THE DAINGERFIELD SPOTLIGHT; ASSORTED ANIMAL NOTES, INCLUDING A POSSUM

EDITION OF FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 [PetPowellPress] Welcome to Earth Day. Everybody behave. And I think you know who we mean. Peace now and in honor of Earth Day’s softer side, I’m re-publishing this old photograph of my late, wonderful Great Dane/Lab mix Hambone Jack, the Canine King of the Blues. Time out: I’ve got some tears to dab. OK. For this photo he was the Canine King of the Bluebonnets. Hammy and I were each other’s companion animal — I rescued him out of Kiest Park; had to cut the collar out of his neck. This traditional Texas photo was taken on what then was landscaping at the Love Freeway/Ledbetter interchange. You can tell this scene is in Dallas -- as I snapped the photo a piece of trash paper blew through the back of the shot. Probably still blowing around and touring the city via street-level spontaneous whirlwinds in the many roadwork areas.
OVER IN NORTHEAST TEXAS,
A SHELTER SEEKS SPOTLIGHT
The constant mission of animal shelters is to shelter and to find homes. To do so, you need to get some attention. And that’s the dea that inspired animal advocate Tami Kukla’s “mission,” getting attent for the shelter in Daingerfield in Northeast Texas.
 We got this note earlier in the week from Tami and it began, “I had the pleasure of getting to visit the Daingerfield, Tx., Shelter…and meeting the dedicated and caring team there and their residents.
“What a wonderful place and the staff loves their animals and does their best to be no-kill. There are several long term residents -- canine and feline would love your help getting noticed. They don't get the attention of locals or many people and we can change that.”

How did Tami get involved? “Tammy Selvage with Precious Diamonds Rescue asked if I could help her get the shelter noticed.” Precious Diamonds Rescue now has a Daingerfield dog named Kevin who was “pepper-sprayed by police. Needs toe amputated.” More later on him.
That cat is Holly. Tami says she is “bipolar but awesome” and she needs a place to go. She’s been in the shelter since 2016 — yes, 2016.
THE KEVIN STORY: First, remember that Kevin’s in the care of Precious Diamonds now. To get there, Daingerfield had to help him. He’s been suffering pain walking because his toenails are in-grown. You may be able to see his paw lifted off the cement in the photo on the right. He weighs 100 pounds. “But,” his bio reads, “Kevin can’t stop smiling when he meets a human…”
 He was picked on March 11 — a report came in that he was “trying to fight a resident’s dog through a fence.” Ultimately, he had to be pepper-sprayed and sort of “man-handled” into a carrier. He also had issues with other dogs, so he had to be kenneled without a neighbor — thus using up two kennels. All of this put Kevin at peril. He’s a 5-year-old mixed breed neutered fellow but he’d been betrayed by his humans. As his bio read, “Imagine being abandoned as your owners just moved and left you to fend for yourself.”
 And that is the dog that now is being “re-socialized” by Precious Diamonds Rescue.
Tami provided a round-up of animals she encountered at Daingerfield HERE.
You can read about many Daingerfield animals including dogs such as 32-pound Tator Tot and a senior lap dog named Eustace. The contacts in Daingerfield — the shelter at 903-645-2120 or email animalshelter@cityofdaingerfield.com. Click HERE to see the shelter’s Facebook roundup of adorable adoptables and rescues.
MEANWHILE, THIS KITTY
NEEDS A NEW HOME
This is certainly a beautiful cat. We have no idea what her name is, but, thanks to Sydney Busch of Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake, we do know a little bit about the feline.
She is “a strictly indoor, spayed kitty” who is “about 4 years old” and needs a new home.
The contact points are susancope@gmail.com or weaversuzy@gmail.com. 
[LARRY ASIDE: If we had room…well, you know. In the meantime, we’re going to be very envious of the good heart that adopts this girl and gives her a wonderful name. She certainly looks like royalty.]
FROM BURNS FLAT,
A DOG FAMILY CHALLENGE
Oh, goodness. I couldn’t get the photos to open so I could use them in this report, but our longtime Oklahoma tipster Terry Lynn Fisher of Burns Flat paints an unsettling word picture from the western end of the Sooner State. 
Here’s what she wrote: “I’m so sad.  And so darn mad I want to smack someone. [Earlier this week] I got another call about some dogs at a house where the Task Force was serving warrants.
 There was a male and female pit and seven young puppies.  Momma was not using her front leg  You couldn’t tell it was broken. She was still so sweet and let the deputies load her up.
 No signs of food or water. Anywhere. Not even empty bowls.”
The officers took dad and the kids and Terry Lynn “dropped momma off at the vet.” 
The report? “Her femur is shattered. How?  A damn bullet is still lodged in it,” Terry Lynn writes. “Fragments all in her leg so most likely a 22. Yes, some idiot SHOT HER.  She was probably searching for food, so they just straight up shot her. The damage is to the nerves as well so they feel her best option is to remove the leg.

“I need help. Sorry. Yes again. Then I need someone to help take the babies and momma and eventually daddy for they have no place to go. If anyone can help it has room for this family please let me know.”

[LARRY NOTE: If you can help Terry Lynn and these dogs, email her at remember_oddball@yahoo.com. Oddball is the dog who inspired her to try to “save ‘em all.”]
CONTEMPLATIONS
ASSORTED NOTES AND A POSSUM
Readlarrypowell.com is on a number of mailing lists including The Old Farmer’s Almanac which sent this joke in Thursday’s email. “What do you get when you cross a sheepdog with a rose?” And the answer is “A Collie-flower!” As I chuckled politely, it occurred to me that I have no doubt that at some point some “backyard breeder” in search of great riches took a shot at trying that. …
Polite note to the people being praised by electronic media for adopting all those medium and large dogs from Dallas Animal Services and other shelters lately. Don’t make them "guard dogs."  Don’t tether them (there’s a law). Don’t dump them in six or seven weeks. Don’t use them as bait dogs. Please do pardon my skepticism. I’ve been around a while. Use the good part of your hearts to bond with your new dogs. Be patient. Be good. Love your dogs. And please feel free to send stories about and photos of your newly adopted dogs to dallrp@aol.com. It’ll be nice to hear that something good is occurring in this world. ...
We spotted this post by our longtime Fort Worth Animal Care and Control tipster Ginger Leach. Yep, that’s a ‘possum. Ginger wrote, “This is what is good about my work world. Thank you Nature’s Edge for saving this baby.”
Nature’s Edge Wildlife Rescue is the non-profit that is a “wildlife rehabilitation and reptile rescue” that also “conducts outreach education programs around DFW.” That possum? Carried no identification papers and has no identifying marks. Can play possum, however. Has no political ambitions, we’re almost certain.

—- Offer possum tips or balm for the souls of animal lovers by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put HOORAY FOR POSSUMS! in the subject line. —-