A LAW HAS A POWERFUL AFTERMATH; SAVING SOME BEAUTIFUL DOGS; BURNS FLAT CHALLENGES; MOON AND TULIPS

EDITION OF THURSDAY, FEB. 17, 2022 [PetPowellPress] Our initial topic today is “the law” and how a good one is proving to be more powerful than expected. Those of you who spoke up for Texas SB 5 last year? YOU made the difference then and it looks like you’re making a difference now!

 [LARRY DARLING DOG AASIDE: Before we get involved in politics, I’d like to cite this photograph of Wendy (Wednesday Louise Wagstaff Arden) who my dogfanspouse Martha rescued off a busy Dallas street years ago. To our knowledge this great dog has NEVER been tethered. She has, however, enjoyed being couched nearly daily. And that is an option every dog and cat -- maybe a husband -- should always have. Now, we move into the arena of Texas politics where, now and then, the good side wins the match.]

BACK TO THE AFTERMATH OF SB 5. We got a note from Shelby Bobosky, Executive Director of the Texas Humane Legislation Network, the organization that tries to persuade the Texas Legislature to be kind to animals and appropriately harsh to the animal law villains.

In Shelby’s note, we discovered how much more power the Texas Safe Outdoor Dogs Act had than we’d expected.
Some laws are specific in their guidance; this law is inspirational beyond its guidelines. 
You may recall the battle to get Senate Bill 5 into law. The Legislature OK’d it, but Gov. Greg Abbott wasn’t happy with that version, so it was tweaked and sent back and he signed the new version. It went into life-saving effect on January 18.
Shelby, in her note to supporters, pointed out that Winter Storm Uri — that misery from last February — inspired people and communities to come together to help each other survive the “winterfreeze.” She wrote “The memory of those dogs that perished in Winter Storm Uri gave the safe Outdoor Dogs Act the push it needed to arrive on the Governor’s desk not once but twice.”
Here comes the “powerful law” part of this story. 
 (This dog, in a photo provided by THLN, was rescued from being tethered outside in the Uri storm in Houston last year.)
Shelby writes, “Today, because of SB 5, we see communities come together again. But this time, it’s to educate and help their neighbors come into compliance with the new law. 
 “Whether it’s local churches raising funds for their shelters to purchase tie-out cables and trolleys or high school students building dog houses in Shop Class for those under-served communities, we have come a long way. 

“Enforcing SB 5 has also started a discussion in communities about whether tethering should be allowed at all! This week (Tuesday), the Lufkin City Council unanimously voted to end tethering by ordinance after March. Lufkin’s leaders decided ‘it was in everyone’s best interest to eliminate tethering’.”
She sums the situation this way: “Monumental change does not happen overnight. But the paradigm shift is happening and while we look at cities such as Houston Lufkin and others, it’s evident that SB 5 has effectuated positive change for thousands of restrained dogs.”
You can read about the Houston City Council changes HERE. They were activated Jan. 19 — the day after the Texas Safe Outdoor Dogs Law became went into effect. [LARRY ASIDE: You can go to thln.org and see how to gt involved with helping fight idiocy in Texas -- I mean, "fight for treating animals lovingly in Texas." Can't use a general term such as "idiocy" -- insults too many people in Austin. I kid the Lege! Old habit.]
[LARRY ASIDE: We looked online, but we don’t yet know if anyone has been fitted with lock-on bracelets for violating the law. Maybe that’s a good thing — maybe the people who used to stake out their dogs decided to follow the law instead of test it. You hate to think they just haven’t been caught yet. Just as it was up to people to push the law through the Legislature, it’s also up to people to notify authorities if they suspect a violation. It’s part of the “Save ‘em all” theory of animal rescue and adoration.]
TWO FROM FERRIS; AND BANDIT
STILL WAITING IN THE ‘HEIGHTS’
Small shelters — they just keep getting the dogs that are in a fix when it comes to people.
Take, for example, these two Boxer mix girls, Sasha on the left and Skylar on the right. 
The 4-Legged Helpers report reads, “This adorable pair appears to be siblings. Both so sweet - just very precious and lovable.  Friendly.  Love everyone and everything.  They are both young and have beautiful and very young white teeth.  Everyone that has met them adores them.  Shelter gives incoming DHPP vaccs, bordetella, and even heartworm tested and they are both negative, i.e. healthy!”

