EDITION OF FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Reminder: 2 a.m. Texas time, Sunday, March 14. Dress appropriately.
BIG NEWS: OPERATION KINDNESS,
DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES
The short version of the story is this: Operation Kindness’ CEO is retiring so the no-kill shelter in Carrollton announced that it has hired a new CEO and he happens to be Ed Jamison, the highly-regarded agent-of-change Director of Dallas Animal Services Ed Jamison.
How about that? What is the city to do?
[LARRY NOTE: Not as hooked into management situations as I once was, so here’s the news release info from Operation Kindness.]
The OK news release, issued Thursday morning, reads, “Embarking on a great new future for the leading no-kill animal organization in North Texas, Operation Kindness announces Ed Jamison's appointment as its new chief executive officer. As a trusted industry colleague of the current CEO Bob Catalani, who is stepping down to retire, Jamison will be a valuable leader in enabling the animal welfare organization in its efforts to save the lives of homeless animals. Jamison will officially assume the new position at Operation Kindness, effective March 29, 2021.”
Jamison has been in charge at DAS since the fall of 2017. There have been positive changes in statistics for animals, i.e., making it out alive via adoptions and rescue partnerships instead of being needled and bagged.
Here’s that paragraph from the OK news release: “After moving to Texas, Jamison became the Director of Dallas Animal Services in the fall of 2017 to help decrease the population of roaming and homeless animals, understanding that animals should have a chance to feel safe, thrive and ultimately, be treated with respect. One of his initiatives instituted an innovative neonatal kitten program to save young kittens' lives, resulting in an impressive and improved save rate. …Jamison is also the president of Texas Unites for Animals, Vice President of the National Animal Care and Control Organization and a board member for Shelter Animals Count and the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.”
So, you see, there’s the City of Dallas challenge -- find a new person with a reputation and genuine talent.
As virtually everyone familiar with animal advocacy knows, Operation Kindness grew from a few rooms in an industrial warehouse to a modern stand-alone structure in Carrollton — it is the acknowledged beacon of the no-kill shelter philosophy in Texas. The consistent voice that powered the growth of OK was our friend Jonnie England who inspired volunteer, staff and civic forces to make Operation Kindness an example of good things done on behalf of animals.
Dallas Animal Services’ large shelter at I-30 and Westmoreland was built after animal advocates finally were able to pressure the Dallas City Council to spend bond money designated years earlier for the project and bring Dallas Animal Services into the 20th century. Groundbreaking was on Nov. 8, 2004; opening target was June, 2006. It finally opened on Oct. 20, 2007.
Now, Dear Readers, rather than run mugshots of people involved in this management change, we decided to post photos of dogs and cats from each agency — just in case someone wants to do some adopting in honor of the personnel.
At Operation Kindness I found contrasting Earhounds: the black Chihuahua is 7-year-old, 6 pound Archie; the white Earhound is Drew, a year-old, 67-pound “retriever mix.” That regal cat is 3-year-old, 10-pound Klaus, described as a “beautiful ball of fluff who can only be described
as “majestic” and he has “a very soothing purr.”
At DAS’s website we found Peanut, a year-old, 41-pound Pittie mix with fantastic coloring. (Though the bio calls the dog “Good Boy” and “Handsome,” the official chart says he’s a girl (#A1107549). And we’ve featured Nacho (A1113868), the one-eyed dog before and we can’t understand why someone hasn’t adopted this 71.5-pound, 2-year-old Pittie boy. As for Dallas cats, we spotlight former spotlighted feline Catalie Portman, a 12-year-old girl, and Bear, a 6-year-old fella who “loves to be brushed and have head rubs."
(Visit operationkindness.org and bedallas90.org.
LARRY CONSIDERATION:
DON’T FORGET THAT POOR CAT
Ah, history. I was there when the ground was broken and when the ribbon was cut at the big shelter.. And we reported on that October opening day the hopeful words of Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia (now a County Commissioner), a great friend to animals and the shelter movement. She spoke of using the shelter as “a place to teach the city’s young people to be kind to animals, to treasure them and treat them with respect.”
Turns out Dallas should have also concentrated on teaching adults, too.
In 2010, a cat escaped at the DAS Shelter and Adoption Center and, terrified, went through a hole in the ceiling (misplaced tile) and wound up inside the wall of the employee break room. The cat, yowling and crying as desperate and frightened cats will do, was allowed to die in that wall — testimony in a trial showed that nobody could get permission from the shelter manager to cut a hole in the wall and save its life.
We don’t even know that cat’s name — but that cat’s cruel death and the subsequent embarrassing felony animal cruelty trial (an inexplicable jury ruling of “not guilty”) resulted in an outcry and changes. Without that incident, nothing would have changed in City Hall's management of DAS and it would have continued to be a tough battle to get budget money and changes. At readlarrypowell.com, we believe a statue at DAS or a marker of some kind honoring That Cat would help teach “the city’s young people to be kind to animals” a lot more effectively than a statue of Robert E. Lee teaches people to be kind to each other. So, now, we wait to see who the city picks to try to follow Ed Jamison.
