YES, THE ANIMALS KEEP WAITING; THEY ALSO KEEP TURNING UP....

EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY June 16-17, 2022 [PetPowellPress] As I am on a number of mailing lists — some strange, some not, some beyond strange — I get a lot of email. One of the less-strange daily notes comes from The Old Farmer’s Almanac. This morning e-epistle (how’s that for a computer term) included a “Word of The Day.” What? “Nebulaphobia.” The Almanac says it means “Fear of fog or humidity.” Fog, not so common. Humidity? Bonafide Texas hair-droop fear of “thick air” when you walk out of the air-conditioning. That's my teenage kitten Hastings preferring to be left alone on his air-conditioned napping spot.
A LONG SUBJECT LINE
FOR AN ANIMAL E-MAIL  
We posted a note earlier in the week about a number of dogs and cats being promoted for adoption or rescue by the 4-Legged Helpers. Some of these animals have been waiting for a while for help getting out of the Ferris Animal Shelter and other places that are one needle away from the end of the line.
 So, today’s email included possibly the longest subject line ever and a reference to every animal we mentioned in that previous report. The subject line reads:

“CRITICAL!! NONE CHOSEN! NONE RESCUED!!! Not a single one and these shelters have zero walk-in’s! Zero adopters! HELP! DFW. RURAL SHELTERS - THESE KITTENS. CATS, PUPPIES & DOGS NEED YOU…”

To help the Helpers, call or text 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71 @yahoo.com.
New to the list is Bella, an Earhound who is, as you may have guessed, a Shepherd mix. Her small-shelter bio reads that she’s already fixed, vaccinated and “adores people.” And it says she’s a “great dog with all the Shepherd traits (checking perimeter, LOL) Seems to like boy dogs. Someone pulled her on her last day at a kill shelter (to foster)…” FYI: She is NOT a good mix with cats.
Also, still waiting is this girl Precious. She comes with a $400 donation to the to the 501c3 rescue that takes her. We’ve used the pointy-ear photo of her several times in the months she’s been waiting for a life-saving rescue. Now we have this newer photo of the sweet dog Precious demonstrating how she can be a really good pup for a loving human.
We’ve mentioned Lucas before, too. But this photo got to me. He’s a 5-month-old “Beagle or Hound/Husky mix” in the Ferris Shelter. This is the guy who “was found in a person’s yard but they had no idea where he came from.”
And, I’ll finish with one more photo of Jordan. The dog who was suckered out of a car by a woman with a food dish. She put the dish down and when he ran to the dish, “she then grabbed the food, jumped in the ar and sped off.” That’s how the 4-Legged Helpers’ bio of Jordan reads. 
[LARRY ASIDE: Can you imagine how puzzled Jordan was when the human drove away? That’s just about as mean as you can get — what kind of heart do you have when you can pull a stunt like that? If the person would like to give her side of the story, why, just go ahead and email it to dallrp@aol.com. Or, please turn yourself in at a local police station and confess to animal abandonment which, I think, may be against the law in Texas.]

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A RANT: Is this the worst year ever for overloaded shelters and non-reactive humans? Where are the adoptors? And is there any way to plan ahead for product availability when you have no way of controlling production? The only tool is depending on people to do the right thing, i.e., spay and neuter. OK, this wasn’t really a rant. It’s just a lament for the way things are and a hope that they can get better. We’re preaching the Gospel of Dogs and Cats — they’re worth having around the house!
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MEANWHILE, IN MESQUITE
SOME ADORABLES AWAITIN’
And this message from Mesquite is almost an echo of what that rant read. We’ve repeated it frequently lately, but this is the Mesquite Shelter Truth: “Our shelter is critically overcrowded and kennel space is needed for the strays and surrenders that daily come through our doors.” |

So, good  grief, where do the pretty and adorable dogs come from? Human failure, we suspect. This one came from a “walk- about.” 
This is “beautiful and sweet Becca,” according to our tipster, the volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm. She says Becca came in on May 26 as a stray. She’s a year-old, weighs about 30 pounds and hasn’t been spayed. 
Debra writes, “This precious pup is timid and shy but once she gets to know you she sticks close. She enjoys cuddling and finds comfort in leaning against a human friend for loving attention.”
Calm, well-mannered, “mellow personality,” walks “nicely” on a leash.” And, also, “Becca knows the sit command and will happily do so for treats which she takes gently.  She displayed a bit of nervous energy and doubtless is confused as to how she landed in a city shelter.” She’s #50282627.
Use that ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at rescues@cityofmesquite.com. Same procedure for the rest of these animals.
Debra also met Mercedes (#50365124), a “mixed breed boy”, about 4, 26-pounds and a stray who arrived on June 6. She writes, “Not only is he the cutest little guy, but he has such a sweet  personality and the most beautiful, brown, soulful eyes.  He is well-mannered, calm, gentle and submissive.  Mercedes is friendly, affectionate and enjoys attention.  He very much likes treats and takes them gently. … He appears to have been well-cared for and yet he is here in a city shelter with no one coming to reclaim.”

