FROM SUEZ TO SOME THANK-YOUs WITH DOGS AND CATS AND PEOPLE IN BETWEEN

EDITION OF TUESDAY, MARCH 30, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Our long international nightmare is over: the big boat Ever Given is floating free in the Suez Canal. I hope we don’t find out the captain of the ship was letting his teenager try his hand at the helm…Do ship’s still have “steering wheels” or are they like our phones — dependent on programming, battery power and satellites? Surely “human error” won’t come up in the conversation. Ever Given. Wonder if it has brother, the Even Steven?
  That's my personal assistant, The Senator, who traces his lineage back to a managerial feline called "Prime Minister" who was the captain of the Seagoing Ratter Crew on The Mayflower. It's documented somewhere, I'm told.
COCO, A ROTTIE GIRL
WAITING FOR A HOME…
[LARRY ASIDE: Yes, readlarrypowell.com after losing our fantastic gentleman Rottie Earl a couple of weeks ago, continues to be “breed sensitive” regarding Earl’s kin — just as we are sensitive for every other dog and cat that needs a good home. I already told Mesquite volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown that we’re all outta dog room at our house. Still, it would be wonderful to know that someone lovely has adopted Coco. Here’s her story.]
 Our tipster Judi says Coco is a year-old Rottie who was surrendered to Mesquite Animal Services on Friday the 26th. Here’s the background: Judi writes, “The people that surrendered her had found her and a sibling abandoned on the streets when they were puppies and took them in. The children played with her a lot when she was young but as she got older the children lost interest. Coco was wanting more attention than she was getting so they surrendered her.” [LARRY FYI: The family kept the brother.]
 Judi, who meets all the dogs she writes about, says of Coco, “To meet her is to fall in love with her. She has got a very sweet gentle disposition. She is friendly and calm. She stays close for extra attention and loving. She loves to have her ears scratched and her belly rubbed. She sits for treats and takes them gently. She walks well on a leash. She wagged her tail when meeting other dogs in the bay and did not show any aggression. She is easily startled and appears to be afraid of loud noises. She is a total sweetheart!!!” The 55-pound pup isn’t spayed. Her ID is #46978213.
Also waiting? Yes, there are MORE dogs in the Mesquite shelter. Judi’s colleague in dog biographies, Debra Chisholm, cited the need for Midge to find a home. She’s listed as “mixed (American Pit Bull/American Stafford- shire/Staffordshire Bull Terrier).” The 57-pound girl is about 4 years old and came in as a stray on March 24. In the shelter, she’s timid, nervous and uncomfortable in the noise. Debra says, she’s had “at least one litter of pups. … It is highly possible that Midge has been an outside dog and has not be socialized much. She is a calm and gentle girl with a mellow personality.” She’s #46963040.

Debra also met “adorable Gracie,” a “mixed-breed” stray who arrived on the 22nd. She’s about 6, weighs 26 pounds and isn’t spayed. But, Debra writes, “There is a long list of things to like about this highly adoptable girl.” Walks “beautifully” on a leash, didn’t react to dogs who barked at her, knows “sit,” takes treats “gently,” and “has an outgoing personality and seems well-adjusted. She is easy-going and fun-loving.” She has also become a shelter staff and volunteer “fave,” Debra says, then adds, “But wait, there’s more! She is athletic and enjoyed the climbing equipment in the yard. Gracie met a child (elementary school age) on the property and was friendly. She appears to have been well-cared for by her owner.” Gracie is #35747417.

To ask about Coco, Midge and/or Gracie, use their ID #s when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
NOW, TO THE WESTERN SIDE
OF THE METRO DOG NATION…
How about those photos by Carlos de Leon! Bonded dogs?
Here’s what Fort Worth Animal Care & Control posted about them on FACEBOOK HERE
The text opened with this: “You know that one friend you have that you do everything with and that you couldn't live without?”
Canelo (A46604306) is a 4-year-old Black Mouth Cur mix who weighs 45 pounds. Poncho (A46604308) is a 2-year-old Collie mix who weighs 57 pounds.
FWACC’s post explains, “This bonded pair of pups came into our shelter in the beginning of February when their owner could no longer care for them. Poncho is a bit on the shy side, and he relies on Canelo to help him be brave. Canelo loves meeting new people and playing with tennis balls! Together, they make the best duo..
“They’re both at the main shelter — visit Fort Both of them are available at our main shelter. Staff can assist you with meeting them - their adoption fee is currently waived!” 
Here’s the FWAAC SHELTER INFORMATION.

