WELCOME TO THE SUMMER DAZE,
@ READLARRYPOWELL.COM
I can hardly wait to walk outside and break into a sweat that makes my hands slip on my steering wheel as the sweat drips into my lap. Now there's a Texas word picture for ya.
Let's move along before we begin hallucinating camels crossing the Downtown Dunes of Dallas in that park over Woodall Rodgers Freeway. You've seen the tourism postcards, right?
OK, this is a really long edition -- there's lots of dog and cat news tips and other stuff, too. I'm working on "write short," as editors advised me for decades. Didn't pull it off today. Closest to "write short" was a story about a Chihuahua. Read on.
A LOOK BACK THAT MIGHT
BE A LOOK FORWARD FOR SOME....
In our most recent edition we posted a story about barking dog in a Fort Worth neighborhood. Things were at a standstill because -- I know you won't believe this at all -- the owner was being a jerk about taking care of the dog and keeping it comfortable and quiet. "Uncomfortable" goes with "barking." Could be physical discomfort, could be emotional discomfort, i.e., the dog feels abandoned because the human simply parked the dog in the yard and walked away night after night after night. "Sheesh," declared Larry.
Now we turn to a comment from our pal Patty Sprong, the legendary foster mom, and a most-determined animal advocate.
Pass her wise comment on and save some dog lives.
Patty wrote about the barking dog situation:
Please tell that reader to be aware of the laws in his/her city. There are nuisance laws for barking and also cruelty laws for dogs left out unattended and unsheltered. The city will cite them for not being in compliance.
Hopefully they fix the situation or they end up surrendering the dog. either would be an improvement. The complaints can be made anonymously. They'll need to follow up on the case number they are give."
[LARRY NOTE: There you have it. Very succinctly explained by Patty and it's already a law so use it to help animals make it quietly through the nights and days while their humans wise up (apparently against great odds.]
MEANWHILE, IN BURNS FLAT,
TERRY LYNN IS HANGIN' TOUGH!
In our communications we got into an exchange of good wishes with the heroic Burns Flat, Okla., animal rescuer, advocate and momma, Terry Lynn Fisher.
As regular readers know, she's lately been involved in a multi-faceted health challenge that requires treatment in a hospital out of town.

She emailed us earlier this week and noted that she was elated to be sleeping in her own bed for the first time in two weeks. Things are moving
along and she'll be back with the docs shortly.
But she's focused on something else in the meantime. Part of her note read, "While I am feeling not bad, I am suprr suprr tired. ..."
Then she switched to the mission she's embraced for years: Helping animals. There are two in particular -- these youngsters who are from a litter Terry Lynn and son rescued from a roadside, coyote-populated highway dumping area near Burns Flat.

Her reply to a question about herself read, "Yes, I urgently need help with the puppies. Being alone this morning, I had to take them out and put them in the outdoor kennel by myself, and it totally wore me out. I’ve got to be careful that they don’t scratch me because the blood thinner has me very fragile and my skin as well."
A later note explained, "I tried to mow yard yesterday, and even on a rider I couldn’t do it. Taking care of the dogs at my house is a struggle. My two dogs are well-trained and use a doggie door, but the two puppies I have I really need to get help because I just cannot handle it at this time.
"Y’all, I’m really scared.  I have no way to make money to pay my bills, I have so many dogs in my care, my sons are taking care of the ones at the barn because I don’t even have the strength and energy to walk from the road to the barn to take care of any of them...."
And, in a rare personal emotional moment, this rock-tough rescuer wrote, "Please just keep me in your thoughts and prayers your time, because I’m really not dealing with it very well."
Those are the rescued puppies -- they're growing up. Get in touch with Terry Lynn at [email protected]. Perhaps you know someone who can foster these two dogs. Perhaps you know someone who'd love to have two dogs saved from the idiocy of the human who threw them out of the car into a perilous dumping ground.
Terry Lynn needs the help -- she might even need someone to help her set up a funding page -- and the dogs need a lifetime good break!
MEANWHILE IN MESQUITE,
IS THE DOG'S HEART BROKEN?
Debra Chisholm and Judi Brown have been providing us tips & bios from Mesquite's Animal Shelter for several years. There is rarely a day that I don't open the emails and think, "I want that one!" And, then, I open the next email and declare the same thing.
Mesquite has a shelter full of beautiful, good-hearted and adorable animals waiting for a human who'll help 'em beat the the clock held by the Grim Reaper.
I missed noting a few Mesquite dogs who need a home earlier in the week, but I checked on them at midweek with Debra and discovered, as

