AH, DUSTY AIR, CHALLENGES OF ANIMAL ADOPTIONS AND RESCUE: IT'S TEXAS...

EDITION OF MONDAY/TUESDAY FEB. 27-28, 2023 [PetPowellPress] Any dust in the air? Time to change the filter on the heating & cooling system. Always fun to do while explaining to the cats that they can’t go through that door in the hallway. Mew. The dogs have no interest in what’s behind the door except they’ll chip in to make sure the AC gets serviced each year. They all have debit cards. You dogs don’t have debit cards? Our cats have staffers with cards.
See that dog? I’m not the only guy who’ll swear on a stack of dog treats that, “I wish I could be as handsome and relaxed as this guy Jayson.” Well, we’ll get to him and the donation and the need to find a real home in a minute.
‘SHAKING AND HER TAIL
WAS TUCKED’ BUT NOW….
Here we go with a few examples of how shelter volunteers get “personal” when trying to hustle up homes for animals. Naturally, we turn to our pals at Mesquite Animal Services. 
The subject line on the first note I opened made me think of a dog all dressed up for a party — it included the words “well-mannered/heels.”
Of course, in the context of our lives, that has nothing to do with cocktail parties celebrating the Oscars. The subject line on the email we got from volunteer Debra Chisholm read “Kaylee ID 52107361 2yr Coonhound/Foxhound mix/EXTREMELY SWEET/well mannered/heels/Mesquite,TX.” And we turned to Debra’s volunteer dog-writin’ colleague Judi Brown for the full report on Kaylee. 
Judi’s bio began, “If you think Kaylee is cute in these photos she’s even cuter in real life! Kaylee is a 2-year-old Coonhound/Foxhound/Mountain Dog mix that arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 2/21 as a stray. She weighs 44 pounds. She is not spayed.
The two words that describe her best are “EXTREMELY SWEET”! 
“When she first came out of her kennel she was shaking and her tail was tucked. With TLC she warmed up. However, she is still on the timid side. She explored the yard briefly but mostly stayed close to me. There’s no doubt she wanted human interaction but mostly I think she was staying close for security. She sits for treats and takes them gently. She is gentle, calm, laid-back, easy-going, and at first cautiously friendly. There’s no doubt she would be a loyal devoted companion. … She walked extremely well on a leash. As a matter fact she heeled every few steps looking up at me. She was intimidated by the other dogs but did not show any signs of aggression. To sum it up she’s a real sweetheart!! Anyone would be more than lucky to have her for their pet!”
Use Kaylee’s shelter ID 52107361 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
Same system for these dogs and the cat. Read on.
Buttercup (#52091800) is described as a year-old spayed Brindle/Border Collie/Catahoula Leopard mix.
And Judi’s note also reveals, “Buttercup wanted to wear the pretty collar for her photo shoot so she would make a big impression. Doesn’t she look festive?… Buttercup arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 2/18 as a stray. She is spayed! You might call her a brindle beauty. She’s got a winning personality.” She also appears to be smiling when posing for photos and Judi says, “That’s because she’s a happy girl. After initially exploring the yard she stayed close indicating she likes human interaction. She sat for treats and took them gently. It was obvious she wanted to please. She chased some balls but did not retrieve them. Her tail wags a lot. She’s friendly, sweet, gentle, easy-going and affectionate. She walked relatively well on a leash. She sniffed some dogs in the bay wagging her tail and ignored the ones that were barking at her. … So my  question is ‘What’s not to love about this soft cuddly girl?’ She would love to cuddle with your family on the couch or at your feet as you’re watching TV. She told me she’d even be a fan of whatever team you support.” 

