A COWBOYS PLAN; COCOA'S NEEDS; ASH AND BROWNIE AND A CAT; CORINNE CONTEMPLATION?

EXTRA EDITION OF MONDAY, JAN. 9, 2022 [PetPowellPress] I was whining to my funspouse Martha between Christmas and New Year’s Day that I’d never quite gotten involved with the holidays this year.
But this morning — on January 9 — I have awakened with a genuine holiday spirit! Why? Because the Dallas Cowboys showed me, once again, that the “Spirit of Giving” can last longer than the holidays on the calendar, i.e., Washington 26, Dallas 6. We have a solution in Contemplations. But first, get a look at this dog!
COCOA — WHAT A DISTINCT
FACE ’N’ FIGURE!!!
OK, before she left for work this morning I showed this dog’s photos to my animalnutspouse Martha. She fell in love. Then, she chained my ankle to my desk chair and told me not to leave the house. Yeah, if we both hadn’t hit the limit on critters for our casa, we’d have a new dog named Cocoa.
 She really needs a home really now. (Bad sentence construction but you get the point.)
Our pal, the stellar photographer and barkleyworld.com founder Karen Lee (with hubby Dennis), tipped us to the Cocoa situation. She got the appeal from Steffenie Vela at Trinity GAP Rescue which supports the City of Euless Animal Shelter. Here’s the situation via Steffenie’s note:
 “We are begging for a foster for Cocoa!  This baby has been in a holiday foster, and is headed back to the shelter which is full!  
“She is a spayed female who is best as an only dog or with a dog who is older and laid back. 
“She is absolutely adorable and…is around 3 to 4 years old and weighs less than 40 pounds! She is a total sweetheart with all people.”

On the Trinity Gap Rescue site trinitygaprescue.org, you’ll see that Cocoa is described as an American Bully/English Bully mix. 
Steffenie’s note reads, “We have had no luck with this sweet baby within our group, so we all need to share with anyone you know. Will you help us?  She only has a couple of days, and we are running out of time. For more information, please email Wendee@sterlingtile.net."
Wendee told us that Cocoa appears to have “had a few litters in the past. She’s spayed now but unfortunately has heartworms and needs to be treated. She’s in a holiday foster home but they are getting a new dog this week and Cocoa doesn’t like the new dog with all his energy. She’s picky about her dog friends and is currently living with an old dog who doesn’t interact a lot with her. She does well with children and is in a foster home with them. Everyone at Gap loves her and thinks she has a darling personality.”
MEANWHILE, A NOTE
FROM OUT AT THE LAKE
As you may know, the Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake non-profit operates (so to speak) the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas. 
That’s on Tuesdays.
Coming up at the clinic from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday the 14th? Ah, our reliable Friends source Sidney Busch reports that the clinic will host a no-appointment-necessary session of “affordable vaccinations, heartworm testing, microchipping, more!” Sort of a clinic for people to dot the I’s and cross the t’s on their critters. Critters, by the way, has one i and two t’s. [LARRY ASIDE: And I’ve had two cups of coffee on a Monday morning or I’d never have written those last two sentences.]

If you have questions about the Saturday event, call the Friends at either 903-451-4701 or 214-808-4701. Visit friendsoftheanimals.org.
TWO DOGS INSPIRE
FOLLOWUP REPORTS
Ah, here are a couple of dogs who simply need the right humans to click on their stories and get involved.
One of the right persons involved at this point is their biographer, Judi Brown, the volunteer dog-writer at Mesquite Animal Services. 
Ash is this dog (#51509164) — use that ID number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityof mesquite.com.
Judi wrote, “I’m sending out Ash again. He’s a shelter favorite because of his many, many sterling qualities. He is a 7-year-old, 40-pound Bulldog/Terrier Pit mix that arrived at the Mesquite Shelter 11/10 as a stray. He came in with his father Linus. Fortunately for Linus, he has been rescued. Unfortunately for Ash he has not but deserves to be!!!”
And Judi also notes, “You could tell by the calluses on his elbows that he has spent most of his life on concrete. He’s had a hard life. And now he’s been at the shelter for two months and getting passed by. And yet he’s maintaining an upbeat, positive attitude. He’s obviously forgiven the people that originally did not treat him like he deserved to be treated. I think the main thing I could say about Ash is that he’s extremely affectionate and loving. He gives kisses. His tail wags all the time. He’s a lapdog wannabe…..”

