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FOR MONDAY, WE BEGIN WITH ROXY AND MOVE INTO OTHER TALES OF DOGS, CATS & HUMANS

EDITION OF MONDAY, SEPT. 21, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Welcome to the last full day of Summer 2020, or, as the Atlanta Falcons might say, “The day after the day I’d just as soon forget.”
That's Roxy -- cheerful dog face, right? -- who we're hoping to help have a day she'll happily remember. (Read on.)
Seriously, how did the Dallas Cowboys manage to win that game? Well, if you didn’t watch it, you probably don’t care. And if you did watch it, you probably are still trying to figure it out, too.
Autumn, usually accompanied by the State Fair of Texas, begins at 8:31 a.m. Tuesday in our time zone. Remember, if all goes according to normal, summer will return again next year. Plan accordingly. Maybe next year everybody will have “normal” seasons from the Texas Rangers to area theaters to area symphonies, high school and college graduations and ….well, you know.
The business that has continued as usual, sort of, is animal rescue. People still put animals at peril and rescuers still try to beat ‘em at the game. OK, moving along. That’s my personal cat, Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson posing for a work photo titled “Cat & Mouse Editing.” It’s the cover of her textbook on usage, Grammar Is The Cat’s Meow. [Special thanks to our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher for inspiring us to remind ourselves and others of the vital nature of grammar, clear writing and proper punctuation in the 21st Century. There appears to be a pandemic of bad grammar and lousy punctuation. You’ve heard it, read it, maybe committed it. Me, too.]

AND ROXY WAITS
FOR A LOVNG FAMILY
The story of this dog Roxy came to us from veteran tipster Amy Poskey. The note reads, “This beautiful girl is Roxy and she’s looking for new digs!  Roxy has been in boarding with I AM DOG RESCUE and they have spent thousands of dollars on boarding for Roxy and vet bills for all the pooches; therefore, they are hoping to find a foster or furever home for her.  More importantly, Roxy deserves to be loved by a family and to enjoy a soft bed!
“Kim Lehere with I AM DOG RESCUE reports that Roxy is truly a wonderful girl and to meet her is to love her!  Roxy is a sweet, loving, charming girl who is curious and fun!  She loves her people and is a loyal companion so we just need to find that special someone who sees not only her lovely face but also her beautiful spirit and can give her a chance at her happily ever after!  In short, Roxy is an awesome girl!”
Details are she’s 6, a Pittie mix, fully vetted, heartworm negative, house-trained, people-friendly and weighs 45 pounds — she’s probably best-suited to be an only dog.
 To ask about Roxy, email [email protected]. The adoption application is here: www.tinyurl.com/IADRAdoptionApp. The foster application is here: www.tinyurl.com/IADRFosterApp
MEANWHILE, WE SPOTLIGHT
SOME MESQUITE ANIMALS
(ONE WAS LEFT AT A HOTEL!)
Sissy’s case is one of those that we hope was settled happily over the weekend, but just in case things didn’t work out, we’re going to cite Mesquite volunteer biographer Judi Brown’s report. The little girl, 12-pound Sissy, at 8-plus years old, came into Mesquite Animal Shelter on Sept. 12 as a stray. She’s a “sweetheart” but also a “rescue only” dog because of medical problems, Judi reports. “Besides not having many teeth and needing a soft food diet, she has a neurological problem whereby she walks in circles. Hopefully somebody will see the need this girl has for special care. She comes around after a slow introduction. TLC is necessary. She has been known to give kisses. She will sit on your lap but gets restless quickly. She is not comfortable in the shelter environment and who could blame her? When  walked through the bay she did go nose to nose with one dog but was really not interested.  She did her business as soon as she got out into the yard. She sometimes walks well on a leash and even walks straight. And other times she’s not happy about being on a leash. This sweet girl deserves to spend the rest of her life in a loving situation.” Her ID is 45507115 — use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@city of mesquite.com to tag. her.
Jamie Dotson prepped the report on 4-year-old, 65-pound male Pittie mix Conner who has been at the Mesquite shelter since the 12th when he was “found abandoned at a nearby hotel.” 
Here’s how the abandoned dog is described by Jamie: “He is a very handsome yet gentle boy. Conner has some hair loss and open scabs that are healing on his neck. He also has happy tail! He has been to the vet and is on medication. It could have been a chain, leash or even fence rubbing that has caused this. Unsure, but he is being taken care of. He is a very strong leash walker and will need additional training. He loves to be close and be petted. He will lean into you and smile while petted. He didn't show any interest in the other dogs in the bay. …He enjoys investigating the shelter yard and running back to his human companion for attention. He is friendly and sweet natured.” His ID is 45507737.

And volunteer biographer Debra Chisholm got to meet Elvis — he’s “delightful,” she says. Might be a mix of English Pointer/Border Collie/Labrador Retriever. About 2, weighs 71 pounds and came in as a stray on Sept. 11. “He walks well on a leash but does pull.  He did his business in the shelter yard.  He knows the sit command and will do so for treats, which he mostly takes gently.  Elvis had fun running and playing in the yard during the photo shoot as well as doing some nose-to-the-ground investigative work.  He is a lively and high-spirited youngster.  He seems to have adjusted OK to the shelter environment and is neither fearful or stressed out. He is a friendly boy.  Elvis has a confident and outgoing personality.  He would seem best suited to an active person or family.” He’s # 45500763.
To ask about any of these, use their numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at [email protected].
You can see more Mesquite animals by going to the shelter’s website HERE.
At that site you’ll be able to see this kitten we’ve posted before, Peter Pan — clearly an Earhound in the making. As it turns out the Mesquite shelter has mined the characters in Peter Pan’s biographical play/movie/novel for names.

That bundle of kittens includes Wendy Darling and Tiger Lily and Smee.

And, there’s that handsome dog — an Akita mix named Polar Bear, appropriate for the last day of summer, don’t you think?
MEANWHILE, FROM
OUT AT THE LAKE
We got a note about this girl from Sydney Busch of Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, the non-profit that operates, so to speak, the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City. 
Sydney’s note, featuring this photograph, asked people on her mailing list: “This adorable girl at Athen’s shelter — she is spayed (tattoo) but not microchipped…Is she yours?” And the implication is, of course, that if she’s not yours, maybe she oughta be yours! Email [email protected] to ask about this dog or to ask how you can volunteer to help the Friends at their famed clinic on Tuesdays. 

CONTEMPLATIONS
LIFE, COYOTES AND OTHER THINGS…
Our Fort Worth neighborhood has periodic coyote sightings. When we were in Dallas, the exotic animals I dealt with during three decades were possums, raccoons, feral cats and one skunk — no, not a difficult neighbor, an actual skunk. Lots of stray dogs and feral kittens, of course. But in the new neighborhood, noted for wandering coyotes, I consistently see notices on the neighborhood website about “missing” cats and small dogs. You’d think people would wise up and protect their little animals, wouldn’t you? Nah. Not people. We’re a flawed species. … During Sunday’s Cowboys telecast, there were commercials with automobiles driving through snowstorms and through snow-covered forests. Reality? Marketing? Faith in the future? … Can we call this a MEMORY GENERATOR? We cite four letters: USSR. I was driving along Sunday and listening to The Beatles Channel on Sirius XM when the station began to play Back in The USSR and I suddenly realized it has been a long time since I thought about the USSR. I might have thought of the Russians or the Soviets, but the whole USSR had become a stranger. It “dissolved” on Dec. 26, 1991, 11 days after my funspouse Martha and I married — nobody’s ever been able to prove we had anything to do with that historic Soviet event. We delayed our honeymoon for six months while we saved up American dollars. Here’s a SONG FOR YOUR MEMORY BANK (PARDON THE AVERT). But it occurs to me that you might not have been born when all that history was being made and certainly not when The Beatles put the song on The White Album. That was in 1968. Ah, history.
—- Offer recollections or objections by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing [email protected]. —-

