SAVING DOGS AND NEUTERING CATS AMONG THE TOPICS, PLUS THE OLD SHELTER METHODS...

EDITION OF JUNE 1-2, 2023 [PetPowellPress] Heading toward halfway through 2023, we still have no idea how to convince residents of Texas to quit dumping animals in city shelters and onto city streets just so they can be euthanized in shelters to make way for the next load of animals being dumped.
Is that too harsh a view of the human hearts at work in the Lone Star State? And, it can’t all be because there was a pandemic, right? 
Geez, shelters have been buying euthansia juice in bulk since gassing, clubbing and shooting the animals were outlawed. When you get to Contemplations, we’ll have one more paragraph for you. That photo? That's our dumped-in-the-neighborhood dog, Border Collie mix Dudley the Angel being head-bonked by his friend, Esme the formerly feral kitten. Rescued, they were.  Both from the same notorious animal-dumping  Zip Code in Dallas, specifically, our front yard. Lucked out, didn't they... 
In the meantime, let’s try to find something upbeat for the weekend’s approach.
Like, for example, enduring hard work by the beloved people I proudly refer to as “my fellow animal nuts.”
MAZIE’S MISSION SIGNALS
A WARM NEED FOR A CAT PAIR
You know, by now, Mazie’s Mission, founded in 2014, is “the very first non-profit veterinary clinic that serves rescue organizations only.”
And, along the way Mazie’s Mission has done a pretty big bit of rescuing on its own . 
In an e-mail this week, the Mazie’s Mission appeal read, “Chaplin [colorful cat looking up] is a shy, sweet and calm little fella. He frightens easily with loud noises and people he does not know but once he gets to feeling comfortable in his surroundings, he is a funny little man. He is all about the scratches and will voice out when he wants to get the pets. He gets along with his foster siblings but is pair bonded with his brother Rowdy [the black cat].

“Chaplin and Rowdy have a unique bond and are always side by side. We would love nothing more than for them to find a forever home together. He and his brother may be best-suited in a household of older children. They are neutered, micro-chipped, fully vaccinated, heart-worm negative combo test negative for cats, and fecal negative. If you think you could be Rowdy and Chaplin's new family, please click on the adoption application link below.”

Here’s that LINK.

 This may be June, but that dog is July, also a Mazie’s Mission adoptable. The story reads, “July is good with everything and everyone. She is very independent, she likes to explore on her own. She loves her people. July is spayed, microchipped, fully vaccinated, heartworm negative, and fecal negative. If you think you could be July's new family, please click on the adoption application link.”
Mazie’s Mission is in Carrollton. Visit maziesmission.org or call 972-306-2223.
IT’S NEARLY SUMMER BUT
A DOG IS ‘ON THIN ICE’
This challenge was forwarded to us by our longtime Houston-area tipster Alexandra Kelsey. The subject line on the email read “Shelter Fave-On THIN Ice! Freckles has a $300 offer (Brazoria Co., Houston metroplex).”
And the story goes, “Ann Callan is trying to help the Brazoria County ACO save a shelter fave, but this darling dog is on cracking ice.  

“Officer [Arin] Mezzino from Brazoria County reached out to Ann [May 30] trying to urgently find rescue for an incredibly sweet, young, healthy, happy-go-lucky, adoptable dog named Freckles. 
“Freckles is on the RED List for length of stay and the officer doesn’t want to see him put down.

“Ann … reports that Freckles is good with big and small dogs. [A] video shows him fetching him a Kong Toy with another dog.
“He is HW negative and current on all vaccines. He only needs a neuter and a reputable rescue group to save him asap.

