SOMETIMES A FANTASTIC DOG TAIL IS SPOTTED...OTHER TALES? CATS, A DOG WITH NO NAME, JONQUILS, & PEGASUS

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY, MARCH 15-16, 2022 [PetPowellPress] Still maladjusted to the time change? Of course. Anybody who has dogs and cats is probably still coping with the aftereffects of one lousy hour of change. OK, got that off my brain. (Porche, not smiling on the left, says she can't quite adjust, but more treats might help.)
You know who I worry about? People who devote every hour of their waking lives to rescuing animals from lousy situations or from clock-watching shelters. The term “compassion fatigue” comes to mind. You people are danged tough. Give yourselves a raise! (That last sentence about a raise is a joke, unless I win Lotto Texas.)
A LOOK AT ODIS IN FW;
AND A LITTLE CAT, TOO
There are so many animals in so many shelters, but every now and then we’ll remember a dog or cat that someone tipped us to a while back. That’s the case with this guy Odis who is being watched by animal fan LaDonna Wernersbach. 
As you may recall, Fort Worth Animal Care and Control has been experiencing assorted challenges — canine illnesses, overloading by people who let dogs “stray,” etc. It’s a big city, there are challenges spawned by big city residents.
OK, back to Odis. LaDonna reminds us that the “poor guy was positive for distemper for a while. Then re-tested weeks later and was negative.” There’s more, but the bottom line is Odis was in a shelter that was working hard to regain a “normal” status so animals could get adopted. 
You see there the status and biographical illustration for this guy Odis. (Click on it to make it grow.
By the time you read this, Odis may belong to someone or be safely in the hands of a rescue group. We’ll try to find out. But just in case, maybe you’ll want to check with the shelter…you know?

Here’s the link to the adoptable animals at Fort Worth Animal Care and Control.
 And among those animals is this cat, Stephanie (#51423719). [LARRY ASIDE: Regular readers will recognize that Stephanie is a member of that extraordinarily rare breed in the greater Dallas/Fort Worth Metrosprawl, the famed “Domestic Shorthair Mix.”]
Her Cowtown cat bio reads that she is 6 months old, small and a new arrival, having come into the North Animal Campus on March 14 — she’s neutered, so she will not be producing any new versions of the Domestic Shorthair Mix.
HERE'S A GREAT TAIL
WITH A GREAT DOG
ATTACHED TO IT!
This girl is among the animals waiting for a good home in the City of Mesquite Animal Shelter. And we learned about her and her spectacular tail from the shelter's volunteer dog biographer Debra Chisholm.
She wrote, "I have named this very attractive youngster Suzie Q.  She arrived on 3/9 as a stray at the Mesquite Animal Shelter.  Suzie Q weighs 58 pounds, is approx a year old and is not currently spayed.  It was fun to watch her stretch her legs and enjoy romping in the yard as though she was just so glad to get a break from her kennel. She chased balls but did not return them.
"It is hard to imagine why her people have not come looking for her. She walked quite nicely on a leash.  She pottied in the yard.  Suzie Q was not particularly interested toys or even treats.  She seemed a bit restless and it will take a few more days for her to acclimate to her new surroundings.  She was friendly with me and let me pet her without any issues.  She appears to have a moderate activity level and did not jump on me."
To ask about Suzie Q, use her shelter ID #52210991when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@ cityofmesquite.com.
See more Mesquite dogs and cats — lots of both of ‘em — by clicking on THIS LINK.
And, still waiting at the shelter is a cat we mentioned a few weeks back, the lovely Evelyn who just happens to be, like Stephanie in Fort Worth, one of those “rare breed” cats, a Domestic Shorthair Mix. Hardly ever see ‘em, right?
Evelyn is #51891339 at the Mesquite shelter — use that number when you ask about this year-and-a-month-old, medium-sized, cat who has been in the shelter since January 17. [LARRY ASIDE: She’s waiting in he Conference Room at the shelter, according to her on-line bio.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
A DOG, A FLOWER AND A PEGASUS PLAY
On Wednesday morning I was checking Facebook sites — I enjoy the posts of Dr. Glen Campbell, the vet known for his sense of humor and his hard work on behalf of the animals brought to the non-profit Friends of the Animals Spay/Neuter Clinic, the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic at Gun Barrel City, Texas. He’d posted this picture on his Facebook page HERE  and asked his readers, “What would you name him?” At last check, there’d been more than 150 dog name suggestions … Since I am a mouthy writer-type, I wrote, “Winston.... -- wait. If I name him, do I get to keep him? (I'm at the limit already). But this guy has a face to charm the world. Maybe Smiley or Charmer. Or Happy! Might take a couple of days of walkin’-around with him time to understand what he wants to be named.” In retrospect, maybe the time will help the dog communicate to me what his actual name already is! Yep, I’m pretty sure they’re smarter than I am — have you never known a dog who didn’t have a chauffeur or needed to sign a lease? He is too cute!
OK, EVERYBODY SETTLE DOWN even though I know and you know that it’s time for the big floral argument — Jonquils or Daffodils? In Washington, Ark., just about 40 miles northeast of Texarkana, Texas (and Texarkana, Ark.), the celebration flower is Jonquils for the “55th annual” Jonquil Festival this weekend at Washington State Park. The big artwork shows “jonquils” while the smaller artwork shows “daffodils” and to me, a guy who only knows the difference between grass and weeds, they look to be the same. What is the Texas connection? It’s historic. The Arkansas State Parks online site reads, “Washington’s most famous blacksmith, James Black, is credited with forging one of the original Bowie knives for James ‘Jim’ Bowie in the early 1830s.” I was born in Bowie County. Mr. Bowie perished on March 6, 1836, at the Alamo in San Antonio. And that concludes my jonquils/daffodils/Bowie Knife note. …
HERE’S A DEAL FROM PEGASUS, the great theatre people in Dallas. The headline has to do with Thursday's RadioViZion production of the play Mind Over Murder! by the Pegasus playwright Kurt Kleinmann. He’s famed for creating the “Living Black and White” theatrical experience that mimics B&W movie theater and TV mysteries of the previous century. And this production is, basically, a radio-studio production of the popular Mind Over Murder. 
For Thursday’s production, Pegasus is hosting a “PayWhat You Can” performance for the RadioViZion event. Click on THIS LINK
for show details and to make a reservation, though "reservations are “optional,” Pegasus says. The instruction’s explain, “After you’ve selected your seats, choose the ‘Pay What You Can’ option. You will not be charged anything until you arrive at the theatre. When you check in at the box office, simply pay the amount you wish to pay for your tickets. It’s that simple!” Pegasus Theatre is due some applause. If I slip into my Elmer Gantry character, can I get an 'Amen!'? [LARRY FYI: Theaters always need money. It fuels the productions — the expenses are odd sometimes — I was in a show once that had a portrait of a big white rabbit prominently displayed….fortunately, I think it was donated — by a fellow named Harvey, as I recall. Never met him, but I did appreciate him.
—- Offer advice or doubt by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put ‘LIVE THEATRE IS NO CHEAP THRILL’ in the subject line. —-