NOW THAT PLAYOFF PRESSURE IS OVER, WE HAVE SOME ANIMALS FOR PEOPLE TO HELP

EDITION OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 [PetPowellPress] This is, as you may suspect, being written on JANUARY 17. I nearly typed “JULY” into the dateline because I’d been outside in the warm air of the afternoon doing some work around the house. We were taking down Christmas decorations, something we usually do in July, er, January. 
My sweetspouse Martha, having realized that my winter coat for years has been a zip-up golf jacket, gave me a new winter coat over the weekend . It's designed for skiing comfort in the snow-covered mountains. So, naturally, the temps went toward the upper 60s in our neighborhood. But I was warm -- in my hoody.
Here’s a photograph of some of the local lads in a hockey match Sunday on the frozen ice of the Trinity River just across I-30 from our home on SkiPole Hill in Eastern Fort Worth. Yes, Dear Reader, nothing in that preceding sentence is true except that it is a photograph.
It comes from our Readlarrypowell.com Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher, the veteran print and broadcast journalist. He shot this on Sunday afternoon. “The temperature hereabouts has soared to 21,” Andy wrote. “Another five hours or so and it will be snowing. Just took this picture out the dining-room window; in just a few months, there will be water skiers in this shot, but for now, it's teen-aged boys playing hockey.” This is Indian Lake in Denville, N.J., and Andy, a U.S. Army veteran of some of the hottest parts of the Cold War, says he included neighbor Gary Large’s America flag in the shot. Gary’s the neighborhood legend who knows how to skillfully operate the snow-moving machine known as Big Red. Comes in handy during the winter.
And, in honor of all the New York Giants and New York Jets and Buffalo Bills fans in the wintry areas of the northeast, we’d like to quote something that seemed to fit the situation Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington: “How ‘bout them Cowboys.” Yep, for cryin’ out loud, how ‘bout them flag-drawin’, odd-play callin’, clock-ignorin’ Cowboys. I don’t want to be too harsh. Fortunately, they got one break: On Sunday, them Cowboys played (too strong a word) across the street from the Texas Rangers’ home field so one of the Jones sons could easily visit the neighbors to borrow the well-worn “Wait ’til next year” sign.
THREE IN THE FERRIS SHELTER
NEEDING A WAY TO NEW HOMES
As the long holiday weekend was waning, we got a note from the 4-Legged Helpers folks who cite 3 dogs currently cooling their canine heels in the Ferris Animal Shelter.
Animals in the small shelters, “stand zero chance without a rescue group,” the Helpers say. So, they keep promoting rescues and adoptions from these shelters. 
Ferris has the current three in need. (Call or text Helpers’ pioneer critter hustler Laura Macias at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
That opening set of photos features the cutely handsome Landon, a “young vaccinated male Catahoula/Boxer mix available now” at the Ferris shelter. His bio reads, “Landon is so very sweet. Big pretty blue eyes. Very gentle and sweet guy that actually posed for the photos.  Cutest thing ever.  ACO heartworm tested healthy and ready to go! They also vaccinated incoming at this shelter.”

That brings us to Dustin. His bio reads that he is “adorable. Already neutered and chipped. He is just as sweet and cute as can be.  Seems to really like other dogs too and gives kisses to other dogs, all people.  HE IS SO SWEET. Also heartworm tested, healthy and ready to go!”

Logan, about 2, is a “sweetie pie” who is neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. The Bulldog mix was “surrendered to the shelter” by someone who couldn’t take care of him. “he is all love and is a great young dog. Silly, cute, lovable, sweet, playful.”
[LARRY ASIDE: We’ve got 80 zillion people living in this area and computer access to a billion more on the internet. Why in the heck does a dog or cat have to spend even one night waiting in a shelter? That football game drew, officially, 93,470 people. Surely there were three ticket-buyers who have time and money to adopt a dog from Ferris and love him like he’s a Cowboys fan, too. Aw, geez, I’m such a dreamer.]
IN MESQUITE, LOOK AT MAX’S FACE!

