RESCUES IN A STORM; SHELTER CRITTERS; PSYCHEDELIC POSE ON NATIONAL DOG DAY

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, AUG. 26, 2020 [PetPowellPress] In honor of National Dog Day,
readlarrypowell.com proudly presents this photograph of Porche Noel as she takes one of her multidirectional trips on her new psychedelic rug while listening to her favorite mellow-inducing song by Steppenwolf. Porche meditates along with Magic Carpet Ride, as can you if you click HERE.
NOW, BACK TO THE REALITY
OF HELPING GULF COAST ANIMALS
It occurs to us this peaceful morning in the Metrosprawl that the words “landfall” and “Hurricane Laura” by the time you read this — are combining with “Pandemic” and “California fires” to move 2020 to the top of the list for “worst years for natural disasters in the U.S.” since the lid blew off Mt. St. Helens in 1980.
The SPCA of Texas gets credit for these photos of rescuers at work and cats and kittens benefiting from the ride! Read on!
Among the many organizations helping to get Gulf Coast animals to safety are three of Texas' most notable — Dallas Animal Services, the SPCA of Texas and Operation Kindness.
We got an explanation from Operation Kindness’ Marketing./Communications Director Natalie Buxton:  “"As we have done in the past with other hurricanes, we will offer support to our rescue partners to help with transfers, making space for displaced animals, as we are able to help.”
OK is a partner with DAS and prepared to help when animals arrive — also, the Operation Kindness Pet Food Pantry has been called into service to help DAS “provide food for those in hotels with pets.”
There probably are more rescues and shelters helping the hurricane areas. Let us know by emailing dallrp@aol.com. They can all use financial support to help feed and give vet care to the incoming rescued animals. And they can use places to let animals stay until they’re adopted or returned.
[LARRY ASIDE: Is this irony? This storm-fleeing animals are arriving as NBC5 and others conduct the annual Clear the Shelters Event — Aug. 24-29. Timing. The key to everything, right? New animals to “clear” and they’ll have stories to tell.]
On its Facebook page, Dallas Animal Services posted notice that it is “taking in 20 dogs currently available for adoption at the SPCA of Brazoria County in Lake Jackson to help them make room for loose and owned pets displaced by the storm.”
And DAS says that won’t “push DAS past its capacity” but notes that
there’s already pressure on the staff because of the new routines (teleadoptions, etc.) brought on by the pandemic. Friends of Dallas Animal Services has a fund set up to help with the expenses of the incoming storm animals. Here’s THE LINK.
The SPCA of Texas reports that it has already been transferring animals from Gulfport, Miss., and Houston. And, of course, the SPCA is prepared to take in more as the — horrible term — “evacuation efforts” continue.
Working with the Humane Society of North Texas on Tuesday afternoon, the SPCA took in 24 cats and kittens that arrived via a Wings of Rescue flight from Houston SPCA. These felines went to the SPCA’s Perry Animal Care Center in McKinney. Later Tuesday evening, the SPCA’s Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center west of downtown Dallas took in 21 cats and kittens from the Humane Society of South Mississippi.
These animals, the SPCA of Texas says, are all shelter animals that had yet to be adopted - by moving them out of the storm areas, that makes room in those local shelters for animals in the path.
The SPCA of Texas is prepped to help other areas in the path of the foul weather. And it’ll need donations — www.spca.org/hurricane.
The photos in this report are all courtesy of the SPCA of Texas. And what they show is a Momma cat and her kittens, the lineup of cats in carriers, a particularly handsome solo traveling cat and the masked-relay line for loading the van before the trip and during a pandemic!
[AN IMPROMPTU RESCUER PRAYER: Bless all those workers and keep ‘em healthy — let them have wonderful stories to tell about the time they helped save all those lives. Make sure the cats and kittens, dogs and puppies, and the people, too,  all find wonderful homes and never again have to be transported across state lines in an emergency situation!]

A FOLLOW-UP ON TWO DOGS:
OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD….
We posted photos of Rose and Bo earlier in the week, a couple of the dogs waiting for help at the Lancaster Animal Shelter. We learned about them through the life-saving efforts of the small-shelter-focused folks at 4-Legged Helpers. 
So, this morning, we get this note from 4-Legged Helpers. Here’s the way the 4-Legged Helpers' story goes: “We found out Rose has a microchip from DAS so one of the Lancaster ACO’s reached out to DAS  last week since they have not received any calls back on the phone number provided through the chip. This girl was brought in by the same family that owned Bo, and told shelter staff she showed up as a stray.  DAS said they would attempt to contact the person on the chip also through mail.  Lancaster ACO also emailed the person. No responses.  Yet.   Dumped perhaps?   Rose is just precious.  She is an adorable sweet SMALL girl … She is darling and lovable.  The person that brought her in (with Bo) apparently said when she originally showed up as a stray that she was so very sweet  and got along so great with their own dog Bo that they kept her thinking they would get her vetted and keep her but sadly, circumstances changed and are now no longer able to care for either dog and brought both in together in hopes they would be rescued or adopted. Heartbreaking.”

And then, there’s Bo who is “already fixed! Can anyone say goofy lovable goober? He is cute and sweet and charming and everything a dog should be."
To help Rose and/or Bo, call or text Laura Macias at 2214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
GAME CATS; STORMS; ANOTHER DOG DAY PHOTO
We clicked open the DAS Facebook page Wednesday morning and spotted this pairing of photographs — that black and white cat with the championship whiskers is Mr. Monopoly, whose shelter picture we posted last week. This combo came with this explanation written by some clever person at DAS: “Who remembers Mr. Monopoly? This cute little kitten with the handlebar mustache just went off to a new home! Game night will be even more fun for his new adopter who not only adopted Monopoly but also adopted one of his siblings, Scrabble! Congrats to this happy family!” I checked at dallasanimalsservices.org to see if any other “game” cats were available, but no dice, so to speak. I did however, spot this great senior cat named Meow Meow and a baby tomkitten named Sunny (probably not kin to Meow Meow, but this is Dallas, so you never know for sure). … A kid who grew up in the ol’ neighborhood with my little boys in Grand Prairie, is now Chaplain and Deputy Sheriff Ken Spivey at the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office in Gonzales, La., southeast of Baton Rouge, i.e., NOT out of the expected path of Laura’s weather wrath. I used to play basketball with all the kids (I was much taller in those days and they still out-shot me). Now “young Kenneth” is an all grown up family guy/Man of God/peace officer. This reminds me that the badge isn’t a target, it’s a shield. Prayers for everybody and every beast in the path of the storm. …We’ll close with another National Dog Day photograph. This is one of our foundlings — Wendy, official name Wednesday Louise Wagstaff Arden. This is her on her favorite couch. And, of course, Porche got up and left the office about 20 minutes ago because I was typing instead of paying attention to her, so Wendy came in and flopped down on the psychedelic rug and decided to enter a tranquil state of mind while I typed these last few sentences. Wendy, who is a dog of assorted heritages, is evidence that an unwanted dog can become the most adorable, loving, devoted and downright dear soul on the planet. Credit goes to my rescuespouse Martha who fell for her the moment she saw her running free on a Dallas street and pulled over to give her a ride to a happy future. Happy National Dog Day.
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