FINNEGAN'S PATH FROM THE STREETS TO THE HEARTS! AND AN AWFULLY UGLY SNACK!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, Dear Readers.
This is a special Thanksgiving edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. It is dedicated to everybody who ever brought a dog or a cat or any other animal home and he or she became a part of the family quicker than you can say “Gravy, please” at the Thanksgiving table.
Our story for this edition carries us along very different routes — one with smiles, one with chills, then smiles again.
We begin with the discovery of a dog named “Rufus” in the Fort Worth Animal Shelter at Christmas time in 2010. He was about a year old and had run out of time at two shelters after spending a year or so surviving on the streets of Haltom City. Shelter staffers shuffled him around to save his life for as long as possible.

My primary source is my long-time friend and exceptional journalist David House. We worked together at The Texarkana Gazette in the ‘60s and in the latter part of the 20th century at The Dallas Morning News. David’s quite a writer and he and his wife, Andra, are nuts about that “lop-eared” dog, Finnegan. (We’ll explain the change of names shortly — the shelter said he appeared to be a mix of three kinds of Irish terriers, David reports.)
As we prepared to launch these tales, I asked David if he had a photo of Finnegan sleeping. A couple of days later he sent that first photo of Finnegan in Andra’s lap. He explained, “This is the best I can do so far regarding a pic of Finnegan sleeping. … He was snoozing in his all-time favorite spot (Andra's lap), but the instant before I took this picture, he awakened and was on high alert. He guards Andra as dearly as he loves to sleep in her lap.”

So how does a charming dog like this wind up in the home of the writer/editor David and his wife, the singer and all-round swell person Andra House? 
David writes, “In 2010, I was two years into freelancing from home. It was a lonely experience. I missed my doggies -- Cleo, the sweet and peaceful Rottweiler; Chats, my happy little Maltese. I started looking online at doggies residing at the Fort Worth shelter and spotted a picture of Finnegan, sitting there with his big Finnegan smile and floppy right ear. He looked and still looks like the perfect little blond doggie. I call him our ‘palomino puppy.’ Fell in love with ‘Rufus,’ as the shelter people had named him.”
David also writes, “The shelter lady took these pictures for me just as we began the adoption paperwork. … I think Finnegan knew he had been rescued. Melts my heart to look at all these early pics.”
David and Andra had talked about getting a dog and, basically, Rufus made the vote unanimous. David says, “I emailed the shelter about Rufus and went to visit him a couple of weeks before Christmas 2010. He was alone in a fairly large open-air run with a high fence. When he saw the shelter lady coming, he was ecstatic and was jumping at least four feet in the air. He only weighed 18 pounds (25 pounds now). Such a happy little guy, but he looked skinny and dreadful. He hadn't been clipped in no telling how long, if ever, and his wiry outer coat around his shoulders looked like a lion's mane. Hadn't had a real good bath either.

“The shelter lady said ‘Rufus’ was about a year old, maybe a tad older, and had been transferred to the Fort Worth shelter from the Haltom City shelter after he had stayed there as long as permitted. She said he'd been a stray picked up on the streets in Haltom City. They didn't know how long he'd lived like that and maybe he had been dumped.

“The shelter lady put a temporary leash around his neck and let me walk him outside for a while. He peed a lot and did his little in-place poop dance. He was so lively. I loved his spirit and how he enjoyed being outside. I brought him home for a day visit. He was reserved in the house but enjoyed the backyard. He seemed to be so very tired. I swear I could see dark circles beneath his eyes. God knows what he had been through. Andra warmed up to him quickly and said if I wanted to adopt him, go ahead. So I took him back to the shelter after a while. He didn't resist being returned to his run. Broke my heart to have to do that, but I had adoption paperwork to do, and they wouldn't release Rufus to me until he had had his ‘surgery,’ etc.
“When I told the shelter lady I wanted to adopt Rufus, she teared up and rejoiced, because, she said, he had been at the shelter as long as allowed and would have been put down within days. 

“ ‘He's so sweet and smart’,” she said, ‘but you need to know that he's very food-focused.’ Experiencing starvation does that, I can well imagine. Finnegan was in the shelter office with me. I swear he sensed what was happening and started wagging his tail, and he jumped up on me. …”

David says “Rufus” could go to his new home after his “surgery” was performed. And in a day or so, the shelter called. “I got to the shelter really fast, met with the shelter people and suddenly Rufus and I were walking outside again for him to pee and/or poop then head to his forever home.
"I put his new collar on him, got the leash we had bought and walked him around outside. He was pretty dizzy from anesthesia but handled everything nicely. Then we went to the car, I put him on towels in the back seat and away we went. I had an Abba CD playing, and as we left, they began singing Take a Chance on Me, which brought tears to my eyes. That song is his little anthem.
“He was understandably a bit car sick on the ride home, and he threw up in the backseat floorboard, but I didn't care. When we got home, he came right in, jumped up on an old blue recliner in the den and seemed to just totally relax like he knew he was home at last.  Andra was really sweet to him. He ate it up. He loves Andra beyond description.
“We wanted to rename him, because he didn't seem like a ‘Rufus,’ so we started thinking about names. A couple of days later, just before Christmas, we had taken him with us on an errands drive. When we came home and were pulling into the garage, Andra said, ‘Home again, home again, Finnegan.’ Bingo! We looked at each other and said, ‘That's his name! Finnegan!’ It was a Christmas thing for all three of us.
“We couldn't have him groomed until his incision had healed, but we took him to the vet a few days after Christmas as directed. I couldn't believe how happy he was on the exam table. They took his picture for his file, and he's smiling ear to
floppy ear.”
BUT ONE DAY IN 2021
FINNEGAN 
ENCOUNTERED A VILLAIN…
On September 13, one unexpected movement put Finnegan at peril. David began reporting this story on September 14 when he wrote:
 “Our little fur baby, Finnegan, is in a tough battle resulting from someone's inhumane actions. Yesterday, during our second daily walk about a block from home, he suddenly lunged into a front yard we were passing and found a quick snack. Before I could stop him, I saw one silver nail fall out of his mouth, then a second nail, then a third. They were about an inch long with large heads like a roofing nail but were not galvanized. He had eaten a nail-studded piece of wiener and, as the vet's X-ray later found, he had swallowed one nail that remains in his stomach and may require surgery to remove.

