EDITION OF FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2018 (PetPowellPress) Bear with me. The realization just struck that it’s two months until Christmas. OK, straighten up. Here are some animal challenges. And other notes.
OREO NEEDS HELP --
HE’S A DALLAS CAT!
That’s an envious stretch, isn’t it! You wouldn’t think a sophisticated international city like Dallas would have free-roaming, unclaimed cats, would you? Oh, you would! Well, of course! That’s where the Dallas kittens come from. But this guy isn’t going to be helping anybody 
make kittens unless there's a miracle in Big D.
Our tip on Oreo comes for noted local writer/ editor/ journalist Kim Pierce, my former colleague at The Big Paper Downtown who also wears with honor the label “Protector of Cats.” Kim writes, “We are reaching out because little Oreo – a sleek, black-and-white, 2-year-old male kitty – needs a Hail Mary pass. He was rescued from a dangerous, heavy traffic area with no refuge on Canton Street by the Dallas Farmers Market.
“The woman who had been feeding him cannot take him in for personal reasons. If the situation were different, she’d take Oreo in a heartbeat! But in an effort to help him, she did get him neutered and tested for FVRCP/leukemia (negative). She also got his vaccinations, including for rabies.
“ A temporary foster stepped up. Oreo, who’d been living outside, adjusted very quickly to being indoors. After warming up to his foster parents, Oreo enjoys morning pets, tummy rubs and playing fetch (yes, fetch) with his toys. He also gets along with dogs.
“Problem is, he needs to find a new foster or a home by Nov. 7. He will not do well in a shelter. We are desperate to find a place for this sweet baby to land.”
To offer to help Oreo -- adoption, foster, etc. -- call or text Kim at 214-534-0233.
SPCA’S ANTI-CRUELTY WORK GETS
PETSMART CHARITIES HELP
In a news release Thursday, the SPCA of Texas announced that it’s the recipient of “an $85,000 grant from PetSmart Charities, the leading 
funder of animal welfare in North America.” The money will be used solely to “support the medical care and rehabilitation of pets in North Texas recovered from environments of cruelty and neglect such as hoarding, dogfighting, starvation and abandonment.”
The money will finance “medical interventions” -- that’s “testing, vaccinations, microchipping, wellness medications, extenuating medical treatment and rehabilitation, for some 3,000 animals rescued from abuse. Grant funds are also allocated 
for upgrading laundry equipment to include a commercial washer and dryer for the Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center.”
SPCA President/CEO James Bias said the current equipment can’t handle the daily capacity. And, he says, “The increase in capacity allows SPCA of Texas volunteers to spend more quality time interacting and working on enrichment with these animals, instead of transporting laundry to offsite locations."
Kelly Balthazor, regional relationship manager at PetSmart Charities, said, “Every pet deserves a 
safe and loving home however, sadly, this is not always the case. It’s not often an opportunity comes along to specifically help an especially vulnerable selection of the pet population – those who have experienced neglect and/or abuse.”
[LARRY ASIDE: In case you need a mature dog to accompany you on your day’s activities, you can adopt Coco, a “large female Dalmatian/Australian Shepherd” at the SPCA’s Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center in Dallas -- asa bout /3129311, the six-year-old girl in the Super Hero Mask. The kitten is Sassy (167372), a 3-month-old getting ready to enjoy her first Halloween -- she’s waiting at the SPCA’s adoption area at the PetSmart in Frisco.]
CHECK OUT THIS SLOGAN IN PERSON;
THERE’S A COSTUME CONTEST, TOO
In case it’s not big enough for you to read, the slogan under the Don’t Forget to Feed Me Pet Food Bank illustration reads, “So that no pet owner ever has to choose between stay...or go!”
The organization would like you to “stay” for a while -- from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the ribbon-cutting celebrating the new location for Don’t Forget To Feed Me Pet Food Bank Inc., at 5825 E. Rosedale in Fort Worth.
(We’d not have seen that had it not been for the tip from the great animal-advocate Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com.)
