RAIN CAN FALL; FERAL CATS IN A FIX; SMALL SHELTERS' DOGS; SAVING BEAGLES

EDITION OF TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022 [PetPowellPress] As this is being typed, I hear the comforting sound of a morning rain falling on our property in dusty North Texas — hang on. Sorry. My mistake. I left the kitchen faucet running on the breakfast dish. Now, Dear Readers, you may have noticed a rain gauge photograph.
Nope, it’s not in our neighborhood. In our area, anything plastic or glass melts and droops noticeably right now -- "Heat Slump  Syndrome." This obviously healthy rain gauge is somewhere else.
Specifically, it is in New Jersey — on the banks of Indian Lake at Denville. Our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Executive Editor Andy Fisher took the photo while marveling at a rain storm pelting the lakeside bureau and residence of Chloe the Cat. She was not available for media requests — apparently sleeps well on rainy days. Wait, “sleeps well” is not quite right. Andy says, “Chloe runs and hides when there are storms; I suspect she was terrorized by a storm when she was a kitten on the Morristown streets, poor thing. The fan is her salvation on hot days.”
 [More on Chloe in a moment.]
Now, back to the soggy topic: Andy  reports, “My picture of the day is of the rain gauge on the northeast corner of the deck, showing the 3 and 1/2 inches that yesterday's cloudbursts brought. Wish we could have shared some of it with you, but it's been dry here too, and the yard sopped it up really fast.”

Wouldn’t it be nice if our Lone Star State would suddenly get cloudbursts so we could enjoy the blessings of yards that, in the best of southern terms, “sop it up.” Ah, makes me really miss biscuits and breakfast gravy.
FYI: That’s Chloe enjoying her new fan — Andy says it blows in all directions. And, is Chloe napping atop the box the fan came in?. Nope. That’s a box of record albums. You know the General Rule of Cats: “Never ignore a cardboard box.”
MEANWHILE, IN ARID BIG D
4 FERALS ARE IN A FIX…
As of this moment of typing, these cats peeking from beneath a car (maybe a car?)  and two others may still need help getting to a safe environment. Their human has died — she’d allowed Angie Manriquez, inspiration of Angie’s Friends to feed them for the past 4 years. But now it’s time to get the cats into a place where they’ll be welcomed, perhaps a feral colony.
We got the story on these cats from veteran rescuer and animal advocate Debbie Ferrell. To offer to help Angie’s Friends save the quartet of cats, email Debbie at debbie1jack2@gmail.com or call 224-316-6604.
Debbie reminds us that it takes longer than yelling “Here, Kittie” and shaking a container of cat treats to capture feral cats. So, this project is under pressure to get the cats and the rescuers off the property.
[LARRY ASIDE: I’ve dealt with feral cats; I’ve dealt with domesticated cats. Dealing with either of those is easier than dealing with some people. May everybody involved cooperate happily!]
THE HEADLINE READS
‘MORE NEW DOGS’
And my temptation is to reach back into my past and sarcastically shout “STOP THE PRESSES!” But the reality is there are people who don’t spay and neuter, who will dump their dogs, who don’t care what happens to animals and who have a “so-what-attitude” that can be fatal to dogs and cats.
 And these animals are in smaller shelters that don’t have public relations departments to pitch the foundlings and dumped animals to people who don’t yet know they need these animals.

We begin with Hamler, who, according to our tipsters at 4-Legged Helpers, is a Husky currently in the care of a private animal control north of Dallas. 
He’s about 3 years old and “very gentle, loving, and well-behaved. Sweet as can be & affectionate!!! Fixed & fully vaccinated! He walks great on a leash and knows to take treats gently.  He is an absolute sweetie pie.  Very loving!! Will move his head gently under your hand to be petted — cutest thing ever.” Said to be “almost completely housetrained.”

This Retriever/Border Collie Mix is Bearlee, also in the care of the private animal control. He’s also about 3 years old. And his bio reads that he is a g”great boy who adores everyone. Fixed & fully vaccinated!! He loves to play fetch and go on walks and is already housetrained and crate-trained.  Loves playing with other dogs, too. This is an AWESOME boy.”

