RAIN FELL, TEMP ROSE, DOGS AND CATS WAITED IN TEXAS SHELTERS....

EDITION OF TUESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2022 [PetPowellPress] This is being written under dark skies as steady rain falls and the weather is, well, after the past two months, I’d describe it as blissfully cool.
It was the perfect day for reading a good novel. I’ll try to find one as soon as I write about the animals who need a comfy home on a rainy day in Texas. It also could be a comfy home on a hot and dry day in Texas.
As the deluge ensued Monday morning, I happened to spot Hastings the Kitten (got him out of a Duncanville street on Oct.4) and Porche Noel pausing in the hall to say, “Good morning, bub” to each other. This photo shows young Hasting’s magnificent tail. As you can see in the second photo, Hastings is much thinner depending on the angle. Back to his tail: It looks as if you could use it to swab the deck of an aircraft carrier. I’m not sure what either household personality is reading during this seige of inclemency. The story of Noah comes to mind.
FROM THE SMALLER SHELTERS,
ANIMALS IN SEROUS NEED …
The animals that wind up in small shelters can sure be remarkable visions of canine beauty! For example, we have this Great Pyrenees Noah — he may not be “Westminster Quality” but he is a big dog in need of a human that’ll give him a home.
Our tipster, Laura Macias of 4-Legged Helpers, says he’s in the small, sparsely visited Ferris Animal Shelter. The bio of Noah reads, “Extremely friendly big lovable boy that was found out on his own and it appears he has been lost for a bit.  Poor sweet baby.  Fortunately he tested heartworm negative, so that is great!  He is quite adorable.  A calm big sweetie pie that just wants love.  Very gentle.  Super sweet.”

To ask about adopting Noah or taking him into your rescue group, call or text Laura at 214-949-2726 or email [email protected]. And we’ve mentioned other 4-Legged Helper projects in the past week or so: There’s the pair of Hound mixes, the brother and sister Meritt and Honor and Black Mouth Cur mix Sabrina, all 3 in the Ferris shelter; plus Boxer mix Blue, who is in the Wilmer Shelter. Scroll down to previous editions and see them. The 4-Legged Helpers contact points are the lifelines for these so-far unwanted dogs.
FROM A LARGER SHELTER,
ANIMALS IN SERIOUS NEED, TOO
As you may have noticed in many recent tales from Mesquite Animal Shelter, there are “more plenty” animals awaiting homes in that city facility. We’re going to cite some of them in this edition. Here goes:
SNOOKIE, according to his volunteer biographer Judi Brown, “is timid but he wags his tail to let you know that he does want to make friends.” The 5-month-old Retriever/Whippet mix came into the shelter as a stray on the 8th. He is a “still -growing” 35 pounds. Not fixed. And he is, Judi writes, “a work in progress. He needs TLC and someone that is patient to work with him to help him build trust. There’s no doubt he wants to make friends. When I had him out in the shelter yard he spent a lot of time in a corner which I imagine brought him some comfort. Also he was anxious to go back to his kennel as it apparently is a safe place for him. He’s really sweet, gentle and has a lot of love to give. He has so much potential to be a playful, alert, loving companion.” 
Doesn’t play with toys, doesn’t know commands, doesn’t walk well on a leach and is “intimidated by other dogs” at the shelter. But, Judi writes, “If you are patient and have a lot of love to give a dog that needs your love, you will be rewarded with a lifelong companion.” Snookie is #50846986 — use that ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
Judi also met up with Macy [#50795447], a 6-month-old “Chocolate-colored retriever mix” — came in on the 11th as a stray. weighs 24 pounds and is spayed.
“Macy absolutely loves toys. She seeks them out and entertains herself with them. She will chase them if you throw them for her. When she got tired she put her toy between her paws and put her head down to rest on the toy. … She’s what you call the whole package! She would like nothing better than to curl up at your feet when you’re watching television or reading a good book!”

That brings us to the “mostly Black Mouth Cur/Shepherd mix” Colette [#50897623] who, Judi reports, came in as a stray on the 15th. “She is not spayed.  She’s recently had a litter. Her ribs are showing so she could use some more groceries. She needed a good brushing. She sat still and seemed to enjoy getting all that extra undercoat off of her.

