FROM NOTABLE DAYS TO NOTABLE DOGS AND CATS AND CONTEMPLATIONS

EDITION OF NOVEMBER 12, 2020 [PetPowellPress] I missed celebrating November 8 — it was National Dunce Day and I had even learned the dance. What? There’s no dance? Oh. OK, I fit right in.

FYI, also from Holiday Insights we learn this: November 12 is Chicken Soup For the Soul Day — as a vegetarian I eschew that; as a writer I envy the sales. It’s also World Pneumonia Day — I celebrated that in March 2018 after a ride up 4 stories in a public library elevator with four hacking gents who lived nearby. They’d built up an immunity; I was knocked over and hospitalized. I now get a pneumonia shot and a flu shot along with my rabies vaccination — I get the quadrivalent rabid home office-worker solution.
 Keep reading and you’ll learn about that beautiful cat’s availability.
THE LATEST UPDATE
ON CHARLESTON. ET AL
By now you know the story of Charleston — neglected until his muzzle and jaws were a horrifying mess. What’s the latest with this Dachshund boy? Kerri Thorne of Pound Pals Rescue reports this week: “Charleston is finally eating!”
 That was a challenge because of his discomfort AND his healing from the extensive surgery — “the roof of his mouth was reconstructed.” 
Pound Pals posted this on Facebook: “Charleston's vet team is reporting that he is finally eating!! GOD hears prayers!! Please send up a special prayer for Pepper Jane who is still not eating and for Pierre, whose eyes have not improved. Charleston, Pepper Jane and Pierre are treated at TCVMC (Turtle Creek Veterinary Medical Center in Greenville). If you would like to chip in toward medical expenses, please send your donation of any amount through www.poundpals.com.)"
Pepper Jane has internal issues that required surgery and treatment. Chihuahua Pierre’s eyes are in crisis and may be removed.
THE WAY SOME PEOPLE
TREAT DOGS IS, WELL, FATAL
We got this story of disgusting behavior from the folks at Dallas-based Paws In The City.
It opens with a quite an awful situation-setting paragraph: “This sad picture was taken moments after two senior Chihuahuas were rescued from a local airfield after being dumped there.”
Look carefully and you can see the nose of one pup just peeking out from behind her companion — the dog in front is Dumpling. The dog behind — well, it’s a wrenchingly sad story.
The Paws note continues, “A kind citizen found them and took them to the closest shelter. Both girls, who we believe were sisters, were scared and in horrible condition. They both suffered from obesity and could barely walk. Each had terrible tooth decay as well as urine and fecal scald marks in the lower regions of their bodies.
“Sadly, the apple of Dumpling’s eye - her sister - died in the shelter the first night after being saved. The shelter knew Dumpling’s situation was also dire and requested an emergency rescue to save Dumpling from the same fate as her sister. Paws in the City saved the day and transferred Dumpling immediately to one of our vet partners.