“Ann is offering a $300 donation to cover his temp boarding and neuter until she returns to town on 6/14 and can then foster him for a reputable group, preferably one doing out-of-state adoptions in addition to in-state.|
 The note from our tipster Alexandra say, “Contact Ann if you can help: [email protected]  and please pass this one on, as we are Freckles’ only chance.”
THE CHIHUAHUA THAT ARRIVED
AS A STRAY: MOE IS READY TO GO
This tip came from Mesquite Animal Shelter volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown. She had the privilege of meeting Moe.
And she writes, “Don’t let Moe’s age fool you. He’s quite active for his age and even jumps up on chairs to get closer to his human friends. Moe is an 11- to 13-year-old golden Chihuahua that came to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 5/25 as a stray. 

“The bonus is that he is already fixed. He only weighs 13 pounds so could go almost anywhere with you. He would fit perfectly in a grocery cart.
“Besides being adorable with his big brown eyes and his perky ears, he’s got a winning personality! He doesn’t exactly sit for treats. Instead, he jumps up for them. It’s almost like a little dance.

“He was not interested in playing with toys or balls. He’s friendly, active, alert, sweet, loving, and a lapdog wannabe. He sniffed some other dogs, but was intimidated by those that were barking at him. … He prances on a leash.
“I do not see any sign of arthritis. He appears to like going for walks. He would most likely do best with a laid-back family with older children because of his age. He still has a lot of life and love left in him!”
To ask about adopting or rescuing Moe, use his shelter ID #52746462 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
See more Mesquite dogs and a boatload of cats and kittens by clicking on this city shelter LINK.
Among the kittens — enough to make you ask “Doesn’t anybody around here spay and neuter cats?” — is this girl #52758760. No name, just a number for this 2 month-old, small Domestic Shorthair mix. She came in on May 27 and she is available for adoption. Where would you find her? In the Nursery at Mesquite Animal Services. [LARRY ASIDE: That look on her face won me and I’d go get her if the looks on the faces other cats hadn’t beat her to my cat-prone behavior! Somebody get that girl and give her a great cat life!]
CONTEMPLATIONS
SPEAKING OF NEUTERING CATS AT HALF-PRICE & OTHER THINGS
Here is a chance to pay just half-price to have your cat neutered. And if I write “neutered” that means this is for boy cats. “Spayed” is the operative word for the females — I know you think everybody knows that, but, honest, everybody doesn’t — there are some gaps in the Cat 'n' Canine Knowledge Lessons in some lives. Back to the point: We learned from our longtime tipster Sydney Bush that throughout June, the Friends of the Animals is “offering half-off” on neutering cats. Usually cost $50; for June it’s just $25. As you know, the Friends of the Animals operate, so to speak, the world’s most successful spay/neuter clinic in Gun Barrel City, Texas. You’ve got to make an appointment —that requires a $20 deposit to “hold that appointment.” The note says the Friends “can take a credit/debit card on the phone or you can come into the clinic between 8 a.m.-4 p.m. any Tuesday to make your appointment.” Also, if your cat doesn’t have proof of a rabies vaccination, he can get one for $15. Also, for $5, the cat will get a quick-kill, 24-hour flea pill.” To get an appointment or ask questions, call the Friends at 903-887-7387. Is Friends of the Animals experienced in this field? The answer from the non-profit is, “We have been open for 21 years and have performed almost 59,000 surgeries.” That’s a lot of testicles and reproductive parts, isn’t it?
WE HAVE COME TO THIS NOTE and it touches on our opening about dumping animals and on the importance of spay and neuter in saving lives of animals.
As I was researching the question, “How long has it been since Texas outlawed gassing in animals shelters?” I ran across this passage in a 2013 story in The Big Paper Downtown, i.e., The Dallas Morning News. It’ll make your skin crawl.
It reads, “Prior to the Texas Euthanasia Act of 2003, Texas shelters were killing dogs and cats by drowning, shooting, clubbing, strangling and by carbon monoxide poisoning from truck and car exhaust systems hooked up to makeshift plywood boxes. The 2003 law prohibited most of these methods, limiting shelters to two methods: carbon monoxide gassing or sodium pentobarbital (euthanasia by injection/EBI)."
It’s better now than it was, but the innocent animals are still just as dead.
—- Offer safe solutions for animals by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected]. —-