COPING WITH WEATHER, SAVING ANIMALS & CONTEMPLATING HUMAN BEHAVIOR

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, JULY 24, 2018 [PetPowellPress] Here in North Texas we’ve been coping with a dry heat. Ultra dry, ultra heat. How do we handle it? Poorly. It affects the mind -- in winter we know the snow will melt -- we’re not always certain the heat will abide.
 Fortunately we enjoyed that arctic dip Tuesday -- double digit temps. Practically sweater weather.
So, you may ask, what’s the deal with these photos? These are two individuals coping with the current rain- soaked conditions on the Eastern Seaboard. We got the photos of Chloe the Cat and Maxie the Dog from our Northeastern Bureau Chief Andy Fisher, the veteran journalist and critter whisperer of Denville, N.J. -- a currently soaked city. With the photos came this explanatory note from Chloe and Maxie.
“Dear Mr. Powell,  We are doing our best to cope with the Florida-like weather here in New Jersey. It's not easy wearing fur coats.” 
Both Chloe and Maxie are rescues in the home of humans Andy, Annie and Ian at Indian Lake. They’re “making do” until the sun shines -- at which point Maxie will go outside for a brief walk and Chloe will change windows or positions.
And that’s the combination weather/attitude report from Back East.
 Oh, yes, that’s Andy and Maxie visiting the lakeside lawn on July 4 -- much dryer on Independence Day than it is right now. Aren’t we glad in Texas that we’re not soaked with rain -- wait, am I nuts? Of course we want some rain! Cooler weather and rain. Gentle rain. Remember how the state song goes: “Texas, Our Texas, No hail on the Lone Star State.”

MEANWHILE, IN BURNS FLAT
One of the reasons I focus on way-out-west Burns Flat, Okla., now and then is to remind animal rescuers and advocates in the Greater Metrosprawl that we have not cornered the market on the bad guys, nitwits and the “don’t care” facet on Planet Earth.
 Nor, have we cornered the marked on dedicated rescuers -- I cite, for the manyeth (that a word?) time, the great Terry Lynn Fisher. 
She’s hustling to get many animals out of the Burns Flat shelter so they won’t be exposed to summer’s heat in the facility and because they need homes. Her little city shelter doesn’t have a lot of foot traffic and many of her rescued animals are in boarding and vet care. And, she’s also needing placement for 15 animals.
To ask how you can help her mission, email Terry Lynn at [email protected].
Ask about these next three, too.
 For this edition we’re citing Ginny, a dog “found out by the lake north of me,” Terry Lynn says. She also says, “My heart seriously breaks for this little girl.”
 Here’s the background: “Starving and scared, it honestly looks like they used her for bait in training fighting dogs. She has scars all over her face and several on her little body. The lady that has her for now said her canine teeth are flat, as if they have been filed down. She is sweet and loving. She wants to be loved. She is little, maybe 20 pounds..

“This girl has survived the worse hell imaginable... Now, she needs someone to take her in and show her life can be filled with love, kindness and gentle hands.”

The second dog is Rizzo -- we wrote about her in a previous edition. She was found scared motionless in the median of I-40. But she has reacted well to kindness. Terry Lynn says, “She is doing well and will be ready to leave soon.... So we are looking for a rescue to take her in. Here, I can hold them and keep them safe, they will live -- but they do not get seen for adoption events and have no chance of finding their forever homes. So this sweetheart needs a place where she will have a chance to find the loving family she so deserves.” (Terry Lynn says, “We can figure transport out.”)
And this little guy was found Monday -- struck by a car and left laying in the middle of the highway, Terry Lynn says. “He is a fighter... they (vet staff) have named him Trooper. He is feral, but as young as he is, they are working on that and he is slowly coming around. Because he is so young, that probably saved his life. His bones are flexible. He wobbles in back legs still, but each day he is getting better. No broken bones. He is getting injections for this and is on pain meds as well. He will recover and hopefully become a carefree baby that leads a great loving life.”
Terry Lynn needs a cat rescue or an adoptor to give Trooper a new start. Again, email her at [email protected].

FREE SPAYING, NEUTERING IN DALLAS
Yep, free spaying and neutering and Big D is still the most fertile city in North America, maybe the Northern Hemisphere -- I'll believe that until someone shows scientific proof otherwise.
We got this note about free spaying and neutering on July 31 at Singing Hills Recreation, 1909 Crouch Road, in Dallas (Zip 75241). This is done by the folks at the Spay Neuter Network and on the 31st the “Free Fix” includes “FREE Rabies shot, Parvo shot & Microchip! Surgery transport picks up.” 
To qualify, dogs and cats must live in these Zip Codes: 75116, 75134, 75203, 75207, 75208, 75210, 75211, 75212, 75215, 75216, 75217, 75223, 75224, 75226, 75227, 75228, 75232, 75233, 75236, 75237, 75241, 75249, 75253.”