GETTING MILEAGE OUT OF YOUR CAT ON REPURPOSED EXERCISE EQUIPMENT

Do you know someone who has turned their traditional exercise bicycle into a coathanger — a place where you drape pants over the handle bars and gracefully lay shirts across the seat.
 Perhaps you are the person who has helped your cat find a repurposed place to sleep.
For example, how many of you have purchased a recumbent stationary bike —not a cheap piece of equipment — for your noble and ambitious exercise purposes and watched as it transitioned into a place for a cat to take a nap.
And, there you have it, our formerly feral kitten, Stevie Ray, in the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Pedal, er, Nap. His legs are too short to pawdal — sorry, pedal — the big bike if he sits in the chair, but he can get quite a workout by holding onto the handle bars with his front paws and really stretching out to put his back paws on the pedals. We’re thinking of doing a fitness video for people and their cats.
Yep, most people pay 20 or 30 bucks for a nice round, fluffily comfortable cat bed — not us. We could have bought a Tesla, but, no, we got a fancy exercise bicycle. My plan is to hook it up to a electric generator so that during the winter, when we need lights or electric blankets, I’ll just hop on with Stevie Ray and we'll pedal madly to give the cats and dogs enough illumination to dine and a warm place to pile up and sleep. Any scientific mind know how many watts an active cat can generate?
You may also note the other napping photo of Stevie Ray, a former Oak Cliff feral kitten plucked from a mimosa tree when he was a yowling baby. That’s him napping in a second-hand chair in my office — hardly “finely furnished. That corner of the room has a used chair and two packing boxes that serve as a temporary display cabinet for a guardian angel, the bust of a dog and a molded statue of a black Cocker Spaniel. All inexpensive.
And there’s that wild swirl of my dog Porche Noel’s office rug and Stevie Ray trying to navigate the pattern. And you see Stevie Ray and his Office Cat mentor William Powell flopped down in the middle of our bedroom floor — more expensive than a bike but not as comfortable.
I’ll include this photo of our Bird Dog/Boxer mix (maybe) Wendy, who loves to sleep in the $250 office-style recliner Martha found at a vintage shop on Ross Avenue in Dallas. I wrestled it into my Ford Edge all by myself. Heck, I once moved a living room sofa in a VW Rabbit. About a third of it went into the back of the car and the rest was ridin’ in the wind. People would honk and grin. Things were different in those days — nobody pulled up behind me and stealthily lifted it out when the light changed and I innocently, ignorantly drove away, eyes on the road.
Oh, Stevie Ray says that since he’s been napping on that bike, he’s knocked 2-seconds off his bedroom-to-kitchen hallway dash. He says he’ll be ready for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021. By then, with the pandemic and other challenges, there may actually be an Olympic Hallway Dash—All Species. Some face, eh -- eyes look as if they were styled by an Oscar-winning makeup artist.
I think he's having Olympic dreams in the picture of him stretched out on my computer desk. As much as he works out, it won’t be a problem for him to wear a gold medal like it’s a fancy ID collar. [That's our boy in July, 2019, getting a feral kitten face-washing from my rescuespouse Martha.]
The lesson for humans? You never know what you’ll get when you reach into a mimosa tree and lift out a stubborn, furry, palm-of-your-hand-sized kitten. The Olympian baby may inspire you to buy exercise equipment with a napping platform.
[LARRY REQUEST: Please, I’m begging you PLEASE, send photos of YOUR sleeping dogs and napping cats to me at [email protected] and we’ll proudly post them in our long-running, internationally read weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Your story may inspire someone to save an unwanted cat or stray dog such as this one (being groomed?) by giving the critter a wonderful home. And you’ll inspire insomniacs to believe that we, too, can get some sleep, though, of course, I have been unable to nod off on the recumbent bike — Stevie Ray always has dibs on the nap platform.]
— Offer slumber tips by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing [email protected]. —-

A FRIDAY EDITION WITH DOGS, CATS, PEOPLE AND A GREETING ARRIVING AT THE RIGHT TIME

EDITION OF FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 [PetPowellPress] We’ve reached the final Friday of Summer 2020 — Fall arrives around here at 8:31 a.m. Tuesday. Recognize that dog? That's some nose, isn't it!  Keep reading.

Oh, wait, let’s not forget that the wretched Fall Back time change is scheduled for 2 a.m. on November 1 —unless Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott manage to pass their bill ending the time change during the Pandemic. This legislative attempt will, no doubt, lead to a Senate argument over “how long is a pandemic?” It’s as long as a piece of string.
ADVENTURE CAT
SAVED BY PETFANS
A couple of nights ago I emailed my friend Kayla Smith to see how her graduate studies are going at Texas A&M in College Station. A little bit later she emailed, “Currently trying to rescue a small kitten that crawled into a car and got stuck. Thought you'd be proud. Class is hard and I should probably be studying, but the cat was so small.”
Yes, that is THE kitten. Kayla’s helper in this rescue was Emma McLaughlin, a “cat whisperer who ultimately saved the cat then took the baby to the animal hospital to make sure it wasn’t super sick or anything.”
And, Kayla said, “The kitten is 6 weeks old and smaller than a woman’s shoe."
Emily named the cat Onyx. And the cat is jet black, Kayla says, “with one blue eye and one yellow.” But Onyx, “skin and bones,” is too busy lapping up her special food to pose for a mugshot!
“She eats all the time, which is a good sign,” Kayla says. “She is always very cold and likes to cuddle for warmth, so Emma is crocheting her a small little sweater. She's also too small/young for flea treatment, so the poor baby has already had to have two baths (using Dawn - recommended by the vet).”

How did this rescue happen? Kayla explains, “I was eating ice cream in my car with Pepper (my puppy) when I saw something that looked like a rat but ran like a cat run under a parked car and crawl up into it. I went to investigate further and used meowing sounds to locate what side of the engine the kitten had gotten stuck in. I immediately called Emma. We couldn't find the mother cat.

“We had to wait until Old Navy closed for their employee be let out - but once he was, he popped his hood, removed the car's battery and we went about trying to get the kitten unstuck. Eventually we were able to get the kitten out the path that it had used to climb in. Once Emma had Onyx cradled in her arms, the kitten just cuddled right up to her! … It’s all been very exciting.”
[LARRY NOTE: Kayla’s an animal-lovin’ artist who plays a mean game of golf and is a pretty smart person. I’m going to recommend that A&M just go ahead and give her that doctorate in humanities/animal rescue.]
FOLLOWING UP ON SOLTON/SID:
GAP TAKES THE SPLIT-NOSED DOG
Week before last this split-nosed dog, known as Solton to some and Sid to others, was waiting in Fort Worth Animal Care & Control — his oddly divided nose wasn’t the problem. He had and has other canine difficulties — parasites, unexplained jaundice, etc.
So, someone needed to tag him and get him into a rescue group and rescuer/transporter Laurie Gautreaux got the privilege of loading up the handsome guy and taking him to his rescuers. She reports that "the adorable guy with the split nose...was tagged by Trinity GAP Rescue.”
You know, of course, of Trinity GAP Rescue, the group that began years ago as an on-campus effort with the Euless Trinity High School Girls Awareness Program. It wound up partnering with the City of Euless Animal Shelter and helping non-shelter animals, too.
You see Sol's first shelter photo, and in those trans- port photos you can see that Fort Worth Animal Care & Control made sure he was getting some good treatment — so good that his nose is now a shiny, envious attraction at the end of his happy dog muzzle.
Perhaps you’ll want to help GAP rescue with his funding —go to trinitygaprescue.org You can also see how to adopt the handsome rascal.
THREE IN MESQUITE: A HUSKY,
AN AUSSIE & A HONEY NEED HOMES
Oh, boy. Get a load of these three dogs — so much beauty in one shelter report. They’re in the Mesquite Animal Shelter and we learned about them from the volunteer biographers Debra Chisholm and Judi Brown. 

