a Catahoula mix, will turn into a wiggly bundle of love once she realizes you’re not going to harm her.

 Now that second dog -- a found dog -- is waiting for someone to reclaim her. But, really, that’s probably not going to happen. And she has the look of a dog who already feels doomed. That grinds my heart. We’re at the limit in Dallas, so this dog has to depend on someone else to drive down I-35 to Waxahachie to rescue her.
Heck, adopt the dog AND move to Waxahachie. You might just enjoy the place -- it has pretty homes, great accessible restaurants and even a haunted catfish joint, i.e. the Catfish Plantation. (The Dove’s Nest has spectacular bread pudding --no ghost, as I recall.) But, first, work at saving the animals -- without a good human heart, they don't have a ghost of a chance. .
CONTEMPLATIONS: The internet has exposed us all to the nutty behavior we used to ignore so that it would go away. Our pal Jeff Crilley, the former TV newshound who is founder of Real News PR, sent out a note about a “campaign” that’s gone viral. A guy has a video campaign themed “I Eat a Picture of Jason Segel Everyday Until He Eats A Picture of Me..” Here’s the Day 1 LINK. ... What is the funniest show on television? Modern Family? The Big Bang Theory? Any news show? Modern Family reruns? ... We’re going to rescue these contemplations with a note from our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher who sent this photo from Indian Lake in New Jersey and labeled it “Feline Earhound.” That’s Chloe, the fabulous rescued cat. Andy explains, “Chloe has just awakened from her afternoon nap. She'll have dinner, then take an early-evening nap before keeping us awake all night begging for food. I don't know where she puts it, but she's a svelte beauty.” This note about Chloe is dedicated to all people who find wonder in their cat companions. You know who you are -- er, you know who we are.
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BASEBALL, ANIMALS AND A PROTECTIVE CUSTODY

EDITION OF THURSDAY, FEB. 23, 2017 (PetPowellPress) The world gets funnier and funnier, doesn’t it. 

This won’t mean beans to half the people reading it but Major League Baseball is dumping the intentional walk -- four pitches outside the strike zone on purpose. A defensive maneuver that sometimes doesn’t work out as planned -- people have been known to stretch out from the plate and  hit a bad bad pitch. The idea from the commissioner’s office is to make the game go faster. 
Stupid. Why? Because baseball could have turned it into a moneymaker. Why not sell the intentional walk to a shoe company. A chain of gyms. The U.S. Army Infantry. Maybe have a lawyer asking, “You’re charged with a crime. Did you do it intentionally? Let us make you safe at home.”
This is a bad decision. Next thing you know, the big leagues will cut back to two outs and two strikes and two bases. 
If President Trump ever does anything for the real good of the nation, it should be changing baseball commissioners and returning the game to its pastoral glory.
Please help me off this soapbox before I hang my spike in the slats.
As my baseballfanspouse Martha says about baseball, “I just don’t think they should change things.”
Wait, maybe all these stories about changes in baseball are just some of that fake news The Donald keeps talking about.
 Baseball. It’s sacred. Don’t mess with it. 

ASSORTED NOTES:
Operation Kindness and Muenster Pet Foods are teaming today (yep, Thursday the 23rd) to celebrate National Dog Biscuit Day. Our tipster says “all dog adoptions at OK Feb 23-26 will include a complimentary bag of dog treats.”...

Terry Lynn Fisher, our tipster from Burns Flat, way out in western Oklahoma, has issued a warning in that area that people should be on the lookout for coyotes. Oddly enough, we got a tip earlier in the week that someone had spotted coyotes and a bobcat near an undeveloped area in southern Lewisville -- they were near an apartment complex. ...

A “Feline Spay Day Marathon?” Yep. Word is the Spay Neuter Network Crandall Clinic is “holding a marathon spay day for cats on February 28. We are double-staffed with vets and techs to safely spay or neuter 200 cats.” Click HERE to read about it and remember this: Cats won’t drive themselves to the clinic.

