IN PRAISE OF HUMAN HEARTS WHO WORK FOR ANIMALS; AND SOME OF THOSE TO ADOPT

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY FEB. 21-22-'24 [PetPowellPress] Before we move on, let’s just take a moment to thank the people who spend their life-force trying to save lives in the big and small shelters around here.
Any of you remember the era before the arrival of the internet and the ubiquitous desktop computers? Phone calls from shelter-walkers and luck and maybe a quirky photo in a daily newspaper — that’s how people learned about animals needing rescue.
Ever since the invention of animal shelters and rescue groups, the strong hearts have been the saviors of the animals. Even here in 2024 — where publicity is king — there are good hearts working first-hand against bad odds and trying to save innocent animals.
You tough shelter volunteers — it must be awful to pet, hug and talk to a dog or cat on Monday and walk in the next day to see a different animal in the cage — a different animal waiting for the same ol’ needle-prick that “eliminated” that animal you’d worked to comfort.
[LARRY ASIDE: It's that ol' Texas Theory of Animal Control: Got an animal problem? Let's kill it. It's applied from Coyote to cuddly cats, kittens, dogs & puppies.]
Bless all of you who invest your hearts daily to save these dogs and cats who have been discarded by people who didn’t care about them after all.
That first dog in this item? That is Tank, whose caption on the Dallas Urgent Shelter Dogs page HERE read “Last call for Tank! Dallas Animal Services. A1202506.” [LARRY ASIDE: How can he not be loved in a home with people who have working hearts?]
That napping cat in the second photo? That is Blizzard [A1202728] — clearly born to lounge. But he’s not lounging in a home; he's lounging on the clock. Blizzard is a 3-year-old resident of Dallas Animal Services and he’s doing the shelter feline version of waitin’ on death row. His bio on the DAS website reads, “Well, I’m just a happy cat trying to live my best life and match up with a new family. DAS is helping me search, isn’t that cool?”
[LARRY ASIDE: That’s an optimistic sentence, but … well, long odds, right? DAS is helping LOTS of other animals, too.]
See more animals in Dallas Danger by going to the Dallas Animal Services website HERE: https://bedallas90.org/ .
[LARRY ASIDE: Tell people you know who don’t watch or read the news that there’s a way they can make life better for animals currently on the clock in shelters. Maybe they need to give their kindest love to a dog or cat and they just don’t know it yet.]
Oh, one more thing: The third and fourth photos are of my Office Cat William Powell. This morning I snapped him looking out the front window -- it's trash pickup day and his hobby is monitoring the trucks, I guess. He’s lived nearly his entire life with rescued dogs and cats and rescuers. He’s one of the reasons we endorse “Save ‘em all.” Shelters are full of animals that deserve good, long lives. So are rescue groups and, yes, your neighborhood may have a few — roaming cats, “stray dogs” — they all need a good break and being sent to a shelter is not always a good break. Pass the message of saving animals on to people who have yet to comprehend it. Help enlighten their hearts.]
THEY’RE NOT ALL
IN THE BIG SHELTERS
As the 4-Legged Helpers non-profit organization has been telling us for several years now, it’s not just the big shelters that have animals at risk.
For example, this morning Laura Macias and the veteran animal advocates at 4-Legged Helpers cited some animals in the Ferris/Hutchins Shelter and the Wilmer Shelter — both on the southern side of Dallas. These are small shelters with small budgets thus small staffs and large needs.
The Wednesday note from the Helpers read, “Ferris/Hutchins Shelter and Wilmer Shelter are begging for your help in finding rescue groups and/or adopters for these sweet dogs. 
“Note that Ferris/Hutchins will even allow a foster-to-adopt type situation so anyone has time to ensure the dog is a match with their family. No fees to rescue or adopt.”
