THE MISSION? GET 'EM ALL INTO LOVING HOMES; ECLIPTIC GOLF?; THE WAY OF THE WORLD...

EDITION OF THURSDAY/FRIDAY APRIL 11-12, 2024 [PetPowellPress]  I'm not sure "ecliptic" is a work. But, so what. We’ve returned to “nearly normal” with nothing unusual to watch in the skies. Thus we have more time to stare at our navels — it is a political year, after all. Of course, we never know whose navel those people are staring at. Relax, I’m a register voter and, in America, you can poke fun at politicians. Now, let’s move on before the laws change.
IN CASE YOU WONDERED
ABOUT ECLIPSE GOLF
We mentioned this golf tournament several weeks ago — Straydog Inc. is one of our favorite organizations. Has been for decades.
This week’s Straydog Pupdate newsletter had the news in the Thursday edition. It reports a success in the dark and the pre-dark and post-dark daylight. You may recall that on Monday the legendary East Texas sanctuary Straydog Inc. hosted its 14th Annual Golf Tournament in the path of “total darkality” — [LARRY ASIDE: Wait, I’ve already forgotten the term for being in the total eclipse shadow. I’ll remember it by the next eclipse around here. What? 300 years from now? OK that term is Path of Totality. When I play golf, the ball takes the Path of Woe-tality. Back to the Straydog update.]
The Pupdate says nearly 100 golfers participated. And, “Thanks to the generosity of registrants and sponsors, Straydog raised much-needed funds to support the care of its more than 160 dogs.”
That photo? It came with the Pupdate update. [LARRY ASIDE: I wasn’t at the golf tournament, but I suspect those four golfers were caught by the camera as they were trying to find the tee shots they’d just smacked and promptly lost in the dark. My experience is that when teeing off, you might as well look straight up because there’s no telling where the ball went.]
If you go to straydog.org you’ll be at the non-profit’s website — you can read more about the No-Kill Dog Shelter and Sanctuary. And that includes, if you click today, begin able to see Pups of the Week, i.e., Gypsy and Journey.
Their story is they were dumped “in the backyard of a Good Samaritan who fostered them” on the small form before they came to Straydog. The pups are 5-month-old Lab/ Aussie Shepherd mixes. And, Straydog reports, “Our caregivers are training them on how to be well-mannered puppies.”
Go to straydog.org and you can see how to get the Pupdate newsletter sent to you — no charge!  /But you can always chip in to help the mission.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
MORE TWENTY DOLLAR DOGS
Volunteer dog-writer Judi Brown provided the report on this pup Jetta. And, as you may recall Mesquite Animal Services is offering dog adoptions at $20 a pop, er, $20 a pup, through the end of April.
Remember, for all these Mesquite Animals, when you’re interested in adopting or rescuing, cite their shelter ID numbers when you call 972-216-6283 or email at [email protected].
Jetta is #55640626. Judi writes, “Jetta is a lapdog wannabe! Do you have a lap to share? This cute girl with one floppy ear would love to be welcomed into your home.  She is an approximately 2-years-old, 44-pound Pittie that arrived … on 4/1 as a stray. She’s already been spayed. It looks like she’s been well taken care of as she’s got a glossy black coat. She also appears to be very cheerful. Her tail never stopped wagging. She was curious enough to explore the laundry room, but smart enough to find the most comfy spot to relax. She found a cot with some warm, fluffy blankets and some stuffed toys, and she was right at home!”
And there’s this about the well-mannered dog. Judi writes, “She was not interested in meeting any of the dogs I introduced her to. She didn’t seem to care one way or the other. Her preference was to be with her human friend. That could be YOU.”
Judi also met and wrote about Rocky (#55672804), explaining, “If you adopt Rocky, you’ll be the envy of all your friends. Not only is he magnificent and handsome, he is also well-trained and well-mannered.” He’s a year-old, 55-pound “fluffy German Shepherd who arrived on 4/6. He was brought in by one of our officers. He’s very alert. There was activity outside the laundry room, and he had to know what was going on. He sat and gave his paw before I even realized he knew those commands. He is highly motivated by treats…. When I sat down, he came to me. He was wagging his tail, giving me kisses and tried to get on my lap. As furry and soft as he is he, sure would make a good snuggle partner.”
[LARRY ASIDE: This next dog is Cosmo and the reason I’m focusing on him is one of the greatest dogs Martha and I ever had was a fellow named Cosmo. He was a short, wide, black-coated mix who smiled and loved being petted. I like to think all dogs named
Cosmo takes their cues from our Cosmo’s loving spirit.]