The purebred Siberian Husky is Leah (44275424), surrendered to the shelter on the 15th after “she went after the family cat and she tried to bite the 6-year-old but there was no actual bite.” Circumstances of the child/dog conflict aren’t known. But, as Debra says, “It maybe best for Leah to go to a home without young children and cats.” Leah is 5 years old and weighs 58 pounds — she’d lived with the family for four months. She’s an indoor dog, housetrained, knows “Sit” and is “good on a leash.” Debra’s hands-on report says “Leah has a mellow, calm and sweet nature.” And, “It would be wonderful if she could get that new home ASAP to free up needed kennel space.”
Judi’s report on this dog begins, “Treasure is truly a treasure!” He’s a “beautiful bronze-colored year-old, 44-pound mixed breed. My scanner said he’s probably part Australian Shepherd/ Australian Cattle Dog and Red Heeler mix.”
Treasure arrived as a stray on the 12th. Judi says, “He is definitely wanting to go home with someone as he sits by his window trying to catch the eye of everyone that passes by.  He’s calm, obedient, well mannered, friendly, gentle and very sweet. He doesn’t attempt to jump on you. He gives tender kisses and wags his tail a lot. He knows the sit command and gave me his paw.” He’s #45507467.

Judi’s report on Honey (45532702) is that she’s a year-old, 42-pound mixed breed surrendered to the shelter on the 16th “due to the health of the owner.”
What breed? Judi says, “She is possibly mixed with Black Mouth Cur and Boxer and who knows what else? Whatever she is, she has beautiful coloring and gorgeous eyes. At only one year old she has already been rehomed two times and now finds herself  at the shelter. Let’s make the next home her permanent, forever home! Honey is very energetic, playful and fun loving. She chases balls but does not retrieve them. Could you teach her to do that?
“She loves to romp in the yard and would certainly do well with an active family that has a large yard. She could benefit from some obedience lessons to teach her not to jump on you. At her previous home she was an outdoor/indoor dog. She was raised with other dogs and lived with children. When I sat down she tried to get on my lap. When I walked her through the bay she became frightened of the other dogs barking at her. Therefore I had to carry her to the yard.”
 And, that last sentence demonstrates how devoted to hands-on assessments these Mesquite volunteers are. Fits into the mission of finding the right home for the animals.

Remember, to ask about these dogs, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityof mesquite.com. 
To see more Mesquite animals click HERE.
Among the shelter cats is this beautiful 8-year-old Maine Coon mix named Victoria (#45509479). She is a “large” cat who came into the shelter on the 13th. [LARRY ASIDE: We had, for many, many years, a Maine Coon named Lucy — a darling cat who adored me the very moment I showed up at Martha’s house to take her on our first date. Martha will confirm that. And, of course, I believe Maine Coons are very good judges of people — that’s my experience, anyway!]
AND HERE’S ONE OF THE MANY
CATS AND DOGS WAITING
IN JUNCTION’S SHELTER
We got the tip on this Junction, Texas, cat and other cats and the dogs from rescuer/advocate Tami Kula who won’t hesitate to tell you how much she admires the small but hustling staff at the City of Junction’s Animal Control shelter — the ACO is Nichole Grubbs (ngruggs@ junctioncity.com).
Tami sent a note with several cat photos, including this one. “It is a complete mystery as to how these AMAZING SWEET cats have not been adopted yet. Over 500 days they have been patiently waiting for someone to adopt them or rescue tag them. They are each ready. We have their bags packed.” Here’s the pertinent info from the note: “Contact Junction Animal Control at 325-215-1696. #adoptakittyfromjunctionanimalcontrol
#500daysandstillhopingforahome.
[ONE MORE LARRY NOTE: This cat's very serviceable litter box is a Corona Extra beer box. I'm sure the box was donated to the shelter. Texas animal shelters rarely have an Official Beer Litter Box. But maybe that's a good way to get "refreshment money" into the shelter budget!]

CONTEMPLATIONS
Post-Giving Day; Zooming; A Needed Holiday
OK, it’s the day after North Texas Giving Day — that oughta free up some space in everybody’s in-boxes. But here’s the deal with all that mail: Congratulations to all of you non-profits with the campaign-planning volunteers. Two things that are totally necessary to animal-related non- profits: Spending money and volunteers.… On Thursday morning, I was Zooming with some friends of mine (high school pals sheltering in place ‘til we’re sick of it) when, suddenly, my cat, Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson, jumped from the floor to my lap and was onscreen. I’m not saying my contemporaries need glasses, but two guys thought they recognized her from Latin class in high school. I’m kidding. She was a model in senior art. [That's not a Zoom photo; that's a previous moment in our lives.]… And, at sunset Friday, Rosh Hashanah begins — it is, as we Baptist kids were taught, the Jewish New Year and the first of the High Holy Days. In honor of my friends and family who are Jewish and hoping to inspire people who have no faith at all to acquire some, I type this traditional greeting: “Shanah tovah.” It means, translators say, “Good year!” If there ever was a time when we needed a “shanah tovah,” we need one now. In my native Texan, “Shanah tovah, y’all.”
—- Offer opinions and hopes by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing [email protected]. —-

A CAT'S BUSINESS FACE, DOGS NEEDING HELP, PERSIMMONS AND MYSTERIES...

EDITION OF THURSDAY, SEPT 17, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Is it possible to think about things other than any politics, any pandemic related news or anything that will change the happiest parts of your daily routine.
Could be taking the dogs out, sitting for a purr session with your cat/cats (come on, how can you have just one?) or contemplating the importance of today's North Texas Giving Day for non-profits, particularly those that deal with children and animals. [LARRY ASIDE: Help ‘em all. I’ll be checking my Lotto Texas numbers after this goes to print, but if the right six numbers show up, there WILL be an Extra Edition at this website.] Oh, and that cat needs a job. Keep reading.
HOW DOES A DOG WIND UP
WANDERING IN EAST TEXAS?

Hunting dog who disliked the job? Dumped by someone from a larger city? On a mission to wake up the heart of someone who needs a really pretty young girl known as Maggie?
We learn about her from Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com who got the info from one of our longtime tipsters, Gail Whelan of Companion Animal Network.
As it turns out, Gail is the connection point for Maggie, so call Gail at 903-967-3226 or email can.adoptions @yahoo.com.
 The story is Maggie was found “wandering in the country” and is now in careful care until she’s adopted or taken in by a rescue group. She’s 15- to 18-months old, weighs 31 pounds and is heartworm negative. She’s had all her vaccinations, Gail’s note says.
All the wayward pup needs needs is a human who’ll love her and give her a home.

???
INTERRUPTION OF DOG/CAT REPORTS: 

AMONG  FIRST THINGS LEARNED AT WORK
We all have our “firsts” but my first in the newsroom of the Texarkana Gazette in 1965 was keep an eye on the trash basket at the desk where the editors who smoked pipes were working. Yep, tap a pipe out after a good smoke and, right there at deadline, the embers would set the trash paper ablaze! Probably never happens in these smoke-free days. Feel free to contribute to our NEEDLESS INTERRUPTION SERIES. Email [email protected] with the brief report of what you’ve seen in life that doesn’t have anything to do with a pandemic or a presidential election. (We return now to a canine note.)
???


ETHEL NEEDED SOME HELP,

THEN, SHE GOT IT!
Yep, before we could even post Amy Poskey’s appeal to help this girl Ethel as she waited in the Denton McNatt Animal Shelter, someone stepped up to help the girl described as a Great Pyrenees/Labby/Golden Retriever Mix.
Who? Our ol’ pals at Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas. Ethel needs some veterinary work — Amy’s note says she was “picked up as a stray and never reclaimed. She was favoring her back legs so she was sent to th offsite vet for x-rays which revealed bilateral luxating patellas; therefore she will need surgery.” 
To help Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas finance the surgery and aftercare, visit the website at goldenretrievers.org. Also, because she was injured, she was not able to pal around with the other pups and she has not been spayed. That’s coming, of course.
 Amy’s note reported that Ethel is 6- to 9-months-old, heartworm negative, weighs 36.6 pounds and “is as sweet as it gets.” [LARRY ASIDE: I mention that in case someone is thinking, “I am a good, smart, loving person who deserves a good, smart loving dog.” We’re on Ethel’s side. And congratulations to all of you Denton folks who worked to get her some help.]

