A QUICK MONTH, SAVING ANIMALS, WONDERING ABOUT PEOPLE, CONTEMPLATING TELEVISION....

EDITION OF MONDAY, JAN. 29, 2024 [PetPowellPress] The only way I can explain how we've reached the 29th of January so swiftly is this: We were all frozen in Texas and time-traveled quickly toward the end of the month. Or, alternative question: How can a Texas August last so much longer than a Texas January?
 Kids, check with some Baby Boomers. They'll tell you that no months moved this quickly prior to man landing on the moon. If we ever set foot on Mars, no telling how fast a month will move. [LARRY NOTE: My Senior Office Cat William Powell takes a moment to check my temp with his nose-to-nose thermometer system. No charge, he says.]
By the way, call this edition a "Jumble" of situations. Why? Because it just seems as if there's not a shelter in the area that's not crowded, there's not a roadside field that doesn't have stray dogs or dumped dogs, there's not a village idiot in the State of Texas that isn't fully employed and active in our animal-dumping communities. Perhaps I am too harsh. Read on..
OVER THE WEEKEND
AN URGENT 'TIGER'
While bouncing through the assorted internet and Facebook sites within my computer's reach, I ran across this note on the Urgent Pets Of Dallas Animal Services page.
This dog joined the line of animals that have, for my entire life, won my heart with a glance.
That is Tiger (#A1202210), according to the Urgent Pets page. As of this writing (Sunday evening) we have no idea what her status is at DAS, but we do have the latest report we found.
Tiger is a 2-year-old, 46-pound, heartworm negative girl off the mean streets of Dallas. 
She was found, the note says, in the 2800 block of Metropolitan Avenue in Dallas. On the 27th, the note says, she was being treated for vaginal prolapse. [LARRY ASIDE: I don't know about this condition, but I do wonder if she'd been used as a breeding momma. Anybody give us the facts? Email [email protected].]
 The Urgent Pets posting says the shelter observation is that she is "friendly, walks on leash, allowed to pet." 
Connections: To adopt Tiger, email [email protected] and go to the shelter at 1818 N. Westmoreland. To foster, email [email protected]. To rescue: email [email protected].
The post included this line:
 DEADLINE MONDAY, 1/29 at 11 AM,

 MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE
SOME BIOS AND ADORABLES
We've got a few animals from the Mesquite volunteer dog-writers and their hard work should be rewarded by animals being adopted into wonderful homes. Every now and then, readlarrypowell.com leans toward expecting daily miracles in animal shelters throughout the metrosprawl. We know how hard the volunteers and staffers work in Mesquite. 

We begin with Zoey, a 4-year-old, 76-pound Doberman Pinscher girl who in as an owner surrender -- her humans were moving, according to the bio sent to us by Jamie Dotson. Zoey is #55163495. Use that ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected].
Jamie writes, "Tho she is unsure why she was left at the shelter, she realizes that we are going to help her find her a loving family. She is very calm, kind, and an affectionate girl. She walks well on a leash and takes treats gently. ... She has had a few litters of puppies and has a few calluses on her legs as it appears she has been laying on concrete. ...When sitting on the bench she will put her paws in my lap and lean in so I can rub her ears, and give her a kiss on her head. As the other dogs were barking, she did not show any interest in them... She deserves to have a secured backyard to play in, but must be an indoor dog."
Candy (#55116842) is a 2-year-old, 42-pound spayed Boxer/Pittie mix who arrived as a stray on Jan. 17. "She is a cute little girl but does not understand why she is at the shelter," Jamie writes, then adds, "She is a bit shy at first but does warm up. Candy loves to sit close, cuddle and get tummy rubs. It appears she may have lived inside and been house-trained. And she has told me having a loving happy home where she lives inside, having her own fluffy dog bed, and receiving lots of petting, is exactly what she dreams of."
Volunteer dog-writer Debra Chisholm provided with the bio of Cowboy (#55132274). She says he's "a cutesy mixed breed boy picked up as a stray by one of our officers and brought to the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 1/19.  Cowboy is approx 4 months old and weighs 20 pounds.  Does he ever have lots of personality!  He is a tail-wagging, high energy puppy with a real zest for life!  He is playful, knows the sit command and will do so for treats.  In fact, that was his primary focus during our photo session.  He is friendly, affectionate, tried to climb on my lap and will give kisses.  He likes to be petted and loved on.  There is not a bit of fear or nervousness about him.  He has adjusted ok to the shelter environment.  However, that does not mean he wouldn't dearly love to find his own special person or family that will give him all the TLC he deserves."
Debra also provided us with this "mother and her babies" biography. 
"Meet the cutest, sweetest, spunkiest bunch of pups ever!" Debra wrote, adding, "Their mama is Angela and here is their story: Apparently Angela wandered into a Mesquite citizen's yard on 11/26 and proceeded to have her pups right there. Citizen called the Mesquite Animal Shelter, and the 6 pups and mama were brought to the shelter and have been there since. Pups are now weaned and being fed puppy food and are independent of their mother. However, they are only two months old and not available to be adopted until February 27 when they will be three months old. These puppies need to get out of the shelter ASAP. They have already contracted coccidia. They were given meds and are OK now but their immune system is undeveloped and they could easily pick up some other illness. They are rescue only due to their age. Angela is in a general population kennel and is available for adoption. In a perfect world we do not like to separate moms and their pups, but due to the overcrowded shelter, and the possibility of the pups getting sick again, the pups can be rescued without mama. Of course, the shelter staff would love for the puppies and mom to go together if possible."
And the puppies --"lively and fun-loving" -- are: 1) Jan (right) ID 54847091, 2) Pam ID 54847054, 3) Stanley ID 54847032, 4) Kelly ID 54847075, 5) Jim ID 54847043, 6) Dwight ID 54847019 and mama Angela is the grown-up girl." 
For more info, call the shelter staff at 972-216-6283 or email [email protected]."
See more Mesquite animals at the city shelter's website HERE.
Among the many cats in the shelter is this guy Royal (#54739934), a 6-months-old orange fellow who came into the shelter on November 7.
He's available for adoption.
You'll find him in the Cat Room at the shelter. And what kind of cat is the little guy? He's that rarity of rarities, a Domestic Shorthair Mix. Readlarrypowell.com is looking into that "rare" rating for Domestic Shorthair Mixes. You could be the first in your block to have a Domestic Shorthair Mix with a "Royal" name.
CONTEMPLATIONS

ASSORTED THOUGHTS FOR NO REASON
While watching the NFC and AFC championship games Sunday, it occurred to me that I have lost interest in TV commercials. Might be that I simply miss the commercials from TV prior to the invention of the Super Bowl. Any Cheerio Kid fans out there? How about Ipana? Ever get fed up with those constant Winston Tastes Good Like A Cigarette Should jingles?
Was Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton Minow right in 1961 when he said "Television is a vast wasteland"? Or was he more accurate with "When television is good.... nothing is better. When it's bad, nothing is worse." He said all that long before anybody got to see Seinfeld, Murphy Brown, The Sopranos, Midsomer Murders or, of course, The Bachelor or Congressional Hearings. ... 

OK, enough of that. I'm going to go read a book. Or try to write one. I think I'll call it "I Don't Let My Dogs Watch TV on Weekends" and I'll work on a sequel, "My Cats Pay For Cable & ENJOY TOTAL ACCESS." Perhaps 'enjoy' is the wrong word.
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