ReadLarryPowell.com

Alastair The Dog & The Christmas Emu….

Since it is a week until Christmas, we’ll go back to Halloween for a message from our pal, the animal rescuer/protector Della Wallace.

On the last day of October, we exchanged notes and hers was “Happy Halloween” and my response was “Time to put up the Christmas tree and start the video of A Christmas Carol on the TV.”

And that is how we managed to pick this guy for the spotlight of our Christmas week edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
That fellow out like a light on his back is David’s and Della’s sweet boy Alastair. 
And, as Della reminded me back at Halloween when I mentioned A Christmas Carol, “That’s who my Alastair is named after! (Alastair Sim — played Scrooge). Got him from the Dallas pound Christmas Eve 2012. He is wonderful.”

When he awakens from sleeping on his back, Alastair is ready for a tummy rub. Alastair the dog, I mean. No idea about tummy rub preferences with the actor.
That movie “still” is a scene from the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol and that is Mr. Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge. He’s being helped into his winter coat by his clerk Bob Cratchit (actor Mervyn Johns), dad of Tiny Tim. 
As students of Charles Dickens know, the author wrote many books including A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, etc. Long list. Nobody had computer games or cable TV in the 1800s, so people had time to write.
With A Christmas Carol, Dickens managed to write a ghost story that has endured.
 Few people have read the first draft of A Christmas Carol and that brings us to an incredible coincidence involving Alastair the Pup, Della and David and surprises. 
Dickens’ first draft featured an Emu — perhaps.
One film version of the script of A Christmas Carol has the well-read and energetic Tiny Tim declaring, “God Bless Us and Every Emu!”

You know how Hollywood can get. Some producer said, “This script needs an Emu to get everybody’s mind off that goose Scrooge buys.” 
So, someone else wrote a talking Emu into the story — one of the producers had decided to attempt to become an Emu Rancher after his electric car stock went belly-up because the batteries were too weak in 1951. The most sophisticated battery at the time could only power a Lionel 4-car freight train, the kind a little boy might get for Christmas. 
[LARRY ASIDE: I may have made up the Emu-related content of the past several paragraphs. I couldn’t resist The Christmas Emu concept.]
Now, here is some Emu Truth. As long as we’re discussing Emus, it turned out that on Thursday Della sent me a message: There is an Emu in my yard.”

I replied, “I had no idea there was a Christmas Emu!”
“Well, there is,” she said.
 “Tis the Season of Miracles,” I responded.
And she sent me that photo of the Emu in the back yard. 
There were originally two wandering Emus at Della’s, but one vanished. 
“Someone wanted to call animal control — I said ‘no’,” Della said. And she added, “A neighbor is googling what they eat so it doesn’t get hungry.”

Neighbors talked things out — someone said a neighbor “lost 2 chicks 5 months ago” but the theory was they couldn’t get this big that quickly.

Della was watching the Emu/Neighbor Negotiations and sent this note: “Now it’s funny. The neighbor is trying to take it some food. They are about 100 feet apart, watching each other very carefully. Nobody is moving.”

In the past we have published photos of the Raccoon Colony on the Wallace Property as the various raccoons helped themselves to the cats’ food in the garage. As The Emu Event seemed paused, I asked Della, “Are the raccoons selling tickets to the show?” And Della replied, “No, they are just eating the cat food!”
Ultimately, the Emu was corralled in Della's yard and is destined to get some help from a local rescue agency.

“If it’s a girl, I’ll call her ‘Emuly.' or 'Emulie!’” Della told us.

Della wondered “how they catch an Emu.” I didn’t know, but I also don’t know how one determines the gender of an Emu.
As for catching the big bird, my theory is this: Someone quickly stages a backyard production of A Christmas Carol and when Tiny Tim says, “God bless us and every Emu!” and the cast begins to bow to great applause, someone slips a leash over the bowing Emu’s head.

Every thing in the preceding edition was made up except Alastair the Dog (that's him in a Christmas picture from a few years ago!), Alastair the Actor, Charles Dickens the Writer, David and Della the animal lovers and the stray Emu. 
Charles Dickens gets a writing credit. And we all say to our Dear Readers, “Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and God Bless the Emus, every one.”
[DEAR READERS: Offer photos and bios of your wonderful slumbering animals for the spotlight of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap by emailing photos and inphos, er, info, to [email protected]. And Merry Christmas to all and to all Emus a good flight. Wait. Reindeer fly. Not Emus.]
—- Offer wrapping tips or Emu omelet recipes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put ‘’Tis the Season, Lay off the egg nog” in the subject line. —-

A CLASS LOOKS BACK IN A NEW BOOK; HEIDI AND TRUDY, TWO DOGS WHO NEED HOMES....

EDITION OF FRIDAY, DEC. 17, 2021 [PetPowellPress] Our mission at readlarrypowell.com has always been to make the world a better place. We’ve written about people, about dogs and cats and other animals, about happy events, about challenging events. 

For today’s opening segment, we’re focusing on life viewed through the eyes of somebody besides me. These stories are from the vantage points of “personal history.” 
The topic is a just-published book titled How We Got Over and subtitled Growing Up in the Segregated South: A Collection of Narratives. I’m aware of this work because I know Jean Nash Johnson, the co-editor. The book was the idea of Dr. Helen Benjamin (left), the award-winning educator and lead editor. She asked Jean to join the project. Their connection is the Class of 1968 at Peabody High School in Alexandria, La.  Dr. Benjamin, a member of that class, met Jean because Jean (right) is married the class valedictorian, Michael Johnson, who wrote a personal narrative for the book.
[LARRY NOTE: I worked with Jean for decades at The Dallas Morning News. I also know Mike and their daughter, the impressive academic, Dr. Sarah J. Zhang. When you read Mike’s narrative in this collection, you can see the determined family forces that helped shape the ambitious drive of their baby girl, Sarah, through the years. Harvard grad, you know!]

Read the narratives and you will learn not just about the people but about the way segregation was applied in more ways to families than just shutting the school doors. It was everywhere. A lot of us who grew up in that era remember the signs that declared water fountains, bathrooms and theater entrances to be white only.
This book tells the stories from the side of people who were forbidden to enter through those doors even though the owners had “Open” on the signs.]
[LARRY FYI: As a white kid who grew up in all-white schools in Texarkana in the 1950s and ‘60s, I read through this book and found new, informative views of things I saw. I’ve understood the challenges for decades — benefit of having spent a lifetime in newsrooms and interviewing people. What I may never understand is how the challenges started and why so many lingered.]

These kids of the Peabody Class of 1968, graduated on May 16 in what many regard as one of the most wretched and violent, course-changing years in modern American History. 
Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 — as those Peabody kids were looking forward to graduation.
A little over a month later, Class of ’68 Valedictorian Michael Johnson made his speech to the commencement gathering. In the book, Mike opens his segment with this quote from his speech: “The death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has raised fear for the nation’s future. His death also has raided the hope that Americans might at least embrace the brotherhood for which he died.” 