“The vet estimated Dumpling to be 8-years-old. She weighed in at 9 pounds (a healthy weight for her size would be 7 pounds). Almost all of her teeth were on the verge of falling out. X-rays revealed a torn ACL, luxating patellas and dropped carpi (cq). She also needed all the usual vaccinations, a heartworm test, and a microchip.
“The good news is that the vet believes surgery, rehab and a strict diet will lead to a good and healthy life for Dumpling. We need your help to give Dumpling that new life. If you’re able to help Dumpling, please give. All funds raised are for her care alone. Thank you in advance!”
See how to give at pawsinthecity.org. 
[LARRY REACTION: See how to hunt down the individual who dumped two old girls and drove away — wait, we don’t know how to track that villain. But Someone Up There does — and will.]
OPERATION KINDNESS GOES ‘VIRTUAL’
WITH 28TH CANINES, CATS & CABERNET
Twenty-eighth? How can that be? Seems like only yesterday that legendary animal advocate Jonnie England and the crew — the foundation builders for Operation Kindness —announced this now-traditional fundraiser at the no-kill-from-the-beginning Operation Kindness. Ah, we have learned that time moves along.
Now time is moving along in a pandemic, so OK is raising money the new-fashioned way. Online — or, as the OK news release called it, “party in place.” The virtual event begins with the pre-show at 7 p.m. Saturday — you need to be a registered user of the website and shelter YouTube page. Get the details at the EVENT SITE HERE. 
There’ll be a live puppy and kitten cam. Live auction, too with all sorts of items. 
Among the animals currently available for adoption at OK? That dog is Cathy. She’s a 6-month-old, 20-pound Beagle mix. She “happily greets everyone she meets with an enthusiastic tail wag” and, OK, says, she “enjoys spending her days exploring all the sniffs there are to find on her neighborhood walks and patrolling for squirrels in the backyard.” 
The cat, caught in the same “watch the birdie” pose as Cathy, is 11-month-old, 7-pound Aisling, also known as “Miracle Kitty.” A “Good Samaritan” found her in a ditch and brought her to the shelter in January 2020 — the vet thought she’d been fatally injured. But Miracle Kitty overcame a ton of injuries — fractured pelvis, “several abdominal hernias” and “was having a hard time walking and struggling to function day-to-day.” The autobiographical portion of Aisling’s story on the OK website reads, “When I looked up at the vet, I purred my loudest purr and ate the food I was offered, I convinced her I was supposed to survive.” She’s friendly and outgoing, but will always have that odd walk as a souvenir of her early-life experience. 
[LARRY ASIDE: I guess we oughta remember that for all the animals in our human world, none of this is “virtual” — it’s all right-in-your-face reality. Bless their hearts.]

TIME OUT, LADIES AND GENTS,
FOR JUST A MOMENT
I was sitting here typing about animals that need homes and need people to help them, and I suddenly felt the need to walk over to where the black and white Border Collie mix Dudley the Angel is sleeping and pat his big ol’ happy dog head — he wagged his tail with a minimum of movement elsewhere in his body. Then I walked another two feet to the office chair which held a sleeping black and white Oak Cliff-born kitten, Stevie Ray. I bent down and gently petted between his year-and-a-half old ears and he looked up at me with “OK, go head, but don’t pick me up” on his face. I petted his handsome noggin, scratched under his chin and he accepted the affection and I went back to work. Dudley went back to sleep. Stevie Ray came over, trotted around on my keyboard, then went back to his chair and nodded off. 
I feel better about life right now, having written about animals in crisis but able to reach out and touch animals who won’t have a crisis until 3:30 p.m. when they start to wonder if I’m going to remember to present the afternoon meal. OK. That’s it from the ol’ sap who is an animal nut. Moving along….
LOOKING AT A MESQUITE DOG
WHO HAD A JOB FOR A WHILE….
This is Tchalla. He’s a 40-pound dog who pulled himself right out of a job with his previous owner, a disabled woman who couldn’t handle his “strong pull on the leash.”
 Our tipster, Judi Brown, the volunteer biographer at Mesquite Animal Services, says year-old Tchalla was surrendered to the shelter on November 5. He’s listed as a “mixed breed,” but Judi’s pet scanner “said he’s 61% Basenji. He’s got perky standup ears that make him very handsome.” Right now, he’s “on the timid size” but that’ll probably vanish because, she wrote, “He definitely wants to make friends. … He would sit for treats but didn’t remaining sitting for very long.” He’s an indoor dog though he loves to run and play — he also loves to be inside with his human. Housebroken, loves hugs and is “already fixed.” He’s #46042278.
As you can see, Nia (#46033439) has quite a face. She’s a 4-year-old, 48-pound Blue Pittie who arrived as a stray on November 4. Judi writes, “No one would ever accuse her of not having energy and enthusiasm. It seems like she thinks the world is her oyster.” 
Happy, friendly and fun-loving, Judi says Nia “gets over excited and jumps on you because she wants your attention.  She would benefit from some manners training. She also wants treats. She sits for them but does not take them gently. When I sat down she came to me and wanted on my lap. She calmed down when I scratched her ears. She loves toys. She brought some to me and pushed them up against me trying to entice me to play but wouldn’t let me take them from her.”
To ask about these dogs or any animals in the Mesquite Shelter, call 972-216-6283 or email rescues@city ofmesquite.com. Be sure to use the ID#s to help facilitate things. Yes, all of that will work for discussing adoption or tagging of this dog below.
This is Freckles (#460564731), a “year- or two-old mixed breed,” who weighs 45 pounds and is a stray who came in on the 8th. Judi says she may be an Aussie Cattle Dog/English Pointer mix and “she came by the name ‘Freckles’ naturally.” And, like so many dogs who find themselves in a shelter, Judi says, “She’s timid and not quite sure what to make of all the noise and commotion at the shelter. I spent considerable time in her kennel talking to her and building trust. she will need additional TSLC. … Just look into her eyes and you can see how gentle and loving she is! She seemed to love having her ears scratched.”