???
INTERRUPTION OF DOG/CAT REPORTS:

ONCE UPON A TIME AT A BIG LAKE

My funspouse/rescuespouse Martha and I once judged contests for the Golden Retriever Rescue of North Texas at a big local lake — can’t remember which one. But here is a fact: You’ve never seen happier dogs until you see Golden Retrievers chasing tennis balls into a wind-blown lake. Every time a ball splashed into the white-capping waves, dozens of these Golden dogs would change the direction they were dog-paddlng and aim toward the new ball. They looked like a giant school of hairy fish going after the same bait. Dogs are fun. Wet or dry. And that was the first time we’d seen a “school of Dogs.”
???

MEANWHILE, IT’S MIDNIGHT IN MESQUITE
AND SANDI IS IN THE SHELTER, TOO
If not for the volunteer critter biographer Debra Chisholm, we’d not know about Midnight or Sandi, a couple of dogs waiting for humans to come get them out of the Mesquite Animal Services Shelter. 
This handsome but needing groceries Pittie mix is Midnight (45502035), about a year old and 50-pounds of formerly stray dog. He arrived at the shelter on the 11th.
Debra, who meets the dogs she writes about, reports, “Midnight spent a lot of time in the yard during the photo shoot with his nose to the ground.  He has a mellow personality and a calm demeanor, yet he is lively and active.  He pottied outside.  Midnight takes treats gently.  He is a friendly youngster.  He has been to the vet and diagnosed with ear infections.  He is taking meds for the infections.  He also has goopy eyes.  It appears that Midnight has lived outdoors and has not been well-cared for.  Though he walks ok on a leash, when led through the bay he reacted to the other dogs who were barking at him.”
Also at the shelter is Sandi (45498097), an “adorable mixed-breed girl” who came in as a stray on the 11th. She about 3 and weighs 45 pounds. Nice on a leash, didn’t react poorly to other dogs. Did her business in the shelter yard. And she knows “Sit.” Debra describes her as “well-mannered, calm and gentle and has a mellow personality.” She also says, “There is so much to like about her and she would undoubtedly make a wonderful companion.
"
As you can see from her photos, adorable Sandi is also an Earhound. She’s in the category of “Poseable Earhound.” Perky. Not so perky. And others.
To adopt these dogs, use their shelter numbers when you ask about adopting or rescuer. Call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected]. 
You can see other shelter animals on line at the Mesquite Shelter site HERE.
Among them is this guy who is available in the shelter’s barn cat program. And look at that face! That is a cat who knows his job and will take it seriously. [LARRY ASIDE: We’ve fostered feral cats. Sometimes they become un-feral, sometimes they don’t. We’ve heard from people who live with ferals and the ferals live with them and the only time they cross paths is, maybe, at breakfast or when both are in route to their respective “litter boxes” in the middle of the night. The last feral we had, Sugar Momma, got a job on a ranch. And my office cats were not domesticated when we got them, but William Powell and Stevie Ray are happy housecats now and don’t mind if I pick them up, turn ‘em over to rub their tummies. I adore those two boys.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
MYSTERIES OF LIFE, WORLD SERIES, ? & 96 TEARS
One of the great mysteries of life that I have now discovered, thanks to a promotional document from The Old Farmer’s Almanac, is forecasting winter weather by using a persimmon seed. My experience with persimmons is limited to reading about them, but perhaps you recognize this item in the Almanac’s photo. HERE’S THE LINK. [LARRY ASIDE: I have a friend who can predict rain by the ache in her once-broken toe, but I do not have a photograph of it. I have seen it work, however.] … Persimmon recollection: My Uncle Charles, also known as “Red” to some and “Uncle Bud” to others, would sometimes call his nephews by nicknames. I was Preacher, middle brother Barry was Appleseed and little brother Garry was, now and then, “Persimmon.” We could not predict the weather by Garry nor the the apple harvest by Barry — I won’t go into how far off Uncle Charles was with calling me “Preacher.” Never took up an offering, never had a cable TV show nor have I been investigated for “fleecing the flock.” … OK, here’s a mystery: Why is it that the first World Series played in the brand, spankin’ new Globe Life Field not going to include the home team Texas Rangers — wait, that’s not exactly a mystery. No hitting with men on base, unfortunate pitching. You can’t blame the virus — the Rangers were afflicted with those problems several seasons before the virus crossed the Pacific. … In keeping with the theme of this segment, we turn to a great song from 1966, a great year. Here’s 96 Tears by the Detroit garage rock band “? and the Mysterians.”  I apologize for the mysterious commercial that may appear before the hit song.
—- Offer tearful or gleeful song tips by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing [email protected]. —-

HELPING ANIMALS BY FOSTERING, ADOPTING; BIG TEX, A BURGER AND LIFE ON VENUS

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 16, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Dogs and cats on Earth and life on Venus. What more can you ask the year 2020? A pandemic, a presidential election and the Dallas Stars skating for the Stanley Cup. OK, moving along we begin with Greyhounds — and Greyhounds need people. We’ll discuss Venus in Contemplations.
LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD PEOPLE
TO FOSTER SOME LOVELY DOGS
That photo was the one Greyhound Adoption League of Texas used in an appeal for foster help with their favorite dogs. [LARRY ASIDE: It purports to be a foster mom at work, but I think it may be a foster mom at play. Four Greyhounds and a pool, what else could it be?]

Why do they need fosters? Here’s the deal, according to the GALTx folks: “With our recent large intakes of retiring racers, we have about 50 hounds in boarding in our Dallas area kennel right now. We need your help providing them with socially distanced TLC to make their time awaiting a foster home as loving as it can be!” If you’re new to fostering or new to Greyhounds, email [email protected]. There’s a volunteer application — veterans and new fosters — HERE.
THE KITTEN GETS SOME HELP;
CATS & DOGS WAIT IN LANCASTER
As the day wore on Tuesday, up popped an appeal to help this little cat who’d been dropped off at the Lancaster Animal Shelter. The mood was “urgent” — 4-Legged Helpers stepped in to help the shelter find someone who could bottle-feed this baby.
The initial appeal said the kitten might be 3 weeks old at the most.
As the evening approached, we checked with Leighann Hayden of 4-Legged Helpers and she replied, “We got someone to come get him! Yay! They found a vet tech to foster.”
[LARRY ASIDE: We’ve been dealing with vets for decades and adore our vets — one reason is our vets have always picked great vet techs! So, hooray for the vets and vet techs and for Lancaster Shelter for seeking some help.] 

Still waiting for a human to help ‘em are these two cats, Kit Kat and Peaches — hang on, the name Kit Kat has been changed — she’s Paisley now. Paisley and Peaches. A couple of shy former strays who are uncomfortable in the shelter.
Several dogs are waiting at Lancaster. We’ll focus on this one photogenic girl. She’s Sadie, a Pointer/Boxer mix, her bio says. “The sweetest, most gentle little precious girl.  HER EYES ARE AMAZING.  Just as beautiful as can be.  Sadie is a very sweet gentle little soul that so needs someone. … If eyes are the windows to the soul, you can see all the absolute beauty here of sweetness and love in those eyes.”

