Yappy Talk
“YAPPYTALK” Help stack the chips against puppy mills
For most people, our pets are “family” and treated as such. Therefore, it’s hard to imagine anyone who thinks of these furry loving creatures any other way. However, many backyard breeders or puppy mill owners view their dogs as commodities and care little about the wellbeing of their “business” merchandise. Often, the care and treatment these folks bestow on their animals falls into the definition of animal cruelty—both neglect and abuse. ...
full story
ANIMAL UPDATE: “YAPPYTALK” Follow the yellow brick road to save lives
The Dallas Companion Animal Project (DallasCAP) was presented to the City Council Quality of Life Committee this past Monday. Labeled as “Dallas’ No-Kill Any Adoptable Animal Plan,” it was received with great enthusiasm and plans to move forward— hopefully to reach this monumental goal in a shorter time frame than anticipated. Last summer, I was honored when chosen to serve on this Task Force when the city officials chose 12 animal advocate ...
full story
ANIMAL UPDATE: “YAPPYTALK” New SPCA ‘campus’ ready to turn heads
The SPCA of Texas’ Jan Rees-Jones Animal Care Center finally opened last week, after a busy year of massive restoration and a colossal transformation of a once boring building, originally built to house the United Methodist Reporting’s enormous printing presses. Today, this renovated icon on Interstate 30 at Hampton provides temporary homes for animals (massive and mini), as they contentedly wait in Ritz-type surroundings for their forever hom...
full story
ANIMAL UPDATE: “YAPPYTALK” Foster families save lives everyday
As I reflect over the holiday season on Christmas evening, enjoying a roaring fire in my cozy East Texas lake house, my two dogs, Libby and Hattie, snooze blissfully on each one’s respective sofa and lounge chair. Ross, my rotund and robust feline, is stretched out on a colorful rug, lazily basking from the warmth of the flames—a Cheshire grin on his chubby cheeks much like my own! My pets give me the gift of love and laughter everyday. This y...
full story
ANIMAL UPDATE “YAPPYTALK”: Foster families save lives everyday
Frequently, I am asked what the average pet lover can do to help the tens of thousands of homeless animals in need - right here in Dallas. Last week, I received an email addressing that very question from a friend of mine, Martha Hardwick Hoffmeister (most likely a friend to many reading this column). Martha (pictured above with her dog, Lola) is well known in Dallas, and most Dallasites are aware of Martha and her huge Internet audience. Ma...
full story
What do Mayflowers bring? Dogs and cats!
On Sept. 6, 1620, 102 Pilgrims left their homes amidst a war-filled world in Plymouth, England and headed across the ocean to the New World, praying for a new life of civil and religious liberty. After two months of treacherous travel, the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts in late November, choosing a suitable landing place, which they named Plymouth Rock. On Dec. 11, before disembarking their ship, the 102 hopeful travelers signed the “Mayfl...
full story
Group hopes to put a CAP on pet deaths
One frequently included question in those dinner table conversation games is, “If you had one wish, what would it be?” Naturally, most answers include world peace, no sickness, hunger or poverty – as well as fame, fortune or true love. When I’ve been asked “the question,” a favorite quotation immediately comes to mind: “In a perfect world, every dog or cat would have a home and every home would have a dog or cat. Or several.” Everyday as I ...
full story
'Pet communicator’ listens with her heart
How often have you wished you could actually converse with your pet and share his or her feelings, wishes and possible past experiences from a prior abused or neglected life? Actually, with my own family, I am not sure I would want to know about their lives before me. I am merely happy knowing that animals live in the moment, forgiving and forgetting their previous abusive owners or sad life situations. Since pet parents often communicate with...
full story