STILL HELPING PETROPOLITAN DOGS; A COOP TOUR'S COMING; SAVING ANIMALS; DOING LAUNDRY; CONTEMPLATING A MENSA MOMENT

EDITION OF MONDAY APRIL 30 [PetPowellPress] Before we get to the chickens, cats, dogs and laundry, we’ll remind you that The Petropolitan is trying to place a half-dozen Dallas dogs before it closes -- see details in Contemplations. Now, let's address the last day of April. Some of you will find American irony in the fact that, according to Holiday Insights, April 30 is both National Honesty Day and Hairstyle Appreciation Day.
Perhaps we should also mention right now that April 30-May14, Operation Kindness is running a big dog adoption special. More on that in a moment. 

Who is that cat? That is Bono (A1027638) at Dallas Animal Services, “neutered male, brown tabby Domestic Shorthair” who may be about 7 months old and who has now spent 10 days in the city’s shelter. The number to call for Bono is the PetSmart Everyday Adoption Center 972-381-1588, ext. 5. See more Dallas cats and dogs at dallasanimalservices.org. Adopt and rescue and you’ll be lowering the euthanasia rate.
One more question: Let’s say you’ve decided to snack on Animal Crackers that you usually give to the dogs as treats. Should a hefty man feel that it’s a sign when the first animal he picks out of the bag is a hippo? There’s a horse, a bear, a buffalo and a cat. Where’s the hippo? I told you, it was first out of the bag -- the cat was second.

FEELING COOPED UP AFTER WINTER?
HERE’S A CHANCE TO TOUR COOPS!
This is a family-oriented event -- the 9th year of A Peep at the Coops, i.e., the Urban Chicken Coops Tour and Country Market. It’s from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 6. Tickets are $10 a person -- kids under 12 are free. Go to apeepatthecoops.org.
According to the website, this event “raises scratch for Moss Haven Farm, the educational facility at 9202 Moss Farm Lane in Dallas.” The farm is part of the curriculum at the Richardson Independent School District’s Moss Haven Elementary School.

The farm is the starting place of the tour which will take chicken and coop fans on a tour of seven local coops including this one in the photo -- with close examination you’ll see that it has a rainwater-capture system that keeps the chickens happy. The name of this coop, created by some former Austin residents, is, according to the event news release, “Keep Austin Weird” and its theme is “Keep Chickens Weird.”
 At the event, there’ll be “chicken talks” by vets from Summertree Bird and Animal Clinic and experts from the Trinity Haymarket. There’ll also be food and drink, performances by the Lake Highlands High School Wranglers, choirs, bands and other things, including handmade items from local artisans. And you can buy rattle tickets for a mobile coop from Urban Chicken.

And, yes, there will be chickens -- they live in the coops. Yes, that’s a Keep Austin Weird chicken posing in front of the communal dust bath at the coop.
FYI: At Moss Haven school, all of the more than 400 K through 6th grade students visit the farm weekly for lessons about chickens, eggs and, according to the news release, “to cultivate a respect for the earth and the food growth process--including eggs.”
  
LET’S TALK CATS AND LAUNDRY
FROM OUT AT THE LAKE
How about that photo! Anybody else ever seen a momma cat with kittens wondering what’s going to happen next?
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That’s the case in Tool, on the edge of Cedar Creek Lake, The note about this came from Sydney Busch, reliable tipster from the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake. She wrote, “I need someone in Tool familiar with trapping cats/handling kittens to help with this situation... We think there are 3 kittens here - maybe 3 weeks old??  Mother cat is still around...In about 3 weeks, kittens should be old enough to capture and be on their own....Need someone to trap the mother cat (we have traps of course) and bring her to be spayed/vaccinated. Need someone to capture/socialize these adorable kittens to go to rescue for adoption. HELP!” Email [email protected].

AS YOU KNOW, Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake operates the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City (also on the edge of the lake).
  On Tuesdays, volunteers help carry the load for “surgery day.” And some of those loads are laundry. Sydney says the Friends need volunteers to help with laundry on May 1 (2 p.m.-5:30 p.m.), May 8 (8 a.m.-2 p.m.), May 15 (2 p.m.-5 p.m.), May 22 (8 a.m.-2 p.m.) and May 29 (2 p.m.-5:30 p.m.). (Email [email protected] to volunteer.) [LARRY ASIDE: I am available to iron the cat smocks and dog scrubs, though getting sharp creases in four legs is a challenge. I’ll have to use spray starch and a steam iron.]