To ask about the grown up cats or Sadie or any animals in the Lancaster Shelter, contact Laura Macias of 4-Legged Helpers by calling or texting 214-949-2726 or by emailing [email protected].
CONTEMPLATIONS
BIG TEX, A BURGER & THE VENUSIANS
The State Fair of Texas contin- ues to be a pres- ence without ever opening for traditional business this year. The latest note had to do with a championship food contest — the Big Tex Choice people in competition. The headline on the State Fair website bigtex.com read “IT’S ABOUT TO GET HEATED.” See the story HERE. The intro paragraph explains, “For 2020, the State Fair of Texas is bringing all your favorite previous Big Tex Choice awards winners together to battle it out in the first ever Fair Food Madness: Big Tex Choice Awards Championship. This exclusive online competition will crown one champion through a series of bracket challenges and YOU get to vote who progresses to the top!” And that artwork is what the promotors have used to pitch this contest. It’s kind of amusing in an Oscarish sort of way, don’t you think? And Big Tex wears it well. ...
Yes, I’m a Texas Rangers fan. In the middle of a paragraph, I paused to turn and take a glance at the Texas Rangers/Houston Astros baseball game (I’m listening to Eric Nadel and Matt Hicks on the 105. FM radio broadcast while I type! Best way to see a game — through their eyes.) Anyway, I turned to look and what I saw was not a baseball game but a commercial for the “Pico de Gallo Burger” introduced by Whataburger in June. There are many mysteries under the sun, but two of them are these: “How many new burgers do we need in America?” and “Why isn’t there a Vegetarian Pico de Gallo Fauxburger?” …
So, maybe you saw the stories about some gas on Venus being a clue that there’s a lifeform that can live in the Texas-like heat of the second planet from the sun. Wait, even Texas is cooler than Venus. Anyway, there is a 1958 motion picture that already exposed the lifeforms on Venus. I’ve included a promotional photograph from the film Queen of Outer Space. IMDB summarizes the plot this way: “American astronauts are drawn by a mysterious force to the planet Venus, which they find to be inhabited only by beautiful women and their despotic queen.” In that scene, the world famous movie star and media personality Zsa Zsa Gabor is the woman in the center. (Has a Paris Hilton connection, you know... Was Grandpa Conrad Hilton's girl.) The guy sneaking a look from the curtain area is the astronaut pining for the queen, Eric Fleming, better known as the trail boss Gil Favor on Rawhide. Queen of Outer Space may be available on Venus. Netflix goes everywhere, right?
—- Offer dining tips for Venus or tell us how much you miss Zsa Zsa by clicking on comments below or by emailing dallrp@aol. —-

THE PARADE IS WHAT? NO! YOU'RE KIDDING! REACTIONS TO NEWSY NOTES & ADOPTABLES

EDITION OF SPOT-ON-MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBER — THE 15TH, 2020 [PetPowellPress] Can it be the middle of the month of September already. 
...
WE INTERRUPT THIS EDITION TO LAMENT THE FACT THAT THE 2020 MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE WILL BE PRESENTED IN A ‘REINVENTED’ PARADE-LESS PARADE, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. Video recreation. [LARRY ASIDE: I think that turkey is the mayor’s float. Right? If the State Fair of Texas can be canceled, nothing is safe. I guess NYC’s Mayor Bill will also cancel the 2021 Super Bowl Parade featuring the New York Giants and the New York Jets. And if either of those teams is in the big game, you can look for me high-kicking with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes in the 2021 Macy’s Parade. Now I’m really mad at the darned virus that set of this pendamic, er, sorry, that should be pandemic. Let’s get back to something that hasn’t been reinvented by the NYC mayor — charity in North Texas.]
***
My inbox is filled with notes from non-profits reminding me that September 17 — this very Thursday — is the annual North Texas Giving Day. As you probably know, you don’t have to wait for Thursday to donate — go to northtexasgivingday.org and give early. 
On the site right now there’s a countdown clock at right under the numbers you can see the amount of money raised in pre-pandemic 2019: $50,192,976. [LARRY ASIDE: There’s a pandemic challenge for ya.] FYI, readlarrypowell.com is NOT a 501c3. We fall into a special category coded as “RNP-UTMM” — Resolutely Non Profit — Unlikely To Make Money. Born without the profit gene, you know. I am entertained, of course, by my “Bring Home An Extra Cat Gene.” Have yet to name a cat Gene.
NOW, LET’S TALK
VISIONS AT THE COLONY
Yep, these two animals are certainly visions of loveliness at The Colony. What brings this up is The Colony Animal Services began a Facebook post with this passage: 
“It’s been months since we’ve had to say this, but here goes....COME ADOPT because we’re getting full!! Since the COVID concern began, our shelter has had only a handful of dogs and cats available. Luckily, our pets have been getting adopted as soon as they become available. Well, it’s finally happened. Our shelter is full once again.” 
Readlarrypowell.com went online to check out the adorable adoptables at The Colony and found that fantastically coated cat Tortellini — look at that swirl of striping! Looks like something you’d see on a mission to outer space!
And then there's handsome Zeke, a Pittie with great eyes — one brown, one not. And you can tell by his pose that he is very, very proud of his nasal hygiene.

To adopt from The Colony, call the shelter at 972-370-9250 and schedule an appointment. Email [email protected].

AMONG THE MESQUITE DOGS,
TWO BEAUTIES NEEDING HUMANS
We got the tips on these two Mesquite Animal Services dogs from Debra Chisholm, the volunteer biographer. It’s the stories, the faces, the tails, the eyes — surely that will all work together to find homes for these two.

Destiny, at 7 months old, weighs 30 pounds and has a ton of breeds! She’s listed as “possibly Fox Terrier, Rat Terrier, Border Collie Mix." Debra writes, “Whatever she is, she’s got beautiful markings and is very very sweet. She was surrendered along with two of her siblings due to landlord issues. When I first met Destiny in her kennel she huddled in the corner but as I continued to visit her she would step out to meet me wagging her tail. She just needs time to get to know you and then her sterling qualities come to light. She’s very loving and gentle. She likes to be petted and loves belly rubs. She wags her tail a lot and gives soft kisses.”
Sweet and playful, she was raised with a slightly older toddler.” Her ID is 45498197.

Then there’s “happy-go-lucky” Dakota, possibly a Border Collie/Lab mix, who came in as a stray on the 4th. About a year old, he weighs 25 pounds and, Debra writes, “is a youngster with lots of puppy energy and spunk. In his exuberance, he will jump on you so manners training would be in order …. Dakota knows the sit command and will happily do so for treats.  Dakota is friendly and has a sweet and trusting nature.” He’s # 45456403.

For either of these dogs, use their numbers when you email the shelter at [email protected] or call the shelter at 972-216-6283. You can see more animals -- dogs and cats -- at the Mesquite shelter by clicking HERE. Among the little guys waiting for a rescue is this tiny month-old Felinus Earhoundus named Peter Pan. [LARRY ASIDE: He's so small that if he walks in front of an AC vent when it kicks on he might just fly across the room! If we weren't already at the cat limit...oh, boy! What a cat is probably growing up in that kitten body -- if he grows to fit those ears, he'll take up half your couch! Heck, you'll need someone to cuddle for comfort during a Cowboys game.]
MEANWHILE, IN A PRAIRIE TOWN
KNOWN AS DALLAS…SOME ANIMALS
As we were perusing the Dallas Animal Services Facebook site, we ran across this pitch for Bertie (A1104624). It read that Bertie thinks the best part of foster life is “they let you bring your toys where ever you go!” The rest of the message explained, “Bertie is in a foster home but is hoping for an adopter to come along soon!
She LOVES going outside but not as much as she loves chicken! She's learning so many tricks in her foster home, including sit and stay! Adopt Bertie online today at dallasanimalservices.org."
Now, that is an important web address — http://www.dallasanimalservices.org.
It will take you to the catalog of cats and dogs available at the big shelter on Westmoreland at I-30 in West Dallas, only a few minutes west of Downtown Dallas. On the DAS website you’ll see that not all available dogs are Pitties and some of them are little dogs. And you’ll see that for some reason, the cat we’ve frequently mentioned, the orange and white senior boy Meow Meow, continues to be overlooked by people who need a good tomcat. Lupi is that senior Chihuahua. DJ is the Up-’n’-Down Earhoun’, er, Earhound. And that little kitten is the very young Daena, a little fellow whose facial expression can be read as, “Holy smokin’ catnip! I didn’t know kittens were allowed to get this far off the ground! What is catnip, anyway?”