Before we leave FWACC, we should point out that this is a FIRST for readlarrypowell.com — this is the first cat we’ve ever encountered named “Persephone.” Her ID is 46318928, she’s pushing 6 months old, is a small gray Tabby and is currently in the shelter’s off-side foster program. She came in on December 23, 2020.
[LARRY FYI: Research into Greek mythology shows us you might want to change this cat’s name — Persephone was the “queen of the underworld” and also the “goddess of spring growth.” This kitten is too young to have a “reputation,” but the original Persephone had one.]
A HUSKY NAMED OLIVER
NEEDS HELP WITH A HOME…
Sometimes fate deals a lousy hand to humans and animals and that is the case for this dog Oliver. 
The daughter of Oliver’s human posted this note on her mom’s neighborhood account in Eastern Fort Worth. Daughter Jordan wrote, “My mother passed away two weeks ago and unfortunately I am unable to keep her pup at my apartment. My heart is very heavy posting this but I am needing to find a new loving home for her husky, Oliver. He is the chillest, sweetest dog and never barks. He is great with kids and other dogs. My mom had him on a pet care plan at PetSmart so he has all of his shots, is neutered, and is chipped. My mom also had a backyard so I would love for him to go to a home with a yard so he is not cooped up inside. If you are never home or not able to give this sweet dog the love and attention he deserves please do not respond. This is already hard enough to post this and I hope more than anything I am able to find Oliver his happy and loving FOREVER home.” 
To ask about adopting Oliver in a really good, loving home, text 817-507-9161.
CONTEMPLATIONS
EGRETS, SUPPLIES AND THANKS
We’re on a lot of city email lists — the City of Dallas never fails to post notice that the trash is being picked up! And on Monday we got a City of Fort Worth Community Engagement Office email warning that it’s Egret season in North Texas. Nesting Egret season. What does that mean? The note (you can see the original city post HERE) says, that “sometimes as many as 200 birds nest in a single neighborhood. What comes along with nesting is an immense amount of falling white poop and plumage that literally covers roofs, trees, sidewalks and driveways. Then there’s the smell.
“What all residents need to know ahead of egret 'scouts' arriving is how to protect their neighborhood from allowing the birds to nest in the first place. Residents should look for a yellowish-colored bird named the yellow-crowned night herring. The scout birds arrive as early as February. Nesting season is typically from the end of February through June.”
 So, Fort Worth, there you go! You're in March already! The early bird gets the worm AND the prime nesting place over your parked car, back yard and roof, I guess. FW’s note says that once the egrets start nesting and laying eggs, it’s hands-off because “they're protected from harassment under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
BACK TO THE SUEZ CANAL: The first time I was aware of the Suez Canal was due to the classroom publication My Weekly Reader (sold to kids from 1928 through 2012). That Suez info came sometime around 1956 when, I think, the magazine wrote a brief (what else!) story about remodeling the Suez Canal. It was the first story about Egypt I remember that didn’t focus on Biblical events or the Pyramids! And I have this question for people who do the household shopping: Was any other mate sent to the store over the weekend to get an “extra week’s supply” of bath tissue in case the cargo-delivering Suez didn’t beat the blockage? Well, never mind that — if there’s freedom in the Suez, let it spread around the world…

ABOUT OVERDUE THANKS: I’ve mentioned before that there are people I wish I’d sent thank-you notes. Four recent deaths highlighted my shortcoming. I’d have noted that each of the people lifted my spirits at assorted times on rocky roads or during academic challenges or moments in movies. (1) Thank you Beverly Cleary (1916-2021) for writing about Beezus and Ramona and, especially, about Henry Higgins and his dog Ribsy, who he once turned pink for a dog contest. (2) George Segal (1934-2021), star of many motion pictures and, among the funniest, the 1970 film with Barbra Streisand, The Owl and the Pussycat. My favorite scene was at the end when he decided to give up on a writing career and, from a hilltop in Central Park, hurled his portable typewriter and sent it bouncing away and changed his life. [LARRY NOTE: Computers are too expensive for such cavalier behavior.] His character, thanks to either playwright Bill Manhoff or screenwriter Buck Henry, is responsible for starting a book with this: “The city came to life.The sun spit morning into Julian’s face.” Here’s the SPIT LINK, I was howling through my popcorn when I heard that line. I’ve written a bevy of sun-spitting lousy lines myself. And Mr. Segal was among the stars in the only movie that had ever given me a headache, the 1966 domestic drama Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Oh, my. And Blume in Love (1973) and the original Fun with Dick and Jane (1977 with Jane Fonda.) Thank you, George Segal — and for TV’s Just Shoot Me! … Larry McMurtry (1936-2021) for writing his early stuff and setting off dreams of literary success in young newshounds earning a buck in newsrooms all over Texas. Secret dreams of people who’d earn a living while thinking their words might eventually fit together as well as McMurtry’s. The Last Picture Show. All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers. The early stuff before the cowboys caught his fancy. …
And thank you Yaphet Kotto (1939-2021). When you were on screen, the audience was compelled to watch. Alien (1979), for example. Lots of TV cop dramas. And even a 1973 James Bond film, Live and Let Die. So many roles, and a Bond villain, too! Thank you.
We’ll close this segment with a quote from Albert Schweitzer (and if you don’t know who he was, thank me for inspiring you to look him up). He said, “At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”
— Give a thankful notion by clicking on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com. --