MAGGIE'S CHALLENGE; THE DOGS IN SMALL SHELTERS; RADAR LOVE & OTHER NOTES

EDITION OF TUESDAY, SEPT. 22, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Autumn is my favorite season. Maybe someday I’ll be able to explain it. In today’s report, there’s a cat that …well, she’s “different.” And we have dogs in small shelters that need rescuers or adoptors on this first day of fall.
AN EXTRA SPECIAL CAT NEEDS
AN EXTRA SPECIAL FOSTER
We spotted this girl Maggie, nearly 6, among the cats at the SPCA of Texas. She needs a foster with special skills. 
I want you to know, Dear Readers, that when you watch the video, you may be moved to tears. This is a cat who clearly adores the touch of a human. Keep reading. I’ve included the video link below. But you need to know about Maggie first.
 As the SPCA “quoted her” in the explanation, “I have been diagnosed with Histoplasmosis and have dermal lesions on my face. The condition is not contagious and appears to be confined only to my face.”
How long does she need a foster? “FOSPICE,” the SPCA quotes her, then adds, “I will be your forever foster cat but all my medical care will be taken care of by the SPCA of Texas.”
You can see her at spca.org and you can ask for an appointment to discuss helping Maggie by visiting spca.org/catadopt.
[LARRY ASIDE: I have only an emotional investment in this cat Maggie — when I see her yearning to be petted, I see the beautiful faces of my own cats and it makes me ache for this cat. She only knows that she is who she is -- not how she is "different." In fact, the video of Maggie being lovingly petted is called She Looks Different. Click HERE. If you’ve ever loved a cat, you might just tear up. If you’ve ever loved a dog or a kid or a grown up — well, same thing. It's the feeling you get when you want things to be better for somebody. Excuse me for a moment, I’m going to go wake up one of my napping cats and hug him or her and we’ll say a prayer for a foster for Maggie. I found Kittie Leigh, in all her stripes, on our bed, snoozing. She's beautiful -- when I got her, she was a little cross-eyed feral kitten. I cannot imagine not loving her. Same for Maggie -- I'm hoping what I've typed will help her get that special home forever and a day.]
ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF DALLAS,
3 SHELTERS HAVE DOGS READY TO GO
Who else would we get the small shelter tip from except 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit with the specific focus on facilities that don’t get a lot of walk-in traffic. For all of these animals, the contact point takes you to 4-Legged Helpers President Laura Macias. Call or text at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@ yahoo.com. That’s if you’re interested in adopting or tagging for rescue to get these animals out of a small shelter and into a home with a big heart.
This somber photo is of Colin, a Pointer/Hound mix who is waiting at Wilmer — he’s the only dog there, according to the Helpers. And the shelter is “closed to the public and the only way to get out is for a rescue group to say they want him.” He was an owner-release. Laura’s the contact go-between with the shelter.
At Lancaster there are a couple of siblings — Snowball and Brownie, described as “Pocket Shepherds." The Helpers’ note reports, “Someone that lived in the Lancaster area fostering for another shelter apparently stole them over a year ago, and has now dumped or abandoned them.  Lancaster’s ACO found both dogs living at an abandoned house and brought both in. Just heartbreaking. We understand this prior shelter where they both were was also a kill shelter and we can fill you in on the details. They deserve so much better in this life.”
And, the report reads, “Sweet Snowball is already spayed. Precious Brownie has been overbred and will need to be fixed. … Despite everything these sisters have been through, they are loving and sweet as can be and thoroughly enjoyed being petted."
Also at Lancaster? This girl Sadie, a “very sweet, gentle, little loving soul”. We posted her before and quoted the Helpers’s appeal: “If the eyes are the windows to the soul, you can see all the absolute beauty here of sweetness and love in those eyes.”
And, then, there’s this Bulldog/Boxer mix Janie. Her appeal reads, “Janie makes us laugh because she is just lovable and cute and funny and sweet and everything a dog should be.  She poses for pictures as you can hopefully see and knows where that door knob is on the door, so hoping someone will take her home and out of this place.”

Archie is a Boston Terrier/Bulldog mix at the Glenn Heights Animal Shelter. The Helpers’ note says, “This little shelter used to have a contract with Red Oak and take pets there, but they now have their own shelter and truly need some help. This little guy has been there 2 months." The contact for Archie isn’t Laura — it’s another Helper, Heather, who you may call or text at 972-897-4926.
THE GUY’S NAME IS RADAR —
ANYBODY WANT TO GUESS WHY?
We got a note about this guy from our pal Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com and she declared, “This pup is definitely an ‘Ear Hound’! He could sure use a family.” 
Radar is one of the dogs Gail Whelan of Companion Animal Network Adoptions has been trying to help for a while now. 
Gail says Radar is about six months old and was “found abandoned in the country.” That’s “the country” that is East Texas not all that far from the edge of the Metrosprawl. 
“The people who found him are watching over him, feeding him and making sure he has water,” Gail says. “But he is outside and they don’t have a fence.”
 To give Radar a good home, call Gail at 903-967-3226 or email [email protected].

CONTEMPLATIONS
SEPTEMBER DAYS, BOOKS IN SCHOOL; FLYING CARS; GOLDEN EARRING
Not only is this the first day of Autumn 2020, it is also, Holiday Insights says, Business Women’s Day, Elephant Appreciation Day and Hobbit Day. More reasons to love Autumn — two things we endorse, but we’re still thinking about Hobbits. Maybe I love Autumn because it’s the time of year when all the joys of schoolrooms usually (or used to) kick in. In the fall, I discovered my school had “lending libraries!” and, coincidentally, I was learning to read! How can you beat that? The books took a kid out of a “normal day” into history or space or a day at a farm with the Bobbsey Twins or a mystery with The Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew. Or Charlotte’s Web! Jules Verne! Ah, the adventures of a lifetime. … 

Speaking of reading, I am on the mailing list for the Collin County publishing entity local profile and I saw this headline “Flying Car Test Brings Frisco One Step Closer To The Future.” I’ve been driving around here since 1972 and, based on watching and dodging (sometime successfully) other drivers, I’m thinking being airborne is just going to add to the complications on the traffic cop’s collision reports — they’ll have to print those 3D reports by the thousands. Here’s the LINK to the Flying Car story....
In honor of the dog that our pal Gail Whelan is trying to help, we turn to the rock band Golden Earring to send a message to prospective adoptors of that Earhound. Click HERE to celebrate RADAR LOVE.
— OFFER MAGGIE PRAISE OR RADAR LOVE BY CLICKING ON COMMENTS BELOW OR BY EMAILING [email protected]. —-