“FELL IN LOVE,’ SAYS BIOGRAPHER
Is that not an interesting look on a fabulous dog face? Why is Max in a shelter? Ah, our tipster, the veteran volunteer Mesquite Animal Shelter dog biographer Judi brown has the answer. she reports that 4-year-old, 58-pound, Max was surrendered to the shelter on the 13th because “the owners had too many dogs.” The dog scanner app says Max is part Catahoula Leopard and part Dutch Shepherd mix. Brindle markings, one blue and one brown eye. “He’s a very handsome boy! But more importantly he’s a real prize! He’s sweet, gentle, calm, loving, friendly, and well mannered. He stayed close and looked up at me with adoring eyes. He sits for treats and takes them gently. When you sit down he comes to you to have his ears scratched. And if you’d let him he would crawl on your lap! He
doesn’t jump on you. He walks well on a leash. When I took him for a walk he did his business as soon as we got outside. His previous owner said that he was an outdoor dog, but he told me he wants to be inside with his new family! He should fit in well in the household as he’s so obedient! His previous owners also stated that he’s lived with other dogs and children and gets along with them. When I walked him through the bay he ignored the other dogs as he was mostly interested in going for a walk. His owners also stated that he loves hugs. I can definitely see that because he such a loving, affectionate boy! You  can probably tell from this write-up that I fell in love with him.” Judi says he’s #49096247 in the shelter and use that number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
ALSO WAITING IN MESQUITE is Alpine, this 60-pound, 18-month-old Alaskan Husky. He came in on Jan. 7 as a stray. He was in quarantine due to space and now he’s “up front and visible” so “he will most likely get adopted quickly,” Judi writes. A quick tag is a good tag if you want to take Alpine home or into your rescue group. 
Judi says, “The bonus is that he’s not only handsome, but he’s also got a winning personality. He’s playful and fun loving. He gets down on his haunches and tries to entice you to play with him... all the time wagging his fluffy tail. He’s frisky and alert and explored the yard and the perimeter. Those of you that know about Huskies know that they are known to escape. You will need to have a yard with a secure fence. He was friendly and came to me when I called him. He liked having his ears scratched and I was rewarded with kisses. He sits for treats and takes them gently.  He chased a ball but did not retrieve it. He walked OK on a leash. He did his business as soon as he got into the shelter yard. When I walked him through the bay he wanted to make friends with many of the dogs. If they barked at him he jumped away. I did not see any aggression. Judging from the calluses on his elbows, I would assume he’s been an outside dog. This time around he would like be an integral part of the family and be inside with his new adopters. As gentle, loving, and sweet as he is he should do well inside.” His ID is #49374819. Use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite. com.

See many more adoptable adorables at the Mesquite Animal Shelter by clicking HERE.
Lots of dogs and cats. And this cat, 3-year-old Luther, caught my eye because, clearly, he knows how to take advantage of the lighting and pose for a perfectly illuminated mugshot for a tabby cat. He’s “large,” the shelter says. And he’s been waiting in the city shelter’s Cat room since January 10. Luther is #49390032. He’s a green-eyed handsome man.
CONTEMPLATIONS
IDLE THOUGHTS ON AN EVENING
It’s only late afternoon but already dark in our part of the world. Won’t it be great if big league baseball can work out its labor problems and we get to have a normal baseball season for a change? First, get the commissioner to move Houston back to the National League. Give the Texas Rangers a 10- or 20-game lead in their division on opening day. Maybe they’ll still be in the race at the All-Star Break. And somebody’s got to come up with the first female pitcher in the big leagues. When I was a kid, in our neighborhood, we had girls who could out-throw and out-hit boys. Of course, none of the boys made it to the big leagues, either. …. 

Is it too early to talk baseball? OK. We’ll change sports. How’s the Dallas Dynamics Curling Team doing in the Olympics? ...
Monday was the birthday of my twins, Bret and Bart, born on Super Sunday in 1971 in Texarkana, Texas — 2:06 (Bret) and 2:08 p.m. (Bart). I missed the entire Super Bowl — it was the first time the Dallas Cowboys had made it to the Super Bowl. Super Bowl V. The Baltimore Colts beat Dallas 16-13 on a 32-yard field goal by rookie kicker Jim O’Brien with 5 seconds left. Even if Dallas had won that game, the biggest news of the day still would have been the birth of my unexpected, wonderfully entertaining twins, Bret and Bart. They’re my only kids — though you can’t really call twins an “only child,” however. As kids, they won the “Most Alike” title for their age group in the annual Twins Contest at the State Fair of Texas. That was way back in the 1970s. That contest has been discontinued. That’s the lads in a photo from back then — they’re in their matching overalls from the HeeHaw TV show. The boys put up with a lot from their stunned and nutty parents. Identical? Not really. Bret’s left-handed and Bart’s right-handed. And one’s cuter than the other, they tell me individually. Neither went into journalism, preferring to be employed in financially beneficial efforts. Not like father, these sons. That "glop" on the kid's head on the right is where he saved his bubblegum in those days -- I'm kidding. It's a spot on the print of the photo. Honest. Back then (and even today) a glop of gum is more likely to wind up stuck in a brother's hair. Entertaining boys, I told you.
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