More info is HERE.
[LARRY ASIDE: The Readlarrypowell.com Zip Code of 75224 is on this list. We currently have a feral momma and her 4 friendly kittens in our “foster custody.” All will get “fixed” when time comes. In the meantime, if you are in Zip Code 75224 and you have an unfixed tomcat, lady cat or dog of any gender and you don’t take advantage of this, I’m going to find a way to deduct the price of petfood from your paycheck because we’re the saps feeding your free-roaming impregnators and expectant girls who find their way to our house and domino, to use an ol’ ambulance attendant term. That is a miracle cat -- The Senator arrived on our porch and he was, in OUR Zip Code and against incredible odds, ALREADY FIXED! I’m sure someone from another Zip Code drove him past our house, opened the door on the car and rolled him into our driveway. This his face and hair plugs and the Siamese face on his back.]

BACH -- FOUND, KEPT, THEN SURRENDERED
Several dogs were on “the list” for Tuesday in the Mesquite Animal Shelter. This boy Bach has not made it to an “appointment” with the needle -- yet. He’s describe by volunteer Mesquite shelter biographer Judi /brown as “a Border Collie/Pit mix.” Pretty darned cute. He’s been at the shelter since July 21.
“The family found him, kept him for 3 to 4 weeks, and then decided they couldn’t keep him!” Judi says.
So we don’t know if someone is hunting for him or they just decided after that much time that he was gone. 
He weighs 26 pounds, has “brindle markings, expressive eyes and fluffy white fur around his neck. He’s a low rider. He’s a sweet boy, but I think he’s upset by his change in circumstances. He talked a lot. I think he was expressing his frustration. Like all dogs, he’s just wanting place he can call his own. He’s friendly and likes to be petted. He’s also frisky and very alert. His previous owners said he knows to sit, stay, and lay down. They also said he is housebroken. He walked OK on a leash. He wagged his tail when meeting other dogs in the bay. He went nose to nose with the shelter cat wagging his tail.” 

To offer to help Bach (39188550) avoid a date with the needle, call the shelter at 972–216–6283 or email [email protected].


CONTEMPLATIONS

BLAME THE HUMANS?
Well, yes, this one (like so many) got to me. As I was writing about the assorted animals in need, I came across the aforementioned Judi Brown’s bio of Diesel, the “5-year-old ‘goofy‘ bloodhound who arrived on July 6” at the Mesquite Shelter. He had an 11 a.m. Tuesday euthanasia appointment. Why? Because humans failed him. Failed him to death maybe -- unless some kind of miracle happened. (Keep checking the Mesquite adoptables online HERE. Diesel was still on the list when we went to press at 5 p.m. Tuesday -- could be a computer lag. May have been adopted or rescue -- we can hope.) The overabundance of unwanted dogs was forcing the shelter to do what none of the workers there want to do. Make room via euthanasia. But why was he even there?
CONTEMPLATE THIS EXPLANATION: “This sweet, gentle boy has been in bite quarantine. It’s my understanding that his previous owners received several citations as Diesel was roaming the neighborhood. The time in question, children approached as he was in the trash and he nipped a child leaving a superficial puncture wound.” Yep, humans who didn’t bother to properly confine him are to blame. Judi reports, “After spending five minutes with this lovable, sweet guy, it’s hard to imagine Diesel doing anything other than showering someone with affection." He’s already fixed, is house-trained and “true to his breed, he checks out his surroundings with his nose.” You know the drill: If he’s still at Mesquite use 39053692 with his name when you ask about him. Call 972-216-6283 or email [email protected]. FYI: Readlarrypowell.com believes the Mesquite shelter folks are doing a great thing by telling people about the animals in their shelter.
If you know someone who doesn’t safely confine their animals in ANY CITY, gently ask them to protect their animals by breaking their personal habits and, this time,  being responsible. 
That’s about all the brainpower I have left for Contemplations today. But I do wonder why people get animals and then don’t properly care for them. Is it a flaw in their moral character? Are they just too stupid to see the consequences of their inactions? Is the “don’t care” attitude an actual lifestyle? Contemplate this: Is there a cure? While I was looking for one of those “you can’t cure stupid” t-shirts, I found this one online. Makes the point, too, don’t you think? Will this Contemplation have anything to do with saving lives today? I don’t know. But, maybe someone read it and decided to live smarter.
--- To offer an opinion, a solution or to be grumpy, grip your EmotingMouse and click smartly on ‘comment’ below. ---