That was the opening. Mike closed his narrative and his valedictory speech with a positive expression. He wrote, “This story opened with the somber words of the hopeful though somewhat concerned 18-year-old I was and ends with the following excerpt from the same May 16, 1968 graduation address. The expressions then may not feel now like more than a half-century old.” 
Mike’s quote: “The struggle, which surely will continue, must be conducted with dignity and courage, as shown by Dr. King … This is not the time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for all Americans to … strike vigorously and positively — It is a time for all Americans to …strike toward social change and freedom.”
There are many more stories in this book. Before you get to the personal experiences in the 1950s and ‘60s, you encounter Part One titled “Our Community: Enslavement, The Civil War, And Reconstruction.” I think that may be a segment for people too young to remember the ‘50s and ‘60s and or too inattentive in their classrooms through the years! 
See how to order this book by going to the HOW WE GOT OVER website HERE  
-- it's also available on Amazon.
And, you can read some of Jean’s fabulous writing at this SITE. Title is “Mama Voted So There’d Be Days Like This.”  It’s a wonderful story of Jean’s mom, Mrs. Alce Nash, registering to vote for the first time. “Mama and Daddy” voted in that 1960 Kennedy/Nixon presidential election — for JFK — and they had to get to the polling place in the Courthouse by going through the “Colored” entrance.
Our world has changed a lot since 1960 — not all of the world, of course. To quote 18-year-old Mike’s speech, “This is not the time for apathy or complacency.” May neither ever have a place in America.
HELPING A GIRL
NAMED ‘HEIDI’
The note about this dog came from the great Debbie New, a longtime contact of ours who knows the challenges of getting dogs into new homes. 
This girl Heidi is at the Plano Animal Shelter, Debbie says. 
She writes that Heidi is about a year old and “in need of rescue. She was initially a stray in July and adopted at the end of July and returned after about 24 hours because of behavior with their 8-month-old puppy.
“They were informed before adoption that the dog is possessive on leash. Stated that she is dominant with their dog. Resource guards toys, will lunge at him when he comes and tries to take the toys, Resource guards the water, will push other dog out of the way to keep him away from food, water, and toys. She knows sit.
“Heidi is high energy and needs training. She has some type of deformed nose but is fully vetted and chipped. She also has a high prey drive. She is still in adoption at this time but does not show well as she barks at the glass.”
 No charge to a rescue that can tag her, Debbie reports. Call Plano Animal Shelter at 972-769-4360 — Heidi’s ID is #A180804.

TRUDY THE TERRIER MIX
AND A SWEET PHOTO
That picture of Trudy getting her chin cuddled got to me. She is reacting with a expression of “Thank you so much for making me feel loved.”

Volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm at Mesquite Animal Shelter sent these photos and the story of 2 1/2-year-old, 60-pound Trudy, a Terrier mix, who came in as a stray on December 1.
She didn’t arrive healthy. She was suffering from “vaginal prolapse,” Debra wrote. “In order to deal with this medical issue, Trudy was spayed on 12/13.  She walks nicely on a leash and did not react to the other dogs when led through the bay, though it is a good idea to ask the shelter for a dog test.  Trudy is a ‘take charge’ and confident girl [with a] fun-loving, tail-wagging personality. She is also a friendly girl.  She is quite high-spirited and enthusiastic.  In her enthusiasm Trudy will jump on you.  … She ran and played in the shelter yard, showing off her athleticism by climbing up on the play equipment.  This is a girl who would seem best-suited with a family or person with an active lifestyle who would commit themselves to exercising and playing with her as well as teaching her some manners.”
Look at that great face! To ask about Trudy, use her ID #49172708 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
CONTEMPLATIONS
AS THE WEEKEND ARRIVES
Still too much holiday stuff to do. You’d think that by now I’d have learned to manage my time and my tasks at this, our most joyous, time of year. I suspect I am not alone in the holiday challenges. …
Our little rescued kitten, Captain Hastings Streetboy, is being introduced to the general population. He’s been declared healthy and healed of all the things that afflicted him when I picked his tiny, 5-week-old, blind self up out of the middle of Hastings Street in Duncanville. No sign of a mom or any other kittens. No idea how he got there. But he couldn’t see through the big globs of yuck stuck on each eye. The wonderful people at Pet Medical Center of Duncanville cured him of everything. And ringworm was one of those things — Martha and I have been rescuing dogs and cats, puppies and kittens for more than 30 years and Captain Hastings Streetboy was the first to gift us with ringworm challenges. Ugly stuff treatable by modern science and isolation. His eyes are blue. If you can catch his pose in the right light! This is as close as I could get Friday afternoon to "Blue Light Special Hastings Streetboy!"…
OK, as we close this edition, let me remind you that readlarrypowell.com will be needing photos of your sleeping dogs and napping cats and any other slumbering critters for our long-running weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. (Send photos and bios to [email protected].) I was going to pay for the photos and stories but my Wednesday selection of Lotto Texas lucky numbers was a failure. I’m sure you share my disappointment!
—- Offer holiday greetings or wrapping tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and putting “LAY OFF THE FRUITCAKE” in the subject line. —-

WORDS, CATS, DOGS AND THE PEOPLE WHO HELP THEM. SAVE THE 'T'! IT'S IMPOR'EN'!

EDITION OF THURSDAY DEC. 15/FRIDAY, DEC. 17, 2021 [PetPowellPress] I opened my email Thursday afternoon and one of the first arrivals I saw had this subject line: “Never Pay Another Heating Bill Again!” 
What the author of the pitch probably meant to write was “Never Pay Another Heating Bill” unless the email was aimed at people who sometimes pay the same heating bill twice. More on “words” in Contemplations.
IN ‘THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE’
NEAR BURNS FLAT, OKLA.
Our longtime tipster from the western end of the Sooner State, Terry Lynn Fisher of Burns Flat, sent this note Thursday afternoon and included this photo — not unlike desperate photos we’ve seen from rescuers in Texas.
Terry Lynn writes, “This guy was just found out in the country. He appears injured, possibly hit by a car. This is in the middle of nowhere so pretty sure he has been abandoned. Urgent help is needed. He needs to see a vet and a place to go afterwards. If anyone can help please let me know.” Email [email protected].
[LARRY FYI: Terry Lynn has rescued hundreds of animals through the years — when she sends out a request for a place to keep a dog or cat or some other critter, it’s because her fosters and her helpers are all filled up right now. She’ll accept help from people in Texas, you know! Texas rescuers know that good hearts don’t mind crossing the state line.]
MEANWHILE, WITHIN TEXAS
IN THE METROSPRAWL…
The note came from the veterans of efforts with 4-Legged Helpers and started with these two siblings, Jack & Bill.
 According to the note, “Two adorable little baby kittens found in Fort Worth as little baby strays.” And, next, “Ferris is a very small rural shelter & for them to have 4 dogs - well that's a big number for them and they desperately need some help. 
“There is also someone who found a 5th dog (Gabriel) that is in the county not far from Ferris and this is such a cute dog. 

