SOME DAYS ARE CHALLENGING FOR THE ANIMALS AND THE HUMANS...

EDITION OF TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY OCT. 17-18, 2023 [PetPowellPress]  “Hail Texas High School, we are as one…” — Sorry, ol’ chums and Dear Readers. In the mood for music, I inadvertently punched the internal juke box button for my ol’ school’s alma mater. Texas High School in Texarkana, Texas. After the brief high school melancholy moment, I sang along with Willie Nelson on his Night Life and then Waylon Jennings and his song from long-ago, Green River. 
Right now, I’m on the brink of singing State Fair with our dog Dudley the Angel, a mix of Border Collie and — appropriately for my current craving — Chocolate Lab.
FYI: I need these songs because they can take me back beyond the alarming constant wartime reporting on TV news, constant opinions on talk radio, etc.
Fortunately, I still adore happy-making chocolates and what chocolates don’t make a hefty lad happy?  A hefty, simple lad -- with a yearning for peace, love and joy.
A DOG NAMED YOGI BEARS
GETTING SOME ATTENTION….
Play on words there by the ol’ wordsmith, eh? This guy Yogi has a tale to tell that we first heard about from Karen Lee , our tipster with the helping animals organization barkleyworld.com. She’d been in touch with our ol’ pal Gail Whelan of Companion-Animal Network about this German Shepherd/Lab Mix Yogi.

Gail’s bio for Yogi reads, “Yogi’s family had a lifestyle change and he has found himself with nowhere to go.  This is heartbreaking! He did nothing wrong.  Please consider this beautiful dog to be your next family member.  Yogi has been professionally trained at K-9 Culture. He is fully vaccinated, neutered and heartworm negative.
”
The 65-pound adult fellow is described as “fun, active dog. He loves to play and would make a great hiking or jogging companion. He has a lot of energy but has a good off switch and will happily hang out at home after a nice walk. He has graduated a Board and Train and knows sit, down and place, heel and loose-leash walking outside in neighborhoods and indoors at dog friendly stores.”

And there’s this, Gail reports: If he’s adopted in the DFW Metro area, the K-9 Culture trainers “ will do some training with the new owner and Yogi to help with the bond.”

To ask about auditioning to adopt Yogi, email Gail at [email protected] or call 903-967-3226.

AMONG THE DOGS WAITING
IN MESQUITE’S SHELTER
OK, here we go with a report on seven dogs with familiar names — they’re all in the Mesquite Animal Shelter. Their biographies are online at the Mesquite shelter’s website HERE. So are the biographies of a bunch of other dogs and cats. To get the most publicity for these animals with just a small amount of type, we’re going to do brief bios — the full bios are available to read on that Mesquite site.
SHAKESPEARE (#54565433) Is a year-old German Shepherd pup who came in as a stray on Oct. 10, reports our tipster, the volunteer dog bio-writer Debra Chisholm. She says he’s fun-loving, needs some manners training, enjoy the “play equipment” in the yard and is “constantly on the move.” She also says, “He doesn’t want to be a yard dog, but, instead, an important and valued family member allowed to live inside.”

Call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected] (same routine for all of these animals. And always cite the animals shelter ID number.

 SPOCK (#54572504), IS DESCRIBED by Debra as a “handsome boy with a sleek and shiny chocolate-colored coat.” He’s a Doberman Pinscher picked up as a stray on Oct.11, she says, and adds, “One of our volunteers describes him as 73 pounds of love because he is a total love bug.” He’s 6 years old, “walks beautifully on a leash” and “does not seem to know any commands.” He also “wasn’t interested in treats, toys or balls. He mostly wants to hang out with a human friend” and Debra ads, “It is a total mystery how or why this precious boy has ended up in a city shelter with no one coming to reclaim.”