CONTEMPLATIONS
THE FUTURE — SOMETHING POSITIVE?
I haven’t missed a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade since sometime in the late ‘50s or early ‘60s. Always made time for it. Once I even hooked up a portable TV in the Bronco II so I could watch it while we drove a couple of hundred miles — NBC had a wide range. OK, moving along with our own parade…The Dallas Cowboys dropped their opener but they STILL have a shot at a perfect record: 0-16. They’ve come close before: In 1960 the brand new team went 0-11-1 (tied the Giants, 31-31, on Dec. 4 — lost to Detroit, 23-14 to end the season a week later). In 1989, first year under Jimmy Johnson, they went 1-15. (Beat Washington, 13-13, in D.C. in mid-season.) Oh, gosh, kids, remember, there was a time when the Cowboys were in the playoffs every year. But, like the Texas Rangers, the players have all grown accustomed to long off-seasons. … To my knowledge, this dog has never attended a Dallas Cowboys football game though she is wearing a "hang-dog look." But Jasmine has been on the clock in the Lancaster Animal Shelter and nobody watches the clock like a football team and animal rescuers. The folks at 4-Legged Helpers included her in last week’s report and cats and other dogs, too. I simply find this photograph enchanting! Jasmine is like that cat Daena at DAS — “Are we allowed to be this far off the ground?” Email [email protected] or call/text 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 to ask about helping Jasmine get down to earth in a happy way! Help Selena, too — she’s a pal of Jasmine’s, also on the clock. (There also are two cats being driven nuts by shelter racket. We’ve posted Kit Kat and Peaches before — they still need a home. … And here we are talking about football, baseball and dogs and cats and we have yet to mention the arrival of Autumn — The Old Farmer’s Almanac says fall will get to North Texas at 8:31 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22. Where are your sweaters? Your thick socks? Your gloves? Your — wait. This is Texas. You won’t need all that stuff for a couple of months.
—- Offer life tips or Thanksgiving Day viewing tips by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing [email protected] and using “Vegetarians Love A Meat-Free Parade” in the subject line.---

FROM A SPLIT NOSE TO THE B52s -- IT'S A MONDAY EDITION IN 2020

EDITION OF MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 [PetPowellPress] In the past week or so I have mowed two yards. One was dry, the other was not. Growing up in Northeast Texas, I understood “too wet to plow,” but now, in the challenge of adulthood, I’m fully, cloggingly aware of “too wet to mow.” Did it anyway. Engine stopped only twice — not as many times as the engine on my despicable 1971 Chevrolet Vega stopped and it was only traveling on a paved road with no resistance except its design. Honk your horn, please, in honor of my foolish purchase. Welcome to a Monday Stream of Consciousness Edition. The guy credited with creating that term, Stream of Consciousness, was William James, for his 1890 book The Principles of Psychology. I’ve never read it. We'll get to the dog with the unusual nose later in this edition. Nose of Consciousness -- that'll keep him in your streaming thoughts.
SPEAKING OF THINGS
THAT I HAVE READ…
I have read this note from our Denton tipster Amy Poskey and discovered that Texas is losing another good dog to another state. I also read the bio of this dog Buddy and it said, “He will make a wonderful cuddle partner!”
And there you have it: a significant assessment of a German Shepherd. But here’s the good news for a Monday morning from Amy. She wrote: “I am beyond thrilled to report that Buddy has left the building!!!  The AWESOME Bill Duncan pulled Buddy for Renee Riegel with GREATER DAYTON LAB & DANE RESCUE (GDLDR) and will be temp fostering Buddy until his trip to Ohio!!!  THANK YOU GDLDR AND BILL DUNCAN!!!  I’m tellin’ ya, I’m still just so humbled by all the animal lovers in this crazy world of rescue and I can’t thank EVERYONE enough for helping make this happen for Buddy!!!  WOOOOOHHHHHOOOO!!!  HAPPY LIFE, SWEET BUDDY!!!”

The rescue group is at https://www.gdlrr.org if, as Amy suggests, you feel the need to make a donation to help this dog and the rescue group make everything perfect for the people who’ll adopt Buddy.
Why was Buddy in Denton’s McNatt Animal Shelter & Adoption Center? He was surrendered, Amy reports, because “he was protective of his human momma and they didn’t want to risk small grandkids getting bit. They also said he has separation anxiety.”
THREE, READY FOR HOMES,
WAITING AT MESQUITE
We’ll open with Jordan, described as “possibly Black Mouth Cur/Carolina Dog/Anatolian Shepherd).” Mom got around, I guess. Anyway, our tipster, the Mesquite volunteer biographer Debra Chisholm says this guy came in as a stray on August 23 — he’s about a year old and weighs 52 pounds. Got a high energy level and “enjoys playing and stretching his legs in the shelter yard. Has potential, but needs some training, Debra says, “to realize that potential and be the best ever pet.” He’s #45361314.

 That brings us to Boston (#45476505), a 5-year-old, 40-pound, pointy-eared mixed-breed Earhound who’d spent his entire life with the family that turned him over to Mesquite on he 8th. Why? “Boston was not good with the owner’s 3-year-old daughter.” He’d lived indoors with the family. And, the owner told the shelter that Boston “is uncomfortable with new places and people he doesn’t know.” [LARRY ASIDE: Just needs to know some grown-ups who’ll adore him and not reproduce. We hope the former family will let their little girl get to know the love of a good dog when she grows up a little bit. You don’t want to make things tough on a kid or an animal, right?]
And then there’s Bella (#45480080) a 7-year-old Boxer mix who has been with the same family for ALL SEVEN YEARS and now they’ve surrendered her to the shelter because they’re moving to a different place. Debra’s report says the dog, spayed and 51 pounds, “has lived outdoors and served her family as a watch dog.”
This aging “watchdog” is described as “a friendly girl who is sweet-natured and likes attention.” Yeah, all the characteristics of a watchdog — what the owners probably meant was “she barks at strangers.” Not a watchdog, just a sweet dog alerting the family. Debra’s note reads, “Please help this senior girl get out of the shelter and on the way to a new home in which she will have a soft and comfy bed and inside life with her new people.”
For one or all of these dogs, use their ID numbers to help the process when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
See more Mesquite adoptable adorables by clicking on THE SHELTER LINK HERE. Among the many cats is this guy Groucho, just over 2 months old and, well-marked with that big M and those great eyes. He’s in the Cat Room at the shelter — came in on the 11th. Can go out whenever you show up to get him.
SOLTON AND HIS NOSE
AND HIS CHALLENGES
Ginger Leach of Fort Worth Animal Care & Control tipped us to this guy with the “split nose” last week. He had some health problems, but the nose wasn’t one of them. 
Appears to be naturally occurring. In some postings he’s “Sid,” in others he’s “Solton” but his shelter ID is 45168215. He’s positive for parasites and was being treated for them when the latest post was made a few days ago. Maybe he’s saved by now; maybe he’s gone on by now.
 Ask about helping him by tagging or adopting by emailing fwacctag@fortworth- texas.gov.
In case you wondered, our research shows that there are three breeds of dogs that have split noses and our theory is that Solton/Sid isn’t a member of any of these three breeds: Catalburun, Pachon Navarro or Andean Tiger-hound. All were bred this way to improve their ability to smell, according to the online reports. Yeah, humans. Sheesh. 
Bless this boy and his health and keep him alive and happy. He’s a 2-year-old Labrador Retriever mix. Friendly with everyone, his bio says.
CONTEMPLATIONS
TEXAS BEAUTY; A BOOK; PAPERBACK B52s
Some sunset, eh? We got the tip on this photo from the great Kathleen Tolbert Ryan. She told us about Tim McKenna’s photo of sunset in the Big Bend, taken on September 9. It may be the most beautiful sunset ever to occur on the planet. I know we didn’t have ‘em like this in the northeast corner of Texas, the Four States Area, aka, the Ark-La-Tex. Good thing digital cameras came along — no tellin’ how far Tim would have had to drive to get a roll of Kodak developed in the ol’ days. You can see more of his work on his Facebook page or by going to Pinterest HERE.
On the Pinterest page you can see close-ups of roadrunners, big-eared rabbits, cacti — you know, Lone Star stuff. Beautiful photographic artwork. … At the outset today we mentioned “Stream of Consciousness” and among the more noted practitioners of that is the author Dorothy Richardson, i.e., she wrote a novel, Pointed Roofs, that evolved into a 13-volume novel known as Pilgrimage. Yep, one word after another. Read about her HERE.  Born in 1873 and died in May, 1957. In 1957, I was in the third grade and didn't know that books could be longer than about 100 pages. If you’re up to the challenge of Pointed Roofs (Vol. 1 of Pilgrimage), the Gutenberg Project offers it free HERE…So, all this talk of isolated beauty in the Big Bend and authorin’ books led my stream of thoughtlessness to this term: “paperback writer.” So, in honor of The Beatles, here’s the LINK to The B52s performing the great Paul McCartney/John Lennon song. It’s good for a Monday, sir or madam. Be kind to animals and help the humans, too.
—- Offer opinions or objections by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing [email protected] —-

ONE UPON A TIME ON A GYM PARKING LOT, WEATHERDOG STELLA FOUND HER HOME...

