EDITION OF HOTMONDAY, JULY 1, 2024 [PetPowellPress] Here’s our first report of July, 2024.
Temperatures in the Metrosizzleyerbunsplex should be in the mid-60s today and Tuesday. Should be, but won’t be. That’s how summer goes.
FYI: If humans could be as comfortable as this dog, Porche Noel, we’d have the most relaxed planet in the known universe.
Rescued dog, you know. May everybody rescue a dog as easy to love as Porche Noel. Heck, they're all easy to love -- they're dogs!
A MONDAY MORNING
SHELTER THOUGHT
Quick! Somebody tell us which local shelter has room for more dogs and cats! …… We’re guessing nobody has room. And, of course, traditionally there are lots of strays after July 4 — Thank you, neighborhood fireworks for terrifying dogs and cats. … FYI: I’ve seen a lot of photos lately of starving and overheated dogs in our area of Texas. .Best way to avoid this is to love the animal like you said you would. Second best way? Two steps: (1) First, heroic people save the animals. (2) Second, heroic people with badges file some charges against the bad guys.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
A SAD-FACED FELLOW WAITS
[LARRY QUESTION: Are you enough of a dog-lover to get this dog to put a smile on that face? Know somebody who can make a dog grin?]
Here’s the appeal from our reliable contact who actually knows this dog Jackson. That’s our reliable Mesquite Animal Services volunteer dog-biographer Judi Brown.
Her first sentence gets to the point: “Jackson looks sad, as though he’s lost his best friend… but then, again, he probably has! He doesn’t understand why he’s at the shelter. He doesn’t understand where his people are.
“Jackson is a one-year-old handsome, statuesque brown, black and merle spotted Pittie.
“He weighs 43 pounds and arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 6/24. He was brought in by one of our officers. When I first met Jackson, he was hanging out at the very back of his kennel. I was able to entice him to come out with a treat. When he got out into the yard he strolled around casually and began to relax. He was curious and alert. It soon got
too hot and we went inside. Like most dogs, he couldn’t tolerate the heat and would need to be mostly an inside dog. He remained timid and cautious, but eventually came to me. He let me pet him. He let me brush him. And one time he even put his head on my lap! He’s highly motivated by treats, but does not sit for them. When I tried to get him to sit, he became somewhat fearful. He also was not interested in playing with toys. He walked well on a leash. He kept his kennel clean and did his business as soon as he got out into the yard. I suspect he is housebroken. …
“Y’all this is a diamond in the rough. He’s sweet, calm, gentle, cautiously friendly, and very well mannered. With time and encouragement he will learn to trust, and then you will have a precious pet and a loyal companion.” Jackson is #56229909 at the shelter — use that ID for him when you call the shelter at 972.216.6283 or email [email protected] to ask about being the person who can either get this pup into rescue or give him a great smile-inducing home.
THESE NEXT THREE bios come to us via volunteer Jamie Dotson.
This one is Alina (56227330). Jamie writes, “She is a 1-year-old Siberian Husky that weighs 48lbs and is stunning! She came into the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 6/24 as a stray. Alina has been very well cared for with beautiful soft silky fur, and did live indoors. Sadly her owners have not come to reclaim her. She is nervous with all the noise at the shelter. She will pace, constantly looking to find her way out, and even in the yard she looks through the gate as if to say, 'Where is my family?'… Alina will need to have a tall secured fence in the backyard, and as she was an indoor pup, that is exactly where she needs to be again. Use her ID when you call the shelter at 972.216.6283 or email [email protected]
TODAY’S FINAL TWO BIOS
MAY HAVE A FAMILY CONNECTION
Bonbon, Jamie says, may be either the brother or the son of Chano.
Bonbon is #56173370. Chano is #56173337
Bonbon is the year-old, 58-pound German Shepherd.
You can see a breed resemblance, but it really may be a family resemblance, don’t you think”
Bonbon and China were surrendered to the shelter on June 20. [LARRY ASIDE: Can you imagine these two handsome guys being handed over while the human just walks away? Their hearts must hurt — you know dogs, Dear Readers, they have wonderful hearts.]