 That brings us to BoBo (#50393905), described by Debra as a “turbo-charged youngster…a mixed breed boy” who came into the shelter as a stray on June 9. He’s about a year-old, weighs 32 pounds and isn’t neutered — yet. 
Debra wrote, “He has plenty of puppy energy, spunk and enthusiasm.  He is an ‘on the go’ kind of guy. In his excitement he does jump on you.  In short, Bobo is a sweet pup who would require plenty of daily enrichment--exercise, walks, and playtime.  Obedience classes would greatly benefit Bobo.  He is also obsessed with toys.  Give him a small pile of toys and he will happily amuse himself and entertain you! … This is a pup who would be best suited for an active person or family who would stay committed to investing time and effort in helping him adapt well to his new forever home.”
Debra’s colleague in dog biographies, Judi Brown, had the privilege of meeting Patches (#50403074), a “4-year-old tan/white cute Pittie” with “beautiful eyes” and a “very sweet nature.”
Judi writes, “Patches comes by his name naturally. He’s quite a handsome fellow with tan patches and eyes that will mesmerize you!  Patches is a 4-year-old, 42-pound tan and white Pittie that arrived at the Mesquite Shelter on 6/10 as a stray. He is not fixed. When I went into his kennel he was all wiggles and wags. He was very energetic and interested in making friends with the dogs that he passed in the bay. However we always suggest if you have another dog to have the shelter dog test them. It was a very hot day and as soon as we got out into the yard he gravitated towards the door. It’s obvious that he would not want to be an entirely outside dog. … He has a happy easy-going nature. He stayed close, but of course part of that was because he wanted to be by the door and wanted to go inside. …He chased a ball and retrieved it several times but I didn’t pursue that because of the hot temperatures. …He’s just an all-around great dog and would most likely do real well with a  family with children.”
And we’ll close the Mesquite report with Debra’s bio of a “fun-loving youngster” named Cowboy (#50391201), a Pittie mix who came in as a stray on June 9. He is about a year old and weighs 64 pounds, including testicles. 
Debra writes, “His antics will keep you amused.  Even though it was very warm outside during the photo session, he was doing ‘zoomies’ around the yard. You can just look into his cute face and stunning eyes to see that he just wants to have fun.  He has a very high energy level and will jump on you in his excitement.  This is a youngster who needs daily playtime, exercise and attention.  Obedience classes would be most beneficial.  Cowboy has a friendly nature and is happy to interact with a human friend.  He knows the sit and paw commands. He walks well on a leash and when led past other dogs he did not show any aggression. … Cowboy has tons of confidence and an outgoing personality.” 
See more adorable adoptables at Mesquite by clicking on the shelter’s site HERE.
CONTEMPLATIONS

WEATHER, A STAR AND THE MOON
Regarding our opening topic, The Old Farmer’s Almanac citing Nebulaphobia as word of the day — fear of fog or humidity, the Almanac said. I walked past the front yard flowerbed Elephant Ears this week and the big one on the right said, “It’s the heat — and the humidity.” The others were too drained to speak. They’re reviving. We think. …

Caught this note on a calendar page online — Wednesday is/was (depending on when you read this) the birthday (June 16, 1955) of the really splendid actress Laurie Metcalf. She’s won two Tonys on Broadway, and also is known from TV as both as Roseanne Connor’s sister on Roseanne and Sheldon Cooper’s mom on The Big Bang Theory. (Her daughter, Zoe Perry, plays Sheldon’s mom on the spinoff Young Sheldon.) In the long list of credits, one of her Fave performances at readlarrypowell.com? Guest-starring as wacky Cora Little, the woman who told amnesia-affected Monk (Tony Shaloub as Adrian Monk) that they were married and his name was “Jerry.” It’s the 2006 episode Mr. Monk Bumps His Head. …
I’ve been trying to get a glimpse of the Strawberry Moon, as the current huge “super moon” is known. Just a glimpse. Either my timing is bad, my location is bad or there’s just too much clouding and Sahara dust in the sky. Ah, but to the rescue comes our pal Karen Lee, founder (with hubby Dennis in 2013) and hard-working guiding light of barkleyworld.com, the organization (send some donations!) that helps animals in tough spots find medical help. This is one of the photos Karen took at “moonrise” over Las Cruces, N.M., this week. Yes, readlarrypowell.com is envious.

—- Offer moon news or recipes by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put “ORBITAL VELOCITY” in the subject line. —-