DOGS AND CATS AND SHELTERS AND PEOPLE; PLUS AN 'ENDLESSLY SWEET DOG'

EDITION OF TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 2023 {PetPowellPress] Before we get to some heart-touching stories, we have these things to note: the Holiday Insight’s  online calendar says March 1 was National Pig Day and that the 14th is (Drop that ‘g’!) National PI day (3.14 for those of you who skipped that day in junior high math). 
Now, we’re going to move along to helping animals and the people who help them. 

And, we have a very touching Contemplation about a dog named Scully, a dear and beloved companion…
LOOKING INTO THE GANG
WAITING AT MESQUITE…
So many animals in so many shelters around here. And we’re fortunate to have connections with Mesquite Animal Shelter’s volunteer dog biographers Judi Brown and Debra Chisholm.
The story of this pup comes from Judi who met him. Judi wrote, “This handsome stocky guy that’s waiting to go home with you is named Cowboy. He’s a 3-year-old, 67-pound English Staffordshire Terrier/Mountain Dog mix that arrived … on 3/7 as a stray. He is not neutered. He is tri-colored with a glossy black coat.

“This is a case where the tail wags the dog. Cowboy is very alert and curious and explored every nook and cranny in the shelter yard. He sits for treats and takes them gently. He was not interested in balls. He appeared to be a little nervous in that he was drooling. That’s not surprising as he never expected to find himself at a shelter and doesn’t quite understand what’s going on. When I called him he came to me and put his head on my lap. … He’s friendly, well-mannered and doesn’t jump on you. He’s also active but not overly so. He’s loving and judging from his tail wagging he appears to be happy. He would do well in an active family.”

Cowboy is #52194904 — use his ID when you call the shelter at l 972-216-6283 or email rescues@cityofmesquite.com.
Judi also got to meet this beautiful fellow Alpine. She says he’s a “handsome, fluffy” year-old Great Pyrenees/Retriever mix — came in on March 6 as a stray. Weighs 65 pounds and isn’t neutered — yet. 
Judi says Alpine is “extremely sweet, friendly, gentle, well- mannered, playful, easy going, and affectionate. Most the time he stayed close to me and when he did walk around the yard he did so slowly. It was obvious he wasn’t in a big hurry to go anywhere — that is, until I got out a ball and then he came to life! He bounded after the ball. He did this several times. He went so far as to put it in his mouth but did not bring it back to me. He wags his tail a lot. He didn’t appear to know the sit command but did take the treats gently. He walks very well on the leash. … He visited with several dogs in the small kennels wagging his tail. When I sat down he came to me to be petted. This dog is a total love bug! As gentle as he is he would most likely do well with young children that would be gentle with him.”
Alpine is #52187209.
There are so many more dogs and cats in the Mesquite shelter. You can see them and read the bios generated by Judi and Debra and other volunteers by clicking on this LINK.
And, there’s Tiger, said to be 3-years-a-month-and-11 days-old (Shelter’s bio says). Tiger’s ID is #520022242. And he is, as catfans can easily see, a rare Domestic Shorthair Mix. [LARRY ASIDE: Not sure how “rare”; we have just two of them at readlarrypowell.com — both found wandering the same neighborhood in Dallas. So, yeah, I kid the “rare” cats.] 
Tiger, with his beautiful coat, is available in the shelter’s Cat Room. He came into the Mesquite Shelter on Feb. 2. He’s neutered and ready to go to a good home that’ll make sure he knows he’s a member of the family, a key cog in a smooth-running household, a gem who brightens up the family circle.
THE SMALLER SHELTERS
HAVE BIG PERSONALITIES
The 4-Legged Helpers, the non-profit that focuses on moving unnoticed animals out of small shelters unseen in the shadow of Dallas, are hustling right now to find some humans to help.
 We got a note from the Helpers’ guiding light Laura Macias about how some of these animals come with $275 donations to the 501c3 that tags them. Plus, this reminder: You can make an adoption connection with these animals through the Helpers. Either way you want to help, contact the 4-Legged Helpers: Call or text: 214-949-2726 or email cat_girl_71@yahoo.com.
 The Helpers sent these bios of dogs either in the Ferris Animal Shelter or waiting in a home or vet office that rescued them on a very temporary basis.
This first beauty is Skye, a spayed Husky mix who was, according to the shelter bio, “found out and about with another doggie friend that we could tell she loved very much.  The other doggie was microchipped and returned to her owner leaving poor Skye alone.  Just so sad.   A kind person now has Skye at a vet clinic but she needs someone ASAP or she is probably headed to the shelter Please, this is EXTREMELY URGENT.  Please help save her!!!!!  You could not meet a nicer dog.”
That brings us to Bella, a Boxer/Catahoula Mix, who “was found in front of a veterinary clinic in Dallas.  Apparently someone that could no longer care for her was desperate to try to save her and tied her there in hopes they could help. Extremely well-behaved.  Amazing eyes!   Gentle little soul.  She is a sweet little couch potato.  The vet clinic where she currently is cannot keep her.  They have had her with a dog trainer for evaluation but she is supposed to return and they have no boarding for her….VERY URGENT!!!”
Krissy, who is also known as “Zuma,” is a Retriever/Bulldog mix in the Ferris shelter. Her bio reads, “Check out this cutie pie!  Look at her cute little white paws. Someone was no longer able to care for her and brought her in with the hope someone will save her.  She has been a house dog so clearly housetrained.   She is only 45 pounds.  Incredibly sweet.   Chonky and adorable.”