“She is absolutely delightful. I fell in love with her as soon as I got her out into the yard.  She walked very well on a leash going out to the yard. … She’s very sweet, gentle, calm, loving, friendly, well mannered and happy. She’s somewhat frisky but not overly so. … She wants to please and stays close. When you sit down she comes to you to have her ears scratched. She actually came when I called her. She appeared to be intimidated by the other dogs or just plain was not interested.”

This guy with the never-stops-wagging tail is Jesse. He’s #50907508 at the shelter. A 10-month-old, this stray arrived on the 16th. He’s “possibly Louisiana Catahoula/Shepherd/Bull Terrier,” Judi reports. He’s also not fixed and weighs in at 38 pounds. … He’d be a wonderful dog for an active family because he’s friendly, outgoing, playful (he loves toys), curious and energetic but not overly so. Because he wants to be so close to you he sometimes forgets and jumps on you but gets down with a sharp retort. He wants to please and is highly motivated by treats so could be easily taught not to do this. And then too, he’s still a 10 month old puppy! He knows the sit and paw commands. He takes treats gently. … Jesse is an all-around good dog with a very good disposition!!! He would love to be adopted by a family that would consider him another member of the family…”
And we finish Judi’s report with her profile of Lance [#50773135], a 2-year-old, 45-pound blue and white Pittie who arrived July 28 as a stray. He’s fixed!” [LARRY WRY ASIDE: STOP THE PRESSES!!!]
 Judi adds, “At first after I got him out of his crate he was so rambunctious and excited that I thought I was going to have problems controlling him. However he just didn’t like being confined. As soon as he got out into the yard and knew he was free, he calmed down. He didn’t even explore the yard. He craves attention and opted to stay close to me. I’m not quite sure how much of it was his wanting my attention or that he’s extremely motivated by treats. Because of this he would be very easy to train. … When I sat down he tried to crawl on my lap and got a bit over excited. He has a strong pull on the leash. He wagged his tail in a friendly manner meeting other dogs in the bay. Lance is really a good boy wanting to please. … Lance needs a lot of loving and has a lot of love to give. Will you be the lucky recipient?”

There are so many more dogs waiting in Mesquite for that special, loving home.
We’ll close our canine report with, appropriately for a loving appeal, a dog named Lovely [#50875199]. Judi says the 8-year-old Terrier mix weighs 49 pounds and “is a little on the stocky side” Arrived as a stray on the 11th. She’s not spayed. 
“Look into her captivating eyes and you can’t help but fall in love with her,” Judi wrote. “She’s even sweeter than she looks! At first when she got out into the yard she had her tail tucked indicating she was not completely at ease. But with time, allowing her to wander and some TLC she came around wagging her tail. She’s gentle, calm, cautiously friendly and very sweet. She’s also got some spunk left in her. She kept checking the gate. I’m not sure whether that was curiosity or if she was looking for her owners. When I sat down she came to me and pushed her body up against me. … She’s a real sweetheart and with trust could be a real cuddle bug. She would most likely do best in a laid-back, calmer household. At her age she would definitely want to spend most of her time inside with her new family.”
Remember, use the ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityof mesquite.com.

Click HERE to see many more animals — dogs and cats — in the Mesquite shelter. There are many kittens and some older cats, too. This guy happens to be the orange kitten Max, #50474178. He’s just about 5 months old, small and came in on June 18. Where can you find him? In the shelter’s “Rescue Hallway.”
 The facility’s address is 1650 Gross Road, Mesquite, TX 75149/
CONTEMPLATIONS
REPORTS, SNOW & ONIONS
I’ve got links to two dog-related notes in newspapers. Perhaps you saw that Dallas is, once again, having roaming dog problems. The Big Paper Downtown editorialized about solving the problem HERE.
And, in Texarkana, the Gazette has a story about finding “solutions” to animal issues. Click HERE. … 
RAIN IN THE TIME OF HOT DAYS? That was quite an interested farewell to 100-degree days, wasn’t it? I’m even back to wearing my hoodie while I write. Felt like autumn — as long as the air-conditioner was running. A lot of offices told people to stay home and work — it was kind of a “melted snow day.” …

This week I got an email with this subject line:“It's Time to Pre-Order Onion Sets And, of course, having been born in a city and raised in a city and dwelling in a city for my entire life, I thought “somebody has created a chess set in the shape of onions.” I don’t play that much chess, these days and I also have to eschew the onions.

—- Offer diet or slumber advice by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put HOLD THE ONIONS, PAWN in the subject line. —-