A YULE CAT MEMORY; SAVING SOME DOGS; HA'PENNY, PAPERS AND MOONS

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY, DEC. 23, 2020 [PetPowellPress] This cat has been the star in our Christmas Cat Mood since 2003 when he wandered onto our front porch in Dallas as a kitten. Five months later, Griffin Oliver Powell was as big as a sack of cement and nearly as heavy. By Christmas, he loved being under the Christmas tree. So, celebrate Griffin and his tree. And your dogs and cats and their holiday favorite places, too. They are part of the family. You may say, “That’s my cat” or “That’s my dog” but they will tell you, “Hey, you’re my human. Merry Christmas and keep the treats comin’.”
That second photos? A couple of years later, I caught the Griffin and Annabelle Bob, a black cat named for Martha’s late giant black cat Bob, lounging near the tree and watching a rare snowfall on our neighborhood at Christmas.
I see that photo and I think of the opening lines to In My Life, “There are places I’ll remember…” We'll get to that in our Christmas Eve edition.
MEANWHILE, WE LOOK BACK
TO A LANCASTER NOTE….
You may recall our note in Tuesday’s edition about Diego and Teddy, etc. The note we got this morning from 4-Legged Helpers Laura Macias and Leighann Hayden included this update on animals we’d mentioned Tuesday.
Paxton, according to the update, “is the only dog not yet chosen at the [Lancaster] shelter and is ready to leave. Please help him — please — they close for the holidays. He has had no tag — no inquiries — no adopter — HELP! PLEASE RESCUE HIM FOR THE HOLIDAYS. STILL HOPING AND WAITING AT LANCASTER SHELTER.” You may recall that the “Tri-Color Aussie Shepherd Mix” is called “Paxton” because, the Helpers’ note explained, “Paxton means peaceful and calm, and he is just so gentle and sweet and lovable.”

Also waiting at Lancaster is Trevor, a “young male, bulldog mix” who is “adorable. Not a very big dog — and he is just as cute as cute can be.”
For all of the animals mentioned in this report, call or text Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.

Hayden is the 8-month-old Husky/German Shepherd mix, currently in the care of a family in Wilmer. The Helpers note reports, “The family that has him rescued him when he was being given away for free as a 3-month-old. They already had a Basset hound and a Chihuahua but when the pandemic set in, they put finding a home for Hayden on hold until now.” Four-legged Helpers were helping “trap a stray dog next to their property and happened to speak with them and they mentioned how they would love to find him a home.”
Sweet, beautiful, great eyes and markings. Adores other dogs. And why was he photographed behind a fence? Not his problem — the pesky Chihuahua is an escape artist, so the logistics worked out this way to keep all dogs safe!
And that brings us to a recap of Teddy’s situation — he’s also known as “Peanut.” This is the young Bulldog mix boy who was rescued by a Good Samaritan in September. The dog was found “badly bleeding” at the infamous Malloy Bridge dumping area in southwest Dallas. Turns out, the poor dog nearly bled to death, possibly after being force-fed rat poison. 
Now, he’s described as “such a wonderful dog” and he’s in the care of the Good Samaritan who found him. But, Teddy needs a home now. He’s cute, sweet, and has a face that would make your heart smile every time you looked into his eyes.
Yes, call or text Laura at 214-949-2726.
CLAUS IS GOING TO BE
A RESCUE-ONLY DOG
Our tipsters at Mesquite Animal Services, the volunteer dog biographers Judi Brown and Debra Chisholm, consistently report on animals so incredibly worthy of positive human intervention in their lives.
This one is Claus, a 43-pound, 12-year-old senior Golden Retriever mix. He’s ID 46295329. He came into the shelter as a stray on December 18, reports Judi. And Judi adds, “He will be RESCUE ONLY due to some medical issues. He is feeble and walks slowly probably due to arthritis. However, he does get around and wants to stay real close to you for loving. He’s got two open sores above his front paws. He also has a soft (probably 2-inch) tumor on his chest. It doesn’t appear to be sore to the touch. This poor sweet, sweet boy has obviously had a hard life. He has calluses on his elbows indicating he’s probably spent a major part of his life outside on cement. When he sprawls out in his kennel he breathes heavily. This sweet, sweet boy needs a hero! After his medical issues are dealt with I can see him spending time on a soft bed by his loving laid-back family. Claus followed me around wanting attention and to be petted. He’s very affectionate. He’s also alert and went to the gate to watch people passing and cars driving in. He walks as well as he can on a leash….He loves treats.”
 To ask about helping Claus, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com." Use his ID number when you contact the shelter.
[LARRY ASIDE: Claus has the look of a dog with love to give. I’ve seen that look on older dogs and it’s a lasting look! Sticks to your heart.]

CONTEMPLATIONS
Hey, Penny? Old papers! Wolf Moon?
Being from the Northeast, I know many things related to England. Wait. I’m from Northeast Texas — Bowie County. Different Northeast than the one with all the British colonies. Anyway, I’ve only recently figured out what a “haypenny” is and it has nothing to do with a bale. The Old Farmers Almanac sometimes includes poems in its emails. And here’s one with a Christmas tone and it may be used in a movie song I can’t remember today: 

Christmas is coming,
the geese are getting fat,

Please to put a penny
in the old man's hat;

If you haven't got a penny,
a ha'penny will do,
 If you haven't got
a ha'penny, God bless you!
–Beggar's Rhyme [LARRY ASIDE: In the meantime, save the geese. Set ‘em free somewhere they can thrive!] …
Speaking of saving a species, our contact at Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, Sydney Busch, has issued another appeal for a disappearing product. As you know, the Friends operate the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas. Sydney’s appeal reads, “The clinic AND a cat rescue for whom we do surgeries are in need of newspapers (this need never ends!)...They can be dropped off at the door to the clinic any day (I'm by there most days) or left at Flair Printing in GBC (closed 12/24,25).” The clinic is at 122 Old Gun Barrel Lane. Call 903-451-4701 or 214-808-4701 to ask about delivering papers, so to speak. The Friend’s link is HERE and the Facebook page is HERE.
One more Almanac reference. Lots of us have been staring into the sky lately, but there hasn’t been a full moon. The Old Farmers Almanac lists the next two. December 29 will offer the Full Cold Moon — maybe because in our hemisphere we’ll be fully cold on the 29th. Or at least chilled. A month later, on January 29, we’ll see, clouds permitting, “The Wolf Moon.” [PERSONAL NOTE: Larry Talbot, contact me about this the week before the 29th. Thanks.]
—- Offer uplifts or break-evens by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and forward this report to people who need dogs and cats and don’t yet know it. —-