We’ve mentioned this guy before, but Bandit is still on the HELP THE DOG RADAR of 4-Legged Helpers. He’s in the Glenn Heights Shelter. His bio reads: “Bandit was found out and about as a stray and he is such a beautiful dog.  A little bit of Blue Heeler in there with his markings apparently mixed with Teddy Bear - check out those ears!  LOL. He loves other dogs and is so very relaxed and loving.  Very chill boy that has no issue with dogs barking and just enjoys sitting and watching them.  Adores people too according to shelter info!”

To ask about helping these animals or any on the “list” organized by 4-Legged Helpers, call or text Heather at 972-897-4926 or email Heather [email protected] or you can also reach out to Laura at [email protected] (Call or text 214-949-2726). 

THE CHALLENGES FACED
IN BURNS FLAT, OKLA.
We got this note from our longtime Oklahoma connection, Terry Lynn Fisher in Burns Flat, way out in the western part of the state. She gets our rotten Texas weather before we get it. And she has a city pound that is, basically, an outdoor pound. 
You will be glad she did not send photographs of some of these cases.
Here’s what she wrote: “So much has been going on…  y’all, I’m tired   I’m still weak from having covid and we have been SLAMMED 
“We had a major winter storm last week so I did place the seven dogs at the pound in boarding   The plan was to get them back out today (Tuesday), but while the weather is nice today, we have another huge storm moving through so I’m trying to raise enough to keep them in this last week.  The strain is our pound is totally outdoors… and all my extra side places are full.

“Saturday I had a call from our police department about a cat that was hanging by its leg   It got caught between the wooden fence panels and totally de-gloved itself. That leg will be have to get removed this afternoon but the cat will survive ... The injury was horrific, We did get money to help with that but I will need to keep it there for at least a week while it heals up some
“Now, we have a dog that was found just south of me that has a broken face bone — I guess it’s snout is broken and was viciously attacked by a pack of dogs. This poor baby is in horrific shape and we are trying to get help raising money for this.
“I know all of this is a lot, and I always seem to be reaching out to everybody. While I have time to help, I do not have the finances to do so. So if anyone can help with any of this, please let me know. I always appreciate any and all help and remember every single dollar helps us. Thank you all, Terry Lynn.”
Here are places to donate: PayPal at [email protected] or the Southwest Clinic at 580-726-3385  for Terry Lynn’s rescues.
And if you want to get in touch with her, email [email protected]. That’s the tribute to her dog Oddball, who inspired her to get into rescue and to work at saving ‘em all.
CONTEMPLATIONS

THE MOON, A CAT & FLOWERS
We have two views of Tuesday night’s version of The Snow Moon, that glorious full moon that rose over the United States — I’m not sure anyone else in the world saw it — something about it being licensed to some American space millionaires…or I could have dreamed that up. 
The beautiful photo of the moon over a “snowy lake” was taken by our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher who shot it through the sliding door on his deck, capturing but not feeling the chilly scene over Indian Lake in Denville, N.J. The second photo? Your veteran Dallas/Fort Worth journalist (with very little photo-shooting experience) Larry “Shaky Shutter” Powell, shot that photo from his front porch looking to the East as the moon rose over eastern Fort Worth. No lake. We’re on a hill. Not really a chill! … 
 That third photo I snapped Wednesday morning after hearing a rustling in the kitchen. I raced down the hall — Oh, OK, I lumbered down the hall — to the kitchen where my Tulipfanspouse Martha is keeping her Valentine’s flowers. What I found was my office cat William Powell gently examining — using nose and paws — Martha’s tulips. William’s a flower fancier. And Martha fancies William. It all evens out under the glow of the Snow Moon.
— Offer insight or tax tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put “TAXES HELP THE TULIPS BLOOM” in the subject line. —