ONCE UPON A SUPER TIME...SAVING DOGS & CATS; GRIPING ABOUT MOVIE PRICES...

EDITION OF JANUARY 17, 2019 [PetPowellPress] A personal note this edition that might make people smile. Where were you on January 17, 1971? Some of you were at Super Bowl V at the Orange Bowl in Miami — first Super Bowl played on artificial turf and the first Super Bowl for the Dallas Cowboys — the Baltimore Colts beat them 16-13 on a field goal with 5 seconds on the clock. [Yes. The Cowboys used to be in the big game now and then.]
I missed the entire Super Bowl. I was in a hospital. The boys, Bret and Bart, were being born at Wadley Hospital in Texarkana, Texas. Nothing has been the same since. We expected one kid — maternity wasn’t an exact science in those days. Bret arrived first at 2:06 p.m. (if memory serves); two minutes later Bart was born. I’m still dazed. So Happy Birthday to my little boys and thanks for all the fun.
And, as is the right of a father, Dear Readers, I can go back in time and find a photograph from my kids’ childhood. This is an old-style photograph from around 1974 or ’75 with the preschoolers in matching HeeHaw overalls. Bret’s left, Bart’s right. Bret’s left-handed, Bart’s ambidextrous. They couldn’t wait to grow out of those overalls.]
LITTLE DOG PEEWEE
AND TRUDY AND DAISY
The Code Red time at Mesquite this week is 11 a.m. Friday, so that gives you some time to save the lives of Peewee the Chihuahua and Trudy and Daisy, the Pittie girls. We get info about them from the Mesquite Animal Services’ volunteer biographer Judi Brown. The crowding at the shelter has caused the implementation of Code Red.

Peewee is 9 and weighs 9 pounds. He came in as a stray. Judi writes, “This sweet little guy is painfully thin and will stand on his hind legs dancing for a treat for it seems like eternity. However when I offered a bowl of soft food he was not interested. Go figure? He was timid at first but warmed up quickly. He seems like he would be content to be a lapdog and yet did explore the volunteer room. He is calm and gentle and yet has spunk.“ Peewee is 40547315.

Beautiful Trudy, a 3-year-old “red nose” Pittie who came in as a stray on Dec. 22, inspired Judi to write, “I know we are not supposed to have favorites but I can’t help it. This sweet girl doesn’t beg for treats all she wants to do is wrap her paws around you and love on you. She’s also friendly with children. I absolutely adore this dog. If you cannot rescue or adopt her please network her.”
Trudy (40432747) weighs 62 pounds; she arrived as a stray on Dec. 22. 
Judi says, “She has a regal stance and soft tawny coloring. You can tell by looking into her hazel eyes that she is sad. She’s sprawls out in her kennel and appears depressed. Can you blame her? In the yard she stayed close. She hung around for extra attention and appeared to love being petted. It was easy to oblige her because she is so sweet and so soft! … She’s a gentle soul that gives gentle kisses. She is friendly and affectionate.”
And Daisy (40270181) is on the Code Red list, too. Another Mesquite stray — but she’s been waiting since November 29. Waiting all that long to get the needle instead of a home. How lousy is that.
 Judi says, “She is an exuberant dog that has managed to keep a positive attitude in spite of the fact that she’s been at the shelter for weeks. If you cannot tag or adopt please network her.”
She’s 6 or 7, a 48-pound Pittie mix who is “very striking with her rich charcoal gray coloring and soft brown eyes,” Judi writes. “You can see she’s just had a litter and now finds herself at 6 to 7 years old at the shelter! Y’all, that’s middle-aged! She’s very friendly and stays close wanting attention. It’s very obvious she wants to please. She is highly motivated by treats. Because of this she should be very easy to train. She sits for treats. … She will try to interact with you at her window telling you she wants to go home with you.”
To ask about any of these dogs or any dog on the Code Red list, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. See more Mesquite animals on the shelter’s website HERE.

A LITTLE GUY AT THE COLONY
Mark Cooper, the director at The Colony Animal Services, periodically does videos of animals and situations that need the help of people. One of the most recent had to do with this emaciated Chihuahua, T-Bone, found as a stray and just nearly starved to death. In his video seeking help with T-Bone’s medical expenses, Mark said it appeared that the dog “has been horribly neglected for God knows how long.” And, Mark added, “He will be fine. That’s the good news.”
And there’s more. Mark reported, “We have great news! A rescue group has T-Bone and will be nurturing him back to health. We hit our goal for what we needed to give him the proper care. All left over money will go to our medical fund to keep the incoming animals well taken care of. We appreciate everyone for donating and sharing.”
You can still see that video HERE.
If you go to The Colony’s website, you can see many other animals and how to adopt them. That beautiful cat is Jamaica (39578508), about 8 1/2. She’s a medium-sized longhaired Tabby mix and she’s been waiting for a home since September 4. 
That ol “dawg”? Why that’s Lex (40515952), an 8-month-old Lab Mix. And he's definitely an Earhound. 
Remember, big shelters, little shelters — they all have animals waiting for homes.
CONTEMPLATIONS
THOUGHTS, LAWS AND FILM
Thanks to everybody who responded to our loss of Annie, the adorably cranky Heeler mix who has left a surprisinly large empty spot in our home. Larger than we expected — but isn’t that always the case? And I think that’s a good thing — it reminds us how much love we have to give to match the love an animal gives us. I think the big moment for me was Tuesday night when I fixed the dogs’ food and had an empty dish left over. …
You see here a reminder on behalf of the Texas Humane Legislation Network. It’s the Season of the Legislature so, bless THLN, those critterfans are lobbying for the animals. I went to THLN’s Facebook page and found a reference to the Pit boy, Country, fatally beaten with a sledgehammer in Austin. The CBS story HERE may inspire you to help THLN get stronger cruelty laws. There was some quick inadvertent justice on the day of the beating: The man who’d told his son to kill Country got in the way. The sledgehammer swung by his son broke daddy’s arm. That and some jail time won’t make things even. Nothing will — in this earthly existence. …Geez, I’ve got to pull us out of this funk. OK, here goes: Turner Classic Movies has been showing one of the most enjoyable films of the last decade of the 20th Century: The Freshman starring Matthew Broderick, Bruno Kirby, Penelope Ann Miller and Marlon Brando in a send-up of his role in The Godfather. It’s 1 hour and 42 minutes of fun. And I can’t say anything like that about any of the 21st century movies I’ve seen recently. For one thing, there’s no CGI in The Freshman. Oh, and note to theaters: Lower the price of popcorn and a Coke. Oh, and lower the ticket prices. I miss going to the movies. Maybe I’ll go this year.
— Offer ideas or advice by clicking on ‘comment’ below or emailing dallrp@aol.com. —