COYOTE WARNING; SOME DOGS & CATS WAIT; A WRITER FEELS HER LOSS

EDITION OF MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2022 [PetPowellPress] Call this “A Coyote Inspires A Conversation.” I’m hoping to sell the movie rights and get filthy rich after I write the screenplay, of course.
This exchange appeared on an Arlington neighborhood bulletin board over the weekend. The inspiration for this info could have occurred anywhere in the Metrosprawl. After all, just because humans own the asphalt, that doesn’t mean they own the territory. 
The note read, “Large coyote seen running down Bowman Springs in front of our house. Please be very careful when out walking or letting small pets outside! This is the 2nd day a large coyote has been seen running in this area."

A nearby resident responded, “If only I could direct him to the dog yapping at me when I got home last night from a much delayed flight! I would gladly feed him the dog.” 
Don’t gasp must yet. The guy started that with “LOL.” and we’re almost certain he wasn’t serious. 
One reader from Arlington didn’t appreciate the sentiment and replied, “Some things may belong left in your head.”
And, a final response read, “Two cats in MY backyard attacked my Yorkie this morning!”
So, there you have it, Dear Readers. Big coyotes are moving around and people are typing. Bless the typers and, especially, the coyotes — keep ‘em all safe.
 [LARRY FYI: That is my personal dog Porche Noel — showed up on our front porch at Christmas, you Dear Readers may recall. As you can see, there could be coyote or Yorkie or forest feline in her family tree — we’re uncertain. She sleeps in the center of our bed — yeah, a human on each side, guarding us both. In the time we’ve had her, we have never had a coyote intruder in the yard or the bedroom. Click HERE (and turn up your speakers) to see how she keeps coyotes at bay.]
YOU BET IT’S THE FACES
THAT CAN CAPTURE A HEART
Keep these words in your mind as you read these reports: “Extremely overfull.” 

Judi Brown, one of our regular tipsters from the volunteer dog biographer corps at Mesquite Animal Shelter, has found this handsome fellow waiting for a home.
 She writes, “Look at this sweet face with the big grin. Isn’t he cute? Tucker is a sweet 2-year-old, 47 pound black and white terrier Pit that came to Mesquite Shelter on 4/11 as a stray. He is not fixed. I was going to name him Panda but Siri tells me that’s mostly used as a girl’s name so I didn’t want to embarrass him. He does remind me of a panda though. He’s on the timid side and is cautiously friendly. He would come up to me slowly wagging his tail the whole time. He was letting me know he wanted to be my friend, but he just wasn’t sure he could trust me. He did explore the yard but most the time stayed close. He didn’t seem to know what I was asking him to do when I asked him to sit. He likes treats and takes them gently. Since he’s so eager to please and wanting so badly to be your friend he should be easy to train. … He would do especially well in a loving family that is somewhat laid-back and quieter since he is timid. If you’re looking for a loyal, loving companion and have room in your heart for Tucker please come meet him. He told me he would like to be mostly an inside dog!” Tucker’s ID is #49948948 — use that ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.

Judi’s bio-writing colleague Debra Chisholm provided the background on these two dogs — Sophie (left) and Holly. One of Mesquite’s Animal Control Officers picked them up on April 11. Nobody has come to claim them. 
Sophie (#49951068), a Terrier mix, weighs 47 pounds, is about 3 years old and not spayed. 
Holly (#49951070, weighs 44 pounds, is about a year old, and also isn’t spayed. She’s listed as a “mixed beed and,” Debra writes, “The Dog Scanner app suggests Alaskan Malamute, Norwegian Lundehund and West Siberian Laika in the mix.” 
It turns out these dogs “stay very close and rely on each other for comfort and support.” Thus, they’re kenneled together. 
Sophie is more comfortable in the yard and “will run and play with toys and chases tennis balls but does not return them She doesn't appear to know any commands.  She loves treats and will sit for them as she takes them gently.  She is well-mannered and calm although active and frisky.  … She will need a secure and high fence as she jumped on the ledge in the shelter yard though did not attempt to jump over the fence. There is so much to like about this girl and it is a mystery as to why she and Holly have not been reclaimed.”
Holly, # 49951079, knows the “sit” command and “will do so for treats, which she takes gently.
They are kenneled together. Holly walks well on a leash. She is timid and uneasy in the kennel but in the yard opens up and runs and plays freely. She likes toys and chases tennis balls but does not return them. She walks nicely on a leash. She went potty in the yard. Holly knows the sit command and will do so for treats which she takes gently. She's well-mannered, calm and gentle yet energetic and lively. Holly loves receiving attention. It is very difficult to understand why the owner of these two precious girls has not come looking for them.”

And Debra adds, “Our shelter is extremely overfull (and has been for some time) with dogs streaming daily through the door and kennel space desperately needed.”

To ask about help Holly and Sophie find a good home, use their ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
While these three dogs wait, there also are cats and kittens waiting in the Mesquite shelter. You can see more dogs and the adorable adoptable felines by clicking on THIS SHELTER LINK. Yeah, it’s still spring, but this cat’s name is “Punkin.” He can’t wait until Halloween to get adopted. He’s #49911615, a 6-year-old medium-sized fellow who came into the shelter on April 5. That kitten? Why, that, folks, is “Baby 5” from a 5-kitten litter that came in on the 15th — those babies were about 4 days old. They're in routine quarantine as the shelter checks ‘em out.
CONTEMPLATIONS
THE CAT AND THE WRITER’S HEART
The human involved in this story is the writer Leslie Barker, a pal of mine from our days with The Formerly Big Paper in Downtown Dallas -- before that, actually. I’ve known her since the 1970s when she was a college intern at the central office of a chain of suburban newspapers where we worked. She’s probably been a writer since birth — you may remember her byline. This time it’s affixed to an opinion piece she wrote about the loss of her cat, “my precious little Eddie.” She wrote that for the Sunday commentary page of The Dallas Morning News and HERE IS THE LINK.  As she explained, she is “navigating, in my own clumsy way, my path through this sorrow — seeing his coat in every golden sunrise and in every Dreamsicle patch of flowers …”
There are more wonderfully written expressions of grief. 

And I’m taking you back now to her March 30 Facebook posting about her lost. 
This is that posting and that photograph is her “precious little Eddie.” If you have a cat, dog or a heart you may find yourself crying and understanding. Here’s what Leslie wrote on March 30:

“Said goodbye this morning to my precious little Eddie, who chewed my hair while I was sleeping to let me know he was ready for breakfast; whose earnest face greeted me through the glass when I'd return from my morning walk; who held his head high no matter how he was feeling; who loved soft blankets, ice cream, meatloaf, sausage from my pizza...and me.
"Although I took this photo when the Rainbow Bridge wasn't even visible on Eddie's horizon, posting it now seems rather apropos.
"Special thanks to Juan, who picked me up this morning, schlepped me over to 14th Street Animal Hospital, and offered his shoulder for my sobs; to Charlie for calling me as soon as I sent him a text (knowing he'd be greeted with my wails); to Jill who, when I practically pleaded for confirmation that I will see Eddie again, said, "Hell yes," reminding me that my little boy is now healthy and whole. "And thank you to everyone who sent prayers and positive thoughts when Eddie first went in for his liver issues. Rest your sweet and loving soul, little fellow. You are always in my heart.”
Write on, dear Leslie Barker. Write on.
— Offer thoughts by clicking on ‘content’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-