To ask about these two or the two that follow, call or text 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com. 

We’ve mentioned these two before, but they’re still waiting. Blake is a Boxer mix who is currently in the Ferris Shelter on the southern side of Dallas. His bio reads, “The shelter staff love him.  He is super sweet and very loving.  Adores everyone!!  Likes other dogs too!  Approximately 2-years-old per ACO’s best guesstimate. So sad because he is such a great dog that they were sure someone would come for him, but no one reclaimed him and now he needs a new home.  Very VERY sweet boy.  So much wants to be loved.”
And, as we’ve reported before Chance comes with a $125 donation to the 501c3 rescue that takes him. Yes, Chance is the guy who was abandoned at a boarding facility and has lived without an actual home for more than a year. He’s young, weighs about 50 pounds and is neutered and chipped. Get in touch with the 4-Legged Helpers to help Chance find a home.
[LARRY ASIDE: At least the person who dumped him didn’t abandon him in a park, on a city street, in the Trinity River bottoms or on a grocery store parking lot. Bless his heart!]
CONTEMPLATIONS
BEAGLES AND BEAGLE PEOPLE
I really am contemplating many angles on this situation while trying not to be too mad to type. My tipster, a secretive animal fan from suburban Dallas, sent a note with the subject line that read “4,000 Beagles to be released from breeding research facility.” In the text she added, “Lots of rescues needed for these poor babies.  Please let every one know.  Facility was in the state of Virginia.” [LARRY ASIDE: Knowing the “over-stuffed” situation that prevails in our area shelters and rescues, my first reaction was, “Oh, great. Just what we need.”]

That’s a bit of Beagle artwork that appeared with the story on the Humane Society of the United States page. 
And her are links to two stories from ABC News. LINK ONE and LINK TWO.
[LARRY SIDE: Many, many years ago I learned that Beagles were regarded as ideal test dogs because of the pure bloodline. And some dental schools used them as “teaching animals.” Personally, I’ve only ever contemplated Beagles as companions.]
The opening passage from a post on the HSUS page HERE read: “BREAKING: We’re preparing to remove about 4,000 Beagles bred for experimentation at a facility in Cumberland, VA. This is one of our biggest operations to date, and we need your help! Please rush an urgent donation TODAY to support this transfer and all of our lifesaving work for animals worldwide.”
[LARRY ASIDE: As this rescue shakes out, we’ll probably learn how to adopt these dogs. There may already be posts. I’d say watch out for donation scams, too. As is our theory at readlarrypowell.com, before you donate, make sure. Ask questions and “check ‘em out.”]
READLARRYPOWELL.COM has known a few devoted Beagle people. Right off the bat I can mention longtime pals of ours Jeneva O’Connor and Melissa Boesch. They’ve preached the “Gospel of Beagles” for decades. 
At readlarrypowell.com, all of our dogs — all rescues — have been something other than Beagles. Maybe Beagles don’t get dumped so frequently in city parks and neighborhoods. Rather than being dumped one or two at a time, they get dumped by thousands-at-a-time by people who are supposed to have brains.
Beagles have a permanent place in American culture. This ball cap recently presented to me by our Eastern Seaboard Bureau Chief Andy Fisher demonstrates just how influential a Beagle can be. Yep, that’s Snoopy, the canine star of Charles Schultz’s comic and philosophy strip Peanuts.
Save the Beagles. Save ‘em all. And if you know of someone working with this mammoth rescue — sorry, that’s a Beagle rescue, not a mammoth rescue — let readlarrypowell.com know by emailing dallrp@aol.com. Maybe I’ll win Wednesday night’s Lotto Texas. Or maybe someone local needs some help in finding homes for Beagles born just to be part of medical experiments. Adopt ‘em and let them be beloved American dogs!
AND HERE’S A LINK to one more DISGUSTING STORY about these Beagles — includes the term “unnecessarily painful procedures.” I have no dog or cat I’d subject to that. I do have a growing list of people, however. I’m praying for my own forgiveness, but I’m sure the Angels will understand and may even agree with me.

—- Offer nice words we may call buttheads by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put SOBs — SAVE OUR BEAGLES in the subject line. —-