THERE ARE CATS WAITING
IN LANCASTER’S SHELTER
The 4-Legged Helpers folks have found a clowder of available cats at the small shelter on the southern side of Dallas. Lancaster’s cats are a “variety pack” and this is the first time in our history of readlarrypowell.com that we’ve gotten photos of the fronts AND backs of two cats to demonstrate their differentness.
We’ve started this display with the very beautiful Dream, listed as a Maine Coon. her bio reads, “Dream is stunning.  She looks like a beautiful fluffy creamsicle.  She is gorgeous and SO SWEET.  Maine Coon's are the sweetest fluffballs of love.  Check out her furry little mitts.  Shelter staff thought there is a chance she might be pregnant but they honestly said they are not sure - I think they were shocked at the large size of a Maine Coon.  She is an adorable floof.” [LARRY MID-DAY UPDATE: 4-Legged Helpers reports Dream has been tagged by rescue! We'll try to find out which one so you can adopt or donate.]
That brings us to kittens from, according to the 4-Legged Helpers description, a “Flame Point Siamese/Bengal litter.” The kittens in that trio of mugshots are described as “completely gorgeous little babies. Baby sweet and precious. Very little. Around 6 weeks. They are Ariel, Aiden and Arianna. 

Now we come to what’s described as a “Manx Litter,” probably between 10 and 14 weeks old. And the bio reads, “The rounded heads look very Manx, very lovable."
You’ll know the portraits of two kittens come with the backside pose, too — neither cat has a tail. Though, as you can see, Alex has a tail to go with his Tiger Tabby markings. 
Devyn is the girl with the Tortie markings and no tail. Tango is the boy with Orange Tabby markings and no tail.

And adorable Ciera is a Manx, already spayed. She’s less than a year old. Very friendly. Also a bobtail. The vet staff says “she seems to much prefer people over other cats.” She does seem to love the camera, however, and knows how to pose adoringly.
To help any of these cats by rescuing or adopting, get in touch with 4-Legged Helpers’ Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS

THEMES, THE U.S. SYSTEM & GARDENING 

While looking at the Holiday Insights calendar-driven website I discovered that November is many “months.” It’s National Model Railroad Month (I own a set); it’s National Novel-Writing Month -- I have a number of those started but I find myself distracted because this is also National Peanut Butter Lovers Month. The peanut butter makes the wheels on my electric train sticky and disturbs my ability to think about anything except adding jelly to the plot of my hobo novel, Riding the Rails on The Ol’ PB&J....
On Sunday I got an email allegedly from a polling agency — pretty sure it wasn’t American-based. Why? Because in the heat of this post-election (or mid-election, depending on your convictions) crisis, the subject line read: “BIDEN HAS ALL BUT WON THE NOMINATION.” See, evidence of staggering unfamiliarity with the system. Nomination was way back.
HOW DOES MY GARDEN GROW? I’ll answer that gently, sweetly, without a winning Lotto Texas ticket that would make my daydreams come true. Our front yard plants include autumn tomatoes fighting off bugs, a plant that produced one small orange pumpkin, another that has offered up a small white pumpkin. Yep, out of about 30 plants, I’ve gotten only two pumpkins. Like some people might be inclined to say these days, “I had hoped for more.”
— Offer farming advice or fertilizer notes by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —