OLD TIMES, SAVING ANIMALS IN AND OUT OF SHELTERS, CONTEMPLATING A SURPRISE...

EDITION OF THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Before the Pandemic — that’s the phrase that launches this thought…. Before the Pandemic there were only two things that dominated concerns in the Greater Constantly Growing Metrosprawl: Bad weather and the Dallas Cowboys. As the NFL Draft approaches Thursday, and as bad weather alerts dominated Wednesday’s forecasts, it was almost like old times again! Weather and the Cowboys.
 Good luck with the weather, with the draft and with anything else that pops up on your personal radar. And, if you have an open spot in your home, adopt an animal from a shelter or rescue group and add something sparkly to your existence.
That dog in the photo lives outside of the Metroplex. That is Stella who owns the home of Bobbie and Jim Malsch in the Greater Shreveportroplex — you know, right down I-20 from D/FW and where a lot of Texas money goes to visit Northern Louisiana casinos. 
As the TV weather people became somewhat concerned Wednesday, Bobbie posted Stella’s photo and explained, “Our meteorologist says rain is coming.” Weatherdogs are rarely wrong. 

Now, today’s non-meteorological report.
TATE AND THE FUTURE:
A DOG GETTING A BREAK?

Is this dog going to benefit from a miracle?
The opening paragraph of her appeal this week (I first saw it Tuesday night — late Tuesday night) read, “Tate is set to be euthanized tomorrow morning, 4/28. She must be tagged for rescue or adoption by 8 a.m.”
Humans may be the pre-shelter villains in this story, but time appeared to be the enemy. After noon on Wednesday the 28th, I checked the appeal site and read this from Kristen Barg Morrison at Fort Worth Animal Care & Control: 
“UPDATE: She has a potential adopter coming to meet her. Not safe until she’s out of the building. I’ll update as soon as I hear anything. She will not be euthanized today.” (To help Tate, contact the shelter at [email protected].)
In a moment you can click on a video of Tate interacting with a staffer. She’s A46965671 at the shelter. The 2-year-old, 67-pound, spayed Lab, found as a stray on March 24, is heartworm positive. But that’s not her biggest problem.
She was “Code Red” because of “human-directed aggression, unable to handle, lunging/growling/bite attempts.”
Bad signs. Until a staffer made a decision to give her a chance. According to the post, “The shelter staff member that took her outside said she growled at first and snapped at the leash but as soon as she was leashed, her whole personality changed. She is very reactive at her kennel door. She was dog tested today and did well!”
And when you click on the video HERE you will see that she’s not a big snarling dog, not a bad girl. You’ll hear the staffer say to her, “You’re just scared, huh, girl!” Sweet words. 

This staffer, as you can see, has a sweet way with Tate. When she trusts one, she may trust two — and then she’ll be a dog who trusts your heart to be on her side. Special thanks to that staffer for giving Tate a patient break in a tough spot. 
[LARRY ASIDE: Now all we have to do is find the person who failed to socialize this girl, then made sure she was facing death by just letting her go out into the world with no tools for getting along with people or for giving people a way to confidently trust her not to bite out of fear. Bless Tate and keep her tranquil.]
HOW DOES A HANDSOME BEAGLE
WIND UP IN A BIG CITY SHELTER?
First, this Beagle wound up on the list of dogs at Dallas Animal Services. How is that possible?
Purebred, apparently. Congenial. Handsome lad. Yes, of course!!! ANOTHER DALLAS STRAY! 
We learned of him from our former colleague at The Dallas Morning News, the top-of-the-line reporter Tracy Everbach, now a Ph.D., and a celebrated journalism professor at North Texas State University. 

Here’s how this year-and-a-half-old, tricolor Beagle boy wound up in the big city shelter. He was captured by teamwork. Christine Robbins was joined by Tracey and her husband Jake Batsell in a combined effort to capture the pup in their Northeast Dallas neighborhood near Northwest Highway at Abrams.
Tracy says the rescue occurred on Monday as the “adorable Beagle puppy” was “running around the neighborhood. … No collar, no chip.” Christine kept the lad for a couple of days “but he did not get along with her cats so she surrendered him to Dallas Animal Services. She felt this was the best way to get him back to his owner after no responses to postings online. She also hopes that if the owner doesn't come, [that] a rescue group will get him out.”
 His intake number was A1118972 on the DAS website. Go to bedallas90.org/pets.
(Should he not appear in the list, it’s possible he’s already been adopted or claimed by rescue! The shelter has plenty of dogs and cats that need homes, just in case you are still looking and the Beagle Boy is already saved.)
GYPSY IN MESQUITE;
SHE'S GOT POTENTIAL…
There’s some irony in this dog’s name. It’s Gypsy but she wasn’t a stray.
Nope, Gypsy, was surrendered on April 24. She’s a few days over a year old, weighs 52 pounds and isn’t spayed. Our tipster, the Mesquite Animal Services volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm, says Gypsy “walks nicely on a leash.” And, she writes, “In the shelter yard she was quite the investigator of all the interesting smells.  Gypsy did her business in the yard.  She is high energy, has a friendly and outgoing personality and has a sweet nature.  She will sit for treats and takes them gently.  In her excitement she will jump on you so obedience classes would help her fit in with an adoptive family better.  Owners stated that she was OK with the other family dogs, and good with their 5-year-old child and also that she's very loving.  It seems she would do best with a person or family with an active lifestyle who would exercise and play with her regularly as well as teach her some commands.”
When you contact the shelter about Gypsy, use her ID 47614283 in phone calls to 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].

CONTEMPLATIONS
A SURPRISE IN A SURPRISING ERA
Some of you may know the name Tina Fairbanks because of her work with animals or because of her legendary Oscars parties on the West Coast. In our North Texas Metrosprawl she was known for her work with rescuing animals, particularly with Paws In The City. We last saw her before the pandemic when she was in town for a visit and worked us — Martha, me and our pal the current Paws in the City President Mark Verma -- into an evening of laughter and stories. We all went our separate directions and expected to catch up again quickly, as we’d done for years. But time moved on and the pandemic took over and none of us had heard from Tina for months. We got no responses to emails and messages. Finally, this week, Mark was able to get in touch with Tina’s beloved husband of 49 years Bruce and learned that Tina had suffered a fatal heart attack in September — her contact info was locked in her computer. Bruce, bless his heart, has been letting people know when he could find a way.
We have, here two stories regarding the great Tina and the great Bruce. 
This LINK takes you to a San Francisco Gate story about Tina and the famous Oscars parties on the West Coast. She was great at this -- she and Bruce were a team!
And, here’s the LINK to her obituary in The Carmel Pine Cone, the newspaper in the little, famous California town that Tina and Bruce called home after years of living in San Francisco. Before you click on that link, I’ve taken the liberty of creating a visual display of the obit below. It may be quicker than scrolling through the pages of The Pine Cone to find the obits. Tina would appreciate that, I think.
One more thing, and I hope you’ll see the charm that we all found in a conversation with Tina. Every time I’d see her, I’d ask Dear Tina, “Hey, how ya doin’?” and with that smile and the twinkle in her eye, she’d declare, “I’m still upright and takin’ solids.” Then we’d all laugh. I like to remember all of us laughing with Tina.
Here’s that obit. Click on it to make it expand so you can read it. I hope.
— Offer advice or opinions by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected]. —