“And note we are also still featuring cute Elias, a dog in Denton County and still hoping.  He loves all other dogs and is an awesome guy.  He comes with donations to a 501c3 rescue.”
— Jack and Bill, the brothers, are 8-to-10-weeks old and available for adoption or rescue. The little fellows need to be checked out with a vet. They are “adorable,” the bio reads.

Gabriel, the dog with the sincere face (he’s in both of those photos) is in Ferris where someone may have dumped him “out in the county.”  “Sweetie pie,” they say. And he “desperately needs a rescue so he does not have to go to the shelter,: his bio says. The Helpers wrote, “We are naming him after an angel in hopes someone will see him and be his guardian angel. If you recall, Gabriel is the angel that is very much associated with Christmas.”

Now waiting in the Ferris shelter is this smiling Shepherd mix Rocky — “young, lovable pup who adores everyone.” Lost his home because his human became too ill to care for him. He’s got a great dog smile.

This young female German Shepherd is Everly, an under-2-years-old stray waiting in the Ferris Shelter. “Biggest, prettiest brown eyes ever,” her bio reads. Found as a stray.

This girl, Lacey, a Tricolor Aussie Shepherd Mix, is around 2 or 3 and has a complicating factor, her Ferris bio says. “The ACO said there is a chance she could be pregnant because she is a little chunky. She is absolutely adorable.”
Dustin, listed as a “German Shepherd” on the note but doesn’t look a bit like one” is “adorable” and “neutered and chipped.” Sweet dog whatever his family tree contains. 

Ask about those Ferris dogs and the cats and other dogs in this note by calling or texting 214-949-2726 or email [email protected].
And we’ve mentioned this guy before. The 4-Legged Helpers say there’s a $175 donation to the 501c3 rescue that claims Elias, a 2-year-old male Shepherd/Boxer mix currently in private care in Denton County. 
he’s “super smart” and “medium-sized.” Walks on a leash, knows “sit” and “his best talent is giving sweet kisses.”
The 50-pound dog “absolutely adores children and especially enjoys bath time.” 
[LARRY ASIDE: Got some kids that hate baths? Hmmm. Could the dog actually become leader of the pack?]

MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE:
KRINGLE AND HOLLIE
Kringle is the 50-pound Pointer mix and Hollie is the 14-pound Chihuahua. Other than poundage there is one key difference. Hollie is a rescue-only because of medical situations. These stories come from Mesquite Shelter volunteer pet biographers Debra Chisholm and Judi Brown. 

Debra wrote that “PRECIOUS” HOLLIE IS A 7 1/2-year-old, 14-pound Chihuahua who came in as a stray on the 2nd.
“Hollie arrived limping and was taken to the vet clinic.  The following is a summary of the vet's report:  There is non-weight bearing lameness present in the right rear leg.  There is partial paralysis (muscle weakness) of the hind legs. There is bruising on the abdomen.  Right rear leg-stifle faced forward.” 
Debra says the shelter will provide a more complete medical report to people who want to help Hollie. She’s getting Rimadyl and Tramadol.
And, Debra wrote, “She did walk around the room a bit but seemed most comfortable lying on a soft blanket.  Hollie is a very sweet and friendly girl. She's well-mannered, calm and gentle with a mellow personality.  She seemed to enjoy petting and being loved on. … She needs out of the shelter asap in order for these medical issues to be further assessed and treated.” Use her ID# 49184533 when you contact the shelter at [email protected].
Judi, who spent time with Kringle, writes “Kringle is learning to trust again. He is a 1 to 2 year old mixed breed (my dog scanner app says 76% Pointer mix) that came to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 12/11 as a stray.  He weighs approximately 50 pounds and is not fixed. When he first came to the shelter he huddled in the corner of his kennel shaking. He was particularly fearful of the leash. Even though he was fearful he never showed any aggression. He was receptive to being petted and having his ears scratched. Well, today we had a breakthrough and he walked out of his kennel on a leash!! Actually he walked quite well on a leash. He walked right along beside me. When he first got out into the yard he had his tail tucked. He spent a good deal of time exploring and smelling the yard. He did his business in the yard. He was not interested in balls and didn’t seem to know what I wanted him to do when I asked him to sit. He did begin warming up to me and when I sat down he came to me and put his head on my lap. It was so sweet!” 
Use Kringle’s ID# 49237080 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].

CONTEMPLATIONS

WORDS AND OTHER STUFF
“Stuff” is a word that should only be used as a verb, an English teacher one told me. She had a good handle on formal English, but I was a teenager in the ‘60s and spoke a different language. That doesn’t mean I don’t respect words.
...
WORDS IS IMPOR’EN'! And that should be “words are.” That “impor’en' ” demonstrates a modern affliction in which young Americans drop the “t” out of a word, i.e., “Ma’ ha’ en.” Which I hope you can read as “Manhattan.” 
It's important. I think dropping the “t” is a first cousin of ending declarative sentences with a question sound, i.e. “the upward inflection.” Y’know? (That contraction insulted every English teacher I had in my public school career.) …
WHAT IS COMING NEXT? Spelling is already a victim of email and online culture. But what possibly can happen next? For crying out loud, will “ain’t” — after years of trying through cultural evolution to join the language — finally become acceptable 'formal' English? Things change — consider the new usages of “woke” and “cohort.” “Usage evolves into definition?” he declared inquisitively?
— Give language tips or diet tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put “Wri’e righ’” in the subject line. —

THE WEATHER, THE OPPORTUNITIES TO ADOPT, MISSING MALLS & A FOUND KITTEN

EDITION OF THURSDAY, DEC. 16, 2021 [PetPowellPress] In an effort to get one more bag of household trash into the landfill, I grabbed it about 6:30 a.m. and walked out into the darkness toward the city’s bin at the curb. It was like walking into August.
Ah, cats, dogs, warm weather and holiday songs — it’s Christmas in North Texas! Read on:
HOW ABOUT THIS
SWEET FLUFFY CAT!
We learned of this cat named Kitty from our pal Karen Lee of the do-good-things non-profit barkleyworld.com. Kitty is currently in the care of a rescuer, Katrina.
Karen writes, “Katrina needs to find a home for this beautiful stray kitty that she has nursed back to health. Due to Kitty testing positive for Feline Leukemia, it is just not feasible for Katrina to keep Kitty in her home with all of her other cats. So she is searching for a good home or rescue where Kitty will be safe and loved. …Katrina truly wants the best for this precious girl.”

