EDITION OF MONDAY, JANUARY 29, 2018 (PetPowellPress) You'll read about that protective new mommy in a minute. We’ve got a lengthy Monday edition to open the week. I tried to write it short, but, then stuff just kept arriving that needs the attention of people with good hearts. And that, Dear Readers, is every one of you. FYI: Make a note that you'll need to read Tuesday's edition to get the goat/rattlesnake idea.
Now, here's Monday's report. There are animals in shelters that need saving, and then there's a conference that may help save animals BEFORE they get dumped or abused and seized by authorities.
SPEAKING OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR
In these unpleasantly violent times of murders and assaults, there may be some hope. The North Texas LINK Coalition’s 2018 conference “Breaking the Cycles of Violence” is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 9, at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Richardson. Register and learn more at www. spca.org/w018linkconference.
The event is co-hosted by the SPCA and the North Texas link Coalition. The Texas Humane Legislation Network is a sponsor. Here’s the LINK link.
And, SPCA President James Bias says, “There is a proven link between violence toward animals and violence toward humans, and sadly the North Texas area does see extreme cases of animal cruelty. Thanks to research by the National Link Coalition and others, it is now widely recognized that mistreatment of animals is often a warning sign that other family members in the household may not be safe.”
OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD:
HOW DOES THIS STUFF HAPPEN?
This appeal about a situation in Burleson, south of Fort Worth, is making the rounds -- maybe someone reading can help save “puppies, a momma, a daddy and a young male sibling from a prior litter.”
The contact is Loretta at lpwidmann@verizon.net .
Here’s the story from Loretta: “I was in Burleson and there are 7 pups about 2 1/2 months old, a mama dog, daddy dog and a young male dog (mama’s dog from prior litter) that are free roaming. The neighbor has just abandoned them and a Good Samaritan is feeding them, giving them water but she has a lot on her plate with personal family issues and can’t continue to do so — nor is it a good solution. The pups are full of fleas, are at risk of getting run over or injured by cars, have gone missing—possibly by larger
animals, etc. The cycle of pregnancy for mama is endless, as this reportedly her third in last two years. Dogs are friendly, slightly skittish but will come up to you to be pet. They are accustomed to being given food by that Good Samaritan.”
The dogs are out of the Burleson City Limits and, Loretta writes, that the county doesn’t have a program for saving such animals. (The photos are of some of the pups (4 in a dog pile!), brown dog mom and black and white daddy.)
PUBLIC RESPONSE NEARLY NON-EXISTENT
TO APPEALS FROM RED OAK AND WILMER
Two little shelters with no foot traffic exist in two small towns south of Dallas, Red Oak and Wilmer.
No foot traffic doesn’t mean no “paw traffic.” These two shelters have been staying at the “full” level -- dogs and cats. And Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden have been working to help the staffers get the animals to safety for some time now. Sometimes it works. Right now it’s not working, even though these appeals are being forwarded to inboxes all over the region.
The contact for both shelters is Laura Macias. She’s at cat_girl_71@yahoo.com or CALL or TEXT 214-949-2726.
RED OAK ADOPTABLES: This isn’t all of them, but we’ll highlight three of ‘em.
That Red Oak dog with the "curious look" (left) is Claire, an 8-month-old female heeler mix who is house-trained. Here\ bio says she’s smart, too. She was a stray who “followed some children home but they could not keep her.” [LARRY ASIDE: We’ve had a heeler mix for years. They have a tendency to need a herding job, hence it’s no surprise this girl “followed” children home -- they thought she was following, but really was safely herding them, I’ll bet. Wonderful companion animals.]
And here’s a Red Oak cat, Zane, a male Lynx Point, they say. He’s sweet, cuddly and has “the biggest, prettiest blue eyes. The writer of his bio describes him as “the cat’s meow -- a mew de amore.”
That “Staffordshire Terrier or mix” rushing the camera is Joey, about half-a-year-old. He wandered up to a house and was delivered to the shelter. He’s “actually grinning and running,” his bio says. He also has an eye problem that needs medical attention. [LARRY ASIDE: I used both his photos so you can see that his ears look as if some bleephole (pardon my presidential slip) decided to trim them with pinking shears. I’m glad he’s not at that house any more, but I sure do hope some good hear gives him a lifetime home with plenty of petting and “Good boys!”]
MEANWHILE IN WILMER
Here are two of many in the Wilmer shelter.
We’ve pitched Kody before. His bio describes him as “just the best boy ever. Such a great dog. Really cute with big, pretty brown eyes. Very friendly, very loving, very sweet.” About 50 pounds. “Sadly sweet Kody has an owner that chose to not come pick him up.” He’s been at the shelter second-longest and that moves him toward the front of the needle line.
Then there’s Braiden, “just as cute and as completely lovable as can be.” He may be a Pointer mix or he could just be someone’s best friend.
AGAIN, THE WILMER/RED OAK CONTACT IS Laura Macias. She’s at cat_girl_71@yahoo.com or CALL or TEXT 214-949-2726.