Bonbon is a year-old and weighs 58 pounds. Jamie writes the is “a very smart boy, adding onto his good looks. He loves to catch balls, and then build a collection of them at his feet. He is a bit reserved at first, but as you spend more time with him, he becomes more relaxed.
“He walks well on a leash, and will lean into you while walking to get pets. He takes treats gently and knows the sit command. As we walked past the other dogs barking he didn't show any interest in them but we do ask if you have another dog in the home to please ask the shelter for a dog test. …He hopes to have a loving home with a secured backyard he can chase his balls in, gather them in a pile around him, but most importantly live indoors where he can take naps on his own dog bed. He is a charming boy with a beautiful smile that will capture your heart as he has mine!”’
Chano (right) is about 4 years old and weighs 61 pounds.
Why surrendered? Jamie says the “reason for surrender was ‘too many animals’.”
She also writes, “From the moment I met him, showed me how wonderful and loving of a guy he is. And handsome is an
understatement! He has the most adorable ears that stand straight up!
"He walks with confidence, fluffy tail in the air and a big smile on his face. He loves everyone he meets and will stand or sit next to you for plenty of petting. …He walks well on a leash, knows the sit command and takes treats gently.
"If you are lucky, he will roll over and show you his tummy as he did me! He is also very smart and chasing and catching balls is his favorite thing to do.
"And every ball I threw in the air, he caught it! He would bring them back to me and drop them at my feet to ask me to do it again. Chano is a very gentle loving boy that I know would make a great family companion.”
CONTEMPLATIONS
JOBS ’N’ PRIZES 'N' TWINS?
That’s an official State Fair of Texas photograph of our ol’ pal Big Tex.
Know why it’s published today? Two reasons: (1) It makes my personal atmosphere chill to autumnal temperatures. (2) The State Fair is hiring and you may know someone whose looking for a State Fair Job. The State Fair runs from Sept. 27 through October 20 and, as a news release from the State Fair folks noted, there’s “less than 90 days" until the 2024 State Fair of Texas. The Fairfolks also note that Big Tex, the 55-foot-tall cowboys is lookin’ to hire thousands of seasonal Tex Team members to welcome fairgoers to the Most Texan Place on Earth.”
The “Most Texan Place on Earth.” That has a great sound to it, doesn’t it. And it sounds a lot cooler than a hundred degrees in the shade. The Fair’s news release reads, “To apply for all seasonal positions for the State Fair of Texas, please visit BigTex.com/Jobs."
This reminds me, also, that the hard-working State Fair Creative Arts staff has been on the job intensely and getting things ready for all sorts of contests that celebrate the artistic ambitions of Texans who paint, sculpt, fry, bake and create all sorts of magnificent displays. [LARRY
ASIDE: I have been known to stand and stare at the jars of artfully arranged canned items and the wonderful hand-maid quilts on display around the Creative Arts Building. Let me just swear on a stack of old boots, hats and treasured midway prizes: “I love the State Fair of Texas.”]
See this photo? Those are our little boys, the January 1971-model twins who along about the time this photo was snapped (1974-75), won first prize in their age division at the Most Alike Twins Contest the State Fair organized for twins of all ages in the EARLY ‘70s. In this photo, they’re sitting on the hood of my 1971 Vega — it wasn’t hot (Vega’s rarely ran long enough to heat up the hood).
How alike were these boys? Pretty danged close — except it turns out Bret (older by 2 minutes) is a lefty and Bart is a righty who tends to be ambidextrous. Yeah, I’m kind of fond of the rascals. They’re now barely older than I am — I’m lingering in my early 30s. Yeah, I’ve always been partial to
dogs and cat because my babies also arrived in a litter. They’ve been the time of my life! Which one is which in this photo — No idea. Thrown ‘em a baseball and see which hand they use to catch it. FYI: That is my Senior Office Cat William Powell -- he is fond of Bret and
Bart and he has never fathered a litter though he did raise the foundling Stevie Ray Treeboy (left), his Junior Office Cat.
The message here is this: If you can't have a set of baseball-playing twins, get yourself an office cat and buy a team the cat can manage.
—- Offer helpful facts by clicking on ‘comment’ below or by emailing [email protected] and putting “STATE FAIR OF TEXAS ROCKS!” In the subject line. —-
