MERRY CHRISTMAS, 2020, AND 'GOD BLESS US, EVERY ONE,' QUOTING DICKENS' TINY TIM

EDITION OF DEC. 24-25, 2020 [PetPowellPress] For the celebration of Christmas, I snapped this photograph of my pal Dudley The Angel.
Our Christmas Eve edition is also our Christmas Day Edition. And we’ll have Christmas related stories and opportu- nities to launch Christmas stories at your house, too. Animals that need a home! Joys of the season. We also got a reminder of a great Christmas Eve adoption story from Della and David Wallace and Alastair.
But here's this boy Dudley. He is, his vet told us, a Border Collie/Chocolate Lab mix. We also think he is an angel.
You can see the brownish tint on his coat and the white paws and blaze and the perky ears. He showed up in our front yard one Christmas with two small dogs. Dumped, probably. We got the little, cute dogs into a no-kill shelter.
 Dudley The Angel suggested that it would be good for the entire world if he stayed with us — he liked the other dogs and the cats, too. And, of course, my merryspouse Martha and I fell in love with him right away. He’s got that sweet personality that owns your heart the moment you look into his eyes or anywhere within two yards of him — magnetic, he is. So, I’m sharing this photo of Dudley for Christmas. And some of you sharp-eyed readers spotted right away that this is a photo of Dudley with Dudley. 
Yep, I photographed him while he was watching The Bishop’s Wife with Cary Grant in the role of, yes, Dudley the Angel. For whom our dog is named -- thanks to Martha.
 There is a line that Dudley says in the film that fits the presence of our dog Dudley the Angel — if you swap out a noun or two. Dudley, speaking to the bishop’s wife, says, “There are few people who know the secret of making a heaven here on earth. You are one of those rare people.” And, perhaps, dear readers, at Christmas you can see that quality in your angelic dogs and cats and kids and spouses and kin and friends. Merry Christmas to you all — rescuers, funders, transporters, shelter workers, organizers and everybody knee-deep and heart-strong in saving ‘em all. From Charles Dickens’ Tiny Tim, “God bless us, every one.”
 And from our own Dudley the Angel, “Gonna be stingy with those treats, Scrooge?” [LARRY ASIDE: That's an earlier mugshot from a time when Scrooge really was stingy with the treats!]
WHAT SANTA MIGHT SEE WHILE
COMING DOWN THE CHIMNEY
I’ve posted Apollo’s story several times during the pandemic — he’s been waiting for a new home a while at the SPCA of Texas. This photograph just cracks me up. So does that picture of Bellatrix The Cat. 

They have looks on their faces that Santa might see as he drops down the chimney. A fan of dogs and cats, I’m trying to pass that appreciation on to other people.
Both of these darlings are available at the SPCA of Texas. You can see more Apollo photos and videos by going to this link: https://bit.ly/3alS83U. One of the videos shows a very focused Apollo watching a football game on TV. His bio says he is “house-trained, does well when left alone, is non-destructive, knows how to entertain himself, and is a generally quiet and chill dude! He loves treats, sunbathing, belly rubs, chasing squirrels, and cuddling for nap time.”

Bellatrix, the upside-down cat, is a year old. This beautiful Brown Tabby “was surrendered to the SPCA of Texas by a nice person” who couldn’t find the cat’s actual home and also couldn’t keep the loveable girl."
When you go spca.org, you can see dogs, cats and other species that need good homes -- that's year round, not just at Christmas.
ADORABLE DOGS AND NUTMEG,
ALL WAITING IN MESQUITE
Well, my goodness, how is it possible that dogs can be landlorded into a shelter or just make it one day in a new home? Oh, wait, I forgot it was 2020 when anything ugly is possible. But here’s a chance to end a year with something beautiful.
We got the tips on these first two from our Mesquite Animal Services volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown. Judi, like her colleague at biographica caninicus (that may not be the exact Latin) Debra Chisholm, visits with each dog who gets a biography. 

First up is Rocko who was a victim of love. Judi says he’s a 7-month-old “Plott Hound/Retriever/terrier Pit Bull mix” who, due to renting rules, was surrendered to the Mesquite shelter on December 21. “Apparently a girlfriend gave Rocko to this woman’s son and she is unable to have dogs. Rocco is a delightful boy who is friendly and loving. He stayed close with his tail wagging constantly. He chases toys but does not retrieve them. He’s energetic but not overly so. He does occasionally jump on you but then he’s just a puppy! His previous owner said that he was an indoor dog and that he lived with children and other dogs. They also said he is housebroken. She said he loves to play with socks and rags.” Rocko weighs 40 pounds and his shelter ID is #46307978.
That brings us to Chapo, a 3-year-old “reddish terrier Pit,” Judi says. (He’s #46313055.) The 86-pound “solid” fellow was surrendered on the 22nd “because of landlord issues.” Judi says, “He’s a friendly, gregarious guy who appears to love everyone. The whole time I had him out in the yard his tail was wagging. He loves attention and loves to be petted. He’s a big cuddle bug! He’s a high-energy boy that loves to play. He chased and retrieved toys (not balls) but wouldn’t give them back to me. … His previous owners said that he is housebroken. He was an inside dog but the owner stated that he loves to run and play outside. He was raised with two-year-old and a four-year-old. He was not raised with other dogs but the owner stated that he is OK with them. However the owner also said that he doesn’t like small animals. I would suggest further dog testing especially with a small dog.”

