A GATHERING OF TOPICS -- ALL INSPIRED BY EFFORTS TO HELP ANIMALS SURVIVE!

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY APRIL 13-14, 2022 [PetPowellPress] We’re definitely in springtime. And some of us made it all the way through the tough days of winter without once shivering and declaring, in a Texas accent, “Ah, shore dew miss August.”
This is a photo of my little cat Hastings, about 7 months old — he’s examining some odd hailstones that fell into our front yard Tuesday night. I’m kidding. Those came out of the refrigerator without falling from anywhere. If they’d fallen from the refrigerator, Hastings would have been in a rasslin’ contest for the cubes with one of the dogs. Hastings is simply curious and he likes to paw-slap stuff he finds on the kitchen counter. After he noses it around, of course. Our CONTEMPLATIONS for this edition cite a big city circumstance. But, first, read these stories.

THE ANGELS WHO RESCUE
HAVE THE BRIGHTEST HALOS
[LARRY ASIDE: I’m no minister, but I do have theological theories. That headline is one of ‘em.]
We’ve been writing for years about the rescue and fostering efforts of Patty Sprong. 
Here’s her latest adventure. 
A day ago she wrote, “I rescued this old man today. He smelled of urine and he had trouble standing and walking. I knew he was confused after being surrendered at his age. I couldn’t leave him, and thankfully Emma’s Wish agreed to take him in, make him comfortable, and evaluate his options going forward. For now, his nails have been trimmed some, he’s had a bath and a meal, and he has even barked at Steve and Bing!.” (LARRY NOTE: Steve is her hubby and adorable little dog Bing is one of her rare “foster failures.”)

As for the dog named “Sammy,” Patty wrote, “He will rest well tonight.”

And Wednesday morning we read this note posted by Emma’s Wish Senior Dog Rescue. 
“Welcome, Sammy! This adorable guy is 15 years old and was surrendered to the Mesquite shelter when his owner became homeless. He's reported to be good with dogs, cats and kids

“Sammy's nails were completely grown into his pads on his hind paws so we're trying to figure out if his mobility difficulties are just from that or if he has arthritis as well. He’s scheduled for x-rays … He seems in pretty good shape for 15 so hopefully we can get him on meds and he can be adopted!”

The Emma’s Wish Facebook page is HERE. Donations would help take care of Sammy’s bills. And you can read about Emma’s Wish Senior Dog Rescue HERE You’ll see that it is an “all-volunteer” 501c3 “dedicated to rescuing senior dogs in North Texas who have landed in a shelter and face euthanasia.”
MORE FROM MESQUITE:

NOT OLD, BUT ON THE CLOCK
Once again we express our adoration of the volunteers at the Mesquite Animal Services Shelter who work so hard to get animals adopted. Now and then a veteran rescuer such as Patty (see above story) will come through at the right moment. 
The volunteer dog biographers Deborah Chisholm and Judi Brown use their time and energy to get spotlights on dogs who, through some odd misfortune have had the GOOD fortune to get into a shelter that works hard to get animals rescued and adopted. 
We begin this report with Debra’s biog of Aspen, that Shepherd mix with (in photo 1) eyes that are also a mix! She came into the shelter on Jan. 6 as a stray, Debra reports. And she was waiting for a while when she was adopted but, Debra writes that the surrendering owner ”stated the reason for the return as ‘doesn't do well with our other animals.’ " 
Aspen, about 2, weighs 48 pounds, is spayed, house-trained and “good with children.” Debra writes, “I found her to be a tail-wagging energetic and spunky girl.  She wasn't interested in toys and only mildly interested in balls.  Though she is lively she does not jump on you.  She walks well on a leash.  She loves treats, will sit for them and takes them gently.  She climbed up on the play equipment to retrieve the treats I placed there.  She ran and played in the yard.  Aspen is a friendly girl, enjoys attention and is affectionate.” 
Her ID is #49367892 — use it when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
Judi got to meet and get to know Maggie. And, she also got to know Mack.
 Maggie (in the 3-photos) and Mack were surrendered on April 11 because the owners were moving. 
Judi reports, “They were both acquired on Craig’s List and are not related.” 
Both dogs are said to be very sweet. Maggie is about 4 and weighs 83 pounds. Mack is around 2 and weighs 93 pounds. 
Judi says Maggie “does have a relatively strong pull on the leash. She also had a lot of nervous energy and spent a lot of time with her nose down scouring the yard. … Her previous owners had stated that she was an outdoor dog but that she was housebroken. They said she knew the sit command and she did sit for me. She’s not motivated by treats. She didn’t respond to her name. She didn’t seem to know what a ball or toys were all about. For that reason I feel like she has not been given a lot of attention. When she did decide to come around she did push up against me for closeness. She also put her head on my lap. I did even get one kiss! She’s looking for love. She is badly in need of a grooming and because her hair was so thick she was panting and needing a lot of water. She did sit patiently for me when I brushed her. I swear I got enough loose hair that I could’ve woven a blanket with it.”

