AS WE ARRIVE AT FRIDAY, THERE ARE ANIMALS TO HELP AND THINGS TO CONTEMPLATE

EDITION OF FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021 [PetPowellPress] I’m writing this on a Thursday morning — my breadwinner- spouse Martha has just left for work, the recycled trash truck has come by (about 5:30 a.m. — Wendy The Guard Dog’s bark alerted me.)… The regular truck hasn’t been seen yet and — wait, Wendy and the other two dogs are barking. Yep the trash truck is growling its mid-morning way down our autumnal street where the once-green trees are yellow, brown and red and, in the garage, our light-up Christmas dog quietly awaits installation in the front flower bed. 
The calendar is already at the 3rd of the month and we’re on the brink of leaping into shopping and decorating and …well, you know. Things we had all year to get ready to launch have yet to be organized. I did clean off my desk this morning and discovered my long-lost note about the brakes recall on my car. Make a note to check on that after the First of the Year. That photo? Wendy’s ready for Christmas — that’s her Santa’s Sleigh Sleeping Comforter she uses when she decides to dream of sugarplums when Martha’s at work.
HOW ABOUT THIS GUY HOWDY!
HE’S WITH REDCOLLAR RESCUE
I couldn’t resist using this photo of Howdy because, clearly, that’s not a red collar he’s wearing. But, he has a reason.
 FYI: The first time I heard of RedCollar Rescue was when our longtime Houston tipster, the great Alexandra Kelsey tipped us to a story about a dog in need — years ago. This guy Howdy is “recent.”

RedCollar Rescue sent out a note Thursday thanking all the people who’d donated as the rescue group moved toward it’s $15,000 goal for its Emergency Room Fund. (You can still donate HERE.) 
You know about Houston’s traffic — sometimes it’s good for neither man nor beast. In this case, it wasn’t good for Howdy. He was one of those “urgent” cases the Emergency Room Fund Helps. The RedCollar Rescue folks report that “our little guy Howdy is doing better! He was hit by a car, rescued, spent a week in critical care due to internal injuries, had orthopedic surgery to repair his broken leg and finally was discharged to a foster home for recovery.” He’ll be “ready for adoption soon,” RedCollar reports.

 If you cannot wait for Howdy, there is, on the RedCollar list, this girl Cali, about a year old and 20 pounds and described as a “poodle mix of sorts” — the “sorts” may include Cocker Spaniel. 
She avoided Houston traffic though, her bio reads, “She was found running down a busy street by a Good Samaritan. They brought her to the ER to be scanned to see if she had a microchip. A RedCollar volunteer just happened to be at the ER with another sick dog, when they came in. Cali had no chip, so we agreed to take her into our program if no owner could be found. No owner came forward.” Her bio says she’s “shy with new people” nervous at first, needs a patient human and “loves to cuddle.” 
[LARRY ASIDE: When it comes to animal rescue, Texas has a huge number of “Good Samaritans.” Unfortunately, it NEEDS a huge number of Good Samaritans.”]
SADIE GETS RESCUE HELP
AND HAS A FOSTER HOME;
OTHER CHANCES TO HELP...
We mentioned Sadie the Pregnant Dog a few times on behalf of the folks with 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that focuses on several animal-sheltering spots around the sprawling Metrohex, er, Metroplex, where loose animals face tough odds. 
Regarding Sadie (“very pregnant”), 4-Legged Helpers’ Laura Macias reports, “She has a rescue backing and a foster! YAY!!!!).” Lucky Tails Rescue took Sadie in and we expect an announcement soon about the “birth of multiples.”
In the meantime, the 4-Legged Helpers are working with several other animals including these cats. The orange and white cat is the brother AKA Ollie. The girl, all curled up and napping, is Ana. Both are “fixed” and vaccinated and available at the Waxahachie Animal Shelter. To ask about helping them or adopting them, call or text the 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 or email cat-girl_71@yahoo.com. 
They’re described as “adorable in person” and both are said to be good cuddlers who “love sitting on your lap.” They’re just under a year-and-a-half old..
And, the Helpers are also working on helping more dogs. We’re citing these two Earhounds currently in the care of a contract caregiver in Denton County. Peppa’s that black and white girl — about 50 pounds, maybe 5 or 6 years old and very good inside the house “if kept on a good schedule.”
The other Earhound is Robby,  only 10 months old and already in a fix. He’s healthy, sweet, and described as “happy and adorable.” Get in touch with 4-Legged helpers to save these two.
And go to the 4-Legged Helpers Facebook site HERE to see more animals that are in need of some good-hearted help because they missed the happy boat the last time it launched.
RAPUNZEL, RAPUNZEL,
NEEDS TO LIVE SOMEWHERE
This Canaan Dog/Husky Mix, Rapunzel, may not have a lot of hair to hang down — as the famed subject of the fairy tale -- but she does need a home. We learned of her via Mesquite Animal Shelter volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm.
Rapunzel is about 2, weighs 45 pounds and is spayed. She first encountered the shelter when she was “seized on 9/29 by one of our officers along with other dogs,” Debra wrote. And Rapunzel “was recently adopted, but returned to the shelter because she escaped and was gone for three days.” The shelter life is rough on her nerves, though she appears “to have turned a corner and seems more trusting.” Debra thinks this work-in-progress dog would do well, perhaps, in a quiet home without kids. And she’d need to have the “escape routes” eliminated. She’s #48618015 — use that number when you call the shelter at 972-2116-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com. (Use these contact points and the ID #s for the next 3 dogs, too.)