Perhaps in the time of a pandemic and an uneasy political atmosphere, the City of Dallas’ elected officials can carefully endeavor to set an example for working on behalf of animals.
Here’s a LINK to a Dallas Observer story about that cat incident. The incident was a shame of the city in a city of many shames.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE, ADORABLE
ADOPTABLES AND A BAD LOVE AFFAIR
Ever have a desire to look at your dog and drift back to the early days of Michael Caine’s movie career and ask aloud, “What’s it all about, Alfie?” That's a reference to the 1966 film Alfie and the dog in this photo. (He wasn't in the film.)
This handsome dog is Alfie (#46713865), a formerly stray dog who has been in the Mesquite Animal Shelter since Feb. 26. Our tipster, the volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm, says Alfie is the name she gave him — he didn’t have one. He is about a year old, weighs 48 pounds and wasn’t neutered — that may have helped with his desire go wandering. Maybe the weather did, too — he needed a safe place to get through the weather.
She says Alfie has a “confident and outgoing personality and seems to have been well-cared for.” He’s described as a “frisky, spunky youngster.”
Ah, and here’s a love story gone sour. Aspen (#4682258) is a Pointer mix surrendered to Mesquite’s shelter on March 2. Why? “Aspen was the ex-boyfriend’s dog and he left without taking Aspen,” Debra says.
The 53-pound, year-old girl hasn’t been spayed. She’s nervous inside the shelter but warms up “once outside in the yard.” She knows “Sit!” And she’s lived both indoors and out and is said to be good with other dogs and with cats. And children.
Debra also notes that Aspen “hasn’t been around strangers much. That explains her timid and shy behavior with people at the shelter.” With her friend Debra, Aspen is friendly and has “a sweet temperament.
For these dogs or any animal in the Mesquite shelter, used their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
And one more from Mesquite — this is Sophie (A46822061) and the note regarding her state originated with Danni Alcantara, the Mesquite Animal Shelter and Rescue Supervisor.
Sophie has a medical problem. The note reads that the 3-year-old girl “has lost her owner.”
And she’s a “little underweight and has some conjunctivitis in her right eye. She is currently in heat.” [LARRY ASIDE: How about that! Can one dog enjoy so many different challenges?]
Here’s the final sentence from the appeal: “We would love for her to find her owner, however, if that does not happen by 4:30 p.m. on 3/9/21, she will need a place to go.”
If you’re that place to go, again, call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
Why are these dogs urgent? Here’s the poster that’s going around. The note said that on Thursday afternoon there is just “one open dog kennel” at Mesquite.
CONTEMPLATIONS
DAYS, DAZE, A SLEEPING DOG AND A NAME
Every now and then the Holiday Insights’ online calendar gathers an interesting collection of “days” for one particular date. Consider March 5’s list: World Day of Prayer — needed, indeed. Something new in this Era of Cancel, Covid and Consternation? Nope. The entry says “Mary Ellen Fairchild James of Brooklyn, NY, created World Day of Prayer in 1887.”
March 5 is also “National Salesperson Day” (created in 2000 by a person who makes a living training salespeople). This day is also Employee Appreciation Day, created in 1995 — the field I worked in back then didn’t celebrate that day but it did give birth to the Ex-Employee Litigation Movement. I’m kidding. I’m kidding.
Finally, I’ll note, that Holiday Insights also lists March 5 as Multiple Personality Day and has no origin but does suggest it’s “an opportunity to get in touch with yourselves.” I considered not mentioning this 4th day — after all, how does one celebrate? But after I talked it over with myself, we agreed to mention it. Seriously, it’s a real disorder that needs medical treatment. …
So, for the weekend, we’ll have a Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap starring a dog we wrote about when he was in the Garland Animal Shelter — Louie, a very special case and very worth of the spotlight....
In closing, I was going to change my nom de plum to honor of my late dog inky, but Joe Cocker was already taken. So, in honor of a
dog of unusual breeding that we mentioned yesterday, Teddy the Leonberger mix, I’m changing my literary pseudonym to Leon Burger. Maybe I can make money off a burger joint if I can't write my way to riches. Such a name adjustment indicates, of course,(click on the blue) the need for a little help from my friends. Right, Joe?
As regular readers know, Inky was, for many years, the official staff impersonator at readlarrypowell.com. Here he is giving us his impression of a Texan who has been isolated during the pandemic, walking into the world's first Leon Burger and looking at the menu which has a listing for the Leon Burger Mom's Meatloaf Cheese on a Bun Surprise. That may also be why Teddy is smiling.
—- Offer advice or movie tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com —-
