DEAR ABBY: Your column concerning the problem of dumping unwanted pets prompts me to share an incident that happened several years ago.
My brother lives five miles outside a small town in Texas, and one day after a big snowstorm, he needed to drive into town to get groceries and gas.
Just as he was about to leave, he noticed his neighbor's car pulling up to the curb on the opposite side of the street. When the neighbor drove off, a small dog stood in the snow. The neighbor had dumped his dog!
My brother hurriedly picked up the dog and drove to his neighbor's house. He then let the dog out and watched him scamper up the steps.
Lo and behold, the next week, the neighbor told my brother about dumping the dog -- and how the dog beat him home. He said, "If the little mutt loves me that much, I'm going to keep him!" -- BILL GRIFFIN, RICHARDSON, TEXAS
DEAR BILL: Pet dumping is no laughing matter. It often results in the death of an innocent animal. I am pleased your story had a positive outcome -- but a dog shouldn't have to turn into a homing pigeon with the aid of a Good Samaritan in order to prove how much it loves its owner.