A MONDAY COLLECTION OF ANIMAL STORIES AND AN INCIDENT OR TWO....

EDITION OF MONDAY MARCH 31/TUESDAY APRIL 1, 2025 [PetPowellPress] The last day of March will be spent trying to write for the benefit of animals. And, by the way, thanks to all of you who sent us comforting notes after reading about the passing of our dear friend Porche Noel. Some day I hope to see her again -- I'm cleaning up my personal language and hoping not to get any more demerits at the Pearly Gates.
Before you read this next item, perhaps we should say a big ol' prayer for a sincere change in these people who get involved in cockfights -- watching, wagering or providing the birds. Read on.
And don't miss our "Chihuahua/Not a Chihuahua Contest" later in this edition.
SPCA, HUNT COUNTY SHERIFF, SEIZE
65 ROOSTERS AT COCKFIGHT;
MANY HUMANS ARRESTED, MANY FLEE
[LARRY ASIDE: As just about any idiot knows, cockfighting is illegal in Texas. No known idiot connection to anybody
under arrest in Hunt County -- but if the idiot shoe fits, wear it if you can get it on the correct foot.]
So, on Sunday, according to an SPCA news release, the SPCA of Texas and the Hunt County Sheriff's Office "seized 65 live and 10 deceased roosters from a rural property near Celeste in Hunt County, where a cockfight was in progress."
[LARRY ASIDE: We are posting that one close-up photo of the many taken by the SPCA at the scene of the illegal cockfight. That is not the way a rooster ought to look.]
According to the SPCA news release, the animals recovered live are being evaluated at the medical staff at the SPCA'S Russell E. Dealey Animal Rescue Center in Dallas.
The civil custody hearing is set for 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 9, in Hunt County Precinct 1, Place 2, Court at 2801 Stuart St., Greenville. Judge Sheila Linden will preside, the SPCA reports.
How did this raid happen? The SPCA says the sheriff's office got a phone tip about 1:40 p.m. Deputies arrived at the scene and "disco= vered an estimated 100 individuals, many of whom fled the scene."
With a search warrant, the Sheriff's Office found "fighting rings and cockfighting paraphernalia commonly used in cockfighting operations." The Sheriff's Office arrested 21 people who were jailed and charged with "violation of Texas Penal Code 42.105: Cockfighting."
The sheriff's office says the investigation and pursuit of people who fled is continuing. (To report tips, call the Sheriff at 903-453-5800, the SPCA says.)
The SPCA's news release said that many roosters were found in pens and "transport boxes" around the property. It also read, "An indoor arena containing a makeshift fighting ring and holden pens was splashed with blood and littered with feathers."
And there's this paragraph: "Several of the roosters appeared to be lethargic and severely injured with multiple wounds. Ten other birds were found already deceased having succumbed to injuries from fighting. After veterinary evaluation, 12 of the roosters were euthanized at the SPCA. of Texas facility due to traumatic fighting wounds."
[LARRY FYI: This seizure/rescue of animals one of the many functions of the SPCA of Texas. The animal world has many facets, especially when humans are involved. Some humans are helpers and other humans are in need of help -- if you get my drift. You can see how to support the actual helpers and how to become a volunteer helper with the organization by going to www.spca.org. You can also see available adoptables.]
TWO DOGS WAITING
FOR FOREVER HOME
These two guys are victims of fate.
We got the tip on them from our pal Karen Lee of barkleyworld.com, the non-profit that helps people help animals. (Visit the website and you'll see the wide range of help animals can get.) Back to Scooter and Wally, a couple of Fort Worth lads.
They're in temporary foster care right now, but they need that one home for two pals.
The note from Karen reads that the foster will care for them the next three weeks, but they "still need a forever home."
Genuinely sad story. The note reads, "The owner has brain damage from a fall and is unable to live on his own and is heart-broken to let his boys go."
The contacts to ask about Scooter and Wally: Nichola Stanton, 817-789-1865, and Jennifer Murphy, 206-482-4829.
In a note, Nichola wrote, "I'm posting for Scooter and Wally (the smaller dog) again hoping and praying someone can take these two and to give them a good home to live out their days in. I'm refusing to believe it's so difficult to find a home for senior dogs or two dogs that need to stay together. I think these two are the perfect rescue for a loving,
slow-paced home. "You get one big dog and one small!... I can't bare the thought of them going to a shelter and being separated... If you can even just foster them I will