There’s more from Judi based on her evaluation of Ash: “He is sweet, well- mannered, easy-going and just wants to love on you and to be loved on. He would be a snuggle bug.” He’s a sit-for-treats dog who “occasionally chases tennis balls but doesn’t retrieve them. He walks well on a leash. …He wagged his tail when meeting other dogs. He’s one of the sweetest dogs at the shelter.”
Again, cite his ID #51509164 when you call the shelter at 972-216=6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
Same system for this other dog Judi is concerned about. This fellow Brownie [51515042]. Brownie’s clearly a cheerful Earhound.
Judi writes that she’s re-posting Brownie “because he’s so so deserving! I don’t understand why he’s being passed over. Not only is he adorable but he’s got a winning personality! Brownie is a 1-year-old, 51-pound terrier Pit with standup ears and captivating hazel eyes. He came in as a stray on 11/11. He is fixed.”

And, she says, “He is a solid athletic guy with a stocky frame. He’s relatively low to the ground. He also has a zest for life. He’s very playful. He thinks the world is his playground. He loves to chase balls and brings them back to you. If you don’t pay attention to him he will either entertain himself or push the balls up against you enticing you to play with him. He’s a lot of fun! While he would choose to spend most of his time cuddling inside with his new family he would do well with a good-sized yard. He sits for treats and takes them gently. He definitely wants to please! … He wanted to play with the other dogs that he passed by. However if you do have another dog we do suggest you ask the shelter staff for a dog test. Please come meet Brownie. You will fall in love with him as I did. He would like to be an integral part of your family. He told me he would even watch the Cowboy games with you.”
[LARRY ASIDE: Now, that is a dog who knows how to comfort a human.]
See more dogs and cats at the Mesquite Animal Shelter by clicking HERE.
Among the animals are many cats and they’re not all cuddly — yet. I don’t know the cuddly nature of this cat, but she does have quite a set of eyes and a dramatic cat coat. She’s listed as “3600 Emerald” and #51824590. She’s a Domestic Shorthair Mix — no idea on her age, but she’s small and black and orange. Plus, she’s fresh to the shelter — came in on January 6 (from a street named Emerald, is my theory). The thing is, she’s currently in the Feral Room at Mesquite. You never know “how feral” feral actually is. As I’m typing this, I have a formerly feral kitten sitting on my desk and serving as office cat, William Powell. He adores being hugged and snuggled. Could be that 3500 Emerald simply needs to understand that humans adore her darling catness.
CONTEMPLATIONS
WEATHER, WASHINGTON, WETC.
Yep, the three Ws of a Wonday, er, Monday. Sorry. I meant ETC. NOT WETC. The weather is beautiful in our part of Texas today. I’m not sure about the traffic. Bless all you drivers and respect the lanes. ….
Holy smoke, how in the name of Tom Landry could the Dallas Cowboys cough up a hairball like that game on Sunday? Let’s look to the future. This team is about to have a playoff game. A SUGGESTION for those of us prepared to “wait ’til next year.” Is it possible that the Cowboys could swap that playoff spot to the Green Bay Packers so the NFL could promote a Legends Playoff game — Tampa Bay & Tom Brady vs. Green Bay & Aaron Rodgers. The Battle of the Bays — and in exchange, the Dallas franchise would get two first-round draft choices and, for the 2023 season, be spotted two victories before the season begins. A 2 and 0 start. Sounds fair, right?
D.C. DISCLOSURE: The marrow of my soul always reacts poorly to a Cowboys loss to Washington even though my hometown, Texarkana, Texas, has a rock-solid link to the (using my Tom Landry accent) “Warshin’tun” franchise. 
FYI: As you may know, the franchise was in Boston until 1937 when founder/owner George Preston Marshall moved it to Warshin’tun and revamped everything from uniforms and team name to songs. 
Marshall’s wife, film star/writer/real estate investor Corinne Griffith wrote the lyrics to the first team fight song, Hail to the …. well, the name has been changed. Corinne, known as “The Orchid Lady of the Screen,” was the granddaughter of an early 3-time mayor of Texarkana, Antonio Ghio. Ever see that Jackie Gleason movie Papa’s Delicate Condition? Yep, that’s Corinne’s story of her grandfather.
One more fight song story? When the NFL was considering expanding to Dallas (before the birth of the Cowboys) — this is documented by many sportswriters and historians — potential Big D franchise owner Clint Murchison bought the rights to “Hail To The Redskins” (apologies for using the whole name) and used owning the rights to the song as a bargaining point to get the Washington owner Marshall to drop opposition to Dallas getting a team. And we all saw the result on Sunday — 26-6, Commanders.
Ah, it’s a Monday. A day for contemplating.
—- Offer clear-minded tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com and put WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE COWBOYS? in the subject line. —-