 TANNER (#54171893) Debra writes that “precious youngster” Tanner is a year-old, 66-pound mixed breed and the dog Tanner has a long list of those breeds (See the list when you click onto the Mesquite shelter website and navigate to Tanner’s bio.) He came in as a stray on Sept.16 and underwent treatment for “entropion, an abnormality of the eyelids in which the eyelid rolls inward.” It’s painful and damaging to the cornea, his bio says. It also reads, “On the whole, Tanner is a friendly dog with soft, fluffy fur and … a “sweet, calm, gentle and mellow personality.”
SAMSON (#54156376) AND DELILAH (#54156349) are siblings who came into the shelter as strays on September 14. Their biographer, volunteer dog-writer Judi Brown, says, “The reason they have been at the shelter so long is they came in with scabies and needed to be treated. Now they’ve been given a clean bill of health.” Both are playful and loving 3-month-old pups who are, perhaps, Border Collie/American Pittie mixes. And Judi reports that Samson is “jovial, squirmy, tail-waggin friendly and extremely affectionate.” She also says, “He needs practice oin a leash as he gets tangled around your legs.”
Judi describes Delilah as “a bundle of love! If you’re looking for a playmate look no further.” At 10 pounds, she’s two pounds lighter than her brother. Judi says, “Delilah would love to …go home with ou for Halloween. she would love to sit on the porch with you and help greet the trick-or-treaters. …. She’s very playful and even started playing with autumn leaves in the yard. To her the world is a playground.” She also has the same “tangle the leash in the human’s legs” tendency her brother has.
BETTY (#54551734), her bio by Judi reads, “has a pretty face with soft brown eyes. Here cream, tan, black coloring is stunning.” She’s a 3-year-old, 64-pound German Shepherd mix who came in as a stray on October 7. Judi writes that Betty “explored the yard …. Then, she spent the rest of the time hanging out with me.” She would, Judi writes, “look up at me with those brown eyes of hers. Betty melted my heart. She’s lively, sweet, friendly affectionate and very attentive.” She is, Judi says, “waiting for a loving home where she can shower her new family with hugs and kisses.”
BABETTE (#54568960) is a 2-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier/Staffordshire Bull Terrier/sweetest thing ever/true love bug” mix, her bio subject line read. She came in on Oct. 10 as a stray and Judi writes, “I absolutely adore this girl. She is as sweet as she looks.” She’s not spayed and she “recently had a litter,” Judi reports. “She’s too sweet and lovable to be an outside dog. When she first went out into the yard, she was shaking and her tail was tucked. However, with time and some TLC she relaxed. Then she decided I was OK. Then she decided I was her BFF. At this point, she moved to the top of the list to be one of my favorites at the shelter…..”
REMEMBER, when you go to the Mesquite Animal Shelter site HERE, you’ll see not only the bios of these animals in full, but also of many other dogs and may cats, too. Among the cats is Lolli (#54560596), a 29-day-old girl with a fantastic face of colors and some cute paws, too. She’s a “staff foster” for right now and a “rescue only” at the time. She came in on October 9. [LARRY ASIDE: And amazingly, Lolli is listed as a small member of the extraordinarily rare — I’m checking on that — Domestic Shorthair Mix. From personal experience at readlarrypowell.com: Kittens grow up to be great companions — all depends on the human. Good humans=great cats.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
MORE LIKE ‘CONFESSIONS’ IN THIS EPISODE
As promised in our opening segment, we’re Contemplationing. Wait, Larry, isn’t that “contemplating?” Yes, “contemplationing” is a word that may exist ONLY in the universe of the preceding sentence. Let’s move along. …
I’m happy to have cravings for choclate — and the will power to cherish chocolate without sneaking the gloriously sinful snacks. 
I’ve never met a chocolate treat that didn’t make me happy. Lately my dreams have been accented by merry characters offering me a slice of chocolate pie from the 2023 pie-baking contest at the State Fair of Texas. Happy dreaming. Oh, my. That dream put three pounds on me overnight. Just kidding. 
My funspouse Martha and I judged the dozens and more chocolate pies at this year’s State Fair. We’ve judged cakes, pies, breads and cookies before. Judging chocolate pies was a high honor, not just a high-calorie honor!!!. 
You cooking contestants understand the joy of pie-baking. I don’t bake, but I sure have eaten a lot of pies in my lifetime. Martha bakes a mean mincemeat, seasonally joyous pumpkin pie and, among others, a great chocolate pie using her Grandmomma’s recipe. Pie — such a joy.
…[LARRY PERSONAL NOTE TO THE STATE FAIR: Whenever I hear the State Fair movie theme and the lyrics “Our State Fair is a great State Fair…” I don’t just think of the midway and holding hands with “datespouse Martha,” I think of the hardworking people who gather in the off-season and during the fair each year to turn the city’s Fair Park into the greatest State Fair in the country. We’ve watched the constant growth of the Creative Arts Division for years. Years. With the artwork, the quilting, the collecting, the cooking and other exhibits and events — the Creative Arts Division is truly a wonderful display of the “Soul of the Great State of Texas.” It’s an “everybody’s welcome” situation for contestants, audiences and people who treasure the Lone Star State....

Lately — you’ll figure out why — I’ve been moved to remember a 1958 song written and performed by the great Johnny Cash. “Don’t take your guns to town… Leave your guns at home….” I cite those lyrics in case anybody comin’ to town has ideas to the contrary. Leave your guns at home.
 And we’ll close with this peace-lovin’ quote from Mr. Cash, “All your life, you will be faced with a choice. You can choose love or hate… I choose love.”
Peace unto us all and tend carefully to the goodness in your hearts.
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