Mimi Collides with the Pet of the Week

Collide is the dog's name that we are highlighting as our pet of the week and I quickly found out why. He still has playful puppy in him and he is a big boy so when he comes running, sometimes he doesn't completely stop in time to prevent a collision.

I prefer to call him "Clyde." He only ran into me twice and it wasn't a big deal. I've had much worse. He has a great personality and drew me in closer to his kennel with an adorable look. Before I knew it, I had him on a leash and we were walking out to the exercise area.

Clyde is a collie, like the well-known "Lassie" but without all of the hair. He less than 2 years old but for a young dog, he has a pretty low energy level. He likes to play ball, a little anyway. I'm sure it is something he could learn with practice and patience.

Clyde likes to play in water and that was probably the most energetic he was while we were out together. He is great on a leash and looked for direction from me.

Our animal shelter is a "kill shelter" which means dogs and cats are euthanized when available space becomes an issue. Some weeks there are more animals put down than other weeks. Most city ran shelters are open admission facilities which means they take everything and cannot turn down animals. It is up to the community to help our local shelter and there are several ways to help:

• Please spay and neuter your pets.
• Volunteer to help educate citizens about the need to fix their animals.
• Share this post on your Facebook page and Tweet about it, too.
• Go to the shelter and take your own photos and videos to share with friends.
• Donate money to the shelter to help cover spay and neuter costs for people that want to adopt a pet but they cannot afford all of the upfront costs.

The Animal Care and Adoption Center is located at 203 Harrison St., Texarkana, Ark., 71854 and is open Monday through Friday from 11AM and 5PM and Saturdays from 11AM to 2PM. Our shelter takes in animals from many surrounding communities. Please remember to check with the shelter if you have lost a pet or if you are interested in adopting a new pet.