Trevor is a Boxer/Pointer Mix at the Ferris shelter. Young male, the bio says.
And it reads, “Everyone that has met Trevor absolutely adores him.  He was found out and about playing with some children.   Adores everyone and everything. Did extremely well in a cat test and likes other dogs!   Sweetest baby ever.
“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.  But now he needs your help to save him!!! He has the sweetest face ever with beautiful markings. … He needs someone ASAP.  He is a great boy that adores other dogs!”

Brady is a Lab/Bulldog mix in Ferris and he’s got a $275 pledge to the 501c3 that saves him.|HIs bio reads, “HOUSETRAINED!! 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. PLEASE HELP. A kind person found him out and about on his own in the rural county area.  Sure is cute!  One to 1.5 years old is best guesstimate.”
(Keep up with the Helpers on Facebook HERE.) 
[LARRY ASIDE: You’ll see how busy/filled the small shelters can get while the big shelters are really busy filling up, too.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
CONSIDERING THE LOSS OF SCULLY
Over the weekend, my rescuespouse Martha and I were reading and watching TV and suddenly Martha says tenderly, “Oh, no! Scully has died!” She’d seen a post on Facebook. Scully has been — for years — our nephew Lewis Powell's beloved dog. And, through the years, Lewis has posted many Scully photos.  

When I first think of Lewis, he’s still a “kid,” but decades later the reality is this way grown-up guy holds a Ph.D. and is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buffalo. He’s an accomplished academic and thinker. And his dog Scully has died. She owned his heart.
Martha read aloud the touching note Lewis posted about Scully. Yeah, we might have teared-up.
So on Monday, I asked Lewis about Scully and he wrote, “I got her from the Buffalo city shelter in 2015, and a year or so later, wound up picking the house I bought almost as much for her as for me. One of my primary criteria was to have a nice fenced in backyard for her.”
As you Dear Readers know, this Lewis/Scully connection demonstrates that an adoption is best done with the heart.
Over the weekend Lewis posted a wonderful tribute to his dog. His teary-eyed uncle is posting it here because so many of you Dear Readers know these sensations. Maybe you know someone who needs to understand the power of love we “animal nuts” experience.
Here’s Lewis’ announcement of Scully’s loss:
“My best friend and constant companion, Scully, had become notably lethargic a day and a half ago. She perked up slightly the next morning, but by last night she had basically lost all her energy and I had to take her to the emergency vet clinic. She was bleeding internally and her prognosis was not good. 

“They warmed her up and let me spend time with her. And my friend Sunny came out, so I wouldn’t have to be alone. I wound up spending a lot of time with her so I could say goodbye, which I appreciated but no amount of time saying goodbye really makes up for all the time I had expected to have with her.
“Scully was an endlessly sweet dog, loving towards everyone, tolerant of all of my shenanigans, willful and smart, but also a goofy couch potato. I was in no way prepared to say goodbye to her. I have been so used to having her around for the past 9 years, I don’t know what it will be like without her.”

As you can see, Scully was loved — she loved back. 
Other people responded to the loss of the legendary Scully. And on Tuesday, Lewis wrote, “I am deeply touched and overwhelmed at all the messages of support and sympathy I’ve gotten over the last several days. I don’t think I can respond to all those messages individually, but I did read each of them, and they are helping to buffer the enormity of my loss. I am surprised and warmed to see how many people’s lives she touched, even those who never even met her, but at the same time, I am not at all surprised, because, obviously, one wouldn’t have to meet her to see how wonderful she was.”

On March 14, 2019, Lewis posted this photo of Scully sleeping on the couch. He wrote the caption, “Sometimes you mush the couch, and sometimes the couch mushes you.”
Yes, Scully loved Lewis’ couch, or Lewis loved seeing Scully on her couch.
 All of us who saw Lewis’ description of that last evening — we know what it’s like. We know why we cried when we read it.
Lewis explained it in this sentence: “No amount of time saying goodbye really makes up for all the time I had expected to have with her.”
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