DOG STORIES THAT WRENCH THE HEART

Consider this photo.

And consider this photo (A0981832 and her nine newborns)

And consider this photo


That’s ID#A0981558. The animal advocate Kimberly Jones has been following her case at DAS and reports that she was spayed but, also, the puppies she was expecting were dealt with by the shelter and that doesn’t mean they were added to the adoptables list.

To try to help animals in Dallas Animal Services Shelter and Adoption Center, become a rescue partner, adopt some dogs, spay/neuter your pets. Go to dallasanimalservices.org to see how to help.
CONTEMPLATION
:
HELPING A DOG AND A HUMAN
For this edition, we turn to the manager of The Colony’s Animal Shelter, Mark Cooper, known to many in the animal community because of his stellar work with Dallas Animal Services, then Operation Kindness before taking his current position. He posted this great report on Facebook Wednesday and it’s inspirational for people who worry about animals.
“Greatest story...that made my day!! On Thursday we received a call that a woman from Richardson who was driving through The Colony began having shortness of breath. She pulled off the toll and stopped at an Urgent Care Center. They determined she was having a heart attack and called for an ambulance.
"They then called us out because they were transporting her to Baylor Carrollton BUT she had her companion pet in the car with her. We took the dog into Protective Custody until we could reconnect with family or the owner herself. With no information I set on a little journey to locate the owner. I called two hospitals with little luck. No one can give out information due to HIPAA laws. After explaining my reason for searching I had ever hospital nurse in Carrollton helping me locate this owner.
"I finally found her yesterday and was able to speak with her. Thankfully she was released from the hospital today. I met her with 'Aussie,' the dog, to reunite them.
"Momma was so worried and Aussie was so depressed without momma. We never took her to the kennels. Instead we left her in the front office with the staff day and night, trying to make her feel more comfortable. In the process we all got very attached! It was obvious this was a couch dog who was used to having momma 24/7.
"It was a sweet reunion. Both were beyond excited!! Makes the heart happy to see these types of outcomes! My motto, treat everyone's beloved pet as I would want mine treated in a similar situation!
"
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WHAT AN ODD WORLD, SAID THE VETERAN OBSERVER...

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017 (PetPowellPress) -- This is one of those picture-worth-a-thousand-words deals. But we don’t have a thousand words. So here's the picture:

Dinesha Schmidt of A Different Breed forwarded an email with this minimal  info.
“Little pups dumped on highway need foster/rescue now. Ps contact 903-335-3022.”
There you have it. It was worth it to see the human foot and nail polish against the backdrop of a basket of innocent puppies that some jerk dumped. I'm betting that is the foot of an angel. Maybe that footwork will make this photo memorable and someone will recognize the puppies and where they came from and drop a dime or whatever a call costs these days on a tip to the local police, sheriff or chapter of the Readlarrypowell.com Two-by-Four of Enlightenment Society To Encourage Proper Behavior Toward All Animals.
THE SPCA ADDS MORE THAN 400

Yep, happened Monday in Caldwell County near Lockhart. The SPCA teamed wtih the Caldwell County Sheriff to eize 421 “allegedly curelly confined animals.”
The SPCA says the count and the amount went this way: 150 feeder mice and rats, 86 snakes, 56 guinea pigs, 28 dogs, 26 rabbits, 15 goats, 9 doves, 8 skinks, 7 ferrets, 7 pigs, 6 pigeons, 4 geckos/lizards, 4 gerbils, 4 turtles, 3 bearded dragons, 2 ducks, 2 miniature pigs, 2 tortoises, 1 tarantula and 1 turkey.
That’s the living count -- “Dozens of deceased animals were also found,” the SPCA says.
That’s a photo from the building where the animals were found. There are more HERE. 
The custody hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Monday in the 421st District Court of Judge Chris Schneider -- Caldwell County Justice Center, 1703 S. Colorado St., in Lockhart.

To help the SPCA pay for the upkeep and vet needs of these animals, go to www.spca.org/helptheanimals.
 
A 14-DOLLAR REMINDER

Just a few days left in the Dallas Animal Service’s February adoption special.
And here are some of the dogs that are available for 14 lousy bucks. That’s all you need to save their lives. Look at their beautiful faces!
Here’s the story from the DAS Facebook page:

“Did you know all DAS adoptable pets are spayed/neutered, vaccinated and microchipped before leaving the building?
“These procedures could cost you hundreds of dollars, but you get them all for the cost of an adoption fee, which during the month of February, is just $14!
“Adoption not only saves a life, it's affordable too!”
That show-quality Colliesque face belongs to Siamone (A0981419). Rudy (A0980265) is the brown and white dog and that wonderful character-actor face belongs to A0981112, know to the shelter a Mary.

 

 

SUCCESS OUT BY THE LAKE
We got a note from the reliable voice of the Friends of the Animal at Cedar Creek Lake that had a succinct note: “February vaccination clinic -- SUCCESS!”

These two folks? Sydney’s note read, “Pam Jenkins and Stacey Dowd checked in all the animals at February's Saturday vaccination clinic on the 11th. NEXT ONE UP:  Saturday March 11   10-noon   Friends clinic in Gun Barrel City.”

Follow the Friends on FACEBOOK.

This success comes as no surprise to those of us who recognize that the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake operate, so to speak, the world's most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas.

CONTEMPLATIONS:
First, before we get to any other contemplations, I have a food question. I grew up in Texarkana, Texas, in what is absolutely a “southern dining region” and, yet, I never heard of “chicken and waffles” and people claiming it's a southern dish until the 21st century. Am I alone in this? We’ll accept answers at [email protected] ... How important are pancakes in your life? Once a day? On Saturdays? The afternoon after a rip-roaring party? Have to be in the afternoon -- after party like that, nobody gets up in the morning for big slabs of flour doctored with butter and syrup, right? ... You probably saw the story about the dog that ate the heroin while the two humans who had him were inside a store swapping price tags. That’s him, thanks to the Carrollton Police Facebook page. Here are two version’s of the story: Fox4 and CBS11. No one reports whether the dog was already neutered. Not that I’d try the “traumatized by the neutering of my dog defense” to get these two people off of any criminal charges. Not even sure that is a defense. We’re still waiting for the Texas Legislature to approve the Readlarrypowell.com Two-by-Four of Enlightenment as a corrective tool in idiotic criminal matters.
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SAVING, FAWSTERING, FLYING, FACEBOOKING

EDITION OF TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2017 (PetPowellPress) Rough weekend. We did our taxes. Signed the form, shoved it and a back-breaking, demoralizing check into an envelope and I got into the car to make the solitary, solemn drive to the post office to avoid the shared misery at home.
Doing the taxes will kill the happy mood on a three-day weekend. 
I tossed the envelope into the passenger seat, started the engine, hit the “on” button on my radio and the song that was playing was If I Were A Rich Man.
How’s that for irony. I still don’t know how the government pulled off that insult. OK, let’s do some animal work. Yeah, it’s free. I couldn’t afford it if I got paid to do this writing.
THE MOST ILL-AT-EASE SHELTER DOG IN DENTON?
Maybe. He’s been there a while.
We wrote about him last week after Amy Poskey, who monitors the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter, told us about him. He’s a young Shepherd-mix stray found somewhere in Denton County. Now he’s ID 67723 and waiting for what may be a lousy, fatal development in Denton.
Amy wrote, “Norman and I don’t understand why nobody has offered to take him home, cover him with love, make him feel safe, and spoil him rotten.  Poor baby is still scared at the shelter and really needs to be in a home with someone who believes in him and will love him furever and always!  I don’t think that’s too much to ask and Norman says you won’t regret it.  PLEASE give Norman the chance he deserves and more!”

