AS FRIDAY ARRIVES, SOME CHALLENGES AND A QUEEN AND HER DOGS...

EDITION OF FRIDAY, SEPT. 9, 2014 [PetPowellPress] Mention Queen Elizabeth to us animal people and the first thing that may come to our minds is “Corgis.” 
There are other people we mention in this world but how they love dogs is not the first thing that comes to mind. They make the headlines, too, unfortunately.
By the time you read this, you’ve probably read, watched and heard just about everything you can about the Dear Queen of England and her life and her family. And, I liked to think she appreciated that so many Americans adored her.
This is a New York Times photo — I love it. No idea when it was taken. But, to me, it makes the Queen look like the rest of us who have loved our dogs since we were kids. And the dogs appear to love her right back, don’t they. That is a sensation — a companion’s emotion — that many of us commoners shared with the Queen of England.

A DOG’S CHALLENGE CAN BE MET
BUT ONLY WITH HUMAN HELP
Our pal Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com sent us a note about this girl Sushi. She got the desperate note from Steffenie Vela, longtime leader of Trinity GAP Rescue, the organization that evolved from the Euless Trinity High School’s Girls Awareness Program. Here’s the dog’s background according to Steffenie’s note:

“This baby is 16 pounds and 7 years old. She is blind from diabetes. Her name is Sushi. She is heartworm positive. We have to find her a foster or rescue. If you have any ideas, let me know. Thanks so much, Steffenie.”

Karen says Sushi is “is currently in the Euless Animal Shelter and needs out!!   Trinity GAP Rescue has no open fosters, so if you can foster thru them, that would be great!   I’m thinking she probably needs insulin for diabetes  and as the note reads, she is also HW positive.  Bless her heart—this is so sad—can anyone help?  Contact Steffenie with Trinity GAP Rescue at [email protected]."

IN THE WAKE OF A TOUGH AUGUST,
BARKLEYWORLD KEEPS WORKING
We’ve written about Barkleyworld — the non-profit named in honor of a beloved dog — many times. Barkley, adopted by Dennis and Karen Lee from Homeward Bound Animal Rescue in 1996, inspired the creation of the organization to help people and their animals. 
On the Barkleyworld website, Karen and Dennis posted this: “Reaching out to help strangers with catastrophic veterinarian costs is the heart and soul of Barkleyworld. All funds are paid directly to the veterinarian performing services and never to individuals. We rely solely on donations to keep going so please consider a small donation to Barkleyworld as we continue keeping Barkley's legacy alive.”
The drive to raise money on behalf of animals continues. Karen’s latest appeal reads, “August was a very busy month, like all the others, and we already have a line-up for requests for help in September. Imagine if you were unable to provide critical vet care for your pet. It’s just heartbreaking for so many who have fallen on hard times and struggle to take care of themselves, much less their pets. To many of these people, their pet IS their only companion—their only reason to keep going. We also reach out to local rescues/shelters and provide help with vet care when funds are available. 

“In August, we spent thousands of dollars to help Everman Animal Shelter with vetting for 32 dogs confiscated in a hoarding situation. These dogs all needed basic vet care, vaccinations, HW tests/preventatives, flea/tick control, etc. and they all needed to be fixed---and several were heartworm positive. A big thanks to South Hills Animal Clinic for providing vet care and for giving us great discounts. A vet tech actually adopted one of these dogs and we are so happy. We are hoping the vet care provided will help the others find homes or rescues. Please don’t shop—ADOPT!”

And Karen adds that “we rely solely on donations to keep doing what we’re doing – helping pets in the North Texas area with critical vet care! We are a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible. All funds are paid directly to the vet and never to individuals. Check us out at www.barkleyworld.com and if so inclined, click on the Donate button and help us out! Click on the 'What’s Happening' tab to see what we’ve been doing the past 3 months. I’m working on posting August updates so stay tuned. Thank you for your compassion to others in need. God loves a cheerful giver, so if you can give, please give with a loving heart!”
AND THEN THERE WAS THE
LITERAL DUMPING OF 2 PUPS
This was posted on Tuesday on a neighborhood bulletin board in eastern Fort Worth. 
A woman named Erika wrote, “Caught a woman red-handed putting these pups in the dumpster. Yes, literally she was throwing them away. Please help me find homes. To my understanding they are brother and sister but sizes are completely drastic…the boy is about 2 times bigger than the girl. Chihuahua/pit mix is what I’m told but not so sure about the pit part. The little girl is tiny. About 10 weeks old. I purchased their first shots from the feed store but have yet to administer them. … “

This rescuer, while facing some difficult personal situations — really tough stuff —, was inspired to take the time and make the effort to save these dogs. She wrote, “I cannot keep them, or I would.” And she added, “I absolutely refuse to take them to a shelter. Normally I’m pretty good about finding homes for animals, but, as stated, not having much luck with these two.”
 And she confided, “The boy is kennel and house-trained. The girl is stubborn and doesn’t care. The boy is sweet as can be. The girl is a bully. Both are attention-and treat-driven.”

So, as of Thursday afternoon, that little stubborn girl had been adopted. The boy is still waiting.
No idea how to contact the rescuer — wasn’t included in her note. 

Also, no idea whether the woman who was throwing two puppies into a dumpster is going to jail. I have a theory about where she could be going. But I’ll pray for changes in her life. And bless the woman who rescued these dogs. That’s an angel at work.
CONTEMPLATIONS
A MIND CAN WANDER, RIGHT?

I love and I miss ice cream. …
It’s 2022 and I’m too old to box, but I’d like to take another shot in the ring with somebody who has less talent and looks worse in boxing attire than I do. Now, there’s a wandering mind for you. The last time I boxed in a ring, I hit a guy in the face with a punch and it surprised me so much that I laughed and that made him mad and he quit the match. If I can sneak a punch in, you must be a terrible boxer. We were just kids. I did not grow up to be a boxer. Neither did he. …
I did go to wrestling matches when I was a young reporter — spent time one evening in the dressing room with the public relations guy. The evening’s villain and good guy came noisily and angry into the room after a ferorcious match and they looked mad as all get-out until the door shut and then they broke down hugging and laughing like old pals who’d just pulled a big gag off in front of a crowd of believers. Two really nice guys, it turned out. I don’t look presentable in wrestling tights, either. But the fact that I miss ice cream suggests that I’m constantly working on losing weight and getting in shape for the next Summer Olympics — 2024 in Paris. Oui. Je n'ai pas de passeport et pas de sport choisi dans lequel j’excelle. That’s not even my French — I lifted it off a translation page. It reads, “Yes. I have no passport and no chosen sport in which I excel.” Besides 2024 wil be a presidential campaign year and I’m just interested in people who speak plainly and love America — and don’t wear wrestling tights to campaign rallies.
—- Offer coaching or methods of controlling lost dreams by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put “SUIT UP AND RUN SOME LAPS” in the subject line. —-