she wrote, "Berdie and Andre are still at the shelter and still in need of rescue so hopefully your publication (or somewhere else) will touch the
heart of someone who would be perfect for one of these two pups."
Andre is the Siberian Husky Mix who was picked up as a stray with his mom Gemma on May 14. Andre is 5-months old and weighs 28 pounds. In an earlier bio, Andre was described as being "kenneled with his mama, Gemma."
That's Gemma (#58498960) a now-spayed, 4-year-old Siberian Husky mix -- she's and her son are both waiting for their next homes. Gemma's bio (LARRY ASIDE: I don't know who wrote it.) reads, "It is so very clear to see Gemma was someone's loving companion. She has been well cared for. Her fur is clean and soft, and she is potty trained. She has a gentle loving soul as she takes treats gently, enjoys being close and cuddly, rolls over for tummy rubs and will give you kisses too."
Siberian Husky-mixed son Andre got this description from biographer Judi: "What a joyful sweetheart he is! .... [The] Gentle youngster has a moderate activity level. He is playful, friendly, and happy to receive loving attention. He is crazy about treats! Andre walks nicely on a leash and had no reaction to other dogs when I walked him through the bay. He came face to face unexpectedly with a Doberman Pinscher youngster, and they appeared to want to be friends! He did arrive at the shelter with a limp on his back right leg." [Vet report upcoming.] Andre needs to live inside and socialize with people in order to fit in well with his family. He needs daily exercise and play time." Remember: Cite Andre's ID $58498992 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@city of mesquite.com.
[LARRY ASIDE: So I can get more bios into print, I've edited some down to highlights and appeals. You can see the full bios of many, many more waiting animals on the Mesquite Shelter's website at THIS LINK.
CLIVE'S TAIL, ER, TALE: --- Longtime volunteer dog biographer Judi Brown begins this one with, "No dog deserves or wants to end up at a shelter. When Clive’s  given all of his six years to loving a family and then finds himself in a noisy shelter environment, it’s the pits!! He is
so deserving of so much more.
"Clive is a six-year-old, 54 pound Siberian Husky that was brought into the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 5/23 by one of our officers. He’s still bewildered. He was patient when I brushed him. It doesn’t appear that he had been groomed for some time. He’s a little thin. He could use some groceries. He’s very sweet and stayed very close. Other than the times he was checking out the environment and looking over the wall he stayed close. He sits on command, but spit out my treat.😫 He’s very alert, gentle and well mannered. Once he warms up, he’s very affectionate. ... He didn’t appear to have a problem with other dogs. And he walked OK on a leash. Huskies like to run and therefore are sometimes called escape artists. Clive will need a tall secure fence."
To ask the shelter about Clive, cite his ID #58564580 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 or email rescues@city of mesquite.com.
SAME SYSTEM WHEN YOU ASK ABOUT THIS GUY CHICO (#58557151). He's another biographic project of Judi's. She writes, "If Chico looks bewildered in (his) photos it’s because he is! For three years he had what he thought was a forever home with the family that loved him. He probably had a warm bed and a family to give him hugs. Now all that’s gone, and he’s sleeps on a cement floor with dogs barking all around him. But it doesn’t need to be this way. You could be his hero!


