A THANKSGIVING WEEK MONDAY AND ANIMALS IN NEED OF HOMES, PLUS VAN LINGLE MUNGO

EDITION OF MONDAY, NOV. 22, 2021[PetPowellPress] Our theme this week is Thanksgiving. Wait. We have two themes: (1) Thanksgiving and (1) Lay off the sweets, the gravy, the biscuits, the cornbread, the potatoes. Anything that looks good, drop the fork and walk away. Keep the spoon -- someone may have been experimenting with a low-carb/no-calorie chocolate pie. That would be a reason to be thankful.
 Look, if you've got an annual physical coming up in December, the last thing you want to do is waddle into the doc's office with a Thanks-giving smile on your face and a freshly applied layer of calories testing the seams on your shirts and pants. So, having issued that advice, let's move on to trying to help animals and being thankful for the people who work at saving 'em all.
That's my dog Porche giving us her impression of a happy dog after being allowed to sit next to a favorite diner at the Thanksgiving table -- she cautions, "Don't eat so much that you can't fit on the rug."
'JUMP ON YOUR AND...NIP'?
KENNEDY HAS POTENTIAL!
That photo of Kennedy with the front legs crossed grabbed my heart right away. He looks like a good ol' pal of a dog. And, his biographer, the Mesquite volunteer Debra Chisholm, suggests that the right human will find themselves with the right dog when they adopt Kennedy (#84944454). 
He came into the Mesquite Animal Shelter as a stray almost a month ago -- October 2. He's about 10 months old, weighs 55 pounds and isn't neutered. 
Debra writes, "This is a youngster who is high-strung.  He wants to stay close to his human companion and will jump on you frequently and nip.  He is in constant need of redirection.  Kennedy is highly excitable on a leash.  This is a pup who has a lot of potential but will need some one-on-one additional training in order to fit in well in a home with a person or family.  He needs daily exercise, play and attention and, until receiving additional training, will not be a good fit for a family with a senior adult or children."

The beauty of this situation is the Dallas/Fort Worth area has lots of trainers and experienced hands who can help you show Kennedy that he is safe with you. Use his ID #48944454 when you want to ask about him and call the shelter at  972-216-6283 or email [email protected].

Keep the number and the email handy because they'll help you ask about saving the life of this 10-pound Earhound, more formally known as a "Chihuahua." Mabel (#48826231), probably just over 8 years-old, isn't spayed. 
She came into the shelter on Nov. 18 and immediately became a "rescue only" dog because of her health. Debra wrote, "Mabel's health issues include a grade 5 heart murmur, oronasal fistulas (holes in the roof of the mouth) and some extensive dental issues. ... She walks well on a leash, is sweet, lovable and friendly.  She's curious and was interested in all the smells and sights in the shelter yard.  Mabel went to the potty in the yard.  She's calm, well-mannered and gentle.  She needs a rescue who is willing to take her on and give her some relief from the medical issues she has." 
[LARRY ASIDE: Mabel has the look of a dog who'll sit and listen when you want to talk. Maybe it's the eyes. Could be the ears, I guess.]
And here's this pretty Pitty (maybe) boy Moe -- his biographer is the great volunteer Judi Brown who spent some time trying to help him adapt to shelter existence. 
The 2-year-old, 49-pound uneasy-at-the-shelter boy came in as a stray on Nov. 11. Judi writes, "He is bewildered, confused and doesn’t understand why he’s in such a noisy place. He is scared as you can tell from his photos. He does come out of his kennel but seeks the security of walking between your legs. When out in the yard he will either pancake (flatten) or stand rigidly in one place.

"When I have sat down on the ground, with time he will cautiously come and then he put his head on my lap. He likes to have his ears scratched. He’s calm, loving, and very sweet.  He was too intimidated by the other dogs when walked through the bay to tell if he would get along with them. However, he did try to make friends with other dogs through the windows."
Judi says that Moe will "become a volunteer project, but hopefully someone reading this would come up and spend some time with him. He needs bushel baskets of TLC in order to build trust and develop to his full potential!" 
Moe is #49060955 -- use that ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
MENTIONED LAST WEEK,
POPPY'S STILL WAITING
This girl Poppy, 6 years old and 88 pounds, is one of the "projects" of Gail Whelan at Companion-animal Network. Poppy is, Gail reports, "losing her home through no fault of her own."
As you can see, she is a majestic beauty and has a face that encourages humans to be better people, don't you think?
To ask about adopting Adorable Poppy, call Gail at 903-967-3226 or email can.adopt- [email protected]. 
“She is basically PERFECT," Gail wrote of Poppy. "She has been living with other dogs and CATS and is great with everyone!  She is spayed, current on all vaccinations and heartworm negative!!!!  Poppy STILL has the typical high energy of a Lab, so no couch potatoes for her!  She LOVES to play fetch and would be a tremendous complement to any home.  Poppy could stand to lose a few pounds, but who doesn't?"
[LARRY NOTE: Gail's closing sentence flows right into our Thanksgiving week theme, doesn't it! We may expand the theme to be "Give thanks, lose pounds, adopt Poppy."]
SEBASTIAN, HIS WHISKERS,
HIS EAR, HIS NEW HOME?
Yep, that's the "Creamsicle-colored" tabby Sebastian -- you can tug his whiskers, you can scratch his ear, but you'll need to give him that new home. 
We've had the world on public notice for around a month that he needs a new home. The 4-Legged Helpers have been telling everyone they know. Other people have been sending their Sebastian notices around, too. 
Sebastian has championship whiskers, a wonky ear (thanks to polyps) and no home. What cat needs that sort of challenge in life? This guy just needs a place to emphasize his Delightful Sebastionness. 
Follow the 4-Legged Helper HERE https://www.facebook.com/4-Legged-Helpers-Inc-446145002506239 . To ask about him, call or text the 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 or email [email protected]. 

CONTEMPLATIONS

THINGS OF A THANKFUL NATURE
If summer rain had fallen on our yard at the same pace as the leaves were falling Sunday, I'd never have worried  about all the front-yard grass turning brown and crackly from the summertime desert conditions. I own a rake. I'll have to find it. Could be under the chainsaw, where ever it is. ...
In keeping with our Thanksgiving theme, I found this on Facebook. My much younger, consistently slim cousin Prissy Elkins Roughton posted this bit of art over the weekend. Reminds me, I'm still coping with the time change from Nov. 7 -- and I am eating bad stuff to help me accept the fall back. That's my story, anyway. ... Over the weekend I saw several stories about the death of songwriter, musician, clever artist Dave Frishberg at 88. Most of the stories identified him as the writer of Schoolhouse Rock's I'm Just a Bill -- I was born too early for that. But I do remember his heard-on-the-radio baseball song from 1969: Van Lingle Mungo, a song with a title that is the name of.a 1930s-early '40s Brooklyn Dodgers/New York Giants pitcher. The rest of the lyrics are the names of other baseball players from, generally, that era -- some stars, some regular players with flash. You can hear Van Lingle Mungo by Googling "Van Lingle Mungo song" -- I couldn't get the direct link to paste. But, to solve a mystery, Van was the All-Star player's given name, Lingle was his mom's maiden name and "Mungo" was the family name -- Scottish. In fact, a baby naming page HERE says Mungo "is a boy's name of Scottish origin meaning 'my pet'." St. Mungo is the patron saint of Glasgow. Van Lingle Mungo is having a better year than the Rangers. He's being mentioned in the company of hits.
-- Offer baseball advice or diet tips by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing [email protected] and put 'MORE COWBELL' in the subject line (Thank you, SNL!) ---