EDITION OF THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018 (PetPowellPress) -- Dallas changes more than any city in America -- anybody want to argue that? Read on about a change. And read on about animals, people and the State Fair of Texas connection to Gene Autry, The Singing Cowboy. Here goes:
THE PETROPOLITAN CLOSING;
SEVERAL DOGS NEED HOMES
We’ve written about Chris Watts many times. That's a Facebook profile photo of Chris and a pal. Chris is a local businessman, friend to animals -- you’ve heard of The Petropolitan at Emmett and Hampton in Oak Cliff. Chris also devoted a lot of his time to serving on the City of Dallas 
Animal Advisory Commission in a particularly rough and evolving era of Dallas Animal Services.
In a note on Facebook Wednesday, Chris wrote that after 12 years serving The Petropolitan’s animal consumers and their humans, it is time to close. May 5 is the last day. He wrote, “We also hope that every one of you will come by to say goodbye before we leave.”
“Leave” means leaving Dallas for “new endeavors.”
Before he goes, though, he writes, “We have several fosters that have been brought to us from the community rather than going to DAS. We have to find a place for all of them by 5/4. If they are not in other rescues hands by then, our landlord is calling DAS to collect them all.”
So, to help place these “community dogs,” text Chris at 214-282-4612. “They are all wonderful pups,” Chris says. His email is [email protected].
The official and sweet notice of the closing came in a note on Facebook HERE. You’ll have to scroll to find it -- I can't figure out directions on Facebook, so, good luck!
DALLAS ANIMAL COMMISSION
HAS TWO MEETINGS SET
Two Animal Advisory Commission meetings coming up. On Tuesday, May 1, the commission’s Dangerous Dog Taskforce meets at 3:30 p.m. in Dallas City Hall’s L1FN Auditorium. Then, at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 10, the entire Commission meets in Room 6ESouth to hear a report on the taskforce’s findings.
[LARRY ASIDE: Does anyone know if DAS has discontinued it’s “daily reports”? Hasn’t been a new one about shelter activity since April 9, a look at dallasanimalservices.org showed Wednesday.]
TWO DOGS CAME TO RED OAK
AND THEIR STORIES DIVERGED
We’ve been following the efforts of Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden and the small shelter supporters to help these two dogs, Gunner and Marley.
As it has worked out this week, Gunner found safety and Marley, bless his heart, found relief.
Marley was the injured dog -- maybe an attack but who knows? He came into the Red Oak shelter with visible injuries. Immediately, people began to help him and he was taken in by NAC Foster Rescue.
Marley died after leaving the shelter. The note about his death reads, “This poor dog had just been thru complete hell and had a number of health issues. We believe he was in congestive heart failure due to being high heartworm positive. We want to thank everyone that contributed to his medical and the extremely generous donation made by someone to help a rescue group be able to pull. Especially thank his rescue and foster that showed him having someone love him unconditionally in this world was truly possible.”
Laura told Readlarrypowell.com that Marley "passed away on Monday anyway, but he was loved and cared for and in a better place! He was being cuddled when he passed away!"
As we were reporting on attempts to help Marley, we also wrote about this guy Gunner, a dog who’d been adopted from Dallas Animal services, then, when he was either dumped or “escaped,” rejected by his human and then placed in a kill shelter. He was at the top of the euthanasia list when, as Laura wrote, “Well, guess what! He got adopted! WOO HOO!”
There you have it.
There are plenty more dogs and cats waiting for rescue or adoption in the Red Oak and Wilmer shelters. Laura is the contact: Call or text her at 214-949-2726 or email [email protected].
AMONG THE MANY CHALLENGES:
CHARLIE'S PAW FUNGUS IN MESQUITE
This is Charlie, a German Shepherd who is around 3 years old -- he came into Mesquite Animal Services as a stray on April 16. Our tipster, Judi Brown, says Charlie “was adopted when the stray hold was up. He was promptly returned because he has a fungal infection on his back paws.”
Treatable. Treatable. Treatable.
Judi describes him as “one exceptional dog! He is very gentle and calm. He’s friendly and affectionate. He comes to you and lays his head on your lap. You can tell by the way he looks at you that he’s trying to read you. He wants to please. He’s alert and curious about his surroundings. He fetches and brings the ball back but doesn’t always want to part with it.”
And he’s already “fixed.” How about that. His ID is #38320111. Use that number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected] to tag or adopt Charlie the Exceptional Dog.
MEANWHILE, OUT AT THE LAKE
The Cedar Creek Lake Festival is from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday the 28th -- hey, that’s this 
Saturday ALREADY! -- at Cedar Creek Brewery in Seven Points. Our tipster Sydney Busch tells us her favorite group, Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, which operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic in Gun Barrel City, Texas, will have a table set up at the adoptions booth run by the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake. Visitors can quiz the Friends about spay/neuter and being a responsible pet owner. Lots of booths, lots of fun, lots of lakeside, etc. Maybe you can adopt a pointer in Seven Points. I think the city is named after an excited Pointer who spotted birds everywhere in a pasture and wore himself out with seven different poses. That could just be another Lone Star myth.
REMEMBER: STRUT YOUR MUTT
The SPCA’S annual Strut Your Mutt run and walk or walk and run (depends on you) for combating animal cruelty is scheduled from 7:30 am. to noon on Saturday May 12, at Trinity Groves at the base of the Margaret Hunt-Hill Bridge across the Trinity River from Downtown Dallas. To see how to get involved, click on this SPCA page. Cost is $35 for the 3K walk and $40 for the 5K run -- there are benefits, i.e., free food, beverages, a T-shirt, dog bandana, goody bag, congenial co-walkers and co-runners all supporting animals! Kids 11 and under are free -- but to get the free food and shirt, they have to register. FYI: The weather is supposed to be perfect and if there’s a downpour, think about the great story you’ll have to tell.
CONTEMPLATIONS:
The State Fair Scholarships; Gene Autry & a 'Snakebite'
It’s not State Fair time yet -- except that the State Fair of Texas has a habit of making positive news year-round. This time, we learn from the Karissa Condoianis, Big Tex’s PR person, that the State Fair has “awarded nearly $1.4 million dollars in new college scholarships to students throughout the Lone Start State.” More than 100 of those 
recipients are from the Dallas Independent School District. See the details at Big Tex's website HERE. FYI, you see here the Big Tex logo with dates and the 2018 State Fair theme. Don’t forget to go online to order your Fletcher’s State Fair Corny Dogs early -- I’m kidding. They're sold fresh at the Fair. One more note in case you missed it. In March the State Fair announced it is giving $4 million to the City of Dallas to help keep Fair Park the wondrous, historical place that it is. Here’s that story. ... Am I the only person who enjoys watching the 1936 Gene Autry movie The Big 
Show because it has scenes of the great State Fair of Texas during the Texas Cen- tenn- ial Expo- sition -- when all those Art Deco buildings were young and so was Gene Autry, the singing cowboy who became the owner of the Angels in California. The singer who made Rudolph, The Red-nosed Reindeer a classic, 
was born in Tioga, north of Dallas, in 1907. He had a lot of other hit songs, too. FYI: Among the other actors in that 1936 film was a young singer with the Sons of the Pioneers who’d later become the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers. Dallas -- where all important paths cross, sometimes on horseback. Those kids in 1936 had it easy -- the only had to learn to spell "Texas Centennial." Kids in 1986 had to learn to spell and say "Texas Sesquicentennial." ... Headlines you never expected to see? Spotted this one in The Big Paper Downtown’s online edition: “Wichita Falls man bit officer after claiming he was a snake, police say.” Why is that unexpected? I thought he’d be from Sweetwater.
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