And there’s this from the experienced hearts of the Helpers: “Any dog or cat at a very small rural shelter like this has very little chance of adoption due to never being seen unless it is an emailing like this or a Facebook posting.  Ferris and Hutchins and Wilmer are all small rural communities and they get some of the sweetest and cutest pets anywhere.  Hutchins pets go to the Ferris Shelter along with any pets picked up in Ferris.  Wilmer is another tiny shelter very close by.”
To ask about these animals — or to ask if you can become a Helper — call or test 214-949-2726 or email [email protected].
That first dog with the great “mask” is Bailey, a young heeler-type who is waiting in the Wilmer Shelter. His bio reads, “This cutie was found out and about on his own in Wilmer. He is absolutely adorable.  Really sweet dog. We think he may know Spanish, too.”
The next dog — playful romper — is in the Ferris/Hutchins Shelter and he’s known both as “Cruise” and “Maverick.” He’s described as a “young…neutered Boxer mix.” And he “loves to play and absolutely adores everyone and everything. Already fixed,” and the bio adds, “SO, incredibly sweet and lovable.”
This beautiful face belongs to Sabrina, a “Bulldog or mix” currently in the Wilmer Shelter.” Her bio reads, “Loves other boy dogs — super cute. Really loves the ACO. Can initially be bashful, but warms up so very quickly. SO precious and so incredibly cute.”
And the Helpers also keep an eye on other shelters. The midweek message from 4-Legged Helpers looked into the Fort Worth Animal Care & Control’s residents as well as spotlighting a pup we’ve seen before in Glenn Heights.
The Fort Worth dog is Brenn, this young spayed Aussie/Bulldog mix. The Helpers’s note reads, “This little sweetie was found out and about in Fort Worth. She loves other dogs and all cats — she is SUPER cute. Already fixed, house-trained and crate-trained. Just needs someone duo love!”
We close with Joey, the male Boxer mix who was formerly in the Glenn Heights Shelter. His Helpers bio reads, “This is THE most adorable sweetheart of a dog.  He is awesome. Joey has literally been waiting for months for a home or a rescue.  It is the saddest thing how overlooked this fantastic dog is.    He is a calm, cutie pie that just wants so very much to be loved. Very, very sweet boy.”
To help any of these animals, call or text 214-949-2726 or email: [email protected].
CONTEMPLATIONS
CONSIDERING THE WEATHER
Welcome to summer? Hot enough for ya? I’m just practicing in case these great temps in Texas blow right through the rest of winter and tick it up a notch for springtime (arrives in Texas at 10:06 p.m. March 19). Yes, just about a month away. Yep, plenty of time for a lot of snow between now and spring. …
We’re in the 80s in February? It happens. My dog Porche Noel, devoted to a couch near an air-conditioning ceiling vent, smiled blissfully in the afternoon Tuesday when the AC kicked on and did it’s job. [That's a photo of Porche on her first trip to a vet after she showed up at our house at Christmas in 2009. Skinny kid, wasn't she. I think the actual phrasing should be "Starving, wasn't this abused and neglected dog whose collar was so tight she could only rasp when she tried to bark.]
This photo demonstrates Porche's current mission: Teaching cats how to sleep on her Couch without having to cuddle up with her.  She's the Lone Sleeper (on the couch; on the bed, she's a nocturnal cudder).  Her favorite student appears to be oon his end of Porche's Couch.
By the way, while Porche nodded off Tuesday, I was in the garage organizing things to throw away. I could sweat out there. And I did. Broke a fingernail on my right ringfinger, too.Ripped it nearly off the finger.  Manfully I went on with the chrore. I'm one tough monkey, though my finger screams each time I type an "l" or a "." or either one of these: ( or ).".
Sometimes Porche walks to the back door of our home, stares outside into the summertime heat, shakes her head and says, “Alright, might as well open the door. I need to be out for a minute or two.” I hop right up and open that door. Good dog, Porche. Free dog, too. Just showed up one day in 2009 when I was in need of a canine blessing. Save ‘em all, you know?
—- Offer advice by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and put ‘FREE DOGS OWN HEARTS’ in the subject line. —-