AS THE WEEK CLOSES, SAVE 'EM ALL; AND ENJOY LISA LAYNE'S CHRISTMAS SONG, TOO

EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY DEC. 9/10/2021 [PetPowellPress] O, Christmas tree; O, front yard leaves…Yep, oak leaves in the front yard, fir needles in the living room. It’s the holiday season! Here we go with our report:
THREE ON THE FRIDAY CLOCK
IN CARROLLTON’S SHELTER
There are two ways to look at this phrase “EUTH PENDING.” It’s either threatening or hopeful.
“Threatening” in that shelters mean business when they put an animal on “the list.” And, “hopeful” because you know you have some time — only a little, usually — to get an animal to safety.
***

[UPDATE: This note was sent out by Vanessa Johnson of Carrollton Animal Services just before 6 p.m. Thursday. She wrote: "GREAT WORK EVERYBODY!!! MARIA, GRACIE, AND CHESTER HAVE BEEN TAGGED AND ARE SAFE! THANK YOU ALL FOR SHARING AND NETWORKING!!"
Readlarrypowell.com is leaving the original story in place so you can see the animals who have gotten this positive attention from human hearts.]
***
So, the “EUTH PENDING” dogs in this note are in the Carrollton Animal Services Shelter. Three dogs, ready to go TO A HOME OR A RESCUE.  A note from Vanessa Johnson at the shelter was sent to people who have helped before or who might help or who might want to help. It reads, “We still have not had any adoptions, pulls or tags for Maria, Gracie or Chester. Please keep sharing and networking. Time is counting down and we do not have the space to hold them over.” 
And the final sentence of the note reds, “If these animals are not rescued or adopted by 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, they may need to be considered for euthanasia.”
The opening photo shows happy-faced Maria, a Rottie/Shepherd mix who is 8-plus-years old, the shelter says. She weighs 57 pounds. And she was a stray on Oct. 22. Here’s the complicating factor. She had a large bump on her side. A vet check found “more bumps” along her mammary glands. Cancer was the diagnosis. The shelter is hoping to find her an only-dog home where she can be the center of attention and be comfortable while whatever is going to happen happens. [LARRY ASIDE: This is a situation that calls for a good-hearted human who understands and practices kindness and wants to help a dog have the happiness of being loved, not being “just another stray with a bump who got the needle.”]
The dog with all that personality in his eyes and tongue is Pittie mix Chester, around 18 months old, 40 pounds and guy who came into the shelter as a stray. That arrival was on September 1. So he’s been waiting a while — healthy dog. Appears to “do well with other dogs,” the shelter says. [LARRY ASIDE: An 18-month-old dog still has a lot of puppy in the gas tank! “Adorable” comes to mind.]
And we’ll close with Gracie, also a Carrollton stray. She came into the shelter on September 30. Gracie is a healthy, 7-year-old, spayed 66-pound Pittie. And the shelter says she “still has some spunk” and “walks well on a leach and has “never met a stranger.” 
The contact points for asking about these animals are vanessa. johnson@cityof carrollton.com, phone 972-466-3420, fax 972-466-4873.
See these animals and more by clicking HERE.
And, in keeping with the season (Thank you, Charlie Dickens), you can adopt this seasonally named, 5-month-old kitten at the shelter.
He’s “Tiny Tim.” Could be your "Cat of Christmas Future."
TWO STILL WAITING FOR HELP
VIA 4-LEGGED HELPERS
These two dogs — oh, my, what is the deal?
 They’ve been waiting and waiting for someone to get them off the “endangered” list.
Elias is the neutered Shepherd/Boxer mix. And Blake is that sleek Lab/Border Collie mix.
The note from the Helpers reads, “Elias is in a small rural shelter in the DFW area [Denton County] and Blake [in Ferris] was found by someone in a rural area with no animal shelter.
Elias, at age 2, is described as a “very happy, super smart, medium-sized dog.” Catches treats in mid-air. Knows the “sit”command, walks on a leash and, the bio reads, “his best talent is giving sweet kisses.” The 50-pound pup is “already fixed, microchipped and fully vaccinated. Even heartworm-negative, so completely healthy.” Not good with cats.
You see in this first Blake photo a dog with a sleek body and a magnificent tail. He came into “the needs-help system” when he and his running body, a Beagle mix named Josh, were “found out and about by a kind person who was extremely worried about them.” They were found in a “known dumping area out in the rural county area surrounding Ferris.”
As you can see in the second photo, Blake has a handle on posing in a cutely adorable I-love-you-human manner. 
To ask about taking these dogs into rescue or into a home, call or text 214-949-2726 or 972-897-4926 or email [email protected]. [LARRY FYI: These two dogs are the remaining dogs from a “passel” of unwanted dogs the 4-Legged Helpers began focusing on about 3 weeks ago. The last two of this particular mission. Good dogs in need of good homes. Seems like in big metrosprawl with so many people there’d be at least two that don’t happen to have a happy dog at the moment and are responsible enough to bring one of these pups into their lives.]
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON,
THIS EX-STRAY IS ‘PRANCER’
He’s no tiny reindeer, but Prancer definitely is an Earhound. We learned of him via Mesquite Animal Shelter volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown. She says he’s a 3-year-old mixed-breed “possibly Rat Terrier/Japanese Terrier?” He arrived at the shelter on Dec. 3 as an un-fixed stray.
And Judi, whose spent some time with him, says he is “not only adorable but he’s got an outgoing, easy- going, fun-loving personality…His tail wags constantly and he washes your face with kisses. He’s a happy boy with lots of enthusiasm. … When you call him, he comes to you and wants to be on your lap.” [LARRY NOTE: He weighs 24 pounds, so he’s the perfect size for anybody who likes to keep their arm muscles toned by lifting dogs. I speak based on my experience with hefty lap dogs.]