In her note to Karen, Katrina wrote that Kitty was a stray who “needed some serious medical care due to an abscess. She’s been with me for a little over two weeks and has been nursed back to health. She is a really sweet cat and loves a good belly rub. She is fond of catnip and her scratching boxes. Kitty did come back positive for Feline Leukemia. She is approximately 6 years old. She will be fully vaccinated before adoption. She had to first get over her fever. She is on Revolution for fleas and heartworm prevention. She needs to be an indoor kitty and in a home with no other cats.”

The suggestion in the note reads: “If you would like to give Kitty a real name and a furever home please contact Katrina at [email protected]."

PERCY AND SOME PALS
WAITING AT MESQUITE
Is this not a beautiful dog?
That is Percy, a 2-year-old Anatolian Shepherd Mix who came into the Mesquite Animal Shelter on the 10th — yep, he was a stray. His biographer, Judi Brown, says, “He’s a gorgeous boy that would be even more handsome once he is groomed. He’s very alert and spent a lot of time exploring the yard with his nose. He friendly. He also appears to be happy. He literally bounded around the yard. He sometimes gets excited and jumps on you but it appears he just wants a hug. When I sat down he tried to get on my lap...all 55 pounds of him!  He didn’t appear to know the sit command and was not highly motivated by treats. He did not chase a ball but did play with some of the stuffed toys. He stood by the door some indicating that even though it was good weather he wanted to be inside. That may mean he has been an inside dog. He walked OK on a leash. He went nose to nose with some dogs in the bay but basically was not interested. He did not show  any aggression. He is not neutered. He’s a delightful boy that would make a wonderful addition to a loving family.” Percy is #49231039 — use that ID number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
Judi also is the volunteer biographer for “handsome, stately 2-year-old German Shepherd” Lance. He came in on the 10th as a stray. Lance ways 59 pounds and is “too thin!,” she says. “His ribs are showing. With more groceries he would fill out more and be even more stately. … He is very alert and I suspect very intelligent. He is also very hungry and tried to take the treats out of my smock. He sits for treats. He also gives his paw. He is so motivated by treats that several times he offered his paw even when I wasn’t asking for it! He does not take treats gently, but I suspect it’s because he’s so hungry. He did jump on me several times but got down with a sharp retort. He’s energetic, enthusiastic, friendly and outgoing. He did his business as soon as he got out into the yard. He has a strong pull on the leash. He was not interested in meeting the other dogs in the bay. I did not detect any aggression.  He has a very strong ball drive. He doesn’t seem to get tired of  chasing balls. He is sometimes reluctant to release the ball but most the time brings it right back. I’m sure Lance would like to be a house dog, but at the same time would need a big yard and a family that would throw the ball for him.” He’s #49230644 — use that number when you call the shelter 972-216-6283 or email rescues@ cityofmesquite.com.
You can see more Mesquite adorable adoptables by clicking onto the shelter’s website HERE.  Dogs and cats abound — all needing a home that will love them as much as they love the home. Among the availables is this 2 1/2-year-old Domestic Shorthair girl, Sandy Claws (#49186358).
She came into the shelter on December 3 and, if the legend is true, needs to be out by December 24. Earlier would be better. I mention her for all of you who are Sandy Claws’ Helpers.
CONTEMPLATIONS
WEATHER AND MORE OR LESS
In today’s opening I mentioned the August-like December morning.
Thick and warm air. Oh, my. The dogs came back in from their morning backyard “walk into darkness” as if they’d been exercising! Three dogs panting. …

Bottom line? Still beats last February’s icebox. Oh, FYI: The Old Farmer’s Almanac says winter begins at 9:59 a.m. CST on Tuesday, Dec. 21. Nobody’s predicting snow for Christmas in the Metroslip&slidesprawl.
 ...
Something to consider: Do you miss going to malls at Christmas? I miss Forum Mall (took my kids there), Six Flags Mall (took my kids there), Red Bird Mall (we registered for our wedding there — I think at the long-gone Sanger Harris store). Thanks to all of you who sent kind notes about our 30th anniversary on the 15th. We’ve made it another day. Martha left for the office a few minutes ago. I’m about to suit up and take a rescued kitten to the vet. Yep, we’re back to normal, or as close to normal as we ever get. That's the kitten. Captain Hastings Streetboy. I took that photo. His eyes are blue in better lighting with a better photographer.
—- Offer marriage tips or recipes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put “KEEP SMILING” in the subject line. —-

HISTORIC NOTE... 30 YEARS AGO...

INTERRUPTIVE NOTE FOR DEC. 15, 2021 -- As readlarry powell.com prepares the next edition of notes about dogs and cats and the people who love them, we take time out to cite an event of 30 years ago today.
Yep, that's (left to right) Larry Powell of readlarry powell.com, then a newspaper columnist, and Martha Muse, then a member of the secretary team in the editors' office, on the day we were wed: 12/15/91. It's been quite a 30-year-adventure.  My funspouse is still speaking to me. And that is a major marital triumph.
Earlier in 1991, she'd declared, "We'll get married when pigs fly."  There you have it. The day the pigs had wings -- 12/15/91! I made this sign and put it on the groom's table next to the groom's cake which I had decorated with a dozen small pigs wearing paper wings and bouncing on the ends of long wires anchored in the chocolate cake. Heck, yeah, I ignored my wedding diet and ate cake!
And, yes, through our holy matrimony, we've rescued quite a few dogs and cats.  Thirty years of "What are we going to name this one?"
I feel compelled to remind people in love that they can find wisdom in their romantic matches. Here's an example.
Wisest advice I've ever gotten from Martha?
"Stop being an idiot." I have to work at it. After all, I am a male.
--- Tell someone you love 'em today. Make Martha happier! ---

 

ANIMALS ARE WAITING, SHIRTS ARE FOR SALE, THINGS CHANGE & CONTEMPLATING A WRITER

EDITION OF MONDAY, DEC. 13, 2021 [PetPowellPress] I went into my first Christmas mall in a few years over the weekend. Limited my travels to the book store on the outer edge -- I could peer through the inner exit into the mall hall and see decorations "just like in the old days" and, also, hear a crying baby.... I assumed the child was being introduced to Santa for the first time. Yep, a sign of a merry Christmas.
OK, let's move merrily along and focus on creating some holly-jolliness for the season.

THE NAMES RING A BELL

AT DALLAS ANIMAL SERVICES

I was wondering who was waiting at Dallas Animal Services over the weekend, so I clicked onto the DAS site and ran into Lucy Van Pelt. Perhaps that name, yes, rings a bell with some of you. Ever read Peanuts? Yep, Charlie Brown's friend -- you may recall her role in A Charlie Brown Christmas and other tales --has a namesake dog among the free-to-adopt animals at DAS. Lucy (A1125909) is a year-old German Shepherd with quite a set of Ears. In fact, she is a Yuletide Earhound (Reindeer Class). Her bio says, "When she runs, her big, floppy ears jiggle."

