ICEBERG, MOONEY'S PLANS, MYRTLE'S LIFE, CHIP AND COTTON AT STRAYDOG AND THE VITALITY OF 3-LEGGED DOGS

EDITION OF THURSDAY, FEB. 15, 2023 [PetPowellPress] Cold weather’s returning, the TV forecasters say. At this stage of my life, thick socks are imperative. I type while wearing, among other things, an ancient sweater. And, I’m so cold-natured that the office cats William Powell and Stevie Ray and my personal dog Porche Noel refer to me as “Iceberg.” It translates from cat, to dog to my family’s native tongue, Latin, without a hitch. I never dress like an ancient Roman — too much cold breeze up the toga. Oh, goodness, that’s a bad mental picture. That’s Porche — this morning she was wearing her ears in the “Coming in for a Landing” pose. Uses that signal when she thinks it's time for me to move on to today's topics.
CONTINUING TO TRACK
THE MOONEY PROGRESS
There’s something fascinating about this little guy Mooney and the people who are teaming to help him triumph: Our rescuer pal Kimberly Jones, a medical team and some people whose hearts are connected this dog’s expenses.
You may recall that Mooney is the little, ailing pup who was being given away on a neighborhood bulletin board and Kimberly couldn’t just let him go to someone who couldn’t help him heal from a number of ailments.
The latest report on Mooney says he is “still having neurological issues, still not able to walk, his tummy is still hard and painful. He did have a very good bowl movement.” So, there’s progress and there is hope.
And there are still two ways to donate to help this dog triumph over the challenges. He’s at Metro Paws White Rock where his account is under “Kimberly Jones for Puppy Mooney Jones.” Call that vet clinic at 214-324-1500. And the GoFundMe page is at this link: https://gofund.me/8cce6087. The goal is at least $2,500 (it’s close) as you can see when you click there.
The plan is for Mooney to square his account by the time he leaves the vet’s office on Friday afternoon. Why is he leaving?
To be with his advocate, Kimberly. Why? Mooney "can get closeness with me and socialized (currently he is poked and prodded usually when he is handled) so the doctor wants him to learn that human contact is loving and not always treatments.”
[LARRY ASIDE: May he rebound from all his illnesses AND all his life-saving treatments and become the Little Dog Who Lives With Love and Is Happy To Visit The Vet!]
PRAYERS & PASSAGES;
THE STORY OF MYRTLE
Our pal Diane Combs has long loved a sweet Dapple Mini Dachshund named Myrtle.
Their story is one of devotion and love and adoration, as you’ll see when you click on our Prayers & Passages link in the upper right corner of our website or click on THIS LINK.
We maintain Prayers & Passages to honor the great affection that exists between animals and their humans. In the story of Myrtle, you’ll see how a lucky meeting launched a great relationship.
TWO DOGS FROM
THE GREAT STRAYDOG
OK, here’s the deal. I opened a Straydog Inc. Valentine’s Day email and got this photo of Chip, one of the residents of the famed Near East Texas no-kill shelter and sanctuary.
The email was an appeal for donations, but it also turned out to be a note that told the story of Chip who, because of his “adorable eyes” is nicknamed “Panda.” I get curious about the dogs I encounter online and the story of Chip is he “was a stray who got tangled in a barbed-wire fence.” A family rescued him and took him to a vet and, Straydog reports, couldn’t afford the necessary medical care. “The only option was euthanasia,” Straydog’s note read. Then added, “Thankfully Straydog intervened and saved Chip."  His left rear leg turned out to be too damaged. So, as Straydog reported, “That didn’t slow him down. Today he’s a happy, sweet boy who loves to cuddle and play with his caregivers and other doing friends at Straydog.” [LARRY TIP: Click on that mugshot to see a larger version of those great eyes!]
When I went to the straydog.org site to check on Chip, I was reminded that Straydog has a ribbon cutting coming up on March 2 for it’s new buildings. At straydog.org you can see how to rsvp for the event and also the animals that are currently available for adoption. And that is how I spotted Cotton — he is the current Dog of the Week at Straydog.
How’d such a beautiful dog wind up without a home? Straydog’s bio of the ”beautiful 2-year-old Great Pyrenees mix” explains:
“Somebody dumped him in the country, but he was rescued by a nice woman who fed him and made sure he had water to drink. We then took him to the vet for all of his shots and wellness check-up. He is living with many other dogs at Straydog now, but would love to be with a family of his own.
“Cotton is very sweet and loving and all people just love him! Come and meet him at the shelter and he’ll give you all the kisses!”
[LARRY ASIDE: And, thus, our theory is that’s how you get to be “Dog of the Week”: Kissing up to the person who writes the biography!” Oh, dogfans, I’m just kidding Cotton The Kisser!]
CONTEMPLATIONS
COYOTES AND OTHER NOTES
Yeah, I feel bad for those kids in Arlington who encountered coyotes at a really bad time in a really bad way. And I feel bad for those coyotes, too. You know, Dear Readers, how negatively I feel about the enduring "Texas theory of animal control:
Got an animal problem? Let’s kill it.” ….
That story of Chip’s encounter with the barbed wire fence and the loss of his leg reminded me that the first three-legged dog I ever knew was named Red, though his coat was more yellow than red. What kind of dog? Might have been a Shepherd mix — in those days there wasn’t much of a spay/neuter program in rural southwestern Arkansas just across the Texas line.
I got to see Red about once a week when I was a little boy. He was my Grandpa’s dog and Red was missing a hind leg — can’t remember which one and I think that just about everybody who’d know has been gone for not just years, but decades. Red like being petted by kids. Lost his leg in a farm accident. Didn’t seem to hinder him much, as I recall.
The mention of three-legged dogs reminds me of a quote that I ran across years and years ago when I was a columnist for The Big Paper Downtown. You want your dogs to have all their legs, but there was an explanation from a long-time veterinarian who, having seen the speed and agility and happiness in three-legged dogs, theorized, “Dogs are all born with three legs and a spare.” My Grandpa’s dog Red would have chuckled an ol’ dog chuckle at that line then dared me to try to out-run him or to jump from the ground into the bed of Grandpa's pickup.
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