Now, about this dog with eyes of two colors…Debra writes, “I've named this snowy white youngster Pearl.  Her breed designation on the Dog Scanner app is a Canaan Dog mix.  She arrived on 11/23 … as a stray.” 
The 40-pound year-old dog has “silky soft white fur” that is accented by one beautiful brown eye and one beautiful blue eye. And, Debra says, “She's a delightful pup with a lot of enthusiasm.  She enjoyed chasing the tennis balls I threw though she did not want to give them back to me, preferring to play with them.  She also likes squeaky toys.  She does not jump on you.  She knows the sit command and will sit for treats, taking them gently.  She's friendly and happy to receive attention from a human companion.” Pearl is #49132547.
Volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown met Olive, this 6-month-old “gray terrier mix that was surrendered to Mesquite Animal Shelter on 11/30. The kennel card states that she was unwanted. The owner-surrender form said that the owners had too many dogs and that they were getting in fights. The surrender form also stated that she’s dog aggressive. However, from the puncture wound that she has below her eye it looks to me like she got the worst of a fight. She’s extremely sweet and passive. If a new adopter has another dog I would suggest further dog testing. As sweet as she is it’s hard for me to believe that she’s aggressive. She’s very timid and unsure of her surroundings. During the photo shoot she was cautiously friendly and did come to me. She even put her head on my lap. When I visited her at a later time in the day she had warmed up even more and was showing some spunk! So there’s no doubt that she's friendly and wants to be loved.” The 21-pound, 6-month- old still has “puppy” qualities.” She’s #48365414 when you contact the shelter.

Judi also met and wrote about Travis, a 32-pound, youngster who, she says, “could win a personality contest. He’s a fun loving, friendly, energetic, loving, goofy, happy puppy with floppy ears and brindle coloring. This adorable mix breed (possible Plott Hound) is 11 months old and arrived at the  Mesquite Animal Shelter as a stray on 11/27. He is not fixed. When I first went into Travis‘s kennel he backed up into the corner and was trembling. But within one minute he made the decision that I could be his BFF! He then turned into a wiggly waggly happy puppy with an exuberant personality! I even got kisses! He explored the yard and spent some time looking outside the gate. When he was doing that he was whining. That was sad because I suspect he was looking for his owners. Travis has an outstanding rather goofy personality. He definitely wants to please.” When you contact the shelter, ask about #49150004.
Judi says that Travis "sometimes gets excited and jumps on you but then he’s just a puppy. He sits for treats and takes him gently. He walked well on a leash. He tried to make friends with many of the dogs in the bay. I did not see any signs of aggression. Travis weighs 32 pounds. He’s a good looking boy."
CONTEMPLATIONS

BASEBALL, HOT DOGS AND WHATEVER
It’s all over the news — Major League Baseball is in a lock-out. Unless there’s a miracle, no big league baseball for 2022. Here’s a CNN story. Things may change. Still, thre's a history. The very first season of the Texas Rangers (1972) was delayed for 2 weeks by the first players strike in Major League Baseball history. Lately, the Three Ps have cursed the Rangers — Pandemic and Putrid Pitching. …
Speaking of hot dogs: As a vegetarian, I’ve not had a hot dog at a sporting event in decades or ever — probably ever. I have had nachos. But you can buy vegetarian hot dogs in stores. Taste pretty good — you just put ‘em on a bun and add onions, pickle relish, mustard and vegetarian no-beans chili. Probably the same calories and no animal had to die. …

Anybody else think that movie theater pricing — tickets and concessions — is linked to major oil companies and their gasoline stations? Sheesh. Is there — in this era — such a thing as a “second-run, discount theater” for people who love movies on big screens?
—- Offer film tips and theater gripes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-