EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY OCT. 28-29, 2021 [PetPowellPress] The wind blew steadily, not fiercely, down our quiet street Thursday. I heard an odd rumble outside and looked through the kitchen window in time to see a neighbor’s empty trash bin rumble-rolling down the street, swerving in the breeze and bouncing up against the curb at our house and falling over. That’s about as rough as I like to see a wind blowing.
And this quote is for kids in school and anyone with a desire to learn. It’s from the ancient British playwright David Hare (he was born the year before I was born): “Thought is the wind and knowledge the sail.” Don’t let the brain pirates change your course. Now, some animal stuff and other things.
That cat? That’s Barrington, one of the black cats available for adoption at Operation Kindness, the no-kill shelter in Carrollton. He has the look of someone who just watched a trash bin roll about 90 feet and bounce off a curb. See our opening catitem (that one word?):
OPERATION KINDNESS’
BLACK CAT SPECIAL
Yep, Halloween. Black cats are a traditional topic. And there was a time when some shelters wouldn’t allow adoption of black cats during this spooky holiday period because, the theory was, mean people would be mean to them. Things change. Maybe all the mean people left Texas -- one can only hope.
Whatever the case we got a note from Operation Kindness Thursday about this adult black cat Princess. She’s 5 years and 7 months old, weighs 10 pounds and came in to the shelter on June 29.
The opening of the news release read, “Black cats are some of the most fluffy, playful and deserving animals of a loving home despite the stigma of being mysterious. Unfortunately, superstitious association around them makes it more difficult for them to be adopted, especially around Halloween. Operation Kindness is working diligently to show the love black cats offer and how much of a perfect companion they can be this fall season.”
Barrington, the wide-eyed cat? He’s 2 months old, weighs 2 pounds and is in Cat Room 2. And that’s the 2rth. See Barrington, Princess and many other adoptable, adorable cats at Operation Kindness by clicking HERE.
[LARRY ASIDE: We’ve had two black cats through the years, Bob and Annabelle Bob, and they were wonderful essential companions in our household for any holiday. Indoor cats. If you have a black cat, take the hint. Heck, if you have ANY cat, take the hint. Predators abound.]
STILL WAITING FOR SOMEONE
TO GET THEM TO A SAFE PLACE…
We wrote about these two (Zuri on the left and Aiden) earlier in the week and they are still waiting for someone to come to the Lancaster Animal Shelter and save their furry backsides from the needle.
They’re described in a note from 4-Legged Helpers as “the sweetest, most cuddly, little bonded pair ever.” They’re about 3 years old and listed as “bulldogs.” Zuri weighs 48 pounds; Aiden tips the scales at 67. “They are the cutest little shorties ever,” the bio reads.
And they’re said to “adore each other and all other dogs. Love people!”
To see how to get this pair of “complete lovebugs” into safety, call or text 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
And, if you go to 4-Legged Helpers’ Facebook page HERE you can see many of the animals in several areas of Dallas County and beyond that are being helped by this determined rescue group. For example, among the animals in Denton County is this orange Tabby, Sebastian. His bio reads,
“You will not be disappointed. He is a love bunny. Please help save him! He is so special & sweet ...look at that face.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Orange is a Halloween color. It’s also a year-round cat color. And his left ear is “different” because he had some polyps that have been treated, the Helpers bio explains. Does have a championship set of whiskers! As a bearded guy since 1971, I kind of envy those whiskers!]
ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS
THIS DOG WHO WANTED A REWRITE
Anybody who’s worked in animal rescue for any time at all knows that every once in a while you might look at a kitten and declare 'girl' when he’s a boy. It can happen with dogs, too, especially if they're insistent on not being touched or examined. If you don’t get a good look at the, er, equipment, well, you might just not quite get a telling glance at the merchandise, so to speak.
So, our pal Judi Brown, volunteer dog biographer at Mesquite Animal shelter, has quickly issued one of those “second opinion” notes about the Aussie Cattle Dog Waylon. To quote Judi’s note, “Waylon is now Winnie. Found out she’s a female!! Sorry for the confusion! The eval below corrects the gender mistake.” So Winnie keeps the ID #48885646.
Judi writes, “Have you ever heard the term ‘You’ve come along way baby’? This expression fits Winnie. Winnie is a 3-year-old Australian Cattle Dog that arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 10/16 as a stray. She weighs 44 pounds. She was not and has not been a happy camper due to fear. For the most part she stayed tucked away on a ledge at
the back of her kennel. When volunteers would work with her she would cautiously venture towards them and eat out of their hand and then retreat back to the safety of the bench. She became particularly fearful and defensive when shown a leash. Until today when we had a behaviorist come to work with her we have not been able to get her leashed and out of the kennel. Our behaviorist, Bill Duncan, connected with her. He got a leash on her and once Winnie was out in the yard and walked back-and-forth a bit she began to relax. She then was receptive to being petted and loved on. I visited her later in her kennel and she was standing up! She seemed to welcome being petted. She was still cautious and still has a ways to go but the difference today was remarkable! We knew that she not only was a beautiful dog but that she had a lot of potential. … Meanwhile, if you have a foster that’s experienced with working with fearful dogs please consider tagging Winnie.” Use her ID 48885646 when you email rescues@cityofmesquite.com or call 972-216-6283.