Now, she's not the only seasonally-related animal at DAS.We also spotted this beautiful girlcat. She's #A1131781, a year old feline named Kringle. Yep, Kringle. [LARRY ASIDE: She may be the size of a sugarplum -- if a sugarplum weighs 7 pounds.]

You can see these two stars of the season and many others by going to the DAS website at bedallas90.org.
ONE MORE THING FROM DAS: Dallas Animal Services, on its Facebook page, published a photo and a note that read, "Christmas came early for the pets of DAS! Our wonderful friends at Goo Goo Eyes Optical – Lovers Lane in University Park -- donated over 1,000 toys for our dogs and cats to enjoy! THANK YOU so much for your generosity and for supporting homeless pets in need!" [LARRY ASIDE: Correct me if I'm wrong, and I'm probably not, but when I first started writing about DAS in the last quarter of the 20th century, there was almost a blockade about donating anything to the Dallas shelter except unwanted dogs and cats who quickly got the needle. Am I remembering right?]
IT'S NO SECRET: WE LOVE

THOSE 'FRIENDS OUT AT THE LAKE'

Not only does the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake run the world's most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas, the organization also has a sense of humor.
Consider these shirts now available for sale at the clinic. 
As you can see, one is for cats and one is for dogs and you can buy either or both. In general they're $15 each, but for the XX-large sizes, they're $17. [LARRY ASIDE: I've been an off-and-on XX and larger guy most of my adult life -- that's why I had trouble saving money.]

You can get the shirts at the clinic on Dec. 21 and 28, according to the note from the Friends' reliable spokesperson Sydney Busch.
Want to donate or buy shirts or ask about getting your critter fixed, call 903-451-4701or 214-808-4701. Use the code phrase, "Merry Christmas." Just kidding about that phrase, but you can donate and make it a Merry Christmas for the hard-working volunteers. 

RIPPLE, A LOT OF BRANCHES

ON HIS DOGGY FAMILY TREE

The volunteer Mesquite Shelter dog biographer Debra Chisholm has come up with quite the mix of dogs for "lively" Ripple: "Possibly Akita Inu/Greyhound/Dutch Shepherd in the mix?" He came in as a stray on Dec. 4 and, Debra wrote, "Whatever is in the breed mix, he has the most interesting and unusual coat!  He weighs 51 pounds, is approximately 3 years old and is not neutered.  This fellow will keep you entertained with his antics.  He is high-spirited and loves to play with toys (especially squeaky ones) and chase balls.  He frolicked around the yard during the photo shoot.  Ripple is one of those dogs who seems to be able to keep himself entertained and amused." He'll need an active human to keep up with him. His ID is #49194996. Use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at [email protected].

Use the same contact points when you ask about #49224611, Princess.
Volunteer Dog Biographer Judi Brown writes, "Princess has had a hard life and now is optimistic that that is about to change! She was surrendered to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 12/9 because her owners were moving. She’s been an outside dog as reported by the owners and evidenced by concrete calluses on her rear. She also has old but healed puncture wounds on her face. In spite of the fact that she’s had to live outside away from her owners, she is extremely sweet, loving, and friendly. She wags her tail, gives kisses and seems to be smiling. She likes treats and takes them gently. ... She will need a secure fence as she did try to climb the shelter wall. She was probably looking for her owners! As gentle and loving as she is, she should fit in nicely with a loving family with children. I can see her snuggled up at your feet in a pile of blankets or a nice warm doggy bed. She deserves that!"
CONTEMPLATIONS

SOMETIMES A SURPRISE...
This is a long bit of personal recollection -- has nothing to do with dogs and cats, but has to do with a guy who was gifted and, also, a gift.
 One of my longtime friends, the great newspaper feature writer Brad Bailey, died over the weekend. You won't find any books by Brad. He's in some, however. Maybe you remember his feature-writing in The Dallas Morning News or The Texarkana Gazette ... maybe places in between. And, maybe you've read the late, great writing coach Paula LaRocque's work, The Book of Writing -- she cites some of Brad's writing as showing how words come alive on the page when the right writers writes 'em. 

Brad's Aunt Kay Rounsavall, The Gazette's daytime police reporter, taught me how to be a reliable reporter in a newsroom in the mid-'60s. And I worked with his mom, Joan Bailey, also a feature writer, in the '70s at The Gazette.
 And I was the Gazette's assistant managing editor when teenage kid Brad was hired to be our copyboy/obit writer. He worked hard, learned and when given a chance to write features, showed other people how telling a story in print could be lively and touch hearts.
 My kids knew him because he made them laugh when they were little boys. My funspouse Martha knew him because she was a secretary in the executive editorial offices at The DMN when Brad was there and she, already, was a fan of his writing. She was a "reader" who scanned each edition for the bylines she appreciated.
 Brad wrote wonderful stories. He had the touch. The gift. He could make people he interviewed come to life on a page.
 And, like so many 20th century newspaper people, he moved on years ago, back before the post-Y2K terrors set in. But, he and I'd swap letters now and then. 
When he was in Texarkana for visits, Brad would drop in at my folks' house to say hello. I had never introduced them, but Brad had stopped by one day anyway and it became a regular thing when he was in town. And my mom would say, "That Brad Bailey is sure a nice young man" with a kind of "What happened to YOU at that newspaper?" attitude.
 I think the folks would have adopted him if the topic had come up. They loved Brad the Writer, Brad the Visitor, Brad The Guy out of the newsroom and sitting charmingly in their living room because it was a "safe" zone without the pressure of expectations.

When Brad and I worked at The Texarkana Gazette together in late '60s/early '70s, one of the local hot topics was "The Fouke Monster." He -- or she, nobody knew -- was a legendary "Bigfoot-like" inhabitant of the swampy river bottoms and bayous around Fouke, Ark., just southeast of Texarkana, and a few miles north of where Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana merge. The Red River runs through there en route to Shreveport.

Brad was assigned to cover events allegedly involving The Fouke Monster -- the Monster's public recognition status had been raised by The Legend of Bobby Creek, the successful faux documentary film by director Charles B. Pierce. 
At some point two guys claimed to have been attacked by The Fouke Monster while they were out fishing in a nearby bayou. The men appeared to have been battered and suffered terrible scratching wounds on their backs from The Fouke Monster's giant claws. 
But the Miller County sheriff was suspicious and got the "victims" to admit that they'd dreamed up a plot to get some attention. They sort of slapped each other around -- a mutual beating -- and used tree limbs to leave long, bloody wounds on their backs. 
Brad wrote a great lead for his feature story on the plot and the people and the monster. It succinctly read, "The story of an attack on two men by The Fouke Monster has turned out to be a case of 'You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'." 
I will miss Brad and his letters and will enjoy remembering the stories of his life and his writing. He wrote so well...He will be my friend for as along as The Fouke Monster inspires people to dream up schemes and a reporter works to tell the tale. Probably longer than that. He was a genuine individual
.
--- Offer ideas or opinions by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing [email protected]. ---

