A THURSDAY REPORT: CELEBRATING A BLOODHOUND, WORKING FOR OTHER DOGS

EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY June 24-25, 2022 [PetPowellPress] Can we be THIS CLOSE to the Fourth of July? It’s just week after next! It’s summertime and I haven’t even been out of sight of the darned metrosprawl. But, why bring up gasoline prices?  Let's talk something enjoyable: dogs and cats, for example.

Trumpet the Bloodhound will be a great champion, according to Porche Noel, who watched him win Best of Show at Westminster with me. (That’s a Frank Franklin AP Photo of the new champ. Envy the wrinkles, my fellow Baby Boomers?)

Pretty sure Porche has Bloodhound in her family tree — there are a lot of dogs breeds up that tree — might have a pesky squirrel at the top! Porche does love to walk in the backyard with her nose to the ground. Porche failed to qualify in the “Working Dog” category. You can guess why. Would be a shoo-in for “Sleeping/Snoring Dog” category. More in Contemplations. First, we need to help some other dogs and cats find homes.
[LARRY TIME-OUT: I keep getting awful notes about the number of animals being euthanized in area shelters. While Porche and her pals and Trumpet and his pals have homes and enjoy life, municipal shelters in North Texas are so overcrowded that they buy euthanasia juice by the barrel and kill more dogs and cats than a bad breeder or a dog-fighting gang. People who betray their animals are to blame -- not shelter staffers. It's people who don't care. Don’t you care? Is the general public unaware? Or unable to be aware. Too dim to give a hoot? Geez, it’s depressing that in an area with a population of nearly 8 million people, animals are killed for lack of a home.There’s a moral problem with this situation.]
EVER HEARD OF A ‘CHONKY’ CAT?
AND THERE’S A NOT-CHONKY DOG!
These two animals are examples of what sort of critters show up in small shelters. But, honest, I’ve not run into a “Chonky” cat before. She is beautiful, however. 
We got the tip on Stephanie the Torbie from 4-Legged Helpers because this cat is in Hutchins — not yet in a shelter but in a home — on the southern side of Dallas. 
Stephanie is spayed and declawed. And the Helpers’ bio reads, “OMG!!!  Can anyone say CHONKY??? LOOK AT THIS BIG HUNK OF PURRING LOVE.  Looks like at least 20-25 pounds. CHECK OUT THE BIG CUTE PAWS.  Complete sweetie pie!!!  Just wants to be loved!! ...She looks a lot like Stepan, an internationally famous kitty from Ukraine (now living in France. if you want to see what we mean, check out LoveYouStepan on Instagram. You too could have a super famous kitty that does great things.)  Please help!!  Needs rescue quickly or she will end up in the shelter.” [LARRY FYI: In case you don’t do Instagram, just Google “Stepan the cat” you’ll get a lot of images of this famous feline.]
Meanwhile, the 4-Legged Helpers are also trying to help this young Aussie Cattle Dog named Olivia (nicknamed Ollie and NOT ‘Chonky’). She’s actually in a shelter. One of several animals waiting in the Ferris Animal Shelter, also south of Dallas.
Her bio reads: “CRITICALLY URGENT, FERRIS SHELTER. Sadly this incredibly awesome girl was surrendered to the shelter by someone that had to move in with family or friends.  She is just over a year old and a complete sweetie pie. Fully vaccinated.  Loves everyone and everything.  Used to live with two Chihuahuas so we know she does great with other dogs.”

To help these animals or any animal on the 4-Legged Helpers’ radar, call or text 214-949-2726 or email [email protected]. And keep up with the Helpers’ animal efforts by following them on Facebook HERE.

MEANWHILE, MESQUITE ALSO
HAS AN AUSSIE CATTLE DOG
Judi Brown is the volunteer shelter dog biographer that got to spent time with Blaze at the Mesquite Animal Shelter. And Judi has experience with meeting dogs and understanding them.
She writes, “Blaze is an awesome dog with an outstanding personality! He is a 2-year-old Australian Cattle Dog that arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 6/6 as a stray. He weighs approximately 35 to 40 pounds and is not fixed. 
“He not only is handsome, but he’s also smart, perky, fun-loving, friendly, affectionate, and energetic with an outgoing personality. He’s well mannered and he wants to please. He sits for treats and takes them gently. He absolutely loves toys and seeks them out on his own. He can entertain himself with toys or if you prefer he will bring them to you and entice you to play with him. He chases balls and most of the time retrieves them.”