The bio of this Cosmo (#5564065) was provided by volunteer dog-writer Debra Chisholm. She reports that this Cosmo, a Pittie mix, came in as a stray on March 22. He’s around a year old and weighs 62 pounds and is neutered. “This is a younger dog who is on the move. Places to go, people to see and things to do,” Debra wrote. “He was so excited to be in the yard that he ran and played and exhibited typical puppy enthusiasm and energy! He is high energy and will jump on you. However, he does respond to a firm voice correcting his behavior. Obedience classes would be a wonderful idea for this pup just like any other puppy. He ran around the yard chasing balls, but not returning them. He loves treats, and seems quite treat-motivated, which should make it somewhat easy to train and teach him some commands. … He is a-OK with receiving loving attention. That is once he slows down! … He wants to live inside with his people and be an important part of their lives.”
OK, Dear Readers, when you go to the Mesquite Animal Services site HERE , you’ll see not only the dogs we’ve already mentioned, but a cat that’s coming up and these dogs that get a “short bio” on our site but a long one on the city’s sit. The bios for these dogs were written by Judi and Debra and you can see them on the website. We’ll just do “teasers” for these pups and a cat.
LEVI (#55640651) is the Pittie Mix who was an April Fools Day stray. And his bio reads, “If you are looking for a laid-back, sweet-natured pet, this may just be the boy for you. 
GULLIVER (#55624539) is described as an “American Pit Bull Mix” who came in on March 29 when he was picked up as a stray by one of the shelter officers. He’s about 3, neutered and weighs 70 pounds.” … “He has a very interesting coat that is gray with streaks of light brown. Quite attractive! His ears are also unusual and he has the most adorable smile! It lights up his entire face!”
HEIDI (#55662097) is a year-old “regal German Shepherd” described as “gentle but playful — alert and curious about everything” and “smart.” She also has “a long, lean body, a long nose, large stand-up ears and soft brown eyes! She’s a real looker.” Weighs 59 pounds and came in a as stray on 4/4/. (Judi wrote, “When I was putting the scarf on her, she started licking me. That was a first for me. I thought it was so sweet.”)


DREW (#55658424) is a 2-year-old mostly white Pittie who is described as a “loving, gentle, diamond-in-the-rough.
MIDGE (#556658431) is a 2-year-old Pittie/Bulldog mix described as a “cute, sweet, engaging sweetheart looking for a family to love.”
You can read the complete biographies and see the biographies of many, many more dogs and cats by clicking on the Mesquite Shelter link HERE. 
Among the many felines in the Mesquite shelter is this kitten without a name, but, apparently he could be called “Lefty” since he appears to be warming up in anticipation of pitching in the big leagues, perhaps for the Texas Rangers. He’s #55618696, is just over a month old, is a Domestic Shorthair mix and, after arriving on March 28, went into quarantine — procedure. He is, yes, available. Got that determined hurler look, doesn’t he!
CONTEMPLATIONS
THINGS TO RECALL?
Whoa. O.J. Simpson — cancer at 76. I remember being in the newsroom in downtown Dallas and watching the Bronco chase on TV. Such a surrealistic event from start to finish. …
Up until the O.J. chase, the traveling experiences that had caught the most TV time were space shots in the Land-on-the-Moon era. …
Back to earth: The ASPCA fundraising commercial that begins with a chained dog trotting in a circle while dragging a “a chain heavier than his body weight” ticks me off. I’m a peaceful fellow, but I wouldn’t mind knowing that someone would take a poke at anyone who does that to a dog. Every time I see that chained dog I’m reminded of a really great Dallas rescuer, the legendary Angie Manriquez, inspiration for Angie’s Friends. She’s rescued lots of big ol’ dogs chained in West Dallas yards. Many times the dogs were the “alarms” for people who didn’t want to be surprised by the arrival of police or, perhaps, an enemy. Arrggghh. To get my mood past that, I visited the Angie’s Friends sites — the website is angiesfriends.org and the Facebook page is HERE. On Facebook/Angie’s I found the photo of this guy on a leash, not on a chain! Caption read, “Nate and the bumble bees checking out the dandelions and ready for spring! Nate turned 1 a couple weeks ago and he's been in rescue since he was only 8 weeks old. He's got a great personality, is affectionate and social, loves to roughhouse, and you guys are totally missing out - he's beautiful inside and out!” I’m not as beautiful inside or out as this dog — I’d still like to take a free poke at anybody who’s mean to animals. But, let the law handle ‘em. Give ‘em some time to think.
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