DUDLEY THE ANGEL NODS OFF; ECHO THE SWEETHEART NEEDS A HOME

We have two notes for this edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. Both have to do with dogs WHO can safely, belovedly nod off. One of them needs a new home. She's a great dog. 
[EDITOR’S NOTE: There will be a cat photo in the afterward notes. It’s a contract thing — signed by this website with the Association of Regulated Felines (ARF). Please read on.]
From top left: Going, going, going, out-like a light.
What you see here is a photographic illustration of something that occurred last Thursday night as I sat comfortably on our living room couch.
This boy is Dudley the Angel, as we’ve explained many times, named in honor of the Cary Grant character in the 1947 yuletide film The Bishop’s Wife. We’d been watching it on cable when he showed up in our yard years ago. He was very sweet and polite and won our hearts, so "Dudley The Angel" stuck.
In the case of the pictures, he had risen from his usual prone position, walked across the room and put his boney chin down on my right knee. A sign of affection, I’m thinking.
I petted his noble and honorable head for a while, then noticed he was starting to nod off. So I gently pulled my hand away, quietly grabbed my camera and began to shoot photos of that darling boy’s darling face as his eyes lids began to slowly close. Finally, there he was sitting on the floor, his chin on my knee and completely asleep. He is the only large male mammal in our house who is not afflicted with insomnia.
He’s also very huggable. This is where he wound up later in the evening — blocking the passageway into the hall. The cats just walk around him. The other dogs weren’t going that way anyhow.
ECHO'S SITUATION...
Our next segment of this edition is about a dog who is needing a home.
You may recall these photographs.
A few months ago we featured this wonderful dog named Echo in our weekend edition of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. 
We’ve known Echo’s people — Marilyn Harrell Jones and hubby Larry — for many years now. They are great animal people. So when we got a note from them about Echo, we paid attention to the need.
You may recall, as Marilyn told us, “We pulled Echo from the Glenn Heights shelter. They were going to put her down. We made it by 15 minutes.”
They found out quickly, we noted in that edition, that Echo needed space and loved to run. Marilyn said, “...She was stressed…decompressing from being in the shelter…so Larry and I took her with the rest of our 10 dogs. She loves everyone, plays, runs, swims, so obedient… of course we fell in love.”
And, now, as things happen in the world, Larry and Marilyn are moving to a spot that puts a limit on dogs, so they’re trying to find a really good home for this great and playful dog Echo.
“She is a sweetheart. We want only the best for her,” Marilyn said. “We are heartbroken, but we have no choice.” 
Here’s a video of the girl at play with her fun-mates.
If you’ve ever watched happy dogs play, you know that they do it with their entire hearts — except the part they have dedicated to loving you. 
To ask about auditioning to adopt Echo, call 817-781-8070. That photo of Echo upside down in the yard? That’s how she sleeps!

***

[DEAR READERS: This cat is my personal feline, Deputy Chief Kittie Leigh Johnson. She’s an investigative cat with a sense of justice and a do-right attitude. Full-on member of ARF (Association of Regulated Felines).  At night, you can find her curled up in my arms as I hug her sleeping form and try to follow her example. Perhaps you have a cat or dog you’d like to tell us about so we can feature him or her or them and their photos in our weekend feature Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.Since it’s the Christmas season, we’ll also entertain photos of tiny reindeer snoozing between landings. Send your photos and the animals’ bios to [email protected] and we’ll post them in our weekend edition, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. You’ll be helping people decide to make their homes better with animals and you’ll be encouraging insomniacs to dress in reindeer suits, sit on rooftops and wait patiently for the elves to help them nod off without sliding off the snow-covered shingles.]
— Give us slumbertips or song suggestions by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put ‘SANTA DON’T SNORE, BUB’ in your subject line. —-

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. —-

THE SEASON'S SIGNS AND CATS AND DOGS AND TV ADS AND SANTA AND A PACIFIER

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY, December 8-9, 2021 [PetPowellPress] While driving through traffic on Northwest Highway in Dallas Tuesday morning I heard a radio commercial with the slogan “If it flows, you need a hose.” I thought it was about to be for a ragweed allergy treatment. Nope. A hose company. Now, let’s move on before I try to rhyme “Sore Throat” with “Castle Moat” or “Sneezy Goat.” Honest, I typed “let’s move on” with good intentions.
That’s a dog named Ragweed with a Christmas tree that’s been sprayed with Antihistaminic Whipped Cream — keeps you from sneezing into your hot fudge sundae. (I can’t eat them — anything made with ice cream makes me swell. For years — it turns out.) Just kidding about a dog named Ragweed. That’s our seasonal Border Collie/Chocolate Lab mix, Dudley The Angel (named for Cary Grant’s character in The Bishop’s Wife), guarding the tree temporarily waiting in our kitchen. Dudley, a free-roaming dog who stopped in our yard years ago, has lived up to “The Angel.” Our cats adore him.
In keeping with the seasonal theme, we continue with a visit to Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick.
AH, WH0 DO YOU THINK THINK
THIS JOLLY FELLOW IS HOLDING?
One of the paragraphs in a note we got regarding this photo read, “This dude can be the best companion to anyone he’s amazing Gentle giant who loves all.”
Yep, Santa Claus. Oh, wait. Sorry — that’s the description we got of Sebastian, who we’ve recently mentioned, visiting that right jolly ol’ fellow. some of you readers will recall that the lop-eared, adorable and compliant cat was once on the brink of disaster, or maybe twice — but thanks to 4-Legged Helpers he’s now in the care of Hearts and Tails of Hope Pet Rescue in Ellis County. 

Our tipster, Deb Kujawa, The Cat Coordinator for Hearts and Tails of Hope, sent the note about Sebastian’s visit with Santa. Where would that have been? Ah, in the office of the mayor of Midlothian. It was available for a photos-with-Santa-session. 
As you may recall, Sebastian, whose ear now flops because it had polyps, is in need of a home. Deb writes, after his visit with Santa, that he is “so chill, easy going. Not affected by cats and dogs. Little meow. Loves people and human affection. Great companion for anyone. Comes to his name.”
And, Deb says, “He’ll be adopted, I believe, quickly. He’s a perfect orange male love bug.” 
[LARRY NOTE: I do not know how he gets along with reindeer. But, probably he has charm enough for a hitch of them. To ask about adopting the grown-up fellow Sebastian, visit the Hearts and Tails of Hope Pet Rescue site HERE. Tell ‘em readlarrypowell.com sent ya and that we’ve known Santa a long, long time. ]
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
TEDDY THE EARHOUND & OTHERS
We’re declaring this guy Teddy to be a spectacular Earhound. Look at those ears — they look as if they have little nostrils and human noses inside their charming presence. 
Our tipster, volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown says this Mesquite Animal Shelter boy Teddy “looks up at you with adoring eyes letting you know that he wants to become a member of your loving family. Teddy is a 5-year-old, 34-pound, fawn-colored Terrier with hazel eyes.” he came to the shelter as an unfixed stray on Dec. 2.