That’s his recreational side. Here's his soft side: “When you sit down he comes to you and puts his head on your lap and appears to love having his ears scratched,” Judi wrote. 
He’s an active boy who needs a loving family. Use his ID#50366001 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
Same contact points for this guy Toby, And same biographer, too. Judi says, “Look at Toby’s sweet, smiling face and gentle eyes and you can tell that he’s a good boy! He’s a true Southern gentleman!”
 Toby’s a 49-pound, 7-year-old retriever mix who came into the shelter as a stray on the 14th. And, she exclaims, “If you come looking for him you may have to ask the front desk for him because he’s back in quarantine due to lack of space.” [LARRY ASIDE: We’ve noted recently that Mesquite has really be pressed for space. When that happens and the adoptions can’t keep up with the dumped or the strayed or the new puppies and kittens, something ugly has to happen to make room for the next load of unwanted animals. But, here’s the opportunity to help save animals.]

Toby is, Judi write, “very sweet, gentle, friendly and loving. He’s a little overweight but would be very willing to go for walks to walk it off. He does very well on the leash! He’s got some hair loss on his hind quarters and his tail most likely due to a flea infestation. He’s been given Nexgard and a flea bath. He was very cooperative when given a bath. He didn’t chase balls but then perhaps it was just too hot. He also was not interested in treats. He didn’t appear to know the sit command. He got overheated so quickly when he was outside that I finished up the picture taking inside. However many of the pictures show his mouth open because he was still panting. This indicates to me that although he would benefit from a yard where he could stretch his legs, he would need to be kept inside especially in this hot weather. … Because of his age and his mild easy-going manner he would probably do best with a laid-back family.” H’s #28289478 — use that ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].

See more -- MANY MORE -- adorable adoptables (dogs and cats!) by clicking on the Mesquite Animal Servies website HERE.
CONTEMPLATIONS
ON A HOT DAY, MENTAL WANDERING
I love posting photos of Porche Noel. She is MY dog. Yeah, my funspouse Martha’s, too. I love Porche because of the fact that she has gone from a starving, limping, scared-of-humans, nipping, growling, convinced-she-going-to-be-attacked dog to a happy mutt who sleeps next to me and wags her impaired/hard-to-wag tail, smiles and rasps out her wonderful barks when I come home. That, folks, is “Best of Show.” Adopt a rescued dog and save a life. Or, get out and find your own Porche running scared and starving on a street in your neighborhood. Heck, yeah it happens in Texas. OK, get me off this soapbox before a slat snaps and Porche is startled awake when I hit the hardwood floor backside-first — I don’t have a thick wallet cushioned with cash to land on.….
And there’s this before we move on: I’d like to say I was bitterly disappointed again that no version of a Cocker Spaniel — there are several variations on the breed — won the big trophy at Westminster. My personal Cocker Inky and I watched it for years without successfully wishing a Cocker into the winner’s spotlight. Inky could have been a show Cocker if the jerk who docked his tail hadn’t been too aggressive. And when he dumped mange-beleaguered Inky naked (save for his left ear) in Kiest Park, he didn’t leave his “papers” with him. ….
I really liked the “pause” taken by Best-of-Show judge Dr. Don Sturz just before he announced the winner. He thanked the people who put on the dog show and the breeders who protect the integrity of the breeds and then he thanked all the dogs — not just those at the show, but ALL the dogs, basically, “who are watching” — for giving “comfort, joy and love” to their humans. That’s a guy who understands dogs. i’ve been trying to find a video or an actual quote of that moment, but no dice yet. I would have taken notes during the “moment” but Porche was working a crossword with my pen. She does that. 
And, of course, we recommend the 2000 film by Lord Haden-Guest, Best In Show, in which the writer/director/husband of Baroness Haden-Guest (Jamie Lynn Curtis), portrays Harland Pepper who shows his Bloodhound at the Mayflower Dog Show. The Bloodhound Hubert is portrayed by Ch. Quiet Creek’s Stand by Me. And Lord Haden-Guest uses his American name, Christopher Guest.
Back to television: Did you realize this Westminster show has been going on since 1877 and — get this — has been televised since 1948. I missed the first 7 or 8 years of the televised show because we didn’t have a TV. In those days, households could actually survive without a TV set. Honest.
Offer advice or objections by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put “SAVE ‘EM ALL” in the subject line. —-