EDITION OF WED/THUR FEB 28-29, 2024 [PetPowellPress] You’ll get enough of that Leap Day reporting on the 29th, so we’ll just focus on other topics except the weather, professional sports and the bodily-function theme prevailing in today’s television medical advertising.
AND HERE ARE
SOME PUPPIES…
OK, they’re not all puppies. One’s a Mommy — and she’s got a home.
But those babies? Well, yeah, we’re spotlighting some puppies. Five of 'em. And the connection for someone who can help these puppies.
This tale of puppies comes from our longtime contributor of East Texas and Near East Texas dogs-in-need stories, the enduring Gail Whelan of Companion Animal Network.
These pups are waiting in Mineola, an hour-and-a-half-or so east of Dallas on US 80 or, if you’re traveling on I-20 east, about a half-hour north of Tyler. All the roads are paved.
And, yes, if you’re interested in helping a puppy or all of ‘em Gail can transport them to responsible places.
The bottom line is these are “five puppies needing homes, or maybe rescue,” Gail writes. “They have a foster for the moment."
“These puppies are 5 weeks old. Four girls and one boy,” Gail says. She’s the contact for helping these dogs. Call 903-967-3226 or email [email protected].
You can tell which one is Momma Dog — she’s the one who looks like she needs some much deserved sleep and is belly-down in the pose just to get a break from the vibrant, beautiful puppies.
In order of the photos, the puppies are Bongo, Button, Cedar, Pearl and Tipsy.
Here’s the link to Gail and the Companion Animal Network:
www.ca-n.petfinder.com.
Email [email protected] or call 903-967-3226.
FYI: At that Companion Animal Network link you can also see more dogs C-AN is working to place in good homes. Yes, there are more homeless dogs of all ages and varieties available in our beloved East Texas.
AN EXTRAORDINARY APPEAL
FROM STRAYDOG FOR SMOKEY
[LARRY NOTE: Oh, my, Dear Readers! You know how we have speedometers so we can tell how fast we’re going. I’m thinking we need a ‘mad-o-meter’ on our computers so we can tell how mad we’re getting when we read some of these animal stories. On this one, my foot has the pedal all the
way to the red-hot metal. This is a vivid example of how humans can wreck a dog. Fasten your seatbelts on the Madder’n BLEEP Highway and read on.]
I’ve cropped the photo of Smokey the Dog in two ways, one without a human, one with a human (a friend of Smokey’s at Straydog Inc., the legendary shelter and sanctuary in East Texas).
The story we got in this morning’s email tells us that Straydog rescued this 13-year-old dog after he was “severely neglected by his owner.” Note Smokey’s eyes in these images.
The story continues, “When Smokey's owner brought him to the vet to be euthanized, the vet immediately recognized that this sweet pup could be rehabilitated despite his poor condition. Because his owner was not interested in seeing Smokey through his necessary treatment, he was surrendered into Straydog's care."
The story also reads, “Smokey was seriously malnourished and suffered from a terrible skin condition. He was in excruciating pain from the infection that caused his eyes to rupture.
“Surgery was necessary to remove Smokey's eyes, and medicinal baths were required to soothe his skin condition. His age slowed his recovery. After spending weeks in the hospital, Smokey could move fully into Straydog's care.
“Our caregivers LOVE Smokey. He's a sweet boy who enjoys playing with his Straydog friends. Despite being blind, Smokey still trusts people. He gets around well and uses his other senses to help him ‘see.’"
Of course, helping a dog with this many difficult medical challenges isn’t cheap, so Straydog is trying to replenish Smoke’s medical fund — in the words of Straydog, his treatments have “strained our modest budget.”
Smokey is “now available for adoption to a special family that wants to give him a forever home,” the Straydog note reads. To schedule a visit with Smokey, email straydogshelter@ gmail.com.
See Smokey’s link on the Straydog site HERE.
What kind of dog is Smokey? He’s a small male who is said to be a “Shih Tzu/Maltese mix” who is “very loving” and adores cuddling. His caregivers at Straydog are among his devoted, adoring fans!
Goi to straydog.org and you can navigate to the adoption application and to the donation button.
[LARRY ASIDE: While you can donate to helping animals that need help, you can’t actually walk into a courtroom and donate to prosecuting someone for animal abuse and neglect. And, we don’t have the evidence in this case — could be someone who had no funds and was in a tough spot personally. It happens. Bless us all that it doesn’t happen to us. I’m taking my right sneaker off the mad-o-meter pedal — this time. I reserve the right to be, politely, steamed at human behavior when it comes to animals and kids.]
CONTEMPLATIONS
GOATS, CAREERS AND STUFF….
This morning, as I was maladjusting to the temp drop, I looked out the kitchen window and saw our lovely neighborhood with paved roads and no large fields with tractor ruts. Thankfully, I did not become a farmer and neither did my cityfunspouser Martha! Two people not cut out for a life in agriculture. Our moods don’t fit the hours. ….
Also in the early morning Wednesday, I herd, er, heard the WBAP Morning News version of the story of the gang of goats who’d escaped their work area in Arlington on Tuesday and I thought, “Another reason not to be a farmer. I’m pretty sure I can neither out-climb nor out-smart a goat.”
THE CLOSEST THING we have to livestock is a big ol’ Border Collie/Something Else mix named Dudley the Angel. Well, we do have a cat — Stevie Ray Treeboy who acts like a barncat sometimes — dashing down the hall and jumping up onto the wall as if he’s about to snare varmint lookin’ for a meal on Stevie Rays' Personal Cat Turf. He makes such racket and is happy to do it.
MY GRANDPA HAD GOATS when I was a kid and he lived out in the country in southeast Arkansas. I loved petting the horned-head of Billy who’d come to the fence to greet me.I thought Billy and the three or four other goats were pets. Then one Sunday visit, no Billy. Turns out they weren't pets. That may have contributed to my vegetarianism. Can I get an “Amen” for the ”pet goats” of the 1950s! Nowadays, if I were to meet up with Ol’ Billy, I’d invite him to dinner and fix him a great big spinach salad and we’d talk about old times up to a point. I did love Grandpa’s ol’ 3-legged “yeller dawg,” Red. He WAS a working farm dog -- that's how he lost a leg. Thank heavens I learned to type. No telling how long my fingers would have lasted on a farm…
—Offer any kind of wit you’ve got by clicking on ‘comment’ below or email [email protected] and put ‘MY MOST ENTERTAINING GOAT” in the subject line. —-