Judi writes that he’s “not only cute and sweet, he’s friendly, outgoing, alert, and attentive. He sits for treats but not always. Sometimes he gets too excited. Sometimes when he gets too excited he jumps on you. He could use some manners training to learn not to do this. But for the most part after he explored the yard, he stayed close looking up at me as if to ask, ‘What do you want me to do next?’”
Teddy is #49180956. Use his ID number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].

We don’t usually encourage the dogs and cats to write their own biographies, but Judi also got to know this guy Bandit (#49150094), 14-pound, 5-to-6-year-old Chihuahua mix who is “getting adjusted to all the noises at the shelter.” Bandit writes, “I’m scared! But when I am held and loved on I become a real snuggle bug. I like to neck snuggle. I like to chill out on laps. … I came in as a stray on 11/27. I’ve been overlooked because when I’m pulled out of my crate I struggle and thrash on the leash. The lady that’s been working with me said I’m getting a lot better about that. When someone takes the time to walk slowly with me and I don’t hear a lot of loud noises I can walk without jumping and thrashing around. I’ll get better with time. I also have an underbite with two teeth sticking out. The lady that’s been working with me thinks that makes me look cute. Some others have thought that my underbite makes it look like I’m going to bite. But I’m not! … I’m told I have a lot of potential to be a devoted lifelong companion. But I know I would do best in a quiet, laid-back household with either no children or older children. If you got a lap for me to lay on I would love that! Please  come meet me and take time to love on me and I will love you in return!” Use the phone and email in Teddy’s item to ask about Bandit.

 This guy is 6-year-old, 88-pound “Terrier mix” Monty — he was found “abandoned and tied to a tree,” volunteer biographer Debra Chisholm reports. 
“He has a growth on his belly that will need to be checked out by a vet.  Monty is a friendly boy with a calm and sweet personality.  He is well-mannered and gentle.  Monty walks on a leash well.  He pottied in the shelter yard.  He is active and alert, despite his age.  He will sit for treats and takes them gently.  He is friendly and his tail wagged practically non-stop during the photo shoot.  He had a grand time scouting out the smells in the yard.” He’s #49055417. [LARRY ASIDE: We don’t know if the guy who tied him to a tree and walked away has a number, but abandonment of an animal is a crime in Texas and maybe he’ll get a state number at some point. Or some help.]
Debra also got to “interview” Dante, described as “a handsome Rottweiler mix” who was picked up by a shelter officer on 11/13. He’s about 2 1/2, not neutered and weighs 68 pounds.
NOW GET THIS: “Dante has been recovering in quarantine for nearly 3 weeks because when he was picked up, his collar was embedded in his neck.”
[LARRY GROAN: Some humans are despicable. Can I get an Amen?]
Debra writes, “Doubtless, the collar was painful for Dante. Though he still has scars around his neck, he is improving and has been brought up to one of the general population kennels and is available for adoption.  Despite this painful neck injury, he is a very sweet-natured and friendly fellow. He likes attention and is happy to be petted and loved on.  He walks well on a leash.  He pottied in the shelter yard.  Dante was extremely interested in exploring the shelter yard.  He is well-mannered, calm and gentle.  I would say his activity level is moderate.  He does not jump on you. He likes treats and takes them gently.  He does not seem to know any commands.  There is so much to like about Dante.” Dante is #49073896.
Once again, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected]. See more dogs and cats needing homes by clicking on the SHELTER WEBSITE HERE.
HANG ON FOR ONE MORE
SANTA/CAMERA STORY….
If memory serves, the annual animal photos with Santa was absent from the Operation Kindness calendar last year — or it was staged at a hotel, maybe? Memory does’t serve. But this year, it’s back at the shelter in Carrollton and is called “Dog Photos With Santa. First schedule is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday the 11th and, then (same hours) on Saturday the 18th. 
The no-kill shelter’s announcement says, “For $20, 10 photos will be taken and given to guests on a flash drive. For families who would like to use their phones, the photographer will take pictures for $15.”

And there’s this quote from OK: “In an effort to follow CDC guidelines, all photos will be taken outdoors this year. We're sorry cat-lovers, but these photos are for dogs only (for safety).
Who portrays Santa this year? Ed Jamison, the Operation Kindness chief executive officer.” Get more details on the event by clicking HERE.
That cat? May not be able to be with Santa on those Saturdays, but she can be with you. Just takes a loving adoption. That’s a 3-month-old girl named Crystal who, apparently, has let the Christmas attire go to the dogs and clearly put on her formalwear for a great black-tie New Year’s Eve. She weighs about 3 1/2 pounds and has been at Operation Kindness since Nov. 18 after spending some time in a municipal animal shelter. You can visit her at OK at 3101 Earhart Drive in Carrollton. May Crystal have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and a really swell Groundhog Day and Valentine’s Day in somebody’s loving home.
CONTEMPLATIONS
ME, SANTA, AN AD & A FIRE
Call this one “A LARRY RECOLLECTION.” About umpteen years ago, when I was a columnist for Urban Animal magazine, the publisher, the great Bob Walton, a legendary animal fan and Operation Kindness volunteer, persuaded me to put the suit on. It was solid fun! No animals were unruly. One year, in the early 1990s, I portrayed Santa at the Old City Park Candlelight festival in Dallas — some kids were less house-trained than the Operation Kindness dogs. Honest. But Santa still loves ‘em. Those red suits absorb liquid quickly. One 4-year-old kid, at the urging of his granny, handed a dripping rubber pacifier to Santa, began to cry, was comforted and left the pacifier with your right soggy ol’ elf. Santa handed it to his laughingspouse Martha who wrapped it in tissue and put in her purse, took it home, handed it back to me and I put it on my desk. One night before Christmas we heard a cat giving off a frightening yowl in the hallway. We rushed to our old black and white gentleman cat Cyril and realized that he was walking along holding the pacifier in his mouth just like that kid had held it in his. That cat was so happy with that pacifier that we let him keep it! ….

Anybody else seen that wacky commercial with the big ball of stuffed toys rolling on a beach, on a highway and in other places in an attempt to promote the idea that a bank is a caring and protective place? It’s a Truist Financial TV commercial and HERE’S THE LINK. At our house the conversation agreed that we’d like to have been in the pitch meeting when an adguy said, “OK, so we’ve got this big ball of stuffed animals rolling down a beach and it’ll make people want to do business with your bank.”
SOMETIMES I MISS working at my hometown paper The Texarkana Gazette. In this case, I loved the headline. "Fire in the Hole: Grand jury indicts man for allegedly using AA batteries, toilet paper to set fire in his Texarkana jail cell." Gosh, you just wonder why some people get free room and board and, yet, just can’t appreciate it. Don’t know if he was booked under the name “MacGyver.”
—- Offer advice or viable courtroom defenses by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put ‘SAVE ‘EM ALL’ in he subject line. —-

AND NOW SEBASTIAN THE CAT WAITS WITH THE CAT COORDINATOR; PLUS, SOME DOGS AND SOME PEOPLE AND SOME ACTORS

EDITION OF MONDAY, Dec. 6, 2021 [PetPowellPress] We have such a great story about Sebastian The Cat today. And we have some “last chance” opportunities with 4 dogs. 
What do they have in common? All need homes. All have the same guiding light working on their behalf. That’ll be part of today’s edition, too.