And see more of Mesquite’s adorable adoptables at the shelter website HERE.
GET HORSEY THIS WEEKEND
AT THE SPCA OF TEXAS EVENT!
As you can see from this SPCA of Texas poster, the organization is hosting a seasonal-appropriate festival at its property in McKinney. It’s called Equine Halloween and it runs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. “Pets Unable To Attend,” but you can get a look at adoptable animals. Our part of Texas may not have a casino, but there will be Stick Horse Racing at the event. Click on the poster to make it grow. See details of the event at spca.org.
And, FYI, while the SPCA features many adoptable dogs and cats, it also has adoptable “other” animals. (Email spca@spca.or or call 214-742-7722 (7722 is SPCA)
For example you see the horse, a 13-year-old horse that is white and named Vanna and is adoptable at the McKinney facility. [What show is Vanna White on? Oh, yeah! Wheel of Fortune. My funspouse Martha and I once judged cookies with her when the show was being taped at the State Fair of Texas — nice person, impossibly thin for someone who knew anything about cookies! She probably has never eaten an entire box of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies at one sitting.] That judging was many years ago — before Vanna the White Horse was foaled. Heck, yeah, “foaled” -- I can type horse terms. I can type pig terms, too. This is another SPCA adoptable, the “Pot-Bellied Pig Mix” Riley and I don’t know when he was farrowed. I hope I’ve used “farrowed” correctly. Last thing I need is a bunch of pigfans mad at me. I need to know “somebahdee’ll holler ‘sooie’ if thuh hawgs have me.” Sorry, lapsed into my native Northeast Texan — didn’t even have a shot of Cass County moonshine in me and I slipped right into the patwah, er, patois. [LARRY ASIDE: I haven’t had bacon, ham, pork chops or any other kind of pork in decades — haven’t missed it, either. No telling how many pigs lives I’ve saved. Northeast Texans are generally big fans of bacon. It isn't like the rest of the state doesn't like bacon. We'll just declare that things will change for the good of the pigs. And I'll be dancing with the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes at Thanksgiving.]
BIG WEEKEND IN A LITTLE PLACE:
TERLINGUA'S CHILI COOKOFF
Our pal, the adorable, hard-working Kathleen Tolbert Ryan posted this photo of the installation of the latest billboard announcing the First Saturday in November arrival of the annual Terlingua International Championship Chili Cookoff. The granddaddy of all chili
cookoffs was launched in 1967 in one of the more remote locations in the Lone Star State. Founders were newspaper guys -- Wick Fowler of Dallas and Denton and Kathleen's daddy, The Dallas Morning News' famed "Tolbert's Texas"
columnist Frank X. Tolbert. He wrote A Bowl of Red, i.e.,he actually "wrote the book on chili." And he founded the Tolbert's Chili Parlor restaurants, i.e., one's on Main Street in Grapevine. Here's a LINK to
the cookoff.. Regarding that photo, Kathleen wrote, "Thanks to everyone that helped make this billboard possible. Ron Faulstich from Printing Solutions in Lockhart, And the workers that put it up... Bill Center, Chris Harrison, David Mendoza, Bob Dale and Paul Ryan. [LARRY ASIDE: It's good to see that some Texas traditions survive whatever humans and nature can throw at it! Pretty sure viruses can't live through a Terlingua summer. Almost sure.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
JURASSIC; SUSPECTS; WINDY
Things that you find on a neighborhood bulletin board: One person posted a note about giving up on a local grocery store because it always has out-of-date dairy merchandise, is always dirty and management is never positive or respectful in responses to her questions. She got an amen from a guy who cited another store with similar complaints and described it as “Jurassic bad.” Never heard that term used to describe a grocery store — but it kind of works, doesn’t it! Could describe a car dealership, an invasive medical exam, the price of gasoline these days. Jurassic bad. ….
Suspects: Coyotes, bobcats, foxes, hawks, cars, dumped-hungry dogs, free-roaming idiots. A note about a missing cat read that she’d been gone “since late 10/25. …about 6 months old. She is not wearing a collar. Unfortunately, someone found the collar across the street and returned it to us 10/26. She is afraid of vehicles and loud noises. ….” Again, housecats outside are vulnerable to outdoor predators and fiends. Might be a good idea to make your cat an indoor cat. Particularly if you live near a wooded area or a river or an “unwanted dogs dumping area.” Bless you, I hope your cat gets home safely. So many don’t. Protect your cats from the world. …
Back to the wind. Not “the storm,” just “the wind.” We could pick from many songs: Dust In The Wind by Kansas, Wind Beneath My Wings by Bette Midler, Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra…we’re going to go with Peter, Paul & Mary’s version of Bob Dylan’s 1962 song, Blowin’ In The Wind. That’s where the answers are, my friend. And, when you click on this, you may get the opportunity to watch a commercial first. These days, that’s the way the wind blows.
— OFFER CAT SAFETY TIPS OR WAYS TO ENJOY AUTUMN BY CLICKING ON ‘COMMENT’ BELOW OR EMAIL DALLRP@AOL.COM AND PUT ‘IT AIN’T GONNA BLOW YOU AWAY, SLIM’ IN THE SUBJECT LINE. —-
