A BLIND DOG, STRAY DOGS, BURNS FLAT WINTER, PLUS A PARK CAT AND PEOPLE ...

EDITION OF MONDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2021 [PetPowellPress] We’re going to try to keep this short because, of course, some people will still be celebrating the Super Bowl, others will still be getting over the trade of Elvis Andrus from the Rangers to the Oakland A’s, and, still others, will be simply trying to get some sleep. Has the pandemic aggravated your insomnia? Or do you think it was the politics? OK, let’s move on….
LOUIE IN GARLAND;
WHAT'S IT TAKE TO SAVE HIM….
A number of people are following this blind dog’s story.
For example there’s Christine Kallas of Against All Odds Rescue. And there’s the noted advocate Jennifer Sellers.
The dog is Louie and Louie is still in Garland Animals Services as this is written.
On the Garland Animal Services Facebook page, someone posted this on Saturday about the dog who was an owner surrender “for age and being blind.”
 Here’s what was written: “This guy broke my heart. Owner surrender. Requested this precious boy be euthanized. Reason old and blind. You dumped your blind senior -- did you ever think how scared he is blind in an unfamiliar place? I had to help put him in my car because he’s blind and can’t see what’s going on. Poor baby is the sweetest boy ever still full of life. Please tag share he needs a rescue. Yes I sat in my car crying wishing I could take him.”
Jennifer, in a note to readlarrypowell.com reported that she’d read “this dog has a rescue if there's a foster, and also Save our Strays in Sugarland has offered to take him if someone will transport to Dickinson, Texas. So far, no one has stepped up and no other rescues have, either. I don’t know how long they are going to give him [at the shelter].
 On the Garland shelter facebook page HERE you can see a lively video of Louie.
An update from the shelter says 10-year-old Louie “probably has retinal degeneration and is almost completely blind, with age-related changes in his lenses, but no cataracts.” Might also have arthritis. For info about Louie and to offer to help, call the shelter at 972-205 -3570. Email animalservices@garlandtx.gov. If you’re a rescue, email rescue@garlandtx.gov.

MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
THE REPORT ON ANIMALS
This guy is Buddy (#46543664), another of the handsome strays that winds up in the Mesquite Animal Shelter. We learned about him from our reliable tipster, the volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown. 
She says 2-year-old tan Pittie boy Buddy and “his absolutely gorgeous eyes” arrived at the shelter on Jan. 30 as a stray. She writes, “I can’t help but wonder why the owners did not come looking for Buddy.  Not only is he a handsome boy but he has many sterling qualities! He’s friendly and his tail wags most of the time. He gives kisses. He’s very energetic, playful, and fun loving. He loves balls. He will chase them, retrieve them and bring them back to you when he wants to. Since he wants to please you could easily teach him to drop the ball at your feet. He loves treats and will sit for them but does not take them gently. He had previously gone for a walk with another volunteer and I’m told he had a strong pull on the leash. However, when he was out in the yard with me and knew I had treats he just stayed close looking up at me in anticipation. And how can you resist those beautiful eyes!?”
Then there’s this seasonally named 3-year-old Pittie mix , a girl who came in as a stray on Feb. 1 — Cupid is her name, waitin’ is her game.
 Judi says she’s “absolutely adorable with a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and perky ears. She’s a low-rider. …very friendly tail-wagging girl who appears to love everyone.” And there’s this about the 46-pound dog: Judi wrote, “Once she realized I had treats, she stayed close!” She’s #46570447.
Remember, to ask about any of these animals, call the shelter at 972-216–6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com and use the ID numbers to help with the process.

And, of course, remember that you can see more animals — such as Salem the Cat — by going to the Mesquite Animal Services site HERE. 
[LARRY ASIDE: A black cat named Salem and here we area barely past Groundhog Day and Halloween isn’t even hinted in shopping center decorations! But that’ll give you time to turn Salem into the cuddlingest cat of all time. Right?]
WINTER COMES TO BURNS FLAT;
TERRY LYNN’S CHILLING REPORT
As longtime readers know, we focus now and then on the efforts of the resilient rescuer Terry Lynn Fisher of Burns Flat, a far-out-west town in our neighbor, Oklahoma.
Over the weekend she wrote, “Starting Monday, the temps here with the wind chill are suppose to be -10…. I’ve found a place to board two of the new dogs but everyone else is now full and I can’t get the last two in anywhere.”

These are the “last two.” And, as longtime readers may recall, the Burns Flat Shelter is a mostly “outdoor facility.”
 She continues, “Even with the indoor kennels we have, every place is full. I swear, as soon as I move one two more come in.”
To help Terry Lynn place these two, email her at remembering_oddball@yahoo.com.

As you consider helping, remember that she has been the beacon for rescue in this area for years. Now and then, things get to her. She wrote to her supporters, “Y’all…I’m tired  I’m stressed.  I’m emotionally exhausted.   My heart and soul are breaking.   I have some wonderful people that have helped me keep these innocent dogs alive but it’s all getting me so bad.  |
“On a personal level, I’m falling apart. I need surgery on my knee so bad I can hardly walk.  But I can’t be off four weeks. I have the dogs. If I find a job (cleaning, etc.) I have to take it. I’m just so swamped all the time. So, please, if anyone has room for either of these two let me know.   I hate the thought of them out in that weather.  I have a heater I can run but it’s still OUTDOORS 
“I know some of you will say bring them home. I already have some here. So that’s not an option. I have been offered a situation that will be a big help for the animals but that’s a situation I’m going to be working on for the future to have more inside areas. Thank you all for caring.”
CONTEMPLATIONS
WINTER, PARK CAT & A GAME
While launching a conversation Sunday with Christine Kallas of Against All Odds Rescue, I spotted this illustration on one of the rescue/ sanctuary’s sites. It just seems to fit not only with Terry Lynn’s situation in Burns Flat, but with a lot of animals in the Greater North Texas Metrosprawl. Maybe you can copy it and hand it out to people who refuse to bring their animals indoors in weather so lousy that if a human was out in it, there’d be litigation flying around like grackles in springtime. I don’t know who created that artwork, but I would love to thank the artist. It’s touching with a point. …
Here’s a cat adventure off a NextDoor page in eastern Fort Worth. Call it an instance in which “a nice person met up with a cat.” That’s the cat in the photo. The post the woman wrote, reads, “Found young cat. This young cat came running out of the woods while we were at the park. His deceased sibling was nearby. He is very affectionate and went for a walk with us. Of course, i had to had to take him home and feed him. Is this anyone’s kitten”? One person responded, “Keep him. Nature gave him to you.” [LARRY ASIDE: I loved that response, and the next one, too.] Another person wrote, “That’s basically how we got our last two cats; they came up and claimed us.”…
Well, at least the Dallas Cowboys didn’t lose the Super Bowl this season. But, as is said, “Wait ’til next year.” Of course, in order to lose it, they'll have to get into it.
—- Offer advice or opinions by clicking on ‘comments’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. Save ‘em all. —-