ONE JUMPED BACK,
ONE BARKED AT CATS

These two are among the many available at the Mesquite Animal Services Shelter, according to the volunteer shelter observer Judi Brown.
Bella (right), a year-old, 65-pound Shepherd mix “jumped back” when, during a shelter tour “a cat in the cat room hissed at her.” On the other hand, Keela, an under-two, 53-pound Yellow Lab mix, was touring the shelter and she “barked at the cats.” [LARRY ASIDE: Anybody who knows dogs and cats knows that those two behaviors mean almost nothing when it comes to having a dog and a cat in your home -- they nearly always become best friends or at least tolerate each other well! If they can tolerate humans, they can tolerate each other.]

So, Bella (38417507) was dumped on April 17 “because she was unwanted,” Judi’s note read. There’s more. Judi wrote, “Her eyes are almost golden matching her coat, and her ears stick out to the side. As attractive and as personable as she is I cannot understand why she would not be wanted.” House-broken, loves kids, was inside-outside and “wants to give you bar hugs” and is “sweet and loving.”
Keela (38390978), 53 pounds, arrived as a stray on April 25. “She’s a sweet girl with a moderate activity level. She is alert and likes to explore. She is friendly and will come to you if you give her time to check out her surroundings first. After she explored, she remained close by. She would put her head on my lap, and she gave me kisses. She is highly motivated by treats so she should be easy to train.” 

There is a healthy inventory of dogs and cats at the Mesquite shelter. For these two, call 972–216–6283 or email [email protected]. Use their ID numbers.

OPERATION KINDNESS’ DOGS
INSPIRE A SPECIAL 50-POUND DEAL!
These two dogs, Mona and Fort, have inspired Operation Kindness to offer a “special” from April 30 through May 14 for big dogs -- its called the “$50 for 50 Promotion”.  

Mona, an 8-year-old Pittie mix, and Fort, a 7-year-old Aussie/Border Collie mix, are both beyond the 50-pound mark. 
But they’ve also got dramatic stories and, yes, that’s what makes them inspirational. 
They had, OK says, “a rough start in rural Texas...Mona suffered from several masses on her chest, abdomen and inner thigh, an umbilical hernia and a host of dental issues. Fort was born with a deformed front leg that greatly impeded his mobility.
“A month ago both dogs were rescued and brought into Operation Kindness. After assessment by the medical team at Operation Kindness, the masses were removed from Mona’s body, along with the necessary dental corrections and the useless limb was removed from Fort.”

Adopt these dogs or any other 50-plus dog and OK adopters “get the option of a $50 discount off their adoption fee or a ‘take me home’ kit.” That includes “a premium dog bed, a 3-lb. bag of Muenster dog food, shampoo, and a 25% discounted coupon at Pet Supplies Plus.”
Again, click HERE or stop by the Operation Kindness shelter in Carrollton.

CONTEMPLATIONS:
THE PETROPOLITAN'S DOGS IN NEED; HONESTY DAY & A MENSA QUESTION

This is a heartfelt plea for a bunch of dogs currently in the care of the folks at The Petropolitan, closing its doors after a dozen years. They're currently trying to find places for several genuine Dallas community dogs that wound up in their care. We first mentioned the need for this help last week when we wrote about Chris Watt’s touching farewell for The Petropolitan. Now, The Petropolitan's Todd Fisher has posted a Facebook note about the six dogs that “need homes by Friday.” There has been little response to the appeal to help the dogs. You can see them HERE ON FACEBOOK. We’re just posting one photo, but the others are at that link. There surely is room in the metrosprawl to place just six dogs. Start with Duke, described as an “American Bulldog. About 6 years old, male, loves everyone, gets along with some other fosters.” “They are all wonderful pups,” Chris says. His email is [email protected]. Email Todd at [email protected]. Use this email, too: [email protected]. These "community dogs" didn’t go to a shelter; it seems proper that keeping them safe and out of shelters is a “community project.” ...

In the opening segment of this edition we mentioned National Honesty Day. It was created by an author, M. Hirsh Goldberg, former press secretary to Maryland’s governor. He is author of The Book of Lies. Yep, National Honesty Day. ...

Sunday afternoon, my funspouse Martha and I were in the same room working on different computers while, in the background, we listened to the entertaining Geena Davis/Samuel L. Jackson film, The Long Kiss Goodnight. We wondered why Geena Davis, star of many great films, hasn’t made more movies and for no particular reason Martha announced, “You know she’s in MENSA.” There was a pause and I replied wisely, “You could be in MENSA.” “I doubt it,” said my brilliantspouse Martha. I asked, “You think marrying me would count against you?” And she did not respond. She is a very kind person.
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