TulsaPets Magazine July 2022

4 TulsaPets • July / August 2022 T his special issue is dedicated to my dog, Elmer. He’s featured here on the cover, and this photo was the first time I laid eyes on him. It was early December 2008, and I was at the Tulsa Animal Shelter (TAW) taking photos for my shelter report. I saw this little black pup. He was in the only cage that got any sunlight, on the extreme southeast corner of the room. All the dogs were enjoying a treat, including this little black dog. When our eyes met, he dropped his treat, and that is the moment I took the photo. Those eyes! They seemed to be begging me to take him home. I went about my business but kept circling back to him. I talked to him and rubbed him through the cage. He was softer than velvet! I left the shelter downhearted and came home. I emailed the photo to my better half, Steve, and he said, “Why don’t you just go get him?” I then proceeded back to the shelter, going 60 miles per hour down Yale! Turns out the pup was a stray on a three-day hold, but I was the only one in line to adopt him. Three days later, on December 15, I was able to pick him up and bring him home. It was a dark, icy day, but we made it home. We named him Elmer and made him a pallet while we fixed dinner, and voilà, the rest is history. The reason I dedicate this issue to Elmer is that now, 14 years later, he’s not doing so great. He has mast cell tumors and bad arthritis and is going downhill at a rapid pace. I’m trying to “get my face fixed for it,” as my mother used to say, but as I’m sure you know, it’s not easy. He’s been the best boy, our great restaurant-patio dining companion, ice cream eater at Ida Red, best temperament ever dog. As of this writing, I imagine Elmer has a few days left. I’m so grateful I got to spend precious time with him. Please join me in celebrating his life, and say a little prayer for him to rest well. TulsaPets Volume 15, Number 4 PUBLISHER Marilyn King 918.520.0611 mking@tulsapetsmagazine.com EDITOR Rowena Mills 918.274.9251 hrmills444@yahoo.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR Amanda Watkins WEB MANAGER/AD SALES Steve Kirkpatrick 918.230.2493 steve@tulsapetsmagazine.com ADVERTISING SALES Marilyn King 918.520.0611 mking@tulsapetsmagazine.com Steve Kirkpatrick 918.230.2493 steve@tulsapetsmagazine.com Rosalie Childs 918.630.5775 rfchilds@me.com Rowena Mills 918.274.9251 hrmills444@yahoo.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Heide Brandes Lauren Cavagnolo Kim Doner Nancy Gallimore Sherri Goodall Mary Green Karen Holman Anna Holton-Dean Jennie Lloyd Rowena Mills Ashley Villines Kelsey Warren-Bryant 918.520.0611 www.tulsapetsmagazine.com P.O. Box 14128 Tulsa, Oklahoma 74159-1128 ©2022 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the express written consent of the publisher. FROM THE PUBLISHER Elmer