FRIDAY EXTRA EDITION: ONE-EYED DOG, TWO KIDS TO GO, VALERIE THE CAT, JABBA THE PIG & AN EARHOUND...

AN EXTRA EDITION FOR GOOD FRIDAY AND PASSOVER [PetPowellPress] No real religious significance for this three-item edition except maybe a “Thank You, God, for giving us dogs and cats and the other animals that put up with humans.”

WILL, THE ONE-EYED DOG —
HE’S READY FOR SOME HELP
You’ve probably taken a quick look at this dog’s pictures. We got them from the folks with 4-Legged Helpers and those angelic rescuers are trying to help will find a rescue or a home. 
Will is an Aussie Cattledog mix who was found “out and about in Waxahachie. … The people that found him have other dogs and are begging for a rescue or foster or adopter that can help.” 
His bio says the “sweet as a dog can be” Will is “lovable, cuddly and cute and adores playing fetch. Will is crate-trained and really well behaved.”

Then the note takes this turn” “You may notice — although it is not immediately apparent — that he has just one eye. What could have happened?” 
[LARRY ASIDE: No answer. But you know how dogs can get injured doing things you don’t expect ‘em to do — shoving their noses into unwelcoming areas. Maybe even being shot by a pellet gun aimed by somebody who doesn’t want a roaming dog in the yard.]
Will apparently ha the spirit that helps him romp like a two-eyed dog. To ask about helping him, email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com or call or text 214-949-2726.

SO, ON THE EASTERN SIDE
OF OUR DEAR STATE TEXAS….
Yeah, this is a note from our pal Gail Whelan, founder and guiding angel of the Companion-Animal Network. You see the dogs. The cute boys are River (white-coated) and Joaquin. Here’s Gail’s story: 
“I took in two puppies from my neighbor who almost ran over them on their county road.  I am getting NO INTEREST whatsoever.
“Since I have one (Companion-Animal Network dog) recuperating from what is either a stroke or brain tumor and 3 recuperating from heartworm treatment, I really need these little angels to find a home.”

She says River and Joaquin are “about 10 weeks of age and 13 pounds. They were found abandoned on a country road.  Except for some intestinal parasites, these boys are amazingly healthy.  They have had their first puppy shots, wormed, on flea/tick preventative and heartworm preventative.  THEY WILL NOT BE ADOPTED TOGETHER.  If you are interested, PLEASE CALL GAIL AT 903-967-3226.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Gail has been rescuing critters for quite a while — like most of the people who will read this item. Finding a pair of dogs on a county road is nothing rare. Find a home for a dog found on a county road — that’s a happy moment in the universe! Joaquin and River look like a couple of genuine tail-waggers, don’t they!]
AND THEN THERE’S
THIS GIRL VALERIE
Lots of people will tell you how much they love old cats. Indeed, there’s a lot to love about a cat that enjoys finding a comfortable place and staying there — except to demand food or to insist that you change the TV station.
I don’t know precisely how this girl Valerie will behave in her next home — but I do know that she needs a next home. 
She’s a nearly 13-year-old, small tabby beauty currently #41478492 in the SPCA of Texas on the western side of downtown Dallas. 
Her bio describes her as “very shy and nervous at times” — the challenge, according to the SPCA, is finding a family who “can get to know [her] at her own pace. She’d like a quiet home with no kids under 12.
You can be a walk-in at the SPCA of Texas and have a visit with Valerie and other animals. Online, go to spca.org and if you want to see more animals — cats, dogs, livestock, small mammals and available animals of the equine variety, click at spcafindapet.com HERE. 

Among the animals awaiting adoption into a loving home are this pot-bellied pig Jabba, age 8. Also, there’s this Earhound, Xenote, also 8, a small girl donkey. Yes, as you can see, a Texas Donkey can qualify as a certified Earhound.
CONTEMPLATIONS
JUST SOME THINKIN' ON A FRIDAY
On Friday the 15th, major league baseball (and a bunch of the sports-loving/baseball-adoring world) is celebrating Jackie Robinson Day. April 16, 1947, was the day Jackie Robinson ended the segregation of Major League Baseball by suiting up and playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers —- the act of putting him on the field was called “breaking the color line.” All players in the big leagues, coaches, and managers and umpires wear the number 42 today in honor of Jackie Robinson. And, yeah, I am tearing up as I type this. My baseball-loving boys and I were exchanging our Jackie Robinson Day greetings this morning. We know that baseball is a wondrous game of traditions, triumphs and legends. And the Texas Rangers won last night. Keep it up, fellows. And find some female coaches, too. Maybe find some female pitchers! …
As a kid who grew up listening to the St. Louis Cardinals on an AM radio — KCMC in Texarkana was part of the baseball Cardinals radio network —I had trouble dreaming of seeing a big league baseball team play in a big league stadium. The closest big league team to Texarkana was in St. Louis in those days. First you had to rent a covered wagon and hire a wilderness guide to get there…
I’m kidding. But, thank you late Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff for talking baseball into moving the Washington Senators American League franchise to the middle of the “Metroplex” so we’d all have a chance to see big league baseball. Assuming we could afford the tickets and the parking and the concessions. …
When I was typing the item about Valerie in the SPCA shelter, it reminded me of a song from my young years — the song by TV’s rock band The Monkees. Click HERE to listen to the 1967 version of the song Valleri which, until today, I thought was spelled “Valerie.” Adopt that cat — she’ll know the difference but she’s too polite to complain.
—— Offer cat song tips or ways to diet by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put LAY OFF THE CHOCOLATE EGGS in the Easter note. —-