DOGS, CATS, A COYOTE COMMENTARY AND A CONSIDERATION OF THINGS IN THE SKY

EDITION OF WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY DECEMBER 11-12 2024 [PETPOWELL PRESS] It occurs to me I might be able to get a gas station sponsor in England if I changed the name of this site to "PETROLPOWELL PRESS." Probably not -- and, anyway, I don't understand British currency.
Welcome to midweek and beyond as we move toward a weekend full of shopping adventures and interactions with moody strangers in the same merry state of mind.  Time out. Unscheduled treat distribution request from the dogs. OK... moving along.
AND THEN THERE WAS
THIS COYOTE EXCHANGE
OK, urban-dwellers: This is Texas. It's loaded with wildlife. And it isn't that the wildlife is so human that the assorted species will move into the city. They were probably already in the city when you pesky humans arrived and built homes near creeks and river bottoms and nicely treed areas.

This morning while clicking around the universe I spotted a freshly posted neighborhood appeal from a southwest Arlington neighborhood . I won't ID the posters, but you'll see a theme and maybe even smile.
[LARRY EXPLANATION: That is not a photo of a coyote. When I told Senior Office Cat William Powell that I needed a photo to illustrate this coyote story, he immediately said, "Junior Office Cat Stevie Ray does one heckuva coyote impression -- it's something he's been working on. He calls it 'Coyote Leaving Comfy Forest Bed As Humans Intrude In Search of Christmas Tree.'" So, I went to the living room in time to catch Stevie Ray doing his "quick exit" scene from his coyote impression.]
And now, we present the actual dialogue from a Metroplex neighborhood bulletin board this week:
WRITER "S": 2 coyotes walked right in front of me on PARK DRIVE at 3 p.m.! They were headed to the wooded area by the creek. What are we gonna do? I feel.bad for them but they're very dangerous ,right,?"
HP RESPONSE BY S: "You're more likely to be hit by a car. Leave them alone, stay out of their way. Don't leave pets, food or trash out. They are very rarely dangerous...especially to adults."
SUMMERWOOD REPLY: "S" knows her coyotes. WE have a pack of them across the street. They’re just looking for small game like rabbits and rats . They more afraid of you."
HANDLEY REPLY: "Not dangerous to humans. Don't leave you pets outside unattended. Because a coyote will kill a dog or cat."
J. T. WHITE REPLY: "No. Coyotes are not dangerous, They’re just looking for food and don’t have any of your pets outside.
RANDOL MILL RESPONSE: "Any wild animal can be scary but these coyotes didn't do anything."
RUSHMOOR RESPONSE: "Had one in my backyard over the summer. Saw my son and fled."
[LARRY ASIDE A: I have twin sons -- I have no doubt that if they walked out into our backyard at the right time, they'd scare off a pack of wolves, a pack of coyotes, a flock of buzzards, a herd of rattlesnakes or a murder of crows. I'm just showing off that I know what a group of crows is called.
LARRY ASIDE B: We've never seen a coyote in our backyard, but I once had to let one cross the neighborhood street in front of me while I was on an summertime afternoon walk. He had the right-of-way. My first impulse was to treat him like a dog and bring him home to add to our canine collection. But I suspect Martha, a Texas girl, wouldn't buy my story. Nope, she knows the difference between "a stray, hungry Red River Bottoms Shepherd and a free-roaming Lone Star Coyote." The closest thing we've ever adopted to a Coyote was a tough little cat named Spike. He enjoyed watching The Sopranos with us.
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
DOGS, CATS NEED HOMES
[LARRY ASIDE: Yep, pretty sure you can't adopt a coyote from any local shelters. You might find a dog named Wiley, after the cartoon fellow Wile E. Coyote (pronounced "Cay oh teeee" -- he's the cartoon pursuer of Road Runner. Never seen a roadrunner at a city shelter, either. But this is Texas -- anything can happen.]
