AMID THE HUMAN DRAMA, WE FIND THE TALES OF ANIMALS AND HOPE FOR RESCUE....

EXTRA EDITION OF FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2023 [PetPowellPress] We’re doing an extra edition because this is Super Bowl Weekend. I’m kidding. We just have some extra save-the-animals appeals to mention before we present the weekend’s Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap. We’ll get to local literature in CONTEMPLATIONS.
PREGNANT? PREGNANT?
ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
Calm down. I just wanted to get your attention. Nobody pregnant at the readlarrypowell.com address!
But we learned about this dog via the 4-Legged Helpers. She’s the German Shepherd girl Serena. Her brief bio reads, “This beautiful precious sweetheart was found running around on her own in Hutchins.  Serena is just as beautiful and sweet and loving as can be.  Only about 1.5 years old.  PREGNANT per shelter staff.”
In fact, the subject line on Serena’s email read “SHELTER STAFF BELIEVE SERENA IS PREGNANT - EMERGENCY!!  Tiny Shelter is not equipped to handle puppies!!!  HELP DESPERATELY NEEDED!!!”
Also drawing the 4-Legged Helpers’ spotlight today is this guy Beck, a Bulldog mix, also found “out and about on his own” in Hutchins. (Both Serena and Beck are in the current care of Ferris Animal Shelter, according to the Helpers. Beck’s bio begins, “This CUTIE PIE is just adorable.  … 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.”
To ask about helping these two, call or text the 4-Legged Helpers at 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
You can see many more animals getting the rescue spotlight from 4-Legged Helpers by going to the non-profit’s Facebook page HERE.
MEANWHILE, IN MESQUITE
SOME ADORABLES AWAIT…
As you know, the rescue info pipeline from Mesquite runs right into the inbox at readlarrypowell.com and we proudly praise the work of the volunteers at the Mesquite Animal Shelter.
These three dogs came to us courtesy of the keyboard of volunteer dog-writer Debra Chisholm. We’re starting with her bio of Ziggy, a dog with a great set of ears and a great tail, too.
 Ziggy’s shelter ID is #52000338 — refer to his ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@city ofmesquite.com. Same system for these other Mesquite animals, too.
Debra says Ziggy — about 2, 57 pounds and not neutered — came into the shelter as a stray on Feb. 2. His bio reads, “He is uneasy in the shelter environment and has not yet fully acclimated to his strange new surroundings. He is nervous, a bit standoffish and somewhat skittish right now. He pooped and pottied in the yard so is possibly house trained. He walks well on a leash. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy stretching his legs in the yard and spent a great deal of time with his nose to the ground exploring all the interesting smells. He did relax and seemed to loosen up a bit. All this to say that given time and interaction with staff and volunteers he will undoubtedly warm up and develop some trust and confidence.” [LARRY ASIDE: Handsome boy now depends on humans with beautiful souls.]
This guy is Blue, an American Staffordshire mix who came into the shelter on September 13. Debra writes, “Being at the shelter for 5 months makes him one of our LONG-TERM residents who needs out of the shelter ASAP.”
Blue is maybe 4 1/2 or 5 years old and neutered — weighs 72 pounds. He’s a strong puller when he is on a leash. Debra says, “He ran and played in the yard and seemed so excited to be outside and get some time away from his kennel.  Blue likes toys and will chase tennis balls, sometimes returning them...and sometimes not.  This happy-go-lucky, confident fellow would seem best suited for a person or family that is active and would give him the daily exercise, play and help with not jumping.  Because of the issue with his jumping on people, he would not be a good fit for a family with small children.  He loves treats and takes them gently.” Blue is #51109844. See contact info above.

And that brings us to Scooter (#51289617), a “mixed-breed boy that arrived on October 9 — a stray. He qualifies as a “long- term resident” because of that 4-month stay. He has great eyes, great ears and a great tail — that’s three-for-three on the pretty chart!
Scooter is neutered, about a year old and weighs 35-to-40 pounds.
Debra writes, “He has an unusual appearance with one blue/one golden eye and those cutesy stand-up ears.  Scooter is a tail-wagging, fun-loving, life-of-the-party kind of guy.  In the shelter yard he romps, leaps, runs and does zoomies.  He chases balls and is playful.  He loves treats and will take them gently.  Scooter does jump on you in his exuberance so that issue would need to be addressed.  He walks well on a leash.
 
“This lively, perky and frisky fellow would love to be a part of someone's household who would give him plenty of time, exercise and obedience training and that would give him a committed inside life with his people.” Remember: his ID is #51289617 and it’s the identifier when you all the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescvues@cityofmesquite.com.
CONTEMPLATIONS
WANT TO MEET A NOVELIST
BEFORE THE SUPER BOW?

This could give you something interesting to do in the hours before the Super Bowl on Sunday. I’m not kidding — yes, meet a novelist, a longtime pal of mine, Kim Pierce. 

And you can do it in the heart of Dallas without having to go to an airport and wonder about your flight schedule. Hallelujah? Indeed. The event spotlighting Kim’s book My Dead True Love is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Half Price Books at 5803 E Northwest Highway. 
That means you get to ignore the tedious TV advertising/expert predictions lull before the Big Game kickoff while enjoying some engaging time with an author/catfan/animal advocate. You’ve seen the name Kim Pierce in our readlarrypowell.com editions through the years — she’s a devoted cat fan (think saving cats on the SMU campus). She also is an animal advocate, having served for years on the City of Dallas Animal Advisory Commission. We worked together for years (editing and writing) at The Big Paper in Downtown Dallas. 
Kim’s going to be signing, discussing (and selling!) My Dead True Love from from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday or, as she notes with a smile, “Yes, before the Super Bowl!”
The summary of My Dead True Love reads, “When a newspaper reporter's fiancé dies abruptly, she questions how he could just cease to be. Dogged by unbidden thoughts, odd coincidences and unexplained phenomena, Ann Stewart becomes obsessed with finding out what really happens after we die and whether her beloved Gregory is still out there. She finds her answer, which takes her and a close-knit coterie of women to the edge of the cosmos-and the core of their own hearts.”

In a note about the book Kim wrote, “At its core, My Dead True Love is a love story - even through the difficult grief chapters. For how can you not grieve deeply if you have loved deeply?” [LARRY ASIDE: The book’s also available online, but at the Sunday pre-game book event you’ll also get to hear the legendarily sharp Kim Piece wit at work out loud and hear how she could write this story of such deep emotions. Hint: Newspaper people have hearts. Sometimes. Heroic and kind. Yes.]

—- Offer book tips by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing dallrp@aol.com. —-