“I found three other nail-studded wiener pieces nearby, sacked them up and hurried us home. Called the vet. Long story short, the vet believes the nail isn't sharp enough to pierce Finnegan's stomach or intestine if and when the nail moves there. He reported the matter to the North Richland Hills Animal Service.

“Officers interviewed me at the vet's then went to the house where Finnegan had found the demonic snack. They searched the yard and found many similar pieces of nail-studded wiener along with screw-filled pieces of hamburger meat and a strip of duct tape imbedded with nails.

“They interviewed the couple at the house and a number of neighbors. None had seen anyone baiting the yard, they told officers. So we're left with many questions and are waiting to see whether Finnegan can/will pass the nail or whether surgery will be needed. Please keep Finnegan in your thoughts and prayers and all innocent animals who suffer ceaselessly from ignorant, brutal human cruelty.”
On September 17, David posted this and that photo above: 
“Here are pictures of the nail that was removed from Finnegan's stomach yesterday via endoscopic surgery. It's quite corroded from having been in the little guy's stomach for three and a half days, but at least it wasn't galvanized, so no heavy metals were released into his bloodstream that would have led to organ failure and death. He's coming around today slowly but surely after suffering so much trauma this week. Our special thanks go out to Dr. Michelle Larue of Veterinary Specialists of North Texas for operating on Finnegan and Dr. Jed Ford of Family Pet Clinic North Richland Hills for referring Finnegan to VSNT and all the care he gave to Finnegan throughout this week.” [larry PHOTO NOTE: You see in that photo that Finnegan has a little bandage on his right leg -- so this is after his medical experience. Isn't that a great face?]

On September 18, David posted what he called a “Pupdate on Finnegan.” He wrote, “He's coming around. We guess he's about 90 percent back. Finally trotted a little bit on his early morning walk today, which lasted about six blocks instead of a half a block. His tail was nice and curly, not droopy. Pooped normally, left a number of ‘Finnegan Was Here’ messages on bushes, etc. Saw a cat, stopped, ears went up, growled. Normal. But he wasn't up to charge the cat. Fine with us. …. Then he saw a squirrel, stopped, ears went up, stared at the squirrel but didn't move, and I could almost hear him thinking, ‘Aw, what the heck. I want breakfast.’ So, no big chase. Ate his breakfast then got in his favorite chair and kicked back. Ran happily past the sprinkler on his way to the side yard to pee. That's why his face looks all wet in the picture. A good Saturday so far, and we are so thankful.”
ON SEPTEMBER 19, Andra took over the keyboard on Facebook on behalf of Finnegan. She wrote, “Finnegan says thanks for your concern, outrage, prayers, pink light and good vibes during his endoscopy to remove the nail from his stomach ingested from the demonic bait last week. He is almost 100% recovered already. Still awaiting testimony or security video to have enough evidence to win criminal case. May sue, though. We are grateful this was not a fatal incident, thanks to our vets at Family Pet Clinic of NRH and Veterinary Specialists of North Texas. …”

And, now, during the long Thanksgiving Weekend of 2021, we look at the great face on this guy Finnegan and wish him many more years of happiness with David and Andra. We are, indeed, thankful that we know people who love animals and make room in their houses and hearts for the wonderful animals. Finnegan’s face makes us smile, and we’re thankful for that, too!
[LARRY ASIDE: While we could not get a photograph of Finnegan in a full-on sleeping dog situation, we are calling an audible, as they say on the gridiron, and summoning photographs from our house to stand in for Finnegan to demonstrate how your animals can represent the spirit of the title of our weekend edition, “Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.”  You probably recognize that cat's pose. The Senator, napping close to his favorite electronic instrument, began his nap while watching a documentary about the Olympics high- dive competition and curled right into a position guaranteed to get 10 full points from the Russian judges. Porche began sleeping as she was on her Ol’ Hippie Rug of Transcendental Pupatation and dreaming of accepting an invitation for a sub-orbital spaceflight that launches from our backyard in Texas. I've been watching this dog for years -- I'm not completely convinced that she could list "Planet Earth" as her birthplace. Now and then I seen some "Mars" in her behavior.
Send photos of your sleeping dogs, napping cats or slumbering critters of any kind to [email protected] for our weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap and, of course, have a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday season. Hug your dogs and cats and whatever else you've got on the household payroll and tell 'em we love 'em. Happy Thanksgiving, From Larry, Martha & The Gang.]
—- Offer ideas and holiday diet tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put ‘DROP THE PIE AND MOVE AWAY FROM THE TABLE’ in the subject line. —-