Handsome Mack also needs a good grooming, Judi says. “Mack was very patient while I brushed him out. I think he enjoyed it. He was easier to take pictures of because he didn’t exhibit as much nervous energy. He did explore the yard with his nose. I get the feeling that he hasn’t had a whole lot of socialization.  He did not respond to his name. He also did not seem to know what balls or toys were all about. His previous owners stated that he did not know any commands. He walks relatively well on a leash especially considering he weighs 93 pounds! When a staff member walked him past the windows in the bay he cowered when the dogs were barking at him. … Mack is gentle, patient and calm. He has so much potential to be a very loving companion. Hopefully his new owners will get him groomed and spend time teaching him commands and playing with him. There’s no doubt he would blossom with his kind of home life. He is not fixed.”

Maggie is #49948719 and Mack is #49948801. Use those ID numbers when you email rescues@cityofmesquite.com or call the shelter at 972-216-6283.
See more Mesquite dogs and, of course, wait-on-homes cats by going to THIS LINK.
Among the many felines you’ll find housecats, young cats, older cats, feral cats and barn cats. You’ll also find this handsome fellow, 3-year-old tabby Constantine who (a) knows how to pose and (b) can get right up and come greet anybody whose ready to meet a potential best feline friend. He’s #49858954.
ONE MORE REMINDER
ABOUT SMALL SHELTERS…
The 4-Legged Helpers keep hustling to find good homes for animals dumped in small, low-human-traffic shelters in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. 
You can catch up with their efforts by going to the 4-Legged Helpers Facebook page HERE.
We’re citing two of many for this edition. That happy-looking girl is Bella who is “extremely lovable” and was dumped at the small shelter with Chantel, her friend, who has already been saved. The family was moving, the Helpers report. Thus family moves; dogs get dumped.

 And that second photo is of Precious, a “Bull Terrier/Bulldog Mix” who is described as “very, very sweet. she so badly needs someone to rescue her. Very sweet girl….running out of time. Very loving.” 
To offer to help these dogs and any dogs you may see on the 4-Legged Helpers’ Facebook page, call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.

[LARRY ASIDE: Remember that your hometown shelter doesn’t have to be as big as Dallas Animal Services or Fort Worth Animal Care & Control to be overloaded with animals on the despicable clock-of-needle-filled-death. You just need to live in a community that has too many “don’t care/so what” people.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
WHY ARE SHELTERS FULL?
As a longtime writer of animal situations, it was a relief to pop open my electronic edition of The Big Paper in Downtown Dallas and find a story by reporter Maggie Prosser about a Dallas Animal Services appeal for help with its huge population of adoptable animals. The reporter wrote, “The shelter has more than 375 dogs and expects hundreds more pets to arrive this week, creating a desperate need for open kennels.” All adoptions are currently free at the Dallas shelter.
Here’s a LINK TO THE STORY. People in rescue are not surprised by this sort of circumstance -- it's the people who aren't in rescue who need to know that their tax dollars are being spent on the execution of dumped and stray animals. Readlarrypowell.com thinks the first step in the mission is to get the threatened animals out of the shelter. The second step is to get the next arrivals into new homes so they don’t wind up lifeless bodies in trashbags en route to the city dump. Primarily, however, we’d like to know just why so many animals are being dumped these days. Has the charm worn off of having a canine companion during the pandemic? Has the price of gasoline to get to work overcome the price of feeding a dog or cat? 
Did you think your were just “renting” the dog or cat when you took it in during the raging pandemic?
 Or, are you planning a vacation and you don’t have the money to board the dog? Yeah, readlarrypowell.com has been acquainted with some of these “dumping the dog” reasons for decades. 
We’d ask the age-old question, “What is the matter with people?” but, looking at the overloading of animal shelters throughout the metrosprawl and that horrific and heartless war in Ukraine, we know the valid answers are too challenging to express in anything shorter that a 10-volume psychiatric textbook. Sadly, we can’t quite pinpoint anything other than this: “Too many people have too little heart and we don’t yet have a cure for cruel idiocy in pill form.” There’s enough killing already on this planet. Protect the animals and the good and decent humans. God, help us all. In the meantime, click HERE to go the DAS pages and help animals escape the sorry consequences of human folly.

-- Offer peaceful advice by clicking on ‘comment’ below or email dallrp@aol.com and put SAVE ‘EM ALL; DON’T DUMP ANY’ in the subject line. —-