A TUESDAY COLLECTION OF ANIMALS, PEOPLE AND WEATHER

EDITION OF TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15, 2020 [PetPowellPress] In case you know people who don’t already have dogs and cats, let’s just make this point: 
The difference between acquiring shelter and rescue dogs and cats and getting the item your ordered online is this: Not one of the dogs and cats is going to be listed as “on backorder” for two months. 
[A SPECIAL BITTER SHOUTOUT to the companies that promised a delivery of shoes on Nov. 12 and a set of glorious red earrings on December 4. I’m thinking the next email I get will announce that they’re transitioning the delivery status from “en route” to “lost at sea.” ]
Now available at Dallas Animal Services (listed on dallasanimalservices.org this very morning) is this well-antlered 7-year-old Pittie boy named Angel (ID 1110377) — 46 pounds. Coincidentally this cat in the holiday tie is also 7 years old — he looks like he might have been employed as the piano player at a Holiday Inn Lounge for a singer specializing in the works of Peggy Lee. Papi is #A0759232. And, he’s one of those Dallas Tabby Cats — rare breed. Wait. Sorry. Not so rare, as you can see from the list of shelter animals at dallas- animalservices.org. More On DAS in a moment. First an upbeat note from Sanger, north of Denton, north of Dallas and Fort Worth, the small town with the slogan “Superbly Situated.” Like WinStar Casino, it’s right on I-35 north of Dallas.
A HAPPY REPORT
ON THE DOG TINA!

Early in a week, it’s a joy to learn of a happy outcome. This has to do with a “Senior Rottie Mix” named Tina. 
Here’s the note we got from our Denton tipster Amy Poskey: “I am so happy to report that Amanda Kerr with CoPilot Animal Rescue (CAR) in Sanger has tagged Tina!!!  THANK YOU AMANDA/CAR!!!  Emily with the Lake Dallas Animal Shelter is already scheduling Tina’s leg/tumor surgery so that CAR can pick her up and take her directly into their rescue where she can be spoiled rotten while healing!  HAPPY LIFE SWEET TINA!!!”
A followup report on the CAR Facebook page says Tina’s going to have some tough surgery and may lose her left rear leg because the tumor is so big. Amy notes that you can make a donation to Tina’s care at the CAR website HERE or the CAR Facebook page HERE.
Tina had arrived at the Lake Dallas Animal Shelter with two other dogs when their owner died. Amy says Tina’s two “pooch pals…were pulled by a rescue group.” She was left alone to await a good heart that would focus on making her healthy.
DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES LOOKS
TOWARD POST-PANDEMIC ERA
This was posted on Dallas Animal Services Facebook Page as a reminder that with the expected expiration of eviction moratoriums on Dec. 31, foster families are going to be needed for surrendered pets. Here’s the note from DAS: “We want people to know that there are other options to explore before pet surrender. DAS has partnered with other organizations, such as Operation Kindness and Spay Neuter Network, to provide hard-up owners with pet food and other resources. Right now, of the people who call the city's 311 call center to surrender their pet, only 33% wind up doing so in the end. However, with the moratoriums on evictions potentially ending December 31st, DAS is looking for additional foster families to take in pets in the event of an increase in pet surrenders. To get more information on fostering, visit www.DallasAnimalServices.org." DAS also provided this LINK  to a Dallas Observer article about pandemic-related surrenders. See how to volunteer or foster at DAS by clicking HERE.  LARRY ASIDE: Thinking ahead for you animals — that saves lives of animals, protects the hearts of humans.]
MEANWHILE, LANCASTER HAS
ANIMALS AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW
We have to thank the folks with 4-Legged Helpers — Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden in particular — for keeping us in-the-know on such available animals as these cats and dogs.
We’ll start with the Christmas-connected cats. That young gray and white Tabby boy is Dasher, AKA Dash, they say. And the “white and cream” cat is a boy named Blitzen, shortened to “Blitz” sometimes.
 The Helpers’ note focuses on the “beautiful pastel grays of Dasher and the gorgeous white with striped tail and matching cream on Blitz's head.  They apparently were brought to the shelter by someone who said they found them but clearly these boys have been well cared for and appear to be brothers.  Sweet and VERY LOVING young indoor kitties - no question.”