Email these addresses to save Norman:  [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]
Sad photo, isn’t it.
A NOTE ABOUT FAWSTER DAWG
FIRST RESPONDERS LAUNCH
Here’s the inspiration -- I got it from a paragraph Stephanie Timko sent me about the
Fawster DAWG First Responders Launch Party.
She wrote: 
“Our goal is 1,000 fosters in 2017. It’s a big goal but, when DAS is bringing in 111 dogs in a one day and we haven’t even hit puppy season yet----we need every single foster we can get.”

The “launch” is a reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at The Tower Club. Info is on that artwork. Click on it to make it expand. RSVP to [email protected] You can also email questions to her. Maybe you’ll want to help this thing grow in order to help First Responders save some critter lives, too.

And, in case you’re wondering a dog to adopt or a dog who might wind up in foster or who might get the needle when neither happens, this is Spice (A0979424), a Chow mix.
I spotted Spice, and Kimberly Jones, the noted animal advocate spotted “Pit Bull Terrier” #A0980962.

A DAS volunteer reported, "Sad blue girl with the hair loss. She is camera shy and my camera scared her so I didn't take many pix of her.  When I put it away, she showed herself to be a scared submissive in her kennel.  The hair loss to me looks consistent with scratching at pesky fleas since its on her flank."

 

And what will happen to 3-year-old American Bulldog (?) Violet, A0981021? People who know her describe her as “adorable.”
[LARRY ASIDE: She looks terrified and uncertain to me. No animal should feel that way. Only humans can end that happily.]

 

If you go to dallasanimalservices.org and scroll through the animals -- five pages Monday night (including some cats and a rabbit) -- you’ll see a lot of big ol’ black dogs, brown dogs, white dogs with colorful accents, etc. These are what we used to call “mutts” before they became so unwanted in the world. They are a product of human stupidity -- people don’t spay and neuter their animals or control them, the animals breed and they produce litters and litters of animals born just to be killed.
So, hail to anyone who works to save these lives.

 

 

CONTEMPLATIONS: Something for your calendar and some Facebook notes -- and a little music, too.

We saw two very different notes on Facebook Monday, but, you know, they both deserve to have some public availability. They’ll make you think. Bless Cheri White. She posted: “I hate liars. This lady ran into me this morning in the pouring rain. I tried to be polite and move out of traffic. Lesson learned. I didn’t take pictures before we moved and she is claiming I hit her. I called the police and they were no help because there were no witnesses. People so suck!” Rotten. Double rotten. If a witness doesn’t come forward, perhaps karma will. ... Last fall we posted Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap profile of David Maldonado and his great dog Harley May Quinn, a dog who was “radiating happiness.” Yep, someone is becoming very influential, apparently. Over the weekend, David Facebooked, “I know I’m slowly converting my mom into an animal person when she gives me a bag of dog food for the strays I feed.”  Thank you, Mom! You are an inspiration to us all. ... And, in case any of you are unfamiliar with Fiddler on the Roof, you can hear If I Were A Rich Man by clicking on this LINK to hear it performed by the great Dwight Yoakam -- wait, sorry, it’s by the great Topol.
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ENJOY THE HOLIDAY; LOVE THE ANIMALS

EDITION OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2017 (PetPowellPress) -- According to our unimpeachable sources at Holiday Insights, February 20 is a day with four holidays.
We’re turning this into multiple choice situation.

Which of these are actual traceable holidays:

(A) Cherry Pie Day

(B) Hoodie-Hoo Day

(C) Love Your Pet Day

(D) President’s Day.


Everybody probably got D right. Especially if, as readlarrypowell.com is doing, you’re taking the day off.
Selection A looks promising. After all, George Washington, the cherry tree, I cannot tell a lie, etc., are pounded into American kids’ brains, right? But, while it’s declared on Holiday Insights, it’s not official.
Selection C is every day. That’s why I’ve used this photo of Porche Noel to illustrate today’s edition. She has the back of our new couch, I’m taking the seating area. Monday is nap time for us both.
We rarely take a holiday, but this time we’re enjoying one. Why should we be different from the post office, the FBI, the White House or any other recipient of tax dollars?
So, yes, Selection B, Hoodie-Hoo Day, actually has a sponsor.
Declared by the folks at wellcat.com, it is the day in winter when “people go out at noon, wave their hands over their heads and chant ‘Hoodie-Hoo’ in order to chase away winter blahs and bring in spring.”
No comment from Punxatawney Phil, though it is unlikely that a Groundhog will ever be caught chanting “Hoodie-Hoo,” whatever that is.
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THE DISTANCE BETWEEN AWAKE & SLEEP -- ALL DEPENDS ON THE BOY AND THE DOG...