NOW LET'S TALK DOGS in Mesquite. Thanks to our tipster/veteran dog-writer Debra Chisholm, we got this note
that begins, "Looking for a cute puppy with a lively, high-spirited personality? Then Eloise may just be the one for you. Eloise was picked up by one of our officers on 12/5 and brought to the Mesquite Animal Shelter. She weighs 29 pounds and is 4 months old. My Dog Scanner app suggests the following in her breed mix: Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Carolina Dog and American Pit Bull Terrier.
"This girl is all puppy!! She had a blast during the photo session in the yard ... She was extremely interested and curious about all the smells in the yard and she ran and played, climbed the play equipment and was thrilled to be out of her kennel." Eloise is #57402031 -- cite her shelter ID when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at [email protected]."
DEBRA ALSO WROTE, "You just have to look into those beautiful blue eyes to see that this is a pup who will give her forever person or family so much love and devotion! Oh and one important thing.  She must have a place inside with her people.  Living as an outside dog holds absolutely no appeal for her."
THAT BRINGS US TO ZEKE, this handsome fellow whose bio was provided by our tipster Judi Brown, a veteran at meeting dogs, assessing them and writing about them so that they have a better chance of being adopted into a wonderful family.
Zeke is #57366685 -- cite his number when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email at [email protected].
Judi says Zeke is so handsome that "he would turn heads everywhere you go with him."
He's a 1 to 2-year-old Belgian Malinois that weighs 57 pounds and was brought into the shelter by a concerned citizen on 11/30, Judi says. And she adds that he is quite smart -- "smart enough to know what he wants! He’s very strong -willed. He would do best with an experienced dog owner (preferably one with some behavioral training experience). His adopter would need to be the alpha of the pack. Zeke needs training to learn not to jump on you and to walk on the leash. Until he learns not to jump on you he would not be suited for a family with young children. 
"As smart as he is and with adequate training, Zeke would be a phenomenal dog! He’s friendly. At this point, he’s overly friendly. He loves to run freely in the yard. He’s very alert and explored the yard. He’s also very athletic and likes to climb. He was whining for a while. I’m assuming he was missing his owners. That indicates to me that he would be very loyal.
"If someone wants to invest time with this fantastic dog, you would be rewarded with an exceptional dog!"
You can read the complete biographies of Eloise, Zeke and many other dogs and also find some adoptable cats and kittens by clicking on this Mesquite Animal Shelter LINK.
Among those many cats you can see are two that'll put you in the seasonal mood for a snack -- Cheeto and Dorito. [DEAR READERS: If these cat names set off any cravings, remember that a cat can also help you ignore them -- you can become so busy feeding a cat's cravings that you'll forget how much you want to dip a Frito Scoop into a cup of high-cal queso! I swear. Honest, Larry!]
CONTEMPLATIONS
UNSCHEDULED THOUGHTS
I'm thinking that all of my thoughts are unscheduled. Anybody got any that are scheduled? Kind of popular this season is the thought "DON'T THINK ABOUT THE COWBOYS." I think I'm just guessing. ....
Apparently some merry spirit took over my fingers and rather than pick up office cat William Powell and cuddle him, I refocused on my solemn mission for the rest of the year: Avoid sweet pastries and ice cream. Just the thought of a spoonful of vanilla ice cream warms my heart. It's so cold in our neighborhood today that I'm thinking of asking Santa for 4 stockings this year -- two for each set of freezing toes. ...
OK, here's a public service announcement: If you are involved with flying the "space drones" over any spot in the United States, please send us an explanation so we can stop waking up at 2 a.m. and going outside to stand in the yard and look up. I'm kidding. As a taxpayer, I've got an entire governmental/legal system looking out for what we have become known as: Earthlings. Am I an Earthling? Your guess is as good as mine.
--- Leave advice by clicking on 'comment' below or send an email to [email protected] and use the salutation 'DEAR SPACEFREAK.' ---