EDITION OF TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017 (PetPowellPress) -- We learned about this good deed from longtime animalfan Muriel Parker. She’s also a fan of her son, Steve, and her new daughter-in-law Nina -- they wed on September 23.
And to demonstrate how aligned the newlyweds are, here’s a dog rescue story.
Muriel sent this with her comments merged with Nina’s explanation:
“Nina spotted this sweet girl in the wooded area behind the Big Lots off 15th St in Plano. Whoever abandoned her there left a big plastic tub, presumably housing her 7 pups, and a pile of kibble just poured on the ground. She was running around sniffing frantically, which we later came to realize was her trying to pick up the scent of her missing pups. She ran right up to Nina, ribs showing and stinking to high heaven.
“Nina said, ‘She was frightened of me at first and acted like she thought I was going to hit her. It broke my heart but soon we were fast friends, for I am the Animal Whisperer! (Joking, but animals do seem to trust me, instinctively.) We phoned Plano Animal Services and arranged to drop her off there.
'When we arrived, the woman in line ahead of us happened to mention 7 puppies she'd just brought in. ‘What kind?’ we asked. ‘Pit mix,’ she replied - same as our mama dog!
“ ‘Where did you find them?’ She replied, ‘Behind the Big Lots.’
“Mama and pups brought to the same place within minutes of each other! What are the odds?! That, my friends, was no coincidence. With tears in our eyes, we said our goodbyes and left her in the caring hands of the PAS. We're hoping that this story has a happy ending for her and all her pups and plan to keep tabs on that sweet mama to make sure she finds a good home, one way or another.”
Muriel says the shelter vet thinks the pups are 7 to 8 weeks old “and should be weaned to allow mommy to regain some weight and health. Three of the pups were smaller than the others, so he said he would put them with her for a bit to calm her fears. He said none of them would have lasted much longer if they hadn’t been rescued, especially with the cold weather we’ve having and more coming.”
Muriel says that “the woman who brought the puppies in just minutes before Steve and Nina came with the mommy said she didn’t see the mommy or she would have brought them all.”
And, we’ve saved this line for last because so many of you will share the emotion behind what Muriel Parker wrote: “Whoever dumped them deserves that special place in hell for animal abusers. Sadly, it seems like it’s gonna be crowded down there.”
[Contact Plano Animal Services to offer to help a Mom and her puppies survive the fate that may arise from having been dumped by some irresponsible human. Here’s the LINK. I’m sure rescue groups (nobody’s crowded, right?) have contacts at Plano Animal Services and can tag this family and get it to safety. We’ll try to monitor. Hope we get family photos at some point.]
FROM BURNS FLAT
Honestly, it is amazing how similar the animal problems are in Burns Flat and North Texas. And they all begin with this one common fact: There are humans who do not care. The good thing is, there are humans who DO care. Last week we wrote about Terry Lynn Fisher, the Burns Flat symbol of rescue, who was going to a nearby city to try to rescue a little dog with an unattended broken leg. Terry Lynn got the dog into a vet’s office and “he is doing OK. Much longer and that infection could have been deadly.”
In the meantime, this dog Doobie is waiting for some help -- nothing’s broken, he’s simply heartworm positive. “He had been at the Sentinel, Okla., pound for months. We have worked wonders with him,” says Terry Lynn.
A rescue group took him and Doobie’s heartworm condition was discovered during the physical Terry Lynn says the vet asked the rescue person “if she wanted him put down. I could not stand the thought of him being put down, so I had him taken to my vet.”
The treatment and boarding for three months has passed the $2,000 mark. So, Terry Lynn and Doobie need some quick help. Email her at [email protected]. “The thought of having to let him go after all we have done to save him and get him healthy is heartbreaking...He is a wonderful dog and very friendly. ... I now everyone is full but ... I am drowning here and need a place for some to go.”
Yep, there are more dogs needing homes in Burns Flat. Terry Lynn’s heart is much larger than the bankbook. She’s also trying to winterize the pound -- Burns Flat trusts her to take care of the animals. Email her at the same address: [email protected].
AND IN DENTON...SEVEN WAITING
Amy Poskey, our tipster for animal needs at the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter, reports that there are seven dogs she’s desperate to save. “I’m not giving up on these babies and I hope you won’t, either. If seven rescues would be willing to save just one pooch each then we could save them all! ... All of these angels are fully vetted and ready for their miracle of finding love!
“If anyone can save any of these love sponges, please contact me (Amy at [email protected]) , Gayla Nelsen (kennel supervisor) at [email protected] and/or Paul O’Neill (shelter manager) at paul.o’[email protected].
These dogs are (top row) Mrs. Doubtfire (59872), Romeo (72639) and Chase (71599). Bottom row dogs are Rhett (71598), Meadow (72010) and Cactus Jack (72171). The dog on the left is the fascinating Romulus (72125).
They’re all adoptable, not just taggable by rescue. Fees are $30 -- a bargain at twice the price.
[LARRY ASIDE: And, again, we ask the questions: WHY ARE SO DARNED MANY GREAT DOGS ON DEATH ROW IN A CITY SHELTER? WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?]
CONTEMPLATIONS: Sorry about that photo line-up -- I'm a failed graphic artist, but it is an appropriately scary layout for the day, right? Halloween is the anniversary of the year in the 1950s in the basement of Texarkana's Highland Park Elementary School that I took on the greatest role of my acting career -- I portrayed The Wild Man of Borneo, my vivid presentation terrifying kids in the first, second and third grades. I don’t think 4th graders and above fell for it. ... Did you see the story about price-gouging at gasoline stations in Texas in the aftermath of Harvey’s landfall? Well, I swan, I cannot believe that there would be dastardly people preying on those who are suffering. So, what can a person do to teach those retailers a lesson? We’ve got to depend on the AG to do the public spanking. Names will make news, don’t you think? ... I’m going to repeat a paragraph from an earlier story in today’s edition because, in discussing the momma dog and her dumped puppies, I think Muriel Parker hit the ol’ nail on the head: “Whoever dumped them deserves that special place in hell for animal abusers. Sadly, it seems like it’s gonna be crowded down there.” Can we get an “Amen!”? And, of course, some prayers for changes in the hearts of people who dump animals and hurt kids, teens and adults. Geez, what is the matter with those people?
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