Junk Mail of the Stars

I saw a few minutes of The View this morning. Caught Kirk Cameron talking about his days on Growing Pains and it reminded me that I am in possession of a piece of mail sent to him nearly twenty years ago by another celebrity, Ed McMahon. Now I know it's illegal to open other people's mail, but this envelope has remained sealed.

And yet, I'll bet I can guess how it begins:

Dear Mr. Cameron:

You may have already won ten million dollars!

Yes, that's right, it's Kirk Cameron's American Family Publishers entry form, circa 1989. Of course, the great irony is that today it's Mr. McMahon who could really use the bucks.

I had a friend visiting from NYC this week so I showed her the city by dragging her along on a 130-mile trek to deliver this mother and daughter from South L.A. to a foster in Orange County (and then the next day we went to Griffith Observatory).

Also stopped by the MPA on Sunday to drop off the Golden Spigot for the dog wash. Although we didn't stay too long, we did get to see Buddy, a Collie/Retriever/Whatever mix get adopted by this nice couple and their Maltese/Yorkie, or as they they prefer to call her, a Morkie.

Altogether, 14 dogs and 5 cats found new homes on Sunday. And thanks to Donald Trump, I hear Mr. McMahon will be keeping his old one. That lucky dog.

Fairy Dogmother Grants Three Wishes

Once upon a time there was a happy, friendly dog named Fannie who somehow got dumped at a city shelter. She was filthy, matted and obese from lack of exercise. Everyone's best guess was that she was a German Shepherd/Australian Shepherd mix, but more significantly, she was just another middle-aged discarded pet. No one paid much attention to her or showed any interest in adopting her. Then, one day, Fannie was red-listed. She thought this was a good thing, to be on a special list. How could she know that the red list meant she could be put to sleep at any time?

Fortunately, Fannie had a Fairy Dogmother named Andrea who saw the list, came to meet her, knew immediately what a good dog she was and then sent out emails to rescuers.

"No guarantees," Andrea told Fannie, "but if I could grant you three wishes, what would they be?"

"Well," said Fannie, "I'd like to have a bath and a haircut so everyone can see how beautiful I am. For my second wish, I'd like to have my new mom show up to adopt me before I'm even done with the grooming session, and then, for my third wish, I'd like to go home the same day and live happily ever after."

Okay, so Fannie can't really talk and she's not that demanding anyway, but check out the rest of this fairy tale. Andrea asked Jane if she could bring her carload of grooming supplies on Sunday...

And Jane spent three-and-a-half hours brushing, bathing and beautifying Fannie...

...who looked much healthier once Jane had removed a whole bagful of tangled fur.

Still, there was concern that Fannie might not be saved in time, until it turned out that someone had cross-posted the plea on Craigslist. And before Jane had even begun Fannie's pedicure, a wonderful woman named Sheila, who lived far away in the Valley, showed up holding a copy of the Craigslist ad.

As soon as Sheila entered the room, she knew Fannie was the perfect dog for her. And although Fannie was pretty attached to Andrea at this point, it didn't take long for Fannie to realize that this was the mom of her dreams.

Oh, and since Fannie was already spayed, she went home that day.

Is this what they mean by Animal Magnetism?

I've got a slight cold, maybe a fever, but there's no one to call in sick to on a Saturday. I figured I'd open up the gym and then hide in the office where I wouldn't be sneezing and coughing on everyone. About twenty minutes later I heard a tapping sound going across the gym floor and worried the building might have rats (again!). So I opened the door to look and this is who was standing there:

Seriously, how do they keep finding me?

I must have startled her because she ran away. Of course I followed, then headed to my car for a leash and some dog food and treats.

She had a collar (I knew her owners had to live nearby - I've seen that collar up the road at Dollar King) , but no ID so I made some signs and walked her around the park as we posted them. (Once I gave her cookies she'd follow me anywhere.)

No one in the park knew her so after about an hour I called a nearby vet to see if we could go over and check for a microchip. Just as I was loading her into my car, her owners showed up. Probably thought I was stealing their dog. Her name is Angel, which suits her, and she is chipped. That's good. Now they just have to train her not to break out of their yard.

In other blog-related news, my friends Peter and Lynn who live in the Berkeley area had offered to adopt the lost Chi I found under a van in a parking lot a few weeks ago, as a friend for their Chi/Terrier Jedi. When another rescuer took in the lost dog, they decided to go ahead anyway and get Jedi a buddy. They called the same rescue Jedi came from and ended up with Mango. Coincidentally, Mango was also found wandering in a parking lot.

Do Chihuahuas like to shop or something?

Apparently Mango had been adopted before but had "too much energy" for that family and was returned. Lynn tells me she's just right for Jedi and they're keeping her.

I remember visiting Peter, Lynn and family for Thanksgiving a number of years ago. After dinner we went for a walk and their two kids whined and complained the entire time. But I'll bet Jedi and Mango just love it.

Cats here! Get your cats here!

We've gotta get the word out that there are cats at these adoptions, too. Only two of eight were adopted yesterday, but who wouldn't want a cat? They're entertaining, quiet, will most likely cause someone you dislike anyway to sneeze and, best of all, they're self-cleaning.

Dogs, on the other hand, need a little help washing up.

Fortunately, once again, the mysterious baseball-capped "VOLUNTEER" showed up to bathe some dirty shelter dogs and increase their chances of adoption.

Looks like it worked as some nineteen dogs found homes yesterday, including these two new neighbors, adopted by families who live on the same street:

This puppy (yes, puppy) found a new home, too:

I'm not sure who else got adopted since I had to leave early to meet a friend. We went to Starbuck's where a Frappuccino still costs slightly less than a gallon of gas. Unless you're comparing them ounce for ounce, in which case it would be cost-effective to drink unleaded.

Anyway, here are some of the other dogs who attended. Let's hope they all find homes before the next MPA.

Despite the large turnout...

... not every dog makes it out of the shelter.

I seem to have a knack for finding lost dogs. Or they have a knack for finding me. The ones that have ID or microchips are easy to send home. The others, unclaimed by their owners, have all been rescued and/or adopted. Until now.

I was on my way to the site of the MPA when I found this dog on June 13th, heading for the freeway. She was a little bit shy but allowed me to put a collar and leash on her and then jumped into my car. We stopped at the park and she was happy to walk around and greet people. But then I had to take her to the shelter. She had a torn collar, but no ID or microchip.

I was hoping to bring her to the next MPA, but by then she was sick. And then she became anti-social. And then she just never had a real chance.

I thought I would be notified before she was put to sleep, to send out urgent emails to potential rescuers, but I never got that call and now it's too late. I will always wonder if I should have left her wandering along the roadside. I regret that I couldn't do better and I resent her owners who let her get loose and then never came looking for her. She was waiting at the shelter for six weeks. She was probably three or four years old.

I hate to end on such a sad note, so let me just add that Dr. Henry Kittenger (top) allowed me to trim his nails today in record time.

His good behavior was rewarded with Whisker Lickin's although he also enjoys Cheerios and milk and believes this diet will lower his cholesterol.