"Chico is a 3-year-old, 16 pound Chihuahua (possibly a Chiweenie) that arrived at the Mesquite Animal Shelter on 5/22 as a stray. He’s small

enough that he could go with you anywhere. As soon as he got out into the yard, he did his business. He may be housebroken. He’s a little timid and unsure of the shelter environment so a slow introduction would be advised. After he did his business, he stayed really close. He did go under the bench several times as it seemed to offer him some security. When I tried to get him to sit he backed up wanting to please. He didn’t seem to know what I was asking of him. Chico is extremely sweet, gentle, cautiously friendly, and well mannered. ... He definitely wants to be an inside dog so he can snuggle up beside his new family members."
Cite Chico's ID #58557151 when you call the shelter at 972-216-6283 and email Email [email protected].
MOVING ALONG TO A SENIOR DOG, we get to a little dog named Giliga. Same system for asking about her -- she's #58549354 at the shelter. Make the call, write the note, cite the shelter animal's number!
Judi's bio of Giliga begins, "Jubilant describes this senior. Don’t be fooled by her age because she’s got plenty of life and love left to share with you. She is an 8-pound, 8-year-old adorable furry Chihuahua mix that was abandoned. This is your lucky day because this sweetheart is a diamond in the rough! She’s tail-wagging happy.  She dances for treats and for attention (see photos). She’s a lap dog wannabe. She was whining some. I imagine she’s missing her previous owners. She doesn’t know what happened to her warm bed and the hugs she used to get. The good news is she’s resilient. She’s saving up kisses for you. This sweetheart is spunky and friendly. She loves everyone. She prances on a leash...." [LARRY ASIDE: See her complete bio at the shelter's website. And remember, when you want to discuss her with the shelter, cite Giliga's shelter #58549354 on the phone (972-216-6283) or in the email rescues@cityofmesquitecom.]
Also, still waiting at the shelter, this 4-month-old, spayed, 32-pound "vivacious puppy" Berdie, a mixed breed. Her bio says that mix included "Border Collie" in her mix. She was found straying on May 16. "Is she ever a bundle of lovable and charming cuteness!" the bio reads. She is playful and was excited about playing with the cool toys and balls in our meet and greet room. Berdie is crazy about treats! She is amiable and good with being loved on and petted."
There's more about Berdie (#58516523 -- cite that number when you call or email the shelter as per directions in other bios above.]
Remember see more animals at the City of Mesquite website HERE
CONTEMPLATIONS
OF THINGS ON THIS EARTH?
(1) Have space aliens taken over the Texas Rangers' bats?
(2) German shepherds and small white furry toy dogs..... anybody confirm for me that space aliens are teleporting them in huge numbers to the Intergalactic Stray Target. i.e., the Dallas/Fort Worth area neighborhoods? Shelters seem to have and abundance now, as do on-line neighborhood bulletin boards. Heck we even have Lulu, our recently acquired stray rescued by Martha and I from a romp on a Cowtown neighborhood street. And, after living with her for a while, I'm almost certain she is not-of-this-earth: No, not Martha! I'm talking about Lulu. She heavenly quiet most of the time and an engaging conversationalist when we're watching TV together. Right now, she's flopped over at my feet as I type and -- let me check -- yes, she's reading a paperback copy of the famous feline book, "When The Cats Took Over The Moon."
Has nothing to do with dogs being dumped, but this item does and people who dump them should know tossing 'em out of the family car in a nice neighborhood is as illegal as tossing 'em out of the car in a muddy river bottom, you dog-and-cat-tossing jerks. If I were in better shape I'd invite you to meet me by the bicycle rack after school. Of course, my old school and the bike rack were bulldozed decades ago -- whew! Dodged that mistake!
--- Offer advice or doubt by clicking on 'comment' below or email [email protected] and put 'SMARTER THAN YOU' in the subject line -- I won't doubt it! ---