continue to look for a permanent home. Please consider this!! They will come with a big bag of food each, a big dog bed they sleep on together, an extra large kennel that they both fit in (but little Wally has found he likes to have his own and I will find one for him. He's in a loaner right now), blankets for both, leashes harnesses bowls and treats. Everything you need to get started. Updated shots and heart worm prevention. We're running out of time. As I said, if you can just foster them it will make such a difference... Thank you for reading this post."
NAME THE BREED GAME:
(1) CHIHUAHUA or
(2) NOT A CHIHUAHUA
Surely nobody would get the ID wrong on these two dogs.
We got the tip on them from long-time Mesquite Animal Shelter volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown. She gets to know the dogs so people who are looking for a companion will know how these dogs measure up to the label "Perfect Dog For You."
Remember, to ask about these dogs cite their Shelter ID numbers when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email
[email protected]
This is Sandy [#58104220]. [LARRY ASIDE: She's clearly an Earhound.]
Judi writes, "This little big-eyed cutie is a work in progress, but progress is coming. When she first arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter she was not happy! The staff was not able to give her her vaccinations. I spent considerable time with her today. She eventually let me pet her. 
"When I went by her kennel a short time later, she wagged her tail when she saw me! She is still a work in progress. I will go back and see her ... do another evaluation. However, at this point in time, I would say she needs to be with a family with adult children or no children.
"She is a one year-old, 13-pound cream and white Chihuahua that was surrendered to our shelter on 3/29. The story goes that her original owners gave her to another family that did not want her so they brought her to the shelter. No wonder she’s confused and angry! I know she’s a sweet, affectionate, loving girl that just needs someone to love her!
"The surrender form said that she was an indoor/outdoor dog and that she is housebroken. They also said she was not raised with dogs or cats and does not get along with them. They did say that she was raised with children and got along well with them.
"When I called her name she responded to it. She was cautiously friendly at the end of our time together."
THAT BRINGS US TO RODNEY, #58082746.
Judi writes, "Rodney has some concrete calluses on his elbows and tail. He also has scabbing on his paws and left eye. These two areas appear to be on the mend. His ribs are showing. It looks like he has spent considerable time outside. And yet he is as sweet as can be. He’s very loving and deserves to be an inside dog where he can be cherished and valued. He’s very cute."
She describes him as "a 3-year-old, 39-pound tawny-colored Bulldog with hazel eyes. He arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 3/26 as a stray. He’s a low-rider. He wiggles so much that his whole body moves. You can teach him the sit command because he does like

treats.
He wants to please. He occasionally jumps on you for extra affection. He’s friendly, tail-wagging happy, easy-going, alert, well mannered, and oh so sweet! He wanted to greet all the dogs as he went by. He told them he was happy to see them. ...He wants to be an inside dog so he can chill out with his new family. And I mean 'chill out' because he would like to be under the air-conditioning in the hot summer."
See more available dogs and cats by clicking on this Mesquite Animal Shelter Link. 
CONTEMPLATIONS
ASSORTED THOUGHTS, NEAR-THOUGHTS
That's the dog I had breakfast with this morning. Dudley the Angel thought he heard his favorite human's car pull back into the driveway, so he jumped up from his prone position to greet her. Alas, Martha was on a freeway en route to the office. Poor Dudley simply misidentified a neighbor's Rolls Royce smoothly rolling down our road. Coulda been a pickup -- I didn't look. But I immediately go busy petting Dudley and made him a toast snack and he went back to napping. He now has a new trick: Faking excitement to get the big dieting guy to make some toast. ....
Honestly, I was going to make a my "List of fools" for the April 1 edition, but I realized I didn't have enough time for the whole list and my computer doesn't have that much memory....
And I'd rather think about helping dogs and cats instead -- while I mow the yard before the predicted big storms roll in later this week. I have my umbrella handy.
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