Meanwhile in shelters...
Alrighty, let's launch into a mid-week report. And we'll mention some shelter dogs -- keep in mind that I am typing with hands that were used to unload lumber yesterday and the fingers are in a little
bit of discomfort. Eight two-by-fours and two one-by-twos. Almost a day's work for your friendly neighborhood typist.
This dog? Well, this dog is one of the many, many, many, many animals whose photographs arrive in my in-box each day. This is a terrier mix whose name is, as near as I can tell, "Pickme."
The note asking for help for Pickme came from folks with Kerr County Rabies & Animal Control in Kerrville in the "heart of the Texas Hill Country." And the note says if you want this dog, you have to "act fast! Because he has been here the longest, so when we fill up (which is soon) he will be the first to go. We really want to see him get a home. He is a good dog that deserves to live."
Click HERE to see Pickme's page. Click HERE to see contact info for the Kerr County Rabies & Animal Control folks (call 830-257-3100.).
AND FROM THE HOUSTON FOLKS: Of course, we're going to try to drive home, one more time, the point that lots of shelters have big black dogs available. Drop by the Dallas Animal Services Shelter and you'll see some. Stop by Irving Animal Shelter. Visit Prairie Paws Adoption Center in Grand Prairie. Arlington Animal Services. SPCA. Operation Kindness. Dog and Kitty City. I'd be surprised if the two big cat groups, Feral Friends and Kittico Cat Rescue, didn't have a connection to some big ol' black dawgs.
This one is Nero. And, according to the e-mail from Kathy Deffebach with Houston's Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC), the city shelter, Nero needs a home now.
"We profiled him last week -- no takers," the report goes. "We thought we would try one more time. Nero is a male black lab mix, A885597…He’s got a white splotch on his chest and a tiny white dot on his head. Other than that, he looks like a black Labbie through and through. Nero is only 9 months old and has been cooped up at the shelter for too long! He came in wearing a fancy collar, but has never been claimed. Too many nice black dogs get overlooked at the shelter because they look so similar. We hope you will take a special look at Nero today! He’s been neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and is heartworm negative. His 90 days are past due. We are giving this one more shot!"
To ask about Nero, e-mail kdeffebach@sbcglobal.net.
IN MARSHALL: The East Texas shelters, such as Marshall Animal Shelter, are also at the overflowing stage.
Eva Sepulvado, the hard-working animal control officer, at Marshall has sent out a list of "urgents" that include Taffy, the little "scruffy dog" we focused on last week (July 3). Can't believe nobody's picked up Scruffy.
The other urgents include: "Lexie, a darling sweet older Cocker Spaniel; Kyler, a very cute Lemon Basset Mix; Kristy, beautiful white, spayed husky; Lia, a smooth Border Collie that is an absolutely wonderful dog" and "Jenny, a female Boxer mix – she is VERY cute & sweet." (Aside: I'm not sure what a Lemon Basset Mix is, but I'll bet the dog can explain it.)
And there is also Olivia, the Dalmatian, whose photo I used because in this pose she reminded me of one of the Dixie Chicks, the one that plays banjo.
To ask about any of the Marshall animals, call Eva at 903-935-4530 or 903-926-2695. Or e-mail sepulvado-aco@hotmail.com. The shelter's website is HERE.
REPORT ON THE GRAVEL PIT DOGS: Our tipster Deborah Trevino reports that there was some progress in saving dogs dumped near an abandoned gravel pit on Malloy Bridge Road near the Seagoville city limits. She says "the group was only able to catch 2 of the 5, which did include the newly injured pup, Shelby. I looked at her, but not sure what is wrong with her.. It just got too hot, and the dogs were going in and out of the fence to the property making it difficult. The thick undergrowth makes it difficult as well...one described it as a jungle.. We even had to explain our efforts to 3 Seagoville squad cars that pulled up. Someone had called them saying WE were dumping dogs."
So you won't think this is a "call-'em-and-they'll-come-to-you" situation, Deborah, who uses a crutch to help her get around said, "Of course, being on a crutch, I couldn't do much except I made a path going into the bushes in an effort to be able to get back to where they were hiding.. Lots of big spider webs back there. Yuck!"
We'll keep readers posted on the progress.
FROM LONGVIEW: The folks at the Humane Society of Northeast Texas are trying to find a home for this dog, Oliver.
He's in his last official week at the shelter -- after that, well, you know.
To ask about helping Oliver find a home or a temporary safe haven, e-mail adoption counselor Justin Allred at justin@hsntx. org or 903-297-2170. The shelter is at 303 Enterprise in Longview. Click HERE.
We have no idea what the past was like for Oliver, but if he's not adopted, we know what the future will be.
CONTEMPLATIONS: Two people who ought to get lifetime achievement awards from the Motion Picture Academy? Don Cheadle and Denzel Washington. (Yes, I recently watched Devil In A Blue Dress again and found myself really enjoying both actors.) ... Best place for kids to vacation without spending a lot of money -- except for the gasoline, of course? White Sands National Monument near Alamagordo, N.M., home of the New Mexico International Museum of Space History where, indeed, the first American into space is buried. Ham, the chimpanzee. ... Speaking of space, Mork and Mindy. Holds up? Doesn't hold up?



















































