Two stray dogs turned up at my house last week. They had obviously been dumped. What kind of a colossal dope would do that? They were almost starved, covered in ticks, and frightened. I cannot express how angry I am that I had to worry, take care of, and ultimately send to the shelter these nice dogs. Now suppose they had not come to our home? It would have been one month before starvation took their lives. A dog cannot live on its own.

You can take a dog to any shelter or call the animal control to come and get her. Don't you dare put innocent animals through this cowardly way of shirking your responsibility. Of course, the ones who need to hear it don't read this column or pay attention to any advice. They pretend to be so unable to take them to the shelter, but in reality, they are being much more cruel. We all understand if you cannot afford to care for them; anyone understands. But please go to a shelter.

The good part of this story is Jill. Jill, the animal control officer from the Town of Rochester, is a treasure that has come to our area. She now covers the Town of Wawarsing, too. Not only did she turn up within an hour of my call and patiently coaxed the old boy into a carrier, but she came again the next day to round up Ernie, who was very hard to catch. She treated the dogs with the utmost kindness and respect. She never used old-fashioned dog catcher methods, such as a net, and made sure they were safely settled at the shelter. If you need her call: 626-5979 or email her at: doggonejill@aol.com.

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I received a very relevant letter from a reader. He has several dogs that he walks on a leash, but is very disturbed by the reckless behavior of people in his neighborhood. I thought we all knew that you must never pet an unknown dog. You always ask the owner's permission first and never approach a car window with a dog in it. The dogs are not at fault; they think they are on duty to protect the car — or in the case of walking, the guardian. My friend said that he was horrified when a mother told her child she could pet his dogs without asking first. One of his dogs is friendly to all, but the others are not. Also, please, when walking your dogs do not go over to someone else with dogs. Not everyone wants to talk, not every dog likes other dogs, and disease can be spread that way. It is common courtesy to respect another person's wishes and it is extremely dangerous to ever just go up and pet a dog or tell your child it is all right. Another friend found a sweet, white calico, female cat two weeks ago. If you are missing a cat like that in Ellenville, you can write to: mhmack2@yahoo.com or write to me: L. Muller, P.O. Box 82, Cragsmoor, NY 12420 if you have no computer.

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I have such great contacts in the pet world, and my pet pal Ellen gave me a really important tip. She said that a "Thunder Jacket" for dogs will calm them in thunderstorms and during fireworks. The idea is that a hugged feeling calms down anyone, humans and animals alike. The jacket feels like a hug to a dog. You can buy one from the PetExpertise website. Not only that, but the site tells all kinds of great dog training and caring ideas.

CNN's Website, CNN Living, also puts out pet information. I learned the following on how to keep pet costs down. Some are good, but I do not agree with a lot of this.

In the article, it is suggested that you learn to groom yourself, but I think cutting a pet's nails yourself is very dangerous. Learning to use clippers isn't hard and bathing a dog should be easy if you have a smaller dog.

As for buying pet toys, dollar stores are perfectly fine for that. You can buy cat litter there, too. The CNN information tells that Craigslist or Freecycle websites can enable people to trade pet equipment. Just be sure to sanitize them before giving to the pet.

You could buy bulk food for your dog or cat, but I would not, due to the mold factor. If you have friends with similar pets you might go in together on buying pet food. Cats are so finicky though, it would be rare if two cats liked the same thing on the same day.

"If your cat or dog needs emergency medical care, you'll most likely be hit with a major bill. By spending a small amount on pet insurance each month, you'll avoid "economic euthanasia" — having to put your pet down in lieu of an expensive surgery or treatment. The threshold of what you can spend on your pet's care skyrockets with insurance, so in an emergency you may not only save money but also your pet's life," said Dr. Marty Becker, veterinarian in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Finally the information does point out that the best way to keep costs down is to make sure your pet has a lot of exercise, good food, lots of water, and gets his or her vaccinations. Heartworm prevention pills are the first thing that comes to mind for an easy way to keep a deadly disease from costing you big money. I also caution you to be very careful what treatments you seek, the age of your pet, and what his quality of life would be during and after surgery or treatment. Think of them!