To ask about either of these dogs, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. Use their IDs to help expedite things.

Use that contact info, also, to ask about Tyson, the dog that Debra Chisholm’s been working with. He’s #46224644, a 61-pound, 2-year-old Pittie/Staffie mix who was surrendered Wednesday after spending ONE DAY in the adopter’s home. Why? “One of the adult family members were scared of Tyson,” Debra says. She also reports and the “former adopter stated that they have 4 other dogs as well as cats and that Tyson was fine around all of them.  Also stated was that he is gentle and loving, and is good on a leash.”
You can see these dogs and more and this cat and more cats and kittens, too, by going to the Mesquite Shelter website HERE. This little guy Nutmeg is about 7 weeks old — he’s small for now. (#46308271). [LARRY BLACK-AND-WHITE-CAT ASIDE: If you go by readlarrypowell.com's experience with black and white cats, Nutmeg plays lots bigger than he is. In fact, about 15 minutes ago I heard a clattering crash in our guest bedroom. I yelled to Martha, “Are you OK?” and she yelled back, “Check the bedroom closet — I may have shut a cat in there.” Yep, our own B&W Stevie Ray  (that's him reading a Texas Monthly atop my computer desk) was shut up inside the closet and rearranging things with a Santa-style clamor. He’s out now — a little insulted but with a two- handed, cuddling pickup and and some petting, he’s purring again on the way to his next household adventure at Christmas. The other office cat, William Powell? Snoozing in the bedroom after relaxing in my lap for a while. He’s a cool gent with great eyes. I endorse Tabbies, also. Rarely find one in a closet. Stevie Ray won't let him in.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
OF CHRISTMASES PAST…AND YET TO COME
My little brothers would get so excited that we’d reached “Christmas Eve’s Eve” and that level of excitement held firm right on through the 26th and beyond. For some reason I’ve been missing those two boys a lot lately. One of the reasons may be this: I caught an interview with Paul McCartney about his new album McCartney III and it took me back to the first Christmas I had money of my own — gainfully employed in my mid-teen years, you know. I bought my little brothers a newly released Beatles album for Christmas — well, it was sort of for all of us, you know — the record player was shared in 1965. What? Paul McCartney? Oh, yeah, I’m sorry, youngsters, Paul McCartney was a Beatle before he founded Wings and before he went on to be a legendary solo act. (In order on the record jacket from left, George, John, Ringo & Paul.) Maybe you’ve heard of Sir Paul. Anyway, in honor of everyone we used to celebrate the holiday’s with, how about clicking HERE while you read on to the end of today’s Contemplation. It’s not a Christmas song, but bits of it sure do fit the heart of the season, i.e., the lyrics “I will never lose affection for people and things that went before…” Thank you, Lennon & McCartney & Ringo Starr & George Harrison. That’s the Rubber Soul album from 1965. It was a Merry Christmas for the three Powell brothers. …
You see here a bit of an ol’ Dallas Animal Services kennel card for a dog named Chico. I got that illustration in an email from my dear pal Della Wallace, the rescuer, on Tuesday. The subject line on the email read “Our Christmas present to ourselves 2012.” She said it was thanks to me, but I think of it as “thanks to the big hearts of Della and David.” Oh, I recognized that dog right away — he may have been known as Chico at Dallas Animal Services on Dec. 24, 2012, but when he rode away from the shelter — that’s his “leaving Big D” photo — he was quickly becoming “Alastair,” named for Alastair Sim, the actor who portrayed Scrooge in the 1951 film version of A Christmas Carol. Here’s the note Della sent this week with the reminder in the subject line “Our Christmas present to ourselves 2012”: “Thanks to you!!! You posted his story and picture for us to see❤️🐾 How could we not rescue him?!
“Then a few years later, Alastair rescued David by alerting me at 4:30 a.m. that David was having a stroke. We rescued him, he rescued David. We love him!!” Yeah, I get a bit teary-eyed when I realize that little dog has been such a blessing for Della and David. … 

So, here on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and all days yet to come, I’ll remember Alastair from
2012 and also that 1965 Christmas season. It was a busy one with fun. (I was holding down two jobs — night reporter/sportswriter at The Texarkana Gazette and, on my 2 off-days, delivery truck assistant
for Montgomery Ward while studying and enduring my senior year of high school from 8 a.m. ’til 3:30 p.m. each day.) Paid for college, a car and Christmas. And my folks let me keep my spot in the bedroom I shared with my brothers (Barry on the left, Garry on the right, Larry in the middle -- blame our parents Harry and Mary -- kidding, Pearl and Calvin)...Oh, and, now and then, we shared that room with Queenie the Border Collie. We all miss the dog a lot. That’s the four of us in a 1961 “blizzard” in Texarkana.
Merry Christmas everybody — past, present and future.
—- Think of love and click on ‘comments’ below and email dallrp@aol.com. Have a wonderful Christmas and may we all have an unexpectedly joyous new year! —-