Visitors can tour the warehouse space, enjoy treats (human and critter), and there’ll be a “furry friends” -- I think they mean animals, not guys with beards -- costume contest at 2:30 p.m. Wait! Instructions suggest, “Dress up your whole family, match your pet’s, or just go all-out on your furry family members.”
THE DAS SPECIAL CONTINUES
THROUGH HALLOWEEN
Just a reminder that Dallas Animal Services is adopting animals for $10 through the end of October. Do they have enough animals? Well, I reckon. I’ve taken the liberty of breaking out two separate listings from the DAS’ latest “report cart.” See the whole card HERE
https://dallascityhall.com/departments/dallas-animal-services/Pages/Daily-Report-Card.aspx .
How many animals are on the clock at DAS --- hundreds and space is limited. What happens to animals at the shelter: Adoption, rescue, reclamation or the needle.
Check the euth stats in that second frame. Click on the artwork to make it grow.
So, go to dallasanimalservices.org and see the faces of animals whose lives need to be saved.
We already highlighted this cat, Zeus, this week.
But, so what! Somebody save Zeus and get extra credit on your permanent record.
EVERMAN’S SHELTER
NEEDS SOME HELP
Heather Harrison, our long time contact for needs in the Everman City Shelter on 
the southern side of Fort Worth, sent a note about the dogs in need and included the info that the Everman Shelter is run “by a hard working, devoted Animal Control officer. He is begging for help to make space so he doesn’t have to euthanize! Does anyone have space for a dog??”
We’ve chosen to use this collage titled “SENIOR BORDER COLLIE NEEDS A MIRACLE.”
His name is, as you can see, GRAMPS. He’s 9-year-old male Border Collie/Lab mix. Why is he there? Heather’s note read, “He was dumped at the shelter when his owner died last week. He is a larger fella with wobbly back hips & a small lump on his side. He is very well mannered & 
calm. He really just wants a quiet place to lay his head!
Other animals include 10-month-old Shepherd mix Austin, 8-year-old Lab mix Chase, 2-year-old Pointer Mix Lucas and a year-old female Cattle Dog named Lizzy (look at those ears and that tail!). There are many more. To ask about helping, email Heather at [email protected].
CONTEMPLATIONS
OPEN HOUSE/GARAGE SALE AT LAKE;
NEED SLEEPERS/NAPPERS;
AN ACTION-PACKED CAT GIFT
See that dog Cookie? She’s #2202 at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake Shelter in Tool, Texas. You’ll be able to meet this distinct canine beauty on Saturday because the HSCCL is hosting an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (We got the tip on this from our reliable Lakeside monitor, Sydney Busch, mainstay of Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake which operates, of course, the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, not far from Tool or the lake.) At the open house, you can tour the place, get free hot dogs and refreshments and pick out a new dog or cat to enhance your life. The shelter is at 10200 CR 2403 in Tool. Phone 903-432-3422 -- see more of the adoptable dogs and cats on Facebook HERE. Missie is a 10-month-old Aussie/Heeler mix who “loves to give kisses” and, as is the earmark of a great Earhound, “listens to commands.”...
My dog, Porche Noel, says that unless you want to see more photos of her sleeping in a pile of bed covers while dreaming of her time as a general with the Space Force, you’ll send us photos of YOUR sleeping dogs and napping cats for presentation in our Sunday feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Porche poetically says wake up, smell the roses, send photos and bioses to [email protected]. Other people deserve to see the animals you adore. ....
Thursday night, my funspouse Martha was going through the daily mail including the latest (of many so far) edition of the Ross+Simmons Catalog. Suddenly she laughs and says, “They’ve got the perfect thing to give anybody whose got a cat.” This is a photo from the catalog of the 40-inch tall ladder that an electric Santa climbs up and down while any of 15 Christmas carols play as the lights flash and your cat sits and contemplates just how to leap up there, capture Santa and run off with him! Then, sometime in the middle of the night, you’ll hear a happy cat padding down the hall with a mouthful of a right jolly ol’ elf while humming, “Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus.”
--- Offer opinions, suggestions or winning Lotto Texas numbers by clicking on “comment” below or emailing [email protected]. ---