This weekend we’re looking inside a Fort Worth family home to find a snoozer to spotlight in readlarrypowell.com’s weekly, long-running feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
Here’s the confession: That is our granddog Bixby and his boy -- what’s his name? Let me check. Oh, yeah, Connor, known in the family as “Crash.” Bixby is, my son Bart tells me, a Chocolate Lab/Weimeraner mix.
You could call this opening before-and-after sequence of photos “A Boy and His Dog,” but, really it’s closer to “A Dog and His Boy.”
Our daughter-in-law Erinn says the mutual admiration society is a marvel to behold.
This collection of photographs demonstrates that Bixby is a “Family Dog.” What an honorable title! I’m surprised Queen Elizabeth hasn’t figured out a way to honor Sir or Lady Family Dogs. Bixby would surely be flying to London for his Sir Family Dog of The Colonies installation.
There’s also a travel photo with a good close-up of Bixby and, in the background, one of our two delightful granddaughters. That one is the tennis star Emily Grace, who also is, depending on whether you are in England or the U.S., a flautist or flutist. The young lady in the photo with Bixby starring over the backseat into the camera is big sis/musician Hannah Rose, the family’s only bass clarinetist and ukelele player.
Connor? Plays trombone and piano.
They’re all musicians -- and Bixby conducts with his tail and his expressions. I’m kidding.
My son Bart (guitar, piano, pinball machine) helped the kids find Bixby. He was in the custody of Fort Worth Animal Care and Control at a facility at 6708 S. Hulen in Fort Worth. It has since evolved into Animal Hope Adoptions and Bart wants to give the place a plug because it works to help animals find homes.
As you consider how you got your dog or cat and how you might get a dog or cat, here’s the story on Bixby. Bart says Bixby was from Forney but somehow wound up in the Fort Worth facility. He also was chipped, but when the shelter folks called the number on his chip, “the folks in Forney said, ‘We don’t want him back’,” Bart said and added happily, “So WE GOT HIM!”
Family dog. Everybody in the family loves him. He loves everybody. Even the grandparents.
Looking at these family photos of Bixby, I see a bit of a Norman Rockwell tone to the artwork. I think that might be because, to me, the first thing you see when you look at them is heart.


In fact, that’s been a constant factor through the years since we debuted Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap on May 14, 2005. Someone with heart takes a photo of a member of the family with heart. All the animals deserve to live with some human whose heart is desperately trying to match the power of that animal’s loving heart. 
Today is a good day to hug a Bixby. A litter of kittens. A handful of Chihuahuas. An armload of whatever we have laying around the house waiting for staff to summon them for a snack or a meal.

Because we don’t want to miss an opportunity to promote adoptions, we’re citing one of the Animal Hope cats, that’s Chloe, and a litter of Chihuahuas. Click on this LINK to see those Chihuahuas considering their breakfast -- some stayed home in their bed rather than travel the 4 feet to the food dish. Check out Animal Hope Adoptions both on a website and on a Facebook page. 

 

[Please send us your slumbering dog or napping cat photos for inclusion in our weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. We’ll post photos of any critter -- canine, feline, equine, bovine, in-lawine -- that might have nodded off in the safety of a home, barn or pasture, maybe on a telephone line, a tree branch, a bench in a city park. Send the photos and info to [email protected] We’re especially interested in helping the planet’s insomniacs understand that they, too, can sleep. Bless their hearts and if someone can snap a photo of a sleeping insomniac, we’ll proudly post that, too. What ARE the odds!]
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