That brings us to the dogs — some we’ve posted before. Candy is a young “sweet little girl,” maybe 8 months old and small. She was “found out and about on her own” and, should no one claim their wandering dog, she will be available for adoption or rescue on Thursday.
Lacy is the Catahoula/Shepherd mix girl available right now. She’s “just getting her adult teeth so probably is exactly six months old,” the Helpers note says. She’s playful, cute, and “adores everyone.”
Lexie is the adorable Mastiff/Bulldog mix we’ve been citing for weeks and weeks. She was saved from her wandering or post-dumping ways by a Good Samaritan who took her in after picking her up “out in the rural part” of Dallas County. She’s the dog the helpers say is “the sweetest dog ever. …[The Good Samaritan] took her to the vet and got her first vaccinations, including rabies, and were able to get her all checked out.  She is just as cute as cute and be.  Her name could easily be Honey, or Sugar, or Precious, because she truly is all of those things.”
To help with any of these animals or any animals on the radar at 4-Legged Helpers, call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
THE MESQUITE ANIMALS
ALSO AWAIT A HUMAN HEART
We should say they await “another” human heart — the volunteers and staffers hearts are already working to make sure they get notice for being adoptable. That’s how we get to be acquainted with the stories of these shelter dogs and cats at Mesquite Animal services. 
Debra Chisholm sent us the note about mixed-breeds Nala (left) and Jaxx who arrived together. Why together? Ugly story. Debra explains that they’d “been seized and brought to the shelter and placed in protective custody because they were left abandoned in a home.  These dogs are rescue-only because the shelter wishes that they stay together.  Nala is about a year old, weighs 24 pounds and is spayed.  She's a little livewire!  She walks well on a leash.  This spunky girl will jump on you in her excitement and therefore manners training would be in order--for her and Jaxx.” 
Nala is #46213526 and Jaxx is #46213484. Use those ID numbers when you call the shelter at 872-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
Jaxx is listed as “a mixed breed including English Pointer.” He weighs 57 pounds and is about a year-and-a-half old. The neutered boy is a strong puller on the leash. “He is a delightful pup and deserves another chance at a stable and secure home situation,” Debra wrote.
Trevor’s story is also out-of-the-ordinary. Debra’s note begins, “This is Trevor who arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 11/18 and was adopted on 11/24.  The day he was adopted it was discovered he had an ear infection so the adopter opted to leave him at the shelter until the infection has been treated and cleared up.  Somewhere along the way, the owner changed his mind about adopting Trevor.  Now this precious boy is again available and is so ready to be in his forever home by Christmas.”
 He’s listed as a Border Collie mix — the 60-pound, 3-year-old dog is friendly, curious, and “on the move” when out in the shelter exercise yard. Also, Debra’s note reads, “Trevor seems to have been well-cared-for and it is a mystery to me as to why his owners have not come looking for him.” 
Trevor is #46120008. Use the same contact numbers used for Nala and Jaxx.
Go to this LINK  to see more dogs and cats in the Mesquite Animal Shelter. Among the kittens is this 3-month-old little girl #46254428 who has the shelter name of Half Mustache. Has her whiskers but the illusion of half-a-mustache. 
This last cat is no kitten. He came into the shelter on Monday and Orion (officially #46268661) is listed as being a small gray cat who is — I’m not kidding — “15 years,7 months, 1 day” old. [LARRY ASIDE: I don’t know why this perfectly good cat wound up in the shelter at that age. But I do know that we have had cats that age — have one now who’s probably older — and they are a joy to hold and adore. Good for YOUR heart to give love to a cat who probably was handed off to be someone else’s problem when it came to euthanasia. He’s probably got enough steam to be somebody’s baby.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
A DECEMBER DAY, AN ARTIST AND WEATHER
For December 15, 2020, I hired a couple of theatrical people to re-enact a moment from the December 15, 1991, wedding of a very young Martha Muse to a not so very young but younger then than now fellow — that was 29 years ago. We’ve outlasted every betting pool associated with a “Call the Lawyers, File the Papers Day.” Know how we’ve lasted this long? Not a clue. I can’t keep my mouth shut and she has a laser glare and a forgiving nature. …
You see that feline artwork? This popped up on my Facebook page — it led off a story from Distractify about an admitted bad artist who creates outrageous works for charity. Here’s the LINK…
As I’m typing this, it’s 43 and no precip at our house. In the meantime, at the Eastern Seaboard Bureau in New Jersey, our Bureau Chief Andrew Fisher, the veteran print and broadcast journalist, is preparing for an onslaught of seriously wintry weather. He also put these two photos together to demonstrate how the weather can change at the Bureau’s headquarters on the banks of Indian Lake. We posted a Denville snow photo last week. This time Andy explained, “Created this collage earlier to show the difference between a beautiful late May day and a foggy one in  mid-December from the deck.”
So, we wish everybody in the path of the blizzard strong utilities and great signals on the TV. Here’s a headline from nj.com in the noon hour on Tuesday. “N.J. weather: Up to 24 inches of snow in latest winter storm forecast.” Know what would happen if 24 inches of snow fell on North Texas — we’d be inundated by reporters looking for quotes from people with a stunned look frozen on their faces.
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