ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY, SOME THOUGHTS & ANIMALS -- AND HOPE FOR PEOPLE

EDITION OF THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2022 [PetPowellPress] Welcome to St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe you’re reading this early — blame Daylight Saving Time. Everything Irish is still in effect on the St. Patrick’s Eve. 
FYI FROM LARRY O’POWELL: I’m not Irish and neither is our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy O’Fisher (well, except for his great-grandmother born in Cashel County Tipperary), but, as a veteran print and broadcast journalist, he is familiar with St. Patrick’s Day. And he points out these things about St. Patrick’s Day, noting that it is “honoring a man whose name was not Patrick (it was Succat), who was not Irish (he was WELSH!), who was not the first bishop of Ireland, and who never had any snakes to get rid of, because there were never any snakes in Ireland. May he bless us all anyway.”

FYI: readlarrypowell.com was going to post a photo of an animal linked to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day, but I looked on the Dallas Animal Services adopt-a-pet page HERE 
and found this 7-pound, 10-year-old guy (#A1141076) who comes close. He’s free, by the way. No adopton fee! And his name is — please smile on St. Paddy’s Day — Scotch.
LARRY O’NOTE: I was looking for a quote from St. Patrick (c.345-c 461) and found this one HERE. It seems appropriate for our venue: “Never trust a dog to watch your food.” That doesn’t fit every dog, of course. Does fit some cats. Speaking from personal experience.]
And her are two informative links to the honoree of the Day: St. Patrick and Wales HERE and St. Patrick and SNAKES HERE.
IN FERRIS, TEXAS — NOWHERE NEAR
ST. PATRICK’S STOMPING GROUNDS
This magnificent Earhound is Cooper, 9 months old and dumped at the shelter when his human “could no longer care for him,” according to the folks with 4-Legged Helpers. Ferris is south of Dallas — a pleasant drive on paved roads (about 20 minutes south of Dallas on I-45).

His bio reads, “only 39 pounds, so a great medium size for any home.” He’s healthy and had his shots. And he’s a Lab/Shepherd mix with a sensational set of Ears. 

The Helpers are also trying to save Precious, also an Earhound, but she’s at Glenn Heights, has been designated “rescue only” and is among the “listed for euthanasia” dogs at that 6-kennel, low-traffic city shelter on the southern edge of Dallas.
Ask about these animals by calling the Helpers at 972-897-4926 or email [email protected].
Go to this 4-Legged Helpers Facebook site and you can see more small-shelter (and some large shelter) animals that these determined volunteers are trying to help. 
MEANWHILE, THERE’S SADIE,
AN EARHOUND IN MESQUITE
Among the many animals awaiting a home or a rescue in Mesquite is this girl Sadie, clearly an Earhound. She’s about 6, spayed and weighs in at 105 pounds. Her owner became ill and the family members weren’t willing to take in the dog, even though she’s been the human’s dog since she was a puppy.
 So, now it’s up to Mesquite’s volunteer dog biographers, i.e., Debra Chisholm in this case, to help the girl find a home. Debra writes, “When I had her in the yard, she would whine and seemed uneasy. I think it was because she misses her owner.” She’s apparently always been an inside dog. Her ID is #49508473. Use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].

There are so many more dogs and cats waiting in Mesquite. How does a shelter get so many animals? Ah, here’s an example from Sunday — and they may have been helped already, but just in case, we’ll mention ‘em.
Faith is a German Shepherd (yes, an Earhound, in keeping with the day’s theme). She gave birth to 4 boys and 6 girls Sunday at the shelter. Her bio reads, “She was adopted on 1/22 and returned 3/12 in a very pregnant condition. She was returned due to her pregnancy.” The new mom is about 5 and weighs 65 pounds now. Her friends on the shelter staff who have become her “attendants,” say that she “is very sweet and is not touchy about the handling of either herself or her pups.” She’s being a good mom, they say. To ask about this “RESCUE ONLY” family, use her ID #49421915 when you call the shelter at 972-215-5283 or email [email protected]. See more Mesquite animals at the shelter site HERE.
CONTEMPLATIONS
UKRAINE’S PRESIDENT
My old man and a lot of other people fought World War II to keep freedom safe. And, yes, to keep bad people from killing innocents of all ages. And here we are, daily, getting reports of a sad case of killing for political reasons — killing anybody who happens to get in the way.
Maybe you heard Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to the U.S. Congress.
The passage that got to me was not the one about Mount Rushmore or the "I Have a Dream" comparison. It was this very personal expression by President Zelenskyy: “I am almost 45 years old. Today my age stopped when the hearts of more than 100 children stopped beating. I see no sense in life if it cannot stop the deaths. This is my mission as a leader of my people. and as a leader of my nation.”
You would think that stopping the deaths of children would be a mission that leaders of all nations could agree upon. But, there’s always some damaged soul in a position of malignant leadership.
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