To the person who lost a puppy on Oct. 31 on Highway 49 South near Kemble Road, I picked him up and he is safe. He is a skinny brown hound mixture with a large white chest and white spotted feet. You can claim him by contacting me.

To the person who dumped a skinny brown hound puppy on Highway 49 South on Oct. 31, shame on you. As he was frantically running around on the highway looking for you and trying to get into people's cars he almost got hit on several occasions. You could have contacted the SPCA or the fine people at our animal control office who might have helped you find a home for him as he is certainly adoptable. I hope you don't have any other animals because someone like you should not be allowed to care for anything that is breathing. The thought that you might have children is scary.

I named the puppy Chester because of his large white chest. It is apparent that he was not fed well on a regular basis and that he was not trained. In the two weeks that he has been with me, he accepted a collar, is walking well on a leash, learned to sit, heel, stay, shake is so-so, and he is trusting more and more that he will be fed as evidenced by his ability to sit and wait until his bowl is placed on the floor.

I want to thank all the people who called the sheriff's office to report that this puppy was on the highway, however, I would like to suggest to pick up a confused puppy/dog and deliver him/her to the animal control office to prevent the dog from getting hit by a car or to avoid a car accident. Yes, it is an inconvenience, I was on my way to Oakhurst to go shopping which was naturally cancelled. Oh well.

I have lived in Mariposa County since 2001 and love my new home. However, this is not the first dog that I picked up on the side of the road and thus I believe that something needs to be done to help these unfortunate animals and also the good owners who simply cannot care for their animals anymore. To my friends and acquaintances who have adopted some of my rescues and who have contributed to my trap/spay/neuter efforts of the cats around my office, my heartfelt thanks.

Iris Chynoweth