HOW CAN ANYONE PASS UP THESE DOGS? A CAT IS A GREAT FRIEND; ONE NIGHT ON THE FLUME...

EDITION OF THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022 [PetPowellPress] I’ve been having a spell of being in need of a cat. So, these are photos of my office cat, William Powell, and I (1) having a moment of a contemplative nature and (2) the lad showing off those dazzling eyes. I’m thinking he’s a great guy and he’s thinking I’m the guy who brings breakfast to him each morning.
He has wonderful eyes, a fantastic purr and an understanding of “don’t step on the keyboard.”

You know, of course, that cats are available throughout the metrosprawl.
I’ve usually gotten ours out of the front yard or off a street. But, go to an animal shelter or check with a cat rescue group and you won’t have to coax the cat into custody. Somebody else has already done that for you.
“Coax” may not be the entirely accurate word when dealing with a free-roaming cat.
MEANWHILE, RICHARDSON
HAS ANOTHER DOG IN NEED
We’d talked with Amber Norman, Resource Coordinator at Richardson Animal Services, about the celebrated dog Gena (see our previous edition) and she’d promised a story on another dog who was in a fix and needs human help! That’s this boy Macklemore (ID #22-0257D).
The shelter report says a witness saw him run onto Arapaho Road and get struck by a car. “When he came in,” the report reads, “He was limping badly and screaming with pain if he moved or put any weight on it.”
Amber says the Pittie boy was immediately taken to a vet clinic in Richardson that “gave him pain meds and splinted his leg.
 Our vet has checked him out and has rewrapped his leg. We believe he would do best outside of the shelter environment where he is not confined to his kennel as he chews on his cast out of boredom.”
Amber says the staff has stepped in several times to rewrap the pup’s leg. And, she says, “We think if he can go to a rescue, it will help to speed up his recovery. He is SUPER sweet and loves attention and cuddles and will give you kisses all day if you let him. He is fully vetted and heartworm negative.”
Amber asks that people who can’t take him in, share his information with others in hopes of finding that right place for Macklemore to heal and maybe even find a good home. 
(To ask about Amber about him, email [email protected] or call the shelter at 972-744-4480.)
[LARRY P.S.: Special thanks to the unknown witness who took the risk to get out and get this dog to the safety of Richardson Animal Services. Lots of folks will drive on by — this roadway rescue is the good deed of an angel.]
NOW, LET’S GO TO SOME
SMALL SHELTER CHALLENGES
First, Glenn Heights and 3 dogs. 
Thanks to 4-Legged Helpers, we have been able to monitor the content of the kennels at the Glenn Heights Animal Shelter on the southern side of Dallas. Glenn Heights, pushing a population of around 15,000, is growing and has a shelter with six kennels. 
Right now, the Helpers report, that shelter is full. To ask about helping to get these animals to safety, call or text the Helpers’ Heather at 972-897-4926 or email Heather at [email protected].
That first dog is Bella, described as “a bull terrier mix” and “the most precious girl. Extremely lovable.” She was dumped at the shelter with another dog because the people who had them were moving — couldn’t take the dogs. “Has lived with other dogs and adores children,” is the report. No idea how old she is.

Second up is Precious, a “Bull Terrier/Bulldog mix” who is “very, very sweet… Very loving,” her bio reads.
Third dog on the immediate clock is Cece, a “bulldog mix” who was brought in as a stray. She’s said to be an “extremely sweet girl who follows the ACO around. Adores children. … Incredibly loving. Just as sweet as sweet can be.”
NOW, MOVING ALONG TO FERRIS AND TO DENTON COUNTY, we cite some animals that 4-Legged Helpers has been working on for a month or more. You may recognize them. [FOR THESE THREE the contact points are call or text 214-949-2726 or email [email protected].]