As if 2020 hasn’t had enough challenges, there was that darned Hurricane Laura that blasted its way into Texas and Louisiana back in late August —feels like months ago unless you were living there, I’m betting.
How — you may ask — can readlarrypowell.com connect a hurricane with our long-running weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap? Read on.
That is Stella on the couch at my longtime pal Bobbie Malsch’s home in the Greater Shreveportroplex. Bobbie posted the photo on Facebook on the morning of August 27 with this note: “Our weather barometer says everything is fine."

And that’s how Stella got the spotlight for Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. If you’ve had a weather-sensitive dog, you know that crawling up on the couch and snoozing is the “all clear” signal.
How’d Bobbie get this baby? Happened about a decade ago. “She’s a rescue who wandered up to my gym. I took her home to keep until we found her owners. LOL! Famous last words!”

Bobbie says, “My husband tells everyone that my idea of a stray is, “The gate’s not locked.”

That’s the hubby, Jim, and Stella doing a little nose-nuzzling at the end of the couch. Weather was clear, so Stella felt comfortable standing up to say ‘hey’ in a happy dog way.

Bobbie has a history of being knee-deep or even deeper in rescue work. [LARRY ASIDE: You veteran rescuers know how that happens. One day it’s one dog; the next day it’s two dogs and a litter of kittens…etc.]
Bobbie’s a longtime volunteer with the Humane Society of Northwest Louisiana (HSNWLA) in Shreveport.

Hence, she writes, “We’re also lucky to have Pixie and Marty who came in to HSNWLA as owner-surrenders. Needless to say they’re our children whom we love and adore.”

Stella’s a Lab mix, about 12 years old; Pixie is the 8-year-old Shih Tzu; and Marty is the 2-year-old Chihuahua mix.

Bobbie, like most rescuers, drops in a loving advertise- ment for the favorite non-profit, HSNWLA. Not sure how they pronounce it in northern Louisiana. (I’m just kidding!), Bobbie explains, “It’s a non-profit 501c3, a no-kill rescue established 28 years ago. They operate solely on donations and volunteers and find carefully screened, loving homes for more than 350 dogs a year.”
And the big heart of Bobbie and Jim is how Stella came to be the household barometer signaling when stormy weather is over — she just flops down on the “All Clear Couch.” It may be her favorite couch.

[DEAR READERS, please send photos of your slumbering household critters to [email protected] and we’ll spotlight them in our long-running weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. We’re proud to show them off and let you praise them and tell their stories. Remember, you may be helping someone decide to open their home to a dog or cat who needs a break. And, for sure, you’ll be inspiring insomniacs to believe that we, too, can get some sleep if we can just get a dog’s all-clear on the stormy weather! Oh, and yes, that's my personal editor The Senator -- he has just read one of my epic poems about my career in newspapers and he could not stifle the mighty MGM Lion-like yawn. The one that sent him over the edge is titled "Beat the Deadline Before the Deadline Beats You." Romance, breaking news and suddenly running out of hot coffee and learning that the java-fetching copy clerk has vanished, possibly the victim of space aliens. It may have actually happened. Anyway, those are the themes-- all pre-computer newsroom era except for romance, oh, and breaking news. As I recall.]
— Offer sage advice or iffy opinions by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing [email protected]. —-

REMEMBERING A TIME...

9/11/2020 [PetPowellPress] Nineteen years.
Every news agency in the free world will have a number of stories about 9/11 on this anniversary. And, next year, for the 20th anniversary, no telling how much energy will be spent on recollections and analysis.
Be nice if the current unpleasant and difficult year turned out to be the "bookend" on the whole period stretching from the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, to Pandemic 2020 and stopping right there. Bring on good times without international horror and domestic awfulness..
Humans don't need to be committing mayhem and misery on each other. We ought to all cherish and practice the ability to love one another.
I remember the upbeat way the 2000s arrived -- we were in Martha's Range Rover on New Years Eve, across the Trinity River bottoms from the big fireworks show. We had 8 or 9 (memory fails me) happy dogs just gleeful to be sitting in the, appropriately, Rover with us. They were more interested in treats than in the distant fireworks.
We were excited about the 2000s, not even worried about the predicted Y2K computer collapses.
Our wonderful first granddaughter, Hannah Rose, was born early in 2001 and thrilled us.
That same year, the awful thing happened that stopped us all on a dime. 
America survived, pulled together and went about its usual business of arguing, compromising, arguing some more, i.e., the way the sturdy nation usually operates. As time went by, our roster of grandkids added two more great personalities, Emily Grace and Connor Michael.
And the whole time, in the backdrop of their lives, was violence, strife, challenges to the nation -- domestic and foreign. Needless nightmares.
Still, on this Friday morning 19 years later, it is difficult to think of that morning without being so deeply saddened and outraged. 
It's not just the losses that day, but it is also all that has come afterward that indicates humans -- bless our flawed souls -- find it hard to adopt anything that will help them build and maintain a peaceful world.
For this morning in September 2020, I will dust off a Lapsed Baptist Boy prayer for peace, for health, for wisdom, for grace and for happiness for the whole planet.
Oughta be easy to achieve if we don't let human tendencies get in the way.
Sounds simple. Maybe it is. Brains and hearts, two key ingredients.
--- Offer opinions or hopes by clicking on 'comments' below or by emailing [email protected]. ---

HAPPY CAT MONTH: WE VISIT DOGS, CATS, PEOPLE & THE SOAP 'SUBURBAN MOODS'

EDITION OF THURSDAY, SEPT. 10, 2020 [PetPowellPress] This may be the reason for the temp dip in Dallas/Fort Worth: Autumn came to town for its annual arrival and when it couldn’t find Big Tex getting into his boots, a chill fell over the region.
That aside, Holiday Insights, the online calendar, says September is “Happy Cat Month” — don’t we work at that! — and September 10 is Sewing Machine Day (we have 3 at our house) and Swap Ideas Day, too. Both of those days are light on facts-of-origin in their listings. It is interesting to think that Swap Ideas Day occurs during a presidential campaign — it ain’t ideas those dudes are swappin’.
So, these are a couple of cats that appear to be living up to the goal of Happy Cat Month while in a shelter— both need homes. The charming cat on the left is Bailey, a Tabby at Dog ’n’ Kitty City, the no-kill shelter operated by the Humane Society of Dallas County.
And that handsome baby on the right is Larson, currently in the care of the Humane Society of North Texas in Fort Worth.
[LARRY ASIDE: As a veteran observer of the human condition Texas, I’m prepared to declare that there are enough happy cats in the Lone Star State to rehome at least one with each person who needs a good friend and someone to talk to during a Dallas Cowboys football game. And we all may need a patient cat. Or a patient personal counselor.]
FROM HAPPY CATS TO HAPPY DOGS:
3 NEEDING HAPPY CANINE HOMES
We get the info on these three from Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden of 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that focuses on small shelters and connecting those animals with rescue groups and with good homes. And an animal need not be in a shelter to catch the attention of 4-Legged Helpers.
That first photo is of the happy dog Buddy, a 6-month-old Mastiff mix — he’s from a litter of pups that occurred in Red Oak because Mom, the purebred Mastiff in the couple, was … well, you know how this happens. We’ve posted Buddy before, but he’s gotten no interest. So here’s the key sentence that might inspire someone to get this dog to a safe place: “His family has no place for him and he has been found out in the street (rural area) a few times and it is just a matter of time before he is injured or killed. This is incredibly urgent. Very deserving big pup!”
This beauty is Rainey, “found out and about on her own and was rescued by a Good Samaritan who saw her almost get hit by a car,” reads the 4-Legged Helpers bio. “She has big pretty blue eyes and is just as sweet and loveable and cute as can be. She adores everyone, including all other dogs.” Rainey’s listed as a “young female Shepherd/Catahoula/Bulldog Mix.”
And we’ve posted the photogenic Dylan before, also. He’s in the Wilmer Shelter, described as “not open to the public,” so 4-Legged Helpers is his go-between. Nobody else will see him except by accident. He’s loveable and 4-Legged Helpers will help get him “fixed” and arrange his first set of vaccinations for anyone willing to save him from dying in obscurity.
To offer to help these dogs or any other animals 4-Legged Helpers is concerned about, call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email [email protected]. 

WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH HUMANS?
RHETORICAL, YET CLINICAL, QUESTION
OK, animal fans, here we go with a parade of critters humans have betrayed. Surprise. Surprise. And, they are all in the Lancaster shelter. 
Here are the stories from 4-Legged Helpers. I’ll try to make them brief so you can look at the photographs and ask, “What the heck is going on in the human brains? Or worse, what’s happening in those hearts?”

KIALI, listed as a “Sheepdog” but thought by some to be “some sort of ‘Doodle’” is available on Monday. Shelter folks think “they know who the owner is, and that the owner is aware she is at the shelter but no one has come for her. Very sweet and playful.”

JASMINE is a “bulldog mix,” the shelter says. She’s available on the 15th. Her bio reads, “This precious little low-rider was found tied to the shelter front door when everyone came in Wednesday.  How can someone do that?  And you could not meet a sweeter little cuddle bug.  Loves to be held.  Look at those cute eyes.”
EVERLY is a young Basset/Lab mix — look at those front legs! Positively Basseterian, no doubt. This dog with a “tail as long as her body” is available on Friday. Her bio reads, “Absolutely adorable.   She is a complete love! Chipped girl but apparently owner decided to not come for her. We were told the owner is definitely aware she is there.  So incredibly sad.”
Still waiting at Lancaster, these siblings, Kit Kat and Peaches. “Extremely sweet” is their rating after they have a chance to adjust to their surroundings. Found stray and brought to the shelter, is the story.
And there are these dogs — that’s Sonja, a Lab/Dane mix on the left (“Goofy, playful, loveable”) and on the right is is formerly stray Selena, a Boxer/Bulldog mix, the shelter says in a bio that reads, “Selena is a wonderful girl — very sweet and very loving.”
The go-between to save these animals is 4-Legged Helpers
call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email [email protected].
A STOP AT THE MESQUITE SHELTER
TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME DOGS
This is Powder, a “Dogo Argentina mix.”

How did such a beauty (ID 45458657) wind up in city shelter? Our tipster, the volunteer biographer Debra Chisholm, reports that he was brought in on Sept. 5, “by a shelter volunteer after finding him abandoned in a park. Powder weighs 81 pounds, is approximately 10 months old and is not neutered.  He walks well on a leash but at 81 pounds he is a strong puller. …  He is quite sociable and has a confident and outgoing personality.  He is energetic and lively.  He likes to play with toys.” Use his ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescuesatcityofmesquite.com.
Mixed-breed Winnie, with the great eyes, is about 3, not spayed and weighs 49 pounds. Came in as a stray. Lively and active. “She seems not to be very comfortable in the shelter environment. Walks nicely on a leash, Debra says. “She seems to have been well cared for with a gorgeous leek and shiny coat.” [LARRY ASIDE: Yet nobody has come to her since she arrived on the 2nd day of the month. Why is that? Maybe there are significant reasons. Maybe there aren’t. “Aren’t” usually wins that argument when humans are involved.”]
Benny (45460012) is listed as a “German Shepherd/Carolina Dog” and Debra’s report says the 3-year-old, 59-pound, unfixed fellow came in as a stray on the 5th. As you may recall, Debra meets the dogs she writes about. In this case, Benny “has an outgoing and confident personality.  He is friendly and has a sweet nature.  He is an athletic dog who enjoyed playing on the climbing equipment.  Benny did his business in the yard.  He knows the sit command.  He is frisky, spunky and playful.  He walks nicely on a leash. … Benny takes treats gently.  There is so much to like about this dog so please consider helping him out of the shelter.”
 As you know, use the IDs when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
 You can see Mesquite’s shelter animals by clicking HERE. While there are many dogs and cats in the shelter, there also are these two little beings. Iceman is, of course, a boy, and Charli is a girl. Both are just over a month old. But, Star Wars fans, while most of us think they may be the product of a neighborhood date between two long-haired “blue” cats, I think we can really envision the family tree.
Starts with Yoda, it does.
IN CASE YOU WON LOTTO TEXAS
You can donate to your favorite non-profit — or several or many — by going to northtexasgivingday.org. Help animals. Help people. We can’t list all the non-profits who could use some donations, but the Communities Foundation of Texas can and you can see the list at the northtexasgivingday.org  site. (Reminds me, as this is being typed, I have yet to check my Lotto Texas numbers against last night’s drawing. Like Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street, “I believe. I believe. I believe.” I’m sure I’m not alone.)
CONTEMPLATIONS
HALLOWEEN, LIFE WITH A DOG, SHOW BIZ
Cancelling the State Fair, I can understand. But Halloween? It’s designed for social distancing — put on a mask and don’t crowd the porch when you ask for treats. Right? Keep up with State Fair developments at bigtex.com. … 
“Life’s more fun with a dog.” is the theme of some commercial — when I
hear that declaration, I forget the name of the product. If you have no animal in your life, then one day you may find that it’s more fun to have a dog around the house than just your solitary human self. (That's our fun dog Wendy, demonstrating how to nap like your in need of a treat.)  But, if you get a cat, you may find that it’s more fund to have a cat around the house if all you’re depending on for fun is other humans and surprise visitors. Life’s more fun with both dogs and cats.
...
I’d like to point out that when it comes to acting, dogs need to be trained. Cats merely need to be told where to hit their marks and say their lines — most cats have studied under renowned thespians — some of you may recall award- winning Morris the Cat. One of our cats, Simon, who chose not to attend law school but to pad the boards (as stagefolk say), was on the network soap opera Suburban Moods for about 5 years. (That’s him rehearsing; below you see him emoting in this upcoming scene.) Ask Simon and he’ll recall his fan-favorite episode of Suburban Moods. He catmailed me the script for the episode “A Salesman Bothers Bethyl Jo” and underlined his lines in the scene. Simon appears as “Mr. Sweetie.”
(Scene: In pleasant suburban living room, a stranger is talking to a woman and a cat.)

SALESMAN (insultingly threatening) : If you reject my bargain offer for this year-round electronic pest control, there might be that apocalyptic night when you awake to find a mouse eating cheese on your pillow.
BERYL JO (firmly, while holding a mug of sponsor’s coffee): I’m telling you once again, bub, I’ve got a no-fail pest-control system that won’t fail. And you’re a pest. Show, him, Mr. Sweetie.

 

MR. SWEETIE: (rising to his full height while standing on the arm of the couch  and glaring eye-to-eye with the salesman, suddenly, with the rage of a jungle beast, rattles the suburban windows with a mighty): RARRRRMEEOWWWWWGRRRRRPFFSSST. As Dusty says in Pure Country, ‘Go on! Gitchyer ass outta here.’ RRRRRGGGGGRRRMEOW!PFFFSST.”
BERYL JO (smiling with a twinkle): Better go, Mister. I’ve seen what he can do to a sofa if the dog won’t get up and move.” (Scene.)

Up for a couple of Emmys. Supporting Catactor and Derivative Writing.
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