AN ASORTMENT OF AREA ANIMAL CHALLENGES AND A BRIEF MENTION OF 'BEAUTIFUL JOE'

APRIL 2, 2024 [PetPowellPress] We'll have a Gigi update later in this edition. But, first: Quick! Where's your library card? Yeah, my card waits in my wallet.

According to our favorite "day-research" folks at the online calendar Holiday Insights, the first week of April is
Library Week. So I was checking up on the day to see what else I could find and the American Library Association
says Library Week is April 6-12. Then I found a site called Ilovelibraries.org that says Library Week is April 7-13.
I quit looking at that point because all I wanted to do was remind people that libraries are full of fascinating books and information. And the library's shelves are usually ORDERLY, confessed the clutteringtyper.
I found one of my favorite dog books decades ago on the shelves of the Texarkana Public Library. That's the book, Beautiful Joe, about a dog forced into a fighting life -- published in 1907. (More in Contemplations. First , some animals from the current century.)
AND THEN THERE'S
A DOG NEEDING A FOSTER
This note was posted by Andy Allen, longtime Dallas animal advocate, rescuer and pretty swell person.

Her note on her facebook page read, "Please, if anyone can foster! I promise Dorrie C. Mowery will network this baby and find a permanent home."
Dorrie's note on Facebook read, "PLEASE I AM BEGGING! A male 1-year-old bully mix in Dallas, TX, requires immediate placement in a better home or foster care. The dog, fully vetted, was found by an 80-year-old lady who recently suffered a stroke and can no longer provide care. Vetting and food will be provided." Here's the link to REACH Dorrie.
ONE MORE PURRFECT NOTE
FROM 'NETWORK LAND'
I'm not sure Andy has a name for the network of animal people but for now I guess NETWORK LAND will do. So I'm addressing this thusly, DEAR PEOPLE IN NETWORK LAND!
Andy posted this appeal on behalf of a big-whiskered cat newly-arrived on the "available" list at the Midlothian Animal Shelter, south of Dallas on U.S. 67.
The cat's name is "Carmen," according to the Midlothian post. She's a year-old Domestic Shorthair who came in on, yep, April 1.[LARRY ASIDE: Great omen for a cat -- full name could be Carmen Jokespurr."
How'd she get into shelter custody? "ACO Trap," the shelter bio says. The shelter says her medical history is unknown; she has no microchip and it's "unknown" if she is "sterilized." [LARRY ASIDE: Ever try to talk a just-captured cat into letting you 'take a look' so you can complete your paperwork? That's my theory of  why Carmen's status hasn't been determined!] She's currently on "Stray Hold." Her shelter ID is #A0058223551.
The Midlothian Animal Shelter (closes at 5 p.m.) is at 1050 U.S. 67. Call 972-775-7628 to ask about Carmen or any other animal at the shelter. Here's the on-line link: www.midlothian.tx.us/63/Animal-Services.
TOTAL OF DONATIONS?
A REPORT ON GIGI THE DOG
Veteran rescuer of hard-luck cases Kimberly Jones sent us an update on the drive to help Gigi the Dog, this littler girl she bought from a "vendor" in order to save the dog from misery and repeated pregnancies for the sake of cash. As you

may recall, the consistently determined organization DFW's Furgotten Friends is working to get GiGi funding for some necessary medical treatments.
What's the donor results so far? KJones (the famed foster of down-on-their-luck dogs) writes, "DFW's Furgotten Friends Rescue has received NO donations for little Gigi ... She has been on antibiotics since Saturday. Her excessive drinking and urinating has not slowed down at all so she is going to be needing lab work done in addition to her vetting. Please SHARE HER for donations. All donations are tax deductible as DFWFF is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Thank you!!!"
So, to help Gigi thrive after her short lifetime of lousy care, you can go to this link to DFW's Furgotten Friends: 
https://dfwfgf.org/contact/,
CONTEMPLATIONS
A BIG D BIG GATHERING;
READ A GOOD BOOK LATELY?
You're familiar, no doubt, with the big Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas. Ever think
you'd see it full of dogs nobody wants yet? Coming up this weekend: An opportunity to want a dog or even two from
the "cast-asides" in the Metrosprawl. On the Human Society of North Texas "media" site HERE  the announcement reads, "The Humane Society of North Texas (HSNT) and 20+ other animal shelters are coming together to find homes for over 1,000 pets." The big "happening" (Hosted by HSNT) is the "Petco Love MEGA Adoption Event." All of these human-heart-fueled organizations will have, the site says, "More Than 1,000 Pets Available for Adoption on April 5th & 6th." [LARRY ASIDE: May the animal-friendly people of the Metroplex set a record for loving adoptions that last and last.]
BACK TO THE BOOKS: The Holiday Insights online calendar notes that April 2 is Childrens Book Day and, also, National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day. I seem to remember some pages in my kids' books that stuck together after one reading. You know, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse inadvertently glued together by the content of a leaky raspberry-jelly filled donut. In honor of Librarians everywhere, I'll just say, "Thank you for keeping the bookshelves more orderly than the ones I have at home. -- sincerely, larry (Long-live the Dewey Decimal System).
AND ABOUT BEAUTIFUL JOE: My brothers and I had a Collie named Frisky about the time I was reading Beautiful Joe. We all grew up loving dogs and having dogs in the house with us. Maybe Beautiful Joe influenced our adoration of dogs and cats. Nah, we already loved and adored critters -- Beautiful Joe just drove the point home!
On the www.abebooks.com site you can read about Beautiful Joe the book and its author Margaret Marshall Saunders.
Here's that segment describing Beautiful Joe, published in 1907 and several times since. It answers the question "Is Beautiful Joe a true story?"
THE ANSWER FROM AbeBooks: "One of the first animal viewpoint novels published in North America, Margaret Marshall Saunders' Beautiful Joe tells the story of an abused dog and his rescue by a humane family. The novel, based on the true story of a dog in the author's home province of Ontario, fueled humane sentiments worldwide."
"Humane sentiments worldwide" -- that's a pretty big inspiration, isn't it? And, yet, look at all the dogs and cats animal rescuers and overloaded shelters deal with daily in the United States. And, yes, Texas officers still arrest people who organize fights between dogs and roosters. Sheesh. Sincerely SHEESH, larry.
--- Tell us how to work on the planet's Humane Sentiments (click on comment below or email [email protected]) -- so we can, indeed, "SAVE 'EM ALL." ---