MARLO/MARLOWE -- EITHER WAY NEEDS HELP; ASSORTED STORIES OF ANIMALS IN NEED AND A KITTEN PALOOZA

EDITION OF THURSDAY, JULY 8, 2021 [PetPowellPress] We were going to open this edition with a wisecrack, but then we remembered the Texas Legislature is opening for business again on Thursday. Not a proper time for humor, right? We’ll see, maybe.

EVERY NOW AND THEN
A GENDER SLIPS PAST…
The opening sentence in an appeal about this dog read, “Just found out Marlowe is actually MARLO, a precious girl dog. Please help!” 
Oh, you know, sometimes you get busy helping a dog and forget to look, I suspect. This girl Marlo, currently in the Lancaster Animal Shelter (described as “full”) is in need of a 501c3 rescue or foster, according to our tipsters at the non-profit 4-Legged Helpers.

Marlo had come into the shelter late in the afternoon a couple of days ago. The appeal reads that “This gentle, lovable, sweet girl was horribly attacked by what appears to have been another dog. It may be that she was in heat, possibly, from what we are being told.” 
The shelter rushed Marlo to the vet and now she’s in need of a place to recuperate other than a shelter. Call or text 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 or email [email protected].

Use the same contact points when you find yourself needing to give a home to this kitten Pixie. How’d this “8-10 weeks old” kitten wind up in a small town shelter? “Found out and about on her own,” is the explanation. Yep, you’d think 8 to 10 weeks was still too young to get picked up as a stray.
LOTS OF KITTENS?
SCHEDULE A PALOOZA
We got this note from Operation Kindness, the no-kill shelter in Carrollton. 
It reads, "Operation Kindness is excited to announce a Kitten Palooza Adoption Event on National Kitten Day where guests will have the opportunity to meet kittens in person and find the perfect pet to join their families.” It’s an appointment-only event at the shelter on Saturday the 10th. Adoption fees will be “sponsored by Pet Supplies Plus.”
OK’s news release also says there’s a reason for all the kittens. It reads, “This year’s kitten season has been hectic due to the inability to spay/neuter feral cats in 2020 since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
And the quote from OK CEO Ed Jamison reads, ““Unfortunately, the pandemic shuttered TNR (trap, neuter, spay, return) opportunities for many shelters across the country last year, and we’re seeing an influx of kittens in need of loving homes. For this reason, Operation Kindness is doing its part to support these pets by dedicating an entire day to finding them families.”
Remember: You don’t need a special day to adopt cats and kittens from Operation Kindness.
We decided to include a few photos here. As you can see, there are plenty of kittens. But there are older cats, too, including this last boy. Lionel is listed as “11 years, 4 months old.” He’s been back at OK since June. His bio reads, “This sweet senior is an alumnus of Operation Kindness and came to us as a newborn kitten. Lionel is now looking for his forever family. Lionel is a charming boy who appreciates a quiet living space and nice, soft chin scratches.”
 Check out operationkindness.org.
LIVE-WIRE PEPPER IN MESQUITE
& A GIRL NAMED DIAMOND
Here are two dogs down on their luck, but fortunate enough to have gotten the spotlight of the volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm at Mesquite Animal Services.

First up is Pepper, described as a “live-wire.” Pepper (#48140546) is a “mixed Terrier breed who was surrendered to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 7/3 due to the health of her owner.  She weighs 65 pounds, is about 1 1/2 years old and is spayed.  She has lots of energy and thoroughly enjoyed her romp in the shelter yard during the photo shoot.  Former owner reported that she lived inside and was OK with dogs, cats and children (theirs are 1, 11, 13).” [LARRY ASIDE: Our experience is that dogs really miss their kids. And isn’t that a sad thing to consider.]
That brings us to the “sweet girl” Diamond (#48137492), a terrier mix who arrived as a stray with a broken foot on July 3. [LARRY ASIDE: No idea if she jumped a fence to flee early fireworks and broke her foot.] Her bio reads, “She was taken to the vet and a cast was placed on her leg/foot.  The owners were contacted and they opted to surrender her because they could not afford the medical expenses resulting from the broken foot.  Diamond weighs 60 pounds, is about 3 years old and is spayed.  Former owners reported that she lived both in and outdoors, that she is OK with children of all ages, is house-trained and likes to run and play fetch.  Diamond also knows the shake, roll over and speak commands.” The surrendering family’s spokesman said, “She needs an awesome family with kids. We just can't take care of her."  
To ask about these dogs, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
typing in the subject line TAG, ID 48137492.  If further information is needed please call 972-216-6283 or email at [email protected].
CONTEMPLATIONS
TRASH; WEATHER; A MOVIE SPEECH
We got a new lid for our rolling trash bin from the city during the morning Wednesday. It was actually delivered by someone from the city, installed and left -- all very quietly, like some kind of Trash Bin Fairy showed up to do the repair. When I was kid nobody had invented plastic trash bags and the newest trash bag we could put in the big metal “garbage can in the alley” began life as a grocery sack from the nearby Piggly Wiggly. Things change.  At about the same time we were being served by Fort Worth, folks in Dallas (I'm still on the mailing list) were getting a note reading, “Recycling collection may be delayed” and why was that? The City of Dallas note read, “Sanitation is experiencing a laborer shortage resulting in intermittent service delays for customers….” Here’s a link to D Magazine’s story. I’m not in a union, but this might be a good time for sanitation workers to organize, drive up the salaries from under $13 an hour and learn to strike for better working conditions, etc.. Not that such a thing would ever happen in Dallas.
… Hurricane Season — it’s the only season that’s worse than the Texas Rangers’ season. Flu season moved into 3rd place.….
A patriotic beer commercial? I heard about it. Didn’t see it. But, it’s got Bill Pullman reprising his presidential role from Independence Day and here’s the LINK. God bless America. I’ll have iced tea with a slice of lime, please, while wondering if occurpants of UFOs have opened an advertising agency and gotten a major beer contract just for fun.
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