Use his shelter ID number 49190976 when you contact the shelter by calling 972-2216-6283 or emailing [email protected].

Same procedure for asking the shelter about this handsome guy Ollie. Volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm says he’s a mixed breed “with American Pit Bull/Plott Hound/Greyhound in the mix.” The 2-year-old, 75-pound un-neutered sweetheart arrived as a stray on Dec. 3. She describes him as “one confident, tailwagging, fun-loving fellow. There is nothing timid or shy about Ollie….He’s an energetic boy with plenty of spunk.” Ollie is #49187168.
And, here’s ANOTHER EARHOUND in the care of Mesquite Animal Shelter. Yep, came in as a stray. That was on December 3. Buster the Bull Terrier Mix. He’s about a year old, weighs 54 pounds and, Debra writes, “is such a sweet-natured fellow but is cautious and reserved. he hasn’t acclimated to the shelter environment and is nervous and fearful. He has a calm demeanor, a mellow personality and a low-activity level.” His ID is 49188751.
[LARRY CAUTION: When you read about Nala’s recent history it’s just going to flat tick you off. She’s a dog who needed a shelter to step between her and idiot behavior by humans.]
Debra describes Nala as a “sweet and adorable live-wire” and — here comes the irritating tale — reports she is an American Staffordshire Terrier mix “who was brought to the Mesquite Animal Shelter along with another family dog on 12/3.  It was obvious that Nala had recently had a litter of pups.  Her owners were contacted and though they insisted on keeping the pups, they did not want either the mother or father of the puppies.  Ace, the father, was adopted …  Nala weighs 59 pounds.  She still is full of milk though apparently the pups are weaned.  This precious girl walks very nicely on a leash and when led through the bay she did not react to the dogs who were barking at her. … She's a frisky and perky girl and in her excitement will jump on you. … She loves treats and will sit for them, taking them gently.  She is a friendly girl with a pleasant personality.” Nala is #49189446 at the shelter. Use that ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at [email protected].
CONTEMPLATIONS
LEAVES, ‘A FAVOR’ & LISA LAYNE
Every time I walk into the yard and wade through leaves I think, “I wonder if my middle-aged sons would like to play ‘Teenager For A Day’ and demonstrate their raking skills. I’d pay $5 to get those leaves bundled up. Is that still the going wage for teenage leaf-raking? …
Got a stupid email Thursday from a stranger whose name I didn’t recognize. Turn on your "Scam Detector." The note reads (and I’ve left the grammar and punctuation just like it arrived!): “Good morning, I hope you are good? Actually, I need a favor from you. I'm sorry for bothering you with this. I need to get an Apple gift card for my niece, it’s her birthday today but I can’t do this now because I’m currently away. I tried purchasing online but unfortunately no luck with that. Can you get it from any store around you? I will reimburse you with the money spent. kindly let me know if you can handle this. Await your soonest response. Thank you,” Yep, smells like a CSS (Christmas Season Scam). …

You want the real rockin' Christmas spirit? We give you a link to the great Lisa Layne singing All I Want For Christmas, the song she made famous while singing with Vince Vance and the Valiants back in the late ‘80s. Click HERE and you’ll hear the great Lisa Layne. Dallas girl, you know. A voice for the world. Here’s a great story about Lisa from myneworleans.com.
—- Offer song tips or animal advice by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put “LAY OFF THE FRUITCAKE” in the subject line. —-