[LARRY ASIDE: Note to Red Oak and Wilmer residents. Based on years of observation, we’re starting to think some of you people are behaving just like Dallas residents. Dump the animals and move on without a hint of a conscience. Sorry to insult you, but maybe that’ll get three towns thinking about personal behavior.]
ONE FROM WILMER MATCHES
ANOTHER ONE FROM MESQUITE
I was going through notes from Leighann Hayden about Red Oak and Wilmer and from Judi Brown about Mesquite when I spotted these two dogs. How about those faces! That dog on the left is waiting in Wilmer. She's Abby, described as a young female Aussie Shepherd mix and “the sweetest of the sweet -- just the cutest best girl." (Ask about her through Laura’s info at cat_girl_71@yahoo.com or CALL or TEXT 214-949-2726.
.]
That dog on the right (above and here) is Pete, described as a year-old Rottweiller/hound mix. Our volunteer Mesquite shelter tipster Judy Brown’s note says, “He has the coloring and face of a Rottweiler but the body of a hound. This combination is very adorable! I call him a squatty Rottie! Pete is very friendly. He gets so excited whenever anyone pays attention to him. He is frisky, fun loving, and playful.” Call the Mesquite shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com and use Pete’s ID number: ID 37491866 to ensure proper tagging.
[LARRY ASIDE: If we had room, I’d adopt both of them just to show them off. I’m the father of twins, you know. Identical? One’s lefthanded, the other isn’t. They’re as much fun as a couple of pups, too.]
THE DENTON CRISIS
Yeah, shelters north of Dallas gather ‘em up, too. Maybe this “Dump the Animals Syndrome” is epidemic in North Texas. We’ve certainly seen the evidence.
And Amy Poskey’s latest email referred to “12 pooches” nearing the needle in the university town, Denton.
She also sent a “special plea for Buckeye,” describing him as a “must save!” and writing, "He is an absolute LOVE and would melt into your soul if he could! He is just so sweet, submissive, and LOVES attention! Oh my gosh, look at that face begging for love!!!”
In a late Sunday afternoon email, Amy wrote that there are “$200 in donations to the reputable 501c3 rescue who saves Buckeye.” He’s also adoptable, but “he is currently in ISO with kennel cough and the shelter is overflowing so he is at risk. Kennel cough is easy to treat and Buckeye will be good as new in a matter of days, so PLEASE save him before it’s too late!”
He’s may be 5, he may be 8, but he is a young-acting German Shepherd mix who is healthy, house-trained, and dog- and people-friendly at 72 pounds.
Email gayla.nelsen@cityofdenton.com, paul.o’neill@cityofdenton.com, dentonshelterdogs@yahoo.com, and/or dentonanimalservices@yahoo.com. Call the shelter at 940-349-7594.
Oh, and use those Denton shelter contacts (above) to help Mama and her seven under-a-week-old puppies. Amy says Mama is being “very protective of her puppies.” She also says, “As we all know, the shelter environment is not the best place for this little family so we’re hoping a rescue group can give them a loving home. (You might also email Amy at dale.amyposkey@verizon.net to get involved with helping her help the Denton mission of saving animal.)
[LARRY ASIDE: OK, maybe I’m hyperemotional these days, but when I see a mother dog like this one and a load of unwanted puppies, I just feel like crying. How awful is this situation! Born just to be killed -- unless someone steps up. If I could shame the person who didn’t honorably take care of this female, I’d do it right here. But the reality is, if you don’t have a conscience, you can’t feel shame. Please, spay and neuter dogs and cats.]
MEANWHILE IN OKLAHOMA:
SHOOT THIS DOG???
The note from Terry Lynn Fisher, our longtime tipster in far western Oklahoma begins --- and you rescuers outside of the Sooner State have probably said this yourselves -- “It just never ends.”
Here’s the deal, “Transporting six babies to rescue ... my phone starts going off like crazy. I pull over and this is what’s sent to me.
“This girl is about a year old. She has been hanging around two country houses. Their answer? Shoot her.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Yes, the ol’ Texas theory of animal management: “Got an animal problem, let’s kill it.” We see it in shelters, on the streets and in dumping areas. But back to this Oklahoma dog.]
Terry Lynn writes, “She is so hungry. Tired. Cold. Coyotes are so bad this year, I’m surprised she hasn’t been killed by them. She weighs 26 pounds. She is a sweetheart and just wants love... and food.
“So, I do what I have to.\ I have her picked up and taken to my vet. I know... I’m stupid... I’m poor... I’m swamped... I don’t need another dog to worry about...
"But saving these innocent babies others throw away isn’t what I do -- it’s who I am.”
To help Terry Lynn by sponsoring or rescuing this girl or any other animals in her care email her at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com or call her at 580-330-1459.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Can we be this close to the end of January already? ... How about that Super Bowl! Oh, sorry. Wrong weekend. It wasn’t yesterday, it’s this upcoming Sunday. Good luck to the Dallas Cowboys! Oh, wait. They started their off-season around a month ago. ... Just FYI: As of this point in the week, readlarrypowell.com does not anticipate presenting a response to the State of the Union message unless somebody brings up a bill to make dogs and cats an income tax deduction. Now and then I daydream.
--- To comment, grip your TimelyMouse and click your comments below. ---