Judi, in her bio of Drake, says he’s “trying to imitate Spuds MacKenzie with the patch over his eye.” Drake is #52107396. [LARRY ASIDE: For you kids, Spuds MacKenzie was introduced as the Bud Light spokesdog in the ‘80s.”
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And Judi wrote, “He may not look exactly like Spuds but he is a handsome boy and this patch makes him very distinctive. He is a 10-month-old, 53-pound Pit mix who arrived at the [shelter] on 2/21 as a stray. He is not fixed.”
Judi also writes, “I was met in the kennel with tail wags and was sure I was meeting a very friendly dog. But then he got scared of the other dogs barking and had to be carried out into the yard. After I took time walking him and brushing him he eventually relaxed and his tail started wagging. He even started to venture off exploring. 
“For the most part he stayed close wanting special attention. He occasionally jumped on me but keep in mind he’s only 10 months old and can be taught not to do this. He didn’t know what I was asking him to do when I tried to get him to sit. You could tell he wanted to obey but just didn’t understand. He did like treats and took them gently. He chased balls but did not retrieve them. When I sat down he immediately came to me. He put his head on my lap and enjoyed having his head scratched. Like I said I had to carry him out into the yard but once I got him out into the yard he walked back and forth on the leash without a problem. Because he was so scared I did not get to introduce him to other dogs. If you have another dog we always suggest you asked the shelter to do a dog test. Drake has a lot of love to give to a family that will love him. He wants to be a mostly inside dog hanging out with his new family.”
Remember, use the ID numbers when you contact the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected]. 
Here’s the SHELTER LINK. Look at many more dogs there. And you can see many cats at the shelter, too — there’s a whole raft of Trap-Neuter-Return black-and-white cats from Wilkinson Street on the website. This cat, however, is not among the Wilkinson cats. This is Luna (#51788736) a small, young female who came into the shelter on December 30. She’s waiting in the Conference Room at the shelter. And, of course, as you can tell, she is one of the extremely rare wide-eyed Domestic Shorthair mixes — not sure if other shelters around the United States have as many of these beautiful cats as Mesquite and other North Texas shelters. [LARRY ASIDE: They’re pretty rare. We only have two of them at readlarrypowell.com — both from Dallas County, Esme and William Powell. Perfect cats. I’m hinting on behalf of Luna and other rare breed dogs and cats. Readlarrypowell.com defines “rare breed” broadly under the “Save ‘Em All” category.]
SAD SHELTER LAMENT:
‘MORE DOGS DAILY’
We could say that’s a “lament,” but we also could call it a “chorus from the shelters.”
As you surely know by now, the do-good volunteers at 4-Legged Helpers focus on the small shelters that are overloaded without being overvisited (if that's a word.). These are shelters without any “marketing budgets” or, in some cases, “hired staffers” — might just be one city employee handling all the responsibilities of “animal control officer/shelter director/maintenance, etc.”
Sometimes the folks with 4-Legged Helpers manage to line up donations on behalf of dogs on the clock —- keep reading.
Usually the 4-Legged Helpers stocl to several smaller shelters on the southern side of Dallas, but this guy Kip is on the northern side of Lake Grapevine in a place called Double Oak, Texas (a settlement in the 1880s. The Helpers report that Kip is an 8-month-old, neutered Lab/Shepherd mix who is, his bio reads, “Super sweet and so completely lovable! Such a cutie pie. …adores all people, all children, all other dogs. A very kind person rescued him and got him fully vetted but now needs to find him a great rescue or home. Please help save him!!!!!  Please hurry!” 
The contact points for Kip, as for any animal on the Helpers’ radar are call or text 214-949-27 26 or email [email protected]
And that brings us to the combined efforts to save animals in the Ferris and Hutchins area via the Helpers and the Ferris shelter.
Trevor (left)  is a Boxer/Pointer mix who, the Helpers report, is admired by people who’ve met him and the dog admires the people right back. “He was found out and about and playing with some children…He was wearing a harness and lead and the lead attached had been torn. Poor guy was starving. Thank goodness he stopped to play with kids. …. He is a great boy who adores other dogs.”
Beck is a Bulldog mix described in his bio as “Best dog ever.  We are serious!  Super cute and loving!   Adores everyone. This CUTIE PIE is just adorable.  He was found in Hutchins out and about on his own.  He is the sweetest, most lovable guy. Beck is a great size and he poses when you photograph him!!!!  He was dog tested with a female dog and they had the best time playing. Also does extremely well with male dogs.”
Brady is a Lab/Bulldog mix, maybe a year-and-a-half-old, who was found “out and about on his own by a kind person.” His bio reads that the young, neutered rascal is “house-trained!!” Yep, he got TWO exclamation points for being house-trained. The bio also reads, “Brady is the absolute sweetest cuddly marshmallow pup you could meet.  ADORES people and all other dogs.  He is silly and sweet and would be the most perfect hiking or running or tv watching companion.  Ready to go anywhere or do anything.  Carries around the rope toy ready for fun.  ADORES RIDING IN THE CAR. Lol. If you are looking for a cuddly sweetie that adores everyone and everything, look no further.”

 And that brings us to Mr. Handsome. Mr. Cool. Jayson, currently in the Ferris Animal Shelter. [LARRY ASIDE: We opened today’s report with him because he’s able to do two things that escape your mirror-shy scribe: He can look good; he can relax. And we’d adopt him if we hadn’t already hit the limit on critter adoptions.]
The Helpers’ bio of Jayson reads that he is a Retriever/Black Mouth Cur Mix who is a young male. And, the text continues, “Jayson is such a cutie pie!   Only about a year old. He was found out and about with some other dogs and he is SUPER SWEET. His big chocolate brown eyes and that beautiful cream colored fur would melt anyone’s heart.  Such a sweetie!!!!  Very cute and very deserving boy.  Please, help save him!!!!!  Help!!!”
Some of these shelter animals have a $275 donation to the non-profit that rescues them. Ask about it when you contact the 4-Legged Helpers by calling as call or text 214-949-2726 or email [email protected]. 
You can see these animals and more on the Ferris Animal Shelter Facebook page HERE. And keep up with the 4-Legged Helpers adorable adoptables and shelter animals in need by clicking onto this Facebook page.
CONTEMPLATIONS
DUST, WIND AND DYLAN
Decades ago, when I was a young reporter at The Fort Worth Press, a thickish dust storm blew into Cowtown from the west and I heard a lawyer quote his daddy (also a lawyer): “Parker County’s comin’ to town.” Of course, while living in Cowtown in the early ‘70s, I also learned of the glory of Parker County Peaches. Oh, my. Pretty sure they’re still around. Texas Legislature agreed long enough in 1991 to designate Parker County “the Peach Capital of Texas.” And there’s that festival mentioned in this artwork. …

In the opening I mentioned our dogs and their debit cards. Let me go a little bit farther with that in the writer's chase for another paragraph:
 I’d be comfortable sending our dogs to a store with their debit cards. The cats? No. Our cats have two staffers with debit cards who go to the store for them.
Felt like some thoughtful music. Here’s a Bob Dylan number called Things Have Changed.
Ain’t it the truth.
—- Offer ideas or doubts by clicking on ‘comment’ or by emailing [email protected] and put WAKE UP AND TYPE in the subject line. —-