The ears of this guy might have caught your attention before. Cooper is a genuine Earhound, a Lab/Shepherd Mix currently on the clock in the Ferris Animal Shelter. He’s about 9 months old, 39 pounds, “already fixed” and in the shelter because he was surrendered by “someone who could no longer care for him.” Heartworm negative. But those ears are positively cute.
This moves us to a private animal shelter in Denton County. 
There’s a $175 donation to the 501c3 who’ll tag Griffen, the Lab/Bulldog boy who came in when his owner died. The Helpers report that “he looks for this person every day.” He just needs someone to take over the job of loving him. He’s never been in a shelter before. And, the Helpers note says, “Extended family of the person lived out of state and could not take him. It is breaking our hearts.”
There’s also a $175 donation to the 501c3 that’ll tag this handsome boy Wilson.
He’s a “bulldog mix” who weighs in at 70 pound — he’s 5 or 6 years old and adores grown-us and kids.
He loves playing with toys, is house-trained and healthy.
The report is, “He loves to explore any new surroundings but, then, will come back and just hang out by your side."

MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE
ANIMALS ARE AWAITIN’
Mesquite Animal Services’ Shelter is a larger, briskly run organization with a “force-of- nature” style group of volunteers who keep hustling to help animals and people match up as quickly as possible. And, as it turns out, the shelter is, our tipster, volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm, reports, “at a critical level with lack of needed kennel spays as stray and surrendered dogs continually stream through the door.”

Logan, #49789537, came into the shelter on March 17 as a stray. He weighs 57 pounds, is about 4 and isn’t neutered. Debra writes that he “is a sweet and friendly boy. He enjoys attention and tried to climb into my lap.”
But there’s this: “He is a bit timid and uneasy with all the noise and commotion in the shelter.  He did walk nicely on the leash and was scared of the dogs who were barking at him as he was led through the bay.  He pottied in the yard so may be house-trained.  He likes to chase balls and entertained himself with toys.  He has a moderate activity level.”
 Use his ID number 49789537 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected]. Same contact points for the other dogs at Mesquite. 
Debra calls this guy “handsome Hank” — he’s #49787049 at the shelter. And he’s an Aussie Cattle Dog who came in as a stray on the 17th. He’s about 3, not neutered and weighs 47 pounds.
She outlines his many positive points — walks nicely on a leash, doesn’t react to barking dogs, pottied in the yard, “is well-mannered and fairly calm.”
 And there’s this challenge: “Unfortunately, his collar was deeply embedded in his neck and will take time to heal. He is on antibiotics and the damage is looking better.  Though it must have been uncomfortable and painful and it demonstrated neglect by his owner, he is trusting and friendly toward people.”
Our pal and Mesquite dog biographer Judi Brown wrote of this dog: “Louie (#49790278) may not be the most handsome dog at the Mesquite Animal Shelter but he is one of the sweetest! Louie is a 3-year-old, 72-pound American Bulldog that arrived … on 3/17 as a stray. He is not fixed. He’s a very sweet, gentle, calm, well mannered boy with lots of happy tail wags. 
“His facial expressions don’t show it, but he appears to be a happy, easy-going dog. He is looking for a friend and he stays close for extra attention. His ribs are showing so he would benefit from some more groceries. I tried to get him to sit and you could tell he wanted to obey but just did not understand what I was asking of him. That is something you could teach him. He is motivated by treats and takes them gently. I suspect he is housebroken because not only did he do his business as soon as he got in the yard but you could tell he had held it for a long time. He walked very well on a leash. … He’s just an all-around laid back guy that needs a loving home. Because he likes to be around people and get attention he would not do well as an outside dog. He would like to be considered a member of the family and treated as such! He deserves that!”

Judi also provided the bio on Kipp (#49790285), a Pittie boy who came in as a stray. She wrote, “The first thing I noticed about Kipp was his beautiful eyes. The next thing I noticed was his unusual gray brindle markings. He’s definitely a very handsome 2-year-old terrier Pit.  He arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 3/17 as a stray. He is small in stature weighing only 45 pounds. He is not fixed. There’s so much to love about this sweet boy. He’s gentle, friendly, and very loving. He doesn’t jump on you. He loves having his ears scratched. I get the feeling he hasn’t been worked with much. He was not interested in chasing a ball and didn’t understand the sit command. There’s no doubt he wanted to please. His ribs are showing so he could use some more groceries. … I get the feeling that Kipp has not had the love and care that he deserves.”
Judi also met and wrote about Greta (#49778121) who she describes as “a stunning girl. The 2-year-old German Shepherd came in on the 16th as a stay. Not spayed.” And Judi wrote, “Very attractive girl, she has a very sweet, gentle, friendly, loving, well-mannered disposition. As some might say, ‘She’s the whole ball of wax.’ She not only sits for treats but she also gives her paw. She takes treats gently. She loves toys! She chases toys and then seemingly wants to bring them back. She’ll get almost up to you with the toy, drop it, and then picks it up and starts playing with it again! She stayed close other than doing some exploring with her nose. She walked well on a leash. …. She did not like our shelter cat! So she would do best in a family without cats. Greta weighs 61 pounds. That’s 61 pounds of devotion! As gentle as she is she would most likely do well with a family with children.”
We’ll close Mesquite’s adorable availables with another Judi bio. This one is for a 2-year-old Great Pyr named Winter (#49786592) — not fixed, weighs 95 pounds. He came in as a stray on the 17th. 
Judi says, “When I first went in his kennel he jumped on me but I think that was because he was so happy to have human interaction. After that he never jumped on me again. When I walked him through the lobby he spotted a couple that was there to pick up their dog. He really took to them and they kept exclaiming about how loving he was. He stayed very close to me and it was obvious he wanted to be petted and to snuggle. I was standing at a table taking some notes and he came and stood right next to me putting his head right up next to mine (see table in last picture). He’s very loving, friendly, and gentle. He’s like a big baby! He sits for treats and takes them gently. He walks well on a leash especially considering that he weighs 96 pounds. … To sum it up: he’s a snuggly, cuddly big baby! Since interaction is very important to him he would not do well as an outside dog. He would want to be inside most the time with his new family so he could be giving them love."
Remember, use the ID numbers for these animals when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityof mesquite.com. 
See more adoptable adorables at Mesquite by going to the shelter website HERE.
There are cats in Mesquite, you know.
Among the kittens and teenage felines is this grown up cat boy, O’Malley (#49796608), a 6-year-old Maine Coon mix, a fellow whose coat is described as "red/cream.” He is described as "large.” He’s neutered.
Came in on March 18 and is now in the care of a staff foster. Yep, learning household manners. Already knew how to pose with dignity!
CONTEMPLATIONS

A JOURNEY TO YESTERDAY
Since my funspouse Martha and I left Dallas and moved to Texas, we’ve had a years-long pandemic, a blizzard, fires have erupted west of the Metrosprawl, we’re in a yard-killing drought, wasps built nests on our front porch, gasoline prices have skyrocketed, a war broke out and we’ve both had to get new used cars — her Frosted Glass-colored car wore out and my majestic black SUV was battered to death by a criminal driver who bashed into me and fled the scene of the accident on eastbound I-30 in Grand Prairie in that eternal construction zone that runs through Arlington. Still, "Texas Our Texas, all hail the Lone Star State." Now, I read that the price of admission to Six Flags Over Texas is going up. I’ve got to talk my kids into taking me this summer. Haven’t been since the grandkids were toddlers — years ago. Can’t wait to enjoy LaSalle’s Riverboat Adventure (see photo!), riding the tree slide on Skull Island and floating through the eerie Spelunker’s Cave in those round boats. What? Gone. Here’s a link to the Six Flags Over Texas alumni past attractions page.
When I was a reporter at The Fort Worth Press (the “spunky little tabloid” closed in 1975 — thank you, Scripps-Howard), we had a feature called Life’s Little Dramas and reporters and editors would write the column — could be about any of life’s challenges. So, among those Life’s Little Dramas I wrote was about the time we took the toddler-and-talking twins Bret and Bart on a nocturnal trip on the famous Log Flume Ride, aka El Aserradero. We were moving smoothly through the route and had been pulled to the top of the highest “drop-off” when the park lost power and we were stuck right there high enough to touch the clouds that night. After about 5 motionless minutes, Bart announced to us and anyone who could hear, “I gotta potty!” There's some parental pressure for you. Mercifully, the power returned very shortly and we were able to ride to the end and Bart and I raced to the nearby facility without soiling anything at Six Flags Over Texas. Ah, good times. Good times. His brother Bret was just fine. Twins — they don’t do EVERYTHING together. …
And now for some appropriate music and video: Click HERE and you’ll hear a jingle from way back and see old video of Six Flags attractions. You’ll also note that the location of Six Flags is on the Dallas/Fort Worth Turnpike. Remember when the amusement park moved to Tom Landry Freeway? Just kidding. Enjoy the ride. That’s the AstroLift in the background. Gone. Still traveling through memories.
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