SEBASTIAN — BEAUTIFUL BOY
WITH BEAUTIFUL PERSONALITY …
Yes, we’ve posted this stoic photo of Sebastian and his wonky ear before. The effort to help him find a home started in late October. He was in the care of a Denton County contract animal custody outfit. Now, he is available for adoption at the Ellis County-based non-profit Hearts and Tails of Hope Pet Rescue.

 We know this because we’ve been talking with Deb Kujawa whose official title with Hears and Tails of Hope is “The Cat Coordinator.” And, she’s also fostering Sebastian and that’s how we know the inside story of this “Creamsicle Cat.”
The first time we saw Sebastian’s photo, he was being pitched for adoption/rescue by the non- profit 4-Legged Helpers — their mission was to get him out of a “custody situation” in Denton County and into a loving rescue or a home.
 So, in a bit of a “mission accomplished” situation, we have some good news about this “Creamsicle Tabby” described as being a “beautiful kitty that is very loving and completely adorable.”

He has that one wonky ear — the result of polyp. And it adds to the allure of this boy. He’s very distinct.
And, as you’ll see in these other photos, Sebastian’s personality is sweet and strong. We got these photos because Sebastian has landed at a warm and wonderful spot with Hearts and Tails of Hope Pet Rescue. And he’s available for adoption. Go to the Rescue’s website HERE to see how to adopt.
Deb says Sebastian is “very healthy” and he has a “tiny, not very audible meow. He’s a very, very kind cat.” He enjoys being the point of affection from a human and, as you can see in that “doorway” picture, he had, as Deb said, “No problem with my cat, Chleo.”
You also see Sebastian on the Catio. That’s him nose-kissing Bao The Cat.
Deb says she “took Sebastian outside to see how he’d react.” He was just fine in the company of other animals.
Here’s the part that might just make you want to get in line to adopt Sebastian. This big, healthy sweetheart has “a tiny, not-very-audible meow,” Deb says. It has charmed her. 
She also says, “Sebastian is a big, sweet loving boy who loves to be loved. if I stop petting him, he takes one of his paws and taps my arm. … He’s a purr machine. And he will high-five with both front paws!”

Sebastian is probably somewhere between 3 and 4 years old, a bit on the chubby side and available. We don’t know his history as a family cat, but there are signs that he knows how to adore a human -- high fives, gentle paws, sweet purr...

Now, while Sebastian needs a home, his benefactors at Hearts and Tails of Hope Pet Rescue have needs, too — volunteers and fosters. Fosters, animal people know, are the foundation of successful rescues who have no place to call a shelter. They open their homes to help save lives. It’s just about as noble an animal-rescue function as you can think of — you help an animal become comfortable in new surroundings and trust humans while you give it time to find that perfect home. You’ll be a life-saver and you’ll be blessing someone else’s life with the work you’ve done with a dog or cat. See how to adopt or volunteer by clicking HERE.
Now, give out a “tiny, not-very-audible meow” and thank all the people who have given Sebastian a chance at a long, happy life.
4-LEGGED HELPERS
LISTING FINAL PUPS…
On Friday afternoon, as we were putting together that weekend report (see our Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...edition) on all the puppies found in a box in Mesquite, we got a note from Laura Macias, our longtime tipster with 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit formed to work with small shelters. 
The shelters targeted by the Helpers are those places with small facilities and big populations of unwanted dogs and cats. They have no public relations team on staff to “get the word out.” Sometimes they worked with cities that were more interested in warehousing animals briefly because there’s no budget for saving the lives of dumped, unloved, stray or mistreated dogs and cats.

Laura’s letter was about helping 4 specific dogs in the Helpers' "sphere of concern." 
By Sunday, according to the Facebook note from the Helpers, there were not 4 dogs left. Just two — Elias and Blake. You can see them at the 4-Legged Helpers Facebook page HERE.
The note reads, “Call or text 972-897-4926 or Facebook message Heather Herndon-Marks if you can help save the life of one pictured!”
As this is being written Sunday evening, some of these dogs have donations to the 501c3 rescue that’ll save the dog.
 Elias, in the custody of the Denton County animal custody contractor, is 2 year-old, described as a very happy, super-smart, medium-sized dog. Elias has an amazing talent and it is so cute — he can catch treats mid-air. Any treat! He also can sit on command, walk on a leash and his best talent is giving kisses.” Adores kids, they say. Also, he “enjoys bath time.” He’s fixed, chipped and vaccinated. Healthy at 50 pounds. 

That brings us to Blake, a Lab/Border Collie mix currently in the Ferris Animal Shelter. He and Beagle-mix buddy Josh were “out and about” but not really strays — they were found in a “known dumping area out in the rural county area surrounding Ferris.”

[LARRY ASIDE: By the time you read this, maybe they’ll all be spoken for and the 4-Legged Helpers can have a moment or two to relax. Like so many rescue groups, they’ve been working hard against great odds — it’s financially expensive (nobody in rescue ever wins Lotto Texas) and, emotionally, it’s a daily heart-kicking. So many to save, so little time and money. Anger might even be a factor when you can’t pull it all together in time to keep a dog or cat from getting the needle. Ah, but when you do beat the odds, what a kick! Save ‘em all. Right? Right.]
CONTEMPLATIONS

SEASONAL NOTES….
Watched part of a great Christmas movie Sunday afternoon, Die Hard. The first one. With Bruce Willis up against the fantastic bad guy Alan Rickman. Favorite film starring the late, great Mr. Rickman: Truly, Madly Deeply. A wonderful ghost story of love. That was released in 1990. In 1999 he did a great comic turn in Galaxy Quest as an actor portraying an alien in the film starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Tony Shaloub (Praise Monk!). …
Quick! Name a great song for the season! I drove back and forth to Texarkana on Saturday — along the way it was tough to find an AM station that wasn’t playing Christmas records. I don’t have a favorite at this moment. … Anybody know of a community theater in the Metrosprawl that is doing a traditional version of A Christmas Carol? Failing finding one of those with the visiting ghosts, I’ll just watch Scrooged again — maybe the old film version with Alastair Simms as Ebenezer Scrooge. God bless our TV schedules -- every one.
— Offer holiday advice by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put “STUCK IN THE CHIMNEY’ in the subject line. —